
Cybercrime Has Gone Cartel
From Trust vs. by HITRUST Alliance
December 18, 2025 · 29 min · Season 3 · Episode 10
About this episode
In this season finale, Tom Kellermann discusses the industrialization of cybercrime and the evolving tactics of cyber cartels.
Cybercrime isn’t just evolving, it’s industrializing. In this explosive season finale, Trust vs. is joined by one of cybersecurity’s most respected voices: Tom Kellermann , HITRUST’s new VP of Cyber Risk. Drawing on decades of experience advising the Secret Service, the World Bank, and the White House, Tom unpacks how today’s cyber cartels have outgrown narco-trafficking empires, how AI is transforming attacker tactics, and what the “axis of evil” looks like in cyberspace. From ransomware with backdoors to island-hopping attacks and the myth of hackers simply walking away, Tom explains why security needs to be dynamic, threat-informed, and elevated to the C-suite now. Meet Ryan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-patrick-3699117a/ Meet Jeremy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyhuval Meet Tom: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomkellermann/
People in this episode
Hosts: Ryan Patrick, Jeremy Huval
Guest: Tom Kellermann
Topics covered
- cybercrime
- cybersecurity
- AI
- ransomware
- C-suite
- dynamic security
Keywords
- cybercrime
- cybersecurity
- AI
- ransomware
- cyber cartels
- threat-informed
- C-suite
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: HITRUST, Secret Service, World Bank, White House
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