James Shires

🕺A whole new look for Binding Hook!

It’s time to move the ransomware conversation past big game hunting Presenting ransomware as targeted instead of opportunistic leaves organisations that may not consider themselves prime targets at risk.

In their latest for Binding Hook, the @nca-uk.bsky.social’s William Lyne and @rusi.bsky.social’s @jamiemaccoll.bsky.social discuss the problems with media and cyber industry descriptions of #ransomware groups’ #biggamehunting: bindinghook.com/articles-bin...

YouTube video by Virtual Routes Virtual Routes at CyCon 2025

Our #CyCon2025 #ransomware workshop, now in video! 🎞️ Watch the recap and join us for a quick trip back to Tallinn. 👇 @maxwsmeets.bsky.social @jamesshires.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb7G...

#CyCon2025 mission accomplished! 🎯 #VirtualRoutes workshop Ransomware: Crime, Conflict, and Cyber Defences is done. Thank you to the brilliant leads @maxwsmeets.bsky.social, @jamesshires.bsky.social, Gijs van Loon, Marine Pichon & Roxana Radu, everyone who joined us and #CCDCOE for having us!

Cybersecurity Seminars NL - Virtual Routes The Google.org Cybersecurity Seminars program has been successfully implemented in higher education institutions across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and is now being launched in the Netherland...

@virtualroutes.bsky.social is expanding the Google.org Cybersecurity Seminars program to the Netherlands, focusing on defending local communities against ransomware. Current university students can register interest now virtual-routes.org/initiatives/...

Ransomware groups are not always out of reach The arrest of a suspect after a spate of ransomware attacks in the Netherlands is an unusual win for law enforcement, but a more holistic approach is required.

The arrest of a suspect after a spate of #RansomwareAttacks in the Netherlands is an unusual win for law enforcement, but a more holistic approach is required. Read the new piece by @jamesshires.bsky.social and @maxwsmeets.bsky.social: bindinghook.com/articles-hoo...

State-backed ransomware at the intersection of espionage, sabotage, and cybercrime The governments of Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea use ransomware for diverse ends.

Read an excerpt from Aleksandar Milenkoski, Jiro Minier, @julianferdinand.bsky.social, @maxwsmeets.bsky.social, and @tgrossman.bsky.social’s new report on state use of #ransomware, looking at Iran, North Korea, Russia, and China, on Binding Hook: bindinghook.com/articles-hoo...

🎤Speaking at #BindingHookLive: @jags.bsky.social, Executive Director for Intelligence and Security Research at @sentinelone.com, Distinguished Fellow and Adj. Professor at the Johns Hopkins SAIS @alperovitch.institute, and founder of #LABScon. 📩 Request an invite: bindinghooklive.com

North Korean operatives invent identities to infiltrate industries North Korean IT workers are no longer just breaching organisations – they’re being hired by them. This is because companies treat identity management as a compliance issue instead of a serious nationa...

North Korean operatives are exploiting #identitymanagement flaws to secure legitimate jobs globally, using fake resumes and fabricated digital profiles on platforms like GitHub and LinkedIn. bindinghook.com/articles-bin...

ESIEA launches Google.org Cybersecurity Seminars program in Paris On 7 April, the Ecole Superieure d’Informatique, Electronique, Automatique (ESIEA) launched its Cybersecurity Seminars program at its campus in Paris.

🚀 The Ecole Superieure d’Informatique, Electronique, Automatique's (ESIEA) Cybersecurity Seminars program is live! @jamesshires.bsky.social joined students & faculty in Paris to explore global cybersecurity synergies 🌍
🔗 Event recap: virtual-routes.org/esiea-launch...

Virtual Routes contributes to third Pall Mall Process conference in Paris On 3-4 April, the third conference of the Pall Mall Process took place in Paris. The Pall Mall Process is a multistakeholder initiative launched by the UK and French governments to address the risks o...

In early April, @jamesshires.bsky.social chaired a panel on the availability of cyber intrusion tools and services at the 2nd Pall Mall Process conference. The discussion generated recommendations that can inform the implementation of the CCIC Code of Practice 👉 virtual-routes.org/virtual-rout...

