You Deserve to be Hacked

There's a machine in your building controlling something physical right now. It's probably connected to the internet. And you definitely don't know it's there. Operational technology  sits in the biggest blind spot in cybersecurity. We patch our laptops every Tuesday. These systems haven't been updated in a decade. In this episode, we sit down with Amy Brooks, a chartered...

Die Hard. Christmas movie or not? That's how we kick off this special edition of YOU DESERVE TO BE HACKED, a fireside chat recorded as 2025 comes to a close. This year brought seismic shifts in offensive security. AI agents everywhere. Prompt injection still unsolved. Shadow AI spreading faster than IT teams can track it. And threat actors like Scattered Spider proving that the front door is...

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming an active partner in offensive cybersecurity.  In this episode, Jim Clover , founder of Varadius Ltd and former UK Government cyber operations lead, joins Luke Potter , COO at CovertSwarm, to explore how AI is changing the way real attacks are planned and executed. Jim brings a grounded perspective shaped by years of experience and a deep understanding o...

AI is changing how we work and how we get hacked. Every day, employees rely on large language models to draft emails, summarize data, and solve problems. But the same conversational power that makes them useful also makes them vulnerable. The words we use can shape, persuade, or even exploit the systems we trust. In this episode, we speak with Elle Neal , AI and data scientist at Databutton and as...

Nation-state attacks aren't just reserved for governments anymore. They're being repurposed, rebranded, and redirected at the private sector - and most organizations won’t see them coming. In this episode, we speak with Chris Worthy , former UK national security lead, and Billy Giles , CovertSwarm’s Head of Adversary Simulation (US), about how enterprise targets are increasingly in scope...

In this episode of YOU DESERVE TO BE HACKED , we sit down with representatives from the Bank of England and CovertSwarm to unpack the truth behind CBEST. This isn’t about pass/fail. It’s about exposing hidden assumptions, simulating real-world attacks, and stress-testing the entire financial ecosystem—starting at Tier 1 and scaling outward. We explore the mindset shift, how it informs operational...

Social engineering. SIM swapping. MFA fatigue.   These aren’t just headlines from last year. They’re live tactics, straight from the Scattered Spider playbook. In this episode, we join CovertSwarm’s own operators as we explore the methods used by threat groups like Scattered Spider. From helpdesk manipulation to full identity compromise, we break down the tactics, the weak points, and how attacker...

The CovertSwarm podcast has been running for nearly three years, but it's time for a revamp. We're hitting pause briefly before returning with something fresh, new, and more disruptive than ever. Look out for YOU DESERVE TO BE HACKED The Podcast - coming soon. -- Successful companies are constant targets for attackers. Those who take security seriously don’t test their defenses once a ye...

In this second episode hosted by Hacker Valley, Ron Eddings sits down with CovertSwarm’s Academy Hive Leader, Iain Jackson, for an eye-opening, innovative, and unsettling episode. This time, Ron’s voice is cloned live on air. Using cutting-edge AI impersonation tools, Iain demonstrates how attackers can weaponize synthetic voices to breach organizational defenses, this time by cloning our host&apo...

In this episode hosted by Hacker Valley, Ron Eddings sits down with CovertSwarm 's US team members Dahvid Schloss, Hive Leader, and Ilan Fehler, US Sales Lead, to uncover the hidden vulnerabilities most organizations overlook. While many focus on fortifying their outermost defenses, Dahvid and Ilan reveal why testing the entire brand is crucial to identifying vulnerabilities in the inner laye...

In this episode, explore the most significant cyber threats impacting businesses today. From emerging risks to the persistent attack vectors that continue to catch companies off-guard, we’ll cover it all in a dynamic and insightful discussion. Join our host, Will Morrish, as he chats with Dahvid Schloss, Swarm Leader and former State-Sponsored Hacker, to unpack these critical topics and provide ac...

Join our host and Academy Hive Leader, Iain Jackson, as he sits down with Phill and Joao, members of the inaugural CovertSwarm Academy intake. In this episode, they reflect on their transformative journey and share insights from their successful first year at the Academy. -- Successful companies are constant targets for attackers. Those who take security seriously don’t test their defenses once a...

