CyberWire Daily: Recent Episodes
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The daily cybersecurity news and analysis industry leaders depend on. Published each weekday, the program also includes interviews with a wide spectrum of experts from industry, academia, and research organizations all over the world.
An access broker's phishing facilitates ransomware. 3AM is fallback malware. Cross-site-scripting vulnerabilities are reported in Apache services. US agencies warn organizations to be alert for deepfakes. The US Department of Defense publishes its 2023 Cyber Strategy. Ann Johnson from the Afternoon Cyber Tea podcast speaks with with Jenny Radcliffe about the rise in social engineering. Deepen Desai from Zscaler shares a technical analysis of Bandit Stealer. And a quick reminder: yesterday was Patch Tuesday.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/175
Selected reading. Malware distributor Storm-0324 facilitates ransomware access (Microsoft Security) 3AM: New Ransomware Family Used As Fallback in Failed LockBit Attack (Symantec) Azure HDInsight Riddled With XSS Vulnerabilities via Apache Services (Orca Security) Contextualizing Deepfake Threats to Organizations (US Department of Defense) Bipartisan push to ban deceptive AI-generated ads in US elections (Reuters) DOD Releases 2023 Cyber Strategy Summary (U.S. Department of Defense) New Pentagon cyber strategy: Building new capabilities, expanding allied info-sharing (Breaking Defense) New DOD cyber strategy notes limits of digital deterrence (DefenseScoop) New Pentagon cyber strategy: Building new capabilities, expanding allied info-sharing (Breaking Defense) CISA Releases Three Industrial Control Systems Advisories (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) September 2023 Security Updates (Microsoft Security Response Center) Microsoft Releases September 2023 Updates (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) Zero Day Summer: Microsoft Warns of Fresh New Software Exploits (SecurityWeek) Microsoft Patch Tuesday: Two zero-days addressed in September update (Computing) Adobe Releases Security Updates for Multiple Products (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) Microsoft, Adobe fix zero-days exploited by attackers (CVE-2023-26369, CVE-2023-36761, CVE-2023-36802) (Help Net Security) Adobe fixed actively exploited zero-day in Acrobat and Reader (Security Affairs) Adobe warns of critical Acrobat and Reader zero-day exploited in attacks (BleepingComputer) Apple Releases Security Updates for iOS and macOS (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) SAP Security Patch Day for September 2023 (Onapsis) Google Rushes to Patch Critical Chrome Vulnerability Exploited in the Wild - Update Now (The Hacker News) Critical Google Chrome Zero-Day Bug Exploited in the Wild (Dark Reading) Zero-day affecting Chrome, Firefox and Thunderbird patched (Computer) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Phishing with Facebook Messenger accounts. Redfly cyberespionage targets a national grid. The exploit trade in the C2C underground market. Phishing attack exploits Baidu link. A repojacking vulnerability. A hacktivist auxiliary looks to its own interests. Ben Yelin marks the start of the Google antitrust trial. In our Industry Voices segment, Adam Bateman from Push Security explains how identities are the new perimeter. And MGM Resorts are dealing with a “cybersecurity issue.”
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/174
Selected reading. Sponsor with batch-filed whiskers: Ballistic Bobcat’s scan and strike backdoor (ESET) Charming Kitten's New Backdoor 'Sponsor' Targets Brazil, Israel, and U.A.E. (The Hacker News) Iran's Charming Kitten Pounces on Israeli Exchange Servers (Dark Reading) Iranian hackers break into networks of more than 30 companies in Israel (ynetnews) “MrTonyScam” — Botnet of Facebook Users Launch High-Intent Messenger Phishing Attack on Business Accounts (Guardio Labs, via Medium) Facebook Messenger phishing wave targets 100K business accounts per week (BleepingComputer) Vietnamese Hackers Deploy Python-Based Stealer via Facebook Messenger (The Hacker News) Redfly: Espionage Actors Continue to Target Critical Infrastructure (Symantec) Sales and Purchases of Vulnerability Exploits (Flashpoint) Phishing Attack Abuses Baidu Link Redirect, Cloudflare, and Microsoft (Vade) New Exploit Puts Thousands of GitHub Repositories and Millions of Users at Risk (Checkmarx.com) After Microsoft and X, Hackers Launch DDoS Attack on Telegram (SecurityWeek) MGM Resorts shuts down some computer systems after cyber attack (Reuters) Cybersecurity issue prompts computer shutdowns at MGM Resorts properties across US (AP News) MGM Resorts shuts down IT systems after cyberattack (BleepingComputer) MGM Resorts experiences 'cybersecurity issue' impacting operations and prompting investigation (Fox Business) MGM resorts says 'cybersecurity issue' may have widespread impact (NBC News) MGM Resorts blames 'cybersecurity issue' for ongoing outage (TechCrunch) FBI assisting in MGM cybersecurity investigation as slot machines, website, and emails rem (KSNV) MGM Resorts Says It Shut Down Some Systems Following Hack (Bloomberg) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
UK's NCA and NCSC release a study of the cybercriminal underworld. HijackLoader's growing share of the C2C market. Russia's hacker diaspora in Turkey. Author David Hunt discusses his new book, “Irreducibly Complex Systems: An Introduction to Continuous Security Testing.” In our Industry Voices segment, Mike Anderson from Netskope outlines the challenges of managing Generative AI tools. And a senior Russian cyber diplomat warns against US escalation in cyberspace.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/173
Selected reading. Ransomware, extortion and the cyber crime ecosystem (NCSC) HijackLoader (Zscaler) New HijackLoader malware is rapidly growing in popularity (Security Affairs) New HijackLoader Modular Malware Loader Making Waves in the Cybercrime World (Hacker News) Spyware Telegram mod distributed via Google Play (Secure List) Millions Infected by Spyware Hidden in Fake Telegram Apps on Google Play (The Hacker News) 'Evil Telegram' Android apps on Google Play infected 60K with spyware (BleepingComputer) Influx of Russian fraudsters gives Turkish cyber crime hub new lease of life (Financial Times) Russia warns "all-out war" with US could erupt over worsening cyber clashes (Newsweek) New strategy for global cybersecurity cooperation coming soon: State cyber ambassador (Breaking Defense) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Kristopher Russo and Stephanie Regan from Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 join Dave to talk about Threat Group Assessment: Muddled Libra. With an intimate knowledge of enterprise information technology, this threat group presents a significant risk even to organizations with well-developed legacy cyber defenses. Posing threats to organizations in the software automation, BPO, telecommunications and technology industries, Muddled Libra is a threat group that favors targeting large outsourcing firms serving high-value cryptocurrency institutions and individuals. The research can be found here: Threat Group Assessment: Muddled Libra
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An international operation takes down Qakbot. Chinese threat actors anticipated Barracuda remediations. A look at adversary-in-the-middle attacks, making phishbait more effective and the emergence of a new ransomware threat. Narrative themes in Russian influence operations. My conversation with Natasha Eastman from (CISA), Bill Newhouse from (NIST), and Troy Lange from (NSA) to discuss their recent joint advisory on post-quantum readiness. Microsoft’s Ann Johnson from Afternoon Cyber Tea speaks with Cyber Threat Alliance President and CEO Michael Daniel about the current state of cybercrime. And when toilet bowls are outlawed, only outlaws will have toilet bowls.
Listen to the full conversation with Natasha Eastman, Bill Newhouse, and Troy Lange here: A joint advisory on post-quantum readiness.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/165
Selected reading. Operation Duck Hunt bags Qakbot. (CyberWire) FBI, Partners Dismantle Qakbot Infrastructure in Multinational Cyber Takedown (Federal Bureau of Investigation) Qakbot Malware Disrupted in International Cyber Takedown (US Department of Justice) Law Enforcement Takes Down Qakbot (Secureworks) Qakbot: Takedown Operation Dismantles Botnet Infrastructure (Symantec) Chinese APT Was Prepared for Remediation Efforts in Barracuda ESG Zero-Day Attack (SecurityWeek) Phishing-as-a-Service Gets Smarter: Microsoft Sounds Alarm on AiTM Attacks (The Hacker News) The Lure of Subject Lines in Phishing Emails - How Threat Actors Utilize Dates to Trick Victims (Cofense) The Emergence of Ransomed: An Uncertain Cyber Threat in the Making (Flashpoint) Cancelled flights: Air traffic disruption caused by flight data issue (BBC News) Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 29, 2023 (Institute for the Study of War) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this extended interview, Dave Bittner sits down with Natasha Eastman from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Bill Newhouse from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and Troy Lange from the National Security Agency (NSA) to discuss their their recent joint advisory on post-quantum readiness and how to prepare for post-quantum cryptography. You can find the join advisory here:
Quantum-Readiness: Migration to Post-Quantum Cryptography
Quantum computing: A threat to asymmetric encryption.
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Name collision as a DNS risk. A LockBit derivative is active against targets in Spain. QR codes as phishbait. Cybersecurity trends in Healthcare. A Russian hacktivist auxiliary hits Polish organizations, while investigation of railroad incidents in Poland continues. Ben Yelin looks at the SEC cracking down on NFTs. Mr. Security Answer Person John Pescatore opens up the listener mail bag. And a look at a probably accidental glitch affecting air travel in the UK.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/164
Selected reading. What's in a name? Strange behaviors at top-level domains creates uncertainty in DNS (Cisco Talos) Spain warns of LockBit Locker ransomware phishing attacks (BleepingComputer) Think Before You Scan: The Rise of QR Codes in Phishing (Trustwave SpiderLabs) 78% of Healthcare Organizations Experienced Cyber Incidents in Past Year, 60% of Which Impacted Patient Care (Claroty) Polish stock exchange, banks knocked offline by pro-Russian hackers (Cybernews) Two Men Arrested Following Poland Railway Hacking (SecurityWeek) Century-old technology hack brought 20 trains to a halt in Poland (Cybernews) Poland investigates train mishaps for possible Russian connection (Washington Post) Flight chaos ‘to last for days’ after air traffic control failure (The Telegraph) UK flight chaos could last for days, airline passengers warned (the Guardian) Government can’t rule out cyber attack caused air traffic chaos (MSN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The DPRK's Lazarus Group exploits ManageEngine issues. A Data breach at Kroll is traced to SIM swapping. Unusually destructive ransomware hits CloudNordic. Spawn of LockBit. Polish trains are disrupted by hacktivists. Rick Howard looks at the MITRE attack framework. Our guests are Andrew Hammond and Erin Dietrick from the International Spy Museum. And Influence laundering as a long-term disinformation tactic.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/163
Selected reading. North Korean APT Hacks Internet Infrastructure Provider via ManageEngine Flaw (SecurityWeek) Lazarus Group exploited ManageEngine vulnerability to target critical infrastructure (Help Net Security) Cyber scams keep North Korean missiles flying (Radio Free Asia) Claimant Data Breached in Genesis, FTX and BlockFi Bankruptcy Cases (Wall Street Journal) Kroll data breach exposes info of FTX, BlockFi, Genesis creditors (BleepingComputer) Crypto investor data exposed by a SIM swapping attack against a Kroll employee (Security Affairs) Kroll Employee SIM-Swapped for Crypto Investor Data (KrebsOnSecurity) Kroll Suffers Data Breach: Employee Falls Victim to SIM Swapping Attack (The Hacker News) FTX bankruptcy handler Kroll discloses data breach (The Stack) CloudNordic Faces Severe Data Loss After Ransomware Attack (Hackread) CloudNordic loses most customer data after ransomware attack | TechTarget (Security) Lockbit leak, research opportunities on tools leaked from TAs (SecureList) LockBit 3.0 Ransomware Builder Leak Gives Rise to Hundreds of New Variants (The Hacker News) Poland investigates cyber-attack on rail network (BBC News) Poland investigates hacking attack on state railway network (Reuters) Hackers bring down Poland’s train network in massive cyber attack (Ticker News) The Cheap Radio Hack That Disrupted Poland's Railway System (WIRED) Russia Pushes Long-Term Influence Operations Aimed at the U.S. and Europe (New York Times) Newly declassified US intel claims Russia is laundering propaganda through unwitting Westerners (CNN Politics) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week, we welcome Dina Haines, an Industry Partnership Manager with the National Security Agency's Cybersecurity Collaboration Center. Dina found from a young age, she was always interested in the field, taking after her father who worked in the space industry, paving the way for her to fall in love with the field. She worked in the private sector for a bit, moving around every now and again, eventually landing the position she works now. Dina says her day to day job is helping the NSA to bend and protect cyberspace by bringing in private industry. She says "I try to spend a lot of time listening and seeing where people, where they're coming from, where they're at, you know, potentially in their career, where they're at in their job that day, and then try to, um, support them and bring them up and, and float the entire boat." We thank Dina for sharing her story with us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Tal Skverer from Astrix Security joins to discuss their work on "GhostToken – Exploiting GCP application infrastructure to create invisible, unremovable trojan app on Google accounts." Astrix’s Security Research Group revealed a 0-day flaw in Google’s Cloud Platform (GCP) on June 19, 2022, which was found to affect all Google users. The research states "The vulnerability, dubbed “GhostToken”, could allow threat actors to change a malicious application to be invisible and unremovable, effectively leaving the victim’s Google account infected with a trojan app forever." Google issued a patch to this vulnerability in April of this year, but researchers explain why this can be severe. The research can be found here: GhostToken – Exploiting GCP application infrastructure to create invisible, unremovable trojan app on Google accounts
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Telekopye and the rise of commodified phishing kits. Lazarus Group fields new malware. Implications of China's campaign against vulnerable Barracuda appliances. Abhubllka ransomware's targeting and low extortion demands. Malek Ben Salem of Accenture outlines generative AI Implications to spam detection. Jeff Welgan, Chief Learning Officer at N2K Networks, unpacks the NICE framework and strategic workforce intelligence. And a new hacktivist group emerges, and takes a particular interest in NATO members.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/162
Selected reading. eBay Users Beware Russian 'Telekopye' Telegram Phishing Bot (Dark Reading) Telekopye: Hunting Mammoths using Telegram bot (ESET) Lazarus Group's infrastructure reuse leads to discovery of new malware (Cisco Talos Blog) FBI fingers China for attacks on Barracuda email appliances (Register) Suspected PRC Cyber ActorsContinue to Globally Exploit Barracuda ESG Zero-Day Vulnerability (CVE-2023-2868) (FBI) Identifying ADHUBLLKA Ransomware: LOLKEK, BIT, OBZ, U2K, TZW Variants (Netenrich) Ransomware ecosystem targeting individuals, small firms remains robust (Record) Ransomware With an Identity Crisis Targets Small Businesses, Individuals (Dark Reading) Hacking group KittenSec claims to 'pwn anything we see' to expose corruption (CyberScoop) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There’s a new sophistication in BEC campaigns. Trends in brand impersonation–crooks still like to pretend they’re from Redmond. The future of Russian influence operations in the post-Prigozhin era. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos shares insights on the new cyber workforce strategy. In our latest Threat Vector segment David Moulton of Palo Alto Networks is joined by Stephanie Ragan, Senior Consultant at Unit 42 to discuss Muddled Libra. And more on the doxing of a deputy Duma chair, who seems to have been selling hot iPhones as a side hustle (maybe). And the growing problem of Synthetic identity fraud.
On this segment of Threat Vector, Stephanie Ragan, Senior Consultant at Unit 42, joins host David Moulton to discuss Muddled Libra.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/162
Selected reading. BEC Trends: Payroll Diversion Dominates and Sneaky Multi-Persona Attacks Emerge (Trustwave) Q2 2023 Threat Landscape Report: All Roads Lead to Supply Chain Infiltrations (Kroll) Microsoft Impersonated Most in Phishing Attacks Among Nearly 350 Brands (Abnormal Security) TransUnion Analysis Finds Synthetic Identity Fraud Growing to Record Levels (TransUnion) Ukraine at D+546: Yevgeny Prigozhin dies in a plane crash. (CyberWire) Without Prigozhin, expect some changes around the edges on Russian influence operations (Washington Post) 2023 H1 Global Threat Analysis Report (Radware) Lapsus$: Court finds teenagers carried out hacking spree (BBC News) British court convicts two teen Lapsus$ members of hacking tech firms (Record) Treasury Designates Roman Semenov, Co-Founder of Sanctioned Virtual Currency Mixer Tornado Cash (U.S. Department of the Treasury) Tornado Cash Founders Charged With Money Laundering And Sanctions Violations (U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York) Russian Duma leader’s emails hacked and leaked (Cybernews) Ukrainian hackers expose money laundering and sanction evasion by senior Russian politician (teiss) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Smoke Loader botnet has a creepy new payload. Ransomware gets faster. How AI has evolved in malicious directions. The Snatch ransomware gang threatens to snitch. The FSB continues to use both USBs and phishing emails as attack vectors. A ransomware attack shutters Belgian social service offices. Tim Starks from the Washington Post explains a Biden administration win in a DC court. Our guest Ben Sebree of CivicPlus describes how the public sector could combat cybercrime during cloud adoption. And the deadline for comment on US cybersecurity regulations? It’s been extended.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/161
Selected reading. Smoke Loader Drops Whiffy Recon Wi-Fi Scanning and Geolocation Malware (SecureWorks) Time keeps on slippin’ slippin’ slippin’: The 2023 Active Adversary Report for Tech Leaders (Sophos News) HP Wolf Security Threat Insights Report Q2 2023 | HP Wolf Security (HP Wolf Security) Barracuda XDR Insights: How AI learns your patterns to protect you (Barracuda) Deep Instinct Study Finds Significant Increase in Cybersecurity Attacks Fueled by Generative AI (Deep Instinct) Cyberattack on Belgian social service centers forces them to close (Record) Ukraine’s Military Hacked by Russian Backed USB Malware (Ophtek) Request for Information on Cyber Regulatory Harmonization; Request for Information: Opportunities for and Obstacles To Harmonizing Cybersecurity Regulations (Federal Register) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
HiatusRAT shifts its targets. Ecuador's difficulties with voting is attributed to cyberattacks. Carderbee is an APT targeting Hong Kong. auDA (OOO-duh) turns out not to have been breached. Ukrainian hacktivists claim to dox a senior member of Russia's Duma. Russian influence operations take aim at NATO's July summit. Joe Carrigan describes attacks on LinkedIn accounts. Our guest is John Hernandez from Quest to discuss why he believes the MOVEit flaw is a wakeup call for CISOs. Security, not by obscurity, but by typo.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/160
Selected reading. HiatusRAT Malware Resurfaces: Taiwan Firms and U.S. Military Under Attack (The Hacker News) New HiatusRAT campaign targets Taiwan and U.S. military procurement system (Security Affairs) HiatusRAT Returns after a Hiatus in a Fresh Wave of Attacks (Cyware Labs) No rest for the wicked: HiatusRAT takes little time off in a return to action (Lumen) Ecuador’s national election agency says cyberattacks caused absentee voting issues (Record) Carderbee: APT Group use Legit Software in Supply Chain Attack Targeting Orgs in Hong Kong Resolution of cyber incident (auDA) Ukrainian hackers claim to leak emails of Russian parliament deputy chief (Record) Summit Old, Summit New (Graphika) Summit Old, Summit New: Russia-Linked Actors Leverage New and Old Tactics in Influence Operations Targeting Online Conversations About NATO Summit (Graphika) The simple typo that stopped bank robbers from stealing $1 billion (LAD Bible) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The DPRK's Kimsuky attempts to hit joint military exercises. Australian domain administrator auDA (OW-duh) may have been breached. WoofLocker's version of a tech support scam. The US Intelligence Community warns of cyber threats to space systems. Rick Howard looks at forecasting cyber risk. Deepen Desai from Zscaler shares ransomware trends. And more wartime disinformation out of Russia.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/159
Selected reading. Suspected N. Korean Hackers Target S. Korea-US Drills (SecurityWeek) N. Korean Kimsuky APT targets S. Korea-US military exercises (Security Affairs) North Korean hackers target US-South Korea military drills, police say (The Economic Times Cyber incident update (auDA) Australia’s .au domain administrator denies data breach after ransomware posting (Record) Hackers claim to have breached auDA (iTnews) Catching up with WoofLocker, the most elaborate traffic redirection scheme to tech support scams (Malwarebytes) WoofLocker Toolkit Hides Malicious Codes in Images to Run Tech Support Scams (The Hacker News) US warns space companies about foreign spying (Reuters) Intelligence Agencies Warn Foreign Spies Are Targeting U.S. Space Companies (New York Times) US Warns Space Industry of Growing Risks of Spying and Satellite Attacks (Bloomberg) Foreign countries targeting tech from US space companies, intel agencies warn (The HIll) Pentagon urges US space companies to stay vigilant against foreign intelligence (TechCrunch) Safeguarding the US Space Industry: Keeping Your Intellectual Property in Orbit (DNI) What To Do About The U.S. Intelligence Community Warning on Safeguarding The Space Industry (OODA Loop) Countering disinformation with facts - Russian invasion of Ukraine (Government of Canada) Sergey Lavrov: Throwing Russia off balance is ultimate aim (TASS) Moscow says US unwillingness to end Ukraine conflict (Merh News Agency) Russian invaders sending threats to Kherson region’s residents via social media - watchdog (Ukrinform)
This week, our guest is Luke Vander Linden, Vice President of Membership & Marketing from RH-ISAC and host of the RH-ISAC podcast here at the CyberWire. Luke sits down to share his story all the way back to when he was a very young age where he was a child model and actor to where he is now working in the cyber industry. Luke fell into the marketing field after his time as a child actor, where he really started to find his passion. After finding his passion, he decided to branch out to different areas in the field, working in public libraries and advocacy groups, this is where he started to really enjoy the prospect of working with individuals who support organizations, which got him started in the RH-ISAC world. Luke shares that he wears many hats these days, working in the podcast business while also working on the leadership team at RH-ISAC. His advice for people getting into this industry is "I think with age comes this knowledge, but also with experiences. So, I mean, to that point, don't be afraid to go out there and fail, give it a shot." We thank Luke for sharing his story with us.
Dmitry Bestuzhev from Blackberry joins to discuss their work on "RomCom Resurfaces: Targeting Politicians in Ukraine and U.S.-Based Healthcare Providing Aid to Refugees from Ukraine." Research suggests that the RomCom threat team has been tracked carefully following the geopolitical events surrounding the war in Ukraine, and are now targeting politicians in Ukraine who are working closely with Western countries. This group is different from others in that their focus is more on secrets or information which can be useful in geopolitics and specifically the war in Ukraine, instead of financial gain. The research says "Although it is unclear at this point what initial infection vector was used to kick off the execution chain, previous RomCom attacks used targeted phishing emails to point a victim to a cloned website hosting Trojanized versions of popular software." The research can be found here: RomCom Resurfaces: Targeting Politicians in Ukraine and U.S.-Based Healthcare Providing Aid to Refugees from Ukraine
Phishing for Zimbra credentials. PlayCrypt ransomware described. The Cuba ransomware group adopts new tools. #NoFilter. Cyber criminals threaten security researchers. Our guest is Kevin Paige from Uptycs with thoughts on the Blackhat conference. Eric Goldstein, Executive Assistant Director at CISA joins us discussing next steps on the Secure by Design journey. And Russian disinformation takes on "Anglo-Saxonia."
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/158
Selected reading. Mass-spreading campaign targeting Zimbra users (We Live Security) PlayCrypt Ransomware Group Wreaks Havoc in Campaign Against Managed Service Providers (Adlumin SaaS Security) Cuba Ransomware Deploys New Tools: Targets Critical Infrastructure Sector in the U.S. and IT Integrator in Latin America (BlackBerry) NoFilter Attack: Sneaky Privilege Escalation Method Bypasses Windows Security (The Hacker News) Cyber security researchers become target of criminal hackers (Financial Times) Britain plotting to assassinate pro-Russian leaders in Africa, says Moscow (The Telegraph) Ukraine at D+540: Russification and disinformation. (CyberWire)
Building a proxy botnet. Active flaws in PowerShell Gallery. A cyber incident disrupts Clorox. Scams lure would-be mobile beta-testers. Lessons learned from the Russian cyberattack on Viasat. An update on cyber threats to Starlink. Robert M. Lee from Dragos shares his thoughts on the waves of layoffs that have gone through the industry. Steve Leeper of Datadobi explains mitigating risks associated with illegal data on your network. And hey, world leader: it’s never too late to stop manifesting a chronic cranio-urological condition, as they more-or-less say in the Quantum Realm.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/157
Selected reading. ProxyNation: The dark nexus between proxy apps and malware (AT&T Alien Labs) Massive 400,000 proxy botnet built with stealthy malware infections (BleepingComputer) PowerHell: Active Flaws in PowerShell Gallery Expose Users to Attacks (Aqua Security) Clorox Operations Disrupted By Cyber-Attack (Infosecurity Magazine) Cyber Criminals Targeting Victims through Mobile Beta-Testing Applications (IC3) FBI warns about scams that lure you in as a mobile beta-tester (Naked Security) Incident response lessons learned from the Russian attack on Viasat (CSO Online) Recent Intel Report Reveals New Starlink Vulnerabilities, Increasing Concerns About the Future of Global Satellite Internet (Debrief) Hacked electronic sign declares “Putin is a dickhead” as Russian ruble slumps (Graham Cluley)
China accuses the US of installing backdoors in a Wuhan lab. NetScaler backdoors are found. A Phishing scam targets executives. LinkedIn sees a surge in account hijacking. Raccoon Stealer gets an update. Cryptocurrency recovery scams. We kick off our new Learning Layer segment with N2K’s Sam Meisenberg. And a Moscow court fines Reddit and Wikipedia, for unwelcome content about Russia's war.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/156
Selected reading. Ministry warns of data security risks after US agencies identified behind cyberattack on Wuhan Earthquake Monitoring Center (Global Times) China accuses U.S. intelligence agencies as source behind Wuhan cybersecurity attack (ZDNET) China teases imminent exposé of seismic US spying scheme (Register) 2,000 Citrix NetScaler Instances Backdoored via Recent Vulnerability (SecurityWeek) Cloud Account Takeover Campaign Leveraging EvilProxy Targets Top-Level Executives at over 100 Global Organizations (Proofpoint) LinkedIn Accounts Under Attack (Cyberint) LinkedIn faces surge of account hijacking (Computing) LinkedIn accounts hacked in widespread hijacking campaign (BleepingComputer) Raccoon Stealer malware returns with new stealthier version (BleepingComputer) FBI warns of increasing cryptocurrency recovery scams (BleepingComputer) Russia slaps Reddit, Wikipedia with fines (Cybernews)
New targets of Chinese cyberespionage are uncovered. Monti ransomware is back. An evasive phishing campaign exposed. A Realtors' network taken down by cyberattack. A closer look at NoName057(16). Perspective on cyberwar - remember Pearl Harbor, but don’t see it everywhere. Ben Yelin on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s plans to regulate surveillance tech. Microsoft’s Ann Johnson and Charlie Bell ponder the future of security. And scammers are targeting kids playing Fortnite and Roblox.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/155
Selected reading. Chinese spies who read State Dept. email also hacked GOP congressman (Washington Post) Binary Ballet: China’s Espionage Tango with Microsoft (SecurityHQ) Microsoft Exchange hack to be investigated by US Cyber Safety Board (Computing) Monti ransomware targets VMware ESXi servers with new Linux locker (BleepingComputer) Evasive Phishing Campaign Steals Cloud Credentials Using Cloudflare R2 and Turnstile (Netskope) Cyberattack on Bay area vendor cripples real estate industry (The Real Deal) Intel insiders go undercover revealing fresh details into NoName hacktivist operations (Cybernews) Why the US Military Wants You To Rethink the Idea of 'Cyber War' (The Messenger) A Huge Scam Targeting Kids With Roblox and Fortnite 'Offers' Has Been Hiding in Plain Sight (WIRED)
An African power generator has been targeted by ransomware. The APT31 group is believed to be responsible for attacks on industrial systems in Eastern Europe. There have been arrests related to the takedown of LolekHosted. Ukraine's SBU has alleged that Russia's GRU is using specialized malware to attack Starlink. Microsoft has decided not to extend licenses for its products in Russia. Rick Howard opens his toolbox on DDOS. In our Solution Spotlight: Simone Petrella and Camille Stewart Gloster discuss the White House release of its cybersecurity workforce and education strategy. And the Cyber Safety Review Board will be investigating cases of cyberespionage against Exchange.
Watch the full video of Simone and Camille here: Solution Spotlight: Simone Petrella and Camille Stewart Gloster
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/154
Selected reading. DroxiDat-Cobalt Strike Duo Targets Power Generator Network (Infosecurity Magazine) New SystemBC Malware Variant Targets Southern African Power Company (The Hacker News) Power Generator in South Africa hit with DroxiDat and Cobalt Strike (Security Affairs) Southern African power generator targeted with DroxiDat malware (Record) Common TTPs of attacks against industrial organizations. Implants for uploading data (Kaspersky ICS CERT) APT31 Linked to Recent Industrial Attacks in Eastern Europe (Infosecurity Magazine) Researchers Shed Light on APT31's Advanced Backdoors and Data Exfiltration Tactics (The Hacker News) LOLEKHosted admin arrested for aiding Netwalker ransomware gang (BleepingComputer) Russian spy agencies targeting Starlink with custom malware, Ukraine warns (The Telegraph) Russia Bans iPhones And iPads For Official Use: Report (BW Businessworld) Microsoft Suspends Extending Licenses For Companies in Russia (RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty) Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber Safety Review Board to Conduct Review on Cloud Security (US Department of Homeland Security) Microsoft Exchange hack is focus of cyber board’s next review (Record) Microsoft is under scrutiny after a recent attack by suspected Chinese hackers (Windows Central) The DHS’s CSRB to review cloud security practices following the hack of Microsoft Exchange govt email accounts (Security Affairs) Microsoft's role in data breach by Chinese hackers to be part of US cyber inquiry (Firstpost)
Dr. Georgianna Shea, the Chief Technologist at the Transformative Cyber Innovation Lab at the Foundations for Defensive Democracies (FDD) sits down to share her incredible story, moving around to different roles and how that has lead her to where she is today. Her careers have taken her to many different states throughout the years, as she has learned and grew into the roles she took on, from Hawaii to D.C., Dr. Shea has done it all. Sharing some advice, Dr. Shea says "My words of wisdom are take advantage of every opportunity and don't wait for anybody. I try to mentor people and I talk to young people a lot, you know, trying to get into the field and, and I see a lot of waiting on other people." She explains that you are able to work on your own to become an expert, and taking that initiative will be the thing to get you to where you want to be. We thank Dr. Georgianna Shea for sharing her story with us.
Alex Delamotte from SentinelLabs joins Dave to discuss their work on "Cloudy With a Chance of Credentials | AWS-Targeting Cred Stealer Expands to Azure, GCP." As actors find more ways to profit from compromising services, SentinelLabs finds that cloud service credentials are becoming increasingly targeted. The lack of threats explicitly targeting Azure and GCP credentials up to this point means there are likely many fresh targets. The research states "These campaigns share similarity with tools attributed to the notorious TeamTNT cryptojacking crew. However, attribution remains challenging with script-based tools, as anyone can adapt the code for their own use." The research can be found here: Cloudy With a Chance of Credentials | AWS-Targeting Cred Stealer Expands to Azure, GCP
Charming Kitten collects against Iranian expatriate dissidents. The Cyber Safety Review Board reports on Lapsus$. A Call for comment on open-source, memory-safe standards. How NSA is coping with the cyber labor market. Yandex is restructuring. The Washington Post’s Tim Starks joins us with the latest cyber security efforts from the DOD. Our guest is Dan L. Dodson, CEO of Fortified Health Security with insights on protecting patient data. And How Viasat was hacked.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/153
Selected reading. Germany says Charming Kitten hackers target Iran dissidents (Deutsche Welle) Cyber Safety Review Board Releases Report on Activities of Global Extortion-Focused Hacker Group Lapsus$ (US Department of Homeland Security) Review Of The Attacks Associated with Lapsus$ And Related Threat Groups Report (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) Fact Sheet: Office of the National Cyber Director Requests Public Comment on Open-Source Software Security and Memory Safe Programming Languages (ONCD | The White House) Amid historic hiring surge, NSA considers hybrid, unclassified work options (Federal News Network) Exclusive: Fear of tech 'brain drain' prevents Russia from seizing Yandex for now, sources say (Reuters) Yandex co-founder Volozh slams Russia's 'barbaric' invasion of Ukraine (Reuters) Satellite hack on eve of Ukraine war was a coordinated, multi-pronged assault (CyberScoop)
A New Magento campaign is discovered. Gootloader malware-as-a-service afflicts law firms. Researchers find security flaws affecting cryptowallets. Panasonic warns of increasing attacks against IoT. A Belarusian cyberespionage campaign outlined. The five cyber phases of Russia's hybrid war, and lessons in resilience from Ukraine's experience. In our Threat Vector segment, Kristopher Russo, Senior Threat Researcher for Unit 42 joins David Moulton to discuss Muddled Libra. Kayla Williams from Devo describes their work benefiting the community at BlackHat. And a new DARPA challenge seeks to bring artificial intelligence to cybersecurity. On this segment of Threat Vector, Kristopher Russo, Senior Threat Researcher for Unit 42, joins host David Moulton to discuss Muddled Libra.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/152
Threat Vector links. Threat Group Assessment: Muddled Libra
Selected reading. Xurum: New Magento Campaign Discovered (Akamai) Gootloader: Why your Legal Document Search May End in Misery (Trustwave) Fireblocks Researchers Uncover Vulnerabilities Impacting Dozens of Major Wallet Providers (Fireblocks) New BitForge cryptocurrency wallet flaws lets hackers steal crypto (BleepingCompute Panasonic Warns That IoT Malware Attack Cycles Are Accelerating (WIRED) MoustachedBouncer: Espionage against foreign diplomats in Belarus (We Live Security) Belarus hackers target foreign diplomats with help of local ISPs, researchers say (TechCrunch) Pro-Russian hackers claim attacks on French, Dutch websites (Record) Zhora: Russia's cyber 'war crimes' will outlast invasion (Register) The Power of Resilience (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) Biden-Harris Administration Launches Artificial Intelligence Cyber Challenge to Protect America’s Critical Software (The White House) AIxCC (AIxCC) The Biden administration wants to put AI to the test for cybersecurity (Washington Post)
Reports of a Wide-ranging cyberespionage campaign by China's Ministry of State Security. EvilProxy phishing tool targets executives, and defeats multifactor authentication. Vulnerabilities in CPUs. Yashma ransomware targets a wide range of countries. MacOS threat trends. Is there a Russian attempt to disrupt British elections? Rob Boyce from Accenture checks in from the Blackhat conference. Maria Varmazis talking with Black Hat Aerospace Village's Kaylin Trychon and Steve Luczynski. Ukraine claims to have stopped a Russian spyware campaign. And Patch Tuesday has come and gone, but the vulnerabilities remain–unless, of course, you’ve applied the patches.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/151
Selected reading. Chinese hackers targeted at least 17 countries across Asia, Europe and North America (Record) RedHotel: A Prolific, Chinese State-Sponsored Group Operating at a Global Scale (Recorded Future) Cloud Account Takeover Campaign Leveraging EvilProxy Targets Top-Level Executives at over 100 Global Organizations (Proofpoint) ‘Downfall’ vulnerability leaves billions of Intel CPUs at risk (CyberScoop) New Inception attack leaks sensitive data from all AMD Zen CPUs (BleepingComputer) New Yashma Ransomware Variant Targets Multiple English-Speaking Countries (The Hacker News) Suspected Vietnamese hacker targets Chinese, Bulgarian organizations with new ransomware (Record) Black Hat USA 2023 – Bitdefender macOS Threat Report Reveals Key Dangers for Mac Users (Bitdefender) Russia ‘tops list of suspects’ in cyber attack which exposed data of 40m UK voters (The Telegraph) Electoral Commission hack: Five things you need to know (Computing) ‘Hostile actors’ hacked British voter registry, electoral agency says (Washington Post) Electoral Commission apologises for security breach involving UK voters’ data (the Guardian) Ukraine says it prevented Russian hacking of armed forces combat system (Reuters) Ukraine says it thwarted attempt to breach military tablets (Record) Russian secret services try to penetrate operation planning electronic system of Ukraine's army (Ukrainska Pravda) Patch Tuesday: Adobe Patches 30 Acrobat, Reader Vulns (SecurityWeek) Patch Tuesday: Microsoft (Finally) Patches Exploited Office Zero-Days (SecurityWeek) Microsoft Releases August 2023 Security Updates (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) Fortinet Releases Security Update for FortiOS (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) Adobe Releases Security Updates for Multiple Products (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) Patch Tuesday review: August 2023. (CyberWire)
Reports on a 2020 Chinese penetration of Japan's defense networks. MOVEit-connected supply chain issues aren't over. Akamai looks at the current state of ransomware. Mallox ransomware continues its evolution. Machine identities and shadow access. Ukrainian hacktivist auxiliaries hit Russian websites. Joe Carrigan unpacks statistics recently released by CISA. Our guest is Jeffrey Wheatman from Black Kite discussing the market shift from SRS to cyber risk intelligence. And radiation sensor reports from Chernobyl may have been manipulated.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/150
Selected reading. China hacked Japan’s sensitive defense networks, officials say (Washington Post) Japan says cannot confirm leakage after report says China hacked defence networks (Reuters) MOVEit hack spawned around 600 breaches but isn't done yet - cyber analysts (Reuters) Mallox Ransomware Group Revamps Malware Variants, Evasion Tactics (Dark Reading) TargetCompany Ransomware Abuses FUD Obfuscator Packers (Trend Micro) New IAM Research by Stack Identity Finds Machine Identities Dominate Shadow Access in the Cloud, Revealing Easy Attack Vector for Hackers (Business Wire) Ukraine-Linked Group Claims It Hacked Website Of Moscow Property Registration Bureau (RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty) Ukraine-linked group claims it hacked Moscow property registration bureau website – RFE/RL (Euromaidan Press) Pro-Ukrainian hackers breach Moscow engineering service website (New Voice of Ukraine) Ukrainian state agencies targeted with open-source malware MerlinAgent (Record) The Mystery of Chernobyl’s Post-Invasion Radiation Spikes (WIRED)
North Korean cyberespionage against a Russian aerospace firm. The Reptile rootkit is used against South Korean systems. An update on Cloudzy. Cl0p is using torrents to move data stolen in MOVEit exploitation. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos wonders about the dangers of jumping head first into new technologies? Rick Howard ponders quantum computing. And Meduza is back on Apple Podcasts.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/149
Selected reading. Exclusive: North Korean hackers breached top Russian missile maker (Reuters) North Korean hackers stole secrets of Russian hypersonic missile maker (Euractiv) Comrades in Arms? | North Korea Compromises Sanctioned Russian Missile Engineering Company (SentinelOne) Reptile Rootkit: Advanced Linux Malware Targeting South Korean Systems (The Hacker News) UPDATE: Cloudzy Command and Control Provider Report (Halcyon) Reptile Rootkit: Advanced Linux Malware Targeting South Korean Systems (The Hacker News) Clop ransomware now uses torrents to leak data and evade takedowns (BleepingComputer) Ukraine may be winning ‘world’s first cyberwar’ (The Kyiv Independent) Apple has removed Meduza’s flagship news podcast ‘What Happened’ from Apple Podcasts, without explaining the reason (Meduza)
Manuel Hepfer a cybersecurity researcher from ISTARI sits down to share his story with us. Manuel shares as a kid he was very interested in STEM, and in school he remembered a programming class that he fell in love which made him want to pursue a career in cyber. Studying at the University of Oxford he began working towards acquiring a degree in Cybersecurity and Strategic Management. He found research to be a passion and wanted to share his passion, he decided he wanted to publish, so Manuel published an article in MIT Sloan management review that's titled "Make Cybersecurity a Strategic Asset." He shares that finding a passion, like he did, is the key to working in cyber, saying "I think what I learned at the time is the value of discipline and self motivation. And now you can always come up with a lot of discipline and self motivation, but you'll run out of steam at some point if you're not very passionate about some of the things that you're doing." We thank Manuel for sharing his story with us.
Aleksandar Milenkoski from SentinelOne joins to discuss their work on "Kimsuky Strikes Again | New Social Engineering Campaign Aims to Steal Credentials and Gather Strategic Intelligence." Researchers have been tracking the North Korean APT group Kimsuky and their attempt at a social engineering campaign targeting experts in North Korean affairs. The research states "The campaign has the objective of stealing Google and subscription credentials of a reputable news and analysis service focusing on North Korea, as well as delivering reconnaissance malware." Kimsuky has been tracked engaging in extensive email correspondence using spoofed URLs and extensive email correspondence, along with Office documents weaponized with the ReconShark malware. The research can be found here: Kimsuky Strikes Again | New Social Engineering Campaign Aims to Steal Credentials and Gather Strategic Intelligence
The Five Eyes warn against top exploited vulnerabilities. The Rilide info stealer in the wild. Malicious PyPI packages. Valerie Abend, Global Cyber Strategy Lead from Accenture, unpacks the Securities and Exchange Commission’s recently announced cyber regulations. In our Solution spotlight: Our own Simone Patrella speaks with Microsoft’s Ann Johnson on how Microsoft is attracting and retaining top cyber talent. And cyber attacks continue to gutter on both sides of Russia's war against Ukraine.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/148
Selected reading. CISA, NSA, FBI, and International Partners Release Joint CSA on Top Routinely Exploited Vulnerabilities of 2022 | CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) CISA, NSA, FBI and International Partners Issue Advisory on the Top Routinely Exploited Vu (National Security Agency/Central Security Service) New Rilide Stealer Version Targets Banking Data and Works Around Google Chrome Manifest V3 (Trustwave) Tunnel Vision: CloudflareD AbuseD in the WilD (GuidePoint Security) VMConnect: Malicious PyPI packages imitate popular open source modules (ReversingLabs) Bilyana Lilly on how cybersecurity assistance to Ukraine has helped thwart Russian cyberattacks (CyberScoop) Microsoft says Russia-linked hackers behind dozens of Teams phishing attacks (Reuters) Ukraine's invisible battle to jam Russian weapons (BBC News) How Ukraine’s cyberwarriors are upending everyday life in Russia (Times)
Open Bullet malware is seen in the wild. Threat actors exploit a Salesforce vulnerability for phishing. BlueCharlie (that’s Russia’s FSB) shakes up its infrastructure. Midnight Blizzard (and that’s Russia’s SVR) uses targeted social engineering. How NoName057(16) moved on to Spanish targets. Robert M. Lee from Dragos shares his reaction to the White House’s national cybersecurity strategy. Our guest Raj Ananthanpillai of Trua warns against oversharing with ChatGPT. And NSA releases guidance on hardening Cisco next-generation firewalls.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/147
Selected reading. No Honour Amongst Thieves: A New OpenBullet Malware Campaign (Kasada) “PhishForce” — Vulnerability Uncovered in Salesforce’s Email Services Exploited for Phishing… (Medium) Hackers exploited Salesforce zero-day in Facebook phishing attack (BleepingComputer) Hackers exploit Salesforce email zero-day for Facebook phishing campaign (Computing) Russia-based hackers building new attack infrastructure to stay ahead of public reporting (Record) Midnight Blizzard conducts targeted social engineering over Microsoft Teams (Microsoft Security) Unraveling Russian Multi-Sector DDoS Attacks Across Spain (Radware) Pro-Russian Hackers Claim Cyberattacks on Italian Banks (MarketWatch) NSA Releases Guide to Harden Cisco Next Generation Firewalls (National Security Agency/Central Security Service) Cisco Firepower Hardening Guide (US National Security Agency)
An illicit market in account restoration. Resilience and the cyber workforce. New post-exploitation techniques in Amazon Web Services. Incursions into Norwegian government networks went on for four months. Rob Boyce from Accenture Security describes a “Perfect Storm” in the Dark Web threat landscape. Carole Theriault shares mental health social media warnings for teens. And the Russian legislation seeks to reduce or eliminate online privacy.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/146
Selected reading. Amazon employees leak secret info that marketplace sellers can buy on Telegram (CNBC) Cyber Workforce Benchmark Report (Immersive Labs) Mitiga Security Advisory: Abusing the SSM Agent as a Remote Access Trojan (Mitiga) Cado Security Labs 2023 Threat Findings Report (Cado Security) Cyberattack on Norway Ministries Lasted at Least Four Months (Bloomberg) CISA and International Partner NCSC-NO Release Joint Cybersecurity Advisory on Threat Actors Exploiting Ivanti EPMM Vulnerabilities (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) Putin Outlaws Anonymity: Identity Verification For Online Services, VPN Bypass Advice a Crime (TorrentFreak) Russia Is Returning to Its Totalitarian Past (Foreign Policy)
C2-as-a-service with APTs as the customers. Cyberespionage activity by Indian APTs. Gamers under attack. StarLink limits Ukrainian access to its systems. The EU levies new sanctions against “digital information manipulation.” Ukraine's Security Service takes down money-laundering exchanges. Ben Yelin unpacks fediverse security risks. Our guests are Mike Marty, CEO of The Retired Investigators Guild, & Tom Brennan, executive director of CREST, discussing their efforts on cybercrime investigation and cold case resolution. And Nozomi's OT IoT security report, sees a lot of opportunistic, low-grade whacking at industrial organizations.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/145
Selected reading. Cloudzy with a Chance of Ransomware: Unmasking Command-and-Control Providers (C2Ps) (Halcyon) APT Bahamut Targets Individuals with Android Malware Using Spear Messaging - CYFIRMA (CYFIRMA) Hackers steal Signal, WhatsApp user data with fake Android chat app (BleepingComputer) Patchwork Hackers Target Chinese Research Organizations Using EyeShell Backdoor (The Hacker News) Hackers exploit BleedingPipe RCE to target Minecraft servers, players (BleepingComputer) Call of Duty Self-Spreading Worm Takes Aim at Player Lobbies (Dark Reading) Call of Duty worm malware used to hack players exploits years-old bug (TechCrunch) Elon Musk 'refuses to turn on Starlink' for Crimea drone attack (The Telegraph) How Elon Musk Was Able to Exert Control in Ukraine War (The Street) EU strikes Russia again as digital infowar rages on (Cybernews) Ukraine Cracks Down on Illicit Financing Network (Gov Info Security) Unpacking the OT & IoT Threat Landscape with Unique Telemetry Data (Nozomi Networks) China's Volt Typhoon APT Burrows Deeper Into US Critical Infrastructure (Dark Reading)
The US issues a National Cyber Workforce and Education strategy. Hunting Chinese malware staged in US networks. CISA warns of Barracuda backdoor. WikiLoader malware is discovered. P2Pinfect is a malware botnet targeting publicly-accessible Redis servers. Johannes Ullrich from SANS describes attacks against YouTube content creators. Rick Howard previews his conversation with AWS Ciso CJ Moses. And Russia’s SVR continues cyberespionage against Ukrainian and European diplomatic services.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/144
Selected reading. FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy, Unleashing America’s Cyber Talent (The White House) National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy: Unleashing America’s Cyber Talent (The White House) The White House releases the US National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy. (CyberWire) US hunts Chinese malware staged to interfere with US military operations. (CyberWire) U.S. Hunts Chinese Malware That Could Disrupt American Military Operations (New York Times) CISA Releases Malware Analysis Reports on Barracuda Backdoors (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA)CISA: New Submarine malware found on hacked Barracuda ESG appliances (BleepingComputer) Out of the Sandbox: WikiLoader Digs Sophisticated Evasion (Proofpoint) Cado Security Labs Encounter Novel Malware, Redis P2Pinfect (Cado Security) P2PInfect: The Rusty Peer-to-Peer Self-Replicating Worm (Unit 42) BlueBravo Adapts to Target Diplomatic Entities with GraphicalProton Malware (Recorded Future) BlueBravo Adapts to Target Diplomatic Entities with GraphicalProton Malware (Recorded Future Insikt Group) BlueBravo Deploys GraphicalProton Backdoor Against European Diplomatic Entities (The Hacker News)
Morgan Adamski from the National Security Agency (NSA) sits down to talk about her path to getting into cybersecurity. Remembering back to when she was a kid, she recalls using old technology to chat with friends online, that's where it all began for Morgan. She shares how in high school she fell in love with the concept of debating and being on a team. During her high school career, 9/11 occurred, and she became fascinated with who was behind the biggest attack America had seen in the 21st century, driving her to pursue a degree in National Security. Coming out of college, she was able to get a job in the DIA, after working there for two years, she found herself at the NSA, where she is now. Morgan shares how her leadership style helps her to not only connect dots on problems, but also see around corners, saying "it's not just about connecting the dots, it's about seeing around the corners and so that helps me better predict, um, how do I build an organization that's successful three to five years down the road." We thank Morgan for sharing her story with us.
Ashlee Benge from ReversingLabs discussing their research titled "Operation Brainleeches: Malicious npm packages fuel supply chain and phishing attacks." Researchers recently discovered over a dozen malicious packages published to the npm open source repository. These packages are targeting Microsoft 365 users and appear to target application end users while also supporting email phishing campaigns. Research supports that the malicious campaign encompassed more than a dozen files designed to steal sensitive user credentials. The research states "This most recent campaign caught our attention because of a number of features and characteristics in related npm packages that correlate with malicious intent." The research can be found here: Operation Brainleeches: Malicious npm packages fuel supply chain and phishing attacks
A joint warning on IDOR vulnerabilities. IcedID’s BackConnect protocol evolves over one year. Cl0p claims to have accessed data from another Big Four accounting firm. Ransomware victims increased significantly in 2023. Cyberattacks support influence operations. Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger joins us to discuss the Biden Administration's recent cyber initiatives. Eric Goldstein, Executive Assistant Director at CISA, looks at cybersecurity performance goals. And spelling counts.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/143
Selected reading. Preventing Web Application Access Control Abuse (Joint Cybersecurity Advisory: ACSC, NSA, CISA) Inside the IcedID BackConnect Protocol (Part 2) (Team Cymru) Deloitte denies Cl0p data breach impacted client data in wake of MOVEit attack (ITPro) Ransomware Report: Q2 2023 (ReliaQuest) Kenya ICT minister admits cyber-attack on eCitizen portal, insists data secure (The East African) Anonymous Sudan: the group behind recent anti-Kenya cyberattacks (TechCabal) Kenya President Ruto to skip Russia-Africa Summit (The East African) UK accidentally sent military emails meant for US to Russian ally (POLITICO)
The Mirai botnet afflicts Tomcat. CardioComm services are downed by cyberattack. Uptycs calls infostealers “organization killers" as related security incidents double in a year. Legacy third-party risk management practices meet with dissatisfaction. Cyber skill gaps reported in the UK's workforce. Our guest is George Prichici of OPSWAT with a look at a Microsoft Teams vulnerability. Our new Threat Vector segment features a conversation with David Moulton and Michael Sikorski on the potential threats from LLMs and AI. And SiegedSec hits NATO sites. On this first segment of Threat Vector, Michael "Siko" Sikorski, CTO & VP of Engineering for Unit 42, joins host David Moulton to discuss LLMs & AI and the impacts to expect on social engineering, phishing, and more.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/142
Threat Vector links. Palo Alto Networks Unit 42
Selected reading. Tomcat Under Attack: Exploring Mirai Malware and Beyond (Aquasec) CardioComm, a provider of ECG monitoring devices, confirms cyberattack downed its services (TechCrunch) Detecting the Silent Threat: 'Stealers are Organization Killers' (Uptycs) Cyber security skills in the UK labour market 2023 (DSIT) NATO investigates alleged data theft by SiegedSec hackers (BleepingComputer) NATO investigating apparent breach of unclassified information sharing platform (CyberScoop) SiegedSec Compromise NATO (Cyberint)
FraudGPT is a chatbot with malign intent. Stealer logs in the C2C market. Signs in the blockchain that some Conti alumni are working with the Akira gang. Tim Starks from Washington Post's Cybersecurity 202 on the White House’s new National Cyber Director nominee. Maria Varmazis speaks with David Luber, Deputy Director of NSA's Cybersecurity Directorate, on space systems as critical infrastructure. And a kinetic strike against a cyber target: Ukrainian drones may have hit Fancy Bear’s Moscow digs.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/141
Selected reading. FraudGPT: The Villain Avatar of ChatGPT (Netenrich) Stealer Logs & Corporate Access (Flare) Over 400,000 corporate credentials stolen by info-stealing malware (BleepingComputer) The Alarming Rise of Infostealers: How to Detect this Silent Threat (The Hacker News) Conti and Akira: Chained Together (Arctic Wolf) Ukraine-Russia war: Ukraine vows further drone strikes on Moscow and Crimea (The Telegraph)
A zero-day attack of undetermined origin targets government offices in Norway. Russia accuses the US of cyber aggression. Data breaches exact a rising cost. 74% of survey respondents say their company would pay ransom to recover stolen or encrypted data. Executives and security teams differ in their perception of cyber threat readiness. Mr. Security Answer Person John Pescatore looks at risk metrics. Joe Carrigan on a new dark market AI tool called Worm GPT. And Apple issues urgent patches.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/140
Selected reading. Norway says Ivanti zero-day was used to hack govt IT systems (BleepingComputer) Norway investigates cyberattack affecting 12 government ministries (Record) Norwegian government IT systems hacked using zero-day flaw (BleepingComputer) Putin ally accuses US of planning cyberattacks on Russian critical infrastructure (Al Arabiya English) Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023 (IBM Security) Ransom Monetization Rates Fall to Record Low Despite Jump In Average Ransom Payments (Coveware) 2023 Cyber Threat Readiness Report (Swimlane) Apple Releases Security Updates for Multiple Products (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) Apple fixes 16 security flaws with iOS 16.6, two actively exploited (9to5Mac) Apple Rolls Out Urgent Patches for Zero-Day Flaws Impacting iPhones, iPads and Macs (The Hacker News) Apple fixes new zero-day used in attacks against iPhones, Macs (BleepingComputer) iOS 16.6: Apple Suddenly Releases Key iPhone Update With Urgent Fixes (Forbes)
North Korea's increasingly supple cyber offensives. A look at Cl0p. The NetSupport RAT's fake update vectors. HotRat is a Trojan that accompanies illegally pirated software and games. Crackable radio encryption standard: a bug or a feature? Chris Novak from Verizon discusses ransomware through the lens of the DBIR. Carole Theriault describes a ransomware attack that hit close to home. And an alleged money-laundering crypto-rapper is back in the news.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/139
Selected reading. North Korea Leverages SaaS Provider in a Targeted Supply Chain Attack | Mandiant (Mandiant) Ransomware Roundup - Cl0p (Fortinet Blog) FakeSG enters the 'FakeUpdates' arena to deliver NetSupport RAT (Malwarebytes) Researchers Find ‘Backdoor’ in Encrypted Police and Military Radios (Vice) Unmasking HotRat: The hidden dangers in your software downloads (Avast) Researchers Find ‘Backdoor’ in Encrypted Police and Military Radios (Vice) Crypto rapper 'Razzlekhan,' husband reach plea deal over Bitfinex hack laundering (Reuters)
Don Welch, Chief Information Officer from New York University sits down to share his exciting start into his cyber career. Much like many other people who started in this industry, Don went into the military, which is where it all started for him. He was told he needed to take two specialties, and so along with mechanical engineering, he decided to go into computer science as well. After taking his two crafts, he decided to leave the Army and go into the civilian world where he took a couple jobs in cyber. He landed a few jobs at different prestigious universities, including Penn State University, University of Michigan, and now New York University. He shares that being a good leader will take you far in life, saying "I will say that if you are a great leader, ultimately, you sit in your office and do nothing because you have developed your team and empowered them, and they're making all the decisions, everything runs like clockwork and you have nothing to do." We thank Don for sharing is story with us.
With the relentless advancements in technology and a workforce more digitally-enabled than ever before, businesses today face an unprecedented challenge of protecting their sensitive information from cybercriminals. Infostealer malware, often disguised as innocuous files or hidden within legitimate-looking emails, stealthily infiltrate employee and contractor devices – managed and unmanaged – exfiltrating all manner of data for the purposes of executing follow-on attacks including ransomware. The data at risk includes customer details, financial information, intellectual property, and R&D plans stolen from compromised applications that were accessed from infostealer-exfiltrated authentication data like credentials and active session cookies/tokens. This episode digs into the proliferation of infostealers and provides actionable steps for businesses of any size or industry to mitigate the threat. In this episode of CyberWire-X, N2K’s CSO, Chief Analyst, and Senior Fellow, Rick Howard, is joined in the first half by Hash Table member Rick Doten to discuss the early days of incident response and the current thinking of post-infection remediation (PIR) actions. In the second half of the show, CyberWire podcast host Dave Bittner talks with our episode sponsor SpyCloud’s Director of Security Research, Trevor Hilligoss. They chat about the challenges for enterprises and security leaders to identify what was stolen from malware-infected devices and how proper post-infection remediation implemented into existing incident response workflows can help prevent this data from causing ransomware. Trevor shares highlights from an industry report of over 300+ security leaders from North America and the UK on where they stand on malware identification and remediation, and what additional work can be done to minimize cybercriminals' access and impact.
Joshua Miller from Proofpoint joins Dave to discuss findings on "Welcome to New York: Exploring TA453's Foray into LNKs and Mac Malware." In mid May, TA453, also known as Charming Kitten, APT42, Mint Sandstorm, and Yellow Garuda, was found sending a benign conversation lure masquerading as a senior fellow with the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) to the public media contact for a nuclear security expert at a US-based think tank focused on foreign affairs. The research states that "the email solicited feedback on a project called “Iran in the Global Security Context” and requested permission to send a draft for review." Proofpoint shares it's findings and what you can expect from the threat group. The research can be found here: Welcome to New York: Exploring TA453's Foray into LNKs and Mac Malware
The Lazarus Group targets developers. Threat actors target the banking sector with fake LinkedIn profiles and open source supply chain attacks. Vulnerabilities reported in OpenMeetings. HTML smuggling is sold in the C2C market. Johannes Ullrich from SANS describes attacks against niche web apps. Our guest is Damir Brecic of Inversion6 discussing the privacy and security concerns of Meta's new Threads app. And Romania's SVR reports a pattern of Russian cyberattacks.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/138
Selected reading. GitHub warns of Lazarus hackers targeting devs with malicious projects (BleepingComputer) Cyberattack on GitHub customers linked to North Korean hackers, Microsoft says (Record) Security alert: social engineering campaign targets technology industry employees (The GitHub Blog) First Known Targeted OSS Supply Chain Attacks Against the Banking Sector (Checkmarx) A Twist in the Code: OpenMeetings Vulnerabilities through Unexpected Application State (Sonar) Fresh Phish: HTML Smuggling Made Easy, Thanks to a New Dark Web Phish Kit (INKY) KillNet Showcases New Capabilities While Repeating Older Tactics (Mandiant). Pro-Russian hacktivists increase focus on Western targets. The latest is OnlyFans. (CyberScoop). Anonymous Sudan DDoS strikes dominate attacks by KillNet collective (SC Media) Romanian Intelligence General: All Russian secret services attempted cyber attacks against Romania (ACTMedia)
Sophos analyzes malvertising through purchased Google Ads. The MOVEit vulnerability is remediated faster than most. The DeliveryCheck backdoor is used against Ukrainian targets. SORM is under stress. Ukrainian police roll up another bot farm working in support of Russian influence operations. AJ Nash from ZeroFox provides insights on the White House cybersecurity labeling program. David Moulton from Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 introduces his new segment "Threat Vector." And we bid farewell to Kevin Mitnick.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/137
Selected reading. Bad ad fad leads to IcedID, Gozi infections (Sophos News) New research reveals rapid remediation of MOVEit Transfer vulnerabilities (Bitsight) GRIT Ransomware Report-2023-Q2 (Guidepoint Security) Russia’s Turla hackers target Ukraine’s defense with spyware (Record) Russian Hackers Probe Ukrainian Defense Sector With Backdoor (Bank Info Security) Russia’s vast telecom surveillance system crippled by withdrawal of Western tech, report says (Record) Ukraine’s cyber police dismantled a massive bot farm spreading propaganda (Security Affairs) Kevin David Mitnick, August 6, 1963 - July 16, 2023. (Dignity Memorial)
Vulnerabilities are identified and patched in Citrix Netscaler products and Adobe Coldfusion. The banking sector should be monitoring the dark web for leaked credentials and insider threats. Spyware vendors are added to the US Entity List. WhatsApp accounts may be at risk. Verizon’s Chris Novak shares insights on Log4j from this year’s DBIR. Our guest is Candid Wüest of Acronis discussing the findings of their Year-end Cyberthreats Report. Skirmishes in the cyber phases of Russia's war. And how do you demobilize cyber forces (especially the auxiliaries) once the war is over?
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/136
Selected reading. Exploited 0-days, an incomplete fix, and a botched disclosure: Infosec snafu reigns New critical Citrix ADC and Gateway flaw exploited as zero-day (BleepingComputer) Citrix alerts users to critical vulnerability in Citrix ADC and Gateway (Computing) Adobe, Microsoft and Citrix vulnerabilities draw warnings from CISA (Record) Active Exploitation of Multiple Adobe ColdFusion Vulnerabilities (Rapid7) Dark Web Threats Against The Banking Sector › Searchlight Cyber (Searchlight Cyber) WhatsApp Remote Deactivation Warning For 2 Billion Users (Forbes) The United States Adds Foreign Companies to Entity List for Malicious Cyber Activities - United States Department of State (United States Department of State) Commerce Adds Four Entities to Entity List for Trafficking in Cyber Exploits (Bureau of Industry and Security) Russian hackers may be behind 'DDoS' attack on NZ Parliament website (Stuff) Russian medical lab suspends some services after ransomware attack (Record) If you want peace, prepare for… cyberwar - Friends of Europe (Friends of Europe)
The US Federal government issues voluntary security guidelines. Possible privilege escalation within Google Cloud. An APT compromises JumpCloud. FIN8 reworks its Sardonic backdoor and continues its shift to ransomware. Ben Yelin looks at privacy legislation coming out of Massachusetts. Our guest is Alastair Parr of Prevalent discussing GDPR and third party risk. And some noteworthy Russian cyber crime–they don’t seem to be serving any political masters; they just want to get paid.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/135
Selected reading. Biden-Harris Administration Announces Cybersecurity Labeling Program for Smart Devices to Protect American Consumers (The White House) The Biden administration announces a cybersecurity labeling program for smart devices (AP News)CISA Develops Factsheet for Free Tools for Cloud Environments (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) Free Tools for Cloud Environments (CISA) NSA, CISA Release Guidance on Security Considerations for 5G Network Slicing (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) ESF Members NSA and CISA Publish Second Industry Paper on 5G Network Slicing (National Security Agency/Central Security Service) Bad.Build: A Critical Privilege Escalation Design Flaw in Google Cloud Build Enables a Supply Chain Attack (Orca Security) Orca: Google Cloud design flaw enables supply chain attacks (Security | TechTarget) Google fixes ‘Bad.Build’ vulnerability affecting Cloud Build service (Record) JumpCloud discloses breach by state-backed APT hacking group (BleepingComputer) JumpCloud: A 'state-sponsored threat actor' compromised our systems (Computing) JumpCloud says nation-state hackers breached its systems | TechCrunch (TechCrunch) JumpCloud, an IT firm serving 200,000 orgs, says it was hacked by nation-state (Ars Technica) [Security Update] Incident Details - JumpCloud (JumpCloud) July 2023 Incident Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) (JumpCloud) FIN8 Uses Revamped Sardonic Backdoor to Deliver Noberus Ransomware (Symantec by Broadcom) RedCurl hackers return to spy on 'major Russian bank,' Australian company (Record)
WormGPT is a new AI threat. TeamTNT seems to be back. Chinese intelligence services actively pursue British MPs. Gamaredon's quick info theft. Russia’s FSB bans Apple devices. The troll farmers of the Internet Research Agency may not yet be down for the count. Anonymous Sudan claims a "demonstration" attack against PayPal, with more to come. Carole Theriault looks at popular email lures. My conversation with N2K president Simone Petrella on the White House’s National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan. And, friends, don’t take this typo to Timbuktu.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/134
Selected reading. WormGPT, an "ethics-free" text generator. (CyberWire) TeamTNT (or someone a lot like them) may be preparing a major campaign. (CyberWire) Chinese government hackers ‘frequently’ targeting MPs, warns new report (Record) Gamaredon hackers start stealing data 30 minutes after a breach (BleepingComputer) Russia-linked APT Gamaredon starts stealing data from victims between 30 and 50 minutes after the initial compromise (Security Affairs) Armageddon in Ukraine – how one Russia-backed hacking group operates (CyberSecurity Connect) Russian hacking group Armageddon increasingly targets Ukrainian state services (Record) Russia bans officials from using iPhones in U.S. spying row (Apple Insider) Prigozhin's Media Companies May Resume Work As Mutiny Fallout Dissipates, FT Reports (Radio Free Europe | Radio Liberty) Anonymous Sudan claims it hit PayPal with 'warning' DDoS cyberattack (Tech Monitor) Typo leaks millions of US military emails to Mali web operator (Financial Times)
Jennifer Addie, COO and CWO from VentureScope and MACH37 Cyber Accelerator sits down to share her incredible story, bringing creativity into the cyber community. Growing up Jennifer always loved the human side of things, and learning that she had a knack for computers helped her to realize what type of field she wanted to pursue as an adult. She started working jobs dealing in programming, database administration, product development, and it was there in the design of those products where she felt the deep need for security, emerging as critical in her consciousness. She shares how she likes to be on a personal level with the people she works with, always wondering where people came from and why they are passionate, being a very interactive leader. Jennifer also says that she believes bringing creativity into the field is what helps her solve any form of problem the best stating "I absolutely agree with the idea that, that creativity is far more than artistic capability. It is very much centered on problem solving and in fact, the master's degree that I received in creativity focuses on creative problem solving as a process." We thank Jennifer for sharing her story with us.
Michael Clark from Sysdig joins with Dave to discuss their research on SCARLETEEL 2.0: Fargate, Kubernetes, and Crypto. New research from Sysdig threat researchers found that the group continues to thrive with improved tactics. Most recently, they gained access to AWS Fargate, a more sophisticated environment to breach, thanks to their upgraded attack tools. The research states "In their most recent activities, we saw a similar strategy to what was reported in the previous blog: compromise AWS accounts through exploiting vulnerable compute services, gain persistence, and attempt to make money using cryptominers." Had Sysdig not thwarted SCARLETEEL's attack, they estimated that they would have mined $4,000 per day until they were stopped. The research can be found here: SCARLETEEL 2.0: Fargate,Kubernetes, and Crypto
Developments in the case of China's cyberespionage against government Exchange users. Industrial controller vulnerabilities pose a risk to critical infrastructure. USB attacks have risen three-fold in the first half of 2023. CISA adds two vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog. Ghostwriter's continued activity focuses on Poland and Ukraine. Hacktivist auxiliaries swap DDoS attacks. Awais Rashid from University of Bristol shares insights on threat modeling. Our guest is Chris Cochran from Huntress on the challenges small and medium sized businesses face with cyber security. And lessons learned from cyber warfare in Russia's war.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/133
Selected reading. UK says it's working with Microsoft to understand impact of Chinese email hack (Reuters) What we know (and don’t know) about the government email breach (Washington Post) Yet Another MS CVE: Don’t Get Caught In The Storm! (Cynet) China Hacking Was Undetectable for Some Who Had Less Expensive Microsoft Services (Wall Street Journal) Security flaws in Honeywell devices could be used to disrupt critical industries (TechCrunch) APT Exploit Targeting Rockwell Automation Flaws Threatens Critical Infrastructure (SecurityWeek) Rockwell Automation ControlLogix Bugs Expose Industrial Systems to Remote Attacks (The Hacker News) USB drive malware attacks spiking again in first half of 2023 (BleepingComputer) CISA Adds Two Known Vulnerabilities to Catalog (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) Malicious campaigns target government, military and civilian entities in Ukraine, Poland (Cisco Talos Blog) Belarus-linked hacks on Ukraine, Poland began at least a year ago, report says (Record) Crowdsourced Cyber Warfare: Russia and Ukraine Launch Fresh DDoS Offensives (CEPA). Cyber Operations during the Russo-Ukrainian War (CSIS)
CISA and the FBI issue a joint Cybersecurity Advisory on exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Online. Implementing the US National Cybersecurity Strategy. FortiGuard discovers a new LokiBot campaign. Training code turns out to be malicious in a new proof-of-concept attack discovered on GitHub. Russia resumes its pursuit of a "sovereign Internet." The GRU's offensive cyber tactics. Chris Novak from Verizon discusses business email compromise and the 2023 DBIR. Our guest is Joy Beland of Summit 7 on the role of Managed Service Providers in the supply chain to the Defense Industrial Base. And a probable Ukrainian false-flag operation.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/132
Selected reading. CISA and FBI Release Cybersecurity Advisory on Enhanced Monitoring to Detect APT Activity Targeting Outlook Online (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) Enhanced Monitoring to Detect APT Activity Targeting Outlook Online (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) How a Cloud Flaw Gave Chinese Spies a Key to Microsoft’s Kingdom (WIRED) Chinese hackers breached U.S. and European government email through Microsoft bug (Record) FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Publishes the National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan | The White House (The White House) National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan (White House) LokiBot Campaign Targets Microsoft Office Document Using Vulnerabilities and Macros (Fortinet Blog) New PoC Exploit Found: Fake Proof of Concept with Backdoor Malware (Uptycs) Russia Is Trying to Leave the Internet and Build Its Own (Scientific American) The GRU's Disruptive Playbook (Mandiant) Hack Blamed on Wagner Group Had Another Culprit, Experts Say (Bloomberg)
A Chinese threat actor hits US organizations with a Microsoft cloud exploit. Open source tools allow threat actors to exploit a loophole in Microsoft's kernel driver authentication procedures. A RomCom update. Beamer phishbait, email extortion attacks and digital blackmail. A new report concludes companies allowing personal employee devices onto their network are opening themselves to attack. Tim Starks from the Washington Post looks at Microsoft’s recent woes. Our guest is Eyal Benishti from IRONSCALES with insights on business email compromise. And a July Patch Tuesday retrospective.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/131
Selected reading. Mitigation for China-Based Threat Actor Activity (Microsoft On the Issues) Microsoft mitigates China-based threat actor Storm-0558 targeting of customer email (Microsoft Security Response Center) Chinese hackers breach U.S. government email through Microsoft cloud (Washington Post) U.S. Government Emails Hacked in Suspected Chinese Espionage Campaign (Wall Street Journal) Old certificate, new signature: Open-source tools forge signature timestamps on Windows drivers (Cisco Talos Blog) Storm-0978 attacks reveal financial and espionage motives (Microsoft Security) Microsoft: Unpatched Office zero-day exploited in NATO summit attacks (BleepingComputer) Diplomats Beware: Cloaked Ursa Phishing With a Twist (Unit 42) Russian hackers lured embassy workers in Ukraine with ad for a cheap BMW (Reuters) Threat spotlight: Extortion attacks (Barracuda) The SpyCloud Malware Readiness And Defense Report (SpyCloud) July 2023 Security Updates (Security Update Guide - Microsoft Security Response Center) Microsoft Releases July 2023 Security Updates (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) Microsoft July 2023 Patch Tuesday warns of 6 zero-days, 132 flaws (BleepingComputer) Fortinet Releases Security Update for FortiOS and FortiProxy (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) Adobe Releases Security Updates for ColdFusion and InDesign (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) Apple's Rapid Security Response Patches Causing Website Access Issues (SecurityWeek) SAP Security Patch Day – July 2023 (SAP) Return of the ICMAD Critical Vulnerabilities in 2023 (Onapsis)
NATO considers Article 5 in cyberspace, while Cyberattacks conducted in the Russian interest target the NATO summit. Anonymous Sudan remains a nuisance-level irritant. Cl0p's surprising use of MOVEit exploits. Asylum Ambuscade is a case study in privateering. There are reports of a breach at Razer. An indictment in a cyber incident at a California water treatment facility. Genesis Market's fire sale. Carole Theriault on the data Amazon customers provide with some suggestions on curbing it. Our guest is Dmitri Bestuzhev, senior director in Cyber Threat Intelligence for Blackberry. And Amazon Prime Day is upon us–the crooks have noticed.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/130
Selected reading. A Cybersecurity Wish List Ahead of NATO Summit (SecurityWeek) NATO’s Christian-Marc Lifländer on how the alliance can take a ‘proactive’ cyber stance (Record) Ukraine has set the standard on software power (POLITICO) RomCom Threat Actor Suspected of Targeting Ukraine's NATO Membership Talks at the NATO Summit (BlackBerry) Threat group testing more sophisticated DDoS hacks, authorities warn (Cybersecurity Dive) Move It on Over: Reflecting on the MOVEit Exploitation (Huntress) Cl0p has yet to deploy ransomware while exploiting MOVEit zero-day (SC Media) Asylum Ambuscade: crimeware or cyberespionage? (WeLiveSecurity) Crimeware Group Asylum Ambuscade Ventures Into Cyber-Espionage (Infosecurity Magazine) Razer investigates data breach claims, resets user sessions (BleepingComputer) Razer Data Breach: Alleged Database and Backend Access Sold for $100k (HackRead) Alleged Razer data breach: Hacker demands US$100K in crypto in exchange for stolen data (Vulcan Post) Razer gets pwned as hackers steal source code (Cyber Security Connect) Razer Cyber Attack: Gaming Hardware Giant Faces Data Breach (The Cyber Express) Amazon Prime Day: Buyers Beware of Phishing Campaigns Targeting Online Shoppers (Veriti) Tracy Resident Charged With Computer Attack On Discovery Bay Water Treatment Facility (US Attorney for the Northern District of California) Tracy man indicted for illegally accessing water treatment network (CBS News) Technician Indicted for Hacking California Water Treatment Facility (HackRead) Tracy Man Charged With Computer Attack On Discovery Bay Water Treatment Facility (Contra Costa News) Genesis Market gang tries to sell platform after FBI disruption (Record) Amazon Prime Day: Buyers Beware of Phishing Campaigns Targeting Online Shoppers (Veriti)
New phishing campaigns afflict users of Microsoft 365 and Adobe. An analysis of Big Head ransomware. Multichain reports a crypto heist with over $100 million stolen. CISA makes an addition to the Known Exploited Vulnerability Catalog. Progress Software issues additional MOVEit patches. The FBI’s Deputy Assistant Director for Cyber Cynthia Kaiser joins us with examples of the agency’s technical disruption operations. Our guest is Scott Piper Principal Cloud Security Researcher at Wiz sharing findings of their State of the Cloud 2023 report. And Telegram's role in news about Russia's war.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/129
Selected reading. M365 Phishing Email Analysis – eevilcorp (Vade Secure) New Phishing Attack Spoofs Microsoft 365 Authentication System (HackRead) Tailing Big Head Ransomware’s Variants, Tactics, and Impact (Trend Micro) New ‘Big Head’ ransomware displays fake Windows update alert (BleepingComputer) Unfolding Cybersecurity Crisis: Aptos Network and Multichain Face Cyber-Attacks (CryptoMode) More than $125 million taken from crypto platform Multichain (Record) Exploit of Fantom, Moonriver and Dogechain Crypto Bridges Confirmed by Multichain Team (CoinDesk) CISA Adds One Known Vulnerability to Catalog (CISA) Google patches 43 Android Vulnerabilities Including 3 actively exploited zero-days (Cyber Security News) Progress Software Releases Service Pack for MOVEit Transfer Vulnerabilities (CISA) After Zero-Day Attacks, MOVEit Turns to Security Service Packs (SecurityWeek) Killnet as a private military hacking company? For now, it's probably just a dream (Record) Telegram has become a window into war (The Verge)
Eric Tillman, Chief Intelligence Officer at N2K Networks sits down and shares his incredibly creative journey. Eric loved being creative from a young age. When he started to think about a career he wanted to incorporate his love of creativity into his love for tech and turn it into an intelligence career. Eric started by joining the Navy, which set him on this path to work in cyber where he shared his talents with several big companies, including, Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin, and Okta, eventually ending up at our very own N2K Networks. Eric shares the advice that there is something for everyone in this field, and even though he wanted to start his journey in a creative way, he found that combining his love for tech and art helped him to pave the way to where he is now. He says " A lot of people get here from a very technical background and um, it really almost doesn't matter um, where you came from, there is something in cybersecurity that takes advantage of the skills that you bring to the table and, um, either way, there's plenty of room here for everyone." We thank Eric for sharing his story with us.
Moez Kamel, Threat Management Specialist at IBM Security, joins us on T-Minus Deep Space for a special edition all about the cybersecurity ecosystem in the New Space industry. You can follow Moez on LinkedIn and his work at IBM’s Security Intelligence blog. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our weekly intelligence roundup, Signals and Space, and you’ll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow T-Minus on Twitter and LinkedIn. Selected Reading Cybersecurity in the Next-Generation Space Age, Pt. 1: Introduction to New Space Cybersecurity in the Next-Generation Space Age, Pt. 2: Cybersecurity Threats in the New Space Cybersecurity in the Next-Generation Space Age, Pt. 3: Securing the New Space Cybersecurity in the Next-Generation Space Age, Pt. 4: New Space Future Development and Challenges Audience Survey We want to hear from you! Please complete our 4 question survey. It’ll help us get better and deliver you the most mission-critical space intel every day. Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at space@n2k.com to request more info. Want to join us for an interview? Please send your pitch to space-editor@n2k.com and include your name, affiliation, and topic proposal. T-Minus is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © 2023 N2K Networks, Inc.
Thomas Etheridge from CrowdStrike sits down to discuss their work on "Business as Usual: Falcon Complete MDR Thwarts Novel VANGUARD PANDA (Volt Typhoon) Tradecraft" In May of 2023, industry and government sources detailed China-nexus activity where they found the threat actor dubbed Volt Typhoon targeted U.S. based critical infrastructure entities. CrowdStrike's Intelligence team tracked this actor as VANGUARD PANDA. With CISA’s advisory on VANGUARD PANDA and its link to Chinese adversaries who are increasingly targeting US businesses and critical infrastructure, CrowdStrike’s blog dives deeper into the risks of VANGUARD PANDA. The research says "One specific VANGUARD PANDA incident stands out to review in detail. Falcon Complete responded to a detection that was triggered by suspicious reconnaissance commands executed under an Apache Tomcat web server running ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus." The research can be found here: Business as Usual: Falcon Complete MDR Thwarts Novel VANGUARD PANDA (Volt Typhoon) Tradecraft
US and Canadian agencies warn of Truebot. A look at "Operation Brainleaches." Jumpcloud resets API keys. An update on the MOVEit vulnerability exploitation. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos shares insights on rising geopolitical instability. Our guest is Mike Hamilton from Critical Insight discussing what you need to know about NIST 2.0. OSCE trains Ukrainian students in cybersecurity.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/128
Selected reading. CISA and Partners Release Joint Cybersecurity Advisory on Newly Identified Truebot Malware Variants (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) Increased Truebot Activity Infects U.S. and Canada Based Networks | CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) Operation Brainleeches: Malicious npm packages fuel supply chain and phishing attacks (ReversingLabs) Mandatory JumpCloud API Key Rotation (JumpCloud) JumpCloud resets admin API keys amid ‘ongoing incident’ (BleepingComputer) JumpCloud Says All API Keys Invalidated to Protect Customers (SecurityWeek) More organizations confirm MOVEit-related breaches as hackers claim to publish stolen data (TechCrunch) Important information about MOVEit Transfer cyber security incident | Shell Global (Shell Global) Shell Confirms MOVEit-Related Breach After Ransomware Group Leaks Data (SecurityWeek) OSCE helps future generation of Ukraine’s law enforcers and emergency personnel build skills for safe work in cyberspace (OSCE)
LockBit 3.0 claims responsibility for Nagoya ransomware attack. Charming Kitten sighting. Spyware infested apps found in Google Play. Threats and risks to electric vehicle charging stations. Solar panels and cyberattacks. Dave Bittner speaks with Eric Goldstein, Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity at CISA, to talk about CISA’s effort for companies to build safety into tech products.Rick Howard sits down with Clarke Rodgers of AWS to discuss the mechanics of CISO roundtables. And Hacktivist auxiliaries remain active in Russia's hybrid war.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/127
Selected reading. Pro-Russian hackers target Port of Nagoya, disrupting loading of Toyota parts (The Japan Times) Port of Nagoya resumes operations later than planned after Russian hack (The Japan Times) Ransomware Halts Operations at Japan's Port of Nagoya (Dark Reading) Nagoya Port Faces Disruption After Ransomware Attack (Infosecurity Magazine) Welcome to New York: Exploring TA453's Foray into LNKs and Mac Malware | Proofpoint US (Proofpoint) Two spyware tied with China found hiding on the Google Play Store (Pradeo) EV Charger Hacking Poses a ‘Catastrophic’ Risk (WIRED) Exploited Solar Power Product Vulnerability Could Expose Energy Organizations to Attacks (SecurityWeek) The Continued Expansion of Cyber Incidents by Non-State Actors in the War in Europe (OODA Loop). Russian railway site allegedly taken down by Ukrainian hackers (Record)
Chinese cyberespionage campaign against European governments. The Port of Nagoya closes over ransomware attack. BlackCat and SEO poisoning. LockBit seeks to extort a semiconductor manufacturer. Professionals in the cyber underworld. CISA issued a DDoS alert for US companies and government agencies. Microsoft debunks claims of data theft by Anonymous Sudan. Matt O'Neill from the US Secret Service speaks with Dave Bittner about sextortion. Rick Howard sits down with Michael Fuller of AWS to talk about the kill chain. And Avast releases a free decryptor for Akira.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/126
Selected reading. Chinese Threat Actors Targeting Europe in SmugX Campaign - Check Point Research (Check Point Research) Hackers target European government entities in SmugX campaign (BleepingComputer) Chinese hackers target European embassies with HTML smuggling technique (Record) Japan’s largest port stops operations after ransomware attack (BleepingComputer) BlackCat ransomware pushes Cobalt Strike via WinSCP search ads (BleepingComputer) BlackCat Operators Distributing Ransomware Disguised as WinSCP via Malvertising (The Hacker News) TSMC Says Supplier Hacked After Ransomware Group Claims Attack on Chip Giant (SecurityWeek) TSMC confirms data breach after LockBit cyberattack on third-party supplier (TechCrunch) Taiwan Semiconductor Denies LockBit's $70M Hack Claim (Bank Info Security) Semiconductor giant says IT supplier was attacked; LockBit makes related claims (Record) DoS and DDoS Attacks against Multiple Sectors (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) CISA issues DDoS warning after attacks hit multiple US orgs (BleepingComputer) Microsoft denies data breach, theft of 30 million customer accounts (BleepingComputer) Microsoft Denies Major 30 Million Customer-Breach (Infosecurity Magazine) Decrypted: Akira Ransomware (Avast Threat Labs)
Earlier this month, the White House released the National Cybersecurity Strategy, the first issued since 2018. The strategy refocuses roles, responsibilities, and resource allocations in the digital ecosystem, with a five pillar approach. Those pillars are: defending critical infrastructure, disrupting threat actors, shaping market forces to drive security and resilience, investing in a resilient future, and forging international partnerships. We wanted to delve into the strategy and its intended effects further, so Dave Bittner spoke with representatives from industry and inside government. Dave first speaks with Adam Isles, Principal and Head of Cybersecurity Practice at The Chertoff Group, sharing industry's take on the strategy. Following that conversation, Dave had a discussion with Steve Kelly, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technology at the National Security Council, for a look at the strategy from inside the White House. Links to resources:
Point of View: 2023 National Cybersecurity Strategy The Chertoff Group's blog
National Cybersecurity Strategy 2023
US GAO Snapshot: Cybersecurity: Launching and Implementing the National Cybersecurity Strategy
This interview from June 16th, 2023 originally aired as a shortened version on the CyberWire Daily Podcast. In this extended interview, Simone Petrella sits down with Will Markow, VP of Applied Research from Lightcast, to discuss how to use data to make strategic workforce decisions. You can also view the video of the full interview here: Simone Petrella and Will Markow discuss workforce management.
Liji Samuel from NSA sits down to share her exciting career path through the years until she found a job working for as Chief of Standards and Certification at NSA's Cyber Collaboration Center. She starts by sharing that she had always wanted to work in the STEM field, explaining that growing up she was surrounded with older cousins who were choosing STEM careers and it became an interesting topic for her. She accounts working for a number of companies that helped her grow into the role she is in now. Cybersecurity became a big buzzword for her, causing her to step out of the agency into US cyber command to help take up a management position for the architecture and engineering division. From there, she continued her cybersecurity journey first as the exploration director before moving into where she is now. Liji shares that there were barriers along the way that she had to endure and hop over to get to the right path. She says "So there are challenges and barriers that come across constantly with our work. Um, one just has to pause and reflect on how we can work with it, around it, or influence like our stakeholders and jointly create a vision around it." We thank Liji for sharing her story with us.
Daniel dos Santos, Forescout's Head of Security Research is sharing insights from a recent exercise his team conducted on AI-assisted attacks for OT and unmanaged devices. Using ChatGPT, Forescout’s research team converted an existing OT exploit developed in Python to run on Windows to demonstrate how easy it is to create an AI-assisted attack that converts the original exploit into alternative programming languages. The research states "our goal was to convert an existing OT exploit developed in Python to run on Windows to the Go language using ChatGPT." This would then allow it to run faster on Windows and run easily on a variety of embedded devices. The research can be found here: AI-Assisted Attacks Are Coming to OT and Unmanaged Devices – the Time to Prepare Is Now
US Federal Government working to secure management interfaces. NoName057(16)’s DDoSia campaign grows, and targets Wagner, post-insurrection. Update: Unidentified hackers attack Russian satellite communications company, claiming to be Wagner. The role of OSINT in tracking Russia's war. Manoj Sharma of Symantec discusses trends he's hearing about generative AI. Becky Weiss from AWS talks with Rick Howard about the math behind their security. Cyber awareness over a holiday.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/125
Selected reading. CISA Wants Exposed Government Devices Remediated In 14 Days (Dark Reading) 50 US Agencies Using Unsecured Devices, Violating Policy (Bank Info Security) CISA working with agencies to pull exposed network tools from public internet (Record) Following NoName057(16) DDoSia Project’s Targets (Sekoia.io Blog) Pro-Russia DDoSia hacktivist project sees 2,400% membership increase (BleepingComputer) Hackers attack Russian satellite telecom provider, claim affiliation with Wagner Group (CyberScoop) Hackers claim to take down Russian satellite communications provider (Record) Days of Chaos: How OSINT Helps Us Understand the Putin-Prigozhin Schism (Flashpoint) Preparing for cyber threats over the Fourth of July. (CyberWire)
8base ransomware is overlooked and spiking. GuLoader targets law firms. Akira ransomware for Linux systems targets VMs. Kaspersky tracks the Lazarus group: typos and mistakes indicating an active human operator. Charming Kitten goes spearphishing. Securing continuous integration/continuous delivery operations. No emojis for the SEC, please.Unconfirmed reports say the Wagner Group hacked a Russian satellite communications provider. Our guest is Hanan Hibshi from Carnegie Mellon's picoCTF team. Chris Novak from Verizon discusses their 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR). And Anonymous Sudan wants you to know that they’re not just a bunch of deniable Russian crooks–where’s the love, man?
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/124
Selected reading. 8Base Ransomware: A Heavy Hitting Player (VMware Security Blog) GuLoader Campaign Targets Law Firms in the US (Morphisec) Akira Ransomware Extends Reach to Linux Platform (Cyble) Andariel’s Mistakes Uncover New Malware in Lazarus Group Campaign (Infosecurity Magazine) Charming Kitten Updates POWERSTAR with an InterPlanetary Twist (Volexity) CISA and NSA Release Joint Guidance on Defending Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) Environments | CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA) NSA and CISA Best Practices to Secure Cloud Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery Environments (National Security Agency/Central Security Service) Wall Street Regulators’ New Target: Emojis (Wall Street Journal) Russian satellite telecom Dozor allegedly hit by hackers (Cybernews) Hacking Group Says It Attacked Microsoft for Sudan. Experts Say Russia’s Behind It (Bloomberg) ‘Hactivists’ who targeted Microsoft claim they’re working for Sudan (Fortune)
JokerSpy afflicts Macs. ThirdEye (not so blind). Mockingjay process injection as proof-of-concept. Switzerland expects Russia to increase cyberespionage as agent networks are disrupted. The fracturing of Conti, and the rise of its successors. The Washington Post’s Tim Starks explains the security of undersea cables. Our guest is Brian Johnson of Armorblox to discuss Social Security Administration impersonation scams. And the "UserSec Collective" says it's recruiting hacktivists for the Russian cause.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/123
Selected reading. JokerSpy macOS malware used to attack Japanese crypto exchange (AppleInsider) Prominent cryptocurrency exchange infected with previously unseen Mac malware (Ars Technica) New Fast-Developing ThirdEye Infostealer Pries Open System Information (Fortinet Blog) Process Mockingjay: Echoing RWX In Userland To Achieve Code Execution (Security Joes) New Mockingjay Process Injection Technique Could Let Malware Evade Detection (The Hacker News) New Mockingjay process injection technique evades EDR detection (BleepingComputer) Ukraine war made Switzerland hub for Chinese, Russian spies: Swiss intelligence (South China Morning Post) Swiss intelligence warns of fallout in cyberspace as West clamps down on spies (Record) The rise and fall of the Conti ransomware group (Global Initiative) The Trickbot/Conti Crypters: Where Are They Now? (Security Intelligence) Ukraine at D+489: An influence contest, post-mutiny. (CyberWire)
Anatsa Trojan reveals new capabilities. Airlines report employee data stolen in a third-party breach. Canadian energy company SUNCOR reports a cyberattack. What of the Internet Research Agency? Microsoft warns of a rising threat to infrastructure. Joe Carrigan describes an ill-advised phishing simulation. Mr. Security Answer Person John Pescatore takes on zero days. And DDoS grows more sophisticated.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/122
Selected reading. Anatsa banking Trojan hits UK, US and DACH with new campaign (TreatFabric) Anatsa Android trojan now steals banking info from users in US, UK (BleepingComputer) Thousands of American Airlines and Southwest pilots impacted by third-party data breach (Bitdefender) American Airlines, Southwest Airlines disclose data breaches affecting pilots (BleepingComputer) American Airlines, Southwest Airlines Impacted by Data Breach at Third-Party Provider (SecurityWeek) Recruitment portal exposes data of US pilot candidates (Register) Suncor Energy says it experienced a cybersecurity incident (Reuters) Suncor Energy cyberattack impacts Petro-Canada gas stations (BleepingComputer) Canadian oil giant Suncor confirms cyberattack after countrywide outages (Record) Wagner and the troll factories (POLITICO) Cyber risks to critical infrastructure are on the rise (CEE Multi-Country News Center) The lowly DDoS attack is showing signs of being anything but (Washington Post)
Russian ISPs blocked Google News as tension with the Wagner Group mounted Friday. Ukrainian hacktivist auxiliaries break into Russian radio broadcasts. New EU sanctions are directed against Russian IT firms. Transparent Tribe resurfaces against Indian military and academic targets. Unauthorized access is the leading cause of data breaches for the fifth year in a row. Trojanized Super Mario Brothers game spreads SupremeBot malware. Today, guests discuss the cybersecurity skills gap. Paul Rebasti of Lockheed Martin shares what they are doing to fill cybersecurity skills gap. Jenny Brinkley joins us from AWS Re:Inforce discusses opportunities from the cybersecurity skills gap. And law enforcement agencies seize BreachForums' web domain.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/121
Selected reading. Ukraine at D+487: After the march on Moscow. (CyberWire) Ukraine at D+486: The march on Moscow is over. (CyberWire) Ukraine at D+485: “We are dying for the Russian people.” (CyberWire) U.S. spies learned in mid-June Prigozhin was planning armed action in Russia (Washington Post) Google News Blocked in Russia as Feud With Mercenary Leader Intensifies (New York Times) Air War: Pro-Ukraine Hackers Increasingly Breaking Into Russian Broadcasts With Anti-Kremlin Messages (RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty) Fresh EU sanctions hit Russian IT firms (Computing) Pakistan based hackers target Indian Army, education sector in new cyber attack (Telangana Today) Pakistan-based hackers target Indian Army, education sector in new cyber attack (PGURUS) ‘Transparent Tribe’ comes out of hiding (Pune Times Mirror) 2023 ForgeRock Identity Breach Report (ForgeRock) Trojanized Super Mario Game Installer Spreads SupremeBot Malware (Cyble) Trojanized Super Mario game used to install Windows malware (BleepingComputer) FBI seizes BreachForums after arresting its owner Pompompurin in March (BleepingComputer)
Slavik Markovich, CEO of Descope joins Dave to discuss his career as a serial entrepreneur. Before Descope, he co-founded and was the CEO of Demisto, a leader in the SOAR industry, which was acquired by Palo Alto Networks in 2019 for $560M, where he then served as SVP of Products. Before co-founding Demisto, Slavik was VP & CTO of database technologies at McAfee. He joined McAfee via the acquisition of Sentrigo, a database security startup he co-founded and served as CTO for. He goes into depth of his career changes throughout the years and how that has helped lead him to where he is now in his career. He shares that as a CEO and found of multiple companies he values time and hard workers. He says " I think we really stress the importance of, uh, of responsibility. So if, if you kinda take something, you, you make sure to finish it and on time, if you promise to do something, you do that. And so that's really important for us." We thank Slavik for sharing his story with us.
Ian Ahl from Permiso's PØ Labs joins Dave to discuss their research on "Unmasking GUI-Vil: Financially Motivated Cloud Threat Actor." First observing the group in 2021, they discovered GUI-vil is a financially motivated threat group primarily focused on unauthorized cryptocurrency mining activities. The research states "the group has been observed exploiting Amazon Web Services (AWS) EC2 instances to facilitate their illicit crypto mining operations." This group is dangerous because unlike many groups focused on crypto mining, GUI-Vil apply a personal touch when establishing a foothold in an environment. The research can be found here: Unmasking GUI-Vil: Financially Motivated Cloud Threat Actor
An update on Barracuda ESG exploitation. Camaro Dragon’s current cyberespionage tools spread through infected USB drives. The Mirai botnet is spreading through new vectors. Midnight Blizzard is out and about . Ukraine is experiencing a "wave" of cyberattacks during its counteroffensive. Karen Worstell from VMware shares her experience with technical debt. Rick Howard speaks with CJ Moses, CISO of Amazon Web Services. And Anonymous Sudan turns out to be no more anonymous or Sudanese than your Uncle Louie.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/120
Selected reading. Barracuda ESG exploitation (Proofpoint) Beyond the Horizon: Traveling the World on Camaro Dragon’s USB Flash Drives (Check Point Research) Chinese malware accidentally infects networked storage (Register) Akamai SIRT Security Advisory: CVE-2023-26801 Exploited to Spread Mirai Botnet Malware (Akamai). Mirai botnet targets 22 flaws in D-Link, Zyxel, Netgear devices (BleepingComputer) Neuberger: Ukraine experiencing a ‘surge’ in cyberattacks as it executes counteroffensive (Record) Microsoft warns of rising NOBELIUM credential attacks on defense sector (HackRead). Anonymous Sudan: neither anonymous nor Sudanese (Cybernews)
North Korea's APT37 deploys FadeStealer to steal information from its targets. Apple patches vulnerabilities under active exploitation. Access to a US satellite is being hawked in a Russophone cybercrime forum. Russian hacktivist auxiliaries say they’ve disrupted IFC.org. Unmasking pig-butchering scams. Social engineering as a method of account takeover. Fraudsters seen abusing generative AI. Sergey Medved from Quest Software describes the “Great Cloud Repatriation”. Mark Ryland of AWS speaks with Rick Howard about software defined perimeters. And embedded URLs in malware.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/119
Selected reading. RedEyes Group Wiretapping Individuals (APT37) (Ahn Lab) Apple fixes iPhone software flaws used in widespread hacks of Russians (The Washington Post) Apple issues emergency patch to address alleged spyware vulnerability (Cyberscoop) Apple patch fixes zero-day kernel hole reported by Kaspersky – update now! (Sophos) Military Satellite Access Sold on Russian Hacker Forum for $15,000 (HackRead) Well done. Russian hackers shut down the IMF (Dzen.ru) Why Malware Crypting Services Deserve More Scrutiny (KrebsOnSecurity) Unmasking Pig-Butchering Scams And Protecting Your Financial Future (Trend Micro) Classic Account Takeover via the Direct Deposit Change (Avanan) Q2 2023 Digital Trust & Safety Index (Sift) Compromised Domains account for over 50% of Embedded URLs in Malware Phishing Campaigns (Cofense)
The Flea APT sets its sights on diplomatic targets. An update on the Cl0p gang’s exploitation of a MOVEit vulnerability. Unpatched TP-Link Archer routers are meeting their match in the Condi botnet. The Muddled Libra threat group compromises companies in a variety of industries. A look into passwordless authentication. Derek Manky of Fortinet describes the Global Threat Landscape. Rick Howard speaks with Rod Wallace from AWS about data lakes. And Fancy Bear noses its way into Ukrainian servers.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/118
Selected reading. Graphican: Flea Uses New Backdoor in Attacks Targeting Foreign Ministries (Symantec) Ke3chang (MITRE) Third MOVEit vulnerability raises alarms as US Agriculture Department says it may be impacted (The Record) PwC and EY impacted by MOVEit cyber attack (Cybersecurity Hub) Norton Parent Says Employee Data Stolen in MOVEit Ransomware Attack (SecurityWeek) MOVEit hack: Gang claims not to have BBC, BA and Boots data (BBC) US govt offers $10 million bounty for info on Clop ransomware (BleepingComputer) Condi DDoS Botnet Spreads via TP-Link's CVE-2023-1389 (Fortinet) CVE-2023-1389 Detail (NIST) Download for Archer AX21 V3 (TP-Link) Threat Group Assessment: Muddled Libra (Unit 42) Axiad and ESG Survey: 82% of Respondents Indicate Passwordless Authentication is a Top Five Priority (PR Newswire) APT28 group used three Roundcube exploits (CVE-2020-35730, CVE-2021-44026, CVE-2020-12641) during another espionage campaign (CERT-UA#6805) (CERT-UA) BlueDelta Exploits Ukrainian Government Roundcube Mail Servers to Support Espionage Activities (The Record) CVE-2020-35730 Detail (NIST) CVE-2023-23397 Detail (NIST)
The BlackCat gang crosses Reddit’s path, threatening to leak stolen data. Mystic Stealer malware evades and creates a feedback loop in the C2C market. RDStealer is a new cyberespionage tool, seen in the wild. The United States offers a reward for information on the Cl0p ransomware gang. KillNet, REvil, and Anonymous Sudan form a "DARKNET Parliament" and “sanction” the European banking system. The British Government commits £25 million in cybersecurity aid to Ukraine. Ben Yelin explains cyber disclosure rules proposed by the SEC. Rick Howard speaks with Nancy Wang of AWS about the importance of backups and restores. And what researchers are turning up in cloud honeypots.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/117
Selected reading. Reddit: Hackers demand $4.5 million and API policy changes (Computing) Mystic Stealer – Evolving “stealth” Malware (Cyfirma) Mystic Stealer: The New Kid on the Block (Zscaler) Unpacking RDStealer: An Exfiltration Malware Targeting RDP Workloads (Bitdefender) MOVEit Transfer and MOVEit Cloud Vulnerability (Progress Software) CVE-2023-35708 Detail (NIST) U.S. Energy Dept gets two ransom notices as MOVEit hack claims more victims (Reuters) US govt offers $10 million bounty for info on Clop ransomware (BleepingComputer) Ransomware Group Starts Naming Victims of MOVEit Zero-Day Attacks (SecurityWeek) A bear in wolf’s clothing: Insights into the infrastructure used by Anonymous Sudan to attack Australian organisations (CyberCX) Anonymous Sudan: Religious Hacktivists or Russian Front Group? (Trustwave) UK to give Ukraine major boost to mount counteroffensive (UK Government) 2023 Honeypotting in the Cloud Report: Attackers Discover and Weaponize Exposed Cloud Assets and Secrets in Minutes (Orca Security)
Major General Lorna Mahlock, Deputy Director for Combat Support from the National Security Agency (NSA) sits down with Dave to discuss her long and impressive career leading up to he working for one of the most prestigious security agencies. Originally born in Kingston, Jamaica, Lorna immigrated to Brooklyn, New York and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as a field radio operator. She shares how eye opening the military was for her, moving through ranks, and eventually landing into working at the Pentagon for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff. She moved around widening her array of paths, landing in her current role. Lorna shares some wisdom, mentioning how she likes to talk about ladders and how useful creating ladders in life can be, she says "I think about ladders in terms of horizontal component, in that you can create bridges, right? And, um, ways over obstacles, uh, for, for not only, uh, for yourself, but for others and an entire organization." We thank Lorna for sharing her story with us.
Our guest, Johannes Ullrich from SANS Institute, joins Dave to discuss their research on "Machine Learning Risks: Attacks Against Apache NiFi." Using their honeypot network, researchers were able to collect some interesting data about a threat actor who is currently going after exposed Apache NiFi servers. Researchers state “On May 19th, our distributed sensor network detected a notable spike in requests for ‘/nifi.’” Investigating further, they instructed a subset of their sensors to forward requests to an actual Apache NiFi instance and within a couple of hours the honeypot was completely compromised. The research can be found here: Machine Learning Risks: Attacks Against Apache NiFi
The US Government discloses exploitations of MOVEit vulnerabilities, and the Department of Energy is targeted by the Cl0p gang. CISA releases an updated advisory for Telerik vulnerabilities affecting Government servers. Shampoo malware emerges with multiple persistence mechanisms. How the IT Army of Ukraine can exemplify a cyber auxiliary. Russophone gamers are being targeted with ransomware. An alleged LockBit operator has been arrested. The FBI’s Deputy Assistant Director for cyber Cynthia Kaiser joins us with cybercriminal trends and recent successes. Our guest is Will Markow from Lightcast, speaking with Simone Petrella about data-driven strategic workforce decisions. And a federal grand jury indicts the alleged Discord Papers leaker.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/116
Selected reading. US government hit by Russia's Clop in MOVEit mass attack (The Register) Energy Department among ‘several’ federal agencies hit by MOVEit breach (Federal News Network) Threat Actors Exploit Progress Telerik Vulnerabilities in Multiple U.S. Government IIS Servers (CISA) CVE-2019-18935 Detail (NIST) CVE-2017-9248 Detail (NIST) Cryptographic Weakness (Telerik) Shampoo: A New ChromeLoader Campaign (HP) Cyber attacks on Rotterdam and Groningen websites (World Cargo News) The Dynamics of the Ukrainian IT Army’s Campaign in Russia (Lawfare) Watch: Why early failures in Ukraine's counter-offensive aren't Russian victories (The Telegraph) Russian War Report: Anti-Ukrainian counteroffensive narratives fail to go viral (Atlantic Council) Threat Actor Targets Russian Gaming Community With WannaCry-Imitator (Cyble) Hackers infect Russian-speaking gamers with fake WannaCry ransomware (The Record) Russian national arrested in Arizona, charged for alleged role in LockBit ransomware attacks (CyberScoop) Suspected LockBit ransomware affiliate arrested, charged in US (BleepingComputer) Russian national arrested in US for deploying LockBit ransomware (The Record) Guardsman indicted on charges of disclosing classified national defense information (AP News) Charges Against Alleged Pentagon Leaker Jack Teixeira Explained (Newsweek) Jack Teixeira, Pentagon leaks suspect, indicted by federal grand jury (The Guardian)
A Chinese threat actor exploits a Barracuda vulnerability. The upgraded version of the Android GravityRAT can exfiltrate WhatsApp messages. Cybercriminals pose as security researchers to propagate malware. Updates on the Vidar threat operation. A new Romanian hacking group has emerged. Shuckworm collects intelligence, and may support targeting. The Washington Post’s Tim Starks explains the section 702 debate. Our guest is Rotem Iram from At-Bay with insights on email security. And Russia's Cadet Blizzard.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/115
Selected reading. Android GravityRAT goes after WhatsApp backups (ESET) Quarterly Adversarial Threat Report (Facebook) Barracuda ESG Zero-Day Vulnerability (CVE-2023-2868) Exploited Globally by Aggressive and Skilled Actor, Suspected Links to China (Mandiant) GravityRAT - The Two-Year Evolution Of An APT Targeting India (Cisco Talos) Fake Security Researcher GitHub Repositories Deliver Malicious Implant (VulnCheck) Darth Vidar: The Aesir Strike Back (Team Cymru) Tracking Diicot: an emerging Romanian threat actor (Cado Security) Shuckworm: Inside Russia’s Relentless Cyber Campaign Against Ukraine (Symantec) Cadet Blizzard emerges as a novel and distinct Russian threat actor (Microsoft) Destructive malware targeting Ukrainian organizations (Microsoft)
CISA, FBI, the MS-ISAC, and international partners are releasing this Cybersecurity Advisory to detail LockBit ransomware incidents and provide recommended mitigations to enable network defenders to proactively improve their organization’s defenses against this ransomware operation. AA23-165A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations Stopransomware.gov is a whole-of-government approach that gives one central location for ransomware resources and alerts. See the Center for Internet Security (CIS) Critical Security Controls (CIS Controls) https://www.cisecurity.org/insights/white-papers/cis-community-defense-model-2-0 for information on strengthening an organization’s cybersecurity posture through implementing a prescriptive, prioritized, and simplified set of best. See the CIS Community Defense Model 2.0 (CDM 2.0) for the effectiveness of the CIS Controls against the most prevalent types of attacks and how CDM 2.0 can be used to design, prioritize, implement, and improve an organization’s cybersecurity program. See Blueprint for Ransomware Defense for a clear, actionable framework for ransomware mitigation, response, and recovery built around the CIS Controls. No-cost cyber hygiene services: Cyber Hygiene Services and Ransomware Readiness Assessment. U.S. DIB sector organizations may consider signing up for the NSA Cybersecurity Collaboration Center’s DIB Cybersecurity Service Offerings, including Protective Domain Name System services, vulnerability scanning, and threat intelligence collaboration for eligible organizations. For more information on how to enroll in these services, email dib_defense@cyber.nsa.gov To report incidents and anomalous activity or to request incident response resources or technical assistance related to these threats, contact CISA at report@cisa.gov, or call (888) 282-0870, or report incidents to your local FBI field office.
The Five Eyes, alongside a couple of allies, issue a LockBit advisory. AI aids in proofreading phishing attacks. Anonymous Sudan mounts nuisance-level DDoS attacks against US companies. France alleges a disinformation campaign conducted by Russian actors. KillNet says it's partnered with the less-well-known Devil Sec. The private cybersecurity industry's effect on the war in Ukraine. Carole Theriault ponders oversharing on social media. Our guest is Duncan Jones from Quantinuum on the threats of Harvest Now, Decrypt Later tactics. And a note on this month’s Patch Tuesday.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/114
Selected reading. Understanding Ransomware Threat Actors: LockBit (Joint Cybersecurity Advisory) U.S. Measures in Response to the Crisis in Sudan (US Department of State) Generative AI Enables Threat Actors to Create More (and More Sophisticated) Email Attacks (Abnormal Security) France Accuses Russia of Online Disinformation Campaign (Bloomberg) The Private Sector’s Evolving Role in Conflict—From Cyber Assistance to Intelligence (R Street) Microsoft Patches Critical Windows Vulns, Warns of Code Execution Risks (SecurityWeek) Patch Tuesday: Critical Flaws in Adobe Commerce Software (SecurityWeek) Patch Tuesday fixes 4 critical RCE bugs, and a bunch of Office holes (Naked Security)
CISA issues a new Binding Operational Directive. An update on CosmicEnergy. Hackers’ homage to fromage in attacks against the Swiss government. Ukraine's Cyber Police shut down a pro-Russian bot farm. Clothing and footwear retailers see impersonation and online fraud. A 2021 ransomware attack contributed to a hospital closing. A proof-of-concept exploit of a patched MOVEit vulnerability. An industry letter calls for a new framework on the White House cybersecurity strategy. Joe Carrigan examines a ChatGPT fueled phishing scam. Our guest is Neha Rungta, Applied Science Director at AWS Identity discussing Amazon Verified Permissions. And trends in cyber risks for small and medium businesses.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/113
Selected reading. Binding Operational Directive 23-02 (US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) COSMICENERGY: New OT Malware Possibly Related To Russian Emergency Response Exercises (Mandiant) Dragos Analysis Determines COSMICENERGY Is Not an Immediate Threat (Dragos) More than 4,000 bots to discredit the Defense Forces of Ukraine and spread propaganda in favor of Russia: the police of Vinnytsia eliminated a large-scale bot farm (Ukraine Cyber Police) Ukraine police raid social media bot farm accused of pro-Russia propaganda (The Record) Widespread Brand Impersonation Scam Campaign Targeting Hundreds of the Most Popular Apparel Brands (Bolster) An Illinois hospital is the first health care facility to link its closing to a ransomware attack (NBC News) Ransomware attack causes Illinois hospital to close (Becker’s Hospital Review) New BlackFog research: 61% of SMBs were victims of a cyberattack in the last year (BlackFog) Switzerland warns that a ransomware gang may have accessed government data (The Record) Swiss government warns of ongoing DDoS attacks, data leak (BleepingComputer) Swiss Government Targeted by Series of Cyber-Attacks (Infosecurity Magazine) DDoS attack on Federal Administration: various Federal Administration websites and applications unavailable (The Federal Council of the Swiss Government)
Attacks against unpatched versions of Visual Studio and win32k continue. Progress Software patches two MOVEit vulnerabilities. The Cyber Anarchy Squad claims to have taken down a Russian telecommunications provider's infrastructure. RomCom resumes its activity in the Russian interest. Deepen Desai of Zscaler describes Nevada ransomware. Our guest is Clarke Rodgers from Amazon Web services with insights on what CISOs say to each other when no one else is listening?. And the Mt. Gox hacking indictment has been unsealed.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/112
Selected reading. Online muggers make serious moves on unpatched Microsoft bugs (The Register) Analysis of CVE-2023-29336 Win32k Privilege Escalation Vulnerability (with POC) (Numen) MOVEit Transfer and MOVEit Cloud Vulnerability (Progress Software) MDE Affected by Global Data Breach (Minnesota Department of Education) Hackers Use Stolen Student Data Against Minneapolis Schools in Brazen New Threat (The 74) Ofcom statement on MOVEit cyber attack (Ofcom) Ukrainian hackers take down service provider for Russian banks (BleepingComputer) Pro-Ukraine hackers claim to take down Russian internet provider (The Record) Pro-Ukraine Cyber Anarchy Squad claims the hack of the Russian telecom provider Infotel JSC (Security Affairs) RomCom Resurfaces: Targeting Politicians in Ukraine and U.S.-Based Healthcare Providing Aid to Refugees from Ukraine (BlackBerry) Mt. Gox's Hackers Are 2 Russian Nationals, U.S. DOJ Alleges in Indictment (CoinDesk) Russian nationals accused of Mt. Gox bitcoin heist, shifting stolen funds to BTC-e (The Record) Russian Nationals Charged With Hacking One Cryptocurrency Exchange and Illicitly Operating Another (US Department of Justice)
Nadir Izrael, co-founder and CTO from Armis, sits down to share his story. Nadir started his love of cyber when he became a software developer at the age of 12. He always had a passion for making things work better and asking questions. Once he joined the 8200 unit in Israel, he was able to focus his interests on physics, which led him to making the discovery of wanting to start his own business. After he started building his company is when he learned to take smart and innovative risks at work and making it a way of life. Nadir shares advice, saying "Playing to your strengths, maximizes the odds of success and every other consideration lowers them inevitably, or at least, uh, um, kind of shrinks, I guess the, the probability space for success." He thinks playing to ones strengths is the best a leader can do to create the most success for their team. We thank Nadir for sharing his story with us.
Our guest, Allen West from Akamai's SIRT team, joins Dave to discuss their research on "The Dark Frost Enigma: An Unexpectedly Prevalent Botnet Author Profile." Akamai found this new botnet was targeting the gaming industry, modeled after Qbot, Mirai, and other malware strains. The botnet has expanded to encompass hundreds of compromised devices. The research states "through reverse engineering and patching the malware binary, our analysis determined the botnet's attack potential at approximately 629.28 Gbps with its UDP flood attacks." Akamai researchers do a deep dive into the motives behind the attacks, the effectiveness of the attack, and how the law has been handling similar cases. The research can be found here: The Dark Frost Enigma: An Unexpectedly Prevalent Botnet Author Profile
Barracuda Networks urges replacement of their gear. Fractureiser infects Minecraft mods. ChatGPT sees a court date over hallucinations and defamation. Asylum Ambuscade engages in both crime and espionage. The US delivers Ukraine Starlink connectivity. DDoS attacks hit the Swiss parliament's website. My conversation with Eric Goldstein, Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity at CISA. Our guest is Delilah Schwartz from Cybersixgill discussing how the Dark Web is evolving with new technologies like ChatGPT. And BEC crooks see their day in court.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/111
Selected reading. Barracuda Email Security Gateway Appliance (ESG) Vulnerability (Barracuda) CVE-2023-2868 (MITRE) ACT government falls victim to Barracuda’s ESG vulnerability (CSO Online) CVE-2023-2868: Total Compromise of Physical Barracuda ESG Appliances (Rapid7) CVE-2023-2868 Detail (National Institute of Standards and Technology) Infected Minecraft Mods Lead to Multi-Stage, Multi-Platform Infostealer Malware (Bitdefender) New Fractureiser malware used CurseForge Minecraft mods to infect Windows, Linux (BleepingComputer) IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF FULTON COUNTY (Superior Court of Fulton County) OpenAI Hit With First Defamation Suit Over ChatGPT Hallucination (Bloomberg Law)
FBI and CISA are releasing this joint CSA to disseminate known CL0P ransomware IOCs and TTPs identified through FBI investigations as recently as June 2023. AA23-158A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations Stopransomware.gov is a whole-of-government approach that gives one central location for ransomware resources and alerts. Resource to mitigate a ransomware attack: CISA-Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) Joint Ransomware Guide. Zero-Day Vulnerability in MOVEit Transfer Exploited for Data Theft | Mandiant MOVEit Transfer Critical Vulnerability (May 2023) - Progress Community MOVEit Transfer Critical Vulnerability CVE-2023-34362 Rapid Response (huntress.com) No-cost cyber hygiene services: Cyber Hygiene Services and Ransomware Readiness Assessment. U.S. DIB sector organizations may consider signing up for the NSA Cybersecurity Collaboration Center’s DIB Cybersecurity Service Offerings, including Protective Domain Name System services, vulnerability scanning, and threat intelligence collaboration for eligible organizations. For more information on how to enroll in these services, email dib_defense@cyber.nsa.gov To report incidents and anomalous activity or to request incident response resources or technical assistance related to these threats, contact CISA at report@cisa.gov, or call (888) 282-0870, or report incidents to your local FBI field office.
ChatGPT takes an unexpectedly human turn in having its own version of hallucinations. Updates on Cl0p’s ransom note, background, and recent promises. Researchers look at Instagram’s role in promoting CSAM. A look at KillNet's reboot. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos shares insight on cyber’s human element. Our guest is Aleksandr Yampolskiy from SecurityScorecard on how CISOs can effectively communicate cyber risk to their board. And a hacktivist auxiliary’s stellar advice for protecting your data.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/110
Selected reading. Can you trust ChatGPT’s package recommendations? (Vulcan) Ransomware group Clop issues extortion notice to ‘hundreds’ of victims (The Record) MOVEit cyber attack: Cl0p sparks speculation that it’s lost control of hack (ITpro) Responding to the Critical MOVEit Transfer Vulnerability (CVE-2023-34362) (Kroll) MOVEit Transfer Critical Vulnerability (May 2023) (Progress) Cybergang behind N.S. breach says it erased stolen data, but experts urge caution (CBC Canada) Most SMBs admit to paying ransomware demands - here's why (TechRadar) Instagram Connects Vast Pedophile Network (Wall Street Journal) Addressing the distribution of illicit sexual content by minors online (Stanford University) Rebooting Killnet, a New World Order and the End of the Tesla Botnet (Radware)
A new PowerShell remote access tool targets a US defense contractor. Current Russian cyber operations against Ukraine are honing in on espionage. CISA and its partners have released a Joint Guide to Securing Remote Access Software. A bug has been reported in Visual Studio’s UI. Awais Rashid from University of Bristol discussing Privacy in health apps. Our guest is Jim Lippie of SaaS Alerts with insights on software as a service Application Security. And are there disconnects between cybersecurity and the legal profession?
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/109
Selected reading. PowerDrop: A New Insidious PowerShell Script for Command and Control Attacks Targets U.S. Aerospace Defense Industry (Adlumin) UAC-0099: cyberespionage against state organizations and media representatives of Ukraine (CERT-UA#6710) (CERT-UA) Guide to Securing Remote Access Software (Joint Guide) Imposter Syndrome: UI Bug in Visual Studio Lets Attackers Impersonate Publishers (Varonis) Press Release | ILTA and Conversant Group Release First Cybersecurity Benchmarking Survey of the Legal Industry (International Legal Technology Association)
The Cl0p gang claims responsibility for the MOVEit file transfer vulnerability. Verizon’s DBIR is out. Palo Alto Networks takes a snapshot of last year’s threat trends. A new criminal campaign targets Android users wishing to install modified apps. A smishing campaign is expanding into the Middle East. Cisco observes compromised vendor and contractor accounts as an access point for network penetration. Cyclops ransomware acts as a dual threat. Anonymous Sudan demands $1 million to stop attacks on Microsoft platforms. Ben Yelin explains a groundbreaking decision on border searches. Our guest is Matt Caulfield of Oort with insights on identity security. And a deepfaked martial law announcement airs on Russian provincial radio stations.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/12/108
Selected reading. Clop ransomware claims responsibility for MOVEit extortion attacks (BleepingComputer) CVE-2023-34362 Detail (National Institute of Standards and Technology) Microsoft links Clop ransomware gang to MOVEit data-theft attacks (BleepingComputer) BA, BBC and Boots hit by cyber security breach with contact and bank details exposed (Sky News) 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report (Verizon) 2023 Unit 42 Network Threat Trends Research Report (Unit 42) Tens of Thousands of Compromised Android Apps Found by Bitdefender Anomaly Detection Technology (Bitdefender) Chinese-speaking phishing ring behind latest fake fee scam targeting Middle East; another campaign exposed (Group-IB) Adversaries increasingly using vendor and contractor accounts to infiltrate networks (Cisco Talos) Cyclops Ransomware and Stealer Combo: Exploring a Dual Threat (Uptycs) U.S. Measures in Response to the Crisis in Sudan (US Department of State) Microsoft's Outlook.com is down again on mobile, web (BleepingComputer) Kremlin: fake Putin address broadcast on Russian radio stations after 'hack' (Reuters) Deep fake video of Putin declaring martial law is broadcast in parts of Russia (Semafor) Peskov called "Putin's emergency appeal" shown on some TV networks as a hack (TASS) Proceedings of the 2023 U.S.-Ukraine Cyber Dialogue (US Department of State)
Galit Lubetzky Sharon, Co-Founder and CTO of Wing Security sits down to share her story and how years in the business lead her to be where she is now. Galit shares her insights from her experiences co-founding her company and bringing it out of stealth mode in early 2022, including why she saw the need for Wing Security and what lessons she learned in the process of founding and launching the company. She started her career as a Colonel in the 8200 Unit gives her a unique perspective on the cyber industry. Galit also shares what she does when things get stressful to help calm her down in the moment and help her clear her head. She says "I think it's very important to do things that you love. It should be something that you come and you bring yourself and your passion and, uh, finding yourself the occupation, the chores, the, the tasks that you love to do brings the, the best out of you." We thank Galit for sharing her story with us.
Rohit Dhamankar from Fortra’s Alert Logic sits down with Dave Bittner to share his experiences as he navigates the industry. Rohit has over 15 years of security industry experience across product strategy, threat research, product management and development, and customer solutions. Before Alert Logic he served in Product roles for Live Oak Venture Capital at Infocyte and Razberi Technologies. He has previously worked in senior roles in several start-up companies in security analytics, intrusion detection/prevention, end-point protection, and security risk and compliance, including VP, Click Labs Solutions at Click Security, acquired by AlertLogic, and he was a Co-Founder of Jumpshot, acquired by Avast. Rohit shares the advise of never closing a door too prematurely, because you never know what could be behind the door waiting for you. We thank Rohit for sharing his story.
Jeremy Kennelly and Sulian Lebegue from Mandiant sit down with Dave to discuss their research "From RM3 to LDR4: URSNIF Leaves Banking Fraud Behind? One of the oldest and most successful banking fraud malwares, URSNIF, which caused an estimated “tens of millions of dollars in losses”, has been discovered by researchers to have been re-tooled into a generic backdoor, dubbed “LDR4”.This new varient was first observed in June 2022. Mandiant researchers believe that the same threat actors who operated the RM3 variant of URSNIF are likely behind LDR4. They say "given the success and sophistication RM3 previously had, LDR4 could be a significantly dangerous variant—capable of distributing ransomware—that should be watched closely."The research can be found here:From RM3 to LDR4: URSNIF Leaves Banking Fraud Behind
Cuba ransomware pulls in $60 million. CISA releases three ICS advisories. DDoSing the Vatican. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on the implications of Albania cutting off diplomatic ties with Iran. Our space correspondent Maria Varmazis speaks with Brandon Bailey about Space Attack Research and Tactic Analysis matrix. And how Google supports Ukrainian startups in wartime.For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/230Selected reading.Alert (AA22-335A) #StopRansomware: Cuba Ransomware (CISA)Novel News on Cuba Ransomware: Greetings From Tropical Scorpius (Palo Alto Networks Unit 42)New ways we're supporting Ukraine (Google)25 new startup recipients of the Ukraine Support Fund (Google)Vatican shuts down its website amid hacking attempts (Cybernews)
A new backdoor, courtesy of the DPRK. The Medibank breach is all over but the shouting (or, all over but the suing and the arresting). Risks and opportunities in telecom’s shift to cloud. Cyber risk in healthcare. An assessment of Russian cyber warfare. Robert M. Lee from Dragos assesses the growing value of the ICS security market. Our guest is Cecilia Seiden of TransUnion to discuss their 2022 Consumer Holiday Shopping Report. And it’s December, which means…predictions.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/229
Selected reading. Who’s swimming in South Korean waters? Meet ScarCruft’s Dolphin (ESET) Medibank hackers announce ‘case closed’ and dump huge data file on dark web (the Guardian) New details on commercial spyware vendor Variston (Google) Risks and opportunities in telecom’s shift to cloud. (CyberWire) Moody’s discusses cyber risk in healthcare. (CyberWire) 'Do something:' Ukraine works to heal soldiers' mental scars (AP NEWS) Reformed Russian Cybercriminal Warns That Hatred Spreads Hacktivism (Wall Street Journal) Cybersecurity predictions for 2023. (CyberWire)
Has LockBit 3.0 been reverse engineered? A COVID lure contains a Punisher hook. A Chinese cyberespionage campaign uses compromised USB drives. Lilac Wolverine exploits personal connections for BEC. Killnet claims to have counted coup against the White House. Tim Starks from the Washington Post has the FCC’s Huawei restrictions and ponders what congress might get done before the year end. Our guest is Tom Eston from Bishop Fox with a look Inside the Minds & Methods of Modern Adversaries. And, of course, scams, hacks, and other badness surrounding the World Cup.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/228
Selected reading. LockBit 3.0 ‘Black’ attacks and leaks reveal wormable capabilities and tooling (Sophos News) Punisher Ransomware Spreading Through Fake COVID Site (Cyble) Always Another Secret: Lifting the Haze on China-nexus Espionage in Southeast Asia (Mandiant) BEC Group Compromises Personal Accounts and Pulls Heartstrings to Launch Mass Gift Card Attacks (Abnormal Security) Killnet Claims Attacks Against Starlink, Whitehouse.gov, and United Kingdom Websites (Trustwave) Scammers on the pitch: Group-IB identifies online threats to fans at FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar (Group-IB)
DDoS as a holiday-season threat to e-commerce. A TikTok challenge spreads malware. Meta's GDPR fine. Mr. Security Answer Person John Pescatore has thoughts on phishing resistant MFA. Joe Carrigan describes Intel’s latest efforts to thwart deepfakes. And US Cyber Command describes support for Ukraine's cyber defense.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/227
Selected reading. Holiday DDoS Cyberattacks Can Hurt E-Commerce, Lack Legal Remedy (Bloomberg Law) TikTok ‘Invisible Body’ challenge exploited to push malware (BleepingComputer) $275M Fine for Meta After Facebook Data Scrape (Dark Reading) Before the Invasion: Hunt Forward Operations in Ukraine (U.S. Cyber Command)
Nighthawk’s at the diner (but maybe not on the crooks’ menu). Internet service in Ukraine and Moldova is interrupted by strikes against Ukraine's power grid. Sandworm renews ransomware activity against Ukrainian targets. Russian cyber-reconnaissance seen at a Netherlands LNG terminal. European Parliament votes to declare Russia a terrorist state (and Russia responds with cyberattacks and terroristic threats). Carole Theriault reports on where these kids today are getting their news. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture on digital identity in Web 3.0. And, hey, the new list of most commonly used passwords looks...depressingly familiar.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/226
Selected reading. Sec firm MDSec slams Proofpoint for post on pen-testing framework (iTWire) Nighthawk: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility - MDSec Cyberattack Hits Iran's Fars News Agency (RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty) Iran’s Fars news agency is hit by cyberattacks, blames Israel (Times of Israel) Ukraine and Moldova suffer internet disruptions after Russian missile strikes (The Record by Recorded Future) New ransomware attacks in Ukraine linked to Russian Sandworm hackers (BleepingComputer) Russian hackers targeting Dutch gas terminal: report (NL Times) Russia labelled state sponsor of terrorism as missile strikes leave Ukraine without power (The Telegraph) Killnet Group Claims Responsibility for European Parliament Cyber Attack (Digit) European Parliament hit by 'sophisticated' cyberattack (Deutsche Welle) European Parliament website suffers 'sophisticated' cyber attack after Russia terrorism vote (Computing) Hackers Temporarily Take Down European Parliament Website (Wall Street Journal) Guess the most common password. Hint: We just told you (Register)
Laura Whitt-Winyard, CISO from Malwarebytes, sits down to share her story, beginning with a desire to be a pediatric oncologist that she later discovered was not the path for her. Laura was bouncing around from job to job until she bought her first computer, and a light bulb went off in her head. She set out to make it her goal to learn about this new, interesting field and grow within it. Now as a successful CISO, she wants to make the world more secure and goes from company to company to complete her goal. She considers herself a servant leader whose goal is the greater good. She compares her role to football, explaining that she is not the quarterback, but the center for the team. She believes she is the center that paves the path for the quarterbacks on her team to reduce the noise, to give the quarterback all the tools that they need to do their jobs and do their jobs well. We thank Laura for sharing her story.
Alon Zahavi from CyberArk, joins Dave Bittner on this episode to discuss CyberArk's work in conjunction with Patch Tuesday. CyberArk published about how Docker inadvertently created a new vulnerability and what happens when it's exploited. CyberArk's research concluded that an attacker may execute files with capabilities or setuid files in order to escalate its privileges up to root level. CyberArk found the new vuln in some of Microsoft’s Docker images, caused by misuse of Linux capabilities, a powerful additional layer of security that gives admins the ability to assign capabilities and privileges to processes and files in the Linux system The research can be found here: How Docker Made Me More Capable and the Host Less Secure
This interview is from June 3rd, 2022 originally aired as a shortened version on the CyberWire Daily Podcast. In this extended interview, Dave Bittner sits down Perry Carpenter, host of 8th Layer Insights to discuss his new book "The Security Culture Playbook: An Executive Guide To Reducing Risk and Developing Your Human Defense Layer."
Emotet's return. LodaRAT improvements. Callback phishing leads to data theft extortion.
Another pentesting tool may soon be abused by threat actors. Cyberattack disrupts Guadeloupe. Ducktail evolves and expands. Warning of the potential disruption cyberattacks might work against European ports. CISA releases eight industrial control system advisories. Patrick Tiquet, VP of Security and Architecture at Keeper Security, talks about the FedRAMP authorization process. Bryan Vorndran of the FBI Cyber Division with reflections on ransomware. And stay safe on Black Friday (and Cyber Monday, and Panic Saturday, and…you get the picture.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/225
Selected reading. Nighthawk: An Up-and-Coming Pentest Tool Likely to Gain Threat Actor Notice (Proofpoint) Making Cobalt Strike harder for threat actors to abuse (Google Cloud Blog) Guadeloupe government fights 'large-scale' cyberattack (AP NEWS) Vietnam-Based Ducktail Cybercrime Operation Evolving, Expanding (SecurityWeek) Cyber as important as missile defences - ex-NATO general (Reuters) CISA Releases Eight Industrial Control Systems Advisories (CISA) Black Friday and Cyber Monday risks. (CyberWire)
Daixin Team claims ransomware attack against AirAsia. DraftKings users suffer credential harvesting and paycard theft. Assessing cyber risk in the US pharmaceutical industry. Killnet claims successes few others can discern. In Ukraine, kinetic attacks on IT infrastructure eclipse cyberattacks. Carole Theriault on digital echo chambers and what's in it for us. Nancy Wang from Forta's Alert Logic discusses how she is helping more young women get into the STEM field and leadership positions. Google seeks to render Cobalt Strike less useful to threat actors.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/224
Selected reading. Daixin Team claims AirAsia ransomware attack with five million customer records leaked (Tech Monitor) Daixin Ransomware Gang Steals 5 Million AirAsia Passengers' and Employees' Data (The Hacker News) DraftKings Users Hacked, Money In Account "Cashed Out" (Action Network) DraftKings says no evidence systems were breached following report of a hack (CNBC) Assessing cyber risk in the US pharmaceutical industry. (CyberWire) Killnet DDoS hacktivists target Royal Family and others (ComputerWeekly.com) Ukraine Data Centers Became Physical Targets When Cyber Attacks Failed (Meritalk) Making Cobalt Strike harder for threat actors to abuse (Google Cloud Blog) Google seeks to make Cobalt Strike useless to attackers (Help Net Security) Google Releases YARA Rules to Disrupt Cobalt Strike Abuse (Dark Reading) Google releases 165 YARA rules to detect Cobalt Strike attacks (BleepingComputer)
Luna Moth's callback phishing offers an unpleasant and less familiar form of social engineering. New activity by China's Mustang Panda is reported. DEV0569 is using malvertising to distribute Royal ransomware. US indicts 10 in a business email compromise case. Developing a cyber auxiliary. Dave Bittner sits down with AJ Nash from ZeroFox to discuss holiday scams. Our own Rick Howard speaks with us about cloud security. And beware of Black Friday scams.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/223
Selected reading. Threat Assessment: Luna Moth Callback Phishing Campaign (Unit 42) DEV-0569 finds new ways to deliver Royal ransomware, various payloads (Microsoft Security) Earth Preta Spear-Phishing Governments Worldwide (Trend Micro) EXCLUSIVE: Rounding up a cyber posse for Ukraine (The Record by Recorded Future) Tech for good: How the IT industry is helping Ukraine (Computing) 10 Charged in Business Email Compromise and Money Laundering Schemes Targeting Medicare, Medicaid, and Other Victims (US Department of Justice) Black Friday and Cyber Monday risks. (CyberWire)
Omer Singer, Lead Cybersecurity Strategist from Snowflake, sits down to share his experience getting into the cybersecurity field. Growing up, he knew he wanted to work with computers, but he just didn't know what he wanted to do within the field. His college gave him great hands-on experience to then transition into the workforce. He's played both on the offense and defense of cybersecurity, and he says that experience showed him and he "kind of saw firsthand, uh, what a well funded and motivated, uh, team of cybersecurity experts can do and it's pretty scary." In addition, Omer is a big advocate for encouraging other security professionals to learn data skills, and strongly stands by the belief that the future of cybersecurity is in borrowing from modern data analytics tools and techniques that enable consistent risk reduction. He also makes it a priority to invest in his people, believing that this unlocks intrinsic motivation that enables a ton of personal growth and accomplishment, and is a big believer in the OKR system for enabling security operations and avoiding burnout. We thank Omer for sharing his story.
Larry Cashdollar, Principal Security Intelligence Response Engineer from Akamai Technologies, joins Dave to talk about their research on "KmsdBot: The Attack and Mine Malware." Akamai's Security Research team has found a new malware that infected their honeypot, which they have dubbed KmsdBot. The research states "The malware attacks using UDP, TCP, HTTP POST, and GET, along with a command and control infrastructure (C2), which communicates over TCP." The botnet targets weak login credentials and then infects systems via an SSH connection. The research can be found here: KmsdBot: The Attack and Mine Malware
CISA and its partners issue a Joint Advisory on the Hive ransomware-as-a-service operation. Ransomware continues to trouble governments, internationally and at all levels. The US Defense Department may see enhanced authority to conduct offensive cyber operations. Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure remain kinetic, as missiles show up, but cyberattacks don’t. Kevin Magee from Microsoft about leveraging cybersecurity apprentices. Our guest is Paul Giorgi from XM Cyber describing creative attack path in enterprise networks.And, hey, glupost’ [GLUE-post]–don’t mess with Google’s lawyers.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/222
Selected reading. CISA Alert AA22-321A – #StopRansomware: Hive Ransomware. (CyberWire)
StopRansomware: Hive Ransomware (CISA)
Vanuatu: Hackers strand Pacific island government for over a week (BBC News) Ransom attack cripples Vanuatu government systems, forces staff to use pen and paper (The Sydney Morning Herald) Ransomware incidents now make up majority of British government’s crisis management COBRA meetings (The Record by Recorded Future) Suffolk County, N.Y., Hack Shows Ransomware Threat to Municipalities (Wall Street Journal) Biden set to approve expansive authorities for Pentagon to carry out cyber operations (CyberScoop) Red Lion Crimson (CISA) Cradlepoint IBR600 (CISA) A ruling in our legal case against the Glupteba botnet (Google)
The FBI, CISA, and the Department of Health and Human Services are releasing this alert to disseminate known Hive Ransomware Group indicators of compromise and TTPs identified through FBI investigations. AA22-321A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations Stopransomware.gov is a whole-of-government approach that gives one central location for ransomware resources and alerts. Resource to mitigate a ransomware attack: CISA-Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) Joint Ransomware Guide. No-cost cyber hygiene services: Cyber Hygiene Services and Ransomware Readiness Assessment. U.S. DIB sector organizations may consider signing up for the NSA Cybersecurity Collaboration Center’s DIB Cybersecurity Service Offerings, including Protective Domain Name System services, vulnerability scanning, and threat intelligence collaboration for eligible organizations. For more information on how to enroll in these services, email dib_defense@cyber.nsa.gov To report incidents and anomalous activity or to request incident response resources or technical assistance related to these threats, contact CISA at report@cisa.gov, or call (888) 282-0870, or report incidents to your local FBI field office.
Meta employees, contractors compromised customer accounts. Nemesis Kitten found in US Government network. Unpatched Magento instances hit with "TrojanOrders." Emotet has returned after three quiet months. DDoS attacks in game servers by RapperBot. Carole Theriault looks at long term lessons learned from the 2019 Capital One breach. FBI Cyber Division AD Bryan Vorndran updates us on cyber threats. And an alleged "Zeus" cybercrime boss has been arrested in Switzerland.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/221
Selected reading. Meta Employees, Security Guards Fired for Hijacking User Accounts (Wall Street Journal) CISA Alert AA22-320A – Iranian government-sponsored APT actors compromise federal network, deploy crypto miner, credential harvester. (CyberWire) Iranian Government-Sponsored APT Actors Compromise Federal Network, Deploy Crypto Miner, Credential Harvester (CISA) Iranian government-linked hackers got into Merit Systems Protection Board’s network (Washington Post) Iranian hackers compromise US government network in cryptocurrency generating scheme, officials say (CNN) Magento stores targeted in massive surge of TrojanOrders attacks (BleepingComputer) A Comprehensive Look at Emotet’s Fall 2022 Return (Proofpoint) Notorious Emotet botnet returns after a few months off (Register) Updated RapperBot malware targets game servers in DDoS attacks (BleepingComputer) Russia’s cyber forces ‘underperformed expectations’ in Ukraine: senior US official (The Hill) Suspected Zeus cybercrime ring leader ‘Tank’ arrested by Swiss police (BleepingComputer)
Blockchains and cryptocurrency exchanges, and the risks they present. Vulnerabilities in Amazon RDS may expose PII. A study of the language of fraud. Tim Starks from Washington Post's Cybersecurity 202 on a lagging DHS cyber doomsday report. Our guest is Ashif Samnani of Cenovus Energy with insights from the world of OT cyber. And President Zelenskyy offers the benefit of Ukraine's experience with cyber warfare to the "G19”.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/220
Selected reading. Cryptocurrency sector vulnerabilities. (CyberWire) Oops, I Leaked It Again — How Mitiga Found PII in Exposed Amazon RDS Snapshots (Mitiga) Amazon RDS may expose PII. (CyberWire) The specious language of fraud. (CyberWire) Zelensky offers G20 leaders to use Ukrainian experience in cyber defense (Ukrinform) Ukraine at D+265: A missile campaign punctuates diplomacy. (CyberWire)
From mid-June through mid-July 2022, CISA conducted an incident response engagement at a Federal Civilian Executive Branch organization where CISA observed suspected advanced persistent threat activity. In the course of incident response activities, CISA determined that cyber threat actors exploited the Log4Shell vulnerability in an unpatched VMware Horizon server, installed XMRig crypto mining software, moved laterally to the domain controller, compromised credentials, and then implanted Ngrok reverse proxies on several hosts to maintain persistence. AA22-320A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations Malware Analysis Report MAR 10387061-1.v1 For more information on Iranian government-sponsored Iranian malicious cyber activity, see CISA’s Iran Cyber Threat Overview and Advisories webpage and FBI’s Iran Threats webpage. CISA offers several no-cost scanning and testing services to help organizations reduce their exposure to threats by taking a proactive approach to mitigating attack vectors. See www.cisa.gov/cyber-hygiene-services U.S. DIB sector organizations may consider signing up for the NSA Cybersecurity Collaboration Center’s DIB Cybersecurity Service Offerings, including Protective Domain Name System services, vulnerability scanning, and threat intelligence collaboration for eligible organizations. For more information on how to enroll in these services, email dib_defense@cyber.nsa.gov To report incidents and anomalous activity or to request incident response resources or technical assistance related to these threats, contact CISA at report@cisa.gov, or call (888) 282-0870, or report incidents to your local FBI field office.
Fangxiao works ad scams enroute to other compromises. Killnet claims to have defaced a US FBI site. CISA registers another Known Exploited Vulnerability. Difficulties with Twitter's SMS 2FA system. Zendesk vulnerability discovered. Joe Carrigan explains registration bombing for email addresses. Our guest is Miles Hutchinson from Jumio with insights on defense against sophisticated ransomware attackers. And Billbug romps through Asian government agencies.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/219
Selected reading. Fangxiao: a Chinese threat actor (Cyjax) Fangxiao: A Phishing Threat Actor (Tripwire) Russian hackers claim cyber attack on FBI website (Newsweek) CISA Has Added One Known Exploited Vulnerability to Catalog (CISA) Twitter’s SMS Two-Factor Authentication Is Melting Down (WIRED) Varonis Threat Labs Discovers SQLi and Access Flaws in Zendesk (Varonis) Billbug: State-sponsored Actor Targets Cert Authority, Government Agencies in Multiple Asian Countries (Symantec) Chinese hackers target government agencies and defense orgs (BleepingComputer) Researchers Say China State-backed Hackers Breached a Digital Certificate Authority (The Hacker News)
Software supply chain risk. Cyber risk across sectors. CISA releases Stakeholder Specific Vulnerability Categorization (SSVC). Sandworm is back in Russia's hybrid war. Another wiper campaign from a Russian cyber auxiliary. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture shares thoughts on future-proofing cloud security. Rick Howard previews the latest CSO Perspectives show. And the Australian Federal Police say they know who hacked Medibank. (and the AFP says they have a good track record getting international criminals).
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/218
Selected reading. Exclusive: Russian software disguised as American finds its way into U.S. Army, CDC apps (Reuters) Industries boost cyber defenses against growing number of attacks (Moodys) CISA Releases SSVC Methodology to Prioritize Vulnerabilities (CISA) Transforming the Vulnerability Management Landscape (CISA) Russian Sandworm hackers deployed malware in Ukraine and Poland (Washington Post) New “Prestige” ransomware impacts organizations in Ukraine and Poland (Microsoft) Microsoft links Russia’s military to cyberattacks in Poland and Ukraine (Ars Technica) Microsoft attributes ‘Prestige’ ransomware attacks on Ukraine and Poland to Russian group (The Record by Recorded Future) Wipe it or exfiltrate? How Russia exploits edge infrastructure to disrupt and spy during wartime (SC Media) Russia’s New Cyberwarfare in Ukraine Is Fast, Dirty, and Relentless (WIRED) Russian military hackers linked to ransomware attacks in Ukraine (BleepingComputer) Information on cyberattacks of the group UAC-0118 (FRwL) using the Somnia malware (CERT-UA#5185) (CERT-UA) Ukraine says Russian hacktivists use new Somnia ransomware (BleepingComputer) Russian hacktivists hit Ukrainian orgs with ransomware - but no ransom demands (Help Net Security) Development of the Ukrainian Cyber Counter-Offensive (Trustwave) Australian Federal Police say cybercriminals in Russia behind Medibank hack (The Record by Recorded Future) Australia tells Medibank hackers: 'We know who you are' (TechCrunch)
Lauren Campanara, a SOC Analyst from ThreatX shares her story as she made the decision to break into cybersecurity after spending twelve years in the cosmetology field. She worked her way through college in a job she did not enjoy and felt trapped in while competing her online degree. She found ThreatX and fell in love with the work she is doing now. Lauren hopes to inspire others, especially women, to consider a challenging and rewarding career in cybersecurity. She shares what it's like to be in a field she was not happy in and how she was the only one standing in her way to achieve her goals. She says "Another huge obstacle worth mentioning is learning to get out of my own way. You are your own worst critic. I learned to be more forgiving of myself." She hopes her story will inspire others to follow their dreams and stop holding themselves back.
Deepen Desai from Zscaler sits down with Dave to talk about the Crytox ransomware family. First observed in 2020, Crytox is a ransomware family consisting of several stages of encrypted code that has fallen under the radar compared to other ransomware families. While other groups normally use double extortion attacks where data is both encrypted and held for ransom, Crytox does not perform this way. The research says "The modus operandi of the group is to encrypt files on connected drives along with network drives, drop the uTox messenger application and then display a ransom note to the victim." It also shares how you may be compromised with this ransomware and goes through each stage in depth. The research can be found here: Technical Analysis of Crytox Ransomware
Rick Howard (The Cyberwire’s Chief Analyst, CSO, and Senior Fellow), and the cast of the entire Cyberwire team, honor our U.S. veterans on this special day.
There’s no sign that cyberattacks affected US vote counts. NATO meets to discuss the Atlantic Alliance’s Cyber Defense Pledge. A new APT41 subgroup has been identified. FSB phishing impersonates Ukraine's SSCIP. A look at Cozy Bear's use of credential roaming. Caleb Barlow shares tips on removing implicit bias from your hiring process. Our guests are Valerie Abend and Lisa O'Connor from Accenture with a look at the difference in how women and men pursue the top cyber leadership roles. And an update on Phishing trends and API threats.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/217
Selected reading. Statement from CISA Director Easterly on the Security of the 2022 Elections (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency): No ‘Specific or Credible’ Cyber Threats Affected Integrity of Midterms, CISA Says (Nextgov.com) U.S. vote counting unaffected by cyberattacks, officials say (PBS NewsHour) What's 'Putin's chef' cooking up with talk on US meddling? (AP NEWS) NATO’s 2022 Cyber Defense Pledge Conference - United States Department of State (United States Department of State) Japan joins NATO cyber defense centre (Telecoms Tech News) China casts wary eye as Japan signs up for Nato cybersecurity platform (South China Morning Post) Hack the Real Box: APT41’s New Subgroup Earth Longzhi (Trend Micro) New hacking group uses custom 'Symatic' Cobalt Strike loaders (BleepingComputer) They See Me Roaming: Following APT29 by Taking a Deeper Look at Windows Credential Roaming (Mandiant) APT29 Exploited a Windows Feature to Compromise European Diplomatic Entity Network (The Hacker News) CAUTION‼️ russian hackers are sending emails with malicious links from the SSSCIP (State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine) Russian hackers send out emails under the name of Ukraine's State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection (Yahoo) Research Report | The State of Email Security 2022 (Tessian) DevOps Tools & Infrastructure Under Attack (Wallarm)
US midterm elections proceed without cyber disruption. Communications security lessons learned. CISA publishes new entries to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog. Patch Tuesday notes. Carole Theriault examines cross border money laundering. The FBI’s Bryan Vorndran offers guidance on how companies should think about their exposure in china. And a recent study finds reasons to be concerned about off-boarding.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/216
Selected reading. Taking a look at election security on US midterm Election Day. (CyberWire) Communications Security: Lessons Learned From Ukraine (BlackBerry) CISA Adds Seven Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog (CISA) Microsoft November 2022 Patch Tuesday (SANS Institute) November Patch Tuesday Updates | 2022 (Syxsense Inc) Microsoft Fixes Six Actively Exploited Flaws (Decipher) Microsoft fixes ProxyNotShell Exchange zero-days exploited in attacks (BleepingComputer) Microsoft Scrambles to Thwart New Zero-Day Attacks (SecurityWeek) Infrastructure access and security. (CyberWire)
Cybersecurity on US Election Day. Details on the OPERA1ER threat activity. Seasonal and secular trends in Insider threats. Hacktivist auxiliaries: influence operators in the hybrid war. Ben Yelin reviews election security and misinformation. Ann Johnson from Afternoon Cyber Tea speaks with Dr. Ryan Louie about the growing issue of mental illness among cybersecurity professionals. And, hey everybody, Mr. Hushpuppi is back in the news (and back in the slammer, the hoosgow, the big house…you get the picture…a sabbatical at Club Fed.) Disclaimer: The content and views expressed do not constitute medical advice and are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you need help, please contact your medical provider.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/215
Selected reading. Your Election Day cyber guide (Washington Post) Putin-linked businessman admits to US election meddling (AP NEWS) OPERA1OR: Playing god without permission (Group-IB) DTEX i3 Team Insider Risk Stats for 2022 (DTEX Systems Inc) Killnet targets Eastern Bloc government sites, but fails to keep them offline (The Record by Recorded Future) Ukrainian hacktivists claim to leak trove of documents from Russia’s central bank (The Record by Recorded Future) Notorious Nigerian influencer ‘Billionaire Gucci Master’ sentenced to 11 years in jail in the U.S. for fraud (Forbes) Hushpuppi: Notorious Nigerian fraudster jailed for 11 years in US (BBC)
Election security on the eve of the US midterms. US FBI rates hacktivist contributions to Russia's war as unimportant. Microsoft accuses China of using vulnerability disclosure to develop zero-days. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos addresses accountability for breaches. Our guest is Michelle Amante from the Partnership for Public Service on their Cybersecurity Talent Initiative. And, finally, remember SIlk Road? The Feds do.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/214
Selected reading. Hacktivists Use of DDoS Activity Causes Minor Impacts (FBI) The government says it won’t flag election disinformation on Twitter and other social platforms (Washington Post) What to Expect When You are Expecting an Election (CISA) Hacktivists Use of DDoS Activity Causes Minor Impacts (FBI) Nation-state cyberattacks become more brazen as authoritarian leaders ramp up aggression (Microsoft On the Issues) U.S. Attorney Announces Historic $3.36 Billion Cryptocurrency Seizure And Conviction In Connection With Silk Road Dark Web Fraud (U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York)
Gary Brickhouse, CISO from GuidePoint Security, sits down to share his story, looking back over the last 25 years of his career working for Fortune 100 companies, including Disney. He shares that every role he has had, he’s had to grow into and how each one was a pivotal point in his technical career. Gary ended up transitioning to a different organization and says how it was really compliance that was the transitional sort of moment for him as he grew into different roles. He says, “What I found was sort of just, riding the wave of growth and opportunity and trying to take advantage of it along the way." He shares some advice for new people entering the industry, saying that he wants to help shatter the myth that you have to be technical to get into this field. We thank Gary for sharing his story.
Roya Gordon from Nozomi Networks sits down with Dave to discuss their work "UWB Real Time Locating Systems: How Secure Radio Communications May Fail in Practice." Ultra-wideband (UWB) is a rapidly-growing radio technology that, according to the UWB Alliance, is forecasted to drive sales volumes exceeding one billion devices annually by 2025. In an effort to strengthen the security of devices utilizing UWB, Nozomi Networks Labs conducted a security assessment of two popular UWB RTLS solutions available on the market. Their research reveals 0-day vulnerabilities and other weaknesses that, if exploited, could allow an attacker to gain full access to all sensitive location data exchanged over-the-air. The research can be found here: UWB Real Time Locating Systems: How Secure Radio Communications May Fail in Practice
Flight-planning services are affected by cyberattack, as are Danish rail service. A BEC gang impersonates international law firms. Effects of the hybrid war on action in cyberspace. Deepen Desai from Zscaler examines the evolution of the X-FILES Stealer. CyberWire Space Correspondent Maria Varmazis has an analysis of the Starlink situation in Ukraine. And a sad, final farewell to Vitali Kremez, gone far too soon.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/213
Selected reading. Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen's services impacted by cyber incident (Reuters) BREAKING: Boeing's Jeppesen Subsidiary Hit With Potential Ransomware Attack (Live and Let's Fly) Danish train standstill on Saturday caused by cyber attack (Reuters) Cyber incident at Boeing subsidiary causes flight planning disruptions (The Record by Recorded Future) Crimson Kingsnake: BEC Group Impersonates International Law Firms in… (Abnormal Security) New Crimson Kingsnake gang impersonates law firms in BEC attacks (BleepingComputer) Ukraine war, geopolitics fuelling cybersecurity attacks -EU agency (Reuters) Microsoft Extends Aid for Ukraine's Wartime Tech Innovation (SecurityWeek) Evaluating the International Support to Ukrainian Cyber Defense (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) Cyber community mourns renowned researcher Vitali Kremez (The Record by Recorded Future) Remembering Vitali Kremez, Threat Intelligence Researcher (Bank Info Security)
Leveraging Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Voice for credential harvesting. Emotet is back. Black Basta ransomware linked to Fin7. A Russophone gang increases activity against Ukrainian targets. Betsy Carmelite from Booz Allen Hamilton on adversary-informed defense. Our guest is Tom Gorup of Alert Logic with a view on cybersecurity from a combat veteran. And Russia regrets that old US lack of cooperation in cyberspace–things would be so much better if the Anglo-Saxons didn’t think cyberspace was the property of the East India Company. Or something like that.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/212
Selected reading. Abusing Microsoft Customer Voice to Send Phishing Links (Avanan) Emotet botnet starts blasting malware again after 5 month break (BleepingComputer) Black Basta Ransomware | Attacks Deploy Custom EDR Evasion Tools Tied to FIN7 Threat Actor (SentinelOne) RomCom Threat Actor Abuses KeePass and SolarWinds to Target Ukraine and Potentially the United Kingdom (BlackBerry) Russia cyber director warns no U.S. cooperation risks "mutual destruction" (Newsweek)
OpenSSL patches two vulnerabilities. CISA and election security. Killnet attempted DDoS against the US Treasury. XDR data reveals threat trends. Business email compromise and gift cards. Tim Starks from the Washington Posts’ Cybersecurity 202 has the latest on election security. A visit to the CyberWire’s Women in Cyber Security event. And consequences for Raccoon Stealer from the war in Ukraine.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/211
Selected reading. OpenSSL patched today. (CyberWire) OpenSSL Releases Security Update (CISA) OpenSSL releases fixes for two ‘high’ severity vulnerabilities (The Record by Recorded Future) OpenSSL patches are out – CRITICAL bug downgraded to HIGH, but patch anyway! (Naked Security) Threat Advisory: High Severity OpenSSL Vulnerabilities (Cisco Talos Blog) OpenSSL Vulnerability Patch Released (Sectigo® Official) Clearing the Fog Over the New OpenSSL Vulnerabilities (Rezilion) OpenSSL vulnerability CVE-2022-3602 (Remote Code Execution) and CVE-2022-3786 (Denial of Service) Check Point Research Update (Check Point Software) Undisclosed OpenSSL vulnerability: Free scripts for target scoping (Lightspin) Discussions of CISA’s part in elections and the JCDC. (CyberWire) U.S. Treasury thwarted attack by Russian hacker group last month-official (Reuters) XDR data reveals threat trends. (CyberWire) What happens to a gift card given to a scammer? (CyberWire) How Russia’s war in Ukraine helped the FBI crack one of the biggest cybercrime cases in years (MarketWatch)
OpenSSL is patched today. The misconfiguration risk to US government networks' security and compliance. Hacking Ms Truss's phone. Assistance for Ukraine's cyber defense. Joe Carrigan looks at the latest round of apps pulled from the Google Play Store. Our guest is Matias Madou of Secure Code Warrior on why cultivating a positive culture among security and developer teams continues to fall short. And a quick look at DNS threats.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/210
Selected reading. Effectively Preparing for the OpenSSL 3.x Vulnerability (Akamai) O How The OpenSSL 3 Vulnerability Will Really Affect Your Environment (Nucleus Security) New Critical Flaw in OpenSSL: How to Know if You're at Risk (Rezilion) Experts warn of critical security vulnerability discovered in OpenSSL (Application Security Blog) The impact of exploitable misconfigurations on network security within US Federal organizations (Titania) Liz Truss's personal phone hacked by Putin's spies (Mail Online) O Truss phone was hacked by suspected Putin agents when she was foreign minister, the Daily Mail reports (Reuters) Liz Truss phone hack claim prompts calls for investigation (BBC News) Russian spies hacked Truss's personal phone (Computing) Government urged to investigate report Liz Truss’s phone was hacked (the Guardian) Ministers creating ‘wild west’ conditions with use of personal phones (the Guardian) Suella Braverman admits sending official documents to personal email six times (The Telegraph) Ukraine War: UK reveals £6m package for cyber defence (BBC News) DNS Threat Report — Q3 2022 (Akamai)
Leading European metals producer is hit with malware. Cooperative defense in cyberspace. A Ukrainian ally describes its exposure to Russian cyberattacks. Former UK Prime Minister Truss's phone may have been compromised. CISA sees a complex threat environment, but no specific threat to US elections. The Australian Defence network sustains ransomware attack. The three finalists in the DataTribe Challenge share insights on the competition. Rick Howard previews the new season of CSO Perspectives. And a look at threat trends.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/209
Selected reading. Aurubis says it was hit in wider cyberattack on metals industry (Reuters) Copper Giant Aurubis Shuts Down Systems Due to Cyberattack (SecurityWeek) Inside a US military cyber team’s defence of Ukraine (BBC News) Ukraine's cyber power shows value of public-private partnership (Nikkei Asia) Latvian President: Only the West’s Weakness Can Provoke Russia (Foreign Policy) Latvia’s cyberspace faces new challenges amid war in Ukraine (The Record by Recorded Future) Worries build about winter cyber threats in Ukraine (POLITICO) Liz Truss's personal phone hacked by Putin's spies (Mail Online) Truss phone was hacked by suspected Putin agents when she was foreign minister, the Daily Mail reports (Reuters) Liz Truss phone hack claim prompts calls for investigation (BBC News) Russian spies hacked Truss's personal phone (Computing) Government urged to investigate report Liz Truss’s phone was hacked (the Guardian) Ministers creating ‘wild west’ conditions with use of personal phones (the Guardian) 'Complex threat environment' ahead of midterm elections, top cybersecurity official says (Reuters) CISA chief sees no "specific or credible threats" to election infrastructure (CBS News) For cyber experts, disinformation overshadows cyberthreats in midterms (Washington Post) Australian Defence Department caught up in ransomware attack (ABC) Cyber-attack on Australian defence contractor may have exposed private communications between ADF members (the Guardian) Cyber Threat Reports (Deep Instinct) Deep Instinct releases its 2022 Interim Cyber Threat Study. (CyberWire)
Jenny Brinkley, Director of AWS Security at Amazon Web Services (AWS), sits down to share her empowering story working through the ranks, and even co-founding her own company. While she did not have a typical upbringing in the industry, she credits her parents for ending up where she is now, as they told her that she could do anything and she decided as she was growing up that she could. She had the opportunity to co-found a small startup before selling it to AWS. She says that working in her position is like a rollercoaster, as no one thing is like the other, saying her highs are high and her lows are low. Being a woman in cybersecurity, she is working to empower more women in the field, Jenny says, "I think that we're living in such an interesting time where empathy, kindness, compassion, honesty, partnership in the security space, I mean, heck for any industry, but really for security and cyber security roles today, it's, it's the life blood and to be underestimated, especially as a female or because, you know, my background doesn't follow a cookie cutter pattern of what individuals think of when they think of individuals in security roles." We thank Jenny for sharing her story.
Fede Kirschbaum from Faraday Security sits down with Dave to discuss their research on "A vulnerability in Realtek's SDK for eCos OS: pwning thousands of routers." The team at Faraday found a vulnerability that made it to DEFCON 30, labeling it high severity. With more and more people working from home for their companies, the research team went looking for where there may be vulnerabilities as employees are working from home. The research states that the team was "seeking and reporting security vulnerabilities in IoT devices, which led to the finding of an exploitable bug in a consumer-grade router popular in Argentina." They also stated in the research that it was escalating quickly and shares about how protecting home networks is important while working remotely. The research can be found here: A vulnerability in Realtek´s SDK for eCos OS: pwning thousands of routers
Cyberattacks against Poland’s and Slovakia’s parliaments. The US 2022 National Defense Strategy is out. Insights from SecurityWeek’s ICS Cyber Security Conference. The importance of zero-trust in industrial environments. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture on machine language security and safety. Our guest is Nick Schneider of Arctic Wolf to discuss why he believes 2023 will see a resurgence of ransomware. And CISA issues four more ICS Advisories.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/208
Selected reading. Computer networks of parliaments in Poland and Slovakia paralyzed by cyberattacks (Euro Weekly News) Slovak, Polish Parliaments Hit By Cyber Attacks (Barron's) Slovak parliament suspends voting due to suspected cyberattack (Reuters) "Also from Russia" - cyber attack on parliaments in Poland and Slovakia - Today Times Live (Today Times Live) 2022 National Defense Strategy (US Department of Defense) 2022 NDS Fact Sheet | Integrated Deterrence (US Department of Defense) Discussing cyberattacks vs system failures. (CyberWire) Zero-trust in ICS environments. (CyberWire) SANS 2022 Survey: The State of OT/ICS Cybersecurity in 2022 and Beyond | Nozomi Networks (Nozomi Networks) CISA Releases Four Industrial Control Systems Advisories (CISA)
CISA releases cross-sector cybersecurity performance goals. Trojans are spreading through scanners. Cyber seed rounds are an exception to a general downtrend in venture investment. Whistleblowing and corporate culture. Storing enterprise secrets. Robert M. Lee from Dragos explains the TSA Pipeline Security Directive. Our guests are Jenny Brinkley from Amazon AWS and Lisa Plaggemier from the National Cybersecurity Alliance with a collaborative educational project. Cyberattacks seen as opportunistic and disconnected from strategy.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/207
Selected reading. Cross-Sector Cybersecurity Performance Goals (CISA) CISA unveils voluntary cybersecurity performance goals (Federal News Network) Sending Trojans via Scanners (Avanan) DataTribe Insights - Q2 2022: Economic Storm Makes Landfall (DataTribe) Ukraine: Russian cyber attacks aimless and opportunistic (SearchSecurity)
Sudan closes its Internet as the country sees protests on the first anniversary of a coup. A Chinese influence campaign targets US elections. A software supply chain security study, and a look at vulnerability scanning tools. Documenting cyber war crimes in Ukraine. CISA issues eight ICS Advisories. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on the effects of water scarcity on data centers. And if you’ll indulge us, we’ve got some pretty exciting CyberWire news.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/206
Selected reading. Internet is shut down in Sudan on anniversary of military coup (The Record by Recorded Future) Pro-PRC DRAGONBRIDGE Influence Campaign Leverages New TTPs to Aggressively Target U.S. Interests, Including Midterm Elections (Mandiant) Rezilion Vulnerability Scanner Benchmark Report Finds Top Scanners Only 73% Accurate (PR Newswire) Four in Five Software Supply Chains Exposed to Cyberattack in the Last 12 Months (BlackBerry) Ukraine Documenting Russian Hacks, Eyeing International Charges (Bloomberg) CISA Releases Eight Industrial Control Systems Advisories (CISA)
US Department of Justice unseals three indictments in PRC spying cases. CERT-UA warns of Cuba ransomware group phishing campaign. Varonis discovers two Windows vulnerabilities. Mr Security Answer Person John Pescatore on security through obscurity. Ben Yelin on the DOJ’s spying cases against China. CISA expands its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog with six new entries.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/205
Selected reading. Two Arrested and 13 Charged in Three Separate Cases for Alleged Participation in Malign Schemes in the United States on Behalf of the Government of the People’s Republic of China (US Department of Justice) U.S. Justice Department Fires Warning Shot at Chinese Spies (Foreign Policy) Chinese spies charged with trying to thwart Huawei investigation (Quartz) DOJ Charges 13 Over Chinese Interference In US Affairs (Law360) U.S. Says Chinese Tried to Obstruct Huawei Prosecution (Wall Street Journal) U.S. charges Chinese nationals with schemes to steal info, punish critics and recruit spies (CBS News) Cuba ransomware affiliate targets Ukrainian govt agencies (BleepingComputer) Unattributed RomCom Threat Actor Spoofing Popular Apps Now Hits Ukrainian Militaries (BlackBerry) The Logging Dead: Two Event Log Vulnerabilities Haunting Windows (Varonis) CISA Adds Six Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog (CISA)
Breaking: US unseals three cases against Chinese intelligence officers. CISA says Daixin Team ransomware is an active threat. The FBI warns of Iranian threat group's activity. Meanwhile the Iranian nuclear agency says its email was hacked. Norway is concerned about threats to oil and gas infrastructure. A drop in ransomware correlates with Russia's hybrid war. Ann Johnson from Afternoon Cyber Tea speaks with AJ Yawn from ByteChek about breaking into the cybersecurity industry. Josh Ray from Accenture describes threats to the satellite industry. And cyber offense may be proving harder than thought.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/204
Selected reading. CISA Alert AA22-294A – #StopRansomware: Daixin Team. (CyberWire)
StopRansomware: Daixin Team (CISA)
CISA Warns of Daixin Team Hackers Targeting Health Organizations With Ransomware (The Hacker News) Iranian Cyber Group Emennet Pasargad Conducting Hack-and-Leak Operations Using False-Flag Personas (FBI) FBI warns Iranian hackers active ahead of the U.S. midterms (NBC News) FBI Warns of Attacks From Iranian Threat Group Emennet Pasargad (Decipher) Iran Hackers Behind Attempt on US Election Are Still Active (Gov Info Security) FBI warns of ‘hack-and-leak’ operations from group based in Iran (The Record by Recorded Future) Iran's Atomic Energy Agency Says Its E-Mail Server Was Hacked (RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty) Iran says ‘specific foreign country’ behind hacktivist leak of atomic energy emails (The Record by Recorded Future) Iran’s Top Nuclear Agency Says Its Email Servers Were Hacked (Bloomberg) Ukraine Could Still Face Cyberattacks, Experts Say (CNET) Fears over Russian threat to Norway's energy infrastructure (AP NEWS) Norway PM: Russia poses ‘real and serious’ cyber threat to oil and gas industry (The Record by Recorded Future) Ukraine war cuts ransomware as Kremlin co-opts hackers (The Telegraph) Q&A: Kenneth Geers on the cyber war between Ukraine and Russia (The Record by Recorded Future)
FBI, CISA, and Department of Health and Human Services are releasing this joint advisory to provide information on the Daixin Team, a cybercrime group that is actively targeting U.S. businesses, predominantly in the Healthcare and Public Health Sector. AA22-294A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations Stopransomware.gov is a whole-of-government approach that gives one central location for ransomware resources and alerts. Resource to mitigate a ransomware attack: CISA-Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) Joint Ransomware Guide. Ongoing Threat Alerts and Sector alerts are produced by the Health Sector Cybersecurity Coordination Center (HC3) and can be found at hhs.gov/HC3 For additional best practices for Healthcare cybersecurity issues see the HHS 405(d) Aligning Health Care Industry Security Approaches at 405d.hhs.gov CISA offers several no-cost scanning and testing services to help organizations reduce their exposure to threats by taking a proactive approach to mitigating attack vectors. See www.cisa.gov/cyber-hygiene-services U.S. DIB sector organizations may consider signing up for the NSA Cybersecurity Collaboration Center’s DIB Cybersecurity Service Offerings, including Protective Domain Name System services, vulnerability scanning, and threat intelligence collaboration for eligible organizations. For more information on how to enroll in these services, email dib_defense@cyber.nsa.gov To report incidents and anomalous activity or to request incident response resources or technical assistance related to these threats, contact CISA at report@cisa.gov, or call (888) 282-0870, or report incidents to your local FBI field office.
Megan Doherty, a Technical Specialist from Microsoft Canada sits down to share her story of overcoming barriers in the workforce to get to where she is today in her career. Megan started out being a mechanical engineer before making the switch to do something with more creativity and problem solving. She shares about her passion of working with a group Microsoft created called "DigiGirlz." As well as just being able to work with her team who she says helps her face the world of adversity in her career. Megan said "There's so many barriers, just even mentally that we put on ourselves when it comes to looking for a career change or even thinking of cybersecurity as your next career path." She hopes that she leaves a legacy of kindness and compassion behind especially in the industry she is works in. We thank Megan for sharing her story with us.
Dick O'Brien from Symantec's Threat Hunter team sits down with Dave to discuss their work on "Witchetty - Group Uses Updated Toolset in Attacks on Governments in Middle East." Their research has found that the group known as Witchetty aka LookingFrog, has been progressively updating its toolset, including the new tool, backdoor Trojan (Backdoor.Stegmap) to launch malware attacks on targets in the Middle East and Africa. The research states "The attackers exploited the ProxyShell and ProxyLogon vulnerabilities to install web shells on public-facing servers before stealing credentials, moving laterally across networks, and installing malware on other computers. The researchers describe more on the new tool being used and why this new group is a threat. The research can be found here: Witchetty: Group Uses Updated Toolset in Attacks on Governments in Middle East
Blackbyte's new exfiltration tool. Hijacking student accounts for BEC. Zhora calls Russia's cyber campaigns a failure. Caleb Barlow explores new thinking for incident response. Our guest is Jon Hencinski of Expel, tracking the latest threat trends. OldGremlin ransomware is an outlier.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/203
Selected reading. Exbyte: BlackByte Ransomware Attackers Deploy New Exfiltration Tool (Symantec) Hijacking Student Accounts to Launch BEC-Style Attacks (Avanan) This sneaky kind of cybercrime rules them all (Washington Post) Russia Failing to Reach Cyber War Goals, Ukrainian Official Says (Meritalk) EU supports cybersecurity in Ukraine with over €10 million - EU NEIGHBOURS east (EU NEIGHBOURS east) Gremlins’ prey, secrets, and dirty tricks: the ransomware gang OldGremlin set new records (Group-IB) OldGremlin hackers use Linux ransomware to attack Russian orgs (BleepingComputer) OldGremlin, which targets Russia, debuts new Linux ransomware (Computing) It is one of the few ransomware groups in the world that prefer to target Russian organisations, but this may change experts advise More Russian Organizations Feeling Ransomware Pain (Bank Info Security)
DDoS as misdirection. NSA shares lessons learned from cyber operations observed in Russia's war against Ukraine. Advice from CISA on Zimbra.. A misconfigured Microsoft storage endpoint has been secured. Notes from a study on the Cybersecurity Workforce . The cost to businesses of phishing. Betsy Carmelite from Booz Allen Hamilton on managing mental health in the cyber workforce. Our guest is Ismael Valenzuela of Blackberry with insights on "The Cyber Insurance Gap". And updates to the ransomware leaderboard.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/202
Selected reading. Bulgarian cyberattack: Sabotage as a cover for spying? (Deutsche Welle) Bulgarian websites impacted by Killnet DDoS attack (SC Media) Lessons From Ukraine: NSA Cyber Chief Lauds Industry Intel (Meritalk) NSA Cybersecurity Director's Six Takeaways From the War in Ukraine (Infosecurity Magazine) NSA cyber chief says Ukraine war is compelling more intelligence sharing with industry (CyberScoop) Investigation Regarding Misconfigured Microsoft Storage Location (Microsoft Security Response Center) 2019 Cybersecurity Workforce Study ((ISC)²) The Business Cost of Phishing (Ironscales) Leading Ransomware Variants Q3 2022 (Intel471)
Killnet explains its actions against Bulgaria's government. The National Republican Army claims successful attacks on Russian companies. The Director of Germany's BSI is out. A vulnerability in Azure, disclosed and patched. Trends in ransomware. Carole Theriault has a fresh look at the ransomware question - to pay or not to pay? Tim Eades from Cyber Mentor Fund considers cyber insurance for the small and medium sized businesses. Social Security phishing.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/201
Selected reading. Cyberattack disrupts Bulgarian government websites over ‘betrayal to Russia’ (The Record by Recorded Future) Russians Against Putin: NRA Claims Massive Hack of Russian Government Contractors’ Computers - Kyiv Post - Ukraine's Global Voice (Kyiv Post) Germany fires cybersecurity chief after reports of possible Russia ties (Reuters) German Cybersecurity Chief Sacked Over Alleged Russia Ties (SecurityWeek) German cyber chief suspended following allegation he associated with Russian intelligence (The Record by Recorded Future) FabriXss (CVE-2022-35829): How We Managed to Abuse a Custom Role User Using CSTI and Stored XSS in Azure Fabric Explorer (Orca Security) Ransomware In Q3 2022 (Digital Shadows) Fresh Phish: A New Social Security Phishing Scam Preys Upon Our Biggest Worries (INKY)
Mobilizing DDoS-as-a-service. Interpol takes down the Black Axe gang members. A look at phishing trends. Spyder Loader is active in Hong Kong. Joe Carrigan looks at Google’s launch of passwordless authentication. Our guest is Dr. Eman El-Sheikh from University of West Florida's Center for Cybersecurity on NSA-funded National Cybersecurity Workforce Development Programs. And Europol announces arrests in a case of keyless car hacking.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/200
Selected reading. Project DDOSIA Russia's answer to disBalancer (Radwaare) Russian DDOSIA Project Pays Volunteers to Participate in DDOS Attacks on Western Companies (Gridinsoft Blogs) International crackdown on West-African financial crime rings (Interpol) Giant online scamming syndicate 'Black Axe' destroyed in Interpol-led operation (teiss) INTERPOL-led Operation Takes Down 'Black Axe' Cyber Crime Organization (The Hacker News) Operation Jackal: Interpol arrests Black Axe fraud suspects (Register) When the Black Axe falls: cybercrime suspects detained in global bust (Cybernews) International Police Action Blunts Black Axe Criminal Group - HS Today (Hstoday) Q3 2022 Cofense Phishing Intelligence Trends Review (Cofense) Spyder Loader: Malware Seen in Recent Campaign Targeting Organizations in Hong Kong (Symantec) Operation CuckooBees: Cybereason Uncovers Massive Chinese Intellectual Property Theft Operation (Cybereason) 31 arrested for stealing cars by hacking keyless tech | Europol (Europol) European gang that sold car hacking tools to thieves arrested (The Record by Recorded Future)
There’s been a Cyberattack against Tata Power. The FBI warns US state political parties of Chinese scanning. Russian influence ops play defense; China’s are on the offense. Ransom Cartel and a possible connection to REvil. "Prestige" ransomware is sighted in attacks on Polish and Ukrainian targets. Distributed denial-of-service attacks interfere with Bulgarian websites. Grayson Milbourne of OpenText Security Solutions on SBOMS. Our own Rick Howard checks in with Bryan Willett of Lexmark on implementation of Zero Trust. And Mr. Musk tweets his intention to continue to subsidize Starlink for Ukraine (probably).
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/199
Selected reading. Hackers Attack Tata Power IT Systems: All You Need To Know (IndiaTimes) Chinese hackers are scanning state political party headquarters, FBI says (Washington Post) The Defender's Advantage Cyber Snapshot Issue 2 — More Insights From the Frontlines (Mandiant) Ransom Cartel Ransomware: A Possible Connection With REvil (Unit 42) New “Prestige” ransomware impacts organizations in Ukraine and Poland (Microsoft Security Threat Intelligence) Bulgarian Government Hit By Cyberattack Blamed On Russian Hacking Group (RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty) 'The hell with it': Elon Musk tweets SpaceX will 'keep funding Ukraine govt for free' amid Starlink controversy (CNBC) Starlink isn't a charity, but the Ukraine war isn't a business opportunity (TechCrunch)
Amanda Adams, VP of Americas Alliances at CrowdStrike sits down to share her story as she pivoted into the tech field. She started her career by wanted to be involved with sports, after getting her masters degree Amanda was faced with a difficult choice between working for The Golden State Warriors and Cisco. She ultimately chose Cisco as her path to move forward and has been working in technology ever since. Now she works for a team where she gets to prove her social skills and is focused on partnerships. She say's that working in technology doesn't just have to be working with technology, there are many other ways you can get involved with the field. Amanda says "you can always pivot into the technology industry and support the broader mission by doing that job function." We thank Amanda for sharing her story.
Between multi-cloud deployments, more employees working remotely, and increasing use of SaaS applications, the number of entry points for attackers to infiltrate your systems has exploded. But gaining visibility into all these possible attack vectors is time-consuming and often incomplete or just a snapshot in time. If the first rule of cyber is to “know what you have,” how can cyber professionals get a comprehensive, current picture of their assets? How can they feel confident that they understand which assets may be more vulnerable and prioritize defenses accordingly? In the first half of this episode of Cyberwire-X, the CyberWire's CSO, Chief Analyst, and Senior Fellow, Rick Howard, is joined by Hash Table member Jaclyn Miller, the Head of InfoSec & IT at DispatchHealth. In the second half of the episode, Cody Pierce, Chief Product Officer at episode sponsor LookingGlass Cyber Solutions, talks with Dave Bittner. Listen to the discussions about answering the foundational cyber questions (What do I have? Is it protected?), why context is critical, and how an adversarial perspective helps you be a better defender.
Brigid O Gorman from Symantec's Threat Hunter team joins Dave to discuss their research on "Noberus Ransomware - Darkside and BlackMatter Successor Continues to Evolve its Tactics." The research states that Noberus ransomware (aka BlackCat, ALPHV) is more dangerous than ever because attackers have been using new tactics, tools, and procedures in recent months. In the research, Symantec says, "Among some of the more notable developments has been the use of a new version of the Exmatter data exfiltration tool, and the use of Eamfo, information-stealing malware that is designed to steal credentials stored by Veeam backup software." They go over an in-depth look at how its affiliate program operates. The research can be found here: Noberus Ransomware: Darkside and BlackMatter Successor Continues to Evolve its Tactics
County election workers find themselves targets of phishing. Impersonating Intrusion Truth. The LDS Church discloses data compromise. SpaceX asks for Starlink funding. Does Killnet have potential to do more damage than it so far has? Deepen Desai from Zscaler on Joker, Facestealer and Coper banking malwares on the Google Play store. Our guest is Maxime Lamothe-Brassard of LimaCharlie to discuss how the cybersecurity is following in the footsteps of software engineering. And the Gamers’ attack surface? It’s big, big, really big, Noobs.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/198
Selected reading. 2022 Election Phishing Attacks Target Election Workers (Trellix) Suspicious Twitter accounts impersonating research group try to blame the NSA for Chinese hacks (The Daily Dot) Statement and FAQ on Church Account Data Incident (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) Exclusive: Musk's SpaceX says it can no longer pay for critical satellite services in Ukraine, asks Pentagon to pick up the tab (CNN) Killnet: don't underestimate the “script kiddies,” experts say (Cybernews) Gaming Is Booming. That’s Catnip for Cybercriminals. (New York Times)
Emotet ups its game. COVID-19 small business grants as phishbait. Google Translate is spoofed for credential harvesting. Research on the Budworm espionage group. Kevin Magee from Microsoft shares why cybersecurity professionals should join company boards. Our guest is Chris Niggel from Okta with a look at identity shortfalls. And Internet outages during missile strikes, and the prospects of Russia’s hybrid war.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/197
Selected reading. Emotote’s evolution. (ESET) Fresh Phish: Small Business COVID-19 Grants Designed for Disaster (INKY) Spoofing Google Translate to Steal Credentials (Avanan) Budworm: Espionage Group Returns to Targeting U.S. Organizations (Symantec Blog) Internet outages hit Ukraine following Russian missile strikes (Bitdefender) Starlink helped restore energy, communications infrastructure in parts of Ukraine - official (Reuters) Ukraine’s Vice PM Thanks Starlink for Help to Restore Connections After Missile Attack from Russia (Tech Times) We must tackle Europe’s winter cyber threats head-on (POLITICO) The conflict in Ukraine makes us rethink cyberwar (The Japan Times)
Refund fraud as a service. Costs of a nuisance. Remaining on alert during a hybrid war. Renewed activity by Polonium. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos discussing quantum computing policy. CyberWire Space Correspondent Maria Varmazis speaks with Dr. Gregory Falco on lessons learned from Russia’s attack on Viasat. Reflections on the Uber case's impact on security professionals. And when it comes to phishing-as-a-service, we’ll take decaf.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/196
Selected reading. The Fresh Phish Market: Behind the Scenes of the Caffeine Phishing-as-a-Service Platform (Mandiant) Caffeine phishing. (CyberWire) Refund Fraud as a Service (Netacea) Amid reports of JP Morgan cyberattack, experts call Killnet unsophisticated, ‘media hungry’ (SC Media) Hacktivists Force Companies to Respond to Low-Level Cyberattacks (Wall Street Journal) Nato warns Russian sabotage on Western targets 'could trigger Article 5' (The Telegraph) US Not Ruling Out Russian Cyber Offensive (VOA) Ukraine at D+230: Escalation, but unlikely to be sustainable. (CyberWire) POLONIUM targets Israel with Creepy malware (WeLiveSecurity) Hacking group POLONIUM uses ‘Creepy’ malware against Israel (BleepingComputer) Security chiefs fear ‘CISO scapegoating’ following Uber-Sullivan verdict (The Record) Sullivan verdict sends shockwaves through the security industry (Security Info Watch) Reflections on the Uber case's impact on security. (CyberWire)
Russia's Killnet suspected in DDoS attack on major US airports. Starlink service interruptions reported. Bundesbahn communications network sabotaged in northern Germany. Germany's cybersecurity chief faces scrutiny over alleged ties to Russia. Ben Yelin on the FCC's crackdown on robocalls. Ann Johnson from Afternoon Cyber Tea talking with Sounil Yu from JupiterOne about the importance and evolution of cyber resilience. Overworked CISOs may be a security risk, but in an encouraging counterpoint, another study shows a record of CISO success during the pandemic.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/195
Selected reading. US Airport Websites Hit by Suspected Pro-Russian Cyberattacks (SecurityWeek) Hackers knock some U.S. airport websites offline (Washington Post) Hackers took down U.S. airport web sites, Department of Homeland Security confirms (USA TODAY) Pro-Russian hackers claim responsibility for taking down US airport websites (Computing) US airports' sites taken down in DDoS attacks by pro-Russian hackers (BleepingComputer) Pro-Putin goons target US airport websites with DDoS flood (Register) Russian Sanctions Instigator Lloyd’s Possibly Hit by Cyber-Attack (Infosecurity Magazine) Lloyd's of London reboots network after suspicious activity (Register) Colorado.gov Back Online After Cyber Attack (GovTech) Defending Ukraine: SecTor session probes a complex cyber war (IT World Canada) Ukrainian officials reportedly say there have been 'catastrophic' Starlink outages in recent weeks (Business Insider) Frontline Ukraine troops are reportedly enduring Starlink outages (Engadget). Elon Musk’s foray into geopolitics has Ukraine worried (The Economist) Elon Musk needs to clarify Ukraine's reported Starlink outages: Kinzinger (Newsweek) Attack on German Rail Network ‘Targeted, Professional,’ Police Say (Bloomberg) An act of sabotage shut down parts of Germany's rail system for hours this weekend (NPR.org) Germany rail chaos could have been caused by Russia, says MP (The Telegraph) Sabotage blamed for major disruption on Germany’s rail network (The Telegraph) No sign that foreign state was behind German rail sabotage, police say (Reuters) Germany Won’t Rule Out Foreign Country Role in Rail Sabotage (Bloomberg) Germany's cybersecurity chief faces dismissal, reports say (Reuters) German cybersecurity chief investigated over Russia ties (ABC News) German Cybersecurity Chief to be Sacked Over Alleged Russia Ties: Sources (SecurityWeek) „Wir müssen wachsam bleiben“ (Tagesspiegel) 1 in 5 Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) Work More Than 25 Extra Hours Per Week (Tessian) 2022 Devo SOC Performance Report (Devo) 2022 Deloitte-NASCIO Cybersecurity Study (Deloitte Insights) Cybersecurity Survey of State CISOs Identifies Many Positive Trends (PR Newswire)
This interview from September 23rd, 2022 originally aired as a shortened version on the CyberWire Daily Podcast. In this extended interview, CyberWire’s space correspondent, Maria Varmazis, interviews host of spaceflight podcast “Main Engine Cutoff,” Anthony Colangelo about the upcoming Apple iPhone 14 “Emergency SOS via Satellite” feature & what it means for satellite communications in the consumer sector.
In today’s episode, our sandbox heads to the deployment pipeline for a conversation on the who/what/when/and why of a DevSecOps program and how it adds value to your business. And your main questions- – how you can encourage buy-in and adoption. Joining me today are Marcin Swiety, Relativity’s Senior Director of Global Security and IT, and Raphael Theberge - Director of Security Integrations. So, grab your DORA metrics, your source controls, and staging environments, and let’s dive in.
Payal Chakravarty, Head of Product for Security and Risk from Coalition, sits down to share her story of working at several different organizations, including interning for IBM and Microsoft. After obtaining her master's degree, she worked with IBM a bit more closely and fell in love with one of the projects she was working on. Payal had a very interesting career path going from physical to virtual, virtual to cloud now, cloud to containers. She says that there is still some bias she has dealt with as a woman in her field, she says, "I think the way you handle it is you negotiate or you kind of calmly handle the situation, there's no ego involved." Payal shares that in working in this field you need to be in love with it, giving the advice that don't just choose a job because of the money or because it's cool, but because you feel connected to it as a profession. We thank Payal for sharing her story.
The age-old battle between offensive and defensive security practitioners is most often played out in the penetration testing cycle. Pentesters ask, “Is it our fault if they don’t fix things?” While defenders drown in a sea of unprioritized findings and legacy issues wondering where to even start. But the real battle shouldn’t be between the teams; it should be against the real adversaries. So why do pentesters routinely come back and find the same things they reported a year ago? Do the defenders just not care or does the onus fall on the report? Everyone really wants the same thing: better security. To get there, the primary communication tool between consultant and client, offensive and defensive teams — the pentest report — must be consumable and actionable and tailored to the audience who receives it. In the first half of this episode of Cyberwire-X, the CyberWire's CSO, Chief Analyst, and Senior Fellow, Rick Howard, is joined by Hash Table members Amanda Fennell, the CIO and CSO of Relativity, and William MacMillan, the SVP of Security Product and Program Management at Salesforce. In the second half of the episode, Dan DeCloss, the Founder and CEO of episode sponsor PlexTrac, joins Dave Bittner discuss the politics around pentest reporting and how better reports can support real progress.
Jen Miller-Osborn from Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 joins Dave to discuss their recent work on "Russian APT29 Hackers Use Online Storage Services, DropBox and Google Drive." The research shares the insight into an active campaign from Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, that is leveraging the use of trusted, legitimate cloud services including Google Drive as a staging platform to deliver malware. The research states that when these tactics are used, it is extremely difficult for organizations to detect the malicious activity in connection with the campaign. These tactics are used to collect victim information, evade detection, and deliver Cobalt Strike. The research can be found here: Russian APT29 Hackers Use Online Storage Services, DropBox and Google Drive
A US Executive Order outlines US-EU data-sharing privacy safeguards. CISA, NSA, and the FBI list the top vulnerabilities currently being exploited by China. A look at election security and credit risk to US states. COVID-19-themed social engineering continues. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on securing the food and beverage industry. Carole Theriault interviews Joel Hollenbeck from Check Point Software on threat actors phishing school board meetings. Notes from the hybrid war: Killnet and US state government sites, the prospects of deterrence in cyberspace, and, finally, maybe the most motivated draft evaders in military history.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/194
Selected reading. FACT SHEET: President Biden Signs Executive Order to Implement the European Union-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (The White House) Top CVEs Actively Exploited By People’s Republic of China State-Sponsored Cyber Actors (CISA) Government credit risk associated with election risk (CyberWire) Exploiting COVID-19: how threat actors hijacked a pandemic (Proofpoint) Ukraine at D+125: Abandoned tanks and discontented hawks. (CyberWire) Department Press Briefing – October 6, 2022 - United States Department of State (United States Department of State) 2 Russians fleeing military service reach remote Alaska island (Military Times)
This joint Cybersecurity Advisory provides the top CVEs used by the People’s Republic of China state-sponsored cyber actors. PRC cyber actors continue to exploit these known vulnerabilities and use publicly available tools to target networks of interest. PRC state-sponsored cyber actors have actively targeted U.S. and allied networks as well as software and hardware companies to steal intellectual property and develop access into sensitive networks. AA22-279A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations For more information on PRC state-sponsored malicious cyber activity, see CISA’s China Cyber Threat Overview and Advisories webpage, FBI’s Industry Alerts, and NSA’s Cybersecurity Advisories & Guidance. People’s Republic of China State-Sponsored Cyber Actors Exploit Network Providers and Devices CISA offers several no-cost scanning and testing services to help organizations reduce their exposure to threats by taking a proactive approach to mitigating attack vectors. See www.cisa.gov/cyber-hygiene-services U.S. DIB sector organizations may consider signing up for the NSA Cybersecurity Collaboration Center’s DIB Cybersecurity Service Offerings, including Protective Domain Name System (PDNS) services, vulnerability scanning, and threat intelligence collaboration for eligible organizations. For more information on how to enroll in these services, email dib_defense@cyber.nsa.gov To report incidents and anomalous activity or to request incident response resources or technical assistance related to these threats, contact CISA at report@cisa.gov, or call (888) 282-0870, or report incidents to your local FBI field office.
Microsoft updates mitigations for ProxyNotShell. Lloyd's of London investigates a suspected cyberattack. Killnet hits networks of US state governments. The FBI and CISA weigh in on election security. Credential theft in the name of Zoom. Tim Eades from Cyber Mentor Fund on the move to early-stage investing in times of war and recession. Our guest is Nick Lumsden of Tenacity Cloud on cloud infrastructure sprawl. The former security chief at Uber was found guilty in a case involving data breach cover-up.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/193
Selected reading. Customer Guidance for Reported Zero-day Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server (Microsoft Security Response Center) Microsoft updates guidance for ‘ProxyNotShell’ bugs after researchers get around mitigations (The Record by Recorded Future) Microsoft Updates Mitigation for Exchange Server Zero-Days (Dark Reading) Microsoft updates mitigation for ProxyNotShell Exchange zero days (BleepingComputer) Lloyd's of London investigates possible cyber attack (Reuters) Insurance giant Lloyd’s of London investigating cyberattack (The Record by Recorded Future) Russian-speaking hackers knock US state government websites offline (CNN) Malicious Cyber Activity Against Election Infrastructure Unlikely to Disrupt or Prevent Voting (FBI and CISA) FBI: Cyberattacks targeting election systems unlikely to affect results (BleepingComputer) Zoom: 1 Phish, 2 Phish Email Attack (Armorblox) Former Uber Security Chief Found Guilty of Obstructing FTC Probe (Wall Street Journal) Former Uber security chief convicted of covering up 2016 data breach (Washington Post) Uber’s Former Security Chief Convicted of Data Hack Coverup (Bloomberg) Former Uber Security Chief Found Guilty of Hiding Hack From Authorities (New York Times) Former Uber CISO Joe Sullivan Found Guilty Over Breach Cover Up (SecurityWeek)
Data’s stolen from a US "Defense Industrial Base organization." Major sideloading cryptojacking campaign is in progress. Nord Stream and threats to critical infrastructure. US Cyber Command describes "hunt forward" missions in Ukraine. Andrew Hammond from SpyCast speaks with hacker Eric Escobar about the overlap of traditional intelligence and cybersecurity. Our guest is AJ Nash from ZeroFox with an update on the current threat landscape. Fraud meets romance.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/192
Selected reading. Impacket and Exfiltration Tool Used to Steal Sensitive Information from Defense Industrial Base Organization (CISA) CISA: Multiple government hacking groups had ‘long-term’ access to defense company (The Record by Recorded Future) US Govt: Hackers stole data from US defense org using new malware (BleepingComputer) Side-Loading OneDrive for profit – Cryptojacking campaign detected in the wild (Bitdefender Labs) Drone-loaded seabed ship is latest weapon in Royal Navy's arsenal to counter Russian threat (The Telegraph) Opinion Undersea pipeline sabotage demands the West prepare for more attacks (Washington Post) Ukraine Hasn’t Won the Cyber War Against Russia Yet (World Politics Review) USCYBERCOM Executive Director David Frederick Outlines Cyber Threats & Highlights Importance of Industry Partnerships (GovCon Wire) Romance scammer and BEC fraudster sent to prison for 25 years (Naked Security)
From November 2021 through January 2022, the CISA responded to APT activity against a Defense Industrial Base organization’s enterprise network. During incident response activities, CISA discovered that multiple APT groups compromised the organization’s network, and some APT actors had long-term access to the environment. APT actors used an open-source toolkit called Impacket to gain their foothold within the environment and further compromise the network, and also used a custom data exfiltration tool, CovalentStealer, to steal the victim’s sensitive data. AA22-277A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations CISA Cyber Hygiene Services Malware Analysis Report (MAR)-10365227-1.stix MAR-10365227-2.stix MAR-10365227-3.stix CISA offers several no-cost scanning and testing services to help organizations reduce their exposure to threats by taking a proactive approach to mitigating attack vectors. See www.cisa.gov/cyber-hygiene-services U.S. DIB sector organizations may consider signing up for the NSA Cybersecurity Collaboration Center’s DIB Cybersecurity Service Offerings, including Protective Domain Name System (PDNS) services, vulnerability scanning, and threat intelligence collaboration for eligible organizations. For more information on how to enroll in these services, email dib_defense@cyber.nsa.gov To report incidents and anomalous activity or to request incident response resources or technical assistance related to these threats, contact CISA at report@cisa.gov, or call (888) 282-0870, or report incidents to your local FBI field office.
CISA issues a Binding Operational Directive. An LA school district says ransomware operators missed most sensitive PII. An API protection report describes malicious transactions. Analysis of cyber risk in relation to SaaS applications. Joe Carrigan describes underground groups using stolen identities and deepfakes. Our guest is Eve Maler from ForgeRock on consumer identity breaches. And someone is making a nuisance of themself in Russia.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/191
Selected reading. Binding Operational Directive 23-01 (CISA) CISA Directs Federal Agencies to Improve Cybersecurity Asset Visibility and Vulnerability Detection (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) CISA aims to expand cyber defense service across fed agencies, potentially further (Federal News Network) CISA directs federal agencies to track software and vulnerabilities (The Record by Recorded Future) Student, Teacher Data Not Affected in Los Angeles School District Hack (Wall Street Journal) ‘No evidence of widespread impact,’ LAUSD says of data released by hackers (KTLA) New API Threat Research Shows that Shadow APIs Are the Top Threat Vecto (Cequence Security) Secureworks State of the Threat Report 2022: 52% of ransomware incidents over the past year started with compromise of unpatched remote services (Secureworks) Russian Citizens Wage Cyberwar From Within (Kyiv Post) Russian Hackers Take Aim at Kremlin Targets: Report (Infosecurity Magazine) Russian retail chain 'DNS' confirms hack after data leaked online (BleepingComputer)
Two Microsoft Exchange zero-days exploited in the wild. A supply chain attack, possibly from Chinese intelligence services. There’s new Lazarus activity: bring-your-own-vulnerable-driver. The Mexican government falls victim to apparent hacktivism. Flying under partial mobilization’s radar. Betsy Carmelite from Booz Allen Hamilton talks about addressing the cyber workforce skills gap. Our guest Rachel Tobac from SocialProof Security brings a musical approach to security awareness training. How’s your off-boarding program working out?
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/190
Selected reading. Microsoft Releases Guidance on Zero-Day Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server (CISA) Customer Guidance for Reported Zero-day Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server (Microsoft Security Response Center) Warning: New attack campaign utilized a new 0-day RCE vulnerability on Microsoft Exchange Server (GTSC) URGENT! Microsoft Exchange double zero-day – “like ProxyShell, only different” (Naked Security) Microsoft confirms two Exchange Server zero days are being used in cyberattacks (The Record by Recorded Future)Microsoft confirms new Exchange zero-days are used in attacks (BleepingComputer) Two Microsoft Exchange zero-days exploited in the wild. (CyberWre) CISA Adds Three Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog (CISA) Suspected Chinese hackers tampered with widely used customer chat program, researchers say (Reuters) Report: Commercial chat provider hijacked to spread malware in supply chain attack (The Record by Recorded Future) CrowdStrike Falcon Platform Identifies Supply Chain Attack via a Trojanized Comm100 Chat Installer (crowdstrike.com) Amazon‑themed campaigns of Lazarus in the Netherlands and Belgium (WeLiveSecurity) Lazarus & BYOVD: evil to the Windows core (Virus Bulletin) Lazarus hackers abuse Dell driver bug using new FudModule rootkit (BleepingComputer) Mexican government suffers major data hack, president's health issues revealed (Reuters) Mexican president confirms ‘Guacamaya’ hack targeting regional militaries (The Record by Recorded Future) Analysis: Mexico data hack exposes government cybersecurity vulnerability (Reuters) Russians dodging mobilization behind flourishing scam market (BleepingComputer) Honolulu Man Pleads Guilty to Sabotaging Former Employer’s Computer Network (US Department of Justice)
On this episode of CyberWire-X, we dive into the essential role of open-source intelligence in identifying cyber and physical threats and reducing risk across your organization. The CyberWire's CSO, Chief Analyst, and Senior Fellow, Rick Howard, is joined in the first half by Hash Table members Dr. Georgianna Shea, CCTI and TCIL Chief Technologist at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and Bob Turner, Field CISO – Education at Fortinet. In the second half of the show, CyberWire podcast host Dave Bittner talks with our episode sponsor risk intelligence firm Flashpoint's Chief Intelligence Officer Tom Hofmann. They explore the foundational importance of open source intelligence, which includes social media platforms and geospatial data and insights. Plus, they explore real-life examples of how organizations, from governments to commercial enterprises, are leveraging open source intelligence and technology every day to protect their people, places, assets, and critical infrastructure.
Kayla Williams, CISO of Devo, sits down to share her story, from graduating with a finance degree to rising to where she is now. She quickly learned that finance was not for her and changed paths, working towards gaining an information security certificate. From there she was able to excel and was offered the opportunity to move to England which changed her life. Working in her new role, she really enjoys thriving with her team. She says "We really try to be the department of no problem versus the department of no." She mentions how her and her team work on a day to day basis together solving issues and yet she says not everything related to cybersecurity needs to be a fire drill. She would rather her and her team build bridges in the face of adversity and in the face of people who may be naysayers. We thank Kayla for sharing her story.
David Prefer from SANS sits down with Dave to discuss how a new covert channel exfiltrates data via a browser's built-in bookmark sync. David goes on to describe how this research will "describe how the ability to synchronize bookmarks across devices introduces a novel vector for data exfiltration and other misuses." In the research, he shares how he tested his said hypothesis and goes on to describe how the interesting find was tested on multiple browsers including Chrome, Edge, Brave and Opera. In his research, he found that bookmarks are able to keep data and synchronize it, making it easier to infiltrate and extract data from. David shares the rest of his findings, as well as what organizations and browser developers can do to work on this new threat. The research can be found here: Bookmark Bruggling: Novel Data Exfiltration with Brugglemark
North Korean operators "weaponize" open-source software. The SolarMarker info-stealer returns. A quick review of Fast Company's WordPress hijacking incident. Deepfakes, and their evolution into an underworld and influence ops tool. Kinetic sabotage in the Baltic raises concerns about threats to infrastructure in cyberspace. Chris Novak from Verizon with a mid-year check in. Our guest is MK Palmore of Google Cloud on why collective cybersecurity ultimately depends on having a diverse, skilled workforce. And the US arrests three in two alleged spying cases.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/189
Selected reading. ZINC weaponizing open-source software (Microsoft Security Threat Intelligence | LinkedIn Threat Prevention and Defense) Lazarus Group Affiliate Uses Trojanized Open Source Apps in New Campaigns (Decipher) North Korea weaponizes open-source software. (CyberWire) Info-Stealing Malware, SolarMarker, is Using Watering Hole Attacks… (eSentire) Fast Company hack causes obscene Apple News notifications. (CyberWire) The Future of Deepfakes. (CyberWire) Fourth Nord Stream Leak Spotted, NATO Sees 'Sabotage' - The Moscow Times (The Moscow Times) Russian spy chief: West was behind sabotage of Nord Stream (Reuters) NATO Formally Blames Sabotage for Nord Stream Pipeline Damage (Wall Street Journal) NATO: Nord Stream pipeline leaks result of "sabotage" (Axios) Pentagon chief: Too soon to say who might be behind Nord Stream pipeline attack (www.euractiv.com) First on CNN: European security officials observed Russian Navy ships in vicinity of Nord Stream pipeline leaks (CNN) Mysterious Blasts and Gas Leaks: What We Know About the Pipeline Breaks in Europe (New York Times) NATO issues 'sabotage' warning after gas pipeline explosions (NBC News) Russia’s Purported Sabotage Of The Nord Stream Pipeline Marks A Point Of No Return (Forbes) Nach Angriff auf Nord Stream 1 und 2: Ist Deutschland vor russischen Hackern sicher? (WirtschaftsWoche) 'We all have to be worried': War in Ukraine boosts energy cyberattack risks, says Petrobras executive (Upstream Online) Finnish intelligence warns Russia ‘highly likely’ to turn to cyber in winter (The Record by Recorded Future) Ukraine War Goes Hybrid (Energy Intelligence) New Warnings from Ukraine About Looming Russian Cyberattacks (VOA)a Russian Cyber Efforts in Ukraine See Muted Results, Says Panel (USNI News) Ukraine-Russia Conflict: Ukraine Alerts Energy Enterprises to Possible Cyberattack Escalation (Security Boulevard) Ukraine is Winning the Cyber War (CEPA) Hitachi Energy MicroSCADA Pro X SYS600 (CISA) Hitachi Energy MicroSCADA Pro X SYS600 (CISA) Baxter Sigma Spectrum Infusion Pump (CISA) ARC Informatique PcVue (Update A) (CISA) Delta Electronics DOPSoft (CISA) Delta Electronics DOPSoft (Update B) (CISA) Former NSA Employee Arrested on Espionage-Related Charges (US Department of Justice) Major in the United States Army and a Maryland Doctor Facing Federal Indictment for Allegedly Providing Confidential Health Information to a Purported Russian Representative to Assist Russia Related to the Conflict In Ukraine (US Department of Justice)
Gray-hat support for Iranian dissidents. Selling access wholesale in the C2C market. Novel malware’s discovered targeting VMware hypervisors. The Witchetty espionage group uses an updated toolkit. Deepen Desai from Zscaler has a Technical Analysis of Industrial Spy Ransomware. Ann Johnson of Afternoon Cyber Tea speaks with Michal Braverman-Blumenstyk, CTO for Microsoft Security, about Israel's cyber innovation. And Russian troops phone call revelations.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/188
Selected reading. Hacker Groups take to Telegram, Signal and Darkweb to assist Protestors in Iran (Check Point Software) Hackers Use Telegram and Signal to Assist Protestors in Iran (Infosecurity Magazine) Hackers Aid Protests Against Iranian Government with Proxies, Leaks and Hacks (The Hacker News) Hackers seek to help — and profit from — Iran protests (The Record by Recorded Future) Ransomware and Wholesale Access Markets: A $10 investment can lead to millions in profit (Cybersixgill) Selling access wholesale in the C2C market. (CyberWire) Bad VIB(E)s Part One: Investigating Novel Malware Persistence Within ESXi Hypervisors (Mandiant) Bad VIB(E)s Part Two: Detection and Hardening within ESXi Hypervisors (Mandiant) Mandiant has identified new malware that targets VMware ESXi, Linux vCenter servers, and Windows virtual machines. (CyberWire) Securonix Threat Labs Security Advisory: Detecting STEEP#MAVERICK: New Covert Attack Campaign Targeting Military Contractors (Securonix) Steep#Maverick cyberespionage campaign. (CyberWire) Witchetty: Group Uses Updated Toolset in Attacks on Governments in Middle East (Symantec) Witchetty espionage group uses updated toolkit. (CyberWire) ‘Putin Is a Fool’: Intercepted Calls Reveal Russian Army in Disarray (New York Times) Cyber Warfare Rife in Ukraine, But Impact Stays in Shadows (SecurityWeek) Russian hackers' lack of success against Ukraine shows that strong cyber defences work, says cybersecurity chief (ZDNET) Failure of Russia’s cyber attacks on Ukraine is most important lesson for NCSC (ComputerWeekly)
DDoS remains the most characteristic mode of cyber ops in Russia's hybrid war against Ukraine. A leaked LockBit 3.0 builder is being used in ransomware attacks. Meta takes down Russian disinformation networks. Lazarus Group is spearphishing with bogus job offers. Joe Carrigan looks at SNAP benefit scams. Our guest is Crane Hassold of Abnormal Security with the latest in advanced email attack trends. And the cloud…is complicated.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/187
Selected reading. Adversaries Continue Cyberattack Onslaught with Greater Precision and Innovative Attack Methods According to 1H2022 NETSCOUT DDoS Threat Intelligence Report (NETSCOUT) Leaked LockBit 3.0 builder used by ‘Bl00dy’ ransomware gang in attacks (BleepingComputer) Removing Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior From China and Russia (Meta) Russia is spoofing mainstream media to smear Ukraine, Meta says (Protocol) Operation In(ter)ception: social engineering by the Lazarus Group. (CyberWire) How cloud complexity affects security. (CyberWire)
Ukraine's Defense Intelligence warns of coming Russian cyberattacks against infrastructure. Next moves for Lapsus$? We know it’s a bear market, but take a look at your wallet, crypto speculators, at least now and then. Mr Security Answer Person john Pescatore on next year's most over-hyped term. Ben Yelin explains a thirty five million dollar data privacy settlement. And, finally, developments in the Optus breach.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/186
Selected reading. Invaders Preparing Mass Cyberattacks on Facilities of Critical Infrastructure of Ukraine and Its Allies (Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine) Ukraine Says Russia Planning 'Massive Cyberattacks' on Critical Infrastructure (SecurityWeek) Ukraine warns of Russian cyber attacks targeting critical infrastructure (Computing) Russia plans “massive cyberattacks” on critical infrastructure, Ukraine warns (Ars Technica) Ukraine warns allies: Russia plans 'massive cyberattacks' (Register) Hackers Working With Russia to Coordinate Cyberattacks, Google Says - Tech News Briefing - WSJ Podcasts (Wall Street Journal) Viasat Hack "Did Not" Have Huge Impact on Ukrainian Military Communications, Official Says (Zero Day) Who’s next in Lapsus$’ crosshairs? (Digital Shadows) Report: Sift Uncovers New Cashout Scam Targeting Forgotten Crypto Accounts (GlobeNewswire News Room) Optus hacker releases 10,000 customers' details and issues new threat (Sky News) ‘Last thing I need’: Optus customer scrambles to protect himself (Australian Financial Review) An alleged hacker has offered their 'deepest apologies' to Optus. Here's the latest on the data breach (ABC) Singtel's Optus under further fire for cyber breach; purported hackers claim data deleted (The Straits Times) ‘Not feasible’ to crack properly encrypted data (Australian Financial Review) Optus hack not 'sophisticated' as claims 10,000 customers have data publicly released (9News) Everything Happening in This Optus Cyberattack Shitstorm, I Promise (Vice) Australian cybersecurity minister lambasts Optus for ‘unprecedented' hack (The Record by Recorded Future) FBI Working With Australian Authorities on Optus Cyberattack (MarketScreener)
Unrest in Iran finds expression in cyberspace. Albania explains its reasons for severing relations with Iran. Cybercrime in the hybrid war. Rick Howard on risk forecasting with data scientists. Dave Bittner sits down with Dr. Bilyana Lilly to discuss her new book: "Russian Information Warfare: Assault on Democracies in the Cyber Wild West."And there seems to have been an arrest in the Uber and Rockstar breaches.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/185
Selected reading. Iran’s War Within (Foreign Affairs) Iran’s Hijab Protests Have Lit a Fire the Regime Can’t Put Out (World Politics Review) ‘Something big is happening’: the Iranians risking everything to protest (the Guardian) Dissident: 'Iranian women are furious' over headscarf death (AP NEWS) OpIran: Anonymous declares war on Teheran amid Mahsa Amini’s death (Security Affairs) IDF official says military foiled ‘dozens’ of Iran cyberattacks on civilian sites (Times of Israel) Analysis | 'Our Conflict With Iran Is Unparalleled', Say Israel's Elite Cyber Unit Commanders (Haaretz) US Issues License to Expand Internet Access for Iranians (VOA) US Treasury carves out Iran sanctions exceptions for internet providers (The Record by Recorded Future) Iran and Albania: diplomacy and cyber operations (CyberWire) Ukraine dismantles hacker gang that stole 30 million accounts (BleepingComputer) The SBU neutralized a hacker group that "hacked" almost 30 million accounts of Ukrainian and EU citizens (SSU) Les détails personnels de stars, dont Sir David Attenborough et Sarah Ferguson, ont été divulgués après le piratage d'un magasin bio par des escrocs russes (News 24) London Police Arrested 17-Year-Old Hacker Suspected of Uber and GTA 6 Breaches (The Hacker News) UK teen suspected of Uber and Rockstar hacks arrested (Computing)
Adam Marrè, CISO from Arctic Wolf sits down to share his story of rising through the ranks. After 9/11 he decided he wanted to make a difference in the world and so he chose to go into the FBI, there he learned the skills that got him to where he is today. In his time at the FBI, he was able to do what he loved which was working with computers while gaining more knowledge on cybersecurity and became computer forensic certified. Ultimately he needed a change in the end and decided to leave the FBI, He was able to learn the leadership skills he needed to move past that career path and follow a new dream. He is now able to share his passion with the world and help people understand security to help protect themselves as well as helping people finding success in their careers and in their lives. We thank Adam for sharing his story.
Gafnit Amiga, Director of Security Research from Lightspin joins Dave to discuss her team's research "AWS RDS Vulnerability Leads to AWS Internal Service Credentials." The research describes how the vulnerability was caught and right after it was reported the AWS Security team applied an initial patch limited only to the recent Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) and Aurora PostgreSQL engines, excluding older versions. They followed by personally reaching out to the customers affected by the vulnerability and helped them through the update process. The research states "Lightspin's Research Team obtained credentials to an internal AWS service by exploiting a local file read vulnerability on the RDS EC2 instance using the log_fdw extension." The research can be found here: AWS RDS Vulnerability Leads to AWS Internal Service Credentials
The GRU's closely coordinating with cyber criminals. An unidentified threat actor deploys malicious NPM packets. Gootloader uses blogging and SEO poisoning to attract victims. Metador is a so-far unattributed threat actor. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on Resilient DNS Infrastructure. Maria Varmazis interviews Anthony Colangelo, host of spaceflight podcast Main Engine Cutoff, about the iPhone 14 “Emergency SOS via Satellite” feature. And having too much time on your hands while doing time is not a good thing.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/184
Selected reading. GRU: Rise of the (Telegram) MinIOns (Mandiant) Void Balaur | The Sprawling Infrastructure of a Careless Mercenary (SentinelOne) An unidentified threat actor deploys malicious NPM packets (CyberWire) Threat analysis: Malicious npm package mimics Material Tailwind CSS tool (ReversingLabs) A Multimillion Dollar Global Online Credit Card Scam Uncovered (ReasonLabs) Gootloader Poisoned Blogs Uncovered by Deepwatch’s ATI Team (Deepwatch) The Mystery of Metador | An Unattributed Threat Hiding in Telcos, ISPs, and Universities (SentinelOne) SC inmate sentenced for ‘sextortion’ scheme that targeted military (Stars and Stripes)
GRU operators masquerade as Ukrainian telecommunications providers. Another video game maker is compromised to spread malware. Noberus may be a successor to Darkside and BlackMatter ransomware. Robert M. Lee from Dragos explains Crown Jewel analysis. Our guest is Nathan Hunstad from Code42 with thoughts on insider risk events. Threat actors have their insider threats, too.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/183
Selected reading. Russia-Nexus UAC-0113 Emulating Telecommunication Providers in Ukraine (Recorded Future) Russian Cyberspies Targeting Ukraine Pose as Telecoms Providers (SecurityWeek) Shadowy Russian Cell Phone Companies Are Cropping Up in Ukraine (WIRED) CISA Alert AA22-264A – Iranian state actors conduct cyber operations against the government of Albania. (CyberWire) Iranian State Actors Conduct Cyber Operations Against the Government of Albania (CISA) 2K Games says hacked help desk targeted players with malware (BleepingComputer) 2K Games helpdesk hacked to spread malware to players (TechRadar) Rockstar parent company hacked again as 2K Support sends users malware (Dexerto) ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ leak is Rockstar’s nightmare, YouTubers’ dream (Washington Post) Noberus Ransomware: Darkside and BlackMatter Successor Continues to Evolve its Tactics (Symantec) LockBit ransomware builder leaked online by “angry developer” (BleepingComputer)
This alert builds on previous NSA and CISA guidance to stop malicious ICS activity and reduce OT exposure. The alert documentation linked in the show notes describes TTPs that malicious actors use to compromise OT/ICS assets. It also recommends mitigations that owners and operators can use to defend their systems from each of the listed TTPs. NSA and CISA encourage OT and ICS owners and operators to apply the recommendations in this documentation. AA22-265A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations NSA and CISA guidance to stop malicious ICS activity and reduce OT exposure For NSA client requirements or general cybersecurity inquiries, contact Cybersecurity_Requests@nsa.gov. To report incidents and anomalous activity or to request incident response resources or technical assistance related to these threats, contact CISA at report@cisa.gov. To report incidents and anomalous activity or to request incident response resources or technical assistance related to these threats, contact CISA at report@cisa.gov, or call (888) 282-0870, or report incidents to your local FBI field office.
In July 2022, Iranian state cyber actors—identifying as “HomeLand Justice”—launched a destructive cyber attack against the Government of Albania which rendered websites and services unavailable. An FBI investigation indicates Iranian state cyber actors acquired initial access to the victim’s network approximately 14 months before launching the destructive cyber attack, which included a ransomware-style file encryptor and disk wiping malware. AA22-264A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations CISA’s free Cyber Hygiene Services (CyHy) CISA’s zero–trust principles and architecture. Iran Cyber Threat Overview and Advisories. All organizations should report incidents and anomalous activity to CISA’s 24/7 Operations Center at central@cisa.dhs.gov or (888) 282-0870 and to the FBI via your local FBI field office or the FBI’s 24/7 CyWatch at (855) 292-3937 or CyWatch@fbi.gov.
It’s partial mobilization in Russia, and airline flights departing Russia are said to be sold out. Further notes on the IT Army's claimed hack of the Wagner Group. Leveraging Netflix for credential harvesting. Rockstar Games suffers a leak of new Grand Theft Auto footage. Ben Yelin has the latest on regulations targeting crypto. Our guest is Amy Williams from BlueVoyant discussing the value of feminine energy in the male dominated field of cybersecurity. CISA releases eight ICS Advisories.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/182
Selected reading. Russia moves toward annexing Ukraine regions in a major escalation (Washington Post) Four occupied Ukraine regions plan imminent ‘votes’ on joining Russia (the Guardian) Putin sets partial military call-up, won’t ‘bluff’ on nukes (AP NEWS) Putin announces partial military mobilization for Russian citizens (Axios) Pro-Ukraine Hacktivists Claim to Have Hacked Notorious Russian Mercenary Group (Vice) Fresh Phish: Netflix Bad Actors Go Behind the Scenes to Stage a Credential Harvesting Heist (INKY) Leveraging Netflix for credential harvesting. (CyberWire) Social Engineering: How A Teen Hacker Allegedly Managed To Breach Both Uber And Rockstar Games (Forbes) Rockstar Games suffers leak of new Grand Theft Auto footage. (CyberWire) LastPass source code breach – incident response report released (Naked Security) Notice of Recent Security Incident (The LastPass Blog) The LastPass incident. (CyberWire) Medtronic NGP 600 Series Insulin Pumps (CISA) Hitachi Energy PROMOD IV (CISA) Hitachi Energy AFF660/665 Series (CISA) Dataprobe iBoot-PDU (CISA) Host Engineering Communications Module (CISA) AutomationDirect DirectLOGIC with Ethernet (CISA) AutomationDirect DirectLOGIC with Serial Communication (CISA) MiCODUS MV720 GPS tracker (Update A) (CISA)
An overview of Russian cyber operations. The IT Army of Ukraine claims to have doxed the Wagner Group. Who dunnit? Lapsus$ dunnit. Emily Mossburg from Deloitte and Shelley Zalis of the Female Quotient on why gender equality is essential to the success of the cyber industry. We’ve got a special preview of the International Spy Museum's SpyCast's latest episode with host Andrew Hammond interviewing Robert Gates on the 75th anniversary of the CIA. And a look at the risk of stolen single sign-on credentials.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/181
Selected reading. Ukraine's IT Army hacks Russia's Wagner Group (Computing) Untangling the Russian web: Spies, proxies, and spectrums of Russian cyber behavior (Atlantic Council) Security update | Uber Newsroom (Uber Newsroom) Tentative attribution in the Uber breach. (CyberWire) Uber says Lapsus$-linked hacker responsible for breach (Reuters) Uber blames security breach on Lapsus$, says it bought credentials on the dark web (ZDNET) Uber's breach shows how hackers keep finding a way in (Protocol) Uber attributes hack to Lapsus$, working with FBI and DOJ on investigation (The Record by Recorded Future) Uber data breach spotlights need for enterprises to ‘get the basics right’, say experts (ITP.net) "Keys to the Kingdom" at Risk: Analyzing Exposed SSO Credentials of Public Companies (Bitsight)
An update on the Uber breach. Emotet and other malware delivery systems. Belarusian Cyber Partisans work against the regime in Minsk. Grayson Milbourne of OpenText Security Solutions on the arms race for vulnerabilities. Rick Howard continues his exploration of cyber risk. And risky piracy sites–that’s on the Internet, kids, not the high seas.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/180
Selected reading. Developments in the case of the Uber breach. (CyberWire) Preliminary lessons from the Uber breach. (CyberWire) Uber says “no evidence” user accounts were compromised in hack (The Verge) Uber Claims No Sensitive Data Exposed in Latest Breach… But There's More to This (The Hacker News) Uber apparently hacked by teen, employees thought it was a joke (The Verge) Uber hacker claims to have full control of company's cloud-based servers (9to5Mac) The Uber Hack’s Devastation Is Just Starting to Reveal Itself (WIRED) Uber was breached to its core, purportedly by an 18-year-old. Here’s what’s known (Ars Technica) Uber hacked by teen who annoyed employee into logging them in - report (Jerusalem Post) 18-year-old allegedly hacks Uber and sends employees messages on Slack (Interesting Engineering) Uber Investigating Massive Security Breach by Alleged Teen Hacker (Gizmodo) Uber cyber attack: protecting against social engineering (Information Age) Threat actor breaches many of Uber’s critical systems (Cybersecurity Dive) Uber hacker claims to have full control of company's cloud-based servers (9to5Mac) Uber confirms hack in the the latest access and identity nightmare for corporate America (SC Media) Uber hacked, attacker tears through the company's systems (Help Net Security) Uber confirms it is investigating cybersecurity incident (The Record by Recorded Future) UBER HAS BEEN HACKED, boasts hacker – how to stop it happening to you (Naked Security) Emotet and other malware delivery systems. (CyberWire) Emotet botnet now pushes Quantum and BlackCat ransomware (BleepingComputer) AdvIntel's State of Emotet aka "SpmTools" Displays Over Million Compromised Machines Through 2022 (AdvIntel) August’s Top Malware: Emotet Knocked off Top Spot by FormBook while GuLoader and Joker Disrupt the Index (Check Point Software) How Belarusian hacktivists are using digital tools to fight back (The Record by Recorded Future) Malvertising on piracy sites. (CyberWire) Unholy Triangle (Digital Citizens' Alliance) Piracy Advertising Researchers Fall Victim to Ransomware Attacks (TorrentFreak)
Jaya Baloo, a Chief Information Security Officer from Avast sits down to share her story, sharing how she got into the technology field at a younger age with being introduced to computers and games on her PS 24. She started off going to college for political science and after not knowing what to do after that, she got her first start in cybersecurity. After falling in love with cybersecurity she kept moving up the ranks in different organizations before finding herself at Avast. She shares that at Avast she leans on her team quite a bit and you should never be afraid to bounce ideas off of your teammates. She says "The best ideas come from like bouncing ideas off of each other, sharing within the group and then if I can't figure it out myself, that's why I hire these amazing individuals it's to help me figure it out." We thank Jaya for sharing her story.
Sam Crowther, CEO of Kasada join's Dave to discuss their work on "The New Way Fraudsters Bypass Bot Management." Kasada researchers recently discovered a new type of bot called Solver Services, which is used and created by bad actors to bypass the majority of bot management systems. The research states "Now it’s easier than ever for mainstream bot operators to scrape content, take over accounts, hoard inventory, and commit other forms of automated fraud against organizations using legacy bot management solutions." Attackers are able to by these “Solver” bots, APIs, and services for less than $500 per month to make a profit. The research can be found here: The Emergence of Solver Services: The New Way Fraudsters Bypass Bot Management Vendors
Uber suffers a data breach. Social media executives testify before Congress. A Large DDoS attack is thwarted in Eastern Europe. The FBI warns of increased cyberattacks against healthcare payment processors. Policy makers consider new OT security incentives. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture on future-proof cloud security. Our guest Diana Kelley from Cybrize discusses the need for innovation and entrepreneurship in cybersecurity. And if you’ve been hoping for a LockerGoga decryptor, you’re in luck.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/179
Selected reading. Uber hacked, internal systems breached and vulnerability reports stolen (BleepingComputer) Uber suffers computer system breach, alerts authorities (Washington Post) Uber Investigating Data Breach After Hacker Claims Extensive Compromise (SecurityWeek) Uber Investigating Breach of Its Computer Systems (New York Times) Uber investigating "total compromise" of its internal systems (Computing) There’s No Honor Among Thieves: Carding Forum Staff Defraud Users in an ESCROW Scam (Digital Shadows) Social media hearings highlight lack of trust, transparency in sector (The Record by Recorded Future) Breaking the Boycott (Cybersixgill) Record-Breaking DDoS Attack in Europe (Akamai) Cyber Criminals Targeting Healthcare Payment Processors, Costing Victims Millions in Losses (FBI) Siemens Mobility CoreShield OWG Software (CISA) Siemens Simcenter Femap and Parasolid (CISA) Siemens RUGGEDCOM ROS (CISA) Siemens Mendix SAML Module (CISA) Siemens SINEC INS (CISA) Siemens RUGGEDCOM ROS (Update A) (CISA) Simcenter Femap and Parasolid (CISA) Siemens Industrial Products Intel CPUs (Update A) (CISA) Siemens OpenSSL Affected Industrial Products (CISA) Siemens OpenSSL Vulnerability in Industrial Products (Update E) (CISA) Siemens SCALANCE (CISA) CISA Adds Six Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog (CISA) Building on our Baseline: Securing Industrial Control Systems Against Cyberattacks (House Committee on Homeland Security) Bitdefender Releases Universal LockerGoga Decryptor in Cooperation with Law Enforcement (Bitdefender Labs)
This joint Cybersecurity Advisory highlights continued malicious cyber activity by advanced persistent threat actors affiliated with the Iranian Government’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The IRGC-affiliated actors are actively targeting a broad range of entities, including entities across multiple U.S. critical infrastructure sectors as well as Australian, Canadian, and United Kingdom organizations. AA22-257A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations AA22-257A.stix CISA’s Iran Cyber Threat Overview and Advisories FBI’s Iran Threat webpage. Iranian Government-Sponsored APT Cyber Actors Exploiting Microsoft Exchange and Fortinet Vulnerabilities in Furtherance of Malicious Activities Technical Approaches to Uncovering and Remediating Malicious Activity All organizations should report incidents and anomalous activity to CISA’s 24/7 Operations Center at central@cisa.dhs.gov or (888) 282-0870 and to the FBI via your local FBI field office or the FBI’s 24/7 CyWatch at (855) 292-3937 or CyWatch@fbi.gov.
Nuisance-level DDoS and cyberespionage continue to mark Russia's cyber campaign in the hybrid war. There’s a US Presidential memorandum on software supply chain security. Webworm repurposes older RATs. Trends in cyber insurance claims. OriginLogger may be the new Agent Tesla. The SparklingGoblin APT described. Mathieu Gorge of VigiTrust describes cyber vulnerabilities in the hospitality industry. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf explains a PayPal phishing attack. And Royal funeral phishbait.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/178
Selected reading. Pro-Russia hackers claim to have temporarily brought down Japanese govt websites (Asia News Network) Gamaredon APT targets Ukrainian government agencies in new campaign (Cisco Talos) Russia-linked Gamaredon APT target Ukraine with a new info-stealer (Security Affairs) Fears grow of Russian spies turning to industrial espionage (The Record by Recorded Future) Enhancing the Security of the Software Supply Chain through Secure Software Development Practices (The White House) Enhancing the Security of the Software Supply Chain to Deliver a Secure Government Experience (The White House) White House releases post-SolarWinds federal software security requirements (Federal News Network) Webworm: Espionage Attackers Testing and Using Older Modified RATs (Threat Hunter Team Symantec) Coalition Releases 2022 Cyber Claims Report: Mid-year Update (GlobeNewswire News Room) OriginLogger: A Look at Agent Tesla’s Successor (Unit 42) You never walk alone: The SideWalk backdoor gets a Linux variant (WeLiveSecurity) [Scam site harvests credentials] (Proofpoint) Current, former social media execs address national security issues at Senate hearing (Fox Business) Senators Have Stopped Embarrassing Themselves at Tech Hearings (Slate Magazine)
Patch Tuesday notes. The US Senate Judiciary Committee hears from the Twitter whistleblower. Joint warning of IRGC cyber activity. Rob Boyce from Accenture on cybercriminals weaponizing leaked ransomware data. Chris Novak from Verizon describes his participation in the CISA Advisory Board. And Ukraine reiterates confidence in its resiliency.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/177
Selected reading. Adobe Patches 63 Security Flaws in Patch Tuesday Bundle (SecurityWeek) Microsoft Releases September 2022 Security Updates (CISA) Microsoft's September Patch Tuesday fixes five critical bugs (Computing) Microsoft Raises Alert for Under-Attack Windows Flaw (SecurityWeek) SAP Security Patch Day September 2022 (Onapsis) Apple Releases Security Updates for Multiple Products (CISA) Apple fixes eighth zero-day used to hack iPhones and Macs this year (BleepingComputer) Apple Will Let You Remove Rapid Security Response Updates in iOS 16 (Mac Rumors) Data Security at Risk: Testimony from a Twitter Whistleblower (United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary) Twitter Employees Have Too Much Access to Data, Whistleblower Says (Wall Street Journal) Twitter whistleblower reveals employees concerned China agent could collect user data (Reuters) Security failures cause ‘real harm to real people’ (Washington Post) Twitter whistleblower testifies to Congress, calls for tech regulation reforms (The Record by Recorded Future) The Search for Dirt on the Twitter Whistle-Blower (The New Yorker) Whistle-Blower Says Twitter ‘Chose to Mislead’ on Security Flaws (New York Times) Twitter whistleblower says site put growth over security (Computing) Written Statement of Peiter (“Mudge”) Zatko United States Senate Judiciary Committee September 13, 2022 (Katz Banks Kumin) What we learned when Twitter whistleblower Mudge testified to Congress (TechCrunch) How China became big business for Twitter (Reuters) Twitter whistleblower exposes limits of FTC’s power (Washington Post) Twitter Whistle-Blower Testimony Spurs Calls for Tech Regulator (Bloomberg) Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Affiliated Cyber Actors Exploiting Vulnerabilities for Data Extortion and Disk Encryption for Ransom Operations (CISA) Ukraine’s Cyberwar Chief Sounds Like He’s Winning (WIRED) DDoS attacks on financial sector surge during war in Ukraine, new FCA data reveals (PR Newswire)
In this extended interview, CyberWire Daily Podcast host Dave Bittner sits down with members of the FBI's Baltimore field office: Special Agent in Charge, Tom Sobocinski, and Supervisory Special Agent for Cyber, Tom Breeden. As part of the FBI's cybersecurity awareness campaign, they discuss what the FBI can do to enhance and amplify cyber efforts in ways unlike any other public or private organization. This interview from August 30, 2022 originally aired as a shortened version on the CyberWire Daily Podcast.
Apple patches its software. Reviewing the cyber phase of a hybrid war. The return of the (ShadowPad) alumni. Phishing from the Static Expressway. The state of cloud security. Overconfidence comes at a cost. Ann Johnson of Afternoon Cyber Tea speaks with Dr. Josephine Wolff from the Fletcher School about cyber insurance past. My conversation with FBI special agents Tom Sobocinski and Tom Breeden. And Charming Kitten and group-think in social engineering.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/176
Selected reading. Apple security updates (Apple Support) Ukraine Cyber War Update September 2022 (CyberCube) New Wave of Espionage Activity Targets Asian Governments (Broadcom Software Blogs) Chinese gov’t hackers using ‘diverse’ toolset to target Asian prime ministers, telecoms (The Record by Recorded Future) Leveraging Facebook Ads to Send Credential Harvesting Links (Avanan) Unpatched and Outdated Medical Devices Provide Cyber Attack Opportunities (FBI) CFO Cyber Security Survey: Over-Confidence is Costly (Kroll) Snyk’s State of Cloud Security Report Reveals 80% of Organizations Have Experienced a Severe Cloud Security Incident in Past Year (Snyk) Look What You Made Me Do: TA453 Uses Multi-Persona Impersonation to Capitalize on FOMO (Proofpoint) Iranian military using spoofed personas to target nuclear security researchers (The Record by Recorded Future) Alleged cyber commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard named by opposition outlet (Times of Israel)
Albania reports additional cyberattacks from Iran over the weekend. RaidForums has a new successor. A look at threat actor reconnaissance in the contemporary Internet. Kinetic strikes hit Ukraine’s infrastructure. Rick Howard calculates risk with classic mathematical theorems. Tim Eades from Cyber Mentor Fund on the dynamic nature of the attack surface. And a look into the cyber phase of the hybrid war.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/175
Selected reading. Albania blames Iran for second cyberattack since July (CNN) Treasury Sanctions Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Minister for Malign Cyber Activities (US Department of the Treasury) Iran strongly condemns US sanctions over Albania hacking (Al Arabiya) Six months into Breached: The legacy of RaidForums? (KELA) 2022 State of the Internet Report (Censys) Ukraine hails snowballing offensive, blames Russia for blackouts (Reuters) Ukraine says Russia is retaliating by hitting critical infrastructure, causing blackouts. (New York Times) Last reactor at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant stopped (Associated Press) Ukraine Warns Russian Cyber Onslaught Is Coming (Voice of America) Montenegro wrestles with massive cyberattack, Russia blamed (ABC News) CyberCube: Russia’s Sovereign Internet Creates Security Risks With Implications for Cyber (Re)Insurance While War in Ukraine Develops (Associated Press)
Mark Logan, CEO of One Identity, sits down to share his story, explaining how he fit into different roles growing up in different companies. Mark has nearly two decades of C-Suite experience at an array of different organizations, finally landing on his current position as the CEO at One Identity. Sharing his different roles, he also gives a quote from Steve Jobs, saying "it's not what I say yes to, it's what I say no to." He believes that's a key area for his workers because when he is able to make up his mind, his team and his customers have someone they can rely on. Mark says that as a CEO he wants to share the advice of always marching towards your goals, and identifying that different people have different goals because they work in different fields, but that's what makes a company work best. He says "I've found that the more you can delegate, provided you've got the right folks in place the better." We thank Mark for sharing his story.
From the 20th anniversary of 9/11 in 2021, Rick Howard, the CyberWire’s CSO, Chief Analyst, and Senior Fellow, recounts his experience from inside the Pentagon running the communications systems for the Army Operations Center. CyberWire Pro subscribers also get exclusive access to Rick's original 2001 essay with notes from the day of the attack. If you would like to check that out, you can subscribe today.
Deepen Desai from Zscaler ThreatLabz joins Dave to discuss their work on "Return of the Evilnum APT with updated TTPs and new targets." Zscaler’s ThreatLabz team recently caught a new Evilnum APT attack campaign that uses the document template on MS Office Word to inject malicious payload to the victim's machine. There are three new instances used of the campaign, including updated tactics, techniques, and procedures. Researchers have been closely monitoring Evilnum APT’s activity. They ssay ThreatLabz identified several domains associated with the Evilnum APT group. Which has led them to discover that the "group has been successful at flying under the radar and has remained undetected for a long time." The research can be found here: Return of the Evilnum APT with updated TTPs and new targets
Nation-states are expected to target the US midterm elections. North Korea’s Lazarus Group is targeting energy companies. The Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation on cyber lessons learned from Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine. CISA flags twelve known exploited vulnerabilities for attention and remediation. Vulnerable anti-cheat engines used for malicious purposes. Steve Carter from Nucleus Security has thoughts on AI in cybersecurity. Roland Cloutier, former CSO of TikTok, discusses working around the changing career field, needs, and how enterprise executives are developing and finding talent. And a look at top gaming-related malware lures.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/174
Selected reading. Mandiant ‘highly confident’ foreign cyberspies will target US midterm elections (The Register) What to Expect When You’re Electing: Preparing for Cyber Threats to the 2022 U.S. Midterm Elections (Mandiant) North Korea’s Lazarus hackers are exploiting Log4j flaw to hack US energy companies (TechCrunch) Lazarus and the tale of three RATs (Cisco Talos) How Gaming Cheats Are Cashing in Below the Operating System (Eclypsium) Good game, well played: an overview of gaming-related cyberthreats in 2022 (Securelist) Cybercriminals target games popular with kids to distribute malware (The Register) CISA Adds Twelve Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog (CISA)
Bronze President shows both enduring interests and adaptability. Iranian threat actor activity is reported. Cybersecurity and small-to-medium businesses. An initial access broker repurposes Conti's old playbook for use against Ukraine. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on Scanning for VoIP Servers. Our guest is Ian Smith from Chronosphere on observability. And Kyivstar as a case study in telco resiliency.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/173
Selected reading. BRONZE PRESIDENT Targets Government Officials (Secureworks) APT42: Crooked Charms, Cons, and Compromises (Mandiant) Profiling DEV-0270: PHOSPHORUS’ ransomware operations (Microsoft) Albania cuts diplomatic ties with Iran over July cyberattack (The Washington Post) Initial access broker repurposing techniques in targeted attacks against Ukraine (Google) Unprecedented Shift: The Trickbot Group is Systematically Attacking Ukraine (IBM SecurityIntelligence) Ransomware gang's Cobalt Strike servers DDoSed with anti-Russia messages (BleepingComputer) Ukraine’s largest telecom stands against Russian cyberattacks (POLITICO)
The Albanian government attributes a disruptive cyber attack to Iran. TikTok says it’s found no evidence of a data breach. Researchers have discovered a new strain of Linux malware. US agencies warn of ransomware targeting the education sector. Finland prepares to increase its cybersecurity capacity. Deepen Desai from Zscaler on the latest updates to Raccoon Stealer. Our guest is Lance Spitzner from the SANS Institute with results of their recent Security Awareness Report. And a fond farewell to the father of Let’s Encrypt.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/172
Selected reading. Albania cuts Iran ties over cyberattack, U.S. vows further action (Reuters) Statement by NSC Spokesperson Adrienne Watson on Iran’s Cyberattack against Albania (The White House) TikTok Data Breach Exposing 2B Records And Source Code May Not Have Happened After All (Hot Hardware) TikTok Denies Data Breach Reportedly Exposing Over 2 Billion Users' Information (The Hacker News) Shikitega - New stealthy malware targeting Linux (AT&T Alien Labs)
StopRansomware: Vice Society (CISA)
Peter Eckersley, tech activist and founder of Let's Encrypt, dies at 43 (Techspot) Honoring Peter Eckersley, Who Made the Internet a Safer Place for Everyone (Electronic Frontier Foundation)
CISA, the FBI, and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, or MS ISAC, are releasing this advisory to disseminate indicators of compromise and TTPs associated with Vice Society actors and their ransomware campaigns. The FBI, CISA, and the MS-ISAC have recently observed Vice Society actors disproportionately targeting the education sector with ransomware attacks. AA22-249A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations Stopransomware.gov is a whole-of-government approach that gives one central location for ransomware resources and alerts. Resource to mitigate a ransomware attack: CISA-Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) Joint Ransomware Guide. No-cost cyber hygiene services: Cyber Hygiene Services and Ransomware Readiness Assessment. All organizations should report incidents and anomalous activity to CISA’s 24/7 Operations Center at central@cisa.dhs.gov or (888) 282-0870 and to the FBI via your local FBI field office or the FBI’s 24/7 CyWatch at (855) 292-3937 or CyWatch@fbi.gov.
A Phishing-as-a-service offering on the dark web bypasses MFA. The Worok cyberespionage group is active in Central Asia and the Middle East. Prynt Stealer and the evolution of commodity malware. Sharkbot malware reemerged in Google Play. BlackCat/ALPHV claims credit for attack on the Italian energy sector. Joe Carrigan shares stats on social engineering. Our guest is Angela Redmond from BARR Advisory with six cybersecurity KPIs. And the Los Angeles Unified School District was hit with ransomware.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/171
Selected reading. EvilProxy Phishing-As-A-Service With MFA Bypass Emerged In Dark Web (Resecurity) Worok: The big picture (WeLiveSecurity) Dev backdoors own malware to steal data from other hackers (BleepingComputer) The Prynt Stealer malware contains a secret backdoor. Crooks steal data from other cybercriminals (Security Affairs) Fake Antivirus and Cleaner Apps Caught Installing SharkBot Android Banking Trojan (The Hacker News) SharkBot malware sneaks back on Google Play to steal your logins (BleepingComputer) BlackCat ransomware claims attack on Italian energy agency (BleepingComputer) 11.84GB of United States Military Contractor and Military Reserve data has been leaked. (vx-underground) Hackers honeytrap Russian troops into sharing location, base bombed: Report (Newsweek) LAUSD hit by hackers in apparent cyber attack (FOX 11 Los Angeles) Los Angeles Unified Targeted by Ransomware Atta (Los Angeles Unified School District)
Rick Howard, the Cyberwire’s CSO and Chief Analyst, is joined by Hash Table members Ann Johnson, Microsoft’s Corporate VP on Security, Compliance, & Identity, and Ted Wagner, the SAP National Security Services CISO, t0 discuss supply chain as a new CISO responsibility.
Anjali Hansen, a senior privacy counselor from Noname Security shares her story as she climbed through the ranks to get to where she is toady. When Anjali started she wanted to do international law. She started working for the International Trade Commission after law school which is where she was able to gain most of her experience and gain real world abilities. Working with online fraud and abuse, she shares, concerned her because it felt like governments could not protect organizations from threats occurring, which is how she got interested in cyber crime. From there, she moved to Noname Security and working there she found that she is working with every group in the organization, creating a cross team collaboration and how much she admires that type of model. She says "We have to help other departments protect the data because the data's throughout an organization, it's in HR, it's in sales and marketing, it's in IT, it's in finance. So you have to be able to work with all these teams." We thank Anjali for sharing her story.
Ryan Kovar from Splunk sits down with Dave to discuss their findings in "Truth in Malvertising?" that contradict the LockBit group's encryption speed claims. Splunk's SURGe team recently released a whitepaper, blog, and video that outlined the encryption speeds of 10 different ransomware families. During their research they cam across Lockbit doing the same thing. After completing the research, the researchers came back to test the veracity of LockBit’s findings. The research showed three interesting finds. The first find showed that LockBit’s fastest and slowest samples were closely aligned between the tests, but the other results were very different. They also found that LockBit continues to be the fastest ransomware, but LockBit 2.0 was more efficient yet slower than its previous counterpart, LockBit 1.0. Lastly, once ransomware gets to the point of encrypting your systems, it’s too late. The research can be found here: Truth in Malvertising?
REvil (or an impostor, or successor) may be back. A Paris-area medical center continues to work to recover from cyber extortion. An assessment of Russian failure (or disinclination) to mount effective cyber campaigns. Cyber criminals find wartime to be a tough time. Josh Ray from Accenture looks at cyber threats to the rail industry. Our guest is Dan Murphy of Invicti making the case that not all vulnerabilities are created equal. And Yandex Taxi’s app was hacked in a nuisance attack.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/170
Selected reading. REvil says they breached electronics giant Midea Group (Cybernews) Paralysed French hospital fights cyber attack as hackers lower ransom demand (RFI) French hospital hit by $10M ransomware attack, sends patients elsewhere (BleepingComputer) Hacks tied to Russia and Ukraine war have had minor impact, researchers say (The Record by Recorded Future) Getting Bored of Cyberwar: Exploring the Role of the Cybercrime Underground in the Russia-Ukraine Conflict (arXiv:2208.10629v2) Why Russia's cyber war in Ukraine hasn't played out as predicted (New Atlas) Cyber key in Ukraine war, says spy chief (The Canberra Times) Montenegro Sent Back to Analog by Unprecedented Cyber Attacks (Balkan Insight) Montenegro blames criminal gang for cyber attacks on government (EU Reporter) Ransomware Attack Sends Montenegro Reaching Out to NATO Partners (Bloomberg) “I’m tired of living in poverty” – Russian-Speaking Cyber Criminals Feeling the Economic Pinch (Digital Shadows) Yandex Taxi hack creates huge traffic jam in Moscow (Cybernews) Anonymous hacked Russia's largest taxi firm and caused a massive traffic jam (Daily Star)
The BianLian ransomware gang is better at coding than at the business of crime. The Attack on Montenegro seems to be ransomware. A look at Ragnar Locker's current interests. Recruiting for gangland gets allusive, but those who know, well, they know. Our guest is Dan Lanir of OPSWAT with insights on recent federal legislation supporting cyber jobs. Ben Yelin lexamines a lawsuit filed by the FTC against an online data broker. And it’s Insider Threat Month, so keep an eye on yourself.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/169
Selected reading. BianLian Ransomware Gang Gives It a Go! ([redacted]) Montenegro blames criminal gang for cyber attacks on government (Reuters) FBI's team to investigate massive cyberattack in Montenegro (AP NEWS) US issues rare security alert as Montenegro battles ransomware (TechCrunch) Cuba ransomware group claims attack on Montenegro government (IT PRO) Cuba Ransomware Team claims credit for attack on Montenegro (Databreaches.net) Montenegro blames Cuba ransomware for cyberattack (Cybernews) Cybercriminals Apparently Involved in Russia-Linked Attack on Montenegro Government (SecurityWeek) THREAT ANALYSIS REPORT: Ragnar Locker Ransomware Targeting the Energy Sector (Cybereason) Behind the News: The Ragnar Locker Attack on Greek Natural Gas Supplier DESFA - Radiflow (Radiflow) Mobile App Supply Chain Vulnerabilities Could Endanger Sensitive Business Information (Broadcom Software Blogs / Threat Intelligence) “Looking for pentesters”: How Forum Life Has Conformed to the Ransomware Ban (Digital Shadows) NCSC and Federal Partners Focus on Countering Risk in Digital Spaces during National Insider Threat Awareness Month 2022 (ODNI)
While multi-cloud brings significant benefits, it also poses serious security risks. And identity is the reason. Each cloud platform, such as Azure, Google, and AWS, uses proprietary identity systems, and the lack of interoperability makes it unruly to manage. These disparate systems can’t talk to each other resulting in a fragmented environment full of identity silos — the perfect way for an attacker to get in and cause destruction. In this episode of CyberWire-X, the CyberWire's CSO, Chief Analyst, and Senior Fellow, Rick Howard, is joined in the first half by Hash Table member Rick Doten, the CISO for Healthcare Enterprises and Centene. In the second half of the show, CyberWire podcast host Dave Bittner talks with our episode sponsor Strata Identity's CEO and Co-founder Eric Olden. Both sets of discussions center around the challenges to identity management caused by the rapid shift to multi-cloud.
Chrome extensions steal browser data. A business email compromise attack is under investigation in Kentucky. Belarusian Cyber Partisans claim to have a complete Belarusian passport database. Organizing a cyber militia. CISA releases twelve ICS security advisories. Our guest is Asaf Kochan of Sentra on overemphasizing “the big one.” Carole Theriault cautions against getting ahead of yourself in the cryptocurrency supply chain. Cosplaying" hardware. And Canada welcomes a new SIGINT boss.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/168
Selected reading. Chrome extensions with 1.4 million installs steal browsing data (BleepingComputer) Malicious Cookie Stuffing Chrome Extensions with 1.4 Million Users (McAfee Blog) Police investigate electronic theft of federal funds (City of Lexington) FBI, Secret Service join Kentucky investigation into $4 million cybercrime theft (The Record by Recorded Future) Russian hackers blamed for ongoing Montenegro cyberattack (Tech Monitor) “For the 1st time in human history a #hacktivist collective obtained passport info of the ALL country's citizens.” (Cyber Partisans) Inside the IT Army of Ukraine, ‘A Hub for Digital Resistance’ (The Record by Recorded Future) Ukraine takes down cybercrime group hitting crypto fraud victims (BleepingComputer) Hitachi Energy FACTS Control Platform (FCP) Product (CISA) Hitachi Energy Gateway Station (GWS) Product (CISA) Hitachi Energy MSM Product (CISA). Hitachi Energy RTU500 series (CISA) Fuji Electric D300win (CISA) Honeywell ControlEdge (CISA) Honeywell Experion LX (CISA) Honeywell Trend Controls Inter-Controller Protocol (CISA) Omron CX-Programmer (CISA) PTC Kepware KEPServerEX (CISA) Sensormatic Electronics iSTAR (CISA) Mitsubishi Electric GT SoftGOT2000 (CISA) Walmart Sells Fake 30TB Hard Drive That’s Actually Two Small SD Cards in a Trench Coat (Vice)
Cyberespionage around the South China Sea. Oktapus and the Twilio compromise. Montenegro works to recover from a Russian cyber offensive. A big Russian streaming platform sustains a data leak. Ann Johnson of the Afternoon Cyber Tea podcast speaks with Dave DeWalt of NightDragon and Jay Leek of both Syn Ventures and Clear Sky Security about cyber capital investment. Mr. Security Answer Person John Pescatore examines the allure of the healthcare industry for ransomware operators. And the LockBit gang looks beyond double extortion.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/167
Selected reading. Rising Tide: Chasing the Currents of Espionage in the South China Sea (Proofpoint) Why the Twilio Breach Cuts So Deep (WIRED) Tentacles of ‘0ktapus’ Threat Group Victimize 130 Firms (Threatpost) Hackers used Twilio breach to intercept Okta onetime passwords (SiliconANGLE) Okta Impersonation Technique Could be Utilized by Attackers (SecurityWeek) Ukraine launches counter-offensive to retake Kherson from Russia (The Telegraph) Russia-Ukraine war: Kremlin insists invasion going to plan despite counterattacks; first grain ship docks in Africa – live (the Guardian) Montenegro says Russian cyberattacks threaten key state functions (BleepingComputer) Montenegro struggles to recover from cyberattack that officials blame on Russia (The Record by Recorded Future) Leading Russian streaming platform suffers data leak allegedly impacting 44 million users (The Record by Recorded Future) LockBit ransomware mulls triple extortion following DDoS attack (SC Media)
Russian cyber operations in Southeastern Europe. The challenge of containing the cyber phases of a hybrid war. Russian and Chinese cyber activity in Latin America. Greenwashing influence operations. Rick Howard looks at risk probabilities. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf looks at ransomware payment myths. And an Iranian threat actor exploits Log4j vulnerabilities against Israeli targets.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/166
Selected reading. Russia blamed for wave of hacker attacks in Southeast Europe (BNE) Montenegro declares it is in 'hybrid war' with Russia after massive cyber attack (Metro) Montenegro reports massive Russian cyberattack against govt (ABC News) Montenegro Reports Massive Russian Cyberattack Against Govt (AP via SecurityWeek) Montenegro's state infrastructure hit by cyber attack -officials (Reuters) Cyber Element in the Russia-Ukraine War & its Global Implications (Modern Diplomacy) Swiss secret service worried about Russian cyber operations (SWI swissinfo.ch) China and Russia Step Up Cyber Presence in Latin America (Diálogo Américas) Dominican Republic refuses to pay ransom after attack on agrarian institute (The Record by Recorded Future) China-Linked Bots Attacking Rare Earths Producer ‘Every Day’ (Bloomberg) Iranian Hackers Exploiting Unpatched Log4j 2 Bugs to Target Israeli Organizations (The Hacker News) MERCURY leveraging Log4j 2 vulnerabilities in unpatched systems to target Israeli organizations (Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center) Iran exploiting Log4j 2 weakness to attack Israel, says Microsoft (Israel Defense)
David Nosibor, Product Lead for SafeCyber at UL Solutions, started his career in a unique way by not letting himself be pigeonholed. Within his company, David was able to grow to the position he is in now and says that his position feels like a lot of roles tied into one. He says that on any given day he is tackling all sorts of elements, such as marketing, operations, working with the engineering team, figuring out ways to acquire customers, retain them, and also working on sales and business development capabilities. He also says that constantly learning and getting new opportunities was how he ended up being where he is today. David states that staying focused and being on the lookout for ways to accomplish the mission is the best way for him in his company to democratize product security. He quotes the famous singer Sean Carter in saying that he firmly believes in taking calculated risks to get where you need to be going. We thank David for sharing his story.
Nick Ascoli from ForeTrace in a partnership with PIXM sits down with Dave to provide insight on their team's work on "Phishing tactics: how a threat actor stole 1 million credentials in 4 months." During routine analysis, researchers discovered the connection between the pages using PIXM’s deep html analysis feature, which enabled them to view and analyze the underlying code on the pages after they were flagged as phishing. This led to the ensuing investigation, which was led by PIXM’s threat research team with assistance from Nick Ascoli. The research states "we uncovered a campaign whose scale has potentially impacted hundreds of millions of facebook users, and whose complexity offer insight into the evolving nature of phishing operations, especially from a technical perspective." The research can be found here: Phishing tactics: how a threat actor stole 1M credentials in 4 months
Palo Alto describes the Black Basta ransomware-as-a-service operation. Okta on Scatter Swine, the threat actor that compromised Twilio. Microsoft describes Nobelium's new approach to establishing persistence. Russia's war against Ukraine has induced stresses in the cyber underworld. LastPass discloses a security incident. Josh Ray from Accenture on cyber crime and the cost-of-living crisis. Our own Dave Bittner sits down with Chris Handman from TerraTrue to discuss how he works to transform legal teams into advocates and collaborators that can ensure privacy is baked in every step of the way. And CISA adds ten entries to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/165
Selected reading. Threat Assessment: Black Basta Ransomware (Palo Alto Networks Unit 42) MagicWeb: NOBELIUM’s post-compromise trick to authenticate as anyone (Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center) Microsoft Uncovers New Post-Compromise Malware Used by Nobelium Hackers (The Hacker News) Microsoft: Russian hackers gain powerful 'MagicWeb' authentication bypass (ZDNET) Detecting Scatter Swine: Insights into a relentless phishing campaign (Okta Security) Twilio hackers hit over 130 orgs in massive Okta phishing attack (BleepingComputer) Twilio says breach also compromised Authy two-factor app users (TechCrunch) How the war in Ukraine is reshaping the dark web (New Statesman) Notice of Recent Security Incident (The LastPass Blog) LastPass Says Source Code Stolen in Data Breach (SecurityWeek) LastPass developer systems hacked to steal source code (BleepingComputer)
Ukrainian and Russian cyber operations at six months. Oktapus criminal campaign compromises 9931 accounts in more than 130 organizations. Exotic Lily and Bumblebee Loader. Insights derived from DNS traffic. Chris Novak from Verizon on DHS Cyber Safety Review Board's report on the Log4j investigation that Verizon conducted. Dave Bittner sits down with our guest Dr. Scott Crowder, CTO and VP, Quantum Computing, Technical Strategy and Transformation for IBM Systems to discuss the increasingly urgent need for industries to prepare for security threats that quantum could unleash. And the US Department of Homeland Security shutters its Disinformation Governance Board.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/164
Selected reading. How Ukraine used Russia’s digital playbook against the Kremlin (POLITICO) Ukraine's volunteer 'IT army' responds to Russian hackers, minister says (ABC News) Overview of the Cyber Weapons Used in the Ukraine - Russia War (Trustwave) How Russia-Ukraine cyberwar is impacting orgs: Two-thirds say they have been targeted (VentureBeat) Twilio hackers breached over 130 organizations during months-long hacking spree (TechCrunch) Roasting 0ktapus: The phishing campaign going after Okta identity credentials (Group-IB) Bumblebee Malware Loader: Deep Instinct Prevents Attack Pre-Execution (Deep Instinct) Akamai’s Insights on DNS in Q2 2022 (Akamai) Following HSAC Recommendation, DHS terminates Disinformation Governance Board (US Department of Homeland Security) Homeland Security Scraps Disinformation Board Attacked by GOP (Bloomberg)
A medical center near Paris comes under ransomware attack, and refuses to pay up. Lessons for the fifth domain from six months of hybrid war. Deepfake scams appear to have arrived. Deepen Desai from Zscaler with introduction to our audience. Dave Bittner sits down with Gil Hoffer, CTO and Co-founder of Salto to discuss “Who Hacked Slack?.” And Threat actors prepare to exploit Hikvision camera vulnerability.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/163
Selected reading. Cyber attackers disrupt services at French hospital, demand $10 million ransom (France 24) French hospital hit by $10M ransomware attack, sends patients elsewhere (BleepingComputer) DECLENCHEMENT DU PLAN BLANC DIMANCHE 21 AOUT 2022 (CHSF - Centre Hospitalier Sud Francilien) Ukraine at D+181: Independence Day and six months of war. (CyberWire) Six months, twenty-three lessons: What the world has learned from Russia’s war in Ukraine (Atlantic Council) Hackers Used Deepfake of Binance CCO to Perform Exchange Listing Scams (Bitcoin News) Hackers Use Deepfakes of Binance Exec to Scam Multiple Crypto Projects (Gizmodo) Binance's CEO said thousands of people are falsely claiming to be his employees on LinkedIn. Experts warn it's an example of the platform's growing problem with fake accounts. (Business Insider) Twitter’s Ex-Security Head Files Whistleblower Complaint (Wall Street Journal) Twitter is vulnerable to Russian and Chinese influence, whistleblower says (CNN) Over 80,000 exploitable Hikvision cameras exposed online (BleepingComputer) Experts warn of widespread exploitation involving Hikvision cameras (The Record by Recorded Future) Hikvision Surveillance Cameras Vulnerabilities (CYFIRMA)
Iranian APT data extraction tool described. LockBit gang comes under DDoS. Twitter whistleblower security claims made public. Poland and Ukraine conclude cybersecurity agreement. Greek national natural gas supplier under criminal cyberattack. Update to the Joint Alert on Zimbra exploitation. Addition to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on Control Plane vs. Data Plane vulnerabilities. Our guest is David Nosibor, Platform Solutions Lead for UL to discuss SafeCyber Phase II. And, finally, targeting and trolling, with an excursus on Speedos. Really.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/162
Selected reading. New Iranian APT data extraction tool (Google) LockBit gang hit by DDoS attack after Entrust leaks (Register) Former security chief claims Twitter buried ‘egregious deficiencies’ (Washington Post) Ex-Twitter exec blows the whistle, alleging reckless and negligent cybersecurity policies (CNN) Twitter’s Ex-Security Head Files Whistleblower Complaint (Wall Street Journal) Deception, Bots, and Foreign Agents: The Twitter Whistleblower’s Biggest Allegations (Time) The Ministry of Digital Transformation, State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Poland signed Memorandum of understanding in the cybersecurity field. (State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection) Greek natural gas operator suffers ransomware-related data breach (BleepingComputer) Greek gas operator refuses to negotiate with ransomware group after attack (The Record by Recorded Future) Announcement | (DESF) Threat Actors Exploiting Multiple CVEs Against Zimbra Collaboration Suite (CISA) US government really hopes you've patched your Zimbra server (Register) CISA Adds One Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog (CISA) Speedo-wearing Russian tourists leak defence secrets on Twitter (The Telegraph)
Bogus DDoS protection pages distribute malware. Estonia deals with DDoS attacks. Roskomnadzor's Internet panopticon. Rick Howard on the RSA Security Breach of 2011 and the Equifax breach of 2017. Caleb Barlow on what does a recession mean for cyber security venture capital and what is the impact of this on the industry? And data-tampering attacks are regarded as a growing risk.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/161
Selected reading. WordPress sites hacked with fake Cloudflare DDoS alerts pushing malware (BleepingComputer) Fake DDoS Pages On WordPress Sites Lead to Drive-By-Downloads (Sucuri Blog) Car blast kills daughter of Russian known as 'Putin's brain' (AP NEWS) Russia blames Kyiv for killing daughter of ‘Putin’s Rasputin’, but the truth may be closer to home (The Telegraph) Alexander Dugin's daughter killed by anti-war Russians: Former state deputy (Newsweek) Estonia Repels Biggest Cyber-Attack Since 2007 (Infosecurity Magazine) Estonia's Battle Against a Deluge of DDoS Attacks (Infosecurity Magazine) Latvia Starts Removing Soviet Monument in Challenge to Russia (Bloomberg) Data-tampering attacks are a 'nightmare' threat that's hard to detect (Protocol)
Roya Gordon, a Security Research Evangelist at ICS cybersecurity firm Nozomi Networks, started her career as an intelligence specialist in the U.S. Navy. After her time serving, Roya spent time as a Control Systems Cybersecurity Analyst at the Idaho National Laboratory and then took the role of Cyber Threat Intelligence Manager at Accenture. She shares her story after the NSA accepted her and then quickly diverted, creating a new path for Roya to follow. She shares the jobs she went after along the way, leading up to Nozomi Networks and how she wishes to be a trailblazer for young black women everywhere. She hopes to shape young women's minds on what the cybersecurity industry is actually like, in hopes that she can be a figure people look up to. We thank Roya for sharing her story.
Dick O'Brien from Symantec, a part of Broadcom Software, joins Dave to discuss how the cyber-criminal operation, Clipminer Botnet, makes operators behind it at least $1.7 million. Symantec's research says "The malware being used, tracked as Trojan.Clipminer, has a number of similarities to another crypto-mining Trojan called KryptoCibule, suggesting it may be a copycat or evolution of that threat." Symantec determined that the malware has the ability to mine for cryptocurrency using compromised computers’ resources. They also share a way to protect against the cyber-criminal operation, as well as sharing some indicators you could be compromised. The research can be found here: Clipminer Botnet Makes Operators at Least $1.7 Million
Killnet claims a DDoS campaign against Estonia. The head of GCHQ calls Russian cyber operations a failure. US Cyber Command concludes its "hunt forward" mission in cooperation with Croatia. A criminal gang targets the travel and hospitality sectors. Thomas Pace of NetRise shares insights on firmware vulnerabilities. Daniel Floyd from BlackCloak on Quantifying the Business Need for Digital Executive Protection. CISA issues five ICS security advisories.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/157
Selected reading. Estonia says it repelled major cyber attack after removing Soviet monuments (Reuters) There’s a chance regular people didn’t even notice: expert on Russian cyber attack (TVP World) Estonia says it repelled a major cyberattack claimed by Russian hackers. (New York Times) The head of GCHQ says Vladimir Putin is losing the information war in Ukraine (The Economist) Cyber Command deployed 'hunt forward' defenders to Croatia to help secure systems (The Record by Recorded Future) U.S. Cyber Command completes defensive cyber mission in Croatia (CyberScoop) You Can’t Audit Me: APT29 Continues Targeting Microsoft 365 (Mandiant) Reservations Requested: TA558 Targets Hospitality and Travel (Proofpoint) Cybercrime Group TA558 Ramps Up Email Attacks Against Hotels (Decipher) CISA Adds Seven Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog (CISA) Siemens Linux-based Products (Update G) (CISA) Siemens Industrial Products LLDP (Update B) (CISA) Siemens OpenSSL Affected Industrial Products (CISA) Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC Q and L Series (CISA) Mitsubishi Electric GT SoftGOT2000 (CISA)
BlackByte is back. Iran suspected of cyber operations against four Israeli sectors. A look at wipers as a tool in hybrid war. A Russian cyber ops scorecard. Josh Ray from Accenture on how dark web actors are focusing on VPNs. Our guest is Corey Nachreiner from WatchGuard with findings of their latest Internet Security Report. Cyber war clauses coming to cyber insurance policies.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/156
Selected reading. BlackByte ransomware gang is back with new extortion tactics (BleepingComputer) Suspected Iranian Actor Targeting Israeli Shipping, Healthcare, Government and Energy Sectors | Mandiant (Mandiant) Russia-Ukraine cyberwar creates new malware threats (VentureBeat) Global Threat Landscape Report: A Semiannual Report by FortiGuard Labs (Fortinet) Overview of the Cyber Weapons Used in the Ukraine - Russia War (Trustwave SpiderLabs) Lloyd’s sets requirements for state-backed cyber attack exclusions (Insurance Day)
A DDoS attack against a Ukrainian nuclear power provider. The US Army draws some lessons from the cyber phases of Russia's hybrid war. Vulnerabilities in Zimbra are undergoing widespread exploitation.Reports of new Lazarus Group activity. CISA releases eight ICS security advisories. Carole Theriault looks at scammers and cryptocurrencies. Our guest is Jennifer Reed from Aviatrix on the changing landscape of cloud security. And the SEC charges three with insider trading during the 2017 Equifax breach.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/155
Selected reading. Ukrainian Nuclear Operator Accuses Russians Hackers Of Attacking Its Website (RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty) Ukraine nuclear power company says Russia attacked website (Al Jazeera) Ukraine Nuclear Operator Reports Cyberattack on Its Website (The Defense Post) How electronic warfare is reshaping the war between Russia and Ukraine (The Record by Recorded Future) Army lesson from Ukraine war: cyber, EW capabilities not decisive on their own (FedScoop) Learning from Ukraine, Army cyber schoolhouse focuses on electromagnetic spectrum (Breaking Defense) Cyber and full-spectrum operations push the Great Power conflict left of boom (Breaking Defense) Microsoft Exchange alternative Zimbra is getting widely exploited, 1000s hit (The Stack) CISA Alert AA22-228A – Threat actors exploiting multiple CVEs against Zimbra Collaboration suit (CyberWire) Threat Actors Exploiting Multiple CVEs Against Zimbra Collaboration Suite (CISA) A signed Mac executable… (ESET) Yokogawa CENTUM Controller FCS (CISA) LS ELECTRIC PLC and XG5000 (CISA) Delta Industrial Automation DRAS (CISA) Softing Secure Integration Server (CISA) B&R Industrial Automation Automation Studio 4 (CISA) Emerson Proficy Machine Edition (CISA) Sequi PortBloque S (CISA) Siemens Industrial Products with OPC UA (CISA) U.S. SEC charges 3 people with insider trading tied to Equifax hack (Reuters) SEC Charges Three Chicago-Area Residents with Insider Trading Around Equifax Data Breach Announcement (US Securities and Exchange Commission)
CISA and the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center, or MS-ISAC are publishing this joint Cybersecurity Advisory in response to active exploitation of multiple Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures against Zimbra Collaboration Suite, an enterprise cloud-hosted collaboration software and email platform. AA22-228A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations Volexity’s Mass Exploitation of (Un)authenticated Zimbra RCE: CVE-2022-27925 Hackers are actively exploiting password-stealing flaw in Zimbra CISA adds Zimbra email vulnerability to its exploited vulnerabilities catal… CVE-2022-27925 detail Mass exploitation of (un)authenticated Zimbra RCE: CVE-2022-27925 CVE-2022-37042 detail Authentication bypass in MailboxImportServlet vulnerability CVE-2022-30333 detail UnRAR vulnerability exploited in the wild, likely against Zimbra servers Zimbra Collaboration Kepler 9.0.0 patch 25 GA release Zimbra UnRAR path traversal Operation EmailThief: Active exploitation of zero-day XSS vulnerability in… Hotfix available 5 Feb for zero-day exploit vulnerability in Zimbra 8.8.15 All organizations should report incidents and anomalous activity to CISA’s 24/7 Operations Center at central@cisa.dhs.gov or (888) 282-0870 and to the FBI via your local FBI field office or the FBI’s 24/7 CyWatch at (855) 292-3937 or CyWatch@fbi.gov.
Microsoft identifies and disrupts Russian cyberespionage activity. An update on RedAlpha. An evil PLC proof-of-concept shows how programmable logic controllers could be "weaponized." Ben Yelin has an update on right to repair. Our guest is Arthur Lozinski of Oomnitza with a look at attack surface management maturity. And the Cl0p gang hits an English water utility (but tries to extort the wrong one–stuff happens, y’know?).
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/154
Selected reading. Disrupting SEABORGIUM’s ongoing phishing operations (Microsoft Security Microsoft disrupts Russian-linked hackers targeting NATO countries (Breaking Defense) Microsoft Announces Disruption of Russian Espionage APT (SecurityWeek) Microsoft disrupts Russia-linked hacking group targeting defense and intelligence orgs (The Record by Recorded Future) Microsoft shuts down accounts linked to Russian spies (Register) RedAlpha Conducts Multi-Year Credential Theft Campaign Targeting Global Humanitarian, Think Tank, and Government Organizations (Recorded Future) Hackers linked to China have been targeting human rights groups for years (MIT Technology Review) Evil PLC Attack: Using a Controller as Predator Rather than Prey (Claroty) Hackers attack UK water supplier but extort wrong victim (BleepingComputer) South Staffordshire Water victim of cyber attack, customers not at risk (Computing) South Staffordshire Water says it was target of cyber attack as criminals bungle extortion attempt (Sky News)
Shuckworm maintains its focus on Ukrainian targets. Killnet's DDoS and dubious proof-of-work. Iron Tiger's supply chain campaign. TikTok and national security. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf shares insights on Dark Utilities. Rick Howard digs into identity management. And an arrest in the case of the Tornado Cash crypto mixer.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/154
Selected reading. Shuckworm: Russia-Linked Group Maintains Ukraine Focus (Symantec) Killnet Releases 'Proof' of its Attack Against Lockheed Martin (SecurityWeek) Killnet greift lettisches Parlament an (Tagesspiegel) Iron Tiger Compromises Chat Application Mimi, Targets Windows, Mac, and Linux Users (Trend Micro) How Frustration Over TikTok Has Mounted in Washington (New York Times) 3 ways China's access to TikTok data is a security risk (CSO Online) Arrest of suspected developer of Tornado Cash (FIOD) Tornado Cash Developer Arrested After U.S. Sanctions the Cryptocurrency Mixer (The Hacker News) Arrested Tornado Cash developer is Alexey Pertsev, his wife confirms (The Block)
Cybercriminals are motivated by one simple incentive - money. Their favorite tools are bots to leverage sophistication, scalability, and ease of use. The effect is the creation of the underground bot ecosystem. This community allows threat actors to work together and continually improve their tactics. They sell bypasses for rule-based anti-bot solutions to other less technical fraudsters. In this episode of CyberWire-X, the CyberWire's CSO, Chief Analyst, and Senior Fellow, Rick Howard, is joined in the first half by Hash Table member Etay Maor. Cato Networks’ Senior Director Security Strategy. They discuss this reality that has put defenders at a serious disadvantage and the mitigation steps to consider for future attacks.. In the second half of the show, CyberWire podcast host Dave Bittner talks with our episode sponsor Kasada's founder Sam Crowther talking about what he saw first-hand as a red teamer at a major Australian bank and what inspired him to reimagine bot mitigation with the founding principle of undermining the attacker’s ROI.
Christian Lees, CTO at Resecurity, shares his story and insight on coming into the cybersecurity world. He considers himself a late bloomer because he did not go to college until he was 23. He wasn’t sure of what he wanted to do, and a family friend gave him a computer and the rest was history, he says. He fell in love with computers and started working at different companies trying to get ahead. He says it's not always textbook, and sometimes you just need to cut your teeth on something to get where you're going. Throughout his journey, he was constantly questioning whether he made the right decision, and in the end he says you have to be willing to "define friction points in it, you may join security field, not knowing what you're gonna do, but by being that curious person and breaking things and putting it back together, you'll find the right way and just never stop being curious."
Ashley Taylor from SANS.edu, joins Dave to discuss fake job ads and methods to proactively detect these scams. The research shares how job seekers are under attack, with scammers posing as fake job recruiters to steal information from people who are interested in the job posting. The brands being impersonated as are at risk of losing credibility to their brand identity. The research shares exactly how these doppelgängers are posing a threat to job seekers and the best practices to detect these scams. It also shares how one company that works in medical device manufacturing industry has been a target for these scams. It concludes with sharing some of the ways to proactively spot these scams before they happen. The research can be found here: Doppelgängers: Finding Job Scammers Who Steal Brand Identities
The optempo of the war's cyber phase, and Ukraine’s response. Organizing and equipping hacktivists. Joint warning on Zeppelin ransomware. Update on the DoNot Team, APT-C-35. Rewards for Justice offers $10 million for information on Conti operators. Rob Boyce from Accenture shares insights from BlackHat. Caleb Barlow ponders closing the skills gap while shifting to remote work. And, hey, Mr. Target: pick one, OK?
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/153
Selected reading. Black Hat 2022‑ Cyberdefense in a global threats era (WeLiveSecurity) How one Ukrainian ethical hacker is training 'cyber warriors' in the fight against Russia (The Record by Recorded Future)
StopRansomware: Zeppelin Ransomware (CISA)
APT-C-35: New Windows Framework Revealed (Morphisec) The US Offers a $10M Bounty for Intel on Conti Ransomware Gang (Wired)
Zeppelin ransomware functions as a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS), and since 2019, actors have used this malware to target a wide range of businesses and critical infrastructure organizations. Actors use remote desktop protocol (RDP), SonicWall firewall vulnerabilities, and phishing campaigns to gain initial access to victim networks and then deploy Zeppelin ransomware to encrypt victims’ files. AA22-223A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations Zeppelin malware YARA signature What is Zeppelin Ransomware? Steps to Prepare, Respond, and Prevent Infection Stopransomware.gov is a whole-of-government approach that gives one central location for ransomware resources and alerts. No-cost cyber hygiene services: Cyber Hygiene Services and Ransomware Readiness Assessment. This joint Cybersecurity Advisory is part of an ongoing #StopRansomware effort to publish advisories for network defenders that detail various ransomware variants and ransomware threat actors. These #StopRansomware advisories include recently and historically observed TTPs and IOCs to help organizations protect against ransomware. Visit stopransomware.gov to see all #StopRansomware advisories and to learn more about other ransomware threats and no-cost resources. All organizations should report incidents and anomalous activity to CISA’s 24/7 Operations Center at central@cisa.dhs.gov or (888) 282-0870 and to the FBI via your local FBI field office or the FBI’s 24/7 CyWatch at (855) 292-3937 or CyWatch@fbi.gov.
KillMilk says his crew downed Lockheed Martin's website. Industroyer2, and what became of it. CISA releases its election cybersecurity toolkit. Post-incident disruption at Britain’s NHS. Carl Wright of AttackIQ shares strategies for CISOs to successfully prepare for the next attack. Dr. Christopher Pierson from Blackcloak joins us from Black Hat. And Cisco seems to have thwarted a security incident.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/152
Selected reading. Russian hacking group claims attack on Lockheed Martin (SiliconANGLE HIMARS-Maker Lockheed Martin "confident" against Russian hackers (Newsweek) Industroyer2: How Ukraine avoided another blackout attack (SearchSecurity) Researchers Look Inside Russian Malware Targeting Ukrainian Power Grid (PCMAG) CISA Releases Toolkit of Free Cybersecurity Resources for Election Community (CISA) Cybersecurity Toolkit to Protect Elections (CISA) NHS staff told to plan for three weeks of disruption following cyberattack (Computing) Major NHS IT outage to last for three weeks (The Independent) Exclusive: NHS chiefs fear cyber attackers have accessed patient data (Health Service Journal) Cisco Event Response: Corporate Network Security Incident (Cisco) Cisco Talos shares insights related to recent cyber attack on Cisco (Cisco Talos) Cisco confirms May attack by Yanluowang ransomware group (The Record by Recorded Future) Cisco Hit by Cyberattack From Hacker Linked to Lapsus$ Gang (Bloomberg) Cisco's own network compromised by gang with Lapsus$ links (Register) Cisco hacked by Yanluowang ransomware gang, 2.8GB allegedly stolen (BleepingComputer)
Patch notes, and the risks associated with failure to patch. Finland's parliament comes under cyberattack. Killnet says there will be blood, but they may just be grandstanding for the home crowd. Cyberattacks against a UK firm that's criticized Russia's war. We’re joined by FBI Cyber Division AD Bryan Vorndran and Adam Hickey, deputy assistant attorney general for the National Security Division with an introduction to Watchguard. Our guest is Matthew Warner from Blumira with tips on avoiding burnout. And not all criminal organizations are working for Russia.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/151
Selected reading. Already Exploited Zero-Day Headlines Microsoft Patch Tuesday (SecurityWeek) Microsoft August 2022 Patch Tuesday fixes exploited zero-day, 121 flaws (BleepingComputer). IBM Patches High-Severity Vulnerabilities in Cloud, Voice, Security Products (SecurityWeek) Adobe Patch Tuesday: Code Execution Flaws in Acrobat, Reader (SecurityWeek) ICS Patch Tuesday: Siemens, Schneider Electric Fix Only 11 Vulnerabilities (SecurityWeek) VMSA-2022-0022 (VMware) Emerson OpenBSI (CISA) Emerson ControlWave (CISA) Mitsubishi Electric GT SoftGOT2000 (CISA) Multiple attackers increase pressure on victims, complicate incident response (Sophos News) Life After Death—SmokeLoader Continues to Haunt Using Old Vulnerabilities (Fortinet Blog) NBI launches probe into attack on Finnish Parliament site (Yle) Russian hacker warns cyberwarfare will turn deadly (Newsweek) Russian hacker warns cyberwarfare will turn deadly (Newsweek) Suspected Russian cyber attack on British soil as firm subjected to ‘daily’ hacks (The Telegraph) Meet DUMPS Forum: A pro-Ukraine, anti-Russia cybercriminal forum | Digital Shadows (Digital Shadows)
Tracking apparent Chinese industrial cyberespionage. Tornado Cash sanctions. Twilio discloses a breach. Social engineering exposes data at Klaviyo. Microsoft’s Ann Johnson previews the latest season of Afternoon Cyber Tea. Joe Carrigan tracks the growth in cryptojacking. And what might the Mounties be monitoring?
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/151
Selected reading. Cyberspying Aimed at Industrial Enterprises in Russia and Ukraine Linked to China (SecurityWeek) China-linked spies used six backdoors to steal defense info (Register) U.S. Treasury Sanctions Notorious Virtual Currency Mixer Tornado Cash (U.S. Department of the Treasury) Twilio hacked by phishing campaign (TechCrunch) Twilio, a texting platform popular with political campaigns, reports breach (CyberScoop) Incident Report: Employee and Customer Account Compromise - August 4, 2022 (Twilio Blog) Email marketing firm hacked to steal crypto-focused mailing lists (BleepingComputer) RCMP has used spyware to access targets’ communications as far back as 2002: Senior Mountie (Global News) RCMP says it has not used Pegasus spyware (POLITICO)
In order to run a successful SOC, security leaders rely on tools with different strengths to create layers of defense. This has led to a highly siloed industry with over 2,000 vendors, each with their own specific function and who very seldom work together. To gain an advantage on attackers, we need to start seeing cybersecurity as a team sport–united for a shared mission. In this episode of CyberWire-X, the CyberWire's CSO, Chief Analyst, and Senior Fellow, Rick Howard, is joined in the first half by two Hash Table members, Ted Wagner, CISO at SAP National Security Services, and Jenn Reed, CISO at Aviatrix. In the second half of the show, CyberWire podcast host Dave Bittner talks with our episode sponsor ExtraHop's Senior Product Marketing Manager, Chase Snyder, and CrowdStrike's Head of Product Marketing, Janani Nagarajan .They discuss why and how vendors should work together to enable better integrated security for their customers. They’ll answer questions like “what is XDR?” and “how do I get my vendors to work together?”.
Shifting cyber threats during Russia's war against Ukraine. A Twitter exploit may have compromised more than 5 million accounts. A Cyberattack disrupts NHS 111. Developments in the C2C market. An alleged Russian cryptocurrency exchange operator is extradited to the US. Rick Howard looks at FinTech. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on Industrial policy and the tech divide. And a Crypto mixing service has been sanctioned by the US Treasury Department.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/150
Selected reading. ESET Threat Report T 1 2022 (WeLiveSecurity) Twitter confirms zero-day used to expose data of 5.4 million accounts (BleepingComputer) NHS 111 software outage confirmed as cyber-attack (BBC News) Ministers coordinate response after cyber-attack hits NHS 111 (the Guardian) Thousands of hackers flock to 'Dark Utilities' C2-as-a-Service (BleepingComputer) Attackers leveraging Dark Utilities "C2aaS" platform in malware campaigns (Cisco Talos) Genesis Brings Polish to Stolen-Credential Marketplaces (Sophos) Cyber-related Designation (U.S. Department of the Treasury) U.S. imposes sanctions on virtual currency mixer Tornado Cash (Reuters) Crypto Mixing Service Tornado Cash Blacklisted by US Treasury (CoinDesk) Alleged Russian Cryptocurrency Money Launderer Extradited to United States (US Department of Justice) Russian accused of money laundering and running $4B bitcoin exchange extradited to US | CNN Politics (CNN)
Anna Belak, Director of Thought Leadership at Sysdig, shares her story from physics to cyber. Anna explains how she went into college with the thinking of getting a physics degree and then for her PhD decided to switch to material science and engineering. Both were not something she enjoyed and ultimately decided to go into cyber. She shares some advice on how you should never limit yourself to your degree, as well as always learning new skills and honing in on skills you already have. She say's by doing these things it will make you into a unicorn, meaning if you are good at one thing and teach yourself to be good at something else, you will become that much more valuable. Anna hopes she makes an impact with the people she works with, she hopes they will want to work with her even long after she leaves a company. We thank Anna for sharing her story.
Deepen Desai from Zscaler's ThreatLabz joins Dave to discuss how APTs, like Lyceum Group, create tactics and malware to carry out attacks against their targets. The Lyceum group has been active since 2017 and is a state-sponsored Iranian APT group. This group targets Middle Eastern organizations most notably in the energy and telecommunication sectors, and they rely heavily on .NET based malwares. Zscaler said in their research they "recently observed a new campaign where the Lyceum Group was utilizing a newly developed and customized .NET based malware targeting the Middle East by copying the underlying code from an open source tool." They go on to give an analysis explaining why the .NET based DNS backdoor is causing problems. The research can be found here: Lyceum .NET DNS Backdoor
CyberFront Z's failed influence operation. Iranian operators target Albanian government networks. CISA issues two ICS security advisories. Andy Robbins of SpecterOps to discuss Attack Paths in Azure. Denis O'Shea of Mobile Mentor talking on the intersection of endpoint security and employee experience. CISA and ACSC issue a joint advisory on top malware strains.
for links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/150
Selected reading. Quarterly Adversarial Threat Report (Meta) Meta took down Russian troll farm that supported country’s invasion of Ukraine (The Hill) Russia's Infamous Troll Farm Is Back -- and Sh*tting the Bed (Rolling Stone) Meta’s threat report highlights clumsy attempt to manipulate Ukraine discourse (TechCrunch) Likely Iranian Threat Actor Conducts Politically Motivated Disruptive Activity Against Albanian Government Organizations (Mandiant) CISA Alert AA22-216A – 2021 top malware strains. (The CyberWire) 2021 Top Malware Strains (CISA) Digi ConnectPort X2D (CISA) Cisco Releases Security Updates for RV Series Routers (CISA)
Ukraine claims to have taken down a massive Russian bot farm. Russian cyber operations may have been premature. A report says Emergency Alert Systems might be vulnerable to hijacking. The Mirai botnet may have a descendant. Adam Flatley from Redacted with a look back at NotPetya. Ryan Windham from Imperva takes on Bad Bots. Attacks on a cryptocurrency exchange attempt to bypass 2FA. Solana cryptocurrency wallets looted.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/149
Selected reading. Ukraine takes down 1,000,000 bots used for disinformation (BleepingComputer) Did Russia mess up its cyberwar with Ukraine before it even invaded? (Washington Post) So RapperBot, What Ya Bruting For? (Fortinet Blog) Gaming Respawned (Akamai) Coinbase Attacks Bypass 2FA (Pixm Anti-Phishing) Thousands of Solana wallets drained in multimillion-dollar exploit (TechCrunch) Thousands of Solana Wallets Hacked in Crypto Cyberattack (Wall Street Journal) Solana, USDC Drained From Wallets in Attack (Decrypt) Ongoing solana attack targets thousands of crypto wallets, costing users more than $5 million so far (CNBC) Solana and Slope Confirm Wallet Security Breach (Crypto Briefing) How Hackers Target Bridges Between Blockchains for Crypto Heists (Wall Street Journal)
This joint Cybersecurity Advisory was coauthored by CISA and the Australian Cyber Security Centre, or ACSC. This advisory provides details on the top malware strains observed in 2021. AA22-216A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations For alerts on malicious and criminal cyber activity, see the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center webpage. For more information and resources on protecting against and responding to ransomware, refer to StopRansomware.gov, a centralized, U.S. Government webpage providing ransomware resources and alerts. The ACSC recommends organizations implement eight essential mitigation strategies from the ACSC’s Strategies to Mitigate Cyber Security Incidents as a cybersecurity baseline. These strategies, known as the “Essential Eight,” make it much harder for adversaries to compromise systems. Refer to the ACSC’s practical guides on how to protect yourself against ransomware attacks and what to do if you are held at ransom at cyber.gov.au. All organizations should report incidents and anomalous activity to CISA’s 24/7 Operations Center at central@cisa.dhs.gov or (888) 282-0870 and to the FBI via your local FBI field office or the FBI’s 24/7 CyWatch at (855) 292-3937 or CyWatch@fbi.gov.
Tories delay a leadership vote over security concerns. A summary of the cyber phases of the hybrid war. Cyberattacks affect three official sites in Taiwan. Malware designed to abuse trust. Gunter Ollmann of Devo to discuss how Cybercriminals are Winning the AI Race. Renuka Nadkarni of Aryaka explains enterprises can recession proof security architecture. Plus, putting a price on your privacy.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/148
Selected reading. Tory leadership vote delayed after GCHQ hacking alert (The Telegraph) Nozomi Networks Labs Report: Wipers and IoT Botnets Dominate the Threat Landscape – Manufacturing and Energy at Highest Risk (Nozomi Networks) Those Pelosi-inspired cyberattacks in Taiwan probably weren't all they were cracked up to be (Washington Post) Increase in Chinese "Hacktivism" Attacks (SANS Internet Storm Center) Cyberattacks crashed several Taiwanese government websites hours before Pelosi’s visit. (New York Times) Taiwan presidential office website hit by cyberattack ahead of Pelosi visit (POLITICO) Taiwanese government sites disrupted by hackers ahead of Pelosi trip (The Record by Recorded Future) Deception at a scale (VirusTotal) The Price Cybercriminals Charge for Stolen Data (SpiderLabs Blog)
Nomad cryptocurrency bridge is looted. The BlackCat ransomware gang hits a Luxembourgeois energy company. DSIRF disputes Microsoft's characterization of the Austrian firm as cyber mercenaries. Ben Yelin looks at privacy concerns in the education software market. Our guest is PJ Kirner from Illumio to discuss Zero Trust Segmentation. And, finally, are there spies under Mr. Putin’s very very long table?
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/147
Selected reading. Crypto Firm Nomad Loses Nearly $200 Million in Bridge Hack (Bloomberg) Crypto Bridge Nomad Drained of Nearly $200M in Exploit (CoinDesk) Nomad token bridge drained of $190M in funds in security exploit (Cointelegraph) Nomad token bridge hacked in nearly $200 million exploit (mint) BlackCat ransomware gang hits Luxembourg energy supplier Creos (Computing) Luxembourg energy provider Encevo Group battles ransomware attack by BlackCat (Tech Monitor) BlackCat ransomware claims attack on European gas pipeline (BleepingComputer) Luxembourg energy companies struggling with alleged ransomware attack, data breach (The Record by Recorded Future) Austrian spy firm accused by Microsoft says hacking tool was for EU states (Reuters) Dilyana Gaytandzhieva: Putin’s Elite Inner Circle Infiltrated By Nato Informants (SouthFront) GEC Special Report: Pillars of Russia’s Disinformation and Propaganda Ecosystem (US Department of State)
KillNet threatens hack-and-leak op against HIMARS maker. Online investment scams hit Europe. Microsoft associates Raspberry Robin with EvilCorp. Rick Howard previews season ten of the CSO Perspectives podcast. Our guest is Nate Kharrl of SpecTrust on deploying fraud detection at the gateway. And a heartfelt farewell to a woman who’s inspiration lives on.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/146
Selected reading. Cyberactivist Group Killnet Declares War on Lockheed Martin (Sputnik) Russian Hackers Target U.S. HIMARS Maker in 'New Type of Attack': Report (Newsweek) Founder of pro-Russian hacktivist Killnet quitting group (SC Magazine) Huge network of 11,000 fake investment sites targets Europe (BleepingComputer) Microsoft links Raspberry Robin malware to Evil Corp attacks (BleepingComputer) Microsoft ties novel ‘Raspberry Robin’ malware to Evil Corp cybercrime syndicate (The Record by Recorded Future) FakeUpdates malware delivered via Raspberry Robin has possible ties to EvilCorp (SC Magazine) Ransomware-as-a-service: Understanding the cybercrime gig economy and how to protect yourself (Microsoft Security) Australia charges dev of Imminent Monitor RAT used by domestic abusers (BleepingComputer) Brisbane teenager built spyware used by domestic violence perpetrators across world, police allege (the Guardian)
Larry Cashdollar, Principal Security Intelligence Response Engineer at Akamai Technologies, sits down with Dave Bittner to discuss his life leading up to working at Akamai. He shares his story from his beginnings to now, describing what college life was like as a young computer enthusiast. He says "If you look at my 1986 yearbook, I think it was my sixth grade class, it says computer scientist for my career path. So I had a love of computers when I was really young. I guess I knew what field I wanted to get into right off the bat." He describes different career paths that all led him to his current position. He also shares his love for computers and technology through the decades of his youth, and how he is learning, even now. We thank Larry for sharing his story.
Israel Barak, CISO from Cybereason, sits down with Dave to discuss their research, "Operation CuckooBees: Cybereason Uncovers Massive Chinese Intellectual Property Theft Operation." Cybereason researchers recently found an attack lurking beneath the surface which was assessed to be the work of Chinese APT Winnti. Cybereason briefed the FBI and the DOJ on the investigation into the malicious campaign. The research states, "For years, the campaign had operated undetected, siphoning intellectual property and sensitive data." The team quickly made two reports on the campaign, one sharing an examination on the tactics and techniques. The second gives a detailed analysis of the malware and exploits used. The research can be found here: Operation CuckooBees: Cybereason Uncovers Massive Chinese Intellectual Property Theft Operation
Anonymous's hacktivism in a hybrid war. Pyongyang's [un]H0lyGh0st. Phishing in the IPFS. Update on the initial access criminal-to-criminal market and its effect on MSPs. Cyber gangs move away from malicious macros. Thomas Etheridge from CrowdStrike on managed detection and response. Rick Howard sits down with Art Poghosyan from Britive to discuss DevSecOps and Identity Management. And Rewards for Justice seeks some righteous snitches.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/145
Selected reading. Putin 'embarrassed' as hackers launch cyber war on Russian President over Ukraine invasion (Express.co.uk) Is Anonymous Rewriting the Rules of Cyberwarfare? Timeline of Their Attacks Against the Russian Government (Website Planet) HolyGhost’s Bargain Basement Approach To Ransomware (Digital Shadows) IPFS: The New Hotbed of Phishing (Trustwave) Threat Advisory: Hackers Are Selling Access to MSPs (Huntress) We’re currently monitoring a situation that entails a hacker selling access to an MSP with access to 50+ customers, totaling 1,000+ servers. Experts warn of hacker claiming access to 50 U.S. companies through breached MSP (The Record by Recorded Future) How Threat Actors Are Adapting to a Post-Macro World (Proofpoint) Rewards for Justice – Reward Offer for Information on Russian Interference in U.S. Elections (United States Department of State)
SSSCIP and CISA sign a memorandum of cooperation. Are private-sector offensive actors tailored security services, or are they just hired guns? Bringing cyber mercenaries to heel. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture on why crisis management is at the heart of ransomware resilience. Our guest is Derek Manky from Fortinet on the World Economic Forum Partnership Against Cybercrime. And more credential-harvesting scams are out in the wild.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/144
Selected reading. United States and Ukraine Expand Cooperation on Cybersecurity (CISA) US, Ukraine sign pact to expand cooperation in cyberspace (The Hill) Untangling KNOTWEED: European private-sector offensive actor using 0-day exploits (Microsoft Security) Continuing the fight against private sector cyberweapons (Microsoft On the Issues) Experts Urge Congress to Pressure Commercial Spyware Vendors (Decipher) Mirroring Actual Landing Pages for Convincing Credential Harvesting (Avanan)
IBM reports on the cost of a data breach. Personal apps as a potential business risk. Over on the dark side, there’s help wanted in the C2C labor market. An employee engagement study reaches predictably glum conclusions. Betsy Carmelite from Booz Allen Hamilton on reducing software supply chain risks with SBOMs. Our guest is Elaine Lee from Mimecast discussing the pros and cons of AI in cybersecurity. And Why so much attempted DDoS, but not so much ransomware?
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/143
Selected reading. IBM Report: Consumers Pay the Price as Data Breach Costs Reach All-Time High (IBM Newsroom) Cost of a Data Breach Report 2022 (IBM Security) Netskope Threat Research: Data Sprawl Creating Risk for Organizations Worldwide as Personal App Use in Business Continues to Rise (PR Newswire) Financial Incentives May Explain the Perceived Lack of Ransomware in Russia’s Latest Assault on Ukraine (Council on Foreign Relations) Tessian | 1 in 3 Employees Do Not Understand the Importance of Cybersecurity at Work, According to New Report (RealWire)
LockBit gets an upgrade. CosmicStrand firmware rootkit is out in a new and improved version. Are thieves being treated like white hats? AV-Test's Twitter account is hijacked. Joe Carrigan considers the mental health effects of the online scam economy. Mr. Security Answer Person John Pescatore ponders the cybersecurity talent gap. And ongoing speculation on the cyber phase of the hybrid war.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/142
Selected reading. LockBit Ransomware Group Augments Its Latest Variant, LockBit 3.0, With BlackMatter Capabilities (Trend Micro) CosmicStrand: the discovery of a sophisticated UEFI firmware rootkit (Securelist) Crypto Firms Make Thieving Hackers an Offer: Keep a Little, Give Back the Rest (Wall Street Journal) Phishers’ Favorites Top 25, H1 2022: Microsoft Is the Most Impersonated Brand in Phishing Attacks (Vade Secure) Testing times for AV-Test as Twitter account hijacked by NFT spammers (Graham Cluley) Ukraine fall-out and new ransomware tactics elevate cyber risks (Strategic Risk Europe) Ed’s note: The Ukrainian-Russian cyber war no one speaks about (Smart Energy)
The minor mystery of GPS-jamming. Twitter investigates an apparent data breach. Ransomware command and control staging is discovered. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos looks at the intersection of social sciences and cyber. Our guest is Nelly Porter from Google Cloud on the emerging idea of confidential computing. A C2C offering restricted to potential privateers.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/141
Selected reading. Why Isn’t Russia jamming GPS harder in Ukraine? (C4ISRNet) Twitter data breach exposes contact details for 5.4M accounts; on sale for $30k (9to5Mac) Twitter investigating authenticity of 5.4 million accounts for sale on hacking forum (The Record by Recorded Future) Russian Ransomware C2 Network Discovered in Censys Data (Censys) Researcher finds Russia-based ransomware network with foothold in U.S. (The Record by Recorded Future) New Cross-Platform 'Luna' Ransomware Only Offered to Russian Affiliates (SecurityWeek)
Mary Writz, Vice President of Product Strategy at ForgeRock, shares how each career path she has taken has led her to where she is now. Mary describes how she has been a woman working in a male dominated field for most of her career and how she had to take charge, and she had to get the men to take charge with her. She says "I was often leading people, mostly men older than me, potentially smarter than me, more well paid than me. So I had to learn how to think about galvanizing this group to charge forward with me, even though I was a bit of a minority in that way." She also states that she tells herself to always make a positive out of a negative by showing people how you can respond to what's happening with a lot of energy, focus, and care and that's what got her to where she is today.
Shifting left has been a buzzword in the application security space for several years now, and with good reason – making security an integral part of development is the only practical approach for modern agile workflows. But in their drive to build security testing into development as early as possible, many organizations are neglecting application security in later phases and losing sight of the big picture. In this episode of CyberWire-X, the CyberWire's CSO, Chief Analyst, and Senior Fellow, Rick Howard, talks with two Hash Table members, Centene’s VP and CISO for Healthcare Enterprises, Rick Doten, and Akamai’s Advisory CISO, Steve Winterfeld. In the second half of the show, CyberWire podcast host Dave Bittner talks with our episode sponsor Invicti’s Chief Product Officer, Sonali Shah. They discuss the challenges and misunderstandings around shifting left, and provide tips on how organizations can implement web application security program without tradeoffs throughout the whole application security lifecycle.
Rob Pantazopoulos from Secureworks, joins Dave to discuss their work on "REvil Development Adds Confidence About GOLD SOUTHFIELD Reemergence." Secureworks researchers published a new analysis on what can be considered the ‘first’ set of ransomware samples associated with the reemergence. These updated samples indicate that GOLD SOUTHFIELD has resumed operations. The research states "The identification of multiple samples containing different modifications and the lack of an official new version indicate that REvil is under active development." Researchers identified two samples, one in October of 2021, and the other in March of 2022. The March sample has modifications that lead researchers to distinguish the two samples from one another. The research can be found here: REvil Development Adds Confidence About GOLD SOUTHFIELD Reemergence
Traditional espionage and counterespionage during the hybrid war. Assessing Russian cyberattacks. Conti's fate and effects. Investigating cut Internet cables in France. My conversation with AD Bryan Vorndran of the FBI Cyber Division on reverse webshell operation and Hafnium. Our guest is Tom Kellermann of VMware to discuss the findings of their Modern Bank Heists report. And, finally the dark online world of “pig-butchering.”
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/140
Selected reading. UK Spy Chief Sees Russia’s Military Running ‘Out of Steam’ Soon (Bloomberg) Exhausted Russian army gives Ukraine chance to strike back, says British spy chief (The Telegraph) 'Cut by half' Putin's masterplan backfires as 400 Russian spies thrown out of Europe (Express) Half of Russian spies in Europe expelled since Ukraine invasion, says MI6 chief (the Guardian) MI6 chief: Russia’s spies ‘not having a great war’ in Ukraine (The Record by Recorded Future) CIA chief says 15,000 Russians killed in war, dismisses Putin health rumors (Washington Post) CIA Chief Says Russia’s Iran Drone Deal Shows Military Weakness (Bloomberg) Ukraine confronts Kremlin infiltration threat at unreformed state bodies (Atlantic Council) US seeking to understand Russia’s failure to project cyber power in Ukraine (Defense News) Battling Moscow's hackers prior to invasion gave Kyiv 'full dress rehearsal' for today's cyber warfare (CyberScoop) How Conti ransomware hacked and encrypted the Costa Rican government (BleepingComputer) Anatomy of Attack: Truth Behind the Costa Rica Government Ransomware 5-Day Intrusion (AdvIntel) Conti Criminals Resurface as Splinter RaaS Groups (Security Boulevard) The Unsolved Mystery Attack on Internet Cables in Paris (Wired) Massive Losses Define Epidemic of ‘Pig Butchering’ (KrebsOnSecurity)
A criminal talent broker emerges. Developing threats to financial institutions. Phishing through PayPal. Lessons to be learned from LAPSUS$, post-flameout. More spearphishing of Ukrainian targets. US Cyber Command releases IOCs obtained from Ukrainian networks. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on the value of keeping technology simple. Our guests are Carla Plummer and Akilah Tunsill from the organization Black Girls in Cyber. And not really honor, but honor’s self-interested first cousin.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/139
Selected reading. Atlas Intelligence Group (A.I.G) – The Wrath of a Titan (Cyberint) 'AIG' Threat Group Launches With Unique Business Model (Dark Reading) Buy, Sell, Steal, EvilNum Targets Cryptocurrency, Forex, Commodities (Proofpoint) Sending Phishing Emails From PayPal (Avanan) Brazen, Unsophisticated and Illogical: Understanding the LAPSUS$ Extortion Group (Tenable®) Evacuation and Humanitarian Documents used to Spear Phish Ukrainian Entities (Mandiant) Cyber National Mission Force discloses IOCs from Ukrainian networks (U.S. Cyber Command) The Evolution of Cybercrime: Why the Dark Web is Supercharging the Threat Landscape and How to Fight Back (HP Wolf Security)
What’s Russia up to in cyberspace, nowadays? Belgium accuses China of cyberespionage. LockBit ransomware spreading through compromised servers. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture explains the Privacy Enhancing Technologies of Federated Learning with Differential Privacy guarantees. Rick Howard speaks with Rob Gurzeev from Cycognito on Data Exploitation. And Micodus GPS tracker vulnerabilities should motivate the user to turn the thing off.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/138
Selected reading. Continued cyber activity in Eastern Europe observed by TAG (Google) Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on malicious cyber activities conducted by hackers and hacker groups in the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine (European Council) China: Declaration by the Minister for Foreign Affairs on behalf of the Belgian Government urging Chinese authorities to take action against malicious cyber activities undertaken by Chinese actors (Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs) Déclaration du porte-parole de l'Ambassade de Chine en Belgique au sujet de la déclaration du gouvernement belge sur les cyberattaques (Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Kingdom of Belgium) LockBit: Ransomware Puts Servers in the Crosshairs (Broadcom Software Blogs | Threat Intelligence) Critical Vulnerabilities Discovered in Popular Automotive GPS Tracking Device (MiCODUS MV720) (BitSight) CISA released Security Advisory on MiCODUS MV720 Global Positioning System (GPS) Tracker (CISA)
A Cozy Bear sighting. Shaking up Ukraine's intelligence services. Albania's national IT networks continue to work toward recovery. US Justice Department seizes $500k from DPRK threat actors. The FBI warns of apps designed to defraud cryptocurrency speculators. A White House meeting today addresses the cyber workforce. Ben Yelin looks at our right to record police. Our guest is Tim Knudsen, Director of Product Management for Zero Trust at Google Cloud, speaking with Rick Howard. And another trend we’d like to be included out of.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/137
Selected reading. Russian APT29 Hackers Use Online Storage Services, DropBox and Google Drive (Unit 42) Russian hacking unit Cozy Bear adds Google Drive to its arsenal, researchers say (CyberScoop) Russian SVR hackers use Google Drive, Dropbox to evade detection (BleepingComputer) Ukraine’s spy problem runs deeper than Volodymyr Zelensky’s childhood friend (The Telegraph) Albanian government websites go dark after cyberattack (Register) On Google Play, Joker, Facestealer, & Coper Banking Malware (Zscaler) Justice Department seizes $500K from North Korean hackers who targeted US medical organizations (CNN) Cyber Criminals Create Fraudulent Cryptocurrency Investment Applications to Defraud US Investors (US Federal Bureau of Investigation) Announcement of White House National Cyber Workforce and Education Summit | The White House (The White House) Fortinet Announces Free Training Offering for Schools at White House Cyber Workforce and Education Summit (Fortinet) Not your average side hustle: the women making thousands from 'pay pigs' who enjoy being financially dominated (Business Insider)
Ukraine shakes up its security and prosecutorial services. Cyberattacks hit Albania. Advanced persistent threat actors prospect journalists. The GRU is said to be trolling researchers who look into Sandworm. Thomas Etheridge from CrowdStrike on identity management. Our guest is Robin Bell from Egress discussing their Human Activated Risk Report. And CISA opens a liaison office in London.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/136
Selected reading. Ukraine's Zelenskyy fires top security chief and prosecutor (AP NEWS) Zelenskiy Ousts Ukraine’s Security Chief and Top Prosecutor (Bloomberg) Volodymyr Zelensky sacks top aides over 'Russian collaboration' (The Telegraph) A massive cyberattack hit Albania (Security Affairs) Information Systems Are Intact, Says Albanian Government after Cyber Attack (Exit - Explaining Albania) Albania closes down online gov't systems after cyber attack (ANI News). Albania Shuts Down Digital Services and Government Websites after Cyber Attack (Exit - Explaining Albania) Hackers pose as journalists to breach news media org’s networks (BleepingComputer) Cybersecurity Firm: What US Journalists Need To Know About The Foreign Hackers Targeting Them Forbes) Sandworm APT Trolls Researchers on Its Trail as It Targets Ukraine (Dark Reading)
Mike Arrowsmith, Chief Trust Officer at NinjaOne, leads the organization’s IT, security, and support infrastructure to ensure they meet customers’ security and data privacy demands as it scales. Mike discusses how his career path has led him to the position he currently holds and how exciting the world of cybersecurity can be. He mentioned how he mentored students in college thinking of going into the field, and he used a metaphor to help describe the industry, saying "We are working against adversaries that are always typically one step ahead. Figuratively, if you could imagine, you're trying to chase a ball, but you never can quite get your hands on it." He shares how he loves the evolving field and that he thrives in a situation where things are constantly changing. We thank Mike for sharing his story.
On this episode of CyberWire-X, we examine double extortion ransomware. The large-scale cyber events of yesterday – Stuxnet, the Ukraine Power Grid Attack – were primarily focused on disruption. Cybercriminals soon shifted to ransomware with disruption still the key focus – and then took things to the next level with Double Extortion Ransomware. When ransomware first started to take off as the attack method of choice around 2015, the hacker playbook was focused on encrypting data, requesting payment and then handing over the encryption keys. Their methods escalated with Double Extortion, stealing data as well as encrypting it - and threatening to leak data if they don’t receive payment. We’ve seen with ransomware groups like Maze that they will follow through with publishing private information if not paid. In the first part of the show, Rick Howard, the CyberWire’s CSO, Chief Analyst, and Senior Fellow, talks with Wayne Moore, Simply Business' CISO and CyberWire Hash Table member, and, in the second half of the show, the CyberWire's podcast host Dave Bittner talks with Nathan Hunstad, episode sponsor Code42’s Deputy CISO. They discuss how classic ransomware protection such as offsite backups are no longer enough. They explain that Double Extortion means that you need to understand what data has been stolen and weigh the cost of paying with the cost of your data going public.
Chad Seaman, Team Lead at Akamai SIRT joins Dave to discuss their research about a record-breaking DDoS Attack. The research says "A new reflection/amplification distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) vector with a record-breaking potential amplification ratio of 4,294,967,296:1 has been abused by attackers in the wild to launch multiple high-impact DDoS attacks." Starting in mid-February 2022, security researchers, network operators, and security vendors noticed a spike in DDoS attacks. Researchers started to investigate the spike and determined that the devices that were being abused to launch these attacks are MiCollab and MiVoice Business Express collaboration systems. The research goes into how you can help mitigate the attacks and how Mitel has now released patched software. The research can be found here: CVE-2022-26143: TP240PhoneHome Reflection/Amplification DDoS Attack Vector
Gangland goes to war. Is there a "cyber world war" in progress? Ukraine thinks so. A new North Korean ransomware operation is described, but it’s not yet clear if it’s a state operation or some moonlighting by Pyongyang’s operators. Media organizations remain attractive targets for state actors. NSA releases guidance on characterizing threats and risks to microelectronics. Betsy Carmelite from Booz Allen talks about why now is the time to plan for post-quantum cryptography. Our guest is Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Jen Easterly discussing her time at CISA and the work of her team.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/135
Selected reading. Inside The Russian Cybergang Thought To Be Attacking Ukraine—The Trickbot Leaks (Forbes) Who is Trickbot? (Cyjax) Who is Trickbot? (Cyjax) NATO and the European Union work together to counter cyber threats (NATO) The Man at the Center of the New Cyber World War (POLITICO) Russian cyber threat to Canada worse than previously reported: CSE (National Post) North Korean threat actor targets small and midsize businesses with H0lyGh0st ransomware (Microsoft Security) Above the Fold and in Your Inbox: Tracing State-Aligned Activity Targeting Journalists, Media (Proofpoint) NSA Publishes Guidance on Characterizing Threats, Risks to DoD Microelectronics (National Security Agency/Central Security Service)
In this extended interview, CyberWire Daily Podcast host Dave Bittner sits down with Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Jen Easterly to discuss her time at CISA and the work of her team. This interview from July 15, 2022 originally aired as a shortened version on the CyberWire Daily Podcast.
An overview of the cyber phase of Russia's hybrid war. Smartphones as sources of targeting information. Lilith enters the ransomware game. ChromeLoader makes a fresh appearance. Honda acknowledges that Rolling-PWN is real (but says it's not as serious as some think). Part two of Carole Theriault’s conversation with Jen Caltrider from Mozilla's Privacy Not Included initiative. Our guest is Josh Yavor of Tessian to discuss Accidental Data Loss Over Email. A guilty verdict in the Vault 7 case.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/134
Selected reading. Ukraine's Cyber Agency Reports Q2 Cyber-Attack Surge (Infosecurity Magazine) 2022 Q2 (SSSCIP) The weaponizing of smartphone location data on the battlefield (Help Net Security) New Lilith ransomware emerges with extortion site, lists first victim (BleepingComputer) A new ransomware operation has been launched under the name 'Lilith,' and it has already posted its first victim on a data leak site created to support double-extortion attacks. New Ransomware Groups on the Rise (Cyble) Cyble analyzes new ransomware families spotted in the wild led by notable examples such as LILITH, RedAlert, and 0Mega. New Lilith ransomware emerges with extortion site, lists first victim (BleepingComputer) New Ransomware Groups on the Rise (Cyble) Researchers Uncover New Variants of the ChromeLoader Browser Hijacking Malware (The Hacker News) ChromeLoader: New Stubborn Malware Campaign (Unit 42) Honda Admits Hackers Could Unlock Car Doors, Start Engines (SecurityWeek) Honda redesigning latest vehicles to address key fob vulnerabilities (The Record by Recorded Future) Statement Of U.S. Attorney Damian Williams On The Espionage Conviction Of Ex-CIA Programmer Joshua Adam Schulte (US Department of Justice) Ex-C.I.A. Engineer Convicted in Biggest Theft Ever of Agency Secrets (New York Times) Former CIA Staffer Convicted For Massive Data Breach To WikiLeaks (Forbes)
Adversary-in-the-middle sites support business email compromise. Silent validation carding bot discovered. Attempted social engineering at the European Central Bank. Germany puts its shields up. Carole Theriault speaks with Jen Caltrider about Mozilla's *Privacy Not Included initiative. Our guest is Lucia Milica on Proofpoint’s Voice of the CISO report. And Hacktivism in a hybrid war.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/133
Selected reading. From cookie theft to BEC: Attackers use AiTM phishing sites as entry point to further financial fraud (Microsoft Security Blog) PerimeterX Discovers New Silent Validation Carding Bot (PerimeterX) Hackers posing as Merkel target ECB's Lagarde - German source (Reuters) European Central Bank head targeted in hacking attempt (AP NEWS) Cyberangriff auf Spitzenpolitiker: Hacker nutzten Merkels Handynummer, um das Whatsapp-Konto von Lagarde zu knacken (Business Insider) Germany bolsters defenses against Russian cyber threats (Deutsche Welle) Ukraine's cyber army hits Russian cinemas (CyberNews) DDoS attacks surge in popularity in Ukraine — but are they more than a cheap thrill? (The Record by Recorded Future) Microsoft Releases July 2022 Security Updates (CISA) CISA orders agencies to patch new Windows zero-day used in attacks (BleepingComputer) SAP Releases July 2022 Security Updates (CISA) Schneider Electric Easergy P5 and P3 (CISA) Dahua ASI7213X-T1 (CISA)
High-end and low-end extortion. Vehicles from Honda may soon be rolling off the lot. Social media and open-source intelligence. Russian cyberattacks spread internationally. Joe Carrigan surveys items for sale in dark web markets. Our guest is Jonathan Wilson of AU10TIX to discuss consumer sentiment around data privacy. Preparing for cyber combat.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/132
Selected reading. BlackCat (Aka ALPHV) Ransomware Is Increasing Stakes Up To $2,5M In Demands (Resecurity) Ransomware gang now lets you search their stolen data (BleepingComputer) Luna Moth: The Actors Behind the Recent False Subscription Scams (Sygnia) 'Luna Moth' Group Ransoms Data Without the Ransomware (Dark Reading) Hackers can unlock Honda cars remotely in Rolling-PWN attacks (BleepingComputer) Hackers Say They Can Unlock and Start Honda Cars Remotely (Vice) Rolling PWN (PWN) Russia launches attack on Poland as hackers declare war on 10 countries, including UK (Express) Vice Minister: cyber attacks are aimed at seeking publicity and raising tensions (DELFI) How one Ukrainian ethical hacker is training 'cyber warriors' in the fight against Russia (The Record by Recorded Future) The Biggest Threat to the Military May Not Be What You Think (ClearanceJobs)
More deniable DDoS attacks strike countries friendly to Ukraine. Predatory Sparrow's assault on Iran's steel industry. A callback phishing campaign impersonates security companies. The Anubis Network is back. Thomas Etheridge from CrowdStrike on the importance of outside threat hunting. Rick Howard weighs in on sentient AI. And a ransomware gang ups the ante.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/131
Selected reading. Pro-Russian cybercriminals briefly DDoS Congress.gov (CyberScoop) Lithuania's state-owned energy group hit by 'biggest cyber attack in a decade' (lrt.lt) Ignitis Group hit by DDoS attack as Killnet continues Lithuania campaign (Tech Monitor) Russian ‘Hacktivists’ Are Causing Trouble Far Beyond Ukraine (Wired - 07-11-2022) Predatory Sparrow: Who are the hackers who say they started a fire in Iran? (BBC News) Hacktivists claiming attack on Iranian steel facilities dump tranche of 'top secret documents' (CyberScoop) Callback Phishing Campaigns Impersonate CrowdStrike, Other Cybersecurity Companies (CrowdStrike) Anubis Networks is back with new C2 server (Security Affairs) BlackCat (aka ALPHV) ransomware is increasing stakes up to $2.5 million in demands(Help Net Security) Resecurity - BlackCat (aka ALPHV) Ransomware is Increasing Stakes up to $2,5M in Demands (Resecurity)
Simone Petrella, CEO of cybersecurity training workforce firm CyberVista, spent her career in the Department of Defense as a threat intelligence analyst before founding CyberVista. She says that running a company has a new set of challenges each day thrown at you. She explains that the way she finds the most success is by letting her team contribute to each matter, and having a say in the decisions made as they pertain to each department. Simone says "I would say is I am a firm firm believer in the idea of empowering people to really own and kind of run with the things that they're passionate about." She notes that people will do amazing things when they are passionate and that faking it until you make it is true, because you will get where you're going by having that passion and that inspiration. We thank Simone for sharing her story.
Alden Wahlstrom, senior analyst on Mandiant's Information Operations Team, shares a comprehensive overview and analysis of the various information operations activities they’ve seen while responding to the Russian invasion. While the full extent of the Russia-Ukraine war has yet to come to light, more than two months after the start of the invasion, Mandiant has identified activity that they believed to be information operations campaigns conducted by actors possibly in support of the political interests of nation-states such as Russia, Belarus, China, and Iran. The research shares a chart with all of the known information operations events that have taken place so far dating back to January of 2022. It also states that following the beginning of the Russian attack they have seen concerning signs, including "incidents involving the deployment of wiper malware disguised as ransomware." The research can be found here: The IO Offensive: Information Operations Surrounding the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
An update on cyber operations in the hybrid war. NPM compromise updates. Free decryptors for AstraLocker and Yashma ransomware. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on attacks against Perimeter Security Devices. Our guest is Sonali Shah from Invicti Security with a look at DevSecOps anxiety. And who’s the villain who hijacked the Instagram account of Disneyland?
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/130
Selected reading. Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 135 (Al Jazeera) Russia-Ukraine war: Putin warns Moscow has 'barely started' its campaign (The Telegraph) Russian Cybercrime Trickbot Group is systematically attacking Ukraine (Security Affairs) US finance sector encouraged to stay vigilant against retaliatory Russian cyberattacks (SC Magazine) Someone may be prepping an NPM crypto-mining spree (Register) ICS CERT Advisories (CISA) Free decryptor released for AstraLocker, Yashma ransomware victims (BleepingComputer) Disneyland’s Instagram Account Hacked With a Series of Profane, Racist Posts (Wall Street Journal)
The FBI and MI-5 warn of Chinese industrial espionage. Revelations of Trickbot's privateering role. Russian influence operations target France, Germany, Poland, and Turkey. Chinese APTs target Russian organizations in a cyberespionage effort. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on CISA expanding the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative. Ben Yelin speaks with Matt Kent from Public Citizen about the American Innovation and Online Choice Act. And who would guess it, but NFT scams are pestering Ukraine.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/129
Selected reading. Heads of FBI, MI5 Issue Joint Warning on Chinese Spying (Wall Street Journal) FBI and MI5 leaders give unprecedented joint warning on Chinese spying (the Guardian) FBI and MI5 bosses: China cheats and steals at massive scale (Register) FBI director suggests China bracing for sanctions if it invades Taiwan (Washington Post) Unprecedented Shift: The Trickbot Group is Systematically Attacking Ukraine (Security Intelligence) Trickbot may be carrying water for Russia (Washington Post) Russia Info Ops Home In on Perceived Weak Links (VOA) Targets of Interest | Russian Organizations Increasingly Under Attack By Chinese APTs (SentinelOne) Chinese hackers targeting Russian government, telecoms: report (The Record by Recorded Future) Near-undetectable malware linked to Russia's Cozy Bear (Register) Russia's Cozy Bear linked to nearly undetectable malware (Computing) When Pentest Tools Go Brutal: Red-Teaming Tool Being Abused by Malicious Actors (Unit 42) NFT scammers see an opportunity in Ukraine donations (The Record by Recorded Future)
The FBI, CISA, and the Department of the Treasury are releasing this joint Cybersecurity Advisory to provide information on Maui ransomware, which has been used by North Korean state-sponsored cyber actors since at least May 2021 to target Healthcare and Public Health Sector organizations. AA22-187A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations Stairwell Threat Report: Maui Ransomware North Korea Cyber Threat Overview and Advisories Updated Advisory on Potential Sanctions Risks for Facilitating Ransomware Payments National Conference of State Legislatures: Security Breach Notification Laws Health Breach Notification Rule Protecting Sensitive and Personal Information from Ransomware-Caused Data Breaches StopRansomware.gov CISA-Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) Joint Ransomware Guide
All organizations should report incidents and anomalous activity to CISA’s 24/7 Operations Center at central@cisa.dhs.gov or (888) 282-0870 and to the FBI via your local FBI field office or the FBI’s 24/7 CyWatch at (855) 292-3937 or CyWatch@fbi.gov.
Quantum computing and security standards. Notes on the cyber phases of a hybrid war, and how depressingly conventional cybercrime persists in wartime. Pyongyang operators are using Maui ransomware against healthcare targets. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture looks at the security risks of GPS. Our guest is Brian Kenyon of Island to discuss enterprise browser security. Shanghai's big data exposure.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/128
Selected reading. NIST Announces First Four Quantum-Resistant Cryptographic Algorithms (NIST) Winners of NIST's post-quantum cryptography competition announced (Computing) NIST unveils four algorithms that will underpin new 'quantum-proof' cryptography standards (SC magazine) NIST Identifies 4 Quantum-Resistant Encryption Algorithms (Nextgov.com) Prepare for a New Cryptographic Standard to Protect Against Future Quantum-Based Threats (CISA) Quantum-resistant encryption recommended for standardization (Register) Keeping Phones Running in Wartime Pushes Kyivstar to the Limit (Bloomberg) The Ukraine war could provide a cyberwarfare manual for Chinese generals eyeing Taiwan (CyberScoop) Ukrainian police takes down phishing gang behind payments scam (ZDNet) Cyber Police of Ukraine arrested 9 men behind phishing attacks on Ukrainians attempting to capitalize on the ongoing conflict (Security Affairs) North Korean State-Sponsored Cyber Actors Use Maui Ransomware to Target the Healthcare and Public Health Sector (CISA) Reports (Moody’s) Clarion Housing ‘cyber incident’ affects thousands of tenants (Cambs Times) In a big potential breach, a hacker offers to sell a Chinese police database. (New York Times) Nearly one billion people in China had their personal data leaked, and it's been online for more than a year (CNN) China data breach likely to fuel identity fraud, smishing attacks (ZDNet) China Tries to Censor What Could Be Biggest Data Hack in History (Gizmodo) Here are four big questions about the massive Shanghai police leak (Washington Post) Shanghai Data Breach Exposes Dangers of China’s Trove (Bloomberg)
Cyberattack hits a Ukrainian energy provider. NCSC updates its guidance on preparing for a long-term Russian cyber campaign. Royal Army accounts are hijacked. A hacktivist group claims to have hit Iranian sites. A very very large database of PII is for sale on the dark web. Chase Snyder from ExtraHop has a look back at WannaCry, 5 years on. Ben Yelin examines the constitutionality of keyword search warrants. And a rogue employee makes off with bug reports.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/127
Selected reading. Russian hackers allegedly target Ukraine's biggest private energy firm (CNN) Proruskí hackeri opäť útočili. Ďalšia významná spoločnosť hlási, že čelila kybernetickým útokom (Vosveteit.sk) Preparing for the long haul: the cyber threat from Russia (NCSC) Official British Army Twitter and YouTube accounts hijacked by NFT scammers (Hot for Security) British army confirms breach of its Twitter and YouTube accounts (the Guardian) British Army hit by cyberattack as Twitter and YouTube accounts hacked (The Telegraph) Iranians' Remote Access to Banking Services Cut Off Over 'Cyber Attacks' (IranWire) (Video) Iranian regime’s Islamic Culture and Communications Organization targeted in massive cyber offensive (EIN News) Hackers Claim Theft of Police Info in China’s Largest Data Leak (Bloomberg) Hacker Selling Shanghai Police Database with Billions of Chinese Citizens Data (HackRead) Giant data breach? Leaked personal data of one billion people has been spotted for sale on the dark web (ZDNet) Hacker claims to have stolen 1 bln records of Chinese citizens from police (Reuters) HackerOne disclosed on HackerOne: June 2022 Incident Report (HackerOne) HackerOne Employee Caught Stealing Vulnerability Reports for Personal Gains (The Hacker News) Rogue HackerOne employee steals bug reports to sell on the side (BleepingComputer)
In this episode, Marc and Patrick Morley, former CEO of Carbon Black, get nostalgic as they discuss Patrick's journey of coming up through the start up scene in the 90s—from working with VCs to taking companies public—and compare it to running cyber companies today. Along with the early career experience that helped form Patrick's leadership philosophy, he shares his experience of becoming CEO of Bit9, seeing the company through a breach, acquiring Carbon Black, bring the company public and later getting acquired by VMWare—this episode is filled to the brim. You'll also learn about:
How build a criteria for joining a start up
Why cyber is the most mission-driven area of tech
What it's like to call 600 customers in 2 days after a breach and not lose a single one
Seven philosophies for running a cyber company
Larry Cashdollar from Akamai, joins Dave to discuss their research on a DDoS campaign claiming to be REvil. The research shares that Akamai's team was notified last week of an attack on one of their hospitality customers that they called "Layer 7" by a group claiming to be associated with REvil. In the research, they dive into the attack, as well as comparing it to other similar attacks that have been made by the group. The research states "The attacks so far target a site by sending a wave of HTTP/2 GET requests with some cache-busting techniques to overwhelm the website." It also stated that this is a smaller attack than they have seen by the group before, and notes that there seems to be more of a political agenda behind the attack, whereas in the past, REvil has been less political. The research can be found here: REvil Resurgence? Or a Copycat?
An update on the DDoS attack against Norway. NATO's resolutions on cyber security. North Korea seems to be behind the Harmony cryptocurrency heist. MedusaLocker warninga. Microsoft sees improvements in a gang's technique. Google blocks underworld domains. The Israeli-Iranian conflict in cyberspace. Chris Novak from Verizon with his take on this year’s DBIR. Our guest is Jason Clark of Netskope on the dynamic challenges of a remote workforce.And Now among the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted: one Crypto Queen.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/126
Selected reading. Pro-Russian hackers launched a massive DDoS attack against Norway (Security Affairs) NATO establishes program to coordinate rapid response to cyberattacks (POLITICO) NATO to create cyber rapid response force, increase cyber defense aid to Ukraine (CyberScoop) FACT SHEET: The 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid | The White House (The White House) North Korean Lazarus hackers linked to Harmony bridge thef (TechCrunch) North Korea Suspected of Plundering Crypto to Fund Weapons Programs (Wall Street Journal) Crypto crash threatens North Korea's stolen funds as it ramps up weapons tests (Reuters) CISA Alert AA22-181A – #StopRansomware: MedusaLocker. (CISA Cybersecurity Alerts with the CyberWire)
StopRansomware: MedusaLocker (CISA)
Microsoft warning: This malware that targets Linux just got a big update (ZDNet) Microsoft Warns of Cryptomining Malware Campaign Targeting Linux Servers (The Hacker News) Google blocked dozens of domains used by hack-for-hire groups (BleepingComputer) Countering hack-for-hire groups (Google) Gantz orders probe after TV reports hint IDF behind Iran steel plant cyberattack (Times of Israel) Proofpoint: Zionist covert operation? (PressTV) Zionist intelligence company cyberattacked by Iraqi hackers (Mehr) FBI Offers $100,000 Reward for Capture of Ten Most Wanted Fugitive ‘Cryptoqueen’ (FBI)
CISA, the FBI, the Department of the Treasury, and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network are releasing this alert to provide information on MedusaLocker ransomware. Observed as recently as May 2022, MedusaLocker actors predominantly rely on vulnerabilities in Remote Desktop Protocol to access victims’ networks. AA22-181A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations Stop Ransomware CISA Ransomware Guide CISA No-cost Ransomware Services All organizations should report incidents and anomalous activity to CISA’s 24/7 Operations Center at central@cisa.dhs.gov or (888) 282-0870 and to the FBI via your local FBI field office or the FBI’s 24/7 CyWatch at (855) 292-3937 or CyWatch@fbi.gov.
Killnet hits Norwegian websites. Hacktivists are tied to Russia's government. Amunet as a case study in C2C market differentiation. C2C commodification extends to script kiddies. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos examines borderless data. Rick Howard speaks with Cody Chamberlain from NetSPI on Breach Communication. Roscosmos publishes locations of Western defense facilities…and subsequently says it sustained a DDoS attack.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/125
Selected reading. Pro-Russian hacker group says it attacked Norway (The Independent Barents Observer) Cyberattack hits Norway, pro-Russian hacker group fingered (AP NEWS) Norway blames "pro-Russian group" for cyber attack (Reuters) Mandiant Finds Possible Link Between Kremlin, Pro-Russian ‘Hacktivists’ (Bloomberg) Market Differentiation: Cybercriminal Forums’ Unusual Features Designed To Attract Users (Digital Shadows) Minors Use Discord Servers to Earn Extra Pocket Money Through Spreading Malware (PR Newswire) Russia publishes Pentagon coordinates, says Western satellites 'work for our enemy' (Reuters) Russian Space Agency Targeted in Cyberattack (Wall Street Journal) Cyberattack hits Russian space agency site after sharing NATO photos (Jerusalem Post)
NATO's response to Killnet's cyberattacks on Lithuania. Influence operations in the interest of national market share. SOHO routers are under attack. YTStealer is out and active in the wild. RansomHouse hits AMD. CISA releases six ICS security advisories. The most dangerous software weaknesses. Betsy Carmelite from Booz Allen Hamilton takes a look back at Biden’s executive order on cyber. Our guest is Philippe Humeau of CrowdSec on taking a collaborative approach to security. And a guilty plea in the case of the NetWalker affiliate.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/124
Selected reading. Could the Russian cyber attack on Lithuania draw a military response from NATO? (Sky News) Pro-PRC DRAGONBRIDGE Influence Campaign Targets Rare Earths Mining Companies in Attempt to Thwart Rivalry to PRC Market Dominance (Mandiant) ZuoRAT Hijacks SOHO Routers to Silently Stalk Networks (Lumen) New YTStealer Malware Aims to Hijack Accounts of YouTube Content Creators (Hacker News) RansomHouse Extortion Group Claims AMD as Latest Victim (RestorePrivacy) RansomHouse gang claims to have some stolen AMD data (Register) CISA releases 6 Industrial Control Systems Advisories (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) 2022 CWE Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Weaknesses (CISA) Netwalker ransomware affiliate agrees to plead guilty to hacking charges (The Record by Recorded Future)
Distributed denial-of-service attacks against Lithuania. Dark Crystal RAT described. Iranian steel mill suspends production due to cyberattack. Bumblebee rising. CISA adds to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog. Music pirate sites brought down by US and Brazilian authorities. Joe Carrigan looks at Apple’s private access tokens. Mister Security Answer Person John Pescatore drops some sboms. And where do Russian intelligence officers go after they’ve been PNGed?
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/123
Selected reading. Lithuania targeted by massive Russian cyberattack over transit blockade (Newsweek) Russia's Killnet hacker group says it attacked Lithuania (Reuters) Killnet, Kaliningrad, and Lithuania’s Transport Standoff With Russia (Flashpoint) Ukraine Targeted by Dark Crystal RAT (DCRat) | FortiGuard Labs (Fortinet Blog) Cyberattack Forces Iran Steel Company to Halt Production (SecurityWeek) Iran’s steel industry halted by cyberattack (Jerusalem Post) Bumblebee: New Loader Rapidly Assuming Central Position in Cyber-crime Ecosystem (Broadcom Software Blogs) CISA Adds Eight Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog (CISA) US, Brazil seize 272 websites used to illegally download music (BleepingComputer) Swiss intel service: Watch out for redeployed Russian spies (AP News)
Lithuania sustains a major DDoS attack. Lessons from NotPetya. Conti's brand appears to have gone into hiding. Online extortion now tends to skip the ransomware proper. Josh Ray from Accenture on how social engineering is evolving for underground threat actors. Rick Howard looks at Chaos Engineering. US financial institutions conduct a coordinated cybersecurity exercise.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/122
Selected reading. Russia's Killnet hacker group says it attacked Lithuania (Reuters) The hacker group KillNet has published an ultimatum to the Lithuanian authorities (TDPel Media) 5 years after NotPetya: Lessons learned (CSO Online) The cyber security impact of Operation Russia by Anonymous (ComputerWeekly) Conti ransomware finally shuts down data leak, negotiation sites (BleepingComputer) The Conti Enterprise: ransomware gang that published data belonging to 850 companies (Group-IB) Fake copyright infringement emails install LockBit ransomware (BleepingComputer) NCC Group Monthly Threat Pulse – May 2022 (NCC Group) We're now truly in the era of ransomware as pure extortion without the encryption (Register) Wall Street Banks Quietly Test Cyber Defenses at Treasury’s Direction (Bloomberg)
Richard Melick, Director of Threat Reporting for Zimperium, talks about his journey, from working in the military to moving up to the big screens. He shares that he's been in the business of solving unique cybersecurity problems for so long that he has found his own path that works very well for him. He says, "if I go to a unique problem and try to solve it, I find that I'm solving it the same way that I would've solved it five years ago, because I found my pattern." Richard reflects on his time working in the industry, from moving away from the military and into different roles over the years. He notes that giving credit where credit is due, to those who deserve it, is how you keep the audience engaged as a storyteller. We thank Richard for sharing his story.
Alan Neville, a Threat Intelligence Analyst from Symantec Broadcom, joins Dave to discuss their research "Lazarus Targets Chemical Sector." Symantec has observed the North Korea-linked threat group known as Lazarus conducting an espionage campaign targeting organizations operating within the chemical sector. The campaign appears to be a continuation of the group's activity called Operation Dream Job, which Symantec first came across in August of 2020. The research states "evidence includes file hashes, file names, and tools that were observed in previous Dream Job campaigns." The research can be found here: Lazarus Targets Chemical Sector
Lithuania's NKSC warns of increased DDoS threat. Limited Russian success in the cyber phases of its hybrid war. Another warning of spyware in use against targets in Italy and Kazakhstan. Hey, critical infrastructure operators: CISA’s got tabletop exercises for you. Kevin Magee from Microsoft has advice for recent grads. A look back the year since Colonial Pipeline with Padraic O'Reilly of CyberSaint. And sometimes ransomware is just a spy’s way of saying, “nothing up my sleeve…”
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/121
Selected reading. Lithuania warns of rise in DDoS attacks against government sites (BleepingComputer) Defending Ukraine: Early Lessons from the Cyber War (Microsoft) Why think tanks are such juicy targets for cyberspies (The Record by Recorded Future) The war in Ukraine is showing the limits of cyberattacks (Tech Monitor) Spyware vendor targets users in Italy and Kazakhstan (Google Threat Analysis Group) BRONZE STARLIGHT Ransomware Operations Use HUI Loader (SecureWorks) CISA Tabletop Exercises Packages (CTEP) (CISA) CISA Tabletop Exercise Package (CTEP) Workshop (Government Technology)
CISA and the US Coast Guard Cyber Command are releasing this joint Cybersecurity Advisory to warn network defenders that cyber threat actors, including state-sponsored APT actors, have continued to exploit CVE-2021-44228 (Log4Shell) in VMware Horizon and Unified Access Gateway servers to obtain initial access to organizations that did not apply available patches or workarounds. AA22-174A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations Malware Analysis Report 10382254-1 stix Malware Analysis Report 10382580-1 stix CISA’s Apache Log4j Vulnerability Guidance webpage Joint CSA Mitigating Log4Shell and Other Log4j-Related Vulnerabilities CISA’s database of known vulnerable services on the CISA GitHub page See National Security Agency (NSA) and Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) guidance Block and Defend Web Shell Malware for additional guidance on hardening internet-facing systems. All organizations should report incidents and anomalous activity to CISA’s 24/7 Operations Center at central@cisa.dhs.gov or (888) 282-0870 and to the FBI via your local FBI field office or the FBI’s 24/7 CyWatch at (855) 292-3937 or CyWatch@fbi.gov.
Reviewing Russian cyber campaigns in the war against Ukraine, and the complexity of Ukraine's IT Army. ICEFALL advice and reactions. Carole Theriault looks at Hollywood’s relationship with VPNs. Podcast partner Robert M. Lee from Dragos provides a rundown on Pipedream. And CISA updates its Cloud Security Technical Reference Architecture.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/120
Selected reading. [Blog] Defending Ukraine: Early Lessons from the Cyber War (Microsoft On the Issues) [Report] Defending Ukraine: Early Lessons from the Cyber War (Microsoft) Russian cyber spies attack Ukraine's allies, Microsoft says (Reuters) Research questions potentially dangerous implications of Ukraine's IT Army (CyberScoop) The IT Army of Ukraine Structure, Tasking, and Ecosystem (Center for Security Studies) CISA Releases Security Advisories Related to OT:ICEFALL (Insecure by Design) Report (CISA) Industry Reactions to 'OT:Icefall' Vulnerabilities Found in ICS Products (SecurityWeek) Cloud Security Technical Reference Architecture (CISA)
Fancy Bear sighted in Ukrainian in-boxes. Why Russian cyberattacks against Ukraine have fallen short of expectations. ToddyCat APT is active in European and Asian networks. ICEFALL ICS vulnerabilities described. CISA issues ICS vulnerability advisories. Europol makes nine collars. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on The global state of data protection and sharing. Rick Howard speaks with Michelangelo Sidagni from NopSec on the Future of Vulnerability Management. We are shocked, shocked, to hear of corruption in the FSB
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/119
Selected reading. Ukrainian cybersecurity officials disclose two new hacking campaigns (CyberScoop) Ukraine Warns of New Malware Campaign Tied to Russian Hackers (Bloomberg Law) Russian govt hackers hit Ukraine with Cobalt Strike, CredoMap malware (BleepingComputer) Opinion How Russia’s vaunted cyber capabilities were frustrated in Ukraine (Washington Post) New Toddycat APT Targets MS Exchange Servers in Europe and Asia (Infosecurity Magazine) Microsoft Exchange servers hacked by new ToddyCat APT gang (BleepingComputer) OT:ICEFALL: 56 Vulnerabilities Caused by Insecure-by-Design Practices in OT (Forescout) From Basecamp to Icefall: Secure by Design OT Makes Little Headway (SecurityWeek) Dozens of vulnerabilities threaten major OT device makers (Cybersecurity Dive) CISA releases 6 Industrial Control Systems Advisories (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) Phishing gang behind several million euros worth of losses busted in Belgium and the Netherlands (Europol) Подполковника УФСБ по Самарской области арестовали за кражу криптовалюты у хакера (TASS)
A Cyberattack is suspected of causing false alarms in Israel. Risk surface assessments. Renewed warning of the potential security risks of fitness apps. Cyber options may grow more attractive to Russia as kinetic operations stall. DDoS in St. Petersburg. Ben Yeling details a Senate bill restricting the sale of location data. Our guest is Jon Check from Raytheon's Intelligence and Space Division discussing the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition. A conviction in the Capital One hacking case.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/118
Selected reading. Suspected cyberattack triggers sirens in Jerusalem, Eilat (Israel Hayom) Suspected Iranian Cyberattack on Israel Triggers Sirens (Haaretz) Iranian cyberattack may be behind false rocket warning sirens in Jerusalem (Jerusalem Post) Israel suspects Iranian cyber-attack behind false siren alerts (Middle East Monitor) Strava fitness app used to spy on Israeli military officials (Computing) Treasury's Adeyemo sees elevated cyber threats in wake of Russia's war in Ukraine (Reuters) More cyber warfare with Russia lies on the horizon (Interesting Engineering) Prolonged war may make Russia more cyber aggressive, US official says (C4ISRNet) What the Russia-Ukraine war means for the future of cyber warfare (The Hill) Complex Russian cyber threat requires we go back to basics (ComputerWeekly.com) Vladimir Putin speech delayed 'because of cyber-attack' as he hits out at 'economic blitzkrieg' against Russia (Scotsman) UPDATE 1-Putin's St Petersburg speech postponed by an hour after cyberattack (Yahoo) Think of the Russia-Ukraine conflict as a microcosm of the cyber war (SC Magazine) The link between cyberattacks and war: Gartner (CRN Australia) Ex-Amazon Worker Convicted in Capital One Hacking (New York Times) Jury Convicts Seattle Woman in Massive Capital One Hack (SecurityWeek) Former Seattle tech worker convicted of wire fraud and computer intrusions (US Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington)
As we break to observe the Juneteenth holiday, our team thought you might like to try a sample of a CyberWire Pro podcast called Interview Selects. These podcasts are a series of extended interviews, exclusives, and a curated selection of our most engaging and informative interviews over the years, featuring cyber security professionals, journalists, authors and industry insiders. In this extended interview, Dave Bittner speaks with FBI Cyber Section Chief David Ring at RSAC discussing FBI cyber strategy/role in the cyber ecosystem and private sector engagement. Like what you hear? Consider subscribing to CyberWire Pro for $99/year. Learn more.
Lauren Van Wazer, Vice President, Global Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs for Akamai Technologies, shares her story as she followed her own North Star and landed where she is today. She describes her career path, highlighting how she went from working at AT&T to being able to work in the White House. She shares how she is a coach and a leader to the team she works with now, saying "my view is I've got their back, if they make a mistake, it's my mistake, and if they do well, they've done well." Lauren hopes she's made an impact in the world by making it a little bit better than before, and discusses how she doesn't let anyone stop her from her goals. Lauren shares her outlook on her experiences, calling attention to different roles in her life that made her journey all the better. We thank Lauren for sharing.
Edward Wu, senior principal data scientist at ExtraHop, joins Dave to discuss the company's research, "A Technical Analysis of How Spring4Shell Works." ExtraHop first noticed chatter from social media in March of 2022 on a new remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability and immediately started tracking the issue. In the research, it describes how the exploit works and breaks down how the ExtraHop team came to identify the Spring4Shell vulnerability. The research describes the severity of the vulnerability, saying, "The impact of an RCE in this framework could have a serious impact similar to Log4Shell." The research can be found here: How the Spring4Shell Zero-Day Vulnerability Works
Malibot is an info stealer masquerading as a coin miner. "Hermit" spyware is being used by nation-state security services. Fabricated evidence is planted in Indian computers. The US takes down a criminal botnet. The British Home Secretary signs the Assange extradition order. We wind up our series of RSA Conference interviews with David London from the Chertoff group and Hugh Njemanze from Anomali. And putting the Service into service learning.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/117
Selected reading. 'MaliBot' Android Malware Steals Financial, Personal Information (SecurityWeek) F5 Labs Investigates MaliBot (F5 Labs) Sophisticated Android Spyware 'Hermit' Used by Governments (SecurityWeek) Lookout Uncovers Android Spyware Deployed in Kazakhstan (Lookout) Police Linked to Hacking Campaign to Frame Indian Activists (Wired) U.S., partners dismantle Russian hacking 'botnet,' Justice Dept says (Reuters) Russian Botnet Disrupted in International Cyber Operation (US Attorney's Office, Southern District of California) Julian Assange: Priti Patel signs US extradition order (The Telegraph) AIVD disrupts activities of Russian intelligence officer targeting the International Criminal Court (AIVD) Alleged Russian spy studied at Johns Hopkins, won ICC internship (Washington Post)
Interpol coordinates international enforcement action against scammers. A new version of IceXLoader is observed. Exploiting versioning limits to render files inaccessible. Reflections on the first large-scale hybrid war. Kelly Shortridge from Fastly on why behavioral science and economics matters for InfoSec. Patrick Orzechowski from DeepWatch on Russian IoCs and critical infrastructure. And the possibility of cyber escalation in Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/116
Selected reading. Hundreds arrested and millions seized in global INTERPOL operation against social engineering scams (Interpol) New IceXLoader 3.0 – Developers Warm Up to Nim (Fortinet Blog) Proofpoint Discovers Potentially Dangerous Microsoft Office 365 Functionality that can Ransom Files Stored on SharePoint and OneDrive (Proofpoint) Russia’s cyber fog in the Ukraine war (GIS Reports) Russia Might Try Reckless Cyber Attacks as Ukraine War Drags On, US Warns (Defense One) Cyber Attacks in Times of Conflict (CyberPeace Institute) Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine invasion is the world’s first full-scale cyberwar (Atlantic Council) Why Russia has refrained from a major cyber-attack against the West (Cyber Security Hub) In modern war, we have as much to fear from cyber weapons as kinetics (Computing)
The Hertzbleed side-channel issue affects Intel and AMD processors. An Iranian spearphishing campaign prospected former Israeli officials. Patch Tuesday notes. A look at software bills of materials. Russia routes occupied Ukraine's Internet traffic through Russia. Intercepts in the hybrid war: the odd and the ugly. Deepen Desai from ZScaler joins us with the latest numbers on ransomware. Rob Boyce from Accenture Security looks at cyber invisibility. And, finally, criminal wannabes and criminal publicity stunts.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/115
Selected reading. A new vulnerability in Intel and AMD CPUs lets hackers steal encryption keys (Ars Technica) Iranian Spear-Phishing Operation Targets Former Israeli and US High-Ranking Officials (Check Point Research) Microsoft June 2022 Patch Tuesday fixes 1 zero-day, 55 flaws (BleepingComputer) Microsoft Releases June 2022 Security Updates (CISA) Windows Updates Patch Actively Exploited 'Follina' Vulnerability (SecurityWeek) Adobe Plugs 46 Security Flaws on Patch Tuesday (SecurityWeek) Citrix Releases Security Updates for Application Delivery Management (CISA) SAP Releases June 2022 Security Updates (CISA) So long, Internet Explorer. The browser retires today (AP NEWS) SBOM in Action: finding vulnerabilities with a Software Bill of Materials (Google Online Security Blog) Russia Is Taking Over Ukraine’s Internet (Wired) Belarusian hacktivist group releases purported Belarusian wiretapped audio of Russian embassy (CyberScoop) Intercepted call: Russian plan to send PoWs out into minefields (The Telegraph) Hacker Advertises ‘Crappy’ Ransomware on Instagram (Vice) LockBit Ransomware Compromise of Mandiant Not Supported by Any Evidence, May Be a PR Move by Cybercrime Gang (CPO Magazine)
Dealing with the GRU's exploitation of the Follina vulnerabilities. SeaFlower uses stolen seed phrases to rifle cryptocurrency wallets. Ukraine moves sensitive data abroad. Anonymous claims to have hacked Russia's drone suppliers and to have hit sensitive targets in Belarus. Rick Howard reports on an NSA briefing at the RSA Conference. Our guest is Ricardo Amper from Incode with a look at biometrics in sports stadiums. And the effects of war on the cyber underworld.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/114
Selected reading. Follina flaw being exploited by Russian hackers, info stealers (Computing) Chinese Hackers Adding Backdoor to iOS, Android Web3 Wallets in 'SeaFlower' Campaign (SecurityWeek) How SeaFlower...installs backdoors in iOS/Android web3 wallets to steal your seed phrase (Medium) Ukraine Has Begun Moving Sensitive Data Outside Its Borders (Wall Street Journal) Anonymous claims hack on Russian drones (Computing) How the Cybercrime Landscape has been Changed following the Russia-Ukraine War (Kela)
A Chinese APT deploys a new cyberespionage tool. Hacktivism roils India after a politician's remarks about the Prophet. Ukraine reports a "massive" spam campaign against the country's media organizations. A Russian court fines Wikimedia for "disinformation." From the NSA’s Cybersecurity Collaboration Center our guests are Morgan Adamski and Josh Zaritsky. Rick Howard sets the cyber sand table on Colonial Pipeline. And the Martians haven’t landed, and the Right Honorable Mr. Johnson is still PM.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/113
Selected reading. CERT-UA warns of cyberattack on Ukrainian media (Interfax-Ukraine) Russian hackers start targeting Ukraine with Follina exploits (BleepingComputer) Massive cyber attack on media organizations of Ukraine using the malicious program CrescentImp (CERT-UA # 4797) (CERT-UA) Wikimedia Foundation appeals Russian fine over Ukraine war articles (The Verge) GALLIUM Expands Targeting Across Telecommunications, Government and Finance Sectors With New PingPull Tool (Unit42) Prophet remark: Slew of cyber attacks on Indian govt, private sites (The Times of India) 70 Indian government, private websites face international cyber attacks over Prophet row (The Times of India) Channel 4 faces Ofcom probe over ’emergency news’ stunt to promote cyber attack drama The Undeclared War (INews)
Deepen Desai, Global Chief Information Security Officer at Zscaler, shares his story as a doctor that treats computer viruses. He describes how he got into the security field and his work with Zscaler. He says what it's like learning and growing in this field and shares great advice for people who are up and coming in the field. Deepen describes working with an incredible team and how much joy it brings him to see his team learning and growing beyond their roles working with him. He says he want's to be remembered as a mentor among his colleagues. He says "I still remember my first team that I built, 15 years ago. Most of those guys are leading key technologies at many of the major security vendors, and some of them are still with me." We thank Deepen for sharing his story.
Danny Adamitis from Lumen's Black Lotus Labs, joins Dave to discuss new developments in the WSL attack surface. Since September 2021, Black Lotus Labs have been monitoring malware repositories as a part of their proactive threat hunting process. Danny shares how researchers discovered a series of suspicious ELF files compiled for Debian Linux . The research states how the team identified a series of samples that target the WSL environment, were uploaded every two to three weeks and that they started as early as May 3, 2021 and go until August 22, 20221. The research can be found here:
Windows Subsystem For Linux (WSL): Threats Still Lurk Below The (Sub)Surface
No Longer Just Theory: Black Lotus Labs Uncovers Linux Executables Deployed As Stealth Windows Loaders
Looking at Russia's hybrid war as a cautionary example. Russia warns, again, that it will meet cyberattacks with appropriate retaliation. (China says "us too.") NSA and FBI warn of nation-state cyber threats. SentinelOne finds a Chinese APT that's been operating, quietly, for a decade. "Unpatchable" vulnerability in Apple chips reported. We’ve got more interviews from RSA Conference, including the FBI’s Cyber Section Chief David Ring, ExtraHop’s CEO, Patrick Dennis. And the overhead projector said, “Go Tigers.”
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/112
Selected reading. Top Senate Democrats sound the alarm about Russian interference in the 2022 midterms (Business Insider) Russia says West risks ‘direct military clash’ over cyberattacks (NBC News) Russia, China, oppose US cyber support of Ukraine (Register)
RSAC: NSA Outlines Threats from Russia, China and Ransomware (Infosecurity Magazine)
FBI official: Chinese hackers boost recon efforts (The Record by Recorded Future) Aoqin Dragon | Newly-Discovered Chinese-linked APT Has Been Quietly Spying On Organizations For 10 Years (SentinelOne) MIT researchers uncover ‘unpatchable’ flaw in Apple M1 chips (TechCrunch) New Jersey school district forced to cancel final exams amid ransomware recovery effort (The Record by Recorded Future)
Another hacked broadcast in a hybrid war. Hunting forward as an exercise in threat intelligence collection and sharing. Cyber threats to the US midterm elections. Phishing for cryptocurrency. FakeCrack delivers a malicious payload to the unwary. Vacations are back. So is travel-themed phishbait. Ann Johnson from Microsoft shares insights on the trends she’s tracking here at RSA. Johannes Ullrich brings highlights from his RSA conference panel discussion. And Emotet returns, in the company of some old familiar criminal collaborators.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/111
Selected reading. Hacked Russian radio station broadcasts Ukrainian anthem (Washington Post) Ukraine Successfully Defends Its Cyberspace While Russia Leans Heavily on Guns, Bombs (CNET) Ukraine war: US cyber chief on Kyiv's advantage over Russia (Sky News) NSA Director Confirms Cyber Command 'Hunt Forward' Approach Applies to Russia (ClearanceJobs) Experts, NSA cyber director say ransomware could threaten campaigns in 2022 (CyberScoop) Ransomware, botnets could plague 2022 midterms, NSA cyber director says (The Record by Recorded Future) How Cyber Criminals Target Cryptocurrency (Proofpoint) Crypto stealing campaign spread via fake cracked software (Avast) Threat Actors Prepare Travel-Themed Phishing Lures for Summer Holidays (Hot for Security) Emotet Malware Returns in 2022 (Deep Instinct)
US officials continue to rate the threat of Russian cyberattack as high. Civilians in cyber war. Broadcast interference and propaganda. A Joint CISA/FBI warning of Chinese cyberespionage. What gets a vulnerability into the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog? Andrea Little Limbago from Interos and Mike Sentonas from Crowdstrike join us with previews of their RSA conference presentations. And, finally, some Jersey-based cyber campaigns (that’s the Bailiwick, not the Garden State).
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/110
Selected reading. Russian Cyber Threat Remains High, U.S. Officials Say (Wall Street Journal) Shields Up: The New Normal (CyberScoop) Russian Government, Cybercriminal Cooperation a 'Force Multiplier' (Decipher) Opinion The U.S.-Russia conflict is heating up — in cyberspace (Washington Post) Smartphones Blur the Line Between Civilian and Combatant (Wired) Russian Cyberattack Hits Wales-Ukraine Football Broadcast (Gov Info Security) People’s Republic of China State-Sponsored Cyber Actors Exploit Network Providers and Devices (CISA) US agencies detail the digital ‘plumbing’ used by Chinese state-sponsored hackers (The Record by Recorded Future) CISA Provides Criteria and Process for Updates to the KEV Catalog (CISA) Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (CISA) Jersey computers used in international cyber-attacks (Jersey Evening Post)
This joint Cybersecurity Advisory describes the ways in which People’s Republic of China state-sponsored cyber actors continue to exploit publicly known vulnerabilities in order to establish a broad network of compromised global infrastructure. These actors use the network to exploit a wide variety of targets worldwide, including public and private sector organizations. AA22-158A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations Refer to China Cyber Threat and Advisories, Internet Crime Complaint Center, and NSA Cybersecurity Guidance for previous reporting on People’s Republic of China state-sponsored malicious cyber activity. US government and critical infrastructure organizations should consider signing up for CISA’s cyber hygiene services, including vulnerability scanning, to help reduce exposure to threats. US Defense Industrial Base organizations should consider signing up for the NSA Cybersecurity Collaboration Center’s DIB Cybersecurity Service Offerings, including Protective Domain Name System (PDNS) services, vulnerability scanning, and threat intelligence collaboration. For more information on eligibility criteria and how to enroll in these services, email dib_defense@cyber.nsa.gov. All organizations should report incidents and anomalous activity to CISA’s 24/7 Operations Center at central@cisa.dhs.gov or (888) 282-0870 and to the FBI via your local FBI field office or the FBI’s 24/7 CyWatch at (855) 292-3937 or CyWatch@fbi.gov.
DDoS as a weapon in a hybrid war. Resilience in the defense of critical infrastructure. Offensive cyber operations against Russia. LockBit claims to have hit Mandiant, but their claim looks baseless. Rick Howard joins us with thoughts on trends he’s tracking at the RSA conference. Our guest is Dr. Diane Janosek from NSA with insights on personal resilience. Effects of ransomware on businesses.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/109
Selected reading. Ukraine at D+102: Ukraine's SSSCIP on cyber war. (The CyberWire) Major DDoS attacks increasing after invasion of Ukraine (SearchSecurity) The Russia–Ukraine War: Ukraine’s resistance in the face of hybrid warfare (Observer Research Foundation) Ukraine Symposium - U.S. Offensive Cyber Operations in Support of Ukraine (Lieber Institute: Articles of War) Russia ready to cooperate with all states in cyber domain (UNI India) LockBit 2.0 gang claims Mandiant as latest victim; Mandiant sees no evidence of it (CyberScoop) Mandiant: “No evidence” we were hacked by LockBit ransomware (BleepingComputer) Cybereason Ransomware True Cost to Business Study Reveals Organizations Pay Multiple Ransom Demands (Cybereason) Average Ransom Payment Up 71% This Year, Approaches $1 Million (Palo Alto Networks Blog)
Ukraine offers an update on the cyber phases of Russia's hybrid war. Atlassian patches a Confluence critical vulnerability. CISA releases ICS advisory on voting systems. A "State-aligned" phishing campaign tried to exploit Follina. Is Electronic warfare a blunt instrument in the ether? Verizon’s Chris Novak stops by with thoughts on making the most of your trip to the RSA conference. Our guest is Tom Garrison from Intel with a look at hardware security. And a Russia-aligned group says they’re not just hacktivists; they’re "Cyber Spetsnaz."
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/108
Selected reading. Remarks by Victor Zhorov, deputy head of SSSCIP. (SSSCIP) US military hackers conducting offensive operations in support of Ukraine, says head of Cyber Command (Sky News) Russian ministry website appears hacked; RIA reports users data protected (Reuters) Confluence Security Advisory 2022-06-02 (Atlassian) Atlassian Releases New Versions of Confluence Server and Data Center to Address CVE-2022-26134 (CISA) Patch released for exploited Atlassian zero-day vulnerability (The Record by Recorded Future) CISA Releases Security Advisory on Dominion Voting Systems Democracy Suite ImageCast X (CISA) State-Backed Hackers Exploit Microsoft 'Follina' Bug to Target Entities in Europe and U.S (The Hacker News) Deadly secret: Electronic warfare shapes Russia-Ukraine war (AP NEWS) Exclusive: Pro-Russia group ‘Cyber Spetsnaz’ is attacking government agencies (Security Affairs)
Executive Vice President at Concentric, Laura Hoffner shares her story about working as a Naval Intelligence Officer and supporting special operations around the globe for 12 years, to now, where she transitioned to the Naval Reserves and joined the Concentric team. Laura knew since she was in the seventh grade she wanted to work with SEALs and work in intelligence. She set her goals high and achieved them shortly after graduating college. She credits being a Naval Intelligence Officer to helping her get to where she is today and says how much she is enjoying working with Concentric, saying she's "ultimately just incredibly benefiting from unbelievable mentors at the company itself." We thank Laura for sharing her story.
For this Cyberwire-X episode, we are talking about the failure of perimeter defense as an architecture where, since the 1990s when it was invented, the plan was to keep everything out. That model never really worked that well since we had to poke holes in the perimeter to allow employees, contractors, and partners to do legitimate business with us. Those same holes could be exploited by the bad guys, too. The question is, what are we doing instead? What is the security architecture, the strategy, and the tactics that we are all using today that is more secure than perimeter defense? In the first part of the show, Rick Howard, the CyberWire’s CSO, Chief Analyst, and Senior Fellow, talks with Jerry Archer, the Sallie Mae CSO and CyberWire Hash Table member, and, in the second half of the show, the CyberWire's podcast host Dave Bittner talks with Mike Ernst, episode sponsor ExtraHop’s Vice President of Sales Engineering, to discuss Software Defined Perimeter and intrusion kill chain prevention strategy.
Scott Fanning from CrowdStrike's research team, joins Dave to discuss their work on "LemonDuck Targets Docker for Cryptomining Operations." LemonDuck is a well-known cryptomining botnet, and research suggests attackers are attracted to the monetary gain from the recent boom in cryptocurrency. LemonDuck was caught trying to disguise it's attack against Docker by running an anonymous mining operation by the use of proxy pools. Scott shares how it’s unknown which organizations have been targeted and just how much cryptocurrency has been stolen. The research can be found here: LemonDuck Targets Docker for Cryptomining Operations
Moscow wants attention to be paid to its messengers. Western support for Ukraine in cyberspace. US remains on alert for Russian cyberattacks. Iran: anti-government hacktivism and Tehran-sponsored cyber ops. Rebranding as sanctions evasion. A gangland threat to firmware. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on security of browsers caching passwords. Dave Bittner sits down with Perry Carpenter to discuss his new book, "The Security Culture Playbook: An Executive Guide To Reducing Risk and Developing Your Human Defense Layer,''co-author was Kai Roer.. And CISA adds an Atlassian issue to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/107
Selected reading. Russia summons heads of U.S. media outlets, warns of 'stringent measures' (Reuters) US confirms military hackers have conducted cyber operations in support of Ukraine (CNN) Advancing security across Central and Eastern Europe (Google) US Justice Department Braces for More Russian Cyberattacks (VOA) Russia, backed by ransomware gangs, actively targeting US, FBI director says (Cybersecurity Dive) Exiled Iran Group Claims Tehran Hacking Attack (SecurityWeek) Exposing POLONIUM activity and infrastructure targeting Israeli organizations (Microsoft Security) To HADES and Back: UNC2165 Shifts to LOCKBIT to Evade Sanctions (Mandiant) Russia-Linked Ransomware Groups Are Changing Tactics to Dodge Crackdowns (Wall Street Journal) Conti Targets Critical Firmware (Eclypsium) Atlassian: Unpatched critical Confluence flaw under attack (Register) CISA Adds One Known Exploited Vulnerability (CVE-2022-26134) to Catalog (CISA)
Russian government agencies are buying VPNs. CISA and its partners warn about the Karakurt extortion group. Clipminer is out in the wild. GootLoader expands its payloads and targeting. Carole Theriault has the latest on fraudsters imitating law enforcement. Kevin Magee from Microsoft on security incentives by way of insurance. And leak brokers and booters shut down.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/106
Selected reading. White House: cyber activity not against Russia policy (Reuters) Some see cyberwar in Ukraine. Others see just thwarted attacks. (Washington Post) ESET Threat Report details targeted attacks connected to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and how the war changed the threat landscape (ESET) Ukraine - 100 days of war in cyberspace (CyberPeace Institute) Russian VPN Spending (Top 10 VPN) Karakurt Data Extortion Group (CISA) Karakurt Data Extortion Group (CISA) US Agencies: Karakurt extortion group demanding up to $13 million in attacks (The Record by Recorded Future) Clipminer Botnet Makes Operators at Least $1.7 Million (Symantec Enterprise Blog) GootLoader Expands its Payloads Infecting a Law Firm with IcedID (eSentire) WeLeakInfo.to and Related Domain Names Seized (US Department of Justice)
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Department of the Treasury (Treasury), and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) are releasing this joint Cybersecurity Advisory to provide information about the Karakurt data extortion group, also known as the Karakurt Team and Karakurt Lair. Karakurt actors have employed a variety of TTPs, creating significant challenges for defense and mitigation. Karakurt victims have not reported encryption of compromised machines or files; rather, Karakurt actors claim to steal data and threaten to auction it or release it to the public unless they receive payment. AA22-152A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations CISA-Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) Joint Ransomware Guide Data Integrity: Detecting and Responding to Ransomware and Other Destructive Events. Stopransomware.gov CISA's Ransomware Readiness Assessment CISA's cyber hygiene services FinCEN Advisory to Financial Institutions on Cyber-Events and Cyber-Enabled Crime FinCEN Advisory on Ransomware and the Use of the Financial System to Facilitate Ransom Payments All organizations should report incidents and anomalous activity to CISA’s 24/7 Operations Center at central@cisa.dhs.gov or (888) 282-0870 and to the FBI via your local FBI field office or the FBI’s 24/7 CyWatch at (855) 292-3937 or CyWatch@fbi.gov.
Costa Rica's healthcare system comes under renewed ransomware attack. Cyber phases of the hybrid war. Charity fraud exploits sympathy for Ukraine. US FBI attributes last year's attack on Boston Children's Hospital to Iran. CISOs surveyed on their challenges (and they're particularly worried about exposure to 3rd-party risk). Robert M. Lee joins us for the launch of the new Control Loop podcast. Josh Ray from Accenture looks at ransomware trends. Razzlekhan and Dutch: a cryptocurrency love song.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/105
Selected reading. Latest cyberattack in Costa Rica targets hospital system (Reuters) Costa Rica’s public health agency hit by Hive ransomware (BleepingComputer) Costa Rican Social Security Fund hit with ransomware attack (The Record by Recorded Future) Costa Rica May Be Pawn in Conti Ransomware Group’s Bid to Rebrand, Evade Sanctions (KrebsOnSecurity) Ukraine joins its first NATO cyber defense center meeting (TheHill) US military hackers conducting offensive operations in support of Ukraine, says head of Cyber Command (Sky News) The FBI Warns of Scammers Soliciting Donations Related to the Crisis in Ukraine (Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)) FBI director blames Iran for ‘despicable’ attempted cyberattack on Boston Children’s Hospital (CNN) Hackers ransom 1,200 exposed Elasticsearch databases (TechTarget) The CISOs Report (Security Current) New York couple accused of laundering $4.5 bln in crypto still in plea talks (Reuters)
Sanctions, blockades, and their effects on the world economy. Western nations remain on alert for Russian cyber attacks. REvil prosecution has reached a dead end. Microsoft issues mitigations for a recent zero-day. John Pescatore’s Mr. Security Answer Person is back, looking at authentication. Joe Carrigan looks at new browser vulnerabilities. Notes from the underworld.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/104
Selected reading. In big bid to punish Moscow, EU bans most Russia oil imports (AP NEWS) EU, resolving a deadlock, in deal to cut most Russia oil imports (Reuters The E.U.’s embargo will bruise Russia’s oil industry, but for now it is doing fine. (New York Times) Russia’s Black Sea Blockade Will Turbocharge the Global Food Crisis (Foreign Policy) Russia’s Invasion Unleashes ‘Perfect Storm’ in Global Agriculture (Foreign Policy) ‘War in Ukraine Means Hunger in Africa’ (Foreign Policy) Afghanistan’s Hungry Will Pay the Price for Putin’s War (Foreign Policy) Remote bricking of Ukrainian tractors raises agriculture security concerns (CSO Online) Major supermarkets 'uniquely vulnerable' as Russian cyber attacks rise (ABC) Italy warns organizations to brace for incoming DDoS attacks (BleepingComputer) Whitepaper - PIPEDREAM: CHERNOVITE's Emerging Malware Targeting Industrial Environments (Dragos). Experts believe that Russian Gamaredon APT could fuel a new round of DDoS attacks (IT Security News) Putin horror warning over 'own goal' attack on UK coming back to haunt Kremlin (Express.co.uk) Putin plot: UK hospitals at risk of chilling ‘sleeper cell’ attack by Russia (Express) Will Russia Launch a New Cyber Attack on America? (The National Interest) Hackers wage war on Russia’s largest bank (The Telegraph) REvil prosecutions reach a 'dead end,' Russian media reports (CyberScoop) Microsoft Office zero-day "Follina"—it’s not a bug, it’s a feature! (It's a bug) (Malwarebytes Labs). Microsoft Word struck by zero-day vulnerability (Register) Clop ransomware gang is back, hits 21 victims in a single month (BleepingComputer) Conti ransomware explained: What you need to know about this aggressive criminal group (CSO Online)
Cybersecurity for Operational Technology and Industrial Control Systems. The Control Loop podcast, hosted by the CyberWire’s Dave Bittner, investigates the latest threat intelligence, security strategies, and technologies that industry professionals rely on to safeguard civilization. Every two weeks, Dave analyzes the biggest stories in OT security with commentary from key industry leaders and operators. Each episode includes new guests who provide the insider’s perspective on major threats and vulnerabilities, novel ideas and solutions, and critical training topics. Control Loop Episode 1 premieres on June 1st, 2022. Listen and subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your favorite shows and subscribe to the newsletter on the CyberWire website.
Chief Information Security Officer at Immuta, Michael Scott shares his story from working at a forgotten internet service provider to leading the security fight for major food chain restaurants. Michael explains how the different roles at various companies he has worked with paved his way to where he is now at Immuta. He works with a group of colleagues and he leads in a different style, describing that "It really is just a collection of a lot of, we call humble intellects" working with him. Michael attributes adversity to being a cornerstone of existence in the security community, and explains how that helps him keep up the fight. We thank Michael for sharing his story with us.
Dick O'Brien from Symantec's threat hunter team, joins Dave to discuss their work on "Stonefly: North Korea-linked spying operation continues to hit high-value targets." Stonefly specializes in mounting highly selective targeted attacks against targets that could yield intelligence to assist strategically important sectors. Symantec found that The attackers breached an engineering firm in February 2022, most likely by exploiting the Log4j vulnerability, Their research describes who these high value targets are and ways to prevent this malware from breaching any more companies as well as indications that you could be compromised. The research can be found here: Stonefly: North Korea-linked Spying Operation Continues to Hit High-value Targets
Pro-Russian DDoS attacks. Sanctions and their effect on ransomware. BlackCat wants $5 million from Carinthia. A fraudster pressures Verizon. Spain will tighten judicial review of intelligence services. Johannes Ullrich looks at VSTO Office Files. Our guests are Cecilia Marinier and Niloo Howe with a preview of the RSAC Innovation Sandbox. CISA releases ICS advisories and with its partners issue guidelines for evaluating 5G implementation.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/103
Selected reading. Hacktivists Expanding DDoS Attacks as Part of International Cyber Warfare Strategy (Imperva) Cyberattacks against UK CNI increase amidst Russia-Ukraine war (Intelligent CIO Europe) A cyberwar is already happening in Ukraine, Microsoft analysts say (NPR.org) NSA: Sanctions on Russia Having a Positive Effect on Ransomware Attacks, Attempts Down Due to Difficulty Collecting Ransom Payments (CPO Magazine) BlackCat/ALPHV ransomware asks $5 million to unlock Austrian state (BleepingComputer) Hacker Steals Database of Hundreds of Verizon Employees (Vice) Drupal Releases Security Updates (CISA) Keysight N6854A Geolocation server and N6841A RF Sensor software (CISA) Horner Automation Cscape Csfont (CISA) Spain vows legal reforms in wake of spying allegations (MSN) Spain’s PM vows to reform intelligence services following phone hacking scandal (The Record by Recorded Future) Spain set to strengthen oversight of secret services after NSO spying scandal (Times of Israel) CISA and DoD Release 5G Security Evaluation Process Investigation Study (CISA)
"Pantsdown" in QCT Baseboard Management Controllers. A warning on ChromeLoader. Conti updates. Ransomware’s effect on SpiceJet. CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog expands, again. Kyiv honors Google. Josh Ray from Accenture reminds us it’s military appreciation month. Our guest is Melissa Bischoping of Tanium with lessons learned from the American Dental Association ransomware attack. And a poacher turned gamekeeper?
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/102
Selected reading. Critical 'Pantsdown' BMC Vulnerability Affects QCT Servers Used in Data Centers (The Hacker News) ChromeLoader: a pushy malvertiser (Red Canary) Conti leaks data stolen during January attack on Oregon county (The Record by Recorded Future) Is the Conti Ransomware Gang Stronger Apart Then Together? (OODA Loop) SpiceJet: Passengers stranded as India airline hit by ransomware attack (BBC News) SpiceJet's woes continue as ransomware attack delays flights (The Loadstar) . SpiceJet's brush with ransomware is a timely reminder to protect yourself against this cyber menace (cnbctv18.com CISA Adds 34 Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog (CISA) Mykhailo Fedorov presented the first "Peace prize" to Google (Digital Gov) Notorious Vietnamese hacker turns government cyber agent (France 24)
More cyberespionage targets Russian networks. Lincoln Project veterans visit Ukraine with advice on conducting an influence campaign against President Putin. A politically motivated DDoS attack hits the Port of London Authority website. Is REvil back and looking into new criminal techniques, or is a recent DDoS campaign the work of impostors? RansomHouse may be operated by frustrated bounty hunters. Kevin Magee from Microsoft sets his security sights toward space. Our guest is Mathieu Gorge of VigiTrust to discuss the threat of printer hacks. Operation Delilah trims SilverTerrier’s locks.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/101
Selected reading. Unknown APT group has targeted Russia repeatedly since Ukraine invasion (Malwarebytes Labs) Hackers target Russian govt with fake Windows updates pushing RATs (BleepingComputer) Researchers Find New Malware Attacks Targeting Russian Government Entities (The Hacker News) Ukraine May Use Lincoln Project's Anti-Trump Tactics Against Putin (Newsweek) Pro-Iran Group ALtahrea Hits Port of London Website by DDoS Attack (HackRead) REvil Resurgence? Or a Copycat? (Akamai) RansomHouse: Bug bounty hunters gone rogue? (Help Net Security) Data theft gang RansomHouse might be 'frustrated' white hat hackers, researchers claim (Tech Monitor) CISA Adds 20 Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog (CISA) CISA adds 41 flaws to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog (Security Affairs) Rockwell Automation Logix Controllers (CISA) Matrikon OPC Server (CISA) Mitsubishi Electric FA Engineering Software Products (Update D) (CISA) Mitsubishi Electric Factory Automation Engineering Products (Update F) (CISA) Suspected head of cybercrime gang arrested in Nigeria (Interpol) Interpol arrests alleged leader of the SilverTerrier BEC gang (BleepingComputer) INTERPOL hauls in alleged Nigerian cybercrime ringleader (CyberScoop) Operation Delilah: Unit 42 Helps INTERPOL Identify Nigerian Business Email Compromise Actor (Unit42)
Verizon's 2022 Data Breach Investigation Report shows a sharp rise in ransomware. Origins of the Chaos ransomware operation. The GuLoader campaign uses bogus purchase orders. Security researchers are targeted in a malware campaign. Hyperlocal disinformation. Turla reconnaissance has been detected in Austrian and Estonian networks. Ben Yelin describes a content moderation fight that may be headed to the supreme court. Our guest is Richard Melick from Zimperium to discuss threats to mobile security. Robin Hood (or not).
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/100
Selected reading. 2022 Data Breach Investigations Report (Verizon Business) Yashma Ransomware, Tracing the Chaos Family Tree (BlackBerry) Spoofed Saudi Purchase Order Drops GuLoader: Part 1 (Fortinet Blog) Malware Campaign Targets InfoSec Community: Threat Actor Uses Fake Proof of Concept to Deliver Cobalt-Strike Beacon (Cyble) Network of hyperlocal Russian Telegram channels spew disinformation in occupied Ukraine (CyberScoop) Russian hackers perform reconnaissance against Austria, Estonia (BleepingComputer) New ransomware forces victims to donate to poor (The Independent)
There’s a new loader identified in wiper campaigns. President Putin complains of sanctions and cyberattacks, and vows to increase Russia's cybersecurity. Coordinated inauthenticity at scale. Killnet crows large over Italian operations. Conti's dissolution doesn't mean its operators' disappearance. Rick Howard looks at software defined perimeters. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf on how ransomware groups are upping their game to nation state levels. And happy birthday, US Cyber Command...but we're not necessarily wishing you a moonshot for your birthday present.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/99
Selected reading. Sandworm uses a new version of ArguePatch to attack targets in Ukraine (WeLiveSecurity) Putin complains about barrage of cyberattacks (Military Times) Putin promises to bolster Russia's IT security in face of cyber attacks (Reuters) Russia keeps getting hacked (Mashable) Putin is bringing his disinformation war to Ukraine (Newsweek) Putin is bringing his disinformation war to Ukraine (Newsweek) Russian government procured powerful botnet to shift social media trending topics (The Record by Recorded Future) Fronton: Russian IoT Botnet Designed to Run Social Media Disinformation Campaigns (The Hacker News) Russian Hackers Claim Responsibility for Attacks on Italian Government Websites (Wall Street Journal) Anonymous Declares Cyber-War on Pro-Russian Hacker Gang Killnet (Infosecurity Magazine) DisCONTInued: The End of Conti’s Brand Marks New Chapter For Cybercrime Landscape (AdvIntel) Notorious cybercrime gang Conti 'shuts down,' but its influence and talent are still out there (The Record by Recorded Future) Could a Cyber Attack Overthrow a Government? Conti Ransomware Group Now Threatening To Topple Costa Rican Government if Ransom Not Paid (CPO Magazine) Fears grow after ransomware attack on Costa Rica escalates (TechCrunch) US Cyber Command’s birthday (US Cyber Command) U.S. Needs New 'Manhattan Project' to Avoid Cyber Catastrophe | Opinion (Newsweek) Cyber pros are fed up with talk about a cyber-Manhattan Project (Washington Post)
Threat intelligence analyst at Recorded Future, Charity Wright, shares her story from the army to her career today. Transitioning from the army to cybersecurity was an exciting change for her. During college she was recruited by the U.S army where she started her journey and learned new skills paving her pathway to threat intelligence where she is now. She shares that she works with a great team of junior analysts who are constantly checking each others biases which helps keep Charity grounded in her work. Charity spends her days keeping an eye on threats around the world where she says there is never a dull day in her line of work. We thank Charity for sharing her story with us.
Yanir Tsarimi from Orca Security, joins Dave to discuss how researchers have discovered a critical Azure Automation service vulnerability called AutoWarp. The security flaw was discovered this past March causing Yanir to leap into action announcing the issue to Microsoft who helped to swiftly resolve the cross-account vulnerability. The research shows how this serious flaw would allow attackers unauthorized access to other customer accounts and potentially full control over resources and data belonging to those accounts, as well as put multiple Fortune 500 companies and billions of dollars at risk. The research shares the crucial time line that the vulnerability was discovered as well as Microsofts response to the vulnerability. The research can be found here: AutoWarp: Critical Cross-Account Vulnerability in Microsoft Azure Automation Service
Was Conti’s digital insurrection in Costa Rica misdirection? Google assesses a commercial spyware threat “with high confidence.” Continuing expectations of escalation in cyberspace. The limitations of an alliance of convenience. Fronton botnet shows versatility. Russian hacktivists hit Italian targets, again. Lazarus Group undertakes new SolarWinds exploitation. Crypters in the C2C market. CrateDepression supply chain attack. Johannes Ullrich describes an advance fee scam hitting crypto markets. Our guest is Marty Roesch, CEO of Netography and inventor of Snort. Canada to exclude Huawei from 5G networks on security grounds.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/98
Selected reading. Conti ransomware shuts down operation, rebrands into smaller units (BleepingComputer) Protecting Android users from 0-Day attacks (Google) Microsoft President: Cyber Space Has Become the New Domain of Warfare (Infosecurity Magazine) Twisted Panda: Chinese APT espionage operation against Russian’s state-owned defense institutes (Check Point Research) Chinese Hackers Tried to Steal Russian Defense Data, Report Says (New York Times) China-linked Space Pirates APT targets the Russian aerospace industry (Security Affairs) This Russian botnet does far more than DDoS attacks - and on a massive scale (ZDNet) Pro-Russian hackers attack institutional websites in Italy, police say (Reuters) Lazarus hackers target VMware servers with Log4Shell exploits (BleepingComputer) ITG23 Crypters Highlight Cooperation Between Cybercriminal Groups (Security Intelligence) CrateDepression | Rust Supply-Chain Attack Infects Cloud CI Pipelines with Go Malware (SentinelOne) Canada to ban Huawei/ZTE 5G equipment, joining Five Eyes allies (Reuters)
CISA is releasing this cybersecurity advisory to warn organizations that malicious cyber actors are exploiting CVE-2022-22954 and CVE-2022-22960. These vulnerabilities affect versions of VMware products. Successful exploitation permits malicious actors to trigger a server-side template injection that may result in remote code execution or escalation of privileges to root level access. Based on this activity, CISA expects malicious cyber actors to quickly develop a capability to exploit newly released VMware vulnerabilities CVE-2022-22972 and CVE-2022-22973 in the same impacted VMware products. AA22-138B Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations AA22-138B.stix Emergency Directive 22-03 Mitigate VMware Vulnerabilities VMware Security Advisory VMSA-2022-0011 VMware Security Advisory VMSA-2022-0014 All organizations should report incidents and anomalous activity to CISA’s 24/7 Operations Center at central@cisa.dhs.gov or (888) 282-0870 and to the FBI via your local FBI field office or the FBI’s 24/7 CyWatch at (855) 292-3937 or CyWatch@fbi.gov.
Russian information operations surrounding the invasion of Ukraine. VMware patches vulnerabilities. F5 BIG-IP vulnerabilities undergoing active exploitation. Texas Department of Insurance clarifies facts surrounding its data incident. Robert M. Lee from Dragos is heading to Davos to talk ICS. Rick Howard speaks with author Chase Cunningham on his book "Cyber Warfare –Truth, Tactics and Strategies”. Robo-calling the Kremlin.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/97
Selected reading. Information Operations Surrounding the Russian Invasion of Ukraine (Mandiant) CISA Issues Emergency Directive and Releases Advisory Related to VMware Vulnerabilities (CISA) Emergency Directive 22-03 (CISA) Threat Actors Chaining Unpatched VMware Vulnerabilities for Full System Control (CISA) Threat Actors Exploiting F5 BIG IP CVE-2022-1388 (CISA) CISA Alert AA22-138A – Threat Actors Exploiting F5 BIG-IP CVE-2022-1388. (The CyberWire) Additional facts: TDI data security event (Texas Department of Insurance) This Hacktivist Site Lets You Prank Call Russian Officials (Wired)
CISA and the Multi-State Information Sharing & Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), are releasing this joint Cybersecurity Advisory in response to active exploitation of CVE-2022-1388. This vulnerability is a critical iControl REST authentication bypass vulnerability affecting multiple versions of F5 Networks BIG-IP. AA22-138A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations F5 Security Advisory K23605346 and indicators of compromise F5 guidance K11438344 for remediating a compromise Emerging Threats suricata signatures Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 Threat Brief: CVE-2022-1388. This brief includes indicators of compromise. Cisco Talos Intelligence Group - Comprehensive Threat Intelligence: Threat Advisory: Critical F5 BIG-IP Vulnerability. This blog includes indicators of compromise. Note: due to the urgency to share this information, CISA and MS-ISAC have not yet validated this content. Randori’s bash script. This script can be used to identify vulnerable instances of BIG-IP. Note: MS-ISAC has verified this bash script identifies vulnerable instances of BIG-IP. All organizations should report incidents and anomalous activity to CISA’s 24/7 Operations Center at central@cisa.dhs.gov or (888) 282-0870 and to the FBI via your local FBI field office or the FBI’s 24/7 CyWatch at (855) 292-3937 or CyWatch@fbi.gov.
Chaos ransomware group declares for Russia. Hacktivists claim to have compromised Russian-manufactured ground surveillance robots. Conti's ongoing campaign against Costa Rica. The claimed "international" cyberattack against Nile dam was stopped. Rick Howard speaks with author Caroline Wong on her book “Security Metrics, a Beginner's Guide”. Our guests are Kathleen Smith and Rachel Bozeman, hosts of the new podcast, Security Cleared Jobs. And the cyber insurance market experiences a “reset.”
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/96
Selected reading. Chaos Ransomware Variant Sides with Russia (Fortinet Blog) Did hackers commandeer surveillance robots at a Russian airport? (The Daily Dot) Russian Hacking Cartel Attacks Costa Rican Government Agencies (New York Times) Costa Rican president claims collaborators are aiding Conti's ransomware extortion efforts (CyberScoop) "We will overthrow the government" - Does Conti have help inside Costa Rica? (Tech Monitor) Costa Ricans scrambled to pay taxes by hand after cyberattack took down country’s collection system (Yahoo) Ethiopia faces new cyberattacks on its Nile dam (Al-Monitor) Cyber Insurers Raise Rates Amid a Surge in Costly Hacks (Wall Street Journal)
This joint cybersecurity advisory was coauthored by the cybersecurity authorities of the US, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and the UK. Cyber actors routinely exploit poor security configurations, weak controls, and other poor cyber hygiene practices to gain initial access or as part of other tactics to compromise a victim’s system. This joint Cybersecurity Advisory identifies commonly exploited controls and practices, and includes best practices to mitigate these risks. AA22-137A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations White House Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity NCSC-NL Factsheet: Prepare for Zero Trust NCSC-NL Guide to Cyber Security Measures N-able Blog: Intrusion Detection System (IDS): Signature vs. Anomaly-Based NCSC-NL Guide to Cyber Security Measures National Institute of Standards and Technology SP 800-123 – Keeping Servers Secured NCSC-UK Guidance – Phishing Attacks: Defending Your Organisation Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Proactive Controls: Enforce Access Controls All organizations should report incidents and anomalous activity to CISA’s 24/7 Operations Center at central@cisa.dhs.gov or (888) 282-0870 and to the FBI via your local FBI field office or the FBI’s 24/7 CyWatch at (855) 292-3937 or CyWatch@fbi.gov.
An assessment of the Russian cyber threat. NATO's Article 5 in cyberspace. Conti's ransomware attack against Costa Rica spreads, in scope and effect. Bluetooth vulnerabilities demonstrated in proof-of-concept. CISA and its international partners urge following best practices to prevent threat actors from gaining initial access. Joe Carrigan looks at updates to the FIDO alliance. Rick Howard and Ben Rothke discuss author Andrew Stewart's book "A Vulnerable System: The History of Information Security in the Computer Age". And,the doctor was in, but wow, was he also way out of line.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/95
Selected reading. Russia Planned a Major Military Overhaul. Ukraine Shows the Result. (New York Times) The Cyberwar Against Pro-Ukrainian Countries is Real. Here’s What to Do (CSO Online) Collective cyber defence and attack: NATO’s Article 5 after the Ukraine conflict (European Leadership Network) Cyber attack on Costa Rica grows as more agencies hit, president says (Reuters) Ransomware gang threatens to ‘overthrow’ new Costa Rica government, raises demand to $20 million (The Record by Recorded Future) Hacker Shows Off a Way to Unlock Tesla Models, Start Cars (Bloomberg) NCC Group uncovers Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) vulnerability that puts millions of cars, mobile devices and locking systems at risk (NCC Group) Technical Advisory – Tesla BLE Phone-as-a-Key Passive Entry Vulnerable to Relay Attacks (NCC Group Research) Technical Advisory – Kwikset/Weiser BLE Proximity Authentication in Kevo Smart Locks Vulnerable to Relay Attacks (NCC Group Research) Technical Advisory – BLE Proximity Authentication Vulnerable to Relay Attacks (NCC Group Research) Alert (AA22-137A) Weak Security Controls and Practices Routinely Exploited for Initial Access (CISA) Hacker and Ransomware Designer Charged for Use and Sale of Ransomware, and Profit Sharing Arrangements with Cybercriminals (U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York) US prosecutors allege Venezuelan doctor is ransomware mastermind (ZDNet) 'Multi-tasking doctor' was mastermind behind 'Thanos' ransomware builder, DOJ says (The Record by Recorded Future) U.S. Charges Venezuelan Doctor for Using and Selling Thanos Ransomware (The Hacker News)
Users are advised to patch Zyxel firewalls. Battlefield failure and popular morale in Russia’s hybrid war. Nuisance-level hacktivism in the hybrid war. Sweden and Finland move closer to NATO membership; concern over possible Russian cyberattacks rises. Intelligence, disinformation, or wishful thinking? Conti calls for rebellion in Costa Rica. PayOrGrief is just rebranded DoppelPaymer. Anonymous action in Sri Lanka seems indiscriminate and counterproductive. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf examines cyber security for startups. Rick Howard looks at two factor authentication. And a judge says cryptocurrency can’t be used to evade sanctions. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/94
Selected reading. Critical Vulnerability Allows Remote Hacking of Zyxel Firewalls (SecurityWeek) Zyxel security advisory for OS command injection vulnerability of firewalls (Zyxel) Growing evidence of a military disaster on the Donets pierces a pro-Russian bubble. (New York Times) OpRussia update: Anonymous breached other organizations (Security Affairs) Italy prevents pro-Russian hacker attacks during Eurovision contest (Reuters) Finland, Sweden’s NATO moves prompt fears of Russian cyberattacks (The Hill) Coup to remove cancer-stricken Putin underway in Russia, Ukrainian intelligence chief says (Fortune) Conti ransomware gang calls for Costa Rican citizens to revolt if government doesn't pay (SC Magazine) Anonymous wanted to help Sri Lankans. Their hacks put many in grave danger (Rest of World) U.S. issues charges in first criminal cryptocurrency sanctions case (Washington Post)
According to the zero trust philosophy, we all assume that our networks are already compromised and try to design them to limit the damage if it turns out to be so. In this episode of CyberWire-X, we’ve invited subject matter experts, Amanda Fennell, the Chief Information Officer and Chief Security Officer of Relativity, and Galeal Zino, CEO of episode Sponsor NetFoundry, to the Cyberwire Hash Table to discuss all the ways to think about the solution in the modern era: Software Defined Perimeter (SDP), Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), identity and authorization, and private WAN, all through a First Principle lens.
Principal consultant and pen tester at Secureworks, Eric Escobar, shares his career path translating his childhood favorite Legos to civil engineering and pivoting to cybersecurity. Eric was always headed toward engineering and got both his bachelor and master degrees in civil engineering. Upon breaking into a network with a friend, he was bitten by the cybersecurity bug. Making the switch to the red team and basically becoming a bankrobber for hire, Eric tests the security of many companies' networks. He feels that curiosity is an essential trait for cybersecurity and collaboration is key as no one person knows everything. He advises those interested in cybersecurity to just start. We thank Eric for sharing his story with us.
Dr. May Wang, Chief Technology Officer at Palo Alto Networks, joins Dave Bittner to discuss their findings detailed in Unit 42's "Know Your Infusion Pump Vulnerabilities and Secure Your Healthcare Organization" research. Unit 42 recently set out to better understand how well hospitals and other healthcare providers are doing in securing smart infusion pumps, which are network-connected devices that deliver medications and fluids to patients. This topic is of critical concern because security lapses in these devices have the potential to put lives at risk or expose sensitive patient data. Unit 42's discovery of security gaps in three out of four infusion pumps that they reviewed highlights the need for the healthcare industry to redouble efforts to protect against known vulnerabilities, while diligently following best practices for infusion pumps and hospital networks. May walks us through Unit 42's work. The research can be found here: Know Your Infusion Pump Vulnerabilities and Secure Your Healthcare Organization
Ukraine holds its first war crimes trial. Are there war crimes in cyberspace? Iranian cyberespionage (and a possible APT side-hustle). Roblox seems to have been used to introduce a backdoor. CISA issues ICS advisories. Darkweb C2C trader sentenced. The last conspirator in the strange case of the eBay newsletter takes a guilty plea. Carole Theriault looks at Google’s new approach to cookies in Europe. Our guest is Mary Writz of ForgeRock on the growing importance of mobile device authentication security. And CIA gets a CISO.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: httpshttps://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/93
Selected reading. Ukraine to put first Russian soldier on trial for war crimes | DW | 12.05.2022 (Deutsche Welle) Russian soldier on trial in first Ukraine war-crimes case (AP NEWS) First Russian soldier goes on trial in Ukraine for war crimes (the Guardian) The Case for War Crimes Charges Against Russia’s Sandworm Hackers (Wired) Iranian hackers exposed in a highly targeted espionage campaign (BleepingComputer) Iranian APT Cobalt Mirage launching ransomware attacks (SearchSecurity) Iranian Hackers Leveraging BitLocker and DiskCryptor in Ransomware Attacks (The Hacker News) Iranian Cyberspy Group Launching Ransomware Attacks Against US (SecurityWeek) Please Confirm You Received Our APT | FortiGuard Labs (Fortinet Blog) Roblox Exploited with Trojans from Scripting Engine (Avanan) Ukrainian cybercriminal sentenced to 4 years in U.S. prison for credential theft scheme (CyberScoop) Ukrainian sentenced to 4 years for selling hacked passwords (The Record by Recorded Future) Ex-eBay exec charged with harassing newsletter publishers pleads guilty (Reuters) CIA selects new CISO with deep private sector experience (The Record by Recorded Future)
Killnet hits Italian targets. Access to RuTube is restored. Hacktivism in the hybrid war. Emotet surges. Clearing up the confusion of NPM dependency confusion attacks. Tim Eades from Cyber Mentor Fund on finding the right investors. Our guest is Michael DeBolt of Intel 471 on the growing interest in Biometrics in the criminal underground. And cybercrime and punishment, Florida-man edition. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/92
Selected reading. Ukraine maps reveal how much territory Russia has lost in just a few days (Newsweek) Pro-Russian hackers target Italy institutional websites -ANSA news agency (Reuters) Russian cyber experts restore RuTube access after three-day outage (Reuters) They Fled Ukraine to Keep Their Cyber Startup Alive. Now, They’re Hacking Back. (Wall Street Journal) Ukraine hacktivism 'problematic' for security teams says NSA cyber chief (Tech Monitor) HP Wolf Security Threat Insights Report Q1 2022 | HP Wolf Security (HP Wolf Security) npm supply chain attack targets Germany-based companies with dangerous backdoor malware (JFrog) SaaS App Vanity URLs Can Be Spoofed for Phishing, Social Engineerin (SecurityWeek) Trio Of Cybercriminals Sentenced For Conspiracy To Commit Fraud And Aggravated Identity Theft (US Attorney for the Middle District of Florida)
The cybersecurity authorities of the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the US have observed a recent increase in malicious cyber activity against managed service providers (MSPs). Allied cybersecurity authorities expect state-sponsored cyber actors to increase their targeting of MSPs in an attempt to exploit provider-customer trust relationships. This advisory includes security guidance tailored for both MSPs and their customers. AA22-131A Alert, Technical Details, and Mitigations Technical Approaches to Uncovering and Remediating Malicious Activity Mitigations and Hardening Guidance for MSPs and Small- and Mid-sized Businesses APTs Targeting IT Service Provider Customers ACSC's Managed Service Providers: How to manage risk to customer networks Global Targeting of Enterprise Managed Service Providers Cyber Security Considerations for Consumers of Managed Services How to Manage Your Security When Engaging a Managed Service Provider Kaseya Ransomware Attack: Guidance for Affected MSPs and their Customers Baseline Cyber Security Controls for Small and Medium Organizations Actions to take when the cyber threat is heightened Top 10 IT Security Action Items to Protect Internet Connected Networks and Information CCCS's Alert: Malicious Cyber Activity Targeting Managed Service Providers CISA Cybersecurity Alert: APT Activity Exploiting MSPs (2018) CISA Cyber Essentials and CISA Cyber Resource Hub Improving Cybersecurity of Managed Service Providers Shields Up Technical Guidance All organizations should report incidents and anomalous activity to CISA’s 24/7 Operations Center at central@cisa.dhs.gov or (888) 282-0870 and to the FBI via your local FBI field office or the FBI’s 24/7 CyWatch at (855) 292-3937 or CyWatch@fbi.gov.
There’s international consensus on the cyberattack against Viasat. Kaspersky remains under investigation. The Nerbian RAT is out. NPM dependencies are exploited, but to what end? Caleb Barlow examines Russia’s future on the internet. Our guest is Deepen Desai from Zscaler with the latest phishing research. And new advisories from CISA and its partners. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/91
Selected reading. Nerbian RAT Using COVID-19 Themes Features Sophisticated Evasion Techniques (Proofpoint) NPM dependency confusion hacks target German firms (ReversingLabs) npm Supply Chain Attack Targeting Germany-Based Companies (JFrog) Adminer in Industrial Products (CISA) Eaton Intelligent Power Protector (CISA) Eaton Intelligent Power Manager Infrastructure (CISA) Eaton Intelligent Power Manager (CISA) AVEVA InTouch Access Anywhere and Plant SCADA Access Anywhere (CISA) Mitsubishi Electric MELSOFT GT OPC UA (CISA) CISA Adds One Known Exploited Vulnerability to Catalog (CISA) Alert (AA22-131A) Protecting Against Cyber Threats to Managed Service Providers and their Customers (CISA) Protecting Against Cyber Threats to Managed Service Providers and their Customers (CISA) Russia downed satellite internet in Ukraine -Western officials (Reuters) US and its allies say Russia waged cyberattack that took out satellite network (Ars Technica) Western powers blame Russia for Ukraine satellite hack (The Record by Recorded Future) Russian cyber operations against Ukraine: Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union (European Council) Attribution of Russia’s Malicious Cyber Activity Against Ukraine - United States Department of State (United States Department of State) U.S. Government Attributes Cyberattacks on SATCOM Networks to Russian State-Sponsored Malicious Cyber Actors (CISA) Russia behind cyber-attack with Europe-wide impact an hour before Ukraine invasion (GOV.UK) Estonia joins the statement of attribution on cyberattacks against Ukraine (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Estonia) Statement on Russia’s malicious cyber activity affecting Europe and Ukraine (Canada.ca) Attribution to Russia for malicious cyber activity against European networks (Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) Russia hacked an American satellite company one hour before the Ukraine invasion (MIT Technology Review) NSA Probing Reach of Software From Russia’s Kaspersky in US Systems (Bloomberg)
A quick introductory note on Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine. Russian television schedules hacked to display anti-war message. Phishing campaign distributes Jester Stealer in Ukraine. European Council formally attributes cyberattack on Viasat to Russia. Costa Rica declares a state of emergency as Conti ransomware cripples government sites. DCRat and the C2C markets. The gang behind REvil does indeed seem to be back. More Joker-infested apps found in Google Play. Guest Nick Adams from Differential Ventures discusses what will drive continued growth of cybersecurity beyond attack surfaces and governance from a VC's perspective. Partner Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on digital privacy concerns in the aftermath of the potential overturn of Roe vs Wade. And Spain’s spyware scandal takes down an intelligence chief. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/90
Selected reading. Ukraine morning briefing: Five developments as Joe Biden warns Vladimir Putin has 'no way out' (The Telegraph) Viewpoint: Putin now faces only different kinds of defeat (BBC News) Putin's Victory Day speech gives no clue on Ukraine escalation (Reuters) On Victory Day, Putin defends war on Ukraine as fight against ‘Nazis’ (Washington Post) In Speech, Putin Shows Reluctance in Demanding Too Much of Russians (New York Times) Putin's parade shows he "is going to continue at whatever cost" in Ukraine (Newsweek) Russia’s display of military might sent the West a strong message – just not the one Putin intended (The Telegraph) Russian TV Schedules Hacked on Victory Day to Show Anti-War Messages (HackRead) Russian TV hacked to say ‘blood of Ukrainians is on your hands’ (The Telegraph) Mass Distribution of Self-Destructing Malware in Ukraine (BankInfoSecurity) Russian cyber operations against Ukraine: Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union (European Council)
The US Treasury Department sanctions a cryptocurrency mixer. Rewards for Justice is interested in Conti. US tractor manufacturer AGCO was hit by a ransomware attack. Russian hacktivism hits German targets and threatens the UK. A Russian diplomatic account was apparently hijacked. Tracking Cobalt Strike servers used against Ukraine. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf defends against DDOS attacks. Rick Howard looks at Single Sign On. And no apology for you, Mr. Bennett.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/89
Selected reading. U.S. Treasury Issues First-Ever Sanctions on a Virtual Currency Mixer, Targets DPRK Cyber Threats (U.S. Department of the Treasury) Reward Offers for Information to Bring Conti Ransomware Variant Co-Conspirators to Justice (United States Department of State) AGCO ransomware attack disrupts tractor sales during U.S. planting season (Reuters) Agricultural equipment maker AGCO reports ransomware attack (The Record by Recorded Future) Russia’s chief diplomat in Scotland condemns Ukraine invasion in social media post (The Telegraph) Pro-Russian Hackers Hit German Government Sites, Spiegel Says (Bloomberg) Tracking Cobalt Strike Servers Used in Cyberattacks on Ukraine (IronNet) Russia tensions with Israel may intensify as Kremlin denies Putin's apology (Newsweek)
Chief security officer and chief information officer at Relativity, Amanda Fennel shares her story from archeology to cybersecurity. She shares the path that lead her towards becoming an archeologist and how it turned out not being exactly what she expected. She then shares how she got into the cyber business and how her past has impacted what she's doing now. She describes how she would like to be remembered in the cyber world, she says "I do hope that I left things better than I found them, not just the security of a product or a company, but I believe strongly that every person has a little cyber warrior inside of them." We thank Amanda for sharing her story.
Tushar Richabadas from Barracuda joins Dave Bittner to discuss their findings detailed in their "Threat Spotlight: Attacks on Log4Shell vulnerabilities." Their research shows the percentage of attackers targeting the vulnerabilities, and shows where the dips and spikes are over the course of the past couple of months. The research has also gathered where the attackers main IP addresses are located, with 83% of them located in the United States. They breakdown what this malware can do and how to protect yourself against it. They say "Due to the growing number of vulnerabilities found in web applications, it is getting progressively more complex to protect against attacks." The research can be found here: Threat Spotlight: Attacks on Log4Shell vulnerabilities
An update on the war in Ukraine as Victory Day approaches. President Lukashenka on the war next door. Hackivists in the battlespace. Raspberry Robin and a USB worm. A carefully operated credential phishing campaign. Another ICS security alert from CISA. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf on reflection amplification techniques. Carole Theriault examines zero trust architecture access policies. Happy Mother’s Day (and stay safe online).
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/88
Selected reading. Mariupol steel mill battle rages as Ukraine repels attacks (Military Times) Why the battle for Mariupol is important for Vladimir Putin. (New York Times) A race against time in Ukraine as Russia advances, West sends weapons (Washington Post) The AP Interview: Belarus admits Russia's war 'drags on' (AP NEWS) Russia’s ally Belarus criticises war effort for ‘dragging on’ (The Telegraph) NSA cyber boss seeks to discourage vigilante hacking against Russia (Defense News) Shields Up: Russian Cyberattacks Headed Our Way (JD Supra) Raspberry Robin gets the worm early (Red Canary) VIP3R: New actor. Old story. Great success. (Menlo Security) Johnson Controls Metasys (CISA) Top 3 Mother’s Day Scam Sites – Be Smart When Buying Gifts (Trend Micro News)
Hacktivisim and privateering in Moscow, Kyiv, and Minsk. Log4j vulnerabilities are more widespread than initially thought. US Cyber Command deployed a "hunt forward" team to Lithuania. CISA adds five vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog. Jen Miller-Osborn from Palo Alto Networks discusses the findings from the Center for Digital Government's survey on Getting Ahead of Ransomware. Grayson Milbourne of Webroot/OpenText discusses OpenText's 2022 BrightCloud Threat Report. And Anonymous leaks emails allegedly belonging to the Nauru Police Force.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/87
Selected reading. Russian ally Belarus launches military quick-response drills (Washington Post) Putin’s Ukraine War: Desperate Belarus dictator strikes back (Atlantic Council) Russian ransomware group claims attack on Bulgarian refugee agency (CyberScoop) Russia and Ukraine Conflict Q&A | Cybersixgill (Cybersixgill) Threat Advisory: New Log4j Exploit Demonstrates a Hidden Blind Spot in the Global Digital Supply Chain (Cequence) Anonymous Leak 82GB of Police Emails Against Australia's Offshore Detention (HackRead)
An upswing in malware deployed against targets in Eastern Europe. Cozy Bear is typosquatting. CuckooBees swarm around intellectual property. Tracking the DPRK’s hackers. Quiet persistence in corporate networks. CISA issues an ICS advisory. Caleb Barlow on backup communications for your business during this period of "shields up." Duncan Jones from Cambridge Quantum sits down with Dave to discuss the NIST algorithm finalist Rainbow vulnerability. And, hey, officer, honest, it was just a Squirtle….
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/86
Selected reading. Update on cyber activity in Eastern Europe (Google) Multiple government hacking groups stay busy targeting Ukraine and the region, Google researchers say (CyberScoop) Google: Nation-state phishing campaigns expanding to target Eastern Europe orgs (The Record by Recorded Future) SolarWinds hackers set up phony media outlets to trick targets (CyberScoop) SOLARDEFLECTION C2 Infrastructure Used by NOBELIUM in Company Brand Misuse (Recorded Future) Experts discover a Chinese-APT cyber espionage operation targeting US organizations (VentureBeat) Operation CuckooBees: Cybereason Uncovers Massive Chinese Intellectual Property Theft Operation (Cybereason Nocturnus) Operation CuckooBees: Deep-Dive into Stealthy Winnti Techniques (Cybereason) Chinese hackers cast wide net for trade secrets in US, Europe and Asia, researchers say (CNN) Researchers tie ransomware families to North Korean cyber-army (The Record by Recorded Future) The Hermit Kingdom’s Ransomware Play (Trellix) New espionage group is targeting corporate M&A (TechCrunch) Cyberespionage Group Targeting M&A, Corporate Transactions Personnel (SecurityWeek) UNC3524: Eye Spy on Your Email (Mandiant) Yokogawa CENTUM and ProSafe-RS (CISA) Cops ignored call to nearby robbery, preferring to hunt Pokémon (Graham Cluley)
Russia reroutes Internet traffic in occupied regions of Ukraine through Russian services. The Stormous gang, hacking on behalf of Russia. DNS poisoning risk. Updates on Chinese cyberespionage campaigns. Our guest Chetan Mathur of Next Pathway finds similarities between the cloud industry and the 1849 California Gold Rush. Eldan Ben-Haim of Apiiro on why cybersecurity is largely a culture issue. Notes on ransomware operations.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/85
Selected reading. Microsoft sees Russian cyberattacks on Ukraine 'getting more and more disruptive' (Inside Defense) Sergey Lavrov claims Hitler had 'Jewish blood' (The Telegraph) Lavrov’s anti-Semitic outburst exposes absurdity of Russia’s “Nazi Ukraine” claims (Atlantic Council) Russia likens Zelensky to Hitler as Mariupol says Russia worse than Nazis (Newsweek) Russia reroutes internet in occupied Ukrainian territory through Russian telcos (The Record by Recorded Future) Stormous: The Pro-Russian, Clout Hungry Ransomware Gang Targets the US and Ukraine (Trustwave) Zhadnost ‘stamps’ out Ukrainian National Postal Service’s website. (SecurityScorecard) Industrial cybersecurity researchers, looking for help, go public with unpatched IoT bug (The Record by Recorded Future) Nozomi Networks Discovers Unpatched DNS Bug in Popular C Standard Library Putting IoT at Risk (Nozomi Networks) Chinese "Override Panda" Hackers Resurface With New Espionage Attacks (The Hacker News) Chinese Hackers Caught Exploiting Popular Antivirus Products to Target Telecom Sector (The Hacker News) New Black Basta Ransomware Possibly Linked to Conti Group (SecurityWeek) Experts Analyze Conti and Hive Ransomware Gangs' Chats With Their Victims (The Hacker News) Conti and Hive ransomware operations: What we learned from these groups' victim chats (Cisco Talos) Conti and Hive ransomware operations: (Cisco Talos)
Security executives need visibility into their real cyber risk in real time. But with the flood of vulnerability alerts, how can organizations pinpoint impactful security gaps? To meet this challenge, security teams are shifting to an exploit-centric approach to security validation to expose potential threats from ransomware, leaked credentials, phishing, & more. On this episode, of CyberWire-X, we explore how automation can help teams make this shift to prioritize remediation based on bottom line business impact. Rick Howard, the CyberWire's CSO, Chief Analyst and Senior Fellow, discusses the topic with Rick Doten, CISO, Carolina Complete Health and CyberWire Hash Table member, while Dave Bittner, CyberWire podcast host, engages with Sponsor Pentera's Jay Mar-Tang, Sales Engineering Manager for the Americas, about automated security validation.
Cable sabotage in France remains under investigation. Spearphishing by Cozy Bear. Widespread and damaging Russian cyberattacks have yet to appear, but criminals find a new field of activity. Hacktivism and privateering. The legal and prudential limits to hacktivism. Applying lessons learned from an earlier cyberwar. Romanian authorities say last week’s DDoS incident was retaliation for Bucharest’s support of Kyiv. Rick Howard is dropping some SBOMS. Carole Theriault reports on virtual kidnappings. REvil seems to be back after all.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/84
Selected reading. How the French fiber optic cable attacks accentuate critical infrastructure vulnerabilities (CyberScoop) Russian hackers compromise embassy emails to target governments (BleepingComputer) Ukraine's defense applies lessons from a 15-year-old cyberattack on Estonia (NPR) Feared Russian cyberattacks against US have yet to materialize (C4ISRNet) Hacking Russia was off-limits. The Ukraine war made it a free-for-all. (Washington Post) A YouTuber is promoting DDoS attacks on Russia — how legal is this? (BleepingComputer) Ukraine’s Digital Fight Goes Global (Foreign Affairs) Romanian government says websites attacked by pro-Russian group (The Record by Recorded Future) REvil ransomware returns: New malware sample confirms gang is back (BleepingComputer)
Chief security strategist from Analyst1, Jon DiMaggio shares his story on how he grew to become apart of the cybersecurity world. He describes different jobs that paved the way to the knowledge he has one the industry right now, and he even shares about an experience that led him to path that split and which decision he would make, would be crucial in his career. He explains which way he ended up going and how a critical part of his career helped to determine that path. He say's "there's two paths when you have that happen, you can either let it defeat you, or you know, you come back swinging." We thank Jon for sharing his story.
The move to cloud has great potential to improve security, but the required process and cultural changes can be daunting. There are a vast number of critical vulnerabilities that make it to production and demand more effective mitigations. Although “shifting security left” should help, organizations are not able to achieve this quickly enough, and “shifting left” does not account for runtime threats. Organizations must strive to improve the prioritization of vulnerabilities to ensure the most dangerous flaws are fixed early. But even then, some risk will be accepted, and a threat detection and response program is required for full security coverage. On this episode of CyberWire-X, host Rick Howard, the CyberWire's CSO, Chief Analyst and Senior Fellow, explores how to secure your software development lifecycle, how to use a maturity model like BSIM, where do containers fit in that process, and the Sysdig 2022 Cloud-Native Security and Usage report. Joining Rick on this episode are Tom Quinn, CISO at T. Rowe Price and CyberWire Hash Table member, and from episode sponsor Sysdig is their Director of Thought Leadership, Anna Belak, to discuss their experiences and real world data, as well as practical approaches to managing cloud risk.
Vikram Thakur of Symantec Threat Hunter team joins Dave Bittner to discuss their work on Daxin, a new and the most advanced piece of malware researchers have seen from China-linked actors. Symantec said " There is strong evidence to suggest the malware, Backdoor.Daxin, which allows the attacker to perform various communications and data-gathering operations on the infected computer, has been used as recently as November 2021 by attackers linked to China." They go on to explain how Daxin is used to target organizations and governments of strategic interest to China and how those agencies can protect themselves. Symantec also discusses how this is the most advanced piece of malware their researchers have seen. The research can be found here: Daxin: Stealthy Backdoor Designed for Attacks Against Hardened Networks
Russian and Ukrainian operators exchange cyberattacks. Wiper malware: contained, but a potentially resurgent threat. #OpRussia update. DDoS in Romania. Flash loan caper hits a DeFi platform. Coca-Cola investigates Stormous breach claims. CISA issues two new ICS advisories. Caleb Barlow on cleaning up the digital exhaust of your home. Our guests are Freddy Dezeure and George Webster on reporting cyber risk to boards. A Declaration for the Future of the Internet.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/83
Selected reading. Russian missiles bombard Kyiv during UN chief’s visit (The Telegraph) Zelenskiy urges ‘strong response’ after Russia strikes Kyiv during UN Ukraine visit (the Guardian) Anonymous hacked Russian PSCB Commercial Bank and companies in the energy sector (Security Affairs) Ongoing DDoS attacks from compromised sites hit Ukraine (Security Affairs) Ukraine’s Digital Battle With Russia Isn’t Going as Expected (Wired) CISA and FBI Update Advisory on Destructive Malware Targeting Organizations in Ukraine (CISA) Government and researchers keep US attention on Russia's cyber activity in Ukraine (The Record by Recorded Future) CISA Adds New Russian Malware to Cyber Advisory (Nextgov) An Overview of the Increasing Wiper Malware Threat (Fortinet Blog) Cyber Attacks Hit Romanian Government Websites (Balkan Insight) More than $13 million stolen from DeFi platform Deus Finance (The Record by Recorded Future) Coca-Cola Investigates Hacking Claim (Wall Street Journal) Coca-Cola investigating data breach claims by Stormous group (Computing) Has 'clown show' hacking gang Stormous really breached Coca-Cola? (Tech Monitor) Delta Electronics DIAEnergie (CISA) Johnson Controls Metasys (CISA) 1 A Declaration for the Future of the Internet (The White House) FACT SHEET: United States and 60 Global Partners Launch Declaration for the Future of the Internet (The White House) US joins 55 nations to set rules for internet, with eye on China and Russia (South China Morning Post) China, India, Russia missing from future of internet pledge by US, EU, and 33 others (ZDNet) US, partners launch plan for 'future' of internet, as China, Russia use 'dangerous' malign practices (Fox News) U.S. joins 55 nations to set new global rules for the internet (Reuters) Reporting Cyber Risk to Boards. Board Edition. Reporting Cyber Risk to Boards. CISO Edition.
Microsoft summarizes the scale of Russian cyberattacks against Ukraine. Russian cyber capabilities should be neither overestimated nor underestimated. Russia has also come under cyberattack during its hybrid war. Chinese intelligence services are paying close attention to Russian targets. The Five Eyes advise us on “routinely exploited vulnerabilities.” Physical sabotage as cyberattack. Linda Gray-Martin and Britta Glade from RSA discuss what’s new at RSAC and cybersecurity trends. Marc van Zadelhoff of Devo talks about their new podcast Cyber CEOs Decoded coming to the CyberWire network. And, hey kids, name that mascot.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/82
Selected reading. Special Report: Ukraine (Microsoft) Russian Cyber Capabilities Have ‘Reached Their Full Potential,’ Ukrainian Official Says (Wall Street Journal) Industroyer2: Nozomi Networks Labs Analyzes the IEC 104 Payload (Nozomi Networks) Russia Is Being Hacked at an Unprecedented Scale (Wired) BRONZE PRESIDENT targets Russian speakers with updated PlugX - Blog (Secureworks) CISA, FBI, NSA, and International Partners Warn Organizations of Top Routinely Exploited Vulnerabilities (National Security Agency/Central Security Service) The Air Force is trusting the internet to name its ridiculous new cybersecurity mascot (Task & Purpose)
Heard on the Baltimore waterfront. Privateering against Western brands. An update on sanctions and counter sanctions. Stonefly, straight outta Pyongyang. Lazarus is also back (and not in the good way). Richard Hummel from NETSCOUT discusses their bi-annual Threat Intel Report. Jon DiMaggio from Analyst1 joins us to discuss his new book, “The Art of Cyberwarfare - An Investigator’s Guide to Espionage, Ransomware, and Organized Cybercrime.” And the US Department of State has added six Russian GRU officers to its Rewards for Justice program.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/81
Selected reading. Britain says Ukraine controls majority of its airspace (Reuters) Latest strikes on Russia hint daring Ukraine is not intimidated by the Kremlin (The Telegraph) West gearing up to help Ukraine for ‘long haul’, says US defence secretary (the Guardian) U.S., allies promise to keep backing Ukraine in its war with Russia (Washington Post) Russia-linked hackers claim to have breached Coca-Cola Company (CyberNews) Stormous ransomware gang claims to have hacked Coca-Cola (Security Affairs) Chinese drone-maker DJI quits Russia and Ukraine (Register) Russia to Cut Gas to Poland and Bulgaria, Making Energy a Weapon (Bloomberg) Russia cuts off gas to Poland, Bulgaria, stoking tensions with E.U. over Ukraine (Washington Post) Why Russia’s Economy Is Holding On (Foreign Policy) Stonefly: North Korea-linked Spying Operation Continues to Hit High-value Targets (Symantec) A "Naver"-ending game of Lazarus APT (Zscaler) U.S. offers $10 mln reward for information on Russian intelligence officers -State Dept (Reuters) US offering $10 million for info on Russian military hackers accused of NotPetya attacks (The Record by Recorded Future) Rewards for Justice – Reward Offer for Information on Russian Military Intelligence Officers Conducting Malicious Activity Against U.S. Critical Infrastructure - United States Department of State (United States Department of State)
Heightened cyber tension as Quds Day approaches. Costa Rican electrical utility suffers from Conti ransomware. Emotet’s operators seem to be exploring new possibilities. North Korean cyber operators target journalists who cover the DPRK. A guilty plea in a strange case of corporate-connected cyberstalking. Bel Yelin ponders the potential Twitter takeover. Mr. Security Answer Person John Pescatore addresses questions about vendors. And cybercrime, run like a business.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/80
Selected reading. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: List of key events from day 62 (Al Jazeera) Ukraine takes war behind enemy lines as Russian fuel depots set ablaze (The Telegraph) Russia pounds eastern Ukraine as West promises Kyiv new arms (AP NEWS) Finland, Sweden to begin NATO application in May, say local media reports (Reuters) ‘Thanks, Putin’: Finnish and Swedish Lawmakers Aim for NATO Membership (Foreign Policy) World War Three now a 'real' danger, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warns (The Telegraph) Moscow cites risk of nuclear war as U.S., allies pledge heavier arms for Ukraine (Reuters) Russia Warns of Nuclear War Risk as Ukraine Talks Go On (Bloomberg) From Jordan to Japan: US invites 14 non-NATO nations to Ukraine defense summit (Breaking Defense) State TV says Iran foiled cyberattacks on public services (AP NEWS) State TV Says Iran Foiled Cyberattacks on Public Services (SecurityWeek) Iranian hackers claim they’ve hit the Bank of Israel - but ‘no proof,’ cyber authority says (Haaretz) North Korean hackers targeting journalists with novel malware (BleepingComputer) The ink-stained trail of GOLDBACKDOOR (Stairwell) Conti ransomware cripples systems of electricity manager in Costa Rican town (The Record by Recorded Future) Emotet Tests New Delivery Techniques (Proofpoint) Ex-eBay exec pleads guilty to harassing couple whose newsletter raised ire (Reuters) Mastermind of Natick couple’s harassment pleads guilty (Boston Globe) Former eBay Executive Pleads Guilty to His Role in Cyberstalking Campaign (US Department of Justice) Cyberkriminelle bieten Schadsoftware kostenlos an (IT-Markt)
Anonymous counts coup with their #OpRussia campaign. Alternative energy suppliers in Europe sustain cyberattacks. What Lapsus$ internal chatter reveals. Costa Rica won’t pay Conti’s ransom. Rick Howard hits the history books. Our guest is Paul Giorgi of XM Cyber with a look at multi-cloud hopping. Locked Shields wraps up.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/79
Selected reading. Ukraine's Postal Service DDOS'd After Printing Moskova Stamps (Gizmodo) Since declaring cyber war on Russia Anonymous leaked 5.8 TB of Russian data (Security Affairs) European Wind-Energy Sector Hit in Wave of Hacks (Wall Street Journal) Schneider Electric says no evidence that Incontroller/Pipedream malware exploits vulnerabilities (MarketScreener) Aid groups helping Ukraine face both cyber and physical threats (CNN) Leaked Chats Show LAPSUS$ Stole T-Mobile Source Code (KrebsOnSecurity) Lapsus$ hackers breached T-Mobile’s systems and stole its source code (The Verge) Lapsus$ hackers targeted T-Mobile (TechCrunch) FBI Warns of Targeted Cyberattacks on Food Plants Amid Heightened Coverage of Fires (NTD) Ransomware Attacks on Agricultural Cooperatives Potentially Timed to Critical Seasons (IC3) Cyberattack causes chaos in Costa Rica government systems (ABC News) Finland wins NATO cyber defense competition (C4ISRNet)
Operational technology cybersecurity strategist from Nozomi Networks, Danielle Jablanski shares her story of building a target map to end up where she is today. She shares how she started in college and how different paths in life got her to be on the target of success where she is today. She says " you build out that kind of target of where you want to be, and understand that getting to that point might mean doing things you don't enjoy for a number of years, but figuring that out is another way to get to that target without having like a clear bullseye" She goes on to explain how this target map is helping her to create real change and ultimately makes an impact. We thank Danielle for sharing her story.
John Hammond from Huntress joins Dave Bittner on this episode to discuss malware known as BABYSHARK and how it is swimming out for blood once again. Huntress's research says "This activity aligns with known tradecraft attributed to North Korean threat actors targeting national security think tanks." Huntress also adds that the activity was spotted on February 16th and immediately their ThreatOps team began following the trail of breadcrumbs. They said "This led them to uncover the malware that was set to target specifically this organization–and certain influential individuals within it." The research can be found here: Targeted APT Activity: BABYSHARK Is Out for Blood
A look at Russian malware used against Ukrainian targets. Actual and potential targets harden themselves against Russia cyberattacks. Sanctions and the criminal underworld. Conti’s fortunes. A credential stealer resurfaces in corporate networks. BlackCat ransomware warning. Tomer Bar from SafeBreach discusses MuddyWaters. Dr. Christopher Emdin previews his new book STEM, STEAM, Make, Dream. CISA releases three more ICS security advisories.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/78
Selected reading. Russia outlines when Ukraine war will end (Newsweek) Russia racing against clock to win Ukraine war before May 9 'Victory Day' (Newsweek) A deeper look at the malware being used on Ukrainian targets (The Record by Recorded Future) Ukraine ramps up cyber defences to slow surge in attacks (The Straits Times) Five Eyes Alert Warns of Heightened Risk of Russian Cyber Attacks (Bloomberg) Preparing for Energy Industry Cyberattacks (Wall Street Journal) US sets dangerous precedents in cyberspace (Global Times) Russia’s War in Ukraine Has Complicated the Means Through Which Cybercriminals Launder Funds. Here’s How They’re Adapting (Flashpoint) U.S. Treasury Designates Facilitators of Russian Sanctions Evasion (U.S. Department of the Treasury) Russia says nyet, sanctions Mark Zuckerberg, LinkedIn’s Roslansky, VP Harris and other US leaders (TechCrunch) Russia’s War in Ukraine Has Complicated the Means Through Which Cybercriminals Launder Funds. Here’s How They’re Adapting (Flashpoint) GOLD ULRICK continues Conti operations despite public disclosures (Secureworks) Costa Rica's Alvarado says cyberattacks seek to destabilize country as government transitions (Reuters) Hackers Spearphish Corporate Hiring Managers with Poisoned Resumes, Infecting Them with the More_Eggs Malware, Warns eSentire (eSentire) BlackCat/ALPHV Ransomware Indicators of Compromise (IC3) FBI: BlackCat ransomware breached at least 60 entities worldwide (BleepingComputer) Delta Electronics ASDA-Soft (CISA) Johnson Controls Metasys SCT Pro (CISA) Hitachi Energy MicroSCADA Pro/X SYS600 (CISA)
A renewed Five Eyes’ warning about potential Russian cyberattacks. The FBI warns of the threat of ransomware attacks against the agriculture sector. REvil may be back in business. Carole Theriault shares insights on bug bounty programs. Our own Rick Howard checks in with Zack Barack from Coralogix on where things stand with XDR. And beware of threats of Facebook account suspension.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/77
Selected reading. Russian State-Sponsored and Criminal Cyber Threats to Critical Infrastructure US and allies warn of Russian hacking threat to critical infrastructure REvil's TOR sites come alive to redirect to new ransomware operation ( FBI Warns of Ransomware Attacks on Farming Co-ops During Planting, Harvest Seasons ( Phishing Site on Facebook Domain Used to Steal Credentials
A Shuckworm update. Pegasus spyware found in UK government officials’ phones. CISA issues six ICS security alerts and adds three entries to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog. Gangs succeed when criminals run them like a business. Julian Assange moves closer to extradition to the US. Tim Eades from Cyber Mentor Fund on cyber valuations. Our guest is Wes Mullins from deepwatch discussing adversary simulations. And a guilty plea in a high-profile cyberstalking case.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/76
Selected reading. Shuckworm: Espionage Group Continues Intense Campaign Against Ukraine UK Government Reportedly Infected With NSO Group Spyware ‘CatalanGate’ Spyware Infections Tied to NSO Group Pegasus Spyware and Citizen Surveillance: What You Need to Know Julian Assange extradition order issued by London court, moving WikiLeaks founder closer to US transfer . Former eBay executive to plead guilty to cyberstalking campaign targeting couple
In a hybrid war, sometimes it’s about the timing. Not quite all quiet on the cyber front. Pyongyang is phishing for crypto wallets (and your NFTs, and other blockchained valuables). Emotet really likes those malicious macros. Joe Carrigan looks at prompt bombing. Bec McKeown from Immersive Labs explains human cyber capabilities. And it’s our anniversary this week: celebrate with us.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/75
Selected reading. Ukraine Update: Zelenskiy Says Battle for Donbas Has Begun (Bloomberg) Ukraine at D+50: Russian reconstitution continues as shields stay up for ICS attacks. (The CyberWire) Military intel chief believes Russia not to achieve any wins in Ukraine by Easter as Kremlin wishes (Ukrinform) Ukraine War Divides Orthodox Faithful (New York Times) US officials ramp up warnings about Russian cyberattacks (The Hill) NATO Plays Cyberwar to Prep for a Real Russian Attack (Gizmodo) FS-ISAC Leads Financial Sector in Global Live-Fire Cyber Exercise Locked Shields (PR Newswire) If anyone understands Russian cyber dangers, it's Estonia's former president (Washington Post) North Korean State-Sponsored APT Targets Blockchain Companies (CISA) TraderTraitor: North Korean State-Sponsored APT Targets Blockchain Companies (CISA) US warns of Lazarus hackers using malicious cryptocurrency apps (BleepingComputer) Trends in the Recent Emotet Maldoc Outbreak | FortiGuard Labs (Fortinet Blog)
Nuisance-level cyberattacks continue on both sides of Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine. Face-saving disinformation. “CatalanGate.” Industrial Spy says it caters to its victims’ competitors. More on what’s been learned from Conti’s leaked chatter. Rewards for Justice offers $5 million for tips on DPRK cyber ops. Awais Rashid on supply chain risk management. Our guest is Jack Chapman from Egress to discuss a 232% increase in LInkedIn phishing attacks. And Exercise Locked Shields begins tomorrow.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/74
Selected reading. Occupants send computer viruses allegedly on behalf of SBU (Interfax-Ukraine) Ransomware groups go after a new target: Russian organizations (The Record by Recorded Future). Currency.com Targeted in Failed Cyber-Attack (Accesswire) Russia says missile attacks on Kyiv will increase (Military Times) Film and photos appear to show Russian cruiser Moskva shortly before it sank (the Guardian) CatalanGate: Extensive Mercenary Spyware Operation against Catalans Using Pegasus and Candiru (The Citizen Lab) New Industrial Spy stolen data market promoted through cracks, adware (BleepingComputer) Event Overview: CONTI Leaks 2022 (BlueVoyant) U.S. offers $5 million for info on North Korean cyber operators (The Record by Recorded Future) North Korea: Up to $5 Million Reward (US State Department) World´s Largest International Live-Fire Cyber Exercise launches in Tallinn (CCDCOE)
Co-founder and CTO of Virsec, Satya Gupta shares his story of how he has over 25 years of expertise in embedded systems, network security and systems architecture. He also talks about how a colleague of his told him something that resinated with him, he said " that was really a remarkable statement that I heard from that person. You rise to the point where you can actually contribute." He also discusses how he got into the startup atmosphere and how different scenarios in his life helped to lead him to the successful man he has become in the cyber community. We thank Satya for sharing his story.
At the Hack the Port 2022 event, the CyberWire held a CyberWire Live event. CyberWire Daily Podcast host Dave Bittner was joined by Roya Gordon, OT/IoT Security Research Evangelist at Nozomi Networks, and Christian Lees, CTO at Resecurity. During this fireside chat format session, Dave and our guests discussed ICS, OT cybersecurity, the role of security research and demos, supply chain compromise, and IT/OT security trends among other things. Thanks to the team at MISI/DreamPort for this opportunity.
Alan Neville from Symantec/Broadcom joins Dave Bittner on this episode to discuss Antlion, a Chinese state-backed hacker group, are using custom backdoors to target financial institutions in Taiwan. Symantec's blog shares the research behind the attacks and how the backdoor allowed the attackers to run WMI commands remotely. Symantec's research showed that "The goal of this campaign appears to have been espionage, as we saw the attackers exfiltrating data and staging data for exfiltration from infected networks." They have since found that this attack has been going on over the course of the past 18 months, in which 250 days were spent on the financial organization and around 175 days were spent on the manufacturing organization. The research can be found here: Antlion: Chinese APT Uses Custom Backdoor to Target Financial Institutions in Taiwan
Further developments in the Incontroller/Pipedream industrial control system threat. Conti claims responsibility for the Nordex hack. The half-a-billion stolen from Ronin went to the Lazarus Group. And indictments in an influence ops case.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/73
Selected reading. Ukraine war: Russia threatens to step up attacks on Kyiv (BBC News) Live Updates: Russia Sets Stage for Battle to Control Ukraine’s East (New York Times) Russian Troops Risk Repeating Blunders If They Try for May 9 Win (Bloomberg) Why Putin may be aiming to declare victory over Ukraine on May 9 (Fortune) What Victory Day means for Russian identity (Washington Post) Spy games: expulsion of diplomats shines light on Russian espionage (the Guardian) Finland and Sweden pursue unlinked NATO membership (Defense News) What Finland Can Offer NATO (Foreign Policy) U.S. warns energy firms of a rapidly advancing hacking threat (E&E News) Wind turbine firm Nordex hit by Conti ransomware attack (BleepingComputer) Karakurt revealed as data extortion arm of Conti cybercrime syndicate (BleepingComputer) Threat Spotlight: Conti Ransomware Group Behind the Karakurt Hacking Team (Infinitum) US agency attributes $540 million Ronin hack to North Korean APT group (The Record by Recorded Future) North Korea Designation Update (U.S. Department of the Treasury) Russian legislator, staff accused of trying to influence US lawmakers: DOJ (Newsweek) Russian Legislator and Two Staff Members Charged with Conspiring to Have U.S. Citizen Act as an Illegal Agent of the Russian Government in the United States (US Department of Justice)
A nation-state threat actor (probably Russian) targets industrial systems. A quick look at the GRU's earlier attempt against Ukraine's power grid. The difficulty of recovering from a credible threat to industrial systems. Lazarus Group resumes Operation Dream Job. OldGremlin speaks Russian, and it holds Russian companies for ransom. Carole Theriault looks at research on lie detection. Josh Ray from Accenture drops some SBOMs. And another look at the privateers in the Conti gang.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/72
Selected reading. Ukraine Update: U.S., EU to Send More Arms; Warship Damaged (Bloomberg) INCONTROLLER: New State-Sponsored Cyber Attack Tools Target Multiple Industrial Control Systems (Mandiant). PIPEDREAM: CHERNOVITE's Emerging Malware Targeting Industrial Environments | Dragos (Dragos) APT Cyber Tools Targeting ICS/SCADA Devices (CISA) U.S. warns newly discovered malware could sabotage energy plants (Washington Post) Industroyer2 Targets Ukraine’s Electric Grid: Here’s How Companies Can Stay Protected and Resilient (Nozomi Networks) Wind Turbine Giant Nordex Hit By Cyber-Attack (Infosecurity Magazine) Lazarus Targets Chemical Sector (Symantec) Old Gremlins, new methods (Group-IB) Leaked documents show notorious ransomware group has an HR department, performance reviews and an 'employee of the month' (CNBC)
Indestroyer2 and Ukraine's power grid. More on last week's distributed denial-of-service attack against Finland. Anonymous claims to have doxed Russia's Ministry of Culture. Hafnium gets evasive. Enemybot is under development but worth keeping an eye on. Changing the phish hook. Patch Tuesday notes. Tim Eades from Cyber Mentor Fund on digital & security transformations. Our guest is Aaron Shilts from NetSPI onproactive public-private sector security collaboration. Sanctions evasion is serious business.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/71
Selected reading. Why Russia’s Cyber Warriors Haven't Crippled Ukraine (The National Interest) In Ukraine, a ‘Full-Scale Cyberwar’ Emerges (Wall Street Journal) Russian hackers tried to bring down Ukraine’s power grid to help the invasion (MIT Technology Review) Russia's Sandworm Hackers Attempted a Third Blackout in Ukraine (Wired) Ukraine Thwarts Cyberattack on Electric Grid, Officials Say (Wall Street Journal) Zhadnost strikes again… this time in Finland. (SecurityScorecard) Anonymous Hits Russian Ministry of Culture- Leaks 446GB of Data (HackRead) Tarrask malware uses scheduled tasks for defense evasion (Microsoft Security Blog) Enemybot: A Look into Keksec's Latest DDoS Botnet (Fortinet Blog) Enemybot: a new Mirai, Gafgyt hybrid botnet joins the scene (ZDNet) Qbot malware switches to new Windows Installer infection vector (BleepingComputer) Microsoft Releases April 2022 Security Updates (CISA) Google Releases Security Updates for Chrome (CISA) Citrix Releases Security Updates for Multiple Products (CISA) Apache Releases Security Advisory for Struts 2 (CISA) Valmet DNA (CISA) Mitsubishi Electric MELSEC-Q Series C Controller Module (CISA) Inductive Automation Ignition (CISA) Mitsubishi Electric GT25-WLAN (CISA) Aethon TUG Home Base Server (CISA) U.S. crypto researcher sentenced to five years for helping North Korea evade sanctions (Reuters)
GRU deploys Industroyer2 against the Ukrainian energy sector. NB65 counts coup against Roscosmos. Anonymous doxes three more Russian companies. President Putin purges the FSB’s Fifth Service. CISA warns of an exploited firewall vulnerability. Medical robots’ vulnerabilities are remediated. A Cyber Civil Defense effort in the US. Ben Yelin on newly passed cyber legislation. Our guest is Chase Snyder from ExtraHop to discuss their recent Cyber Confidence Index. And good riddance to RaidForums.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/70
Selected reading. Russia’s Reset (New York Times) Russia will not pause military operation in Ukraine for peace talks (Reuters) Industroyer2: Industroyer reloaded | WeLiveSecurity (WeLiveSecurity) CERT-UA warns of large-scale cyber attack on energy sector (Interfax-Ukraine) Russia's space programme hit by western cyber attack (The Telegraph) Anonymous Hits 3 Russian Entities, Leaks 400 GB Worth of Emails (HackRead) Russia’s Ukraine Propaganda Has Turned Fully Genocidal (Foreign Policy) Russia-Ukraine latest news: Vladimir Putin vows ‘clear and noble’ aims of Russian invasion will be achieved (The Telegraph) CISA warns orgs of WatchGuard bug exploited by Russian state hackers (BleepingComputer) CISA Adds Eight Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog (CISA) Cynerio Discovers and Discloses JekyllBot:5, a Series of Critical Zero-Day Vulnerabilities Allowing Attackers to Remotely Control Hospital Robots (Cynerio) Craig Newmark Philanthropies Pledges $50 Million to Cyber Civil Defense (Global Cyber Alliance)
US National Security Advisor says atrocities were part of Russia's plan. Russian commanders seek to keep troops away from dangerous sections of the Internet. Cyberattacks in Finland may be a shot across Helsinki's bow. CERT-UA warns of a phishing campaign. Hacktivists hit Russian organizations. Mixed reviews for US preemptive measures against GRU botnets. Sharkbot-infested apps ejected from Google Play. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on malicious ISO files embedded in HTML. Our guest is Neal Dennis from Cyware on threat intel sharing with members of Auto-ISAC. What you should do when your Shields are Up.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/69
Selected reading. Russia Shuffles Command in Ukraine as Thousands Flee the East (New York Times) Sullivan: Intel indicates plan from ‘highest levels’ of Russian government to target civilians (The Hill) Russian soldiers banned from social media as ‘uncomfortable truths’ drain their morale (The Telegraph) West Seeks to Pierce Russia’s Digital Iron Curtain (Foreign Policy) YouTube blocks Russian parliament channel, drawing ire from officials (Reuters) U.S. quietly paying millions to send Starlink terminals to Ukraine, contrary to SpaceX claims (Washington Post) Hackers use Conti's leaked ransomware to attack Russian companies (BleepingComputer) Державна служба спеціального зв’язку та захисту інформації України (GUR) How Russia's Invasion Triggered a US Crackdown on Its Hackers (Wired) The U.S. Opens a Risky New Front in Cyberdefense (Bloomberg) Meet the 1,300 librarians racing to back up Ukraine’s digital archives (Washington Post) The Race to Save Posts That May Prove Russian War Crimes (Wired) Exclusive: Senior EU officials were targeted with Israeli spyware (Reuters) SharkBot Android Malware Continues Popping Up on Google Play (SecurityWeek) SharkBot Banking Trojan spreads through fake AV apps on Google Play (Security Affairs) Sharing Cyber Event Information: Observe, Act, Report (CISA)
Enjoy this sample of CSO Perspectives, a CyberWire Pro podcast. Like what you hear? Consider subscribing to CyberWire Pro for $99/year. Learn more. On this episode, host Rick Howard discusses if the first principles theories prevent material impact in the real world, such as the latest SolarWinds attack. Previous episodes referenced: S1E6: 11 MAY: Cybersecurity First Principles S1E7: 18 MAY: Cybersecurity first principles: zero trust S1E8: 26 MAY: Cybersecurity first principles: intrusion kill chains. S1E9: 01 JUN: Cybersecurity first principles - resilience S1E11: 15 JUN: Cybersecurity first principles - risk S2E3: 03 AUG: Incident response: a first principle idea. S2E4: 10 AUG: Incident response: around the Hash Table. S2E7: 31 AUG: Identity Management: a first principle idea. S2E8: 07 SEP: Identity Management: around the Hash Table. Other resources: “A BRIEF HISTORY OF SUPPLY CHAIN ATTACKS,” by Secarma, 1 September 2018. “Analyzing Solorigate, the compromised DLL file that started a sophisticated cyberattack, and how Microsoft Defender helps protect customers,” by 365 Defender Research Team and the Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC), Microsoft, 18 December 2020. “A Timeline Perspective of the SolarStorm Supply-Chain Attack,” by Unit 42, Palo Alto Networks, 23 December 2020. “Cobalt Strike,” by MALPEDIA. “Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon,” by Kim Zetter, Published by Crown, 3 June 2014. “Cybersecurity Canon,” by Ohio State University. “FireEye shares jump back to pre-hack levels,” Melissa Lee, CNBC, 23 December 2020. "Implementing Intrusion Kill Chain Strategies by Creating Defensive Campaign Adversary Playbooks," by Rick Howard, Ryan Olson, and Deirdre Beard (Editor), The Cyber Defense Review, Fall 2020. “Orion Platform,” by SolarWinds. “Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin's Most Dangerous Hackers,” by Andy Greenberg, Published by Doubleday, 7 May 2019. “Solarstorm,” by Unit 42, Palo Alto Networks, 23 December 2020. “The Cybersecurity Canon: Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World’s First Digital Weapon,” by Rick Howard, The Cybersecurity Canon Project, 28 January 2015. “Using Microsoft 365 Defender to protect against Solorigate,” by the Microsoft 365 Defender Team, 28 December 2020.
Founder and general partner of Rain Capital, Chenxi shares her story and how she conquered and got over the obstacle of fear to reach her goals in life. " I realized a lot of times my obstacle is my own fear rather than a real obstacle" Wang states, she also shares her story of breaking glass ceilings as a female founder and working in the field of cybersecurity. She hopes to be remembered for being a kind person and developing her own venture fund, as she shares her story to the top, she states what she does and how she got to be where she is today. We thank Chenxi for sharing her story.
Alon Zahavi from CyberArk, joins Dave Bittner on this episode to discuss CyberArk's work in conjunction with Patch Tuesday. CyberArk published about how Docker inadvertently created a new vulnerability and what happens when it's exploited. CyberArk's research concluded that an attacker may execute files with capabilities or setuid files in order to escalate its privileges up to root level. CyberArk found the new vuln in some of Microsoft’s Docker images, caused by misuse of Linux capabilities, a powerful additional layer of security that gives admins the ability to assign capabilities and privileges to processes and files in the Linux system The research can be found here: How Docker Made Me More Capable and the Host Less Secure
Russian disinformation in its war against Ukraine. Overhead imagery and electronic intercepts suggest that Russian atrocities are matters of policy and strategy. Microsoft disrupts GRU cyber operations. Facebook takes down Iranian coordinated inauthenticity. India’s Power Ministry says it stopped a Chinese cyberattack. Dave Dufour from Webroot on evolving attack mechanisms. Our guest is Dan Petro of Bishop Fox with a warning for document redaction. Grid security and the value of exercises.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/68
Selected reading. Putin’s ‘probably given up’ on Kyiv as Ukraine war enters new phase (Defense News) Ukraine says 39 killed in rocket strike on rail evacuation hub (Reuters) Russian rocket attack on Kramatorsk train station kills dozens—Ukraine (Newsweek) Possible Evidence of Russian Atrocities: German Intelligence Intercepts Radio Traffic Discussing the Murder of Civilians in Bucha (Der Spiegel) Germany intercepts Russian talk of indiscriminate killings in Ukraine (Washington Post) Microsoft says it disrupted Russian cyberattacks targeting Ukraine, West (The Hill) Disrupting cyberattacks targeting Ukraine - Microsoft On the Issues (Microsoft On the Issues) GridEx VI Lessons Learned Report (NERC) Power Grid Stress Test Finds Low-Tech Needs for High-Tech Problems (Wall Street Journal) Dire grid hacking scenario sparked “shields up” approach to Russian threat (Medium)
An update on US cyber defensive operations and the war in Ukraine. You can’t tell your oligarchs without a scorecard. Google ejects data-harvesting apps from Play. China preps the cyber battlespace against India’s power grid. More moves against Hydra Market. Bearded Barbie’s catphishing. Betsy Carmelite from BAH on a blueprint for achieving a secure and resilient dot gov. Our guest is Padraic O'Reilly from CyberSaint with a fresh look at ransomware. And your majesty, meet this here dissident, who also needs to move money for the best of reasons….
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/67
Selected reading. Pentagon: Russia has fully withdrawn from Kyiv, Chernihiv (Washington Post) Zelenskyy tells UN: Act now on Russia or dissolve yourself altogether (Atlantic Council) DoJ takes down Russian botnet that targeted WatchGuard and Asus routers (ZDNet) FBI Disables "Cyclops Blink" Botnet Controlled by Russian Intelligence Agency (SecurityWeek) Justice Department Announces Court-Authorized Disruption of Botnet Controlled by the Russian Federation’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) (US Department of Justice) Adversarial Threat Report (Meta) Facebook cracks down on covert influence networks targeting Ukraine (Washington Post) Russian-backed hackers broke into Facebook accounts of Ukrainian military officials (CBS News) Britain slaps sanctions on Russia’s biggest bank (The Telegraph) Russia hit with new round of U.S. sanctions as Biden decries 'major war crimes' (Reuters) U.S. to Sanction Putin Children, Banks Over Bucha Atrocities (Bloomberg) The Forbes Ultimate Guide To Russian Oligarchs (Forbes) Suspected Chinese Hackers Collect Intelligence From India’s Grid (Bloomberg) Continued Targeting of Indian Power Grid Assets by Chinese State-Sponsored Activity Group (Recorded Future) Operation Bearded Barbie: APT-C-23 Campaign Targeting Israeli Officials (Cybereason) Google Bans Apps With Hidden Data-Harvesting Software (Wall Street Journal) The Nigerian Prince Scam, with a Russian Twist (Avanan)
There’s a maneuver lull in Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine, but fire and cyber ops continue. The US provides cyber assistance to Ukraine. The Cicada call of Stone Panda. Phony e-commerce sites seek to harvest banking credentials. CISA offers some advice and some guidance. Hydra Market sanctioned. Awais Rashid from Bristol University on anonymous communication systems. Our guest is Armaan Mahbod of DTEX Systems with a look at supermalicious insiders. And the most popular password is...
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/66
Selected reading. Russian military ‘weeks’ from being ready for new push as war takes its toll (The Telegraph) Russia's failure to take down Kyiv was a defeat for the ages (AP NEWS) U.S. Cyber Command providing cyber expertise and intelligence in Ukraine's fight against Russia (FedScoop) Cyber Command chief: U.S. has 'stepped up' to protect Ukraine's networks (The Record by Recorded Future) How Ukraine has defended itself against cyberattacks – lessons for the US (FIU News) Cicada: Chinese APT Group Widens Targeting in Recent Espionage Activity (Symantec) Fake e‑shops on the prowl for banking credentials using Android malware (WeLiveSecurity) CISA adds Spring4Shell vulnerability, Apple zero-days to exploited catalog (The Record by Recorded Future) LifePoint Informatics Patient Portal (CISA) Rockwell Automation ISaGRAF (CISA) Johnson Controls Metasys (CISA) Philips Vue PACS (Update A) (CISA) Treasury Sanctions Russia-Based Hydra, World’s Largest Darknet Market, and Ransomware-Enabling Virtual Currency Exchange Garantex (U.S. Department of the Treasury) Most Common Passwords 2022 - Is Yours on the List? (CyberNews)
Disinformation at the UN. Russian cyber operations against Ukraine. Bravo, BKA: German police take down a major contraband market. Under arrest but still in business? At least someone’s carrying on for Lapsus$. Compromise at Mailchimp. Joe Carrigan describes Javascript vulnerabilities. Carole Theriault with an eye on romance scams through the lens of Netflix's "The Tinder Swindler". And a well-known gang branches out.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/65
Selected reading. Live Updates: U.N. Security Council to Meet as Evidence of War Crimes Mounts (New York Times) Elephant Framework Delivered in Phishing Attacks against Ukrainian Organizations (Intezer) Germany takes down Hydra, world's largest darknet market (BleepingComputer) LAPSUS$ hacks continue despite two hacker suspects in court (Naked Security) FIN7 hackers evolve toolset, work with multiple ransomware gangs (BleepingComputer) Notorious hacking group FIN7 adds ransomware to its repertoire (CyberScoop) Hackers breach MailChimp's internal tools to target crypto customers (BleepingComputer) Email marketing giant Mailchimp has confirmed a data breach (TechCrunch)
Doxing, trolling, and censorship in a hybrid war. Western organizations remain on alert for a Russian cyber campaign. Known Russian threat actors continue operations against Ukraine proper. Borat RAT described. Welcome the US State Department’s Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy. National Supply Chain Integrity Month. Your wild ways will break your mother’s heart. Rick Howard weighs in on Shields Up. Josh Ray from Accenture on ideological differences on underground forums. And fast food as an OPSEC issue (and an OSINT source).
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/64
Selected reading. Ukraine intelligence leaks names of 620 alleged Russian FSB agents (Security Affairs) Anonymous leaked 15 GB of data allegedly stolen from the Russian Orthodox Church (Security Affairs) Listen Now: Deputy national security adviser talks about the risk of Russia waging cyberwar (NPR One) Inside Cyber Front Z, the ‘People’s Movement’ Spreading Russian Propaganda (Vice) Ukraine Accuses Russia of Using WhatsApp Bot Farm to Ask Military to Surrender (Vice) ‘It’s like 1937’: Informants denounce anti-Ukraine war Russians (The Telegraph) Cyber Espionage Actor Deploying Malware Using Excel (Bank Info Security) New Borat remote access malware is no laughing matter (BleepingComputer) Deep Dive Analysis – Borat RAT (Cyble) Establishment of the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy (United States Department of State) Supply Chain Integrity Month (CISA) April is National Supply Chain Integrity Month. As Russia Plots Its Next Move, an AI Listens to the Chatter (Wired) Data leak from Russian delivery app shows dining habits of the secret police (The Verge)
In this CyberWire-X episode, host Rick Howard, the CyberWire's CSO, Chief Analyst and Senior Fellow, explores the state of XDR. Joining Rick on this episode are Ted Wagner, SAP National Security Services CISO and CyberWire Hash Table member, and from episode sponsor Trellix are Bryan Palma, the Trellix Chief Executive Officer, and John Fokker, the Trellix Head of Cyber Investigations. Listen as Rick and guests discuss XDR, SASE, SIEM, and SOAR.
Chief intelligence officer at Intel 471, Michael shares his story where he started as an actor and quickly changed over to intelligence and what the transition was like for him. Michael grew up wanting to be an actor and even was able to land some acting jobs, after going into the Marine Corps he decided to leave acting behind and start a new path in his journey. He says looking for a purpose really helped to shape him, saying "looking back on it, I feel like my life purpose has really been all about kind of this relentless pursuit of justice" and how the risks in his life has helped to right the wrongs of the world. We thank Michael for sharing his story.
Guest Michael DeBolt from Intel 471 joins Dave Bittner on this episode to discuss one of the most popular commodity malware loaders on the underground – PrivateLoader. The blog provides an analysis of campaigns since May 2021, full details on a Pay-per-install (PPI) malware service, the methods operators employ to obtain “installs,” and insights on the malware families the service delivers. On Intel 471's blog, it shows the breakdown of how the PrivateLoader download is delivered and how it works. The blog states "Visitors are lured into clicking a “Download Crack” or “Download Now” button to obtain an allegedly cracked version of the software." Michael explains more about this popular commodity malware loader. The research can be found here: PrivateLoader: The first step in many malware schemes
Attempting to evolve rules of cyber conduct during a hot hybrid war. Waiting for major Russian cyber operations. Viasat terminals were hit by wiper malware. Patches and detection scripts for Spring4shell. Warning of ransomware threat to local governments. Emergency data requests under Senatorial scrutiny. NSA employee charged with mishandling classified material. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on Bots, Warriors and Trolls. Rick Howard speaks with Maretta Morovitz on cyber deception. And no April Foolin’ here
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/63
Selected reading. Russia’s War Lacks a Battlefield Commander, U.S. Officials Say (New York Times) Putin may be self-isolating from his military advisers, says White House (The Telegraph) Confronting Russian Cyber Censorship (Wilson Center) Zelensky Fires Two Generals (Wall Street Journal) French intelligence chief Vidaud fired over Russian war failings (BBC News) Cyber War Talks Heat Up at UN With Russia at Table (Bloomberg.com) Foreign Ministry statement on continued cyberattack by the “collective West” (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation) New Protestware Found Lurking in Highly Popular NPM Package (Checkmarx.com) Russia targeting Ukraine, countries opposing war in cyberspace (Jerusalem Post) Conti Leaks: Examining the Panama Papers of Ransomware (Trellix) British intelligence agencies: Moscow continuously attacks Ukraine in cyberspace (The Times Hub) AcidRain | A Modem Wiper Rains Down on Europe (SentinelOne) SentinelOne finds ties between Viasat hack and Russian actor (SC Magazine) ExtraHop CEO: Expect a Russian cyber response to sanctions (Register) Treasury sanctions Russian research center blamed for Trisis malware (CyberScoop) Treasury Targets Sanctions Evasion Networks and Russian Technology Companies Enabling Putin’s War (U.S. Department of the Treasury) Evgeny Viktorovich Gladkikh – Rewards For JusticeArtboard 4Artboard 4 (Rewards for Justice) Spring confirms ‘Spring4Shell’ zero-day, releases patched update (The Record by Recorded Future) Spring4Shell (CVE-2022-22965): Are you vulnerable to this Zero Day? (Cyber Security Works) Ransomware Attacks Straining Local US Governments and Public Services (IC3) Senate’s Wyden Probes Use of Forged Legal Requests by Hackers (Bloomberg) NSA Employee Charged with Mishandling Classified Material (Military.com) National Security Agency Employee Indicted for Willful Transmission and Retention of National Defense Information (US Department of Justice) National Security Agency Employee Facing Federal Indictment for Willful Transmission and Retention of National Defense Information (US Department of Justice)
Russian cyber operators collect against domestic targets. More details on the Viasat hack. Ukrainian hacktivists say they can interfere with Russian geolocation. Spring4shell is another remote-code-execution problem. The Remcos Trojan is seeing a resurgence. Malicious links distributed via Calendly. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on attack surface detection. Our guest is Fleming Shi from Barracuda on cybersecurity champions. Phishing with “emergency data requests.” Lapsus$ may be back from vacation.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/62
Selected reading. Vladimir Putin is being lied to by his advisers, says GCHQ (The Telegraph) U.S. intelligence suggests that Putin’s advisers misinformed him on Ukraine. (New York Times) White House: Intel shows Putin misled by advisers on Ukraine (AP NEWS) Russian troops sabotaging their own equipment and refusing orders in Ukraine, UK spy chief says (CNBC) Phishing campaign targets Russian govt dissidents with Cobalt Strike (BleepingComputer) KA-SAT Network cyber attack overview (Viasat.com) Tracking cyber activity in Eastern Europe (Google) Ukrainian Hackers Take Aim at Russian Artillery, Navigation Signals (Defense One) Russian efforts in Ukraine have not yet spilled over into cyberattacks on US, says lawmaker (C4ISRNet) New Spring Framework RCE Vulnerability Confirmed - What to do? (Sonatype) New Spring4Shell Zero-Day Vulnerability Confirmed: What it is and how to be prepared (Contrast Security) Spring Core on JDK9+ is vulnerable to remote code execution (Praetorian) Spring4Shell: No need to panic, but mitigations are advised (Help Net Security) Remcos Trojan: Analyzing the Attack Chain (Morphisec) Apple and Meta Gave User Data to Hackers Who Used Forged Legal Requests (Bloomberg) Fresh Phish: Phishers Schedule Victims on Calendar App (INKY) Lapsus$ claims Globant as its latest breach victim (TechCrunch)
Taking down bot farms. Russia says the US is the aggressor in cyberspace. Influence operations, arriving at Mach 10. The call is coming from inside the house! Cyber incidents affect aviation services. CISA posts ICS control system advisories. I welcome Tim Eades from the Cyber Mentor Fund. Our guest is Alex Holland from HP Wolf Security describing a new wave of attacks. And Sanctions are also biting Russian cyber gangs.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/61
Selected reading. Ukraine dismantles 5 disinformation bot farms, seizes 10,000 SIM cards (BleepingComputer) Russia accuses U.S. of massive 'cyber aggression' (Reuters) Russia Has Fired 'Multiple' Hypersonic Missiles Into Ukraine, US General Confirms (Defense One) BREAKING: Russian Aviation Authority Suffers Cyberattack (Mentour Pilot) Bradley Airport Website Suffers Cyber Attack (NBC Connecticut) Philips e-Alert (CISA) Rockwell Automation ISaGRAF (CISA) Omron CX-Position (CISA) Hitachi Energy LinkOne WebView (CISA) Modbus Tools Modbus Slave (CISA) Delta Electronics DIAEnergie (CISA) “Your rubles will only be good for lighting a fire”: Cybercriminals reel from impact of sanctions (Digital Shadows) Sanctions Hitting Russian Cyber-Criminals Hard (Infosecurity Magazine)
A cyberattack takes down a major Ukrainian Internet provider. GhostWriter is said to deploy Cobalt Strike against the Ukrainian government. Anonymous makes some large claims. This just in: spies drive drunk: Ukrainian intelligence doxes FSB officers. Conventional criminals continue to exploit sympathy for Ukraine in social engineering scams. Red-Lili automates software supply-chain attacks. Ben Yelin considers Russian cyber capabilities. Mr. Security Answer Person John Pescatore addresses security automation. And CISA offers mitigation guidance on risks to uninterruptible power supplies.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/60
Selected reading. Russia says it will scale back near Kyiv as talks progress (AP NEWS) Ukraine Claims Some Battle Successes as Russia Focuses on Another Front (New York Times) Ukrainian telecom company's internet service disrupted by 'powerful' cyberattack (Reuters) ‘Most Severe’ Cyberattack Since Russian Invasion Crashes Ukraine Internet Provider (Forbes) GhostWriter APT targets state entities of Ukraine with Cobalt Strike Beacon (Security Affairs) Secret World of Pro-Russia Hacking Group Exposed in Leak (Wall Street Journal) Anonymous is working on a huge data dump that will blow Russia away (Security Affairs) While Twitter suspends Anonymous accounts, the group hacked VGTRK Russian Television and Radio (Security Affairs) Names and addresses of 620 FSB officers published in data breach (Times) Russian spies unmasked in embarrassing blow for Vladimir Putin (The Telegraph) New Conversation Hijacking Campaign Delivering IcedID (Intezer) Spoofed Invoice Used to Drop IcedID (Fortinet Blog) A Beautiful Factory for Malicious Packages (Checkmarx) School of Hard Knocks: Job Fraud Threats Target University Students (Proofpoint) Mitigating Attacks Against Uninterruptible Power Supply Devices (CISA Insights)
Preparing for the spread of cyberattacks. A look at Cyber operations in the hybrid war. C3 and electronic warfare. The Republic of the Marshall Islands suffers rolling DDoS attacks. Okta gives a detailed account of its experience with the Lapsus$ Group. Lapsus$ under the law enforcement microscope. The FCC sanctions Kaspersky. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture on getting full potential from deception systems. Our guest is Greg Scasny of Blueshift Cybersecurity with remote workforce security concerns. And CISA adds to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/59
Selected reading. ‘Preparation, not panic’: Top US cyber official asks Americans to look out for Russian hacking efforts CNN Russia hacked Ukrainian satellite communications, officials believe BBC News Chinese cyberattacks on NATO countries increase 116% since Russia's invasion of Ukraine: study Fox Business Why hasn't Russia used its 'full scope' of electronic warfare?Breaking Defense Russian troops’ tendency to talk on unsecured lines is proving costly Washington Post Marshall Islands telecom service hit by cyber attack RNZ Okta: "We made a mistake" delaying the Lapsus$ hack disclosure BleepingComputer Who is LAPSUS$, the Big, Bad Cybercrime Gang Hacking Tech's Biggest Companies? Gizmodo FCC puts Kaspersky on security threat list, says it poses “unacceptable risk“ Ars Technica U.S. FCC adds Russia's Kaspersky, China telecom firms to national security threat list Reuters CISA Adds 66 Known Exploited Vulnerabilities to Catalog CISA
Guest Dick O'Brien from Symantec joins Dave Bittner on this episode to discuss how "Shuckworm Continues Cyber-Espionage Attacks Against Ukraine." The Russia-linked Shuckworm group (aka Gamaredon, Armageddon) has been active since 2013 and is known to use phishing emails to distribute either freely available remote access tools. In July 2021, Symantec observed Shuckworm activity on an organization in Ukraine and this continued until August 2021. According to a November 2021 report from the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), since 2014 the Shuckworm group has been responsible for over 5,000 attacks against more than 1,500 Ukrainian government systems. Dick walks us through Symantec's investigation. The research can be found here: Shuckworm Continues Cyber-Espionage Attacks Against Ukraine
Fears of Russian escalation as Ukraine’s counteroffensive sees successes. Warnings of possible Russian cyberattacks gain context from attribution of the Viasat incident and two US unsealed indictments. CISA continues to recommend best practices. North Korean APTs exploit Chrome vulnerabilities. Mustang Panda is back. David Dufour from Webroot on ransomware gangs and cartels. Our guest is Liliana Monge of Sabio Coding Bootcamp on creating opportunities for those looking to pursue a career in tech. And boy, boy, your wild ways will break your mother’s heart.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/58
Selected reading. Ukrainian forces advance east of Kyiv as Russians fall back (Reuters) Counteroffensive in Ukraine Shifts Dynamic of War (New York Times) Ukrainian forces claim to destroy a Russian landing ship. (New York Times) Putin's war in Ukraine nearing possibly more dangerous phase (AP NEWS) Syrians watch in horror as Putin deploys the Aleppo playbook in Ukraine (CNN) Joe Biden: We will respond in kind if Vladimir Putin uses chemical weapons in Ukraine (The Telegraph) A month into the Russian invasion, Ukraine is still mostly online (The Record by Recorded Future) Russian military behind hack of satellite communication devices in Ukraine at war’s outset, U.S. officials say (Washington Post) Hackers Attacked Satellite Terminals Through Management Network, Viasat Officials Say (Air Force Magazine)
Four Russian Government Employees Charged in Two Historical Hacking Campaigns Targeting Critical Infrastructure Worldwide (US Department of Justice) US charges four Russian hackers over cyber-attacks on global energy sector (the Guardian) North Korean Actors Exploited Chrome Flaw to Target U.S. Orgs (Decipher) Countering threats from North Korea (Google) New Mustang Panda hacking campaign targets diplomats, ISPs (BleepingComputer) Chinese APT Combines Fresh Hodur RAT with Complex Anti-Detection (Threatpost) Lapsus$: Oxford teen accused of being multi-millionaire cyber-criminal (BBC News)
Concerns persist that President Putin will take his revenge in cyberspace for sanctions. Wiper attacks reported continuing in Ukraine. Russia also sustains cyberattacks. Lapsus$--living at home, with Mom. A carder kingpin finds his way onto the FBI’s Most Wanted List. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on collective resilience. Our guest is Amit Shaked from Laminar Security on shadow data. Anonymous says it hit Nestlé, but Nestlé says it never happened.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/57
Selected reading. As Ukraine invasion stalls, Putin looks to cyber for revenge attack on US (Newsweek) Threat looms of Russian attack on undersea cables to shut down West’s internet (France 24) A Mysterious Satellite Hack Has Victims Far Beyond Ukraine (Wired) Anonymous hacks unsecured printers to send anti-war messages across Russia (HackRead) 'We want them to go to the Stone Age': Ukrainian coders are splitting their time between work and cyber warfare (CNBC) Teen Suspected by Cyber Researchers of Being Lapsus$ Mastermind (Bloomberg) Nestlé denies Anonymous hack, claiming it accidentally leaked data dump itself (Fortune) Nestlé says 'Anonymous' data leak actually a self-own (Register) Nestlé: You Can't Hack Us, We Leaked Our Own Data (Gizmodo) FBI adds Russian cybercrime market owner to most wanted list (BleepingComputer) United States of America v. Igor Dekhtyar (US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas)
In this CyberWire-X episode, host Dave Bittner chats with the judges of the Insider Risk Excellence Awards. The inaugural awards program, announced during last September's Insider Risk Summit, recognizes the best of the best in Insider Risk Management. They honor the work of individuals and organizations as they address Insider Risk in the most collaborative work environment we’ve ever seen. Judges Joe Payne, President and CEO, Code42 and Chairman, Insider Risk Summit and Wendy Overton, Director of Cyber Strategy and Insider Risk Leader, Optiv, talk about the growing Insider Risk problem, reveal the winners of each award category and pull back the curtain on how each of these Insider Risk trailblazers are making an impact.
The US and the UK warn of impending Russian cyberattacks, and Russia responds with warnings against “banditry,” crime, and bad manners. CISA issues two new ICS advisories. Microsoft confirms a Lapsus$ gang incident, and so does Okta, but Okta’s case is more complicated. Josh Ray from Accenture on the cyber workforce. Our guest is Tom Gaffney from F-Secure with some ways to reduce digital anxietySecureworks takes a look at the criminal ecosystem around Conti.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/56
Selected reading. Ukraine war has put our relationship with US at breaking point - Russia (Daily Post Nigeria) Kremlin dismisses U.S. warning of potential Russian cyber attacks (Reuters) . As Biden puts US on alert, Russia seeks talks to help prevent cyber war (Newsweek) U.K. echoes Biden warning on Russian cyberattacks (The Record by Recorded Future) Biden: Russia mulling cyberattacks on US (C4ISRNet) National Security Advisor details new intelligence on potential Russian cyberattacks (FOX 5 DC) The Threat of Russian Cyberattacks Looms Large (The New Yorker) FBI sees growing Russian hacker interest in US energy firms (AP NEWS) CISA Call with Critical Infrastructure Partners on Potential Russian Cyberattacks Against the U.S. (YouTube) CISA highlights new reporting hotline amid warnings about potential Russian cyber attacks (Federal News Network) Delta Electronics DIAEnergie (CISA) Delta Electronics DIAEnergie (Update B) (CISA) Microsoft, Okta Investigating Data Theft Claims (SecurityWeek) Hackers hit authentication firm Okta, customers 'may have been impacted' (Reuters) 'This Is Really, Really Bad': Lapsus$ Gang Claims Okta Hack (Wired). Okta ‘identifying and contacting’ customers potentially affected by Lapsus$ breach (The Record by Recorded Future) Okta Investigates Report of Security Breach, Says It Finds No Evidence of New Attack (Wall Street Journal) Fury As Okta—The Company That Manages 100 Million Logins—Fails To Tell Customers About Breach For Months (Forbes) Cloudflare’s investigation of the January 2022 Okta compromise (Cloudflare Blog). Updated Okta Statement on LAPSUS$ (Okta) GOLD ULRICK leaks reveal organizational structure and relationships (Secureworks) Details of Conti ransomware affiliate released (ComputerWeekly.com) More can be done to curb misuse of Cobalt Strike, expert says (VentureBeat)
White House warns of large-scale Russian cyberattacks. Browser-in-the-Browser attacks. New Conti affiliate described. Android malware “Facestealer” described. Android malware “Facestealer” described. Microsoft and Okta investigate possible Lapsus$ attacks. Arid Gopher is out in the wild. Our guest is Swathi West of Barr Advisory on opportunities for the underrepresented in cybersecurity. Joe Carrigan wonders if we can’t just get rid of passwords once and for all. And advancing censorship by finding “extremism” and “Russophobia” in Meta’s platforms.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/55
Selected reading. Russia's hybrid war with Ukraine: strategy, norms, and alliances (The CyberWire) Statement by President Biden on our Nation’s Cybersecurity (The White House) FACT SHEET: Act Now to Protect Against Potential Cyberattacks (The White House) Statement from CISA Director Easterly on Potential Russian Cyberattacks Against the United States (CISA) Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki and Deputy NSA for Cyber and Emerging Technologies Anne Neuberger, March 21, 2022 (The White House) Statement from Secretary Mayorkas on Cybersecurity Preparedness (US Department of Homeland Security) Conti Affiliate Exposed: New Domain Names, IP Addresses and Email… (eSentire) New Phishing toolkit lets anyone create fake Chrome browser windows (BleepingComputer). New Browser-in-the Browser (BITB) Attack Makes Phishing Nearly Undetectable (The Hacker News) Arid Gopher: Newest Micropsia Malware Variant (Deep Instinct) Spyware dubbed Facestealer infects 100,000+ Google Play users (Pradeo) Okta confirms investigation into potential breach (The Record by Recorded Future) Microsoft investigating alleged Lapsus$ hack of Azure DevOps source code repositories (Computing) Russian War Report: Meta officially declared “extremist organization” in Russia (Atlantic Council)
The widely expected, intense Russian cyber campaign has yet to appear. "Protestware" as a dangerous turn in hacktivism. Information operations and the persistence of independent channels of news. Social media as an opsec problem.Lapsus$ may have hit Microsoft. A second Brazilian gang tries its hand at extortion. A snakey backdoor afflicts French organizations. AD Bryan Vorndran of the FBI Cyber Division on what the agency brings to the table in the cyberspace. Rick Howard considers infrastructure as code. Emsisoft offers a free decryptor for Diavol ransomware.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/54
Selected reading. Volodymyr Zelensky tells Russia to seek ‘meaningful’ peace talks or face catastrophic losses (The Telegraph) Cyber threats and the Ukraine conflict (Avast) Cyber ‘cold war’ rages online but Russia holds back on massive digital attacks (Times of Israel) Mar 13- Mar 19 Ukraine – Russia the silent cyber conflict (Security Affairs) Former CIA officer shows what a Russian cyberattack on the US would look like (Fox News) EU and US agencies warn that Russia could attack satellite communications networks (Security Affairs) Banks on alert for Russian reprisal cyberattacks on Swift (Ars Technica) Activists are targeting Russians with open-source “protestware” (MIT Technology Review) Cyber warfare gets real for satellite operators (SpaceNews) More Conti ransomware source code leaked on Twitter out of revenge (BleepingComputer) Open Source Maintainer Sabotages Code to Wipe Russian, Belarusian Computers (Vice) Anonymous has unleashed a successful cyberwar to undermine Putin's Ukraine invasion (Fortune) Some Russians are breaking through Putin’s digital iron curtain — leading to fights with friends and family (Washington Post) On Russia's VK, anti-war messages defy Vladimir Putin's Ukraine censors (Newsweek) Why Russia’s anti-war movement matters (Atlantic Council) Telegram Thrives Amid Russia’s Media Crackdown (Wall Street Journal) British soldiers are ordered off WhatsApp amid fears that sensitive military details could be accessed by Russian hackers (Daily Mail) Microsoft Investigating Claim of Breach by Extortion Gang (Vice) Hacking group that went after NVIDIA may have also attacked Microsoft (Windows Central) Microsoft Allegedly Breached by LAPSUS Group (Cyber Kendra) Lapsus$ gang sends a worrying message to would-be criminals (Register) TransUnion cyber attack – hackers demand R225 million ransom (Business Tech). TransUnion Confirms Data Breach at South Africa Business (SecurityWeek) UPDATE | TransUnion believes breach of 54 million SA records unrelated to current hack (Fin24) Banks move to protect consumers in wake of TransUnion cyberattack (TechCentral) Serpent, No Swiping! New Backdoor Targets French Entities with Unique Attack Chain (Proofpoint) Emsisoft releases free decryptor for the victims of the Diavol ransomware (Security Affairs)
Chief Security Strategist and VP of Global Threat Intelligence at FortiGuard Labs, Derek Manky, shares his story from programmer to cybersecurity and how it all came together. Derek started his career teaching programming because he had such a passion for it. When he joined Fortinet, Derek said putting where it "really started putting the rubber to the road and connecting my previous experience with programming and debugging and knowledge of operating systems and all that with real-world applications." Derek advises that it doesn't need to be complicated getting into the cybersecurity field and that there are many avenues to enter the field. He hopes to have made a real dent, or "hopefully a crater" in cyber crime when he ends his career. We thank Derek for sharing his story with us.
Guest Nathan Brubaker from Mandiant joins Dave Bittner on this episode to discuss Mandiant Threat Intelligence's research: "1 in 7 Ransomware Extortion Attacks Leak Critical Operational Technology Information." Data leaks have always been a concern for organizations. The exposure of sensitive information can result in damage to reputation, legal penalties, loss of intellectual property, and even impact the privacy of employees and customers. However, there is little research about the challenges posed to industrial organizations when threat actors disclose sensitive details about their OT security, production, operations, or technology. In 2021, Mandiant Threat Intelligence continued observing ransomware operators attempting to extort thousands of victims by disclosing terabytes of stolen information on shaming sites. This trend, which Mandiant Threat Intelligence refers to as “Multifaceted Extortion,” impacted over 1,300 organizations from critical infrastructure and industrial production sectors in just one year. Nathan walks us through their research and findings. The research can be found here: 1 in 7 Ransomware Extortion Attacks Leak Critical Operational Technology Information
Hacktivism and other cyberattacks continue against Russian targets, but some hacktivism that affects software supply chains may go too far. An initial access broker in the criminal-to-criminal market. BlackMatter may be working with BlackCat. CISA offers a warning and advice to SATCOM operators. NIST offers some guidance on industrial control system security. Johannes Ullrich reminds us to patch our backup tools. Our guest is Armando Saey from MISI with insights on maritime port security. And Rear Admiral Mehoff, call your office.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/53
Selected reading. Popular NPM Package Updated to Wipe Russia, Belarus Systems to Protest Ukraine Invasion (The Hacker News) Software Supply Chain Weakness: Snyk Warns of 'Deliberate Sabotage' of NPM Ecosystem (SecurityWeek) Russian government websites face ‘unprecedented’ wave of hacking attacks, ministry says (Washington Post) Ukraine’s Digital Ministry Is a Formidable War Machine (Wired) Exposing initial access broker with ties to Conti (Google) Experts Find Some Affiliates of BlackMatter Now Spreading BlackCat Ransomware (The Hacker News) Strengthening Cybersecurity of SATCOM Network Providers and Customers (CISA) NIST SPECIAL PUBLICATION 1800-10 Protecting Information and System Integrity in Industrial Control System Environments: Cybersecurity for the Manufacturing Sector (NIST) Hoax caller claiming to be Ukrainian PM got through to UK defence secretary (the Guardian) Russians target Priti Patel and Ben Wallace with fake video calls (The Telegraph)
Not-so-deepfakes debunked. Hacktivism and information warfare in Russia’s war against Ukraine. The prospect of an age of “splinternets.” Germany warns of risks from Kaspersky security products. Disruption of Ukrainian ISPs. David Dufour from Webroot on cyberattacks hitting the automotive sector. Carole Theriault ponders parental disclosure of tracking their kids. Three new wrinkles to social engineering.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/52
Selected reading. Russia and Ukraine ‘draw up 15-point peace plan’ (The Telegraph) Deepfake video of Zelenskyy could be 'tip of the iceberg' in info war, experts warn (NPR.org) The Russia-Ukraine War And The Revival Of Hacktivism (Digital Shadows) In a Chilling Threat, Putin Vows to Rid Russia of ‘Traitors’ (Bloomberg) Russia is risking the creation of a “splinternet”—and it could be irreversible (MIT Technology Review) Traffic interception and MitM attacks among security risks of Russian TLS certs (CSO Online) Germany's BSI warns against Kaspersky AV over spying concerns (CSO Online) Major Ukrainian Internet Provider Triolan Suffers Severe Cyber Attacks and Infrastructure Destruction During Russian Invasion (CPO Magazine) The Attack of the Chameleon Phishing Page (Trustwave) The Email Bait … and Phish: Instagram Phishing Attack (Armorblox) Using CAPTCHA Forms to Bypass Filters (Avanan)
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy addresses the US Congress, as intelligence services, contractors, and hacktivists wage their part of a hybrid war. BlackBerry describes LokiLocker, a new strain of ransomware that’s not Iranian, but would have you think it is. CISA and the FBI warn of a Russian cyber campaign. Nigeria arrests an alleged advance-fee scam artist (he’s been wanted for some time.)
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/51
Biowar disinformation. A new wiper is discovered in Ukrainian systems. Cyber criminals look for letters of marque from both sides (and some of them are looking like hacktivists). Ukrainian cybersecurity firms and intelligence services mobilize against Russia. Ben Yelin evaluates cyber engagements in the crisis. A protester crashes a Russian news broadcast. DDoS attack takes down Israeli sites. China claims to have “captured” NSA hacking tools. Our guest is Ben Brook CEO of Transcend with a look at data privacy. Recent trends in cybercrime.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/50
Selected reading. Researchers find new destructive wiper malware in Ukraine (The Verge) Cloud Native Technologies Used in Russia-Ukraine Cyber Attacks (Aqua Security) Financially motivated threat actors willing to go after Russian targets (Help Net Security) Kyiv’s hackers seize their wartime moment (POLITICO) Global Incident Report: Threat Actors Divide Along Ideological Lines over the Russia-Ukraine Conflict on Underground Forums (Accenture) Political fallout in cybercrime circles upping the threat to Western targets (CyberScoop) A protester storms a live broadcast on Russia’s most-watched news show, yelling, ‘Stop the war!’ (New York Times) Denial-of-service attack knocked Israeli government sites offline (CyberScoop) China claims it captured NSA spy tool that already leaked (Register) Ransomware Variants Q4 2021 (Intel471.com) Cequence Security Releases Report Revealing Top 3 Attack Trends in API Security (Cequence)
The situation in Russia’s war against Ukraine, and Mr. Putin’s frustration with his intelligence services. Provocations, state-hacking, and influence operations in a hybrid war. Lapsus$ hits Ubisoft with ransomware. LockBit hits Bridgestone America. The Escobar banking Trojan is out in the wild. Kaspersky source apparently not compromised after all. Dan Prince wonders if we are properly preparing for the roles of tomorrow? Rick Howard is pulling on the kill chain. And the wayward aim of public opinion.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/49
Selected reading. After more than two weeks of war, the Russian military grinds forward at a heavy cost (Washington Post) Ukraine war latest: Talks resume as Russia strikes Kyiv (BBC News) US view of Putin: Angry, frustrated, likely to escalate war (AP NEWS) Kremlin arrests FSB chiefs in fallout from Ukraine chaos (Times) Russian Cyber Restraint in Ukraine Puzzles Experts (SecurityWeek) Russia's cyber offensive against Ukraine has been limited so far. Experts are divided on why (KESQ) ‘ Not the time to go poking around’: How former U.S. hackers view dealing with Russia (POLITICO) We're seeing 800% increase in cyberattacks, says MSP (Register) Russia makes claims of US-backed biological weapon plot at UN (the Guardian) Russian media spreading disinformation about US bioweapons as troops mass near Ukraine (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists) Russian TikTok Influencers Are Being Paid to Spread Kremlin Propaganda (Vice) The White House is briefing TikTok stars about the war in Ukraine (Washington Post) Android malware Escobar steals your Google Authenticator MFA codes (BleepingComputer) Google Attempts to Explain Surge in Chrome Zero-Day Exploitation (SecurityWeek) Google: We're spotting more Chrome browser zero-day flaws in the wild. Here's why (ZDNet). Ubisoft says it experienced a ‘cyber security incident’, and the purported Nvidia hackers are taking credit (The Verge) UPDATE 1-Japan's Denso hit by apparent ransomware attack - NHK (Reuters) LockBit ransomware group claims to have hacked Bridgestone Americas (Security Affairs)
Cybersecurity Associate Consultant at BARR Advisory, Kristin Strand, shares her journey from the military to teaching and now to cybersecurity. Kristin shares how she'd wanted to be a teacher since she was young. She joined the Army to help pay for college and throughout her career has taken advantage of programs to help her move on to her next challenge. From teaching, Kristin decided to transition to IT and came to cybersecurity through a Department of Labor program. She's also currently training to be a drill sergeant. Kristin advises you stand firm to your goals and know what you want. It will come around. We thank Kristin for sharing her story with us.
