Ciaran Martin
@ciaranm.bsky.social
“Cyber Security Ace” - Daily Star
In reality:
* Prof at Blavatnik School, Uni of Oxford
* 1st head, UK National Cyber Security Centre
* ex-Treasury, constitution & security official
* adviser to cyber security companies
* APT Name: Warlike Manatee
In reality:
* Prof at Blavatnik School, Uni of Oxford
* 1st head, UK National Cyber Security Centre
* ex-Treasury, constitution & security official
* adviser to cyber security companies
* APT Name: Warlike Manatee
Reposted by Ciaran Martin
That’s a lot.
67% of Germans say that “When in doubt, we can and should no longer rely on military assistance from the US.”
Study: www.moreincommon.de/wp-content/u...
67% of Germans say that “When in doubt, we can and should no longer rely on military assistance from the US.”
Study: www.moreincommon.de/wp-content/u...
November 11, 2025 at 6:39 AM
That’s a lot.
67% of Germans say that “When in doubt, we can and should no longer rely on military assistance from the US.”
Study: www.moreincommon.de/wp-content/u...
67% of Germans say that “When in doubt, we can and should no longer rely on military assistance from the US.”
Study: www.moreincommon.de/wp-content/u...
Reposted by Ciaran Martin
I have two missions in life:
- securing world peace
- dissuading people from organising a "quick preparatory call ahead of next week's panel".
- securing world peace
- dissuading people from organising a "quick preparatory call ahead of next week's panel".
November 10, 2025 at 10:06 AM
I have two missions in life:
- securing world peace
- dissuading people from organising a "quick preparatory call ahead of next week's panel".
- securing world peace
- dissuading people from organising a "quick preparatory call ahead of next week's panel".
Reposted by Ciaran Martin
It is genuinely hard for most people to grasp how poor the past was.
November 9, 2025 at 6:23 PM
It is genuinely hard for most people to grasp how poor the past was.
Today is an historic day. For the first time since records began my net to do list decreased.
November 10, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Today is an historic day. For the first time since records began my net to do list decreased.
Reposted by Ciaran Martin
One exciting thing about the BBC Board is it is one of the few places where each constituent kingdom of the UK gets an equal vote - power-sharing in action! Oh, and residents of England? Your representative is Sir Robbie Gibb <ducks for cover>
Seeing so many posts about who “Starmer and Nandy” will appoint as director general. Easy mistake but the government does not appoint the director general! The BBC board, whose members are appointed for rolling terms by the culture secretary, appoints the director general.
November 9, 2025 at 9:21 PM
One exciting thing about the BBC Board is it is one of the few places where each constituent kingdom of the UK gets an equal vote - power-sharing in action! Oh, and residents of England? Your representative is Sir Robbie Gibb <ducks for cover>
Reposted by Ciaran Martin
If there was ever a genuine new security threat from GenAI that had real world impacts for orgs where they had to change behaviour to defend, I’d likely be the first to post about it.
Would anybody notice, since almost everybody at cybersecurity vendors are incentivised to cry wolf?
Would anybody notice, since almost everybody at cybersecurity vendors are incentivised to cry wolf?
November 9, 2025 at 9:29 AM
If there was ever a genuine new security threat from GenAI that had real world impacts for orgs where they had to change behaviour to defend, I’d likely be the first to post about it.
Would anybody notice, since almost everybody at cybersecurity vendors are incentivised to cry wolf?
Would anybody notice, since almost everybody at cybersecurity vendors are incentivised to cry wolf?
Reposted by Ciaran Martin
Glad that someone has finally taken responsibility for the appalling assault on democracy that was the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Slightly confused that it's the Director-General of the BBC, but what do I know?
Slightly confused that it's the Director-General of the BBC, but what do I know?
November 9, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Glad that someone has finally taken responsibility for the appalling assault on democracy that was the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Slightly confused that it's the Director-General of the BBC, but what do I know?
Slightly confused that it's the Director-General of the BBC, but what do I know?
Reposted by Ciaran Martin
Rage against group think, writes Matthew Syed in the Sunday Times, by reading out a paragraph of what *I* think at the beginning of every BBC editorial meeting.
