Deepfakes, DMs, and Deception: Dune Security on Human Cyber Risk

In this episode of SHI’s Research Breakdown, host Victoria Barber and SHI Field CISO Brad Bowers sit down with David DellaPelle, CEO of Dune Security, to unpack how social engineering has evolved faster than awareness training can keep up. Drawing on insights from Dune’s Inside Access research report titled CISOs on the Emerging Threats Redefining User Cyber Risk, the conversation explores how AI is supercharging phishing, how multi-channel “hybrid” attacks are reshaping the threat landscape, and why most organizations still can’t see what’s happening across encrypted or informal apps like Slack, Teams, and WhatsApp. They also dig into the cultural blind spots keeping CISOs from tackling these risks, the rise of insider threats and nation-state job applicants, and the importance of collaboration among cybersecurity leaders to outpace increasingly organized and professionalized adversaries. For more research like this, subscribe to SHI's Research Roundup newsletter on LinkedIn. Discussed in this episode: AI-driven phishing that’s three times more effective than traditional campaigns Hybrid social engineering attacks spanning email, chat, video, and voice Why encrypted channels remain a major blind spot for CISOs Adaptive training and user risk scoring as smarter defense models The growing insider threat from remote and nation-state actors How cybercriminals collaborate, and why defenders must do the same