Earlier this month, our Swarm of ethical hackers attended DEF CON 32 in Las Vegas, one of the most anticipated events in the hacking community. On this episode, join our Head of People and Culture and host, Ellie Lancaster, as she interviews our colleagues Faith, Alex, and Joao about their standout moments from the event. Learn about the different villages, topics, and levels needed to get the mos...

Those of you at DEF CON 31 might remember the badges our swarm members had. Well, this year, we've got something even better! With DEF CON 32 around the corner, we are ready to introduce the team behind the awesome badge we will bring to the event. Meet our host and Head of People and Culture, Ellie Lancaster, as she discusses with Paul, John, and Ale the story behind this milestone they have...

The YOU DESERVE TO BE HACKED™ slogan has reached Hartford, the insurance capital of North America, to challenge the cybersecurity approach of CISOs in the industry. On this episode, listen to our host and CRO, Will Morrish, and Ilan Fehler, our first hired member in the US, as they explore the type of fraud companies are exposed to, what we have learned about the US market after last year's e...

Listen to our host and Swarm Director, Louis Blackburn, as he discusses with our new Hive Member, Ben Stickland, their interpretation of DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) and NIS2 (Network and Information Security Directive 2) and how they will help financial entities and critical infrastructure sectors to strengthen their cybersecurity posture. -- Successful companies are constant targets...

Immersed in the world of cryptography, WWII espionage and the remarkable story behind Alan Turing and his team's groundbreaking efforts to crack the Nazi encryption system, the Enigma code, our Swarm came from all over the world to share, learn and collaborate with each other. On this episode of our podcast, our host and new Head of People and Culture, Ellie Lancaster, talks to members of the...

On this episode meet our CEO, Anders Reeves, as he interviews Swarm Director, Louis Blackburn, on the topics of the 'Cyber Kill Chain' and how 'Initial Access Brokers' (IAB) play a key role in enabling mass negative impact by threat actors seeking to deploy Ransomware, and more. Watch on YouTube ! -- Successful companies are constant targets for attackers. Those who take securi...

Listen to our COO Luke Potter and our new Swarm Director talking about red team services, how the industry looks and how to ensure you choose the perfect cybersecurity partner. -- Successful companies are constant targets for attackers. Those who take security seriously don’t test their defenses once a year. They subscribe to CovertSwarm .

Our Offensive Operations Center just received a major upgrade that will benefit all our users from January 2024.   Listen to our CEO Anders Reeves, our COO Luke Potter and our Head of Product Ronan Mccrory dive into this new feature, its functionality and how our clients could make the most of it to evaluate their cyber maturity benchmark beyond surface-level.  -- Successful companies are constant...

Understanding the user needs and translating them into a product strategy and road map is crucial to stay on top of other Attack Surface Management Platforms in a fast-moving industry such as cybersecurity.   Today’s host and COO, Luke Potter, talks with our new Head of Product, Ronan Mccrory, who discusses his industry experience and his thoughts on where the Offensive Operations Center is going....

Bug Bounty programmes can form an effective component of an organization's security strategy. However, they are prone to testing blindspots, variable quality, and uncertainty around tester skillsets and backgrounds. Join CovertSwarm COO, Luke Potter, as he interviews Ignacio Garrido on his move from working with popular Bug Bounty vendors over to joining our Swarm of ethical hackers full-time...

Earlier this year Chris joined CovertSwarm having taken an unusual and inspiring route into offensive cyber security from being a  member of a successful punk and metal band, through to a prolific music production career, and more recently seeing him join  the world of cyber security. Hear Chris' story and how 17 years of music performance, production and set of highly-transferrable skills le...

The mission of the CovertSwarm Academy is to build a new and alternative pathway for people into the cyber industry that removes the traditional barriers to entry by increasing accessibility to a more diverse population. On this episode hear our founder, Anders Reeves, speak with Iain and Jack from the CovertSwarm team leading the design, implementation, launch and operation of the CovertSwarm Aca...

CovertSwarm’s Will Morrish is joined by Todd Wade to discuss the evolving risk of AI, making security personal, and how to engage your teams in a security journey. -- Successful companies are constant targets for attackers. Those who take security seriously don’t test their defenses once a year. They subscribe to CovertSwarm .