
ShadowTalk: Powered by ReliaQuest
by ReliaQuest
Want to hear what industry experts really think about the cyber threats they face? ShadowTalk is a weekly cybersecurity podcast, made by practitioners for practitioners, featuring analytical insights on the latest cybersecurity news and threat research.
Threat Intelligence Analyst John Dilgen brings extensive expertise in cyber threat intelligence and incident response, specializing in researching threats impacting ReliaQuest customers. John and his guests provide practical perspectives on the week’s top cybersecurity news and share knowledge and best practices to help businesses mitigate the most pertinent cyber threats.
With over 1,000 customers worldwide and 1,200 teammates across six global operating centers, ReliaQuest delivers security outcomes for the most trusted enterprise brands in the world. Learn more at www.reliaquest.com.
© 2026 ShadowTalk: Powered by ReliaQuest
Apr 29, 2026Recent reviews on Apple Podcasts (5)
For Practitioners By Practitioners
I enjoy how the hosts don’t just repot the news. Listening to a thoughtful discussion of top threats and analysis of what it means to my business is the best 30 minutes of my week.
Cyber Practitioner ·
Top notch
I’ve been in electronic warfare and now cybersecurity 50 years. This Reliaquest organization is top notch. They are young and energetic and hire the best out there. They bring useful info to this podcast. It is worth a listen.
7323Rodlun ·
Audio is dreadful
Sounds like the host is talking out of a bucket. Probably good content. Unfortunately terrible audio doesn’t allow for me to listen…
[REDACTED] USER ·
Cybersecurity news
I love being able to get my weekly cybersecurity news in addition to a more detailed analysis from Digital Shadows’ analysts, engineers, etc. As someone new to the cybersecurity industry, this podcast has helped me learn a ton about the industry.
anymonos ·
Easy to listen to
I really enjoy the background and analysis in this podcast. It’s quite punny which makes it easy to listen to.
Jdbjdnd ·
Episodes (471)

What Happened to Black Basta's Playbook? The Automated Teams Phishing Threat Hitting Executives
Apr 29, 202626m
Black Basta disbanded in February 2025, but their playbook didn't go with them. In March 2026, 77% of observed incidents targeted executives and directors, and attackers moved from first contact to malicious script execu

Did ShinyHunters Compromise Vercel? Every CISO's Cloud Security Visibility Problem
Apr 22, 202625m
89% of organizations that suffered a SaaS breach last year believed they had appropriate visibility. They had the logs — what they lacked was detection on what mattered. The Vercel incident shows exactly how costly that

What Claude Mythos Means for Organizations
Apr 15, 202625m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Join hosts John and Alex, alongside special guest and ReliaQuest CTO Joe Partlow, as they discuss: How Claude Mythos autonomously generated exploits Why AI is acceleratin

Axios and Trivy — Supply Chain Gaps Organizations Must Fix
Apr 8, 202624m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Join hosts John and Tehman as they break down two of the most consequential supply chain attacks of 2026: How DPRK actors socially engineered a NPM maintainer Why hijacke

Faster, Smarter, and Already Escalated — What It Takes to Defend Against the Modern Threat Landscape
Apr 1, 202633m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Join hosts Alexandra and John, live from Exponent 2026, alongside top security leaders as they discuss: How organizations keep pace with attackers Why one in four inciden

The Invisible Attack Surface: Iran-Aligned Threat Actors and Corporate Blind Spots
Mar 25, 202619m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Join hosts Brandon and John as they discuss: How Handala wiped 200,000 devices by weaponizing a trusted platform Why your organization doesn't need to be a direct target

The 2026 Annual Threat Report Breakdown, Part 3: The Long Game — Nation-State Threats & What's Coming in 2026
Mar 18, 202625m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Join hosts John and Alex as they discuss: How a Chinese APT maintained access for over a year Why North Korean impersonation surged 116% Why attackers exploit the same fo

The 2026 Annual Threat Report Breakdown, Part 2 — Once They're In: Post-Compromise Tactics, Ransomware & Exfiltration
Mar 11, 202626m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Join hosts Tehman and John as they discuss: Why ransomware now prioritizes exfiltration over encryption How attackers can exfiltrate your data in just 6 minutes Why proac

The 2026 Annual Threat Report Breakdown, Part 1 — How AI Contributes to Attacker Speed, and the Malware That's Winning
Mar 4, 202625m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Join hosts Brandon and John as they discuss: How attacker breakout times dropped to as little as 4 minutes Why ClickFix surged 200% Why behavioral detection is critical J