Towards an accurate description of cyber operations Cyber operations can range from espionage to sabotage, but they are often described in uniform ways, leading to misconceptions and inadequate responses. Using plain language to describe the goals and ...

Cyber operations are often either underhyped or overhyped. While life-threatening attacks get little attention, routine intelligence operations are treated as hostile #cyberattacks, clouding public perception, writes @lawsecnet.counterintelligence.pl. bindinghook.com/articles-bin...

Is commercial cyber threat intelligence doomed? Virtual Routes fellows explore the challenges facing commercial CTI, including the expansion of free OSINT and limits on public-private partnerships.

European Cybersecurity fellow Kritika Roy explores the continuing debate over commercial cyber threat intelligence: is it essential or redundant given the rise of free, open-source intelligence? #CTI #OSINT bindinghook.com/articles-bin...

Neglecting cybersecurity could harm Indonesia’s competitiveness President Prabowo’s turn away from his predecessor’s cyber ambitions is symptomatic of wider strategic failings

The #Prabowo administration has cut cyber budgets, stopped work on the #cyberforce, and generally deprioritised #cybersecurity. This shift risks leaving #Indonesia ill-prepared for rising cyber threats. bindinghook.com/articles-bin...

From hacktivism to development coordination, cyber conflict blind spots bring risks Virtual Routes fellows identify three key blind spots in our understanding of cyber conflict: the risks of new forms of hacktivism, insufficient EU defense coordination, and cybersecurity risks in the...

Binding Hook is excited to introduce @virtualroutes.bsky.social newest cohort of European Cybersecurity fellows with a short series exploring their answers to some of the biggest questions in #cybersecurity today: bindinghook.com/articles-bin...

🚨 Introducing the Pharos Reports - a new series shedding light on #Cybersecurity and #EmergingTech challenges with expert analysis! Read the first report in the series, The Ransomware Playbook and How to Disrupt It, authored by @maxwsmeets.bsky.social: virtual-routes.org/introducing-...

Deception can enable private-sector initiative persistence By using cyber operations to deceive adversaries, the private sector can act persistently without conducting ‘attacks’

Reports suggest the Trump administration directed key agencies to pause #cyberoperations against Russia, reigniting debate about the need for #initiativepersistence in cyberspace. Where do private-sector organisations fit in? bindinghook.com/articles-bin...

Before the Gaza war, cybersecurity was once at the forefront of the UAE and Israel's burgeoning diplomatic ties - where did it go?

Join us at the next Virtual Routes Colloquium session! 👇

⏰ March 12, 16:00 CET
💡 Pieter Wolters (Interdisciplinary Hub for Digitalization and Society, Radboud University) and Nils Brinker (intcube)
💭 Hybrid conflicts, cybersecurity and enterprises

Sign up: virtual-routes.org/event/hybrid...

Balancing security, innovation, and regulation in cyber threat (artificial) intelligence The integration of AI in cyber threat intelligence has increased both efficiency and privacy concerns. How can the EU manage these benefits and risks?

Generative AI is transforming cyber threat intelligence, enabling cybersecurity teams to quickly identify risks and respond in near real-time. Unclear regulation might limit these benefits, writes Omree Wechsler: bindinghook.com/articles-bin... #GenerativeAI #CyberThreatIntelligence #Cybersecurity

Thanks everyone for such a productive meeting. The world has changed a lot since this project started, especially regarding technology and geopolitics, and our research needs to be just as agile and focused on the big challenges ahead.

Securing Europe’s economic backbone with AI-empowered cloud protection As the European economy becomes ever more reliant on cloud infrastructure, the need for robust cybersecurity for SMEs grows ever more pressing. AI-powered cloud security solutions chart a path toward ...

In Mahmoud Javadi’s latest for Binding Hook, he argues that the Nordic-Baltic 8 can revitalise Europe’s Gaia-X collective cloud initiative, a boost for European economies, cyber sovereignty, and security. bindinghook.com/articles-bin...

It’s time! 🥁 @bindinghook.bsky.social & @munsecconf.bsky.social proudly announce the AI-Cybersecurity Essay Prize Competition’s five winning essays. Read more: bindinghook.com

Hello Bluesky! And, more importantly, hello Virtual Routes...