Guest Jon DiMaggio, Chief Security Strategist at Analyst1, joins Dave Bittner to discuss his team's research "A History of REvil" that chronicles the rise and fall of REvil. The REvil gang is an organized criminal enterprise based primarily out of Russia that runs a Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) operation. The core members of the gang reside and operate out of Russia. REvil leverages hackers for hire, known as affiliates, to conduct the breach, steal victim data, delete backups, and infect victim systems with ransomware for a share of the profits. Affiliates primarily stem across eastern Europe, though a small percentage operate outside that region. In return, the core gang maintains and provides the ransomware payload, hosts the victim data leak/auction site, facilitates victim communication and payment services, and distributes the decryption key. In simpler terms, the core gang are the service provider and persona behind the operation, while the affiliates are the hired muscle facilitating attacks. Jon walks us through the team's findings and details REvil's story. The research can be found here: A History of REvil
An update on the hybrid war in Ukraine. Allegations of war crimes and Russian disinformation. Chemical, biological, and radiological weapons disinformation. Preparing for cyberattacks. Cyber operations against Russia. GPS interference reported along Finland’s border. Conti and its users are still up and active. CISA releases twenty-four ICS security advisories. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture on deception systems. Our guest is Joe Payne from Code42 on data exposure. An extradition in the NetWalker case.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/48
Selected reading. Russia 'did not attack Ukraine' says Lavrov after meeting Kuleba (euronews) Read the latest cybersecurity analysis (Accenture) Where conflict is reported in Ukraine right now (The Telegraph) How U.S. Bioweapons in Ukraine Became Russia’s New Big Lie (Foreign Policy) Russian embassy demands Meta stop 'extremist activities' (NASDAQ:FB) (SeekingAlpha) Transparency Org Releases Alleged Leak of Russian Censorship Agency (Vice) SecurityScorecard Discovers new botnet, ‘Zhadnost,’ responsible for… (SecurityScorecard) Inside the Russian cyber war on Ukraine that never was (Task & Purpose) Report: Recent 10x Increase in Cyberattacks on Ukraine (KrebsOnSecurity) Russian defense firm Rostec shuts down website after DDoS attack (BleepingComputer) The Spectacular Collapse of Putin’s Disinformation Machinery (Wired) Will Russians Choose Truth or Lies? Ukraine’s Fate Depends on Them (Bloomberg) Finnish govt agency warns of unusual aircraft GPS interference (BleepingComputer) Corporate website contact forms used to spread BazarBackdoor malware (BleepingComputer) U.S. Warns of Conti Ransomware Attacks as Gang Deals With Leak Fallout (SecurityWeek) Ex Canadian government worker extradited to U.S. to face more ransomware charges (CBC) Former Canadian Government Employee Extradited to the United States to Face Charges for Dozens of Ransomware Attacks Resulting in the Payment of Tens of Millions of Dollars in Ransoms (US Department of Justice)
Prebunking a provocation. A spot report on the cyber phases of a hybrid war. Google stops a Judgment Panda campaign against US Government Gmail users. Symantec continues to track the origins and uses of the Daxin backdoor. CISA updates its Conti alert. Josh Ray from Accenture has tips on Log4J. Our guest is Chetan Conikee of ShiftLeft with strategies for reducing attackability. And law northeast of the Pecos, as an alleged member of REVil is arraigned in Texas.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/47
Selected reading. Vladimir Putin ‘plotting chemical weapons attack in Ukraine’ (The Telegraph) White House warns Russia could use chemical weapons in Ukraine (TheHill) Russia, China May Be Coordinating Cyber Attacks: SaaS Security Firm (eSecurityPlanet) More Than 5 Million Anti-Propaganda Text Messages Sent to Russians in Anonymous Information Warfare (Hstoday) Anonymous hacked Russian cams, websites, announced a clamorous leak (Security Affairs) EXCLUSIVE BNP Paribas bars Russia-based staff from computer systems as cyber attack fears grow (Reuters) CISA updates Conti ransomware alert with nearly 100 domain names (BleepingComputer) Google Blocks Chinese Phishing Campaign Targeting U.S. Government (SecurityWeek) Symantec tracked down one developer of ‘China’s most advanced piece of malware’ (Sc Magazine) Daxin Backdoor: In-Depth Analysis, Part One (Symantec) Daxin Backdoor: In-Depth Analysis, Part Two (Symantec) Sodinokibi/REvil Ransomware Defendant Extradited to United States and Arraigned in Texas (US Department of Justice)
Zelenskyy addresses the House of Commons. Cyber operations in Russia's war against Ukraine. Chinese cyber espionage campaign hits six US state governments (but it might be an APT side-hustle). A surge in mobile malware. Joe Carrigan looks at derestricting your software. Our guest Bob Dudley discusses cyberattacks against the European energy sector. And a quick look back at Patch Tuesday.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/46
Selected reading. Volodymyr Zelensky speech: Ukrainian President vows to fight Russians in 'forests, fields and on shores' as he channels Winston Churchill (The Telegraph) Putin’s Endgame Starts to Look Like Reducing Ukraine to Rubble (Bloomberg Live Updates: Biden Bans Russian Oil Imports and Major U.S. Brands Close Outlets (New York Times) The March 2022 Security Update Review (Zero Day Initiative) EU countries call for cybersecurity emergency response fund -document (Reuters) Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community (Office of the Director of National Intelligence) PTC Axeda agent and Axeda Desktop Server | (CISA) AVEVA System Platform (CISA) Sensormatic PowerManage (CISA)
Updates from the UK’s Ministry of Defense on Russia’s War in Ukraine. Influence operations: the advantage still seems to go to Ukraine, as Russian efforts look inward. Assessing the effects of hacktivism and cyber operations in the hybrid war. Privateering: Conti, Ragnar Locker, and (probably) others. Mustang Panda rears up in European diplomatic networks. Ransomware hits a Romanian fuel distributor. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on data traps. Carole Theriault tracks the fight against deepfakes. Vulnerabilities found in UPS devices.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/45
Russian influence operations fail as few support Russia's war of aggression. Ukraine will become a "contributing participant" in NATO's CCDCOE. Ukrainian cyberattacks, and the marshaling of hacktivists. Russian cyberattacks: surprisingly restrained and unsurprisingly supported by criminal organizations like Conti. The FBI’s Bryan Vorndran joins us with insights on the work his team did on Sodinokibi. Rick Howard looks at vulnerability management. Lapsu$ gang releases data taken from NVIDIA and Samsung in separate extortion incidents.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/44
Selected reading. What Happened on Day 11 of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine (New York Times) Putin says Ukraine's future in doubt as cease-fires collapse After temporary cease-fires break down, Putin threatens Ukraine’s government (AP NEWS) Ukraine to join NATO cyber defence centre as 'contributing participant' (Reuters) Putin Is Raising an Iron Firewall Around Russia (Bloomberg) Three reasons Moscow isn't taking down Ukraine's cell networks (POLITICO) Hacktivists Stoke Pandemonium Amid Russia’s War in Ukraine (Wired) DDoS hacktivism: A highly risky exercise (Avast) This Ukrainian cyber firm is offering hackers bounties for taking down Russian sites (The Record by Recorded Future) Ukraine Cyber Official: We Only Attack Military Targets (SecurityWeek) Volunteer Hackers Converge on Ukraine Conflict With No One in Charge (New York Times) Russia shares list of 17,000 IPs allegedly DDoSing Russian orgs (BleepingComputer) Ukraine's 'IT army' targets Belarus railway network, Russian GPS (Reuters) HawkEye 360 detects GPS interference in Ukraine (SpaceNews) Hackers are being forced to pick sides in the Russia-Ukraine war (KTVH) Nvidia allegedly hacks back (Avast) Credentials of 71,000 NVIDIA Employees Leaked Following Cyberattack (SecurityWeek) Leaked stolen Nvidia cert can code-sign Windows malware (Register) Hackers claim massive Samsung leak, including encryption keys and source code (Android Police) Lapsus$ group leaks 190GB of Samsung data, source code (Computing) Samsung’s secret data leaks after devastating cyberattack (SamMobile)
Modern enterprises have evolved drastically over the last two years as a result of the global pandemic. Due in part to organizations pivoting quickly to new business models by migrating apps and services to the cloud to enable hybrid and remote workforces, the “new” office has quickly become the web browser. Today, business users are spending an average of 75% of their workday in a browser – that’s where productivity takes place! But the digital enhancements of the last two years have ushered in widespread transformation that expanded attack surfaces and created new opportunities for cyber miscreants, giving rise to Highly Evasive Advanced Threats (HEAT). During this episode of CyberWire-X, the CyberWire's Dave Bittner speaks with Dan Prince, Senior Lecturer in Security and Protection Science at the School of Computing and Communications at Lancaster University, about the topic. Show Sponsor Menlo Security's Nick Edwards and Dave explore what HEAT attacks are, how they work, and why they’re resulting in the rise of ransomware attacks and account takeovers.
Founder and CTO of ShiftLeft, Chetan Conikee shares his story from computer science to founding his own company. When choosing a career, Chetan notes that "the liking and doing has to matter and be in conjunction with each other." Explaining the parallels in his home country of India and where he studied his for his masters in the US, Chetan stresses the need to find someone who inspires you to follow and learn from. On being an entrepreneur, he says, "The entrepreneurial mindset is a sum total of many sufferings that lead to success." Chethan advises you take time out to write narratives so that you are remembered and so that others following a similar path may learn from you. We thank Chetan for sharing his story with us.
Guest Mike Benjamin, VP of Security Research at Fastly, joins Dave Bittner to talk about the Fastly Security Research Team's work on "Open redirects: real-world abuse and recommendations." Open URL redirection is a class of web application security problems that makes it easier for attackers to direct users to malicious resources. This vulnerability class, also known as “open redirects,” arises when an application allows attackers to pass information to the app that results in users being sent to another location. That location can be an attacker-controlled website or server used to distribute malware, trick a user into trusting a link, execute malicious code in a trusted way, drive ad fraud, or even perform SEO manipulation. Knowing how an open redirect can be abused is helpful — but knowing how to design around it in the first place is even more important. Mike walks us through what his team uncovered, explains how redirects are used, how they can be abused, and how you can prevent that abuse. The research can be found here: Open redirects: real-world abuse and recommendations
Propaganda engagements in Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine. ICANN will not block the Internet in Russia. Hacktivists, real and pretended, achieve a nuisance-level of success in Russia’s war. Scams and misinformation circulate in Telegram. NVIDIA gets a most curious demand from a cyber gang. CISA’s ICS advisories. Johannes Ullrich looks at phishing pages on innocent websites. Our guest is Chase Snyder from ExtraHop to discuss implications of the cyber talent shortage. And, hey, newsflash, no matter what the texts on your phone might say, there’s no military draft in the US.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/43
Selected readings. Putin Thought Ukraine Would Fall Quickly. An Airport Battle Proved Him Wrong (Wall Street Journal) Russia's chaotic and confusing invasion of Ukraine is baffling military analysts (CNBC) Last Vestiges of Russia’s Free Press Fall Under Kremlin Pressure (New York Times) Don’t mention the war: Russian state media sells the lie of Ukrainians shelling their own cities (The Telegraph) Russian troops in disarray and ‘crying’ in combat, radio messages reveal (The Telegraph) Demoralised Russian soldiers tell of anger at being ‘duped’ into war (the Guardian) The propaganda war has eclipsed cyberwar in Ukraine (MIT Technology Review) Ukraine's request to cut off Russia from the global internet has been rejected (CNN) No, the Army isn’t sending Ukraine draft notices via text (Army Times) Hackers Who Broke Into NVIDIA's Network Leak DLSS Source Code Online (Hacker News) Hackers warn Nvidia to open-source their GPU drivers or face data leak (Computing) Cybercriminals who breached Nvidia issue one of the most unusual demands ever (Ars Technica) BD Pyxis (CISA) BD Viper LT (CISA) IPCOMM ipDIO (CISA)
The UN condemns Russia’s war in Ukraine. Ukraine’s cyber volunteers appear to be operating under the direction of Kyiv’s Ministry of Defense, and may be targeting Russian infrastructure. Belarusian cyber operators are phishing with stolen Ukrainian credentials in a cyberespionage campaign. Task Force KleptoCapture. Infusion pumps found vulnerable to cyberattack. TeaBot is found in the Play Store. TCP middlebox reflection. Dan Prince from Lancaster University on trustworthy autonomous systems. Our guest is John Shegerian from ERI on the security angle of e-recycling. And no more Harleys for Mr. Putin.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/42
Selected reading. Cyber Realism in a Time of War Russian Hybrid War Report: Social platforms crack down on Kremlin media as Kremlin demands compliance Russia's war spurs corporate exodus, exposes business risks Using DDoS, DanaBot targets Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Asylum Ambuscade: State Actor Uses Compromised Private Ukrainian Military Emails to Target European Governments and Refugee Movement Phishing campaign targets European officials assisting in refugee operations Anonymous vs. Russia: Hackers Say Space Agency Breached, More Than 1,500 Websites Hit Conti Ransomware Source Code Leaked Hacker Group Anonymous Vows to Disrupt Russia's Internet — RT Websites Become 'Subject of Massive DDoS Attacks' Ukrainian cyber resistance group targets Russian power grid, railways Army of Cyber Hackers Rise Up to Back Ukraine U.S. Officials Detail Efforts to Enforce Raft of New Russia Rules TCP Middlebox Reflection: Coming to a DDoS Near You TeaBot Android Banking Malware Spreads Again Through Google Play Store Apps Infusion Pump Vulnerabilities: Common Security Gaps
Russia’s invasion in Ukraine is still slow, but it’s grown more brutal. Sanctions are beginning to hit Russia hard. The cyber phase of this hybrid war seems more informational than destructive, which is surprising. Big Tech has taken Ukraine’s side, and some Russian companies face a tough balancing act. Our guest is Lavi Lazarovitz from CyberArk with predictions on supply chain security. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture on deploying effective deception systems. And ransomware continues to pester major corporations.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/41
Selected reading. Ukraine at D+6: Shocking and awful. (The CyberWire) The Fog of Cyberwar Descends on Ukraine and Russia (Bloomberg) Russian Electric Vehicle Chargers Hacked, Tell Users ‘PUTIN IS A DICKHEAD’ (Vice) Western Sanctions Bite Russian Economy, but Pose Unpredictable Risks (Wall Street Journal) Targeted APT Activity: BABYSHARK Is Out for Blood (Huntress) 5 New Vulnerabilities Discovered in PJSIP Open Source Library (JFrog) Nvidia says hackers are leaking company data after ransomware attack (TechCrunch) Insurer Aon falls victim to a cyber attack (Computing) Toyota to restart Japan production after cyberattack on supplier triggers one-day halt (The Edge Markets) Cyberattack on Toyota's supply chain shuts all its factories in Japan for 24 hours (CNN)
Stalled columns, rocket fire, and negotiation over Ukraine. Two new pieces of malware found in use against Ukrainian targets. Ben Yelin joins us with analysis. Dealing with WhisperGate and HermeticWiper. The muted cyber phases of a hybrid war. Leaked files reveal Conti as a privateer. Sanctions move from deterrence to economic "war of attrition." Daxin: a backdoor that hides in normal network traffic. Registration-bombing lets fraud hide in the weeds. Our guest is Tresa Stephens from Allianz on the elevated concern for cyber risk among business leaders. And Razzlekhan talking a deal? Resources Ukraine Fighting Overshadows Chance of Russia Talks’ Success (Bloomberg) Both sides agree to second set of talks even as fighting rages. Russia suffers market seizure as ruble plunges on sanctions. After a Fumbled Start, Russian Forces Hit Harder in Ukraine (New York Times) After days of miscalculation about Ukraine’s resolve to fight, Russian forces are turning toward an old pattern of opening fire on cities and mounting sieges. The dire predictions about a Russian cyber onslaught haven’t come true in Ukraine. At least not yet. (Washington Post) For more than a decade, military commanders and outside experts have laid out blueprints for how cyberwar would unfold: military and civilian networks would be knocked offline, cutting-edge software would sabotage power plants, and whole populations would be unable to get money, gas or refrigerated food. A Free-for-All But No Crippling Cyberattacks in Ukraine War (SecurityWeek) In the early days of the war in Ukraine, Russia's ability to create mayhem through malware hasn’t had much of a noticeable impact CISA, FBI Issue Warnings on WhisperGate, HermeticWiper Attacks (SecurityWeek) The two U.S. agencies warn that both malware families were used in destructive cyberattacks targeting organizations in Ukraine. Anonymous Hacker Group Targets Russian State Media (SecurityWeek) Hacker group Anonymous claimed responsibility on for disrupting the work of websites of pro-Kremlin Russian media in protest of the invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine’s Volunteer ‘IT Army’ Is Hacking in Uncharted Territory (Wired) The country has enlisted thousands of cybersecurity professionals in the war effort against Russia. After Conti backs war, ransomware gangs realize peril of patriotism amid infighting (SC Magazine) Ransomware is actually a complex global economy. Different groups design ransomware and license that ransomware for use in attacks, with the latter often using many different vendors of the former. So while the designers of Conti may be Russian, the affiliate groups using Conti may include Ukrainians. And like in any business, there is peril in angering the consumer. A ransomware group paid the price for backing Russia (The Verge) Is proximity to the Putin regime becoming a liability? U.N. General Assembly set to isolate Russia over Ukraine invasion (Reuters) The 193-member United Nations General Assembly began meeting on the crisis in Ukraine on Monday ahead of a vote this week to isolate Russia by deploring its "aggression against Ukraine" and demanding Russian troops stop fighting and withdraw. Russia defends invasion during emergency UN General Assembly (Deutsche Welle) A clear majority of UN member states are expected to vote to condemn Russia's actions as Moscow becomes increasingly isolated internationally. The New Russian Sanctions Playbook (Foreign Affairs) Deterrence is out, and economic attrition is in. Russia seeks to halt investor stampede as sanctions hammer economy (Reuters) Russia said it was placing temporary curbs on foreigners seeking to exit Russian assets on Tuesday, putting the brakes on an accelerating investor exodus driven by crippling Western sanctions imposed over the invasion of Ukraine.
For links to all of today's stories check out CyberWire daily news briefing for March 1, 2022.
Ukrainian resistance may have stalled the Russian advance at key points. Cyber operations against Ukraine (and Russia). Diplomacy, now short of surrender? A SWIFT kick. Return of the privateers, now in the guise of patriotic hacktivists. Not all hacking is war-related. Josh Ray from Accenture on KillACK Backdoor Malware Continues to Evolve. Rick Howard revisits the cyber sand table. Criminals exploit Ukraine's suffering in social engineering campaigns.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/39
Principal in PricewaterhouseCoopers Cyber Risk and Regulatory Practice, Sloane Menkes, shares her story of how non-linear math helped to shape her life and career. Sloane credits a high school classmate for inspiring her mantra "What is the 2%?" that she employs when she feels like things are shutting down. She talks about her experiences in calculus class at the US AIr Force Academy that helped to enlighten her and inform the intuitive problem solving skill or way of thinking that she'd been employing in her life. She joined Office of Special Investigations and working with Howard Schmidt is where Sloane first started to get interested in cybersecurity. She shares what she loves about the consulting role is that the environment is constantly changing, and she offers some advice for women interested in cybersecurity. We thank Sloane for sharing her story with us.
Guest Dick O'Brien, Principal Editor at Symantec, joins Dave to discuss their team's research, "Noberus: Technical Analysis Shows Sophistication of New Rust-based Ransomware." Noberus is new ransomware used in mid-November attack, ConnectWise was likely infection vector. Symantec, a division of Broadcom Software, tracks this ransomware as Ransom.Noberus and our researchers first spotted it on a victim organization on November 18, 2021, with three variants of Noberus deployed by the attackers over the course of that attack. This would appear to show that this ransomware was active earlier than was previously reported, with MalwareHunterTeam having told BleepingComputer they first saw this ransomware on November 21. Noberus is an interesting ransomware because it is coded in Rust, and this is the first time we have seen a professional ransomware strain that has been used in real-world attacks coded in this programming language. Noberus appears to carry out the now-typical double extortion ransomware attacks where they first steal information from victim networks before encrypting files. Noberus adds the .sykffle extension to encrypted files. The research can be found here: Noberus: Technical Analysis Shows Sophistication of New Rust-based Ransomware
Russia’s full-scale invasion meets regular and irregular Ukrainian resistance. Public uses of intelligence products. Hybrid aggression and hybrid defense in cyberspace, as the civilized world imposed sanctions on Russia. Iran’s MuddyWater threat actor is back, with renewed cyberespionage. Good-bye to Trickbot. Carole Theriault wraps up her look at mobile device security. Rick Howard checks in with Matthew Sharp ( Logicworks) & "Rock" Lambros (RockCyber) on "The CISO Evolution". And some notes on the fog of war.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/38
Russia opens a general war against Ukraine, with rocket fires, heavy forces, and a not-so-veiled threat to NATO. Cyber operations are serving as combat support and strategic disruption. While the war in Ukraine dominates the news, elsewhere in the world cybercrime and cyberespionage continue at their customary levels. Carole Theriault looks to the security of your mobile devices. And our guest is Dr. Chenxi Wang of Rain Capital with insights on the new NIST software supply chain security standards.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/37
With diplomacy at a stand and Russian troops now openly in Ukraine, Western governments impose sanctions on Russia. A fresh round of distributed denial-of-service attacks against Ukraine. Cobalt Strike continues to be misused by criminals. A cyberattack has severely disrupted a major logistics firm. My conversation with Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI Cyber Division. Our guest Ed Amoroso from TAG Cyber explains Research as a Service. And two looks at the recent and prospective state of industrial cybersecurity.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/36
Russia escalates its hybrid war against Ukraine, with cyber implications for the rest of the world. Xenomorph banking Trojan hits European Android users. APT10’s months-long espionage campaign against Taiwan’s banks. Hive ransomware’s flawed encryption is good news. Trickbot’s place in the C2C market. Joe Carrigan shares the latest evolution of business email compromise. John Pescatore’s Mr. Security Answer Person returns. And there’s a right way and a wrong way to keep your teen offline.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/35
As we break to observe Washington's birthday, our team thought you might like to try a sample of a CyberWire Pro podcast called Interview Selects. These podcasts are a series of extended interviews, exclusives, and a curated selection of our most engaging and informative interviews over the years, featuring cyber security professionals, journalists, authors and industry insiders. In this extended interview, Dave Bittner speaks with Kenneth Geers from NATO's CCD COE on "Cyber War in Perspective: Russian Aggression Against Ukraine." Like what you hear? Consider subscribing to CyberWire Pro for $99/year. Learn more.
Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson is a CyberWire Network podcast created by Microsoft Security. It's a bi-weekly show that comes out every other Tuesday. We thought you would enjoy this episode in particular and hope you consider subscribing in your favorite podcast app. Diana Kelly, the co-founder, and CTO of SecurityCurve, a cybersecurity consulting firm, joins Ann Johnson on this episode of Afternoon Cyber Tea. Diana is a globally known security expert who donates much of her time volunteering in the cybersecurity community while also serving on the Association for Computing Machinery Ethics and Plagiarism Committee. Diana talks with Ann about helping inexperienced organizations get up to speed on the cybersecurity landscape, some of the current significant security and privacy hurdles currently plaguing the field, and some of the best practices to assist network defenders and users trying to combat botnet threats. In This Episode You Will Learn:
How companies can protect themselves from new unsecure devices
When security risks correspond with access management and IoT devices
Why we need security programs to grow to a new level
Some Questions We Ask:
How should network defenders and users combat botnet threats?
What types of universal IoT standards need to be created?
What privacy hurdles are currently plaguing the field of IoT-connected devices?
Resources: View Diana Kelly on LinkedIn View Ann Johnson on LinkedIn Related: Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault Listen to: Security Unlocked
Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Senior security engineer with the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute and the Institute for Assured Autonomy, Joe Carrigan, shares what he calls his life mistake and what spurred him to finally choose a career in technology. Throughout his life, Joe had interest in technology, he even worked at the computer lab in college, but never set his sights on that for a career. A conversation with a stranger guided him in that direction and he's been there ever since. As co-host of the CyberWire's Hacking Humans, Joe sees some heartbreaking results of scams and feels education of the public will help to prevent these. Joe reminds us to build our networks as they include people we can always go back to either when searching for a position or looking to fill one on our teams. We thank Joe for sharing his story with us.
If 2021 taught us anything, it’s that our supply chain–especially our technical supply chain–hangs in the balance of a very fragile system. The year came to a close with the announcement of the Log4j zero day. Talk about saving the best for last. On this episode of CyberWire-X, the CyberWire's Rick Howard speaks with Tom Quinn CISO at T. Rowe Price, about the topic. Show Sponsor ExtraHop’s Head of Product, Ted Driggs, joins the CyberWire's Dave Bittner to examine what Log4Shell tells us about the state of cyber defense going into 2022, and what enterprises can do to prepare. Through these conversations, we explore the challenges that enterprises had in patching the vulnerability, take a closer look at the advanced post-compromise threat activity spotted in the wild, and glean lessons that can be learned to build resilience against the next Log4j-style zero day.
Guest Marcelle Lee, Senior Security Researcher and Emerging Threats Lead, from SecureWorks joins Dave to share her team's work on "Ransoms Demanded for Hijacked Instagram Accounts." An extensive phishing campaign has targeted corporate Instagram accounts since approximately August 2021. The threat actors demand ransoms from the victims to restore access. Organizations typically focus on traditional enterprise cybersecurity threats. However, some threats are more subtle, targeting organizations on unexpected platforms. In October 2021, Secureworks Counter Threat Unit (CTU) researchers identified a phishing campaign that hijacks corporate Instagram accounts, as well as accounts of individual influencers who have a large number of followers. The threat actors then extort ransom payments from the victims. The activity continues at the time of the interview. The research can be found here: Ransoms Demanded for Hijacked Instagram Accounts
False flags and disinformation in Ukraine, as Western governments warn of the risk of both Russian escalation and the prospects of cyberattacks spreading beyond Ukraine’s borders. Log4j “Day-1” vulnerabilities exploited in the wild. Threat actors deployed a wiper in the course of hijacking Iranian television. The Kraken botnet is evolving, picking up an information-stealing capability. Our guest is Brittany Allen of Sift to discuss the DOJ seizing 3.6B worth of stolen crypto. Chris Novak from Verizon addresses Geopolitics and threat intelligence. And CISA launches a Catalog of Free Cybersecurity Services and Tools.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/34
Provocation may have begun in Ukraine, and no one but Russia can see any signs of a Russian withdrawal of troops to garrison. Recent DDoS attacks in Ukraine are seen as an influence operation. The compromise of International Red Cross data has been tentatively attributed to an unnamed state actor. Johannes Ullirch from SANs shares a fancy phish. Our guests are Mike Theis and Stacy Hadeka from Hogan Lovells to discuss the cyber aspects of the False Claims Act. And Microsoft describes ice phishing: social engineering for a decentralized web3.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/33
US agencies warn of Russian cyberespionage against cleared defense contractors. Updates on the Russian pressure against Ukraine. ShadowPad as China’s RAT of choice. BlackCat claims to have leaked data stolen in a double-extortion ransomware attack. Follow the bouncing QR code. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf on Canada’s government ransomware playbook. Rick Howard chats with Bill Mann from Styra on DevSecOps. And if you’re addicted to cryptocurrency speculation, the first step in recovery is admitting you’ve got a problem. (The second step is to step away from the phone.)
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/32
Reports of cyberattacks against Ukrainian targets as the parties to the crisis resume negotiations. The US has been forthcoming with intelligence on Russia’s ambitions in the region; those revelations form part of an influence strategy. An apparent criminal group is targeting aviation and related sectors. BlackCat ransomware victims are having difficulty recovering. Why conditions favor romance scams. Ben Yelin looks at pending cyber breach notification laws. Our guest Padraic O'Reilly from CyberSaint on the effectiveness of Biden's plan to protect the water sector. And “beamers” defraud Roblox players.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/31
The US and the UK warn of the possibility of false-flag provocations as Russia keeps the pressure on Ukraine. NATO members and others issue warnings of the threat of Russian cyber operations spilling over the Ukrainian border. Two US Senators want an accounting from the CIA over an alleged bulk collection operation. No charges filed in the case of a reporter who viewed a website source. Hacktivism and vigilantism. 49ers hacked. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University on improving security in agile health IoT development. Rick Howard targets supply chain issues with the hash table. And have a careful Valentine’s Day.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/30
CEO and Founder of KeyCaliber, Roselle Safran, takes us on her circuitous career journey from startup to White House and back to startup again. With a degree in civil engineering, Roselle veered off into a more technical role at a startup and she says "caught the startup bug." After convincing a hiring manager that she could learn on the job, she transitioned to computer forensics and started on the path of cybersecurity. Roselle worked in government for the Department of Homeland Security and then to the Executive Office of the President leading all of the security operations. She jumped back into the world of startups and has stayed there. Roselle tells people interested in a career in cybersecurity to just apply. Learn as much as you can and go for it. We thank Roselle for sharing her story with us.
Guests Avigayil Mechtinger and Ryan Robinson from Intezer discuss SysJoker malware, a backdoor that targets Windows, Linux and MacOS, Malware targeting multiple operating systems has become no exception in the malware threat landscape. Vermilion Strike, which was documented just last September, is among the latest examples until now. In December 2021, the team at Intezer discovered a new multi-platform backdoor that targets Windows, Mac, and Linux. The Linux and Mac versions are fully undetected in VirusTotal. Intezer named this backdoor SysJoker. SysJoker was first discovered during an active attack on a Linux-based web server of a leading educational institution. After further investigation, Intezer found that SysJoker also has Mach-O and Windows PE versions. Based on Command and Control (C2) domain registration and samples found in VirusTotal, Intezer estimates that the SysJoker attack was initiated during the second half of 2021. The research can be found here: New SysJoker Backdoor Targets Windows, Linux, and macOS
Update on Russia’s hybrid threat to Ukraine, with observations on possible international spillover. Vodafone Portugal continues its recovery. The FritzFrog peer-to-peer botnet is back, and has resumed operations against government, healthcare, and education targets. Caleb Barlow warns of attacks coming from inside your network. Our guest is Tom Boltman of Kovrr on the shift in the cyber insurance market due to ransomware. And there’s a new wrinkle in the old familiar Nigerian prince scam–did you know the UN was compensating victims by sending them ATM cards? Neither did the UN.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/29
Ukraine takes down two botfarms pushing panic. Thoughts on hybrid warfare. Russia and China explain how we ought to see the political and online worlds. Digital frameups are reported in India. Lazarus phishes with bogus job offers. Espionage services looking for journalists’ sources. David Dufour from Webroot ponders the Metaverse. Our guest is Amanda Fennell, host of the Security Sandbox podcast. And public and private-sector warnings about ransomware.
Britain’s Foreign Office sustained a cyberattack last month (the details are secret). Poland stands up a Cyber Defense Force as Europe and North America raise their level of cyber readiness. Negotiations over the Russian pressure on Ukraine are likely to be protracted. Threats to multi-cloud environments. Patch Tuesday notes. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf on keeping kids safe online. Carole Theriault examines Mozilla’s Privacy Not Included campaign. And Razzlekhan rocks the mic with her mad skillz, or used to, anyway.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/27
Diplomacy continues over the Russian threat to Ukraine. In the meantime, hacktivists and others are said to be receiving crowdfunding through alt-coin remittances. The Molerats are back, and they have some new tools. Right-to-left override is being seen again in the wild. Vodafone Portugal is taken offline by a cyberattack. Joe Carrigan on Meta’s ten billion dollar privacy hit. Our guest is Greg Otto from Intel 471 to discuss shifts in ransomware strains. And two arrests are made in a money-laundering case connected with the Bitfinex hack.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/26
The FSB is active against Ukrainian targets as NATO continues to work out the cybersecurity assistance it will provide Kyiv. BlackCat is found to be connected to the DarkSide gang, either as a superseding affiliate or as a simple rebranding of the same old crew. The FBI issues an alert about LockBit. Kevin Magee from Microsoft on their final report on Nobellium and the Solar Winds attack. Rick Howard steers the hash table toward supply chains. And the US has indicted six call centers in India on charges related to some familiar scams.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/25
CEO and Chief Human Hacker at Social-Engineer, Chris Hadnagy, went from phone phreaker to social engineering authority with many things in between. In college, Chris took phone phreaking to a new level and recreated Cap'n Crunch whistle sound with a computer, strung a bunch of modems together, and inadvertently took down 75% of Sarasota County's phone system. His foray into social engineering came after a slew of non-tech jobs. Chris advises us maybe not to read his first book, but to read a lot to help educate yourself and to get yourself out there and prove yourself. We thank Chris sharing his story with us.
Guest Danny Adamitis from Black Lotus Labs joins Dave to discuss their team's new research "New Konni Campaign Kicks the New Year Off by Targeting Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs." Black Lotus Labs, the threat research team of Lumen Technologies, uncovered a series of targeted actions against the Russian Federation’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MID). Based upon the totality of information available and the close correlation with prior reporting, we assess with moderate confidence these actions leveraged the Konni malware, which has previously been associated with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and were undertaken to establish access to the MID network for the purpose of espionage. This activity cluster demonstrates the patient and persistent nature of advanced actors in waging multi-phased campaigns against perceived high-value networks. After gaining access through stolen credentials, the actor was able to exploit trusted connections to distribute and load the malware, first by impersonating a government software program coinciding with new Covid mandates, and then through sending trojanized files from a compromised account. The research can be found here: New Konni Campaign Kicks Off The New Year By Targeting Russian Ministry Of Foreign Affairs
Primitive Bear is snuffling around Ukraine, and Russia may be preparing deepfake video to lend legitimacy to its claims with respect to its neighbor. European ports and other logistical installations are under attack by ransomware, apparently uncoordinated criminal activity. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University on safeguarding IoT in Healthcare. Our guest is Chris Wysopal of Veracode with research on increases in automation and componentization in software development. And a Chinese APT is said to be exploiting a Zimbra webmail cross-site-scripting zero-day, so users beware.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/24
Ukraine and NATO increase their cyber readiness. Chinese cyberespionage has been looking closely at financial services in Taiwan. Hacktivists hit Iranian state television. Arid Viper is phishing for targets in the Palestinian Territories, and apparently doesn’t care who knows it. BlackCat ransomware implicated in attacks on German fuel distribution firms. Verizon’s Chris Novak shares his thoughts on the cyber talent pool. Our guest is Torin Sandall from Styra on Open Policy Agent. And, Bro, treat yourself to a pair of Vans.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/23
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine, and between Russia and NATO, remain high as diplomacy is at a temporary impasse: both sides have stated their incompatible positions and are consulting with their allies. NATO prepares to render cyber assistance to Ukraine. An unspecified cyberattack affects gasoline distribution in Germany. The White Tur threat group borrows heavily from several APTs, but itself remains mysterious. Charming Kitten gets some new claws. Caleb Barlow on Harvard’s analysis of Equifax. Our guest is Gunter Ollmann from Devo discussing their third annual SOC Performance Report. And the Trickbot gang seems to be privateering in that old familiar way.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/22
No progress so far in talks over the Ukraine crisis, as Moscow’s diplomacy and influence operations merge in a narrative of a Russia beset by armed Nazis, goaded on by a greedy America that doesn’t want Russia competing in world markets. Ransomware and cyberthreats to OT systems. Ramnit is still up and at em in the banking Trojan world. Bots are following big brands in NFT markets, with predictable effects. Ben Yelin has an update on NSO Groups’s marketing attempts to the FBI. An introduction to Dr. Andrew Hammond and the SpyCast podcast. And sending that sample in for your doctor? Bro, buy locally.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/21
The US takes Russia to the UN Security Council over its threat to Ukraine, and, while Russian forces remain in assembly areas, a campaign of cyberattack and influence operations continues. Western powers, notably the UK and the US, are preparing sanctions against Russia. Elsewhere, ongoing ransomware and social engineering. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf on Linux malware via IoT devices. Rick Howard shares his favorite sources for keeping up to date. And there’s a pair of decisions in a long-running case involving HP Enterprise’s purchase of Autonomy.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/20
Advisory CISO at Cisco, Helen Patton, shares that a combination of dumb luck, hard work and serendipity that got her to where she is today. Growing up in the country in Australia, Helen notes that computers were not really a thing. She happened into technology after moving to the US, as she was the only person in her office under 40. Of course she would be comfortable with computers and able to handle a database conversion, right? That launched her into a career that spanned supporting small nonprofits, working at one of the biggest banks on Wall Street while leading a global team, being the CISO of a major university, and now Advisory CISO at Cisco. Helen recently wrote a book, "Navigating the Cybersecurity Career Path," to help others know when it's time to move on from one role to another role as part of desire to give back to the community. We thank Helen for sharing her story with us.
Applying Zero Trust principles to access rights can be tricky given the volume and dynamic nature of services in the cloud. Serverless computer services, like AWS Lambda, multiply the volume of identities to manage. These cloud services often have excessive permissions to access sensitive data and can become a potential entry point for an attacker to exploit. The CyberWire's Rick Howard speaks with Scott Farber, Principal Cyber Architect & Zero Trust Technical Lead at MITRE about the topic. Show Sponsor Sysdig's Vice President of Security Product Management, Maor Goldberg, brings experience with data center and cloud to a discussion with CyberWire-X on the considerations for managing access rights in this hybrid world. They consider the pros and cons of different approaches to enforcing least privilege in the cloud.
Guest Sylvester Segura from the Symantec Threat Hunter Team joins Dave to discuss their team's work on "Espionage Campaign Targets Telecoms Organizations across Middle East and Asia." Attackers most likely linked to Iran have attacked a string of telecoms operators in the Middle East and Asia over the past six months, in addition to a number of IT services organizations and a utility company. Organizations in Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Thailand, and Laos were targeted in the campaign, which appears to have made no use of custom malware and instead relied on a mixture of legitimate tools, publicly available malware, and living-off-the-land tactics. While the identity of the attackers remains unconfirmed, there is some evidence to suggest a link to the Iranian Seedworm (aka MuddyWater) group. The targeting and tactics are consistent with Iranian-sponsored actors. The research can be found here: Espionage Campaign Targets Telecoms Organizations across Middle East and Asia
Diplomatic channels remain open even as NATO and the US reject Russian demands over Ukraine. More warnings over Russian cyber operations in the hybrid conflict (Voodoo Bear is mentioned in dispatches). Social media as a source of tactical intelligence. The FBI tells industry to be alert for Iranian hacking. Ransomware continues to circulate. Josh Ray from Accenture digs into the Bassterlord Networking Manual. Carole Theriault examines a university data backup snafu. And a happy Data Privacy Day to all.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/19
Cyber risk continues over Ukraine as the US and NATO reject Russian demands. Emissary Panda’s industrial espionage against German industry. Fancy Bear is spotted in Western Asia. The C2C market’s initial access broker Prophet Spider is selling access to unpatched VMware Horizon instances. Social engineering adapts to its marks. Thomas Etheridge from CrowdStrike on the power of Identity/Zero Trust in stopping ransomware attacks. Our guest is Gary Guseinov of Real Defense to discuss M&A activity. And Dark Herring scamware is ejected from app stores, but not before hitting over a hundred million victims.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/18
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine remain high as NATO offers Ukraine cyber, diplomatic, and other support. North Korea gets DDoSed. DazzleSpy hits Hong Kong dissidents drawn to a watering hole. TrickBot ups its game. A quick look at ransomware trends. Microsoft’s Kevin Magee unpacks a recent World Economic Forum report. Our own Rick Howard speaks with Chriss Knisley from MITRE ATT&CK Defender on certifications. And Dame Fortune teaches Michiganders to throw caution to the winds.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/17
Tensions remain high as Russia assembles troops near Ukraine and NATO moves to higher states of readiness. The Belarusian Cyber Partisans claim responsibility for a ransomware attack against Belarusian railroads. The BRATA banking Trojan spreads, as does DTPacker malware. REvil alumni may be getting the band back together. Ransomware operators working harder to recruit insiders at their targets. Joe Carrigan has the story of a romance scammer in custody. Mr. Security Answer Person John Pescatore has thoughts on BYOD. And there’s a major DDoS campaign shutting down the Internet in Andorra.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/16
Updates on the continuing hybrid war in Ukraine. The UK charges Russia with trying to install a puppet in Kyiv. Nominal hacktivists claim an attack against Belarusian railroads. Compromise of Greek parliamentary email accounts reported. Netherlands authorities warn against relaxing your guard against Log4j exploitation. Julian Assange will get another chance to avoid extradition. Rick Howard’s been pondering his reading list. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf on securing your smart speakers. And Russian privateers find that they’re expendable.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/15
COO and Co-Founder of Query. AI, Andrew Maloney, shares how the building blocks he learned in the military helped him get where he is today. Coming from a blue collar family with a minimal knowledge of computers, Andrew went into computer operations in the Air Force. While deployed to Oman just after the start of the Iraq War, Andrew said he got his break into security. That's where he learned the components that fit together in order to effectively secure an environment. Andrew's words of wisdom: You've got to keep pushing and you've got to believe in yourself and never sell yourself short. We thank Andrew for sharing his story with us.
Guest Rob Boyce, Accenture's Global Lead for Cyber Incident Response and Transformation Services, joins Dave to discuss joint research done by Accenture’s Cyber Threat Intelligence (ACTI) group and Prevailion’s Adversarial Counterintelligence Team (PACT). The teams dug into recently publicized campaigns of the cyber espionage threat group Lyceum (aka HEXANE, Spirlin) to further analyze the operational infrastructure and victimology of this actor. The team’s findings corroborate and reinforce previous ClearSky and Kaspersky research indicating a primary focus on computer network intrusion events aimed at telecommunications providers in the Middle East. Additionally, the research expands on this victim set by identifying additional targets within internet service providers (ISPs) and government agencies. Although all victim-identifying information has been redacted, this report seeks to provide these targeted industry and geographic verticals with additional knowledge of the threat and mitigation opportunities. The research can be found here: Who are latest targets of cyber group Lyceum?
US and Russian talks over Ukraine conclude with an agreement to further exchanges next week. Western governments continue to recommend vigilance against the threat of Russian cyberattacks against critical infrastructure. The US Treasury Department sanctions four Ukrainian nationals for their work on behalf of Russia’s FSB and its influence operations. A firmware bootkit is discovered in the wild. Security turnover at Twitter. Caleb Barlow looks at wifi hygiene. Our guest is Allan Liska on his latest ransomware book. And a number station gets hacked, in style.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/14
As Russian forces remain in assembly areas near the Ukrainian border, the US and Russia prepare for tomorrow’s high-level talks in Geneva. NATO members look to their cyber defenses. US President Biden issues a Memorandum on Improving the Cybersecurity of National Security, Department of Defense, and Intelligence Community Systems. Notes on C2C markets. Mirai is exploiting Log4j flaws. Verizon’s Chris Novak shares insights on Log4j challenges. Our guest is Ryan Kovar from Splunk with a look at the year ahead. And Olympic athletes heading to China? Better grab that burner phone.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/13
Ukraine confirms that it was hit by wiper malware last week, as tension between Moscow and Kyiv remains high. It remains high as well between Russia and NATO, as Russia continues marshaling conventional forces around Ukraine. CISA advises organizations to prepare to withstand Russian cyberattacks. Other cyberespionage campaigns are reported, as is a new strain of ransomware. Microsoft’s Kevin Magee provides friendly counsel for CISOs and boards. Our guest is Clar Rosso from ISC2 on the communication gap between cybersecurity teams and executive leaders when it comes to ransomware. And the natural disaster in Tonga may offer lessons in resilience and recovery.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/12
A new Chinese cyberespionage group is described. Cobalt Strike implants are observed hitting unpatched VMware Horizon servers. Ukraine attributes last week’s cyberattacks to Russia (with some possibility of Belarusian involvement as well). Microsoft doesn’t offer attribution, but it suggests that the incidents were more destructive than ransomware or simple defacements. The US warns of possible provocations. Ben Yelin looks at a bipartisan TLDR bill. Our guest is Lisa Plaggemier from the National Cybersecurity Alliance on the ongoing threat of phishing. And the REvil arrests in Russia may have been for “leverage.”
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/11
Rick explains the network defender evolution from defense-in-depth in the 1990s, to intrusion kill chains in 2010, to too many security tools and SOAR in 2015, and finally to devsecops somewhere in our future. Resources:
“Cybersecurity First Principles: DevSecOps.” by Rick Howard, CSO Perspectives, The CyberWire, 8 June 2020.
“FAQ,” RSA Conference, 2020.
"Intelligence-Driven Computer Network Defense Informed by Analysis of Adversary Campaigns and Intrusion Kill Chains,” by Eric Hutchins, Michael Cloppert, Rohan Amin, Lockheed Martin Corporation, 2010, last visited 30 April 2020.
“Malware? Cyber-crime? Call the ICOPs!” by Jon Oltsik, CSO, Cybersecurity Snippets, 22 June 2015.
“Market Guide for Security Orchestration, Automation and Response Solutions,” by Gartner, ID G00727304, 21 September 2020.
“MITRE ATT&CK,” by Mitre.
“The Cybersecurity Canon: The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win,” book review by Rick Howard, Palo Alto Networks, 21 October 2016.
“The Cyber Kill Chain is making us dumber: A Rebuttal,” by Rick Howard, LinkedIn, 29 July 2017.
“The Evolution of SOAR Platforms,” by Stan Engelbrecht, SecurityWeek, 27 July 2018.
“What is SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response)?” by Kevin Casey, The Enterprisers Project, 30 October 2020.
Social engineer and CEO of Hekate, Marina Ciavatta, shares her story of how people think her job is a la Mission Impossible coming from the ceiling with a rope and stealing stuff in the dead of the night. Marina does physical pentesting. Starting with an unused degree in journalism, Marina turned her talent for writing into a job as a content producer for a technology company and this appealed to her self-proclaimed nerdism. She fell in love with hacking and got into pentesting thanks to a friend. Marina recommends those interested in physical pentesting "try to find other social engineers to mingle. It's in the name. We are social creatures." We thank Marina for sharing her story with us.
This episode features guest Alissa Knight, former hacker and partner at Knight Ink, along with Karl Mattson, CISO from Noname Security, discussing findings on severe API vulnerabilities in U.S. banking applications research that was conducted by Alissa and funded by Noname Security. The research, “Scorched Earth: Hacking Bank APIs,” unveils a number of vulnerabilities in the banking, cryptocurrency exchange, and FinTech industries. In her Money 20/20 keynote presentation entitled “Scorched Earth: Hacking Bank APIs”. In her presentation, Alissa revealed that she was able to gain access to 55 different banks and change PIN codes and move money in and out of accounts. Three lessons learned include: API security vulnerabilities affect all enterprises, API security needs to be operationalized across the enterprise, and API security requires posture management, runtime security, and active testing. Details can be found here:
White paper: Hacking Banks and Cryptocurrency Exchanges Through Their APIs
Blog post: 3 API Security Lessons from “Scorched Earth: Hacking Bank APIs”
Press release: New Research Shows Vulnerabilities in Banking, Cryptocurrency Exchange, and FinTech APIs Allow Unauthorized Transactions and PIN Code Changes of Customers
Alissa's presentation at Money 20/20.
A large-scale cyberattack against Ukrainian websites looks like an influence operation, and Russian intelligence services are the prime suspects. The FSB raids REvil. The White House Open Source Software Security Summit looks toward software bills of materials. MuddyWater exploits Log4shell. The DPRK is working to steal cryptocurrency. Caleb Barlow shares the consequences of the 3G network shutdown. Our guest is John Lehmann from Intellectual Point with programs that help military veterans transition to the cybersecurity industry. Honor among thieves, and spies.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/10
A White House government-industry summit today addresses open-source software security. The US officially makes its second attribution of the week to a nation-state: it calls out Iran as the operator of the MuddyWater threat group. Israel arrests five on charges related to spying for Iran (they’re thought to have been recruited through catphishing). Citizen Lab finds Pegasus in Salvadoran phones. Ukraine arrests a ransomware gang. Thomas Etheridge from CrowdStrike on the importance of threat hunting for zero days. Our guest is Dr. David Bader of New Jersey Institute of Technology discussing the challenges of securing massive-scale analytics. And ransomware hits US state and local governments.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/9
The US issues an alert over the prospect of Russian cyberattacks, and the EU begins a series of stress tests, both in apparent response to concerns over the prospect of a Russian attack on Ukraine. NIST updates its guidance on Engineering Trustworthy Secure Systems. NIght Sky ransomware exploits Log4shell. Phishing afflicts a hotel chain. Carole Theriault examines international efforts to stop digital fraud. Ben Yelin fon Seattle Police Faking Radio Chatter. And we’re shocked, shocked, to learn of fraud and piracy on a social media platform.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/8
Log4shell as an instance of a more general software supply chain issue. An APT apparently mistakenly infects itself with its own RAT. A new backdoor, SysJoker, is in use in the wild. A warning on commercial surveillance software. A leak investigation continues in Denmark. Joe Carrigan explains bogus QR codes. Our guest is Casey Allen of Concentric on cyber vulnerabilities in automobiles. And, Europol is told it has a year to clear its databases of information on people not involved in crime.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/7
CISA describes progress toward remediating Log4shell. Other open-source libraries are found to have similar issues, in one case problems deliberately introduced by the developer. Concerns are expressed over undersea cable security. FIN7’s BadUSB campaign. Security questions about another Chinese-made phone. Our guest is Bob Maley from Black Kite on their report - The Government Called, Are You Ready to Answer? Chris Novak from Verizon on PCI 4.0. And Russo-American talks open in Geneva.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/6
Senior Vice President and Executive in Residence with Rapid7 and Chairman for Cyversity, Julian Waits, grew up in the era of the Justice League and Superman and it shaped his career. Julian always wanted to do something where he could find a way to help society to basically help others. Starting out as a Baptist minister with aspirations of being a professional musician, Julian found it more practical to take some technology classes and practice his saxophone when he had time. His first tech job was at Texaco where he worked on early networks and moved into systems engineering at Compaq. Julian notes his ADD made coding less attractive than talking with others to solve problems and Compaq provided him with opportunities to pivot. Searching out diversity, Julian moved to DC, and had his first taste of startups. He now describes himself as a serial entrepreneur. We thank Julian for sharing his story with us.
Guest Rob Boyce, Accenture's Global Lead for Cyber Incident Response and Transformation Services, joins Dave to discuss their research "Karakurt rises from its lair." Accenture Security has identified a new threat group, the self-proclaimed Karakurt Hacking Team, that has impacted over 40 victims across multiple geographies. The threat group is financially motivated, opportunistic in nature, and so far, appears to target smaller companies or corporate subsidiaries versus the alternative big game hunting approach. Based on intrusion analysis to date, the threat group focuses solely on data exfiltration and subsequent extortion, rather than the more destructive ransomware deployment. In addition, Accenture Security assesses with moderate-to-high confidence that the threat group’s extortion approach includes steps to avoid, as much as possible, drawing attention to its activities. The research can be found here: Karakurt rises from its lair
Kazakhstan shuts down its Internet as civil unrest continues (and one consequence is a disruption of alt-coin mining in that country). The UK’s NHS warns of unknown threat actors exploiting Log4j bugs in unpatched VMware Horizon servers. In the US, CISA continues to assist Federal agencies with Log4j remediation, and observers call for more Government support of open-source software security. A major provider of school websites is hit with ransomware. Our guest is John Belizaire of Soluna Computing with a new approach to data center efficiency. Thomas Etheridge from CrowdStrike on supply chain risks. And the US extends the deadline to apply for grants in support of rip-and-replace.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/5
ICS vendors address Log4j vulnerabilities. Regulators and legislators think about addressing issues in the software supply chain. Ransomware gangs were quick to exploit Log4shell. An old, and patched, Windows vulnerability is being exploited by the Malsmoke gang. Social engineering of Google Docs users is up. Mr. Klyshin pleads not guilty. Robert M. Lee from Dragos makes the case for salary transparency. Our guest is George Gerchow from Sumo Logic with new approaches for the modern threat landscape. And call spoofing is making robocalls moderately more plausible.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/4
CISA says US Federal agencies are now largely in compliance with Log4j risk mitigation guidance. The FTC issues advice and a warning on Log4j to US businesses. A skimmer is installed through cloud-delivered video. The Vice Society’s ransomware is meddling with supermarket operations in the UK. The Atlantic Council offers advice on strategy for the grey zone. Hacktivists are expected to punish greenwashing in 2022. Caleb Barlow on recent FBI PIN about how ransomware operators are looking for material non-public information to improve their chances of being paid. Our guest is Helen Patton from Cisco on her book, Navigating the Cybersecurity Career Path. And James Pond is the CEO of hybrid war! For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/3
It’s going to take time, vigilance, and attention to detail to manage the Log4j risks. A North Korean APT is trying to install the Konni RAT into Russian diplomats’ devices. More hacktivist-looking incidents follow the anniversary of Iranian General Soleimani’s death. Other, self-inflicted, software supply chain incidents. The Kremlin is said to be worried about what Mr. Klyushin might tell the Americans who’ve got him in jail. Ben Yelin on the tension between ephemeral messaging apps and the public’s right to know. Mr Security Answer Person John Pescatore joins our show. And the Show-Me state needs to rethink all that showin’. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/2
Aquatic Panda has been found working Log4shell exploits against an academic institution. Apache fixes new Log4j issues reported last week, and Microsoft also updates Windows Defender to address Log4j risks. Cyberattacks, criminal or hacktivist in motivation, hit news outlets around the new year. Microsoft works on fixing a Y2K22 bug in on-premise Exchange Server. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on technology spheres of influence. Our guest is Mark Dehus from Lumen’s Black Lotus Labs with DDoS insights. And CISA issues some ICS security advisories. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/11/1
Head of Cyber Governance with Red Sift, Dr. Rois Ni Thuama shares the circuitous route of her career into cyber governance. She notes the route "looks really clean, but actually it was a bit more Jeremy Bearimy." While at Trinity College, Rois was moved to be part of history unfolding in South Africa and pause her studies. While there, she began making music videos and wildlife documentaries. Upon her return to London, Rois started working in corporate governance and risk at a music technology startup. This ignited her enthusiasm for startups. She now works in a company with several coworkers from that tech startup doing cyber governance. Rois advises law students of many ways into the industry including doing coding, learning risk management, and understanding privacy legislation, and then "just get into the game." We thank Rois for sharing her story.
Industry experts discuss their cybersecurity predictions for 2022, what trends and attacks will be most prevalent in the year ahead, and how organizations should be preparing for the new year. In this show, we cover what they think the industry might see in 2022 (and some we probably won't see). The CyberWire's Rick Howard speaks with Hash Table member Kevin Magee, Chief Security Officer at Microsoft Canada, and show sponsor Keeper Security's CTO & Co-Founder Craig Lurey joins The CyberWire's Dave Bittner on this CyberWire-X and shares his insights on the topic.
Our guest Doel Santos, Threat Research Analyst at Palo Alto Networks, joins Dave Bittner to talk about Unit 42's work on "Ransomware Groups to Watch: Emerging Threats." As part of Unit 42’s commitment to stop ransomware attacks, they monitor the activity of existing groups, search for dark web leak sites and fresh onion sites, identify up-and-coming players and study tactics, techniques and procedures. During their operations, Unit 42 observed four emerging ransomware groups that are currently affecting organizations and show signs of having the potential to become more prevalent in the future. Doel discusses these (AvosLocker, Hive Ransomware, HelloKitty, and LockBit 2.0) with Dave. The research can be found here: Ransomware Groups to Watch: Emerging Threats
During our winter break, our team thought you might like to try a sample of a CyberWire Pro podcast called Interview Selects. These podcasts are a series of extended interviews, exclusives, and a curated selection of our most engaging and informative interviews over the years, featuring cyber security professionals, journalists, authors and industry insiders. On this episode, the interview originally aired as a shortened version on the CyberWire Daily Podcast. In this extended interview, Dave Bittner speaks with Jaclyn Miller from NTT, Ltd. on diversity, inclusion and remote access security. Like what you hear? Consider subscribing to CyberWire Pro for $99/year. Learn more.
During our winter break, our team thought you might like to try a sample of a CyberWire Pro podcast called Interview Selects. These podcasts are a series of extended interviews, exclusives, and a curated selection of our most engaging and informative interviews over the years, featuring cyber security professionals, journalists, authors and industry insiders. On this episode, the interview originally aired as a shortened version on the CyberWire Daily Podcast. In this extended interview, Dave Bittner speaks with Sir David Omand, former GCHQ Director, on his book, How Spies Think: Ten Lessons in Intelligence.. Like what you hear? Consider subscribing to CyberWire Pro for $99/year. Learn more.
During our winter break, our team thought you might like to try a sample of a CyberWire Pro podcast called Interview Selects. These podcasts are a series of extended interviews, exclusives, and a curated selection of our most engaging and informative interviews over the years, featuring cyber security professionals, journalists, authors and industry insiders. On this episode, the interview originally aired as a shortened version on the CyberWire Daily Podcast. In this extended interview, Rick Howard speaks with Zan Vautrinot about boards. Like what you hear? Consider subscribing to CyberWire Pro for $99/year. Learn more.
During our winter break, our team thought you might like to try a sample of a CyberWire Pro podcast called Interview Selects. These podcasts are a series of extended interviews, exclusives, and a curated selection of our most engaging and informative interviews over the years, featuring cyber security professionals, journalists, authors and industry insiders. On this episode, the interview originally aired as a shortened version on the CyberWire Daily Podcast. In this extended interview, Dave Bittner speaks with Bill Wright of Splunk on the ongoing geopolitical ransomware trend. Like what you hear? Consider subscribing to CyberWire Pro for $99/year. Learn more.
In this “Rick the Toolman” episode, Rick interviews Steve Winterfeld, from Akamai, on the current state and future of the Mitre ATT&CK Framework. For a complete reading list and even more information, check out Rick’s more detailed essay on the topic.
Historian and Curator at the International Spy Museum. Dr. Andrew Hammond, shares how he came to share the history of espionage and intelligence as a career. Starting out in the Royal Air Force when 9/11 happened, Andrew found himself trying to understand what was going on in the world. Studying history and international relations gave him some perspective and led him on his career path which included an introduction to museum industry at the 9/11 Museum. After a stint in academia in the UK, Andrew found his way back to the US and eventually ended up at the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. He said one of the "greatest parts of the job being able to engage with the artifacts" and share their stories. We thank Andrew for sharing his story with us.
Enjoy a peek into CyberWire Pro's Research Briefing as the team is off taking our long winter's nap. This is the spoken edition of our weekly Research Briefing, focused on threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences, as they’re played out in cyberspace. This week's headlines: US Commission on International Religious Freedom reportedly hacked. Sophistication of NSO exploit on par with nation-state tooling. Conti ransomware actors exploit Log4Shell. Like what you hear? Consider subscribing to CyberWire Pro for $99/year. Learn more.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the CyberWire and our friends! Enjoy our rendition of the 12 Days of Malware created by Dave Bittner and performed by Dave and friends: Rachel Tobac, Jayson Street, Ron Eddings & Chris Cochran, Ray [Redacted], Dinah Davis, Camille Stewart, Rick Howard, Michelle Dennedy, Jack Rhysider, Johannes Ullrich, and Charity Wright. Ba dum bum bum. Sing along if you are game! Check out our video for the full effect!
The 12 Days of Malware lyrics On the first day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: A keylogger logging my keys.
On the second day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys.
On the third day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 3 Web shells... 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys.
On the fourth day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 4 Crypto scams... 3 Web shells... 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys.
On the fifth day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 5 Zero Days! 4 Crypto scams... 3 Web shells... 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys.
On the sixth day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 6 Passwords spraying... 5 Zero Days! 4 Crypto scams... 3 Web shells... 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys.
On the seventh day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 7 Scripts a scraping... 6 Passwords spraying... 5 Zero Days! 4 Crypto scams... 3 Web shells... 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys.
On the eighth day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 8 Worms a wiping... 7 Scripts a scraping... 6 Passwords spraying... 5 Zero Days! 4 Crypto scams... 3 Web shells... 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys.
On the ninth day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 9 Rootkits rooting... 8 Worms a wiping... 7 Scripts a scraping... 6 Passwords spraying... 5 Zero Days! 4 Crypto scams... 3 Web shells... 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys.
On the tenth day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 10 Darknet markets... 9 Rootkits rooting... 8 Worms a wiping... 7 Scripts a scraping... 6 Passwords spraying... 5 Zero Days! (Bah-dum-dum-dum!) 4 Crypto scams... 3 Web shells... 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys.
On the eleventh day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 11 Phishers phishing... 10 Darknet markets... 9 Rootkits rooting... 8 Worms a wiping... 7 Scripts a scraping... 6 Passwords spraying... 5 Zero Days! (Bah-dum-dum-dum!) 4 Crypto scams... 3 Web shells... 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my malware gave to me: 12 Hackers hacking... 11 Phishers phishing... 10 Darknet markets... 9 Rootkits rooting... 8 Worms a wiping... 7 Scripts a scraping... 6 Passwords spraying... 5 Zero Days! 4 Crypto scams... 3 Web shells... 2 Trojan Apps... And a keylogger logging my keys.
During our winter break, our team thought you might like to try a sample of a CyberWire Pro podcast called Interview Selects. These podcasts are a series of extended interviews, exclusives, and a curated selection of our most engaging and informative interviews over the years, featuring cyber security professionals, journalists, authors and industry insiders. On this episode, the interview originally aired as a shortened version on the CyberWire Daily Podcast. In this extended interview, Dave Bittner speaks with Hatem Naguib, new CEO of Barracuda Networks, to discuss his views on how cybersecurity trends have drastically changed over the past year, including the rise of ransomware. Like what you hear? Consider subscribing to CyberWire Pro for $99/year. Learn more.
An update of where things stand with respect to the Log4j vulnerabilities, and a reminder that there are other matters to attend to as well. RSAC postpones its annual security shindig to June, hoping to avoid the COVID. A German court awards pain-and-suffering damages for a data breach. Carole Theriault looks at hiring challenges in cyber. Robert M. Lee from Dragos with insights from his own entrepreneurial journey. And a new start-up seeks to take lemons and make them into lemonade.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/245
More criminals exploit vulnerabilities in Log4j. The Five Eyes issue a joint advisory on Log4j-related vulnerabilities, as other government organizations look into defending themselves against Log4shell. Ransomware updates. Russo-Ukrainian tensions rise, as does the likelihood of Russian cyberattacks against its neighbor. Uganda and NSO Group’s troubles. CISA issues six ICS advisories. Malek Ben Salem explains synthetic voices. Our guest is Dr. David Lanc from Ionburst on embracing Data Out protection. And some advice on how to be the family help desk and CISO during the holiday season.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/244
Belgium’s Ministry of Defense comes under attack via Log4j vulnerabilities. A cellular handover, man-in-the-middle exploit is described by researchers. The FBI says an APT group is exploiting unpatched Zoho ManageEngine Desktop Central servers. The US charges five Russian nationals with a range of cybercrimes. Coin-miners in China feel some heat. Ben Yelin describes a Meta lawsuit targeting anonymous phishers. Our guest Todd Carroll of CybelAngel explains the shifting tactics of “troll farms”. And, Grinchbots aside, CISA and the FBI offer holiday greetings and advice.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/243
Updates on Log4j vulnerabilities: new exploitation, new mitigations, new risk assessments, some good advice from the NCSC, and from Betsy Carmelite and Mike Saxton, analysts at Booz Allen Hamilton. Kronos interruptions continue into the holiday season. NCA shares compromised passwords with Have I Been Pwned. A power grid security exercise in Ukraine, AWS outage last week put down to congestion. Hack-A-Sat promises more transparency. Tis the season for charity scams, as Carole Theriault reports. And the SEC wants financial services companies to use proper channels, not, say, WhatsApp and personal email.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/242
Chief Executive Officer and Founder of TAG Cyber, Ed Amoroso, shares how he learned on the job and grew his career. In his words, Ed "went from my dad having an ARPANET connection and I'm learning Pascal, to Bell Labs, to CISO, to business, to quitting, to starting something new. And now I'm riding a new exponential up and it's a hell of a ride." Hear from Ed how he sees security as a side dish that you'll progress into naturally once you've paid your dues and mastered a skill like networking, software or databases. We thank Ed for sharing his story with us.
Guests Sagi Tzadik and Nir Ohfeld of cloud security company Wiz join Dave to discuss their research "ChaosDB: How we hacked thousands of Azure customers’ databases." Nearly everything we do online these days runs through applications and databases in the cloud. While leaky storage buckets get a lot of attention, database exposure is the bigger risk for most companies because each one can contain millions or even billions of sensitive records. Every CISO’s nightmare is someone getting their access keys and exfiltrating gigabytes of data in one fell swoop. Database exposures have become alarmingly common in recent years as more companies move to the cloud, and the culprit is usually a misconfiguration in the customer’s environment. In this case, customers were not at fault. The research can be found here:
ChaosDB: How we hacked thousands of Azure customers’ databases
ChaosDB: How to discover your vulnerable Azure Cosmos DBs and protect them
It seems that Fancy Bear may be interested in Log4shell after all. CISA issues Emergency Directive 22-02, which addressed Log4j. Huawei’s reputation as a security risk may be traceable to a 2012 incident in an Australian telco’s networks. Tropic Trooper is back, and interested in transportation. Meta kicks out seven “cyber mercenary” surveillance outfits. PseudoManusrypt looks curiously indiscriminate. Johannes Ullrich from SANS Technology Institute on making the great Chinese firewall work for you. Our guest is Terry Halvorsen from IBM on next-gen cybersecurity efforts to fix the cybersecurity inequity. And the US Commission on International Religious Freedom is reportedly hacked.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/241
Log4Shell is exploited by criminals and intelligence services. Private sector offensive cyber capabilities are on par with nation-states. Noberus ransomware is used in double-extortion attacks. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture looks at cyber twins. Our guest is Tom Kellermann from VMware with reaction to CISA’s Binding Operational Directive. And Squid Game phishbait.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/240
A second vulnerability is found and fixed in Log4j as both criminals and nation-state intelligence services increase their exploitation of Log4shell. Iranian intelligence services have been actively conducting cyberespionage against a range of targets in the Middle East and Asia. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos checks in on supply chain issues. Our guest is Suzy Greenberg from Intel with a look ahead toward the coming year. A quick look back at Patch Tuesday, and, finally, some musing on literacy, orality, and the way you pronounce stuff people tweet about...
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/239
An update on the Log4shell, and how it’s being exploited in the wild. A ransomware attack disrupts a cloud-based business service provider. NSO Group is said to be considering selling off its Pegasus unit. A marketing presentation suggests Huawei has been deeply implicated in providing tools for Chinese repression. Nigeria’s cyber gangs are actng like Murder, Inc. An arrest in Romania, sentences in Germany. Joe Carrigan looks at the language of cyber security. Our guest Brad Hawkins of SaferNet wonders if digital privacy even exists anymore. And news from Mars.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/238
The Log4shell vulnerability is trouble, and its remediation isn’t going to be quick or easy. In India, Prime Minister Modi’s Twitter account was hijacked. Official Brazilian COVID vaccination data bases are stolen and rendered unavailable. Extortionists claim to have taken sensitive, proprietary R&D information from Volvo. Phishing sites appear and vanish in a matter of hours. Rick the Toolman Howard expands his cast of characters. Robert M. Lee from Dragos shines a light on solar storms and risk management. And sentence is passed in a case related to the Kelihos botnet.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/237
Manager in BARR Advisory's Cyber Risk Advisory Practice, Hannah Kenney, shares her journey from never considering technology as a career to having it click in an informations systems class in college. After noticing she was the only one in the room who enjoyed the lecture, Hannah knew she wanted to go down the technology route. In talking about her work, Hannah describes it as creative problem solving. She hopes "people see me as someone who viewed cybersecurity and risk as something that is focused on people first and foremost." We thank Hannah for sharing her story with us.
Guest Ilya Volovik, Team Lead of Cyber Intelligence at Gemini Advisory, discusses his team's work on "FIN7 Recruits Talent For Push Into Ransomware." The cybercriminal group FIN7 gained notoriety in the mid-2010s for large-scale malware campaigns targeting the point-of-sale (POS) systems. In 2018, Gemini Advisory reported FIN7’s compromise of Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor stores and the subsequent sale of over 5 million payment cards on the dark web. According to the US Department of Justice, the broader FIN7 carding campaigns have resulted in the theft of over 20 million payment card records and cost victims over $1 billion, making FIN7 one of the most infamous and prolific cybercriminal groups of the last decade. Now with ransomware proving to be cybercriminals’ preferred high-profit, jackpot venture, FIN7 has redeployed their expertise and capacity towards ransomware, with reports indicating that the group was involved in attempted ransomware attacks on US companies as early as 2020. Furthermore, despite focus from law enforcement and the arrest of four FIN7 members from 2018 to 2020, FIN7’s continued activity shows that the group remains a powerful, active threat. The research can be found here: FIN7 Recruits Talent For Push Into Ransomware
Cyberespionage in support of Belt and Road, and of Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea. Karakurt ransomware skips the encryption and goes right to the doxing. Black Cat ransomware is rising. Vulnerable MikroTik devices are bot-herders’ favorites. The Log4Shell zero-day is being exploited in the wild, and will be a tough one to remediate. Julian Assange moves closer to extradition. Johannes Ullrich on changing user behavior. Our guest is Oliver Rochford of Securonix on the affordability of good security. And shoulder-surfing as a threat to Snapchat users.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/236
Conti continues, undeterred. Magecart skimmers are infesting WooCommerce instances. Users are finding url redirection attacks difficult to detect. A quick look at the workings of the Hive ransomware gang. Russia blocks Tor. The US Senate holds hearings on social media and adolescent mental health. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf on assessing your security posture. Our guest Neal Dennis of Cyware discusses Automation And Unification. And Grinchbots are still prowling for presents.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/235
Amazon resolves its Tuesday outage as observers wonder about cloud risks. A stand-off at the Russo-American summit, but chatter in the dark web suggests that the Russophone underworld is feeling uneasy. A look at the arbitrage process that governs the criminal-to-criminal market. Carole Theriault reads the fine print. Andrea Little Limbago looks at global regulatory regimes. A DeFi platform asks for its stolen money back, and a guy looks for his private key in a physical garbage dump.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/234
Notes on today’s Russo-America summit. Microsoft seizes websites used by the Chinese threat actor Nickel. Google takes technical and legal action against a Russian botnet. Ben Yelin unpacks Australia’s aim to uncover online trolls. Our guest is Ed Amorosa from TAG Cyber. And the real Satoshi Nakamoto has yet to stand up--just ask a Florida jury.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/233
Cryptocurrency exchange loses almost $200 million as two hot wallets are compromised. Phones belonging to US State Department personnel concerned with Uganda are found to have been infected with NSO Group’s Pegasus surveillance technology. Mandiant reports recent activity by the threat group thought responsible for the SolarWinds compromise. Cybersecurity will be on the agenda at tomorrow’s Russo-US summit. Caleb Barlow outlines threats to the Winter Olympics. Rick the-toolman Howard looks at the marketing hype-cycle. And US Cyber Command says it’s been imposing costs.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/232
Distinguished Security Strategist at Splunk, Ryan Kovar, shares his journey that started in the US Navy and how it contributed to his leadership in life after the military. Cutting his teeth as sysadmin on the USS Kitty Hawk, Ryan worked as a contractor following the Navy. At Splunk, he leads the SURGe research team to solve what he calls the "blue collar for the blue team problems". He works hard on incorporating diversity of thought. Ryan notes, "I've been doing cybersecurity or IT now for over 20 years and of that 20 years of knowledge, only about five years of that knowledge is really relevant. You can't sit on your laurels in this industry." We thank Ryan for sharing his story with us.
It's important for employees to be brought into the fold as security's allies, rather than as its adversaries. For cybersecurity teams that operate with an adversarial mindset appropriate for external threats, it can be challenging to approach internal threats differently. You can't treat employees the same way you treat nation-state hackers. But employees play a pivotal role in preventing data leaks, making it important to create a company-wide culture of transparency. Transparency feeds trust, which builds a strong foundation for Security Awareness Training to be truly effective. The CyberWire's Jennifer Eiben hosts this women in cybersecurity podcast. Kathleen Smith of ClearedJobs.Net moderates the panel. Panelists include Michelle Killian from Sponsor Code 42, Sam Humphries of Exabeam, and Masha Sedova of Elevate Security.
Guest Christo Butcher of NCC Group's Research and Intelligence Fusion Team discusses their research into a cybercriminal group they dubbed SnapMC. Forget ransomware, too expensive and too much hassle. Randomly enter through a known vulnerability, take a look around, lock away data and leave again. And all that within half an hour: hit & run. An email is then sent to the affected organization: pay or else the stolen data will be published and/or sold. This is the opportunistic approach of a new group of blackmailers who don't even bother to encrypt data. NCC Group has given them the name SnapMC: a combination of 'snap' (a sudden, sharp cracking sound or movement) and MC, from mc.exe, the primary tool they use to exfiltrate data. They have only seen SnapMC's attacks in the Netherlands for the time being. They do not target specific sectors and we have not (yet) been able to associate them with known attackers. The research can be found here:
SnapMC: extortion without ransomware
SnapMC skips ransomware, steals data
SideCopy, a Pakistani APT, is phishing for information in both India and Afghanistan. A Colorado electrical utility continues to recover from a cyber incident it sustained early last month. The GAO tells the US Congress that the nation still lacks a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy. The Missouri Highway Patrol continues, for some reason, to investigate a responsible disclosure as a criminal hack. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf on hackers targeting Minecraft. Our guest is Blake Darché from Area 1 Security with research on phishing. And it appears Moscow thinks a Group-IB leader outed Fancy Bear to the US.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/231
An APT is exploiting Internet-facing instances of ServiceDesk Plus. Meta releases its end-of-year Adversarial Threat Report, and adds “Brigading” and “Mass Reporting” to “Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior” as activities that will get accounts shut down. CISA names the first members of its Cybersecurity Advisory Committee. Sentencing, American and Russian style. Malek Ben Salem has a look at cyber resilience. Our guest is PJ Kirner from Illumio with a look ahead to 2022. And an alleged false whistleblower is under indictment, and under arrest.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/230
RTF template injection is newly favored by APTs. Malware hides in February 31st. Milords and miladies, the Principality of Sealand hath been hacked. Finland's National Cyber Security Center warns of a large-scale Flubot campaign in progress. False alarms are flagging Emotet where it isn’t found. Iranians victimized by a smishing campaign. CISA issues industrial control system advisories. Kevin Magee from Microsoft is really trying to rid the world of passwords. Our guest is Mike Hendrickson of Skillsoft to discuss turning the tide in this fight against cybercrime. And Mr. Putin says Russia’s in favor of international cooperation against cybercrime.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/229
Today, it’s all crime all the time. Cybercrime, the C2C underground market, and the expansive holiday shopping season. Rebranding in gangland. How crooks exclude targets on the basis of language or geolocation. Shaming as a criminal pressure tactic. Bad apps in the Play Store. Andrea Little Limbago looks at internet blackouts. Carole Theriault wonders what the Metaverse really means. And living large while living on the lam.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/228
A reply-chain incident is reported at a major international furniture and housewares retailer. North Korean operators are phishing for South Korean marks using bogus Samsung recruiting emails as phishbait. Fancy Bear has been seen pawing at Gmail. A regional escalation to civilian targets in the cyber conflict between Iran and Israel. More organizations are added to the US Entity List. Johannes Ullrich looks at decrypting Cobalt Strike. Our own Rick Howard wonders if executive really need to know how to drive that tank. And tension between Russia and Ukraine continues to rise.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/227
Associate Director at Raytheon Intelligence and Space in the Cyber Protection Services Division Anisha Patel always loved math and it defined her career journey. As a first-generation American from an Asian household, Anisha said she was destined for a STEM-focused career and chose electrical engineering. She began her career and remains at Raytheon (formerly E-Systems) working in several areas of the business thanks to her skills and informal mentors. Starting a rotational assignment in program management (7 years ago), Anisha said she "went to the dark side and then the hole closed and there I ended up." Anisha talks about the need to bring diversity of thought into the industry and adds to her team with this in mind. We thank Anisha for sharing her story with us.
Enjoy a peek into CyberWire Pro's Research Briefing as the team is off recovering from our Thanksgiving feasts. This is the spoken edition of our weekly Research Briefing, focused on threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences, as they’re played out in cyberspace. This week's headlines: Iranian threat actors target the IT supply chain. North Korean cyberespionage. More information on Emotet's return. Like what you hear? Consider subscribing to CyberWire Pro for $99/year. Learn more.
Our team decided to extend our Thanksgiving holiday and thought you might like to try a sample of a CyberWire Pro podcast called Interview Selects. These podcasts are a series of extended interviews, exclusives, and a curated selection of our most engaging and informative interviews over the years, featuring cyber security professionals, journalists, authors and industry insiders. On this episode, the interview October 27th, 2021 originally aired as a shortened version on the CyberWire Daily Podcast. In this extended interview, Dave Bittner speaks with Carolyn Crandall of Attivo Networks on what organizations should be focused on to protect AD. Like what you hear? Consider subscribing to CyberWire Pro for $99/year. Learn more.
Thanks for joining us for our fun project brought to you by the team of Hacking Humans, the CyberWire's social engineering podcast. Co-hosts Dave Bittner and Joe Carrigan are joined by Rick Howard in this series where they view clips from their favorite movies with examples of the social engineering scams and schemes you hear about on Hacking Humans. In this episode, Dave, Joe and Rick are watching Joe's and Rick's scene picks. They watch each of the selected scenes, describe the on-screen action for you, and then the team deconstructs what they saw. Grab your popcorn and join us for a trip to the movies. Links to this episode's clips if you'd like to watch along:
Joe's clip from "The Simpsons: Father and Son Grifting" episode
Rick's pick from "Paper Moon"
An apparent cyberespionage campaign targets the Iranian diaspora. Babadeda is an emerging crypter seeing use against alt-coin and NFt speculators. RATDispenser is out in the wild, a malware-as-a-service operation. Proofs-of-concept published for Microsoft exploits. Apple sues NSO Group. Group-IB’s founder asks President Putin for clemency. Caleb Barlow on the difference between working for a company that is funded by VCs, PEs, angels or is public. Our guest today is Karl Sigler from Trustwave on the results of the 2021 Trustwave SpiderLabs Telemetry Report. And there’s a guilty plea in the Wolf of Sophia case.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/226
Tardigrade malware infests the US biomanufacturing sector. GoDaddy suffers a significant data breach. A Gizmodo-led consortium will review and release the Facebook Papers. Ben Yelin on our privacy rights during emergency situations. Our guest is Ric Longenecker of Open Systems to discuss how ransomware attacks represent the number one threat for universities. And NSO Group may not recover from current controversy over its Pegasus intercept tool.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/225
The Lazarus Group seems interested in learning from, by which they mean stealing from, some of the world’s leading state-sponsored cyber operators. Void Balaur remains an enigma, but it’s not the only player in the C2C market. CISA and the FBI warn all, but especially critical infrastructure operators, to remain alert during the holidays. Some scammers are impersonating the US SEC. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf on what security gifts to get your family this year. Our guest today is Carole Theriault on online gaming during the pandemic. And cyberattacks are reported on an airline, a utility, and a manufacturer of wind turbines.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/224
Director of Google Cloud's Office of the CISO, MK Palmore, dedicated much of his life to public service and now brings his experience working for the greater good to the private sector. A graduate of the US Naval Academy, including the Naval Academy Prep School that he calls the most impactful educational experience of his life, MK commissioned into the US Marine Corps following his service academy time. He joined the FBI and that is where he came into the cybersecurity realm. MK is passionate about getting more diversity, equity and inclusion into industry. We thank MK for sharing his story with us.
As ransomware attacks rapidly rise in frequency, eye-popping ransom demands grab headlines, and consumers experience product shortages and difficulty accessing services as the organizations they do business with are knocked offline. However, little is reported about the impact of a ransomware attack inside an organization. However, little is reported about the impact of a ransomware attack inside an organization. In this show, we cover what steps organizations are taking now to prepare for a ransomware attack and what happens to an organization on that especially bad day when ransomware comes calling. The CyberWire's Rick Howard speaks with Hash Table member Don Welch, Vice president for Information Technology and Global Chief Information Officer at New York University, and show sponsor Keeper Security's CEO & Co-Founder Darren Guccione joins The CyberWire's Dave Bittner on this CyberWire-X as they share their expertise on the topic.
Guests Nicholas Boucher and Ross Anderson from the University of Cambridge join Dave Bittner to discuss their research, "Trojan Source: Invisible Vulnerabilities." The researchers present a new type of attack in which source code is maliciously encoded so that it appears different to a compiler and to the human eye. This attack exploits subtleties in text-encoding standards such as Unicode to produce source code whose tokens are logically encoded in a different order from the one in which they are displayed, leading to vulnerabilities that cannot be perceived directly by human code reviewers. ‘Trojan Source’ attacks, as they call them, pose an immediate threat both to first-party software and of supply-chain compromise across the industry. They present working examples of Trojan-Source attacks in C, C++, C#, JavaScript, Java, Rust, Go, and Python. They propose definitive compiler-level defenses, and describe other mitigating controls that can be deployed in editors, repositories, and build pipelines while compilers are upgraded to block this attack. The project website and research can be found here:
Trojan Source: Invisible Source Code Vulnerabilities project website
Trojan Source: Invisible Vulnerabilities research paper
Software supply chain incidents: FatPipe, PyPi, and IT services generally. A look at recent Iranian operations. The US Federal Reserve publishes its disclosure rules for banks sustaining cyber incidents. CISA issues a set of ICS advisories. Two of the Five Eyes announce plans for continued, even closer cooperation in cyberspace. Johannes Ullrich on attackers abusing "PAM" (Plug Authentication Modules). Our guest is Hatem Naguib, CEO at Barracuda Networks. And a real evil maid seems to have been out and about in Tel Aviv.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/223
Red Curl is a Russophone gang with an unusual target list. North Korea’s TA406 is having a busy year, hacking for intelligence and for profit. Wicked Panda’s getting good at code-signing, and software supply chain attacks are in Beijing’s long-term plans. A spearphishing campaign abuses legitimate collaboration tools. Kevin Magee from Microsoft has an insider’s look at Windows 11 security. Our guest is Kevin Bocek of Venafi to discuss Security Software Build Environments. And selling confiscated cryptocurrency to compensate victims of scams. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/222
CISA, the FBI, the ACSC, and the NCSC issue a joint advisory warning of an Iranian cyber campaign exploiting known vulnerabilities in Fortinet and Microsoft Exchange. A Belarusian connection to Ghostwriter. Candiru tools reported in watering holes. SideCopy’s interest in Afghanistan. RAMP shows an interest in attracting Chinese operators. Josh Ray from Accenture Security digs into the CONTI playbook leak. Our guest is Matt Keeley from Bishop Fox on fuzzing. And Pompompurin wants to sell you leaked Robinhood data.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/221
Older threats, including Emotet and Mirai, are out and about, and an old vulnerability, Rowhammer, gets a fresh proof-of-concept. A new banking Trojan threatens Europe. Intel works on vulnerabilities. CISA advises awareness of recently reported DDS vulnerabilities. Joe Carrigan explains how spearphishers are using customer complaints as bait. Rick Howard epaks with Carlos Vega from Devo on Supply Chain issues. And an arrest is made in a Maryland revenge porn case. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/220
Exploitation of a configuration error in the FBI’s Law Enforcement Enterprise Portal enables hackers to send bogus warning emails. Philippine Office of Civil Defense Twitter account briefly hijacked. Update on Iranian politically motivated threat group MosesStaff. Discount retailer Costco discloses a point-of-sale skimmer incident. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf track zero days. Rick the Toolman Howard drops by the studio. And the US seeks extradition of a Russian alt-coin baron on charges of laundering Ryuk’s money. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/219
Ransomware: the problem that everyone is talking about, yet somehow continues to get worse with each passing year. In 2021, the cost of ransomware to global businesses is estimated to reach a whopping $20B. The problem has reached such a critical mass that it can no longer be cast away as some unknowable IT problem–everyone from cyber insurance providers to the federal government have taken note. The CyberWire's Rick Howard speaks with Hash Table member Kevin Ford of Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), and ExtraHop's VP, GM of International and Global Security Programs, Mike Campfield, joins The CyberWire's Dave Bittner on this CyberWire-X for a retrospective on ransomware in 2021. Mike shares his predictions on how it will evolve in 2022 and beyond, and what controls enterprises can put into place to build their resilience to the growing threat.
Ground Labs' Head of Engineering, Swati Shekhar, shares her circuitous route from and back to engineering. Always being interested in leveraging the tools available to solve problems, Swati talks about how she found her place in engineering. She mentions how she had her first real experience with a computer when she was 17 in her first year at college. Aside from being one of 30 young women in a sea of 500 young men there, Swati described it as a "good culture shock because anything that takes you out of your comfort zone actually makes you learn and grow." She notes that challenges experienced in life increase your risk appetite so significantly. Swati advises those looking to make a job change to be certain of what is attracting them and to be yourself. We thank Swati for sharing her story with us.
Senior Intelligence Researcher at Anomali, Tara Gould, joins Dave to discuss their team's work on "Inside TeamTNT’s Impressive Arsenal: A Look Into A TeamTNT Server." Anomali Threat Research discovered an open server to a directory listing that they attribute with high confidence to the German-speaking threat group, TeamTNT.The server contains source code, scripts, binaries, and cryptominers targeting Cloud environments.Other server contents include Amazon Web Services (AWS) Credentials stolen from TeamTNT stealers are also hosted on the server. This inside view of TeamTNT infrastructure and tools in use can help security operations teams to improve detection capabilities for related attacks, whether coming directly from TeamTNT or other cybercrime groups leveraging their tools. The research can be found here: Inside TeamTNT’s Impressive Arsenal: A Look Into A TeamTNT Server
Notes on rising international tension in Eastern Europe. A watering-hole campaign in Hong Kong. The US and the EU have joined the Paris Call. NSO Group’s prospective CEO resigns his position before formally assuming it. Void Balaur, a cybermercenary group, is active in the Russophone cyber underground. Johannes Ullrich on leaked vaccination cards and Covid tests. Our guest is Carolyn Crandall of Attivo Networks on what organizations should be focused on to protect Active Directory. CISA intends to increase its capacity to work against misinformation and disinformation. CISA also intends to recruit white hat hackers to an advisory board.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/218
Welcome to a fun new project by the team who brings you Hacking Humans, the CyberWire's social engineering podcast. Co-hosts Dave Bittner and Joe Carrigan are joined by Rick Howard in this series. They view clips from their favorite movies with examples of the social engineering scams and schemes you hear about on Hacking Humans. In this first episode, Dave, Joe and Rick are watching Dave's and Joe's picks. They watch each of the selected scenes, describe the on-screen action for you, and then the team deconstructs what they saw. Grab your popcorn and join us for a trip to the movies. Links to movie clips if you'd like to watch along:
Dave's pick from "The Grifters"
Joe's clip from "Matchstick Men"
Tehran’s Lyceum group expands its activities against ISPs and telcos in Israel, Morocco, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia. Clopp is going after unpatched instances of SolarWinds. Cyber mercenaries are quietly competing with lawful intercept vendors. NSO Group receives a setback from the US 9th Circuit. Mexico makes an arrest in its Pegasus investigation. Carole Theriault shares her thoughts on the supply chain. Josh Ray from Accenture Security on Moving Left of the Ransomware Boom. And notes on Patch Tuesday. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/217
Hive ransomware hits electronics retailer Media Markt. Robinhood Markets sustains a data breach it traces to social engineering. Ben Yelin looks at the law behind U.S. police demanding your phone passcode. Dave checks in with Rick Howard for his thoughts on the Trojan Source vulnerability. And more notes on the international action against REvil, including the US application of sanctions (with Baltic cooperation) to three companies involved in supporting the gang’s financial infrastructure. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/216
REvil operators arrested and indicted. China says a foreign intelligence service accessed passenger travel records. Suspected Emissary Panda campaign. Conti (sort of) apologizes. Caleb Barlow thinks it’s time to re-think your security documentation. Our guest is Jessica Hetrick of Optiv Security on cyber fraud running rampant. And the FBI warns of ransomware attacks targeting casinos. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/215
Senior Vice President for Strategy, Partnerships, and Corporate Development at IronNet Cybersecurity, Jamil Jaffer, shares how his interest in technology brought him full circle. Always a tech guy, Jamil paid he way through college doing computer support. Jamil went to law school and worked in various jobs in Washington DC including a stint in the newly-created National Security division of the Justice Department just after 9/11. When talking about adversity, Jamil notes, "Adversity has happened in life, but you gotta run at those things. To me, you know, I like risk. I think risk is something that a lot of people shy away from." We thank Jamil for sharing his story with us.
Guest Mor Levi, Vice President of Cyber Practices from Cybereason, joins Dave Bittner to discuss her team's work on "Operation GhostShell - Novel RAT Targets Global Aerospace and Telecoms Firms." In July 2021, the Cybereason Nocturnus and Incident Response Teams responded to Operation GhostShell, a highly-targeted cyber espionage campaign targeting the Aerospace and Telecommunications industries mainly in the Middle East, with additional victims in the U.S., Russia and Europe. The Operation GhostShell campaign aims to steal sensitive information about critical assets, organizations’ infrastructure and technology. During the investigation, the Nocturnus Team uncovered a previously undocumented and stealthy RAT (Remote Access Trojan) dubbed ShellClient which was employed as the primary espionage tool. To learn more, listen to the episode. The research can be found here: Operation GhostShell - Novel RAT Targets Global Aerospace and Telecoms Firms
The US offers a reward of up to ten million dollars for information leading to the identification or location of the leaders of the DarkSide ransomware gang. Researchers expect BlackMatter’s nominally retired operators to resurface in other criminal organizations. Ukraine outlines Russian FSB cyber operations during the hybrid war that’s been waged since 2014. Deterrence in cyberspace. Carole Theriault takes on high value targets. Our guest is Bill Mann of Styra on rising compliance regulations and security drift. An arrest is made in Special Counsel Durham’s investigation. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/214
Britain’s Labour Party is affected by a ransomware incident a third-party provider sustained. ANSSI identifies a new ransomware affiliate gang, “Lockean.” Notes on how and why BlackMatter and REvil went on the lam. Russo-American talks discussed cybercrime and cybersecurity. Iran’s gas stations are fully back in business, following the cyber sabotage they sustained. Kevin Magee from Microsoft has highlights from their 2021 Digital Defence Report. Our guest is Ofer Ben Noon of Talon Cyber Security addressing browser vulnerabilities. And DataTribe has announced the winners of its fourth annual Cybersecurity Start-up Challenge. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/213
The BlackMatter ransomware gang says that it’s retiring under pressure from the authorities. The spokesman for the Groove group says his gang doesn’t exist--he was just playing the media. Quiet, high-level talks held between senior US and Russian officials. The US Commerce Department sanctions four spyware vendors. Carole Theriault wonders if you can train yourself free of social engineering. Josh Ray from Accenture Security with insights from their Cyber Investigations and Forensic Response team. CISA tells Federal agencies to get patching. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/212
Researchers describe Trojan Source, a hard-to-detect threat to the software supply chain. A ransomware gang takes a page from the information operator’s book. From double extortion to triple extortion, as other ransomware gangs add distributed denial-of-service to encryption and doxing. Criminals are now hacking on material, non-public information, the FBI warns. Joe Carrigan looks at multifactor adoption at Twitter. Our guest is Steve Ragan from Akamai on API security. And criminals hit healthcare providers in Newfoundland. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/211
Iran hasn’t finished investigating its gas station cyber sabotage, but Tehran is pretty sure the Great and Lesser Satans are behind it. NSO Group says it’s going in a new, nicer direction. The Conti gang hits a luxury jewelry dealer, and another, unknown group hits an upscale art dealership. The Chaos gang is after Minecraft players (players who cheat). Caleb Barlow on pre-breach pre-approvals. Rick Howard introduces sand tables in cyber space. And sugar daddies come to the world of advance fee scams. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/210
Jadee Hanson, CIO and CISO at Code 42, started her technology journey thanks to the help of a teacher in high school. She began college studying computer science and ended with a degree in computer information systems as it had more of the business side. Working in the private sector for companies such as Deloitte, Target and Code 42, Jadee gained experience and specialized in insider risk. She notes "utopia for me and my team is to get to a spot where the team is just firing on all cylinders and being really proactive about what's coming and what's changing." Jadee mentions she tries hard to do things that might scare her every day. For those interested in the field, especially young women, Jadee recommends they get involved and then stay curious. We thank Jadee for sharing her story with us.
Dr. Tudor Dumitras from University of Maryland and joins Dave Bittner to share a research study conducted in collaboration with industry partners from Facebook, NortonLifeLock Research Group and EURECOM. The project is called: "When Malware Changed Its Mind: An Empirical Study of Variable Program Behaviors in the Real World." In the study, the team analyzed how malware samples change their behavior when executed on different hosts or at different times. Such “split personalities” may confound the current techniques for malware analysis and detection. Malware execution traces are typically collected by executing the samples in a controlled environment (a “sandbox”), and the techniques created and tested using such traces do not account for the broad range of behaviors observed in the wild. In the paper, the team shows how behavior variability can make those techniques appear more effective than they really are, and they make some recommendations for dealing with the variability. The research and executive summary can be found here:
When Malware Changed Its Mind: An Empirical Study of Variable Program Behaviors in the Real World
Analysing malware variability in the real world
Tensions between Iran and Israel rise as sources in Tehran blame Israel for hacking gas stations, and as apparent Iranian hacktivists dox Israeli defense personnel. A new ransomware strain is discovered. A criminal group is spoofing emails from Philippine agencies. Europol and partners sweep up a cyber gang. Betsy Carmelite from BAH on convergence of 5G and healthcare. Our guest is Justin Wray from CoreBTS with a look at the security issues facing online gaming and casinos. And the company formerly known as Facebook rebrands as “Meta.” For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/209
Iran continues its recovery from a cyberattack that disrupted subsidized fuel distribution. Wanted in Stuttgart (but living it up in Russia): ransomware kingpin Nikolay K. The Conti ransomware gang gets poor customer service notices. Food distribution is on the cybercriminals’ target lists. SolarMarker’s use of SEO poisoning. The US publishes a statement of strategic intent for its cybersecurity czar’s office. David Dufour from Webroot wonders if there’s any hope at slowing down malware. Our own Brandon Karpf describes the DoD’s Skillbridge program. And decryptors are made available for three ransomware strains. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/208
Sudan is under a blackout as a military junta consolidates control over the government. Iran says a cyberattack--unattributed so far--was responsible for disrupting fuel distribution in that country. A novel loader is discovered. Operation Dark HunTor takes down a darkweb contraband market. The US FTC is looking into Facebook’s privacy settlement. The LockBit gang talks, and it’s insufferable. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on government internet interventions. Carole Theriault weighs in on Facebook glasses. And Halloween is another day closer. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/207
Notes on ransomware and privateering: Conti’s barking at its victims, someone’s exploiting billing software, and BlackMatter repeated some coding errors its DarkSide predecessor committed. GCHQ suggests that the UK will undertake a more assertive imposition of costs on cyber gangs. The US State Department will reestablish its cyber bureau. Software supply chain cyberespionage, and what can be done about it. Ben Yelin on school laptop privacy concerns. Our guest is David White of Axio to discuss Ransomware Preparedness. And some more scare-notes for Halloween. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/206
SolarMarket infestations are up, and circulating through WordPress sites. More indications that REvil was taken down by a US-led but thoroughly international public-private partnership, and the other Russian privateers have their noses seriously out of joint. Russia’s SVR is getting busy in software supply chains. Criminals take advantage of the popularity of Squid Games. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf on how even hackers have internal politics. Rick Howard checks in with the Hash Table on compliance. And Halloween is coming: do you know what your apps are up to? For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/205
Distinguished Cloud Strategist at Lacework, Mark Nunnikhoven, has gone from taking technology to its limits for his own understanding to providing clarity about security for others. Mark fell in love with his Commodore 128 and once he realized he could bend the machine to his will, it set him on the path to technology. While he had some bumps in the road, dropping out of high school and not following the traditional path in college, Mark did complete his masters in information security. His professional life took him from Canadian public service to the private sector where Mark noted the culture shift was an eye-opening experience. Mark always looks to learn something new and share that with others and that is evidenced as his includes teaching as a facet of his career. We thank Mark for sharing his story with us.
Our guest Doel Santos, Threat Research Analyst at Palo Alto Networks, joins Dave Bittner to talk about Unit 42's work on "Ransomware Groups to Watch: Emerging Threats." As part of Unit 42’s commitment to stop ransomware attacks, they monitor the activity of existing groups, search for dark web leak sites and fresh onion sites, identify up-and-coming players and study tactics, techniques and procedures. During their operations, Unit 42 observed four emerging ransomware groups that are currently affecting organizations and show signs of having the potential to become more prevalent in the future. Doel discusses these (AvosLocker, Hive Ransomware, HelloKitty, and LockBit 2.0) with Dave. The research can be found here: Ransomware Groups to Watch: Emerging Threats
REvil’s troubles appear to be the work of an international law enforcement operation. Other gangs have noticed, and they’re looking a little spooked, even as they evolve their tactics in a maturing criminal-to-criminal market. Questions are raised about the efficacy of surveillance tool export controls. Caleb Barlow has cyber security considerations for CEOs and boards. Our guest is Mickey Boodeai of Transmit Security on the movement to do away with passwords. And if you liked Y2K, you’re going to love ten-twenty-four. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/203
Evil Corp is identified as the operator behind the ransomware that hit the Sinclair Broadcast Group and Olympus. The US Defense Department complains of Russian toleration for ransomware gangs. The Fin7 gang has set up a front company to recruit talent. Betsy Carmelite from Booz Allen Hamilton on building mission-driven 5G security with zero trust. Our guest is Robert Carolina on ethics. And sentences are handed down in a bulletproof hosting case. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/203
The LightBasin “activity cluster” has been active indeed against telecom infrastructure in what looks like an espionage campaign. The Magnitude exploit kit adds capabilities for hitting Chromium browsers. An exploit broker is interested in cloud-based VPNs. Victims continue to pay in ransomware attacks. A hacker gets seven years for conspiracy to defraud and identity theft. David Dufour from Webroot looks at the coming threat landscape. Our guest is Paul Shread from eSecurity Planet on backup tools for ransomware. And a Candy Corn shortage is averted. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/202
A look at TA505, familiar yet adaptable. A US joint cybersecurity advisory outlines the BlackMatter threat to critical infrastructure. CISA asks industry for technical information on endpoint detection and response capabilities. Is REvil trying to run on reputation? The Sinclair Broadcasting ransomware incident seems to provide a case study in rapid disclosure. Carole Theriault considers the fight for online anonymity. Joe Carrigan shares steps to protect the C-Suite. And there’s a decryptor out for BlackByte. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/201
The Sinclair Broadcast Group discloses that it sustained a ransomware attack over the weekend. Twitter kicks out two North Korean catphish deployed in a cyberespionage campaign. REvil goes offline, again, perhaps this time for good. Hacking back, at least insofar as you let the hoods know you can see them. Rick Howard previews the newest season of CSO Perspectives. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on Expired Domain Dumpster Diving. And an update on the Missouri disclosure and proposed hacking prosecution. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/200
Linux and Security Advocate at Intezer Ell Marquez shares her journey from the family ranch to security. Needing a life change due to a bunch of circumstances that had occurred that left her almost homeless, Ell found out about a six week Linux boot camp that took her down the path toward technology. She fell in love security at at BSides Conference and hasn't looked back. Ell says she recently started a campaign called "it's okay to be new" noting that no matter how long you've been in the industry, you need to be new because technology changes so quickly. She concludes by offering one final piece of advice to everybody is just "be unapologetically yourself." We thank Ell for sharing her story with us.
Guest Michael DeBolt, Chief Intelligence Officer from Intel471, joins Dave Bittner to discuss their work on "How Groove Gang is shaking up the Ransomware-as-a-Service market to empower affiliates." McAfee Enterprise ATR believes, with high confidence, that the Groove gang is associated with the Babuk gang, either as a former affiliate or subgroup. These cybercriminals are happy to put aside previous Ransomware-as-a-Service hierarchies to focus on the ill-gotten gains to be made from controlling victim’s networks, rather than the previous approach which prioritized control of the ransomware itself.
The research can be found here: How Groove Gang is shaking up the Ransomware-as-a-Service market to empower affiliates
A CISA-issued Joint Advisory warns of threats and vulnerabilities at water and wastewater treatment facilities. CISA issues twenty-two other industrial control system advisories. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on trends in the human element of security. Our guest is Gidi Cohen from Skybox with Vulnerability and Threat Trends. And the Governor of Missouri intends to prosecute the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch to the fullest extent of whatever the law turns out to be. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/199
Data breach extortion seems to be an emerging criminal trend. Notes on a darknet market’s retirement. Verizon advises Visible users to look to their credentials. Windows users’ attention is drawn to seven potentially serious vulnerabilities (all patchable). The Necro botnet is installing Monero cryptojackers. Organizing an international response to ransomware. Carole Theriault shares thoughts on social engineering. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf on the supply chain attack framework. And a quick look at the state of cyber risk in higher education. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/198
A Chinese-speaking APT is distributing the MysterySnail RAT in what appears to be a cyberespionage campaign. Some users still haven’t patched vulnerable SolarWinds instances. Notes on yesterday’s Patch Tuesday. The US-convened international ransomware conference kicked off today, and Russia wasn’t invited. Former users of a criminal booter service get a stern warning letter from the Dutch police. Caleb Barlow reacts to a recent ransomware tragedy. Our guest is Rob Gurzeev of CyCognito on the security issues with subsidiaries. And a Florida woman is charged with altering aircraft records. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/197
Teheran is running password spraying attacks (especially on Thursdays and Sundays). More on the renewed popularity of DDoS attacks. NCSC warns British businesses against ransomware. Two journalists win the Nobel Peace Prize. Joe Carrigan shares his thoughts on GriftHorse. Our guest is Bindu Sundaresan from AT&T Cybersecurity football season and cyber risks. And watch out for small data cards in your peanut butter sandwiches, kids. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/196
Our guest is author and journalist Steven Levy. He’s editor-at-large at Wired and his most recent book is "Facebook: The Inside Story. Steven offers his insights on Facebook’s internal research teams, Ben shares a newly-decided court case on whether Big Tech companies can be sued under the Anti-Terrorism statute, and Dave's got the story of some warrantless surveillance being declared unconstitutional in Colorado. While this show covers legal topics, and Ben is a lawyer, the views expressed do not constitute legal advice. For official legal advice on any of the topics we cover, please contact your attorney. Links to stories:
Federal appeals court clears social media companies in Pulse shooting lawsuit
Colorado Supreme Court Rules Three Months of Warrantless Video Surveillance Violates the Constitution
Got a question you'd like us to answer on our show? You can send your audio file to caveat@thecyberwire.com or simply leave us a message at (410) 618-3720. Hope to hear from you.
Lieutenant in the US Navy and Skillbridge Fellow at the CyberWire, Brandon Karpf, knew he wanted to join the military at a young age. He achieved that through the US Naval Academy where he was a member of the men's heavyweight rowing team. Commissioning into the cryptologic field as a naval cryptologic warfare officer, Brandon was sent to MIT for a graduate degree where he experienced the exact opposite end of the spectrum from USNA's structured life. Brandon's work with both NSA and US Cyber Command helped him gain experience and cyber operations skills. As he is transitions from active duty to civilian life, Brandon shares the difficulties that process brings about. Through Skillbridge Fellowship program, Brandon's transition has him sharing his skills with the CyberWire. We thank Brandon for sharing his skills and his story with us.
Matt Stafford, Senior Threat Intelligence Researcher, from Prevailion joins Dave to talk about their work on "Diving Deep into UNC1151’s Infrastructure: Ghostwriter and beyond." Prevailion’s Adversarial Counterintelligence Team (PACT) used advanced infrastructure hunting techniques and Prevailion’s visibility into threat actor infrastructure creation to uncover previously unknown domains associated with UNC1151 and the “Ghostwriter” influence campaign. UNC1151 is likely a state-backed threat actor waging an ongoing and far-reaching influence campaign that has targeted numerous countries across Europe. Their operations typically display messaging in general alignment with the security interests of the Russian Federation; their hallmarks include anti-NATO messaging, intimate knowledge of regional culture and politics, and strategic influence operations (such as hack-and-leak operations used in conjunction with fabricated messaging and/or forged documents). PACT assesses with varying degrees of confidence that there are 81 additional, unreported domains clustered with the activity that FireEye and ThreatConnect detailed in their respective reports. PACT also assesses with High Confidence that UNC1151 has targeted additional European entities outside of the Baltics, Poland, Ukraine and Germany, for which no previous public reporting exists. The research can be found here: Diving Deep into UNC1151’s Infrastructure: Ghostwriter and beyond
Google warns fourteen-thousand Gmail users that Fancy Bear has probably been after their passwords. FIN12, a fast-running ransomware group, is after hospitals’ and healthcare providers’ money. BlackMatter remains active against the agriculture sector. REvil is back and talking on the RAMP forum, but so far it’s getting a chilly reception. Twitch traces its vulnerability to a server misconfiguration. David Dufour from webroot wonders about cracking down on crypto. Our guest is Jeff Dileo of NCC on mastering container security. And Group-IB’s CEO is charged with treason. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/195
Cyberespionage seems undeterred by stern warnings. DDoS hits the Philippine Senate. The US Department of Homeland Security intends to issue cybersecurity regulations for passenger rail and airlines. The US Department of Justice intends to use the False Claims Act to bring civil actions against government contractors who fail to follow “recognized cybersecurity standards.” An update on the Twitch breach. Josh Ray from Accenture looks at what’s going on with Fancy Lazarus. Our guest is Sam Ingalls from eSecurity Planet on the state of Blockchain applications in cybersecurity. And what would it take to get you kids into a nice non-fungible token? For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/194
Twitch is breached. A newly discovered Iranian threat group is described. A Chinese cyberespionage campaign in India proceeds by phishing. SafeMoon alt-coin is trendy phishbait in criminal circles. As the US prepares to convene an anti-ransomware conference, Russian gangs show no signs of slacking off. Betsy Carmelite from BAH on AI/ ML in cyber defensive operations. Our guest is Adam Flatley of Redacted with recommendations from the Ransomware Task Force. And observations on what counts as compromising material. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/193
Facebook restores service after dealing with an accidental BGP configuration issue. There’s now a data auction site for AvosLocker ransomware. Atom Silo ransomware is quiet, patient, and stealthy. The state of investigation into those two guys collared on a ransomware beef in Kyiv last week. Ben Yelin is skeptical of data privacy poll results. Our guest is Microsoft’s Ann Johnson, host of the newest show to join the CyberWire network, Afternoon Cyber Tea. And what would they have thought of the Pandora Papers in Deadwood, back in the day? For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/192
The Pandora Papers leak erstwhile private financial transactions by the rich and well-connected (and it’s 150 mainstream news organizations who cooperated in bringing them to light). Flubot is using itself to scare victims into installing Flubot. Coinbase thieves exploited account recovery systems to obtain 2FA credentials. The US plans to convene an international conference on fighting cybercrime. Conti warns its victims not to talk to reporters. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on modeling cyber risk. Carole Theriault has thoughts on facial recognition software. And a ransomware bust in Ukraine leads us to ask, why Capri Sun. (Think about it, kids.) For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/191
Product Manager in Anti-Fraud Solutions at SpyCloud, Pattie Dillon shares her journey from raising her family to specializing in the anti-fraud space. Upon reentering the workforce, Pattie worked on identity verification and developed a system with privacy concerns in mind. She moved to work in gift cards and was exposed to money laundering. Traveling along the fraud spectrum, Pattie learned about underground data and feels that this data can be leveraged to actually prevent and fight online fraud. Pattie believes if you don't try, you'll never know. We know we appreciate Pattie sharing her story with us.
Moving to the cloud creates a tremendous opportunity to get security right and reduce the risk of data breach. But most cloud security initiatives get underway after services are deployed in the cloud. It’s frustrating when major breaches resulting from basic mistakes, like S3 buckets left unsecured or secrets exposed. Continually checking for risky configurations and unusual behavior in cloud logs is a requirement, but there is an opportunity to be proactive. What if you could configure your security and access controls as you set up cloud infrastructure? The CyberWire's Rick Howard speaks with Hash Table members Kevin Ford of North Dakota State government and Steve Winterfeld of Akamai, as well as sponsor Sysdig's Omer Azaria to discuss how security teams are adopting Infrastructure as Code (IaC) security as part of their overall cloud security strategy to reduce risk.
Dan Petro, Lead Researcher, and Allan Cecil, Security Consultant, from Bishop Fox join Dave to share their research "You're Doing IoT RNG," that they presented at DefCon 29. There’s a crack in the foundation of Internet of Things (IoT) security, one that affects 35 billion devices worldwide. Basically, every IoT device with a hardware random number generator (RNG) contains a serious vulnerability whereby it fails to properly generate random numbers, which undermines security for any upstream use. In order to perform most security-relevant operations, computers need to generate secrets via an RNG. These secrets then form the basis of cryptography, access controls, authentication, and more. The details of exactly how and why these secrets are generated varies for each use. The research can be found here: You're Doing IoT RNG
A malware campaign offers bogus protection against Pegasus surveillance. A new APT, ChamelGang, is found active against targets in at least ten countries. A ransomware gang can’t get its decryptor right. A proof-of-concept shows that charges can be made from a non-contact Visa card in an iPhone wallet. David Dufour from Webroot warns of potential perils in cyber insurance. Our guest is Shamla Naidoo from Netskope with advice for cyber innovators .And ransomware may be responsible for a child’s death in an Alabama hospital. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/190
GriftHorse will subscribe afflicted Android users to premium services they never knew they’d signed up for (and wouldn’t want if they did). Facebook releases a static analysis tool it uses internally to check apps for security issues. Speculation about what put Group-IB’s CEO in hot water with the Kremlin. A look from NSA about where the major nation-state cyberthreats currently stand. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture has thoughts on quantum security. Our guest is author and Wired editor at large Steven Levy joins us with insights on Facebook’s internal research teams. And a short census of ransomware strains. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/189
Distributed denial-of-service attacks have been making a comeback, and many of them represent criminal extortion attempts. A major British payroll provider is recovering from a cyberattack, but it’s not providing much information on the nature of that attack. Russian authorities arrest the founder of Group-IB on treason charges. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on Out of Band Phishing Using SMS messages. Our UK correspondent Carole Theriault wonders how online trolling is still a thing. And NSA and CISA release guidelines on secure use of virtual private networks. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/188
The triumphant homecoming of Huawei’s CFO. Microsoft describes the FoggyWeb backdoor, a significant cyberespionage tool. Kaspersky looks at the BloodyStealer Trojan and finds it especially risky to gamers. A novel approach to distributed denial-of-service. Apple looks into those iPhone zero-days. Joe Carrigan looks at the latest offerings in passwordless authentication. Our guest is Mathieu Gorge of VigiTrust on how law enforcement and executives can work together to fight cyber threats. And a look at doings in cybercrime: the US arrests more than thirty members of the Black Axe gang, a Russian convict is deported back to face Russian justice, and a blockchain maven pleads guilty to helping Pyongyang. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/187
The EU publicly blames Russia for GhostWriter, and counsels Moscow to amend its ways. Finland’s security services warn of foreign cyberespionage and influence threats. Zoombombing at the highest levels in Cambodia. A ransomware operation, “Colossus,” is described. Conti is back, as predicted, and has hit a major European call center. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf on cybersecurity learning standards. Our guest is Otavio Freire from SafeGuard Cyber with insights on how to defend against nation-state actors and zero-day exploits. And Huawei’s CFO is back in China. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/186
Host of the CyberWire Podcast, Dave Bittner, wanted to work with the Muppets, so naturally he landed in cybersecurity. Dave and his Cookie Monster puppet spent much of his childhood putting on shows for his parents friends. During one of those performances, he was discovered and got his start at the local PBS station. A radio, television and film major in college, Dave owned his own company and as the most tech-savvy member of the group, handled that side of things. Dave notes his cybersecurity challenges back then consisted of maybe a corrupt floppy disk. It wasn't until he joined the CyberWIre that cybersecurity became Dave's focus. A former boss showed him how to lead a team and treat everyone with kindness regardless of their role. We thank Dave for sharing his story with us.
The commonly held, idealized picture of technology is that tech makes our lives easier, safer, and better in just about every respect. But an unintended consequence of that picture is an unjustified assumption that companies will sell more products if they serve the public interest, and that may not be so. On the consumer side, personal technology investments are often a race to the price bottom, with little attention paid to the security of the products we buy. Vendors may enjoy less scrutiny and accountability, but that's not necessarily in the consumers' interest. Good things almost always come when technology steps out of the shadows and into the light of the mainstream. It’s time that happened in cybersecurity, where everyone, from suppliers to consumers, has a role to play. In this episode of CyberWire-X, knowledgeable representatives across that spectrum to learn what they have to say about risk, accountability, and, above all, transparency. Guest Dr. Georgianna Shea from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies shares her insights with the CyberWire's Rick Howard, and Sponsor Tanium's CISO for the Americas Chris Hallenbeck joins the CyberWire's Dave Bittner to discuss achievable steps the government, private sector, and the broader public can take to start moving the needle on cybersecurity.
Guest Ariel Zelivansky, Senior Manager of Security Research at Palo Alto Networks, joins Dave to discuss Unit 42's work on the first cross-account container takeover in the public cloud. The Unit 42 Threat Intelligence team has identified the first known vulnerability that could enable one user of a public cloud service to break out of their environment and execute code on environments belonging to other users in the same public cloud service. This unprecedented cross-account takeover affected Microsoft's Azure Container-as-a-Service (CaaS) platform. Researchers named the finding Azurescape because the attack started from a container escape – a technique that enables privilege escalation out of container environments. The research can be found here:
What You Need to Know About Azurescape
Finding Azurescape – Cross-Account Container Takeover in Azure Container Instances
Note: Microsoft is a sponsor of the CyberWire, however, we cover them as we would any other company.
Someone is phishing for Russian rocketeers. The Port of Houston discloses a cyberattack, which the Port says it deflected before it had operational consequences. Ransomware gangs are up and active, and the US is considering mandatory reporting by victims as a defensive policy. Pegasus spyware is said to have been found in the phones of five French government ministers. Johannes Ullrich from the SANS Technology Institute on Attackers Hunting for Environment Variables. Our guest is Graeme Bunton of DNS Abuse Institute. And Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou may soon be headed home from Vancouver. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/185
Ransomware hits a second US Midwestern farm co-op. The US House hears from the FBI that Russia seems not to have modified its toleration of privateering gangs (at least yet). A new APT, “FamousSparrow,” is described. REvil seems to have been--surprise!--cheating its criminal affiliates. Josh Ray from Accenture with an update on the Hades Threat Group. Our guest is Tim Eades of vArmour on the urgent need to update cyber strategies in healthcare. CISA issues a new warning, this one on the Conti ransomware operation. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/184
BlackMatter continues to make a nuisance of itself on a large scale. The US is woofing about taking action against ransomware, and Treasury has sanctioned a rogue cryptocurrency exchange, but some advocate stronger measures. Where did all those Ukrainian cybercriminal chat platforms go? A warning of the “censor mode” in some Chinese manufactured smartphones. Caleb Barlow shares thoughts on CMMC certification. Our guest is Kevin Jones of Virsec with reactions to the White House Cybersecurity Summit. And, hey, no, really, Apple is not celebrating the iPhone 13 by giving away a stash of Bitcoin. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/183
Ransomware hits an Iowa agricultural cooperative, which doesn’t meet, the criminals say, the standard for “critical infrastructure.” US Treasury Department announces steps against ransomware’s economic support system. Did Kaseya get its REvil decryptor from the FBI? Ben Yelin describes a major federal court victory for security researchers. Our guest is Dave Stapleton from CyberGRX on the rise of extortionware. And Europol, along with Spanish and Italian police, take down a Camorra cybercrime ring. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/182
Cyber electioneering, in Hungary and Russia, the latter with some international implications. The Mirai botnet is exploiting the OMIGOD vulnerability. A shipping company deals with data extortion. Government websites have been serving up some oddly adult-themed ads. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture has thoughts on quantum security in the automotive industry. Our guest is Padraic O'Reilly of CyberSaint to discuss concerns about the Defense Industrial Base. And no, there’s no such thing as the Elon Musk Mutual Aid Society. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/181
Executive Security Advisor at IBM Security Limor Kessem says she started her cybersecurity career by pure chance. Limor made a change from her childhood dream of being a doctor and came into cybersecurity with her passion, investment, discipline, and perseverance. Limor talks about how we must tighten our core security and at the same time we allow innovation to help us move forward with the times. She's been fortunate to have been able to stand up for others and has had others support her. She said that is very motivating and has allowed her to really explore every possible thing in her career that she can contribute without limiting herself to a certain role. We thank Limor for sharing her story with us.
Guest Jake Valletta, Director of Professional Services at Mandiant, joins Dave to talk about the critical vulnerability Mandiant disclosed that affects millions of IoT devices. Mandiant disclosed a critical risk vulnerability in coordination with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (“CISA”) that affects millions of IoT devices that use the ThroughTek “Kalay” network. This vulnerability, discovered by researchers on Mandiant’s Red Team in late 2020, would enable adversaries to remotely compromise victim IoT devices, resulting in the ability to listen to live audio, watch real time video data, and compromise device credentials for further attacks based on exposed device functionality. These further attacks could include actions that would allow an adversary to remotely control affected devices. The research can be found here: Mandiant Discloses Critical Vulnerability Affecting Millions of IoT Devices
Patch your Zoho software now--vulnerable instances are being actively exploited. Maximum engagement isn’t necessarily good engagement: the hidden hand of the trolls replaces the invisible hand of the marketplace of ideas. Politics ain’t beanbag, Russian edition. An indictment emerges from the US investigation into possible misconduct during the 2016 elections. The costs of coin-mining. Josh Ray from Accenture on protecting critical infrastructure. Our guest is Tony Pepper from Egress with a look at Insider Data Breaches. And don’t mix investment advice with matters of the heart. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/180
For the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Rick Howard, the Cyberwire’s CSO, Chief Analyst, and Senior Fellow, recounts his experience from inside the Pentagon running the communications systems for the Army Operations Center.
Denial-of-service at a German election agency, as Federal prosecutors investigate GhostWriter. More nation-states get into election meddling. South Africa works to recover from a ransomware attack against government networks. A cryptojacking botnet moves from Linux to Windows. A ransomware gang threatens to burn your data if you bring in third-party help. Ransomware cyberinsurance claims rise. Rick Howard checks in with Tom Ayres from Lead Up Strategies on Cyber Piracy. Caleb Barlow shares insights on CMMC. And it’s a really good week to patch. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/179
That Russian crackdown on ransomware gangs people thought they were seeing? Hasn’t happened, at least according to the FBI. The Cyber Partisans take a virtual whack at President Lukashenka’s government in Belarus. Operation Harvest is complicated and long-running. Phishing with a promise of infrastructure funding. The criminal market for bogus vaccine cards. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on dealing with image uploads - vulnerabilities in conversion libraries. Our UK correspondent Carole Theriault on Deepfakes - what you need to know now. And a deferred prosecution agreement in a “cyber mercenary” case. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/178
Citizen Lab finds, and Apple patches, a zero-day used for zero-click installation of Pegasus spyware. A Cobalt Strike beacon has been turned to cyberespionage use against Linux targets. The Russian government could, it seems, take action against cybercrime, but its will-to-enforcement seems to be inconsistent. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS with more on Apple's CSAM controversy, our guest is Mel Shakir from Dreamit Ventures on selling to CISOs, and their customer sprints. REvil makes nice with grumpy affiliates. And criminals’ commitment to the common good seems weak. That’s not a surprise, is it? For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/177
The Meris botnet continues to disrupt New Zealand banks, and has turned up elsewhere, too. Mustang Panda compromised Indonesian government networks. North Korean operators are using social media to soften up their prospective targets. Al Qaeda sympathizers marked the twentieth anniversary of 9/11 by calling for--what else?--more 9/11s. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture on deep unlearning, our own Rick Howard is in, talking about the latest episode of CSO Perspectives on adversary playbooks, and REvil seems to be back in business after taking what some of its hoods call “a break.” For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/176
Chief Scientist at LivePerson Joe Bradley takes us down his circuitous career journey that led him back to math. Joe had many ambitions from opera singer to middle school teacher, spent some time at two national labs and went back to his first love of math and physics. He notes that many of the most mathematically intuitive people that he's met are people that also have a creative outlet and a lot of times it's music. Adding a business aspect to his technical work, Joe came to his current position. He recommends going deep into your preferred subject and hopes that it helps you to become something different because of all you put into the work. We thank Joe for sharing his story with us.
Guest Jon Hencinski from Expel joins Dave Bittner to discuss his team's recent work on "Expel SOC Stops Ransomware Attack Aimed at WordPress CMS via Drive-By Download Disguised as Google Chrome Update." In July, 2021, Expel's SOC stopped a ransomware attack at a large software and staffing company. The attackers compromised the company’s WordPress CMS and used the SocGholish framework to trigger a drive-by download of a Remote Access Tool (RAT) disguised as a Google Chrome update. In total, four hosts downloaded a malicious Zipped JScript file that was configured to deploy a RAT, but we were able to stop the attack before ransomware deployment and help the organization remediate its WordPress CMS. Jons walk us through what happened, how they caught it, and provide recommendations on how to secure your WordPress CMS. The research can be found here: Expel SOC Stops Ransomware Attack Aimed at WordPress CMS via Drive-By Download Disguised as Google Chrome Update
The SEC’s inquiry into the SolarWinds incident may expose other, unrelated data breaches. Researchers identify an IoT botnet, Meris, as responsible for DDoS attacks against a number of banks. German prosecutors have opened an investigation into the GhostWriter campaign. Researchers look at the cozy, implausibly deniable relationship between Russia’s security services and cyber gangs. A money-launderer gets eleven years. David Dufour from Webroot has straight talk about paying the ransom. Our guest is Jeff Williams from Contrast Security with a look at AppSec Observability. Congratulations to the SINET 16 winners. And we remember 9/11: has it already been twenty years? For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/175
A cyberattack is reported at the UN, with agency data apparently lost to parties and parts unknown. The Bears are quieter, but the privateers are up and at ‘em. DDoS hits Yandex. Cyberespionage using the SideWalk backdoor. TeamTNT is getting tougher to detect. A SWOT analysis of the newly reconstituted AlphaBay contraband market. The Groove Gang is a new age criminal affiliate program. Caleb Barlow describes attackers leveraging US and European infrastructure to hide in plain sight. Our guest is Brad Thies of BARR Advisory on what the next 5 years may have in store for cloud security. And irritate your online chums for just 50 bucks a pop. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/174
BladeHawk cyberespionage campaign in progress. Microsoft warns of targeted attacks in progress. Hey--the hoods took a breather over Labor Day, but the straw hats are off now, and they’re back at work. Someone is rummaging in REvil’s unquiet grave. Bulletproof hosting services and the criminal marketplace. Mike Benjamin from Black Lotus Labs on ReverseRAT 2.0. Rick Howard checks in with Philip Reiner from the Ransomware Taskforce. And does a New Urgent Message Require Action? Maybe not. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/173
No spectacular flurry of Labor Day ransomware, but Ragnar Locker threatens its victims. Berlin complains to Moscow about GhostWriter. Another Pegasus customer is disclosed. The Taliban is searching for data on potential domestic opponents. France-Visas hacked. Modified apps in circulation. Joe Carrigan unpacks a Covid based phishing scam. Carole Theriault weighs in on the ransomware pay-or-do-not-pay discussion. ProtonMail answers a warrant, Apple delays CSAM screening, and an alleged TrickBot coder is arrested. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/172
The idea of operations centers has been around as far back as 5,000 B.C. This show covers the history of how we got from general purpose operations centers to the security operations centers today, the limitations of those centers, and what we need to do as a community make them more useful in our infosec program.
CEO and co-founder of Sternum, Natali Tshuva shares how she took her interest in science and technology and made a career and company out of it. Beginning her computer science undergraduate degree at age 14 through a special program in Israel, Natali says it opened up a new world for her. Her required service in the IDF found Natali as a member of Unit 8200, the Israeli intelligence. In the Israeli corporate space following the IDF, Natali discovered how cybersecurity could actually create impact in the real world environment and found a way to combine her cybersecurity expertise with the passion to impact critical industries like the medical industry. Natali recommends that those entering the field get some hands-on experience and use your unique strengths to find a way to make the world a better place. We thank Natali for sharing her story.
Guest Ben Seri, Armis' VP of Research, joins Dave to talk about a set of remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities in the pneumatic tube system of Swisslog. Nine vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure used by 80% of major hospitals in North America. Swisslog’s Translogic Pneumatic Tube System (PTS), a solution that plays a crucial role in patient care, found vulnerable to devastating attack. Dubbed PwnedPiper, the vulnerabilities allow for complete take over of the Translogic Nexus Control Panel, which powers all current models of Translogic PTS stations. Older IP-connected Translogic stations are also impacted, but are no longer supported by Swisslog. The research can be found here: PwnedPiper
Uncle Sam recommends cyber vigilance during your kinetic relaxation this Labor Day weekend. The ransomware threat to food and agriculture. “Low and slow” fraud from compromised email in-boxes. Israel promises an investigation of cyber export controls. Josh Ray from Accenture Security on giving back to the community and the Jenkins Attack Framework for red teaming. Our guest is Andy Ellis on the transparency in cybersecurity initiative. And NIST has draft consumer IoT guidelines out for comment. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/171
The LockBit gang jumps the gun, and crows a bit higher than the facts seem to warrant. Ghostwriter seems to ride a much bigger infrastructure than previously believed. BrakTooth bugs afflict “billions” of Bluetooth devices. OMG cables include a keylogger that phones home. The EU fines WhatsApp over GDPR violations. Insider threats can be difficult to recognize. David Dufour from Webroot thinks it’s great that you haven’t been breached...yet. Our guest is Mark Nunnikhoven from Lacework with results from their Cloud Threat Report. And an alleged stalkerware vendor is sanctioned by the US Federal Trade Commission. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/170
Ransomware continues to hold pride-of-place in cybercrime. A look inside the mind of cyber gangland, or at least that portion of their mind they’re willing to expose. Business email compromise operators look for communication skills, and the underworld seems to think university students make good money mules. Reports of vulnerabilities in a home security system. When Canberra angered Beijing. Caleb Barlow has thoughts on the FBI response to MS Exchange vulnerabilities. Our guest’s are Peter Singer and Lisa Guernsey on New America's Teaching Cyber Citizenship initiative. And CISA and the FBI advise being alert over Labor Day. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/169
Possible consequences of the Taliban’s seizure of Afghanistan’s APPS data. Another DeFi platform sustains a cryptocurrency theft. How would one handle a hardware backdoor? LockBit begins dumping data stolen from Bangkok Airways. Registration for CISA’s President’s Cup is now open. Joe Carrigan describes the superiority of AI generated phishing emails. Rick Howard speaks with Art Poghosyan from Britive on Software Defined Perimeters. And China moves to keep minors from wasting too much time in online gaming. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/168
Data breach and ransomware affect an airline’s customers. The Phorpiex botnet operators say they’re going out of business, and everything must go. New warrants for the Australian Federal Police in cybercrime cases. US Federal cybersecurity roles and responsibilities. Rick Howard takes on adversary playbooks. Josh Ray from Accenture Security on The Biden Administration's cybersecurity executive order, what it means for product security. And Indiana warns of a COVID-19 contact tracking database exposure. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/167
Chief Technology Officer of ActiveNav Rich Hale takes us through his career aspirations of board game designer (one he has yet to realize), through his experience with the Royal Air Force to the commercial sector where his firm works to secure dark data. During his time in the Air Force, Rich was fortunate to serve on a wide range of different platforms from training aircraft to bombers, and all the way into procurement and policy. Transitioning to the commercial sector, Rich notes he was well prepared for some aspects, but lacking in some he's made up on his own. Rich likes to lead with vision and empower his teams. He counsels that you should not fear making a career change, but be sure to look twice before making the leap. We thank Rich for sharing his story with us.
Guest Deepen Desai, Zscaler's Chief Information Security Officer and VP Security Research & Operations, joins Dave to discuss their ThreatLabz team's research "Joker Joking in Google Play: Joker malware targets Google Play store with new tactics." Joker is one of the most prominent malware families targeting Android devices. Despite public awareness of this particular malware, it keeps finding its way into Google’s official application market by employing changes in its code, execution methods, or payload-retrieving techniques. This spyware is designed to steal SMS messages, contact lists, and device information, and to sign the victim up for premium wireless application protocol (WAP) services. Zscaler’s ThreatLabz research team has been constantly monitoring the Joker malware. Recently, they observed regular uploads of it onto the Google Play store. ThreatLabz notified the Google Android Security team, who have taken prompt action to remove the suspicious apps from the Google Play store. This prompted them to evaluate how Joker is so successful at getting around the Google Play vetting process. The team saw 11 different samples regularly uploaded to Google Play recently clocking 30k installs. The research can be found here: Joker Joking in Google Play: Joker malware targets Google Play store with new tactics
A young man claiming responsibility for the T-Mobile breach talks to the Wall Street Journal. A new cyberespionage group, “SparklingGoblin,” seems particularly interested in educational institutions, especially in Southeast and East Asia. Are governments training AI with stolen data? Mitigations for Microsoft issues. Cellebrite tools may still be available to Chinese police. Kevin Magee from Microsoft wonders if leaders have over pivoted toward technical skill. Our guest is Bill Wright of Splunk on the ongoing geopolitical ransomware trend. And another ransomware gang says it’s going out of business...we’ll wait and see. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/166
Outcomes from the White House industry cybersecurity summit: standards, training, zero-trust, and multifactor authentication. The Cyber Partisans aim at the overthrow of Lukashenka’s rule in Minsk. A role for storytelling in security. Scams, sports, and streaming. Speculation about the ShinyHunters’ next moves. Verizon’s Chris Novak on Reducing false positives in threat intelligence. Bentsi Ben Atar from Sepio Systems on the risks of hardware-based attacks, internal abusers, corporate espionage, and Wi-Fi. And cybercriminals like their VPNs, too. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/165
Politically motivated hacktivism in Belarus. The Taliban’s data grab in Afghanistan. Four rising ransomware operations. Mike Benjamin from Black Lotus Labs on UDP reflectors. Our guest is Chris Grove of Nozomi Networks with insights on OT/IoT Security. And the White House says “concrete announcements” are expected after today’s meetings on cybersecurity with industry leaders, so we’ll be staying tuned. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/164
Guest David Derigiotis, Corporate Senior Vice President at Burns & Wilcox, joins Dave and Ben for an in-depth discussion this episode. Departing from our usual format, we take a closer look at the implications of Apple’s recent announcements that they will be enabling scanning for Child Sexual Abuse Materials, CSAM, on iOS devices. We devote the entire episode to this topic and hope you will join us.
More hacktivism appears to have hit Iran. Misconfigured Power Apps portals expose data on millions. The FBI warns of the activities of a ransomware affiliate gang. Mr. White Hat really does seem to have given back all that stolen alt-coin. Ben Yelin checks in on Apple’s CSAM plans. Our guest is Charles DeBeck from IBM Security on the true cost Cost of a Data Breach. And, finally, dog bites man: criminals cheat other criminals. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/163
The Taliban consolidates control over Afghanistan, and it’s doing so online as well as on the ground. Reports say the US State Department has come under cyberattack; State says that any such incident was without significant effect. The ShinyHunters say they’ve obtained a great deal of PII from AT&T, but AT&T says that, whatever the crooks have, it didn’t come from AT&T. Rick Howard on orchestration. Carole Theriault on women in cybersecurity - are thing getting any better? And exploitation gives organizations even more incentive to patch Microsoft Exchange server instances. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/162
Vice President for Cyber and Information Solutions within Mission Systems at Northrop Grumman, Jennifer Walsmith takes us on her pioneering career journey. Following in her father's footsteps at the National Security Agency, Jennifer began her career out of high school in computer systems analysis. Jennifer notes she saw the value of a college degree and at her parents' urging attended night school. She completed her bachelors in computer science at University of Maryland, Baltimore County with the support of the NSA. Jennifer talks about the support of her team at NSA where she was one of the first women to have a career and a family, raising two children while working. Upon retirement from government service, Jennifer chose an organization with values that closely matched her own and uses her position to help her team define possible where they sometimes think they can't. We thank Jennifer for sharing her story with us.
The recent frequency of ransomware attacks and heightened visibility of supply chain risks has garnered the attention of executive teams and boards of directors for companies of all sizes, across all industries. For CISOs, these recent events have significantly amplified the importance of establishing and maintaining effective relationships and lines of communication with boards of directors. CISOs are now spending more time than ever engaging, reporting, and answering to boards regarding questions around where their organization is on the cyber risk spectrum. For CISOs, this heightened risk environment presents both a challenge and an opportunity. In this episode of CyberWire-X, guest ret. Major General Zan Vautrinot and Sponsor JM Search's Jamey Cummings joins the CyberWire's Rick Howard to discuss how today’s CISOs are challenged to develop an ever-expanding skill set to effectively execute in their role while also satisfying concerns and areas of interest of their board of directors. Jamey will also discuss how the evolving role of the CISO is unlocking opportunities for CISOs to elevate their stature, and can open the door for them to serve in board roles as companies are increasingly prioritizing information security and technology risk management skills for their directors.
Guest Tomislav Peričin, Reversing Labs' Chief Software Architect and Co-Founder, joins Dave to discuss his team's research that addresses the importance of validating third-party software components as a way to manage the risks that they can introduce. Developing software solutions is a complex task requiring a lot of time and resources. In order to accelerate time to market and reduce the cost, software developers create smaller pieces of functional code which can be reused across many projects. The concept of code reuse is one of the cornerstones of modern software engineering and it is universally accepted that everybody should strive towards it. However, in addition to the positives, organizations need to be aware of the security risks introduced by such third-party components. The growing number of cyber incidents that target the software supply chain are focused on high-value target compromises. With the latest surge and public uproar, the US President Biden has issued the Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity in order to create an institutional framework addressing these kinds of security risks. The research can be found here: Third-party code comes with some baggage
Pilferage reported from Liquid Global’s alt-coin warm wallets. CISA offers advice on reducing the risk of ransomware. The FCC is looking into the T-Mobile breach, and Moody’s raises questions about the telco’s risk management. China passes its own version of GDPR. The FTC refiles its monopoly complaint against Facebook. Caleb Barlow on 3rd Party Breach Notifications and finding out if your information is being traded on the dark web. Rick Howard speaks with hash table member Zan Vautrinot about serving on boards. And the FBI warns that insiders can be recruited for industrial espionage. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/161
T-Mobile describes what it intends to do for those who may have been affected by its big data breach. The Taliban is taking care not to get banned from social media. Apple defends its CSAM measures against a technical objection, but advocacy groups see a slippery policy slope. The US FDA warns of vulnerabilities in an OS used by medical devices. A report on a 2020 incident at the US Census Bureau. David Dufour shares a few surprises from Webroot’s 2021 Threat Report. Our guest is Brandon Hoffman from Intel 471 on cybercriminals creating turbulence for the transportation industry. And a Bitcoin tumbler cops a guilty plea. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/160
The Taliban now has, among other things, a lot of biometric devices. T-Mobile concludes that some customer data were compromised in last week’s incident. InkySquid’s in the watering hole. Brazil’s Treasury sustained, and says it contained, a ransomware attack. Siamese Kitten’s social engineering on behalf of Tehran. Sewage systems hacked in rural Maine. Josh Ray from Accenture Security on what nation state adversaries may have learned from observing the events surrounding Colonial pipeline. Our guest Manish Gupta from ShiftLeft looks at issues with the Software Bill of Materials. And an IoT vulnerability is disclosed, and mitigations are recommended. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/159
Al Qaeda online sources cheer the Taliban’s ascendancy. The new rulers of Afghanistan are likely to have acquired a good deal of sensitive data along with political rule and a quantity of US-supplied military equipment. Terrorist watchlist data were found in an exposed server (now taken offline). Connections between gangland and Russian intelligence. T-Mobile was hacked, but it’s unclear what if any data were compromised. Joe Carrigan on FlyTrap Android Malware Compromising Thousands of Facebook Accounts. Our guest is Liam O’Murchu from Symantec on what keeps him up at night. And some personal information was exposed in the Colonial Pipeline incident. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/158
The Taliban has effectively taken control of Afghanistan, and the fall of Kabul is likely to have a quick, near-term effect on all forms of security. The Indra Group’s actions against Iranian interests suggest the potential of non-state, politically motivated actors. Crooks returned almost all the money rifled from DeFi provider Poly Network. A new C2C service tells hoods if their alt-coin is clean. DeepBlueMagic is a new strain of ransomware. Chris Novak of Verizon on advancing incident response. Rick Howard is taking on Orchestration in this week’s CSO Perspectives. And T-Mobile investigates claims of a data breach. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/157
Chief Security Officer, Chief Analyst, and Senior Fellow at the CyberWire, Rick Howard, shares his travels through the cybersecurity job space. The son of a gold miner who began his career out of West Point in the US Army, Rick worked his way up to being the Commander of the Army's Computer Emergency Response Team. Rick moved to the commercial sector working for Bruce Schneier running Counterpane's global SOC. Rick's first CSO job was for Palo Alto Networks where he was afforded the opportunity to create the Cybersecurity Canon Hall of Fame and the Cyber Threat Alliance. Upon considering retirement, Rick called up on the CyberWire to ask about doing a podcast and he was hired on to the team. Rick shares a proud moment through a favorite story. We thank Rick for sharing his story with us.
Guests Will Schroeder and Lee Christensen from SpecterOps join Dave to share the research they recently presented at Black Hat USA on the security of Microsoft's Active Directory Certificate Services. Their abstract: Microsoft’s Active Directory Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) implementation, known as Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS), has largely flown under the radar of both the offensive and defensive communities. AD CS is widely deployed, and provides attackers opportunities for credential theft, machine persistence, domain escalation, and subtle domain persistence. We present relevant background on certificates in Active Directory, detail the abuse of AD CS through certificate theft and active malicious enrollments for user and machine persistence, discuss a set of common misconfigurations that can result in domain escalation, and explain a method for stealing a Certificate Authority’s private key in order to forge new user/machine “golden” certificates. By bringing light to the security implications of AD CS, we hope to raise awareness for both attackers and defenders alike of the security issues surrounding this complex, widely deployed, and often misunderstood system. The blog post and white paper can be found here:
Certified Pre-Owned blog post
Certified Pre-Owned white paper
ReverseRat is back and better, and it’s sniffing at Afghanistan. LockBit wants $50 million from Accenture. When employees leave, do they take your data with them? (Survey, or rather, telemetry, says yes.) Unpatched Apex One instances are under active attack. PrintNightmare continues to resist patching. Google bans SafeGraph. Apple explains what’s up with iCloud privacy. Caleb Barlow wonders if ransomware payments financing criminal infrastructure in Russia. Our guest is Oliver Rochford from Securonix on the notion of cyberwar. And the SynAck ransomware gang rebrands. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/156
More stolen coin is returned in the case of the Poly Network cross-chain hack. Accenture says the incident it sustained had no significant effect, and the LockBit ransomware gang who claimed responsibility release some relatively anodyne files. Home routers are under attack. Crooks are offering what they claim to be Bkav source code for sale on Raidforums. Magniber weaponizes a PrintNightmare flaw. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf shares stats on the state of women in cyber. Our guest is Peter Voss of Aigo.ai on what’s missing in artificial intelligence. Two extradition cases proceed. And the Solarium Commission reports. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/155
Cross-chain attack steals millions in cryptocurrency. LockBit claims to have hit Accenture, but Accenture says with negligible consequences. Emissary Panda flies a false Iranian flag. Ekranoplan posts a key for the REvil strain used against Kaseya. AlphaBay has risen from the grave, sort of. Johannes Ullrich has thoughts on resetting 2FA. Our guest is Idan Plotnik from Apiiro on their win of the 2021 RSAC Innovation Sandbox Contest. And you can’t fool us, you bought-and-paid-for influencers you: no vaccine is going to turn us into monkeys. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/154
RansomEXX threatens to release stolen proprietary data. Some looks at the C2C market, the criminal division of labor, and a splashy carder marketing ploy. Misconfigured Salesforce Communities expose organizational data. Our guest is Ron Brash from Verve International on a CISA advisory regarding GE ICS equipment. Ben Yelin on the proposed U.S. Bureau of Cyber Statistics. Huawei faces sanctions-induced headwinds. Mexico’s investigation of Pegasus abuse continues, but so far without arrests or resignations. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/153
Home router vulnerabilities exploited in the wild. ACSC warns of a spike in LockBit ransomware attacks. The Flytrap Android Trojan is still concealed in malicious apps. An unidentified threat actor has been prospecting SCADA systems in Southeast Asia. Rick Howard checks in with the Hash Table about Backups. Mike Benjamin from Lotus Labs on watering hole attacks. Apple’s new child protection measures attract skepticism from privacy hawks. Wiretaps extended to social media. And using three random words for your password. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/152
Business Information Security Officer at S&P Global Ratings, Alyssa Miller, joins us to talk about her journey to become a champion to create a welcoming nature and acceptance of diversity in the cybersecurity community. Starting her first full-time tech position while still in college, Alyssa noted the culture shock being in both worlds. Entering as a programmer and then moving to pen testing where she got her start in security, Alyssa grew into a leader who is committed to elevating those around her. Some stumbling blocks along the way gave her pause and helped point her in her current role where Alyssa works to bring more diverse views to improve the problem-solving in the space, something she sees as a key to success for the industry. We thank Alyssa for sharing her story with us.
Guest Asheer Malhotra, Threat Researcher of Cisco Talos Intelligence Group, joins Dave to discuss his team's research "InSideCopy: How this APT continues to evolve its arsenal." Cisco Talos has observed an expansion in the activity of SideCopy malware campaigns, targeting entities in India. In the past, the attackers have used malicious LNK files and documents to distribute their staple C#-based RAT. We are calling this malware "CetaRAT." SideCopy also relies heavily on the use of Allakore RAT, a publicly available Delphi-based RAT. Recent activity from the group, however, signals a boost in their development operations. Talos has discovered multiple new RAT families and plugins currently used in SideCopy infection chains. Targeting tactics and themes observed in SideCopy campaigns indicate a high degree of similarity to the Transparent Tribe APT (aka APT36) also targeting India. These include using decoys posing as operational documents belonging to the military and think tanks and honeytrap-based infections. The research can be found here:
InSideCopy: How this APT continues to evolve its arsenal blog post
InSideCopy: How this APT continues to evolve its arsenal report
Smishing campaigns are seeking to exploit the unemployed. Initial access brokers seem not to have missed a beat, although some gangs are seeking to bypass them by trolling for rogue insiders. Are criminal enterprises vulnerable on the gig economy front? Criminal affiliates are disgruntled--good. Clearly, healthcare isn’t off the target list. Thomas Etheridge from CrowdStrike on eCrime Extortion. Chris Jacobs from ThreatQuotient joins us with a look back at BlackHat. Anup Gosh from Fidelis Cybersecurity, with insights on active defense. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/151
CISA announces a new public-private cybersecurity initiative. Prometheus TDS and Prophet Spider take their places in the C2C market. The money points to BlackMatter being a rebranded DarkSide. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on Divergent trends of federal data privacy laws and government surveillance. Tonia Dudley from CoFense checks in from the BlackHat show floor. Our guest is Simon Maple from Snyk with a look at Cloud Native Application Security. And where some see naiveté, others see cautious optimism about putting fear in the hearts of ransomware gangs. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/150
APT31 casts its net into some waters that aren’t yet phished out. Vulnerabilities in the NicheStack TCP/IP stack are reported. LemonDuck may be outgrowing its beginnings as a cryptojacking botnet. A large marketing database is found exposed. NSA and CISA offer advice on securing Kubernetes clusters. Adam Darrah from ZeroFox checks in from the floor at BlackHat. Our guests are Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla from Microsoft’s Security Unlocked podcast. David Dufour from Webroot on the hidden costs of ransomware. And Huawei’s CFO returns to court as her extradition hearings enter their endgame. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/149
An apparent ransomware attack hits Italy’s online vaccine-scheduling service. A Chinese cyberespionage campaign hits Southeast Asian telcos enroute to high-value targets. Some strategic context for Beijing’s espionage. FatalRAT is spreading by Telegram. Crafty phishing spoofs SharePoint. Joe Carrigan has thoughts on HP's latest Threat Insights Report. Our guest is Marc Gaffan of Hysolate who reveals the “Enterprise Security Paradox”. Plus, Conversations with BlackMatter, and a look at the inside of ransomware negotiations. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/148
SVR may have compromised twenty-seven US Attorneys’ offices. Ransomware disruptions of a physical supply chain continue as South African ports reopen. EA hackers give up, and dump the source code they stole. Double extortion may not be paying off. A look at initial access brokers. Operation Top Dog yields indictments in an international fraud case. Rick Howard tackles enterprise backup strategies. Kevin Magee from Microsoft with lessons learned hiring multiple team members during COVID. And a decryptor for Prometheus ransomware is released. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/147
President Biden's Cyber Executive Order includes provision for a software bill of materials in government contracts. It's a critical and necessary first measure for protecting the software supply chain. To defend against cyber attacks like the ones that affected SolarWinds and Colonial Pipeline, organizations also need transparency about the way the software in their supply chain behaves–how, and with whom, that software engages in and outside of their networks. In this episode of CyberWire-X, we explore how behavior transparency can give organizations an advantage by distinguishing between expected noise and indications of compromise..Guest and CyberWire Podcast Partner Caleb Barlow shares his insights with the CyberWire's Rick Howard, and Ben Higgins and Ted Driggs from sponsor ExtraHop offer their thoughts to the CyberWire's Dave Bittner.
Historian and Curator at the International Spy Museum. Dr. Andrew Hammond, shares how he came to share the history of espionage and intelligence as a career. Starting out in the Royal Air Force when 9/11 happened, Andrew found himself trying to understand what was going on in the world. Studying history and international relations gave him some perspective and led him on his career path which included an introduction to museum industry at the 9/11 Museum. After a stint in academia in the UK, Andrew found his way back to the US and eventually ended up at the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. He said one of the "greatest parts of the job being able to engage with the artifacts" and share their stories. We thank Andrew for sharing his story with us.
Guest Charity Wright, Cyber Threat Intelligence Expert in Recorded Future's Insikt Group, joins Dave to discuss her research "China’s Digital Colonialism: Espionage and Repression Along the Digital Silk Road". Through the Digital Silk Road Initiative (DSR), announced in 2015, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is building an expansive global data infrastructure and exporting surveillance technologies to dictators and illiberal regimes throughout the developing world, in some cases trading technology for access to sensitive user data and facial recognition intelligence. Domestically, China uses this type of technology to assert authority over its citizens, censor the media, quell protests, and systematically oppress religious minorities. Now, over 80 countries are enabled to do the same with Chinese surveillance technology. The research can be found here: China’s Digital Colonialism: Espionage and Repression Along the Digital Silk Road
Cozy Bear’s active command-and-control servers are found, and people conclude that Moscow’s not too worried about American retaliation after all. Spyware found in an app for companies doing business in China. What to make (and not make) of the Iranian documents Sky News received. Phishing with Crimean bait. HTML smuggling may be enjoying a moderate surge. DoppelPaymer rebrands. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on growing the next-gen of cyber. Our guest is Jamil Jaffer from IronNet Cybersecurity protecting the BlackHat Network Operations Center. And good news--that blackmailing bot really doesn’t know what you did this summer. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/146
Advice on WiFi security from NSA. South African ports are recovering from their ransomware attack. The attack on Iranian railroads was a wiper, of unknown origin and uncertain purpose. Developments in the criminal-to-criminal market. Israel undertakes an investigation of NSO Group. Josh Ray from Accenture Security on the road back to the office. Our guest is Duncan Godfrey from Auth0 with insights on managing digital identities. And a bad password is revealed on an open mic during an Olympic broadcast. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/145
US formally establishes its Industrial Control System Cybersecurity Initiative. Shooting wars in cyberspace. Developments in the ransomware criminal souks. This week’s iOS update may have closed the vulnerability exploited by NSO Group’s Pegasus intercept tool. The US, UK, and Australia issue a joint advisory on the most exploited vulnerabilities. Abkhazia’s crackdown on coinminers. Joe Carrigan looks at the Mespinoza ransomware gang. And meet Marcy Flores, the Robin Sage of Liverpool aerobics. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/144
Transnet declares force majeure over cyberattack on South African port management. The IRGC apparently is Googling a bunch of stuff about gas stations and merchant ships. Kaseya’s denial of paying ransom has legs. Criminal coders like obscure languages. The AvosLocker gang is looking for pentesters, access brokers, and affiliates. The US and China hold “frank and open” conversations about, among other things, cyber tensions. Ben Yelin explains the tech implications of President Biden's recent executive order. Our guest is Eve Maler from ForgeRock on their 3rd annual Breach Report. And, hey NSA, what did you have for lunch today? For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/143
Kaseya isn’t saying where it got its REvil decryptor. Transportation services disrupted at two major South African ports by an unspecified cyber incident. Another company is mentioned as an alleged source of abused intercept tools as the controversy over NSO Group’s Pegasus software continues. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on supply chains, development tools and insecure libraries. Our own Rick Howard looks at enterprise encryption. And a guilty plea gets a swatter five years: he got off easy. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/142
Chief Product Officer at Cybint Solutions, Ingrid Toppelberg, shares her journey from consulting to bootcamp coach and cybersecurity education. As a young girl, Ingrid wanted to do everything from being a teacher to the head of the World Bank. After consulting for several years, Ingrid found cybersecurity. What she found fascinating about the cyber world is how important it is for absolutely everyone at all levels to know about cybersecurity. Ingrid also develops and conducts bootcamps to reskill displaced people into cybersecurity. Ingrid says to those interested in cyber, "just do it. We need different kinds of minds in cyber keeping us safe." We thank Ingrid for sharing her story with us.
With the recent onslaught of ransomware attacks across healthcare institutions, critical infrastructure, and the public sector, it's clear that ransomware isn’t going anywhere. But given how common ransomware attacks have become, how is it that we've been unable to put a stop to them? Companies often overlook the role that hardware security plays in meeting this challenge, and that oversight has become a bad actor's dream. Michael Nordquist speaks about the recent surge in ransomware attacks, and how strong hardware security, combined with software security and personnel security awareness, can be the answer to the industry’s prayers. In this episode of CyberWire-X, guest Steve Winterfeld from Akamai shares his insights with the CyberWire's Rick Howard, and Michael Nordquist of sponsor Intel offers his thoughts to the CyberWire's Dave Bittner.
Guest Christopher Budd, Senior Global Threat Communications Manager at Avast, joins Dave to talk about some research his team did when they looked into a Reddit report saying their Avast folder was empty and other reports like it. The team found a new malware they’re calling “Crackonosh” in part because of some possible indications that the malware author may be Czech. Crackonosh is distributed along with illegal, cracked copies of popular software and searches for and disables many popular antivirus programs as part of its anti-detection and anti-forensics tactics. The research can be found here: Crackonosh: A New Malware Distributed in Cracked Software
The Olympics are underway, and the authorities are on the alert for cyberattacks. Kaseya has a decryptor for the REvil ransomware, but it hasn’t said how it got the key. NSO Group says it’s not responsible for customer misuse of its Pegasus intercept tool. US policy toward Chinese cyber activities shows continuity, with some diplomatic intensification, but hawks would like to see more action. Our guest Jack Williams from Hexagon joins Dave to discuss the promises and challenges of smart cities. Podcast partner Chris Novak of Verizon talks about advancing incident response. And Dutch police make arrests in their investigation of the Fraud Family. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/141
It’s extortion after all at Saudi Aramco. Controversy and investigation over alleged misuse of NSO Group’s Pegasus intercept tool continues. Warning of Chinese espionage from ANSSI, and China’s denunciation of all this kind of “baseless slander.” Phishing in Milanote. FIN7 resurfaces after the conviction of some key members. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf on the importance of identity management. Our guest Jenn Donahue shares key strategies for mentoring and supporting female engineers, scientists, and leaders of the future. And IBM sifts through the ashes of a ransomware gang for a look at the business of crime. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/140
CISA warns of threats to industrial control systems, profusely illustrated with examples from recent history. Ransomware can be operated either in the course of privateering or as an APT side hustle. Security firms outline new and evolving threats and vulnerabilities. Reaction continues to the Pegasus Project’s reports on intercept tools. Joe Carrigan unpacks recent Facebook revelations and allegations. Our guest is Dave Humphrey from Bain Capital on his tech investment bets and predictions. And do you know what “military grade” means? Neither do we, but we think we have an idea. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/139
The US says China contracted with criminals to carry out cyberespionage campaigns. Norway says China was behind an attack on its parliamentary email system. China denounces accusations of cyberespionage as slander, and says it’s the real victim, because the CIA is the one stealing IP from China. AWS expels NSO Group from its CloudFront CDM. NSO denies it permits its intercept tools to be abused. Saudi Aramco sustains a data breach. Ben Yelin describes calls for bans on government use of facial recognition software. Our guest is Tom Kellermann from VMware on the potential cybersecurity threats facing the Olympic Games. And an MSP struggles with ransomware. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/138
Allied governments formally attribute exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server to China’s Ministry of State Security. A US Federal indictment names four MSS officers in conjunction with another, long-running cyberespionage campaign. The US Department of Commerce adds six Russian organizations to the Entities List. The Pegasus Project outlines alleged abuse of NSO Group’s intercept tool. Thomas Etheridge from CrowdStrike on the importance of real-time response, continuous monitoring and remediation. Our guest is Neha Joshi from Accenture on solving the cybersecurity staffing gap and how to stand up a successful, diverse security team. And there’s hacktivism in Southeast Asia. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/137
CEO of ActiveNav, Peter Baumann, takes us on his career journey from minor home electrical experiments to the business of data discovery. He began his career as an electrical engineer, but felt an entrepreneurial spirit was part of his makeup. Following his return to college to study business and finance, Peter talks about being set on the path to shine the light on the data to provide discovery capability. To those interested in the field, he suggests having a broad familiarity of different approaches. We thank Peter for sharing his story with us.
Guest Nathan Howe, Vice President of Emerging Technology at Zscaler, joins Dave to discuss his team's work, "2021 “Exposed” Report Reveals Corporate and Cloud Infrastructures More at Risk Than Ever From Expanded Attack Surfaces." The modern workforce has resulted in an increase of users, devices, and applications existing outside of controlled networks, including corporate networks, the business emphasis on the “network” has decreased and the reliance on the internet as the connective tissue for businesses has increased. Zscaler analyzes the attack surface of 1,500 organizations and identifies trends affecting businesses of all sizes and industries, across all geographies. Key findings include:
The attack surface impact based on company size
The countries with the greatest attack surface
The industries that are most exposed
The research can be found here: “Exposed”: The world’s first report to reveal how exposed corporate networks really are.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense says its website sustained a distributed denial-of-service attack this morning. Facebook disrupts a complex Iranian catphishing operation aimed at military personnel and employees of defense and aerospace companies. Microsoft and Citizen Lab describe the recent operations of an Israeli intercept tool vendor. The US shows no signs of relenting on Huawei. Johannes Ullrich from the SANS technology institute has been Hunting Phishing Sites with Shodan. Our guest is Rick Van Galen from 1Password with insights from their Hiding in Plain Sight report. And there’s nothing new on the REvil front--the gang is as much in the wind as it was early this week. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/136
A Chinese APT is active against targets in Myanmar and, especially, the Philippines. Cyberespionage campaigns suggest that there’s a thriving market for zero-days. MI5 warns against spying, disinformation, and radicalization. REvil continues to lie low (and the Kremlin hasn’t seen anything). CISA offers ransomware mitigation advice. Bogus Coinbase sites steal credentials. Ransomware attacks on old SonicWall products expected. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University looks at Getting into the industry, and whether a degree is worth it. Our guest is Kurtis Minder from GroupSense, tracking 3 divergent ransomware trends. And Rewards for Justice offers a million dollars for tips on cyberattacks. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/135
SolarWinds patches a zero-day exploited by a Chinese threat group. Patch Tuesday notes. What’s up with REvil: takedown, retirement, rebranding, or glitch? (Don’t bet against rebranding.) Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on cell phone carriers sneaking us ads via SMS. Our guest is Nicko van Someren of Absolute Software with a look at endpoint risk. And bots like futbol. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/134
SolarWinds addresses a zero-day that was exploited in the wild. A watering hole campaign lures users of online gaming sites. Inauthentic accounts (now suspended) get a blue check mark. Trickbot is back, with new capabilities. The DarkSide hits fashion retailer Guess. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture on Remediation of Vulnerabilities using AI. Our guest is Jeff Williams from Contrast Security with a look at Application Security in Financial Services. And some updates on Kaseya, its customers, and the current state of REvil. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/133
Kaseya has patched the VSA on-premises and SaaS versions affected by REvil ransomware. The US tries some straight talk about privateering with Russia, but with what effect remains to be seen. Russia’s autarkic Internet poses some challenges for international security. Iranian rail and government sites were hit with a cyber incident over the weekend. Ukraine says Russian threat actors defaced its Naval website. Carole Theriault looks at ethics in phishing simulations. Josh Ray from Accenture tracks real world incident response trends. And tracking just how much the ransomware gangs are taking in. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/132
Cloud attacks have become so widespread that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has warned against an increase of nation states, criminal groups and hacktivists targeting cloud-based enterprise resources. APTs such as Pacha Group, Rocke Group and TeamTNT have been rapidly modifying their existing tools to target Linux servers in the cloud. Modifying their existing code to create new malware variants which are easily bypassing traditional security solutions. The solution? In order to detect and respond to these attacks security teams need visibility into what code is running on their systems. In this episode of CyberWire-X, guest Jonas Walker from Fortinet shares his insights with the CyberWire's Rick Howard, and Ell Marquez of sponsor Intezer offers her thoughts to the CyberWire's Dave Bittner.