Malware Isn't Required—How Ransomware Groups Turn Legitimate RMMs Into a Weapon
Feb 25, 202621m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Join hosts John and Tehman as they discuss: What attackers prefer over custom malware How signature-based detection fails Proactive governance vs. reactive triage John Di

Ransomware vs. Exfiltration-Only—The Extortion Model Showdown
Feb 18, 202628m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Join hosts Brandon and John as they discuss: Why extortion payment rates are the lowest ever Organizations paying ransomware but refusing data extortion demands Why defen

Patch Management Is Losing—The Case for Predictive Vulnerability Defense
Feb 11, 202629m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Join hosts Brandon and John as they discuss: Why traditional patch cycles can't beat attackers exploiting vulnerabilities in 24 hours The shift from reactive patching to

Beyond Phishing Emails—Social Engineering Drives Initial Access
Feb 4, 202622m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Join hosts John and Tehman as they discuss: Why phishing emails are no longer the top malware delivery method Emerging social engineering tactics: vishing, copy and paste

Malicious AI—The New Face of Cyber Threats
Jan 28, 202620m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk John and Tehman as they discuss: How AI is enabling large-scale, high-speed attacks Nation-states weaponizing AI for attack automation The rise of sophisticated AI-genera

Maintainer Compromise: The Next Supply-Chain Attack Vector in 2026
Jan 21, 202627m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Join hosts Brandon and John as they discuss: How supply-chain attacks evolved Campaigns targeting NPM package maintainers Actionable defense strategies Brandon Tirado : D

Kicking Off 2026 with Ransomware Insights and Defense Strategies
Jan 14, 202631m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Join hosts Brandon and Tehman as they discuss: The resurgence of LockBit 5.0 and its December 2025 surge in named organizations How top ransomware groups like Qilin, Akir

React2Shell Attacks Evolve, ClickFix Attacks, and Holiday Season Threats
Dec 17, 202531m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Join host John and intelligence analyst Ivan as they discuss: React2Shell Exploits Flood the Internet as Attacks Continue (1:06) ClickFix Style Attack Leveraging Grok and

React2Shell Exploits, CISA’s Brickstorm Warning, ShadyPanda’s Browser Weaponization
Dec 10, 202532m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Join host John along with systems security engineer Corey and intelligence analyst Hayden as they discuss: Chinese Threat Groups Exploiting the React2Shell Vulnerability

Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters, SilverFox's ValleyRat Campaign, and More
Dec 3, 202525m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Join host John and intelligence analysts Alex and Hayden as they discuss: Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters Targeting Zendesk (1:14) Microsoft Teams Guest Access Phishing Bypass

Are Cyber Predictions Worth It? Plus Chinese AI Attacks, IoT Takeovers
Nov 26, 202527m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Do you really need predictions to tackle cyber threats? Join host Kim along with intelligence analyst John & special guest CISO Rafal Baran as they discuss: New NPM Suppl

Fortinet Flaw Exposed and Exploited! Plus, Threat Hunter Hacks: SEO Hits Hard
Nov 19, 202529m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Join host Kim, intelligence analyst John, and threat hunter Tristan as they discuss: Fortinet Flaw Enables Admin Takeover Akira Ransomware Targets Nutanix VMs Smart Redir

Gootloader's Return, LANDFALL Android Spyware, Sector-by-Sector Cyber Trends
Nov 12, 202534m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Wondering why Gootloader is suddenly back in action? Join host Kim along with intelligence analyst Hayden & Systems Security Engineer Corey as they discuss: Gootloader Re

Why Cloud Threats Are Escalating: Identity Risks, Automation Flaws, and Legacy Vulnerabilities, Plus the Latest on Chinese APT Campaigns and NPM Package Abuse
Nov 5, 202527m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Did you know 99% of cloud identities are over-privileged, creating the perfect storm for attackers to seamlessly infiltrate your environment? Join host Kim along with int

Why Cyber Threats Surge 20% During M&A, Plus the Latest on Qilin and Lazarus Group Campaigns
Oct 29, 202531m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Picture this: You close a $50M acquisition on Friday and by Monday, attackers are in your network. Sound far-fetched? It's not. Join host Kim along with intelligence anal

Automate to Defend: A Former FBI Agent's Ransomware Guide for CISOs
Oct 22, 202532m
Resources: https://linktr.ee/ReliaQuestShadowTalk Wondering what makes ransomware operations successful? Join host Kim along with intelligence analyst John & former FBI Special Agent Keith Mularski as they discuss: Year-