MITRE cyber expert brings active defence research to UNSW

After nearly a decade protecting America’s most sensitive government networks, cyber security researcher Dr Emmanuel Bello-Ogunu is bringing his expertise in adversary engagement to Australia, where he’ll spend the next year working to revolutionise how organisations defend against cyber attacks.

Bello-Ogunu, a principal researcher with US-based MITRE Corporation, has been selected for the company’s Technical Leader Research Program (TLRP).

The program will facilitate collaboration with the UNSW Institute for Cyber Security (IFCyber) throughout 2026. Now in its third year, MITRE’s TLRP offers researchers the freedom to pursue cutting-edge work with partners of their choosing.

For Bello-Ogunu, the choice was clear. 

After 18 months supporting the Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre in shaping their active cyber defence program, he identified critical gaps in the field that demanded attention.

“This idea of active cyber defence is very bespoke,” Bello-Ogunu said. 

“It usually takes pretty intricate, specific use cases and solutions where it’s not often repeatable for the next person. I can’t take your solution and immediately apply that in my network.”

His research aims to change that, developing standardised, repeatable approaches to what is known as “adversary engagement” – a sophisticated defence strategy that goes far beyond traditional cyber security measures.

Unlike conventional defences that block and remove attackers, active cyber defence involves redirecting intruders into controlled environments where their behaviour can be studied. 

“Let them dance around in there a little bit,” Bello-Ogunu says. 

“They think they’re getting the right file, they think they’re exfiltrating it to their servers. Meanwhile, we’re observing them. We’re learning their tactics, their procedures."

The approach requires an understanding of both attacker behaviour and defender workflows – areas where Bello-Ogunu’s background proves invaluable. 

His PhD in Computing and Information Systems focused on cyber security, with particular expertise in mobile and IoT security. For eight years based in Washington DC, he supported federal agencies across US law enforcement, Defense, and the Intelligence Community, putting research to work to ensure operators’ capabilities didn’t jeopardise lives or compromise mission objectives.

But technical sophistication alone isn’t enough, he says. 

“You may have the best playbook, the best tool. All I’ve got to do is push a button, then it sets up the deception environment, dances with the adversary a bit, elicits their behaviour, and then kicks them out.

“It could do everything for me, but if it doesn’t fit my mental model of how I do my job, then it’s kind of useless to me.”

His research will include user studies with actual defenders – grounding theoretical advances in real-world practice. 

“It just helps to illuminate the difference between what works on paper or what sounds good on paper versus what works in the real world,” he said.

The collaboration with IFCyber Director Professor Debi Ashenden, whose work focuses on understanding the socio-technical implications of cyber deception, emerged from a chance coffee meeting facilitated by a mutual colleague.

When MITRE announced the TLRP opportunity, the partnership seemed natural.

“I’m particularly excited to be working with Emmanuel because of his strong focus on translating cyber security research into real-world application and impact,” Prof Ashenden said.

“MITRE has an internationally respected track record in cyber deception, so this collaboration provides a valuable opportunity to connect our human-centred and socio-technical research with leading operational expertise.”

Now settled in Canberra with his wife and newborn son, Bello-Ogunu is nine years into what he thought would be a three-year stint at MITRE. 

“The work, the opportunities, the mission space – it’s very diverse, and the people there are truly passionate about working for the public good.”