November 9, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Rage against group think, writes Matthew Syed in the Sunday Times, by reading out a paragraph of what *I* think at the beginning of every BBC editorial meeting.
Reposted by Ciaran Martin
I can't imagine a job i'd like to do less. Managing an organisation held to a ludicrous standard by roaring idiots on a daily basis, while the main mediums it uses are all in decline and it's starved of resources.
November 9, 2025 at 6:25 PM
I can't imagine a job i'd like to do less. Managing an organisation held to a ludicrous standard by roaring idiots on a daily basis, while the main mediums it uses are all in decline and it's starved of resources.
Whatever you think of The Smiths or their lead singer, Morrissey can be regarded as one of the great workplace leadership gurus of our time
November 9, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Whatever you think of The Smiths or their lead singer, Morrissey can be regarded as one of the great workplace leadership gurus of our time
Brilliant, essential thread from @doublepulsar.com on hype around AI cyber threats. My summary:
1. Google release a really honest paper saying some malware has used AI to morph into new capabilities but..
2. …goes on to point out that the capabilities are crap
3. Industry hype ignores part 2
1. Google release a really honest paper saying some malware has used AI to morph into new capabilities but..
2. …goes on to point out that the capabilities are crap
3. Industry hype ignores part 2
There's some really big caveats to this. A thread.
New: Google says it has discovered at least 5 malware families that use AI to rewrite their code and generate new capabilities on the fly, suggesting AI-powered malware is finally starting to take off. cloud.google.com/blog/topics/...
Report also has interesting stories about state actors' AI use.
Report also has interesting stories about state actors' AI use.
November 9, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Brilliant, essential thread from @doublepulsar.com on hype around AI cyber threats. My summary:
1. Google release a really honest paper saying some malware has used AI to morph into new capabilities but..
2. …goes on to point out that the capabilities are crap
3. Industry hype ignores part 2
1. Google release a really honest paper saying some malware has used AI to morph into new capabilities but..
2. …goes on to point out that the capabilities are crap
3. Industry hype ignores part 2
Reposted by Ciaran Martin
Refund requests flood Microsoft after tricking users into AI upgrades www.afr.com/technology/m...
Refund requests flood Microsoft after tricking users into AI upgrades
The software company wrote to Australian customers to apologise for a lack of transparency when it increased fees for Office plans by up to 45 per cent.
www.afr.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:58 AM
Refund requests flood Microsoft after tricking users into AI upgrades www.afr.com/technology/m...
Reposted by Ciaran Martin
You know that crap MIT Safe Security Generative AI ransomware paper, which they deleted? Try asking any AI to analyse and it. Here’s ChatGPT:
November 6, 2025 at 8:51 PM
You know that crap MIT Safe Security Generative AI ransomware paper, which they deleted? Try asking any AI to analyse and it. Here’s ChatGPT:
Reposted by Ciaran Martin
Various US federal government orgs never finished patching Cisco ASA before the gov shutdown
Eg 158.219.75.133,*.cbo.gov|cbo.gov,YES,14/03/24 <- last patched in 2024, Congressional Budget Office
192.231.145.126,vpn.ha.nih.gov,YES,16/11/23 <- last patched in 2023, National Institutes of Health
Eg 158.219.75.133,*.cbo.gov|cbo.gov,YES,14/03/24 <- last patched in 2024, Congressional Budget Office
192.231.145.126,vpn.ha.nih.gov,YES,16/11/23 <- last patched in 2023, National Institutes of Health
October 1, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Various US federal government orgs never finished patching Cisco ASA before the gov shutdown
Eg 158.219.75.133,*.cbo.gov|cbo.gov,YES,14/03/24 <- last patched in 2024, Congressional Budget Office
192.231.145.126,vpn.ha.nih.gov,YES,16/11/23 <- last patched in 2023, National Institutes of Health
Eg 158.219.75.133,*.cbo.gov|cbo.gov,YES,14/03/24 <- last patched in 2024, Congressional Budget Office
192.231.145.126,vpn.ha.nih.gov,YES,16/11/23 <- last patched in 2023, National Institutes of Health
Initial reports I’ve heard are that it’s not cyber
November 8, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Initial reports I’ve heard are that it’s not cyber
Bonfire by moonlight
November 8, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Bonfire by moonlight
Reposted by Ciaran Martin
Once again the magisterial position of "don't know/don't care" on a pointless question commands a clear majority of the British public. cc @ciaranm.bsky.social
November 7, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Once again the magisterial position of "don't know/don't care" on a pointless question commands a clear majority of the British public. cc @ciaranm.bsky.social
Reposted by Ciaran Martin
7 minutes on Asia: Europe’s struggle for relevance in the age of China and Trump’s ‘G2’
My long read on the EU's drift to the margins on China - and almost everything else
My long read on the EU's drift to the margins on China - and almost everything else
7 minutes on Asia: Europe’s struggle for relevance in the age of Trump’s ‘G2’
A brief discussion on the Indo-Pacific suggests a union that is increasingly peripheral – on China and arguably almost everything else.
