# Cyber and the AI Threat with Michael Connory of Aphore Technology

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-trusted-adviser-7062717/cyber-and-the-ai-threat-with-michael-connory-of-aphore-technology
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-trusted-adviser-7062717/cyber-and-the-ai-threat-with-michael-connory-of-aphore-technology.md
Podcast: [The Trusted Adviser](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-trusted-adviser-7062717)
Published: 2026-07-16T15:59:00+00:00
Episode link: https://thetrustedadviser.podbean.com/e/cyber-and-the-ai-threat-with-michael-connory-of-aphore-technology/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/stwze627b6dtqd8z/The_2520Trusted_2520Adviser_2520Podcast_2520-_2520Michael_2520Connory_2520-_2520Aphore_2520Technologybj7r9.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-trusted-adviser-7062717/episodes/cyber-and-the-ai-threat-with-michael-connory-of-aphore-technology
Duration seconds: 3398

## Resource

Cybersecurity has moved from an IT problem to a boardroom problem, and most AFSLs haven't caught up yet. In this episode, I sit down with Michael Connory, CEO of Aphore Technology, who has spent over a decade helping some of the largest licensees in Australia, including RI Advice in the wake of their well-publicised incident, build genuine cyber resilience. Aphore now supports around 250 AFSLs through its Cyber Assurance Risk Rating program, and Michael brings a rare view into what actually happens when advice firms get hacked, what ASIC expects when they come knocking, and why the old Essential 8 framework is being retired in favour of something better suited to businesses like ours. We talk through: What Aphore does day to day, and how the Cyber Assurance Risk Rating process works Why credential compromise, not unpatched software, causes the vast majority of breaches Inside the first 48 hours of a real incident, and the exact order of calls a firm should make How AI is already reshaping both the threat landscape and the defences available to us The one thing Michael says every AFSL should do right now This is a timely, occasionally confronting, and ultimately reassuring conversation for any adviser or licensee who has been meaning to get on top of cyber risk but hasn't quite gotten there yet.

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-trusted-adviser-7062717/episodes/cyber-and-the-ai-threat-with-michael-connory-of-aphore-technology/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-trusted-adviser-7062717/cyber-and-the-ai-threat-with-michael-connory-of-aphore-technology.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.