2026-10-02 –, STAGE 2 (Ghost in the Shellcode) Language: English
As Joni Mitchell famously sang “Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got till it's gone.”
Like how an envelope generator in electronic music shapes a sound's character over time, this talk is concerned with the shape and characteristics of cybersecurity and is all about what music teaches us about attacks, timing, and resilience.
Music and cybersecurity share the same basic anatomy since they are about identity and community. Both require a trigger to set off a series of events and can be creative or destructive.
Over the years, music has been used to spread misinformation. Music has also been a method to control and torture people. For example, the use of acoustic bombardment to bring down the Noriega regime in Panama.
Music can be a destructive force. Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation video caused hard drives to crash and was classified with its own CVE.
Conversely in times of oppression, music has been used as a form of communication to bypass censorship.
In this talk, I will explore how ransomware and identity-driven attacks evade detection not by being invisible, but by being indistinguishable from normal operational noise.
Modern attacks don’t break systems, they blend into them.
Using the structure of music production (signal/noise, mixing and mastering) to explore real-world attack chains, the goal is to share practical insights into why detection fails.
Mathew Caplan has spent more than 25 years helping organisations navigate cybersecurity challenges and build resilience in an increasingly complex world.
As Director of Professional Services at Orange Cyberdefense, he advises organisations around the world on how to strengthen resilience, manage cyber risk and build trust.
Alongside his leadership role, he is an international cybersecurity speaker and storyteller who turns complex security problems into memorable tales.
Known for blending music, movies and real-world experience, Mathew makes complex cybersecurity concepts understandable, memorable and engaging.