Senior Threat Analyst and Shift Lead for VMware Taree Reardon shares her journey to becoming leader for women in the cybersecurity field. A big gamer who has always been interested in hacking and forensics, Taree found her passion while learning about cybersecurity. She's dedicated to diversity and inclusion and found her footing on a team made up of 50% women. Taree spends her days tracking and blocking attacks and as a champion for women. Trusting yourself is top on her list of advice. We thank Taree for sharing her story.
Guest Daniel Kats, Senior Principal Research Engineer at NortonLifeLock, joins Dave to discuss his team's work, "Encrypted Chat Apps Doubling as Illegal Marketplaces." Encrypted chat apps are gaining popularity worldwide due to their central premise of not sending user data to tech giants. Some popular examples include WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal. These apps have also been adopted by businesses to securely communicate directly to their users. Additionally, these apps have been instrumental to subverting authoritarian regimes. However, NortonLifeLock found that encrypted chat apps are also being used by criminals to sell illegal goods. Because content moderation is, by design, nearly impossible on these apps, they allow for an easy vector for dealers of illicit goods to communicate directly to customers without fear of law enforcement involvement. The research can be found here: Encrypted Chat Apps Doubling as Illegal Marketplaces
Kaseya continues to work through remediation of the VSA vulnerability exploited by REvil, with completion expected Sunday afternoon. And while REvil has made a nuisance of itself, this time they may not have seen a big payday, or at least not yet. The US is still considering its retaliatory and other options in the big ransomware case. China’s MSS is active against targets in Asia. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos looks at Government access to data analysis. Our guest is Leon Gilbert from Unisys with data from their Digital Workplace Insights report. And scammers are baiting their hooks with Black Widow lures. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/131
Ukrainian government websites may have come under an unspecified cyberattack early this week. Kaseya delays its VSA patch until Sunday, and offers assistance to victims of VSA exploitation by REvil. The US continues to mull its response to Russia over REvil and Cozy Bear. A small electric utility’s business systems go offline after a ransomware attack. Microsoft continues to grapple with PrintNightmare. Caleb Barlow from CynergisTek on the changing Cyber Insurance landscape. Our guest is Kwame Yamgnane from Qwasar on how he seeks to inspire minority kids to code. And the US will try again to get Julian Assange extradited. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/130
Kaseya continues to work on patching its VSA products. The US mulls retaliation for the Kaseya ransomware campaign, as well as for Cozy Bear’s attempt on the Republican National Committee and Fancy Bear’s brute-forcing efforts. (Russia denies any wrongdoing.) Current events phishbait. Microsoft patches PrintNightmare. Joe Carrigan looks at recent updates to Google’s Scorecards tool. Our guest Umesh Sachdev of Uniphore describes his entrepreneurial journey. And the Lazarus Group is back, phishing for defense workers. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/129
Updates on the Kaseya ransomware incident, as REvil strikes again. Concerns about other ransomware attacks against industrial targets rise. Google expels credential-stealing apps from the Play Store. Online gamers draw various threat actors. Carole Theriault examines the elements that could put you in the crosshairs for ransomware. Ben Yelin has an update on the Facebook antitrust case. And the Tokyo Olympic Games will be on alert for cyberattacks. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/128
Senior technical project manager Dwayne Price takes us on his career journey from databases to project management. Always fascinated with technology and one who appreciates the aspects of the business side of a computer implementations, Dwayne attended UMBC for both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in information systems management. A strong Unix administration background prepared him to understand the relationship between Unix administration and database security. He recommends those interested in cybersecurity check out the NICE Framework as it speaks to all the various different types of roles in cybersecurity, Dwayne prides himself on his communication skills and openness. We thank Dwayne for sharing his story with us.
Guest Tom Roter from Minera Labs joins Dave to discuss his team research: "Rigging a Windows Installation." It is common knowledge that pirated software might contain malware, yet millions still put themselves and their devices at risk and download from dubious sources. It is even more surprising to see the popularity of torrented operating system installations, which are ranked at the top of most torrent tracker ranking lists. Today we will prove conventional wisdom right and show off a devious, yet clever attack chain employed by an infected Windows 10 image, frequently shared and downloaded by tens of thousands of users. Over the last year, numerous malicious PowerShell events popped up in our telemetry. The events caught our attention because a payload was being downloaded into the “C:\Windows” directory, which is usually well guarded under NTFS permissions, this implies that the attacker had very high privilege on the compromised system. The research can be found here: Rigging a Windows installation
Mitigations for the PrintNightmare vulnerability are suggested. Wizard Spider has a new strain of ransomware in its toolkit. A new RagnarLocker strain is in circulation. NETGEAR patches router firmware. Russia reacts to US and US reports of a GRU brute-forcing campaign: Moscow says it didn’t do it. Kevin Magee from Microsoft shares some of the tools he uses to keep himself and his team up to date. Our guest is Andrew Patel from F-Secure on how to prepare security teams for AI-powered malware. And a quick look at the true costs of cybercrime. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/127
US and British authorities warn of a large-scale GRU campaign aimed at brute-forcing its way into European and American organizations. Reports of a major cyberattack on German critical infrastructure appear very much exaggerated. IndigoZebra uses Dropbox in ministry-to-ministry deception aimed at the Afghan government. Currently active ransomware groups are profiled, and REvil is now going after Linux systems in addition to Windows machines. A cyber most-wanted, and priorities in a US Treasury campaign against money laundering. Malek Ben Salem looks at supply chain security. Our guest is Brandon Hoffman of Intel471 with insights on China’s data underground. And, hey, it’s Dmitri from Yurga, long-time listener, first-time caller. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/126
A report on threats to industrial control systems is out, and it focuses on ransomware, coinjacking, and legacy malware. EternalBlue remains a problem. The US is preparing a formal attribution in the case of the Microsoft Exchange Server campaign. An international police operation has taken down DoubleVPN, and the authorities seem pretty pleased with their work. Joe Carrigan examines vulnerabilities in systems from Dell. Our guest is Vikram Thakur from Symantec on Multi-Factor Authentication evasion. And the guy who allegedly provided the Gozi banking malware with its bulletproof hosting has been collared in Bogota. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/125
Legitimate tools are abused as commodity initial access payloads. Hades ransomware is circulating in some new sectors. Criminal markets are sharing more features with legitimate markets, including advertising, recruiting, and even funding rounds. Cybercrime uses cryptocurrency, but the key to success may be location more than technology. Ben Yelin describes insurance companies collaborating on cyber breach data collection. Our guest is Michael Osborn from Moody's on a recent rash of cyber attacks hitting higher education. And Denmark’s central bank is reported to have been a victim of the SolarWinds compromise. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/124
The SVR’s Nobelium appears to be back, this time with a less-than-fully successful cyberespionage campaign. The Netfilter driver is assessed as malware. Idle hands seem to make for more attacks against online gaming. Mercedes-Benz USA reports a data exposure incident. CISA starts to keep track of bad practices. The International Institute for Strategic Studies publishes a net assessment of national cyber power. Carole Theriault looks at the security implications of frictionless online commerce. Our guest is Clar Rosso from (ISC)2 with insights on Building Resilient Cybersecurity Teams. And Loki is a trickster, and his name is a lousy password. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/123
There’s truth in the sentiment, “teamwork makes the dream work.” When team members don’t feel included or heard in their environment, they’re not going to do their best work, so it’s up to managers, supervisors, and even global security directors to foster a workplace and culture that doesn’t allow anyone to be silenced. On this episode, Microsoft’s CISO, Bret Arsenault, sits with his friend and peer, Emma Smith, Director of Global Cybersecurity for Vodafone. Throughout the conversation, they discuss returning to in-person work after over a year of being remote and some of the inherent difficulties that come with the change, especially as they relate to inclusivity.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
How focusing on digital society, inclusion for all, and the planet allows for practical actions.
Why 5G is so important for a hybrid workforce.
Why Emma and Bret support eliminating passwords.
Some Questions We Ask:
How does Emma look at inclusion initiatives from an industry perspective?
What is ‘withstander’ training and why is it crucial for effective leadership?
What are Emma’s three points of wisdom for security practitioners?
Subscribe: https://SecurityUnlockedCISOSeries.com
Resources: Emma Smith’s LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-smith-0388aa4b/ Brett Arsenault’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bret-arsenault-97593b60/
Related: Security Unlocked: The Microsoft Security Podcast https://SecurityUnlockedPodcast.com
Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Senior Program Manager for Governance, Risk and Compliance at Illumio, Maria Thompson-Saeb shares experiences that led to her career in cybersecurity. Interested in computers and not a fan of math, Maria opted for information systems management rather than computer science. She started her career as a government contractor. Once in the private sector, Maria moved into the Unix and Linux environments where she says "something that would totally change everything." She gained an interest in security and took it upon herself to train up and move into that realm. Maria notes it was not without roadblocks, but that being flexible helped her address those challenges and make her career in security happen. We thank Maria for sharing her story.
Guest Yonatan Striem-Amit joins Dave to talk about Cybereason's research "Prometei Botnet Exploiting Microsoft Exchange Vulnerabilities." The Cybereason Nocturnus Team responded to several incident response (IR) cases involving infections of the Prometei Botnet against companies in North America, observing that the attackers exploited recently published Microsoft Exchange vulnerabilities (CVE-2021-27065 and CVE-2021-26858) in order to penetrate the network and install malware. Yonatan shares his team's findings of the investigation of the attacks, including the initial foothold sequence of the attackers, the functionality of the different components of the malware, the threat actors’ origin and the bot’s infrastructure. The research can be found here: Prometei Botnet Exploiting Microsoft Exchange Vulnerabilities
REvil hits a Brazilian medical diagnostics company and a British fashion retailer. A misconfigured cloud database exposes millions of WordPress user records. A new cryptojacker is deploying XMrig to mine Monero. A judgment is issued against a hacker and one of the traders he worked with to trade securities on non-public information. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on server site request forgery and errors in validating IP addresses. Our guest is Tom Patterson from Unisys reacts to the DOJ launching a ransomware taskforce. A FIN7 operator is sentenced to seven years. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/122
The ChaChi Trojan is out, about, and interested in educational institutions. Bogus free subscription cancellations figure in a social engineering campaign designed to get the victims to download BazarLoader. Ursnif is automating fraudulent bank transfers with Cerberus Android malware. The US Senate invites the Department of Defense to think of ransomware as analogous to piracy, and Defense says it’s thinking along those lines. And rest in peace, John McAfee. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/121
ReverseRat looks like a state-run espionage tool active in South and Central Asia. The US Justice Department seizes thirty-three sites run by media aligned with the Iranian government. Poland offers more clarity on a cyberespionage campaign it attributes to Russia. An intercept and inspection company’s executives are indicted for complicity with torture. NSA opens a Cybersecurity Collaboration Center for industry. Joe Carrigan examines Apple’s push to replace passwords. Our guest is Shehzad Merchant of Gigamon with a breakdown on security guidelines for hybrid cloud programs. And the FSB says it hopes for “reciprocity.” For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/120
Malicious Google ads for Signal and Telegram are being used to lure the unwary into downloading an info-stealer. LV ransomware looks like repurposed REvil. A study of the US Defense Industrial Base finds that many smaller firms, particularly ones that specialize in research and development, are vulnerable to ransomware attacks. Rick Howard ponders how we categorize state sponsored cybercrime. Our guest is Sudheer Koneru from Zenoti on how data privacy impacts salons and spas. And it’s high noon in the Black Sea. Do you know where your warships are? For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/119
The South Korean nuclear research organization sustained an apparent cyberespionage incident. Norway’s investigation of its 2018 breach of government networks concludes that China’s APT31 was behind it. Poland accuses Russia in a long-running email hacking case. Our guest is Mark Testoni from SAP NS2 on where the Justice Department should focus during its upcoming cyber review. Chris Novak of Verizon on financial vs. espionage breaches. NATO seeks to clarify its policies in cyberspace, including a recommitment to Article 5 and a revision of the Tallinn Manual. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/118
CEO and co-founder of Orca Security Avi Shua shares his thoughts on ways to succeed in cybersecurity. Avi's excitement about cybersecurity began when he was 13 as he tried to think of ways to get around the school's network security. He joined the Israeli Army's Intelligence Unit 8200 and experienced some unique cybersecurity training programs that he would eventually come to teach. Learning to solve problems on your own is a skill Avi acquired and took into his professional career. In his current position, Avi works to advance Orca's mission. He loves that his company works to reduce friction and enables security people to do their jobs. Instead of becoming of plumbers connecting things, Avi says they can do their job and become real security practitioners. We thank Avi for sharing his story with us.
Guests Gage Mele and Yury Polozov join Dave to talk about Anomali's research "Primitive Bear (Gamaredon) Targets Ukraine with Timely Themes." Anomali Threat Research identified malicious samples that align with the Russia-sponsored cyberespionage group Primitive Bear’s (Gamaredon, Winterflounder) tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). Primitive Bear, known primarily to focus on Ukraine, has been very active in 2021. However, the themes of the samples Anomali found, as well as those shared by the security community, could also be used to target multiple former Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) countries. Anomali Threat Research found malicious .docx files being distributed by Primitive Bear, likely through spearphishing, that attempted to download remote template .dot files through template injection. The research can be found here: Primitive Bear (Gamaredon) Targets Ukraine with Timely Themes
Phishing, with a bogus hardware wallet as bait. Empty threats from a DarkSide impersonator. Cyber vigilantes may be distributing anti-piracy malware. Data security incidents at a cruise line and a US grocery chain. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture looks at optimizing security scanning. Our guest is Edward Roberts of Imperva on their 2021 Bad Bots Report. And a conviction for a crypter, with sentencing to follow. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/117
The US-Russian summit took up cyber conflict, cyber privateering, and cyber deterrence, ending with the prospect of further discussions. Ferocious Kitten’s domestic surveillance. Ransomware gangs are using a lot of initial access brokers. The Molerats are back. Troubleshooting a wave of intermittent Internet interruptions. NSA offers advice on securing business communication tools. Ukrainian police arrest six alleged Clop gangsters. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on bringing the private sector back into the defense equation. Our guest is Charles Herring of WitFoo, with the case for cybersecurity as an extension of law enforcement. Nine alleged ransomware hoods collared in Seoul. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/116
Southwest flights are back in the air after an IT issue disrupted them yesterday. Paradise ransomware source code has been leaked online. Some networked camera feeds may be accessible to unauthorized viewers. TSA is preparing a second, more prescriptive pipeline cybersecurity directive. The Russo-US summit is underway. Our guest is Jay Paz from Cobalt on bad actors targeting hackers. Joe Carrigan looks at malware hosted on Steam. And the “face of Anonymous” has been extradited from Mexico to the US. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/115
Microsoft disrupts a major BEC campaign. The scope of cyberespionage undertaken via exploitation of vulnerable Pulse Secure instances seems wider than previously believed. Secureworks offers an account of Hades ransomware, and differs with others on attribution. Final notes during the run-up to tomorrow’s US-Russia summit, where cyber will figure prominently. Helping employees stay secure. Carole Theriault wonders if the internet of things is becoming the internet of everything. Ben Yelin weighs in on the Supreme Court’s ruling affecting the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. And Reality Winner has been released to a halfway house. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/114
Volkswagen warns North American customers of a third-party data breach. An “anti-monopoly agenda” advances in the US House Judiciary Committee. Speculation about how the FBI recovered ransom from DarkSide. How EA was hacked. Is Avaddon going out of business? Craig Williams from Cisco Talos explains why they’re calling some cyber criminals “privateers”. Rick Howard shares thoughts on professional development. And a strange case of a gamekeeper turned poacher (allegedly). For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/113
Principal Research Scientist for Human Behavior at Forcepoint, Margaret Cunningham shares her story of how she landed in cybersecurity. With a background in psychology and counseling and not feeling that one-on-one counseling was her thing, Margaret had a transformational moment in her PhD program in applied experimental technology when she realized she could "provide helping services and good work services at a broader scale." Margaret found her professional footing at DHS's Human Systems Integration Branch of Science and Technology Department as the person who figured out how to measure how new technologies impacted human performance. Margaret points out that making connections and reading whatever you can is important to stay up to date in the field. She notes that her statistical analysis skills are an asset. She hopes to create champions in human behavior and performance in the world of technology. We thank Margaret for sharing her story with us.
Guest Adam Tagert is a Science of Security (SoS) Researcher in the National Security Agency Research Directorate. The National Security Agency (NSA) sponsors the Science of Security (SoS) Initiative for the promotion of a foundational cybersecurity science that is needed to mature the cybersecurity discipline and to underpin advances in cyberdefense. Adam works in all aspects of SoS particularly in the promotion of collaboration and use of foundational cybersecurity research. He promotes rigorous research methods by leading the Annual Best Scientific Cybersecurity Paper Competition. Adam joins Dave Bittner to discuss the NSA's SoS Initiative and their Science of Security and Privacy 2021 Annual Report. Information on the SoS Initiative and the report can be found here:
Science of Security
Science of Security and Privacy 2021 Annual Report
Diplomatic Backdoor afflicts Africa, Europe, and Southwest Asia. Electronic Arts source code stolen. “Fancy Lazarus” is back: despite the name, it’s an extortion gang, not an espionage service. An international law enforcement action takes down a credential market. Making good data available for AI research. There’s a growing appetite for cyber regulation in Washington. Thomas Etheridge from CrowdStrike looks at protecting cloud data, and Matt Chiodi of Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 has highlights from their Cloud Threat report. And hold that side order of fries - a McBreach is disclosed. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/112
JBS discloses that it paid REvil roughly eleven-million dollars in ransom. REvil not only had a good haul, but the gang made a few points about its brand, too. Colonial Pipeline explains, and defends, its decision to pay ransom. The US Congress has a third-party problem that constituents may or may not notice. Dan Prince from Lancaster University on the science of cybersecurity. Our guest is Kris McConkey from PwC on their Cyber Threats 2020 - Report on the Global Threat Landscape. The FBI’s recovery of some of the ransom Colonial Pipeline paid to the DarkSide was good, but it doesn’t necessarily represent a new normal. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/111
SentinelOne attributes the cyberespionage campaign against Russia’s FSB to Chinese services. President Biden replaces his predecessor’s bans on TikTok and WeChat with a process of engagement, security reviews, and data protection. More on the FBI-led Operation Trojan Shield. Privateering, again. NATO’s Article 5 in cyberspace. Joe Carrigan weighs in on recent high profile cyber incidents. Our guest is Shashi Kiran from Aryaka on their 2021 State of the WAN report. And notes on Patch Tuesday. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/110
The FBI seized a large portion of the funds DarkSide obtained from its extortion of Colonial Pipeline. An international sweep stings more than eight-hundred suspected criminals who were caught while using an encrypted chat app law enforcement was listening in on. CISA advises users to update their VMware instances. A new phishing campaign distributes Agent Tesla. Ben Yelin examines renewed controversy surrounding Clearview AI. Our guest is Aimee George Leery from Booz Allen on the challenging intersection of secure spaces and work from home. And a major truck maker discloses a cyber incident. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/109
Dark Side seems to have attacked Colonial Pipeline through an old VPN account. Washington and Moscow prepare for this month’s summit, with cyber on the agenda. DDoS affects German banks. Anonymous may be back, and out to bring to book those who would troll Bitcoiners. Rick Howard looks at process management in security. David Dufour from Webroot on lessons learned from Exchange Server vulnerabilities. And one of Trickbot’s alleged authors has been arrested and arraigned on multiple charges in a US Federal court. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/108
VP of Information Security at Barracuda Dave Farrow shares how a teenage surfer fell in love with software development and made his way in the cybersecurity field. Dave chose to study electrical engineering in college because he wanted to learn something that didn't make sense to him. He says he's done things in his career that he said he'd never do: for example, he went into and fell in love with software development. Taking on leadership of a bug bounty program at Barracuda blossomed into the creation of an internal security team. Dave wants to be the guy who enables the business and not the one who prevented it. He hopes all will come to recognize that there are other threats besides cybersecurity threats to business. We thank Dave for sharing his story with us.
Guest Karl Sigler of Trustwave's SpiderLabs joins Dave Bittner to talk about their research: "Hidden Phishing at Free JavaScript Site". The research describes an interesting phishing campaign SpiderLabs encountered recently. In this campaign, the email subject pertains to a price revision, followed by some numbers. There is no email body, but there is an attachment about an ”investment.” The attachment’s convoluted filename contains characters the file-naming convention doesn’t allow, notably the vertical stroke, “|.” Even though "xlsx" is in the filename, double-clicking the attachment will prompt the user to open it with the default web browser. Thus, the file indeed appears to be an HTML document. Of course, it’s malicious. The research can be found here: HTML Lego: Hidden Phishing at Free JavaScript Site
JBS recovers from its REvil ransomware attack, and this and other apparent instances of privateering will figure among the agenda at the upcoming US-Russia summit. (The US is said to be mulling retaliation.) The White House issues general advice on preparing for ransomware attacks. The Tokyo Olympic committee suffers a data breach. Ransomware may have interrupted some media livestreaming yesterday. Attribution in the MTA attack. Dinah Davis from arctic wolf helps prevent your SOC from becoming ineffective. Carole Theriault warns of data privacy leaks in online home tours. And ransomware-themed phishbait. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/107
Evil, your name is REvil, except when it’s Sodinokibi. That’s what the Bureau says about the JBS ransomware attack, anyway. The US is expected to make strong objections to Russian cyber privateering at the upcoming summit. Other ransomware incidents are disclosed by regional transportation operators. A possible Mustang Panda sighting. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on cyber related executive orders. Our guest is Terry Halvorsen from IBM on the need for investment, research and collaboration in preventing quantum cyberattacks. And mommas, don’t let your babies grow up to be DDoS jockeys. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/106
Food processing is also vulnerable to ransomware: the case of multi-national meat-provider JBS. The US and Russia are in communication about the possibility that the criminals responsible for the JBS incident might be harbored in Russia. Domains used in the USAID impersonation campaign have been seized by the US Justice Department. Our guest is Melissa Gaddis from TransUnion with results from their Global Consumer Pulse study. Joe Carrigan looks at criminals abusing online search ads. Siemens addresses a critical issue in its PLCs. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/105
Iran’s wiper attacks may have been posing as criminal gang capers. CISA issues an alert on the USAID Constant Contact credential compromise. European governments express concern over reports of US surveillance (enabled, allegedly, by Danish organizations). Epsilon Red ransomware is out and active. Ben Yelin looks at Florida Governor DeSantis’ bill aimed at Social Media companies. Our guest is Giovanni Vigna from VMware with highlights from their 2020 Threat Landscape Report. And police come looking for cannabis farming and find coin-mining rigs instead. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/104
Guest Lenny Zeltser, CISO of Axonius, sits down with the CyberWire's CSO and Chief Analyst Rick Howard to discuss one of Rick's favorite topics, zero trust. Lenny shares his views on this cybersecurity first principle, taking into account changes in mindsets during the COVID-19 pandemic that have necessitated many to move toward zero trust.
Managing Director at Cerberus Sentinel, Chief Compliance Officer and the President of TalaTek, Baan Alsinawi shares her cybersecurity journey from a teenager who wanted to understand computers and held several positions in IT from help desk to systems engineering and cybersecurity. Founding her own business focusing on compliance, Baan says she spends maybe only 20% of her day on technical tasks and that there is always so more to do. Finding the right people for her team is a marker of success for Baan. She talks of the importance of sharing the sense of community of women in technology and nurturing women in the field. We thank Baan for sharing her story with us.
Guest Brandon Hoffman of Intel 471 joins Dave Bittner to share his team's research "How China’s cybercrime underground is making money off big data". Through Intel 471’s observation and analysis of open source information and behavior on multiple closed forums, they found actors adopting the use of legitimate big data technology for cybercrime and monetizing the data they obtain on the Chinese-language underground. The behavior Intel 471 analyzed points to a cycle that involves several different layers of cybercriminals, the use of insider information, and unwitting victims in order to earn ill-gotten gains. The schemes themselves proliferate partly due to China’s desire to be a global epicenter in big data analytics, especially as it pushes to become synonymous with new technology sectors like the Internet of Things (IoT). With China injecting big data into every economic sector, the environment has become ripe for criminals to create and execute schemes that hide in the noise brought on by the amount of data at hand. The research can be found here: How China’s cybercrime underground is making money off big data
A phishing campaign this week appears to be the work of Russia’s SVR. Chinese government threat actors continue to exploit unpatched Pulse Secure instances. FBI renews warnings about unpatched Fortinet appliances. Healthcare organizations still work to recover from ransomware. Rick Howard speaks with author Andy Greenberg on his book Sandworm. Ben Yelin weighs in on questions Senator Wyden has for the Pentagon. And a look at the criminal ransomware market, including the consultants who serve the extortionists. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/103
Chinese-speaking operators are reported to be phishing to compromise devices belonging to Uyghurs. The US Department of Homeland Security issues pipeline cybersecurity regulations. Security companies take various approaches to offering decryptors against ransomware. Huawei would like to chat with President Biden. Rick Howard speaks with authors Peter Singer and Emerson Brooking on their book "LikeWar - The Weaponization of Social Media". Our guest is Darren Shou of NortonLifeLock on the findings of the 6th annual Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report. And a few notes on privateers, then and now, whether on High Barbaree or the dark net. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/102
Hafnium visits Belgium. “Low-sophistication” attacks on operational technology. Updates on healthcare sector ransomware attacks in New Zealand and Ireland. Wipers masquerading as ransomware. “Privateers” are defined as a new category of threat actor. TSA’s new standards for pipeline security. The World Economic Forum has advice for Boards in the oil and gas sector. Rick Howard interviews Liza Mundy on her book "Code Girls - The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II". Joe Carrigan describes fraudulent search engine ad buys. And as one criminal is sentenced, eight more are arrested. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/101
The CryptoCore campaign that looted cryptocurrency exchanges is said to have been the work of North Korea’s Lazarus Group. Insurers are taking a hard look at ransomware and the cyber insurance policies that might cover it. Managing ransomware risk, and a role for standards bodies. Can there be such a thing as responsible disclosure of decryptors and other remediation tools? Ransomware gangs regroup. Perry Carpenter previews the new 8th Layer Insights podcast. Rick Howard speaks with authors Doug Barth and Evan Gilman. And it’s time served plus deportation in the case of an unsuccessful hacker. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/100
Ransomware warnings in the US, Ireland, New Zealand, and Germany--healthcare organizations are said to be at particular risk. Belgium adopts a new cybersecurity strategy. China isn’t happy with freelance cryptominers. Air India sustains a third-party breach of passenger personal data. An FBI analyst is indicted for mishandling classified material. Rick Howard previews this week’s CSO Perspective podcast and kicks off cybersecurity canon week with author Perry Carpenter. And happy birthday, US Cyber Command. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/99
Senior Security Officer at Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Michael Bishop Jr. shares his journey from Army infantryman deployed to Iraq to working in cybersecurity. After 12 years in the U.S. Army, Mike found himself in a rough spot. Looking for work and having some personal challenges, Mike's mentor, an Army officer he met while enlisted, recognized Mike's struggles and helped to nudge him toward cybersecurity. Mike credits his mentor with helping him transition to where he is today. Undergoing training for cybersecurity, he was tested in many areas and found the route he wanted to go. We thank Michael for sharing his story with us.
Guest Joe Slowik joins us from DomainTools to discuss his team's research "COVID-19 Phishing With a Side of Cobalt Strike." Multiple adversaries, from criminal groups to state-directed entities, engaged in malicious cyber activity using COVID-19 pandemic themes since March 2020. Adversaries continue to leverage the pandemic, arguably the most significant issue globally as of this writing, in various ways. Yet the most persistent avenue remains using COVID-19 themes for building malicious document files. Examples include lures associated with Cloud Atlas-linked activity and broader targeting of health authorities. Given the continued significance of the pandemic and persistent use of pandemic themes by adversaries, DomainTools researchers continuously monitor for items leveraging COVID-19 content for malicious purposes. While conducting this research, DomainTools analysts identified an interesting malicious document with what appeared to be unique staging and execution mechanisms. Research can be found here: COVID-19 Phishing With a Side of Cobalt Strike
The US remains officially mum on whether it took down DarkSide, but it still looks as if the ransomware gang absconded on its own. Colonial Pipeline now faces legal fallout from its ransomware incident. Speculation about how states might handle cyber privateering. Conti’s attack on HSE is described as “catastrophic.” Russia says it was hit by foreign cyber mercenaries last year. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos explains Discord abuses. Our guest is Jon Ford from Mandiant on their M-Trends 2021 report. And CNA pays cyber extortionists $40 million. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/98
Did DarkSide really see the light and shut down, with a sincere promise of reform and restitution, or is the gang just rebranding? Researchers look at DarkSide ransomware and find complexity and sophistication. Israel says airstrikes in Gaza were intended to take out Hamas cyber ops facilities. Poor practices seem to have exposed data of millions of Android app users. Phishing from call centers and cloud services. David Dufour from Webroot looks at hacker psychology. Our guest is Rob Price from Snow Software on Shadow IT. And who dunnit to SolarWinds? Not the intern. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/97
Colonial Pipeline corrected yesterday’s IT glitch, and its CEO explains the decision to pay the ransom. A rundown of recent ransomware activity. A watering hole for water utilities? Credential harvesting and cryptojacking in the cloud. A banking Trojan spreads from Brazil to Europe. Joe Carrigan looks at keyboard biometrics. Our guest Dotan Nahum from Spectral on shifting left in security development. And the metaphysics of attribution. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/96
A new RIG campaign is distributing WastedLocker. The US Congress considers two bills informed by the Colonial Pipeline incident, and Congressional committees are looking at the company’s response to the attack. More ransomware gangs go offline, but Conti is still trying to collect from the Irish government. Double encryption appears to be an emerging trend in ransomware. Ben Yelin looks at insurance companies clamping down on ransomware payments. Our guest is Nick Gregory of Capsule8 with thoughts on the Linux security landscape. And there’s another problem with stalkerware: third-party risk. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/95
Japan calls out China for cyberespionage. Colonial Pipeline restores service, as organizations look to their own vulnerability to ransomware. The DarkSide gang may have said it’s going out of business, but it’s at least as likely, probably likelier, that they’re either rebranding or absconding. Two other gangs are in business: Conti is hitting Irish health organizations, and Avaddon says it compromised insurer AXA. (AXE-uh) Rick Howard looks at new responsibilities for CISOs. Our guest is Samantha Madrid of Juniper Networks on establishing automation and security integrations seamlessly. And a spy gets fifteen years in a US prison. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/94
Technical account manager Dominique West takes us on her career journey from engineering to cybersecurity. Even though her undergraduate degree was in information systems, Dominique did not learn about cybersecurity until she personally experienced credit card fraud. She had a range of positions from working the help desk in an art museum to vulnerability management and cloud security. Dominique mentions remembering feeling isolated as the only black person and one of few women in many situations. These experiences spurred her into action to create Security in Color to help others navigate their way into cybersecurity and share resources are available to them. Dominique recommends those interested in cybersecurity to go ahead and get your hands dirty out there; figure out what you like and what you don't like and do community. We thank Dominique for sharing her story with us.
The Zero Trust security model asserts that organizations should not trust anything within its perimeters and instead must inspect every traffic and verify anything connecting to its systems before granting access. While Zero Trust is generating a lot of buzz in the cyber world, it’s often hard to determine the implications of this security model. In this episode of CyberWire-X, guests will discuss the origins of the model, cut through the hype, and discuss what you really need to know to design, implement, and monitor an effective Zero Trust approach. John Kindervag of ON2IT Cybersecurity, also known as the "Creator of Zero Trust," shares his insights with the CyberWire's Rick Howard, and Tom Clavel of sponsor ExtraHop joins Kapil Raina from their partner CrowdStrike to offer their thoughts to the CyberWire's Dave Bittner.
Guest LTC Erica Mitchell from Army Cyber Institute joins us to talk about their infrastructure resiliency research project called Jack Voltaic. The Army Cyber Institute’s (ACI’s) Jack Voltaic (JV) project enables the institute to study incident response gaps alongside assembled partners to identify interdependencies among critical infrastructure and provide recommendations. JV provides an innovative, bottom‐up approach to critical infrastructure resilience in two unique ways. Whereas most federal efforts to improve resiliency focus on regional or multistate emergency response, JV focuses on cities and municipalities where critical infrastructure and populations are most heavily populated. Furthermore, JV deviates from other cybersecurity and national preparedness exercises in that it builds around areas of interest nominated by the participants. Although JV events include national-level capabilities and resources, they are conceptually driven by the concerns of the cities and their infrastructure partners. Through this approach, the ACI, the Army, and the Department of Defense (DoD) are able to harvest insights about potential roles, dependencies, partners, and support requests, while cities are able to discover potential capability gaps and expand their critical infrastructure information-sharing networks before a potential disaster strikes. Research links:
Jack Voltaic Cyber Research Project
Jack Voltaic 3.0 Cyber Research Report Executive Summary
DarkSide says it’s feeling the heat and is going out of business, but some of its affiliates are still out and active, for now at least. A popular hackers’ forum says it will no longer accept ransomware ads. The Bash Loader supply chain compromise afflicts another known victim. Colonial Pipeline resumes delivery of fuel. Irresponsible disclosure of vulnerabilities hands attackers a big advantage. Carole Theriault looks at NFTs. Joe Carrigan wonders about the return on your ransomware payment investment. And there’s a lot of Amazon-themed vishing going on out there. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/93
The US Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity is out. Colonial Pipeline partially resumed delivery of fuel yesterday evening, as its preparation for and response to the cyberattack it sustained receive scrutiny. The DarkSide’s extortion of the US pipeline company seems likely to prompt regulatory revision. DarkSide operators say they’ve gotten busy against other targets. Our own Rick Howard speaks with Aaron Sant-Miller, Chief Scientist at BAH, on developments in artificial intelligence. And Verizon’s Database Investigations Report is out. I check in with Verizon’s Chris Novak for highlights from the DBIR. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/92
FireEye provides an overview of the DarkSide ransomware-as-a-service operation. Forcepoint suggests a connection between DarkSide and other ransomware gangs, notably REvil. Colonial Pipeline continues its recovery efforts from the cyber attack it sustained. As ransomware grows more common, CISA offers advice on how to prepare defenses. A new Android banking Trojan is in circulation. Cecelia Marinier from RSA on the RSAC Innovation Sandbox. Bret Arsenault from Microsoft previews his new Microsoft CISO podcast. And yesterday, of course, was Patch Tuesday. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/91
Updates on the DarkSide ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline. Other ransomware strains, including Avaddon and Babuk are out, and dangerous. Guidelines on 5G threat vectors. Lemon Duck cryptojackers are looking for vulnerable Exchange Server instances. A bogus, malicious Chrome app is circulating by smishing. Ben Yelin examines an online facial recognition platform. Our guest is Mathieu Gorge of VigiTrust on the privacy risks of video and audio recordings. And an update on an espionage trial. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/90
Colonial Pipeline shuts down some systems after a ransomware attack, disrupting refined petroleum product delivery in the Eastern US. We’ll check in with Sergio Caltagirone from Dragos for his analysis. Other ransomware attacks hit city and Tribal governments. Joint UK-US alert on SVR tactics issued, and the SVR may have changed its methods accordingly. SolarWinds revised downward its estimate of the number of customers affected by its compromise. Rick Howard previews his CSO Perspectives podcasts on risk metrics. Four guilty pleas in “bulletproof hosting” RICO case. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/89
VP of Global Solutions Architecture at eSentire Tia Hopkins shares her career journey and talks about its beginnings in engineering and pivots into cybersecurity leadership. Tia shares how she liked to take things apart when she was young, including the brand new computer her mother bought her and how she was fascinated by all the pieces of it spread all across her bedroom floor. As she started studying engineering, Tia learned she was more of a technologist than an engineer. Tia got her start in technology without completing her formal education by what she says is "grit and right place, right time." Once she was in a management role, Tia wanted to validate her knowledge, experience, and ability and not only completed her bachelor's degree, but also two master's degrees. Tia recently started an organization to encourage and grow interest, confidence, and leaders of women of color in the field of cybersecurity. We thank Tia for sharing her story with us.
Good security gets out of the way of users while getting in the way of adversaries. Passwords fail on both accounts. Users feel the pain of adhering to complex password policies. Adversaries simply copy, break, or brute-force their way in. Why, then, have we spent decades with passwords as the primary factor for authentication?From the very first theft of cleartext passwords to the very latest bypass of a second-factor, time and again improvements in defenses are met with improved attacks. The industry needs to trust passwordless authentication.What holds us back from getting rid of passwords? Trust. In this episode of CyberWire-X, guests will discuss a framework of technical controls to ensure only trusted sessions authenticate, regardless of faults or failures in any one factor. We will share a path forward for increasing trust in passwordless authentication. Nikk Gilbert of CISO of Cherokee Nation Businesses and retired CSO Gary McAlum share their insights with Rick Howard, and Advisory CISO of Duo Security at Cisco Wolfgang Goerlich from sponsor Duo Security offers his thoughts with Dave Bittner.
Guest Mike McLellan from Secureworks joins us to share his team's insights about SUPERNOVA and threat group attribution. Similarities between the SUPERNOVA activity and a previous compromise of the network suggest that SPIRAL was responsible for both intrusions and reveal information about the threat group. In late 2020, Secureworks® Counter Threat Unit™ (CTU) researchers observed a threat actor exploiting an internet-facing SolarWinds server to deploy the SUPERNOVA web shell. Additional analysis revealed similarities to intrusion activity identified on the same network earlier in 2020, suggesting the two intrusions are linked. CTU™ researchers attribute the intrusions to the SPIRAL threat group. Characteristics of the activity suggest the group is based in China. The research can be found here: SUPERNOVA Web Shell Deployment Linked to SPIRAL Threat Group
CISA outlines the FiveHands ransomware campaign. Circumstantial evidence suggests that some cybergangs are either controlled by or are doing contract work for Russian intelligence services. US Federal agencies turn their attention to software supply chain security. Scripps Health continues its recovery from cyberattack. Insecure home routers in the UK. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University has thoughts on cybersecurity education. Our guest Rupesh Chokshi from AT&T has suggestions for organizations who want to get SASE, but don’t know where to begin. And Ryuk ransomware throws a wrench in research at a European biomedical institute. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/88
Some possible insight into what a Chinese cyberespionage unit is up to. Hackathons, from Beijing to Washington (the one sponsored by Beijing developed an iPhone zero-day used against China’s Uyghurs). Panda Stealer is after crypto wallets. Microsoft's Kevin Magee reflects on lessons learned in the last year. Our own Rick Howard speaks with Todd Neilson from World Wide Technology on Zero Trust. And Peloton deals with a leaky API. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/87
Belgium sustains a DDoS attack that knocks parliamentary sessions offline. New malware strains identified in phishing campaign. Threat actors look for ways of working around multi-factor authentication and open authentication. COVID-19 scams continue online, and attract law enforcement attention. Joe Carrigan describes a compromised password manager. Our guests are Linda Gray Martin & Britta Glade from RSA with a preview of this year’s RSAC conference. And how secure was your high school’s election for homecoming court. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/86
Pulse Secure patches its VPN, and CISA for one thinks you ought to apply those fixes. Apple has also patched two zero-days in its Webkit engine. Scripps Health recovers from what’s said to be a ransomware attack. Researchers describe Genesis, a criminal market for digital fingerprints. Ben Yelin described a grand jury subpoena for Signal user data. Our guest is Ryan Weeks from Datto on the need for cyber resilience in the MSP community. And Japan works on cybersecurity for this summer’s upcoming Olympic Games. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/85
Possible data exposure at the Philippines’ Office of the Solicitor General. In the US, FISA surveillance targets dropped during 2020’s pandemic. The Babuk gang says it’s giving up encryption to concentrate on doxing. A new version of the Buer loader is out in the wild. Rick Howard looks at security in the energy sector. Betsy Carmelite from Booz Allen Hamilton on telemedicine security concerns. The US Justice Department undertakes a review of its cybersecurity policies and strategy. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/84
CEO and co-founder of SafeGuard Cyber Jim Zufoletti shares his journey starting out as an intrepreneur and transformation into a serial entrepreneur in cybersecurity. Jim shares how he got his feet wet working for others as an intrepreneur and catching the entrepreneurial bug in the mid-90s. He has co-founded a number of companies starting with FreeMarkets, a B2B ecommerce company. After that went public and Jim moved on, he went to business school at the University of Virginia and crossed paths with his future co-founder of SafeGuard Cyber. At UVA, Jim was inspired by a professor who exposed him to the effectuation approach to entrepreneurship, Along those lines, Jim recommends those looking to start a business in cyber build their experience portfolio. Jim took what he learned to help build where he is today. His company helps protect the humans in this new digital world with the current work from home environment. And, we thank Jim for sharing his story with us.
Guest Jen Miller-Osborn from Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 joins Dave to discuss their 2021 Unit 42 Ransomware Threat Report, which highlights a surge in ransomware demands based on a global analysis of the threat landscape in 2020. To evaluate the current state of the ransomware threat landscape, the Unit 42 threat intelligence team and the Crypsis incident response team collaborated to analyze the ransomware threat landscape in 2020, with global data from Unit 42 as well as US, Canada, and Europe data from Crypsis. The report details the top ransomware variants, average ransomware payments, ransomware predictions, and actionable next steps to immediately reduce ransomware risk. The report can be found here:
2021 Unit 42 Ransomware Threat Report
The US Government expands its investigation into Pulse Secure VPN compromises. Microsoft discloses its discovery of BadAlloc IoT and OT vulnerabilities. Someone’s distributing Purple Lambert spyware. Chinese intelligence services seem to be backdooring the Russian defense sector. Financially motivated criminals are exploiting SonicWall VPN vulnerabilities. A look at the emerging criminal market for deepfakes. Josh Ray from Accenture Security on Why Cybersecurity Community Service Matters. Our guest Manish Gupta of ShiftLeft looks at cyber attacks on the CI/CD pipeline. And the World Health Organization attracted impersonators early this month. Again. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/83
An API bug may have exposed credit ratings. A study offers advice for the new anti-ransomware task forces emerging in the US and elsewhere. Israelis warned to keep their cyber-guard up on Quds Day next week. Russia says it would spot any US cyberattack before it hit. The US Congress considers establishing surge cyber response capacity. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf has tips on preventing RDP attacks. Rick Howard speaks with Rehan Jalil from Securiti on GDPR. NSA offers advice for security OT networks. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/82
Ghostwriter is back, and has moved its “chaos troops” against fresh targets in Poland and Germany. The Naikon APT has a new secondary backdoor. FluBot, temporarily inhibited by police raids, is back, and expanding its infection of Android devices across Europe. Microsoft is rethinking how much, and with whom, it wants to share vulnerability information. Joe Carrigan examines a phone scam targeting Amazon Prime customers. Our guest is Tzury Bar Yochay of Reblaze on open-source software and scalability. And Signal’s discovery of Cellebrite issues is finding its way into court. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/81
FBI, CISA, detail SVR cyber activities. Nine US Combatant Commands see declassification as an important tool in information warfare. A convergence of OPSEC and privacy? Apple fixes a significant Gatekeeper bypass flaw. Babuk ransomware hits DC police. A new twist in credential harvesting. Ben Yelin considers the FTCs stance on racially biased algorithms. Our guest Tony Howlett from SecureLink tracks the evolution of threat hunting. And that was no hack; it was just a careless tweet. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/80
Zoom prankers deceive European members of parliament with a deepfake video call. A password manager is compromised. Europol took a good whack at Emotet yesterday, removing the botnet’s malware from infected machines. US response to the Holiday Bear campaign receives cautious good reviews. A cyberattack interferes with cancer treatments. Caleb Barlow from CynergisTek on emergency notification systems. Rick Howard previews the latest CSO Perspectives podcast focused on the healthcare vertical. And movie-themed phishbait chummed the waters around yesterday’s Oscars. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/79
Proliferation of data continues to outstrip our ability to manage and secure data. The gap is growing and alarming,especially given the explosion of non-traditional smart devices generating, storing, and sharing information. As edge computing grows, more devices are generating and transmitting data than there are human beings walking the planet. High-speed generation of data is here to stay. Are we equipped as people, as organizations, and as a global community to handle all this information? Current evidence suggests not. The International Data Corporation (IDC) predicted in its study, Data Age 2025, that enterprises will need to rely on machine learning, automation and machine-to-machine technologies to stay ahead of the information tsunami, while efficiently determining and iterating on high-value data from the source in order to drive sound business decisions. That sounds reasonable, but many well-known names in the industry are trying - and failing - to solve this problem. The struggle lies in the pivot from “big data,” to “fast data,” the ability to extract meaningful, actionable intelligence from a sea of information, and do it quickly. Most of the solutions available are either prohibitively expensive, not scalable, or both. In this episode of CyberWire-X, guests will discuss present and future threats posed by an unmanageable data avalanche, as well as emerging technologies that may lead public and private sector efforts through the developing crisis. Don Welch of Penn State University and Steve Winterfeld of Akamai share their insights with Rick Howard, and Egon Rinderer from sponsor Tanium offers his thoughts with Dave Bittner.
Senior security researcher from Secureworks Marcelle Lee shares her career journey into cybersecurity and how she helps solve hard problems in her daily work. Marcelle came into cybersecurity not through any traditional path. She describes her route from a different field and starting in cyber at her local community college through a grant program. Marcelle took full advantage of the opportunities she had and grew her career from there. She recommends finding your specialty, but continue to build other skills. As a woman in the field, she is a strong proponent of diversity and encouraging others to find what excites them. And, we thank Marcelle for sharing her story with us.
Guest Jason Passwaters of Intel 471 joins us to discuss his team's research into bulletproof hosting (BPH). The research team at Intel 471 defined what a typical BPH service offers and how these services can be stopped in order to limit the damage they have on enterprises, businesses and digital society itself. They examined some popular malware families that actors host or leverage via BPH services. While much more goes into a cybercriminal’s full operation, it would be vastly more difficult to pull off without the ability to host malware and be free from impunity. Finally, they listed of some of the BPH providers that are firmly entrenched in the cybercrime underground and how they give support to other cybercriminal enterprises. By recognizing their behaviors, security teams can begin to take measures to figure out who the actors are, how they operate and what their infrastructure looks like. By doing so, organizations can begin to uncover ways to proactively counter maliciously-used infrastructure before criminals have a chance to launch their attacks. The blog posts can be found here:
Hiding in plain sight: Bulletproof Hosting’s dueling forms
Bulletproof hosting: How cybercrime stays resilient
Here’s who is powering the bulletproof hosting market
Ransomware operators begin timing their releases for more reputational damage. Another gang is equipping its ransomware with scripts to disable defenses, and yet another is now into stock shorting. The US Postal Inspection Service is apparently monitoring social media. GCHQ’s head warns of the dangers of becoming dependent on China’s technology. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on Commodity Malware Targeting Enterprises. Our guest is Etay Maor from Cato with some of the clever ways criminals avoid detection. And it’s not just sharks interested in undersea cables. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/78
Agencies continue to respond to the Pulse Secure VPN vulnerabilities. Updates on the SolarWinds compromise show that it remains a threat, and that it was designed to escape detection and, especially, attribution. A cryptojacking botnet is exploiting vulnerable Microsoft Exchange Server instances. Facebook takes down two Palestinian groups distributing spyware. Ransomware draws more attention. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos looks at cheating the cheater. Our guest is Bruno Kurtic from Sumo Logic on their Continuous Intelligence Report. And a Cellebrite vulnerability is exposed. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/77
SonicWall zero-days are under active exploitation; mitigations are available. Pulse Secure VPN is also undergoing exploitation, probably by China, and mitigations are available here, too. The US begins work on shoring up power grid cybersecurity. Cyber ops rise with Russo-Ukrainian tension. The help desk at ISIS tells jihadists to stay away from Bitcoin. Joe Carrigan looks at cryptocurrency anonymity. Our guest is Bert Kashyap from SecureW2 on what needs to be done before devices used for learning from home return to schools. And is your password inspired by cinema? For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/76
Update on the Codecov supply chain attack. The Babuk gang says they’ve debugged their decryptor. MI5 warns of “industrial scale” catphishing in LinkedIn. Positive Technologies responds to US sanctions. The US stands down the two Unified Coordination Groups it established to deal with the SolarWinds and Exchange Server compromises. Are all Five Eyes seeing eye-to-eye on China? Ben Yelin explains the legal side of the FBI removing webshells following the Microsoft Exchange Server hack. Our guest is May Habib from Writer on how the AI is helping the security industry with outdated and problematic terminology. And, psst: your kitchen appliances are a bunch of sellouts...or something. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/75
Another supply chain incident surfaces. The Natanz sabotage seems to have landed a punch, but not a knock-out blow against Iran’s nuclear program (and it appears to have been a bomb). China’s “big data” gangs and their place in the criminal economy. Tolerating (and protecting?) ransomware gangs in Russia? Betsy Carmelite looks at the intersection of 5G and zero trust. Rick Howard is focusing on finance and fraud in the latest season of CSO Perspectives. Russia’s counterretaliation for US sanctions in the SolarWinds affair. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/74
CEO and Founder of Votiro Aviv Grafi shares his story from serving as a member of the IDF's intelligence forces to leading his own venture. Aviv says his service in the IDF shaped a lot of his thinking and problem solving. Following his military service, Aviv worked to gain more real world and business experience. Starting his own business as a pentester was where the seeds for what would become Votiro would form. Aviv talks about the roller coaster that you experience when starting your own venture and offers some advice. And, we thank Aviv for sharing his story with us.
Guest Deepen Desai joins Dave to talk about Zsaler's research "Return of the MINEBRIDGE RAT With New TTPs and Social Engineering Lures." In Jan 2021, Zscaler ThreatLabZ discovered new instances of the MINEBRIDGE remote-access Trojan (RAT) embedded in macro-based Word document files crafted to look like valid job resumes (CVs). Such lures are often used as social engineering schemes by threat actors. MINEBRIDGE buries itself into the vulnerable remote desktop software TeamViewer, enabling the threat actor to take a wide array of remote follow-on actions such as spying on users or deploying additional malware.The use of social engineering tactics targeting security teams appears to be on an upward trend. The research can be found here: Return of the MINEBRIDGE RAT With New TTPs and Social Engineering Lures
The European Union expresses solidarity with the US over the SolarWinds incident. The UK joins the US in attributing the incident to Russia. Russia objects to US sanctions and hints strongly that it intends to retaliate. IBM discloses new cyber threats to the COVID-19 vaccine cold chain. Iran says Natanz is back in business. Kevin Magee from Microsoft looks at the security of startups. Our guest is Brad Ree of ioXt Alliance with results from their Mobile IoT Benchmark report. And data breaches hit people who park and people who read. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/73
The US announces a broad range of retaliatory actions designed to “impose costs” on Russia for its recent actions in cyberspace, prominently including both the SolarWinds supply chain compromise and attempts to influence elections. More reports on the Natanz incident suggest that a buried bomb was remotely detonated. David Dufour from Webroot has a wakeup call on digital privacy. Our guest is Ganesh Pai from Uptycs on Mitre ATT&CK Evaluations. And IcedID is taking Emotet’s place in the criminal ecosystem. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/72
Updates on Natanz, where the nature of the sabotage remains unclear--it happened, but there are conflicting explanations of how. Electrical utilities on alert for cyberattack, especially after the SolarWinds incident. The US Government takes extraordinary steps to fix the Microsoft Exchange Server compromise. Joe Carrigan analyses effective phishing campaigns. Our guest is the FBI’s Herb Stapleton on their recent IC3 report. And the US Intelligence Community’s Annual Threat Assessment points, in order of diminishing rsk, to China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/71
Updates on the sabotage at Natanz--whether it was cyber or kinetic, Iran has vowed to take its revenge against Israel. NAME:WRECK vulnerabilities affect DNS implementations. Tax season scammers are phishing for credentials. If you liked the investment opportunities those Nigerian princes used to offer, you’re going to love their loaded ATM cards. Ben Yelin looks at data protection and interoperability. Our guest is Jules Martin from Mimecast on the importance of security integration. And in the Netherlands ransomware is inducing a shortage of cheese. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/70
Iran says Israel was responsible for sabotaging the Natanz nuclear facility yesterday, and Tehran promises revenge. Online plotting results in the arrest of a Texas man alleged to have planned an attack on an Amazon Web Services center. Scraped, not hacked, data from LinkedIn and Clubhouse are being hawked online. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos addresses asymmetric power within cyberspace and how that plays out in warfare. Our guest is Giovanni Vigna from VMware on the takedown of the Emotet infrastructure. And the US moves to fill senior cybersecurity positions. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/69
Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President, Engineering for Digital Guardian Debra Danielson shares her career journey. From aspirations of becoming an astronaut studying mechanical and aerospace engineering, Finding her first job at a local software company that turned into a long term commitment after it was acquired by another firm. Debra mentions that when she was heads-down programming, there were many women in the field and when she emerged from the cube to take on management and leadership positions, the ratio of women had dropped dramatically. She noted at this time that it took a lot of energy to be different. Debra shared that each time she had challenges in her career, she learned from them. She offers advice of taking risks earlier in your career as you don't know what it could lead to. And, we thank Debra for sharing her story with us.
Guests Gage Mele, Winston Marydasan, and Yury Polozov from Anomali join Dave to discuss their research into Static Kitten targeting government agencies in the UAE and Kuwait. Anomali Threat Research uncovered malicious activity very likely attributed to the Iran-nexus cyberespionage group, Static Kitten (Seedworm, MERCURY, Temp.Zagros, POWERSTATS, NTSTATS, MuddyWater), which is known to target numerous sectors primarily located in the Middle East This new campaign, which uses tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) consistent with previous Static Kitten activity, uses ScreenConnect launch parameters designed to target any MOFA with mfa[.]gov as part of the custom field. Anomali's team found samples specifically masquerading as the Kuwaiti government and the UAE National Council respectively, based on references in the malicious samples. The research can be found here: Probable Iranian Cyber Actors, Static Kitten, Conducting Cyberespionage Campaign Targeting UAE and Kuwait Government Agencies
Lazarus Group has a new backdoor. Bogus Clubhouse app advertised on Facebook. Cryptojacking goes to school. A ransomware cartel is forming, but so far apparently without much profit-sharing. The US Senate is preparing to make strategic competition with China the law of the land. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf looks at phony COVID sites. Our guest is Jaclyn Miller from NTT on the importance of mentoring the next generation. And Russia remains displeased with a lot of Twitter’s content. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/68
Cring ransomware afflicts vulnerable Fortigate VPN servers. Distance learning in France stumbles due to sudden high demand, and possibly also because of cyberattacks. Hafnium’s attack on Microsoft Exchange Servers may have been long in preparation, and may have used data obtained in earlier breaches. Commerce Department adds seven Chinese organizations to its Entity List. 5G security standards in the US are said likely to emphasize zero trust. Atlantic Media discloses a breach of employee data. Caleb Barlow from CynergisTek with a clever way of thinking about ransomware preparedness. Our guest is Amit Kanfer from build.security on authorization, a problem he says remains mostly unsolved. And emissions testing stations in some US states remain down. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/67
Goblin Panda’s upped its game in recent attacks on Vietnamese government targets. The EU is investigating cyberattacks against a number of its organizations. Scraped LinkedIn data is being sold in a hackers’ forum. Facebook talks about the causes of its recent data incident. New Android malware poses as a Netflix app. Joe Carrigan shares comments from the new head of the NCSC. Our guest is Fang Yu from Datavisor with highlights from their Digital Fraud Trends Report. And the Molerats are using voice-changers to phish for IDF personnel. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/66
A watering hole campaign compromised several Ukrainian sites (and one Canadian one). File transfer blues. A couple of looks into the criminal-to-criminal marketplace: establishing a brand and selling malicious document building tools. Ben Yelin has details on a privacy suit against Intel. Our guest is Steve Ginty from RiskIQ on the threat actors behind LogoKit. And notes on the big and apparently old Facebook breach, including why people care about it. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/65
An old leaked database has been delivered into the hands of skids. (The news isn’t that the data are out there; it’s that the skids now have it. For free.) CISA and the FBI warn that APTs are scanning for vulnerable Fortinet instances. Cryptojackers pan for alt-coin in GitHub’s infrastructure. Holiday Bear may have looked for network defenders. Threats to water utilities. Johannes Ullrich explains why dynamic data exchange is back. Our guest is Mark Lance from GuidePoint Security tracking parallels between the SolarWinds attack and the RSA hack a decade ago. And a cyberattack snarls vehicle emission testing. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/64
Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer for Corelight Greg Bell describes the twists and turns of his career bringing him back to his childhood joy of computers. Working in a myriad of fields from human rights to Hollywood to writing a history of conspiracy belief before pivoting back to technology. Focusing on the relationships within the open source community, Greg works to change and improve the world through his mission-based organization. For those looking to begin their career in cyber, Greg offers that great mentorship and working for great organizations where you can soak in the culture are really important. And, we thank Greg for sharing his story with us.
Guests Fernando Martinez and Tom Hegel from AT&T Alien Labs join Dave to discuss their team's research "Malware using new Ezuri memory loader." Multiple threat actors have recently started using a Go language (Golang) tool to act as a packer and avoid Antivirus detection. Additionally, the Ezuri memory loader tool acts as a malware loader and executes its payload in memory, without writing the file to disk. While this technique is known and commonly used by Windows malware, it is less popular in Linux environments. The research can be found here: Malware using new Ezuri memory loader
Goblin Panda might be out and about. Ubiquiti confirms that an extortion attempt was made, but says the attempted attack on data and source code was unsuccessful. The Accellion compromise claims more university victims. It’s National Supply Chain Integrity Awareness Month in the US. BOLO Mr. Korhsunov. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on supply chain resilience in a time of tectonic geopolitical shifts. Our guest is Paul Nicholson from A10 Networks on their State of DDoS Weapons report. And some down-market phishing attempts. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/63
US Cyber Command and CISA plan to publish an analysis of the malware Holiday Bear used against SolarWinds. The DPRK is again phishing for security researchers. Exchange Server exploitation continues. Stone Panda goes after industrial data in Japan. Human error remains the principal source of cyber risk. A US Executive Order on cyber hygiene and breach disclosure nears the President’s desk. David Dufour from Webroot on the 3 types of hackers and where you’ve seen them recently. Rick Howard checks in with our guest Sharon Rosenman from Cyberbit on SOC Evolution. And gamers? Don’t cheat. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/62
Charming Kitten is back, and interested in medical researchers’ credentials. Russian services appear to have been reading some US State Department emails (it’s thought their access was confined to unclassified systems). Risk management practices and questions about the risks of growing too blasé about “management.” Recognizing the approach of an intelligence officer. Volumetric attacks are up. Joe Carrigan examines a sophisticated Microsoft spoof. Our guest is Donna Grindle from Kardon on updates to the HITECH ACT. More concerns, in India and the US, about Chinese telecom hardware. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/61
The US Administration continues to prepare its response to Holiday Bear’s romp through the SolarWinds supply chain. Congress is asking for details on what was compromised in the incident, and why the Department of Homeland Security failed to detect the intrusion. The UN offers some recommendations on norms of conduct in cyberspace. Ben Yelin on a New Jersey Supreme Court ruling that phone passcodes are not protected by 5th amendment. Our guest is Frank Kettenstock from FoxIT on the security of PDF files. Developments in ransomware, including Exchange Server exploitation, credible extortion, and attempts to enlist customers against victims. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/60
German politicians’ emails are under attack, and the GRU is the prime suspect. Australia’s Nine Network was knocked off the air by a cyberattack, and a nation-state operation is suspected. PHP takes steps to protect itself from an attempt to insert a backdoor in its source code. Apple fixes browser engine bugs. FatFace pays the ransom. Project Zero caught a Western counterterror operation. Betsy Carmelite from Booz Allen Hamilton on Zero Trust. Our guest is Tal Zamir of Hysolate on CISA's new ransomware guidelines. And a guilty plea for one, and almost five-hundred indictments for others. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/59
Vice President of Raytheon's Cyber Offense, Defense Experts Teresa Shea speaks of her journey from math to adapting new technologies on the cutting edge, With a love of math, Teresa was offered a scholarship by the Society of Women Engineering and decided to pursue a degree in electrical engineering. Unsurprisingly, there were few other women in her program, Teresa interned with and then proceeded to work for the National Security Agency becoming their SIGINT director. Following her government career, Teresa worked to help bring new technologies to government through her work at Raytheon. We thank Teresa for sharing her story with us.
Guest Sergio Caltagirone from Dragos joins us to take us through their 2020 ICS Cybersecurity Year in Review report. Dragos's annual ICS Year in Review provides an overview and analysis of ICS vulnerabilities, global threat activity targeting industrial environments, and industry trends and observations gathered from customer engagements worldwide. The goal of the report is to give asset owners and operators proactive, actionable information and defensive recommendations in order to prepare for and combat the world’s most significant industrial cybersecurity adversaries. The report can be found here: 2020 ICS CYBERSECURITY YEAR IN REVIEW
Criminal-on-criminal cyber crime. Ransomware hits European and North American businesses. Big Tech goes (virtually) to Capitol Hill to talk disinformation and Section 230. The head or NSA and US Cyber Command discusses election security and cyber defense with the Senate Armed Services Committee. Russia complains of a US assault on Russia’s “civilizational pillars.” Accenture’s Josh Ray shares his thoughts on securing the supply chain. Our guest is Sergio Caltagirone from Dragos on their 2020 ICS/OT Cybersecurity Year in Review. And there appears to be a minor resurgence of hacktivism. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/58
The FBI warns organizations that Mamba ransomware is out and about in a newly evolved form. Facebook takes down a Chinese cyberespionage operation targeting Uyghurs. Huawei joins the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Slack thinks it might have made a security and privacy misstep. Caleb Barlow from CynergisTek on Healthcare Interoperability. Our guest is Roei Amit from Deep Instinct on their 2020 Cyber Threat Landscape Report. And a look at fleeceware. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/57
COVID-themed phishbait has shifted to vaccines. Notes on the ransomware exploiting vulnerable Exchange Servers. Purple Fox gets wormy. Sierra Wireless halts operations to remediate a ransomware incident. Notes on ICS vulnerabilities. More victims of third-party risk. Joe Carrigan looks at SMS security issues. Our guest is Ron Brash from Verve Industrial with takeaways from their 2020 ICS Vulnerabilities report. And what are the cybercriminals thinking? For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/56
The CyberWire partners with Recorded Future's threat intelligence podcast and our Dave Bittner is the host. It's a weekly show that comes out each Monday afternoon. We thought you might want to check it out and are adding it to our feed today. We hope you like it and consider subscribing in your favorite podcast app. The COVID-19 global pandemic has, predictably, attracted bad actors intent on using fear and uncertainty as a framework for a variety of actions, from run-of-the-mill money scams to targeting phishing, business email compromise, and even espionage. Recorded Future’s Insikt Group has been following these money trails and correlating them with a spectrum of bad actors around the globe. They recently published their findings in a blog post titled, “Follow the Money: Qualifying Opportunism Behind Cyberattacks During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” On today’s episode we’ve got a pair of Insikt Group analysts joining us to share their expertise. Lindsay Kaye is Director of Operational Outcomes and Charity Wright is a Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst.
Exchange Server patching is going well, they say, but they also say that patching isn’t enough. Crooks are continuing to look for unpatched instances, and even in the patched systems, you’ve got to check to make sure the bad actors have been found and ejected. AFCEA and Shell both disclose being affected by third-party breaches. Citizen Lab sees no particular problem with TikTok. Ben Yelin ponders possible US response to the Microsoft Exchange Server attacks. Our guest is Alex Gizis from Connectify using VPNs to thwart government internet restrictions in Myanmar. And a major manga fan site is down. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/55
Indian authorities warn the country’s transportation sector that it may be a target for cyberespionage. Google’s Project Zero describes an elaborate and expensive campaign that exploited zero-day vulnerabilities. The SilverFish threat group is elaborate, well-resourced, and well-organized. Threat actors are quietly altering mailbox permissions. REvil is back. Some say “yes” to Moscow; others say “nyet.” Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf on Security Metrics. Our guest is Graeme Bunton from the DNS Abuse Institute. And two Infraud operators are sentenced. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/54
Chief Security Officer of Microsoft Canada Kevin Magee shares his background as a historian and how it applies to his work in cybersecurity. Likening himself to a dashing Indiana Jones, Kevin talks about how he sees history unfolding and the most interesting things right now are happening in security. Spending time tinkering with things in the university's computer room under the stairs gave way to Kevin's love affair with technology. As Chief Security Officer, Kevin says he uses an analogy: "I think we focus on the arrows, not the the archer" meaning there's too much focus on the attacks rather than the ones mounting them. As a historian and witness to our current history, Kevin sees the changes all affecting cybersecurity. We thank Kevin for sharing his story with us.
Guest Jen Miller-Osborn from Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 joins us to discuss their research into BendyBear. Highly malleable, highly sophisticated and over 10,000 bytes of machine code. The code behavior and features strongly correlate with that of the WaterBear malware family, which has been active since as early as 2009. The malware is associated with the cyber espionage group BlackTech, which many in the broader threat research community have assessed to have ties to the Chinese government, and is believed to be responsible for recent attacks against several East Asian government organizations. Due to the similarities with WaterBear, and the polymorphic nature of the code, Unit 42 named this novel Chinese shellcode “BendyBear.” It stands in a class of its own in terms of being one of the most sophisticated, well-engineered and difficult-to-detect samples of shellcode employed by an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT). The research can be found here: BendyBear: Novel Chinese Shellcode Linked With Cyber Espionage Group BlackTech
Helsinki blames Beijing’s APT31 for cyberespionage against Finland’s parliament. Russia withdraws its ambassador to the US, calling him home for consultation, post the US IC’s report on election influence ops. Risk management for industrial control systems, and especially for an often overlooked part of the power grid. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on Evading Anti-Malware Sandboxes with New CPU Architectures. Our guest is Tony Cole from Attivo on dealing with adversaries already inside your network. A guilty plea in an odd extortion attempt, why China’s wary of Teslas, and the indictment of a hacktivist. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/53
Disinformation about a radiation leak that wasn’t. Another warning about Trickbot. The FBI says cybercrime cost victims more than $4.2 billion last year. Investigation and remediation of the SolarWinds and Exchange Server compromises continue. Crypters become a commodity for malware developers. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on lessons from the recent Texas power outages. Our guest is Bob Shaker from Norton Lifelock looking at baddies targeting online gamers. And some people are looking for jobs in all the wrong places. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/52
The US Intelligence Community has released its report on 2020 foreign election meddling. It found no successful hacking, but a lot of clever influence operations. Ukraine says it stopped a significant Russian cyberespionage campaign. Recovery from the SolarWinds and Exchange Server compromises continues. Joe Carrigan shares thoughts on the Verkada hack. Our guest is Oscar Pedroso from Thimble on getting kids hooked on technology. And no, that celebrity tweeter isn’t really going to send you $2000 for every $1000 you give back to the community. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/51
McAfee describes Operation Diànxùn, a probable Chinese collection effort directed against telecoms and 5G technology. Organizations around the world continue to work to thwart exploitation of Exchange Server vulnerabilities. What’s a webshell, and what can it do? Ben Yelin looks at cell phone data gathered from the US Capitol riot. Our guest is Ross Rustici from ZeroFOX on the evolution of ransomware. And how much does it cost to redirect all your SMS messages to some goon? Said goon needs only sixteen bucks. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/50
Microsoft is looking for a possible leak behind the spread of Exchange Server exploits, and hackers piggyback on webshells placed by other threat actors. The US Government continues to mull how to respond to Holiday Bear and Hafnium. Britain’s PM calls for greater offensive cyber capabilities. India looks for ways of countering China in cyberspace. Sky Global executives indicted for alleged racketeering. Accenture’s Josh Ray takes on defending against nation states. Rick Howard aims the hash table at third party cloud security. And what does it cost to be on a do-not-call list? Nothing. Really. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/49
The SolarWinds Orion SUNBURST exploit forced organizations to determine whether and to what extent they’d been compromised. It’s not enough to eject the intruders and their malware from the networks. Affected organizations also need to know what systems and data had been breached, and for how long. The adversary behind SUNBURST is advanced, quietly breaching the perimeter and moving freely to access, steal, or destroy business-critical data, and to disrupt operations. Joining us to share their expertise on the subject are Ryan Olson of Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42, Bill Yurek of Inspired Hacking Solutions, and we close out the show with Matt Cauthorn, from our sponsor ExtraHop, who joins CyberWire-X to discuss the challenges of detecting such advanced threats, and to share insights from behavioral analysis on what the new breed of threat actor is doing inside our networks.
Coming from her love of math, VP of R&D at Arctic Wolf Networks Dinah Davis shares how she arrived in the cybersecurity industry after finding her niche. Dinah recalls how at a time of indecision, a computer course at university and a job with the Canadian government helped to solidify her career direction. Dinah mentions how "security and cryptography specifically was this perfect mix of real world problem solving and mathematics and computer science all combined into one ball of happiness." Networking played a key role in Dinah's journey. She recommends that those interested in joining the field to go for what they believe in. And, we thank Dinah for sharing her story with us.
Guest Dr. Rosario Cammarota from Intel Labs joins us to discuss confidential computing. Confidential computing provides a secure platform for multiple parties to combine, analyze and learn from sensitive data without exposing their data or machine learning algorithms to the other party. This technique goes by several names — multiparty computing, federated learning and privacy-preserving analytics, among them. Confidential computing can enable this type of collaboration while preserving privacy and regulatory compliance. The research and supporting documents can be found here:
Intel Labs Day 2020: Confidential Computing
Confidential Computing Presentation Slides
Demo video
Microsoft warns that ransomware operators are exploiting vulnerable Exchange Servers. Threat actors continue to look for unpatched instances of Exchange Server. Johannes Ullrich joins us with his thoughts on the incident. REvil ransomware hits a range of fresh targets. Concerns are raised about the effects of the SolarWinds compromise on embedded devices. Our guest is Sally Carson from Cisco making the case that good design can save cybersecurity. And an unspecified cyber incident shuts down Coors Molson. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/48
Norway’s parliament is hit with Exchange Server exploitation. CISA and the FBI issue more advice on how to clean up an Exchange Server compromise. CISA hints at more detailed attribution of the SolarWinds compromise “soon,” and US Cyber Command says military networks were successfully defended. Microsoft’s Kevin Magee of exporting cyber talent. Our guest is Hanan Hibshi from Carnegie Mellon University on their picoCTF online hacking competition. Notes on some evolving criminal techniques, an update on the security camera hacktivist incident, and some news you won’t need, but your friends might. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/47
Patch Tuesday was a big one this month. Microsoft Exchange Server remains under active attack in the wild, with new threat actors hopping on the opportunity. Russia denies it had anything to do with the SolarWinds incident and says the kinds of US response that the word on the street tells them are under consideration would be nothing more than international crime. Hacktivists strike a blow against cameras and stuff. Joe Carrigan has thoughts on Google’s plans for third party cookies. Our guest is Kelvin Coleman from the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) on how educators can better protect students’ privacy during distance learning sessions. And police in the low countries sweep up more than a hundred cybercrooks. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/46
CISA urges everyone to take the Microsoft Exchange Server vulnerabilities seriously. The SolarWinds compromise is also going to prove difficult to mop up. The US is said to be preparing a response to Holiday Bear’s SolarWinds compromise (some of that response will be visible, but some will not). A plea for more OSINT. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS ponders face scanning algorithms in the job application process. Our guest is Sam Crowther from Kasada, asking why are we still talking about bots? And dragnets haul in some cybercrooks. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/45
Threat actors rush to exploit Exchange Server vulnerabilities before victims get around to patching--it’s like a worldwide fire sale. Rick Howard digs into third party platforms and cloud security. Robert M. Lee from Dragos shares insights on the recent Florida water plant event. The US mulls some form of retaliation against Russia for the SolarWinds supply chain campaign, and it will also need to consider how to respond to China’s operations against Exchange Server. (And another Chinese threat actor may have been exploiting SolarWinds late last year.) For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/44
Army Cyber Institute Technical Director and Chief of Staff Colonel Stephen Hamilton takes us on his computer science journey. Fascinated with computers since the second grade, Stephen chose West Point after high school to study computer science. Following graduation he moved into the signal branch as it most closely matched his interest in ham radio as no branch related directly to computing. He was pulled from the motor pool to help with another area's computing needs and then worked his way to teaching computer science at. West Point and US Cyber Command. Stephen recommends coding it first to help realize the nuances, and then code it again. We thank Stephen for sharing his story with us.
Guest Hossein Jazi of Malwarebytes joins us to take a deep dive into North Korea's APT37 (aka ScarCruft, Reaper and Group123) toolkit. On December 7 2020 the Malwarebytes Labs threat team identified a malicious document uploaded to Virus Total which was purporting to be a meeting request likely used to target the government of South Korea. The meeting date mentioned in the document was 23 Jan 2020, which aligns with the document compilation time of 27 Jan 2020, indicating that this attack took place almost a year ago. The file contains an embedded macro that uses a VBA self decoding technique to decode itself within the memory spaces of Microsoft Office without writing to the disk. It then embeds a variant of the RokRat into Notepad. Based on the injected payload, the Malwarebytes team believes that this sample is associated with APT37. This North Korean group is also known as ScarCruft, Reaper and Group123 and has been active since at least 2012, primarily targeting victims in South Korea. The research can be found here: Retrohunting APT37: North Korean APT used VBA self decode technique to inject RokRat
A new second-stage backdoor has been found in a SolarWinds compromise victim. Those exploiting the now-patched Exchange Server zero days seem to have done so to establish a foothold in the targeted systems. India continues to investigate a Chinese cyber threat to its infrastructure. Misconfigured clouds leak mobile app data. A major airline IT provider sustains a cyber attack. Dinah David helps us prevent account takeover attacks. Our guest is Troy Hunt from NordVPN. And criminals hack other criminals. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/43
Indian authorities say October’s Mumbai blackout was “human error,” not cybersabotage. CISA directs US civilian agencies to clean up Microsoft Exchange on-premise vulnerabilities. More effects of the Accellion FTA supply chain compromise. Some trends in social engineering. Andrea Little Limbago brings us up to date on the RSA supply chain sandbox. Our guest is Brittany Allen from Sift on a new Telegram fraud ring. And happy National Slam the Scam Day. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/42
India continues to investigate the possibility of RedEcho cybersabotage of its power distribution system, but says any hack was stopped and contained. Microsoft issues an out-of-band patch against a Chinese-run “Operation Exchange Marauder.” The financial sector works to contain an Ursnif outbreak. CISA issues ICS security advisories. Myanmar and the difficulty of stopping cyber proliferation. Joe Carrigan looks at CNAME cloaking. Our guest is author Neil Daswani from Stanford University’s Advanced Security Certification Program, on his upcoming book Big Breaches - Cybersecurity Lessons for Everyone. And another round in the Crypto Wars seems ready to start. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/41
Indian authorities continue to investigate the possibility that Mumbai’s power grid was hacked last October. Apple’s walled garden’s security can inhibit detection of threats that manage to get inside. An Atlantic Council report recommends international action against access-as-a-service brokers to stall proliferation of cyber offensive tools. Ben Yelin has the story of legislators asking the military why they’re so interested in apps serving Muslims. Our guest is John Grange from OppsCompass with insights on the top cloud security mistakes organizations make. Updates on the SolarWinds incident (including an SEC probe into who knew what when). For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/40
Chinese cyber engagement with Indian critical infrastructure is reported: the objective isn’t benign from India’s point of view, but exactly what the objective is, specifically, remains a matter of speculation. The US Governemnt declassifies its report on the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The SolarWinds supply chain compromise remains under investigation, with an intern making a special appearance. Maligh search engine optimizations. Rick Howard shares hash table opinions on Google Cloud. Josh Ray from Accenture on Cybercrime and the Cloud. And congratulations to the winner’s of CISA’s President’s Cup. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/39
Head of Product for IBM Security Aarti Borkar shares her journey which included going after her lifelong love of math rather than following in her parents' footsteps in the medical field. In following her passions, Aarti found herself studying computer engineering and computer science, and upon taking a pause from her studies, she found a niche working at IBM in a mix of databases and networking. In her current position, Aarti describes her favorite discussion topics very often involve being around the use of AI for converting security into predictive domains. Aarti reminds us that you should pause and see if you are on the right path. Staying on a path just because you started there can be a bad idea. And, we thank Aarti for sharing her story.
Guest Maurits Lucas from Intel471 joins us to discuss his team's research into cybercrime in China. Data from Intel 471 show that the Chinese cybercrime underground proliferates through use of common methods or platforms, but behaves differently in large part due to the caution that actors take with regard to their identity. While the average citizen must follow the heavy handed nature of the government’s surveillance of cyberspace, Chinese threat actors take special precautions to protect their forums, TTPs and themselves. This leads to the Chinese cybercrime underground being disorderly when compared to others, particularly Russia, which tend to be much more organized. The research can be found here: No pandas, just people: The current state of China’s cybercrime underground
Oxford biology lab hacked. A Zoom impersonation phishing campaign afflicts targets in the EU. Senators disappointed in Amazon’s decision not to appear at this week’s SolarWinds hearing. NSA advocates adopting zero trust principles. CISA issues alerts on industrial control systems. The US Department of Homeland Security describes increases to its cybersecurity grant programs. Dinah Davis examines how healthcare is being targeted by ransomware. Our guest is Michael Hamilton from CI Security on the Public Infrastructure Security Cyber Education System. And NIST’s draft IoT security standards are still open for comment. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/38
FriarFox is a bad browser extension, and it’s interested in Tibet. Ukraine accuses Russia of a software supply chain compromise (maybe Moscow hired Gamaredon to do the work). Egregor hoods who escaped recent Franco-Ukrainian sweeps are thought responsible for DDoS against Kiev security agencies over the weekend. A look at Babuk, a new ransomware-as-a-service entry. VMware servers are patched. Verizon’s Chris Novak looks at the 2021 threat landscape. Our guest is Andrew Hammond from the International Spy Museum. And a US Executive Order on supply chain security. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/37
As more organizations are affected by the Accellion FTA compromise, authorities issue some recommendations for risk mitigation. Ocean Lotus is back, and active against Vietnamese domestic targets. LazyScripter is phishing with COVID and air travel lures. SolarWinds hearings include threat information, exculpation, and calls for more liability protection. Turkey Dog is after bank accounts. Joe Carrigan ponders the ease with which new security flaws are discovered. Rick Howard speaks with our guest Michael Dick from C2A Security on Automotive Security. And some new ICS threat groups are identified. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/36
Ukrainian security services complain of DDoS from Russia. The Accellion compromise is attributed to an extortion gang. Digital Shadow tracks the rise of initial access brokers, new middlemen in the criminal-to-criminal market. A botmaster uses an agile C2 infrastructure to avoid takedowns. IT executives to appear at US Senate hearings on Solorigate. US DHS talks up its cyber strategies. Ben Yelin comments on the latest court ruling on device searches at the border. Rick Howard speaks with Ariel Assaraf from Coralogix on SOAR and SIEM. And don’t be deceived by bogus FedEx and DHL phishbait. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/35
Facebook takes down Myanmar junta’s main page. APT31 clones Equation Group tools. Silver Sparrow’s up to...something or other. Bogus Flash Player update serves fake news and malware. Effects of supply chain compromises spread. Clubhouse’s privacy issues. VC firm breached. CrowdStrike releases its annual threat report. We welcome Josh Ray from Accenture security to our show. Rick Howard examines Google’s cloud services. And a Maryland school concludes its annual cyber challenge. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/34
High Performance Computing Systems Administrator at Brigham Young University Billy Wilson tells his cybersecurity career story translating language skills to technical skills. According to Billy's employer, moving to a technical position at his alma mater occurred because Billy showed this potential and a thirst for learning. He is currently pursuing his master's degree from SANS Technology Institute for Information Security Engineering while working to secure BYU's data for their computationally-intensive research. Billy notes that not everyone has one overarching passion which gives him variety in his work. And, we thank Billy for sharing his story with us.
Guest Bojan Zdrnja of Infigo IS and a certified instructor at SANS Institute shares an incident he discovered where attackers were using a pretty novel way of exfiltrating data and using that channel for C&C communication. The code that was acquired was only partially recovered, but enough to indicate powerful features that the attackers were (ab)using in Google Chrome. The basis for this attack were malicious extensions that the attacker dropped on the compromised system. The research can be found here: Abusing Google Chrome extension syncing for data exfiltration and CC
Microsoft wraps up its internal investigation of Solorigate, which the US Government continues to grapple with, and which has had some effect in Norway. An apparent Iranian APT has been hosting its command-and-control in two Netherlands data centers. Estonia’s annual intelligence report describes Russian and Chinese ambitions in cyberspace. Threat actors are hard at work against Apple’s new processors. Kevin Magee on the Canadian National Cyber Threat Assessment for 2020. Our guest is Mark Testoni from SAP National Security Services on the Biden administration’s first 100 days. Plus, lessons from the ice, and how hackers became cybercriminals. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/33
Watch out for the WatchDog Monero cryptojacking operation. The US Justice Department describes North Korea as “a criminal syndicate with a flag.” CISA outlines the DPRK malware that figures in the AppleJeus toolkit. The Chair of the US Senate Intelligence Committee asks the FBI and EPA for a report on the Oldsmar water system cybersabotage incident. Egregor takes a hit from French and Ukrainian police. Dinah Davis has advice on getting buy-in from the board. Our guest is Bentsi Ben Atar from Sepio Systems on hardware attacks. And the Netherlands Police advise cybercriminals to just move on. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/32
High Bitcoin valuation draws the attention of cybercriminals, and a number of those criminals work for Mr. Kim, of Pyongyang. Alleged criminals, we should say. Centreon offers an update of its investigation of the Sandworm incident ANSSI uncovered. Reports of the Big Hack are received with caution. Patches applied, pulled, and replaced. Joe Carrigan describes a legal dustup between Proofpoint and Facebook over lookalike domains. Our guest is Sinan Eren from Barracuda Networks on their state of cloud networking report. And Florida’s water system cybersabotage provides a good reminder to stay away from unsupported software. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/30
France finds Sandworm’s trail in a software supply chain. Microsoft is impressed by the amount of effort Russian intelligence services put into the SolarWinds campaign. Pyongyang is reported to have attempted to steal COVID-19 vaccine information. Supermicro reiterates objections to Bloomberg's report on alleged hardware supply chain compromises. Static Kitten is phishing in the UAE. Updates on the Florida water utility cybersabotage. Ben Yelin examines to what degree the FBI can access Signal app messages. Rick Howard gathers the hash table to discuss AWS. And a new executive director arrives at our state cybersecurity association. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/30
In this special edition, our extended conversation with Hank Thomas and Mike Doniger from their new company SCVX. Both experienced investors, their plan is to bring a new funding mechanism known as a SPAC to cyber security which, they say, is new to the space. February 2021 Update: we revisit the topic with guest Hank Thomas to hear the latest on SPACs.
Co-founder and socio-technical lead at Cygenta, Dr. Jessica Barker, shares her story from childhood career aspirations of becoming a farmer to her accidental pivot to working in cybersecurity. With a PhD in civic design, Jessica looked at the creation of social and civic places until she was approached by a cybersecurity consultancy interested in the human side of cybersecurity. She jumped in and the rest is history. Having experienced some negativity as a woman in cybersecurity, Jessica is a strong proponent of diversity in the field. She suggests that newcomers to the industry follow what interests them and jump in. And, we thank Jessica for sharing her story with us.
Guest Dr. Shreyas Sen, a Perdue University associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, joins us to discuss the following scenario:. Instead of inserting a card or scanning a smartphone to make a payment, what if you could simply touch the machine with your finger? A prototype developed by Purdue University engineers would essentially let your body act as the link between your card or smartphone and the reader or scanner, making it possible for you to transmit information just by touching a surface. The research can be found here:
Tech makes it possible to digitally communicate through human touch (press release)
BodyWire-HCI: Enabling New Interaction Modalities by Communicating Strictly During Touch Using Electro-Quasistatic Human Body Communication (research paper)
Bloomberg revives its reporting on hardware backdoors on chipsets. Has someone bought the source code for the Witcher and Cyberpunk? CISA issues ICS alerts. The FBI and CISA offer advice about water system cybersabotage as state and local utilities seek to learn from the Oldsmar attack. Verizon’s Chris Novak ponders if you should get your Cybersecurity DIY, managed, or co-managed? Our guest is David Barzilai from Karamba Security on the growing importance of IoT security. And, looking for love on Valentine’s Day? Look carefully...and don’t give that intriguing online stranger money, We know, we know, they seem nice, but still... For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/29
Spyware in the Subcontinent. Some crooks auction stolen game source code while others bilk food delivery services. Emotet survived its takedown. Ransomware developments. The US now has a point person for Solorigate investigation and response. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on her participation in the National Security Institute at George Mason University. Our guest is Chris Cochran from Hacker Valley Studio with a preview of their Black Excellence in Cyber podcast.And there’s no attribution yet in the Oldsmar, Florida, water system cybersabotage, but it’s increasingly clear that the utility wasn’t a hard target. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/28
What’s North Korea doing with all that money the Lazarus Group steals? Buying atom bombs, apparently. Iran’s Domestic Kitten is scratching at some international surveillance targets. Not everyone who says they’re a Bear really is one. Parking malware in Discord. Notes on Patch Tuesday. Joe Carrigan details a gift card scam that hit a little close to home. Our guest is Saket Modi, CEO of Safe Security with thoughts on quantifying risk. And the latest on the water system cyber sabotage down in Florida. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/27
Florida water treatment plant sustains cyberattack: the hack was successful, the sabotage wasn’t. A new malware strain is associated with Chinese intelligence services. Ben Yelin tracks a surveillance plane who’s funding has fallen. Our guest is Col. Stephen Hamilton from Army Cyber Institute at West Point. And Huawei’s CEO says, sure, he’d take a call from President Biden. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/26
Myanmar blocks data networks. Notes on offensive cyber operations, from present and former Five Eyes officials. SilentFade seems to be back, with more ad fraud. Iranian cyber operators up their surveillance game. Brazil’s big data breach remains under investigation. Company towns may make a return in Nevada. Rick Howard casts his gaze on the AWS cloud. We welcome Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf as our newest industry partner. And why in the world are hackers interested in other people’s colonoscopies? For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/25
Chief strategy officer and chief security officer for Netskope, Jason Clark, shares his journey as he challenges the status quo and works to expand diversity in cybersecurity. Jason started his career by breaking the mold and heading to the Air Force rather than his family legacy of Army service. Following his military service, he became a CISO for the New York Times at age 26 and kept building from there. Jason advises, "You should always be seeking out jobs you're actually not qualified for. I think that's how you grow. If you know you could do the job, and you've got half the skills, go for it." Jason aspires to a legacy of increasing diversity in the cybersecurity industry and founded a non-profit to do just that. And, we thank Jason for sharing his story with us.
This special edition podcast highlights three women, Priyanka, Ashley and Lauren, who chose to focus their careers in cybersecurity for the mission-based organization Northrop Grumman. Kathleen Smith from ClearedJobs.Net joins us as our panel moderator. The CyberWire's Jennifer Eiben hosts the event. We are excited to share this look into the world of women in cybersecurity.
Guest Joe Slowik joins us from Domain Tools to share their research "Current Events to Widespread Campaigns: Pivoting from Samples to Identify Activity" where they examined technical artifacts emerging around the 2020 conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Caucasus region. Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) practitioners can gain insight into adversary operations by tracking conflicts or geopolitical tensions. Similar to a “follow the money” approach in criminal investigations, looking at conflict zones can reveal cyber capabilities deployed as part of events —either by the parties to the conflict itself, or third parties interested in monitoring events for their own purposes. Based on precedent, analysts can identify developments in adversary operations and technical capabilities by tracking identifiers related to major events and conflict zones. Identifying capabilities deployed to take advantage of such items can yield insights into fundamental attacker tradecraft and behaviors, and enable defense and response for incidents which may strike far closer to home at a later date. The research can be found here: Current Events to Widespread Campaigns: Pivoting from Samples to Identify Activity
Lazarus Group seems to have had an IE zero day. Brazilian power utility discloses a ransomware attack on business systems. TrickBot’s back. Automated attacks are going after web applications. Two security firms report breaches. Patching notes. A look at life in the cleared community. Caleb Barlow from CynergisTek with handling disinformation in our runbooks. And Washington and Moscow hold the usual frank discussions--the Americans, at least, talked about cybersecurity. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/24
Hildegard malware is targeting Kubernetes clusters. Remote access flaws found in consumer security devices. A brief update on the spreading software supply chain incidents. Project Zero sees incomplete patches at the root of most successful zero-day attacks. Recruiting a privateer’s crew. The current mood among ransomware victims. We’ll search for the truth about 5G with Rob Lee and Rick Howard. And who’s behind zoom-bombing remote learning? A hint: the kids aren’t alright. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/23
It appears Chinese intelligence services have been exploiting a vulnerability in SolarWinds to steal data from a US Government payroll system. The presumed Russian intrusion into SolarWinds may have been going on for nine months or more. Three new SolarWinds vulnerabilities are disclosed and patched. Amnesty accuses South Sudan of abusing intercept tools. BEC compromise is involved in gift card scams. Joe Carrigan has thoughts on opt-in privacy policies. Our guest is Dale Ludwig from CHERRY on USB attacks and hardware security. And carders steal from other carders. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/22
Myanmar’s junta jams the Internet. Operation NightScout looks like a highly targeted cyberespionage campaign delivered through a compromised supply chain. SonicWall zero day is being actively exploited in the wild. StrangeU and RandomU are filling a niche in the criminal-to-criminal market. Ben Yelin ponders whether the Solarwinds attack can be considered an act of war. Our guest Jamie Brown from Tenable on the National Cyber Director position and what it means for the Biden administration. Another data breach is associated with Accellion FTA. And it’s Groundhog Day, campers. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/21
Untangling Solorigate, and distinguishing primary targets from collateral damage (or maybe side benefits, or maybe battlespace preparation). Congress asks NSA for background on an earlier supply chain incident. The Cyberspace Solarium Commission offers the new US Administration some transition advice. Rick Howard hears from the hash table on Microsoft Azure. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on the intersection of COVID and cyber vulnerabilities. And the week gets off to a rough start for smart Britons. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/20
Founder and CEO of nonprofit Bits N' Bytes Cybersecurity Education and undergraduate student at Stanford University, Kyla Guru shares her journey from GenCyber Camp to becoming a cybersecurity thought leader. Seeing the need. for cybersecurity education in her own community spurred Kyla into action engaging our civilian population in understanding their role in the cybersecurity space. Kyla recommends putting yourself out there: taking courses, getting more knowledge, getting internships, meeting people and going to conferences. Kyla thinks her generation has an inquisitive mind and feels that is where advocacy and education come in with cybersecurity. She shares for any young person "thinking about maybe starting something in security, this is definitely the time to do so." And, we thank Kyla for sharing her story with us.
For 20 years, the cybersecurity practitioner’s goto move when confronted with a new risk or compliance requirement has been to install a technical tool somewhere in the security stack to cover it. Over time, the number of tools that the infosec team has to manage has slowly grown. With the advent of bring-your-own device to the workplace, CIOs choosing SaaS applications to do work that has been traditionally handled in the data center, and organizations rushing to deploy their services into hybrid cloud environments, the number of individual data islands where company material information is routinely stored and must be covered by the security stack has increased. The complexity of this situation is immense. Two strategies have emerged to address this problem. The first is to continue down the path of installing more technical tools in each data island to cover the risk and having the infosec team manually process the telemetry of all the security devices with bigger teams and helper-automation-tools like SOAR platforms and SIEM databases. The second strategy is to choose a security vendor's platform that performs most of the security tasks on all the data islands but now makes the organization reliant on a single point of failure. Joining Rick Howard from the CyberWire's Hash Table's group of experts to consider the matter are Mike Higgins from Haven Health and Greg Notch from the National Hockey League, and later in the show, Rick speaks with Lior Div of Cybereason, who gives their point of view on this debate.
Guest Yonatan Striem-Amit joins us from Cybereason to share their Nocturnus Team research into Kimsuky. The Cybereason Nocturnus Team has been tracking various North Korean threat actors, among them the cyber espionage group known as Kimsuky, (aka: Velvet Chollima, Black Banshee and Thallium), which has been active since at least 2012 and is believed to be operating on behalf of the North Korean regime. The group has a rich and notorious history of offensive cyber operations around the world, including operations targeting South Korean think tanks, but over the past few years they have expanded their targeting to countries including the United States, Russia and various nations in Europe. The research can be found here: Back to the Future: Inside the Kimsuky KGH Spyware Suite
Lebanon Cedar is quietly back, and running a cyberespionage campaign through vulnerable servers. Social engineering of vulnerability researchers is now attributed to the Lazarus Group. That “SolarWinds” incident is a lot bigger than SolarWinds. Notes on social media and the short squeeze. Verizon’s Chris Novak looks at the changing landscape of ransomware payments. Our guest Professor Brian Gant from Maryville University examines cybersecurity threats of the new U.S. administration. And the GAO thinks the US State Department should use “data and evidence.” For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/19
Updates from CISA on Supernova. US Cyber Command recommends patching Sudo quickly. US and Bulgarian authorities take down the NetWalker ransomware-as-a-service operation. Influencers drive a big short-squeeze in the stock market. Thomas Etheridge from CrowdStrike on Recovering from a ransomware event. Our guest Zack Schuler from Ninjio examines the security challenges of Work From Anywhere. And another influencer is charged with conspiracy to deprive people of their right to vote. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/18
Europol leads an international, public-private, takedown of Emotet. Four security companies describe their brushes with the compromised SolarWinds Orion supply chain. Solorigate is one of the issues US President Biden raised in his first phone call with Russian President Putin. New vulnerabilities and threats described. Our guest Michael Hamilton of CI Security questions how realistic CISA's latest guidance on agency forensics may be. Joe Carrigan looks at bad guys taking advantage of Google Forms. And the Internet is back in business on the US East Coast. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/17
Google reports North Korean social engineering of vulnerability researchers. Anonymous resurfaces, maybe, and tells Malaysia’s government it’s not happy with them. Notes on false credentialism and workforce development from the National Governors Association cyber summit. Kevin Magee from Microsoft Canada on the launch of the Rogers Cybersecurity Catalyst at Ryerson University to support Canadian Cybersecurity Startups. Our guest is James Stanger from CompTIA on their ultimate DDoS guide. And does America need a Cyber Force? Some think so. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/16
Russia’s FSB warns businesses to be on the lookout for American cyberattacks after the White House says it’s reserving its right to respond to the Solorigate cyberespionage campaign. SonicWall investigates an apparent compromise of its systems. Senator asks the US DNI for an explanation of DIA purchases of geolocation data from commercial vendors. OPC issues described. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on the tech "naughty list" of restricted or sanctioned companies. Rick Howard previews his first principles analysis of Microsoft Azure. And a happy birthday to the word “robot,” now one-hundred years young. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/15
Program Director for Public Policy and External Affairs at the University of Maryland's Center for Health and Homeland Security Ben Yelin shares his journey from political junkie to Fourth Amendment specialist. Several significant life defining political developments like the disputed 2000 election, 9/11, and the Iraqi war occurred during his formative years that shaped Ben's interest in public policy and his desire to pursue a degree in law. An opportunity to be a teaching assistant turned out to be one of those sliding door scenarios that led Ben to where he is now, a lawyer in the academic and consulting worlds specializing in cybersecurity and digital privacy issues. Through his work, Ben hopes to elevate the course of the debate on these very important issues. And, we thank Ben for sharing his story with us.
Guest Mark Arena from Intel471 joins us to discuss his team's research into Trickbot and its evolution from a banking trojan to a long-standing, most likely well-resourced operation that was taken down last year. Mark shares some insight into Trickbot's order of operations and what went on behind the scenes that his team working with Brian Krebs were able to discover. Since the separate and independent actions taken against Trickbot, Intel471 has observed successful disruption of its command and control infrastructure. However, the actors linked to Trickbot have not ceased their criminal activities. These actors have continued engaging in ransomware activity, using BazarLoader instead of Trickbot. Intel471 is unable to assess the long-term impact of the Trickbot disruption activity or whether Trickbot will continue to be used by cybercrime groups. This analysis covers the period from Sept. 22, 2020 until Nov. 6, 2020. The research can be found here: Trickbot down, but is it out?
Twice, it’s maybe an indicator. Once, it’s nuthin’ at all...to the machines. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand works to clean up its data sources. Wormy student laptops. Daily Food Diary is a glutton for your data. Ransom DDoS. Caleb Barlow examines how we handle disinformation in our runbooks and response plans. Our guest Ron Gula from Gula Tech Adventures shares his thoughts on proper public cyber response to the SolarWinds attack. And should we worry about that White House Peloton? For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/14
Microsoft researchers detail the lengths to which the Solorigate threat actor went to stay undetected and establish persistence. LuckyBoy malvertising is described. Business email compromise as a reconnaissance technique? More reminders about the risks that accompany remote work. Ben Yelin looks at cyber policy issues facing the Biden administration. Rick Howard speaks with Frank Duff from Mitre on their ATT&CK Evaluation Program. And good riddance to the Joker’s Stash (we hope). For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/13
Another security company discloses a brush with the threat actor behind Solorigate. Advice on hardening Microsoft 365 against that same threat actor. Chimera turns out to be interested in airlines as well as semiconductor manufacturing intellectual property. Former President Trump’s last Executive Order addresses foreign exploitation of Infrastructure-as-a-Service products. Joe Carrigan looks at a hardware key vulnerability. Our guest is Chris Eng from Veracode with insights from their State of Software Security report. And investigation of that laptop stolen from the Capitol continues. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/12
The European Medicines Agency says stolen emails about vaccine development were altered before being dumped online. Another backdoor is found associated with the SolarWinds supply chain campaign. DNS cache poisoning vulnerabilities are described. FBI renews warnings about vishing. Iran’s “Enemies of the People” disinformation campaign. Vishing is up. Rick Howard previews his hashtable discussion on Solarigate. Verizon’s Chris Novak looks at cyber espionage. And the FBI makes an arrest in connection with a laptop taken during the Capitol Hill riot. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/11
Dave's got the story of a landlord who may run afoul of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Ben wonders if the big tech CEOs could be held liable for contact tracking apps, and later in the show my conversation with Joseph Cox. He is a Senior Staff Writer at Motherboard and will be discussing his recent article How Big Companies Spy on Your Emails. While this show covers legal topics, and Ben is a lawyer, the views expressed do not constitute legal advice. For official legal advice on any of the topics we cover, please contact your attorney. Links to stories:
Apple and Google CEOs should be held responsible for protecting coronavirus tracking data, says GOP Sen. Hawley
The twitter thread from Dave's story
Got a question you'd like us to answer on our show? You can send your audio file to caveat@thecyberwire.com or simply leave us a message at (410) 618-3720. Hope to hear from you.
Microsoft's Corporate Vice President of Cybersecurity Business Development Ann Johnson brings us on her career journey from aspiring lawyer to cybersecurity executive. After pivoting from studying law, Ann started working with computers and found she had a deep technical aptitude for technology and started earning certifications landing in cybersecurity because she found an interest in PKI. At Microsoft, Ann says she solves some of the hardest problems every day. She recommends getting a mentor and finding your area of expertise. She leaves us with three dimensions she hopes to be her legacy: 1. diversity in more than just gender, 2. bringing a human aspect to the industry, and 3. being empathetic to the user experience. We thank Ann for sharing her story with us.
Guest Selena Larson, senior cyber threat analyst at Dragos, Inc., joins us to discuss their research into recent observations of ICS-targeting threats to manufacturing organizations. Cyber risk to the manufacturing sector is increasing, led by disruptive cyberattacks impacting industrial processes, intrusions enabling information gathering and process information theft, and new activity from Industrial Control Systems (ICS)-targeting adversaries. Dragos currently publicly tracks five ICS-focused activity groups targeting manufacturing: CHRYSENE, PARISITE, MAGNALLIUM, WASSONITE, and XENOTIME in addition to various ransomware activities capable of disrupting operations. Manufacturing relies on ICS to scale, function, and ensure consistent quality control and product safety. It provides crucial materials, products, and medicine and is classified as critical infrastructure. Due to the interconnected nature of facilities and operations, an attack on a manufacturing entity can have ripple effects across the supply chain that relies on timely and precise production to support product fulfillment, health and safety, and national security objectives. Ransomware adversaries are adopting ICS-aware functionality with the ability to stop industrial related processes and cause disruptive – and potentially destructive – impacts. Dragos has not observed ICS-specific malware targeting manufacturing operations on the same scale or sophistication as that used in the disruptive TRISIS and CRASHOVERRIDE malware attacks that targeted energy operations in Saudi Arabia and Ukraine, respectively. However, known and ongoing threats to manufacturing can have direct and indirect impact to operations. This report provides a snapshot of the threat landscape as of October 2020 and is expected to change in the future as adversaries and their behaviors evolve. The research can be found here: ICS Threat Activity on the Rise in Manufacturing Sector
Well-constructed phishing and smishing are reported out of Tehran. Estimates of SolarWinds compromise insurance payouts. Notes from industry on the convergence of criminal and espionage TTPs. Social engineering hooks baited with greed. Ring patches a bug that could have exposed users’ geolocation (and their reports of crime). Advice on cyber best practices from CISA and NSA. Robert M. Lee has thoughts for the incoming Biden administration. Our guest is Sir David Omand, former Director of GCHQ, on his book, How Spies Think: Ten Lessons in Intelligence. And an ethics officer is accused of cyberstalking. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/10
There are other things going on besides Solorigate and deplatforming. There’s news about the SideWinder threat actor and its interest in South Asian cyberespionage targets. Google’s Project Zero describes a complex and expensive criminal effort. CISA discusses threats to cloud users, and offers some security recommendations. A scam-as-a-service affiliate network spreads from Russia to Europe and North America. Awais Rashid looks at shadow security. Our own Rick Howard speaks with Christopher Ahlberg from Recorded Future on Cyber Threat Intelligence. And SolarLeaks looks more like misdirection, Guccifer 2.0-style. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/9
Speculation grows that the Solarigate threat actors were also behind the Mimecast compromise. SolarLeaks says it has the goods taken from FireEye and SolarWinds, but caveat emptor. Notes on Patch Tuesday. Joe Carrigan has thoughts on a WhatsApp ultimatum. Our guest is Andrew Cheung of 01 Communique with an update on quantum computing. And farewell to an infosec good guy. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/8
A cyberespionage campaign, so far not attributed to any threat actor, continues to prospect government and industry targets in Colombia. A new bit of malware is found in the SolarWinds backdoor compromise. Mimecast certificates are compromised in another apparent software supply chain incident. Ubiquiti tells users to reset their passwords. A brief Capitol Hill riot update. Bidefender releases a free DarkSide ransomware decryptor. Ben Yelin revisits racial bias in facial recognition software. Our guest is Jessi Marcoff from Privitar on trend toward Chief People Officers. And Europol announces the takedown of the DarkMarket. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/7
Similarities are found between Sunburst backdoor code and malware used by Turla. CISA expands advice on dealing with Solorigate. Courts revert to paper...and USB drives. More members of the US Congress report devices stolen during last week’s riot. Online inspiration for violence seems distributed, not centralized. Caleb Barlow examines protocols for handling inbound intel. Rick Howard looks at Solorigate through the lens of first principles. And platforms as publishers? For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/6
Vice President of Security and Support Operations of Alert Logic Tom Gorup shares how his career path led him from tactics learned in Army infantry using machine guns and claymores to cybersecurity replacing the artillery with antivirus and firewalls. Tom built a security automation solution called the Grunt (in recollection of his role in the Army) that automated firewall blocks. He credits his experience in battle-planning for his expertise in applying strategic thinking to work in cybersecurity, noting that communication is key in both scenarios. Tom advises that those looking into a new career shouldn't shy away from failure as failure is just another opportunity to learn. We thank Tom for sharing his story with us.
Deep Instinct's Shimon Oren joins us to talk about his team's research on "Why Emotet's latest wave is harder to catch than ever before - Part 2." Emotet appears to have reemerged more evasive than before, this time with a payload delivered from a loader that security tools aren’t equipped to handle. Emotet, the largest malware botnet today, started in 2014 and continues to be one of the most challenging threats in today’s landscape. This botnet causes huge damage by spreading ransomware and info stealers to its infected systems. Recently, a rise in the number of Emotet infections was observed in France, Japan, and New Zealand. The high number of infections shows the effectiveness of the Emotet malware at staying undetected. Shimon joins us to discuss how Deep Instinct investigated the payload that was encrypted inside the loader, analyzes the next steps in the infection process, and discovers the techniques used to make this malware difficult to analyze. The original blog post and updated post on the research can be found here:
Emotet Analysis: Why Emotet’s Latest Wave is Harder to Catch than Ever Before
Why Emotet's latest wave is harder to catch than ever before - Part 2
Solorigate and its effect on sensitive corporate information. The DC riots show the cybersecurity consequences of brute physical access to systems. A North Korean APT resurfaces with the RokRat Trojan. Ransomware remains very lucrative, and why? Because people continue to pay up. Thomas Etheridge from CrowdStrike on The Role of Outside Counsel in the IR Process.Our guest is Larry Lunetta from Aruba HPE on how enterprises can bolster security in the era of hybrid work environments. And a criminal hacker gets twelve years in US Federal prison. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/8
CISA updates its guidance on Solorigate, and issues an alert that the threat actor may have used attack vectors other than the much-discussed SolarWinds backdoor. Some reports suggest that a widely used development tool produced by a Czech firm may have been compromised. The cyberespionage campaign is now known to have extended to the Department of Justice and the US Federal Courts. Robert M. Lee shares lessons learned from a recent power grid incident in Mumbai. Our guest is Yassir Abousselham from Splunk on how attackers find new ways to exploit emerging technologies. Cyber implications of the Capitol Hill riot. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/4
The US Cyber Unified Coordination Group says the Solorigate APT is “likely Russian in origin.” Threat actors are scanning for systems potentially vulnerable to exploitation through a Zyxel backdoor. ElectroRAT targets crypto wallets. Babuk Locker is called the first new ransomware strain of 2021. The New York Stock Exchange re-reconsiders delisting three Chinese telcos. Joe Carrigan from Johns Hopkins joins us with the latest clever exploits from Ben Gurion University. Our guest is Jens Bothe from OTRS Group the importance of the US establishing standardized data privacy regulations. And Julain Assange is denied bail. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/3
More assessments of the Solorigate affair, with an excursus on Pearl Harbor. Shareholders open a class action suit against SolarWinds, but no signs of an enforcement action for speculated insider trading. Emissary Panda seems to be working an APT side hustle. Kevin Magee has insights from the Microsoft Digital Defense Report. Our guest is Jason Passwaters from Intel 471 with a look at the growing range of ransomware as a service offerings. And to-ing and fro-ing on Chinese telecoms at the New York Stock Exchange. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/2
Updates on the spreading consequences of Solorigate, including Microsoft’s disclosure that threat actors gained access to source code repositories. A hard-coded backdoor is found in Zyxel firewalls and VPNs. Kawasaki Heavy Industries says parties unknown accessed sensitive corporate information. Slack has been having troubles today. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on democracies aligning against global techno-dictators. Our guest is Drew Daniels from Druva with a look at the true value of data. And a British court declines to extradite WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange to the United States. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/1
Vice President of Global Systems Engineering Ellen Sundra shares her career path from life as a college grad who found her niche by creating a training program to a leader in cybersecurity. She realized that training and educating people was her passion. Ellen sees her value in providing soft skills as a natural balance to her technical team at Forescout Technologies. Being a woman in a male-dominated world proved to be a challenge and gaining her confidence to share her unique point of view helped her excel in it. Ellen recommends keeping your eyes open for how your skill set fits into cybersecurity. Find your perspective and really embrace it! We thank Ellen for sharing her story with us.
Researchers at Cisco's Talos Unit recently published research exploring the tactics, technics and procedures of the global malvertising ecosystem. Craig Williams is head of Talos Outreach at Cisco, and he guides us through the life cycle of malicious online ads, along with tips for protecting yourself and your organization. The research can be found here: https://blog.talosintelligence.com/2019/07/malvertising-deepdive.html
This interview from November 6th, 2020 originally aired as a shortened version on the CyberWire Daily Podcast. In this extended interview, Rick Howard speaks with Andy Greenberg on the Sandworm Indictments.
Cyber threat intelligence analyst Selena Larson takes us on her career journey from being a journalist to making the switch to industrial security. As a child who wrote a book about a green goldfish who dealt with bullying, Selena always liked investigating and researching things. Specializing in cybersecurity journalism led to the realization of how closely aligned or similar skills are required from an investigative journalist and a cyber threat intelligence analyst. Our thanks to Selena for sharing her story with us.
Researchers at Symantec have been tracking Seedworm, a cyber espionage group targeting the Middle East as well as Europe and North America. The threat group targets government agencies, oil & gas facilities, NGOs, telecoms and IT firms. Al Cooley is director of product management at Symantec, and he joins us to share their findings. The original research can be found here: https://www.symantec.com/blogs/threat-intelligence/seedworm-espionage-group
Dave shares a story of airport penetration testing with high degree of yuck-factor. Joe explores research on protecting passwords from social engineering. The catch-of-the-day comes courtesy of Graham Cluley's email spam box. Dave interviews Wired's Security Staff Writer Lily Hay Newman on her article tracking Nigerian email scammers. Have a Catch of the Day you'd like to share? Email it to us at hackinghumans@thecyberwire.com or hit us up on Twitter.
Dave has an update on Baltimore’s spyplane, Ben describes concerns over violations by the FBI, CIA, NSA of FISA court rules, and later in the show our conversation with Kim Zetter on her recent article in The Intercept, titled “How Cops Can Secretly Track Your Phone.” It’s all about stingrays and dirtboxes, so stick around for that. While this show covers legal topics, and Ben is a lawyer, the views expressed do not constitute legal advice. For official legal advice on any of the topics we cover, please contact your attorney. Links to stories: Elizabeth Goitein on Twitter In appeals court, Baltimore surveillance plane suit gets a mixed reaction Got a question you'd like us to answer on our show? You can send your audio file to caveat@thecyberwire.com or simply leave us a message at (410) 618-3720. Hope to hear from you. Thanks to our sponsor, KnowBe4.
Cozy Bear lived up to its reputation for quiet patience. Counting the cost of the SVR cyberespionage campaign. What do intelligence services do with all the data they collect? An Iranian influence campaign sought to foment US post-election violence. Joe Carrigan looks at social engineering aimed at domain registrars. Our guest is John Worrall from ZeroNorth on the importance of security champions. And a last look ahead at 2021.
The US continues to count the cost of the SVR’s successful cyberespionage campaign. Attribution, and why it’s the TTPs and not the org chart that matters. Emotet makes an unhappy holiday return. It seems unlikely that NSA and US Cyber Command will be separated in the immediate future. Big Tech objects, in court, to NSO Group and its Pegasus spyware (or lawful intercept product, depending on whether you’re in the plaintiff’s or the respondent’s corner). Ben Yelin looks at hyper realistic masks designed to thwart facial recognition software. Our guest Neal Dennis from Cyware wonders if there really isn't a cybersecurity skills gap. And a quick look at some more predictions. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/245
Cozy Bear’s big sweep through US networks gets bigger, longer, more carefully prepared, and worse in every way. IBM uncovers a big, conventionally criminal “evil mobile emulator farm,” and that’s no good, either. Citizen Lab finds more to complain about with respect to alleged abuse of NSO Group’s Pegasus tools. Awais Rashid from Bristol University on taking a risk-based approach to security. Rick Howard speaks with Cyral CEO Manav Mital on infrastructure as code. And tech executives are worried about Pandas and Bears and Kittens, oh my. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/244
CEO and co-founder of Dragos Robert Lee talks about how he came to cybersecurity through industrial control systems. Growing up with parents in the Air Force, Robert's father tried to steer him away from military service. Still Rob chose to attend the Air Force Academy where he had greater exposure to computers through ICS. Robert finds his interest lies in things that impact the physical world around us. In his work, Dragos focuses on identifying what people are doing bad and helping people understand how to defend against that. Rob describes the possibility of making a jump to control system security from another area recommending you bring something to the table. Rob talks about the world he would like to leave to his son and his hopes for the future. We thank Rob for sharing his story with us.
On August 24, 2020, Snyk announced the discovery of suspicious behaviors in the iOS version of a popular advertising SDK known as Mintegral. At that time, they had confirmed with partners in the advertising attribution space that at minimum, Mintegral appeared to be using this functionality to gather large amounts of data and commit ad attribution fraud. Their research showed that Mintegral was using code obfuscation and method swizzling to modify the functionality of base iOS SDK methods without the application owner’s knowledge. Further, their research proved that Mintegral was logging all HTTP requests including its headers which could even contain authorization tokens or other sensitive data. Since that time Mintegral announced that they were opening the source of their SDK to the market. While the SDK can only be downloaded by registered partners, a major game publisher shared the source code with Snyk for further analysis. They also continued their research by digging deeper into the Android versions of the SDK in which they hadn’t found similar behaviors at the time of the initial disclosure. This has resulted in some significant discoveries that necessitate an update to the previous disclosure. Additionally, Mintegral and the community at large have responded to the situation, and Snyk felt a summary of the events was a good way to finalize their research into this SDK. Joining us on Research Saturday to discuss their research is Snyk's Alyssa Miller. The original blog and Snyk's update can be found here:
SourMint: malicious code, ad fraud, and data leak in iOS
SourMint: iOS remote code execution, Android findings, and community response
Cozy Bear’s software supply chain compromise and its massive cyberespionage effort against the US Government and the associated private sector, is still being untangled. But it’s very extensive, very bad, and very tough to remediate. Both CISA and NSA have advice about the incident, and we check in with Robert M. Lee from Dragos for his thoughts. John Pescatore from SANS advocates renewing our focus on information security. Iran may be running a ransomware campaign for influence purposes. The Joker’s Stash criminal souk appears to have taken a hit. And don’t let your guard down during the holidays. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/243
The SolarWinds supply chain compromise may not have been an act of war, but it was certainly a very damaging espionage effort. The FBI, CISA, and ODNI are leading a whole-of-government response to the incident. Three companies have collaborated on a killswitch for the Sunburst backdoor’s initial command and control. HPE discloses a zero day in its SIM software. ODNI will delay its report on Chinese election influence ops. Thomas Etheridge from CrowdStrike on their Services Front Lines report. Our guest is Derek Manky from Fortinet with 2021 threat insights. And, of course, some predictions. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/242
SolarWinds breach reportedly affected parts of the Pentagon. Microsoft and partners seize and sinkhole command-and-control domain used by Sunburst malware. The threat actor behind the breach used a novel technique to bypass multi factor authentication at a think tank. Facebook takes down competing inauthentic networks focused on Africa. Joe Carrigan has insights on Amnesia 33. Our guest, Greg Edwards from CryptoStopper, shares his experience getting back online after a Derecho. And the execution of the FCC’s rip-and-replace plan will likely fall to the next US administration. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/241
SolarWinds’ 8-K suggests the possible scope of the Sunburst incident. CISA leads the US Federal post-attack mopping up as more agencies are known to have been affected. How FireEye found the SolarWinds backdoor. GCHQ is looking for possible signs of Sunburst in the UK. Operation Earth Kitsune is attributed to North Korea. Google explains yesterday’s outage. Ben Yelin looks at retail privacy issues. Our guest is Jasson Casey from Beyond Identity on going passwordless. And if you have trouble getting things done while working from home, maybe blame it on the dogs. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/240
FireEye traces its breach to a compromised SolarWinds update to its Orion Platform. CISA issues an Emergency Directive to get control of an attack that is known to have affected at least two Federal Departments. Rick Howard shares lessons from season three of CSO Perspectives. Betsy Carmelite from Booz Allen continues her analysis of their 2021 Cyber Threat Trends Report. And while reports attribute the supply chain attack to Russia’s SVR, Moscow says Cozy Bear didn’t do nuthin’. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/239
For many years, public and private sector cybersecurity experts have warned of a large-scale, massively impactful cyber attack on critical infrastructure (CI). Whether you call it a cyber doomsday, a cyber extinction, or as former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta termed it, a “Cyber Pearl Harbor,” the message is clear: it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when, and it's not just critical infrastructure that's vulnerable. More recently, experts have started to raise the alarm around not just CI, but other systems as well, notably position, navigation and timing (PNT) services. PNT includes things like GPS devices -- extensions of IT systems which are widely used by both private and public sector organizations, and particularly vulnerable to attack thanks to their open source origins and lack of native security controls. While there is no magic bullet to solve the cybersecurity challenge, there's growing consensus that an effective strategy is going to require large-scale cooperation and coordination between the public and private sectors. While the government is uniquely equipped to source and promulgate guidelines and standards like the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) and NIST Special Publication 800 Series, private sector partners have the expertise to implement these standards across industries. The private sector is also a major driver of innovation in security, making use of sophisticated analytics, AI, and other tools to improve not only native security controls but also hygiene, threat detection, and response. In this episode of Cyberwire-X, guests will discuss the benefits of public/private partnership for cybersecurity, the roles of each, and how the threat of a "Cyber Pearl Harbor" informs the priorities of both. Joining us today are Keith Mularski from EY, Rob Lee from Dragos, and Egon Rinderer from Tanium.
Computational Social Scientist Andrea Little Limbago shares her journey as a social scientist in cybersecurity. Andrea laments that she wishes she'd known there is no straight line between what you think you want to do and then where you end up going. Beginning her career in international relations and courted by the Department of Defense's Joint Warfare Analysis Center while teaching at New York University, Andrea began her work in cybersecurity. Her team was one of the first to start thinking about the intersection of cybersecurity and geopolitics and quantitative modeling. Andrea reminds us there are many paths and skills needed in cybersecurity and hopes she opened some doors for others. We thank Andrea for sharing her story with us.
From US Department of Justice: "On Oct. 15, 2020, a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh returned an indictment charging six computer hackers, all of whom were residents and nationals of the Russian Federation (Russia) and officers in Unit 74455 of the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), a military intelligence agency of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. These GRU hackers and their co-conspirators engaged in computer intrusions and attacks intended to support Russian government efforts to undermine, retaliate against, or otherwise destabilize: (1) Ukraine; (2) Georgia; (3) elections in France; (4) efforts to hold Russia accountable for its use of a weapons-grade nerve agent, Novichok, on foreign soil; and (5) the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games after Russian athletes were banned from participating under their nation’s flag, as a consequence of Russian government-sponsored doping effort. Their computer attacks used some of the world’s most destructive malware to date, including: KillDisk and Industroyer, which each caused blackouts in Ukraine; NotPetya, which caused nearly $1 billion in losses to the three victims identified in the indictment alone; and Olympic Destroyer, which disrupted thousands of computers used to support the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The indictment charges the defendants with conspiracy, computer hacking, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and false registration of a domain name." Returning to Research Saturday this week to discuss their research of NotPetya and Olympic Destroyer are Cisco Talos' Craig Williams and Matt Olney. The indictment and Cisco's research can be found here:
Six Russian GRU Officers Charged in Connection with Worldwide Deployment of Destructive Malware and Other Disruptive Actions in Cyberspace
New Ransomware Variant "Nyetya" Compromises Systems Worldwide
The MeDoc Connection
Who Wasn’t Responsible for Olympic Destroyer?
Olympic Destroyer Takes Aim At Winter Olympics
Tracking OceanLotus. US advisory warns of cyberthreats active against schools trying to deliver distance learning. Adrozek joins credential harvesting and adware. MountLocker’s criminal affiliate program. The FCC takes action against Chinese companies deemed security risks. Predictions, and holiday advice. Johannes Ullrich from the SANS technology institute wonders what’s in your clipboard? Our guest is Nina Jankowicz from Wilson Center on her new book - How to Lose the Information War - Russia, Fake News, and the Future of Conflict. And internship opportunities at CISA. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/238
Facebook faces a US antitrust suit. Cyberespionage hits the European Medicines Agency, apparently looking for COVID-19 vaccine information. Emissary Panda is out and about. A simple ransomware campaign goes for success through volume. Stolen SQL databases are offered for sale back to their owners. React to the FireEye breach, but don’t over-react. We welcome Kevin McGee from Microsoft Canada to the show. Our guest is Liviu Arsene from Bitdefender with insights Business Threat Landscape report for 2020. Flash nears its end-of-life. Predictions for 2020, and another guilty plea in the Mirai case. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/237
Norway calls out the GRU for espionage against the Storting. The SVR (probably) hacks FireEye. Huawei tested recognition software designed to spot Uighurs. 2021 predictions from Avast hold that next year might be the year deepfakes come into their own. CISA issues a long list of industrial control system alerts. Joe Carrigan looks at the iOS zero-click radio proximity vulnerability. Our guest is Matt Drake, director of cyber intelligence at SAIC on what the recents elections can tell us about threat intelligence. And yesterday was Patch Tuesday--do you know where your vulnerabilities are? For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/236
AMNESIA:33 vulnerabilities infest the IoT supply chain. Lawful intercept spyware allegedly finds its way from Mexican police into the hands of drug cartels. Finland’s parliament approves exclusion of telecom equipment on security grounds. The US National Defense Authorization Act’s cyber provisions. Online fraud seems to have become a side hustle. Ben Yelin responds to Supreme Court arguments in a Computer Fraud and Abuse Act case. Our guest is Darren Mar-Elia from Semperis on group policy security. And Moscow police are looking for the crooks who hacked secure delivery lockers. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/235
NSA warns that Russian state-sponsored actors are actively exploiting patched VMware vulnerabilities in the wild. A CISA alert puts Iran on notice. DeathStalker hired guns are now active in North America. Darknet contraband markets are experiencing the sort of pressure and consolidation legitimate markets undergo. Rick Howard checks in with the hash table on CSO and CISO roles. My continued conversation with Betsy Carmelite from Booz Allen on their 2021 Cyber Threat Trends Report. And a weird shift in North Korean propaganda...is Pyongyang having a Hallmark moment? For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/234
Director of Cyber Security Insights at Verve Industrial aka self-proclaimed industrial cybersecurity geek Ron Brash shares his journey through the industrial cybersecurity space. From taking his parents 286s and 386s to task to working for the "OG of industrial cybersecurity," Ron has pushed limits. Starting off in technical testing, racing through university at 2x speed, and taking a detour through neuroscience with machine learning, Ron decided to return to critical infrastructure working with devices that keep the lights on and the water flowing. Ron hopes his work makes an impact and his life is memorable for those he cares about. We thank Ron for sharing his story with us.
While SSL/TLS encryption is the industry standard for protecting data in transit from prying eyes, encryption has, itself, become a threat. It is often leveraged by attackers to sneak malware past security tools that do not fully inspect encrypted traffic. As the percentage of traffic that is encrypted continues to grow, so do the opportunities for attackers to deliver threats through encrypted channels. To better understand the use of encryption and the volume of encrypted traffic that is inspected, Zscaler's research team, ThreatLabZ, analyzed encrypted traffic across the Zscaler cloud for the first nine months of 2020, assessing its use within specific industries. The study also set out to analyze the types of attacks that use encryption and the extent of the current risk. Returning to Research Saturday this week to discuss the report is Zscaler's CISO and VP of Security Research, Deepen Desai. The research can be found here:
2020: The State of Encrypted Attacks Blog
2020: The State of Encrypted Attacks Report
Predictions for 2021 focus on ransomware: it’ll be better, more aggressive, bigger, and a greater problem in every way. Cyberespionage and the cold chain. Cybercriminal interest in COVID-19 vaccines extends to both theft and fraud. Johannes Ullrich on the .well-known Directory. Our guest is Michael Magrath from OneSpan on what the financial sector needs to consider now that we’re post-election season. And what’s one effect of the pandemic? Dog fraud. Ask the Better Business Bureau. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/233
Chinese intelligence services are prospecting think tanks and prospective members of the next US Administration. Spearphishing the vaccine cold chain. Expect vaccine-themed phishing. After a temporary, pre-US election suppression, TrickBot’s back. Holiday shopping season is bot-season. Consumers are thought likely to get upset about smart device privacy in 2021. Awais Rashid from Bristol University on privacy at scale. Our guest is JP Perez-Etchegoyen from Onapsis on the risk associated with interconnected cloud and SaaS apps. And suppose you’re a cybercriminal...we know, but suppose. What do you tell your sweetie you do for a living? For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/232
The Shadow Academy prospects universities in a domain shadowing campaign. Notes on Turla’s Crutch, an information-stealing backdoor. Bismuth was using crytpojacking as misdirection. CISA and the FBI warn think tanks that cyberspies are after them. North Korean cyberespionage is interested in COVID-19 treatments. Our guest is Carey O’Connor Kolaja from AU10TIX on combating fraud in the financial services and payment industry. David Dufour from Webroot has 2021 predictions. And a member of the Apophis Group gets eight years in prison. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/231
Cryptojacking from Hanoi. Dormant networks rise again, for no easily discernible reason (but it doesn’t look good). A gang is hitting German victims with the Gootkit banking Trojan, and sometimes mixing it up with a REvil ransomware payload. Conti ransomware hits IoT chipmaker. SCOTUS reviews the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. A few predictions for 2021. Ben Yelin on Congress passing an IoT security bill. Our guest is Stephen Harvey from BitSight, who’s tracking the correlation between companies with strong cybersecurity and financial success. And it may be back to school tomorrow in Baltimore County. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/230
North Korean operators phish a major pharma company. The Bandook backdoor is back, and probably being distributed by mercenaries. A school district cancels classes after a ransomware attack. Man U continues to work on recovering its systems. Former CISA Director says there are no signs of foreign manipulation of US elections. Rick Howard wonders what exactly all those CISOs do. Betsy Carmelite from Booz Allen with insights from their 2021 Cyber Threat Trends Report. And Cyber shopping and the forever sales. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/229
Cybersecurity attorney Camille Stewart shares how her childhood affinity for making contracts pointed to her eventual career as an attorney. Having a computer scientist father contributed to Camille's technical acumen and desire to include technology in her life's work. Camille has worked various facets of cybersecurity law from the private sector, federal government, on the Hill and in the Executive Branch, and now as part of Big Tech as Head of Security Policy and Election Integrity for Google Play and Android where she creates policy geared towards making sure users are safe on their platform and equipped to make informed decisions.. We thank Camille for sharing her story with us.
The goal of malicious activity is to compromise the system to install some unauthorized software. Increasingly that goal is tied to one thing: the user. Over the past several years, we as an industry improved exploit mitigation and the value of working exploits has increased accordingly. Together, these changes have had an impact on the threat landscape. We still see large amounts of active exploitation, but enterprises are getting better at defending against them. This has left adversaries with a couple of options, develop or buy a working exploit that will defeat today's protections, which can be costly, or pivot to enticing a user to help you. In today's threat landscape, adversaries are always trying to develop and implement the most effective lures to try and draw users into their infection path. They've tried a multitude of different tactics in this space, but one always stands out — current events. Joining us on this week's Research Saturday from Craig Williams from Cisco's Talos Outreach team to walk us through how current events are used as lures. The research and blog post can be found here: Adversarial use of current events as lures
Observers see a shift in Russia’s influence tactics, but prank calls are (probably) not among those tactics. An event site suffers a data breach, and warns customers to be alert for spoofing. COVID-19 contact tracing continues to arouse privacy concerns. Joe Carrigan has tips for safe online shopping during the holidays. Our guest is Dmitry Volkov from Group-IB with insights from their latest Hi-Tech Crime Trends report. Ransomware hits another US school district, and social media are being used to intimidate cooperating witnesses. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/228
Mustang Panda goes to church, but not in a good way. Hoods are trying to spoof the FBI with Bureau-themed domains. Dodgy routers and suspect smart doorbells. A quick look at the incoming US Administration, from a cybersecurity point of view. Someone’s allegedly swapping iPads for concealed carry permits--say it ain’t so, Santa Clara County. DHS investigates Windows help desk scammers. Ben Yelin on a Massachusetts ballot initiative involving connected cars. Our guest is Larry Roshfeld from AffirmLogic on the pros and cons of a Treasury Dept advisory that could put companies who facilitate ransomware payments in legal jeopardy. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/227
Qbot is dropping Egregor ransomware, and RagnarLocker continues its recent rampage. Cryptocurrency platforms troubled by social engineering at a third party. TrickBot reaches version 100. Stuffed credentials exposed in the cloud. COVID-19 practices may endure beyond the pandemic. Advice for safer online shopping over the course of the week. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs has methods for preserving privacy when using machine learning. Rick Howard digs deeper into SOAR. And someone’s hacking a Premier League side. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/226
Founder and CEO of Immersive Labs James Hadley takes us through his career path from university to cybersecurity startup. James tells us about his first computer and how he liked to push it to its limits and then some. He joined GCHQ after college and consulted across government departments. Teaching in GCHQ's cyber summer school was where James felt a shift in his career. As a company founder, he shares that he is very driven, very fast and also very caring. James offers advice to those looking to get into the industry recommending they chase what interests them rather than certifications. We thank James for sharing his story with us.
Identity and access are intrinsically connected when providing security to cloud platforms. But security is only effective when environments are properly configured and maintained. In the 2H 2020 edition of the biannual Unit 42 Cloud Threat Report, researchers conducted Red Team exercises, scanned public cloud data and pulled proprietary Palo Alto Networks data to explore the threat landscape of identity and access management (IAM) and identify where organizations can improve their IAM configurations. During a Red Team exercise, Unit 42 researchers were able to discover and leverage IAM misconfigurations to obtain admin access to a customer’s entire Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud environment – a potentially multi-million dollar data breach in the real-world. These examples highlight just how serious the failure to secure IAM can be for an organization. Joining us in this week's Research Saturday to discuss the report for Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 is CSO of Public Cloud, Matt Chiodi. The research can be found here: Highlights from the Unit 42 Cloud Threat Report, 2H 2020
Her Majesty’s Government discloses the existence of a National Cyber Force. Hanoi tells Facebook to crack down on posts critical of Vietnam’s government. Chinese cyberespionage campaign targets Japanese companies. Egregor ransomware prints its extortion notes in hard copy. SEO poisoning with bad reviews. Mike Benjamin from Lumen on credential stuffing and password spraying. Our guest is Mark Forman from SAIC with a look at government agencies' COVID-19 response. And CISA may have a permanent director inbound. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/225
Ghosts in the virtual machines. Cloudbursts in the forecast. The US Intelligence Community is preparing a report on foreign election interference. CISA has a new interim director. A view of the threat landscape from Canada. Caleb Barlow from Cynergistek on reclassifying the internet as critical infrastructure. Our guests are Shai Cohen and Brooke Snelling from TransUnion on building trust in a digital consumer landscape. And a look into the near future. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/224
FunnyDream? No, it’s real: a cyberespionage crew operating against Southeast Asian governments. President Trump fires US CISA Director Krebs. Twitter and Facebook CEOs testify before the Senate as legislators consider Section 230. The extradition hearing for Huawei’s CFO continues in Vancouver. Joe Carrigan looks at fleeceware on the Google Play store. Rick Howard speaks with Tenable’s Steve Vintz on communication between C-Suites and security teams. And the most common passwords in 2020 are now out, and “password” only comes in at Number 4. We’re not sure that really represents progress, because wait ‘til you hear Number 1. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/223
Hidden Cobra inserts Lazarus malware into security management chains. Malsmoke malvertizing doesn’t need exploit kits, anymore. Ransomware operators shift toward social engineering as the ransomware-as-a-service criminal market flourishes. Draft EU data transfer regulations implement the Schrems II decision. Robert M. Lee from Dragos shares a little love for the lesser-known areas of ICS security. Our guest is Greg Smith from CAMI with insights on promoting cyber capabilities at the state level. And the next thing in disinformation? No surprises here: it’s COVID-19 vaccines. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/222
Nation-states continue to probe COVID-19 vaccine researchers. The Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace proposes international norms for promoting stability in cyberspace. DarkSide ransomware-as-a-service operators sweeten their offer with storage options. TroubleGrabber is stealing credentials via Discord. SAD DNS code pulled from GitHub. Betsy Carmelite from Booz Allen with a forward-looking view of 5G. Rick Howard takes a look at SOAR. Many patches remain unapplied, and CMMS wants US Defense contractors to move toward positive security. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/221
Americas Security R&D Lead for Accenture Malek Ben Salem shares how she pivoted from her love of math and background in electrical engineering to a career in cybersecurity R&D. Malek talks about her interest in astrophysics as a young girl, and how her affinity for math and taking on challenges lead her to a degree in electrical engineering. She grew her career using math for data mining and forecasting eventually pursuing a masters and PhD in computer science where she shifted her focus to cybersecurity. Malek now develops and applies new AI techniques to solve security problems at Accenture. We thank Malek for sharing her story with us.
In the late 90s, hackers who discovered vulnerabilities would sometimes send an email to Bugtraq with details. Bugtraq was a notification system used by people with an interest in network security. It was also a place that might have been monitored by employees of software companies looking for reports of vulnerabilities pertaining to their software. The problem was - there wasn't an easy way to track specific vulnerabilities in specific products. It was May 1999. Larry Cashdollar was working as a system administrator for Bath Iron Works under contract by Computer Sciences Corporation. Specifically, he was a UNIX Systems Administrator, level one. His team managed over 3,000 UNIX systems across BIW's campuses. Most of these were CAD systems used for designing AEGIS class destroyers. This position gave me access to over 3,000 various flavors of UNIX ranging from Sun Solaris to IBM AIX. Joining us in this week's Research Saturday to discuss his journey from finding that first CVE through the next 20 years and hundreds of CVEs is Akamai Senior Response Engineer Larry Cashdollar. The research can be found here: MUSIC TO HACK TO: MY FIRST CVE AND 20 YEARS OF VULNERABILITY RESEARCH
CISA says US elections were secure, that recounts are to be expected in tight races. (But election-themed malspam continues, of course.) A news platform is flagged as a GRU front. A new ransomware strain takes payment through an Iranian Bitcoin exchange. The Jupyter information-stealer is out and active. David Dufour on detecting deepfakes and misinformation. Dr. Jessica Barker on her new book Confident Cyber Security - How to Get Started in Cyber Security and Futureproof Your Career. And PlunderVolt is a $30 proof-of-concept. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/220
BlackBerry tracks a mercenary group providing cyberespionage services. A rundown from Dragos on threat actors engaging with industrial targets. An Iot botnet is active in the cloud. A research team offers a new proof-of-concept for DNS cache poisoning, and another group of researchers demonstrates a novel power side-channel attack. Patch Tuesday notes. Joe Carrigan wonders if you’re likely to get your money’s worth when paying baddies. Our guest is Michael Daniel from the CTA on the merging fields of cybersecurity and information operations. And a pro-tip: you do know that they can usually see you on Zoom, right? For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/219
As we are not publishing in observance of Veterans Day, we thought you might like to check out a couple of episodes of our weekly Word Notes short form podcast that comes out on Tuesdays. Check it out and subscribe today!
Technology, software and hardware deployed without explicit organizational approval. In the early days of the computer era from the 1980s through the 2000s security and information system practitioners considered shadow IT as completely negative. Those unauthorized systems were nothing more than a hindrance that created more technical debt in organizations that were already swimming in it with the known and authorized systems.
As we are not publishing in observance of Veterans Day, we thought you might like to check out a couple of episodes of our weekly Word Notes short form podcast that comes out on Tuesdays. Check it out and subscribe today! From the intrusion kill chain model, a program that provides command and control services for an attack campaign. While the first ever deployed RAT is unknown, one early example is Back Orifice made famous by the notorious hacktivist group called “The Cult of the Dead Cow,” or cDc, Back Orifice was written by the hacker, Sir Dystic AKA Josh Bookbinder and released to the public at DEFCON in 1998.
Criminals get the news like everyone else, and online crime continues to follow current events. It’s up, it’s down, it’s up again--forget it: it’s TrickBot. A cyber incident affects computer maker Compal. Zoom settles an FTC complaint. Price check in the criminal markets. Ben Yelin on a Canadian shopping mall's collection of over 5 million shopper's images. Our guest is Ben Brook from Transcend with best practices in privacy and data protections.And spare a thought for a veteran tomorrow. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/218
Alerts and guidelines on securing the software supply chain (and the hardware supply chain, too). OceanLotus is back with its watering holes. Two significant breaches are disclosed. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs explains privacy attacks on machine learning. Rick Howard brings the Hash Table in on containers. And, hey, we hear there’s weird stuff out there about vaccines, but GCHQ is on the case. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/217
CEO and consultant Richard Clarke took his inspiration from President John F Kennedy and turned it into the first cybersecurity position in federal government. Determined to help change the mindset of war, Richard went to work for the Department of Defense at the Pentagon following college during the Vietnam War. From Assistant Secretary of the State Department, he moved to the White House to work for President George W. Bush's administration where he kept an eye on Al-Qaeda and was tasked to take on cybersecurity. Lacking any books or courses to give him a basic understanding of cybersecurity, Richard made it his mission to raise the level of cybersecurity knowledge. Currently as Chairman and CEO at Good Harbor Security Risk Management, Richard advises CISOs. We thank Richard for sharing his story with us.
Cisco Talos discovered PoetRAT earlier this year. Since then, they observed multiple new campaigns indicating a change in the actor's capabilities and showing their maturity toward better operational security. They assess with medium confidence this actor continues to use spear-phishing attacks to lure a user to download a malicious document from temporary hosting providers. They currently believe the malware comes from malicious URLs included in the email, resulting in the user clicking and downloading a malicious document. These Word documents continue to contain malicious macros, which in turn download additional payloads once the attacker sets their sites on a particular victim. As the geopolitical tensions grow in Azerbaijan with neighboring countries, this is no doubt a stage of espionage with national security implications being deployed by a malicious actor with a specific interest in various Azerbajiani government departments. Joining us in this week's Research Saturday to discuss the research from Cisco's Talos Outreach is Craig Williams. The research can be found here: PoetRAT: Malware targeting public and private sector in Azerbaijan evolves
The US Justice Department takes down twenty-seven domains being used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Booz Allen offers its take on the 2021 threatscape. Russia declares itself innocent of bad behavior in cyberspace, but many remain skeptical. Johannes Ullrich from SANS looks at Supply Chain Risks and Managed Service Providers. Our own Rick Howard speaks with Wired’s Andy Greenberg about the recent Sandworm indictments. Silk Road’s mission billion dollars appear to have been found, and the US Government is working on a forfeiture action. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/216
CISA declares a modest but satisfying victory for election security, but cautions that it’s not over yet. Criminal gangs are using election-themed phishbait in malspam campaigns. A new strain of ransomware attacks virtual machines. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on the impact climate change could have on ICS security. Our guest is Kelly White of RiskRecon on healthcare organizations managing risk across extensive third party relationships. And if you wondered if the criminals who offered to securely destroy the data they stole if the victims paid the ransom, well, signs point to “no.” For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/215
Election security, hunting forward, rumor control, and the value of preparation. Maze may be gone (so its proprietors say) but its affiliate market has moved on to Egregor ransomware-as-a-service. An illicit forum has leaked large repositories of personal information online. Joe Carrigan shares thoughts on hospital systems getting hit by ransomware. Our guest is Alan Radford from One Identity who wonders whether robots should have identities. And two more ex-eBayers are indicted in the Massachusetts cyberstalking case. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/214
Notes on Election Day security, from CISA. The Maze gang finally releases its press release announcing that it’s going out of business. Mr. Snowden applies for dual Russian-American citizenship. Ben Yelin shares his thoughts on Mark Zuckerberg’s recent Senate testimony. Our guest is Karlo Zanki from Reversing Labs on Hidden Cobra. And a botmaster gets eight years after copping a US Federal guilty plea to conspiracy. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/213
Another look at Pyongyang’s Kimsuky campaign. Phishing with bogus Google Docs. How Tehran got its hands on voter information. Rick Howard looks at containers and serverless functions. Malek Ben Salem shares the results of Accenture’s 2020 Cyber Threatscape report. And looking ahead to the election influence endgame. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/212
On this Special Edition, our extended conversation with author and New York Times national security correspondent David E. Sanger. The Perfect Weapon explores the rise of cyber conflict as the primary way nations now compete with and sabotage one another.
Communications consultant and podcaster Carole Theriault always loved radio and through her career dabbled in many areas .She landed in a communications and podcasting role where she helps technical firms create audio and digital content. In fact, Carole is the CyberWire's UK Correspondent. She says cybersecurity is good place to go because of the many different avenues available and "you don't even have to be a tech head" (though Carole has quite a technical pedigree). Our thanks to Carole for sharing her story with us.
The U.S. government has charged seven men in relation to hundreds of cyber attacks against organizations in the U.S. and multiple other countries in Asia and Europe. Two of the men, who were based in Malaysia, were arrested and their extradition to the U.S. has been requested. The other five are based in China and remain at large. The attacks were attributed to a China-linked organization dubbed APT41 and involved a combination of intellectual property theft and financially motivated cyber crime. While some of our peers monitor APT41 as a single operation, Symantec regards it as two distinct actors: Grayfly and Blackfly. Joining us in this week's Research Saturday to discuss the research from Symantec's Threat Hunter Team is Jon DiMaggio. The research can be found here: APT41: Indictments Put Chinese Espionage Group in the Spotlight
Ransomware becomes endemic in the healthcare sector. Cyber metaphors--we read a good one this morning. Does your cyber insurance indemnify you against state-sponsored attacks? More guilty pleas in the ex-eBayers’ cyberstalking case. US Cyber Command and others advise everyone not to see foreign election meddling where it isn’t. David Defour looks at the spookiest malware of 2020. Our guest is Travis Leblanc from Cooley on the European court Invalidating the EU-US Privacy Shield. And what do we make of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month as it recedes into our collective rearview mirror? For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/211
Some familiar threat actors--both nation-states and criminal gangs--return to the news: Venomous Bear, Charming Kitten, Wizard Spider, and Maze. Mike Benjamin from Lumen looks at the Mozi malware family. Our guest is Neal Dennis from Cyware on why it's time for organizations to step up their data sharing. And Big Tech’s day on Capitol Hill involved more discussion of censorship and bias than it did Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/210
US authorities warn that North Korea’s Kimsuky APT is out and about and bent on espionage, with a little cryptojacking on the side. As the US elections enter their endgame, observers point out that the appearance of hacking can be just as effective for foreign influence operations as the reality. CISA continues to tweet rumor control and election reassurance. Joe Carirgan share developments in end-to-end encryption. Our guest is Bilyana Lilly from RAND on Russia’s strategic messaging on social media (and the disinformation that may be a part of it). Big Tech returns to Capitol Hill. And another guilty plea in the strange case of eBay-related cyberstalking. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/209
EI-ISAC reports a curious election-related phishing campaign, widespread, but indifferently coordinated and without an obvious motive. Nitro discloses a “low impact security incident.” A breach at a law firm affects current and former Googlers. Finnish psychological clinic Vastaamo dismisses its CEO for not disclosing a breach promptly. Ben Yelin looks at a controversial White House to divvy up 5G spectrum. Carole Theriault shares results from Panaseer’s 2020 GRC Peer Report. And a terrorist murder finds support online. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/208
The US Treasury Department sanctions a Russian research institute for its role in the Triton/Trisis ICS malware attacks. Coordinated inauthenticity with a commercial as well as a political purpose. The Clean Network project gains ground in Central and Eastern Europe. Rob Lee from Dragos on insights on the recent DOJ indictments of Russians allegedly responsible for the Sandworm campaign. Rick Howard explores SD-WANs. Data breaches afflict a large Finnish psychiatric institute. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/207
Associate Professor of Computer Information Systems at the University of Tulsa Sal Aurigemma shares how his interest in how things worked shaped his career path in nuclear power and computers, Being introduced to computers in high school and learning about the Chernobyl event led Sal to study nuclear engineering followed by time in the Navy as a submarine officer. On the submarine, Sal had to understand how systems worked from soup to nuts and that let him back to IT. As a computer engineer, Sal spent a lot of time on network troubleshooting and was eventually introduced to cybersecurity. Following 9/11, cybersecurity took on greater importance. Sal's research focuses on behavioral cybersecurity. To newcomers, he suggests heading into things with an open mind and doesn't recommend giving users 24-character passwords that have two upper, two lower, and two special characters that cannot be written down. We thank Sal for sharing his story with us.
Ben-Gurion University researchers have developed a new artificial intelligence technique that will protect medical devices from malicious operating instructions in a cyberattack as well as other human and system errors. Complex medical devices such as CT (computed tomography), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and ultrasound machines are controlled by instructions sent from a host PC. Abnormal or anomalous instructions introduce many potentially harmful threats to patients, such as radiation overexposure, manipulation of device components or functional manipulation of medical images. Threats can occur due to cyberattacks, human errors such as a technician's configuration mistake or host PC software bugs. As part of his Ph.D. research, Tom Mahler has developed a technique using artificial intelligence that analyzes the instructions sent from the PC to the physical components using a new architecture for the detection of anomalous instructions. Joining us in this week's Research Saturday to discuss his research is CBG - Cyber@Ben Gurion University's Tom Mahler. The research can be found here: A Dual-Layer Architecture for the Protection of Medical Devices from Anomalous Instructions
Energetic Bear is back, and maybe getting ready to go berserk in a network near you, Mr. and Mrs. United States. Someone’s selling publicly available voter and consumer information on the dark web. Sanctions against the GRU for the Bundestag hack. The US sanctions Qods Force and associated organizations for disinformation efforts. Johannes Ullrich has tips for preventing burnout. Our Rick Howard speaks with author David Sanger about his new HBO documentary The Perfect Weapon. How Iran was caught in the emailed voter threat campaign. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/205
Emailed election threats to US voters are identified as an Iranian influence operation, disruptive, and so more in the Russian style. Both Iran and Russia appear to be preparing direct marketing influence campaigns. Cyber criminals are also exploiting US election news as phishbait. Seedworm is said to be ‘retooling.” Caleb Barlow from Cynergistek on contact tracing and privacy as students head back to school. Our guest is Jadee Hanson from Code 42 on juggling priorities and protecting her organization as external and internal threats constantly take aim. And TASS deplores the “blatant Russophobia” of recent Five Eyes’ official remarks. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/205
TrickBot came back, but so did its nemesis from Redmond--Microsoft and its partners have taken down most of the new infrastructure the gang reestablished. CISA publishes election rumor control. The Cyberspace Solarium Commission has a white paper on supply chain security. Japan says it will take steps to secure next summer’s Olympics. Joe Carrigan takes issue with Twitter and Facebook limiting the spread of published news stories. Our guest is Carolyn Crandall from Attivo with a look at the market for cyber deception tools. And a familiar name exits the industry. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/204
America’s NSA reviews twenty-five vulnerabilities under active exploitation by Chinese intelligence services. The UK’s NCSC accuses the GRU of more international cyberattacks. The US Justice Department brings its long-expected anti-trust suit against Google. Ben Yelin examines overly invasive company Zoom policies. Our guest is Jessica Gulick from Katczy with a visit to the Cyber Carnival Games. And a warning on “abandonware.” For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/203
Updates on influence ops and campaign hacking show that the opposition has its troubles, too. TrickBot operators seem to have returned to business. Schools’ remote learning programs are providing attractive targets for cybercriminals. Iranian news outlets say ports were the targets of last week’s cyberattacks. David Dufour explains how phishing campaigns capitalized on a global crisis. And Charlie Tibor says, “hello world” (we paraphrase). For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/202
Senior VP of Cyber Operations at KnowBe4, Rosa Smothers, talks about her career as an early cybersecurity professional in what she describes as the Wild, Wild West to her path through government intelligence work. Rosa shares how she always knew she wanted to be involved with computers and how being a big Star Trek nerd and fan particularly of Spock and Uhura helped shape her direction. Following 9/11, Rosa wanted to work for the government and pursue the bad guys and she did just that completing her bachelor's degree and starting in the Defense Intelligence Agency as a cyber threat analyst focusing on extremist groups. She joined the CIA and worked on things you see in the movies, things that are science fictionesque. Rosa recommends talking with people to get your feet wet to find your passion. We thank Rosa for sharing her story with us.
Bitdefender researchers recently uncovered a sophisticated APT-style attack targeting an international architectural and video production company. The attack shows signs of industrial espionage, similar to another of Bitdefender’s recent investigations of the StrongPity APT group. The real-estate industry is highly competitive, and information exfiltrated by APT mercenary group can give negotiation advantages to other players in high-profile real-estate contracts. While APT groups traditionally could only be afforded by governments or were financially motivated purely out of self-interest, they recently appear to have become a commodity. Joining us in this week's Research Saturday to discuss the research is Global Cybersecurity Researcher Liviu Arsene from Bitdefender. The research can be found here: APT Hackers for Hire Used for Industrial Espionage
Phishing through redirector domains. Content moderation, influence operations, and Section 230. A Twitter outage is due to an error, not an attack. QQAAZZ money-laundering gang members indicted. Johannes Ullrich tracks Mirai Bots going after Amanda backups. Our guest is Richard Hummel from Netscout with research on cybersecurity trends and forecasts. And some ruminations about range safety for cyber exercises. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/201
Tehran says this week’s cyberattacks are under investigation. Silent Librarian returns to campus for academic year 2020-2021. Crooks are posing as nation-state hackers. Domestic disinformation reported in Guinea and Ghana. Disinformation, content moderation, and the difficulties presented by both. US Cyber Command’s forward engagement campaign. Mike Benjamin from Lumen on how bad actors reuse infrastructure. Our guest is Ralph Sita from Cybrary with a look at their "Skills Gap" research report. And an extended meditation on the Scunthorpe Problem. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/200
Reports of cyberattacks against Iranian government and, possibly, economic targets, are circulating, but details are sparse. Norway accuses Russia of hacking parliamentary emails. A cybercriminal gang’s secret is volume. A social engineering campaign singles out victims with US IP addresses. Joe Carrigan on a million dollar REvil recruitment offer. Our guest is Paul Nicholson from A10 Networks with a look at the "State of DDoS Weapons". And the US Treasury Department warns banks to be on the lookout for signs of unemployment fraud. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/199
Trickbot gets hit by both US Cyber Command and an industry team led by Microsoft. CISA and the FBI warn that an unnamed threat actor is chaining vulnerabilities, including Zerologon, to gain access to infrastructure and government targets. Ben Yelin shares his thoughts on the US House’s report on monopoly status for some of tech's biggest players. Our guest is David Higgins from CyberArk on how work from home has put a light on privilege access security. And the Five Eyes plus two call for legal access to encrypted communications. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/198
Ben describes a decades-long global espionage campaign alleged to have been carried out by the CIA and NSA, Dave shares a story about the feds using cell phone location data for immigration enforcement, and later in the show our conversation with Drew Harwell from the Washington Post on his article on how Colleges are turning students’ phones into surveillance machines. Links to stories: ‘The intelligence coup of the century’ RIGGING THE GAME Spy sting Federal Agencies Use Cellphone Location Data for Immigration Enforcement Got a question you'd like us to answer on our show? You can send your audio file to caveat@thecyberwire.com or simply leave us a message at (410) 618-3720. Hope to hear from you.
Investigative journalist and author Geoff White talks about tracing a line through the dots of his career covering technology. Geoff shares that he has always been "quite geeky," but came to covering technology after several roles in the journalism industry. Newspapers, magazines and television were all media Geoff worked in before covering technology. Geoff got into journalism not due to the glamour sometimes associated with it, but because he wanted to fight for the public to cover stories that helped those who didn't have massive amounts of money, power or a huge lobbying campaign in political circles. When writing his book, Crime Dot Com, Geoff reflected on the cybercrime and cybersecurity stories he's covered and saw how things started falling into place. Our thanks to Geoff for sharing his story with us.
Containers offer speed, performance, and portability, but do they actually contain? While they try their best, the shared kernel is a disturbing attack surface: a mere kernel vulnerability may allow containerized processes to escape and compromise the host. This issue prompted a new wave of sandboxing tools that use either unikernels, lightweight VMs or userspace-kernels to separate the host OS from the container's OS. One of these solutions is Kata Containers, a container runtime that spawns each container inside a lightweight VM, and can function as the underlying runtime in Docker and Kubernetes. Kata's virtualized containers provide two layers of isolation: even if an attacker breaks out of the container, he is still confined to the microVM. Joining us in this week's Research Saturday to discuss the research is Yuval Avrahami from Palo Alto Networks Unit 42. The research presented at Black Hat USA 2020 can be found here: Escaping Virtualized Containers
A Parliamentary committee issues a scathing report on Huawei’s connection to the Chinese government and the Communist Party of China. Facebook takes down coordinated inauthenticity with a domestic focus in four countries. Twitter goes after influence operators in four other countries. Betsy Carmelite addresses threats to telehealth platforms. Our guests are the FBI’s Herb Stapleton and the US Secret Service’s Greg McAleer new multi-agency mission center to tackle the highest priority cyber criminal threats facing the US. And two of the former eBayers charged in a cyber-stalking case have taken their expected guilty pleas. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/197
Add the Bahamut cyber mercenaries to the shadow armies for hire in cyberspace. Reports associate the SlothfulMedia RAT with Chinese intelligence services, and claim that it’s being used against India and China. The US takes down domains the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps uses to push disinformation. Trends in phishbait. Caleb Barlow rethinks a TED talk he gave a while back, given what we’ve learned from COVID-19. Our guest is Dr. Greg Rattray from Next Peak on 'Advanced Persistent Threats' a term, by the way, that he coined. And Moscow says, hey, we don’t meddle in anyone’s elections. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/196
Cyber ops accompany fighting in the Caucasus. Iranian threat group exploits Zerologon in the wild. The Kraken gets unleashed in Southeast Asia, of all places. Emotet is back, and it’s after state and local governments. The US House identifies the Four Horsemen of Silicon Valley. Monero gains criminal market share. The US Comptroller of the Currency moves for clarity in alt-coin regulation. Joe Carrigan takes a look at ransomware trends. Our guest is Mathew Newfield from Unisys with remote school safety tips for students and parents. And a cyberattack from Waikiki. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/195
Spyware version of Mirai detected in the wild. The People’s Liberation Army is told, by its government, to lighten up on US election stories. Centripetal wins a major patent lawsuit. Excel is not a big data tool. John McAfee is arrested on US tax charges. Our guest is Roger Barranco from Akamai on tracking increased DDoS attacks. Ben Yelin on a case involving warrants for Wifi location data. And an aid to chastity is found to be hackable, but at least it errs on the side of continence. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/194
Attacks on maritime shipping organizations raise concerns about global supply chains. Someone’s pushing spyware through the firmware. Someone else is messing with the heads of Trickbot’s masters. A new ransomware strain, Egregor, shows again that a ransomware attack amounts to a data breach. Huawei may be losing ground in Europe. Mike Benjamin from Lumen on DDoS ransoms. Scott Algeier from IT-ISAC looks back on 20 years of information sharing. And criminals give their fingerprints to police, virtually. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/193
Commandant for the National Security Agency's National Cryptologic School Diane M. Janosek shares the story of her career going global Diane explains how she's always been drawn to doing things that could help and raise the nation. From a position as a law clerk during law school, to the role of a judicial clerk, and joining the White House Counsel's office, Diane was exposed to many things and felt she experienced the full circle. Moving on to the Pentagon and finally, the NSA, Diane transitioned into her current role where she orchestrates the educational environment for military and civilian cyber and cryptologists worldwide for the nation. Diane encourages those who love to learn to join the multidisciplinary cybersecurity field. Our thanks to Diane for sharing her story with us.
