Cybersecurity News & Analysis by Cyber Sidekicks - Your Weekly Update’

As the cybersecurity community descends upon the Moscone Center for RSAC, there is a palpable "exhaustion of choice." We are currently navigating a sea of over 600 Managed Detection and Response (MDR) providers, each promising to be the definitive shield for your enterprise. For the modern CISO, this isn't just noise; it’s a signal-to-noise crisis. In a market where every player claims the same high ground, identifying the true disruptors requires us to look past the marketing gloss. We must look toward the "dark horses"—the providers currently galloping under the radar who are poised to redefine the very nature of Security Operations (SecOps) by 2026.
 
In this week's episode, Christina & Rory discuss the future of the MDR market, looking at the established players and who the winners of tomorrow might be....
 
Leave us a message! Want to leave some feedback and suggestions but would prefer not to write an email? You can leave us a voicemail (90 seconds max). We will share any that are not too spicy in the following episode. SpeakPipe link - https://www.speakpipe.com/Cyber_Sidekicks Or, send us an email: Christina Richmond – christina@richmondadvisorygroup.com Rory Duncan – rory@richmondadvisorygroup.com Subscribe to our Newsletter - "Signal, not noise"Our monthly newsletter is free to subscribers! Sign-up now at Richmond Advisory Group.   Technology we use Podcast Recording Platform – Cleanfeed.com Cyber Sidekicks Show Host – Podbean.com Edited & mastered in GarageBand

Serious discussions this week as Christina & Rory look more closely at how a combination of physical and digital threats are bringing the effects of the conflict in the Middle East home to people across a wide region. Datacenter outages, AI-powered targeting and large-scale hacktivist attacks outline the heightened vulnerability of critical infrastructure.
 
AWS UAE data center hit by outage following military strikes across the region
Iran war heralds era of AI-powered bombing quicker than ‘speed of thought’ 
Iran Cyber Front: Hacktivist Activity Rises, but State-Sponsored Attacks Stay Low
As War Continues, Pro-Iranian Actors Launch Barrage of Cyberattacks
 
AI NEWS
GenAI content spawns a new acronym
Microsoft gets pissed at new AI term - I wonder why?
AI Agent scans GitHub for exploitable Actions - asks for crypto
Leave us a message! Want to leave some feedback and suggestions but would prefer not to write an email? You can leave us a voicemail (90 seconds max). We will share any that are not too spicy in the following episode. SpeakPipe link - https://www.speakpipe.com/Cyber_Sidekicks Or, send us an email: Christina Richmond – christina@richmondadvisorygroup.com Rory Duncan – rory@richmondadvisorygroup.com Subscribe to our Newsletter - "Signal, not noise"Our monthly newsletter is free to subscribers! Sign-up now at Richmond Advisory Group.   Technology we use Podcast Recording Platform – Cleanfeed.com Cyber Sidekicks Show Host – Podbean.com Edited & mastered in GarageBand

This week we discuss some of the trends, new directions and common approaches of some of this year's RSAC 2026 Innovation Sandbox Finalists! We also cover the latest M&A News: Palo Alto Networks announcing their intention to buy AI endpoint security platform Koi; the pitfalls of using an AI-generated random password (hint: they're not actually unique or necessarily secure...), and; the latest threat from LLM "distillation".....
NEWS
Palo Alto Networks to Acquire Koi in Reported $400 Million Transaction
Your AI-generated password isn't random: it just looks that way
Detecting & Preventing Distillation Attacks
Leave us a message! Want to leave some feedback and suggestions but would prefer not to write an email? You can leave us a voicemail (90 seconds max). We will share any that are not too spicy in the following episode. SpeakPipe link - https://www.speakpipe.com/Cyber_Sidekicks Or, send us an email: Christina Richmond – christina@richmondadvisorygroup.com Rory Duncan – rory@richmondadvisorygroup.com Subscribe to our Newsletter - "Signal, not noise"Our monthly newsletter is free to subscribers! Sign-up now at Richmond Advisory Group.   Technology we use Podcast Recording Platform – Cleanfeed.com Cyber Sidekicks Show Host – Podbean.com Edited & mastered in GarageBand

In the run-up to RSAC 2026 we have the first of a series of shows highlighting some of the new and innovative cybersecurity firms in the event's Innovation Sandbox Top 10 Final. This week, Christina & Rory chat with Hanah-Marie Darley, Chief AI Officer at Geordie.ai about how to govern AI agents by deeply understanding what they are capable of, their behaviour, and how to manage and govern them through the context that they are operating in, on a minute-by-minute basis.
 
