The expanding world of state-sponsored cyber warfare

02/19/25 • 38 min

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, host Liam Garman welcomes Cyber Daily’s David Hollingworth, a cyber security expert and Cyber Uncut podcast host, to unpack the latest in hacking and cyber security in the new era of grey-zone warfare and nation-state cyber attacks. They begin the podcast examining real world examples of warfare-motivated hacking, threat actors for hire, the impact of cyber threats and incidents for nations around the world.

They then discuss the differences between “smash-and-grab” ransomware attacks with persistent and embedded state-sponsored cyber attacks.

The podcast wraps up examining the increasing speed, accuracy and impact of cyber attacks on industry and government infrastructure across international lines.

Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team

They then discuss the differences between “smash-and-grab” ransomware attacks with persistent and embedded state-sponsored cyber attacks.

The podcast wraps up examining the increasing speed, accuracy and impact of cyber attacks on industry and government infrastructure across international lines.

Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team

Previous Episode

Regaining the qualitative advantage

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, hosts Major General (Ret’d) Dr Marcus Thompson, Liam Garman and Phil Tarrant unpack the latest in the AI race, and how the United States is seeking to use tariffs to regain the economic edge.

They begin the podcast examining the DeepSeek phenomenon, why Nvidia share prices took a hit, and looking under the hood to see if the tech is as good as advertised.
They then look at the recent threats and imposition of tariffs and how this will impact the US, and whether a strengthening US dollar is indicative of growing consumer optimism.
The podcast wraps up examining the relationship between foreign aid and national security and moves in the US to suspend aid.

Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team

Next Episode

Alliance abandonment and realpolitik in global affairs

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, hosts Major General (Ret’d) Dr Marcus Thompson, Phil Tarrant and Liam Garman unpack the risk of alliance abandonment in the face of moves from the White House and their implications for a changing Asia-Pacific region.

The podcast begins with an analysis into how fears of alliance abandonment have led to renewed commitments to national security collaboration between European powers.
They then unpack whether “deal making” is a strong enough consideration to overcome ideological and philosophical partnerships in the competition for global power.
Dr Thompson, Tarrant and Garman wrap up the podcast looking at hedging and balancing strategies in the Indo-Pacific, and whether realpolitik will take centre stage as nations continuously manoeuvre their alliance structures.

Enjoy the podcast, The Contested Ground team