Walking through the anatomy of a cyberattack. [CyberWire-X]

CyberWire Daily

N2K Networks, Inc.

Tech News, News, Daily News, Technology

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 12 April 2026

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What does a modern cyberattack really look like from the inside? In this CyberWire-X episode, Dave Bittner speaks with John Anthony Smith, Founder and Chief Security Officer of Fenix24. This conversation takes us step by step as an attacker breaks into a target environment – probing for weaknesses, exploiting entry points, escalating privileges, and moving laterally until they reach their objective. While the attack unfolds, listeners are privy to a behind-the-scenes commentary that reveals the tradecraft: the scripts, misconfigurations, overlooked alerts, and the moments defenders could have stopped the intrusion and, most importantly, prepared for the day through a defense that locks down data and enables a quick and full recovery. This is not a theoretical review or a highlight reel. It's a candid, technical, and eye-opening journey through the full kill chain that will reshape listeners think about detection, incident readiness, and resilience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to the Cyberwire Network, powered by N2K.
0:05.7	What does a modern cyber attack actually look like from the inside?
0:23.0	In this edition of CyberwireX, we follow an attacker step by step as they move through a target environment,
0:29.2	probing weaknesses, exploiting entry points, escalating privileges, and moving laterally toward their objective.
0:35.7	Along the way, you'll see the trade craft behind the intrusion, the scripts, the missed alerts,
0:40.8	and the moment's defenders could have stopped the attack.
0:43.6	Our guide is John Anthony Smith, founder and chief security officer of Phoenix 24,
0:48.9	bringing more than 16 years of breach response experience across health care, financial services, and legal sectors.
0:56.3	He's helped investigate and recover from incidents affecting hundreds of organizations worldwide.
1:01.7	This is a practical conversation at how teams can strengthen detection, readiness, and recovery before the next incident arrives.
1:22.8	Thank you. and recovery before the next incident arrives. Before we dig in, I'd love to just know a little bit about you yourself here.
1:28.8	You're the founder and chief security officer of your company there. What led you to where you are today?
1:34.0	What has led me to where I am at this moment? Certainly about 14 years ago or so, I got
1:39.9	pulled into a significant breach for a significant manufacturer that's regionally located to where I live.
1:47.6	And that forever changed the trajectory of my professional career.
1:51.7	That moment actually informed me clearly that all defensive strategies must be informed by what threat actors are able and willing to do.
2:01.9	It also informed me, frankly, that the world was changing and breach behavior was significantly
2:07.2	shifting and that, frankly, there needed to be some organization that could help companies
2:13.8	recover from these types of events. And so while I have had a very storied career,
2:19.9	I would say that particular moment about 14 years ago, ish now, was a big deal. It changed my
2:26.3	trajectory. You know, just a few days ago, I was chatting with another cybersecurity professional
2:33.0	who was really emphasizing the importance of backups
	...

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