Senior Lecturer in Cyber Security · Cardiff University
I study how cybercriminals exploit people and machines, and build machine-learning defences that catch attacks early: from phishing and malware on social media to intrusions in connected vehicles, IoT and industrial systems.
I am a CISSP-certified Senior Lecturer in the School of Computational and Mathematical Sciences at Cardiff University, where I direct the MSc Cyber Security and MSc Cyber Security & Technology programmes. I hold a PhD in cyber security and an MSc in Information Security and Privacy from Cardiff, and ISC2's Certified in Cybersecurity credential.
Before academia I spent eight years in the Global Markets Group at ICICI Bank, advising corporate clients on foreign-exchange risk and derivatives. That experience still shapes how I think about cyber risk: practical, quantified and tied to business impact. Today I apply frameworks such as NIST, ISO 27001, OCTAVE and MITRE ATT&CK alongside machine learning to detect, predict and quantify attacks.
My research has involved work with GCHQ, Airbus, PwC and Thales, and funded collaborations in India, New Zealand and the USA. I co-founded Kesintel, Highly Commended for New Product of the Year at the FinTech Awards Wales 2025, and support start-ups and SMEs as a Domain Knowledge Expert at the Wales Cyber Innovation Hub, including advising Alacrity on an AI-powered threat-hunting dashboard for intelligence agencies.
Since 2019 I have supervised more than 40 BSc and MSc projects and moderated over 40 more, which keeps my expertise broad: from phishing psychology and malicious websites to CAN bus attacks on cars, industrial control systems, reverse engineering and security operations.
I led Cardiff University's sponsorship of this global application-security hackathon, run by the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) in partnership with Cardiff and The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies. The 2024 edition drew more than 10,000 students to a 24-hour capture-the-flag, with JPMC, Securein, TCPWave and the Telangana State Cybersecurity Bureau recruiting interns from it.
Our study of 275,000 tweets found fear-laden posts were 114% more likely to be retweeted, a tactic cybercriminals use to spread malicious links.
Invited talks at IISc Bengaluru and IIT Kanpur on research collaboration, alongside funded projects in India, New Zealand and the USA.
Three connected questions: how attacks spread, how to detect them early, and how to make that detection trustworthy.
How attackers use emotion and trust to spread malware online. Predicting and disrupting drive-by download attacks, and fingerprinting the networks that spread them.
Key work: Prediction of drive-by download attacks on Twitter (IPM) · Emotions behind drive-by download propagation (ACM TWEB)
Federated-learning intrusion detection for in-vehicle networks; adversarial attacks on autonomous-vehicle IDS; continuous compliance auditing for IoT; incident response for operational technology.
Key work: Multi-stage IDS with hierarchical federated learning (VEHCOM) · Adversarial attacks on in-vehicle IDS (Sensors)
Forecasting cyberattacks with security analytics, detecting cloud services abused for command-and-control, and retrieval-augmented LLMs for log and packet analysis.
Key work: Real-time forecasting of cyberattacks (SPE) · ML detection of cloud C&C abuse (JCP)
I make security education hands-on: game-based workshops, escape rooms, capture-the-flag challenges and the safe use of generative AI in the classroom. With DSCI I co-developed the Great AppSec Hackathon, a global web-application CTF that has engaged around 10,000 students.
I work with organisations on security risk, threat detection and cyber skills, drawing on research, CISSP practice and eight years in banking.
Cyber risk assessment against NIST, ISO 27001 and OCTAVE, SOC design, and evaluation of AI security tools. Recent work: advising Alacrity on an AI threat-hunting dashboard for intelligence agencies.
Security of AI for leaders, the dark side of AI and today's threat landscape, vehicle and EV security, OT security, phishing and human factors. Recent audiences in Kuwait, India, Saudi Arabia, the USA, Latin America and the UK.
Gamified security training, escape rooms and large-scale hackathons, including the DSCI Great AppSec Hackathon with more than 10,000 students.
For consulting, speaking or PhD enquiries, email [email protected].
Abacws, Room 4.08 · Senghennydd Road · Cathays · Cardiff CF24 4AG