Cyber Focus: Cybersecurity, National Security, and Critical Infrastructure
by Frank Cilluffo / McCrary Institute
As cyber threats evolve faster than policy, Cyber Focus delivers executive-level briefings on cybersecurity, national security, and critical infrastructure. From the McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security at Auburn University, host Frank Cilluffo speaks with senior leaders across government, industry, and the intelligence community about ransomware, state-sponsored threats, AI, and the systems we all rely on—energy, water, telecom, and supply chains. Each episode focuses on real-world risk tradeoffs and practical steps organizations can take to strengthen resilience.
Episodes
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When AI Has the Keys: Autonomous Risk and Digital Identity with Dashlane CEO John Bennett
AI agents can read emails, access customer records, and issue refunds—but every permission creates another opportunity for misuse. As businesses give autonomous software more authority, how can they keep control of the accounts, data, and decisions those systems touch? Dashlane CEO John Bennett...
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Cyber Focus Unplugged: AI Threats, China, and the Next Congress
Winning the AI race takes more than building the best model. It demands hardened infrastructure, reliable energy, and the public's confidence. As AI accelerates cyberattacks and China establishes footholds inside American pipelines, ports, and power grids, will policymakers and industry leaders…
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How Will CISA's New Cyber Strategy Protect Critical Infrastructure? with Nick Andersen
CISA's new cyber strategy puts a difficult question at the center of national cyber defense: How do you decide what to protect first? Recorded at the New York Stock Exchange, this special episode of Cyber Focus brings together host Frank Cilluffo and CISA Acting Director Nick Andersen to discuss...
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Is Critical Infrastructure Ready for AI Attacks? with Booz Allen's Brad Medairy
Can cyber defenses built around human attackers keep pace with AI? Brad Medairy, president of Booz Allen's National Cyber Practice and a McCrary Institute senior fellow, joins Frank Cilluffo to discuss what his team's testing reveals about AI's ability to conduct cyber operations and navigate...
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When Seeing Isn't Believing: Combatting Deepfakes with iProov's Dominic Forrest
How do you know the person on the other end of a video call is who they claim to be? For Cybersecurity Awareness Month, host Frank Cilluffo welcomes iProov Chief Technology Officer Dominic Forrest to Cyber Focus to discuss how deepfakes are changing fraud, cybersecurity, and digital trust.…
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Pushing Cyber Planning Beyond Prevention with Stephanie Crowe and Nick Andersen
Keeping power, water, and other essential services running requires planning for what happens when cyber defenses fail. On this episode of Cyber Focus, Frank Cilluffo speaks with Stephanie Crowe, head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre, and Nick Andersen, acting director of the Cybersecurity...
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CISA, AI, and the Future of the Federal Workforce with Rep. James Walkinshaw
As AI expands the capabilities of cyber adversaries, does the federal government have the workforce and tools to keep pace? Rep. James Walkinshaw of Virginia joins Frank Cilluffo to discuss cuts at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), their implications for critical...
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Who's in Control of the AI Race? with Bill Evanina and Matt Hayden
Can the United States compete with China in AI while managing the risks the technology creates? Host Frank Cilluffo welcomes McCrary Institute senior fellows Bill Evanina and Matt Hayden for a discussion of the difficult choices behind that question. Evanina, who previously led U.S....
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Can the Private Sector Go on Cyber Offense? with Armadin's Stacy O'Mara
The federal government wants private companies to play a more active role in cyber operations. A new White House memo would allow vetted firms to support government action against transnational criminal groups. The plan marks a shift from sharing threat data to disrupting threats together. But…
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25 Years After 9/11: Lessons in Modern Homeland Defense with Michael Chertoff
Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff joins Frank Cilluffo for a firsthand account of that day and the national security transformation that followed. Chertoff recalls arriving at the FBI command center as the attacks unfolded…
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How DARPA Is Preparing for the Next Technological Surprise with Patrick Lincoln
Cybersecurity has spent decades in a reactive cycle: find a vulnerability, patch it and wait for the next one. Dr. Patrick Lincoln joins Frank Cilluffo to discuss DARPA's effort to break that cycle by building systems that are inherently secure, private and resilient from the start. They explore...
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CI Fortify: Isolation, Recovery and a Minimum Viable America with CISA's Matt Rogers
If communications fail and operational technology is damaged during a cyber attack, critical infrastructure operators may have to keep essential services running without internet access, outside assistance or readily available replacement hardware. Matt Rogers of the Cybersecurity and...
