Ransomware whack-a-mole, AI agents as insider threats and how to hack a humanoid robot

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This is a podcast episode titled, Ransomware whack-a-mole, AI agents as insider threats and how to hack a humanoid robot. The summary for this episode is: Between LockBit, RansomHub and BlackSuit, law enforcement racked up some big wins against ransomware gangs last year. So why aren’t the attacks letting up?   In this episode of Security Intelligence, panelists JR Rao, Jeff Crume and Michelle Alavarez unpack what the state of ransomware in 2025 really looked like, and why things haven’t slowed things down as much as we might hope.    Then, we turn to identity security and cloud breaches as we consider the striking case of Zestix, the lone threat actor linked to breaches at 50 global enterprises. And all he needed were some passwords.    From there, we look at what the future of hacking might hold. Palo Alto’s Wendi Whitmore issued a warning about how AI agents could become devastating insider threats, and security researchers at GEEKCon demonstrated how AI-powered robots can be hijacked using voice commands alone, turning prompt injection into a physical-world security risk.   It’s a niche scenario today. But is it also a preview of what happens when AI, robotics and operational technology collide?  Listen to Security Intelligence to find out.   00:00 -- Introduction 01:05 -- Ransomware in 2026  09:26 -- Zestix linked to 50 hacks  18:42 -- AI agents as insider threats  31:20 -- Hacking humanoid robots  The opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of IBM or any other organization or entity.  Subscribe to the IBM Think newsletter → <a href="https://www.ibm.com/account/reg/us-en/signup?formid=news-urx-52120" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.ibm.com/account/reg/us-en/signup?formid=news-urx-52120</a> Explore the podcast → <a href="https://www.ibm.com/think/podcasts/security-intelligence" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.ibm.com/think/podcasts/security-intelligence</a>

DESCRIPTION

Between LockBit, RansomHub and BlackSuit, law enforcement racked up some big wins against ransomware gangs last year. So why aren’t the attacks letting up?

In this episode of Security Intelligence, panelists JR Rao, Jeff Crume and Michelle Alavarez unpack what the state of ransomware in 2025 really looked like, and why things haven’t slowed things down as much as we might hope.

Then, we turn to identity security and cloud breaches as we consider the striking case of Zestix, the lone threat actor linked to breaches at 50 global enterprises. And all he needed were some passwords.

From there, we look at what the future of hacking might hold. Palo Alto’s Wendi Whitmore issued a warning about how AI agents could become devastating insider threats, and security researchers at GEEKCon demonstrated how AI-powered robots can be hijacked using voice commands alone, turning prompt injection into a physical-world security risk.

It’s a niche scenario today. But is it also a preview of what happens when AI, robotics and operational technology collide?

Listen to Security Intelligence to find out.

00:00 -- Introduction

01:05 -- Ransomware in 2026

09:26 -- Zestix linked to 50 hacks

18:42 -- AI agents as insider threats

31:20 -- Hacking humanoid robots

The opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect the views of IBM or any other organization or entity.

Subscribe to the IBM Think newsletter → https://www.ibm.com/account/reg/us-en/signup?formid=news-urx-52120

Explore the podcast → https://www.ibm.com/think/podcasts/security-intelligence