Threat actors and cybercriminals that don’t have the ability to develop their own ransomware for malicious campaigns can turn to the Smaug Ransomware as a Service (RaaS) offering, which is available via a Dark Web Onion site. At least two threat actors are operating the site, providing ransomware that can be used to target Windows, macOS, and Linux machines. The site is built with ease of use in mind. To launch an attack, threat actors simply need to sign up, create a campaign, and then start distributing the malware. The site also handles decryption key purchasing and tracking for victims. Joining us in this week's Research Saturday to discuss the research is Anomali's Joakim Kennedy and Rory Gould. The research can be found here: Anomali Threat Research Releases First Public Analysis of Smaug Ransomware as a Service
SlothfulMedia is the new RAT in town. Emotet spam counts on political commitments. ESET describes two distinct spyware campaigns in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Hackers are paying more attention than usual to the maritime sector. Awais Rashid from the University of Bristol on privacy concerns of contact tracing apps. Our guest is Krystle Portocarrero from Juniper Networks on the continued rise of encryption and the technical and privacy challenges that come with it. And the US Treasury Department cautions all that paying up in a ransomware attack might land you in sanctions hot water. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/192
Two ransomware incidents now seem worse than originally believed. Hacking hospitals raises concerns for patient safety. It appears Fancy Bear was the group that hacked the US Federal agency CISA warned about recently. Chris Novak from Verizon considers whether investigations should be performed under attorney client privilege and if that privilege will hold. Alex Mosher from MobileIron explains how yours truly got phished. With Cookies. And interruptions to trading on Japan’s exchanges seem to be due to technical problems, and not to cyberattack. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/191
Ransomware gangs continue to look for an opportunistic payday. Another exposed database is found, and secured. Captchas and padlock icons have their place, but they’re not a guarantee of security. Microsoft explains how to reduce exposure to Zerologon. The US looks to reduce dependence on foreign microelectronics. Joe Carrigan has thoughts on Facebook running SuperPAC ads. Our guest is Sanjay Gupta from Mitek on how online marketplaces can balance security with biometrics. And there’s just one shopping day before National Cybersecurity Month. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/190
Three (count ‘em) three big ransomware attacks are in progress. One of them has moved into its doxing phase. Microsoft resolves authentication problems that briefly disrupted services yesterday. Tracking trends in cyberattacks--the sophistication seems to lie in the execution. The US Defense Department now has an interim rule implementing its CMMC program. Ben Yelin describes the extensive use of facial recognition software by the LAPD. Our guest is Christy Wyatt from Absolute on their Endpoint Resilience report. And why do hackers hack? To a large extent it seems they do so...because they can. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/189
The TikTok ban has been delayed; the November goal for the company’s change in ownership still stands, at least for now. Microsoft takes down infrastructure used by a Chinese cyberespionage group. Huawei’s CFO returns to court in Vancouver. The UK shows some of its cyber offensive hand. DDoS in Hungary; malware in Texas. The strange and sad case of eBay and a newsletter. Rick Howard shares lessons learned from his CSO Perspectives podcast. Our guest is Thomas Etheridge from CrowdStrike on mitigating the risk of public cloud key compromises. And REvil wants to recruit more criminal affiliates. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/188
Director of security operations at Syntax Richard Torres talks about his path leading him working in juvenile justice to becoming a private investigator to physical security at a nuclear power plant to cybersecurity presently. Always a fan of police shows, Richard became a member of the Air Force Junior ROTC in high school and began his path there. Richard shares the challenges of working in several facets of the security industry including his transition from SWAT team member to cybersecurity. He notes the role that diplomacy plays when you're trying to get honesty and be steered in the right direction. Our thanks to Richard for sharing his story with us.
Throughout March and April, QuoIntelligence (QuoINT) observed four attacks (i.e. sightings) utilizing various tools from the Golden Chickens (GC) Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) portfolio – they recently declassified their findings, after first notifying their clients. Further, during their analysis of the sightings, QuoIntelligence confirmed the GC MaaS Operator, Badbullzvenom, released improved variants with code updates to three tools in the service portfolio. Joining us in this week's Research Saturday to discuss the research is QuoIntelligence's Vice President of Threat Intelligence, Chaz Hobson. The research can be found here: Latest Golden Chickens MaaS Tools Updates and Observed Attacks
Facebook takes down three Russian networks for coordinated inauthenticity: a lot of activity but not much evident ROI. Russia calls for confidence-building measures in cyberspace. CISA detects a successful incursion into an unnamed Federal agency. Governments warn of heightened rates of cyberattacks against medical organizations. Mike Benjamin from Lumen joins us with details on Alina malware. Our guest is James Dawson with insights on how to best calibrate your security budget. And there’s a not-guilty plea in the case of the attempted bribery of a Tesla insider. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/187
Zerologon is being actively exploited in the wild. The OldGremlin ransomware gang picks on Russian targets. Thought Fancy Bear was done with NATO? (Think again.) The US Treasury Department sanctions more organizations and individuals for malign influence operations. Betsy Carmelite from BAH on vaccine laboratory cybersecurity. Our guest is Shena Tharnish from Comcast Business with insights for small businesses concerned with COVID-19 related phishing. And four of the defendants indicted in the eBay cyberstalking case have chosen their pleas. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/186
Facebook takes down coordinated inauthenticity. A ransomware-involved death is attributed to DoppelPaymer. CISA and the FBI warn of coming election disinformation. LokiBot is back in a big way. Operation DisrupTor collars a hundred-seventy Darknet contraband merchants. Joe Carrigan comments on the botched ransomware attack in Germany that led to a woman's death. Our guest is Matt Davey from 1Password on why single sign on isn’t a silver bullet for enterprise security. And patriotic hacktivism flares along the Blue Nile. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/185
In an unusual lapse, Microsoft briefly left a Bing backend server exposed online--now fixed. Sources say the CIA has concluded that Russian President Putin is personally involved in setting the direction of operations designed to influence the US elections, The deal to spin out TikTok Global to avoid a US ban may not be enough, Europe looks for more control over tech companies. Activision’s hack seems to be a mere rumor. Ben Yelin on section 230 of the communications decency act. Our guest is Ramon Pinero from Blackberry on the challenges of coordinating public services during the pandemic. And a Dark Overlord cops a plea. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/184
CISA tells the Feds to patch Zerologon by midnight tonight. Cerberus surges after its source code is released. Rampant Kitten, an Iranian surveillance operation, is described. The US bans on WeChat and TikTok were both postponed. Justin Harvey from Accenture marks three years since wannacry with a look at ransomware. Our own Rick Howard on red and blue team operations. And police in Germany are looking for ransomware attackers on a homicide charge. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/183
The cybersecurity space is nothing if not crowded. Yet despite all the fantastic offers and promises being made by vendors, the sober reality persists that spending has not equated to improved security. Did you know that 80% of IT security budgets are focused on detection and containment controls, even though 70% of security experts believe that a greater focus on prevention would strengthen their security posture? Joining the conversation are Bob Olsen from Ankura giving his insight on the many options out there when buying cyber security systems and platforms. Later, we will be joined by Steve Salinas, Head of Product Marketing at Deep Instinct, as he addresses this paradox of why organizations are spending their scarce budget in ways that are contrary to their interests.
Cyber Initiative and Special Projects Fellow at the Hewlett Foundation Monica Ruiz shares her career development from aspirations of being a weather woman to her current role as a grantmaker and connector in cybersecurity. Monica discusses how her international study experience changed her outlook and brought her to the field of security. She shares the difficulties she faced as a woman of color when when not that many people look like you, and how she used that as her reason to move forward and better the cybersecurity field through her work. Our thanks to Monica for sharing her story with us.
After the 2016 General Election, the talk was all around foreign meddling. Rumors swirled that some votes may have been changed or influenced by state-sponsored actors. Sanctions and accusations followed. Four years later, is the U.S. any more prepared to protect the results of its largest elections? More than you may realize. Talos researchers take a deep dive into election security after spending the past four years talking to local, state and national officials, performing their own independent research and even watching one state plan an election in real-time. Joining us in this week's Research Saturday to discuss the report on this timely topic is Cisco Talos' Matt Olney. The research can be found here:
What to expect when you’re electing: Talos’ 2020 election security primer.
The US Commerce Department announces a clampdown on TikTok and WeChat, to begin Sunday. An overview of the Grayfly and Blackfly units of APT41. Maze begins delivering payloads inside a VM. A ransomware attack on a Düsseldorf hospital is implicated in the death of a patient. Google wants less stalkerware and misrepresentation in the Play store. Caleb Barlow from Cynergistek on the Military's CMMC program. Our guest Galina Antova from Claroty highlights importance of secure remote access in industrial systems during times of crisis. And an alleged fox was allegedly guarding the henhouse. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/182
Cerberus is available for free, the Empire Market’s old and betrayed customers are probably looking for another marketplace where English is spoken, and it seems the Russian mob is selling access to North Korea’s Lazarus Group. NSA thinks US elections will be safe and secure, but that influence operations are probably here to stay. Betsy Carmelite from BAH on medical device security, our guest is Jonathan Langer from Medigate on lessons to help clinical and IT leaders at institutions heavily affected by COVID-19. Two Iranians are indicted for espionage and theft, and more evidence allegedly surfaces of Huawei’s role in sanctions evasion. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/181
CISA and the FBI warn of extensive Iranian cyberattacks that exploit flaws in widely used VPNs. The US indicts two men for website defacements undertaken for the benefit of Iran, and in retribution for the US drone strike that killed Quds Force commander Soleimani. The US has also indicted seven in a cybercrime and cyberespionage wave conducted in conjunction with Wicked Panda. Ethiopian strife made worse by social media. Joe Carrigan describes scammers using fake alerts on web sites. Our guest is Kevin Ford, CISO of the state of North Dakota on their move to offer free anti-malware to all state k-12 institutions. And ByteDance’s plans for TikTok grow clearer. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/180
Details of the Zerologon vulnerability are published, and it seems a serious one indeed. CISA describes Chinese cyberespionage practices--they’re not exotic, but they’re effective. What’s the difference between highly targeted market research and intelligence collection against individuals? Better commercials? Ben Yelin explains a 9th circuit court opinion with 4th amendment implications. Our guest is Exabeam’s Richard Cassidy on why when it comes to insider risk, context is everything. And there’s been a data breach at the VA. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/179
Social engineers use text from legitimate recent warnings. Cybercrooks go for whatever they can get from software about to reach the end of its life. A big database filled with individual information is leaked from a Chinese government contractor. In the race to do whatever it is US companies hope to do with TikTok, Microsoft is apparently out, but Oracle is apparently in. Rick Howard looks at red versus blue. Our gust is Colby Prior, Infrastructure Engineer for AusCERT, on running honeypots. And the FBI wants you to know, contrary what you may have seen online, that Oregon wildfires are not extremist arson. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/178
A reading of “Ode to Wealthy Elite”, written circa August 16, 2016. From “The collected works of the Shadow Brokers, volume I,” read by D.W. Bittner, compiled and edited by the CyberWire. The Shadow Brokers represent themselves as hackers who sell stolen exploits, hacking tools, and other scandalous material online to the detriment of Wealthy Elite, whose hidden hands the ShadowBrokers wish to convince you secretly move the world's events. Their online auctions have been notorious fizzles, finding few takers, but they continue to reappear with their offers from time to time. The smart money bets that the Brokers are a Russian intelligence service operation. They communicate in Hollywood scriptwriter broken English as opposed to any known natural language.
Cybersecurity Sales Engineer Brandon Robinson shares how he built his career in technology and the barriers he experienced along the way. He talks about how his job involves him interacting with customers at the highest levels making sure their solution is meeting needs. In addition, Brandon describes how as a black man and a trailblazer, he's been met with resistance. His positive spin on moving ahead involves relying on himself. Brandon's advice: find your passion, don't be intimidated and you will be met with success. Our thanks to Brandon for sharing his story with us.
Researchers at Symantec spotted a Sodinokibi targeted ransomware campaign in which the attackers are also scanning the networks of some victims for credit card or point of sale (PoS) software. It is not clear if the attackers are targeting this software for encryption or because they want to scrape this information as a way to make even more money from this attack. Joining us in this week's Research Saturday to discuss the report is Jon DiMaggio of Symantec. The research can be found here: Sodinokibi: Ransomware Attackers also Scanning for PoS Software, Leveraging Cobalt Strike
Kittens and Pandas and Bears, oh my. Ransomware gets its skates on, but it still has loose idiomatic control. CISA has some advice on email. While at home on pandemic lockdown, a lot of people (not you) are spending too much time on unedifying sites. Momentum Cyber looks at the state of the cybersecurity sector in 2020. The SINET 16 have been announced. Chris Novak from Verizon on understanding the complexities of PFI breach investigations. Our guest is Steve Vintz from Tenable on why CFOs should lean into cybersecurity issues. And, finally, take a moment today to remember 9/11. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/177
Ransomware hits a major data center provider, but appears to have left service unaffected. There’s a thriving criminal market for website defacement tools: vandals can be consumers, too. CDRThief does what its name implies. ByteDance tried negotiating TikTok’s American future. Ireland’s Data Protection Commission starts enforcing Schrems II against Facebook. Awais Rashid outlines software development security pitfalls. Our guest is John Morello from Palo Alto with insights from their new State of Cloud Native Security report. And China’s ambassador to the UK has his Twitter account hacked. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/176
Back to school time for everyone...or it would be, if it weren’t for all that ransomware. The sad criminal underworld stealing from online gamers. Notes on Patch Tuesday. Joe Carrigan considers digital comfort zones. Our guest is Sandra Wheatley from Fortinet with key findings from their new report on the cybersecurity skills shortage. And some thoughts on election security and disinformation from the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/175
Thanos is back, but as ransomware or a wiper? Cyber agencies in France, Japan, and New Zealand warn of a spike in Emotet infections. Australian authorities say 186,00 were affected by the breach at Services NSW. Georgia decries cyberespionage at its Lugar Lab. COVID-19 cyberespionage efforts have been intense, as have counterintelligence efforts designed to defend labs and supply chains. Rick Howard looks at identity management. Ben Yelin covers tightened surveillance of political advisors. And Anonymous may have a successor: K-pop stans. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/174
Dave shares a story about our own state of Maryland trying to crack down on ransomware, Ben shares a New York Times story about facial recognition software, and later in the show our conversation with Stuart Thompson from the New York Times on the article, Twelve Million Phones, One Dataset, Zero Privacy. Links to stories: How ransomware bill would tighten focus on the threat in Maryland The Secretive Company That Might End Privacy As We Know It Got a question you'd like us to answer on our show? You can send your audio file to caveat@thecyberwire.com or simply leave us a message at (410) 618-3720. Hope to hear from you.
Technology attorney and startup chief of staff Elizabeth Wharton shares her experiences and how she came to work with companies in technology. Elizabeth talks about how she always liked solving problems and Nancy Drew mysteries, but not litigation. These morphed finding into her home in the policy legal world and some time later, technology law. Elizabeth describes how she loves planning and strategy in her work and encourages others to ask questions and absorb all of the information. Our thanks to Elizabeth for sharing her story with us.
A look at the realities of ransomware from Sophos, including an industry-first detailed look at new detection evasion techniques in WastedLocker ransomware attacks that leverage the Windows Cache Manager and memory-mapped I/O to encrypt files. A complementary article examines the evasion-centric arms race of ransomware, providing a months-long review of how cybercriminals have been escalating and markedly changing evasion techniques, tactics and procedures (TTPs) since Snatch ransomware in December 2019. The research also breaks down the five early warning signs organizations are about to be attacked by ransomware and why ransomware attacks continue to occur. Joining us on this week's Research Saturday to walk us through the research and share their findings is Sophos' Principal Research Scientist Chet Wisniewski and EVP & Chief Product Officer Dan Schiappa. The media alert and research articles can be found here:
Media Alert: Sophos Reports on the Realities of Ransomware
WastedLocker’s techniques point to a familiar heritage
Ransomware’s evasion-centric arms race
5 signs you’re about to be hit by ransomware
The realities of ransomware: extortion goes social
Ransomware: why it’s not just a passing fad
Ransom DDoS: it’s been around for awhile, but now it’s become a much bigger thing. Phishing campaigns are putting malicious payloads into legitimate file-sharing services. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture on proactive "alpha innovator" organizations. Our guest is Joseph Marks from The Washington Post on his recent coverage of election security. And it’s time to go back to school, at least virtually, with all the attendant cyber risk. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/173
Updates on cyberattacks against Norway’s parliament and the Hedmark region. A popular TikTok page is infested with scammers. Magecart’s Inter scanner gains criminal market share. Thomas Etheridge from CrowdStrike on the many potential benefits of outsourced threat hunting. Our guest is Lauren Bean Buitta from Girl Security on closing the gender gap in national security. Heading back to school in Miami? Not so fast, kids. And in Northumberland? Same goes there. (That’s Northumberland, England, by the way, not Northumberland, Pennsylvania.) For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/172
Facebook’s August takedowns included coordinated inauthenticity from Pakistan, Russia (that’s St. Petersburg, with a waystation in DC), and a US strategic communication firm. CISA and the FBI say nope, the Russians weren’t in voter databases. A Chinese APT turns its attention from Europe back to Tibet. A new cryptocurrency stealer is active in Central Europe. New Zealand DDoS attacks may be an extortion attempt. Joe Carrigan has the story of a reporter's stolen Facebook account. Our guest is Ophir Harpaz from Guardicore Labs with their Botnet Encyclopedia. And there may be another teenage mastermind behind last month’s Twitter hack. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/171
An election hack that wasn’t. More DDoS in New Zealand’s stock exchange. A look at how Iranian cyber contractors make money as a byproduct of cyberespionage. Malware sneeks past Apple’s notarization process. The bandit economy that’s grown up around Fortnite. Ben Yelin looks at how the upcoming US elections could direct the nation’s cybersecurity strategies. Our guest is Julian Waits from Devo with highlights from their 2nd annual SOC performance report. And the US Army’s youngest branch celebrates a birthday. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/170
New Zealand’s stock exchange continues to fight through offshore DDoS attacks. Sunday’s Internet outage was a glitch, not an attack. China enacts new technology export controls that may impede the sale of TikTok. Danish authorities investigate allegations of data sharing with NSA. North Korea says it doesn’t rob banks, but Americans do. Caleb Barlow looks at security validation and how it can help manage vendors and SOCs. Rick Howard has the CSO Perspective on Identity Management. And a look at Terracotta, a botnet serving up ad fraud. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/169
Host of Darknet Diaries podcast Jack Rhysider shares his experiences from studying computer engineering at university to his strategy of using gamification on his career that led to him landing in the security space. Jack talks about how his wide experiences came together in security and what prompted him to learn podcasting. Jack endeavors to share the whole story through his podcasts while making them entertaining, enlightening and inspirational. Our thanks to Jack for sharing his story with us.
Docker containers have been gaining popularity over the past few years as an effective way of packaging software applications. Docker Hub provides a strong community-based model for users and companies to share their software applications. This is also attracting the attention of malicious actors intending to make money by cryptojacking within Docker containers and using Docker Hub to distribute these images. Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 researchers identified a malicious Docker Hub account, azurenql, active since October 2019 that was hosting six malicious images intended to mine the cryptocurrency, Monero. The images hosted on this account have been collectively pulled more than two million times. Additionally, when last checked minexmr.com for this wallet ID, Palo Alto's team saw recent activity indicating that it’s still being used. Joining us on this week's Research Saturday is Jen Miller-Osborn from Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 group to share the research and findings. The research and blog post can be found here: Attackers Cryptojacking Docker Images to Mine for Monero
Denial-of-service attacks continue to cripple New Zealand’s NZX stock exchange. The Empire criminal market has exited, and done so with its users funds. US authorities have filed for civil forfeiture of Hidden Cobra’s stolen crytpo assets. An Instagram hijacking campaign is under way. Qbot and Emotet are back, and together again. The former Green Beret who allegedly spied for the GRU offers an insight into his (alleged) motives. We welcome our newest partner to the show, Betsy Carmelite from BAH. Our guest is Mark Calandra from CSC on their 2020 domain security report that revealed shortfalls among the Forbes Global 2000. And the unnamed company cited in the arrest of a Russian national this week has now been named: it’s Tesla. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/168
Several Magecart campaigns turn out to be the work of one gang. The unfortunate persistence of DDoS-for-hire services. Ransomware’s growing sophistication as a class of criminal enterprise. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on supply chain attacks & risks. Our guest is Mark Testoni from SAP's NS2 on how Covid-19 reshaped classified work. And hey kids: the BeagleBoyz are on a crime spree. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/167
New Zealand’s stock exchange has sustained two distributed denial-of-service attacks this week. CISA and FBI issue an alert about GoldenSpy. Two cyber mercenary groups are engaged in industrial espionage for hire. Thailand decides to crack down on sites that host content the government deems illegal. Joe Carrigan looks at new types of crimes made possible by AI. Our guest is Shane Harris from The Washington Post on an Elite CIA unit which failed to secure its own systems. And a Russian national faces US charges of conspiracy to damage a computer. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/166
Security trends during the pandemic include shifts in underworld markets and some enduring changes in the way organizations approach cybersecurity. Discount phones come preloaded with adware and fleeceware. TikTok files its lawsuit. Ben Yelin on the Massachusetts Attorney General creating a data privacy office. Our guest is Nitzan Miron from Barracuda Networks on how brick & mortar shops have accelerated their shift online. And spoofing a Bitcoin exchange to spread malware. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/165
Iranian wannabes successfully use Dharma ransomware against soft targets. SourMint hid an ad-fraud and info-stealing package in an SDK. A former US Army officer and sometime Government contractor is charged with working for the GRU. DarkSide ransomware rises as affiliates go into business on their own. Awais Rashid from the University of Bristol on aligning cyber security metrics with business goals. Rick Howard talks data loss prevention with members of the Hash Table. And copycat DDoS extortionists pretend to be, who else? Fancy Bear.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/164
Managing director of the Cyber Readiness Institute Kiersten Todt shares how she came to be in the cybersecurity industry helping to provide free tools and resources for small businesses through a nonprofit. She describes how her work on the Hill prior to and just after 9/11 changed. Kiersten talks about the diversity of skills that benefit work in cybersecurity and offers her advice on going after what you want to do. Our thanks to Kiersten for sharing her story with us.
The goal of malicious activity is to compromise the system to install some unauthorized software. Increasingly that goal is tied to one thing: the user. Over the past several years, we as an industry improved exploit mitigation and the value of working exploits has increased accordingly. Together, these changes have had an impact on the threat landscape. We still see large amounts of active exploitation, but enterprises are getting better at defending against them. This has left adversaries with a couple of options, develop or buy a working exploit that will defeat today's protections, which can be costly, or pivot to enticing a user to help you. In today's threat landscape, adversaries are always trying to develop and implement the most effective lures to try and draw users into their infection path. They've tried a multitude of different tactics in this space, but one always stands out — current events. Joining us on this week's Research Saturday from Craig Williams from Cisco's Talos Outreach team to walk us through how current events are used as lures. The research and blog post can be found here: Adversarial use of current events as lures
The CyberWire's Research Saturday is presented by Juniper Networks. Thanks to our sponsor Enveil, closing the last gap in data security.
Transparent Tribe upgrades Crimson RAT. Cuba, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia are also interested in influencing the upcoming US election. The University of Utah restored from backups after a ransomware attack, but paid the ransom to prevent the crooks from publishing stolen data. Uber’s former CSO has been charged with allegedly covering up a hack the company sustained in 2016. Justin Harvey from Accenture on how the pandemic has affected Incident Response. Gerald Beuchelt from LogMeIn on how secure remote access may or may not be. And a popular fertility app was found to be sharing data with advertisers without users’ permission. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/163
Ukraine warns that Russia’s Gamaredon Group is running a phishing campaign ahead of Ukraine’s independence day. CISA and the FBI publish details on a North Korean remote access Trojan. Google patches a serious Gmail flaw. Marriott faces another lawsuit over its 2018 data breach. The WannaRen ransomware operators have released a decryption key. Rob Lee from Dragos with lessons learned from recent virtual conferences. Our guest is Rachel Tobac from SocialProof with her insights on social engineering and the Twitter hack. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/162
Phone spearphishing is catching on after the Twitter hack. Taiwan blames China for hacking government agencies. FritzFrog botnet is cryptomining, for now. Whoever’s behind GoldenSpy is trying to cover their tracks. WastedLocker ransomware is successful without stealing data. The US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence releases its final report on Russian interference with the 2016 election. Joe Carrigan looks at shady SIM cards. Our guest is Nathan Jones from WhiteCanyon Software on secure data destruction. And an AI company exposes millions of medical records. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/161
Suspected patriotic hacktivists are defacing websites. A cryptomining worm is stealing AWS credentials. Cruise company Carnival suffered a ransomware attack that involved data theft. US measures against Huawei are expected to make things much more difficult for the Chinese company. Ben Yelin on new tools tracking cyber data on US borders. Our guest is Jesse Rothstein from ExtraHop on what happens to enterprise security when the network goes dark. And a look at the organizational structure of North Korea’s hacking units. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/160
North Korea harasses defectors. Researchers have been exploiting a bug in Emotet to inoculate systems against the malware for the past six months. CISA warns of KONNI spearphishing. RedCurl APT conducts corporate espionage. The US announces more restrictions on Huawei’s access to US-made chips. Chris Novak from Verizon on the evolving role of cyber insurance. Rick Howard on data loss prevention. And Australian schools are without email after an unpleasant experience with Reply-All.
For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief:
https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/159
Founder and CEO Stu Sjouwerman takes us on a journey of how his career developed from starting a software service company to currently focusing on the infosec side of the business where his team essentially helps to create human firewalls. Stu talks about learning all aspects of the business while creating startups and suggests you learn to speak the language of the area you are looking to get into. He even touches on predicting the future and taking over the world. Our thanks to Stu for sharing his story with us.
Teachers, students, admin, parents: The education sector has possibly the most diverse user base, each requiring its own user privileges, access requirements, and behavioral trends. Yet besides this, there are a number of unique challenges to securing an educational environment, including ensuring broad attack surface protection, minimal false positives, and maintaining a cost-effective security posture. Join us in as we chat with Kevin Ford, Chief Information Security Officer for the state of North Dakota, about these challenges for securing statewide educational institutions and their networks. Later, we will be joined by Steve Salinas, Head of Product Marketing at Deep Instinct and Matthew Fredrickson, Director of IT at Council Rock School District, in what should be a steep learning curve on protecting educational environments.
Bitdefender researchers have recently found the APT group StrongPity has been targeting victims in Turkey and Syria. Using watering hole tactics to selectively infect victims and deploying a three-tier C&C infrastructure to thwart forensic investigations, the APT group leveraged Trojanized popular tools, such as archivers, file recovery applications, remote connections applications, utilities, and even security software, to cover a wide range of options that targeted victims might be seeking. Joining us on this week's Research Saturday to discuss the research is Bitdefender's Liviu Arsene. You can find the research here: StrongPity APT – Revealing Trojanized Tools, Working Hours and Infrastructure
An update on Fancy Bear and its Drovorub rootkit. Karma Panda, a.k.a. CactusPete, is scouting Eastern European financial and military targets with the latest version of a venerable backdoor. How criminals and terrorists exploit COVID-19, and how law enforcement tracks them down. Caleb Barlow from Cynergistek covers security assessments and HIPAA data. Our guest is Ryan Olson from Palo Alto Networks on the 10th Anniversary of Stuxnet. And those celebrity endorsed investment scams aren’t actually endorsed by celebrities, and they’re not actually good investments. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/158
NSA and FBI release a detailed report on a GRU toolset. North Korea’s Operation Dream Job phishes in Israeli waters. CISA warns of COVID-19 loan relief scams. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture with highlights from their 2020 Security Vision report. Our guest is Mike Hamilton from CI Security, who clears the air on election security and the shift to absentee status. And crooks are using infection and job loss as retail phishbait. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/157
Regional rivals tussle in cyberspace, and governments have it out with dissidents and the opposition. Market penetration as an instrument of state power. TikTok gets more unwelcome scrutiny over its privacy practices. Joe Carrigan on a credential harvesting phishing scheme using Zoom as bait. Our guest is Avi Shua from Orca Security on accidental vulnerabilities. And suppressing creepware is apparently harder than it looks. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/156
Belarus shuts down its Internet after its incumbent president’s surprising, perhaps implausible, no...really implausible landslide reelection. Papua New Guinea undergoes buyer’s remorse over that Huawei-built National Data Centre it sprung for a couple of years ago. Versions of Chrome found susceptible to CSP rule bypass. Zoom is taken to court over encryption. Patch Tuesday notes. Ben Yelin looks at mobile surveillance in a Baltimore criminal case. Carole Theriault returns to speak with our guest, Alex Guirakhoo from Digital Shadows with a look at dark web travel agencies. And card-skimmers hit a university’s online store. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/155
A network mapping tool that pings IP addresses looking for a response and can discover host names, open communications ports, operating system names and versions. Written and maintained by Gordon Lyon, a.k.a. Fyodor, it is a free and open source software application used by both system admins and hackers alike and has been a staple in the security community for well over two decades.
The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence has released an appreciation of the goals of election interference among three principal US adversaries, Russia, China and Iran. Anomali offers a look at the ransomware-as-a-service market with its research on Smaug. The CyberWire’s Rick Howard continues his exploration of incident response. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on cyber regionalism. And the tangles that need to be untangled in the TikTok affair, with a deadline looming less than a month from now. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/154
Cyber threat intelligence analyst Selena Larson takes us on her career journey from being a journalist to making the switch to industrial security. As a child who wrote a book about a green goldfish who dealt with bullying, Selena always liked investigating and researching things. Specializing in cybersecurity journalism led to the realization of how closely aligned or similar skills are required from an investigative journalist and a cyber threat intelligence analyst. Our thanks to Selena for sharing her story with us.
“Cyberbunker” refers to a criminal group that operated a “bulletproof” hosting facility out of an actual military bunker. “Bullet Proof” hosting usually refers to hosting locations in countries with little or corrupt law enforcement, making shutting down criminal activity difficult. Cyberbunker, which is also known as “ZYZtm” and “Calibour”, was a bit different in that it actually operated out of a bulletproof bunker. In September of last year, German police raided this actual Cyberbunker and arrested several suspects. While most of the group's assets were seized during the initial raid, the IP address space remained and was later sold to Legaco Networks. Before being shut down, Legaco Networks temporarily redirected the traffic to the SANS Internet Storm Center honeypots for examination. Joining us on this week's Research Saturday from SANS Technology Institute is graduate student Karim Lalji and Dean of Research Johannes Ullrich to discuss their experiences. The research and blog post can be found here: Real-Time Honeypot Forensic Investigation on a German Organized Crime Network Cyberbunker 2.0: Analysis of the Remnants of a Bullet Proof Hosting Provider
President Trump issues Executive Orders restricting TikTok and WeChat in the US. A Chinese APT has been active in industrial espionage against Taiwan’s semiconductor industry. Intel sustains a leak of sensitive company intellectual property. Rewards for Justice communicated to Russian and Iranian individuals by text message. Coordinated inauthenticity from Romanian actors, probably criminals. Magecart moves to homoglyph attacks. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos on ransomware campaigns making use of Maze and Snake malware. Our guest is Monica Ruiz from the Hewlett Foundation Cyber Initiative on the potential for a volunteer cyber workforce. And, sorry Fort Meade--there are limits to telework. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/153
The US announces five new lines of effort for the Clean Network program, and none of them are exactly mash notes for Beijing. The US is also offering rewards of up to ten million dollars for information about foreign computer crimes aimed at interfering with US elections. Australia’s new cybersecurity strategy is out. Maze may have hit Canon. Rob Lee from Dragos addresses speculation of an ICS supply chain back door. Our guest is Theresa Lanowitz from AT&T Cybersecurity on 5G security threats to businesses. And a bail hearing is disrupted by Zoom-bombing. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/152
NSA, yes, NSA, has some privacy advice. Interpol offers its take on where cybercrime is going during the time of the pandemic. Iran’s Oilrig is getting clever with its data exfiltration. The FBI would like to know when you’re finally going to move on from Windows 7--like, c’mon people. Joe Carrigan looks at pesky ads from the Google Play store. Our guest is Bobby McLernon from Axonius on how federal cybersecurity is particularly vulnerable during the shutdown. And a not-guilty plea from one of the three alleged Twitter hackers, along with some notes on how whoever dunnit dunnit. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/151
The US attributes the Taidoor remote access Trojan to the Chinese government. Sources tell Reuters that documents used in an attempt to influence the last British general election were taken from the compromised email account of the trade minister. Pegasus spyware is found deployed against churchmen and political opposition figures in Togo. China denounces the American smash-and-grab of TikTok. Ben Yelin looks at international law and attribution. Our guest is Ameesh Divatia from Baffle on misconfigured databases being attacked within just hours after coming online. And the Blackbaud ransomware attack continues to affect new victims. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/150
Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok as the US hints that it may be considering action against other Chinese software companies. Three young men have been charged in the Twitter hack. An apparent distributed denial-of-service attack turns out to have been a glitch. We welcome Verizon’s Chris Novak to the show. Rick Howard talks incident response. And updates on the Garmin hack suggest shifts in the ransomware threat. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/149
Director of Security Engineering at Marqeta and Host of Hacker Valley Studio podcast Chris Cochran describes his transitions throughout the cybersecurity industry, from an intelligence job with the Marine Corps, to starting the intelligence apparatus for the House of Representatives, then on to leading Netflix's threat intelligence capability. Chris points out that when pivoting to different roles and responsibilities, you must rely on your own strengths to move forward and bring value to your work Our thanks to Chris for sharing his story with us.
NortonLifeLock Research Group (NRG) released a prototype browser extension called BotSight that leverages machine learning to detect Twitter bots in real-time. The tool is intended to help users understand the prevalence of bots and disinformation campaigns within their Twitter feeds, particularly with the increase in disinformation of COVID-19. Joining us on this week's Research Saturday to discuss this tool is Daniel Kats from NortonLifeLock Research Group. You can find the research here: Introducing BotSight
An update on social engineering at Twitter. A quick look at the phishing kit criminal market. The European Union sanctions individuals and organizations in Russia, China, and North Korea for involvement in notorious hacking campaigns. North Korea’s North Star campaign is back and dangling bogus job offers in front of its marks. Deceptikons snoop into European law firms. Zully Ramzan from RSA on Digital Contact Tracing. Our guest is Tom Kellermann from Vmware Carbon Black on top financial CISOs analyzing the 2020 attack landscape. And both NSA and NIST have some advice on shoring up your security. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/148
Yesterday’s antitrust hearings in the US House of Representatives focus on Big Tech’s big data as something open to use in restraint of trade. And there are questions about community standards as well. The BootHole vulnerability may not represent an emergency, but it will be tough to fix. Android malware masquerades as COVID-19 contact-tracers. The FBI warns against Netwalker ransomware. China says it didn’t hack the Vatican. Justin Harvey from Accenture demystifies red teaming. Our guest is Christopher Ahlberg from Recorded Future on trends in threat intelligence. And somebody’s spoofing a British MP: he’s looking at you, Peoples Liberation Army. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/147
Alleged Russian influence operations described by US intelligence services. “Ghostwriter” targets the Baltic region with anti-NATO false narratives. Chinese intelligence is said to have compromised Vatican networks. Loss of customer PII seems the costliest kind of data breach. VPN bugs represent a risk to OT networks. Big Tech comes to Capitol Hill, virtually. Michigan’s online bar exam knocked offline, briefly, by a cyber attack. Joe Carrigan on password stealers targeting gaming. Our guests are Troy Smith and Mike Koontz from Raytheon on defending communications operations across cloud platforms. And a superseding indictment for two ex-Twitterati charged with snooping for Saudi Arabia. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/146
Cloudflare says that reported Ukrainian breaches aren’t its issue. Trend Micro describes a new and unusually capable strain of malware. Garmin is reported to have obtained a decryptor for WastedLocker ransomware. Third-party risk continues in the news, as do misconfigured databases that expose personal information. Huawei’s CFO alleges misconduct by Canadian police and intelligence agencies. Ben Yelin examines the EFF's online Atlas of Surveillance. Dave DeWalt with SafeGuard Cyber on the evolving threat landscape as folks return to the workplace. And the Twitter incident seems to have been a problem waiting to appear. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/145
A vigilante appears to be interfering with Emotet’s payloads. A fintech breach is blamed on a third-party service provider. A list of Cloudflare users is dumped online. There’s a going-out-of-business sale over at the Cerberus cybergang. Malek ben Salem from Accenture Labs on DeepFake detection. Our own Rick Howard gathers the Hash Table to sort some SOCs. And Garmin, restoring its services after last week’s attack, may have been the victim of Evil Corp’s WastedLocker ransomware. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/144
Privacy and data security lawyer, Dominique Shelton Leipzig shares that she has always wanted to be a lawyer, ever since she was a little girl. She talks about what her role is with clients in protecting and managing their data, sometimes adhering to up to 134 different data protection laws for global companies. Learn that not a lot has changed for an African-American woman partner at an Amlaw 100 firm as far as diversity during Dominique's career, and how Dominique suggests young lawyers should address those odds. Our thanks to Dominque for sharing her story with us.
On April 29, 2020, the Salt management framework, authored by the IT automation company SaltStack, received a patch concerning two CVEs; CVE-2020-11651, an authentication bypass vulnerability, and CVE-2020-11652, a directory-traversal vulnerability. On April 30, 2020, researchers at F-Secure disclosed their vulnerability findings to the public, with an urgent warning for Salt users - patch now. Before the weekend was out, criminals were deploying malware and targeting vulnerable Salt installations, successfully affecting operations at Ghost, DigiCert, and LineageOS. The malware is a cryptominer, but there is an additional component, a Remote Access Tool written in Go called nspps. Researchers at Akamai have also observed in-the-wild attacks on Salt vulnerabilities. Joining us on this week's Research Saturday is Larry Cashdollar, Senior Security Response Engineer at Akamai, to discuss this issue. The research can be found here: SaltStack Vulnerabilities Actively Exploited in the Wild
CISA and NSA warn of a foreign threat to US critical infrastructure. A look at what the Bears have been up to lately. The Blackbaud extortion incident shows its ripple effects. An awful lot of Twitter employees had access to powerful admin tools. China orders a US consulate closed in a tit-for-tat response to the closure of China’s consulate in Houston. Andrea Little Limbago on cyber in a re-globalized world system. Our guest is Dominique Shelton Leipzig from Perkins Coie LLP on the CA Consumer Privacy Act. And DJI drones may be a bit nosey. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/143
Twitter updates the news of last week’s incident: the attackers seem to have accessed some direct messages. France’s partial permission for Huawei to operate in that country now looks like a ban with a 2028 deadline. A quiet cryptominer. The cyber threat to British sport. Awais Rashid from the University of Bristol on cyber security and remote working. John Ford from IronNet Cybersecurity with updated 2020 predictions and cyber priorities. And bosses and employees see things differently, cyberwise. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/142
“Meowing” is now a thing: the automated discovery and wiping of exposed and unprotected databases. The US indicts two Chinese nationals on eleven counts of hacking and reports evidence that Chinese intelligence services are now using cybercriminals as contractors. Mike Schaub from CloudCheckr on why COVID-19 has ignited modernization projects for government agencies. Joe Carrigan on counterfeit Cisco routers. The US State Department tells China to close its consulate in Houston. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/141
The Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament has rendered its report on the Russian cyber threat. Trend Micro reports on the workings of the cyber criminal underground economy. Ben Yelin on U.S. Customs and Border Protection collecting license plate data. Our guest is Kevin O'Brien from GreatHorn on the role of business policies in security to keep users safe during high-risk events. And it turns out that Russia has no hackers whatsoever: Moscow’s Finance Minister says so, so you can take that to the bank. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/140
Notes on last week’s Twitter hack, and on the allure of original gangster and other celebrity usernames. Using marketing databases for intelligence collection. The US Government mulls a ban on TikTok. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on Google Cloud storage becoming a more popular phishing platform. Our own Rick Howard on security operations centers, and a preview of the latest episode of his CSO Perspectives podcast. And more reaction to alleged Russian and Chinese attempts to hack COVID-19 biomedical research. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/139
Computer security writer, podcaster and public speaker Graham Cluley describes learning to program on his own from magazines, creating text adventure games for donations, and his journey from programming to presenting and writing with a bit of tap dancing on the side. Along the way, Graham collaborated with others and learned to communicate so that all could understand, not just techies. Our thanks to Graham for sharing his story with us.
Researchers at Symantec spotted a Sodinokibi targeted ransomware campaign in which the attackers are also scanning the networks of some victims for credit card or point of sale (PoS) software. It is not clear if the attackers are targeting this software for encryption or because they want to scrape this information as a way to make even more money from this attack. Joining us in this week's Research Saturday to discuss the report is Jon DiMaggio of Symantec. The research can be found here: Sodinokibi: Ransomware Attackers also Scanning for PoS Software, Leveraging Cobalt Strike
The Twitter hack is looking more like high-grade, low-end crime. It also worries people over the disinformation potential it suggests. People care, they really do, that someone hacked COVID-19 biomedical research (we’ll explain). Australia joins the UK, Canada, and the US in blaming Russia for Cozy Bear’s capers. Russia says it didn’t do nothin’. Rob Lee from Dragos with thoughts on the Ripple 20 vulnerabilities on industrial control systems. Our guest is Sal Aurigemma from University of Tulsa on fake ANTIFA twitter accounts. And CISA’s serious about getting the Feds to apply Tuesday’s Windows patch. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/138
Twitter sustained a major incident in which celebrity accounts were hijacked yesterday. It seems to have been a social engineering caper, but it’s motivation, nominally financial, remains unclear. British authorities call out Russia for an influence campaign mounted during last year’s elections. Cozy Bear is back, and sniffing for COVID-19 biomedical intelligence. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos on Dynamic Data Resolver, a plugin that makes reverse-engineering malware easier. Our guest is Ashlee Benge, formerly from ZeroFox, on emerging and persistent digital attack tactics facing the financial services industry. And Chinese intelligence services are spearphishing Hong Kong Catholics. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/137
A 2018 Presidential finding authorized extensive CIA cyber operations against Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. Wattpad may have been breached. The SEC asks its registrants to take steps to protect themselves against ransomware. Free VPNs’ databases found exposed. Joe Carrigan on privacy vs. security on Android devices. Our guest is Chris Deluzio from Pitt Cyber on election security. And Beijing woofs in the direction of London over the UK’s Huawei ban. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/136
The British Government decides to ban Huawei. More on the malware associated with Golden Tax software package. The Molerats appear to be behind some spyware misrepresenting itself as a secure chat app. The Porphiex botnet is back distributing a new ransomware strain. The odd case of the Data Viper breach. Ben Yelin tracks a ruling from the DC circuit court on the release of electronic surveillance records. Our guest is Ann Johnson from Microsoft discussing her keynote at RSA APJ, The Rise of Digital Empathy. And SAP has a patch out--if you’re a user, CISA advises you to take this one seriously. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/135
President Trump says he authorized US Cyber Command’s retaliation against Russia’s Internet Research Agency for midterm election meddling. North Korean financially motivated hacking as a sign of internal power dynamics. TrickBot accidentally deploys a new module. TikTok, privacy, and security. LinkedIn hacker convicted. Justin Harvey from Accenture on what should and shouldn’t go in emails. Our guest is Matt Davey from 1password on the under-celebrated role of IT in the work from home transition. And advice to alleged criminals on the lam: give ‘em a low silhouette. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/134
Cybersecurity and disinformation researcher Bilyana Lilly shares her career path from studying where she was always a foreigner to an expert on the Russian perspective. While studying international law in Kosovo, Bilyana realized there are no winners in war. Through her work, she hopes to bring a greater understanding of Russia's strategic thinking. Our thanks to Bilyana for sharing her story with us.
Built into virtually every hardware device, firmware is lower-level software that is programmed to ensure that hardware functions properly. As software security has been significantly hardened over the past two decades, hackers have responded by moving down the stack to focus on firmware entry points. Firmware offers a target that basic security controls can’t access or scan as easily as software, while allowing them to persist and continue leveraging many of their tried and true attack techniques. Joining us on this week's Research Saturday is Maggie Jauregui, security researcher at Dell, to discuss this issue. The research can be found here: Three firmware blind spots impacting security
Unpatched and beyond-end-of-life systems are (again) at risk. Conti ransomware appears to be steadily displacing its ancestor Ryuk in criminal markets. Are privacy laws as consumer friendly as they’re often taken to be? There may be some grounds for doubt. German security services warn of the espionage potential of Chinese companies’ data collection. Huawei skepticism grows in Germany, Canada, and the UK. Zully Ramzan from RSA on zero trust. Our guest is Conan Ward from QOMPLX on the unfortunate reality of cyber insurance in light of the 3rd anniversary of NotPetya. And Ray Hushpuppi says the Feds didn’t extradite him; they kidnapped him. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/133
Facebook takes down more coordinated inauthenticity. Preinstalled malware is found in discount phones available under the FCC’s Lifeline program. The Evilnum APT continues its attacks against fintech platforms and services. Joker Android malware adapts and overcomes its way back into the Play store. FreddieMac discloses a third-party databreach. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on defending against Evil Maids with glitter. Our guest is Rohit Ghai from RSA with a preview of his keynote, Reality Check: Cybersecurity’s Story. And the Royal Military College of Canada’s hack attack remains under investigation. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/132
The Natanz blast looks like traditional sabotage. CISA releases its strategy for securing industrial control systems. Authorities in Germany seize DDoSecrets’ server pursuant to a US request. Microsoft takes down COVID-19-themed BEC and phishing infrastructure. FBI Director denounces China’s cyberespionage. Joe Carrigan helps review personal privacy measures for ios and Android. Rick Howard speaks with Steve Moore from Exabeam with insights from a year spent interviewing CISOs. And some DDoS and ransomware attempts. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/131
Explosions at Iranian nuclear sites remain unexplained, but look increasingly like conventional sabotage as opposed to cyberattacks. The Cosmic Lynx gang sets a high bar for business email compromise. The Purple Fox exploit kit gets an upgrade. Ben Yelin describes a 5th amendment compelled decryption case that may be headed to the Supreme Court. Our guest is Hugh Thompson, Chairman of the RSA Conference Program, on the human element of cyber security and lessons learned shifting a conference online. And a network of coordinated inauthenticity and fictitious personae is found pushing an Emirati official line. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/130
An Iranian nuclear installation may have been hacked. Or maybe not, but in any case it was damaged. Huawei gets more skeptical looks. European police round up hundreds of online contraband dealers. Thomas Etheridge from CrowdStrike on the increased need for speed, scale, and remote investigative and recovery services. Our guest is Tobias Whitney from Fortress Information Security on the Asset to Vendor Network (A2V). And an accused Nigerian money-launderer (and an admitted influencer) is now in US custody, facing Federal charges. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/129
CEO, Matt Devost, describes many firsts in his career including hacking into systems on an aircraft carrier at sea. He shares how he enjoys solving hard problems and the red teamer perspective, and how he was able to translate those into a career. For those interested in cybersecurity, Matt advises opportunities for self-directed learning including heading down to your basement and building your own lab. Our thanks to Matt for sharing his story with us.
Evil Corp seems to have been shuffling through some newspaper sites. Don’t take the gangs’ communiqués at face value, but some appear to be trolling for unprotected MongoDB databases. A look at Taurus, an information-stealer being sold in criminal-to-criminal markets. Chinese law and online security. The EARN-IT Act is being debated. Justin Harvey on “Smishing”. Our guest is Jeff Styles from FireMon on COVID-19 increasing misconfiguration risks. And there’s trouble in Tilted Towers. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/128
EvilQuest ransomware found in pirated versions of Little Snitch app. Out-of-band patches from Microsoft and Oracle. Extensive Chinese surveillance of Uighurs described. Hong Kong and the world react to China’s new National Security Law. The US FCC finds both Huawei and ZTE are threats to national security. Joe Carrigan on password stealers that target gaming. Our guest is Kiersten Todt from the Cyber Readiness Institute on how COVID-19 has changed small business security and what to expect going forward. And Britain rethinks its position on Huawei and 5G infrastructure. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/127
NSA and CISA agree: take Palo Alto’s advisory about its PAN-OS operating system seriously. StrongPity is back and active against targets in Turkey and Syria. A big Bitcoin scam is using spoofed news outlets and bogus celebrity endorsements to lure victims. A large trove of PII has appeared in the dark web. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on whether or not the EARN IT Act violates the constitution, our guest is Brad Stone with Booz Allen Hamilton on how technology is changing the battlefield and why cyber is becoming so important in the DoD space. Finally, both Australia and India look to shore up their defenses against cyber threats from China. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/126
The University of California San Francisco pays Netwalker extortionists nearly a million and a half to recover its data. A Kashmir utility restores business systems after last week’s cyberattack. The website defacements in Ethiopia continue to look more like hacktivism than state-sponsored activity. Our own Rick Howard talks about wrapping up his first season of CSO Perspectives. Our guest is Sanjay Gupta from Mitek discussing how online marketplaces can balance security with biometrics. Data are exposed at an e-learning platform. Three prominent cyber-hoods go down in US Federal courts. And Lion says the beer is flowing, post ransomware. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/125
Vice President of Marketing, Kathleen Booth, shares her career path from political science and international development to marketing for a cybersecurity company. Early dreams of acting morphed into goals of making the world a better place. Chief marketer and podcaster Kathleen is doing just that. She shares how proving your worth can lead to success. Listen for Kathleen's advice on getting your foot in the door. Our thanks to Kathleen for sharing her story with us.
A new report examines how five related APT groups operating in the interest of the Chinese government have systematically targeted Linux servers, Windows systems and Android mobile devices while remaining undetected for nearly a decade. The report comes on the heels of the U.S. Department of Justice announcing several high-profile indictments from over 1,000 open FBI investigations into economic espionage as part of the DOJ’s China Initiative. Joining us in this week's Research Saturday to discuss the report is Eric Cornelius of Blackberry. The research can be found here: Decade of the RATs: Novel APT Attacks Targeting Linux, Windows and Android
Microsoft urges Exchange server patching. Sure it does your taxes, but it’s got another agenda, too: the GoldenSpy backdoor may be in your tax software if you do business in China. Magecart ups its game. DDoSecrets says they’re not going to roll over for Twitter’s “Nixonian” schtick. Camille Stewart from Google and Lauren Zabierek from Harvard’s Belfer Center on the #Sharethemicincyber event and why systemic racism is a threat to cybersecurity. Rick Howard wraps up cybersecurity canon week with guests Richard Clarke and Robert Knake, authors of The Fifth Domain. And there’s another unsecured Amazon S3 bucket, and this exposure could present a serious risk to some people who already have trouble enough. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/124 - More info on the #Sharethemicincyber event. - Camille Stewart's essay on systemic racism in cyber.
Akamai’s report on the record-setting DDoS attack it stopped this week. Glupteba GLOOP-tib-yeh and Lucifer malware strains described. Apple and Google move their defaults in the direction of greater privacy. The US designates Huawei and Hikvision as controlled by China’s military. A superseding indictment in Julian Assange’s case. The EU looks at GDPR and likes what it sees. REvil gets ready to sell stolen data. David Dufour from Webroot with tips on navigating new workplace realities. Our guest is David Sanger, author of The Perfect Weapon - War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age. And the Navy recruiting campaign that wasn’t. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/123
Twitter permanently suspends DDoSecrets for violating its policy with respect to hacked material. DDoSecrets explains its thinking with respect to BlueLeaks. A quick look at a Hidden Cobra hunt. Sino-Australian dispute over hacking may be moving into a trade war phase. Lessons on election management. What do cybercriminals watch when they binge-watch? Joe Carrigan explains the Ripple 20 vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity Canon week continues with Joseph Menn, author of Cult of the Dead Cow: How the Original Hacking Supergroup Might Just Save the World. And some notes on the most malware-infested movie and television fan communities. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/122
International conflicts and disputes are attended by hacking in South Asia, Australia, and Africa. The US designates four Chinese media outlets as foreign missions, that is, propaganda outfits. Sodinokibi ransomware sniffs at paycard and point-of-sale systems. Ben Yelin on TSA’s facial recognition program. Cybersecurity Canon Week continues with our guest is Bill Bonney, Co-Author of CISO Desk Reference Guide. And Evil Corp is back, apparently because you just can’t keep a bad man down. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/121
BlueLeaks dumps stolen police files online. A report of spyware delivered via network injection. COVID-19 apps and databases are reported to have indifferent privacy safeguards, and there’s been one big recent leak. India and Australia both on alert for Chinese cyberattacks. Our own Rick Howard on intelligence operations. It’s cybersecurity Canon Week, our guest is Todd Fitzgerald, author of CISO Compass. And New Zealand piles on in the case of a Russian alt-coin baron. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/120
Dean of Research, Johannes Ullrich, relays his experiences from studying the hard sciences to his career shift to cybersecurity. Basic principles, superhero origin stories, physics labs and radiation all figure in. And there’s a lot in common with network security best practices. Have a listen to what Johannes has learned and what he hopes to impart on his students. Our thanks to Johannes for sharing his story with us.
Slack is a cloud-based messaging platform that is commonly used in workplace communications. Slack Incoming Webhooks allow you to post messages from your applications to Slack. Generally, Slack webhooks are considered a low risk integration. A deeper dive into webhooks shows that this is not entirely accurate. Joining us in this week's Research Saturday is Ashley Graves from AT&T Cybersecurity's Alien Labs to discuss her research. The research can be found here: Slack phishing attacks using webhooks
A look at the “state-based cyber actor” the Australian government is concerned about. Some signs of Chinese retaliation for Five Eyes’ skepticism of Huawei. Johannes Ullrich explains malware triggering multiple signatures in anti-malware products. Our guest is Geoff White, author of Crime Dot Com, on how he tracked down the creator of the Love Bug. And an alert about the possibility of some COVID-19-themed fraud from the Lazarus Group. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/119
Sino-Indian conflict extends to cyberspace. InvisiMole connected to Gamaredon. Spyware found in Chrome extensions. Phishing around technical defenses (and some criminal use of captchas). The US Justice Department releases its study of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Zully Ramzan from RSA on privacy and security in a post-COVID world. Our guest is Michael Powell from NCTA on the importance of the UK cybersecurity sector. And Zoom decides to make end-to-end encryption generally available. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/118
Ripple20 vulnerabilities are reported in the IoT software supply chain. North Korean operators go for intelligence, but also for cash, and they’re phishing in LinkedIn’s pond. Sino-Indian tensions find expression in cyberspace. A long look at the Russian influence operation, Secondary Infektion. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on why older adults share more misinformation online. Our guest Will LaSala from OneSpan tracks the increase in online banking fraud during COVID-19. And the strange case of the bloggers who angered eBay may have more indictments on the way. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/117
What does Beijing want to know about US Presidential campaigns? Position papers, mostly. A redacted version of the CIA’s inquiry into the WikiLeaks Vault 7 material is out. That DDoS attack you read about on Twitter? Never happened. Former eBay employees face Federal charges of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and witness tampering. Ben Yelin explains a judge refusing to sign off on a potential Facebook facial recognition settlement. Our guest is Randy Vanderhoof from the Secure Technology Alliance on mobile drivers licenses. And where would you store “niche” dating app material? In a misconfigured AWS S3 bucket. Where else? For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/116
A new Android spyware tool is deployed against China’s Uyghur minority. Anonymous claims it disrupted the Atlanta Police Department’s website yesterday to protest a police shooting. An apparently legitimate security firm has apparently been selling malware to criminals. Breachstortion joins sextortion as a criminal tactic. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos on Astaroth, an information-stealer that has been targeting Brazil, Our own Rick Howard on risk assessments. And why spelling always counts. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/115
Financial firm CISO, Tom Quinn, takes us from his first experience with modern computers in the military to his current role as a Chief Information Security Officer. It's important to understand how the technology works, but it's also important to understand how people work. And, to make a difference. Our thanks to Tom for sharing his story with us.
Proactive, efficient threat mitigation and risk management require understanding adversaries’ fundamental thought processes, not just their tools and methods. Cyber threat intelligence analysts combed through 15 years (2004 to 2019) of public sources that have documented the activities of one prolific threat actor, Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU. Analysis shows that the timing, targets, and impacts of this activity mirrored Russian strategic concerns about specific events and developments. Joining us in this week's Research Saturday are Brad Stone & Nate Beach-Westmoreland from Booz Allen Hamilton to discuss their report and some of the 33 case studies presented in it. The research can be found here: Bearing Witness: Uncovering the Logic Behind Russian Military Cyber Operations
Twitter’s transparency efforts see through accounts being run by Chinese, Russian, and Turkish actors. Zoom is working to both comply with Chinese law and contain the reputational damage involved in doing so. Industrial firms recover from Ekans infestations. Caleb Barlow from CynergisTek on how hospital CISOs are dealing with the COVID-19 situation. Our guest is Ronald Eddings from Palo Alto Networks and the Hacker Valley Studio Podcast on strategies for finding and managing security architects. And it’s not Posh Spice who’s got the attention of Maze; it’s just her M&A advisors. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/114
The Gamaredon Group is back, and what’s their secret? Like Crazy Eddie’s, it’s volume! Doxing during times of unrest. Phoney contact-tracing apps are snooping on personal information in at least ten countries. Thanos is a criminal favorite in the ransomware-as-a-service market. Another skirmish in the Crypto Wars is brewing up on Capitol Hill. David Dufour from Webroot on how organizations can successfully navigate their new workplace realities. Our guest is Chester Wisniewski from Sophos on fleeceware apps found in the Apple app store. And no, really, Elon Musk is not on YouTube offering you Bitcoin. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/113
Notes on Patch Tuesday--it was a fairly big one this time. Honda continues its investigation of the incident it sustained over the weekend, and outsiders see it as a ransomware attack. Facebook is said to have developed a Tails zero-day to help the FBI with a notorious case. Crooks are turning to search engine optimization. IBM and Google cloud services recovered quickly from outages. You’re unlikely to get rich from a breach settlement. Joe Carrigan describes free online courseware aimed at Community College students. Our guest is Dennis Toomey from BAE on how financial institutions need to enact stronger cyber protocols as employees migrate to working from home. And BellTroX says, hey, it was just helping some private eyes. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/112
Commercialized hacking-for-hire is traced to an Indian firm, but it’s probably not an isolated problem. Ransomware shuts down Honda production lines in three continents. Criminals develop and distribute an anti-DDoS tool to help keep the dark web souks responsive and available. Ben Yelin revisits Twitter’s flagging or removing the U.S. President’s tweets. Our guest is Jeremy Oddo from The Third Floor to discuss cybersecurity in Hollywood during COVID-19. And researchers compile a menu of cyber contraband. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/111
South and Southwest Asian regional rivalries play out in cyberspace. Election interference could move from disruptive influence operations to actual vote manipulation. Someone is spearphishing leaders in Germany’s PPE task force. Nations move to restrict dependence on foreign companies in their infrastructure. Justin Harvey from Accenture on the train of thought behind breach disclosure. Our own Rick Howard on DevSecOps. And Washington State recovers some, but not all, of the unemployment funds lost to fraud. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/110
Cyber analyst, Tracy Maleeff, shares her unexpected journey from the library to cybersecurity and offers advice for those both seeking to make a change and those doing the hiring. It's not just about the invitation, it's more than that. Our thanks to Tracy for sharing her story with us.
Earlier this year, a Virgin Media database containing the personal details of 900,000 people was discovered to be unsecured and accessible online for 10 months. The breach was discovered by researchers at the security firm TurgenSec. This breach had major implications under GDPR. Joining us in this week's Research Saturday are George Punter and Peter Hansen from TurgenSec to talk about the discovery of the breach. The research can be found here: Virgin Media Disclosure Statement & Resources
It’s mostly cyberespionage today, with an admixture of influence operations. Google has warned both major US Presidential campaigns that Chinese and Iranian intelligence services are after their staffers’ email accounts, so far apparently without much success. Russia, China, and Iran devote some purposive media attention to US civil unrest. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on malicious PowerPoint add-ins. Our guest is Bil Harmer from SecureAuth on credential carelessness. And Qatar’s rivals in the Gulf continue their information campaign against Doha: this time it’s bogus news of a coup. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/109
Nuisance-level hacktivism continues to surround US protests. The Higaisa APT is active in Southeast Asia. Goblin Panda is back, with USB-borne malware. A new strain of ransomware is described: “Tycoon.” The EU considers whether to sanction Russia over the GRU’s hack of Germany’s Bundestag. CISA launches a new public resource for cybersecurity. Zulfikar Ramzan from RSA on cybersecurity and digital risk in the context of pandemics. Our guest is Grant Goodes from GuardSquare on security of mobile app voting. And a Texas man pleads guilty to conspiracy to commit money-laundering in the course of a BEC scam. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/108
Protest groups sustain DDoS attacks, too. Old school denial-of-service afflicts police radio networks in Chicago: they’re being jammed with talk, music, and other noise. Influencers and wannabes continue to use unrest as an occasion for on-line branding. The Sodinokibi gang is selling data stolen in ransomware attacks, and Maze seems to be establishing a criminal cartel. Is email to voting what shadow IT is to the enterprise? Ben Yelin describes a federal case involving police screenshots of a suspects’ phone as evidence. Our guest is Steve Durbin from the Information Security Forum on the Threat Horizon 2022 report. And cybercrime for dummies. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/107
Unrest accompanied by misinformation, disinformation, and Anonymous theater. Booter hacktivism. Extremist inauthenticity. The Cyberspace Solarium Commission releases its white paper on the pandemic’s lessons for cybersecurity. Joe Carrigan unpacks Casio executing a DMCA takedown on a hardware hack. Our guest is Herb Stapleton from the FBI on the 20 year anniversary of the IC3. And the UK’s Test and Trace system is expected to be accompanied by a wave of fraud. Actually, that fraud has already begun. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/106
Hacking, and more claims of hacking, surround the unrest in Minnesota. Data breach at Amtrak Guest Rewards. More companies found port scanning. Four cybersecurity lessons from the pandemic. David Dufour from Webroot with an overview of online scams his team is tracking during COVID-19, Our own Rick Howard compares resiliency with business continuity. And a new 5G device is not only holographic, but quantum oscillatin’ too. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/105
In this episode of CyberWire-X, Rick Howard, the CyberWire’s Chief Analyst, interviews security thought leaders on the strategy and tactics to extend the security controls we’ve typically used to protect our handful of remote employees in the past to today, during the pandemic, that requires us to deploy flexible but equivalent controls at scale to everybody in the organization. Joining us is Bob Turner, CISO of the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Later in the program, we will hear from Mounir Hahad, the head of Threat Labs, and Mike Spanbauer, a security evangelist, at Juniper Networks, the sponsor of the show. Thanks to our sponsor, Juniper Networks.
Working with many different honeypot implementations, a security researcher did an experiment expanding on that setting up a simple docker image with SSH, running a guessable root password. The catch? What happened in the next 24 hours was unexpected. Joining us in this week's Research Saturday to talk about his experiment is Larry Cashdollar of Akamai. The research can be found here: A Brief History of a Rootable Docker Image
NSA warns that the GRU’s Sandworm outfit has been actively exploiting a known vulnerability in Exim. Someone is attacking industrial targets in Japan and Europe using steganography and other evasive tactics. NTT Communications is breached, and Michigan State University sustains a ransomware attack. Ben Yelin unpacks the President’s executive order aimed at social media companies. Our guest is Vik Arora of the Hospital for Special Surgery on protecting health care organizations during COVID-19. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/104
Hackers-for-hire find criminal work during the pandemic. The US Department of Energy is said to have taken possession of a Chinese-manufactured transformer. US President Trump may be considering an Executive Order about the legal status of social media. Contact-tracing apps in France and the UK are scrutinized for privacy. Ben Yelin from with the latest iPhone cracking case between the FBI and Apple. Our guest is retired CIA master of disguise Jonna Mendez on her book The Moscow Rules. Canada’s Centre for Cyber Security assesses current risks, and Huawei’s CFO loses a round in a Vancouver court. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/103
Berserk Bear is back, and snuffling around Germany’s infrastructure. Two new Android issues surface. India opens up the source code for its COVID-19 contact-tracing app as such technological adjuncts to public health continue to arouse privacy concerns. [F]Unicorn poses as Italy’s Immuni app. An alleged FIN7 gangster is arrested. Australia’s Data61 urges companies not to scrimp on R&D. Joe Carrigan on Android mobile malware getting new features. Our guest is Frederick “Flee” Lee from Gusto on CCPA. And does your underwear come with a Faraday cage? We thought it might. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/102
Turla tunes its tools. The commodity Trojan AnarchyGrabber is now stealing passwords. A new iOS jailbreak has been released. The UK reconsiders its decision to allow Huawei into its 5G networks. A tech group lobbies the US House against warrantless inspection of searches. Remote work’s regulatory risk. COVID-19 conspiracy theories. Hackers say they’re vigilantes. Our own Rick Howard on intrusion kill chains, his latest episode of CSO Perspectives. Our guest is Nico Fischbach from Forcepoint on deepfakes expanding outside of disinformation campaigns to the enterprise. And too many remote workers appear to have too much time on their hands. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/101
In December 2019, the GOLD VILLAGE threat group that operates the Maze ransomware created a public website to name and shame victims. The threat actors used the website to dump data they exfiltrated from victims' networks before they deployed the ransomware. Secureworks Counter Threat Unit (CTU) researchers have observed several ransomware operators following suit. Joining us in this week's Research Saturday is Alex Tilley of SecureWorks' Counter Threat Unit.
Indonesia’s election database has leaked, and PII is for sale in the dark web. Phishing campaigns abuse Firebase. The Shiny Hunters are selling Mathway user records. US agencies warn of COVID-19-themed criminal campaigns. Contact tracing technology hits a rough patch. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on phishing PDFs with incremental updates. Our guest is author Peter Singer on his new book, Burn-In. And what are you going to do when you return to the workplace? If, that is, you’ve left the workplace at all, and if you’re in fact ever going to return? For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/100
Website defacements in Israel may be hacktivist work. Iranian cyberespionage against Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The latest evolution of ZeuS. The Winnti Group is still hacking, and it still likes stealing in-game commodities. Contact tracing during the pandemic proves harder than many thought it would be. Economic trends for the security sector as it prepares to emerge from the general state of emergency. Caleb Barlow wonders if GDPR may have unintended consequences for stopping COVID-19 scammers. Gabriel Bassett from Verizon on the 2020 DBIR. And if you’re looking for qualified workers, follow the layoff news. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/98
Cyber spies steal prototype missile data. Others hack into South Asian telecoms, and still others go after easyJet passengers’ travel data. Cyberattacks, misinformation, and cyber fraud continue to follow the COVID-19 pandemic. Joe Carrigan weighs in on the Thunderspy vulnerability. Our guest is James Dawson with insights on DMARK threats and why it’s worse during COVID-19. And think twice before you post, no matter how good or bad you think the beer is. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/98
Foreign intelligence services attribute a recent cyberattack on an Iranian port to Israeli operators. EasyJet discloses a breach of passenger information. Verizon’s annual Data Breach Report is out, and it finds more errors than it does exploits. A look at the Dark Web during the pandemic. US authorities warn local law enforcement to watch for misinformation-driven telecom vandalism. Ben Yelin explains why the ACLU is suing Baltimore over a surveillance plane. Our guest is Robb Reck from Ping Identity on a recent CISO Advisory Council meeting regarding the sudden shift to working from home. And REvil is still offering celebrity dirt for sale...if they’ve actually got any. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/97
European supercomputers were hacked by cryptominers. UK electrical power distributor recovers from its cyberattack. A database containing personal data related to the EU Parliament is found exposed. REvil says it’s got the celebrity goods, but has yet to show its hand. The US and China move into a new round of trade and security conflict. Justin Harvey shares insights on how companies are adjusting to the new remote working environment and the impacts to their security posture. Our guest is Ehsan Foroughi from SecurityCompass on compliance issues. And catphishing with some pretty implausible impersonations of US Army generals. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/96
Section 52, CyberX’s threat intelligence team, has uncovered an ongoing industrial cyberespionage campaign targeting hundreds of manufacturing and other industrial firms primarily located in South Korea. CyberX has identified more than 200 compromised systems from this campaign, including one belonging to a multi-billion dollar Korean conglomerate that manufactures critical infrastructure equipment such as heavy equipment for power transmission and distribution facilities, renewable energy, chemical plants, welding, and construction. Joining us in this week's Research Saturday is Phil Neray, one of the authors of this report. The research can be found here: Gangnam Industrial Style: APT Campaign Targets Korean Industrial Companies
More malware designed for air-gapped systems. A British utility sustains a ransomware attack. The US Cyberspace Solarium Commission sees lessons in the pandemic for cybersecurity. Contact-tracing technologies take a step back,maybe a step or two forward. Rob Lee from Dragos comparing the state of ICS security around the world, our guest is Ian Pitt from LogMeIn on lessons learned working remotely during COVID-19. Criminals increase ransomware attacks on hospitals, and swap templates to impersonate government relief agencies. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/95
ARCHER goes offline after a security incident. Scammers smish victims with bogus contact-tracing messages. Ramsay malware goes after air-gapped systems. Ako ransomware now places a surcharge on deletion of stolen data. Google boots creepware apps with the help of the CreepRank algorithm. Johannes Ullrich explains that when it comes to malicious binaries bypassing anti-malware filters, size matters. Our guest is Pat Craven, Director of the Center for Cyber Safety and Education on the security social media apps. And kooky 5G conspiracists go after cell towers in the US. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/93
Ransomware continues to steal personal information. Notes on Patch Tuesday--and please, by all means patch. The FBI says it’s investigating cyberespionage directed against COVID-19 researchers (and US officials see direct data corruption in espionage). And the AI doesn’t really know what to make of us any more. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on Twitter’s response to 5G related Coronavirus conspiracy theories, our guest is Chris Cochran from Netflix on the importance of personal health and safety. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/93
Unattributed cyberattacks in an Iranian port prompt speculation that a broader cyberwar in the Middle East may be in the offing. CISA releases malware analysis reports on North Korea’s Hidden Cobra. Astaroth malware grows more evasive (and it was already pretty good at hiding). Texas courts sustain a ransomware attack. COVID-19 espionage warnings are on the way. Twitter’s misinformation warning system. Ben Yelin describes a Fourth Amendment case on automated license plate reader (ALPR) databases. Our guest is Brian Dye from Corelight on dealing with encrypted traffic without compromising privacy. And taking down Plandemic’s trailer. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/9/92
A cyberattack with kinetic effect. Shiny Hunters post more stolen wares online. Thunderspy and evil maids. Some developing background to the US bulk power state-of-emergency Executive Order. Contact tracing apps: reliability, privacy, security, familiarity, and rates of adoption all raise questions. The economic consequences of the pandemic emergency. Caleb Barlow from CynergisTek on Alan Brunacini’s concept of an Incident Action Plan, our guest is James Yeager from CrowdStrike on their Global Threat Report. And the reappearance of the yellow press in social media. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/May/CyberWire_2020_05_11.html
Multiple media reports have indicated that the United States’ (U.S.) 2020 general election could be targeted by foreign and domestic actors after the successful cyber and misinformation attacks during the 2016 general election. The responsibility of secure and ethical online campaigning has become a central issue in the 2020 election. In some cases, it has become part of candidate platforms. Joining us in this week's Research Saturday is Paul Gagliardi from Security Scorecard, discussing their recent report detailing the cybersecurity of the 2020 Presidential race. The research can be found here: 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates Get Smart to Cybersecurity Report
Naikon has returned from four years in the shadows to snoop around the shores of the South China Sea. Tencent trains censorship algorithms on WeChat. Snake ransomware is back, making its way through the healthcare sector. Seeing Charming Kitten's pawprints in World Health Organization networks. Voting security during (or even after) a pandemic. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture on their Technology Vision report, our guest is Thomas Rid from Johns Hopkins University on his book, Active Measures. And unemployed workers are offered gigs as money mules. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/May/CyberWire_2020_05_08.html
A new Monero miner is out and about. Hidden Cobra is pushing a RAT through a Trojanized two-factor authentication app. The rise and fall of a botnet. Markets, criminal and legitimate, react to the pandemic. Ransomware hits Taiwan. Remcos is resurgent. Michael Sechrist from BAH on where things are headed with ransomware, our guest is Rachael Stockton from LastPass on their Psychology of Passwords report. And, despite what you saw on Twitter when you were “doing your own research,” 5G does not cause COVID-19, and telecom repair crews are not agents of the Illuminati. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/May/CyberWire_2020_05_07.html
Facebook reports on the coordinated inauthenticity it took down in April. Investigations into COVID-19’s origins continue, as does medical espionage. Contact tracing’s challenges. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on recent flaws in antivirus products, our guests are Laura Deimling and Courtney Wandeloski from Down To Staff on interviewing tips for employees and hiring managers. And European police take down the BlackInfinity credential traffickers. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/May/CyberWire_2020_05_06.html
A pretty Fancy Bear hunt in Germany. A new IoT botnet surfaces. Cryptojackers exploit a Salt bug. Bribing an insider as a way to get personal data. The UK’s NCSC and the US CISA issue a joint warning about campaigns directed against institutions working on a response to COVID-19. Britain’s contact tracing app starts its trial on the Isle of Wight. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on AI inventions and their pending patents, our guest is Matt Glenn from Illumio on why companies should break up with their firewalls. And don’t get puppy scammed--you’re looking for wags in all the wrong places. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/May/CyberWire_2020_05_05.html
A US Executive Order on Securing the United States Bulk-Power System declares a state of emergency in electricity generation and distribution. China’s disinformation about COVID-19 may have begun in the earliest stages of the pandemic. Someone’s hacking for information on British biomedical research. Xiaomi seems very interested in users of its phones. Andrea Little Limbago on global privacy trends, our guest is Mathew Newfield from Unisys with insights on cybersecurity breaches. And the Love Bug’s creator is found. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/May/CyberWire_2020_05_04.html
Passwords are the traditional authentication methods for computers and networks. But passwords can be stolen. Biometric authentication seems the perfect solution for that problem. Our guest today is Craig Williams, director of Talos outreach at Cisco. He'll be discussing and providing insights into their report which shows that fingerprints are good enough to protect the average person's privacy if they lose their phone. However, a person that is likely to be targeted by a well-funded and motivated actor should not use fingerprint authentication. The research can be found here: Fingerprint cloning: Myth or reality?
Tensions between China and its neighbors. ICS incursions are troubling. The US intelligence community comments on COVID 19 disinformation. The FBI tracks increased cybercrime activity during the pandemic. Johannes Ullrich explains Excel 4 Macro vulnerabilities. Our guest is Tina C. Williams-Koroma, from TCecure on the importance of strong, effective leadership in cybersecurity. And smile for the web-cam. Your boss may be watching. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/May/CyberWire_2020_05_01.html
Ransomware not only encrypts and steals data, but establishes persistence as well. Apple and Google roll out their exposure notification API. GCHQ will help secure Britain’s centralized contact tracing system. A conspiracy-minded motive for doxing. Criminal markets and criminal enterprises continue to mimic legitimate ones. And a new wrinkle in mobile ransomware. Rob Lee from Dragos with insights on a recent ransomware incident shutting down a gas pipeline, guest is Drex DeFord from Drexio on Cybersecurity in Healthcare amid COVID-19. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_30.html
Researchers see a coming shift in tactics used by Chinese “content farmers.” Amplifying disinformation through influencers and other agents of influence. PhantomLance is a quiet and selective Vietnamese cyber espionage campaign. Lawful intercept and contact tracing apps. And the black market for malware is surprisingly open, cheap, and attentive to its customers. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on cheating in online games, guest is Tonya Ugoretz from the FBI on engagement with public and private sector during COVID-19. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_29.html
Shade ransomware operators close down, or so they say. A US pharmaceutical company is the victim of CLOP ransomware, and a Chinese medical research firm is breached by cyber criminals. Centralized versus decentralized approaches to contact tracing. A GDPR assistance site proves leaky. Disinformation breeds misinformation which breeds folly that brings misery. And Mr. Kim seems to be chillin’ downy ocean. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on responses to the EARN IT Act, guest is Katie Arrington, CISO for Assistant Secretary for Defense Acquisition on the Cybersecurity Maturity Model (CMMC) certification. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_28.html
Reports to the contrary, as far as anyone really knows, North Korea’s Kim is still large and in charge. Poland reports Russian disinformation effort. The EU issues a controversial report on COVID-19 disinformation amid accusations that Europe is knuckling under to Chinese pressure. A cyberattack on wastewater treatment systems in Israel is reported. And the old Hupigon RAT is back, and looking for love. Caleb Barlow from CynergisTek on his responsibilities during an incident from the SOC operator to the CEO, guest is Dave Weinstein from Claroty on threats and existing security violations facing the U.S. critical infrastructure. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_27.html
Successful containment of the Coronavirus pandemic rests on the ability to quickly and reliably identify those who have been in close proximity to a contagious individual. Mayank Varia from Boston University describes how his team suggests an approach based on using short-range communication mechanisms, like Bluetooth, that are available in all modern cell phones. The research can be found here: Anonymous Collocation Discovery: Harnessing Privacy to Tame the Coronavirus
An update on those iOS zero-days: they may not be as serious as assumed. Calls to take biomedical facilities off the hacking target list. Nazar and the ShadowBrokers. NSA and ASD issue joint advice on web shell malware. A report on astroturfing and influence operations. Joker’s Stash lays out more stolen cards. And Nintendo reports a problem with a legacy system. Michael Sechrist from BAH on the increase in IT/OT convergence, guest is Terence Jackson from Thycotic on HIPAA, telemedicine and the new normal of data regulation. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_24.html
Someone, probably Vietnam, is trying to develop intelligence on China’s experience with the coronavirus. Florentine Banker is an example of well-organized crime. iOS zero-days have been exploited in the wild; a fix is promised. A cryptomining botnet is sinkholed. And intelligence services and criminals are tuning their phishbait to current events, as they always do. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture on encrypted DNS, guest is Russ Mohr with MobileIron on why the applications that excite us about 5G are the same applications that warrant the most concern. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_23.html
The US Senate authorizes more COVID-19 small business relief. A data exposure at the US Small Business Administration. The CTL-League looks like a model for cyber volunteer organizations. The US Senate reports its evaluation of the Intelligence Community’s look at Russian active measures in 2016. Calls for deterrence amid a converged campaign of disinformation. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on Microsoft zero-days, guest is Chris Chiles from OST on what companies need to consider before implementing 5G. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_22.html
Fears about North Korean instability can wait until it’s determined that there’s actually instability. An economic espionage campaign targeted the oil and gas sector. Much phishing surrounds government COVID-19 economic relief programs around the world. The US Supreme Court will hear a case involving the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. And if you’re studying from home, don’t cheat. And teacher, maybe don’t spy. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on training facial recognition software to recognize medical masks, guest is Gonda Lamberink from UL on making product security transparent and accessible to consumers. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_21.html
A wave of attacks against hospitals and infrastructure in the Czech Republic seems to have been largely unsuccessful, but more may be on their way. German relief funds earmarked for small business are looted by cybercrooks. PoetRAT is active against ICS targets in Azerbaijan. CISA updates its Guidance on the Essential Critical Infrastructure Workforce. Breaches at Cognizant, Aptoide, and Webkinz World. And more Zoom-bombing. David Dufour from Webroot on AI and machine learning, guest is Kelly White of Mastercard’s RiskRecon on how one of their healthcare customers is tracking COVID-19 infections. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_20.html
We often hear cybersecurity professionals talking about red teams, blue teams, and purple teams. In this episode of CyberWire-X, we investigate what those terms mean, how security teaming approaches have changed over time, and the value of teaming for organizations large and small. Join us for a lively conversation with our experts Austin Scott from Dragos, and Caleb Barlow, from Cynergistek in part one. In part 2, we’ll also hear from Dan DeCloss from Plextrac, the sponsor of today’s episode.
As much of the world grapples with the new coronavirus, COVID-19, and how to handle it, attackers are taking advantage of the widespread discussion of COVID-19 in emails and across the web. Joining us today is Fleming Shi, CTO of Barracuda discussing their report on these types of attacks, which are up 667-percent since the end of February. The research can be found here: Threat Spotlight: Coronavirus-Related Phishing To learn more about our Academic and Military discounts, visit The CyberWire and click on the Contact Us button in the Academic or Government & Military box.
Czech intelligence warns of an impending cyber campaign against hospitals. The US Defense Department alerts contractors that Electric Panda is back, and after their data. Pulse Secure VPN’s post- patching issues. Google blocks COVID-19 phishing emails. Apple and Google work on tracing physical contact, but Facebook is tracing contact with misinformation. Zoom offers some fixes, gets banned in India, and receives a mashnote from Larry Ellison. And notes on HIPAA and CMMC. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on exposed RDP servers while we work from home, guest is Tia Hopkins from eSentire on STEM/cybersecurity education. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_17.html
The US Government issues a major advisory warning of North Korean offensives in cyberspace, most of them financially motivated. Ericsson will provide BT the equipment to replace Huawei gear in its networks. Notes on COVID-19-themed cybercrime. Some temporary telework may become permanent. Disinformation from Tehran; domestic phishbait from Damascus. And to Zoom or not to Zoom? Rob Lee from Dragos with a summary of his RSA keynote, guest is Gregg Smith from Attila on cybersecurity concerns for employees working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_16.html
Energetic Bear’s pawprints seen at SFO. A leading windpower company is hit with ransomware. Advice for more secure telework. Why healthcare is an attractive target for cyberattack during a pandemic. ICANN pleads for action against scam domains. And the fortunes of Zoom. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on undocumented backdoors in Android apps, guest is Emily Mossburg from Deloitte on the geographical and cultural elements of privacy. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_15.html
Demand for online services during the pandemic stresses government providers. APT41’s backdoor campaign aimed at information theft. Contact-tracking apps and privacy. Some courts move to hear cases online. Zoom’s continuing mixed success. And did you file your tax return? The crooks might have done so for you. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on Microsoft’s reaction to Washington State’s new facial recognition law, guest is Francis Dinha from OpenVPN on remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_14.html
Vandals prank victims with security researchers’ names. San Francisco International discloses compromised networks. Google and Apple cooperate on contact tracking tech. Chinese disinformation campaigns rely on ad purchases and social media amplification. Phishing attempts and other scams. Notes on ransomware. And police in the Netherlands take down some DDoS-for-hire services. Andrea Little Limbago on government created internet blackouts, guest is Herb Stapleton from the FBI on COVID-19 scams. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_13.html
By day, he is Dton, an upstanding Nigerian citizen. He believes in professionalism, hard work and excellence. He’s a leader, a content creator, an entrepreneur and an innovator; an accomplished business administrator; a renaissance man who is adored by his colleagues. But by night, he is Bill Henry, Cybercriminal Entrepreneur. We sat down with a researcher at CheckPoint for the inside scoop into this fascinating, brazen individual. The research can be found here: The Inside Scoop on a Six-Figure Nigerian Fraud Campaign
The curious history of the delusion that COVID-19 has something to do with 5G. Malvertising spoofs a security company’s website. Data breach hits Pakistani mobile users. xHelper is still in circulation. Data privacy versus data utility. COVID-19-driven patterns of cybercrime. And more on Zoom and the challenges of working remotely. Mike Benjamin from CenturyLink on ddosing, botnets and IoT news, guest is Nathalie Marcotte from Schneider Electric on the role cybersecurity plays in convergence of IT/OT. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_10.html
Operation Pinball roils up Eastern Europe and the Near Abroad. Crooks who can’t write idiomatic American English are spoofing emails from the White House in a COVID-19-themed phishing campaign. CISA updates telework guidelines for Federal agencies. Some GDPR fines are deferred until after the pandemic. Zoom continues to reel from its success. And fleeceware is found in the iTunes store. Caleb Barlow from CynergisTek on OODA loops, guest is Or Katz from Akamai on how current industry (and employee) phishing defenses are being bypassed by attackers. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_09.html
NCSC and CISA issue a joint warning on cyber threats during the COVID-19 pandemic. India’s government seeks to limit disinformation in social media. Zoom works on privacy issues, and government contact-tracking apps face their own problems. A new DDoS botnet, “dark_nexus,” is out. BGP hijack questions persist. Is a front company facilitating Chinese government RATs? Spies and spyware. And a biometric advance leads from the rear. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on how COVID-19 is reinforcing TLS 1.0, guest is Pedram Amini from InQuest on winning the Cyber Tank contest. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_08.html
Criminals increase their targeting of hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. Ordinary scams proliferate worldwide, using COVID-19 as their bait. Social media seek to inhibit the flow of coronavirus misinformation. The commodification of zero-day exploits. Corp[dot]com is no longer available. FBI warns of business email compromise via cloud services. A quick look at investment, and, finally, something other than the Brooklyn Bridge is for sale. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on a class action lawsuit against Zoom, guest is Matt Davey from 1Password on shadow IT trends, security risks, and best practices for oversight. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_07.html
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to drive a spike in cybercrime. It’s also been the occasion for various state-operated disinformation campaigns, and for some surprisingly widespread popular delusions. Zoom’s acknowledgement that some traffic was mistakenly routed through China draws more scrutiny to the teleconferencing service. A possible BGP hijack is reported. DarkHotel is said to be back. Bad stuff in Google Play. And a sim-swapping risk. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture on CISO health concerns, guest is Dr. Celeste Paul from NSA on cognitive capacity and burnout. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_06.html
2020 is shaping up to be a rough year. Ransomware attacks will continue to grow as cybercriminals get more sophisticated in their methods and expand their reach. Allan Liska, Senior Analyst at Recorded Future, shares their findings and predictions in a new report. The research can be found here: 5 Ransomware Trends to Watch in 2020
Geolocation in support of social distancing. Fixing vulnerabilities in a popular teleconferencing service. Twitter bots running an influence campaign against the Turkish government are taken down. A biotech firm reports a ransomware attack. More on attempts to compromise the World Health Organization. And a look at how cyber criminals are faring during the emergency. Michael Sechrist from BAH on cybercrime changes in the age of Coronavirus, guest is Admiral James Stavridis (Ret.) from Preveil on global cyber security threats and realities. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_03.html
Attempts on World Health Organization email accounts possibly linked to Iran. Mandrake Android malware is active against carefully selected targets. Vollgar attacks Windows systems running MS-SQL Server. Hospitals remain attractive targets for ransomware gangs. Italy’s social security operations shut down by hacking. Coronavirus disinformation. The pandemic’s effects on business. And a look at the fortunes of Zoom. Andrea Little Limbago from Virtru on the global battle for information control, guest is Perry Carpenter from KnowBe4 on security awareness. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_02.html
Marriott discloses a major data breach. Another insecurely configured Elasticsearch database is found, this one belonging to a secure cloud backup provider. More spearphishing from Pyongyang. The US Justice Department IG sees systemic problems in the FISA warrant process. Updates on the Houseparty affair. Huawei suggests that Beijing will retaliate against more sanctions from Washington. And more COVID-19 notes concerning the cyber sector. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on Safari blocking third-party cookies, guest is Monzy Merza of Splunk on becoming an InfoSec leader. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/April/CyberWire_2020_04_01.html
FBI warns of another supply chain attack, this one distributing the Kwampirs RAT. More exposed databases found. The US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act gets some clarification from a Federal Court. Security and networking companies are weathering the COVID-19 economic storm, but not without squalls, some legal, some cyber, and others just reputational. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on ending targeted advertising, guest is Brendan O’Connor from AppOmni on the state of cloud security. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_31.html Support our show
Updates on the coronavirus and its effect on the cyber sector. Criminals spoof infection warnings from hospitals. The country of Georgia’s voter data has been exposed online. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia seems to have conducted extensive surveillance of its subjects as they travel in the US. The Zeus Sphinx Trojan is back. Dharma ransomware’s source code is for sale in the black market. And beware teddy bears bearing USB drives. David Dufour from Webroot on differences between privacy and security, guest is Daniel dos Santos from Forescout on Ransomware, IoT, and the impact on critical infrastructure. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_30.html Support our show
Eclypsium has issued a study that suggests the prevalence of “unsigned firmware in WiFi adapters, USB hubs, trackpads, and cameras used in computers from Lenovo, Dell, HP and other major manufacturers.” Here to discuss their findings is Rick Altherr, a Principle Engineer at Eclypsium. The research can be found here: Perilous Peripherals: The Hidden Dangers Inside Windows and LINUX Computers.
Ransomware gangs don’t seem to be trimming their activities for the greater good. TA505 and Silence identified as the groups behind recent attacks on European companies. An APT possibly connected to South Korea is linked to attacks on North Korean professionals. A criminal campaign of USB attacks is reported. Problems with VPNs and teleconferencing. The Pentagon’s CMMC will move forward on schedule. Rob Lee from Dragos on ICS resiliency in the face of Coronavirus, guest is James Dawson from Danske Bank on the unique challenges of IT Risk & Controls in global banking. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_27.html Support our show
NIST offers advice on telework, as does Microsoft. Things to do for your professional growth while you’re in your bunker. Magecart hits Tupperware, and they won’t be the last as e-commerce targeting spikes. DNS hijacking contributes to an info-stealing campaign. Apple and Adobe both patch. The US publishes its 5G security strategy. And some thoughts on the value of work, as brought into relief by a pandemic. Thomas Etheridge from Crowdstrike on their 2020 Cyber Front Lines Report, guest is Michelle Koblas from AppDynamics on third-party risk management. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_26.html Support our show
APT41 is back, and throwing its weight around in about twenty verticals. States and gangs swap commodity malware. The FSB--yes, that FSB--takes down a major Russian carding gang. Coronavirus-themed attacks are likely to outlast the pandemic. Facebook Messenger considers limiting mass message forwarding as a way of slowing the spread of COVID-19 misinformation. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on stimulus check scams, guest is Rachael Stockton from LogMeIn (LastPass) on the future of business network access security. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_25.html Support our show
WildPressure APT targets industrial systems in the Middle East. ICS attack tools show increasing commodification. TrickMo works against secure banking. Microsoft warns of RCE vulnerability in the way Windows renders fonts. Click fraud malware found in childrens’ apps sold in Google Play. DarkHotel attacks the World Health Organization. Ransomware hits Parisian hospitals and a British biomedical research firm. More COVID-19 phishbait. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on Coronavirus detecting cameras, guest is Allan Liska from Recorded Future on security in the time of Coronavirus. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_24.html Support our show
US prosecutors begin to follow through on their announced determination to pay close attention to coronavirus fraud. Data stolen from Chinese social network Weibo is now for sale on the black market--at a discount. The pandemic affects scheduled software updates and sunsets at Google and Microsoft. A new Mirai variant is out in the wild. And a DDoS attack in Australia turns out to be just a lot of Australians in need of government services. Mike Benjamin from CenturyLink on threat actors using 3rd party file hosting, guest is Andrew Peterson from Signal Sciences on top application security attacks. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_23.html Support our show
Cloud computing is now at the center of nearly every business strategy. But, as with the rapid adoption of any new technology, growing pains persist. The key findings in these reports shed light on security missteps that are actually in practice by organizations across the globe. Joining us in this special Research Saturday are Palo Alto Network's Matthew Chiodi and Ryan Olson. They discuss their findings in two different threat reports. The research can be found here: Cloud Threat Report IoT Threat Report
CISA describes what counts as critical infrastructure during a pandemic, and offers some advice on how to organize work during the emergency. Iran runs a disinformation campaign--apparently mostly for the benefit of a domestic audience--alleging that COVID-19 is a US biowar operation. Intelligence services, criminals, vandals, and gossips all flack coronavirus hooey in cyberspace. Fancy Bear is back. And what would provoke good behavior among thieves? (A hint: not altruism.) Malek Ben Salem from Accenture on mobile tracking and privacy, guest is Thomas Quinn from T Rowe Price on the job of protecting a financial institution. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_20.html Support our show
The EU suggests that Russia’s mounting an ongoing disinformation campaign concerning COVID-19. Russia says they didn’t do nuthin’. TrickBot is back with a new module, still under development, and it seems most interested in Hong Kong and the US. The Parallax RAT is the latest offering in the malware-as-a-service market. Food delivery services are now targets of opportunity for cybercriminals. Zoom-bombing is now a thing. And some advice from an astronaut. Andrea Little Limbago from Virtru with insights into her career path, guest is Tom Creedon from LookingGlass Cyber on the Asia-Pacific Cyber Conflict. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_19.html Support our show
More coronavirus phishing expeditions. Don’t let idleness or desperation lead you into a money-mule scam. How do behavioral expectations change during periods of remote work? The Health and Human Services incident appears to be just that. NIST has some advice for video-conferencing and virtual meetings. And an exhortation to return to the Blitz spirit. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on limitations of two-factor authenticator mobile apps, guest is Johnnie Konstantas from Oracle on cloud misconfigurations and shared responsibility in the public cloud. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_18.html Support our show
The cyberattack on the US Department of Health and Human Services seems now to have been a minor incident. Disinformation about COVID-19 and measures to contain the pandemic continues to serve as both phishbait and disruption. And US prosecutors move to stop prosecution of a Russian influence shop fingered by the Mueller investigation. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on HHS issuing health data rules, guest is Kevin Mitnick from KnowBe4 on the state of cybersecurity from the RSAC 2020 floor. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_17.html Support our show
COVID-19’s effects on cyberspace: disinformation, espionage, data theft, fraud, and extortion. Also far greater remote working. David Dufour from Webroot on their 2020 Threat Report, guest is Simone Petrella from CyberVista on cybersecurity skills. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_16.html Support our show
As websites and apps more widely adopt TLS (Transport Layer Security) and communicate over HTTPS connections, unencrypted traffic may draw even more attention, since it’s easier for analysts and security tools to identify malicious communication patterns in those plain HTTP sessions. Malware authors know this, and they’ve made it a priority to adopt TLS and thereby obfuscate the contents of malicious communication. Joining us on this week's Research Saturday is Chester Wisniewski from SophosLabs discussing their research on the subject. The research can be found here: Nearly a quarter of malware now communicates using TLS
COVID-19 significantly increased remote working, and the pandemic is now a favorite lure in the phishing tackle of both intelligence services and criminal gangs. Russian trolling has been off-shored, setting up shop in Ghana and Nigeria for running influence operations against the US. Microsoft issues an out-of-band patch. Reporters Without Borders publishes its list of “digital predators.” And the Senate doesn’t renew US domestic surveillance authorities. Thomas Etheridge from Crowdstrike on the impact of ransomware, guest is Josiah Dykstra from NSA on Cloud Vulnerabilities from an NSA viewpoint. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_13.html Support our show
Turla’s back, this time with watering holes in compromised Armenian websites. Data exposures are reported in the Netherlands and the United States. China accuses Taiwan of waging cyberwarfare in an attempt to disrupt Beijing’s management of the coronavirus epidemic. The US and the EU separately undertake efforts to suppress COVID-19 disinformation. And the ins-and-outs of teleworking. Mike Benjamin from CenturyLink with Emotet updates, guest is Tom Pendergast from MediaPRO on their State of Privacy and Security Awareness Report. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_12.html Support our show
The Cyberspace Solarium has released its report, as promised, and they wish to make your flesh creep. Coronavirus scams and phishbait amount to what some are calling an “infodemic.” Some notes on Patch Tuesday, and, finally, some words on the actual coronavirus epidemic. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on FBI recovering stolen funds, guest is Josh Mayfield from RiskIQ on his 2020 predictions. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_11.html Support our show
Google removes from the Play store an app nominally designed to track COVID-19 infections. An EU power distribution consortium says its business systems were hacked. An assessment of Cablegate has been declassified. Ex-CIA employee Schulte’s trial for disclosing classified information ends in a hung jury. The alleged proprietor of a criminal market is arrested. Crooks hack rival crooks. More US primaries are held today. And a case of identity theft in North Carolina. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS with updates on ClearView AI, guest is Kathleen Kuczma from Recorded Future on 2019 Top Vulnerabilities List. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_10.html Support our show
Coronavirus misinformation, coronavirus online scams, and coronavirus disinformation. Ransomware hits a steel plant, local government, and a defense contractor. And how criminals’ desire for glory betrays them in social media. Zulfikar Ramzan from RSA Security with three product updates, guest is Robert Waitman from Cisco on their Annual Data Privacy Benchmark study. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_09.html Support our show
Why do some developers and development teams write more secure code than others? Software is written by people, either alone or in teams. Ultimately secure code development depends on the actions and decisions taken by the people who develop the code. Understanding the human factors that influence the introduction of software vulnerabilities, and acting on that knowledge, is a definitive way to shift security to the left. On this Research Saturday, our conversation with Anita D’Amico from CodeDX on which developers and teams are more likely to write vulnerable software. The research can be found here: Which Developers and Teams Are More Likely to Write Vulnerable Software?
Virgin Media discloses a data exposure incident, another misconfigured database. Microsoft subdomains are reported vulnerable to takeover. A dark web search engine is gaining popularity, and black market share. Researchers find that Russian disinformation trolls have upped their game. The crypto wars have flared up as the US Senate considers the EARN IT act. Tech companies sign on to voluntary child protection principles. And Huawei talks about backdoors. Thomas Etheridge from Crowdstrike on empowering business leaders to manage cyber risk, guest is Sherri Davidoff on her book, Data Breaches: Crisis and Opportunity. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_06.html Support our show
Credential stuffing affects J. Crew and Tesco customers. T-Mobile discloses a data breach. Emcor works to recover from a ransomware infestation. Coronavirus-themed emails remain common phishbait--it’s an international problem. US authorities are pleased with how election security on Super Tuesday went, but some local governments are recovering from self-inflicted tech wounds. And there’s more on official US suspicion of Huawei. Mike Benjamin from CenturyLink on Nanocore, guest is Bil Harmer from SecureAuth on nation-state attacks. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_05.html Support our show
A quick security retrospective on Super Tuesday, a day on which no dogs barked (or bears growled, or kittens yowled, or pandas did whatever it is that pandas do). The Cyberspace Solarium previewed the good-government framework it intends to recommend in next Wednesday’s final report. The EU uses its Rapid Alert System against coronavirus disinformation. US aid will go to Ukraine for cybersecurity capability building. And backups are an attack surface, too. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on FBI convictions of Romanian criminals, guest is Chris Kubic from Fidelis Cybersecurity with lessons learned from securing the country’s biggest and deepest secrets. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_04.html Support our show
Chinese security firm calls out the US CIA for Vault 7 campaigns against civil aviation. Meanwhile, the jury’s out in the Joshua Shulte Vault 7 case. Incident responders in the UK may be reentering the labor market. US agencies issue a joint warning to adversaries (and joint encouragement to citizens) about election interference. The Cyberspace Solarium talks about elections. And the Justice Department offers advice on cyber threat intelligence collection. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on telecommunications companies in hot water with the FCC, guest is Stuart Reed from Nominet with new CISO stress research. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_03.html Support our show
It’s Super Tuesday eve, and people worry about influence operations, both foreign and domestic. DoppelPaymer hits a precision manufacturer, and moves surprisingly quickly to expose stolen files. Vulnerable WordPress plugins are being exploited in the wild. And a catphish is running for Congress in Rhode Island--he’s even got the blue checkmark. Johannes Ullrich from the SANS Technology Center on the development of authentication issues in iOS, guest is Elvis Chan from the FBI on election security. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/March/CyberWire_2020_03_02.html Support our show
Today's Research Saturday features our conversation with Robert Heaton, a software engineer with Stripe who penned a blog post about his disappointing discovery involving his Wacom tablet tracking his applications. The post struck a nerve and has since been widely distributed. The research can be found here: Wacom drawing tablets track the name of every application that you open
South Carolina prepares for tomorrow’s primary, confident that it will be able to conduct the vote securely and without disruption. An evolved version of the Cerberus Trojan has been spotted. Bots are making fraudulent appeals for brushfire aid to the Australian Red Cross. The FCC is preparing to fine four major wireless carriers for mishandling user geolocation data. Proposed changes to FISA surveillance in the US. And farewell to RSAC 2020. Partner is Mike Benjamin from CenturyLink with observations from RSA, guests are magicians Penn and Teller with insights on deception and social engineering. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/February/CyberWire_2020_02_28.html Support our show
Naming and shaming seems to work, at least against China’s Ministry of State Security. Iranian cyberespionage continues its regional focus. Wi-Fi chip flaws could expose encrypted traffic to snoopers. Someone, maybe from abroad, is pretending to be the US Democratic National Committee. Tips on backing up files. Ransomware gangs up their game. And that unmarked small box on your car? Go ahead: you can take it off. David Dufour from Webroot with trends and predictions from the floor at RSA, guest is Liesyl Franz from the Dept. of State on nation state cyber activities and deterrence in cyberspace. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/February/CyberWire_2020_02_27.html Support our show
Google patches a Chrome zero-day. Ransomware attacks against infrastructure. DoppelPaymer prepares to dox its victims. How CISA and NSA cooperate. Dallas County, Iowa, finally drops charges against pentesters. Mr. Assange’s evolving defense against extradition to the US. Notes on RSAC 2020. And if you were a superhero, which superhero would you be? Justin Harvey from Accenture on his RSA observations, guest is Keith Mularski from EY on ransomware. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/February/CyberWire_2020_02_26.html Support our show
Cloud Snooper is infesting cloud infrastructure servers. A China-skeptical advocacy group draws attention to US states’ contracts with Chinese vendors that aren’t named “Huawei.” Senator Wyden would like the security company that audited the Voatz to explain the clean bill of health it gave the voting app. Facebook’s campaign troll hunt comes up empty, so far, this time. And what we’re seeing and hearing at RSAC 2020. Our Chief Analyst Rick Howard on SASE and what he’s looking for at RSA, guest is Dr. Chenxi Wang from Rain Capital previewing her panel at RSA and discussing innovations in the industry. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/February/CyberWire_2020_02_25.html Support our show
The EU condemns Russian cyberattacks on Georgia, and Russia says Russia didn’t do it--it’s all propaganda. Skids can buy spamming tools for less than twenty bucks. Satellite constellations offer an expanding attack surface. Amid continuing worries about US election security, the question of Russian trolling or home-grown American vitriol arises in Nevada (but the smart money’s on the U S of A). FISA reauthorization is coming up. And hello from RSAC 2020. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on SIM swappers targeting carrier employees, guest is Erez Yalon from Checkmarx on the recently published OWASP API Security Top Ten list. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/February/CyberWire_2020_02_24.html Support our show
SafeBreach Labs discovered a new vulnerability in the Realtek HD Audio Driver Package, which is deployed on PCs containing Realtek sound cards. On this week's Research Saturday, our conversation with Itzik Kotler, who is Co-Founder and CTO at SafeBreach. The research can be found here: Realtek HD Audio Driver Package - DLL Preloading and Potential Abuses
The US Defense Information Agency discloses a data breach affecting personal information of up to two-hundred thousand individuals. More international reprobation for the alleged GRU hack of Georgian websites. Trolls move from creation to curation. Stalkerware data exposure. And a look at how the UK might actually implement its compromise position on high-risk 5G vendors. Joining us in studio, a surprise new addition to the CyberWire team, guest is Aisling MacRunnels from Synack on women in cyber. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/February/CyberWire_2020_02_21.html Support our show
British and American authorities blame Russia’s GRU for last October’s defacement campaign against Georgian websites. Senator Sanders thinks maybe some of his apparent supporters are Russian bots--the ones who are tweeting bad stuff in social media. Julian Assange says he was offered a pardon to say the Russians didn’t meddle with the DNC. Stolen data from MGM Resorts turns up in a hacker forum. NSA leaker Reality Winner would like a pardon. Justin Harvey from Accenture on staying prepared against potential Iranian cyberattacks, guest is Jamie Tomasello from Cisco Duo on cognitive capacity and burnout. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/February/CyberWire_2020_02_20.html Support our show
CISA reports a ransomware infestation in a US natural gas compression facility--it arrived by spearphishing and there are, CISA thinks, larger lessons to be learned. A new threat actor, possibly linked to China’s government, is running an espionage campaign against gambling and betting operations in Southeast Asia. More notes on firmware signatures. Huawei loses one in US Federal Court, and the defense asks for a mistrial in the Vault 7 case. Caleb Barlow from CynergisTek on Wigle and the impact your SSID name can have on your privacy, guest is Anita D’Amico from CodeDX on which developers and teams are more likely to write vulnerable software. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/February/CyberWire_2020_02_19.html Support our show
Fox Kitten appears to combine three APTs linked to Iran. LokiBot is masquerading as an installer for Epic Games. Unsigned firmware found in multiple devices. Extortionists threaten to flood AdSense banners with bot traffic. China says the Empire of Hackers is in Washington, not Beijing. Iowa Democratic caucus IT post-mortems continue. Japan connects SoftBank breach to GRU. And more on that hacker-madness poster from the West Midlands. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on wireless carriers selling location data. Guest is Kaitlin Bulavinetz from Washington Cyber Roundtable on facilitating conversations among the industry. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/February/CyberWire_2020_02_18.html Support our show
BGN Technologies, the technology transfer company of Ben-Gurion University (BGU) of the Negev, Israel, is introducing the first all-optical “stealth” encryption technology that will be significantly more secure and private for highly-sensitive cloud computing and data center network transmission. Joining us in this special Research Saturday is BGN's Dan Sadot who helped pioneer this technology. The Research can be found here: Ben-Gurion University Researchers Introduce the FirstAll-Optical, Stealth Data Encryption Technology
The US indicts Huawei for racketeering. The FBI and CISA release details on malware used by North Korea’s Hidden Cobra. Iran attributes last week’s DDoS attack to the US. Google takes down a big malvertising and click-fraud network that exploited Chrome extensions. Reports surface of DNC involvement in IowaReporterApp. Not all official advice is necessarily good advice. And if things don’t work out with your object of affection, don’t spy on their social media accounts, OK? Craig Williams from Cisco Talos with updates on JhoneRAT. Guest is Shuvo Chatterjee from Google on their Advanced Protection Program (APP). For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/February/CyberWire_2020_02_14.html Support our show
Researchers report phishing campaigns underway in the Palestinian Territories. They appear to be a Hamas-linked effort targeting the rival Fatah organization. FireEye offers a summary of current Iranian cyber capabilities. The GAO warns that the Census Bureau still has some cyber security work to do before this year’s count. Researchers call mobile voting into question. And some observations about why some extortion brings in a bigger haul than its rivals. Johannes Ullrich from SANS Technology Center on IoT threats. Guest is Darren Van Booven from Trustwave on how to know if the CCPA applies to your organization. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/February/CyberWire_2020_02_13.html Support our show
Facebook takes down coordinated inauthenticity from Myanmar, Vietnam, Iran, and Russia. The US says it’s got the goods on Huawei’s backdoors. Notes on Patch Tuesday. The EU backs away from a five-year moratorium on facial recognition software. Switzerland takes a look at Crypto AG. And the Nevada Democratic caucus a week from Saturday will use iPads, Google Forms, and some tools to process the results. That’s “tools,” Jack, not “apps.” Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on the Senate GOP blocking election security bills. Guest is Christopher Hadnagy from Social-Engineer, LLC on social engineering trends they are tracking. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/February/CyberWire_2020_02_12.html Support our show
Pyongyang establishes a template for pariah states trying to profit in cyberspace. The FBI warns that there’s a RAT in the ICS software supply chain. The US has a new counterintelligence strategy, and cyber figures in it prominently. Likud’s exposure of Israeli voter data may benefit opposition intelligence services. Notes on the Equifax breach indictments. As New Hampshire votes in its primaries, CISA warns everyone not to get impatient. And Iowa? Still counting. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on their recent report, “Industrial Cyber Attacks: A Humanitarian Crisis in the Making.” Guest is Andrew Wajs from Scenera on the NICE Alliance and Cloud Privacy. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/February/CyberWire_2020_02_11.html Support our show
US indicts four members of China’s People’s Liberation Army in connection with the 2017 Equifax breach. North Korea establishes an Internet template for pariah regimes’ sanctions evasion. Iran sustained a major DDoS attack Saturday. US Democratic Party seeks to avoid a repetition of the Iowa caucus in other states as the Sanders campaign asks for a partial recanvas. Israel’s Likud Party involved in a voter database exposure incident via its own app. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI with a look back at the Clipper chip. Guest is Shannon Brewster from AT&T Cybersecurity with thoughts on election security. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/February/CyberWire_2020_02_10.html Support our show
The Chameleon attack technique is a new type of OSN-based trickery where malicious posts and profiles change the way they are displayed to OSN users to conceal themselves before the attack or avoid detection. Joining us to discuss their findings in a new report entitled "The Chameleon Attack: Manipulating Content Display in Online Social Media" is Ben-Gurion University's Rami Puzis. The research can be found here: The Chameleon Attack: Manipulating Content Display in Online Social Media Demonstration video of a Chameleon Attack
Chinese espionage groups target Malaysian officials, and two more Japanese defense contractors say they were breached, also by China. Google patches Android problems, including an unusual Bluetooth bug. Google also expels apps that wanted unreasonable permissions from the Play store. Some in Iowa say the DNC pushed an eleventh-hour security patch to IowaReporterApp. The US may indict more Chinese nationals for hacking. More Senate reporting on 2016 Russian influence. Caleb Barlow from Synergistek with more insights on hospitals and ransomware, this time from the patient’s perspective. Guest is Matt Cauthorn from ExtraHop comparing cloud platforms’ similarities and differences. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/February/CyberWire_2020_02_07.html Support our show
Iowa Democrats continue to count their caucus results, and blame for the mess is falling squarely on Shadow, Inc.’s IowaReporterApp. Bitbucket repositories are found spreading malware. The attack on Toll Group turns out to be Mailto ransomware. The Gamaredon Group is active, against, against Ukrainian targets. Charming Kitten’s been phishing. And there’s a new legal theory out and about: the pain-in-the-ass defense. (We know some colleagues who’d plead to that.) Justin Harvey from Accenture on DNS over HTTPS (DoH). Guest is Peter Smith from Edgewise Networks on defending against Python attacks. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/February/CyberWire_2020_02_06.html Support our show
Iowa’s Democrats are still counting their caucus results, but on the other hand they weren’t hacked. A poorly built and badly tested app is still being blamed, and that judgment seems likely to hold up. The FBI warns of a DDoS attempt against a state voter registration site. Trends in DDoS. Some new strains of ransomware are out in the wild. Spoofed emails may be an Iranian espionage effort. And the confessed Ninendo hacker cops a plea. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos with updates on Emotet. Guest is Kurtis Minder from GroupSense on the Pros and Cons of notifying breached companies. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/February/CyberWire_2020_02_05.html Support our show
Iowa Democrats work to sort out app-induced confusion over Monday’s Presidential caucus. A McAfee study finds widespread susceptibility to influence operations in US county websites. Twitter fixes an API vulnerability and suspends a large network of fake accounts. NIST’s proposed ransomware defense standards are out for your review--comments are open until February 26th. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on rules regarding destruction of electronic evidence. Guest is Alex Burkardt from VERA on how to protect critical financial data beyond the corporate perimeter. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/February/CyberWire_2020_02_04.html Support our show
Dragos publicly releases its full report on EKANS ransomware, the first known ransomware with a real if primitive capability against industrial control systems. An Australian logistics company struggles with an unspecified malware infestation. Coronovirus fake news used as phishbait. Election security may get an early test in Iowa. The US Department of Defense issues new cybersecurity rules for contractors. And two cases of insider threats (alleged insider threats). Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI with reactions to ransomware legislation proposed in Maryland. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/February/CyberWire_2020_02_03.html Support our show
On this Special Edition, our extended conversation with Eric Haseltine on his book "The Spy in Moscow Station." The book... "tells of a time when—much like today—Russian spycraft had proven itself far beyond the best technology the U.S. had to offer. The perils of American arrogance mixed with bureaucratic infighting left the country unspeakably vulnerable to ultra-sophisticated Russian electronic surveillance and espionage."
Operation Wocao (我操, “Wǒ cāo”, is a Chinese curse word) is the name that Fox-IT uses to describe the hacking activities of a Chinese based hacking group. We are joined by Fox-IT's Maarten van Dantzig who shares his insights into their new report entitled "Operation Wocao: Shining a light on one of China’s hidden hacking groups". The Research can be found here:
Operation Wocao: Shining a light on one of China’s hidden hacking groups
The Winnti Group is interested in Hong Kong protestors. The UK, the US, and the EU all look for a cooperative way forward into 5G. DDoS for hire hits an independent Serbian media outlet. Ransomware may have hit a US defense contractor. EvilCorp is back. The Sodinokibi ransomware gang is running an essay contest. And the 2015 Ashley Madison breach keeps on giving, in the form of blackmail. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on the sale of “points” and “status benefits” on the dark web. Guest is Michael Sutton from Stonemill Ventures with insights from the cyber VC world. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/January/CyberWire_2020_01_31.html Support our show
UN agencies in Geneva and Vienna were successfully hacked last summer in an apparent espionage campaign. Avast shuts down its Jumpshot data analysis subsidiary and resolves to stick to its security last. Facebook reaches a preliminary, $550 million settlement in a privacy class-action lawsuit. SpiceJet and Sprint suffer data exposures. LiveRamp was compromised for ad fraud. And Russia blocks ProtonMail and StartMail. Caleb Barlow from Cynergistek on the business impact of ransomware on a hospital. Guest is Matthew Doan, cyberecurity policy fellow at New America, discussing his recent recent Harvard Business Review article “Companies Need to Rethink What Cybersecurity Leadership Is.” For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/January/CyberWire_2020_01_30.html Support our show
Snake ransomware appears to have hit industrial control systems, and may be connected to Iran. The verdict on the Saudi hack of Mr. Bezos’ phone seems to stand at not proven, but the Kingdom does seem to have used Pegasus intercept tools against journalists and critics of the regime. Neither the US nor China are happy with Britain’s decision on Huawei. Cards from the Wawa breach are on sale in the Joker’s Stash. And CardPlanet’s boss will do some Federal time. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on AOC’s comments during House hearings on facial recognition technology. Guest is Dan Conrad from One Identity on sophisticated “pass the hash” attacks. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/January/CyberWire_2020_01_29.html Support our show
Britain decides to let Huawei into its 5G infrastructure, just a little bit, anyway. Citizen Lab reports on its investigation of Saudi use of Pegasus spyware against journalists. Avast is again collecting user data and sharing anonymized data with a subsidiary for sale to business customers. Some Data Privacy Day thoughts on agreeing to terms and conditions, with reflections on the first systematic look at End User License Agreements, found in the final chapter of Plato’s Republic. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on evolving ransomware business models. Guest is Dr. Christopher Pierson from BLACKCLOAK with insights on the alleged Bezos phone hack and the vulnerabilities of high-profile individuals. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/January/CyberWire_2020_01_28.html Support our show
Someone has been running a DNS hijacking campaign against governments in southeast Europe and southwest Asia, and Reuters thinks that someone looks like Turkey. Experts would like to see a more thorough forensic analysis of Mr. Bezos’ iPhone: that hack may look like a Saudi job, but the evidence remains circumstantial. Interpol’s Operation Night Fury dismantles a gang that had been preying on e-commerce. And ave atque vale, Clayton Christensen, theorist of disruptive innovation. Robert M. Lee from Dragos with 2020 predictions (reluctantly). For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/January/CyberWire_2020_01_27.html Support our show
In this special edition, our extended conversation with Hank Thomas and Mike Doniger from their new company SCVX. Both experienced investors, their plan is to bring a new funding mechanism known as a SPAC to cyber security which, they say, is new to the space.
The electric utility industry is a valuable target for adversaries seeking to exploit industrial control systems (ICS) and operations technology (OT) for a variety of purposes. As adversaries and their sponsors invest more effort and money into obtaining effects-focused capabilities, the risk of a disruptive or destructive attack on the electric sector significantly increases. Selena Larson from Dragos joins us to discuss their new report North American Electric Cyber Threat Perspective. The report can be found here: North American Electric Cyber Threat Perspective
PupyRAT was found in a European energy organization: it may be associated with Iranian threat actors. Another threat actor, the Konni Group, was active against a US government agency last year. Saudi Arabia maintains it had nothing to do with hacking Jeff Bezos’s phone. The EU and Ukraine separately consider anti-disinformation regulations. Canada may be ready to “impose costs” in cyberspace. And Huawei’s a threat, but what’re you gonna do? Justin Harvey from Accenture with an outlook on 2020. Guests are Hank Thomas and Mike Doniger from SCVX, describing their plan to bring a funding mechanism know as a SPAC to cyber security. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/January/CyberWire_2020_01_24.html Support our show
There’s more phishing around the Arabian Gulf, but it doesn’t look local. Reactions to Brazil’s indictment of Glenn Greenwald. The forensic report on Jeff Bezos’s smartphone has emerged, and the UN wants some investigating. Microsoft discloses an exposed database, now secured. Ransomware gets even leakier--if it hits you, assume a data breach. And Windows 7 is going to enjoy an afterlife in software Valhalla--you know, around Berlin. Tom Etheridge from CrowdStrike with thoughts on incident response plans. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/January/CyberWire_2020_01_23.html Support our show
UN rapporteurs say that the Saudi Crown Prince was probably involved in the installation of spyware on Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s personal phone. Brazilian prosecutors have indicted Glenn Greenwald, co-founder of the Intercept, on hacking charges. IBM describes a renewed NetWire campaign, and Microsoft says StarsLord is back, too. And in cyberspace, there’s nothing new on the US-Iranian front. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on surveillance cameras hidden in gravestones. Guest is Sean Frazier from Cisco Duo on their most recent State of the Auth report. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/January/CyberWire_2020_01_22.html Support our show
A new RAT goes after Arabic-speaking targets. Updates on US-Iranian tension in cyberspace. An Internet Explorer bug is being exploited in the wild; a patch will arrive in February. A pseudo-vigilante seems to be preparing Citrix devices for future exploitation. Mitsubishi Electric discloses a breach. A booter service dumps half a million Telnet credentials online. And tomorrow is the last day to file a claim under the Equifax breach settlement. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI with the story of a random encounter that set him on his professional path. Carole Theriault speaks with Jon Fielding from Apricorn on whether or not anything has really changed with GDPR, 18 months into it. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/January/CyberWire_2020_01_21.html Support our show
Some of our favorite and most trusted IoT devices help make us feel secure in our homes. From garage door openers to the locks on our front doors, we trust these devices to recognize and alert us when people are entering our home. It should come as no surprise that these too are subject to attack. Steve Povolny is head of advanced research at McAfee; we discuss a pair of research projects they recently published involving popular IoT devices. The research can be found here: McAfee Advanced Threat Research demo McLear NFC Ring McAfee Advanced Threat Research Demo Chamberlain MyQ
Hacks and rumors of hacks surrounding US-Iranian tension. Ukrainian authorities are looking into the Burisma hack, and they’d like FBI assistance. The FBI quietly warns that two US cities were hacked by a foreign service. The New York Fed has thoughts on how a cyberattack could cascade into a run on banks. Arrests and a site takedown in the WeLeakInfo case. And a quick look at the chum being dangled in front of prospective phishing victims these days. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on synthetic identity detection. Guest is Eric Haseltine, author of The Spy in Moscow Station. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/January/CyberWire_2020_01_17.html Support our show
Proof-of-concept exploits for the CryptoAPI vulnerability Microsoft patched this week have been released. CISA warns the chemical industry to look to its security during this period of what the agency calls “heightened geopolitical tension.” Families of deployed US soldiers receive threats via social media. Someone’s been phishing in Turtle Bay. More fleeceware turns up in the Play Store. And Moscow heaps scorn on anyone who thinks they hacked Burisma. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos on how adversaries take advantage of politics. Guest is Ron Hayman from AVANT on how companies might leverage Trusted Advisors to proactively prepare their security response. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/January/CyberWire_2020_01_16.html Support our show
NSA gives Microsoft a heads-up about a Windows vulnerability, and CISA is right behind them with instructions for Federal civilian agencies and advice for everyone else. Norway’s Consumer Council finds that dating apps are “out of control” with the way they share data. Ransomware goes all-in for doxing. The US pushes the UK on Huawei as Washington prepares further restrictions on the Chinese companies. And think twice before you book that alt-coin conference in Pyongyang. Johannes Ullrich from SANS Technology on malicious AutoCAD files. Guest is Chris Duvall from Chertoff Group with an overview of the current state of ransomware. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/January/CyberWire_2020_01_15.html Support our show
NSA discloses a vulnerability to Microsoft so it can be patched quickly. Intrusion Truth describes thirteen front companies for China’s APT40--they’re interested in offensive cyber capabilities. Area 1 reports that Russia’s GRU conducted a focused phishing campaign against Urkraine’s Burisma Group, the energy company that figured prominently in the House’s resolution to impeach US President Trump. And the US Justice Department moves for access to encrypted communications. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on the security issues of Android bloatware. Guest is Haiyan Song from Splunk with 2020 predictions. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/January/CyberWire_2020_01_14.html Support our show
The FBI reiterates prudent, consensus warnings about a heightened probability of cyberattacks from Iran, but so far nothing beyond credential-spraying battlespace preparation has come to notice. The US Congress mulls the definition of “act of war” in cyberspace. Taiwan’s president is re-elected amid signs that Chinese influence operations backfired on Beijing. The Maze gang doxes a victim. SIM swapping enters a new phase. And the FBI promises the FISA Court it will do better. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on a Washington Post story about college campuses gathering location data on their students. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/January/CyberWire_2020_01_13.html Support our show
Multiple e-commerce and financial organizations around the world are targeted by cybercriminals attempting to bypass or disable their security mechanisms, in some cases by using tools that imitate the activities of legitimate users. Linken Sphere, an anti-detection browser, is one of the most popular tools of this kind at the moment. Staffan Truvé is the CTO and Co-Founder of Recorded Future, he joins us to discuss their new report on the browser. The research can be found here: Profiling the Linken Sphere Anti-Detection Browser
Amid indications that both Iran and the US would prefer to back away from open war, concerns about Iranian power grid battlespace preparation remain high. Recent website defacements, however, increasingly look more like the work of young hacktivists than a campaign run by Tehran. Phones delivered under the FCC’s Lifeliine Assistance program may come with malware preinstalled. And we’ll take Cybersecurity for six hundred, Alex. Tom Etheridge from Crowdstrike on having a board of directors’ playbook. Guest is Curtis Simpson from Armis on CISO burnout. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/January/CyberWire_2020_01_10.html Support our show
As kinetic combat abates in Iraq, warnings of cyber threats increase. US intelligence agencies warn of heightened likelihood of Iranian cyber operations. These may be more serious than the low-grade website defacements and Twitter impersonations so far observed. One operation, “Dustman” has hit Bahrain, and it looks like an Iranian wiper. And some notes on the Lazarus Group, and a quick look at information ops across the Taiwan Strait. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs with details from their recent report, “How Fraud Stole Christmas.” Guest is Karl Sigler from Trustwave in the risks of using Windows 7. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/January/CyberWire_2020_01_09.html Support our show
Iran took some missile shots at two US air bases in Iraq last night, and President Trump barked back in a late morning press conference, but actually both sides seem inclined to move toward de-escalation. No major Iranian cyberattacks have developed, despite some low-grade skid vandalism of indifferently defended sites, but CISA’s warnings seem generally to be taken seriously. And the Cyber Solarium gave a preview of its recommendations for a US national cyber strategy. Caleb Barlow from CynergisTek with insights on potential cyber attacks from Iran. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/January/CyberWire_2020_01_08.html Support our show
The kittens haven’t scratched much so far, but the US Government and others are warning organizations to be alert to the likelihood of Iranian cyberattacks in retaliation for the combat death, by US missile, of Quds Force commander Soleimani. Fancy Bear is the usual suspect in the case of the Austrian Foreign Ministry hack. Patch your Pulse Secure VPN servers if you’ve got ‘em. ToTok is back in the Play Store. And there’s an executive who turned out to be an insider threat. Robert M. Lee from Dragos with a look back at 2019 ICS security issues. Guest is Tom Tovar from AppDome on mobile API security. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/January/CyberWire_2020_01_08.html Support our show
Iran vows retribution for the US drone strike that killed the commander of the Quds Force. The US prepares for Iranian action, and the Department of Homeland Security warns that cyberattacks are particularly likely. Some low-grade Iranian cyber operations may have already taken place. Austria’s Foreign Ministry sustains an apparent state-directed cyber espionage attack, and in the UK authorities are taking a second look at the August outages at the London Stock Exchange. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI, describing a clever defense against laptop theft. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/January/CyberWire_2020_01_06.html Support our show
The US and Iran trade fire in Iraq, and a leading Iranian general is killed in a US airstrike. A corresponding escalation of cyber operations can be expected. Currency exchange Travelex continues to operate manually as it works to recover from what it calls “a software virus.” There’s speculation that the RavnAir incident may have been a ransomware attack. And Taiwan adopts an active policy against Chinese attempts to influence its elections. Johannes Ullrich from the SANS Technology Center on vulnerabilities in Citrix NetScaler installations. Guest is Derek Manky from Fortinet on what to expect in AI for 2020. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/January/CyberWire_2020_01_03.html Support our show
Unit 42 (the Palo Alto Networks threat intelligence team) released new research on a Jira vulnerability that’s leaking data of technology, industrial and media organizations in the public cloud. The vulnerability (a Server Side Request Forgery -- SSRF) is the same type that led to the Capital One data breach in July 2019. Jen Miller-Osborn is the Deputy Director of Threat Intelligence for Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks, and she joins us to share their findings. The research can be found here: https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/server-side-request-forgery-exposes-data-of-technology-industrial-and-media-organizations/
Microsoft takes down bogus domains operated by North Korea’s Thallium Advanced Persistent Threat. The Cloud Hoppercyber espionage campaign turns out to have been far more extensive than hitherto believed. The US wants Huawei (and ZTE) out of contractor supply chains this year. India will test equipment before allowing it into its 5G networks. And the California Consumer Privacy Act is now in effect. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI with the story of a financial advisor who payed the price for falling for a phishing scheme. Guest is Dave Burg from EY on the global perspective of cyber security risk. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2020/January/CyberWire_2020_01_02.html Support our show
In this CyberWire special edition, advice from a pair of seasoned cyber security investors. Ron Gula caught our eye with an article he recently penned titled "Cyber entrepreneur pitfalls you can avoid." In it, he gathers a group of tech investors to get their takes on the dos and don'ts of pitching to venture capitalists. Ron runs Gula Tech Adventures along with his wife Cindi, where they aim to support the next generation of cyber technology strategy and policy. DataTribe's Mike Janke joins the conversation with his experiences guiding hopeful young entrepreneurs through the pitch process.
Dan Woods is VP of the intelligence center and Shape Security. He shares insights on two noteworthy attacks tools, Genesis and Magecart. Before joining Shape Security Dan served as assistant chief agent of special investigations at the Arizona attorney general's office, where he investigated complex fraud. Prior to that, he spent 20 years with federal law enforcement agencies and intelligence organizations, including the CIA and FBI, where he specialized in information operations and cybercrime.
Pegasus may have appeared in Pakistan. Legion Loader packs in six bits of malware in one Hornets’ Nest campaign. Someone may have hacked Bank of England press releases to give them a few seconds’ advantage in high-speed trading. Frakfurt, in the German Land of Hessen, is clearing its networks of an Emotet infection. Some seasonal, topical scams are circulating. And what would Clippy do? Craig Williams from Cisco Talos with a look back at 2019's most serious vulnerabilities. Guest is Bob Ackerman from Allegis Capital with insights on the cyber security VC environment. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/December/CyberWire_2019_12_20.html Support our show
Spanish TV is temporarily replaced by Russian programming. APT20, Violin Panda, is back, and playing a familiar tune. Rancor against Cambodia. The US Congress gets frosty with China and Russia. How Zeppelin ransomware spreads. Due diligence in M&A. Germany’s BSI warns of an Emotet campaign. A suspect in the Dark Overlord case is arraigned in St. Louis. The FBI collars a guy who ratted himself out over social media. David Dufour from Webroot with a review of their 2019 mid-year threat report. Guest is James Ritchey from GitLab with lessons learned on the one-year anniversary of their bug bounty program. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/December/CyberWire_2019_12_19.html Support our show
More ransomware steals first, encrypts later. Are cobots vulnerable to novel forms of ransomware? Gangnam Industrial Style--the espionage campaign, not the K-pop dance number. Rancor is a persistent, well-resourced, and creative APT, but without much success to its credit. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court takes the FBI to the woodshed. And, hey, maybe he’s really Vlad the Updater? Tom Etheridge from CrowdStrike on incident response speed and the 1-10-60 concept. Guest is Eli Sugarman from the Hewlett Foundation with the results of their CyberVisuals contest. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/December/CyberWire_2019_12_18.html Support our show
Updates on the ransomware attacks in Florida and Louisiana. North Korea’s Lazarus Group adopts a new Trojan as it shows signs of pivoting into the Linux ecosystem. Insufficient entropy in IoT key generation. Older versions of WhatsApp are vulnerable to exploitation. The state of Julian Assange’s extradition to the US. Hey--this is Moscow! Where’d you think you were, Iowa? And guess who’s still running Windows XP? Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on Google location data being used to find a bank robber. Guest is Michael Chertoff from the Chertoff group on the 5G transition. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/December/CyberWire_2019_12_17.html Support our show
Iran says it’s foiled a cyber espionage campaign mounted by APT27, a Chinese threat group. The Indian government responds to protests over a citizenship law in two states by sending in troops and cutting off the Internet in those states. The City of New Orleans sustains what appears to be a ransomware attack. So does a New Jersey healthcare network. And three Senators would like credit bureaus to tell them what the FBI is asking for. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on Twitter’s proposal to shift to open standards. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/December/CyberWire_2019_12_16.html Support our show
Capture the Flag competitions are an increasingly popular and valuable way for both cyber security students and seasoned professionals to test their skills, stay sharp and maybe even put a bit swagger on display. We set out to capture the excitement of a capture the flag event. As luck would have it, our sponsors at Juniper Networks were hosting a capture the flag hackathon at their annual NXTWork conference in Las Vegas, and they invited our CyberWire team to join them to experience it for ourselves.
Researchers at BlackBerry Cylance have been tracking ordinary WAV audio files being used to carry hidden malicious data used by threat actors. Eric Milam is VP of threat research and intelligence at BlackBerry Cylance, and he joins us to share their findings. The research can be found here: https://threatvector.cylance.com/en_us/home/malicious-payloads-hiding-beneath-the-wav.html
Parties unknown are phishing for government credentials in at least eight countries. Some other parties unknown are compromising Telegram accounts in Russia. Lateral movement is in the news, but not the good, Lamar Jackson kind. A familiar order of battle in the Crypto Wars emerges, again. NSA’s IG reports on SIGINT data retention. And a peek into what we suppose we must call the minds of some of the people hacking Ring systems. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University on Cyber security testbeds for IoT research. Guest is David Belson with Internet Society on Russian “Sovereign Internet” Law. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/December/CyberWire_2019_12_13.html Support our show
Flying false flags, and borrowing someone else’s attack tools as the mast you use to run them up. The Pensacola cyber attack has been identified as involving Maze ransomware. China moves toward building its own autarkic operating system. US Senate Judiciary Committee hearings take an anti-encryption turn. TrickBot is phishing with payroll phishbait. And Krampus malware is punishing iPhone users as they shop during the holidays. Tom Etheridge VP of services from CrowdStrike, introducing himself. Guest is Dean Sysman from Axonius on S3 security flaws. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/December/CyberWire_2019_12_12.html Support our show
Iran says it’s stopped a cyber attack, and that an insider was responsible for a major paycard exposure. Trickbot is now working for the Lazarus Group. Influence operations both foreign and domestic concern British voters on the eve of the general election. The cryptowars are heating up again as the US Senate opens hearings on encryption. Pensacola’s cyberattack was ransomware, and so too apparently was the one that hit the Cherokee Nation. And do it for state. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs with warnings about connected gifts for children. Guest is Kevin Lancaster from ID Agent on monitoring people affected by the OPM breach. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/December/CyberWire_2019_12_11.html Support our show
The city of Pensacola is hit hard by an unspecified cyberattack. Ryuk ransomware decryptors may cause data loss. A new variant of Snatch ransomware evades anti-virus protection. The US Justice Department’s Inspector General has reported on the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation. Another unsecured database exposes PII. Keep an eye out for Patch Tuesday updates. And it’s prediction season, so CyberScoop lets the bots out. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on legislating the right to sue online platforms. Guest is Chris Wysopal from Veracode with findings on security debt from their State of Software Security report. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/December/CyberWire_2019_12_10.html Support our show
Ocean Lotus puts down more roots in automobile manufacturing. Ransomware hits dentists’ IT providers as well as a Rhode Island town. The US is offering a reward of $5 million for information leading to the arrest or--and we stress “or”--conviction of Dridex proprietor Maksim Yakubets. Russian influence operations seem to be aiming at stirring things up over this week’s British election. And an awful lot of Windows 7 machines still seem to be out there. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on McAfee predictions of two-stage ransomware extortion. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/December/CyberWire_2019_12_09.html Support our show
Researchers at Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 recently published research outlining attacks on home and small-business routers, taking advantage of known vulnerabilities to make the routers parts of botnets, ultimately used to attack gaming servers. Jen Miller-Osborn is the Deputy Director of Threat Intelligence for Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks. She joins us to share their findings. The research can be found here: https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/home-small-office-wireless-routers-exploited-to-attack-gaming-servers/
Facebook sues a company for ad fraud. Unix-based VPN traffic is vulnerable to tampering. Russian disinformation in Lithuania. Apple explains why new iPhones say they’re using Location Services, even when Location Services are switched off. Researchers set a new record for cracking an encryption key. And ransomware hits a New Jersey theater. David Dufour from Webroot with a look back at 2019's nastiest cyber threats. Guest is Robert Waitman from Cisco with results from their recent Consumer Privacy Survey. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/December/CyberWire_2019_12_06.html Support our show
Data center operator CyrusOne sustains a ransomware attack. Another third-party breach involves a database inadvertently left exposed on an unprotected server. Buran ransomware finds its place in the black market, as does the new loader Buer. China’s Great Cannon is back and firing DDoS all over Hong Kong. Russian trolls are newly active in Lithuania. And a business email compromise scam fleeces a Chinese venture capital firm of $1 million--enough for a nice seed round. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on the evolution of safety and security in ICS. Guest is Sean O’Brien from @RISK Technologies on how states and cities need to prepare against election-targeted cyber attacks. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/December/CyberWire_2019_12_05.html Support our show
North Korea’s Lazarus Group may have been looking for Indian reactor design information. A possible case of Russian influence operations, served up by phishing, is under investigation in the UK. The ZeroCleare wiper malware is out and active in the wild. NATO’s summit addresses cyber conflict, and a big NotPetya victim challenges insurers’ contentions that the malware was an act of war. And an international police action takes down a black market spyware souk. Michael Sechrist from Booz Allen Hamilton on security concerns with messaging apps like Slack. Guest is Roger Hale from YL Ventures on the changing role of the CISO when it comes to managing risk. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/December/CyberWire_2019_12_04.html Support our show
Someone believes, or would like others to believe, that Britain’s National Health Service is for sale to the US. There’s no word on whether the US has offered the Brooklyn Bridge in exchange. The “Quantum Dragon” study summarizes Chinese efforts to obtain quantum research results from Western institutions. The FBI says FaceApp is a security threat. PyXie, a Python RAT, has been quietly active in the wild since 2018. An Ethereum developer is accused with aiding Pyongyang. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on a bipartisan bill requiring a warrant for facial recognition use. Guest is Earl Matthews from Verodin on the importance of collaboration between state governments and technology vendors to ensure election security. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/December/CyberWire_2019_12_03.html Support our show
France might go on the offensive against ransomware attackers. The UK’s NCSC has been helping an unnamed nuclear power company recover from a cyberattack. A failed cyberattack targeted the Ohio Secretary of State’s website on Election Day. MixCloud confirms data breach. The Imminent Monitor RAT is shut down by law enforcement. And a cryptocurrency exchange loses nearly fifty-million dollars. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on victim blaming. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/December/CyberWire_2019_12_02.html Support our show
In this CyberWire special edition, an extended version of our conversation from earlier this year with Peter W. Singer. We spoke not long after the publication of his book, Like War - the Weaponization of Social Media.
In this CyberWire special edition, a conversation with John Maeda. He’s a Graphic designer, visual artist, and computer scientist, and former President of the Rhode Island School of Design and founder of the SIMPLICITY Consortium at the MIT Media Lab. His newly released book is How to Speak Machine - Computational Thinking for the Rest of Us.
A Fullz House for Thanksgiving. Google finds that nation-state phishing continues at its customary high levels. DeathRansom, the low-end ransomware that didn’t actually encrypt files, has now begun to do so. The Stantinko botnet adds cryptomining functionality. Microsoft reflects on Dexphot, and the sophistication it brings to ordinary malware. Supply chain security rules are coming to the US. A lawsuit in Tel Aviv. And some final notes on Black Friday. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University on business innovation and cyber security. Guest is Francesca Spidalieri from Salve Regina University on the importance of collaboration from all sectors. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/November/CyberWire_2019_11_27.html Support our show
Twitter and Facebook warn of potentially malicious software development kits being used by app developers to, potentially, harvest and monetize users’ data. Nursing homes affected by a third-party ransomware incident receive extortion demands that amount to some $14 million. THe Hollywood Reporter retails skeptical musings about the Sony Pictures hack on the fifth anniversary of the North Korean attack. And CISA offers advice for safe holiday shopping. Justin Harvey from Accenture with thoughts on smart cities. Guest is Sam Bakken from OneSpan on mobile app developers protecting against jailbreaking. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/November/CyberWire_2019_11_26.html Support our show
A defection and a leak expose Chinese espionage and social control operations. Data aggregation and enrichment seem to underlie a big inadvertent data exposure. Something seems to be up in Kazakhstan’s networks. The US FCC takes a swing at Huawei and ZTE. Russia moves closer to its desired Internet sovereignty. A Chuckling Squad member is in custody. A spy goes to prison, cyber hoods do time, and the rats are up to no good in Estonia. That’s the rodents, not the Trojans. Caleb Barlow from Cynergistek with insights gained from a scammer’s call. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/November/CyberWire_2019_11_25.html Support our show
Researchers at Anomali have been tracking China-based threat group, Mustang Panda, believing them to be responsible for attacks making clever use of Windows shortcut files. Parthiban is a researcher at Anomali, and he joins us to share their findings. The research is here: https://www.anomali.com/blog/china-based-apt-mustang-panda-targets-minority-groups-public-and-private-sector-organizations
Google researchers provide a Sandworm update. Internet sovereignty considered: an aid to law enforcement or a means of social control. LinkedIn reports on the 21-million bogus accounts it closed over the past year. Teacher becomes pupil as marketing learns from informaiton operators. Ohio man gets six years in Akron DDoS case. Ransomware case updates. A Parliamentary inquiry in India will look into the deployment of Pegasus against WhatsApp users. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos on the Panda cryptominer. Guest is Keenan Skelly from Circadence on getting the younger generation excited about cyber. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/November/CyberWire_2019_11_22.html Support our show
Refined Kitten seems to be up to something, perhaps in the control system world. Microsoft debunks claims about Teams, BlueKeep, and Doppelpaymer ransomware. The FBI warns the auto industry that it’s attracting attackers’ attention. A new attack technique, RIPlace, is described. Phineas Fisher’s bouty, considered. The UN, the AG, and the course of the cryptowars. Does America need a 5G czar? And ransomware from Baton Rouge to Rouen. Michael Sechrist from BAH on third party malware risks. Guest is Bill Connor from SonicWall with results from their Q3 Threat Data Report. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/November/CyberWire_2019_11_21.html Support our show
Louisiana works to recover from Monday’s ransomware attack. The HydSeven criminal group is delivering Trojans via spearphishing. A hotel reservation company sustained a massive data exposure. India’s government says it’s legally permitted to surveil citizens’ devices when it’s deemed necessary. Google, Facebook, Apple, and Amazon answer questions for Congress’s antitrust inquiry. A Chicago student is charged with coding for ISIS. And the National Security Agency offers advice for implementing TLSI. David Dufour from Webroot with findings from their midyear threat report . Guest is Bill Harrod from MobileIron on biometric data in the federal space.
Louisiana recovers from a ransomware attack against state servers. North Korea appears to still be interested in Indian industry--this time it’s people looking for jobs at Hindustan Aeronautics. Compromised CMS distributing info-stealing Trojans. HydSeven mounts a cross-platform spearphishing campaign. Macy’s and Magecart. Thoughts on supply chain security and cyber deterrence. And some legal updates, including some alleged academic money laundering. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on your rights to images you post of yourself online. Guest is Tom Miller from ClearForce on continuous discovery of insider threats. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/November/CyberWire_2019_11_19.html Support our show
Disney+ credentials already on sale in the black market souks. India reassures nuclear power partners that the Kudankulam incident didn’t compromise safety. Documents pertaining to Chinese and Iranian security operations leak. Internet restrictions go into force in Iran and Venezuela. Russia offers an Internet control treaty at the UN. The Lizard Squad might be back, and Phineas Fisher has also resurfaced. And happy birthday, CISA. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on the NICE conference. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/November/CyberWire_2019_11_18.html Support our show
Researchers at McAfee's Advanced Threat Research Team have been analyzing Sodinokibi ransomware as a service, also known as REvil. John Fokker is head of cyber investigations for McAfee Advanced Threat Research, and he joins us to share their findings. The research is here: https://securingtomorrow.mcafee.com/other-blogs/mcafee-labs/mcafee-atr-analyzes-sodinokibi-aka-revil-ransomware-as-a-service-what-the-code-tells-us/
Pemex has recovered from the ransomware attack it sustained...or has it? TA2101 is spoofing German, Italian, and US government agencies in its phishing emails. A dropper in the wild is delivering a Trojan two-fer. AntiFrigus ransomware is avoiding C-drives for some reason. Ohio State researchers find a Bluetooth vulnerability. And the results of the annual DataTribe Challenge are in--we heard the three finalists pitch yesterday, and the judges have a winner. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on purple-teaming ICS networks. Guest is David Spark from the CISO/Security Vendor Relationship Podcast on marketing to CISOs. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/November/CyberWire_2019_11_15.html Support our show
PureLocker is a new ransomware strain available in the black market. APT33 is showing a surge of activity. Lawfare and information operations in and around Hong Kong. Facebook takes down content for violating its Community Standards. And two alleged cyber criminals are facing charges: one is allegedly the former proprietor of Cardplanet, the other was selling a remote administrative tool the RCMP says was really a different kind of RAT. Justin Harvey from Accenture on the increasing use of biometrics in security. Guest is Jennifer Ayers from Crowdstrike with the insights from their Overwatch threat hunting report. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/November/CyberWire_2019_11_14.html Support our show
National Association of Manufacturers hacked during Sino-American trade negotiations (and tensions). Ineffectual DDoS attacks hit both of the UK’s largest political parties. Pemex says it’s completed recovery from ransomware. The US Department of Health and Human Services will investigate Google’s Project Nightingale for possible HIPAA issues. And did BlueKeep warnings scare people into patching? Apparently not. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on California going after Facebook on alleged user privacy violations. Guest is Edward Roberts from Imperva on Ecommerce and bots.
The UK’s Labour Party says it was hacked, but unsuccessfully. The Lazarus Group seems to be back out and about, and apparently interested in India. The Platinum threat actor continues to prospect Southeast Asian targets with stealthy malware, and a new backdoor. Buran tries to take black market share in the ransomware-as-a-service souk. Paycard standard compliance is down. And is that a spy ship we see, or are you just looking at the seabed, all for science? Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI with browser vulnerabilities in Chrome and Firefox.
In this CyberWire special edition, a conversation with Andy Greenberg, senior writer at WIRED and author of the new book "Sandworm - A New Era of CyberWar and the Hunt for the Kremlin’s Most Dangerous Hackers." It’s a thrilling investigation of the Olympic Destroyer malware, and an accounting of the new era in which we find ourselves, where nation states can target their adversaries critical infrastructure, and the often unintended consequences that follow.
Researchers from Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 have been tracking a Chinese cyber espionage group they've named PKPLUG. The group mainly targets victims in the Southeast Asia region. Ryan Olson is VP of threat intelligence at Palo Alto Networks, and he joins us to share their findings. The original research is here: https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/pkplug_chinese_cyber_espionage_group_attacking_asia/
Warnings and advice about Emotet and BlueKeep, both being actively used or exploited in the wild. Two new carding bots are in circulation against e-commerce sites. Expect more of this as criminals test stolen credentials in advance of the holiday shopping season. Amazon fixes a security flaw in its Ring doorbell. A Long Island company is charged with selling bad Chinese security systems as good made-in-USA articles. Michael Sechrist from BAH on preventing supply chain attacks. Guest is Andy Greenberg, senior writer at Wired an author of the book Sandworm — A new era of cyberwar and the hunt for the Kremlin’s most dangerous hackers. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/November/CyberWire_2019_11_08.html Support our show
The US off-off-year elections seem to have gone off largely free of interference, but officials caution that major foreign influence campaigns can be expected in 2020. Three former Twitter employees are charged with spying for Saudi Arabia. The website defacement campaign in Georgia remains unattributed. Google boots seven adware droppers from the Play Store. Phishers are using web analytics for better hauls. And nation-states are targeting unpatched Confluence. Johannes Ullrich from the SANS Technology Institute on encrypted SNI in TLS 1.3 and how that can be used for domain fronting. Guest is Kevin O’Brien from GreatHorn on managing email threats. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/November/CyberWire_2019_11_07.html Support our show
Facebook closes a hole in Group data access. US authorities seek to reassure Congress and the public concerning the security of election infrastructure. Disinformation remains a challenge, however, as the US prepares for the 2020 elections. Criminals catch Potomac fever as they use politicians’ names and likenesses as an aid to distributing malware. Kaspersky outlines the now-shuttered DarkUniverse campaign. And Nikkei America loses millions to a BEC scam. Justin Harvey from Accenture on automated incident response. Carole Theriault speaks with Kristen Poulos from Tripwire on protecting the IoT. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/November/CyberWire_2019_11_06.html Support our show
Ransomware hits Spanish companies. Pegasus continues to excite controversy in India. TikTok applies for Big Tech’s good-citizen club, but has apparently so far been blackballed. Booz Allen offers nine predictions for 2020: balkanization, supply chain threats, automotive data theft, war-droning, satellite hacks, tougher attribution, election interference, missiles against malware, and Olympic interference. And good dogs go after bad guys’ data storage devices. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on AT&T’s claims that they cannot be sued for selling location data to bounty hunters. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/November/CyberWire_2019_11_05.html Support our show
BlueKeep is being exploited in the wild, not too seriously, yet, but you should still patch. Nunavut’s government is recovering from a ransomware attack is sustained Saturday morning. The NSO Group controversy spreads into an Indian politcal dust-up. Different Magecart groups are found to be be independently hitting the same victims. GandCrab provided a new template for the cyber underworld. And US Cyber Command deploys to Montenegro. Joe Carrigan with thoughts on the Coalfire pentesters criminal case. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/November/CyberWire_2019_11_04.html Support our show
What’s an insider threat? Loosely, it’s a threat that operates from within your organization. In this CyberWire special edition, our UK correspondent Carole Theriault speaks with experts who’ll talk us through the different ways insider threats manifest themselves. A quick note - when Carole interviewed Dr. Richard Ford he was with Forcepoint. He’s since moved on to Cyren.
Until recently, usability was often an afterthought when developing security tools. These days there's growing realization that usability is a fundamental part of security. Lorrie Cranor is director of the CyLab Usable Privacy and Security lab (CUPS) at Carnegie Mellon University. She shares the work she's been doing with her colleagues and students to improve security through usability. The research can be found here: https://www.cylab.cmu.edu/news/2019/07/29-usability-history.html
FireEye warns of Messagetap malware and its spying on SMS. NSO Group’s Pegasus troubles seem to be expanding. Russia prepares to disconnect its Internet. The US opens a national security investigation into TikTok. An Android keyboard app is making bogus purchases and doing other adware stuff. E-sports draw criminal attention. And happy birthday, GCHQ. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on why it’s important for him to set aside time for teaching. Guest is Phil Quade from Fortinet on his recently published book, The Digital Big Bang, which makes an analogy between the Big Bang that created our Universe, and the explosion of bits & chaos in humankind’s age of cyber. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/November/CyberWire_2019_11_01.html Support our show
The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant confirms it had malware in a business system, but that control systems were unaffected. Franchising coordinated inauthenticity. Facebook deletes NSO Group employees. Twitter says it will no longer accept political ads. NIST wants your comments. And Moody’s appears ready to consider cyber risk in its credit ratings. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on Europeans' right to repair. Guest is part two of my interview with Tanya Janca from Security Sidekick on web application inventory and vulnerability discovery. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/October/CyberWire_2019_10_31.html Support our show
WhatsApp sues NSO Group for spreading Pegasus intercept software through WhatsApp’s service. Georgia continues its recovery from the large website defacement campaign it suffered at the beginning of the week. Facebook ejects more inauthenticity. Johannesburg hangs tough on cyber extortion. Money laundering finds its way into online games. Norsk Hydro’s insurance claim. An update on pentesting in Iowa. And Bed, Bath, and Beyond sustains a data breach. Awais Rashid from Bristol University on securing large scale infrastructure. Guest is Tanya Janca from Security Sidekick on finding mentors and starting her own company.
Fancy Bear is pawing at anti-doping agencies, again, suggesting more to come for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Johannesburg has declined to pay the Shadow Kill Hackers the money they demanded. Adwind jRAT has gotten a bit harder to detect. The US FCC is considering a measure that would prevent certain funds from being used to purchase Huawei or ZTE gear. Pwn2Own goes ICS. Georgia is hit by unknown hackers, and Magecart appears in an American Cancer Society website. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University on risk management and uncertainty. Guest is Robb Reck from Ping Identity with their research, 5 Steps to Improve API Security.
Actionable intelligence, culling signal from noise, and the online resilience of threat groups. Ransomware hits a legal case management system. The city of Johannesburg continues its recovery from an online extortion attempt. The Raccoon information stealer looks like a disruptive product in the criminal-to-criminal market: not the best, but good enough, and cheaper than the high-end alternatives. And who’s more vulnerable to scams: seniors or young adults? It’s complicated. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on Metasploit as a tool for good or bad. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/October/CyberWire_2019_10_28.html Support our show
Researchers at Juniper Networks have been tracking a trojan they call Masad Stealer, which uses the Telegram instant messaging platform for part it its command and control infrastructure. (Telegram wasn't hacked; it's the innocent conduit.) Mounir Hahad is head of Juniper Threat Labs at Juniper Networks and he joins us to share their findings The original research is here: https://forums.juniper.net/t5/Threat-Research/Masad-Stealer-Exfiltrating-using-Telegram/ba-p/468559
A spearphishing campaign is found targeting humanitarian, aid, and policy organizaitons. Google and Apple remove clickfraud-infested apps from their stores. A last look back at SecurityWeek’s 2019 ICS Cyber Security Conference, which wrapped up in Atlanta yesterday afternoon. Close- reading GCHQ and NSA advisories. The BBC takes to the dark web, in a good way. And Senators call for investigations of Amazon and TikTok. David Dufour from Webroot with research on phishing. Guest is Jeremy N. Smith, author and host of The Hacker Next Door podcast. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/October/CyberWire_2019_10_25 .html Support our show
AWS and Google Cloud are back up after early week unrelated outages. A German automation tool manufacturer discloses a ransomware infestation. Mobile malware in the spies’ toolkit. The FBI’s Protected Voices share election secuirty informaiton. Notes from SecurityWeek’s 2019 ICS Cyber Security Conference. NCSC’s annual report. And people have things to say about backdoors, bribes, and those aliens at Area 51. (Chemtrails, too.) Craig Williams from Cisco Talos with an update on Emotet. Guest is Dave Weinstein from Claroty discussing threats to critical infrastructure. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/October/CyberWire_2019_10_24.html Support our show
Magecart Group 5 is linked to the Carbanak gang. Another recently acquired reservation systems brings a headache to hospitality. Another app is found to carry the Joker malware. Some more notes from SecurityWeek’s ICS Cyber Security Conference in Atlanta, where the emphasis remains on attention to detail and taking care of first things first. And a list of the most dangerous celebrities offers a peek into the bad actors’ tackle box. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on a federal injunction against a company scraping user profiles from LinkedIn. Guest is Mandy Rogers from Northrop Grumman, on her own professional journey and the importance of diversity. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/October/CyberWire_2019_10_23.html Support our show
Facebook takes down more coordinated inauthenticity from Iran and Russia, and announces a new transparency policy about news sources. The former NSA Director schools an ICS security audience on the Westphalian system. Three VPNs and one antivirus provider sustain breaches that may be contained, but that may also derive from exploitation of phantom accounts. Microsoft gets more EU scrutiny. And Mr. Assange gets another day in court. Johannes Ullrich from the SANS Technology Institute on phishing targeting the financial industry. Guest is Ori Eisen from Trusona on moving beyond phone numbers, usernames and passwords online. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/October/CyberWire_2019_10_22.html Support our show
Some notes on not jumping to conclusions that incidents are cyber attacks. A false flag operation shows the difficulty of attribution: not everything that purrs is a kitten, because sometimes it’s a bear. Notes from the ISC Security Conference in Atlanta, including some reflections on the criminal market’s business cycle, the dangers of social engineering, and the importance of attending to the fundamentals. And the Vatican fixes a bug. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on the ease with which one’s identity can be determined using previously anonymized data sets. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/October/CyberWire_2019_10_21.html Support our show
Researchers at Independent Security Evaluators (ISE) recently published a report titled SOHOpelessly Broken 2.0, Security Vulnerabilities in Network Accessible Services. This publication continues and expands previous work they did examining small office/home office (SOHO) routers, network-attached storage devices (NAS), and IP cameras. Shaun Mirani is a security analyst at ISE, and he joins us to share their findings.
