We kick off our Expert insights series on cyber threats and securityfor 2026, with Sean Slattery of Caribbean Solutions Lab in the Cayman Islands. In this episode, he discusses, among other things: the changes in the threat landscape that occurred in 2025; the potental impact of agentic AI and the emerging threat of quantum computing in the security space; how we can prove who we are in a world of (near) perfect fakes; and three things organisations should be doing in 2026 to improve their network/IT security.

 

This episode is also available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music.

Virtually every week, at least one cybersecurity-related news article is published in the Caribbean region. This is a far cry from perhaps five years ago, when there would have been the occasional mention. Today, it appears that newsmakers from both the public and private sectors have become increasingly aware of not only how prevalent the threats are but also our own vulnerability, especially as the threats become more sophisticated thanks to artificial intelligence, automation and other emerging technologies. Further, the region has experienced the impact when other services or platforms upon which we rely have been compromised either by a cyberattack or a system malfunction, leaving us also exposed and unable to function.

It is through this lens that we begin our annual Expert Insights series and our examination of cyber threats and security across the region.

 

Introducing our guest

Sean Slattery

Sean Slattery is the Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Caribbean Solutions Lab (CSL), a cybersecurity service provider based in the Cayman Islands. He has deep experience in IT, having started with a background in Computer Science, and working his way across a broad range of IT roles.

Sean has spent over fifteen years focusing primarily on cybersecurity. His specialities include firewall enterprise, web gateway, e-policy orchestration, enterprise mobility management, and application control.

Established in 2007, CSL has clients throughout the Caribbean region and in North America and offers comprehensive IT security, training and professional services.

 

Insights into our conversation

Similar to previous years, the most dominant threat is still ransomware, though phishing and threat vectors are still being used regularly. A new observation Sean shared during our conversation is the increased frequency with which threat actors systematically try to crack every email address on a network, or conduct brute force attacks, looking for a weakness. That approach tends to rely on automation and highlights one of the ways in which newer technologies are being leveraged.

Having said this, and as highlighted by the list of key questions posed to Sean, we need to better understand how the threat actors are using emerging technologies, such as Agentic AI and quantum computing. At the same time, it also means that we cannot solely rely on these technologies, which are supposed to make our lives more secure or efficient, as they are also being manipulated for nefarious purposes.  

  1. To start, can you give us a quick recap of what has been going on in the Caribbean region, with regard to cybersecurity threats and incidents?
  2. It seems as if over the past year, there has been an uptick in the use of AI by cybercriminals. What is the talk in the industry?
  3. What impact or role is Agentic AI playing in the threat landscape?
  4. What role, if any, is quantum computing playing in the security/cybersecurity space?
  5. With deepfakes now capable of bypassing standard biometric and voice verification, is identity the new perimeter? How do we prove who we are in a world of perfect fakes?
  6. Is it possible for Caribbean countries to build ‘storm-proof’ digital infrastructure that remains secure even when we are running on backup satellite links and local generators?
  7. The recent IDB reports show the Caribbean is strong on cyber laws (dimension 4) but lagging in technical implementation (dimension 5). How do we bridge the gap between having a law on the books and having a SOC (Security Operations Centre) on the ground?
  8. In 2026, the mantra is ‘assume breach.’ What does a ‘resilient’ business look like compared to one that is just ‘well-defended’?
  9. After all of what we have discussed, are there any new and emerging threats, or other considerations, of which we should be more aware?
  10. What might be three (3) key things organisations should be doing in 2026 to improve their network/IT security?

 

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Let’s make it happen!

 

Select links

Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that were mentioned during the episode, or might otherwise be useful:

 

 

Images credit:  S Slattery; Pete Linforth (Pixabay);  DC Studio (Freepik);  Tumisu (Pixabay)

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez