PROJECT GOLDSMITH

MSQUARE was engaged by Telstra Security Operations Team to develop, produce and execute a campaign that would educate and inspire Telstra’s leadership teams as well as staff across the organization. MSQUARE worked closely with Telstra’s ‘Red Team’ to organize a security breach demonstration by hacking Telstra’s CISO (given prior permission) and conveying how we were able to breach this individual, what we had access to once breached, and the impact it could have had on his personal and professional life, including its potential impact on the company. 

MSQUARE was provided with the hacking updates, working closely with Telstra’s internal Red Team and produced a visual journey of the hacking process through visual effects, actual hacked assets re-designed for viewer consumption, and a carefully scripted performance. MSQUARE’s director worked closely with the actor on performance and delivery across two weeks of rehearsals. MSQUARE also developed a script and choreographed a performance with the lead Antagonist from Classified (Telstra x MSQUARE Cyber Security Series) who portrayed the hackers during the live event. The final production was rendered as part of a 30 minute multimedia live event that received standing ovations. The live event was filmed with cinema cameras to be repurposed into a Ted Talks style show and was sent to Telstra staff as part of a greater educational awareness initiative, receiving over 5300 views by staff of which 2300 were organically shared by peers across the organization.

Project Goldsmith left a powerful impression on its live audience and the greater Telstra staff across the organization. Telstra’s CISO Berin Lautenbach provided the following feedback:

Hi All, I could not have been happier with the impact we had on Tuesday at the offsite.  I had people coming up to me that evening and all day yesterday not only commenting on how good the presentation was, but – more importantly – how it had got them thinking about security for themselves and in what they do. That’s exactly what we were aiming for.  A fantastic outcome. So thank you.  It was a huge amount of work for everyone involved – and worth every second.

Berin Lautenbach, CISO Telstra