The original research is here: https://www.ise.io/whitepaper/sohopelessly-broken-2/
Clickfraud arrives via a third-party SDK, and the app developers who used it say they didn’t know nuthin’. Maybe they didn’t. A Trojanized TOR browser warns its bro’s that, whoa, you’re out of date and the police might see you, but it’s really just stealing the bros’ alt-coin. WiFi bugs are fixed in Kindle and Alexa. Don’t try to jailbreak your iPhone from a sketchy Checkrain site. Two Big Tech companies take different directions on free speech. And Russia gets an assist from Uncle Sam. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos on a Tortoiseshell creating a fake veteran’s job site. Guest is Caleb Barlow from Cynergistek on the challenges of securing medical records. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/October/CyberWire_2019_10_18.html Support our show
Cozy Bear isn’t back--Cozy Bear never really left at all. Iran says the Americans are dreaming: there was no cyberattack in retaliation for Iran’s implausibly deniable missile strikes on Saudi oil fields last month. Malicious audio files are dropping cryptominers and reverse shells into victim systems. An international dragnet collars hundreds in a darknet child exploitation sweep. And Graboid is out there, worming its cryptojacker into susceptible Docker hosts. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on their contribution to the Splunk Boss of the SOC (BOTS) capture-the-flag (CTF) competition. Guest is Chris Hickman from Keyfactor on Public Key Infrastructure. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/October/CyberWire_2019_10_17.html Support our show
The US may have retaliated in cyberspace for Iran’s strikes against Saudi oil fields. China’s new C919 airliner seems to have benefited greatly from industrial espionage. An old botnet learns new tricks. Typosquatting as an election influence trick. A look at price lists in the Criminal-to-Criminal marketplace. Recovering from ransomware. And when it comes to reputation management, there’s not so much a right to be forgotten as there is a right to fuggeddaboutit, if your get what we mean. Justin Harvey from Accenture on ESports gaining popularity in cyber security. Guest is Aashka, a high school junior who helped plan the Raytheon Girl Scouts National Cyber Challenge. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/October/CyberWire_2019_10_16.html Support our show
Ransomware hits companies in France and the US. A Finnish energy company sustains a suspicious IT incident. Turkey jams social media as it rolls tanks against the Kurds. Pegasus spyware said to be in use against Moroccan activists. Silent Librarian is still making noise. The Lazarus Group is back with a malign crypto-trading app. China tightens its cyber laws, and the EU privately warns itself that, yes, companies like Huawei are a security risk. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI, responding to a listener question about training new employees. Carole Theriault interviews Dirk Schrader from Greenbone Networks on the security of medical data. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/October/CyberWire_2019_10_15.html Support our show
Michael Gillespie is a programmer at Emsisoft, as well as a host of the popular ID Ransomware web site that helps victims identify what strain of ransomware they may have been infected with, and what decryptors may be available. He's written many decryptors himself, most recently for the Syrk strain of ransomware. Links to the research and Michael's work: https://blog.emsisoft.com/en/33885/emsisoft-releases-a-free-decryptor-for-the-syrk-ransomware/ https://id-ransomware.malwarehunterteam.com/ https://www.youtube.com/user/Demonslay335
BitPaymer ransomware is exploiting an Apple zero-day. “Attor” isn’t your ordinary malign faerie: it’s also an espionage platform that’s been carefully deployed against Russian and Eastern European targets. FIN7 upgrades its toolkit. Apple does what the Chinese government asks it to do, blocking a mapping and a news app from users in China. And a look inside the black box, as we visit NSA’s Cybersecurity Directorate. Awais Rashid from Bristol University on the need for real-world experimentation. Guest is Kumar Saurabh from LogicHub on the importance of making breach forensics public. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/October/CyberWire_2019_10_11.html Support our show
A US Defense Intelligence Agency analyst has been charged with leaking national defense information. Europol releases its 2019 Internet Organized Crime Threat Assessment. NSA Director Nakasone says the Agency’s Cybersecurity Directorate will first focus on protecting the Defense Industrial Base from intellectual property theft. CISA wants subpoena power over ISPs. And US companies are criticised for caving to Beijing's demands. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on regulations vs incentives when securing the electrical grid. Guest is Robb Reck from Ping Identity with results from their CISO Advisory Council’s new research on Securing Customer Identity. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/October/CyberWire_2019_10_10.html Support our show
Twitter says it’s sorry is anything might have inadvertently happened with users’ email addresses and phone numbers, and that it’s taking steps to stop whatever might have happened from happening again. If anything actually happened. Other concerns about privacy surface elsewhere. The US Senate Intelligence Committee issues its report on influence operations in the 2016 elections. Kaspersky ties a sophisticated malware campaign to Turla. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on a DARPA-inspired program exploring the possibility of using predictive technology to identify dangerous individuals. Guest is Neill Sciarrone from Trinity Cyber, discussing her career and the importance of attracting women to cyber. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/October/CyberWire_2019_10_09.html Support our show
An update on Mustang Panda, and its pursuit of the goals outlined in the Thirteenth Five Year Plan. Unpatched Drupal instances are being hit as targets of opportunity. NSA adds its warnings to those of CISA and NCSC concering widely used VPNs: if you use them, patch them. (And change your credentials). Five Senators tell Microsoft, nicely, that Redmond is naive about Huawei. Patch Tuesday is here. And US Presidential campaign websites get privacy grades. Johannes Ullrich from the SANS Technology Institute on server side request forging. Guest is Jadee Hanson from Code42 with the results of their 2019 Global Data Exposure Report. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/October/CyberWire_2019_10_08.html Support our show
Iranian threat group Phosphorus (or Charming Kitten) has been found active against US elections and other targets. A big database of PII on Brazilians is up for auction in the dark web souks. Prince Harry takes a legal whack at Fleet Street. An Atlantic Council session takes a look at electrical infrastructure cyber risk. An Alabama medical system pays the ransom to get its files back. And HildaCrypt’s developers say it was all in fun, and release their own keys. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on the wider availability of malicious lightning charging cables. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/October/CyberWire_2019_10_07.html Support our show
Researchers at FireEye recently released a report detailing the activities of APT41, a Chinese cyber threat group notable for the range of tools they use, their origins in the world of video gaming, and their willingness to shift from seemingly state-sponsored activity to hacking for personal gain. Nalani Fraser and Fred Plan contributed to the report, and they join us to share their findings. The original research is here: https://www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2019/08/apt41-dual-espionage-and-cyber-crime-operation.html
Project Zero warns that a use-after-free vulnerability in widely used Android devices is being exploited in the wild. Uzbekistan’s National Security Service continues to get stick in the court of public opinion for sloppy opsec. Check Point reports on what appears to be an Egyptian domestic surveillance operation. Palo Alto reports on a newly discovered Chinese state threat actor. A new volley in the Cryptowars. And Vlad gets out the rubber chicken. Guest is Paige Schaffer, CEO of Generali Global Assistance’s Identity and Digital Protection Services Global Unit, on the University of Texas ITAP report. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/October/CyberWire_2019_10_04.html Support our show
Who’s been hacking aerospace firms? Context Security suggests it’s a new Chinese threat actor, “Avivore.” The FBI issues a ransomware alert. The NCSC warns of active exploitation of vulnerable VPNs. The EU issues a sweeping takedown order to Facebook. US Senators ask Facebook about deep fakes. Spearphishing at the Australian National University. FireEye may be for sale. And the SandCat threat group shows poor opsec. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos on maliciously crafted ODT files. Guest is Yoav Leitersdof of YL Ventures with insights on the VC market in Israel. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/October/CyberWire_2019_10_03.html Support our show
Sobinokibi ransomware looks more like the child of GandCrab, and McAfee has some thoughts on how ransomware-as-a-service operates. FakeUpdates are back, and they’re installing ransomware, too. The Adwind RAT is back and infesting a new set of targets: it’s moved on from hospitality and retail and into the oil industry. Maliciously crafted ODT files are appearing in the wild. And a big database about Russian taxpayers has appeared in an unsecured Elasticsearch cluster. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on a California town implementing a robot police patrol unit. Guest is Daniel Garrie from Law & Forensics on eDiscovery. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/October/CyberWire_2019_10_02.html Support our show
The oligarch behind the St. Petersburg troll farm is sanctioned, again. Recorded Future looks at disinformation and finds there’s a functioning private sector market for it. The European Union seems likely to pursue technological sovereignty, at least to the tune of some R&D investment. Ransomware attacks against US state and local governments have been trending up, and that trend is likely to continue. And NSA has its new Cybersecurity Directorate. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on Microsoft no longer trusting built-in encryption on hard drives. Carole Theriault speaks with Simon Rodway from Entersekt about Facebook’s Libra and how it may effect traditional banks. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/October/CyberWire_2019_10_01.html Support our show
Rheinmetall and DCC have disclosed sustaining cyber attacks. The US Government is looking at airliner cyber vulnerabilities. SimJacker is real, but recent phones seem unaffected. RCMP data misappropriation case update. German police raid a bulletproof host. Gnosticplayers may be back. And someone is sending phishing snail mail that claims the British Crown needs your help to ease the economic fallout of Brexit--a Bitcoin wallet is helpfully made available. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture labs with an overview of five threat factors influencing the cyber security landscape. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/September/CyberWire_2019_09_30.html Support our show
Researchers at Prevalion have been tracking a malware campaign making use of antiquated file formats and social engineering to target specific groups.
Danny Adamitis and Elizabeth Wharton are coauthors of the report, and they join us to share their findings. The research can be found here: https://blog.prevailion.com/2019/09/autumn-aperture-report.html
The Airbus supply chain is reported to be under attack, possibly by Chinese industrial espionage operators. Phishing campaigns impersonate Google Cloud services. A new commodity information stealer is on offer in the black market. The vBulletin zero-day was weaponized surprisingly quickly. DoorDash discloses a hack that exposed almost five million persons’ data. And a look at JTF Ares operations against ISIS shows commendable attention to increasing the enemy’s friction. David Dufour from Webroot on the need for a variety of areas of expertise in security. Guest is Caleb Barlow CEO and President of Cynergistek, discussing the security implications of being CEO of a public company. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/September/CyberWire_2019_09_27.html Support our show
North Korea’s Lazarus Group is active against targets in India. A “suspected Chinese advanced persistent threat group” is exploiting a Windows accessibility feature. Sophos warns of “fleeceware.” US DNI testifies efore the House Intelligence Committee. The TalkTalk hacker and an alleged accomplice are indicted on US charges. What’s involved in receiving compensation in the Yahoo breach settlement. And notes on the Chameleon spam campaign. Jonathan Katz from George Mason University with an overview of salting and hashing. Guest is Greg Martin from JASK on DOJ’s efforts to improve outreach with hackers. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/September/CyberWire_2019_09_26.html Support our show
Tortoiseshell is trolling for military veterans. There’s been a fresh Fancy Bear sighting. The transcript of a conversation between the US and Ukrainian presidents has been released. Citizen Lab warns that Poison Carp is actively working against Tibetan groups. A zero-day afflicting vBulletin forum software is out. GandCrab comes out of retirement. And there’s an odd spam campaign in circulation that looks like phishing but seems not to be. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on the White House blocking Congress from auditing its offensive hacking strategy. Guest is Tim Keeler from Remediant looking at lateral movement in the context of the NotPetya attacks. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/September/CyberWire_2019_09_25.html Support our show
APT10 has been phishing in US utilities. Google wins a big round over the EU’s right to be forgotten. European courts are also considering binding contractual clauses and Privacy Shield, which together have facilitated transatlantic data transfer. Twenty-seven nations agree on “responsible state behavior in cyberspace.” A hawkish take on Huawei’s 5G ambitions. And Edward Snowden’s book is being used as phishbait (not, we hasten to say, by Mr. Snowden). Johannes Ullrich from the SANS Technology Institute on the security issues with local host web servers. Guest is Fleming Shi from Barracuda with research on city/state ransomware attacks. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/September/CyberWire_2019_09_24.html Support our show
YouTube creators in the “car community” get their accounts hijacked over the weekend. Facebook finds tens of thousands of apps behaving badly with respect to priority--the social network’s announcement has been cooly received in the US Senate. The Gulf region continues to be a field of cyber as well as kinetic competition. Huawei’s CFO is back in court today. And Iowa tries to sort out what it actually hired pentesters to do (and to whom they were supposed to do it.) Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on smart TV privacy concerns. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/September/CyberWire_2019_09_23.html Support our show
Many users of inexpensive internet routers use guest network functionality to help secure their home networks. Researchers at Ben Gurion University have discovered methods for defeating these security measures. Dr. Yossi Oren joins us to share their findings. The original research is here: https://www.usenix.org/system/files/woot19-paper_ovadia.pdf
Twitter details actions against coordinated inauthenticity in Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ecuador, Spain, and China. Tension with Iran remain high, but cyber action hasn’t sharply spiked. The Smominru botnet installs malware, including miners, and kicks other malicious code out of infected machines. Panda cryptojackers are careless but effective. Huawei says it’s the victim of a bill of attainder. And notes from CISA’s National Cybersecurity Summit. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture labs on the security aspects of facial recognition systems. Guest is Henry Harrison CTO of Garrison on Hardsec, a new approach to security that came out of the UK. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/September/CyberWire_2019_09_20.html Support our show
A quick look at CISA’s National Cybersecurity Summit. A big new distributed denial-of-service vector is reported. Medical servers leave patient information exposed to the public Internet. Huawei is suspended from the FIRST group as it argues its case in a US Federal court. And one of the challenges of engaging ISIS online is that it relies so heavily on commercial infrastructure--it’s got to be targeted carefully. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on a case of compelled encryption which may be heading to the supreme court. Guest is David Talaga from Talend on how privacy fines have informed customers’ approach to planning around data security compliance. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/September/CyberWire_2019_09_19.html Support our show
A newly discovered threat actor, “Tortoiseshell,” has been active against targets in the Middle East. The Simjacker vulnerability may not be as widely exploitable as early reports led many to believe. The US Army seems committed to decentralizing cyber operations along long-familiar artillery lines. Joint Task Force Ares continues to keep an eye on ISIS. Canada seeks to reassure allies over the Orts affair. And the Justice Department wants any royalties Mr. Snowden’s book might earn. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University on cyber security as a force multiplier. Guest is Brian Roddy from Cisco on securing the multi-cloud. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/September/CyberWire_2019_09_18.html Support our show
More notes on the RCMP espionage scandal. The CSE’s preliminary assessment sounds serious indeed, and Canadian intelligence services are trying to identify and contain the damage Cameron Ortis is alleged to have done. And the other Four Eyes are doing so as well. Australia considered that a hacking incident early this spring may have been a Chinese effort to compromise election systems. ISIS is back online. And Mr. Snowden wouldn’t mind asylum in France. David Dufour from Webroot with thoughts on backups. Carole Theriault interviews ethical hacker Zoe Rose, who shares insights on entering the industry. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/September/CyberWire_2019_09_17.html Support our show
Spy versus spy, in America, Canada, and Australia, with special guest stars from the Russian and Chinese services. The US Treasury Department issues more sanctions against North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau, better known as the Lazarus Group or Hidden Cobra. Russian election influence goes local (and domestic). Password manager security problems. And why does your flashlight want to know so much about you? Justin Harvey from Accenture with insights on HTTPS and phishing.
A team of researchers have published a report titled, "KNOB Attack. Key Negotiation of Bluetooth Attack: Breaking Bluetooth Security." The report outlines vulnerabilities in the Bluetooth standard, along with mitigations to prevent them. Daniele Antonioli is from Singapore University of Technology and Design, and is one of the researchers studying KNOB. He joins us to share their findings. The research can be found here: https://knobattack.com
The Ukrainian electrical grid hack seems, on further review, to have been designed to do far more damage than it actually accomplished. InnfiRAT is scouting for access to cryptocurrency wallets. A sophisticated threat actor is using Simjacker for surveillance on phones in the Middle East. The SINET 16 have been announced. A penetration test goes bad due to a misunderstanding of scope, and Baltimore decides, hey, it might be a good idea to back up files. Johannes Ullrich from the SANS Technology Institute on web spam systems. Guest is Rosa Smothers from KnowBe4 discussing her career journey and the importance of diversity in tech. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/September/CyberWire_2019_09_13.html Support our show
DC StingRays alleged to be Israeli devices. North Korea is slipping malware past defenses by putting it into old, obscure file formats. Ryuk ransomware gets some spyware functionality. Google has purged Joker-infested apps from the Play store. The US Defense Department explains its “multifaceted” approach to cyber deterrence. The FBI warns that business email compromise is on the upswing, and offers some advice on staying safe. Awais Rashid from Bristol University with warnings on accepting default settings on mobile devices. Guest is Bill Conner from SonicWall on side channel attacks. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/September/CyberWire_2019_09_12.html Support our show
Cobalt Dickens is back, and phishing in universities’ ponds. UNICEF scores a security own-goal. Patch Tuesday notes. A look at US election security offers bad news, but with some hope for improvement. The US extends its state of national emergency with respect to foreign meddling in elections. And an international police sweep draws in 281 alleged BEC scammers. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on the privacy implications of geofencing. Guest is Drew Kilbourne from Synopsys with result of their report, The State of Software Security in the Financial Services Industry. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/September/CyberWire_2019_09_11.html Support our show
John Bolton is out as US National Security Advisor. A new backdoor is attributed to Stealth Falcon. Wikipedia’s DDoS attack remains under investigation. So does a business email compromise at Toyota Boshoku and a raid on the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement Services. Vulnerable web radios get patches. The US is said to have exfiltrated a HUMINT asset from Russia in 2017. Microsoft patches 79 vulnerabilities, 17 of them rated critical. Michael Sechrist from Booz Allen Hamilton on the spillover of geopolitical issues into cyber security. Guest is Ashish Gupta from Bugcrowd on the economics of hacking and the adoption of ethical hacking. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/September/CyberWire_2019_09_010.html Support our show
A big BEC extracts more than $37 million from a major automotive parts supplier. Wikipedia suffers a DDoS attack in Europe and the Middle East. NERC and FERC get to work. Thrip may really be Billbug, and that’s attribution, not etymology. Was US Cyber Command trolling North Korea on the DPRK’s national day? And what does the Department of Motor Vehicles do with all the data they collect on drivers? In some US states, it seems, they sell it to private eyes. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on a GMail update for iOS which enables the blocking of tracking pixels. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/September/CyberWire_2019_09_09.html Support our show
Researchers at McAfee's Advanced Threat Research Team recently published the results of their investigation into a popular VOIP system, where they discovered a well-know, decade-old vulnerability in open source software used on the platform. Steve Povolny serves as the Head of Advanced Threat Research at McAfee, and he joins us to share their findings. The original research can be found here: https://securingtomorrow.mcafee.com/other-blogs/mcafee-labs/avaya-deskphone-decade-old-vulnerability-found-in-phones-firmware/
Chinese intelligence and security services have been busy in cyberspace. A third-party customer leaks data it received from Monster.com. There’s a Joker in the Play Store. Some notes from the Billington CyberSecurity Summit: a military look at cyber ops, what CISA’s up to, and some advice from the NCSC. Anti-trust investigations are on the way for Facebook, and it seems likely that Google will be next. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs on leveraging the blockchain for AI. Guest is Doug Grindstaff from the CMMI institute, who makes the case that CISOs need to think more like VCs. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/September/CyberWire_2019_09_06.html Support our show
A database scraped from Facebook in the bad old days before last year’s reforms holds informaiton about 419 million users. The ransomware threat to election security. Notes from the Billington CyberSecurity Summit. Is your phone reporting back to Mountain View or Cupertino? Probably not, at least not in the way the Twitterverse would have you believe. And the Feds get a guilty plea in the case of the Satori botnet. Awais Rashid from Bristol University on the notion of bystander privacy. Carole Theriault speaks with Dov Goldman, Director of Risk and Compliance at Panorays on the most noteworthy third-party breaches of 2019 so far. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/September/CyberWire_2019_09_05.html Support our show
A look at the ongoing ransomware epidemic, with some speculation about its connection to the criminal economy. Over-the-air provisioning might open Android users to sophisticated phishing approaches. Alleged spammers are indicted in California. And, ZAO, we hardly knew ye. Jonathan Katz from UMD on the evolution of Rowhammer attacks. Tamika Smith speaks with Troy Gill from AppRiver about cities being hit with ransomware. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/September/CyberWire_2019_09_04.html Support our show
A report on Stuxnet suggests there were at least five and probably six countries whose intelligence services cooperated in the disabling cyberattack against Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. The watering hole Project Zero reported last week seems to have affected Android and Windows as well as iOS devices, and appears directed against China’s Uyghur minority. USBAnywhere vulnerability affects servers. And no, those tweets last Friday weren’t from Mr. Dorsey. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI with thoughts on security onboarding as the fall semester begins. Guest is Rinki Sethi from Rubrick on the cybersecurity skills gap and the importance of diversity. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/September/CyberWire_2019_09_03.html Support our show
The Emotet malware came on the scene in 2014 as a banking trojan and has since evolved in sophistication and shifted its business model. Researchers at Bromium have taken a detailed look at Emotet, and malware analyst Alex Holland joins us to share their findings. The research can be found here: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bromium.com/resource/emotet-a-technical-analysis-of-the-destructive-polymorphic-malware
Google’s Project Zero releases information on a long-running watering-hole campaign against iPhone users. A dental record backup service is hit by ransomware, and the decryptor the extortionists gave them may not work. Huawei may be in fresh legal hot water over alleged IP theft. Cryptojacking charges are added to those the accused Capital One hacker faces. And we say farewell to a Bletchley Park veteran. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on back-to-school season in the fraud markets. Guest is the one-and-only Jack Bittner, with his insights on how middle-schoolers are handling security. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/August/CyberWire_2019_08_30.html Support our show
Senior US officials say the June 20th attacks on Iranian networks helped stop Tehran’s attacks on tankers in the Arabian Gulf. TrickBot seems to be going after mobile users’ PINs. Fancy Bear has taken note of machine learning and modified her behavior accordingly. Facebook revises its rules to achieve greater transparency in political and issue advertising. A multinational takedown cleans up the Retadup worm infestation. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on the proliferation of privately owned license plate readers. Guest is Martin Zizi from Aerendir on biometric security technologies. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/August/CyberWire_2019_08_29.html Support our show
LYCEUM is active against the oil and gas sector in the Middle East. Leaving government service? That nice offer from the head-hunters you got on LinkedIn may be the beginning of an approach by Chinese Intelligence. Autonomous car expert indicted for alleged theft of trade secrets. Imperva discloses a possible breach. Exploitation attempts against VPNs reported. And why did the chicken cross the road? The AI’s not sure, but it thinks the chicken used LIDAR. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on the federal office of the CIO’s Cyber Reskilling Academy graduating their first class. Guest is Peter Smith from Edgewise on microsegmentation. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/August/CyberWire_2019_08_28.html Support our show
Hostinger resets passwords after a breach. Arkose finds that more than half the social media logins they investigated during the recent quarter were fraudulent. US State governors seem likely to call on the National Guard to help with cyber incidents. A new phishing campaign is distributing the Quasar RAT. A new ransomware strain, Nemty, is out in the wild. Fortnite account encrypted? Emsisoft can help. And who knew that hedge funds liked bananas. David Dufour from Webroot on company cyber security assessments. Carole Theriault speaks with Omar Yaacoubi from Barac on the growth in encrypted hacks, and how they use metadata to detect and analyze them. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/August/CyberWire_2019_08_27.html Support our show
BioWatch info exposed. Patched vulnerabilities are weaponized in the wild. Romance and other scam indictments name eighty defendants. Cryptomining and data exposure. Social engineering with a sheen of multi-factor authentication. Suing the boo birds and the people who let them in. The road to unhappiness is paved with mutually exclusive good intentions. And alleged identity theft from low-earth orbit. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos discussing Heaven’s Gate RAT. Guest is Mike Weber from Coalfire on their recently published Penetration Risk Report. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/August/CyberWire_2019_08_26.html Support our show
Researchers at Distil Networks have been tracking online bots targeting ecommerce gift card systems of major online retailers. The threat actors show remarkable resourcefulness and adaptability. Jonathan Butler is technical account team manager at Distil Networks, part of Imperva, and he joins to share their findings. The research can be found here: https://resources.distilnetworks.com/all-blog-posts/giftghostbot-attacks-ecommerce-gift-card-systems
Google takes down YouTube accounts spreading disinformation about Hong Kong protests. Cryptomining gear seized at a Ukrainian nuclear plant. CISA outlines its strategic vision. Telcos and law enforcement team up to stop robocalls. Spyware makes it into the Google Play Store twice. And a man gets life in prison for installing hidden cameras. Awais Rashid from University of Bristol on cybersecurity risk decisions. Guest is Cathy Hall from Sila on Privileged Access Management.
A North Korean cyber espionage campaign targets universities, think tanks, and foreign ministries. Chinese cyber spies goes after the healthcare sector. A bug hunter discloses a zero-day for Steam. Updates on the Texas ransomware attacks. Adult sites leak user information. And Veracruz fans hack their club president’s Twitter account to express their displeasure. Guest is Stewart Kantor, CFO and co-founder of Ondas Networks, on securing licensed spectrum. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on Phishing Kits.
China says Twitter and Facebook are restricting its freedom of speech. The Silence criminal gang has expanded internationally. Google, Mozilla, and Apple are blocking the Kazakh government’s root certificate. A popular Ruby library was backdoored after a developer’s account was hacked. And scammers buy ads to place their phone numbers at the top of search results. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University on cyber risk in a global economy and guest is Rick Howard Palo Alto Networks on a study revealing Americans are confused about cybersecurity.
Twitter and Facebook shut down Chinese information operations. A jailbreak for the latest version of iOS is out. Facebook may have known about the “view as” bug. Vulnerabilities in Google’s Nest cams are patched. Instagram gets a data abuse bounty program. The FCC released a report on the CenturyLink outage. And adult websites leak information. Michael Sechrist from Booz Allen Hamilton on exploits. Guest is John Bennett from LogMeIn on addressing the growing cyber threats to the SMB market.
ISIS claims responsibility for Kabul massacre. Huawei gets another temporary reprieve. Local governments in Texas sustain ransomware attacks. Georgia hopes to combat cyberattacks with training. Google cuts a data sharing service. Bulletproof VPN services purchase residential IPs. Smartphones could be used to carry out acoustic side channel attacks. And Hy-Vee warns of a point-of-sale breach. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI discusses corporate password policies. Guest is Ben Waugh from RedOx talks about bug bounties in healthcare.
Researchers from King’s College London, University of Bristol, Boston University, and University of Melbourne recently collaborated to publish a report titled, "Automatically Dismantling Online Dating Fraud." The research outlines techniques to analyze and identify fraudulent online dating profiles with a high degree of accuracy.
Professor Awais Rashid is one of the report's authors, and he joins us to share their findings. The original research can be found here: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1905.12593.pdf
The European Central Bank shutters a service due to a hostile intrusion. Norman quietly mines Monero. MetaMorph passes through email security filters. Some Capital One insiders thought they saw trouble brewing. Instagram crowd-sources epistemology. Deep fakes are well and good, but the will to believe probably gets along just fine with shallow fakes. US Cyber Command posts North Korea’s Electric Fish malware to VirusTotal. Johannes Ullrich from the SANS Technology Institute on IP fragmentation in operating systems. Guest is John Smith from ExtraHop on the aftermath of an insurance claim.
Huawei accused of aiding government surveillance programs in Zambia and Uganda. Cyber gangs are adapting to law enforcement, and they’ve turned to “big game hunting.” They’re also adapting legitimate tools to criminal purposes. US Federal prosecutors indicate they intend to add charges to those Paige Thompson already faces for alleged data theft from Capital One. And there’s a new tool out there for detecting gas pump paycard skimmers. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs on transparency and community standards online. Guest is Taylor Armerding from Synopsis on the projected employment shortfall in cyber security.
The Czech Senate wants action on what it describes as a foreign state’s cyberattack on the country’s Foreign Ministry. Microsoft warns against the wormable DéjaBlue set of vulnerabilities. More humans found training AI. Insecure airline check-in links. Exposed databases involve BioStar 2 and Choice Hotels--the latter was held at a third-party vendor. And the LAPD doesn’t find a vanity license plate with the letters N-U-L-L particularly funny. David Dufour from Webroot with thoughts on cyber security insurance policies. Guest is Elisa Costante from ForeScout on building automation vulnerabilities.
More on the UN Security Council’s report on North Korean state-sponsored cyber crime. PsiXBot evolves. BITTER APT probes Chinese government networks in an apparent espionage campaign. A study looks at the state of spearphishing. It’s not just the three-letter agencies out securing US voting systems; it’s the four-letter agencies who are taking point. And a last look back at Black Hat and Def Con. Jonathan Katz from UMD on Apple’s clever new cryptographic protocol. Guest is Mike Overly from Foley and Lardner LLP on the House’s hold on the State Department’s proposal for a Bureau of Cyberspace Securities and Emerging Technologies.
A look back at Black Hat and Def Con, with notes on technology and public policy. Participants urge people to contribute their expertise to policymakers. Power failures in the UK at the end of last week are largely resolved, and authorities say they’ve ruled out cyberattack as a possible cause. Russia puts Google on notice that it had better moderate YouTube content to put an end to what Moscow considers incitement to unrest. And China says reports of criminal activity are bunkum. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI with thoughts on corporate password policies. Guest is Ralph Russo from Tulane University on how schools like Tulane are shaping their programs to meet the needs of business and government.
Researchers at Cisco's Talos Unit recently published research exploring the tactics, technics and procedures of the global malvertising ecosystem. Craig Williams is head of Talos Outreach at Cisco, and he guides us through the life cycle of malicious online ads, along with tips for protecting yourself and your organization. The research can be found here: https://blog.talosintelligence.com/2019/07/malvertising-deepdive.html
Are voting machines too connected for comfort? Airliner firmware security is in dispute. Attribution, deterrence, and the problem of an adversary who doesn’t have much to lose. Monitoring social media for signs of violent extremism. Broadcom will buy Symantec’s enterprise business for $10.7 billion. Amazon’s Ring and the police. A CISA update on VxWorks vulnerabilities. And human second-guessing of AI presents some surprising privacy issues. Justin Harvey from Accenture with his insights from the Black Hat show floor. Guest is Tim Tully from Splunk on the AI race between the US and China.
Tensions in the Gulf are accompanied by an increase in cyber optempo. A warning about vulnerable airliner avionics. Phishing is moving to the cloud, and so is ransomware. Android’s August patches address important Wi-Fi issues. An EU court decision clarifies data responsibilities. The US bans contractors from dealing with five Chinese companies. Bogus Equifax settlement sites are established for fraud. Our guests are both offering insights and observations from this year’s Black Hat conference. Matt Aldridge is from Webroot and Bob Huber is CSO at Tenable.
A new speculative execution processor flaw is addressed with software mitigations. LokiBot gets more persistent, and it adopts steganography for better obfuscation. The cyber-spies of APT41 seem to be doing some moonlighting. An accused criminal who bribed telco workers to unlock phones is in custody. Scammers are exploiting the tragedies in El Paso and Dayton. And a call at Black Hat for the security sector to bring in some safety engineers. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on Virginia updating legislation to address Deep Fakes. Guest is James Plouffe from MobileIron on the challenges of authentication and the legacy of passwords.
Fancy Bear is back, and maybe in your office printer. El Machete, a cyber espionage group active at least since 2014, is currently working against the Venezuelan military. A UN report allegedly offers a look at what Mr. Kim is doing with the money his hackers raked in. MegaCortex ransomware shows growing automation. Another unsecured AWS S3 bucket is found. A bank stores some PINs in a log file. Vigilante smishing. And when popping off becomes arguably criminal. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos with updates on Sea Turtle. Guest is Chris Roberts from Attivo Networks with a preview of his Black Hat keynote, A Hacker’s Perspective, Where Do We Go From Here? For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/August/CyberWire_2019_08_06.html Support our show
A Mexican publisher is hit with an extortion demand. Ransomware increasingly carries a destructive, wiper component: Germany is dealing with a virulent strain right now. Apple and Amazon, after the bad optics of reports that they’re farming out Siri and Alexa recordings to human contractors for quality control, are both modifying their approaches to training the assistants. And investigators sort through mass shooters’ digital trails. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on the VXWorks operating system vulnerabilities. Guest is Eli Sugarman from the Hewlett Foundation on their efforts to reimagine cybersecurity visuals.
Researchers at Reversing Labs have been tracking malware hidden in software package manager repositories, and it's use as a supply chain attack vector. Robert Perica is a principal engineer at Reversing Labs, and he joins us to share their findings. The research can be found here: https://blog.reversinglabs.com/blog/suppy-chain-malware-detecting-malware-in-package-manager-repositories
LookBack malware used in spearphishing campaigns against US utilities. Phishing Bellingcat. Facebook takes down two campaigns of coordinated inauthenticity that had been active in the Middle East and North Africa. The growing problem of online card skimming. The FTC’s investigation of Facebook centers on acquisitions. The Fed visits Amazon. And followers of a YouTube streamer treat the homeless as punchlines in a big practical joke. Prof. Awais Rashid from University of Bristol on the ability to “smell” security issues in software. Guest is Matt Howard from Sonotype on their State of the Software Supply Chain report.
Investigators pursue the possibility that the alleged Capital One hacker might have hit other companies’ data. An exposed ElastiSearch database, now secured, was found at Honda Motors. Data from beauty retailer Sephora are found on the dark web. Defenders are urged to think of themselves as in a poker game with the opposition. Phishing remains the biggest threat to financial services. And what vacation spots attract the eyes of bots? Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs with more details from their recent fraud and international crime report. Guest is Giovanni Vigna from Lastline with thoughts on the upcoming Black Hat conference. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/August/CyberWire_2019_08_01.html Support our show
Capital One takes a market hit from its data loss. Observers see the incident as a reminder that cloud users need to pay attention to their configurations. CISA warns of vulnerabilities in small, general aviation aircraft. Another parish in Louisiana is hit with a cyberattack. The SEC’s top cyber enforcer is moving on from the Commission. And diplomats go to cyber summer school in Estonia. It’s not a coding bootcamp, but it should give them the lay of the cyber land. Jonathan Katz from UMD on speculation of what a quantum internet might involve. Guest is Jessica Gulick from Katzcy Consulting on the Wicked6 eSports-style cyber competition coming to Las Vegas during Black Hat & Defcon. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/July/CyberWire_2019_07_31.html Support our show
Capital One sustains a major data breach affecting 106 million customers, and a suspect is in custody, thanks largely to her incautious online boasting. Iranian social engineers are phishing in LinkedIn, baiting the hook with a bogus job offer. WindRiver fixes VxWorks bugs. Network Attached Storage is being brute-forced. A hacker claims to have doxed members of the Los Angeles Police Department. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on cities piloting aerial surveillance programs. Tamika Smith interviews Noam Cohen from the New Yorker on California’s new law regulating bots. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/July/CyberWire_2019_07_30.html Support our show
Bellingcat gets a look-in from the Bears. Magecart card-skimming code found in bogus domains. The MyDoom worm remains active in the wild, fifteen years after it first surfaced. Election security threats. The US Coast Guard says the malware that hit a container ship off New York earlier this year was Emotet. Marcus Hutchins gets time served. Fresh concerns about digital assistants and privacy. And yes, you do owe taxes on those alt-coins. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on the availability of the BlueKeep vulnerability. Guest is Tom Hegel from AT&T Cybersecurity with thoughts on integrating threat intelligence. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/July/CyberWire_2019_07_29.html Support our show
Our guest today is Joseph Menn. He’s a longtime investigative reporter on technology issues, currently working for Reuters in San Francisco. He’s the author of several books, the latest of which is titled Cult of the Dead Cow - How the original hacking supergroup might just save the world.
Researchers at bot mitigation firm White Ops have been tracking fraudulent apps in the Google Play store. These apps often imitate legitimate apps, even going so far as to lift code directly from them, but instead of providing true functionality they harvest user data and send it back to command and control servers. Marcelle Lee is a principal threat intel researcher at White Ops, and she shares their findings. The original research can be found here — https://www.whiteops.com/blog/another-day-another-fraudulent-app
Winnti and other Chinese threats have been active against German and French targets. The US Senate Intelligence Committee has issued the first volume of its report on Russian operations against US elections--this one deals with infrastructure. Louisiana declares a state of cyber emergency over ransomware. Johannesburg’s power utility is also hit with ransomware. And you could get up to $175 from the Equifax breach settlement. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University on experimental protocols for ICS security systems. Guest is Joseph Menn, author of The Cult of the Dead Cow. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/July/CyberWire_2019_07_26.html Support our show
Did you know that Fancy Bear has taken to wearing a Monokle? A new Chinese cyber espionage campaign is identified. Intrusion Truth tracks APT17 to Jinan, and China’s Ministry of State Security. Guildma malware is active in Brazil, and may be spreading. BlueKeep is out in the wild, and now available to pentesters. Facebook’s Messenger Kids app has been behaving badly. And an update on the cryptowars, with some dispatches from the American front. Michael Sechrist from Booz Allen Hamilton on municipalities paying ransomware. Guest is Eric Murphy from SpyCloud on threat intelligence at scale. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/July/CyberWire_2019_07_25.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that Lancaster University has suffered a data breach. A reportedly critical vulnerability in VLC Media Player may have already been fixed last year. Kazakhstan is testing out HTTPS interception. The UK postpones its decision on Huawei’s 5G gear. The FTC is requiring Facebook to set up a privacy committee. Attorney General Barr wants a way for law enforcement to access encrypted data. And the National Security Agency is launching a Cybersecurity Directorate. David Dufour from Webroot on security awareness training. Guest is Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs about the Federal Trade Commission’s investigation into complaints over Youtube’s improper data collection of kids online data.
Venezuela’s government says the country’s massive blackout is the work of sabotage by foreign actors (read, the Yanquis) who took down the grid with an “electromagnetic attack.” Documents leaked from Huawei indicate that the electronics giant did essential work for North Korea’s infrastructure. Both Facebook and Equifax say major fines over privacy issues, but there’s growing sentiment that the fines were on the low side. And, coders, make loyalty programs, not logic bombs. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs on defending against disinformation. Guest is Robb Reck from Ping Identity on insider threat programs. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/July/CyberWire_2019_07_23.html Support our show
A contractor for Russia’s FSB security agency was apparently breached. NSO Group says its Pegasus software can now obtain access to private messages held in major cloud services. Iranian cyber operations are said to be spiking, and Tehran is paying particular attention to LinkedIn. Colleges and universities are experiencing ERP issues, and a minor wave of bogus student applications. Equifax receives its judgment. And there’s a sentence in the case of the NSA hoarder. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on Android apps circumventing privacy permission settings. Guest is David Brumley from ForAllSecure on autonomous security and DevSecOps. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/July/CyberWire_2019_07_22.html Support our show
Our guest today is Richard A. Clarke, former National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection and Counter-terrorism for the United States. Under President George W. Bush he was appointed Special Advisor to the President on cybersecurity. He’s currently Chairman of Good Harbor Consulting. He’s the author or coauthor of several books, the latest of which is titled The Fifth Domain - Defending Our Country, Our Companies, and Ourselves in the Age of Cyber Threats. This is an extended version of an interview originally aired on the July 19, 2019 edition of the CyberWire daily podcast.
Researchers at Guardicore Labs have been tracking an unusual cryptominer that seems to be based in China and is targeting Windows MS-SQL and phpMyAdmin servers. Some elements of the exploit make use of sophisticated components previously associated with nation-state actors. Ophir Harpaz and Daniel Goldberg are members of the Guardicore Labs team, and they join us to explain their findings. The research can be found here - https://www.guardicore.com/2019/05/nansh0u-campaign-hackers-arsenal-grows-stronger/
K3chang is out, about, and more evasive than ever. Data breached at Bulgaria’s National Revenue Agency has turned up online in at least one hacker forum. Facebook’s planned Libra cryptocurrency received close scrutiny and a tepid reception on Capitol Hill this week. Emsisoft offers some common-sense reflections on why local governments are attractive ransomware targets. Please patch BlueKeep. And a hair care product is vulnerable to hacking. Johannes Ullrich from the SANS Technology Institute with tips on ensuring your vulnerability scans are secure. Guest is Richard Clarke, former National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection and Counter-terrorism for the United States, and coauthor of the book The Fifth Domain. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/July/CyberWire_2019_07_19.html Support our show
TrickBot gets some new tricks, and they’re being called Trickbooster. Poisoning the advertising supply chain. Hessian schools will shy away from American cloud services. A novel phishing campaign is technically savvy but gives itself away with broken English phishbait. Congress would like to see Presidential cyberwar instructions. Microsoft warns of foreign attacks on elections. FaceApp looks suspicious. And a suspect is collared in a malicious macro case. Jonathan Katz from UMD on random number issues in YubiKeys. Carole Theriault speaks with Michael Madon from MimeCast on email imposter scams. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/July/CyberWire_2019_07_18.html Support our show
Sprint warns of data breach. Eclypsium announces discovery of server firmware supply chain problems. Bluetooth Low Energy may be less secure than thought. Congress hears about US census cybersecurity. Ransomware and continuity of operations. The FBI offers help decrypting GandCrab-affected files. Venafi on why financial services are especially affected by certificate issues. Congress asks to see NSPM 13. And an arrest is made in Bulgaria’s tax agency hack. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on the DOJ being required to make public attempts to break encryption in Facebook Messenger. Tamika Smith speaks with Alex Guirakhoo from Digital Shadows about scammers registering fake domains to try to capitalize on Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency plans. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/July/CyberWire_2019_07_17.html Support our show
The retirement of GandCrab’s hoods may have been exaggerated. Video conferencing tools RingCentral and Zhumu may have picked up Zoom’s issues in the tech they licensed. Broadcom’s projected acquisition of Symantec is on hold, at least for now. One Silicon Valley executive calls another company “treasonous.” The US FCC wants to reign in robo-calls. And there’s a free decryptor out for Ims0rry ransomware. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on recent Terbium research on transnational crime. Guest is Wim Coekaerts from Oracle on security in the age of AI. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/July/CyberWire_2019_07_16.html Support our show
Upgraded voting machines may not be as secure, or as upgraded, as election officials seem to think. Criminals continue to exploit routers in Brazil. A Japanese cryptocurrency exchange shuts down while it investigates a multimillion dollar theft. The Federal Trade Commission fines Facebook $5 billion over privacy issues. Weekend power outages seem not to have been the result of cyberattacks. Another city sustains a ransomware attack. Shop carefully on Amazon Prime Day. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on Apple pushing an update to mitigate Zoom conferencing app vulnerabilities. Guest is Patrick Cox from TrustID on government agencies using inadequate ID authentication via phone. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/July/CyberWire_2019_07_15.html Support our show
Researchers at Netscout's ASERT Team have been tracking the growth of botnets originating in Egypt and targeting routers in South Africa. The payload is a variant of the Hakai DDoS bot. Richard Hummel is threat intelligence manager at Netscout, and he joins us to share their findings. The original research is here: https://www.netscout.com/blog/asert/realtek-sdk-exploits-rise-egypt
Buhtrap moves from financial crime to cyber espionage. There may have been as many as three distinct US cyber operations against Iran late last month. The US legislative and executive branches continue to try to sort out Constitutional issues surrounding cyber conflict. The US Intelligence Community tell Congress that there are “active threats” to upcoming elections. One city’s cyber woes will be expressed in water bills. And WannaCry may ride again, if you don’t patch. Mike Benjamin from CenturyLink on DNS scanning they’re tracking. Guest is Martha Saunders, President of the University of West Florida, on how her institution is adapting to meet the workforce needs for cyber security professionals. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/July/CyberWire_2019_07_12.html Support our show
GDPR fines and their implications. A reminder about Magecart, and some notes on its recent interest in scanning for unprotected AWS S-3 buckets. Agent Smith (of Guangzhou, not the Matrix) is infesting Android stores with evil twins of legitimate apps. FinSpy is out and about in the wild again. “Daniel Drunz” is the catphish face of a gang that stung a US Government contractor for millions in goods. Justin Harvey from Accenture on the recent GDPR fines. Carole Theriault speaks with Michael Covington from Wandera on the risks facing financial services firms.
Zoom agrees to change what it still sort of regards as a feature and not a bug. Industrial control system vulnerabilities are reported and patched. Microsoft issues seventy-seven fixes on Patch Tuesday. Adobe has a relatively light month for patches. Marriott is hit with a large fine from the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office. An investigative report traces disinformation about a 2016 Washington murder to Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos with info on the Spelevo exploit kit. Tamika Smith speaks with Myke Lyons, CISO for Collibra, on new industry regulations based on GDPR. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/July/CyberWire_2019_07_10.html Support our show
Zoom user security appears to have been sacrificed on the altar of user experience. The fileless Astaroth Trojan is again in circulation, mostly, for now, in Brazil. Torrents are distributing the GoBot2 backdoor. The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office clobbers British Airways with a record fine under GDPR, probably to encourage all the rest of us. Croatian government offices are spearphished. Iran says it’s now got an attack-proof comms system. And NSA’s IG reports. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on security issues with D-Link routers. Guest is Martin Mckeay from Akamai on their most recent State of the Internet report. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/July/CyberWire_2019_07_09.html Support our show
Another ransomware victim pays up. Privilege escalation comes to ransomware. Vendor impersonation scams hit cities, and government impersonation scams hit citizens: be wary of both. Former NSA contractor Hal Martin will be sentenced later this month, with suspected connections with the ShadowBrokers still unresolved. An exploit supply chain is described. The Silence gang is suspected in Bangladeshi bank heists. And a bad message can brick a phone. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on privacy concerns with a shared bar patron database. Guest is Derek E. Weeks from Sonotype on supply chain security. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/July/CyberWire_2019_07_08.html Support our show
US Cyber Command warns that an Outlook vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild. Other sources see a connection with Iran. GPS signals are being jammed near Tel Aviv, and Russian electronic activity in Syria is suspected as the cause. A look at the consequences of satellite cyber vulnerabilities. The TA505 gang changes some of its tactics. Yesterday’s brief Internet outages are traced to a Cloudflare glitch. Facebook and YouTube continue to grapple with content moderation. Mike Benjamin from CenturyLink on Emotet’s C2 behavior. Guest is Avital Grushcovski from Source Defense on the risk posed by third party web site tools. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/July/CyberWire_2019_07_03.html Support our show
Tensions between the US and Iran are likely to find further expression in cyberspace. OceanLotus’s Ratsnif kit isn’t up to the threat actors normally high standards of coding, but it’s plenty good enough. Cyberattacks in the states of Florida and Georgia. Utilities are urged to go lower tech where possible. Magecart skimmer “Inter” is being hawked on the dark web. And no, they haven’t videoed you using EternalBlue: just dump that email. Johannes Ullrich from the SANS Technology Institute and the ISC Stormcast podcast on Weblogic exploits. Guest is Nick Jovanovic from Thales on cloud security in the federal space. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/July/CyberWire_2019_07_02.html Support our show
Huawei gets to buy some products from US companies, again. CISA reiterates warnings about the risk of cyberattack from Iran. Considerations about power grid security. Cryptocurrencies draw criminals, and some of the scammers are looking ahead. Australia and New Zealand will conduct a simulation to study ways of removing “abhorrent content” from the Web. The Senate likes Hack the Pentagon. And tech enthusiasm or voyeurism? You decide. Justin Harvey from Accenture on ways attackers are bypassing 2-factor authentication on mobile devices. Guest is Gretel Egan from Proofpoint on the shift toward human-centric security. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/July/CyberWire_2019_07_01.html Support our show
Synopsys recently published the 2019 edition of their Open Source Security and Risk Analysis (OSSRA) Report, providing an in-depth look at the state of open source security, compliance, and code quality risk in commercial software.
Tim Mackey is principal security strategist within the Synopsys Cyber Research Center, and he joins us to share their findings. The research can be found here: https://www.synopsys.com/software-integrity/resources/analyst-reports/2019-open-source-security-risk-analysis.html
Yandex says it was hacked with Regin spyware. The Golang cryptominer is spreading, again. And the ShadowGate ransomware crew is newly active with a dangerous drive-by. Three data exposures are reported. London’s Metropolitan Police are in trouble with the Information Commissioner’s Office. A look as tracker behavior. The Verified Badge as a phishing lure. And congratulations to a Loeb Award winner. Micahel Sechrist from BAH on Deep Fakes and data integrity. Deloitte’s new head of cyber Deborah Golden shares her leadership philosophy. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/June/CyberWire_2019_06_28.html Support our show
The US cyberattack against Iranian targets remains only indistinctly visible in the information fog of cyberwar. Iran’s APT33 seems to have altered its tactics after its operations against Saudi targets were described by Symantec at the end of March. An insurer and provider of vision and dental benefits investigates a “data incident.” Skids-on-skids, kids. Facebook talks information operations, and teases plans concerning identity. Notes on the labor market. Johannes Ullrich from the SANS Technology Institute and the ISC Stormcast podcast on malware C&C channels making use of TLS. Tamika Smith speaks with Harrison Van Riper from Digital Shadows about their recent report, “Too Much Information: The Sequel,” outlining the increase in data exposure over the past year. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/June/CyberWire_2019_06_27.html Support our show
Sources name a Shi’ite militia aligned with Iran as one target of last week’s US cyberattacks. Myanmar shuts down mobile networks in its Rakhine province, where the Buddhist insurgents of the Arakan Army have been using Facebook for coordination and inspiration. A major spam campaign is distributing LokiBot and NanoCore. Finite State finds bugs in Huawei gear. Election security notes. And paying the ransom to ransomware extortionists. David Dufour from Webroot on the different trends they are tracking in Europe vs. the US. Guest is David Politis from BetterCloud with a warning about information sprawl. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/June/CyberWire_2019_06_26.html Support our show
Operation Soft Cell was low, slow, patient, and focused, and apparently run from China. Washington and Tehran are woofing at each other, with more exchanges in cyberspace expected. Cyber due diligence is taken increasingly seriously during mergers and acquisitions. Short-sighted design choices affect app security. The US security clearance process gets an overhaul. Shimmers replace skimmers. And yesterday’s US Internet outage explained. Sergio Caltagirone from Dragos on the growing tensions between the US, Russia and Iran and how providers of critical infrastructure can prepare. Tamika Smith interviews Danielle Gaines, a reporter for Maryland Matters, on MD Gov. Hogan’s response to the Baltimore ransomware incident, the creation of the Maryland Cyber Defense Initiative. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/June/CyberWire_2019_06_25.html Support our show
The US is said to have conducted cyberattacks against Iranian targets related to recent Iranian moves in the Gulf. They cyber operations are also said to have been a covert alternative to conventional military strikes. The Atlantic Council describes “Secondary Infektion,” a Russian disinformation campaign that begins obscurely, then depends upon amplification. And a case of cyber stalking in Minnesota goes to court. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on the escalating calls to patch the BlueKeep vulnerability. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/June/CyberWire_2019_06_24.html Support our show
Researchers at Cloudflare have been examining HTTPS interception, a technique that weakens security, and have developed tools to help detect it. Nick Sullivan is head of cryptography at Cloudflare, and he joins to us share their findings. The research can be found here: https://blog.cloudflare.com/monsters-in-the-middleboxes/
Tensions between the US and Iran over tanker attacks, nuclear ambitions, and the downing of a Global Hawk drone seem to be finding expression in cyberspace: Refined Kitten sees to be pawing for some American phish. Facebook tries friction as an alternative to content moderation in damping its abuse in fomenting South Asian violence. Cryptomining campaigns are showing some renewed vigor. And a look at lead generation for Nigerian prince scams. Mike Benjamin from CenturyLink on RDP scanning and the GoldBrute campaign. Guest is Michael Coates, former CISO for Twitter and former head of security for Mozilla, from Altitude Networks on better addressing the needs of CISOs and improving the sales process. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/June/CyberWire_2019_06_21.html Support our show
Call it Waterbug or call it Turla, the Russian cyber operation has been hijacking Iran’s OilRIg cyber espionage infrastructure. Other cyber campaigns also afflict Middle Eastern targets. A US panel convened by CISA has some recommendations for supply chain security. An ad agency inadvertently exposes sensitive personal data. A bankruptcy filing in the AMCA breach. And Riviera Beach, Florida, decides to pay $600,000 in ransom to decrypt its files. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the ISC Stormcast podcast on DNS security issues. Carole Theriault returns with an interview with ethical hacker Zoe Rose, who shares her advice for woman working in cyber security. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/June/CyberWire_2019_06_20.html Support our show
More advice to patch BlueKeep, already. Facebook announces its planned launch of a cryptocurrency, Libra, to the accompaniment of considerable acclaim and at least as much skepticism. Updates on alleged power grid cyber operations. Catphishing and the adaptation of traditional espionage craft in the digital age. And cheap sunglasses turn up as phishbait in compromised social media accounts. Justin Harvey from Accenture with thoughts on tabletop exercises. Guest is Tom Hickman from Edgewise Networks on access control and zero trust. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/June/CyberWire_2019_06_19.html Support our show
Investigation into Argentina’s power failure continues, with preliminary indications suggesting “operational and design errors were responsible for the outage. Russia reacts to reports that the US staged malware in its power grid. Iran says it stopped US cyberespionage. ISIS worries about its vulnerability to BlueKeep. A breach at EatStreet illustrates some of the features of third-party risk. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on a Virginia license plate reader ban. Guest is Jack Danahy from Alert Logic on the troubling issue of adversary dwell time and the IT vigilance gap. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/June/CyberWire_2019_06_18.html Support our show
The New York Times reports that the US has staged malware in Russia’s power grid, presumably as deterrence against Russian cyberattacks against the US. South America has largely recovered from a large-scale power outage that seems, so far, to have been accidental. An EU report claims that Russian information operations against the EU are increasing. Twitter takes down more inauthentic sites. The Target outage over the weekend seems to have been caused by glitches, not hacking. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on the GDPR fine of a Spanish soccer league for a spying app. Tamika Smith speaks with Britt Paris from the Data & Society Research Institute on the weaponization of AI. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/June/CyberWire_2019_06_17.html Support our show
Researchers at Zscaler have been tracking look-alike apps in third-party Android app stores that carry malicious code. Deepen Desai is VP of security research and operations and Zscaler, and he joins us to share their findings. The original research can be found here: https://www.zscaler.com/blogs/research/third-party-android-store-sms-trojan
Xenotime is detected snooping around the North American power grid. Hacking groups exploit the Return of the Wizard vulnerability in Exim servers. Hearings on the extradition of WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange have begun. Online gamers are being chased with credential stuffing attacks: they’re after your skins, your accounts, your credit cards. And some LinkedIn catphish seem to be going to AI charm school. Justin Harvey from Accenture with advice for job-hunting grads. Guest is Dr. Matthew Dunlop, Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer for Under Armour, on the challenges of protecting one of the world’s most well-known brands. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/June/CyberWire_2019_06_14.html Support our show
Telegram recovers from a distributed denial-of-service attack. No attribution yet, but all the circumstantial evidence points to the Chinese security services. Operation Fishwrap, conducted by parties unknown, is an influence campaign that substitutes olds for news. Aircraft component manufacturer ASCO’s production is hit by ransomware. Hacking back is back, in Congress. Why don’t people patch? And a tip on fact-checking. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on NYPD cellphone surveillance. Guest is Dave Aitel from Cyxtera on offense oriented security and the INFILTRATE conference. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/June/CyberWire_2019_06_13.html Support our show
TA505 and Fin8 are both up to their old ways, with some new tricks in their criminal bag. A reminder about social engineering and Google Calendar. A new assertiveness is promised in US cyber operations, as the Administration “widens the aperture.” Updates on the security concerns that surround Huawei and ZTE. And Radiohead takes a different approach to online extortion--just render what they’re holding for ransom valueless. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos on the Jasper Loader. Guest is Lisa Sotto from Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP on the report Seeking Solutions: Aligning Data breach Notification rules across borders. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/June/CyberWire_2019_06_12.html Support our show
Russia says shrapnel from America’s war on that nice company Huawei is “destroying the world.” Russia also tells Tinder to fork over user pictures and messages. A Recorded Future study outlines the case for regarding Huawei as a security risk. US Customs and Border Protection discloses a breach of images collected at a border-crossing point. Crooks are taking advantage of Gmail features. Notes on recent mergers. And the top ten bugs bug hunters are finding. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the ISC Stormcast podcast on the GoldBrute botnet. Guest is Tim Woods from FireMon reflecting on the past year under GDPR. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/June/CyberWire_2019_06_11.html Support our show
MuddyWater shows renewed activity--no zero-days and no exotic malware, just clever approaches and determined social engineering. Spam is serving up payloads that exploit an old Microsoft Office vulnerability. Russian-sponsored disinformation has been romping freely through YouTube. Some back-and-forth over Huawei: Washington isn’t relenting, but some relief for US companies may be forthcoming. And Beijing rumbles about retaliation. United Technologies has agreed to acquire Raytheon. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on Apple’s newly announced secure sign-in service and it’s focus on privacy. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/June/CyberWire_2019_06_10.html Support our show
Researchers at AT&T Alien Labs have been tracking a new malware family they've named "Xwo" that's scanning systems for default credentials and vulnerable web services. Tom Hegel is security researcher with AT&T Alien Labs, and he share their findings. The original research is here: https://www.alienvault.com/blogs/labs-research/xwo-a-python-based-bot-scanner
The Australian National University hack and data loss look to many observers like the work of Chinese intelligence services. The GoldBrute botnet is scanning vulnerable RDP servers. MuddyWater is back, undeterred by leaks and learning from the best. The RIG exploit kit is delivering Buran ransomware. Achilles says he’s got the goods. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission IG looks at cyber inspections. And Big Tech prepares for big antitrust. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on natural gas infrastructure security. Guest is Frank Downs from ISACA on the challenges educators face preparing the cyber security workforce.
BlueKeep proof-of-concept exploits have been developed, and people are urged to patch. An annoying, disruptive advertising plug-in comes bundled with a couple of hundred Android apps in the Play Store. The EU’s Moscow embassy seems to have been the focus of Russian cyber espionage since 2017. Influence operations feature a small core of sites surrounded by many amplifying accounts. A possible motive for GPS spoofing. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the ISC Stormcast podcast on Google throwing their weight behind MTA-STS, a protocol to make e-mail more secure. Guest is Josh Stella from Fugue on security and compliance in cloud infrastructure. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/June/CyberWire_2019_06_06.html Support our show
Another medical testing firm is hit by the third-party breach at AMCA. More officials say there’s no EternalBlue involved in Baltimore’s ransomware attack. (And that attack may have involved some doxing, too--investigation is underway.) Real hacking isn’t like the movies. It’s alive: Frankenstein malware, that is. Huawei offers a no-spy agreement. The draft US Data Strategy is out. Really, you should patch for BlueKeep. A university’s donor list exposed online. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on secret tracking pixels in emails to the Navy Times in a controversial legal case. Tamika Smith speaks with Ariana Mirian from UC San Diego on research on the Hacker for Hire market. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/June/CyberWire_2019_06_05.html Support our show
Jason, an Iranian brute-forcing tool, has been leaked. A third-party breach affects customer and patient data held by Quest Diagnostics. Eurofins Scientific is recovering from a ransomware attack. A look at Baltimore City’s ransomware infestation shows no signs of EternalBlue, security firm Armor says. Instead, it looks like “vanilla ransomware.” And the prospect of antitrust investigations drives down Big Tech stock prices, tipping the Nasdaq into a correction. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on dark web fraud guide pricing. Guest is Jordan Blake from BehavioSec on digital transformations. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/June/CyberWire_2019_06_04.html Support our show
Google’s cloud services recover from network congestion. GandCrab’s proprietors say they’re retiring rich at the end of the month. BlackSquid delivers the XMRig Monero miner. Updates on the Baltimore ransomware incident. Too many machines not yet patched against BlueKeep. CEO sentenced for providing criminals crypto. The US Justice Department is said to be preparing an antitrust investigation of Google. And “The Persistence of Chaos” has been sold for $1.3 million. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on Google restricting ad-blocking in upcoming versions of Chrome. Tamika Smith speaks with Washington Post writer Geoffrey Fowler on his recent article “It’s the middle of the night. Do you know who your iPhone is talking to?” For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/June/CyberWire_2019_06_03.html Support our show
Adrian Bednarek is a senior research analyst at Independent Security Evaluators. He and his colleagues looked at weak private cryptocurrency keys on the Ethereum blockchain in an attempt to discover how and why they are being generated as well as how bad actors are taking advantage of them. The original research is here: https://www.securityevaluators.com/casestudies/ethercombing/
Malicious misdirection served up from unpatched WordPress sites. A big, big set of dating site records has been found exposed online--it’s in China, but the records seem to belong to anglophones. Many other files are exposed elsewhere, too, so it’s not a single problem. Turla’s back, and still after diplomats. The International Red Cross proposes rules for cyber conflict. And Baltimore City calculates the cost of not patching. It’s a lot higher than the cost of patching. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos with his take on a critical Microsoft vulnerability, CVE-2019-0708. Guest is Matt Aldridge from Webroot on the San Francisco facial recognition ban. Justin Harvey from Accenture on the dramatic increase in targeted ransomware. Guest is NSA’s Diane M. Janosek, celebrating the 20th year of their Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity program.
Malicious misdirection served up from unpatched WordPress sites. A big, big set of dating site records has been found exposed online--it’s in China, but the records seem to belong to anglophones. Many other files are exposed elsewhere, too, so it’s not a single problem. Turla’s back, and still after diplomats. The International Red Cross proposes rules for cyber conflict. And Baltimore City calculates the cost of not patching. It’s a lot higher than the cost of patching. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos with his take on a critical Microsoft vulnerability, CVE-2019-0708. Guest is Matt Aldridge from Webroot on the San Francisco facial recognition ban. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/May/CyberWire_2019_05_30.html Support our show
Special Counsel Mueller makes his first public statement about the results of his investigation into influence operations surrounding the 2016 US Presidential campaign. He says his first statement will also be his last. FireEye identifies Iranian coordinated inauthenticity in US 2018 midterm elections, and Twitter and Facebook take down the offending accounts. Notes on the BlueKeep exploit. More Pegasus infestations. Reality Winner revisited. Updates on Baltimore ransomware. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS reacts to allegations that NSA may have some culpability in the Baltimore ransomware incident. Guests are Julie Bernard from Deloitte and John Carlson from the FS-ISAC on the recent report, “Pursuing cybersecurity maturity at financial institutions.” For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/May/CyberWire_2019_05_29.html Support our show
First American Financial suffers a data exposure, with hundreds of millions of mortgage-related documents left open to the Internet. Someone is scanning Tor for signs of BlueKeep RDP vulnerabilities. China complains about US complaints against Huawei as some major German firms rethink their dealings with Shenzhen. And no, NSA did not hold Baltimore for ransom, but Baltimore wants Washington to pick up its remediation and recovery tab. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs on NIST transitioning some crypto algorithms. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/May/CyberWire_2019_05_28.html Support our show
Chronicle researchers Juan Andres Guerrero Saade and Silas Cutler recently published research tracking the development of the Stuxnet family of malware, which ultimately led them to the GOSSIPGIRL Supra Group of threat actors. Juan Andres Guerrero Saade joins us to share their findings. The research can be found here: https://medium.com/chronicle-blog/who-is-gossipgirl-3b4170f846c0
Stone Panda is distributing the Quasar RAT. A new strain of Mirai is out. Bitcoin prices are up, and so is the incidence of malicious cryptocurrency apps in Google Play. The US charges Wikileaks’ Julain Assagne with seventeen new counts under the Espionage Act. UK political parties are said to have poor security. Huawei’s charm offensive. Russia points with sad alarm to NATO cyber deterrence policy. Bogus law firm emails prove effective phishbait. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on recent research from Google on the effectiveness of basic security hygiene. Guest is Nate Lesser from Cypient Black on “entangled enterprise risk.” For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/May/CyberWire_2019_05_24.html Support our show
The UK and NATO send Moscow a pointed message about the consequences of meddling with either infrastructure or elections. More companies, including ARM, decide they won’t be working with Huawei. Other Chinese companies seem headed for US blacklisting. Moody’s cuts Equifax’s rating over its 2017 breach. Notes from last week’s Cyber Investing Summit. And we may not know much about art, but we know what we like. Justin Harvey from Accenture on the ongoing threat of USB devices. Tamika Smith speaks with Sydney Freedberg Jr. from Breaking Defense about his article, “Can NSA Stop China Copying Its Cyber Weapons?” For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/May/CyberWire_2019_05_23.html Support our show
Fancy Bear’s latest campaign is using malware reported to Virus Total by US Cyber Command. IBM’s X-Force looks at cybersecurity for travelers, and shares a bunch of horror stories. Security Scorecard looks at the online security of political parties in the US and Europe: some are better than others, but all could use some help. Updates on Huawei and other Chinese companies facing US sanctions. And if you’re listening to this in the US, you may believe you know more than you in fact do. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the ISC Stormcast podcast on website vulnerabilities due to third party tools. Guest is Inga Goddijn from Risk Based Security on their Q1 Data Breach Report and cyber insurance issues. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/May/CyberWire_2019_05_22.html Support our show
BlackWater is snooping around the Middle East. It’s evasive, and it looks a lot like the more familiar MuddyWater threat actor. TeamViewer turns out to have been hacked, and the perpetrators look like the proprietors of the Winnti backdoor. An Android app is behaving badly. Another unsecured database is found hanging out on the Internet. There’s a free decryptor out for a strain of ransomware, but also it won’t help Baltimore. And the market’s look at the Huawei ban. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos discussing honeypots on Elasticsearch. Guest is Dave Venable from Masergy on cyber vulnerabilities at the infrastructure level. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/May/CyberWire_2019_05_21.html Support our show
Huawei is on the US Entity List, and US exporters have been quick to notice and cut the Shenzhen company off. Security concerns are now expected to shift to the undersea cable market. Hacktivism seems to have gone into eclipse. The EU enacts a sanctions regime to deter election hacking. Facebook shutters inauthentic accounts targeting African politics. Salesforce is restoring service after an unhappy upgrade. OGuser forum hacked. And don’t worry about a hacker draft. Jonathan Katz from UMD on encryption for better security at border crossings. Tamika Smith reports on the Baltimore City government ransomware situation. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/May/CyberWire_2019_05_20.html Support our show
Researchers at Symantec have been tracking an espionage group known as Elfin (aka APT 33) that has targeted dozens of organizations over the past three years, primarily focusing on Saudi Arabia and the United States. Alan Neville is a principal threat intelligence analyst at Symantec, and he joins us to share their findings. The research can be found here: https://www.symantec.com/blogs/threat-intelligence/elfin-apt33-espionage
A Slack vulnerability is disclosed and fixed. And this is not as seen on TV: a real NCIS investigation is likely to occupy real JAGs for some time to come, with implications for military and civilian cyber law. The US is moving rapidly on Huawei and its associated companies: it’s now much harder for US companies to do business with them, and there’s likely to be fallout in other countries as well. An exposed database affords an instructive case of responsible disclosure. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on USB device encryption and best practices. Guest is Mike Kijewski from MedCrypt on security for new and legacy medical devices. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/May/CyberWire_2019_05_17.html Support our show
President Trump declares a state of emergency over the threat from foreign adversaries and the companies they control. (And yes, Huawei, he’s looking at you.) Dutch intelligence is said to be investigating the possibility of backdoors in telecommunications networks. Concerns about spyware proliferation rise. Cipher stunting is observed in the wild. Titan security keys are spoofable. Meaconing airliners. And misconfigurations expose PII in Russia. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on the surprisingly open nature of online sales of elicit goods and services. Guest is Kris Beevers from NS1 on DNS security and management technology. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/May/CyberWire_2019_05_16.html Support our show
Chinese domestic and foreign intelligence services are cooperating more closely in cyberspace. Another set of speculative execution issues is found in Intel chips. This month’s Patch Tuesday was a big one. CrowdStrike files for its long-anticipated IPO. WhatsApp, spyware, and zero-days. Apple may be required to open its devices to apps from third-party stores. The Cyber Solarium is ready to get started, and Russia offers a helpful hand. Baltimore continues to suffer from ransomware. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs with an overview of the Accenture Technology Vision report. Guest is Tom Pedersen from OneLogin on password use trends. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/May/CyberWire_2019_05_15.html Support our show
Russian operators breached two Florida counties’ voting systems, but without altering vote counts. Symantec, McAfee and Trend Micro are thought to be the security vendors hit by Fxmsp cybercrminals. WhatApp patches a flaw exploited to install spyware. The Equifax breach seems to have cost the company $1.4 billion. Companies are increasingly aware of data’s potential toxicity. Cisco patches two flaws. And Endless Mayfly peddled fake news on behalf of Iran. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University on asymmetric information and attacker/defender dynamics. Tamika Smith debuts on our show with her story on Hackground, a STEM and robotics club. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/May/CyberWire_2019_05_14.html Support our show
Fxmsp criminals are now said to have code from a fourth security company, but none of the claimed victims have been publicly identified. A SharePoint vulnerability is being exploited against unpatched servers in the wild. The G7 are preparing a major exercise to evaluate the financial system’s ability to withstand a major cyberattack. No one is saying what the Anthem hackers were after. Amnesty takes NSO Group to court. And the Pentagon takes a security look at VCs. Jonathan Katz from UMD on differential privacy, a technique for providing privacy for individuals taking part in studies. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/May/CyberWire_2019_05_13.html Support our show
Researchers at Blackberry Cylance have been tracking payload obfuscation techniques employed by OceanLotus (APT32), specifically steganography used to hide code within seemingly benign image files.
Tom Bonner is director of threat research at Blackberry Cylance, and he joins us to share their findings. The original research can be found here: https://www.cylance.com/en-us/lp/threat-research-and-intelligence/oceanlotus-steganography-malware-analysis-white-paper-2019.html
Fxmsp may have breached three anti-virus companies. US-CERT and CISA warn against a new North Korean malware tool being used by Hidden Cobra: they’re calling it “ElectricFish.” A changing of the guard at Symantec. Former Facebook insiders call for breaking up the company and for more regulation. Facebook disagrees about the breakup, but says it likes the idea of regulation. Two indictments are unsealed--one for leaking classified information, the other for the Anthem breach. Johannes Ullrich shares some vulnerabilities involving tools from Google. Verizon DBIR coauthor Alex Pinto shares this year’s key findings.
The Green Leakers release more information about Iranian cyber operators, including details about MuddyWater and the Rana Institute. A misconfigured GitLab instance exposes data used by Samsung engineers. Thoughts on how AI can shift the advantage to the attacker. Amazon is after hackers who defrauded sellers. DeepDotWeb proprietors are indicted. “Evil Cippy” does VBA stomping. And a food fight in San Mateo’s corner of cyberspace. Justin Harvey from Accenture reviews cyber insurance. UVA’s Mariah Carey shares her experience as captain of the championship winning NCCDC team.
Turla is back, and with a clever backdoor called “LightNeuron.” Verizon’s Data Breach Investigations Report shows that the C-suite remains a big target of social engineers, that crooks are following companies into the cloud, that ransomware remains popular, and that people seem warier of phishing. Bad actors peddle influence in the EU. Binance gets looted, Baltimore gets hacked. Meny Har from Siemplify explains SOCs, SIEMs and SOARs. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS considers emojis in the courtroom.
Buckeye seems to have reengineered some of Uncle Sam’s cyber tools, and they did it without, apparently, help from the ShadowBrokers. More on airstrikes as retaliation for hacking, with a brief excursus on electronic warfare. Notes on malicious commitment as one of the hazards of open source software development. How big is the dark web? Big enough, but maybe not as big as everyone thinks. And beware of bogus Avengers Endgame sites. David Dufour from Webroot with thoughts on HTTPS security concerns. Guest is Michael Figueroa from the Advance Cyber Security Center on their recent report identifying a need for a board-level cyber risk management standard. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/May/CyberWire_2019_05_07.html Support our show
Tracking a group that’s after the software supply chain. Israel adds airstrikes to the array of responses it’s prepared to make to hackers. The US Federal Trade Commission still doesn’t know how you solve a problem like Mark. Some more notes from last week’s Global Cyber Innovation Summit. Sophos has more details on MegaCortex, a new strain of ransomware. And criminal organizations organize and operate a lot like legitimate businesses. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI with information on a remote code execution vulnerability affecting Dell systems. Guest is Blake Sobczak from E & E News on the recent electrical grid “cyber event”. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/May/CyberWire_2019_05_06.html Support our show
Researchers at Cisco Talos have been tracking what they believe is a state-sponsored attack on DNS systems, targeting the Middle East and North Africa. This attack has the potential to erode trust and stability of the DNS system, so critical to the global economy. Craig Williams is director of Talos Outreach at Cisco, and he joins us to share their findings. The original research can be found here: https://blog.talosintelligence.com/2019/04/seaturtle.html
That cyber incident that affected electrical utilities in the western United States seems to have been a denial-of-service attack. Concerns arise over potential proliferation of Chinese security service tools. Exploit blackmarketeer Volodya and some customers. The Retefe banking Trojan is back. Some new ransomware thinks it’s the moving finger that writes, and, having written, moves on. And some cause for measured optimism at the Global Cyber Innovation Summit. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on the Dynamic Connections conference, hosted by General Dynamics. Guest is Joseph Carson from Thycotic on lessons he’s learned (the hard way) on communications with the board. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/May/CyberWire_2019_05_03.html Support our show
The group behind the Wipro attack has been active since 2015. Office 365 are still being targeted by account takeover attacks. A third-party Android app store is serving malware. The UK Defense Secretary has been sacked over leaked information. The US warned Russia to cease its support of Venezuela’s Chavista regime. Russia’s Internet sovereignty bill is signed into law. And notes on the Global Cyber Innovation Summit. Jonathan Katz from UMD on law enforcement requests for “ghost” encryption. Guest is Cody Cornell from Swimlane on collaborative SOCs.
In today’s podcast, we hear that a US Energy Department report alludes to a March cyber incident. Citycomp refused to yield to blackmail, so now its client data is being leaked. The US Department of Homeland Security has issued Binding Operational Directive 19-02. A UK judge sentenced Julian Assange to fifty weeks jail for bail jumping. Facebook the privacy-focused initiatives it plans to implement. And notes on the Global Cyber Innovation Summit. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on the pros and cons of conferences like RSA. Guest is Bert Grantges from Vera on cyber security as a business enabler. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/May/CyberWire_2019_05_01.html Support our show
A backdoor turns out to be a familiar kind of Telnet implementation (and it was fixed seven years ago in any case). A large database of US household personally identifiable information was found exposed online, but who owned it remains unclear. The US Department of Homeland Security releases a Critical Functions List. ISIS’s sometime Caliph is back online. And piracy streaming is loaded with malware. Who knew? Craig Williams from Cisco Talos on their research into malware markets on Facebook. Guest is Dean Pipes from TetraVX on the root cause of shadow IT. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_30.html Support our show
Vulnerable peer-to-peer software exposes consumer and small-business IoT devices to compromise. A hacker says he’s hacked automotive GPS trackers, all for the good, of course, and could even turn off a car’s engine. Not, you know, that he would. Sri Lanka warns of the possibility of more violence, and journalists wonder if prior restraint of certain speech might be worth considering. Curating app stores for security. And potty-mouthed eScooters on Brisbane streets. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on Facebook’s continuing privacy violations, potential FTC fines and PR woes. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_29.html Support our show
Researchers at Ben Gurion University in Israel have developed techniques to infiltrate medical imaging system networks and alter 3D medical scans within, fooling both human and automated examiners with a high rate of success. Yisroel Mirsky is a cybersecurity researcher and project manager at Ben Gurion University, and he joins us to share what his team discovered. The original research can be found here: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1901.03597.pdf A video demonstrating the exploit is here: https://youtu.be/_mkRAArj-x0
Investigation of the Easter massacres in Sri Lanka continues. For all the concern about online inspiration, some of the coordination seems to have been face-to-face. Symantec describes a cryptojacking campaign, Beapy, that propagates using EternalBlue. An Oracle web server zero-day is reported. Recorded Future describes the commodified black market for credential-stuffing. And there’s a cabinet dust-up in the UK over a leak about the government’s plans for Huawei. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the ISC Stormcast podcast on the increase in DHCP client vulnerabilities he’s been tracking. Guest is Anura Fernando from UL on the technological and regulatory challenges of medical devices and wearables. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_26.html Support our show
Sri Lanka’s investigation of the Easter massacres continues, with some ISIS video surfacing. Apps with aggressive adware found in Google Play. Context-aware phishbait may be bringing the Qbot banking Trojan to an email thread near you. Facebook seems to think the FTC is about to hit it hard, and sets aside a rainy day fund. And the Wall Street Market, a contraband souk on the dark web, may be engaged in an exit scam. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on the NSA recommending dropping the phone surveillance program. Guest is Jason Mical from Devo on the increasing importance of threat hunting. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_25.html Support our show
Sri Lanka investigates a homegrown jihadist group with possible international connections for the Easter massacres. New Zealand is preparing the Christchurch Call to exclude violent terrorist content from the Internet. ShadowHammer moves its supply chain attacks upstream. Carbanak source code seems to have been in VirusTotal for two years. Someone’s spoofing financial institutions. Bots surged upon the release of the Mueller report. ASD offers a counsel of perfection. Prof. Awais Rashid from University of Bristol on evidence based risk assessment. Guest is Michael P. Morris from Topcoder on the challenges of creating secure apps in the gig economy. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_24.html Support our show
ISIS claims responsibility for the Sri Lankan bombings. The government maintains its declared state of emergency, and has arrested at least forty in the course of its investigation. Check Point describes a spearphishing campaign against embassies in Europe. It’s thought to be the work of the Russian mob. Weak keys let the “Blockchain Bandit” rifle alt-coin wallets. And a disgruntled bug hunter doxes one of Mexico’s embassies. Justin Harvey from Accenture on preserving digital evidence in the aftermath of a cyber attack. Guest is Maryam Rahmani on the upcoming NYIT Girls in Engineering and Technology Day. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_23.html Support our show
Sri Lanka clamps down on social media in the wake of Easter massacres. Authorities suspect an Islamist group, but no terrorist organization has so far claimed responsibility. CIA intelligence is said to have the goods on Chinese security services’ hold over Huawei. Marcus Hutchins, also known as MalwareTech, and famous as the sometime hero of the WannaCry kill-switch, has taken a guilty plea to charges connected with the distribution of Kronos banking malware. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on password research from WP Engine. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_22.html Support our show
Researchers have discovered a number of vulnerabilities in the SwissPost e-vote system which could allow undetectable manipulation of votes. Dr Vanessa Teague is Associate Professor and Chair, Cybersecurity and Democracy Network at the Melbourne School of Engineering, University of Melbourne, Australia. She joins us to explain her team's findings. The original research is here: https://people.eng.unimelb.edu.au/vjteague/SwissVote
Some observations on the Mueller Report, in particular its insight into what two specific GRU units were up to. (And some naming of DCLeaks and Guccifer 2.0 as GRU fronts.) Someone is doxing Iran’s OilRig cyberespionage group. A French government messaging app appears less secure than intended. Old Excel macros can still be exploited. And what were the Wipro hackers after? Gift cards, apparently. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs on the Cisco Talos report on malware markets in Facebook groups. Guest is Barbara Lawler from Looker Data Sciences on GDPR, CCPA and the coming wave of privacy legislation. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_19.html Support our show
The US Justice Department releases the redacted Mueller Report: investigators found no evidence sufficient to establish conspiracy or coordination between any US persons and the Russians over the 2016 campaign, but the Bears were busy. The Sea Turtle campaign sets a worrisome example of DNS manipulation. Sneaky apps booted from Google Play. Facebook apologizes again. Notre Dame fire fraud. Replication in cyber research. And an act of gratuitous computer destruction. Robert M. Lee from Dragos with a look back at the evolution of ICS technology. Guest is Nathan Katzenstein. He’s got 20 years in IT, and offers his perspective on the job market as he finishes up his masters in cyber security. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_18.html Support our show
Spearphishing campaign against Ukraine traced to the so-called “Luhansk People’s Republic.” Anonymice threaten to rain chaos on Yorkshire if Julian Assange isn’t freed--actually, more chaos since the initial chaos was perhaps too easily overlooked. An implausible venture capitalist is asking people if they’re being paid to bad-mouth a security firm. Pirated Game of Thrones episodes carry malware. David Dufour from Webroot with survey results on AI and ML. Guest is Derek Vadala from Moody’s Investor Service on Moody’s framework for assessing cyber risk. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_17.html Support our show
Condolences to the city of Paris and the people of France. And, alas, expect fraud to follow fire. A compromise may have turned a company’s networks against its customers. Denial-of-service in Ecuador. A look at Brazil’s cyber criminals. Selling a keylogger, complete with terms of service. Facebook’s attitude toward data. The EU finalizes its controversial copyright law. Huawei’s prospects. And what did the algorithm know, and when did the algorithm know it? Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs with their Fraud Guides 101 report. Guest is Ed Bellis from Kenna Security on their latest research report focused on vulnerability remediation. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_16.html Support our show
An ISIS hard drive suggests the Caliphate’s plans for inspiration as it enters exile. Facebook’s Sunday outage remains unexplained. Microsoft deals with a breach in its consumer web mail products. A researcher drops an Internet Explorer zero-day that may affect you even if you don’t use IE. CISA warns of bugs in widely used VPNs. Last minute Tax Day online scams. Security pros advocate poor restroom hygiene. Easter eggs in Oculus. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on research from Tenable on Verizon FIOS router vulnerabilities. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_15.html Support our show
Eric O’Neill is a former FBI counterintelligence and counterterrorism operative, and founder of the Georgetown Group, a security and investigative firm, as well as national security strategist for Carbon Black. In his book Gray Day, My Undercover Mission to Expose America’s First Cyber Spy, Eric O’Neil shares the fascinating and sometimes harrowing tale of his experience being assigned to help expose Robert Hanssen, the FBI’s most notorious mole. In 2001 Hanssen pleaded guilty to multiple charges of espionage for sharing classified information with the Soviet Union and Russia over the course of over two decades.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's CyLab Security and Privacy Institute claim to have made an important breakthrough in establishing root of trust (RoT) to detect malware in computing devices. Virgil Gligor is one of the authors of the research, and he joins us to share their findings. Link to original research - https://www.ndss-symposium.org/ndss-paper/establishing-software-root-of-trust-unconditionally/
Julian Assange remains in British custody. Hearings on the US extradition warrant are expected to begin next month. The US indictment revives discussion of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act under which Mr. Assange was charged. Some notes on why Ecuador decided to revoke the WikiLeaks leader’s asylum. Notes on Dragonblood. And we’re at the end of tax season, but the dark web souks are still hawking 1040s and W-2s. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on pending state legislation restricting law enforcement use of DNA data. Guest is Eric O’Neill, former FBI operative and author of Gray Day, My Undercover Mission to Expose America’s First Cyber Spy. This is a preview of the full interview that will run on Sunday. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_12.html Support our show
Julian Assange is out of the Ecuadoran embassy and in British custody. He’s been found guilty of bail jumping, and will face extradition to the US on charges related to conspiracy to release classified material. Hidden Cobra is back with a new Trojan: “HOPLIGHT.” Kaspersky describes Operation SneakyPastes. IBM Security finds organizations don’t exercise incident response plans. Two New Jersey high school boys are in trouble for jamming Secaucus High’s wi-fi. Jonathan Katz from UMD with his response to a skeptical critique of quantum computing. Guest is Maurice Singleton from Vidsys on the convergence of IoT security devices and IT security. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_11.html Support our show
FireEye says that the Triton actor is back. There’s some ICS malware staged in an unnamed “critical infrastructure” facility, and it looks as if the people who went after a petrochemical plant in 2017 are back for battlespace preparation. Kaspersky describes Project TajMahal, a cyberespionage effort against a Central Asian embassy. And California’s motor-voter program hits a hacker-induced bump in the road. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the ISC Stormcast podcast on protecting yourself from hidden cameras when vacationing. Guest is Dr. Ratinder Ahuja from ShieldX on Elastic Microsegmentation. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_10.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear about GossipGirl, potentially a “supra threat actor” Chronicle sees linking Stuxnet, Flame, and Duqu. LockerGoga’s destructive functionality may be a feature, not a bug. Venezuela now says its power grid is being hacked by Chile and Colombia. The US designates Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. What’s up with New Zealand and hidden, networked cameras? And second thoughts about what counts as a “preliminary forensic investigation.” Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on minding permissions on mobile devices. Guest is Mike O’Malley from Radware on the true costs of cyber attacks. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_09.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear about leadership changes at the US Department of Homeland Security. A look at credential stuffing. Cryptojacking disrupts production at an optical equipment manufacturer. The British Government moves toward establishing a duty of care that would impose new legal responsibilities on search engines, social media, and others. Tax season scams grow more plausible, and some of them are aimed at rounding up money mules. Rick Howard from Palo Alto networks reflects on the accomplishments of the Cyber Threat Alliance. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_08.html Support our show
Joep Gommers from EclecticIQ joins us to share their research tracking the information operations and and security methods they've been tracking that Russians have been using in advance of the recently held elections in Ukraine. The research can be found here: https://www.eclecticiq.com/resources/fusion-center-report-situational-awareness-ukraine-elections
In today’s podcast we hear about an “Amazon-style fulfillment model” for the criminal-to-criminal market. Criminals have Facebook groups, too, and lots of friends (“friends” here being a term of art). Xiaomi patches man-in-the-middle problems in its phones. Defense firms organize a supply chain security task force. Congress would like FEMA to explain its privacy incident. Alleged card skimmers arrested on other charges in Mexico. And Mr. Assange remains in Ecuador’s London embassy, at least for now. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on predictive policing software. Guest is Rob Strayer, Ambassador and Deputy Assistant US Secretary of State on security challenges in the global supply chain. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_05.html Support our show
In today’s podcast we hear that Bayer, maker of pharmaceuticals and agricultural products, blocked an espionage attempt by China’s Winnti Group, and has been quietly monitoring the threat actor since last year. GlitchPOS and its evolution. Do those apps really need all that access? Two breaches of Facebook data by third parties. Some good digital hygiene notes: change default passwords and backup your data in a secure and recoverable way. And no, there’s no CIA officer warning you’ll be arrested if you don’t pony up 1.4 Bitcoin. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos with research on GlitchPOS malware. Guest is Leo Simonovich from Siemens Energy on challenges and opportunities in the energy sector. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_04.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that OceanLotus, a.k.a. Cobalt Kitty, a.k.a. APT32, is out and about and using a steganographic vector to deliver its loader. Georgia Tech suffers a major data breach, with access to student, staff, and faculty records by parties unknown. Research universities remain attractive targets. Reflections on dual-use technologies. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have raided offices connected with the production of the Orcus RAT, which is either a legitimate tool or a commodity Trojan, depending on whom you believe. David Dufour from Webroot with results from their most recent threat report. Guest is Roy Zur from Cybint Solutions on the essentials of hunting and fishing for information online. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_03.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that a ransomware strain deletes duplicates. But you know that just keeping a duplicate on the same drive wasn’t a secure backup, right? Right? Exodus spyware, now ejected from Google Play, is becoming a significant scandal in Italy. Influence operations meet campaigning in India and Israel--fair or unfair seems to be in the eye of the campaigner. In Ukraine, they’re just so much disinformation. OpIsrael hacktivists are expected back this weekend. More on below-the-belt selfies. Prof. Awais Rashid from University of Bristol on training people to work with cyber security complexity at scale. Guest is Hank Thomas from Strategic Cyber Ventures on the current environment for VC funding in cyber security. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_02.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that Magento users are being urged to patch as risk of exploitation rises. Toyota experiences another cyber attack, and some observers blame, on grounds of motive, opportunity, and track record, OceanLotus. Exodus spyware in the Google Play store looks like a case of lawful intercept tools getting loose. Moscow seeks to control and limit VPN providers. Mr. Zuckerberg wants regulation. Mr. Barriss gets twenty years for swatting. And, hey, there’s phishing tackle on the Nigerian National Assembly’s site. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on a spying a leaving unsecured data online. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_01.html Support our show
Researchers at Pen Test Partners recently examined a variety of third-party automotive security systems and found serious security issues, potentially giving bad actors the ability to locate, disable or meddle with multiple vehicle systems. Ken Munro is a security researcher with Pen Test Partners, and he joins us to share their findings. The original research can be found here: https://www.pentestpartners.com/security-blog/gone-in-six-seconds-exploiting-car-alarms/
In today’s podcast, we hear that Ukraine is preparing for this weekend’s elections while facing intense Russian information operations. Estonia’s experience with such interference may hold lessons. A Magneto vulnerability, just patched, could compromise paycards on e-commerce sites. Huawei reports record profits, and comes in for sharp British criticism over slipshod engineering. Prisoners in Finland will be helping train AI. And security companies hungry for talent should take note of tech layoffs in the larger IT sector. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS with news that law enforcement agencies are encrypting their radio communications. Guest is Lorrie Cranor, director of CyLab at Carnegie Mellon University. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_29.html Support our show
In today’s podcast we hear that a young banking Trojan gains criminal marketshare in the Android ecosystem. Microsoft lawyers up and seizes sites Iran’s Charming Kitten used to stage its attacks. Another Iranian APT, “Elfin,” is described. A battalion’s worth of Russian special operators and cyber troops are on the ground in Venezuela. Washington wants them out; Moscow says they’re in for the duration. And accused NSA leaker Hal Martin is expected to take a guilty plea this week. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University on cyber risk management. Guest is Satish Thiagarajan from Tata Consultancy Services on customizing machine learning to combat cyber attacks. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_28.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that the Spanish Defense Ministry has been reported to have suffered cyberespionage. The Lazarus Group’s life of crime. Facebook takes down “coordinated inauthenticity.” Add Lucky Elephant to the bad actor menagerie: it’s harvesting credentials in South Asia. Notes on the ASUS supply chain backdoor. Updates on Norsk Hydro’s recovery from its LockerGoga infestation. Russia says, hey, the Mueller Report totally exonerated us, too. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on data collection and protecting PII. Guest is Matthew Montgomery from Verizon on their Mobile Security Index report. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_27.html Support our show
In today’s podcast we hear about supply chain attacks and Operation ShadowHammer’s ASUS backdoor. LockerGoga ransomware may be slow and sloppy, but its masters are determined and willing to play for high stakes. What will happen with FEMA over its data mishandling incident? Responses to the Mueller Report’s conclusions. Venezuela says it was hacked again--the rhetorical technique is implausible insistence. And what do PewDiePie fans call themselves? The Nine Year Olds, the Bro Army. Fans of Mr. Pie’s girlfriend are the Marzipans. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI with thoughts on recent revelations that Facebook was making unencrypted passwords accessible to thousands of employees. Guest is Greg Jensen from Oracle on their 2019 Cloud Threat Report. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_26.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that the US Attorney General has reported to Congress the results of Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation. The basic finding is that there’s no evidence of collusion with Russian influence operations. ISIS no longer holds any ground. Expect it back in cyberspace. LockerGoga ransomware hits two chemical plants. FEMA mishandles more than two-million disaster victims’ PII. Notes on Cyber 9/12. And there’s a squabble for YouTube subscribers. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on their recent purchase of Next Defense and the subsequent open-sourcing of their tools. Guest is Rohit Sethi from Security Compass on the PCI security framework. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_25.html Support our show
Investigators from McAfee's advanced threat research unit, working with partners at Coveware, have reevaluated hasty attributions of Ryuk ransomware to North Korea and have explored the inner workings of the threat. John Fokker is head of cyber investigations in McAfee's Advanced Threat research unit. He join us to share their findings. The original research can be found here: https://securingtomorrow.mcafee.com/other-blogs/mcafee-labs/ryuk-exploring-the-human-connection/
In today’s podcast, we hear that Finland’s data protection authority is investigating reports that Nokia 7 Plus smartphones are sending data to a Chinese telecom server. Thousands of API tokens and cryptographic keys are exposed in public GitHub repositories. The US government warns that certain cardiac devices can be hacked from close range. A North Carolina county government is dealing with its third ransomware attack. And Magecart groups go after bedding companies. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs with thoughts on securing the digital economy. Guest is Adam Isles from the Chertoff Group on supply chain risks. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_22.html Support our show
Fancy Bear and Sandworm are launching cyberespionage campaigns against European governments before the EU parliamentary elections. The FIN7 cybercrime group is still active, and it’s using new malware. A scammer stole more than $100 million from Google and Facebook. Facebook stored hundreds of millions of passwords in plaintext for years. And chatbots can learn to impersonate you based on your texts. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on rumors of NSA shutting down the Section 215 program. Guest is Jadee Hanson from Code 42 on insider threats. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_21.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that Norsk Hydro’s recovery continues, with high marks for transparency. Some notes on the challenges of deterrence in cyberspace from yesterday’s CYBERSEC DC conference, along with context for US skepticism about Huawei hardware. Cookiebot says the EU is out of compliance with GDPR, it’s sites infested with data-scraping adtech. Google and Facebook get, if not a haircut, at least a trim, in EU and US courts. And some animadversions concerning digital courtship displays. Dr. Charles Clancy from VA Tech’s Hume Center on updates to the GPS system. Guest is Landon Lewis from Pondurance on balancing AI and human intelligence. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_20.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that an aluminum manufacturing giant in Norway has suffered a major ransomware attack. A new version of the Mirai botnet malware is targeting enterprise systems. The US Homeland Security Secretary says the private sector and the government in the United States need to work together against cyber threats. Europol has a new cyber incident response strategy. And cybersecurity executives say some vendors’ marketing tactics are having a detrimental effect on the security industry. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the ISC Stormcast Podcast on hardware security issues at the perimeter. Guest is Nathan Burke from Axonius, winners of the 2019 RSAC Innovation Sandbox competition. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_19.html Support our show
In today’s podcast we hear about content moderation in the aftermath of the New Zealand mosque shootings. A shift in Huawei’s strategy in the face of Five Eye--and especially US--sanctions: the US doesn’t like us because we’re a threat to their ability to conduct untrammeled surveillance. Corruption, neglect, and replacement of experts by politically reliable operators seem to have caused Venezuela’s blackouts. Gnosticplayers are back, with more commodity data. And AI has no monopoly on evil--natural intelligence has that market cornered. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on the recently announced DARPA funded effort to develop and open-source voting system. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_18.html Support our show
Akamai's Larry Cashdollar joins us to describe an exploit he recently came across while researching MageCart incidents. It's a remote command execution vulnerability affecting ThinkPHP, a popular web framework. The original research can be found here: https://blogs.akamai.com/sitr/2019/01/thinkphp-exploit-actively-exploited-in-the-wild.html
In today’s podcast, we hear that a terror attack against two New Zealand mosques is announced on Twitter and live-streamed on Facebook. A new, unobtrusive JavaScript sniffer infests some e-commerce sites in the UK and the US. Cryptojacking finds its way into the cloud. A look at the consequences of regulation, both good and bad. How CISOs will have to grapple with the increasingly pervasive Internet-of-things. And China’s National People’s Congress makes a gesture toward respecting IP, but the world remains skeptical. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos with an update of crypto miners. Guest is Nirmal John, author of the book, “Breach: Remarkable Stories of Espionage and Data Theft and the Fight to Keep Secrets Safe.” For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_15.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that Indonesia says it’s got its voting security under control, and a lot of the problems sound like good old familiar fraud and dirty campaigning. Trustwave warns of a watering hole on a Pakistani government site. Recorded Future goes RAT hunting. Proofpoint offers a look at “intelligent brute-forcing.” Kaspersky reports on two espionage APTs exploiting a just-patched Microsoft zero-day. Flashpoint describes an unusual point-of-sale attack, and Check Point find Trojanized Android apps. Germany’s BND warns against Huawei. Robert M. Lee from Dragos with thoughts on the Venezuelan power outages. Guest is Jeremy Tillman from Ghostery on the California Consumer Privacy Act. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_14.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that election interference concerns persist around the world. Governments seek to address them with a mix of threat intelligence and attention to security basics. A US Navy report says the Fleet’s supply chain is well on the way to being pwned by Chinese intelligence. Undersea cables are a center of Sino-US competition. The European Parliament warns about the Chinese threat to 5G infrastructure. More calls to rein in Big Tech. And the UN looks at North Korea and sees massive cyber crime. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs with a look back at the Equifax breach. Guest is Dr. Wenliang (Kevin) Du from Syracuse University on his SEED labs and the importance of hands-on training in cyber security. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_13.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear an update on Venezuela and its power outages. Amplification of social media posts as a form of mass persuasion. A look at how control of the Internet has replaced control of the radio station as a move in civil war and coup or counter-coup planning. Asian game makers get backdoored out of China. Decryptors are out for BigBobRoss ransomware. Senator Warren versus Facebook, and Facebook versus itself. And Sir Tim Berners-Lee on the Web’s 30th birthday. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI with an early look at NSA’s Ghidra reverse engineering tool. Guest is Dr. Phyllis Schneck from Promontory Financial Group (an IBM company) on regulation in cyber security, a preview of her talk at the upcoming JHU Annual Cybersecurity Conference for Executives. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_12.html Support our show
Venezuela sustains power outages, and the regime blames hackers and wreckers. The opposition says it’s all due to the regime’s corruption, incompetence, and neglect. Citrix loses business documents in what might have been an Iranian espionage operation. Huawei’s suit against the US gets some official cheering from Beijing. The US warns against Chinese information operations. And Russian troll farmers turn to amplification. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University on the importance of Cyber Design. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_11.html Support our show
Vitali Kremez is a Director of Research at Flashpoint. His team discovered that the recently disclosed intrusion suffered in December 2018 by Chilean interbank network Redbanc involved PowerRatankba, a malware toolkit with ties to North Korea-linked group Lazarus. The intrusion represents the latest known example of Lazarus-affiliated tools being deployed within financially motivated activity targeted toward financial institutions in Latin America. The original research can be found here: https://www.flashpoint-intel.com/blog/disclosure-chilean-redbanc-intrusion-lazarus-ties/
In today’s podcast, we hear that Chinese information operations on US social media are widespread. The Egyptian government launches spear phishing attacks against activists. Hundreds of millions of email records were found online. Chelsea Manning is back in jail. The US is retaliating for Chinese cyberespionage. And Facebook wants to change its image. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on a PA supreme court ruling on protection of employee’s personal information. Guest is Scott Shackelford from Indiana University on the Paris call for trust and security. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_08.html Support our show
The scope of Iran-linked APT33 cyberattacks has been revealed. GandCrab criminals are using more sophisticated tactics. A new type of malware was using Slack to communicate. Chrome gets an important update. Huawei sues the US, and Germany sets tougher security rules for telecom companies. And people who invest in cryptocurrency often don't know what they're getting into. David Dufour from Webroot with his thoughts on RSA Conference. Guest is Asaf Cidon from Barracuda Networks on account takeover vulnerabilities. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_07.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that Australia's former prime minister warns Britain about Chinese tech companies. Symantec says Whitefly was behind SingHealth's massive data breach. Iranian hackers show code overlap. Intel CPUs are vulnerable to another speculative execution flaw. The NSA hasn't been using its domestic phone surveillance program lately. Sharing code presents dangers. And Google will ban political ads in Canada. Justin Harvey from Accenture with results from their Costs of Crime report, as well as observations from RSAC. Guest is Gerald Beuchelt from LogMeIn with info from their latest password survey. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_06.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that India went on the offensive when its government websites were attacked by hackers from Pakistan. Rob Joyce, Senior Advisor for Cybersecurity Strategy to the Director of the US National Security Agency, discusses trends in cyber conflict. A Chinese cyberespionage group hacks for maritime technologies. Facebook lets people look you up by your two-factor authentication phone number. And Google researchers disclose a vulnerability in macOS. CyberWire Editor John Petrik with results from the RSA Conference Innovation Sandbox. Guest Balaji Parimi from CloudKnox weighs the pros and cons of various authorization schemes. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_05.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that Operation Sharpshooter is linked to North Korea. Canada begins the extradition process for Meng Wanzhou. Huawei is planning to sue the US for banning its equipment from government use. Facebook may have used questionable tactics to lobby against stricter data protection laws. Thailand passes a controversial cybersecurity law. And IBM interns discover a host of vulnerabilities in visitor management systems. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI with details on a Ring Doorbell vulnerability. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_04.html Support our show
Researchers at Zscaler have been tracking a variety fake versions of the popular Fortnite game on the Google Play store, along with associated scams. Deepen Desai is head of security research at Zscaler, and he joins us to share their findings.
The original research can be found here:
https://www.zscaler.com/blogs/research/fake-fortnite-apps-scamming-and-spying-android-gamers
Qbot infections are spreading. The bounty-hunting gig economy apparently has its first millionaire. Observers are liking what they see in US Cyber Command’s “persistent engagement.” Canada mulls the extradition of Huawei’s CFO to the US. The US continues to call Huawei a security risk, and Huawei has some things to say back. The Momo Challenge is a viral online craze, but not the way you may have heard. Awais Rashid from Bristol University with thoughts on edge computing. Guest is Dr. Dena Haritos Tsamitis from Carnegie Mellon University on improving the culture of infosec, as well as her thoughts on the upcoming RSA conference. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_01.html Support our show
In today’s podcast we hear that a misconfigured Amazon Web Services database has exposed a risk screening database--and it seems the exposure itself was an instance of third-party risk. Farewell to Coinhive, long a favorite of cryptominers everywhere. Intel pulls back from a 5G project with a Chinese partner. A quick look at Bronze Union, and what the threat actor’s up to. Facebook will soon help you clear your data. And if you have a lawful intercept tool you no longer need, please don’t sell it on eBay. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs on the commoditization of malware. Guest is Michelle Dennedy from Cisco with results from their most recent Data Privacy Benchmark Study. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_28.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that Nokia routers have been found vulnerable to man-in-the-middle and denial-of-service attacks. As one would expect, the US and North Korean summit in Hanoi this week summons up some hacking. Ukraine accuses Russia of DDoS attacks in the service of election disruption. US Cyber Command played some chin music for St. Petersburg during US midterm elections. And if you’re going to hack into an embassy, wouldn’t you want to do more than install a cryptojacker? David Dufour from Webroot with insights on their pending purchase by Carbonite. Guest is Randy Vanderhoof from the Secure Technology Alliance on managing identity and fraud in the payment space. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_27.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear updates on suspicions of Chinese operators. Some trend reports from IBM and NETSCOUT. Bare-metal cloud services get reflashed. USB-C ports may be more vulnerable than thought to direct memory access attacks. Credential-stuffing attacks hit users of online tax-preparation services. And that missile attack on Tampa was not a drill—in fact, it never happened at all—and congratulations to the citizens of Florida for recognizing a hack and a hoax when they see one. Justin Harvey from Accenture on the types of vulnerabilities adversaries target. Guest is Guarav Tuli from F-Prime Capital on the current venture capital environment for cyber. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_26.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that ICANN has warned of a DNS hijacking wave, and is urging widespread DNSSEC adoption. Security firms see Iran as a particularly active DNS hijacker. A B0r0nt0k ransomware outbreak infests Linux servers, but Windows users might be at risk as well. A request for whitelisting in the Firefox certificate store arouses controversy. Technology Review raises questions about blockchain security. Bots keep people from getting consular appointments, and people don’t like it. And telling minotaurs from unicorns. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks with tips on moving data to the cloud. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_25.html Support our show
Researchers at security firm Cylance have been tracking a threat group targeting the Rosneft Russian oil company. As Cylance uncovered details, suspicions shifted from state-sponsored espionage to business email compromise.
Kevin Livelli is director of threat intelligence at Cylance, and he joins us to share what they found. The original research can be found here: https://threatvector.cylance.com/en_us/home/poking-the-bear-three-year-campaign-targets-russian-critical-infrastructure.html
In today’s podcast, we hear that Kiev says it’s found complex, large-scale Russian influence operations in Ukraine’s presidential election. Australian investigators are said to be closer to concluding that recent hacking attempts were the work of Chinese intelligence services. There’s also plenty of ordinary crime to go around. Huawei continues its charm and affordability offensive. User comments drive advertisers away from YouTube. DrainerBot sucks power from phones. And Russia outlaws soldier-selfies. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS about a lawsuit involving a man refusing to unlock his phone at the U.S. border. Guest is Linda Burger from NSA with information on their Technology Transfer Program. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_22.html Support our show
In today’s podcast we hear about a test of influencing soldiers through their social media: Instagram works best, Twitter not so much. Separ credential-stealing malware successfully lives off the land. NoRelationship attacks get past some email filters. Spamming users to get your point across may not be the best form of disclosure. University researchers find a man-in-the-room bug. Other researchers think they could capsize a ship. Britain’s NCSC continues its dance with Huawei. Password managers remain a good idea. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs discussing law enforcement on the dark web. UK correspondent Carole Theriault returns with the story of surveillance and facial recognition in London. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_21.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that Microsoft has disclosed a Fancy Bear sighting, snuffling around Atlanticist think tanks in Europe. Ukraine says, in effect, see, we told you so. Speaking of bears, it seems that North Korea’s Hidden Cobra may be striking at the biggest bear of them all, going after Russian targets. There’s new decryptor available for GandCrab ransomware. Citizen Lab and NSO Group’s new partial owner exchange notes. A look at a ransomware help desk. Mike Benjamin from CenturyLink with an update on the Necurs botnet. Guest is Tommy McDowell from the R-CISC (the retail ISAC) on the importance of sharing threat data.
In today’s podcast, we hear of a small flare in cyber conflict between India and Pakistan. Australian political parties as well as Parliament subjected to attempted cyberattacks. A new strain of malware is being distributed through messaging apps. Microsoft pulls cryptojacking Windows 10 apps from its store. Britain’s NCSC is rumored to have concluded that it can mitigate Huawei risks. Facebook gets a harsh report from Westminster. And a hacker claims a higher motive for his breach (but still wants Bitcoin). Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on Apple requiring two-factor authentication for developers. Guest is Igal Gofman from XM Cyber on network compromise through email. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_18.html Support our show
Researchers at Symantec have been tracking Seedworm, a cyber espionage group targeting the Middle East as well as Europe and North America. The threat group targets government agencies, oil & gas facilities, NGOs, telecoms and IT firms. Al Cooley is director of product management at Symantec, and he joins us to share their findings. The original research can be found here: https://www.symantec.com/blogs/threat-intelligence/seedworm-espionage-group
In today’s podcast, we hear that GandCrab has been scuttling through unpatched holes. Independent testing as an alternative to banning specific vendors as security risks. Big Tech gets some Congressional scrutiny over content moderation. Facebook takes down inauthentic accounts working to influence the Moldovan elections. The Federal Trade Commission is rumored to be queuing up a record privacy fine. Defending forward from disillusioned Bears. And happy birthday, GCHQ. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos on router vulnerabilities. Guest is Amanda Berlin, founder of Mental Health Hackers on her efforts to address mental health issues in infosec. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_15.html Support our show
In today’s podcast we hear that US prosecutors have unsealed the indictment of a former US Air Force counterintelligence specialist on charges she conspired to commit espionage on behalf of Iran. The US Treasury Department announces further sanctions on Iranian individuals and one organization named in that indictment. Two alleged members of Apophis Squad are indicted. Whatever became of the all the data stolen from Equifax? That information’s apparently not for sale on the dark web. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs on reducing the attack surface of containers. Guest is Kevin McNamee from Nokia with results from their recent threat intelligence report. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_14.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that China has denied involvement in the Australian Parliament hack. Patch Tuesday notes. A new strain of Shlayer malware is out. A look at GreyEnergy. Reactions to the destructive VFEmail attack. And thoughts on St. Valentine’s Day, with advice, admonition, and an excursus on credential-stuffing and holiday doughnuts. Dr. Charles Clancy from VA Tech’s Hume Center on the Pentagon’s use of AI for RF spectrum management. Guest is Matt Cauthorn from ExtraHop on malicious Chrome extensions. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_13.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that VFEmail has sustained a devastating, data-destroying attack. The EU considers whether it should, can, or will make a coordinated response to China’s APT10. A US Executive Order outlines a strategy to maintain superiority in artificial intelligence. Norway warns, again, of the risk of GPS jamming. US Army Stryker vehicles were hacked during testing last year. And some Marines are getting ahead of themselves, downloading close air support control apps to personal tablets. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the ISC Stormcast podcast on using hardware flaws for network access. Guest is Shane Harris from the Washington Post with an update on the Paul Whelan case in Russia. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_12.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that clipper malware has been ejected from Google Play. A different cryptojacker is kicking its competitors out of infected machines. Australian authorities continue to investigate the attempted hack of Parliament, with Chinese intelligence services as the prime suspects. How do you solve a problem like Huawei? Russia prepares to test its ability to disconnect from the Internet in the event of war. Prosecutors investigate alleged blackmail by below-the-belt selfie. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on politicians blocking citizens on social media. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_11.html Support our show
The team at Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 recently published research tracking trends in how organizations are addressing cloud security, along with tips for improvement. Ryan Olson is VP of threat intelligence at Palo Alto Networks, and he joins us to share their findings. The original research can be found here: https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/unit-42-cloud-security-trends-tips/
In today’s podcast, we hear that Australia is investigating an attempted hack of its Federal Parliament. The US Department of Homeland Security warns that spies are working through third parties to get to their targets. Spyware is bundled in a legitimate privacy app. Credit unions get spearphished. Mr. Bezos says, “No thanks, Mr. Pecker.” Apple will pay a FaceTime bug bounty. Microsoft says don’t use IE as a browser. And what they found in that seal scat. Justin Harvey from Accenture on credential stuffing. Guest is Sandi Roddy from Johns Hopkins APL on secure key management. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_08.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear about social engineering, with a few new twists. Some airlines may be exposing passenger data with insecure check-in links. APT10 may be lying low, for now, but the US Department of Homeland Security expects the cyber spies to be back. A researcher finds a macOS Keychain bug, but would rather not tell Apple about it. Governments in Europe and North America continue to assess risks associated with Huawei and ZTE. And a Trojan hides in The Sims 4. Awais Rashid from Bristol University with thoughts on the challenges of securing smart phones. Carole Theriault explores recent concerns over popular video app VLC Player security issues with Sophos’ Paul Ducklin. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_07.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that Chinese threat group APT10 seems to have been busy lately, and up to its familiar industrial espionage. More governments express skepticism about Chinese manufacturers. The US report on election security is out: influence ops were found to have had no material effect on the midterms. Lithuania worries about Russian election meddling. A reverse RDP attack risk is reported. An industrial IoT remote code flaw. And congratulations to the finalists in RSA’s Innovation Sandbox. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on biometrics for sale on the dark web. Guest is Katie Nickels from MITRE on the ATT&CK knowledge base. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_06.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that ExileRAT is targeting Tibet’s government-in-exile. The SpeakUp backdoor afflicts many varieties of Linux systems. Facebook bans ethnic militias in Myanmar from its platform. Norway’s PST intelligence service says that Huawei constitutes a security risk, and China says that’s nonsense. Someone seems to be hacking contact lists belonging to UK Members of Parliament. Bangladesh Bank is suing to recover the $81 million missing from its 2016 SWIFT heist. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on Facebook’s password flexibility on mobile devices. Guest is Josef Williamson from EclecticIQ on cyber espionage and nation state threats. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_05.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that Collection#1 looks like the work of an aggregator who goes by the name of “C0rpz.” OceanLotus is working with a new downloader. CookieMiner malware is poking around in Macs. Huawei continues to receive harsh security scrutiny internationally even as it seeks to position itself as a 5G leader. Russian influencers begin to attend to Venezuela. And if someone says they’ve got video of you looking at things you shouldn’t, they probably don’t. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks on Australia’s controversial encryption legislation. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_04.html Support our show
Researchers at Trend Micro recently published their look inside online underground marketplaces in the Middle East and North Africa, where criminals are buying and selling malware, laundering money and event booking their next discount vacation. Jon Clay is director of global threat communications at Trend Micro, and he joins us with their findings.
The original research can be found here: https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/news/cybercrime-and-digital-threats/cash-and-communication-new-trends-in-the-middle-east-and-north-africa-underground
In today’s podcast, we hear that Apple has let Facebook and Google out of time-out. Russia decides it would like access to Apple data because, you know, its Russian law. Social networks take down large numbers of inauthentic accounts. Fancy Bear is snuffling around Washington again, already, with some spoofed think-tank sites. Shape shifting campaign afflicts ads. China sees CoAPP DDoS attacks. An Aadhaar breach hits an Indian state as the SBI bank recovers from a data exposure incident. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the ISC Stormcast Podcast on the effectiveness of blocklists. Guest is Daniel Faggella from Emerj Artificial Intelligence Research on the future of AI and security. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_01.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that Collections #2 through #5 have joined Collection #1 in hacker fora. Google is found to be collecting data from devices in much the same way its advertising peer Facebook was. Russian trolls seek to discredit the Special Counsel’s investigation of influence ops. New York State opens an investigation into Apple’s response to the FaceTIme bug. The US Department of Justice aims to disrupt a North Korean botnet. And a rundown of some current online scams. Mike Benjamin from Century Link with information on TheMoon botnet and how it targets websites. Guest is Lewie Dunsworth, CISO & Executive Vice President of Technical Operations at Herjavec Group on projected increases in ransomware aimed at hospitals. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/January/CyberWire_2019_01_31.html Support our show
In today’s CyberWire, we hear that US Intelligence Community leaders testify that the major cyber threat comes from Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran. Iran’s APT39 takes an interest in PII. A UAE surveillance program is revealed. Hackers scanning for unpatched Cisco routers. What Huawei faces, in addition to fines. The FaceTime bug and responsible disclosure. Facebook was paying people to pwn their phones. Scam artists exploit a small disabled girl. And the Government shutdown’s mixed effect on cybersecurity. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos on Pylocky, a ransomware strain they’ve been tracking. Guest is Mark Orlando from Raytheon on safeguarding online information. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/January/CyberWire_2019_01_30.html Support our show
In the final episode of our four-part series, called “Ground Truth or Consequences: the challenges and opportunities of regulation in cyberspace,” we examine some of the game changing high profile breaches like Yahoo, Equifax and OPM, along with their impacts and lessons learned. Our guest is Dr. Christopher Pierson, CEO and founder of BlackCloak. Later in the program we'll hear from Jason Hart, CTO for enterprise and cybersecurity at Gemalto. They're the sponsors of this show.
In today’s podcast, we hear that a FaceTime bug lets you listen to someone’s phone before they’ve even picked up. FormBook malware’s surge is abetted by a new hosting service. Compromised server market xDedic has been taken down. Europol is looking for Webstressor users. Huawei faces new US criminal charges. Kim’s ambitious economic plan may augur ambitious North Korean hacking. EU foretells a surge in Iranian cyberattacks. Waiting for information operations around the Venezuelan crisis. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on legacy Twitter location data privacy issues. Guest is Jamil Jaffer from IronNet Cybersecurity with highlights from his recent Capital Hill briefing, “Nation-State Threats, Collective Defense, and Strategic Deterrence in Cyberspace: (How) Can We Get Better Fast?” For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/January/CyberWire_2019_01_29.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear about some Spy vs. Spy at Citizen Lab, but who the spies were working for isn’t clear. Ukraine’s cyber police accuse Russia of phishing for election influence. As Fortuna’s wheel turns, Russian bigwigs get doxed by transparency hacktivists. Great power tension over Venezuela bears watching in cyberspace. Alleged swatters indicted and arrested. Happy National Privacy Day. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on “fullz” records of children being sold on the dark web. Guest is Sean Lyngaas from CyberScoop with his insights on the DNS hijacking threat. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/January/CyberWire_2019_01_28.html Support our show
Researchers from Duo Security have been analyzing the behavior of Twitter bots in a series of posts on their web site. Their most recent dive into the subject explores amplification bots, which boost the impact of tweets through likes and retweets.
Jordan Wright is a principal R&D engineer at Duo Security, and he joins us to share their findings. Link to the original research - https://duo.com/labs/research/anatomy-of-twitter-bots-amplification-bots
In today’s podcast, we hear that two potential cyberattacks now look like glitches. Gray Energy and Zebrocy look as if they’re close enough to be, if not the same threat actor, at least first cousins. The US Army pushes significant cyber capability to a tactical level. Venezuela’s crisis may provide the next occasion for Russian information operations. How Bellingcat exposes info operations. Special Counsel Mueller secures the indictment and arrest of Roger Stone. And leave the Nest alone. Dr. Charles Clancy from the Hume Center at VA Tech on confusing marketing claims from AT&T with regard to 5G cellular technology. Guest is P. W. Singer, author of the book LikeWar, the Weaponization of Social Media. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/January/CyberWire_2019_01_25.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that the US House would like some more information from DHS about what prompted its emergency directive about DNS hijacking. More skepticism about Huawei from various governments. A British think tank has been hacked—observers think Russia’s GRU is good for it, but Russia says no, hey, it was Anonymous, and they did a good job. Exposed database leaves financial information out for the taking. Creeps take over a family’s Nest. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS with a 4th amendment personal privacy case out of Alaska. Guest is Kathleen Smith from CybersecJobs.com and ClearedJobs.net on the career benefits of volunteering. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/January/CyberWire_2019_01_24.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that Emergency Directive 19-01 has told US Federal civilian agencies to take steps to stop an ongoing DNS-hijacking campaign. The US National Intelligence Strategy is out, and it prominently features cyber as a “topical mission objective.” France says that war has begun in cyberspace, and that the enemy should be en garde. British barristers scramble to restore secure email. A metals firm sustains an attack on business systems. And some clown cuts Australian telecoms cables. Justin Harvey from Accenture on blocking incoming threats. Guest is Tom Huckle from Crucial on closing the skills gap. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/January/CyberWire_2019_01_23.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that the WordPress Multilingual Plugin was compromised by a disgruntled ex-employee. Stealthy DDoS might escape notice. Anubis droppers wait for the phone to move before executing. EU works against influence in its May elections. France fines Google for lack of transparency under GDPR. Facebook may face FTC action. And more emerges on the curious case of the American/Canadian/Irish/British citizen arrested in Moscow for spying. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the ISC Stormcast podcast on gift card scams. Carole Theriault speaks with guest Maria Varmazis about Fortnite vulnerabilities. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/January/CyberWire_2019_01_22.html Support our show
Researchers from Netscout's ASERT team have been making use of honeypots to gather information on rapidly evolving IoT botnets that take advantage of default usernames and passwords to gain access and take control of unprotected devices. Matt Bing is a security research analyst with Netscout, and he guides us through their findings. The original research can be found here: https://asert.arbornetworks.com/dipping-into-the-honeypot/
In today’s podcast we hear that Collection #1 is big but not the end-of-the-world. Still, be on the lookout for credential stuffing attacks. Rocke cryptojacker can disable some cloud security services. Beware of Telegram bots. Facebook shuts down a few hundred inauthentic Russian pages, and Sputnik shows up as either a free-speech paladin or another troll farm—take your pick. Epic Games closes a vulnerability that exposed data of Fortnite players. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs on power grid vulnerabilities to botnets. Guest is former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff discussing his book Exploding Data. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/January/CyberWire_2019_01_18.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that South Korea’s Defense Ministry has disclosed a cyber espionage incident. Fancy Bear sticks to its old tricks with Lojax. The US Justice Department is rumored not to be done with Huawei—this time an IP theft beef is believed to be coming. A big database exposure case in Oklahoma. And an update on yesterday's bogus Washington Post edition: it was a prank by the Yes Men. Mike Benjamin from Century Link with an update on the Mylobot botnet. Guest is Angie White from Iovation on PSD2, the payment services directive update. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/January/CyberWire_2019_01_17.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that the SEC and the Department of Justice are going after EDGAR hackers for securities fraud. Flashpoint sees the Lazarus Group in an attack on Chile’s Redbanc. Recorded Future shares notes on Iran’s Ashiyane Forum. Crytpomix ransomware is being distributed by fraudulent charitable appeals. Organized gangs are using Fortnite in-game currency for money laundering. A slickly done bogus edition of the Washington Post was being handed out in DC this morning. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on a recent ruling regarding 5th amendment protections for biometrics. Guest is Kevin O’Brien from GreatHorn on techniques to improve email security. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/January/CyberWire_2019_01_16.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that a bug hunter has found and responsibly disclosed issues in web hosts. Compromising Passenger Name Records in airline reservations. Business email compromise seems on the rise, and it’s also growing a bit more interactive. A Facebook executive is swatted, and absolutely nobody should dismiss this sort of thing as a joke. China would like everyone to stop saying bad stuff about Huawei, but the Polish government seems unconvinced that there’s nothing to see here. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks, revisiting the notion of a cyber moon shot. Carole Theriault reports on a hack of the Australian emergency warning system. She speaks with Paul Baccas from Proofpoint. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/January/CyberWire_2019_01_15.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that Huawei has fired the sales manager arrested for espionage in Poland, and says that if he was spying, he was freelancing. Ryuk ransomware now looks more like a criminal than a state-sponsored operation. And its “big-game hunting” has pulled in almost four million dollars since August. Access control system zero-days found. And a lawsuit is likely to set some precedents concerning what counts as cyberwar. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on updated NIST password guidelines. Guest is Vijaya Kaza from Lookout on the shifting role of privacy in infosec. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/January/CyberWire_2019_01_14.html Support our show
Researchers at RiskIQ have been tracking a series of web-based credit card skimmers known as Magecart. We take a closer look at attacks on Ticketmaster, British Airways, NewEgg and Shopper Approved payment card pages. Yonathan Klijnsma is lead of threat research at RiskIQ, and he guides us through what they've learned. Links to RiskIQ research: https://www.riskiq.com/blog/labs/magecart-ticketmaster-breach/ https://www.riskiq.com/blog/labs/magecart-british-airways-breach/ https://www.riskiq.com/blog/labs/magecart-newegg/ https://www.riskiq.com/blog/labs/magecart-shopper-approved/
In today’s podcast, we hear that FireEye has called out Iran “with moderate confidence” for a long-running DNS-hijacking campaign. Smart doorbells may not be smart enough for their users’ comfort, if reports of video sharing are to be credited. Crooks are finding Fuze cards as handy as good-guy consumers do. Poland makes two arrests in an espionage case linked to Huawei. And the Russian media are happy to offer sympathy to NSA for some alleged security lapses at Fort Meade. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos with details on Persian Stalker targeting secure messaging apps. Guest is Rajiv Dholakia from Nok Nok Labs on the security pros and cons of biometrics. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/January/CyberWire_2019_01_11.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that Proofpoint researchers are tracking the latest developments from the unusually diligent cyber criminals fo TA505. ISIS turns to newer, less closely monitored and moderated apps as it’s pushed out of larger social networks. Reddit asks users to reset their passwords, and to make them good ones. Google seems to have made strides against expansive interpretation of the EU’s right to be forgotten. And the curious tweets of @HAL999999999. Jonathan Katz from UMD on updated WiFi security. Guest is Ameesh Divatia from Baffle on the growing frustration with how companies handle our private information. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/January/CyberWire_2019_01_10.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that ICEPick-3PC is out in the wild and scooping up Android IP addresses. Shin Bet warns of influence operations threatening Israel’s April election—much predictable yelling and finger-pointing ensues. German authorities are pretty convinced Hackerangriff is the work of a lone, disgruntled student. OXO may have suffered a Magecart infestation. Dark Overlord’s labor market play. Facebook sharing. Internet autarky. And did Kaspersky finger an NSA contractor to NSA for mishandling secrets? Dr. Charles Clancy from VA Tech on security gaps in the 5G specification. Guest is Denis Cosgrove from Booz Allen Hamilton on the growing connectivity and autonomy in motor vehicles. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/January/CyberWire_2019_01_09.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, an arrest has been made in #hackerangriff: a student in the German state of Hessen. The US begins a campaign to heighten businesses’ awareness of cyber espionage. Observers see a coming “cyber cold war,” with China on one side and a large number of other countries on the other. Facebook is following a widening investigation into the use of inauthentic accounts, ads, and sites in recent US elections. WikiLeaks’ lawyers tell news media to stop defaming the organization and its founder. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on the nine lives of a credit card. Guest is Robb Reck from Ping Identity on NIST password guidance. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2019_01_08.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that investigation into the doxing campaign German political leaders suffered continues, and the Interior Minister promises a transparent inquiry. Attribution remains unsettled, but a lot of people are looking toward Russia. Marriott thinks fewer guests were affected by its Starwood breach than initially feared. Online gamers affected by breaches. The Dark Overlord continues to make a pest of itself. And can alt-coin production become less of an energy hog? Awais Rashid from Bristol University on securing large-scale infrastructure. Guests are Karen Waltermire and Harry Perper from NIST, discussing the NIST National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE). For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2019_01_07.html Support our show
Researchers from Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks have discovered an interesting relationship between the NOKKI and DOGCALL malware families, as well as a new RAT being used to deploy the malware. Jen Miller-Osborn is Deputy Director of Threat Intelligence with Unit 42, and she joins us to share their findings. The original research can be found here: https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/unit42-nokki-almost-ties-the-knot-with-dogcall-reaper-group-uses-new-malware-to-deploy-rat/
In today’s podcast, we hear that German politicians, celebrities, and journalists have been doxed by parties unknown. ESET describes the workings of Lojax malware. Google ejects spyware-infested apps from the Play Store. ISIS returns online to inspire, via some hijacked dormant Twitter accounts. Updates on the arrest of a dual US-UK citizen on spying charges in Moscow. And some PewDiePie followers sort of say they’re sorry for hacking Chromecasts. Sort of. Justin Harvey from Accenture with his outlook toward 2019. Guest is Ken Modeste from UL (Underwriters Laboratories) on their evolution as a safety certification organization. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2019_01_04.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that prize for first big breach of 2019 goes to Australia, but the year is young. Ryuk “artisanal” malware implicated in newspaper print-plant hacks. reCAPTCHA gets captchu’d, again. The Dark Overlord teases some pretty dull stuff, a step ahead of the law and Pastebin content moderators. PewDiePie followers continue to pester Internet users. And there’s a new play about Reality Winner, the alleged NSA leaker. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the ISC Stormcast podcast on cold boot attacks on laptops. Guest is Sarah Squire from Ping Identity with results from a survey on consumer response to breaches. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2019_01_03.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that US newspapers sustained a major cyberattack—possibly ransomware—over the weekend that disrupted printing. The attack is said to have originated overseas, but attribution so far is preliminary, murky, and circumstantial. Home security video system is found to have hard-coded credentials. Changes in US Defense leadership. An American is arrested in Mosow on espionage charges. And alleged NSA leaker Hal Martin wins one and loses two in court. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on whether remotely wiping a mobile device could be considered destruction of evidence. Guest is Steve Durbin from the ISF on using a human-centered approach to building security teams. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2019_01_02.html Support our show
Researchers at Duo Security have been looking into Apple's Device Enrollment Program (DEM) and have discovered vulnerabilities that could expose users of the service to potential issues from social engineering and rogue devices. James Barclay is Senior R&D Engineer at Duo Security, and he joins us to share what they've found. The original research can be found here: https://duo.com/blog/weak-apple-dep-authentication-leaves-enterprises-vulnerable-to-social-engineering-attacks-and-rogue-devices
In today’s podcast, we hear that the Five Eyes have had quite enough of Stone Panda’s Cloudhopping, thank you very much, and they want Beijing to put a stop to it. Beijing says it’s all slander, and that the Yankees are probably just as bad. Blind turns out not to be as blind as its users thought. Reputation jacking comes to business email compromise. Alexa complies with GDPR, but goes a little overboard. And no, a hitman has not been hired to get you, no matter what that email says. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on hackers bypassing GMail two-factor authentication. Guest is Brian McCullough, host of the TechMeme Ride Home podcast and author of the book How the Internet Happened. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_12_21.html Support our show
In the third episode of our four-part series, called “Ground Truth or Consequences: the challenges and opportunities of regulation in cyberspace,” we take at risk and regulation in the financial sector, specifically how it intersects with cyber security. How do organizations operate in a heavily regulated global financial environment, while protecting their employees, their customers, and the integrity of a system largely built on trust? Joining us are Valerie Abend from Accenture and Josh Magri from the Bank Policy Institute. Later in the program we'll hear from Jason Hart, CTO for enterprise and cybersecurity at Gemalto. They're the sponsors of this show.
In today’s podcast, we hear that the US has indicted two hackers working for China’s Ministry of State Security. US and allies are said to be planning a joint response to China’s industrial espionage. Twitter sees suspicious customer support traffic. Microsoft issues an emergency patch for Internet Explorer. Facebook continues to struggle with transparency. New Knowledge CEO acknowledges a questionable experiment in social media manipulation. And, flash: Russian embassy hack was “brutal.” Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks with some holiday reading suggestions. Guest is Sarah Tennant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation describing new cyber security initiatives at Michigan universities. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_12_20.html Support our show
In today’s podcast we hear of more international skittishness about Chinese hardware manufacturers. Information operations in Taiwan’s elections. EU diplomatic cables hacked, rehacked, and published. Dumbing down cyber craft as a form of misdirection. More Facebook data-sharing practices come under scrutiny. NASA PII exposed; investigation continues. And did you hear the one about the parrot, Alexa, Amazon orders, and sappy dance tunes? Jonathan Katz from UMD describing security improvements in the Signal messaging app. Guest Michael Doran from Optiv with tips on protecting your organization from ransomware. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_12_19.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that Shamoon 3 and the renewed activity of Charming Kitty strike observers as the long-expected Iranian cyber retaliation for reimposition of sanctions. The Czech CERT says Huawei and ZTE both represent a threat. Huawei insists it didn’t do nuthin’. Facebook faces a boycott in the wake of Senate commissioned reports on Russian trolling. And PewDiePie’s followers deface a Wall Street Journal page. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos with a look back at 2018. Carole Thieriault speaks with Rapid7's Tod Beardsley about their Industry Cyber Exposure report.
In today’s podcast, we hear that the Five Eyes agreed to contain Huawei’s potential for espionage. Huawei and ZTE both continue their charm offensive to convince international customers it’s safe to use their gear. Senate commissioned report on Russian influence operations finds the St. Petersburg troll farmers “fluent in American trolling.” Boomstortion scammers now threaten acid attacks. PewDiePie followers—again—hack printers, but this time they say it’s for the public good. Justin Harvey from Accenture on M&A targets and resilience. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_12_17.html Support our show
Researchers at Risk Based Security took a detailed look back at the 2014 Sony hack, comparing analysis that occurred while the facts were still unfolding with what we know, today. There are interesting lessons to be learned, especially when it comes to attribution. Brian Martin is V.P. of vulnerability intelligence at Risk Based Security, and he shares their findings. The research can be found here: https://www.riskbasedsecurity.com/2018/09/you-didnt-think-the-sony-saga-was-over-did-you/
In today’s podcast, we hear about false flag cyberattacks that mimic state actors, especially Chinese state actors. Chinese intelligence services are prospecting US Navy contractors. Russia’s Fancy Bear continues its worldwide phishing campaign. ISIS claims the career criminal responsible for the Strasbourg Christmas market killings as one of its soldiers. And a bogus bomb threat is being circulated by email—call the technique “boomstortion.” Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs on smart speaker vulnerabilities. Guest is Laura Noren from Obsidian Security on data science ethics. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_12_14.html Support our show
In today’s podcast we hear that the Saipem hack looks like a new Shamoon variant. Charming Kitten started prowling through relevant places after the Iran sanctions became more serious. US authorities denounce Chinese espionage, especially industrial espionage, but there are as yet no new indictments or sanctions. Concerns mount over Chinese influence operations. Another Canadian may be in Chinese custody—possibly in retaliation for the detention of Huawei’s CFO. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on how password policies align with the 5th amendment. Guest is Liz Rice from Aqua Security on the notion of security teams “shifting left.” For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_12_13.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear some of McAfee’s description of Operation Sharpshooter, an ambitious cyber reconnaissance campaign. Huawei’s CFO Meng makes bail in Vancouver, and China reacts sharply to the arrest. The US is said to be preparing sanctions and indictments in response to various Chinese hacking activities. A no-confidence vote is called in the UK. In France, President Macron makes concessions to the Yellow Vests. Google skates through its interrogation by Congress. And bad passwords get rated. Johannes Ullrich from SANs and the ISC Stormcast Podcast with holiday tips on securing new devices. Guest is Ali Golshan from StackRox on the shift toward DevOps. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_12_12.html Support our show
Audit finds no “Chinese spy chips” on Supermicro motherboards. Huawei CFO Meng’s hearing continues. Oil services firm’s servers attacked. Seedworm shows some new tricks. Secure instant messaging apps may be less secure than hoped. A new adware strain reported. Mr. Pichai goes to Washington, and Uncle Pennybags puts in an appearance. The US House Oversight and Government Reform Committee reports on the Equifax breach. Prof. Awais Rashid from Bristol University on risk management in a data-intensive world. Guest is Barry Hensley from Secureworks on supply chain risks. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_12_11.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that Huawei’s CFO awaits her immediate fate in a Vancouver detention facility, where she faces possible extradition to the US on a sanctions-violation beef. Huawei itself receives hostile scrutiny from the Five Eyes, the EU, and Japan. US indictments are expected soon in other IP theft cases involving China. Upgrade Kubernetes. Russia and Ukraine swap cyberattacks in their ongoing hybrid war. An advance fee scam promises not only money, but maybe love, too. Emily Wilson from Terbium labs, on why she feels the Lesbians Who Tech conference gets diversity right. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_12_10.html Support our show
Researchers at Trend Micro uncovered a supply chain attack targeting organizations in South Korea. With the goal of information theft, attackers compromised the update server of a third party support provider, resulting in the installation of a RAT, or remote access trojan.
Rik Ferguson is Vice President of Security Research at Trend Micro, and he guides us through their discoveries.
The research can be found here: https://blog.trendmicro.com/trendlabs-security-intelligence/supply-chain-attack-operation-red-signature-targets-south-korean-organizations/
In today’s podcast we hear that Huawei’s CFO remains in Canadian custody, perhaps facing extradition to the US. All Five Eyes have now expressed strong reservations about Huawei on security grounds. They’ve been joined in this by Japan and the European Union. Proofpoint sees a shift in cybercrime toward more carefully targeted and thoughtful social engineering. Kaspersky describes “DarkVishnaya,” a criminal campaign using surreptitiously planted hardware to loot Eastern European banks. Justin Harvey from Accenture discussing what should be in your incident response “go bag.” Guest is New York Times national security correspondent David E. Sanger, discussing his latest book The Perfect Weapon. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_12_07.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that Huawei’s CFO was arrested in Vancouver on a US sanctions beef. Anonymous sources tell Reuters Chinese intelligence was behind the Marriott hack. A Flash zero-day is used in an attack against a Russian hospital. SamSam warnings and new US indictments. In the UK, Parliament releases internal Facebook emails that suggest discreditable data-use practices. Facebook says the emails are being taken out of context. And DDoS downs Illinois homework. Dr. Charles Clancy from VA Tech’s Hume Center on the ban of specific 5G hardware around the world. Guest is Tom Bonner from Cylance on the SpyRATs of Ocean Lotus. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_12_06.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that CoAp-based DDoS attacks are on the rise. A Nigerian gang has done some industrial-scale work on business email compromise. Ukraine says it stopped a major Russian cyber attack. The EU looks toward its May elections and determines to do something about disinformation. The US National Republican Congressional Committee sustains an email compromise. Attribtution of a phishing expedition to Cozy Bear grows dubious. And Westminster doxes Facebook. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI explaining the National Centers for Academic Excellence. Carole Theriault interviews SANS’ James Lyne explains the Cyber Discovery program which aims bolster the security workforce. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_12_05.html Support our show
In today’s podcast we hear how Fancy Bears and free-range catphish have been disporting themselves in the Czech Republic. China reported to have used watering hole attacks to gain entry into Australian institutions. Quora suffers a data breach. Marriott’s breach response earns mediocre marks. A Kubernetes privilege escalation flaw is found and patched. Two scammy apps are ejected from Apple’s App Store. An object lesson in the difficulty of controlling fake news—or at least fake op-eds. Jonathan Katz from UMD on SSD drive encryption security woes. Guest is Brian Egenrieder from SyncDog on the challenges of commingling work and personal mobile devices. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_12_04.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that senior US and UK officials have harsh words for Russian actions in cyberspace even as President Putin undertakes a charm offensive at the G20 meetings. (In fairness to the US and UK officials, it’s a pretty dour charm offensive.) Iran ups its influence operations game. Legal investigations and legislative responses to the Marriott breach begin. A US Court upholds the Government’s ban on Kaspersky products. And paying ransom to cyber extortionists could violate US sanctions. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University discussing growth, innovation and productivity within cyber security. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_13_03.html Support our show
In the second episode of our new, four-part series, called “Ground Truth or Consequences: the challenges and opportunities of regulation in cyberspace,” we take a look at the impact GDPR has had since it's implementation in May 2018. Joining us are Emily Mossburg from Deloitte, Caleb Barlow from IBM and Steve Durbin from ISF. Later in the program we'll hear from Jason Hart, CTO for enterprise and cybersecurity at Gemalto. They're the sponsors of this show.
Researchers from Secureworks' Counter Threat Unit have been tracking a threat group spoofing login pages for universities. Evidence suggests the Iranian group Cobalt Dickens is likely responsible. Allison Wikoff is a senior researcher at Secureworks, and she joins us to share what they've found.
The original research is here: https://www.secureworks.com/blog/back-to-school-cobalt-dickens-targets-universities
In today’s podcast we hear about Marriott’s big breach. And Dunkin’ Donuts big breach. And, and, Urban Massage’s embarrassing exposure. Lessons are drawn about third-party risk, password reuse, and the importance of being less creepy to the people you do business with. Fancy Bear shows up to paw at the phish swimming in Germany’s government. And how much did SamSam really cost people? FBI? DoJ? Is it millions or billions? In either case you’re talking about real money. Robert M. Lee from Dragos discussing the notion of IoT hot water heaters taking down the power grid. Guest is Michelle Guel from Cisco, discussing smart cities and her perspective as a pioneering woman in the industry. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_11_30.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear warnings of Russian recon “degradation” of the North American power grid. Information operations in Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine. Factions in Yemen’s civil war contest cyberspace (and fiber optic cables). Eternal Silence exploits systems not patched against EternalBlue and EternalRed. Dell tells its customers to reset their passwords. And the US indicts two Iranians for deploying the SamSam ransomware. Emily Wilson from Terbium labs with unintended consequences of GDPR. Guest is Francis Dinha, founder and CEO of OpenVPN, discussing the VPN landscape. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_11_29.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that DNSpionage espionage tools are hitting Middle Eastern targets. Iran’s Cobalt Dickens returns to pester universities. Lawful intercept vendors receive more scrutiny, and that scrutiny suggests iOS might not have escaped their attention as much as many had assumed. Facebook gets grilled in London. Nine Western countries issue a joint communique resolving to control “false and misleading” content on the Internet. And lessons from small towns. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS reviewing government requests of Google’s Nest to turn over user information. UK correspondent Carole Theriault speaks with Graham Cluley about police monitoring criminals using the Ironchat secure messaging service. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_11_28.html Support our show
In today’s podcast we hear that the Rotexy Trojan has evolved into phishing and ransomware. Bad apps found in Google Play. An open source library used in cryptocurrency wallets had a wide-open backdoor. Facebook goes before Parliament, which seems in a pretty feisty mood. Pegasus spyware found to have been deployed against journalists in Mexico and elsewhere. Russia escalates its hybrid war against Ukraine. Do people care if their smart speakers eavesdrop? How about their smart lightbulbs? Johannes Ullrich from SANs and the ISC Stormcast podcast on DNS over HTTPS and network visibility. Guest is Shaun Bierweiler from Hortonworks on the use of open source software in the federal space. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_11_27.html Support our show
In today’s podcast we hear that Emotet ramped up for Black Friday—beware of the spam. Social engineering and the power grid. Industrial espionage resurfaces as an issue in Sino-American relations. Huawei remains unforgiven in Washington. China’s emerging social credit system. Bottom-up social control in the US: first they came for the dogwalkers. Making a Dutch book on social media. Russia tightens Internet laws. The US Army learns some lessons, in a good way, from Joint Task Force Ares. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI, wondering if we have a cyber skills gap or a shortage of courage. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_11_26.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that Amazon has offered customers a modified, limited hangout on some kind of data exposure. The online retailer says everything’s OK, but it hasn’t said much else. Facebook is back online—yesterday’s outage attributed to a server misconfiguration. Shoppers and retailers prepare for Cyber Weekend. Tessa88, the dark web data hawker, may have been identified. Cyber espionage continues. And there’s been another breach in what we’ve curiously agreed to call an “adult” site. David Dufour from Webroot on the pros and cons of open source code. Guest is Andrew Kling from Schneider Electric with an update on Triton malware. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_11_21.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear about nations behaving badly (but from the point-of-view of cyberespionage they’re doing, unfortunately, well). The Lazarus Group is back robbing banks in Asia and Latin America. Russia’s Hades Group, known for Olympic Destroyer, is back, too. Gamaredon and Cozy Bear have returned, respectively pestering Ukraine and the US. Iran’s OilRig is upping its game with just-in-time malicious phishbait. And it’s not you: Facebook has been down. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs on skills squatting with Amazon’s Alexa. Guest is Ronnie Tokazowski from Flashpoint on his work with the business email compromise working group.
In today’s podcast, we hear that CISA is now an agency within DHS. Cozy Bear is back, and spearphishing in American civilian waters. Ukrainian authorities say they’ve detected and blocked a malware campaign that appears targeted against former Soviet Republics. A reported Gmail issue may make for more plausible social engineering. The Outlaw criminal group expands into cryptojacking. Infrastructure, financial, and data corruption attacks discussed as possible “cyber 9/11s”. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks with a book recommendation from the Cybersecurity Canon project. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_11_19.html Support our show
The NETSCOUT Arbor ASERT team has been tracking Cobalt Group campaigns targeting financial institutions. Richard Hummel is manager of threat intelligence with ASERT, and he joins us to share his team's findings. The research can be found here: https://asert.arbornetworks.com/double-the-infection-double-the-fun/
In today’s podcast, we ask a question: when does a military exercise become hybrid warfare? Answer: when it affects civilian safety. Like with GPS jamming. Russian banks are sustaining a major, and well-crafted, phishing campaign. An unprotected server exposes SMS messages. China tightens laws enabling censorship and social control. It also helps Venezuela to do likewise. And did the US indict Julian Assange, or is it just a cut-and-paste error? Craig Williams from Cisco Talos with info on the sextortion scams they’ve been tracking. Guest is Christopher Porter from FireEye on threats in the aviation sector. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_11_16.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that tRAT indicates a criminal shift to a longer game. Chinese industrial espionage copies Russian services’ tricks. Dharma ransomware evolves. Bitcoin’s price may be tanking, but Bitcoin-based advance-fee scams are still all over Twitter, with bogus big brands’ blue checks all over them. Nigeria plans to go after cyber gangs. Fancy Bear says it can’t be sued, even if it did anything. And why a password manager is better than an infernal machine. Jonathan Katz from UMD describing a side channel attack on mobile device encryption. Guest is Mike McKee from ObserveIT on nation state attacks. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_11_15.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that Monday’s BGP hijacking wasn’t hijacking at all, but rather a fumbled upgrade in an ISP. The White Company’s Operation Shaheen is a nation-state espionage campaign directed against Pakistan’s military. Sleazy gamer and hacker SWAuTistic pleads guilty to Wichita swatting charges, and to bomb threats just about everywhere else. And the NPPD will soon become CISA, and the lead US civilian cybersecurity agency. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on their recent Truth About Dark Web Pricing white paper. Guest is Gregory Garrett from BDO on their telecommunications risk report. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_11_14.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that Finland is investigating GPS signal jamming during NATO exercises. Russia’s the usual suspect, as usual Russia feels picked on and ill-used. Jihadists seem to be feeling the effects of social media screening, and may turn to account hijacking. Indian intelligence services look at ISIS use of Wickr. A look at Magecart. Cathay Pacific’s breach now believed to be worse than originally thought. The “Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace” expresses eight aspirations. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI with a report on the NICE conference, and a presentation on including psychologists in cyber security decision making. Guest is Rich Bolstridge from Akamai with credential stuffing info from their latest State of Internet Security report. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_11_13.html Support our show
In this premier episode of our new, four-part series, called “Ground Truth or Consequences: the challenges and opportunities of regulation in cyberspace,” we take a closer look at cyber security regulation in the U.S. Joining us are Dr. Christopher Pierson from BlackCloak and Randy Sabett from Cooley LLC. Later in the program we'll hear from Jason Hart, CTO for enterprise and cybersecurity at Gemalto. They're the sponsors of this show.
Joseph Nye is former dean of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He served as Chair of the National Intelligence Council, and as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs under President Clinton. He serves as a Commissioner for the Global Commission on Internet Governance, and is the author of over a dozen books, including, “Soft Power: The means to success in work politics,” and “The future of power.”
In today’s podcast we hear that Britain’s NCSC has warned, again, that the UK is likely to face a Category One cyberattack within the next few years. In the US, Government-industry-academic partnerships work toward making critical infrastructure more resilient to cyberattack. Pyongyang’s Lazarus Group continues to rob ATMs using malware. US officials complain that China is in violation of 2015’s agreement to avoid industrial espionage. Any Russian observers give the US a passing grade for fair midterm elections. Awais Rashid from Bristol University with thoughts on placing trust in blockchain systems. Guest is Bruce Schneier, discussing his latest book, “Click here to kill everybody.” For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_11_09.html Support our show
In today’s podcast, we hear that, while election hacking seems not have happened in the US this week, that hasn’t stopped the IRA and its mouthpieces in Sputnik, RT, and elsewhere from loudly claiming it has. Election influence operations continue long after the election. VirtualBox zero-day disclosed to everyone. USCYBERCOM posts Lojack to VirusTotal. FCC vs. robocalls. US Postal Services’ Informed Delivery exploited. Canada Post slips to reveal cannabis customers. Dr. Charles Clancy from the Hume Center at VA Tech on in-car cell phone jammers. Guest is Ian Paterson from Plurilock Security Solutions on behavioral biometrics. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_11_08.html Support our show
In today’s podcast we take a quick look back at the US midterm elections, and at what did and didn’t happen. Is Iran looking at waging cyber-enabled economic warfare? If you use Apache Struts, update now to avoid remote code execution. A spyware-delivering app is used to smish Spanish-speaking users of the Play Store. And, once again, people really seem to think that Elon Musk will return them their Bitcoin donations tenfold. (Enough people to make crime pay, anyway.) Justin Harvey from Accenture on notification laws and incident response. Guest is Christian Lees from InfoArmor with thoughts on what they’re seeing trafficked on the dark web. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_11_07.html Support our show
In today's podcast, we hear that Iran has accused Israel of a second Stuxnet, claiming the attack was thwarted, and threatening retaliation. Nor is Tehran neglecting domestic surveillance of its own: Persian Stalker is involved with some pretty suspicious greyware. It's Election Day in the US, and officials are cautiously optimistic work to secure the voting will be successful. Concerns about information operations persist, and people continue to work to distinguish them from good-old-fashioned American confident chatter. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on the FBI using Google location data to nab crooks. Guest is Victor Danevich from Infoblox on the challenges on managing higher ed networks. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_11_06.html Support our show
In today's podcast, we note that US midterm elections end tomorrow evening, with officials on high alert for election hacking. Russia sends poll watcher to the US to make sure democratic norms are observed. Side-channel attack proof-of-concept announced for CPUs, but risk seems relatively low. Botnets are fighting over Android devices for cryptojacking power. And Russia's GU, né GRU? It looks like it's going to get its "R" back. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks with thoughts on DevOps and the future of orchestration. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_11_05.html Support our show
Symantec technical director Vikram Thakur returns to share his team's look at threat groups APT 28 and APT 29, the influence they had on the 2016 election, and how the cyber security industry has responded in preparation for the 2018 midterms.
The original research can be found here: https://www.symantec.com/blogs/election-security/election-hacking-faq
In today's podcast, we hear that people are asking if that lull in Chinese cyber operations was just a strategic pause. Huawei's on a charm offensive. People are seeing plenty of Russian trolling, but election hacking proper continues to be quiet. Another strategic pause? US Cyber Command is said to be ready to respond to any election cyberattacks swiftly and in kind. And if you want to hear what people think about 80s techno-pop, a dark web souk will sell you the relevant Facebook messages for just one thin dime apiece. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs on blockchain use in election security. Guest is Shannon Morse, host and producer at Hak5.org. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_11_02.html Support our show
In today's podcast, we hear that Bleeding Bit flaws leave Wi-Fi access points open to war drivers and other malefactors within a hundred meters of your equipment. US Cyber Command continues its attempts to dissuade foreign influence operations against midterm elections. Social networks have difficulty identifying who's buying ads. Canada's data privacy law takes effect today. GandCrab crooks take a million-dollar bath. And if you go to Soulmates in Google Play, you're looking for love in all the wrong places. Johannes Ullrich from the ISC Stormcast podcast on hiding malware in benign files. Guest is Tara Combs from Alfresco on coming US cyber regulations. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/November/CyberWire_2018_11_01.html Support our show
In today's podcast, we hear about influence operations in social media (again): Americans remain more vulnerable (because they lack a cultural experience of state propaganda) than Eastern Europeans. Rules of thumb for recognizing the good, the bad, and the bogus online. Kraken Cryptor is a black market leading ransomware strain. SamSam remains active. US indicts Chinese industrial spies. And what not to look at on your Government laptop. David Dufour from Webroot with thoughts on processor vulnerabilities. Guest is Maria Rerecich from Consumer Reports on their product testing processes, and how they’ve evolved to keep up with the times. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/October/CyberWire_2018_10_31.html Support our show
In today's podcast, we hear that installing cybersecurity tools to protect elections is tougher than it looks. Information operations continue to pose the most prominent foreign threat to US midterm elections, although there are concerns about voting machine security. Cointracker looks like a trader's tool with a side order of malware. Video embedded in Microsoft Word documents can carry malicious payloads through detection systems. Hardware worries and sanctions. Competing visions of norms in cyberspace. Robert M. Lee from Dragos with thoughts on the real-world threat of electromagnetic pulses. Guest is Rahul Kashyapp from Awake Security on the skills shortage and the importance of mentorship. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/October/CyberWire_2018_10_30.html Support our show
Facebook takes down accounts linked to Iran for coordinated inauthenticity. Iranian information operations appear to be learning from the Russian approach: be divisive, be negative, and be opportunistic. Investigations of pipe-bombs and the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting look at the suspects' digital record. IBM announces its acquisition of Red Hat. The Satori botnet continues to evolve. British Airways and Magecart. Supply chain seeding, probably not; dragonnades, yes. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on data from the most recent Facebook breach showing up on the dark web. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/October/CyberWire_2018_10_29.html Support our show
Researchers at security firm Check Point Software Technologies explored the possibility of exploiting old, complex fax protocols to gain access to modern multifunction office printers, and then pivot to connected networks. Yaniv Balmas is head of security research at Check Point, and he joins us to share what he and his colleague Eyal Itkin discovered. The research can be found here: https://research.checkpoint.com/sending-fax-back-to-the-dark-ages/
In today's podcast, we hear that British Airways' breach has gotten bigger. Mexico's financial institutions say they've contained the anomalies in interbank transfer systems. "Demonbot" is infesting poorly secured Hadoop servers. Google receives criticism for slow action against ad fraud. Bitdefender and Romanian police produce a decryptor for GandCrab ransomware. Discussion of a "Civilian Cybersecurity Corps:" are white hats the radio hams of the Twenty-first Century? Daniel Prince from Lancaster University joins us to talk about quantum hardware primitives. And Britney Hommertzheim, director of information security at AMC Theaters, sits down with Dave to talk about building partnerships within your organization to strengthen security’s role. For links to all the stories mentioned in today' podcast, check out today's Daily Briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/October/CyberWire_2018_10_26.html
In today's podcast, we hear that the US Department of Homeland Security sees lower-than-expected rates of Russian election system probing even as Russian information operations continue. Sophos warns of the emergence of the Linux-based "Chalubo" botnet. Mexico's Central Bank raises its alert level. Cathay Pacific discloses a breach of passenger information. Privacy-related fines and lawsuits. And notes from the 2018 ICS Cyber Security Conference. Justin Harvey from Accenture joins us to talk about insourcing vs. outsourcing threat intelligence, and Tony Pepper from Egress Software Technologies shares his perspective on protecting unstructured data. For links to all of the stories mentioned in today's podcast, check out our Daily Briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/October/CyberWire_2018_10_25.html
In today's podcast, we hear that US Cyber Command has been reaching out to tell the trolls Uncle Sam cares. Industrial control system security suffers from poor asset management practices. FireEye looks at the Triton malware and says the Russians did it, but of course things are complicated. Are hostile intelligence service hackers superheroes, salaryman nebbishes, or something in between? How threat intelligence drives threat evolution. The risk of shadow web-apps. Apple speaks on privacy. Ben Yelin from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security talks with us about the EFF coming out against license plate sharing between retailers and law enforcement. Our UK correspondent Carole Theriault speaks with ESET’s Lysa Meyers about overcoming the cyber skills shortage and attracting new talent to the industry. For links to all the stories in today's podcast, check out today's Daily Briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/October/CyberWire_2018_10_24.html
In today's podcast we wonder WhatsApp with Brazil's runoff election? Hacktivism hits Davos-in-the-Desert. Kraken Cryptor ransomware gets an upgrade. Remote code execution vulnerabilities disclosed in two classes of systems. Healthcare.gov breach under investigation. More calls for retraction of the spy chip story. Cozy Bear calls for proper Internet governance. US on effects of influence ops. Notes on industrial control system cybersecurity, with an emphasis on attending to the obvious. We talk to Awais Rashid from Bristol University to get his thoughts on supply chain security, and we also hear from IJay Palansky from Armstrong Teasdale on IoT legal liability concerns. For links to all of the stories discussed in today's podcast, visit https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/October/CyberWire_2018_10_23.html
In this cyberwire special edition, my guest is Cisco’s Chief Privacy Officer Michelle Dennedy. We discuss what exactly a chief privacy officer does at a global organization like Cisco, why she thinks we’re in the early stages of a privacy revolution, why we all tend to shake our heads cynically when I company claims, “Your privacy is important to us” and how, maybe, respecting the privacy of your users and customers could be a competitive advantage.
This conversation continues on Michelle Dennedy's podcast, Privacy Sigma Riders. https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/about/trust-center/privacy-podcast.html
In today's podcast we hear that the US has indicted a Russian accountant for conspiring to influence US midterm elections. Different nations have different styles of information operations because they have different goals. Technology shifts, but underlying principles of propaganda remain. The EU barks cyber deterrence but doesn't bite, yet. North Korea's petty cyber crime wave. A scammer is after alt-coin enthusiasts. And there's neither confirmation nor retraction of Bloomberg's spy-chip story. Joe Carrigan from the Johns Hopkins Information Security Institute joins us to discuss network segmentation. For links to all of today's stories, visit https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/October/CyberWire_2018_10_22.html
Security firm Lastline recently took a close look at threats to the Office 365 cloud environment, taking advantage of the insights they gain protecting their clients. Andy Norton is director of threat intelligence at Lastline, and he joins us to describe their findings. The research can be found here: https://www.lastline.com/blog/malspam-malscape-snapshot-malicious-activity-in-the-office-365-cloud/
In today's podcast, we hear that no one but Bloomberg seems to retain much faith in Bloomberg's story about Chinese supply-chain seeding attacks. Twitter blocks bots retailing coordinated Saudi talking points about the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Latvia says it blocked attempts to interfere with its October elections. SEO poisoning exploits interest in key words associated with US midterms. OceanLotus shows some new trick. A Connecticut town pays ransom. Ransomware hoods take pity on a grieving father. We speak with our Johannes Ullrich from the SANS Institute who discusses DNSSEC root key rollover and Mike Horning from Virginia Tech, shares the results of a study on the implications of regulating social media. For links to all of today's stories, visit https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/October/CyberWire_2018_10_19.html
In today's podcast, we hear that a campaign reuses some of the old Comment Crew code, but McAfee researchers think it's not the same old Crew. Facebook thinks its big breach was the work of spammers, not spies. Twitter releases a trove of trolling and invites researchers to take a look. Researchers disclose flaws in D-Link and Linksys routers. Ghost Squad says that they downed YouTube the other day, but who knows? And if YouTube goes down, please don't call 911. Dr. Charles Clancy from VA Tech’s Hume Center on cognitive electronic warfare. Guest is Mike Janke from DataTribe on Maryland’s aspirations to be the nation’s hub of cyber operations. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/October/CyberWire_2018_10_18.html Support our show
Kim Zetter is longtime cybersecurity and national security reporter for the New York Times, and author of the book Countdown to Zero Day. She joins us to discuss her recent feature for the New York Times Magazine, titled The Crisis of Election Security. In it she explores the structure and fragile integrity of the US election system, how we got to where we are today, and what can be done to reestablish confidence in the system. Link to Kim Zetter's feature The Crisis of Election Security: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/26/magazine/election-security-crisis-midterms.html
In today's podcast, we hear about election security, and two ways of hacking the vote. DHS points out that the states are getting better about sharing election security information. ISIS sets the template for terrorist information operations. BlackEnergy is back, in Poland and Ukraine, with new, "GreyEnergy" malware. Diplomatic targets prospected in Central Asia. North Carolina, recovering from hurricane damage, also faces some ransomware. Silicon Valley governance receives scrutiny. Craig Williams from CISCO Talos on dealing with FUD. New York Times writer Kim Zetter on election security. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/October/CyberWire_2018_10_17.html Support our show
In today's podcast we hear about social networking for genocide in Myanmar: Facebook takes down the Army's inauthentic and inflammatory pages. The supply chain seeding attack from China remains dubious. Probes of US election infrastructure, and black market offers of voter databases, are reported. GCHQ sees cybercrime as a chronic threat, but state-sponsored cyber operations as an acute problem. EU prepares sanctions against a big country to the east. And farewell to Paul Allen, departed this life yesterday at the age of 65. Mike Benjamin from CenturyLink with an update on the Satori botnet. Guest is Larry Sjelin, Director of Game Development at the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security, discussing the Cyber Threat Defender card game. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/October/CyberWire_2018_10_16.html Support our show
In today's podcast, we heat that Facebook has found that fewer users than feared were affected by its breach, but that in this case "fewer" still means "a lot"—nearly thirty-million of them. Do privacy advocates have an image problem? Supply chain seeding attack story draws more skeptical comment. A pipeline accident turns out not to have been a cyberattack. Estonia joins the UK and the Netherlands in an effort to clarify EU cyber sanctions. But Italy pumps the brakes. (Do Putin's Angels rejoice?) Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks on exponential technologies, and how they could change the notion of scarcity. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/October/CyberWire_2018_10_15.html Support our show
Researchers at Virginia Tech investigate possible ways to manipulate GPS signals and send drivers to specific locations without their knowledge.
Gang Wang is Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Virginia Tech, and he joins us to share his team's findings.
