Tony Anscombe

Tony Anscombe

Chief Security Evangelist


Education: Cobol and Fortran programming, it was a long time ago.

Highlights of your career: Appearing on the BBC News, the live appearance was regarding an article about a hacker that was 12 years old and stealing game data. The cool part was that it remained the number one article on the BBC News app for four days, it seemed that just about everyone I know saw it! The only thing that could top this is to be on Good Morning America or on the BBC Breakfast sofa.

What malware do you hate the most: Potentially unwanted applications, deceiving consumers and destroying their computer is wrong.

Favorite activities: Motorbikes, cycling, concerts and family (not in that order).

What is your golden rule for cyberspace: Don’t get sucked in and addicted to the world of social media, and never post pictures of food.

When did you get your first computer, favorite computer game/activity: My first computer was a Sinclair ZX81 Spectrum, back around 1983/4. It was my first introduction to programming and inspired me to go to college and learn how to code. As for a favorite game, my son and I play two games frequently, Driver (Xbox) and Fifa (PS4), it is a very competitive pastime and not good for my blood pressure.


118 articles by Tony Anscombe

Black Hat USA 2026: Will vulnerability discovery eventually decline in the AI era?

Black Hat USA 2026: Will vulnerability discovery eventually decline in the AI era?

Black Hat USA 2026: Will vulnerability discovery eventually decline in the AI era?

And will today’s surge in AI-driven vulnerability discovery eventually make tomorrow’s software safer?

Tony Anscombe13 Aug 20263 min. read


Black Hat USA 2026: What the Hugging Face hack tells us about human responsibility

Black Hat USA 2026: What the Hugging Face hack tells us about human responsibility

Black Hat USA 2026: What the Hugging Face hack tells us about human responsibility

The incident involving OpenAI models shows that autonomous hacks make human oversight more important, not less

Tony Anscombe13 Aug 20264 min. read


Black Hat USA 2026: AI is racing ahead of cybersecurity controls

Black Hat USA 2026: AI is racing ahead of cybersecurity controls

Black Hat USA 2026: AI is racing ahead of cybersecurity controls

AI took center stage, but the clearest lesson was less about what AI can do than about who is accountable when something goes wrong

Tony Anscombe12 Aug 20263 min. read


Fixing the password problem is as easy as 123456

Fixing the password problem is as easy as 123456

Fixing the password problem is as easy as 123456

How come it’s still possible to ‘secure’ an online account with a six-digit string?

Tony Anscombe07 May 20264 min. read


Supply chain dependencies: Have you checked your blind spot?

Supply chain dependencies: Have you checked your blind spot?

Supply chain dependencies: Have you checked your blind spot?

Your biggest risk may be a vendor you trust. How can SMBs map their third-party blind spots and build operational resilience?

Tony Anscombe16 Apr 202610 min. read


Is it time for internet services to adopt identity verification?

Is it time for internet services to adopt identity verification?

Is it time for internet services to adopt identity verification?

Should verified identities become the standard online? Australia’s social media ban for under-16s shows why the question matters.

Tony Anscombe14 Jan 20265 min. read


Black Hat Europe 2025: Was that device designed to be on the internet at all?

Black Hat Europe 2025: Was that device designed to be on the internet at all?

Black Hat Europe 2025: Was that device designed to be on the internet at all?

Behind the polished exterior of many modern buildings sit outdated systems with vulnerabilities waiting to be found

Tony Anscombe12 Dec 20253 min. read


Black Hat Europe 2025: Reputation matters – even in the ransomware economy

Black Hat Europe 2025: Reputation matters – even in the ransomware economy

Black Hat Europe 2025: Reputation matters – even in the ransomware economy

Being seen as reliable is good for ‘business’ and ransomware groups care about 'brand reputation' just as much as their victims

Tony Anscombe11 Dec 20254 min. read


How Uber seems to know where you are – even with restricted location permissions

How Uber seems to know where you are – even with restricted location permissions

How Uber seems to know where you are – even with restricted location permissions

Is the ride-hailing app secretly tracking you? Not really, but this iOS feature may make it feel that way.

Tony Anscombe09 Oct 20253 min. read