In this episode of the Cyber Minds podcast, we sit down with Sam McKenzie—cybersecurity expert and critical infrastructure leader—to explore the real-world impacts of cyber attacks on physical systems. Sam shares compelling stories from autonomous vehicles to raw sewage hacks, giving listeners a rare glimpse into the intersection of digital threats and public safety. He also reflects on his origin story on a Victorian farm, why scarecrows don’t work (in farms or cyber), and how leaders and boards need to adapt to the rising complexity of cyber risk. This is a must-listen for cybersecurity professionals, critical infrastructure stakeholders, and anyone interested in the future of secure digital society.

👩‍💼 Guest Biography – Sam MacKenzie

Sam Mackenzie is a driven technology and cybersecurity leader with 25 years of experience dedicated to protecting and advancing critical infrastructure. As a valued committee member of both the Australian Control Rooms Network Association and the Australian Computer Society, Sam is known for his structured thinking, his talent for simplifying complex challenges, and his ability to harness culture as a catalyst for meaningful change.

Sam’s career spans leadership roles with global brands and household names in Australia, where he has built high-performance teams across sectors including health, telecoms, energy, and local government.

🔗 Links Mentioned Throughout the Podcast

• 🌐 Quigly Website - https://www.quigly.com.au/
• 🌐 Australian Control Rooms Network Association Website - https://acrna.org/
• 🌐 Australian Computer Society Website - https://www.acs.org.au/
• ⚖️SOCI Act https://www.cisc.gov.au/legislation-regulation-and-compliance/soci-act-2018
• 🚗 Waymo - https://waymo.com/
• 👤 Mark Williams – Host LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/markwilliamsmelbourne/
• 👤 Sam MacKenzie – Guest LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelmackenzie/

⏱️ Timestamps & Topics:

• 00:08 – Welcome Message
• 00:47 - Introduction to Sam McKenzie
• 01:50 – Experience riding in a fully autonomous vehicle with Waymo
• 05:00 – Cybersecurity’s role in protecting essential services like power and transport
• 08:09 – The evolution from automation to AI and the cyber implications
• 09:38 – Sam’s cyber origin story: from country farm to cybersecurity
• 11:50 – Balancing technology and cybersecurity leadership roles
• 14:44 – Boardroom cyber literacy: Do directors need deep cyber knowledge?
• 16:05 – Defining “cyber physical incidents”
• 17:40 – The Maroochy Shire sewage attack: Australia’s first cyber physical incident
• 19:00 – Why rare incidents still matter: real-world risk to life
• 21:35 – The Fire Rescue Victoria breach and its long-term impacts
• 22:45 – Cascading failures across critical infrastructure
• 26:15 – Patchability challenges in legacy operational technology
• 27:45 – Sam’s advocacy and the CS4CI community
• 29:40 – Lessons from the past: applying safety & financial risk models to cyber
• 31:55 – Sam’s advice to aspiring cyber leaders: compassionate leadership & prioritisation
• 34:30 – Closing remarks