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Boarding the Dark Fleet: Coast Guard Cyber and Maritime Security with RADM Jason Tama
The maritime world is more connected than ever, creating new efficiencies—and new ways for cyber incidents to move quickly from shore-based networks to ships operating around the globe. Rear Admiral Jason Tama, Commander of U.S. Coast Guard Cyber Command, joins Frank Cilluffo to explain how the...
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Private Sector Cyber Offense: What the New White House Memo Does—and Doesn't Do with Mike McLaughlin
A new White House memorandum aims to bring the private sector more directly into cyber operations against transnational criminal organizations. But turning that policy goal into practice raises immediate questions about legal authority, liability, deconfliction and the risks companies could…
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AI, Risk, and the Future of the Federal Workforce with OPM Director Scott Kupor
The federal government is competing for technology and cybersecurity talent at the same time AI is beginning to reshape how that workforce operates. OPM Director Scott Kupor argues that meeting both challenges requires more than new tools or recruiting campaigns: government needs a personnel…
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How Do You Rebuild Systems That Can't Go Offline? with Peraton's Tom Afferton
Tom Afferton [00:00:00]: If you're introducing security controls or a maintenance activity or modernization that interrupts that operation, then you're no better off than if there was a cyber interruption. Frank Cilluffo [00:00:16]: Welcome to Cyber Focus from the McCrary Institute, where we...
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Who Will Defend America in the Cyber Age? with Rep. Chrissy Houlahan
Because cybersecurity has become central to national security and military strategy, Rep. Chrissy Houlahan says the United States needs to create a dedicated Cyber Force to prepare for the challenges ahead. Rep. Houlahan joins Frank Cilluffo to discuss why the military must adapt to the cyber…
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Who Should Control the Airspace Around Critical Infrastructure? with Scott Parker
Drones are a serious operational concern for critical infrastructure owners and operators. In this episode of Cyber Focus, Frank Cilluffo sits down with Scott Parker, founder of Aerisq and former Chief of UAS Security at CISA, to discuss how drone capabilities have changed the risk picture for...
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How Universities Like Auburn Help Defend the Nation
National security challenges increasingly cut across technology, economic competitiveness, critical infrastructure, manufacturing and workforce development. Universities have a growing role to play not only in conducting research, but also in translating ideas into practical solutions and…
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Why the Human Element Still Matters in Cyber Defense with Nightwing's Chris Jones
AI is changing the speed and scale of cyber conflict, but the burden on defenders remains the same: they have to protect complex systems all the time, while attackers only need one opening. That imbalance is especially urgent as critical infrastructure, intelligence missions, and space systems...
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The Army's "No Fail" Cyber Mission with Brandon Pugh
Note: This episode was first released on December 2, 2025 This week Army Principal Cyber Advisor Brandon Pugh joins Frank Cilluffo to address a stark reality: if critical infrastructure fails, the Army cannot mobilize. To meet this "no fail" mission, Pugh explains how the service is aggressively...
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Anthropic and the Fight Over Frontier AI Risk with CyberScoop's Greg Otto
As frontier AI models become more capable at finding vulnerabilities, cybersecurity is entering a period where old timelines, disclosure norms, and governance tools may no longer fit the speed of the technology. In this episode of Cyber Focus, Frank Cilluffo speaks with CyberScoop editor-in-chief...
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Inside the FBI's Push to Disrupt Hackers Before They Strike with Brett Leatherman
In this episode of Cyber Focus, Frank Cilluffo sits down with Brett Leatherman, Assistant Director for Cyber at the FBI, for a wide-ranging conversation about how the Bureau is using law enforcement authorities, intelligence, partnerships, and court-authorized technical operations to disrupt...
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The New AI Executive Order and the Race to Harden America's Systems with Daniel Kroese
A new executive order on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity sends a clear signal: advanced AI now sits at the center of how the United States thinks about cyber defense, national security, critical infrastructure resilience, and strategic competition. In this episode of Cyber Focus, Frank...
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AI Is Not Your Friend: Geoffrey Fowler on Rating AI for Kids
In this episode of Cyber Focus, Frank Cilluffo speaks with Geoffrey Fowler, head of public engagement for the Youth AI Safety Institute at Common Sense Media, about why AI requires a different kind of safety framework than movies, apps, games, or social media. Fowler argues that generative AI is...
