China’s Quiet Cyber Takeover: Pre-Positioning, Chaos & Taiwan Scenarios

In this episode of Bourbon & Bytes, Cape Endeavors CEO Terry McGraw sits down with Alexandra Rose, Director of Government Partnerships & CTU Threat Research at Sophos - formerly SecureWorks.

Alex brings a rare perspective: NSA-trained linguist, Air Force veteran, federal civilian analyst, interagency team builder, and now one of the most trusted voices in commercial threat intelligence.

They dig into the uncomfortable truth most organizations avoid:
Ransomware is obvious.
China isn’t.
And the quiet stuff is the part that can break a country.

What You’ll Learn
How China shifted from IP theft to infiltrating the infrastructure that determines trust
Why pre-positioning matters — and how chaos, not data theft, is the real endgame
How commercial threat intel operates without government budgets or authorities
The difference between opportunistic ransomware crews and persistent nation-state operators
Why public-private partnerships are finally working — and the mindset shift that made it possible
Why basic security (MFA, patching, monitoring) still shuts down most real-world attacks
The uncomfortable role AI plays in shaping a population’s perception of truth
Why “incremental progress” in cybersecurity beats big-bang silver bullet thinking every time

About Alexandra Rose

Alex has spent her career connecting dots across intelligence, geopolitics, cybercrime, and nation-state operations. Today she helps lead Sophos’ government partnerships and threat research efforts, turning global threat activity into actionable intelligence for defenders around the world.

About Bourbon & Bytes

Hosted by Terry McGraw, retired U.S. Army Lt. Colonel and former senior leader at NETCOM, Army Cyber Command, and the NSA — now CEO of Cape Endeavors, a CMMC compliance and secure enclave provider for the Defense Industrial Base.

Every episode mixes candid conversation, real-world cyber stories, and insights from the leaders shaping national security.

#ThreatIntelligence #NationStateThreats #CyberDefense #ChinaCyberThreat #Geopolitics #NationalSecurity