📍Colonel Shawn Smith joins David Rutherford to explain how advanced persistent threats (APTs) operate—and why these nation-state cyber operations can’t be treated like ordinary hacking. He details how long-term infiltration, supply-chain compromise, and weak security culture can put critical U.S. systems at risk. This is a conversation about national security, cyber warfare, and why the public often struggles to understand the scale of what’s happening.

In this episode, they cover:

• What an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) really is — and why it’s different from normal hacking
• Why nation-state cyber attacks are planned for years, not days
• The “enemy inside the wire” problem: what happens when attackers are already embedded
• How China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea approach cyber warfare differently
• The hidden danger of supply chain compromise (hardware + subcomponents)
• Why election security “testing” often fails to reflect real-world threat conditions
• The uncomfortable question: are U.S. institutions derelict… or complicit when it comes to protecting critical systems?

Next Steps:

• 🏫 Get coaching by David Rutherford: https://www.froglogicinstitute.com/
• 📕 Get David's novel, The Poet Warrior: https://www.ballastbooks.com/ballast-bookstore/the-poet-warrior
• 📰 Sign up for David's weekly newsletter for free coaching tips, updates, and more: https://davidrutherfordletter.substack.com/