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Estonia's Lessons for the Cyber Future with Ambassador Kristjan Prikk
For Estonia, cyber resilience is not an abstract policy goal. It is a national survival issue shaped by history, geography, and the reality of living next to Russia. In this episode, Ambassador Kristjan Prikk explains how Estonia turned a lack of legacy infrastructure into a digital advantage…
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Who's Accountable When AI Acts? — With Walter Haydock
In this episode of Cyber Focus, Frank Cilluffo speaks with Walter Haydock, founder of StackAware, about the accountability, governance, and national security challenges emerging as organizations rush to deploy artificial intelligence. Haydock argues that AI does not erase familiar cybersecurity…
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The End of Human-Speed Cyber: Mythos, Glasswing & the AI Exploit Race with CrowdStrike's Drew Bagley
Cyber defense is entering a machine-speed era. With Anthropic's Mythos and Project Glasswing bringing AI-driven vulnerability discovery and exploit development into the center of the cyber conversation, CrowdStrike's Drew Bagley says organizations need to prepare for a world where vulnerabilities...
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What Most People Get Wrong About Secure Messaging with Signal CTO Ehren Kret
Most people think secure messaging begins and ends with encryption. Signal CTO Ehren Kret says that is only part of the picture. In this episode of Cyber Focus, host Frank Cilluffo sits down with Kret to discuss what private communication really requires, from protecting message content to…
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How Idaho National Laboratory Is Building the Future of Infrastructure Security with Zach Tudor
America is asking more from its critical infrastructure just as adversaries are finding more ways to target it. AI, data centers, electrification, and next-generation energy systems all depend on operational technology—the control systems that keep power, water, transportation, and industry…
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Hacking Reputation: Disinformation, Trust, and Cyber Crisis Response with Preston Golson
A cyber incident can damage far more than systems and networks. It can also become a reputational crisis, especially when false or misleading narratives move faster than facts. In this episode of Cyber Focus, Frank Cilluffo speaks with Preston Golson of Brunswick Group about why organizations…
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Cult of the Dead Cow and the Roots of Modern Cyber Ethics with Joe Menn
Cybersecurity's history is often told through breaches, crime, and disruption. Joe Menn argues that the story of early hacker culture also offers something constructive: a model for how technical curiosity, ethical reflection, and independent thinking can shape the public good. Drawing from his...
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From Fax Machines to Quantum: Canada's Sami Khoury Reflects on Three Decades in Cyber
Cybersecurity now reaches far beyond government networks and traditional IT systems. In this episode, Sami Khoury explains how the threat environment increasingly touches critical infrastructure, operational technology, undersea cables, and space—and why that shift is pushing governments to work...
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Ukraine, Private Sector Power, and Cyber Defense with Greg Rattray
Ukraine's cyber defense has become one of the clearest real-world tests of what resilience actually looks like under sustained attack. In this episode of Cyber Focus, Greg Rattray explains why Ukrainian defenders held up better than many expected, and what their experience reveals about the…
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Transatlantic Reset: Private Sector Diplomacy & Digital Trust with Sébastien Garnault
Overview Transatlantic cyber cooperation is being tested by political strain, regulatory divergence, and competing ideas about sovereignty, trust, and market access. In this episode of Cyber Focus, Sébastien Garnault argues that if the United States and Europe want to keep working together on...
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Keeping the Lights On in the AI Era with DOE's Alex Fitzsimmons
Electricity demand is surging—and DOE's Alex Fitzsimmons argues that the country's ability to "keep the lights on" is now inseparable from how fast we can expand energy infrastructure, how we manage affordability, and how seriously we treat security. In this conversation with Frank Cilluffo,...
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Deterrence and the New Cyber Strategy with White House National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross
Cyber deterrence has long lagged behind the threat. In this special episode of Cyber Focus recorded on March 11, 2026, White House National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross argues that the United States can no longer afford a posture built mainly around resilience and response while adversaries,...
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The Cyber Dimension of the Iran Conflict with Cynthia Kaiser & Mark Montgomery
Cyber is now woven into modern conflict, alongside conventional military force. In this episode, Frank Cilluffo examines how that shift shapes the threat from Iran—especially the risk of cyber retaliation aimed at U.S. critical infrastructure, U.S. businesses, and public confidence. Rear Admiral...
