Last week we sat down with cybersecurity expert, Mark Sangster, author of the bestselling cybercrime deep dives Cyber-Conscious Leadership: A Practical Guide to Protecting Your Organization Against Cybercrime and No Safe Harbor: The Inside Story of Cybercrime and How to Protect Your Business. Our goal was to understand and relay to attendees of our fan-favorite Steak event, a few major principles that would help to better protect their business with actionable strategies that could take away immediately. Did you miss it? No worries, we're giving you the highlights below.
3 Things You Need To Know About Today's Threat Landscape
International Ransomware and Cyberwarfare is Getting Closer and Closer to Home
Host and Centre Regional Sales Manager, James Shuler, discussed with Mark his insights from interviews with individuals on the frontlines of cyber conflict, including those in Ukraine and Middle Eastern territories. On the surface, those place are miles away, but it's the cyber culture that is created which is worrisome to US-based businesses. Modern warfare now includes digital attacks on infrastructure, with no clear distinction between civilian, military, and yes, even cyber targets. Unfortunately, cybercrime is often economically incentivized in conflict zones, making it a persistent and evolving threat that is rapidly coming to our shores (see his CEO example from the clip).
Takeaway: Cybersecurity threats are increasingly global and complex, especially when tied to geopolitical tensions. Organizations must prepare for a world where digital attacks can disrupt supply chains, operations, and even national security. This means adopting a proactive, intelligence-informed approach to threat detection and response.
Cybersecurity is Evolving For Better AND Worse Thanks to, You Guessed It, Artificial Intelligence
AI can be used both as a productivity tool and a potential weapon in cybersecurity. Mark highlights the complexity of AI, which complicates understanding of its implications and impact. It's benefits include enhancing detection capabilities, automating reporting, and learning security methodologies, which benefits both defenders and attackers. However, while it can improve the identification of threats, it also poses challenges in distinguishing between legitimate and unauthorized communications. Ultimately, Mark emphasizes the importance of leveraging AI to stay ahead of evolving threats while ensuring it enhances rather than replaces jobs.
Takeaway: AI is transforming the cybersecurity landscape. While it offers immense potential to improve defense mechanisms, it also raises the stakes by empowering adversaries. Organizations must invest in AI-driven tools while also training teams to recognize and respond to AI-enhanced threats.
Your Leadership MUST Be Concerned with What's Happening in Cybersecurity
In his book, Cyber-Conscious Leadership, Mark emphasized the critical need for business leaders to understand cybersecurity beyond technical jargon. His book, based on interviews with over 60 global experts and victims, explores how leadership decisions directly impact cyber resilience. He argues that many executives fail to grasp the real-world consequences of cyberattacks—like ransomware or data breaches—because they lack the vocabulary and context to translate technical risks into business outcomes.
Takeaway: Cybersecurity is no longer just an IT issue, it’s a boardroom priority. Leaders must become cyber-literate, not to master the tech, but to make informed decisions that protect their organizations. Investing in education, tabletop exercises, and cross-functional communication is essential to building a resilient, cyber-aware culture.
Your Next Steps
First and foremost, follow our events page. We are constantly working to create unique and relevant events that meet you at the corner of education, fun, and your interests. Yes, our annual Steak Event is always a hit, but we also do Wine events, Whiskey events, educational deep dives (with free lunch for you), and in-person events as well to keep you in the know on all things IT. You'll find everything you need to get registered on our events page.
Once you've done that, reach out to us and get the conversation going on how you and your business can stay educated, relevant, and protected into 2026.
Emily Kirk