Leave us a message! Want to leave some feedback and suggestions but would prefer not to write an email? You can leave us a voicemail (90 seconds max). We will share any that are not too spicy in the following episode. SpeakPipe link - https://www.speakpipe.com/Cyber_Sidekicks Or, send us an email: Christina Richmond – christina@richmondadvisorygroup.com Rory Duncan – rory@richmondadvisorygroup.com Subscribe to our Newsletter - "Signal, not noise"Our monthly newsletter is free to subscribers! Sign-up now at Richmond Advisory Group.   Technology we use Podcast Recording Platform – Cleanfeed.com Cyber Sidekicks Show Host – Podbean.com Edited & mastered in GarageBand

Another week, another acquisition? This time, Sophos is front-and-centre with the announcement that it intends to purchase UK-based Arco Cyber in a move that the company says will help customers by combining agentic AI, integrated platforms, and trusted human expertise delivered in partnership with managed service providers (MSPs) and managed security service providers (MSSPs).
We also have a great chat with cybersecurity community activist, semi-retired industry analyst, consultant, and board member Jon Oltsik about SOAPA - stay tuned for more content around this architecture/framework!
NEWS
Sophos to acquire Arco Cyber “to Bring CISO-Level, Agentic AI-Powered Expertise to Every Organization”
 
 
Leave us a message! Want to leave some feedback and suggestions but would prefer not to write an email? You can leave us a voicemail (90 seconds max). We will share any that are not too spicy in the following episode. SpeakPipe link - https://www.speakpipe.com/Cyber_Sidekicks Or, send us an email: Christina Richmond – christina@richmondadvisorygroup.com Rory Duncan – rory@richmondadvisorygroup.com Subscribe to our Newsletter - "Signal, not noise"Our monthly newsletter is free to subscribers! Sign-up now at Richmond Advisory Group.   Technology we use Podcast Recording Platform – Cleanfeed.com Cyber Sidekicks Show Host – Podbean.com Edited & mastered in GarageBand

This week, Christina & Rory discuss Moltbook: the social network built for AI agents - but what are the security implications, and how could attackers take advantage of potential vulnerabilities? Also, more AI-fuelled attacks on AWS' S3 public buckets make credential finding much quicker, and an update on how Poland's cybersecurity police are cracking down on the increase in domestic hacking and DDoS / botnet crime!
NEWS
Security Analysis of Moltbook Agent Network: Bot-to-Bot Prompt Injection and Data Leaks
8-Minute Access: AI Accelerates Breach of AWS Environment
Polish cops bail 20-year-old bedroom botnet operator
RSAC 2026
The preparations have started! Let us know what you would like to see covered on our special Show Episode at the end of March.
We recorded a fun episode with IBM in 2025 - take a look at the video on our YouTube channel.
 
Leave us a message! Want to leave some feedback and suggestions but would prefer not to write an email? You can leave us a voicemail (90 seconds max). We will share any that are not too spicy in the following episode. SpeakPipe link - https://www.speakpipe.com/Cyber_Sidekicks Or, send us an email: Christina Richmond – christina@richmondadvisorygroup.com Rory Duncan – rory@richmondadvisorygroup.com Subscribe to our Newsletter - "Signal, not noise"Our monthly newsletter is free to subscribers! Sign-up now at Richmond Advisory Group.   Technology we use Podcast Recording Platform – Cleanfeed.com Cyber Sidekicks Show Host – Podbean.com Edited & mastered in GarageBand

Another big announcement this week as LevelBlue signs a strategic alliance with Fortra, marking a partnership that will benefit from a combined product + services play. As part of the deal, LevelBlue will acquire Fortra's managed services - including those of the former Alert Logic acquisition - covering MDR, XDR & WAF.
NEWS
LevelBlue and Fortra Launch Strategic Managed Services Partnership to Accelerate Cybersecurity Innovation
PwC and Google Cloud Ink $400 Million Deal to Scale AI-Powered Defense
Sandworm Blamed for Wiper Attack on Poland Power Grid
Ed Martin of Sophos was due to join is this week but couldn't make it. However, we hope to have him on next week!
 