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The Regulatory Shift: How CIRCIA and NIST are Redefining Cyber Defense with Sara Friedman
Cyber incident reporting is about to become mandatory for much of critical infrastructure—and the details are where the fight is. On February 26th, Frank Cilluffo spoke with Inside Cybersecurity managing editor Sara Friedman about CIRCIA's proposed reporting rules, what industry says is…
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Deepfakes & Laptop Farms: How Nation-States Infiltrate the Defense Supply Chain with Luke McNamara
Cyber threats against the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) don't stop at the battlefield—they extend into suppliers, perimeter devices, and even hiring pipelines. Luke McNamara of Google's Threat Intelligence Group joins Frank Cilluffo to unpack Mandiant's report Beyond the Battlefield: Threats to…
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Botnets, Edge Devices, and AI: Inside Forescout's Threat Findings with Daniel dos Santos
A new wave of cyberattacks is being routed through everyday devices—and defenders can't rely on old assumptions about geography or "known bad" infrastructure. Daniel dos Santos, VP at Vedere Labs (Forescout), walks through findings from their 2025 Threat Roundup, drawn from a global network of...
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Storms, Cyber, and the Fight to Keep the Lights On with Scott Aaronson
Grid resilience has become a test of whether the U.S. can keep essential systems running through disruption—and recover fast when they don't. In this episode, Frank Cilluffo talks with Scott Aaronson about how the electric power sector plans for and responds to an "all-hazards" landscape, from...
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How Apple's iPhone Supply Chain Built China into a Manufacturing Superpower with Patrick McGee
Supply chains are essential infrastructure—and the iPhone's supply chain sits at the center of U.S.–China competition. As Washington reassesses economic security, this episode explores what it looks like when market incentives collide with geopolitical reality. Frank Cilluffo speaks with Patrick...
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AI, Critical Infrastructure, and Cascading Failures with Madison Horn
Madison Horn joins host Frank Cilluffo to explain why AI-driven cyber risk may be quieter, faster, and harder to spot in 2026. She breaks down "cascading failures" in critical infrastructure—and how a disruption in one sector can quickly ripple into others. The conversation zeroes in on AI…
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Cyber Leadership, Workforce Morale, and the House Email Breach with Nextgov's David DiMolfetta
CISA leadership, NSA/Cyber Command staffing, and offensive cyber operations are colliding early in 2026. Frank Cilluffo and reporter David DiMolfetta unpack Sean Plankey's renomination for CISA Director, and what a prolonged leadership vacuum can mean for agency direction and momentum. They then...
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The Hammer and the Anvil: Offensive Cyber Strategy with Chris Inglis
Chris Inglis joins Frank Cilluffo to break down what offensive cyber strategy should look like in an era of strategic competition. Drawing from the McCrary Institute's new report on U.S. cyber policy, Inglis argues that resilience and consequences are not competing theories—they have to work...
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Are We Ready for 2026? Top Cyber Predictions on Policy, Tech, and Threats
Cyber Focus kicks off 2026 (and its 100th new episode) with rapid-fire predictions from McCrary Institute senior fellows. They flag big policy inflection points—especially whether Congress can reauthorize "CISA 2015," sustain information-sharing protections, and keep state and local cybersecurity...
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AI-Orchestrated Cyber Espionage and the Future of Cyber Defense with CISA's Nick Andersen
AI is speeding up cyber operations and shrinking the window for defenders to respond. Nick Andersen, who leads CISA's Cybersecurity Division, explains why Anthropic's recent report caught attention: it described what Anthropic called the first publicly reported AI-orchestrated cyber espionage...
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Revisiting Offensive Cyber Discussion with Adm. Mike Rogers (Ret.)
In this re-releases episode of Cyber Focus, host Frank Cilluffo sits down with Admiral Mike Rogers (Ret.), former Commander of U.S. Cyber Command and Director of the National Security Agency. Rogers shares insights from his leadership across two administrations, discussing offensive cyber...
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The Hidden Backbone of the Internet: Subsea Cable Security with Alex Botting
Undersea cables quietly carry almost all global internet traffic yet rarely feature in security debates. This episode explains how subsea infrastructure underpins the global economy, data flows, and modern military operations while facing frequent "accidental" disruptions and growing geopolitical...
About this show
As cyber threats evolve faster than policy, Cyber Focus delivers executive-level briefings on cybersecurity, national security, and critical infrastructure. From the McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security at Auburn University, host Frank Cilluffo speaks with senior leaders across government, industry, and the intelligence community about ransomware, state-sponsored threats, AI, and the systems we all rely on—energy, water, telecom, and supply chains. Each episode focuses on real-world risk tradeoffs and practical steps organizations can take to strengthen resilience.
Hosted by
Frank Cilluffo / McCrary Institute
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