www.scmp.com
November 7, 2025 at 8:14 AM
7 minutes on Asia: Europe’s struggle for relevance in the age of China and Trump’s ‘G2’
My long read on the EU's drift to the margins on China - and almost everything else
My long read on the EU's drift to the margins on China - and almost everything else
Reposted by Ciaran Martin
At @ncsc.gov.uk we have just launched the CyberUK tech talks call for papers across three topics
- Cyber applications of AI
- What works: approaches that reduce cyber harm
- The evolving threat
www.cyberuk.uk/2026/call-fo...
- Cyber applications of AI
- What works: approaches that reduce cyber harm
- The evolving threat
www.cyberuk.uk/2026/call-fo...
Tech Talks - Call for Papers
www.cyberuk.uk
November 6, 2025 at 8:12 PM
At @ncsc.gov.uk we have just launched the CyberUK tech talks call for papers across three topics
- Cyber applications of AI
- What works: approaches that reduce cyber harm
- The evolving threat
www.cyberuk.uk/2026/call-fo...
- Cyber applications of AI
- What works: approaches that reduce cyber harm
- The evolving threat
www.cyberuk.uk/2026/call-fo...
Reposted by Ciaran Martin
I did a lecture on the impact of Brexit on British politics. Watch it here if you're really bored www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztqL...
Reflections on the Brexit Revolution: 2025-26 Mackenzie-Stuart Lecture
YouTube video by Cambridge Law Faculty
www.youtube.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:25 AM
I did a lecture on the impact of Brexit on British politics. Watch it here if you're really bored www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztqL...
Reposted by Ciaran Martin
How a ransomware gang encrypted Nevada government's systems
How a ransomware gang encrypted Nevada government's systems
The State of Nevada has completed its recovery from a ransomware attack it suffered on August 24, 2025, which impacted 60 state agencies, disrupting critical services related to health and public safety.
www.bleepingcomputer.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:15 PM
How a ransomware gang encrypted Nevada government's systems
Reposted by Ciaran Martin
I need to do stuff but I’m trapped watching the paw twitching and listening to all the little squeaks
November 5, 2025 at 7:59 AM
I need to do stuff but I’m trapped watching the paw twitching and listening to all the little squeaks
Reposted by Ciaran Martin
I wrote about this a bit here:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
November 4, 2025 at 10:37 PM
I wrote about this a bit here:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Good God they’re even going for the Commonwealth now. Thought that was the one they liked
November 4, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Good God they’re even going for the Commonwealth now. Thought that was the one they liked
Reposted by Ciaran Martin
Hugely important academic paper repository arXiv says it will no longer accept Computer Science papers that are still under review due to the wave of AI-generated ones it has received. This will radically change preprint and open access scientific research
www.404media.co/arxiv-change...
www.404media.co/arxiv-change...
arXiv Changes Rules After Getting Spammed With AI-Generated 'Research' Papers
Cornell University’s academic paper repository will no longer accept Computer Science papers still under review.
www.404media.co
November 3, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Hugely important academic paper repository arXiv says it will no longer accept Computer Science papers that are still under review due to the wave of AI-generated ones it has received. This will radically change preprint and open access scientific research
www.404media.co/arxiv-change...
www.404media.co/arxiv-change...