Leave us a message! Want to leave some feedback and suggestions but would prefer not to write an email? You can leave us a voicemail (90 seconds max). We will share any that are not too spicy in the following episode. SpeakPipe link - https://www.speakpipe.com/Cyber_Sidekicks Or, send us an email: Christina Richmond – christina@richmondadvisorygroup.com Rory Duncan – rory@richmondadvisorygroup.com Subscribe to our Newsletter - "Signal, not noise"Our monthly newsletter is free to subscribers! Sign-up now at Richmond Advisory Group.   Technology we use Podcast Recording Platform – Cleanfeed.com Cyber Sidekicks Show Host – Podbean.com Edited & mastered in GarageBand

This week we have an extended discussion with Ryan LaSalle, CEO of Nisos on the topic of digital executive protection and "exhaust" management. Ryan also joins our chat about the announcement of ChatGPT Health and what the security implications of sharing personal, medical information might be....
NEWS
Analysis of 6 Billion Passwords Shows Stagnant User Behavior
ChatGPT Health Raises Big Security, Safety Concerns
Goldman's profit beats on record stock trading, sees robust M&A activity in 2026
 
Leave us a message! Want to leave some feedback and suggestions but would prefer not to write an email? You can leave us a voicemail (90 seconds max). We will share any that are not too spicy in the following episode. SpeakPipe link - https://www.speakpipe.com/Cyber_Sidekicks Or, send us an email: Christina Richmond – christina@richmondadvisorygroup.com Rory Duncan – rory@richmondadvisorygroup.com Subscribe to our Newsletter - "Signal, not noise"Our monthly newsletter is free to subscribers! Sign-up now at Richmond Advisory Group.   Technology we use Podcast Recording Platform – Cleanfeed.com Cyber Sidekicks Show Host – Podbean.com Edited & mastered in GarageBand

An M&A focused episode this week as CrowdStrike announces it intends to purchase identity security vendor SGNL, as well as browser runtime security vendor Seraphic Security - moves designed to beef-up it's Falcon platform, enhancing its capabilities for continuous authorization, and protecting in-session browser activity for both human and autonomous identities. Christina & Rory discuss the implications for CrowdStrike and what it means for the wider industry. 
NEWS
CrowdStrike to Acquire SGNL to Secure Every Identity in the AI Era
CrowdStrike to Acquire Seraphic, Turning Any Browser into a Secure Enterprise Browser
WitnessAI Raises $58 Million for AI Security Platform
'Most Severe AI Vulnerability to Date' Hits ServiceNow
 
Leave us a message! Want to leave some feedback and suggestions but would prefer not to write an email? You can leave us a voicemail (90 seconds max). We will share any that are not too spicy in the following episode. SpeakPipe link - https://www.speakpipe.com/Cyber_Sidekicks Or, send us an email: Christina Richmond – christina@richmondadvisorygroup.com Rory Duncan – rory@richmondadvisorygroup.com Subscribe to our Newsletter - "Signal, not noise"Our monthly newsletter is free to subscribers! Sign-up now at Richmond Advisory Group.   Technology we use Podcast Recording Platform – Cleanfeed.com Cyber Sidekicks Show Host – Podbean.com Edited & mastered in GarageBand

In this episode, Christina and Rory highlight alarming news regarding cybersecurity professionals who pleaded guilty to participating in ransomware-as-a-service schemes. They also examine shifts in cyber insurance, noting a rise in phishing-related claims even as third-party outage risks appear to decline. AI security remains a primary focus, and a discussion around analyzing the potential for autonomous agents to act as a new form of insider threat rounds out the news section.
Guest James Rice, VP of Product Marketing & Strategy at Protegrity joins the conversation to advocate for a "whitelist" approach to data protection that enables business growth rather than obstructing it. Ultimately, he emphasizes the necessity of merging data observability with security to protect organizations in an increasingly automated landscape.
NEWS
Two US Cybersecurity Pros Plead Guilty Over Ransomware Attacks
New Tech Deployments That Cyber Insurers Recommend for 2026
Palo Alto Networks security-intel boss calls AI agents 2026's biggest insider threat
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella becomes AI influencer, asks us all to move beyond slop
LINKS
2025 Cybersecurity Market Recap Part #1: More M&A as Deal Sizes Increase!
2025 Cybersecurity Market Re-cap Part #2: Cyber Offense, Platform Wars, and the "boring bits"
Stealth AI, Defensive Agents & Quantum Resilience: The 2026 Cybersecurity Battle Lines are Drawn
 
Leave us a message! Want to leave some feedback and suggestions but would prefer not to write an email? You can leave us a voicemail (90 seconds max). We will share any that are not too spicy in the following episode. SpeakPipe link - https://www.speakpipe.com/Cyber_Sidekicks Or, send us an email: Christina Richmond – christina@richmondadvisorygroup.com Rory Duncan – rory@richmondadvisorygroup.com Subscribe to our Newsletter - "Signal, not noise"Our monthly newsletter is free to subscribers! Sign-up now at Richmond Advisory Group.   Technology we use Podcast Recording Platform – Cleanfeed.com Cyber Sidekicks Show Host – Podbean.com Edited & mastered in GarageBand