The original research can be found here: https://people.cs.vt.edu/gangwang/sec18-gps.pdf
In today's podcast we hear that Ukraine says it's under cyberattack, again. ESET connects Telebots and BlackEnergy. Port hacks suggest risks of mixing IT and OT. Talos finds a new Android Trojan. Skepticism over Chinese supply chain seeding attack report continues. Facebook purges more "inauthentic" sites—this time they're American. Data privacy regulation is trending, in both Sacramento and Washington. EU will consider cyber sanctions policy. NATO looks to cyber IOC. Alleged SIM-swappers arrested. Jonathan Katz from UMD on the use of a cryptographic ledger to provide accountability for law enforcement. Guest is April Wensel from Compassionate Coding on her work bringing emotional intelligence and ethics to the tech industry. For links to today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/October/CyberWire_2018_10_12.html Support our show
In today's podcast, we hear that the report of Chinese supply chain seeding attacks comes in for more skepticism: NSA never heard of it, and Congress would like some answers. The US has an officer of China's MSS in front of a Cincinnati court on charges of industrial espionage: he was extradited this week from Belgium. Notes on officers and agents. Russia repeats denials of hacking the Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Warfare. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS with a court case on cell site location data. Guest is Brian Vecci from Varonis with results from their data breach survey. For links to today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/October/CyberWire_2018_10_11.html Support our show
In today's podcast we hear that there's no consensus, yet, on Bloomberg's report of Chinese seeding attacks on the IT hardware supply chain. Ukrainian fiscal authority sustains DDoS attack. GAO reports on cyber vulnerabilities in US Defense Department weapon systems. Xiongmai DVRs and cameras still exhibit bugs exploited by the Mirai botnet. Patch notes. And a lizard toe-dials from a veterinary clinic—he wasn't a patient; just visiting. Robert M. Lee from Dragos with insights on the Bloomberg hardware supply chain story. Guest is Stephen Cobb from ESET with results from their recent AI and ML silver bullet survey. For links to today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/October/CyberWire_2018_10_10.html Support our show
In today's podcast we hear that Bloomberg's report of a Chinese seeding attack on the IT hardware supply chain comes in for skepticism, but Bloomberg stands by—and adds to—its reporting. Everyone is seeing Russia's GRU everywhere, and Russia feels aggrieved by the accusations. The UK prepares a retaliatory cyber capability. The US looks to grid security. Cylance describes Panda Banker. Google had a good day in UK courts Monday, but a bad day elsewhere. Justin Harvey from Accenture with thoughts in OSINT reconnaissance. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/October/CyberWire_2018_10_09.html Support our show
Researchers at Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 have been tracking the rise of cryptocurrency mining operations run by criminal groups around the world. Ryan Olson is V.P. of threat intelligence at Palo Alto Networks, and he joins us to share what they've learned. The original research can be found here: https://researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/2018/06/unit42-rise-cryptocurrency-miners/
In today's podcast, we hear more on the possibility that China's Peoples Liberation Army engaged in seeding the supply chain with malicious chips. Companies deny it, but Bloomberg stands by its story. All Five Eyes denounce Russia's GRU for hacking. Russia responds unconvincingly. And the NPPD will become a new agency within the US Department of Homeland Security, and the lead civilian agency responsible for cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs on pervasive cyber resilience. Guest is Adam Anderson, scholar in residence at Clemson University’s Center for Corporate Learning and founder of Element Security Group, on behavioral science and cyber crime. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/October/CyberWire_2018_10_05.html Support our show
In today's podcast, we hear that Bloomberg reports that a Chinese hardware hack has infested sensitive US supply chains. Dutch authorities expel GRU officers for attempting to hack the international body investigating the nerve agent attacks in Salisbury. Australia, the UK, and Canada all finger the GRU as responsible for high-profile cyberattacks. The US indicts seven GRU officers for a range of hacking-related crimes. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos with tips on getting the most out of security conferences. Guest is Oussama El-Hilali from Arcserve with thoughts on business continuity and disaster recovery.
In today's podcast, we hear that Facebook continues to investigate its breach, and says it's not found any evidence of apps compromised through Facebook Login. Irish authorities open a GDPR investigation of Facebook. Bogus offers of Zoho Office Suite are malicious. A big botnet hits Brazil's banking customers. Home routers found vulnerable. Google and Adobe patch. A DGSI officer is arrested in France for dark web trafficking. FEMA tests its emergency text system. Fortnite cheats are bad news. David Dufour from Webroot on security issues in video games as they become social networks. Guest is Michael Feiertag from tCell with results from their Q2 incident report. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/October/CyberWire_2018_10_03.html Support our show
In today's podcast we hear that the US FBI and DHS warn that RDP exploitation is up. Facebook's breach exhibits the tension between swift disclosure and sound incident response. A look at slow-rolled disclosure. Google draws criticism for some content it hosts. North Korea's Reaper Group never missed a beat. Citizen Lab says Saudi Arabia is spying on at least one prominent dissident who's a permanent resident in Canada. Nepal's airport is hacked, apparently for the lulz. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on Android password managers being vulnerable to malicious apps. Guest is Robb Reck from Ping Identity on recently published white papers from the CISO Advisory Council. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/October/CyberWire_2018_10_02.html Support our show
In today's podcast we hear an update on Facebook's data breach, including EU inquiries, Congressional attention, FTC scrutiny, and user unhappiness. The threat of Chinese election meddling seems to be a matter of concern in the US Intelligence Committee. And, despite promises, there was no livestreamed obliteration of much of anything yesterday. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks on rebooting the kill chain. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/September/CyberWire_2018_10_01.html Support our show
Researchers at security firm FireEye have been tracking malicious actors they call FIN7, a group which targets payment card data in the hospitality industry and elsewhere. They make use of targeted phishing campaigns, telephone vishing and even a convincing front company to do their deeds. Nick Carr and Barry Vengerick are coauthors of the research, along with their colleagues Kimberly Goody and Steve Miller. The research is titled On the Hunt for FIN7: Pursuing an Enigmatic and Evasive Global Criminal Operation. It can be found here: https://www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2018/08/fin7-pursuing-an-enigmatic-and-evasive-global-criminal-operation.html
In today's podcast, we hear that Facebook has disclosed a cyberattack that affected fifty million users. A botnet is brute-forcing credentials. Cybercriminals show signs of ramping up spoofed retail domains in preparation for holiday shopping. The US Secret Service warns of ATM wiretapping. The Port of San Diego struggles with ransomware. The US SEC fines a company for cyber deficiencies. Mr. Assange goes offline. And some guy says he'll live-stream his annihilation of a prominent Facebook page. Jonathan Katz from University of MD on Bluetooth pairing protocol vulnerabilities. Guest is Andrea Little Limbago from Endgame on the internet’s effect on global conflict. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/September/CyberWire_2018_09_28.html Extended interview with Endgame's Andrea Little Limbago: https://www.patreon.com/posts/21704947 Support our show
In today's podcast, we find out that Fancy Bear has its very own rootkit. VPNFilter turns out to do a lot more than previously suspected. One of the Salisbury assassins is identified as a GRU colonel. A voice recorder app is kicked out of Google Play for being a banking Trojan. Apple's Device Enrollment Program may have authentication issues. Big Tech might learn to like being regulated. And farewell to one of Bletchley Park's Jenny Wrens. Mike Benjamin from CenturyLink with thoughts on the Foreshadow vulnerability. Guest is Daniel Riedel from New Context Services, discussing synthetic identities. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/September/CyberWire_2018_09_27.html Support our show
In today's podcast, we hear that cryptojacking apps have reappeared in Google Play. A brewer's experience with ransomware shows that victims needn't be helpless in the face of extortion. A look at the black market finds that zero-day vendors have grown a lot scarcer on the ground. Google responds—a little—to concerns about privacy in Chrome login. The US Senate is holding hearings on privacy. Big Tech will be there. And are political campaigns slipping into learned helplessness about cybersecurity? Dr. Charles Clancy from VA Tech’s Hume Center on university spin-offs and partnerships. Guest is Dinah Davis from Code Like a Girl on how men can help increase diversity through mentorship. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/September/CyberWire_2018_09_26.html Support our show
In today's podcast, we hear that Iran has accused Saudi Arabia, UAE, and the US of running Saturday's terror attack "from the shadows." Data exposure at the UN. Kodi platform exploited for cryptojacking. SHEIN retail breach affects more than six million. Atlanta says its ransomware incident is now "over." FBI warns of payroll phishing. A US strategy for quantum technology is offered. A look at sports and cybersecurity. Has the Riemann hypothesis been proved? Johannes Ullrich from the SANS ISC Stormcast podcast with warnings of post-hurricane scams. Our UK correspondent Carole Theriault explores overly complex online terms and conditions, and speaks with a company that’s chosen a different way. Jeremy Forsberg is CMO at Axel. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/September/CyberWire_2018_09_25.html Support our show
In today's CyberWire, we hear about a terror attack in Iran that has heightened tensions among adversaries: expect a heightened cyber optempo. A JET vulnerability in Microsoft products is publicly disclosed as Microsoft misses the Zero Day Initiative's 120-day deadline. France will open-source its secure operating system. UK, US attitudes continue to stiffen towards Russia in cyberspace. Russian elections are surprising, by Russian standards. Notes on some current scams. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on a ruling on warrantless GPS tracking at the U.S. border. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/September/CyberWire_2018_09_24.html Support our show
Researchers at security firm Cybereason recently set up online honeypots to attract adversaries interested in industrial control system environments. It didn't take long for sophisticated attackers to sniff out the virtual honey and start snuffling around. Ross Rustici is senior director of intelligence services at Cybereason, and he joins us to share what they learned. The research is titled ICS Threat Broadens: Nation-state Hackers are no Longer the Only Game in Town. It can be found here: https://www.cybereason.com/blog/industrial-control-system-specialized-hackers
In today's podcast, we hear about the US national cyber security strategy, and developing international norms, calling out bad actors, establishing a credible deterrent, and imposing consequences are important parts of it. The State Department blacklists thirty-three Russian bad actors. GCHQ is standing up a 4000-person cyber operations group to counter Russian activity. A cryptocurrency heist in Tokyo. Hacking Senatorial Gmail. And some notes on crime and punishment. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on Dark Web exit scamming. Guest is Tanya Janca from Microsoft on her OWASP DevSlop project. Extended interview with Tanya Janca - https://www.patreon.com/posts/21559930 OWASP DevSlop show on Twitch - https://www.twitch.tv/videos/307974412 For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/August/CyberWire_2018_09_21.html
In today's podcast, we hear that Magecart has hit a Philippine media conglomerate. Bogus (and malicious) financial apps are ejected from Google Play. Gulf states are taking warnings about Iran's OilRig seriously. A cloud hosting service serves up phish. Taiwan believes China is preparing to meddle in its elections. Facebook sets up an anti-disinformation war room. Nebraska sends in the National Guard. The UK ICO fines Equifax for last year's breach. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos on distinguishing between features and bugs with regards to security. Guest is Roela Santos from Engility, describing the CyberWarrior scholarship for veterans. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/September/CyberWire_2018_09_20.html
In this podcast, we hear that the US State Department has acknowledged an email breach. The criminal gang Iron Group is hitting targets with data-stealing and data destroying pseudoransomware. Bristol Airport continues its slow recovery from whatever hit a at the end of last week. A cryptomining study is out. Facebook offers help to political campaigns. The new US cyber strategy is out. ICOs get regulation. Mirai masters get suspended sentences in recognition for the help they've rendered the Government. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University with thoughts on asset-based risk assessment. Guest is Ray Watson from Masergy on soft targets. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/September/CyberWire_2018_09_19.html
In today's podcast, we hear about a Citizen Lab report on the global use of Pegasus lawful intercept tools. OilRig seems to be spearphishing in Bahrain. University IP theft by Iran seems widespread, but it also doesn't look very lucrative. Peekaboo vulnerability affects security cameras. WannaMine is the latest campaign to exploit the stubborn EternalBlue vulnerability. Data firms work toward guidelines to prevent political data abuse. David Dufour from Webroot with a primer on quantum computing. Guest is Sam Bisbee from Threat Stack on public cloud breaches. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/September/CyberWire_2018_09_18.html
In today's podcast, we hear about the ransomware that's clogged systems at a UK airport. New variants of ransomware are out and about in the wild. EternalBlue continues to be used to install cryptojackers in vulnerable systems—the campaign is being called WannaMine. EU considers short deadlines and sharp penalties for failure to remove "extremist content" from the Internet. Russia suspected in WADA and Spiez Lab hacking. Did Moscow overreach with its latest Novichok disinformation effort? Malek Ben Salem from Accenture on encryption techniques that make use of DNA. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/September/CyberWire_2018_09_17.html
A team of researchers from Northeastern University and UC Santa Barbara examined over 17,000 Android apps, and revealed a number of alarming privacy risks. Elleen Pan and Christo Wilson were members of the research team, and they join us to share what they found. The research is titled Panoptispy: Characterizing Audio and Video Exfiltration from Android Applications. It can be found here: https://recon.meddle.mobi/papers/panoptispy18pets.pdf
In today's podcast we hear that Magecart has achieved another library infestation as Feedify is hit. An evil cursor attack is a variant of a familiar tech support scam. The Ramnit banking Trojan seems to be spiking during the summer, and there are various theories as to why this might be so. More Novichok disinformation is out. Safari url spoofing seems more nuisance than serious menace. North Korea denounces the US for a "smear campaign" against the Lazarus Group, which doesn’t exist, either. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI shares his frustrations with his bank’s insufficient password practices. Guest is Ron Gula, former CEO and co-founder of Tenable Network Security, currently President at Gula Tech Adventures which focuses on investing and advisement of two dozen cyber-security companies. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/September/CyberWire_2018_09_14.html
In today's podcast we hear that an Iranian domestic spyware campaign has been reported: it's most interested in ethnic Kurds. A bogus cryptocurrency wallet site is taken down. F-Secure warns of a widespread firmware problem that could be exploited for cold boot attacks. The BlueBorne Bluetooth bugs are apparently still out there. Tech support scam ads are taken down. Policies for election security continue to evolve. And Facebook's founder offers some thoughts on how his platform can save democracy. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS with analysis of a Florida court decision on the use of cell site simulators. Guest is Josh Mayfield from Absolute Software with tips on cyber hygiene. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/September/CyberWire_2018_09_13.html
In our podcast we hear that a US Executive Order issued today will impose sanctions on foreign actors following a determination that there's been an attempt at election meddling. The Executive Order covers both hacking and propaganda. British Airways may receive a heavy fine under GDPR for its recent breach. The EU passes controversial copyright legislation. Russia says the accused Novichok hitmen didn't do nothin'. And watch out for Olivia on WhatsApp—she's not what she at first seems to be. Jonathan Katz from the University of Maryland, with a cryptocurrency bug story from the MIT media lab. Guest is Robert Block from SecureAuth + CoreSecurity, with best practices for securing Office 365. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/September/CyberWire_2018_09_12.html
In today's podcast, we hear that Trend Micro has clarified what was up with allegations it was deploying spyware with its tools—no spyware, but they've changed their products to remove the appearance of impropriety. RiskIQ fingers the Magecart gang as the hoods behind the British Airways data breach. Exploit broker Zerodium discloses a no-longer profitable Tor Browser vulnerability. Google will challenge the EU's right-to-be-forgotten in court this week. An extradition in the JPMorgan hack. Justin Harvey from Accenture with tips on building an effective incident response plan. Guest is Colin McKinty from BAE systems, discussing the launch of The Intelligence Network, a collaborative task force developed in partnership with Vodafone and Surrey University, to engage, unite and activate the global security community in the fight against cybercrime. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/September/CyberWire_2018_09_11.html
In today's podcast, we hear about foreign information operations surrounding elections in Israel and Sweden. Domestic information operations surround local elections in Russia. Apple purges questionable security apps from its store. Are the Silence cyber criminals security industry veterans? British Airways continues to recover from its data breach. What a "cyber moonshot" might actually mean. And ProtonMail says the coppers have collared an Apophis Squad member. Zulfikar Ramzan from RSA with a reality check on blockchain hype . Guest is Yehuda Lindell from Unbound Tech on the Foreshadow vulnerability. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/September/CyberWire_2018_09_10.html
Researchers at Symantec recently published their findings on an active attack group named Leafminer that's targeting government organizations and businesses in the Middle East region. Vikram Thakur is a technical director at Symantec, and he joins us to share what they've found. The research can be found here: https://www.symantec.com/blogs/threat-intelligence/leafminer-espionage-middle-east
In today's podcast we hear that Russia says it had nothing to do with the Salisbury nerve agent attacks, but no one really seems to be buying the denial. The US indicts a North Korean hacker in matters pertaining to the Lazarus Group. FOIA.gov overshares. British Airways sustains a data breach. The "Silence" gang makes some noise in the underworld. Notes from yesterday's Billington Cybersecurity Summit. And Twitter bans a grandstander…for life. Dr. Charles Clancy from VA Tech’s Hume Center describes the Virginia Commonwealth Cyber Initiative. Guest is Rich Baich, CISO at Wells Fargo with insights on protecting a major financial institution.
In today's podcast, we hear that the Novichok attacks have brought Britain and Russia to the brink of cyberwar. The UK will take its case to the UN Security Council. Twitter and Facebook have completed their testimony on Capitol Hill, but investigation of tech's role in influence operations and public discourse continue. So do concerns about election security. Unpatched MikroTik routers are being exploited in the wild. OilRig shows some new tricks. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on biometric scanners tagging travelers at the border. Guest is Robert Anderson from the Chertoff Group with insights on the encryption debate. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/September/CyberWire_2018_09_06.html
In today's podcast, we hear that German security authorities warn about the possibility of sleeper sabotage malware. A botnet to rival Satori, this one called Hakai, continues to spread to new classes of router. SamSam ransomware remains dishearteningly successful. The US Director of National Intelligence warns against foreign influence in elections. Facebook's former security chief says the midterms could be the World Cup of information Warfare. Silicon Valley comes to Capitol Hill, but without Google. Craig Williams from Talos at Cisco with an update on the Remcos RAT. Guest is Robert Holmes from Proofpoint on the DHS’s Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 18-01 mandate to secure their email systems. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/September/CyberWire_2018_09_05.html
In today's podcast, we hear that Intrusion Truth seems to have Stone Panda dead to rights. Chinese intelligence increases targeting of expatriate Uyghurs. Zscaler warns that an ad-fraud campaign is making use of the Tokelau top-level domain. Check Point has a decryptor for RansomWarrior. The US House and Senate will hear from Facebook, Twitter, and Google this week about influence operations, content moderation, and alleged monopolistic practices. And no, Pope Francis isn't giving away Bitcoin, nor did former President Obama encrypt your files. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs with a look back at the effects of last year’s Alpha Bay takedown. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/September/CyberWire_2018_09_04.html
Threat researcher Marcelle Lee from LookingGlass Cyber Solutions joins us to share her research on the growing threat of ATM hacks in the U.S. The research can be found here: https://www.lookingglasscyber.com/blog/atm-hacking-you-dont-have-to-pay-to-play/
In today's podcast we hear that the US Intelligence Community says that China is actively trying to recruit spies over LinkedIn. Britain and Germany had earlier issued similar warnings. WindShift espionage group is active in the Gulf. GlobeImposter ransomware continues its evolution and spread. The Five Eyes issue some communiques about cooperation in cyberspace. Russia would like to block Telegram if it could do so without too much collateral traffic damage. Supply chain questions about Google's Titan. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the ICS Stormcast podcast, with iPhone unlocking techniques. Guest is Andy Greenberg from WIRED discussing his recent article on NotPetya. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/August/CyberWire_2018_08_31.html
In today's podcast, we hear that Twitter bots have shown up in Sweden's political discourse. Not so much Chinese hacking for influence: Beijing seems to prefer funding sympathetic cultural and research centers. 130 million hotel guests have their PII offered for sale on the dark web. Medical device vulnerabilities are disclosed, and hospitals are urged to patch. Nexus Zeta faces charges in a US Federal Court, apparently in connection with the Satori botnet. Mike Benjamin from CenturyLink with an update on the Necurs botnet. Guest is Gilad Peleg from SecBI on the challenges of secure BYOD policies. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/August/CyberWire_2018_08_30.html 1
In today's podcast we hear that the Apache Struts vulnerability, patched last week, is being actively exploited by cryptojackers. Microsoft works on a fix for local privilege escalation flaw in Windows. Trend Micro sees similarities among Urpage, Confucius, Patchwork, and Bahamut campaigns. Air Canada suffers a breach. Criminal threats to power grids. And searching for search engine optimization in all the wrong places. Jonathan Katz from UMD on flaws in Intel processors’ secure enclave. Guest is Fred Kneip from CyberGRX on third party risk. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/August/CyberWire_2018_08_29.html
In today's podcast, we hear that Twitter has suspended more accounts for "divisive social commentary" and "coordinated manipulation." Facebook blocks accounts belonging to Myanmar leaders over Rohingya persecution. US Senators are unconvinced by claims that it's dangerous to research voting-machine vulnerabilities. The House takes a look at the CVE database. Australia's new government reorganizes its cybersecurity portfolio. Justin Harvey from Accenture with details from their mid-year cyber threatscape report. Guest is Sean Tierney from Infoblox with their shadow IoT report. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/August/CyberWire_2018_08_28.html
In today's podcast, we discuss reports that suggest US HUMINT collection in Russia has dried up. Russian intelligence services are showing an interest in disrupting a grant of autonomy to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church by the Ecumenical Patriarch. Turkish hacktivism shows up in the US, as journalists' social media accounts are hijacked. A look at Iranian information operations. ISIS limps back into cyberspace. A new point-of-sale malware family is discovered. David Dufour from Webroot on the role of engineers in securing an organization. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/August/CyberWire_2018_08_27.html
Threat intelligence firm Recorded Future recently published research describing espionage activities originating from servers at a major Chinese university, coinciding with international economic development efforts. Winnona DeSombre and Sanil Chohan are authors of the report, Chinese Cyberespionage Originating from Tsinghua University Infrastructure, along with their colleague Justin Grosfelt. The research can be found here: https://www.recordedfuture.com/chinese-cyberespionage-operations/
In today's podcast, we hear that Google has put the cats out. Secureworks describes an Iranian cyberespionage campaign targeting universities. That DNC phishing campaign is confirmed to be a false alarm caused by a Michigan misstep, but almost fifteen million voter records appear to have been inadvertently exposed in Texas. The US tells Russia to knock off the influence operations, and some suggest a counter-value deterrent strategy to tame the Bears. China warns Australia its new government will face trade retaliation for banning ZTE and Huawei. Reality Winner gets five years, and two Minnesota lawyers go away, too. Ben Yelin From UMD CHHS on attempts by the State Department to establish international norms for behavior for cyber. Guest is Theresa Payton from Fortalice Solutions, addressing hype vs reality when it comes to blockchain, AI, and the IoT. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/August/CyberWire_2018_08_24.html
In today's podcast, we hear that a phishing attempt against the Democratic National Committee turned out to have been a poorly coordinated red-team exercise. Apache patches a remote code execution vulnerability in Struts. Another exposed AWS bucket. Remcos remote administration tool is being abused by black hats. Dark Tequila goes after customers of Mexican financial institutions. The Lazarus Group is back, and it's getting into Macs for the first time. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on Android vs. iOS data privacy. Guest is Oren Falkowitz from Area 1 Security on protection against phishing attempts. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/August/CyberWire_2018_08_23.html
In today's podcast we hear that Facebook has taken down more inauthentic pages—some are Russian, but others are Iranian. Twitter blocks Iranian accounts for being bogus. Russia denies, again, any involvement in information operations against the US. US Army Cyber Command's boss wonders if his job isn't more "information ops" than "cyber." Bitdefender describes Triout, an Android spyware framework. And some in industry caution the Senate not to expect them to get frisky hacking back. Craig Williams from Cisco’s Talos team, discussing MDM (mobile device management) vulnerabilities. Guest is James Burns from CFC Underwriting on cyber security insurance. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/August/CyberWire_2018_08_22.html
In today's podcast, we hear that Microsoft has sprung its bear trap, again, and caught Fancy Bear. This time the targets are more to the right than the left. The US Senate holds hearings on cybersecurity—hacking back is expected to be on the table. The UK wants more sanctions on Russia. US Senators are looking into reducing sanctions' collateral economic damage. Operation Red Signature pokes at South Korean supply chains. Intrusion Truth doxes Chinese intelligence officers. Medical device bugs. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks with tips buying cybersecurity products. Guest is Travis Rosiek from BluVector on fileless attacks. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/August/CyberWire_2018_08_21.html
In today's podcast, we hear that an evolved DarkHotel campaign is under way. A new malware dropper is out and about thanks to the Necurs botnet. Researchers demonstrate proof-of-concept exploits. Cyber espionage follows trade. Notes on election meddling. Google and Facebook encounter some regulatory and legal headwinds over data collection. Connected cars know a lot about their drivers, and there's money in those data. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on the notion of cyber attacks as a distraction. For links to all today's stories, check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/August/CyberWire_2018_08_20.html
Researchers at Bitdefender have been tracking a bit of complex rootkit malware called Zacinlo that they suspect has been operating virtually undetected for over six years. Bogdan Botezatu is a senior cyber security analyst with Bitdefender, and he describes what they've found. Research link: https://labs.bitdefender.com/2018/06/six-years-and-counting-inside-the-complex-zacinlo-ad-fraud-operation/
In today's podcast we run through a brief guide to election risks, and the difference between hacking and influence operations. An Alaskan trade mission prompts a wave of Chinese industrial espionage. Misconfigured project management pages may have exposed Canadian and British Government information. Necurs flared up in a short-lived spam campaign against banks this week. Crooks use bogus Fortnite download pages. Final briefs are submitted in Kaspersky's court challenge to its US ban. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on her experience getting certified as a fraud examiner. Guest is Marco Rubin from the Center for Innovative Technology, on the security of UAVs and drones. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/August/CyberWire_2018_08_17.html
In today's podcast we hear that cyber threats to river traffic have intermodal implications. Nation state hacking, Presidential Policy Directive 20, and international norms of cyber conflict. The tragic consequences of overconfidence concerning communications security. Australia's new cyber laws are more legal hammer than required backdoor. A campaign of ATM robbery nets millions worldwide. A cryptocurrency speculator sues the phone company, a spyware firm sues a former employee, and the Dread Pirate Roberts would like a pardon. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the ICS Stormcast Podcast, on lingering legacy passwords in Office documents. Guest is Phil Neray from CyberX on the National Risk Management Center being spun up by DHS. For links to all today's stories, check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/August/CyberWire_2018_08_16.html
In today's podcast we hear some Patch Tuesday notes—both Microsoft and Adobe were busy yesterday. Foreshadow, a new speculative execution vulnerability, is reported. Malaysia gets attention from Chinese espionage services. Competition for jihadist mindshare. Influence operations as marketing. The US FBI gets a new cyber boss. The Kremlin thinks the BBC is biased in the crypto-wars. And laptop stickers: are they good, bad, or ugly? Zulfikar Ramzan from RSA on SOCs and IoT. Guest is Dimitris Maniatis from Upstream on Android ad fraud malware. For links to all of today's stories check out the CyberWire daily briefing: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/August/CyberWire_2018_08_15.html
In today's podcast, we hear about the cryptowars down under. Major DDoS incident in Finland. Bears in the home routers, and concerns about IoT and power grid security prompt a US Senator to demand answers. Smart cities present big attack surfaces. Preliminary notes on patches. ZTE and Huawei devices formally disinvited from US Government networks. Cyber retaliation expected from Russia and Iran over sanctions. And locking people in a room to teach them good cyber hygiene. Justin Harvey from Accenture on threat hunting. Guest is Bob Stevens from Lookout discussing app-based malware on mobile devices. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/August/CyberWire_2018_08_14.html
In today's podcast, we hear about spyware in the guise of a missile attack warning app. New Dharma variant out. Android.Clipper redirects transactions to crooks' cryptowallets. DLink exploits rob Brazilian banking customers. Utilities prepare for grid hacks, but researchers say an appliance botnet could cycle demand enough to induce blackouts. Vulnerabilities in airline Wi-Fi and SATCOM connectivity. Election hacking demos may or may not be realistic. Family spy ware proves vulnerable to data exfiltration. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on police using facial recognition software to nab a suspect.
Researchers at Symantec have been tracking a wide-ranging espionage operation that's targeting satellite, telecom and defense companies. Jon DiMaggio is a senior cyber intelligence analyst at Symantec, and he takes us through what they've discovered. The research can be found here: https://www.symantec.com/blogs/threat-intelligence/thrip-hits-satellite-telecoms-defense-targets
In today's podcast we hear that US-CERT is warning of a North Korean RAT. Researchers find vulnerable WPA2 handshake implementations. A sales call results in inadvertent data exposure. Notes on Black Hat: circumspection, hype, barkers, and artificial intelligence. Russia braces for US sanctions and promises retaliation. South Korea will reorganize its Cyber Command. The PGA is hit with ransomware. Guests are Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan, authors of the book The Red Web.
In today's podcast we hear that Tehran seems ready to follow Pyongyang into state-sponsored theft to redress financial shortfalls: cryptocurrency ransomware looks like Iran's preferred approach. DarkHydrus uses commodity tool Phishery in Middle Eastern campaign. Jackpotting cryptocurrency ATMs. The US imposes sanctions on Russia. Reality Winner's sentencing date announced. IBM looks at artificially intelligent malware. The mob's role in the cyber black market. What's the bigger gaming threat, sideloading apps or the Fortnite dance? We're asking for a friend. Awais Rashid from Bristol University on issues with software warranties. Guest is Cheryl Biswas from the Diana Initiative, a conference in Las Vegas celebrating diversity, women in security, and how to pursue a career in information security and technology.
In today's podcast we hare that Oracle has warned of BGP exploits against payment processors. Check Point says it's found vulnerabilities in WhatsApp that could enable chat sessions to be intercepted and manipulated. Germany, Ukraine, and the US independently mull responses to hacking and influence operations. Anonymous announces it wants to take its shots at QAnon. Notes from Black Hat, including observations on grid hacks, AI, and the gray hat phenomenon. David Dufour from Webroot with a look at the year in review. Guest is Travis Moore from TechCongress describing their fellowship programs. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/August/CyberWire_2018_08_08.html
In today's podcast we hear that chipmaker TSMC says the virus that shut it down in Taiwan was WannaCry. It appears to have been an incidental infection enabled by inattentive installation of software. OpenEMR fixes bugs that could have exposed millions of patient records. British authorities are said to be readying an extradition request for GRU operators they hold responsible for the Novichok attack in Salisbury—the incident has prompted Russian hacking and disinformation. Mike Benjamin from CenturyLink on DDoS attack trends. Casey Ellis from Bugcrowd with an overview of bug bounty programs.
Leaky API may have exposed Salesforce customers' data, TSMC reports a virus in its semiconductor plants. TCM Bank discloses a paycard application leak. Ransomware in Hong Kong. The US Census Bureau prepares to secure its 2020 "fully digital" census. The unbearable, irresistible urge to monetize data. Notes on automotive cybersecurity. Depending on whom you ask, the Bitfi wallet was either hacked, or not. And a new goodwill ambassador seeks to repair US-Russian relations. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks exploring the notion of superforecasting. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/August/CyberWire_2018_08_06.html
Researchers at McAfee recently discovered code execution vulnerabilities in the default settings of the Cortana voice-activated digital assistant in Windows 10 systems. Steve Povolny is head of advanced threat research at McAfee and he shares their findings. The research can be found here: https://securingtomorrow.mcafee.com/mcafee-labs/want-to-break-into-a-locked-windows-10-device-ask-cortana-cve-2018-8140
In today's podcast we hear that the US Intelligence Community warns of Russian threats, again. A criminal spearphishing campaign hits Russian industrial companies. A cryptojacking wave is installing CoinHive in MicroTik routers. Speakers at the Billington Automotive CyberSecuirty Summit stress collaboration, design for security, and the convergence of cyber and safety. Autonomy and connectivity make these imperative for the next generation of vehicles. Municipalities hit by malware feel the pain. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on a NYT story on records being seized from a reporter. Guest is David Spark, cohost of the CISO Security Vendor Relationship podcast. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/August/CyberWire_2018_08_03.html
In today's podcast, we hear that Cisco plans to buy Duo Security. Dragos warns of the RASPITE adversary actor. Russia's Sandworm group is phishing people connected with a Swiss chemical forensics lab. How influence operations can be a no-lose proposition. A cryptojacking campaign is discovered and stopped. Malspam is using gifs to carry a keylogger payload. And Facebook CSO Alex Stamos has fixed a date for his departure for Stanford. Robert M. Lee from Dragos with thoughts on categorizing threat actors. Guest is Wendi Whitmore from IBM with their 2018 Cost of a Data Breach study. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/August/CyberWire_2018_08_02.html
In today's podcast we hear that a Swiss chemical agent forensic lab has seen Sandworm phishing attempts. Facebook kicks thirty-one "inauthentic" accounts from its platform: they seem to have been engaged in influence operations, possibly Russian. Attribution remains difficult. NSO Group's Pegasus spyware found in Amnesty International phone. SamSam ransomware exacts a high cost. Yale realizes it was breached about ten years ago. Google allegedly prepares a censor-engine for Chinese web searchers. Craig Williams from Cisco’s Talos unit, describing his team and the work they do. Guest is Thomas Hofmann from Flashpoint on ransomware and online extortion. For links to all of today's stories check out out Cyberwire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/August/CyberWire_2018_08_01.html
In this CyberWire special edition, we take a look at data-centric security, focusing on the security of the data itself, rather than the surrounding networks, application or servers. To help us on our journey of understanding we’ve lined up a number of industry experts. Ellison Anne Williams is CEO of Enveil, a company that’s developed cutting edge encryption techniques. Adam Nichols is principle of software security at Grimm, a cybersecurity engineering and consulting firm. Mark Forrest is CEO of Cryptshare, maker of secure electronic communication technologies for the exchange of business sensitive information. And John Prisco is CEO at QuantumXchange, a provider of what they claim is unbreakable quantum-safe encryption.
In today's podcast we hear more warnings about Russian cyber operators in the North American power grid. The US Department of Homeland Security announces formation of a National Risk Management Center. Cosco's preparation may have rendered the shipper more resilient to the cyberattack it sustained. Congress worries over election hacking and deep fakes. Electronic warfare is back. An alt-coin platform is hacked, a carder goes to jail, an alleged sim-swapper is arrested, and coaches behave badly. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the ISC Stormcast podcast on TLS 1.3 implementation. Guest is Mark Orlando from Raytheon on critical infrastructure security. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/July/CyberWire_2018_07_31.html
In today's podcast, we hear about NetSpectre, a new speculative execution proof-of-concept. Australia's Electoral Commission says there were no signs of hacking recent by-elections. US states remain concerned about election hacking. Missouri Senator McCaskill confirms that Fancy Bear made an unsuccessful attempt to access her staff's network. Russian threats to power grids. Industrial espionage continues to go after corporate IP. And news you can use about JPay (we know: you're asking for a friend). Jonathan Katz from UMD on the timeline for practical quantum computers. For links to all of these stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/July/CyberWire_2018_07_30.html
Researchers at Defiant recently analyzed a malware family they named "BabaYaga," which has the curious behavior of clearing out other malware and keeping infected sites up to date. Brad Hass is a senior security analyst at Defiant, and he guides us through their findings. The research can be found here: https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2018/06/babayaga-wordpress-malware/
In today's podcast we learn that Fancy Bear is said to be snuffling around at least one US Senatorial office. The US National Security Council meets to consider Russian election interference. Notes on Chinese and Iranian cyberespionage. New malware loaders are offered on the black market. Smart home hubs are shown to be hackable. Tenable enjoys a good IPO. A burglar in Silicon Valley didn't say, your money or your life, but rather, dude I'm outta data—can I have your WiFi password? Dr. Charles Clancy from VA Tech on the security aspects of digital vs analog RF spectrum. Guest is Lisa Beegle from Akamai with info from their State of Internet Security report. For link to all of today's stories check out the CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/July/CyberWire_2018_07_27.html
In today's podcast we hear that LifeLock gets locked down—probably no harm done, maybe. US-CERT warns of active campaigns against ERP applications. Ad blockers may be doubling as spyware. A new RAT gnaws away at corporate HR departments. Underminer shows that exploit kits aren't obsolete after all. NSA gets a bad report from its IG. Congress worries over Russian infrastructure reconnaissance and influence operations. Iran's OilRig and Leafminer remain active regional threats. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on infosec pros reusing passwords. Guest is Jessica Ortega from SiteLock, discussing how having social media icons on your website increases the odds of falling victim to attacks. For links to stories in today's podcast check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/July/CyberWire_2018_07_26.html
In today's podcast, we hear that Leafminer is infesting networks in the Middle East. Red Alert, Kronos, Mirai, and Gafgyt make their reappearance in new forms. Shipping firm Cosco is dealing with a cyberattack. US officials raise warnings about Russian threats to the power grid and elections. Congress considers cyber retaliation. A dispute over cyber insurance coverage lands the insured and the insurer in court. Awais Rashid from Bristol University on IoT and OT convergence. Guest is Jason Morgan from Wiretap on their Human Behavior Risk Analysis Report. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/July/CyberWire_2018_07_25.html
In today's podcast, we hear that warnings of Russian prep for an attack on power grids become more pointed. Phishing and impersonation attacks continue to rise. Microsoft patches a patch. The SingHealth breach remains under investigation. The Satori botnet may be taking another run at Android devices. Bluetooth vulnerabilities render paired devices susceptible to man-in-the-middle attacks. And evil maid attacks may be less difficult than you thought. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs, sharing her experience attending a conference for professionals working to fight fraud. Guest is Brian Martin from Risk Based Security with their research on vulnerabilities they discovered with the Click2Gov service. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/July/CyberWire_2018_07_24.html
In today's podcast we hear that Singapore's SingHealth has sustained a major data breach: authorities speculate it may have been the work of a nation-state yet to be determined (or at least named). A third-party data exposure affects major manufacturers, including car makers. The Aspen Security Forum concludes with sobering warnings from senior US Government officials and the private sector of election interference and the prospects of a "cyber 9/11." Ecuador may be tiring of Mr. Assange. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks revisiting the notion of a metaphorical cyber moon-shot. For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/July/CyberWire_2018_07_23.html
Researchers Gang Wang and Hang Hu from Virginia Tech recently conducted an end-to-end measurement on 35 popular email providers and examining user reactions to spoofing through a real-world spoofing/phishing test. Gang Wang joins us to share the sobering results. End-to-End Measurements of Email Spoofing Attacks https://people.cs.vt.edu/gangwang/usenix-draft.pdf
In today's podcast we hear that the US Intelligence Community remains convinced the Bears are up to no good. Finland experienced elevated rates of cyberattack during the Helsinki summit, mostly Chinese espionage. The hacker "Anarchy" assembled an 18,000-member botnet in less than a day, using known vulnerabilities. Crooks monetize stolen credit cards through online games. Amazon works to induce better AWS configurations. Annual UK report on Huawei is out. Phishing campaign notes. Zulfikar Ranzan from RSA on cyber risk quantification. Guest is Mark Peters II, author of the book Cashing in on Cyber Power. For links to all of today's stories, check out our CyberWire daily news brief. https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/July/CyberWire_2018_07_20.html
In today's podcast, we hear that Fancy Bear has taken a Roman Holiday, and the Italian Navy may be taking note. A criminal espionage campaign is underway, with Ukraine's government as its target. An exposed AWS S3 bucket leaks voter information. A security firm and a vendor dispute whether an issue is a vulnerability or a case of user abuse. NIST announces its intention of withdrawing some obsolete cybersecurity publications. Congress presses tech companies about content moderation. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University on rewriting digital histories. Guest is Matt Cauthorn from ExtraHop on a new worm spreading through Android devices. For links to all of today's stories, check out the CyberWire daily news brief - https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/July/CyberWire_2018_07_19.html
In today's podcast, we hear about the spread of Magnibur ransomware. LabCorp discloses "suspicious activity" on its networks. The Pentagon will add cybersecurity checks to its test and evaluation process. Siemens updates customers on Spectre and Meltdown. Oracle's quarterly patch bulletin is out. Fallout, clarifications, and more fallout from the Helsinki summit. US agencies continue preparations to secure elections and infrastructure. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on the Electrum threat group. Guest is Jonathan Couch from Threat Quotient on Dark Web markets. For links to stories in today's CyberWire podcast, check out our daily news brief. https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/July/CyberWire_2018_07_18.html
In today's podcast we review fallout from the Trump-Putin summit. Cyberespionage campaigns resurface in East Asia—at least one of them originates in North Korea. Telefonica sustains a major data breach of Spanish customers' details. Passwords to DVRs are found cached in an IoT search engine. Those DVRs' firmware is also vulnerable to exploitation. The US Census Bureau is asked to provide an overview of measures being taken to secure the 2020 census. David Dufour from Webroot on ransomware in the UK. Guest is James Tabor from MEDIA Protocol on using blockchain technology with online advertising. For links to all of the stories mentioned in today's podcast, check out our CyberWire daily news brief - https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/July/CyberWire_2018_07_17.html
DNI says "warning lights are blinking red" over cyber threats. Election interference remains a risk despite lower than expected levels of threat activity. Presidents Trump and Putin meet in Helsinki. Notes on the Mueller investigation and the GRU indictments. Huawei, under suspicion over African cyberespionage, is said to be excluded from participation in Australian 5G buildout. Congress may reimpose ban on ZTE. Kaspersky fails to win emergency injunction against US sanctions. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS, weighing in on the indictments of the Russians. For links to all of the stories mentioned in this podcast, visit our daily news brief on our web page. https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2018/July/CyberWire_2018_07_16.html
Andy Bochman is senior grid strategist for Idaho National Lab’s National and Homeland Security directorate. Today we’re discussing the research the INL has been doing, developing new approaches to protecting mission critical systems.
In today's podcast, we hear that Special Counsel Mueller has secured an indictment of twelve Russian intelligence officers for hacking during the 2016 US presidential elections. Ukraine finds VPNFilter in a water treatment facility. Comment spam returns. Speculative execution issues. Mobile-device-management tool used against smartphone users in India. The US Army directly commissions two cyber operators—congratulations, First Lieutenants. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on California’s consumer privacy ballot measure. Guest is Martin Hellman, professor emeritus at Stanford University and known for his work on Diffie–Hellman key exchange. His new book is A New Map for Relationships: Creating True Love at Home and Peace on the Planet.
In today's podcast, we hear that Timehop has released more information as its breach investigation proceeds. The case will be interesting as an indicator of what GDPR enforcement will look like. Two speculative execution side-channel attacks are described (in the lab, but not yet, it's believed, in the wild). The US Senate's flesh creeps over bug disclosure practices. Someone uses a Netgear exploit to get some US technical manuals. Twitter goes to work against bogus accounts. Mike Benjamin from CenturyLink on cryptojacking. Guest is Yaniv Avidan from MinerEye on cloud GDPR compliance.
In today's podcast we hear reports that the Ticketmaster breach is the tip of a big software supply chain iceberg. Chinese intelligence services closely interested in Cambodia's elections. iOS crashes appear related to code designed to block displays of Taiwan's flag to users in China. Congress wants some answers on smartphone privacy from both Apple and Alphabet. Facebook's wrist is slapped in the UK. Langley Credit Union identity theft case proves not necessarily related to the OPM breach. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the ISC Podcast on securing DNS. Guest is Ken Spinner from Varonis, cautioning that we not allow the high-profile insider threat cases distract us.
In today's podcast, we hear that advance fee scams run by Elon Musk impersonators are using the recently rescued boys' soccer team as phishbait. Bancor wallet robbed of crytpocurrencies. Palestinian police spearphished. BlackTech espionage group using stolen certificates to sign malware. Apple's upgrades are out—one privacy enhancement has a workaround. Microsoft is in the process of patching. And another fitness app, Polar Flow, overshares. Jonathan Katz from UMD on homomorphic encryption standards. Guests are Julie Bernard from Deloitte and John Carlson from the FS-ISAC with results from a recent FS-ISAC survey.
In today's podcast, we hear that if your nation's team was playing a World Cup match, you probably weren't visiting dodgy websites. Concerns mount in the UK that Russia may be readying a long-expected attack on British infrastructure and holding it until the Cup is decided. The Australian National University is hacked in an apparent espionage attempt. Data breaches at Timehop, DomainFactory, and Macy's. Russia calls for international cooperation. The Marines say it wasn't them on that dating app. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs with tips on GDPR compliance.
Sellers of malware on Dark Web forums often use No Distribute malware scanning tools to help verify the effectiveness of their wares, while preventing legitimate virus scanning tools from adding the malware to their database. Daniel Hatheway is a Senior Security Analyst at Recorded Future, and he takes us through their recently published research, Uncover Unseen Malware Samples with No Distribute Scanners.
In today's podcast we hear about catphishing in Berlin and Tel Aviv: whether you're offering payment for a white paper or up-to-date futbol scores, it pays to know the right bait. Android apps may be permission hogs, but it's surprising how often the hogs hoard like misers, never really using them. The US Army pushes cyber into the brigades. How Facebook checks facts. The Thermanator knows which keys you've typed from the heat your hot hand leaves behind. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on their recently released white paper on fraud as a supply chain. Guest is Brian Wells from Merlin International discussing how high-performing health care organizations are addressing cyber threats.
In today's podcast we hear about some catphishing in the IDF's pond. Charming Kitten uses itself as bait. Facebook and Google face scrutiny over sharing users' information with third-parties. The Pirate Bay is back after its hiatus, and it's back to cryptojacking. The European Parliament voted today to reopen debate on its controversial copyright legislation. ZTE receives some perhaps temporary, perhaps more enduring, relief from US sanctions. And confusion to the Muggalos' facial recognition software. Justin Harvey from Accenture with thoughts on quantum computing. Guest is Gadi Naveh from Check Point Software with a look at open source security tools.
In today's podcast we hear that Ukraine has warned of hybrid warfare during UN counter-terrorism meetings. ProtonMail DDoS continues. Security concerns surrounding ZTE, Huawei, and China Mobile. Retail data breaches. A quiz app's backup data are accessed by unauthorized parties. FBI, FTC, and SEC sift through Facebook's answers to questions for the record. A strange set of symptoms among diplomats in China arouses suspicion of infrasound weapons. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks on the Cyber Threat Alliance. Guest is Vince Arneja from 5nine on secure cloud implementations.
In today's podcast we hear a bit about the data breach Adidas disclosed late last week. Facebook answers Congressional questions for the record and adopts a data abuse bounty program. Investigation of the Exactis data exposure incident continues, but the class action lawsuits have already begun. Algonquin College discloses a hacking incident. Tenable with hold an IPO. US-Russian summit will take up election influence ops. FireEye says North Korea is hacking Latin American banks. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI reviewing a recent Black Hat survey of cyber security industry professionals.
Researchers from Cisco Talos continue to track malware they've named VPNFilter, a multi-stage infection with multiple capabilities, targeting consumer-grade routers. Craig Williams is head of Cisco Talos Outreach, and he joins us with the details.
In today's podcast we hear that Ticketmaster UK's hacking incident will provide an interesting GDPR test case. Data aggregator Exactis left nearly two terabytes of personal and business information exposed on the publicly accessible Internet. NSA destroys telephone call data collected in ways it can't square with applicable law. California hastily passes a data protection law. Ave atque vale Harlon Ellison. And our condolences to the victims of the shooting at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis. Dr. Charles Clancy from VA Tech’s Hume Center, discussing his recent congressional testimony concerning supply chain security. Guest is Dr. Mansur Hasib, discussing his book Cybersecurity Leadership.
In today's podcast we hear that Ukraine has warned that Russia is preparing a coordinated attack against Ukrainian financial and energy infrastructure. China appears to be stepping up surveillance of the Tibetan diaspora. Cisco's Talos unit has a free decryptor for Thanatos ransomware. Facebook's self-audit of data usage proves both more difficult and more skeleton-rattling than hoped. Norwegian consumer watchdogs find that Facebook and Google nudge users away from privacy. An alt-coin sting against drug dealers. Mike Benjamin from CenturyLink on Malspam, and how it differs from run of the mill spam. Guest is Jaime Blasco from AlienVault on the security implications of using open source tools.
In today's podcast, we hear that ProtonMail was hit this morning by an Apophis Squad DDoS attack. Rancor cyberespionage campaign observed in Southeast Asia. PythonBot serves up adware and cryptojacking. WannaCry-themed protection racket is all bark and no bite. EU organizing a joint cyber incident response force. FBI and international partners make arrests in an Africa-based business email compromise racket. Reality Winner's guilty plea. Emily Wilson from Terbium labs with a story of a six-year-old dealing with identity theft. Guest is Paul Aubin from Varonis on the protection of federal systems.
In today's podcast, we hear warnings of Russian cyber operations from Romania and the UK. Recent attempts at developing international rules of conduct (and conflict) in cyberspace. Bronze Butler's naughty USB drives—not as scary as they sound, but a useful reminder of some sound precautions. FireEye says it never hacked back. Smart batteries may be too smart for their users' good. A new venture fund lends credibility to cryptocurrency and blockchain startups. Overwatch hacker gets jail time in Inchon. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University on cascading failures in complex systems. Guest is Vikram Thakur from Symantec on the VPNfilter router infestation.
In today's podcast, we hear that Taiwan continues to receive the PLA's cyber attentions. A look at what the Lazarus Group is up to. Cryptocurrency fraudsters arrested as alt-coin values have a rocky ride. Continuing US hot water for ZTE and Huawei. GDPR-themed data extortion. Business email compromise is up. So are ransomware attacks against US city governments. And when is a ransomware attack not a ransomware attack? When it's just a protection racket. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the ISC Internet Storm Center podcast on evasive cryptocoin miners.
Researchers at Check Point Research recently discovered vulnerabilities in some LG smartphone keyboards, vulnerabilities that could have been used to remotely execute code with elevated privileges, act as a keylogger and thereby compromise the users’ privacy and authentication details.
In today's podcast, we hear that phishing scams continue to nibble away at bank accounts and reputations: the State of Oregon is among those suffering. Avoid emails promising you leaked pictures of YouTube stars. Chinese espionage against US targets rises. US Intelligence officials worry that failure to play a long game puts the country at a disadvantage with respect to innovation. The Joint Chiefs mull electronic warfare issues. Reality Winner makes a plea agreement in her espionage case. And from ecstasy tablets to Iranian spying is a short sad road. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS weighs in on the US Supreme Court decision on location data privacy. Guest is Taavi Kotka, former CIO of the Estonian government, discussing that nation’s innovative digital identity system.
In today's podcast we hear about a malicious app that will save your battery, but it will also install a backdoor, steal information, and click on a bunch of ads. A sophisticated and patient botnet, Mylobot, is observed in the wild, but it's not yet clear what it's up to. Cryptojackers exploit a known (and patched) Drupal vulnerability. Vectra finds tunnels. Google adds security metadata to Android apps. Cisco patches. The EU's proposed copyright regulations attract little love. Congress pursues ZTE and Huawei. And Tesla sues a former employee. Ryan LaSalle from Accenture, on the opening of their new Cyber Fusion Center. Guest is Ned Miller from McAfee on their “Winning the Game” report on the gamification of security training.
In today's podcast, we hear that the Chinese espionage group Thrip is targeting satellite communications operators and others in the US and Southeast Asia. Zacinlo rootkit hides inside a bogus VPN. Developers are leaving Firebase apps insecure. The EU's controversial copyright regulation advances from committee. Kardon Loader malware is in beta. South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb is looted of more than $30 million. Anonymous is back with Opicarus2018. And the Bitcoin Baron goes to jail. Awais Rashid from Bristol University on why real-world experimentation is vital to cyber security. Guest is Dr. Chris Pierson from Binary Sun Cyber Risk Advisors, weighing in on the claims of sabotage at Tesla.
In today's podcast we hear that the US has charged a former CIA engineer in the WikiLeaks Vault 7 case. Olympic Destroyer may be back, and preparing to hit chemical weapons investigators and arms control specialists. Updates on the Liberty Life data extortion investigation. Elon Musk says Tesla Motors has an internal saboteur. The US Senate snatches the lifeline out of ZTE's hands. A guilty plea in OPM-breach-related fraud. A possible motive in the Jeopardy champ's email hacking. David Dufour from Webroot with insights on the impact they’re seeing from GDPR. Guest is Lenny Zeltser from Minerva Labs discussing his IT and security “cheat sheets.”
In today's podcast we hear that Liberty Life has sustained an attempt at data extortion. In separate operations, international police agencies cooperate against Rex Mundi, Black Hand, and the remnants of Silk Road. Cyber espionage notes. North Korean hacking resumes. More clipboard hijacking afflicts cryptocurrency wallets. Security concerns tighten around ZTE and Huawei. And pulp fiction: from Russia with love, and from the Clinton Library. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs on concerns over emerging technology capable of voice impersonation.
Carbon Black's Chief Cybersecurity Officer Tom Kellerman shares the results of their recent report, Modern Bank Heists: Cyberattacks & Lateral Movement in the Financial Sector. For the report, they interviewed CISOs at 40 major financial institutions, revealing attack and mitigation trends.
In today's podcast we hear that MysteryBot is under development and presumably being prepared for sale on the black market. Satan ransomware gets a makeover and a new name. Apple has taken measures to make iOS traffic less accessible to snooping, but lawful snoops may already have a way around that security. Kasperky will no longer work with Europol. The US Justice Department IG reports on the FBI. And a former Jeopardy champion cops a hacking plea. Robert M. Lee from Dragos, on his efforts to educate through the use of comic strips. Guest is Scott Petry from Authentic8 discussing their FAKE booth at the RSA conference.
In today's podcast, we hear that LuckyMouse has crept into an unnamed Central Asian house. Dixons Carphone data exposure presents complex legal and regulatory issues—it's the first big incident since GDPR came into effect. "Lazy State" is another CPU speculative execution bug. The US Congress doesn't care for ZTE, Australia's government is wary of Huawei, and the EU doesn't like Kaspersky at all. If you didn't like the end of net neutrality, wait until you get a load of the proposed EU Copyright Regulation's Article 13. More hacking expected from Pyongyang. Dr. Charles Clancy from VA Tech, discussing research on antifragile communications. Guest is Stacey Smith from CAMI on MD's legislation supporting cyber security businesses.
In today's podcast we hear that old news is new news when it comes to undersea cables. The Lazarus Group is still at it, against South Korean targets. BabaYaga eats other malware so it can stage WordPress spam. Patch Tuesday notes, including some products that Redmond will no longer support. Crytpojackers are still busy. One new strain of coin-mining malware uses the Eternal Romance exploit to spread. World Cup surveillance threatens visiting fans. And don't plug gifts from strangers into your USB port. Justin Harvey from Accenture with thoughts on supply chain security. Guests are Saher Naumaan and Kirsten Ward promoting RESET, BAE Systems’ Women in cyber event.
In today's podcast we hear that the US Treasury Department has announced sanctions against Russian entities it says were too cyber-cozy with the FSB. Code-signing issue looks like what we have here is a failure to communicate. Android devices are being shipped with ADB enabled, and cryptojackers enter by the backdoor. A layered criminal attack posing as emails from Samsung spearphishes Russian victims. Operation WireWire reels in seventy-four business email compromise suspects. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on the framing of the encryption debate. Guest is Steve Schult from LogMeIn and LastPass on best practices password security.
In today's podcast, we hear about more SWIFT fraud, with a wiper attack as misdirection. Cryptocurrency exchange looted of ICO tokens. Chinese espionage in Rhode Island, and a conviction in Virginia. Dropping Elephant spearphishes in think tanks. G7 agreement suggests a coordinated response to hostile cyber operations. Net neutrality expired this morning in the US. And Marcus Hutchins faces additional charges. Jonathan Katz from UMD discussing hashing.
Researchers from ProtectWise's 401TRG team recently published research linking a variety of new and previously reported Chinese cyber threat groups. Tom Hegel is a Senior Threat Researcher with the 401TRG, and he joins us to share their findings.
In today's podcast, we hear that Adobe has patched a Flash vulnerability. InvisiMole is a discrete, selective cyber espionage tool. A Facebook glitch inadvertently changed users' default privacy settings. Leidos exits the commercial cyber market. China is back at IP theft, and some conventional cyber espionage, too. Congress wants explanations of data-sharing with Huawei and ZTE, and it wants those companies investigated as security risks. Feds Facebook friend felons. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks with the winners from this year’s Cyber Security Canon gala. Guest is Cory Petty from BAH, host of the BitCoin podcast, discussing blockchain.
Iron Group said to use Hacking Team source code to build a backdoor. Operation Prowli both cryptojacks and sells traffic. Fancy Bear may be getting noisier. VPNFilter has a more extensive set of victim devices than previously believed. ZTE pays a billion dollar fine. CloudPets are oversharing via an unsecured server. The US Senate wants answers from both Facebook and Google about their user data sharing with Chinese companies. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University on the security of Industrial Control Systems. Guests are Kyle Lady and Olabode Anise from Duo Security covering their annual report on authentication.
In today's podcast, we hear that TempTick and Turla are interested in the US-North Korean summit. That summit might not take up many cybersecurity issues. Where did North Korea get all that digital rope they want to hang the West with? It seems we competed to sell it to them, more-or-less unwittingly. Russian influence ops continue to give lies their bodyguard of truth. The FBI gets a warrant for a high-profile iCloud account. Microsoft outbid Google for GitHub—what will Redmond do with all that code? Facebook may have a complicated relationship with Shanghai. Johannes Ullrich from the ICS Stormcast podcast on deserialization. Guest is Ameesh Divatia from Baffle on GDPR and cloud data privacy.
In today's podcast, North Korea still seems to be leaving American IoT networks more-or-less alone, for now, however actively they're hacking elsewhere. Everything old is new again, at least with Russian EW. Cryptocurrency crime is a worry everywhere. A look at law firm hacks shows the counselors could use the help of some street-savvy hotel detectives more than a tech-savvy perimeter security solution, although that wouldn't be bad, either. Beware of letting World Cup Wi-FI be an own-goal. Apple's latest updates seem privacy friendly. Thoughts on AI, and the polygraphing of a time traveler that sounds totally legit. David Dufour from Webroot on new roles for security, and how that impacts hiring and education. Guest is John Dickson from Denim Group on securing voting infrastructure.
In today's podcast we hear that Microsoft is buying GitHub for $7.5 billion. VPNFilter seeks to reestablish itself. Financial Trojans are up and ransomware is down, but don't count the ransomware out, not yet. A get-decrypted-for-free card to Russian ransomware victims. The children of Mirai trouble an unhappy world. USA Really may be the latest incarnation of the Internet Research Agency, complete with rabid Florida squirrels, Wisconsin blood-suckers, and advice on Louisiana's secession. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs on using keyboard biometrics to detect mental disorders.
Researchers from Flashpoint recently explored ISIS' ability to distribute propaganda across the internet, and their use of major internet service providers to help them achieve persistence.
Ken Wolf is a Senior Analyst at Flashpoint, and he describes what they learned.
In today's podcast we hear that the Lazarus Group may be on (relative, selective) good behavior. A study suggests that if cybercrime were a country, it would have a GDP comparable to Russia's. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns, in the nicest way possible, that Chinese spies are out to get New Zealand. ZTE and Huawei come in for more criticism. The BND gets a court victory in Leipzig. Google's ground-truth algorithms are looking a little truthy. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI with follow-up on listener comments from last week’s iOS vs Android discussion. Guest is Todd Inskeep from BAH with highlights from a talk he gave at RSA on NotPetya.
In today's podcast we hear that Kaspersky has lost its court challenge to the US Government ban on its products, but plans to appeal. Cryptomix ransomware is out in the wild. Vulnerabilities found in SingTel routers. Chrome 67 update includes patches. The US Departments of Commerce and Homeland Security address botnets (and ask for research). The US Department of Energy plans for resiliency. Twitter takes down tweens. A packrat at CIA? Reboot your routers. Robert M. Lee from Dragos, reviewing some recently published ICS security reports. Guest is Adam Vincent from ThreatConnect on the increasing importance of threat intelligence for many organizations.
In today' s podcast, we hear that the US has attributed two more strains of malware to North Korea. And whether you call them Hidden Cobra or the Lazarus Group, it's the same reliable crew of Pyongyang hoods. More trouble for the ICO world as unknown but probably bad actors scan for misconfigurations in EOS blockchain nodes. Canadian banks decline to pay extortion. Joker's Stash counterfeits show there's even less honor among thieves than you may have thought. Baratov gets five years for the Yahoo! hack, and "Courvoisier" gets a solid ten-year sentence for multiple crimes. Justin Harvey from Accenture with thoughts on GDPR. Guest is Ruvi Kitov from Tufin on why automation should be in wider use than it is.
In today's podcast we hear that the FBI recommends rebooting your routers against VPNFilter. Data extortion hits Canadian banks. The Cobalt Gang is back. 51% attacks fiddle with cryptocurrencies. BackSwap banking Trojan is tough to detect. Coca-Cola discloses data theft by a former employee. Courvoisier—the hacker, not the cognac, gets ten years. Facebook continues to work on its content moderation, and Papua New Guinea may block the platform for a month of study. NATO studies humor, very seriously. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on police attempts to use a deceased person’s fingerprints to unlock a phone. Guest is Mike Benjamin from CenturyLink on their recent threat report covering IoT and DDoS.
Researchers at Akamai recently published a white paper titled UPnProxy: Blackhat proxies via NAT Injections. In it, they describe vulnerabilities with Universal Plug and Play capabilities in home routers, and how malicious actors could take advantage of them. Chad Seaman is a senior CERT engineer at Akamai, and he's our guide.
In today's podcast, we hear that the FBI's takedown of VPNFilter may have averted a major state-directed campaign. Some discount Android phones come with preloaded adware. Amazon's Echo echoed a little too much. BMW patches some potentially serious vulnerabilities in its connected cars. Cryptocurrency exchanges hit by a double-spending crook. The US Justice Department investigates crypto exchange price manipulation. New charges have been filed in the December Kansas swatting death. And GDPR is now with us. Let the lawsuits begin. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI, comparing the security of iOS vs. Android. Guest is Mischel Kwon from MKACyber on the evolving role of SOCs.
In today's podcast, we hear that VPNFilter, described by Cisco's Talos research unit, looks like battlespace preparation for Fancy Bear. The FBI may have succeeded in impeding its operation. Dragos describes XENOTIME, the threat actor behind the TRISIS industrial safety system attacks, and they say we can expect them back. GDPR is coming tomorrow, and a company has found a way of letting worried CISOs sleep at night. And your right to follow theRealDonaldTrump on Twitter has now been secured by the US Federal Court for the Southern District of New York. Enjoy. Dr. Charles Clancy from the Hume Center at VA Tech, discussing how cell towers track you even when you have location services disabled (and why that’s a good thing). Guest is Erez Yalon from Checkmarx with their research on Amazon Echo eavesdropping vulnerabilities.
In today's podcast we hear a bit more on Variant 4—we may see more like it. Mitigations are under preparation. The Confucius threat group modifies its approach to targets. Turla adopts a two-stage infection technique. A misconfigured AWS S3 bucket exposes a California not-for-profit's clients. ZTE's lifeline may not be so strong after all: the US Administration wants significant concessions and the US Congress seems to want none of it at all. Facebook's EU testimony gets tepid reviews. And a botnet is pushing smart pills and diet supplements—not that any of you will be tempted. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University on risk management and uncertainty. Guest is Sung Cho from SEWORKS on research they did on the security of fitness apps.
In today' podcast we hear about the Speculative Store Bypass vulnerability that's been found in most current chipsets. GPON-based routers assembled into botnets. Comcast and TeenSafe close vulnerabilities in transmission and storage of customer data. Roaming Mantis banking Trojan acquires new functionality. Is Moscow waiting for the World Cup to conclude before going on cyberattack? How about Iran and China? Will DPRK hacking be on the summit agenda? And GDPR is coming Friday, to some information near you. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on the notion of fear vs. empowerment applied to security. Guest is Sam Elliott from Bomgar with a review of their 2018 Privileged Access Threat Report.
In today's podcast, we hear that North Korea's Sun Team is rising in Red Dawn. Much PII, mostly out of Japan, appears in the black-market stall of a poorly reviewed vendor. The Mexican bank raid seems, the Central Bank says, to have started with a small brokerage and spread from there. Facebook and Google+ continue to be infested with jihadist inspiration. More charges for alleged Syrian Electronic Army hoods. A man gets fifteen years for, among other things, DDoSing former employers. And mobile app users? XYZ. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on controversy involving North Carolina police using overly broad warrants to gather location data from Google.
Researchers from Arbor Networks' ASERT Threat Intelligence Team recently published a report titled, "Lojack Becomes a Double Agent." It outlines how threat actors are altering legitimate recovery utility software and simulating its command and control servers to gain access to target machines. Richard Hummel is manager of the ASERT Threat Research Team, and he joins us to describe their work.
In today's podcast, we hear that a new Mirai variant is out and about: they call it "Wicked." MEWkit automates coin theft. LocationSmart was buggy and leaky. The US Senate has confirmed Gina Haspel as Director of Cetnral Intelligence. Relaxed tensions along the 38th Parallel aside, North Korea remains active against South Korea in cyberspace. There's a lot of fraud in cryptocurrency investing, and the SEC would like to help you recognize it. David Dufour from Webroot on threat trends. Guest is Heather Vescent, a futurist and author, describing how she applies her work to cyber security.
In today's podcast, we hear that Al Qaeda is back, howling online toward whatever lone wolves might be within earshot. The CHRYSENE ICS threat group may be looking beyond the Arabian Gulf. AnonPlus is after US state governments—New Mexico, Idaho, and Connecticut have received the hacktivists' puzzling vandalism. What the EU will expect of you within seventy-two hours of discovering a breach. The US Congress wants answers about, among other things, ZTE and Cambridge Analytica. And an alleged DarkOverlord is nabbed in Serbia. Dr. Charles Clancy from the VA Tech’s Hume Center, discussing the skills shortage for the 5G network buildout. Guest is Ryan Barnette from Akamai on Drupalgeddon 2.0.
In today's podcast we hear that a spyware campaign centered on Pakistan and thought to be the work of Pakistan's military, comes in two variants: one for Android, the other for iOS. Vietnam is said to be phishing in a compromised Phom Penh Post website. Signal patches a cross-site-scripting issue very rapidly. The US Department of Homeland Security releases its cybersecurity strategy. The Cambridge Analytica whistleblower talks to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Senate Intelligence Committee concludes that the Russians didn't like Hilary Clinton. Investigation of Vault 7 leaks continues. Notes from the Cyber Investing Summit. And if you're so smart, how come your password is "Ninja?" Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the ISC Stormcast podcast, discusses the EFail email encryption issue. Guest is Michelle Maitland from SecureStrux on risk management framework compliance.
In today's podcast, we hear about reports of email client vulnerabilities. Worries about Russian and Chinese software and hardware vendors. Security and trade policy notes. FinFisher found used in Turkey. The data scandal that brought down Cambridge Analytica moves to the University of Cambridge, but there the issues seem to be security, anonymization, and possible oversharing. Adobe and Samsung issue patches. A California high school student is accused of phishing for grade books. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on the Microsoft overseas data storage case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court. Guest is John Grimm from Thales eSecurity on their Global Encryption Trends study that they put together along with the Ponemon Institute.
In today's podcast we hear that Mexican banks may have sustained unauthorized funds transfers. Presidents Trump and Xi seem willing to toss a lifeline to drowning ZTE. Some researchers report an uptick in Iranian cyber operations. Russia's premier troll farm bought Facebook and Instagram ads targeting American teenaged girls. Apple, Facebook, and Twitter tighten their grip on apps connecting to their stores or services. Police cell-tracking receives scrutiny. And Anonymous is back. Justin Harvey from Accenture with his thoughts on whether the U.S. pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal will lead to more cyber attacks from Iran.
Bobby Filar is a Principal Data Scientist at Endgame, and coauthor of the research paper, The Malicious Use of Artificial Intelligence: Forecasting, Prevention, and Mitigation. The report surveys the landscape of potential security threats from malicious uses of AI, and proposes ways to better forecast, prevent, and mitigate these threats. Bobby Filar joins us to discuss the paper, and his views on the evolving role of AI in cybersecurity. The Malicious Use of Artificial Intelligence: Forecasting, Prevention, and Mitigation
In today's podcast, we hear that vigilantes have visited ZooPark, and the lights go out—voluntarily—on some Georgia hacktivists. Treasure Hunter source code posted to a criminal forum. Malicious Chrome extensions and malicious Android photo-editing apps. GrandCrab ransomware served by compromised legitimate sites. Russian influence ops. Concerns about a resumption of Iranian hacking. Ex-CIA officer charged with espionage. Hobby hacker indicted on Federal charges. FCC hits a robo-caller with a record fine. Jonathan Katz from UMD on why cryptography is more challenging than many software engineers think. Guest is Cyrus Farivar, author of the book Habeas Data, Privacy vs. the Rise of Surveillance Tech.
In today's podcast we hear that US withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal is widely taken as heralding a new round of cyber conflict. Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure are seen as an asymmetric way of war. The ALLANITE threat group is observed successfully reconnoitering US and UK electrical power grids. Jack-in-the-Box does nasty things with images. Signal's self-deleting messages don't, or at least they don't always. And US sanctions may be putting ZTE out of business. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on the sliding scale of cyber security. Guest is Jonathan Matkowsky from RiskIQ with concerns over ICANNs pending interim policy changes on the WHOIS database in response to GDPR.
In today's podcast we hear about Hide-and-Seek, a hard to flush botnet. A phishing technique takes advantage of an email client's rendering of HTML. Facebook death threats in 2015 are said to have been the work of Fancy Bear, dressed up as the Cyber Caliphate. Nigeria's Yahoo boys are busier than ever. DHS wonders what it will take to get US Federal contractors to get rid of Kaspersky. Crooks turn from Tor to Telegram. Patch Tuesday notes. And Georgia's governor vetoes a controversial cybersecurity bill. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on a pilot program from Delaware on mobile drivers licenses. Guest is Phillip Dunkelberger from Nok Nok Labs on authentication usability, standardization, and security issues.
In today's podcast we hear that hacktivist lightning is flashing across the Aegean, hitting Greek and Turkish TV stations. Process Doppelgänging is observed in ransomware circulating in the wild. Unstructured data could expose enterprises to GDPR regulatory risk. So might transitive data sharing. Big US companies are ready to follow GDPR standards in North America as well as Europe. Older Lantech industrial servers appear vulnerable to remote code execution. Vandals hit security cameras in Japan. And teachers, don't necessarily leave those kids alone, but maybe that cultist is actually an infosec enthusiast. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on third party data showing up on the dark web. Guest is Chris Dollase from Mimecast on the role of the threat researcher.
Just before the RSA conference this year, we spoke with a pair of industry experts for their take on the year so far, and what they expect to see in the coming months. In this CyberWire Special Edition, we hear from Craig Williams, Director of Talos Outreach at Cisco, and later in the show from Jon Rooney, Vice President of Product marketing at Splunk.
In today's podcast we hear that Chinese intelligence services have been seen beneath the Winnti Umbrella. North Korea's off-shoring of cyber operations. ZooPark Android spyware is now in its fourth generation, and still active in the Middle East and North Africa. Vulnerabilities in Dasan GPON routers are exploited in the wild. Russian Twitterbots are suspected of tweeting death threats in the UK. David Dufour from Webroot on anti-malware testing procedures. And how do you solve a problem like GDPR?
Kevin Epstein is Vice President of Proofpoint's Threat Operations Center. We’re discussing two bits of research with him today. The first is about BlackTDS, a traffic distribution tool for sale in dark web markets. A little later in the show, he’ll tell us about ThreadKit, a document exploit builder.
In today's podcast we hear that they're hoping in Australia that backup tapes made it to the shredder, and didn't fall off the truck. Equifax's board of directors gets reelected. Are China's espionage services preparing the battlespace for a supply chain attack. New Spectre-like vulnerabilities are found in Intel chips. Google and Amazon clamp down on domain fronting, and anti-censorship advocates are unhappy. Here Kitty…we have Monero for you. And a change of command at NSA and US Cyber Command. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the Internet Stormcast podcast, reviewing the history of hardware flaws. Guest is Philip Tully from ZeroFox with a recap of a talk he gave at RSA on AI.
In today's podcast we look at some indications that LoJack for Laptops might have been compromised to report back to Moscow. World Cup cybersecurity. Schneider Electric patches developer's tools. Travel and hospitality rewards points are the menhaden of the black market. Medical device vulnerabilities. Taking the gloves off Cyber Command. It's National Password Day, and Microsoft (along with many others) would like to move beyond the password. And a requiem on Press Freedom Day for working journalists murdered by the Taliban. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS discussing who’s responsible when an AI kills someone. Guest is Edna Conway from Cisco on pervasive security architecture and third party risk.
In today's podcast we hear that more nation-states have acquired and are using cyber capabilities. North Korea's SiliVaccine anti-virus product appears to have pirated an old version of Trend Micro's scan engine. Despite warnings of credential stuffing, people still reuse passwords. GravityRAT now takes its victims' temperature. Many firms remain unprepared for GDPR. Questions arise about possible overpreparation by two of the biggest companies out there. And some dimwit has hacked a highway sign in Arizona. (Congratulations, knucklehead.) Justin Harvey from Accenture on the uptick in credential harvesting they’re seeing. Guest is Piero DePaoli from Service Now with results from their recently published security report.
In today's podcast, we hear that a possible bank payment system hack remains under investigation in Mexico. Medical zero-days for sale, and not on the black market. SamSam continues to spread. What to look for in bad bots. Patched vulnerabilities are being weaponized at higher rates. Proof-of-concept car hacking demonstration shows in-vehicle infotainment system vulnerabilities. And when you see these phishbait phrases in an email subject line, be sure to spit the hook. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on recent takedowns of content on Reddit. Guest is Patrick Peterson from Agari on Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI), a proposed standard to better secure email.
In today's podcast, we hear about an attempted banking hack in Mexcio. Hidden Cobra gets busy around diplomacy. The FacexWorm adds cryptomining functionality. SamSam ransomware looks to catpure entire enterprises. A Sunday Times investigation finds that Russian Twitterbots tried to swing British voters toward Labour. The US House Intelligence Committee has released its report on influence operations during the last US Presidential election. Researchers find that teams and committees are different things. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on regulations vs. incentives. Guest is Dan Lyon from Synopsys on IoT security.
Researchers at Trend Micro recently discovered a backdoor targeting MacOS users that they believe is the work of the OceanLotus threat group, an organization previously thought to have launched targeted attacks against human rights organizations, media organizations, research institutes, and maritime construction firms. Mark Nunnikhoven is VP of Cloud Research at Trend Micro, and he explains what they've learned. https://blog.trendmicro.com/trendlabs-security-intelligence/new-macos-backdoor-linked-to-oceanlotus-found/
In today's podcast we hear that Rubella hits the shelves of the criminal black market—it's the crimeware kit, not the German measles. Necurs gets shifty by going retro. iPhone unlocking specialists endure an apparently minor breach. The sad story of structural extremism on the Internet. Finland says the Russians are coming there, too. Snooper's Charter setback. Proposed bill would make it easier for DHS to clean US Federal networks. Crypto Wars modus vivendi said to be just key escrow. Dr. Charles Clancy from VA Tech Hume Center on the 5G mobile network rollout. Guest is Merike Kaeo from Farsight Security, discussing DNS data as an early warning system for cyber threats.
In today's podcast we hear about another exposed data base, trouble with routers, issues with storage cameras, and problems with storage devices. Some have been promptly fixed, but others are offering users Hobson's choice: take it or leave it. An apparent ransomware campaign says payment demands are "non-negotiable," unless, of course, you happen to be Russian, in which case, let's talk. Citizen Lab complains about certain kinds of content filtering in South Asia. What's up with Compass Call in Syria? Jonathan Katz from UMD on mathematical backdoors. Guest is Paul Burbage from Flashpoint on the compromised Magento sites.
In today's podcast, we hear that North Korea has gone big with GhostSecret. Meanwhile, Pyongyang's elite tries to cover its online tracks. PyRoMine uses EternalRomance to disable security systems enroute to cryptomining. Russia enagages in video disinformation about Syrian nerve agent attacks. A complicated alt-coin heist may be misdirection for something bigger. Huawei may be in trouble over Iran sanctions. Apple patches. Europol takes down Webstresser. General Nakasone confirmed as Director NSA and Commander US CyberCom. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University on security in the financial sector. Guest is Joe Cincotta from Thinking Studio on how smart design leads to better security.
In today's podcast, we hear that Ukraine's Energy Ministry is under ransomware attack. Kaspersky finds infrastructure belonging to Energetic Bear. Lots of anonymous Twitter accounts pop up in East Asia. Orangeworm is after something in healthcare networks, but whether it's IP or PII is unclear. Disclosure and patch notes. Kaspersky may be the subject of US sanctions. A hacker in the Yahoo! breach case could get almost eight years. As US midterms approach, thoughts turn to election security. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on devices that unlock iPhones. Guest is Jerry Caponera from Nehemiah Security on quantifying cyber risk.
ISIS returns to its grim inspiration. China's APT10 collects against Japan. An Internet Explorer zero-day is reported undergoing exploitation in the wild. Twitter won't sell Kaspersky any more ads, but doesn't have any specific explanation for why not. For its part Kaspersky says it's going to donate its Twitter advertising budget to the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Bad but expected news about router security. ZTE's regulatory troubles. Cracka with Attitude will do time. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs on the malicious use of AI.
Researchers with Arbor Networks ASERT team have been tracking a malware campaign targeting commercial manufacturing, and have uncovered various samples dating back to at least 2016.
Richard Hummel is Threat Intelligence Manager for Arbor Networks' ASERT Team, and he takes us through what they've discovered. https://www.arbornetworks.com/blog/asert/innaput-actors-utilize-remote-access-trojan-since-2016-presumably-targeting-victim-files/
In today's podcast, we take look back at RSA as the big security conference wraps up. Tension between Russia and the West continues to manifest itself in apparent staging attacks and information operations. ISIS in its diaspora returns to recruiting and inspiration. A business email compromise campaign afflicts the maritime shipping sector. Atlanta still struggles to recover from SamSam rasomware. Sanctions drive Huawei from the US market; ZTE may soon follow. David Dufour from Webroot, with thoughts on the conference. Guest is CyberWire editor John Petrik, with thoughts on a cyber Geneva convention.
In today's podcast we have some RSA notes: an industry-led cyber Geneva Convention, threats and deterrence, and addressing a labor shortage. New Zealand joins Australia, the UK, and the US in warning that someone's exploiting vulnerable routers. Moscow demands to see the evidence that this someone is Russia. Trustjacking afflicts iOS users. Stresspaint Trojan is out in the wild, posing as an innocent app. Another exposed AWS bucket is found. Rick Howard from Palo Alto on the notion of a "cyber moon shot." Guest is Malcolm Harkins from Cylance on why it's unacceptable to adopt the attitude that bad guys getting in is inevitable.
Reconnaissance and staging in cyberspace, with Five Eye warnings to Russia. Privacy class action suit complains of Facebook facial recognition. Australia joins the ranks of ZTE sceptics. Cyberwarfare discussed at RSA: retaliation, deterrence, renunciation, and a private sector push for international norms. Attention tax procrastinators: the IRS says it was hit by a glitch, and not hacked. Zulfikar Ramzan from RSA with thoughts on the conference. Guest is Kevin McNamee from Nokia, discussing threat intelligence and mobile device ransomware.
In today's podcast we hear that Western governments attribute a large-scale campaign against poorly secured connected devices to Russia. Battlespace preparation is suspected. No new US sanctions against Russia, yet, but the matter remains under consideration. ZTE falls under the same cloud as Huawei. Desert Scorpion spyware ejected from Google Play. And there's a winner in RSA's Innovation Sandbox: BigID took away the prize. Justin Harvey from Accenture, joined by the head of Accenture's Cyber Defense team, Ryan LaSalle, discussing their 2018 State of Cyber Resilience report. Guest is Jason Brvenik from NSS labs on their Advanced Endpoint Protection (AEP) Group Test.
In today's podcast, we note that RSA has opened with ten rising stars in its annual Innovation Sandbox. US, British, and French coordinated strikes against Syrian chemical warfare targets prompt Russian information ops and warnings from Britain that the UK will retaliate against any cyberattacks against infrastructure. Charges are filed against an alleged Reveton ransomware money launderer. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs with tips for conference-goers. Guest is Paul Martini from iBoss with thoughts on growing cyber security companies in a crowded marketplace.
Researchers at Cylance recently uncovered the malicious use of a core router in a campaign aimed at critical infrastructure around the world.
Kevin Levelli is Director of Threat Intelligence at Cylance, and he takes us through what they've discovered.
In today's podcast, we hear that, while the operators behind Operation Parliament pretend to be nothing but a bunch of skids, they're anything but. EITest gets taken down. Facebook this week faced questions about privacy and ideological bias. Most observers think these questions were largely ducked. Estonia's Annual Report on security is worth reading no matter where you live. And an accused swatter seems to have learned nothing from his experience. Dr. Charles Clancy from the Hume Center at VA Tech, discussing LTE network vulnerabilities. Guest is Dinah Davis from CodeLikeaGirl.io and Arctic Wolf Networks, discussing diversity at tech conferences.
In today's podcast we hear that Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg has finished testifying on Capitol Hill, denying that Facebook sells data or that it knew what those people at Cambridge were up to with the data they obtained. Supply chain cyber threats to satellites. North Korean destructive malware may be back. Early bird code injection. GCHQ takes on ISIS in cyberspace. Germany attributes 2017 network intrusions to Russia. International body confirms British official accounts of the Salisbury nerve agent attacks. Chris Poulin from BAH on self driving car tech that monitors the driver’s gaze to make sure they are paying attention to the road. Guest is Oren Falkowitz from Area 1 Security, looking at the Atlanta ransomware incident.
Today we're following all things Facebook—it's four o'clock: do you know where your data are? We're betting no. Neither side of the aisle seems content with the answers Mr. Zuckerberg gave to the Senate panel. He's speaking before a House panel today. Patch Tuesday notes. Cyber tensions continue to rise as kinetic and chemical tensions rise between Russia and the West. Justin Harvey from Accenture, discussing cyber hygiene blind spots. Guest is Nahuel Sanchez from Onapsis on vulnerable password recovery systems.
In today's podcast, we hear that Facebook begins facing the Congressional music today. What are the rules for online research, professors? Experts say they're worried about weaponized IoT hacks. Hoods exploiting Cisco switch vulnerability in unpatched systems. Named threat groups and bugs as insider misdirection. As relations between Russia and the West worsen, some in Moscow call an end to Peter the Great's experiment. And how do cybercriminals make, and what do they spend it on? Daniel Prince from Lancaster University on clandestine data transmission and steganography. Guest is Gabriel Bassett from Verizon, reviewing his work on the Verizon DBIR report.
In today's podcast we hear about the curious case of hacktivists who may be slugging for Uncle Sam. Maybe. Britain's NCSC warns of battlespace preparation for a campaign against critical infrastructure. Facebook prepares for its appearance on Capitol Hill. Facebook also cancels a plan to share anonymized medical data for research purposes. Atlanta continues to recover from SamSam. And some good news: Malwarebytes has solved LockCrypt ransomware. Robert M. Lee from Dragos with his take on why indicting foreign hackers is a bad move.
In their recently published paper, "Crypto Crumple Zones: Enabling Limited Access Without Mass Surveillance," coauthors Charles Wright and Mayank Varia make their case for an alternative approach to the encryption debate, one based on economics as a limiting factor on government overreach and surveillance.
Crypto Crumple Zones: Enabling Limited Access Without Mass Surveillance
In today's podcast we hear that a breach in several companies' consumer-facing systems is attributed to a third-party chat vendor. Crooks are tampering with chipped debit cards. Ocean Lotus is back, with a MacOS backdoor. A Mirai variant was used against banks earlier this year. Energetic Bear may be exploiting misconfigured switches. Microsoft looks into Office 360 outages. Russia warns Britain against playing with fire. And three cyber startups are DataTribe finalists. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the ISC Stormcast podcast, on API security. Guest is Jimmy Heschl, head of digital security at Red Bull, discussing the challenges of securing a global brand.
In today's podcast we hear that Facebook's troubles are getting worse: more people's data were scraped, deleted videos were archived by Facebook, and so on. Appthority finds a more general problem with ad-supported apps: they're all hungry for data. Sino-American trade disputes are thought likely to find expression in cyber espionage. China's more interested in confidential financials than in IP. Russia and the West remain at loggerheads. One tip from Sweden on countering Moscow's info ops: don't get caught dancing in yellow rain boots. Joe Carrigan from JHU on power companies charging a premium rate for bitcoin miners. Guest is Larry Cochran from Claimatic on how driverless cars and automation is changing the landscape for insurance carriers.
In today's podcast, we hear that Facebook has kicked some Russian trolls out from under its bridge. Why? Because they're Russian trolls, that's why. Facebook CEO Zuckerberg will testify about data security before a House panel next Wednesday. Privacy for the Old World, but maybe not as much for the new. The YouTube shooting may have been motivated by anger over the platform's policies. European air traffic control problems were a glitch, not a hack. Pipeline operators recovering from IT hack. Homeland Security tells the US Senate hostile intelligence services have stingrays in Washington. Panera Bread's response to its potential data exposure. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks on whether security platforms are putting all of your eggs in one basket. Guest is Jim Routh, CSO at Aetna, on Model-driven security and the rise of unconventional controls.
In today's podcast, we hear that the Magento e-commerce platform has brute forced. A new Android Trojan steals messaging info. njRAT gets an update, and some new and trendy criminal functionality. Notes on the Panera Bread data breach. A major US natural gas pipeline operator has its customer billing and scheduling system hacked, which reminds observers of threats to infrastructure. Russia thinks the US and UK are no longer as decent and trustworthy as they used to be during the Cold War. Another data scandal class action suit is filed, naming Cambridge Analytica. Jonathan Katz from UMD on isogeny-based cryptography. Guest is Mike McKee from ObserveIT, discussing data exfiltration.
In today's podcast we hear about Saks and hacks, Lord and Taylor and JokerStash: a department store data breach. Atlanta still can't get fully back on its feet after SamSam. An Indian power utility's billing data are held for ransom. More SWIFT fraud reported—this round seems to have been unsuccessful. Russia gets doxed. Facebook on who really cares for you. Threats to avionics and undersea cables. And Reality Winner's defense team wants to subpoena a lot of witnesses. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs, looking at a long-term approach to implementation of cryptography.
FlawedAMMYY is a newly discovered remote access trojan (RAT) that’s been used in malicious email campaigns, as far back as 2016. Ryan Kalember is Senior Vice President of Cyber Security Strategy at Proofpoint, and he takes us through their research.
In today's podcast, we hear that Under Armour's MyFItnessPal app has sustained a data breach. Boeing's WannaCry incident is minor, but a timely warning that this particular threat hasn't vanished. The Lazarus Group is showing fresh signs of activity against its usual targets. Questions about the security of India's Aadhaar circulate. Baltimore and Atlanta incidents show the ransomware threat to city governments. An FBI agent is charged with leaking secret documents. Updates on the Novichok affair and the Facebook data scandal. Awais Rashid from Bristol University on blockchain trust issues. Guest is Laurin Buchanan from Secure Decisions, discussing NICE competitions. She is co-chair of the competitions subgroup.
In today's podcast, we hear that Russia has retaliated against the US with diplomatic expulsions and at least one consulate closure. Potential cyber operations remain a matter of concern. Julian Assange no longer has Internet access in his room at Ecuador's embassy. WannaCry hits a Boeing plant, but Boeing is resilient enough to work through the infection. A new keylogger pretends to be Kaspersky AV, but not very convincingly. Facebook works to upgrade user privacy, and Apple says it doesn't need to do the same. David Dufour from Webroot with tips for first-time conference goers. Guest is Deral Heiland from Rapid7 on smart sensors.
In today's podcast, we hear that tensions continue to rise between Russia and other, mostly Western, countries as the number of nations taking diplomatic measures to protest the Salisbury attack exceeds twenty-five. Western governments are on alert for Russian cyber operations as well as diplomatic reprisals. A new bug, BranchScope, is found affecting Intel processors. The Facebook data scandal continues. Atlanta and Baltimore recover from hacks of municipal systems. Dr. Charles Clancy from the Hume Center at VA Tech, discussing the security of analog devices in cyber physical systems. Guest is Liv Rowley from Flashpoint on Dark Web refund fraud. And don't be gulled by bogus job offers.
The past few month have been all abuzz with excitement about cryptocurrencies and the blockchain. The price of Bitcoin took a rocket ride toward the stars, and stories were coming fast and furious about how the blockchain was going to tranform and revolutionize just about everything. Jonathan Katz is a professor of computer science at the University of Maryland and director of the Maryland cybersecurity center. As we’ll hear in this CyberWire special edition, he’s been following blockchain technology and cryptocurrency from its humble beginnings, and he’s our guide to understanding how it all works.
In today's podcast, we hear that the Mabna Institute was pretty good at phishing. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg sends regrets to Westminster. Facebook is under FTC investigation. Cambridge Analytica is in hot water with the FEC. Kaspersky says outing Slingshot was just part of the job. The City of Atlanta is finding it surprisingly hard to recover from SamSam ransomware. Aadhaar may be leaky, again. Bots as Lord Haw-Haws. More than twenty countries expel Russian diplomats. Russian cyber reprisal expected. Justin Harvey from Accenture on cryptocurrency mining. Guest is Steve Piper from CyberEdge with results from their 2018 Cyberthreat Defense Report.
In today's podcast we hear that Sixty Russian diplomats are now persona non grata in the US. It's the largest such retaliation so far for the Russian nerve agent attack in Salisbury, England. Fear of a Russian riposte against Western power grids remains high. Cambridge Analytica was raided over the weekend in the continuing Facebook data scandal. Facebook faces more difficulties over Android data collection. Notes on malware circulating in the wild. Iran objects to US indictments. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University discussing risk management. And the alleged Carbanak "mastermind" is arrested in Spain.
Researchers at Duo Security recently unearthed a new vulnerability class that affects SAML-based single sign-on (SSO) systems. This vulnerability can allow an attacker with authenticated access to trick SAML systems into authenticating as a different user without knowledge of the victim user’s password. Kelby Ludwig is a Senior Application Security Engineer at Duo security, and he takes us through his discoveries.
In today's podcast, we hear that the US has indicted Iranian hackers. Guccifer 2.0 has been fingered as a GRU team. Inquiries into their activities are folded into Special Counsel Mueller's investigation. Atlanta, Georgia, hit with ransomware. A study estimates the direct cost of the Equifax breach to consumers. App stores show a decline in malware infestations. Facebook leaders speak, finally, but do little to ease the company's pain. An FTC inquiry could be costly. The Cambridge Analytica affair will have implications for regulations, marketing, and consumer trust. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on the Equifax probe being put on ice by the US Consumer Protection agencies. Guest is Kevin Haley from Symantec, on their annual Internet Security Threat Report.
In today's podcast, we learn that Kaspersky Lab appears to have burned a US operation. Facebook has some other governments to answer to, now. Facebook CEO Zuckerberg finally discusses the Cambridge Analytics affair in public. Lawsuits and calls for regulation are shouted up. Best Buy shows Huawei the highway. And we have a brief wrap-up of the Billington International CyberSecurity Summit. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI responding to a listener inquiry about job hunting. Guests are Chad Seaman: Senior Engineer, Security Intelligence Response Team and Lisa Beegle: Senior Manager, Security Intelligence, Akamai, describing the record-setting DDoD attack they recently experienced and helped mitigate.
In today's podcast we hear that the US Department of Energy says the power grid is preparing for Russian attacks. Teenager finds flaw in hardware wallet. Travel service Orbit suffers a data breach. Laurie Love won't be extradited to the US. Notes from today's Billington International CyberSecurity Summit. And Facebook's truly awful week continues: the Silicon Age is looking right now a lot like the end stages of the Gilded Age. Jonathan Katz from UMD on the security of e-passports. Guest is J.R. Cunningham from Optiv, with advice to not get carried away with GDPR.
In today's podcast, we hear that ICS experts continue to warn of grid vulnerability to hacking. AMD chip flaws called real, but not very serious. Cambridge Analytica under investigation in the UK. Facebook tries without much success so far to disentangle itself from Cambridge Analytica's use of Facebook data. President Putin wins reelection amid accusations of voting fraud. Former French President Sarkozy is in police custody over Libyan campaign contributions. (The Libyans want their money back, too.) Chris Poulin from BAH on malware evolution. Guest is Patrick Craven from the Center for Cyber Safety and Education, a nonprofit that has scholarships available.
In today's podcast, we hear that tensions between Britain and Russia remain high, as the UK fears a cyberattack. US power utilities are also on alert to an ongoing Russian cyber campaign. Despite a claimed DDoS attack, President Putin is re-elected in Russia. Facebook under fire for Cambridge Analytica data incident. More political bots in Twitter. YouTube tries content moderation. FTC takes on an alt-coin Ponzi scheme. SEC has "dozens" of ICO investigations in progress. Notes on the Hal Martin alleged NSA-hoarder case. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs with tips on cryptography deployment. Guest is Paul Brigner from the Security and Software Engineering Research Center (S2ERC) at Georgetown University, discussing their research on Virtual Browsers.
There's been an epidemic of cryptojacking code injections recently, as bad actors attempt to cash in on the cryptocurrency craze through unauthorized cryptomining operations on unsuspecting users. Marcelle Lee is a threat researcher at LookingGlass, and she takes us through her recently published research, Cryptojacking — Coming to a Server Near You.
In today's podcast we hear that NATO has condemned Russia for a chemical attack in England. The US sanctions Russia for NotPetya and election meddling, and warns of Russian preparations for an attack against US infrastructure. Chinese cyber operations support that country's claims to the South China Sea. Iran shows increased cyber espionage activity. Observers fear a return of Triton/Trisis ICS malware. Another unsecured AWS bucket may have been found. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the Internet Storm Center podcast, discussing credential stuffing. Guest is Rico Chandra from Arktis Radiation Detectors on securing radiation detectors.
In today's podcast, we hear that AMD continues its investigation of the backdoors and other vulnerabilities CTS Labs publicly disclosed. That disclosure remains controversial. BlackTDS offers malware distribution as-a-service on the black market. PinkKite is a small but persistent point-of-sale threat. The SEC charges a former Equifax exec with trading on non-public information of the credit bureau's data breach. Germany, France, and the United States join the United Kingdom in denouncing Russia for the Salisbury nerve agent attack. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks, with this year’s Cyber Cannon nominees. Guest is Ted Bardusch from Usermind on data-rich marketing and GDPR.
In today's podcast, we hear that AMD is investigating a report of exploitable flaws in its processors. Vietnamese threat actor OceanLotus gets a look from researchers. Patch Tuesday notes. Britain expels Russian diplomats in retaliation for a nerve agent attack. Russia demands to know what these cyberattacks are that the UK is said to be threatening. A brief history of Russo-British Twenty-first Century espionage and cyber tensions. Iranian threat actor MuddyWaters threatens researchers. Justin Harvey from Accenture on the importance of the first 48 hours following a breach. Guest is Patrick Sullivan from Akamai on VPNs and the notion of “verify and never trust.”
In today's podcast we hear that Britain has given Russia an ultimatum: explain by midnight how your nerve agent got to Salisbury or face the consequences. Russia calls it nonsense. Cyber conflict between the two countries is widely expected. Palo Alto's Unit 42 finds HenBox Android spyware. NCC Labs describes Chinese backdoors used against UK Government and industry targets. President Trump replaces Secretary of State Tillerson with DCI Pompeo. Gina Haspel is tapped as next DCI. Awais Rashid from University of Bristol on cyber physical systems. Guest is Tom Badders from Telos on obfuscation as applied to threat intelligence. And a wrap-up of SINET ITSEF.
In today's podcasts, we hear that security firms are warning of Iran's growing cyber capabilities, and Tehran's disposition to use them. Gossips and activists far outdo bots in spreading disinformation. Memcache kill-switch should be approached with legal caution. Slingshot espionage tools active quietly in the Middle East and Africa for six years. Fancy Bear sniffs at Asia. Australia is concerned about Chinese espionage and influence operations. Jonathan Katz from UMD with his thoughts on Spectre and Meltdown. Guest is Christopher Pierson from Binary Sun Cyber Risk Advisors, with an update on SEC cyber security guidance.
Researcher from Lookout and the EFF have discovered an APT group operating out of Lebanon they've named Dark Caracal. The group is running a global espionage campaign, targeting journalists, military personnel, activists, lawyers, medical professionals and educational institutions. Mike Murray is VP of Security Intelligence at Lookout, and he's our guide through their research.
In today's podcast, we hear reports of cyber reconnaissance of Turkish financial institutions: Hidden Cobra is the suspect. The Chinese government appears to have finagled its national vulnerability database to afford misdirection to cyber operations. Cryptomining attempts hit Windows endpoints. Other cryptojacking campaigns afflict vulnerable servers. Memcrash DDoS hits new targets. The US Administration hints at possible cyber policy changes. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs, on the issue of trying to spend our way to security. Guest is Priscilla Moriuchi from Recorded Future, with research documenting a backdating issue in the CNNVD, China’s National Vulnerability Database.
In today's podcast, we hear that a kill-switch for Memcrash may have been found (and Memcrash may be dangerous for other purposes than denial-of-service). Researchers in Hungary take a look at the Shadow Brokers' dumps and speculate about the purpose of the "Territorial Dispute" module. The Dutch Tax Authority sustained another DDoS attack last night. India's CERT renders a troubling report to Parliament. The FBI still wants a non-backdoor backdoor. David Dufour from Webroot on vulnerabilities in cryptocurrency markets. Guest is Richard Henderson from Absolute Software on protecting against insider threats. And some notes from SINET ITSEF.
In today's podcast, we hear that spies like Apache Struts exploits. Server vulnerabilities described. A new cryptojacker steals at least four varieties of cryptocurrency. North Korea may have hacked UN sanctions enforcers. Dutch Intelligence (and Microsoft) warn of cyberwar, but it's not a declared war, which makes response harder. Update to the pack rat defense, with considerations of mens rea. ISIS terror inspiration. And a possible assassination attempt. Chris Poulin from BAH on next generation IoT devices, like security robots. Guest is Sylvain Gil from Exabeam on business by design, and the importance of the design process in security solutions.
In today's podcast we hear that Fancy Bear sightings continue—Fancy seems to have settled down in Montenegro, and Germany is seeing bears and snakes. Cyber deterrence is much desired but difficult to achieve. Notes from a Russian jail. Reddit purges influence ops trolls. What criminals can learn from your browser. CFIUS puts hold on Broadcom's bid for Qualcomm. The US FDA wants to block its people from looking at adult content at work. Daniel Prince, Senior Lecturer in Cyber Security at Lancaster University, introduces himself as our newest academic research partner. Guest is Jeremy Wittkop from InteliSecure with a call for participants in their Critical Data Protection Benchmark Survey.
In today's podcast, we hear about a new campaign that targets humanitarian organizations with North Korean phishbait. Memcrash is now being exploited by criminal extortionists. Equifax losses from last year's breach are said to mount. Germany says it detected the compromise of a secure government network before too much damage was done. They don't offer official attribution, but everyone else says it was the Russians. The Russians say they didn't do it. President Putin deplores "yelling and hollering" in the US Congress. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on section 702 reauthorization.
Researchers at Comodo Security Solutions have been tracking a recently discovered strain of malware named Lebal. The malware uses several clever techniques to attempt to hide itself, and once installed targets credentials and cryptocurrency wallets. Fatih Orhan is VP of Threat Labs at Comodo, and he takes us through their research.
In today's podcast, we hear that a Memcrash amplification attack took GitHub offline, but only briefly, thanks to Akamai mitigation. Germany continues to fight off ongoing attacks on sensitive government networks. Germany hasn't said so, but everyone else sees Fancy Bears pawprints over this one. Fancy Bear is also said to be snuffling around embassies and other diplomatic targets. Capitol Hill mulls cyber deterrence. Equifax breach looks worse. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on ICS in advanced manufacturing. Guest is Marcus Harris from Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP, discussing the decision by companies like McAfee and Symantec to allow the Russians to look at their source code. Two high-profile fraud victims.
In today's podcast, we hear that Fancy Bear has been busy in a sensitive German government network. RedDrop Android malware is built for blackmail. Another exposed AWS S3 bucket is disclosed. Intel issues another Spectre fix. The FTC reaches a settlement with Venmo over privacy, security, and availability of funds. The SEC is investigating a number of initial coin offerings. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the ICS Stormcast podcast, with information on the Memcache DOS issue. Guest is Rami Sass from WhiteSource on open source software. And Mr. Gates is no fan of cryptocurrencies (and it seems cryptocurrency mavens are no fan of Mr. Gates).
In today's podcast, we hear that Memcrash threatens big DDoS events. Problems with single-sign-on solutions. Thanatos ransomware looks like its masters botched it, but that's not necessarily good news. The Marcher banking Trojan is back and bigger than ever. A new variant of Petya ransomware may be in circulation. What's the point of a false flag if no one's fooled? Dale Drew from CenturyLink on collaboration trends. Guest is Eric Cole, author of Online Danger. And the US Senate asks, how do you solve a problem like Vladimir?
In today's podcast, we hear that CoinHive was installed via a misconfigured AWS S3 bucket. Unintentional password collection. Threat and risk trends for 2018. Avalanche phisher king rearrested in Kiev. Huawei says it's being picked on. Apple makes nice with Beijing. Industry notes—controlling interests and an ICS security Series B round. Reality Winner wants her confession suppressed. Hal Martin's packrat defense may have received an unexpected boost. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the Internet Stormcast podcast, on hacked third-party cables. Guest is Terry Dunlap from Refirm Labs on firmware vulnerabilities. And could alien signals be alien hacks?
In today's podcast, we hear that anonymous US Intelligence sources call the Olympic hacks a Russian false flag operation. More cyberattacks are expected from the infrastructure set up to hit the Games. Calls for international norms for cyber conflict rise. CrowdStrike's Global Threat Report sees proliferation and commodification of attack tools. Ad network serves cryptojacker. Malicious smartphones or just a trade war? Joe Carrigan from JHU on securing AWS buckets. Guest is Randall Murch from VA Tech on cyber bio security. And a scorecard for hacking heraldry.
Or Katz is principal lead security researcher for Akamai's Enterprise Security Business Unit, and the research he’s sharing today is a widespread phishing campaign targeting users using an advertising tactic. The research is titled, “Gone Phishing for the Holidays."
In today's podcast we hear, OMG, that Mirai is out in a new and improved form. Researchers find buggy smart contracts on Ethereum. A Chase glitch briefly exposed banking customers' information to other banking customers. Hacktivists continue to hit spyware companies. Verizon's Mobile Index warns that mobile security is being traded for business efficiencies. Thales looks at data security and finds that data breaches seem to have risen with cloud migration. The FTC doesn't like credential stuffing. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs with an update on Dark Web markets after last year’s Alpha Bay takedown. Guest is Andrea Little Limbago from Endgame, discussing her blog post, “The March Toward Data Localization.”
In today's podcast, we hear that counterfeit certificates are on sale in criminal souks. Cybercrime is said to cost $600 billion globally every year. Russia objects to being called a bad actor in cyberspace. North Korea's Reaper threat actor steps out from the shadow of its big brother, the Lazarus Group. Catphish from Lebanon spread spyware through Facebook. Israel says it gave Australia a cyber assist against ISIS terror last summer. Ransomware notes. Prof. Awais Rashid from University of Bristol on what students should be learning about cyber security. Guest is Martijn Grooten from Virus Bulletin on security product testing and the changes they’ve seen over time in the products they test. Harper's was hacked, and so was Allentown, Pennsylvania.
In today's podcast, we hear that SWIFT phishbait is hitting inboxes. North Korean hackers show fresh sophistication and new ambitions. Fancy Bear seems to be snuffling east. Monero miners in Word, and why cryptojacking for Bitcoin is harder than it is for other currencies. The Coldroot RAT hides in plain sight. The US Departments of Justice and Homeland Security undertake new approaches to election security. Justin Harvey from Accenture on data-centric security. Guest is Scott Totzke from ISARA on the threat to encrypted data by quantum computing. And Facebook has a new verification mode: send in a postcard.
In today's podcast we hear that SWIFT fraud has hit an Indian lender. North Korean hacking continues, even during the DPRK's Winter Olympics charm offensive. US indicts Russian influence operators—the Internet Research Agency is the leading defendant. Russian trolling continues, exploiting the Florida school shooting. (And the alleged shooter apparently expressed his intentions online.) Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks, on the importance of partnering with universities to improve the quantity and diversity of people coming through the STEM pipeline. All Five Eyes see Fancy Bear behind NotPetya.
The research we’re discussing today is called, “Beware the Hex Men”, and it tracks multiple attack campaigns conducted by a Chinese threat actor. The GuardiCore Labs team identified three attack variants that they named Hex, Hanako and Taylor, targeting SQL servers.
In today's podcast, we hear more about Olympic Destroyer: its relationship status with known threat actors is "complicated." The US joins the UK in blaming Russia for NotPetya, and seems to be considering sanctions. The US Congress considers election security, and considers a state-level option: let governors call in the National Guard. New York cyber law reaches its second milestone. Zulfikar Ramzan from RSA, discussing the hype around blockchain technology. Guest is Jack Rhysider, producer and host of the Darknet Diaries podcast. And no, Edward Snowden has not moved in down the block and bought a two-terabyte iCloud storage plan.
In today's podcast we hear that Olympic Destroyer may have started with a supply-chain compromise back in December. The British Foreign Office blames Russia for NotPetya pseudoransomware, and the Russian Foreign Ministry says they didn't do anything. Trend Micro researchers find a new Monero cryptomining campaign underway. Coinherder phishes in alt-coin wallets. The Satori botnet has expanded its target list. A new IoT botnet, DoubleDoor, gets into routers with a one-two punch. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS, on New Jersey taking on the FCC and net neutrality. Guest is Scott Register from Ixia on security issues with the coming 5G cellular rollout. And the LoopX ICO vanishes into thin air.
In today's podcast, we hear that Olympic Destroyer exploits EternalRomance and morphs as it moves from machine to machine. Other Olympic hacks are out there, too. The US Intelligence Community tells Congress to expect a more assertive Iran, Russia, and North Korea in cyberspace. They also forecast more election influence operations. General Nakasone has been nominated to succeed Admiral Rogers at NSA and US Cyber Command. Yossi Oren from BGU on two-factor authentication for the disabled. Guest is John Kuhn from IBM X-Force Iris on the uptick in spam around the Valentine’s Day holiday.Coin mining continues to make a nuisance of itself.
In today's podcast, we hear that Patch Tuesday will not include a Skype fix—that one will take some time and attention. Olympic Destroyer is the malware thought to be infesting the Winter Games. Attribution remains unclear, but a lot of suspicious eyes are looking at you, Mr. Putin. The Lazarus Group is stepping up its cryptocurrency stealing game. Questions swirl around the alleged BitGrail cryptocurrency exchange losses. David Dufour from Webroot on Mac vulnerabilities. Guest is Mark Loveless from Duo security, looking at IoT personal safety devices. And, hey—Valentine's Day is tomorrow.
In today's podcast we hear that the the Winter Olympics report ongoing hacking. Cryptojacker hits government websites in the UK, Australia, and the US. Engineers use a research institute's supercomputer to mine Bitcoin in Sarov, Russia. The Equifax breach may be bigger and worse than hitherto believed. The Sacramento Bee deletes encrypted database rather than pay ransom. IBM patches Spectre and Meltdown. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs offers a dark web scorecard on the 2018 Olympics and the 2018 elections, specifically addressing how matters stand in comparison with the last round of games and voting. The CIA says it was no way bilked by a proffered sale of kompromat. And bots scalp airline seats.
IcedID is a banking trojan recently discovered and tracked by IBM's X-Force research team, targeting banks, payment card providers, mobile services providers, payroll, webmail and e-commerce sites in the U.S. Limor Kessem is an executive security advisor with IBM Security. She returns to Research Saturday to describe what she and her team found.
In today's podcast we hear that phishing has gotten more personal with conversation hijacking and attempts on direct deposit instructions. The Olympics have opened: do you know where your hackers are? Apple finds leaked iOS source code on Github. Cryptominers found in hospital systems. Litecoin picks up black market share. Notes on recent patches. Concerns about Russian influence operations continue as US midterm elections approach. Dale Drew from CenturyLink on victim notification. Guest is Deidre Diamond from #brainbabe. They are a nonprofit working to replace “booth babes” at trade shows with students. And are bicycle thieves going online?
In today's podcast we hear that Operation Shadow Web has tken down the Infraud criminal carding gang. Two more Fancy Bear sightings—one in voter databases, one in Defense contractor emails. North Korea may have purchased its Flash Player zero-day from a third-party. Cryptojacking hits a European water utility. US Senate considers banning Huawei and ZTE from Federal use. Johannes Ullrich on cryptocurrency theft, and advice for protecting your virtual currency. Guest is Christopher Doman from AlienVault on their discovery of a Monero cryptocurrency miner linked to North Korea. And no, Messrs. McAfee and Musk aren't Nigerian princes, and they're not giving away Bitcoin.
In today's podcast we hear that Dutch police have made an arrest in last week's financial sector DDoS case: it's a teenager. North Korean interest in stealing cryptocurrency remains high. Adobe patches the zero-day Pyongyang had exploited against Seoul. Hardware wallets found vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks. Crytpojacking trends. US regulators take a hard look at alt-coins and how they're traded. Uber says it regrets not coming clean sooner about its breach. Justin Harvey from Accenture on ransomware, to pay or not to pay. Guest is Yassir Abousselham from Okta on their 2018 Business at Work report. New trends in an old help desk scam.
In today's podcast, we hear that the Shadow Broker exploits have now been found to be more exploitable. Cryptocurrency miners are recognized as a problem: MacUpdate sustained a brief infestation late last week, and a new Android mining campaign takes a page from Mirai's playbook. Smominru botnet rakes in $3.6 million. T-Mobile warns of SIM-hijacking. Comment period extended for NIST Special Publication 800-171. New paycard skimmer found in Pennsylvania stores. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on tax fraud issues. Guest is Woody Shea from Covata on S3 bucket leaks. And a tsunami false alarm on the US East Coast.
In today's podcast, we hear that Flash Player is being exploited by DPRK's TEMP.Reaper, also known as Group 123. ISIS may have a hacker help-wanted sign out. JenX botnet update. Scareby ransomware tells victims it will shred their files if they don't pay up. The Nunes Memo remains a political Rohrschach Test. A Japanese teenager is arrested for writing cryptocurrency-stealing code. Lauri Love will not be extradited to the US. Peter Levashov is not so lucky. Joe Carrigan from JHU responds to listener mail on passwords. And the FBI is not emailing you to say you may be entitled to compensation.
Adware is generally considered unsophisticated, and because of its low perceived threat level it's often ignored. Researchers at the Booz Allen Dark Labs' Advanced Threat Hunt Team have recently published research describing a more advanced type of adware, using infection techniques usually attributed to nation-state actors.
Jay Novak is a threat hunter and tech lead at Booz Allen, and he takes us through their research.
In today's podcast, we hear that the JenX botnet will conduct DDoS-for-hire, if you've got twenty bucks. South Korea's CERT warns of an Adobe Flash Player zero-day being exploited in the wild. Bitcoin's price drops below $9000, but miners and scammers are still after this and other cryptocurrencies. BeeToken's ICO is used to phish for Ethereum. ICS security reflections in the wake of the Triton/Trisis attack. The 9th Circuit rules that Twitter didn't provide material support to ISIS killers. Rob Lee from Dragos on the security of wind power systems. Guest is Dana Simberkoff from AvePoint, with a discussion on women working in privacy, and why it’s one area where we are doing well at getting and equal number of women engaged. And the Nunes Memo is out, declassified and unredacted.
In today's podcast, we hear that ISIS inspiration is increasingly directed at children. Cryptomining botnets use same EternalBlue exploit as WannaCry. Criminals experiment to weaponize Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities. Phishing campaigns exploit well-known services including Google Docs and Outlook. Patch notes. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners adopting a model data cyber security law. Guest is Shashi Kiran from Quali on cyber ranges and cloud sandboxes. Geolocation and other app-collected info raise OPSEC concerns.
In today's podcast we hear about a possible Charming Kitten sighting. Phishing in Tibet shows just how successful cheap skid labor can be. Cisco patches a serious flaw in VPN products. Fitness app Strava says it will work to close privacy holes. Experts say you're just a tap away from giving yourself away, and it's not just Strava, not by a long shot. South Korea considers how cryptocurrency might be regulated. The US SEC shuts down an allegedly fraudulent ICO. Yossi Oren from BGU on insecure mobile device cases. Guest is JT Keating from Zimperium on the effects of Meltdown and Spectre on mobile devices. And what do you call an ICO that steals the price of a cheap seat?
In today's podcast we hear that the Dutch financial sector is well on its way to recovering from the recent DDoS wave, which could be the work of anyone from teenaged skids to some nation's intelligence service. Lizard Squad may have a connection to Mirai. The reptiles are also getting into the coin mining business. Patient phishing relieves IOTA cryptocurrency users of the contents of their wallets. UK's Snooper's Charter smacked down by High Court. US House Intelligence Committee votes to release classified memo on surveillance. Jonathan Katz from UMD on the “fuzzing” of private healthcare information. Guest is Michael Simon from Cryptonite with results from their 2018 Health Care Cyber Report. US military personnel get an OPSEC lesson on Strava.
In today's podcast, we hear that hackers have looted cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck to the tune of about $530 million. Experty's ICO speculators get phished by crooks. Jackpotting hits American ATMs. The Dridex banking Trojan apparently has a ransomware sibling: FriedEx. Transduction attacks could hit IoT sensors. Steganographic app "Muslim Crypt" is designed for jihadist communication. North Korea tells Britain to mind its own business about WannaCry. Zulfikar Ramzan from RSA with his perspective on Spectre and Meltdown. Strava fitness app reveals locations of user activity.
This week we’re discussing the a campaign the McAfee Advanced Threat Research team recently discovered, one that’s targeting organizations involved with the upcoming Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Raj Samani is chief scientist at McAfee, and he shares the campaign's clever details.
In today's podcast, we hear how Lebal malware steps its way through layered defenses. Cryptocurrency mining campaigns go after Monero with XMRig, WannaMine, and other toolkits. It's not a victimless crime, either—CPUs can be rendered effectively unusable. Influence operations are tracked in Twitter and Facebook. Dutch intelligence services penetrated Cozy Bear and shared warnings with allied services. Russia demanded, and got, source code access as a condition of doing business. Dale Drew from CenturyLink shares his outlook on 2018. Stacey Higginbotham, host of the Internet of Things Podcast, chats about IoT security. A creep exploits password recovery utilities.
It’s fair to say that 2017 was a busy year when it came to cyber security, and as we head into 2018 there’s certainly no sign of things slowing down. Days into the new year the news of serious vulnerabilities like Meltdown and Spectre, the ongoing threat of ransomware, major data and privacy breaches, and political unrest around the world, well, hold onto your hats, it looks like we may be in for a bumpy ride. In this CyberWire special edition, we’ve gathered a group of seasoned cyber security experts to share their views on what we might expect over the coming year. Nate Beach-Westmoreland is Head of Strategic Threat Intelligence at Booz Allen's Cyber4Sight. https://www.linkedin.com/in/natebeachw/ Christopher Porter is Chief Intelligence Strategist at FireEye. https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-porter-039620112/ Caleb Barlow is Vice President Threat Intelligence at IBM Security. https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebbarlow/
In today's podcast, we hear about how patriotic hacktivists are talking turkey to high-profile Twitter accounts. The Hide 'N' Seek IoT botnet spreads swiftly through specially crafted peer-to-peer communications. Vulnerabilities found in the Electron developers framework. ICOs are heavily targeted by criminals. Bell Canada was breached, and the Mounties are on the case. Ontario transit operator Metrolinx is asked how it knows North Korea hacked it. British Prime Minister May takes a swing at secure messaging and tech companies generally. Fancy Bear doesn't like Olympic luge. David DuFour from WebRoot with his outlook on ransomware for the coming year. Guest is Malcolm Harkins from Cylance with thoughts on the Aadhaar data breach. And what's the significance of a values statement?
In today's podcast, we hear that new Satori variants are out. Turkish hacktivists use Twitter for social engineering. Parties unknown are conducting an espionage campaign against Turkish defense contractors. North Korea's Lazarus Group improves its cryptocurrency theft tradecraft. Dating app vulnerabilities are a cyber-stalker's dream date. Britain will combat disinformation with a national office of rumor control. Justin Harvey from Accenture addressing the cyber skills shortage. Guest is Jon Condra from Flashpoint, reviewing their Business Risk Intelligence Decision Report. Plus, say phooey to pirated copies of Fire and Fury.
In today's podcast we hear that ISIS is howling "we are in your home" as they lose their own home. Intel says a new patch for Spectre and Meltdown is coming to fix instability problems. Babies' social security numbers and other data are for sale on the dark web. So are email credentials from top-500 British law firms. Look closely at urls—IDN spoofing is out and about. Satori expands the reach of its botnets. New ransomware strains surface. SpriteCoin is no coin at all. Joe Carrigan from JHU responding to listener mail about disabling links in email. Chris Webber from SafeBreach on using simulations to test for Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities. And Sonic the Hedgehog fans watch out: three popular games may expose you to hacking.
In today's podcast, we learn that the Evrial Trojan is interested in what's on your Windows Clipboard. The healthcare sector continues its struggle to recover from SamSam ransomware. People raise the possibility that Olympic timekeeping could be hacked. They're not saying it was, just that it might be. Russian troll farms are barking at the US House Intelligence Committee and the Czech Presidential run-off election. Some notes on crime and possible punishment. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs on the challenges of deploying next-generation cryptography. And there are two new theories about Satoshi Nakamoto.
Researchers at ThreatConnect have discovered evidence that Fancy Bear, a cyber espionage group generally associated with Russia's military agency GRU, may be spoofing domains belonging to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), and the Olympic Council of Asia.
Kyle Ehmke is a threat intelligence researcher with ThreatConnect, and he takes us through their work.
In today's podcast we hear about ransomware afflicting a healthcare IT provider. Group 123 phishes in South Korean waters. Schneider Electric describes the zero-day Triton/Trisis exploited. The Dark Caracal spyware campaign is attributed to Lebanon's intelligence service. The US Congress will extend Section 702 surveillance authority for six years. GhostTeam-infected apps are booted from the Play Store. Jonathan Katz from the University of Maryland ponders "uncrackable" quantum encryption. Graham Cluley from the Smashing Security podcast drops by for a chat about the state of the industry. And is there ever a good reason to write down a password?
In today's podcast we hear that Norway's Southern and Eastern Regional Health Authority has suffered a breach. False civil defense alerts are mistakes, not hacks, but they're worth some attention. Davos will take up international conflict and cybersecurity next week. Banking Trojan Exobot holds a going-out-of-business sale. Satori botnet rifles cryptocurrency wallets. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs, looking at the upcoming Olympics and midterm elections. Guest is Nadav Avital from Imperva on web application vulnerabilities. And was Bitconnect's collapse a Ponzi scheme, a pump and dump, or something else?
In today's podcast, we hear that the US Senate is ready, after a successful cloture motion, to vote on Section 702 surveillance reauthorization. Bipartisan Congressional support for election security bill. Skygofree is an unusually capable variety of Android spyware. More evidence ties North Korea's Lazarus Group to a Bitcoin spearphishing campaign. German users lured by fake Spectre/Meltdown patch sites. Healthcare organizations hit with a variety of attacks. Zulfikar Ramzan, CTO at RSA, introduces himself as we welcome him to the show. Guest is Mark Orlando from Raytheon Cyber on the Korean Olympics phishing campaigns. Thinking of VR adult content? Think twice. No, better, think thrice.
In today's podcast, we hear that a new Mirai variant, Okiru, is forming botnets of ARC-based IoT devices. Meltdown and Spectre remediation continues. CIA is said to have confirmed that NotPetya was a GRU operation. Suspicions rise that the Shadow Brokers used security tools to scan for classified documents. US and Canadian officials raise alarms about election influence operations. Wichita swatter charged with involuntary manslaughter. Malicious Chrome extensions spotted. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on the security of petroleum ICS. Guest is Lance Cottrell from Ntrepid on the importance of net neutrality for security. And USB drives contain the darndest things.
A group of Russian-speaking hackers have stolen nearly $10 million from banks around the world. Group-IB, a company with expertise in computer forensics, information security and, specifically, Russian‑speaking criminal groups, have named these thieves MoneyTaker. Nicholas Palmer is the director of international business development at Group-IB, and he's joined by their head of threat intelligence, Dmitry Volkob to explain the MoneyTaker group's schemes.
In today's podcast, we hear that Spectre and Meltdown have continued to receive patches, and they may not be as performance-killing as feared. F-Secure says if you leave your laptop alone it could be pwned in 30 seconds. Mobile ICS apps seem to be getting less, not more, secure. Google boots more bad stuff from the Play Store. Monero miners afflict unpatched Oracle WebLogic servers (so patch). The US Congress considers a Huawei ban. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the Internet Stormcast podcast on IoT gifts. Guest is Phil Reitinger from the Global Cyber Alliance, an international, non-profit organization headquartered in New York City and London that is focused on eradicating systemic cybersecurity risks. And New Jersey is considering solving one of its biggest problems: droning under the influence. Sprung from cages on Highway 9 or not, don't try that on the turnpike, kids.
In today's podcast we hear that the Government of India is working on Aadhaar security, suspending many officials' access. Fancy Bear doxes the IOC. WhatsApp snooping proof-of-concept revealed. Spectre and Meltdown patching continues. The US House voted to reauthorize Section 702 surveillance (the Senate is considering its own version). On the FBI's unwanted list: jerks and evil geniuses (and they're scowling in the direction of Cupertino). Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks on AI and ML in cyber security. Guest is Shelley Westman from EY, with the results from their Global Information Security Survey. Conflating Bitcoin with Bitcoin cash could have been an e-commerce issue.
In today's podcast, we hear that Turla's back, with a depressingly nifty man-in-the-middle campaign. The US thinks it sees Russia trying to influence Mexico's national elections. Russian banks are hit with a new mobile Trojan. Iran continues its Internet crackdown, and conducts more domestic surveillance and hacking. Winter Olympics-themed cyberattacks rely on well-crafted social engineering. Patch Tuesday addressed Spectre, Meltdown, Flash, and an Office zero-day. Yossi Oren from BGU on vulnerabilities in mobile device replacement touchscreens. Stay away from flashlight apps. (And take a look at your dog-walker's app, too, while you're at it.)
In today's podcast, we hear about how Spectre and Meltdown mitigations are proceeding, with many successes (but some blue-screen-of-death failures, too). Psiphon looks like the souped-up VPN of choice for Iranian dissidents, as that country's Internet crackdown continues. Pop-up ads infest mobile devices as an old tactic finds new scope for its misapplication. Olympic phishing targets South Korean companies. China moves to stop illicit cryptocurrency miners. Jonathan Katz from UMD on bitcoin mining power use. Guest is Udi Yavo from Ensilo on Process Doppelganging. Is there an alt-coin bubble? Sure looks like it.
In today's podcast we hear that someone is phishing for hockey enthusiasts during the run-up to the Winter Olympics. Continued unrest in Iran, with more arrests. More on Meltdown and Spectre, as most experts agree you should apply the mitigations being offered. Intel receives much hostile scrutiny over the chip bugs, but other vendor's processes are affected, too. India says Aadhaar is secure, but many aren't so sure. Admiral Rogers will retire as NSA Director this spring. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on legislation to enable hacking back, ACDC, the Active Cyber Defense Certainty act. Marcus Hutchins' attorneys want his confession to involvement with Kronos thrown out.
Robert M. Lee. is CEO of Dragos Security, a company that specializes in the protection of industrial control systems. He’s describing his team's research on TRISIS, tailored ICS malware infecting safety instrumented systems (SIS), so far found only in the middle east. It's only the fifth known incident of malware targeting ICS systems.
In today's podcast we hear how Meltdown and Spectre have put the fear of hardware flaws into enterprises everywhere. No family of systems can be safely assumed to be immune. Most are positively identified as vulnerable. Proofs-of-concept show that remote attacks exploiting chips' speculative execution features are feasible. India's Aadhaar national identification database is compromised. Justin Harvey from Accenture with his outlook on 2018. Guest is Dinah Davis from Code.likeagirl.io and Arctic Wolf Networks. We’re discussing trade shows and conferences, and the importance of having diverse panels. Cryptocurrency speculative mania continues.
In today's podcast we follow the story of Meltdown and Spectre, which pose kernel-level security issues: speed was inadvertently purchased at the price of insecurity. Spectre affects most chips, not just those from Intel. Mitigations are on the way. Bogus security apps booted from Google Play. Be on the lookout for phony Android Uber apps. Iran's Internet crackdown continues. Michael Daly from Raytheon and David DuFour from Webroot share their views on Meltdown and Spectre. And former NSA contractor Hal Martin may plea to taking one classified document home with him.
In today's podcast we hear that Iran's crackdown on Internet channels of dissent continues. Intel processors are determined to have a deep security flaw: cloud users are likely to be affected. A macOS local privilege escalation vulnerability is published. The "Trackmageddon" location service vulnerability seems to originate in a buggy API. The suicide forest video appears to have passed through YouTube's human curators. The man arrested in the Wichita police shooting may have been a serial SWATTER. Joe Carrigan from JHU on holiday IoT devices. Guest is Thomas Jones from Bay Dynamics on updated NIST rules for DOD contractors.
In today's podcast we hear that ISIS has claimed responsibility for the December 27th St. Petersburg shopping center bombing. UK authorities seek to think ahead about cyber terror. US standards bodies propose more stringent mandatory reporting of cyber incidents at electrical utilities. Unrest in Iran prompts a government crackdown on the Internet. We meet our newest academic & research partner, Dr. Yossi Oren from Ben Gurion University. A YouTube celebrity learns something of the limits of the funny, and a Los Angeles man is arrested in a horrifying SWATTING attack that killed an utterly uninvolved bystander.
Alan Neville is a senior threat intelligence analyst at Symantec located in Dublin. He is responsible for leading and documenting investigations into high priority attacks.
He recently published research on the Sowbug cyber espionage group targeting South American and Southeast Asian governments.
https://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/sowbug-cyber-espionage-group-targets-south-american-and-southeast-asian-governments
Gerald Hahn is CEO of Softshell ag, a German cybersecurity company. He shares his insights into the market for cybersecurity products in the German market, and how US companies can best prepare themselves to do business, there.
Andrew Wild is CISO at QTS Data Centers. He shares his insights into the changing role of the Chief Information Security Officer, as businesses shift their focus toward risk.
Cybersecurity expert and author Scott Schober shares his personal story of being hacked, and how it set him on a mission to help prevent it from happening to others.
Jonathan is Cymmetria's General Counsel. A former trial attorney, Mr. Braverman is an expert in cyber-security law, policy and regulation. He has written policy papers on export controls over cyber technology, active defense and "hacking back."
In this edition of the CyberWire Research Saturday, we'll take a look at a more recent intrusion PwC has uncovered, named KeyBoy and highly likely a China-based threat actor. It uses compromised Word documents to gain access.
Bart Parys is a lead researcher in PwC's cyber threat intelligence team, responsible for tracking cyber threat actors, their latest toolsets and methodologies.
https://www.pwc.co.uk/issues/cyber-security-data-privacy/research/the-keyboys-are-back-in-town.html
In today's podcast we hear some updates on the Triton ICS malware campaign. North Korea amplifies its denials of responsibility for WannaCry. Cryptocurrency markets undergo a strong correction. "Blockchain" remains a word to conjure with. Citing a potential risk to national security, Lithuania's government bans Kaspersky software. ESET thinks Fancy Bear is growing more cunning and evasive. Chris Poulin from BAH on the transition to self driving cars, and the problem with selling fear and uncertainty. Guest is Kim DeCarlis from Gigamon on marketing cyber security. And how does Siri handle various linguistic challenges?
In today's podcast, we suggest a new year's resolution all organizations should make: resolve to configure your cloud services for privacy and security. Another cryptocurrency exchange gets hacked, this one by DNS hijacking. North Korea finally says it had nothing to do with WannaCry, but few are convinced. The Lazarus Group continues to be a prime suspect in cryptocurrency theft. Section 702 nears sunset. Wassenaar seems to have become friendlier to researchers. David DuFour from Webroot on quantum computing and AI. Guest is Joseph Carson from Thycotic on stolen passwords on the black market. And Kaspersky Lab wants redress in court.
In today's podcast, we talk about what the Five Eyes see. Implications of North Korean responsibility for WannaCry. Defense and deterrence go with naming and shaming. The Lazarus Group looks to cryptocurrency theft to redress North Korean financial shortfalls. Copperfield cyber espionage campaign in the Middle East. GDPR approaches, and organizations look to get their data houses in order (and buy insurance). Justin Harvey from Accenture on choosing threat intelligence. Guest is Stan Engelbrecht from D3 Security on the vulnerabilities in public transportation. And what to do if your child gets a phone from Santa.
In today's podcast, we hear that the Five Eyes look at WannaCry and officially see Pyongyang. New US National Security Strategy emphasizes economic power and cybersecurity (and names the adversaries). Hex Men are no super heroes. More Bitcoin theft bankrupts an alt-currency exchange. Android Monero miner can basically melt your phone, it's working so hard. Users leave Lexmark printers open to the Internet. AnubisSpy peeks at Arabic-speaking Android users. Joe Carrigan from JHU on holiday IoT devices. Guest is Chris Webber from SafeBreach, reviewing the third edition of their Hacker’s Playbook. And guess the two worst passwords of 2017.
In today's podcast, we hear how the Zealot campaign uses ShadowBrokers' exploits to install a Monero miner on victim systems. Bitfinex suffers another DDoS attack as Bitcoin valuations remain high. Triton attack on industrial safety systems shows the risk of mixing control with safety. Exposed database of California voters investigated. Thales will buy Gemalto. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the Internet Storm Center podcast, on scammers profiteering from natural disasters. And suffering from social media hangover? Try a little hair of the dog that bit you (say social media vendors).
Online underground markets thrive across the globe, with the Middle East and North Africa being no exception. Researchers at Trend Micro recently too a look inside these digital souks, and while much of what they discovered matches similar online marketplaces, there are unique cultural elements that set these regional trading posts apart. Jon Clay is a cyber security expert from Trend Micro, and he takes us through their research paper, "Digital Souks: A Glimpse into the Middle East and North African Underground."
In today's podcast, we hear that Ethiopia's government has shut down the country's Internet during a period of unrest. TRITON ICS malware update. The FCC moves away from net neutrality. UK warnings about cable vulnerabilities. When a keylogger isn’t a keylogger. Security companies patch some products. Pyongyang likes Bitcoin. More on the NiceHash Bitcoin caper. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on breach fatigue. Colleen Huber from MediaPro on their 2017 State of Privacy and Security Awareness Report. And, stick 'em up: your Ether or your life.
In today's podcast we hear that Anonymous has called for action against US and Israeli government sites. FireEye reports a significant attack against an industrial plant, possibly involving nation-state reconnaissance. A lot of Internet traffic was briefly rerouted through Russia yesterday, possibly deliberately, for unclear reasons. TV troubles. Dale Drew from CenturyLink on measuring against standards and certs. Torsten Mayer from FICO on using AI to help protect nonprofits online. And if toys are getting too connected, consider a puppy—very interactive.
In today's podcast we hear a reminder about yesterday's Patch Tuesday. Classic Android games are serving malware. Crytpocurrency speculative fever continues to rise. More unwelcome miners are pulling Monero out of streaming video services. Ransomware extortionists are finding Bitcoin prices sometimes rise too fast for comfort. False hit-man spam. A Russian hacking defendant, in Russia, says Putin made him do it. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on the security of the water supply. Guest is Evan Dornbush from point3 security on the disconnect between employers and educational institutions. Guilty pleas in the Mirai case.
In today's podcast, we hear that Berlin says Beijing's been catphishing, and that Beijing says no way. Banking Trojans in Google Play look for Polish accounts. Spider malware spins out of the Balkans. Transferring risk doesn't mean you can ignore it. The SEC calls cease-and-desist on another ICO. That venti in Buenos Aires may have come with a CoinHive miner. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks on DevOps vs. site reliability engineers. Marcelle Lee from LookingGlass on the Bad Rabbit ransomware. The Doctor puts down his tools and closes BrickerBot.
In today's podcast, we hear that al Qaeda is working on ISIS-style inspiration. The MoneyTaker gang has been raiding banks quietly for about a year and a half. HP fixes an inadvertent keylogger in its laptops. 4iQ finds a huge database of aggregated credentials from many breaches for sale on the dark web. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies attract scams and hackers. Why? That's where the money is. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on the proposed Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2017 legislation. An ICO scam artist is in the SEC's crosshairs, but they'll have to wait until Québec is through with him.
Zberp is a stealthy banking trojan with an unconventional process injection technique. A hybrid of the ZeusVM and Carberp malware, Zberp uses a variety of techniques to prevent detection while it gathers information from infected systems. Limor Kessem is an executive security advisor for IBM, and she's our guide.
In today's podcast we learn that FireEye is warning of patient reconnaissance on the part of the (probably) Iranian APT34. The Electronic Ghosts of the Caliphate have so far failed to say "boo," except maybe in South Jersey. Flaws discovered in mobile banking apps. Bike-sharing service leaked data. Bitcoin's bubble. Microsoft patches its Malware Protection Engine. Chris Poulin from BAH on closing the gap between IT and OT people in ICS. Adam Segal from the Council on Foreign Relations on the rollout of their cyber operations tracker. And biometrics have come to the beagles: your pet door can now recognize Rover or Boots, and let them on in. Their raccoon pals stay outside.
In today's podcast we consider warnings of a hacktivist intifada as the US prepares to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. How Ethiopia's surveillance was discovered. Criminals flock to cryptocurrency sites with everything from DDoS to miners to theft. Keylogger found infesting WordPress sites. Android app development tools get quick fixes. Apple updates MacOS High Sierra again. What Uber may have thought it was doing when it paid off its hackers. Section 702 surveillance authority update. Jonathan Katz from UMD on NIST’s call for algorithms for post-quantum computing. Drew Cohen from MasterPeace Solutions on drawing government talent to the private sector. A jeopardy champ faces hacking charges, and Kromtech warns about Ashley Madison (on grounds of security, not propriety).
In today's podcast, we learn that the Satori botnet flashed into existence yesterday with 280,000 bots. Is there a router zero-day out there? Insecure cryptocurrency apps aren't deterring speculators. How much energy does Bitcoin use? About as much as Denmark. Ethiopia's government is said to be using spyware against journalists. Iran's Charming Kitty espionage group is looking at media, academics, activists, and political advisors. ISIS threatens cyber havoc this Friday. Joe Carrigan from JHU on breach fatigue. Cat Coode from Binary Tattoo on social media safety. And the IOC takes a poke at Russia. Expect Fancy and Cozy Bear to poke right back.
In today's podcast, we hear how an international police operation took down Andromeda, and possibly the criminal mastermind known as Ar3s. Mirai is back, and so are warnings about Reaper. There's a PayPal phishing expedition in progress (don't let yourself be a wild-caught sucker). A new variant of the familiar tech support scam features a bogus blue screen of death. Germany's Interior Minister considers backdooring the IoT. The US Securities and Exchange Commission is going after dodgy ICOs. Justin Harvey from Accenture on cyber ranges. Adam Meyers from CrowdStrike on supply chain attacks. And we're not going to talk about the Internet of Those Kinds of Things. (Don't act so innocent—you know who you are.)
In today's podcast, we hear about an NSA employee who was charged Friday with "willful retention of national defense information." This appears to be the individual whose computer was equipped with Kaspersky security software, and scanned either by that security product or by a backdoor, depending on whom you believe. A look back at the other three alleged NSA leakers: Snowden, Martin, and Winner. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the ISC Stormcast podcast, talking about the Kaspersky data exfiltration accusations. The UK expresses official misgivings about Kaspersky products. More Uber executives depart the company.
Bad actors are using Fast Flux Networks with quickly-changing IP addresses and domain names to help hide their activities. Or Katz, Principal Lead Security Researcher at Akamai, takes us through their recently-published white paper, "Digging Deeper — An In-Depth Analysis of a Fast Flux Network."
In today's podcast, we hear that former National Security Advisor Flynn pleads guilty to lying to the FBI. Another misconfigured AWS account is found. Cobalt is either careless or engaged in misdirection. Election trolling and mutual suspicion between Russia and the US. Kaspersky says his company didn't, doesn't, and won't spy for the Russian government as US agencies begin to purge their systems of his security software. Black Friday fraud seems to be down this year. South Korea's investigation of domestic election meddling by its cyber command sharpens. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs with thoughts on GDPR. Gary Golomb from Awake Security with thoughts on properly setting priorities. And Roman Seleznev gets another fourteen years on carding charges.
In today's podcast we learn that British shipping giant Clarksons was breached but refuses to pay hackers extortion. The US House may be reaching consensus on surveillance authorities. INSCOM mops up Red Disk leak. The US Defense Department may have more work to do countering insider threats. HP denies reports of spyware in its PCs. Apple fixes High Sierra. Credit services think through the implications of GDPR. Robert M. Lee from Dragos, reviewing ICS and natural gas. Shaun Walsh from Cylance on AI. And snack foods, mens rea, Faraday cages, and employment law.
In this CyberWire special edition, we take a closer look at finding your career in cyber security. Just how important is that degree? Does it make sense to invest in certifications? What are employers really looking for when they’re searching for qualified cyber security talent? And why is it critical that you not just hunt down a sexy, high paying job, but build yourself a fulfilling career? Sharing their insights and expertise are Kathleen Smith, CMO from Clearedjobs.net and cybersecjobs.com, and Robert M. Lee, CEO of Dragos.
In today's podcast we hear that another misconfigured AWS S3 bucket has turned up. This one holds sensitive US Army files. Apple fixes a big flaw in the latest MacOS High Sierra version—the password is…"root." Russia says American aggression in cyberspace is moving it to create its own DNS. Russia and Venezuela exploit the Catalan independence movement for disruptive information operations. Boyusec, mentioned in recent US indictment, has been disbanded. Dale Drew from CenturyLink with lessons on consolidation. Jason McGee from IBM on software containers.
In today's podcast we hear rumors that the third-man in the Shadow Brokers leak might soon become publicly known. ISIS enters its diaspora phase. Monero miner targets Macs. Google Play ejects apps with the Tizi [tizzy] backdoor. Scarab ransomware blasted out in spam campaign. Uber's value takes a hit, post-breach-disclosure. Barracuda Networks taken private. Trend Micro buys Immunio. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on the privacy of children online. Bryan Ware from Haystax on analyzing incoming data streams. And the Pittsburgh FBI office takes another whack at Chinese industrial espionage.
In today's podcast, we hear that image-sharing service Imgur disclosed a data breach. It happened sometime ago, but they were quick to get the word out once they were aware of it. Uber faces regulatory attention and possible post-hack headwinds for its aniticipated IPO. Mozilla's working on a Firefox add-on to warn you that a site you're visiting has been breached. There's a minor resurgence of Mirai, mostly from routers in Argentina. Anti-ISIS hacktivists school the Caliphate in information operations. What did the FBI know about Fancy Bear? North Koreans study blockchain. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on President Trump’s recently signed Cyber Crime Fighting Act. And winter is coming for an Iranian hacker.
The Terdot Banker Trojan is a descendant of the Zeus family of malware, and has evolved to feature serious espionage capabilities. It can compromise transactions, steal accounts and credit card information, and can eavesdrop on and modify traffic on social media and email platforms. While not yet widely spread, it's a threat to consumers and businesses alike. Bogdan Botezatu is a senior e-threat analyst at Bitdefender, and he takes us through their recently published whitepaper.
Our guest today is Tiffany Li. She’s an attorney and Resident Fellow at Yale Law School’s Information Society Project. She's an expert on privacy, intellectual property, and law and policy, and her research includes legal issues involving online speech, access to information, and Internet freedom. She’s coauthor of the paper, Humans Forget, Machines Remember: Artificial Intelligence and the Right to Be Forgotten, which will be published soon in Computer Security & Law Review.
Today's show features an extended interview with Martin C. Libicki. He holds the Maryellen and Richard Keyser chair of cybersecurity studies at the U.S. Naval Academy. His most recent book is Cyberspace in Peace and War. Topics include the differences between cyber war and cyber espionage, the possibilities of a cyber Pearl Harbor or Cyber 9/11, and the risk of nations overreacting to cyber attacks.
Our guest today is Jocelyn Aqua. She’s a principal at PwC, where her specialty is regulatory privacy and cybersecurity. Our conversation centers on a recently published report from PWC called Protect Me, what they describe as an in-depth look at what consumers want, what worries them, and what companies can do to earn their trust and their business.
Cybercriminals offer all sorts of illicit goods for sale on Deep and Dark Web markets. In this episode, Liv Rowley, cybercrime intelligence analyst at Flashpoint, takes us through her team's research into the pricing of certain illegal goods online, including "Fullz", exploit kits, DDoS for hire, RDP servers, card data, bank logs and passports. Supply meets demand in this shady underground ecosystem.
In today's podcast, we hear about more misconfigured S3 buckets (these in Australia). Kaspersky Lab protests its innocence as it releases a study of Equation Group leaks. Notes from the world of crime: dual-purpose Trojans, fake-news-as-a-service, and how the cops are keeping the robbers hopping. Some thoughts on Hidden Cobra, and what it means for ICS operators in particular. More positive notices for the VEP. Chris Poulin from BAH on AI ethical conundrums with self-driving cars. Jeremy Wittkop from InteliSecure on the trouble with Social Security Numbers. And Amazon Key may unlock more than one would like.
In today's podcast, we get an update on the US Vulnerabilities Equities Process, which now promises more transparency, accountability, and stakeholder representation in handling zero-days. A look at China's equivalent…doesn't. Worries about North Korean hacking. Mole hunting at Fort Meade. BlueBorne bugs in home assistants. More malware in Google Play. David DuFour from Webroot on the importance of communication with the board of directors. Roy Katmor from Ensilo on attacks using social engineering. And how to get around that pesky voice recognition software.
In today's podcast, we hear that the DHS and FBI have warned that two North Korean malware campaigns are active in the wild. IoT vulnerabilities are disclosed. :Smartphones ship with apparently inadvertent backdoors. Patch Tuesday was a big one, this month. Russian trolls took both sides in the Brexit vote. A pro-tip from the squints: a screenshot from a video game isn't, you know, actually gun-camera footage. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on the possible expiration of section 702 of the FISA act. Orion Hindawi, CEO of Tanium, with insights gathered from their annual Converge conference. And North Korean shortwave gets hacked to play Eighties rock.
In today's podcast, we hear that Spain sees foreign influence operations in Catalonia. IBM's X-Force warns of a new banking Trojan. There may be a mole hunt going on in NSA—and somewhere the Shadow Brokers are smiling. Anti-virus companies fix the AVGater vulnerability. Firefox and Google both commit to security upgrades. Johannes Ullrich from SANS Technology Institute and the ISC Stormcast podcast on the challenges of random number generation. Steve McGregory from Ixia on the challenges of dealing with the virtually infinite computing power and bandwidth of cloud computing. Tenable urges people to avoid breaches through good hygiene, and Carbon Black wishes we'd stop calling attackers "hackers." Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. We read Recorded Future’s free intel daily, you might find it valuable, too. Cylance is revolutionizing cybersecurity with products and services that proactively prevent, rather than reactively detect the execution of advanced persistent threats and malware. Learn more at cylance.com. Dragos is leading a webinar on November 21st that will help enable industrial control system (#ICS) security teams to defend their environments appropriately. Check it out at thecyberwire.com/dragos.
In today's podcast, we hear how Vault 8 has succeeded Vault 7 among WikiLeaks dumps (but it's still all CIA all the time from Mr. Assange and company). GCHQ expresses concerns about Kaspersky anti-virus products. Media reports suggest that NSA is in the middle of a big mole hunt. Equifax begins to tally up the costs of its breach. The US Intelligence Community reiterates its conclusion that dog bites man, or rather, that Russia wants to work mischief with the United States. ISIS defaces school websites. Bin Laden fils [feess] takes up his late father's mantle online. Some notes on South Korea's domestic influence investigations. A look back at the SINET showcase. Rick Howard from Palo Alto networks discussing “vendor in depth” and “best of breed” strategies. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. We read Recorded Future’s free intel daily, you might find it valuable, too. Cylance is revolutionizing cybersecurity with products and services that proactively prevent, rather than reactively detect the execution of advanced persistent threats and malware. Learn more at cylance.com. Dragos is leading a webinar on November 21st that will help enable industrial control system (#ICS) security teams to defend their environments appropriately. Check it out at thecyberwire.com/dragos. Podcast sponsor 1-Recorded Future: http://goo.gl/wphZ1z Podcast sponsor 2- Cylance: https://goo.gl/fHR65L Friday sponsor- Dragos: https://goo.gl/nqR2yq
Dr. Adrian Nish is head of cyber threat intelligence at BAE Systems. His team has been tracking a new cyber-enabled bank heist in Asia. Some of the tools used are reminiscent of the Bangladesh Bank attack from February 2016. The full report can be found here.
In today's podcast, we hear that there's no honor among thieves, or botnet herders, either. Reaper still seems quiet. Macro-less malware is a problem, Microsoft warns. Researchers show you can hack an airliner's avionics. The maritime shipping sector worries that Maerk's experience with NotPetya isn't just a one-off. Ether—the cryptocurrency—is disappearing into the aether (at least this once). Justin Harvey from Accenture on the importance of not failing the basics. Guest is David Barzilai from Karamba Security on the security of embedded systems in automated cars. And we congratulate this year's SINET 16.
In today's podcast we hear some industry news today, briefly, before we get to the cloak-and-keyboard stuff. Fancy Bear has some new dance steps. OceanLotus and Sowbug, threat actors, not plants or insects, as you might be forgiven for thinking, snoop on ASEAN and Latin America, respectively. Notes on international law and the future of cyberwar from CyCon. Joe Carrigan from JHU on the difficulties in reporting vulnerabilities. Robert Rodriguez from SINET on the trends he sees from the companies winning the SINET 16. And Appleby insists the Paradise Papers were not an inside job.
In today's podcast we hear more on the Paradise Papers, where the optics are looking more Inferno than Paradiso. Off-year elections in the US are on today amid general concerns about, well, somebody doing something to them. Trollhunting sometimes brings down the wrong targets. Notes on the future of cyber conflict from CyCon 2017. The Internet's co-inventor says it's time to hold coders accountable for buggy software. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs with thoughts from a conference in the Netherlands. Wesley Simpson from (ISC)2 making the case that security is a people problem. And Facebook will keep your naughty selfies off the Internet. Really—just upload them to the right place.
In today's podcast, we hear about the Paradise Papers, a trove of documents obtained from a Bermuda law firm thatcontain details not only about wealthy tax avoiders, but about investments as well. Kaspersky says that its antivirus software did, after all, copy files that weren't viruses. (But they were still bad files.) US Senate Majority Leader McConnell says tech companies should help the US retaliate against nation-states' cyberattacks. Dale Drew from CenturyLink with a call for introspection when considering cyber defenses.
In this episode of the CyberWire’s Research Saturday we are joined by Jordan Wright, Senior Research and Development Engineer at Duo Security. He’s the author of the research report, “Phish in a Barrel,” which describes his work gathering and examining thousands of phishing kits from around the web.
In today's podcast, we hear that BadRabbit looks like misdirection. Fancy Bear's wish list is out, and it's very long, and very global. US prosecutors may be preparing to indict half-a-dozen Russian officials in the DNC hack. Malaysia continues to recover from a major series of data breaches. GhostWriter poses a man-in-the-middle threat to AWS users who misconfigure their accounts. And it was Halloween, but the ShadowBrokers weren't much in evidence. Perhaps they were unrecognizable in their Wonder Woman and Mighty Thor costumes? David DuFour from Webroot on recent ransomware trends. Guests are Sherrie Caltagirone, founder and executive director of the Global Emancipation Network (GEN), and Andrew Lewman, SVP of DarkOwl. They are using the tools of cyber security to help stop human trafficking online.
In today's podcast, we hear that, while the Manhattan truck-ramming terrorist claims ISIS, ISIS hasn't claimed him. Notes on conventional cybercrime, with some resurgent banking Trojans and mobile malware. Apple patches iOS against KRACK vulnerabilities. WordPress issues another fix for SQL injection bugs. US Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein takes up the pro-access banner in the crypto wars, but few from the tech sector are rallying to him. Senate hearings on Russian influence operations continue. Chris Poulin from BAH on augmenting human capabilities. Robert Knapp from CyberGhost on employers raising awareness of cyber security within their organizations.
In today's podcast, we hear about ONI ansomware in Japan that may prove to be a wiper. Ukraine blames NotPetya operators Black Energy for BadRabbit. Pyongyang feels London is picking on it. Fishing Facebook in Nordic nations. Security firms sell certificate authority business. Twitter won't sell any more ads to RT or Sputnik. Johannes Ullrich from SANS Technology Institute and the ISC Stormcast podcast on honeypots. Russell Jones from Deloitte with the results from a recent medical security poll.During hearings on influence operations, Senators wonder why Facebook wasn't suspicious when people paid for their advertising in rubles.
In today's podcast, we hear about the state of BadRabbit and Reaper. The EU drafts a diplomatic framework for self-defense in cyberspace. Pyongyang denies UK attribution of WannaCry to North Korea. Threat intelligence types suspect the Sino-US cyber modus vivendi might not be the unqualified success it's been taken to be. Oracle issues an emergency patch. A researcher gets an unauthorized peek at Google's Buganizer. Congress will hear testimony about influence operations in Twitter, Google, and Facebook. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks warns that board members might be targets. And USB sticks contain the darndest things. Plus, the Malware Mash.
In today's podcast, we hear that the Reaper botnet is still quiet, and looking like a booter-for-hire. BadRabbit shows some odd stealth, and some interesting strategic selectivity. A malicious Chrome extension steals everything you put on a website. Currency miners on phones seem to be the kind of crime that doesn't pay, but that's not stopping crooks from stuffing them into Google Play. First indictments in the US probe of Russian election influence operations are out. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on third party breaches, what she describes as “Not your breach, still your problem.” And a class action suit is filed over the Equifax breach. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. We read Recorded Future’s free intel daily, you might find it valuable, too. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. Interested in the latest research in cyber security? Cylance is revolutionizing cybersecurity with products and services that proactively prevent, rather than reactively detect the execution of advanced persistent threats and malware. Learn more at cylance.com. Podcast sponsor 1-Recorded Future: http://goo.gl/wphZ1z Podcast sponsor 2- E8 Security: https://goo.gl/yBBx55 Friday sponsor- Cylance: https://goo.gl/fHR65L
The moniker KHRAT came about because of the identification of a Remote Access Trojan (RAT) with command and control infrastructure found in Cambodia (KH). In the most recent episode of the CyberWire's Research Saturday, Ryan Olson, Director of Threat Intelligence at Palo Alto Networks, talks with us about the capabilities of KHRAT and shares details the feature set it provides to threat actors that use it. https://researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/2017/08/unit42-updated-khrat-malware-used-in-cambodia-attacks/
In today's podcast, we hear that BadRabbit, still quiet, looks like a TeleBots product. Reaper is still locked and loaded, but is also still quiet. Maritime SATCOM system found to be buggy, and the worse news is that it's beyond its end-of-life. A look back at the annual ICS Cybersecurity Summit that wrapped yesterday in Atlanta. Moscow tells Twitter buying ads is a free speech issue. Justin Harvey from Accenture on monitoring cloud infrastructure. Guest is Michael Sulmeyer, Director of the Cyber Security Project at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Anonymous is back and poking at the Spanish government.
In today's podcast, we hear that there's still no sign of the Reaper botnet doing anything. An update on BadRabbit—which for some reason seems to have hopped quietly away from its infrastructure. Other forms of more conventional ransomware, however, remain in circulation, in the wild. It looks as if Kaspersky software might have stumbled across NSA files after all. The US Senate Intelligence Committee has voted to reauthorize Section 702 surveillance authorities through the end of 2025. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on states' funding challenges when trying to sure up the security of their voting systems. Bob Ackerman and Dave DeWalt from AllegisCyber, on the occasion of their business announcements, discussing the investment climate for cyber security. And we have notes on ICS from Atlanta.
In today's podcast, we hear about BadRabbit, a new strain of ransomware that's hopped out of Petya's hutch. The Lazarus Group is said to have taken control of some servers in India. DUHK [duck] warnings. Are industrial control system operators paying sufficient attention to Level 1 and Level 0 threats? Next May will see not only GDPR, but also NIS. Joe Carrigan from JHU reviews a list of security tips suggested by IBM. Guest is Scott Kaine, CEO of Delta Risk on cloud migration security issues.And Kapersky continues to protest its innocence of spying, and offers an explanation of what really happened with NSA leaks.
In today's podcast, we learn that Hurricane Reaper, the big IoT botnet, remains a digital tropical depression, but plenty of people are warning everyone to stock up on the cyber equivalents of flashlight batteries and bottled water. Czech parliament sites hacked in apparent election-related mischief. Kenya's contentious re-vote approaches. APT28 gets a Bronx cheer for lame CyCon phishing, but don't get cocky, kid. KnowBe4 and Cisco announce acquisitions. Kaspersky seeks to undo reputational damage inflicted by US Government ban. The FBI re-engages in the crypto wars. David DuFour from Webroot on phishing trends. Phil Neray from CyberX reviewing their Global ICS & IIoT Risk Report. If you had a nose job at London Bridge Plastic Surgery, someone's got your before and after pix.
In today's podcast, we share some notes on active malware campaigns, and a warning to be on the lookout for the Reaper botnet, which hasn't yet realized its disruptive potential. Kaspersky opens its source code to independent review, to show it's got nothing to hide. Fancy Bear is phishing for you if you plan to attend CyCon. The difficulty of recognizing trolls, and the dangers of innocent posts getting badly lost in translation. A quick note about the ICS Security Conference. Dale Drew from Level 3 Communications on managing the security of the supply chain. And looking for lulz in all the wrong places.
In August 2017, multiple Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) and content providers were subject to significant attacks from a botnet dubbed WireX. (The botnet is named for an anagram for one of the delimiter strings in its command and control protocol.) The WireX botnet is primarily made up of Android devices running malicious applications and is designed to create DDoS traffic. The botnet is sometimes associated with ransom notes to targets. Justin Paine is Head of Trust and Safety at Cloudflare, and he joins us to share the WireX story. https://blog.cloudflare.com/the-wirex-botnet/
In today's podcast we hear that an IoT botnet hurricane may be forming among IP cameras. (IP cameras are to DDoS what the West African coast is to Atlantic tropical depressions.) Sofacy rushes to exploit a patched Flash bug in a use-it-or-lose-it espionage race. Want to spy on someone? Go buy an ad. Cisco patches the wi-fi KRACK. NotPetya's still costing manufacturers and their insurers a lot of money. MalwareTech, a.k.a. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs responding to post-Equifax breach credit agency claims that they can scan the Dark Web. Michael Sutton, CISO at Zscaler on zero-day hoarding. Marcus Hutchins, gets to take off that GPS and stay out late, since the judge decided his pre-trial behavior has been pretty good.
In today's podcast, we hear about how a cyber espionage campaign exploits a recently patched .NET vulnerability as Leviathan phishes with torpedo recovery programs. What does Pyongyang want in cyberspace? Apparently a lot of the same things it wants in physical space. Some observers think Putin thinks the Americans started that whole destabilization and delegitimation influence ops struggle. He's probably wrong, but there you go. Cutlet Maker malware jackpots ATMs. BoundHook stealth tool demonstrated. Minecraft malware got into Google Play. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS with a follow up on President Trump’s executive orders. Guest is Dinah Davis from Code.Likeagirl.io with an update on their activities. Ransomware's still a threat, and a New York judge thinks the NYPD didn't get the memo about the importance of backup. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. We read Recorded Future’s free intel daily, and we think you'll find it valuable, too. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. Interested in the latest research in cyber security? Our new Research Saturday podcast highlights research being done in industry, universities, and governments. Hear from people who are discovering threats, uncovering vulnerabilities, and devising the security measures to keep cyberspace as safe as it can be. Check it out.
In today's podcast we hear that the Lazarus Group is back at it with SWIFT. Maniber ransomware hits South Korea. Researchers cast the first KRACK-related stone at IEEE. Oracle, BlackBerry, and Lenovo patch. A study finds criminals turning to cryptominers. Awais Rashid from Lancaster University on securing critical infrastructure. Aaron Higbee, CTO of PhishMe, on the human factors in phishing. And one cryptominer seems to be tugging on Superman's cape—OPSEC isn't their strong suit, to say the least. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. We read Recorded Future’s free intel daily, and we think you'll find it valuable, too. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. Interested in the latest research in cyber security? Our new Research Saturday podcast highlights research being done in industry, universities, and governments. Hear from people who are discovering threats, uncovering vulnerabilities, and devising the security measures to keep cyberspace as safe as it can be. Check it out.
In today's podcast, we hear about the assassination of a reporter who covered the Panama Papers. The Black Oasis threat group is found distributing FinFisher by exploitation of a bug in Flash Player. North Korean hacking is said to have been responsible for cancellation of a projected television show. Infineon patches a firmware flaw that could be exploited in a Coppersmith's attack. Vendors work to close the KRACK in their wi-fi products. WikiLeaks appears to be preparing for a large dump. The US Department of Homeland Security mandates improved email and website security across the Federal Government. David DuFour from Webroot discussing Bluetooth vulnerabilities. Neil Murray from Mimecast on cyber resilience. The US Supreme Court will review a significant cloud data decision. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. We read Recorded Future’s free intel daily, and we think you'll find it valuable, too. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. Interested in the latest research in cyber security? Our new Research Saturday podcast highlights research being done in industry, universities, and governments. Hear from people who are discovering threats, uncovering vulnerabilities, and devising the security measures to keep cyberspace as safe as it can be. Check it out.
In today's podcast, we hear about how KRACK attacks get past secure wi-fi protocols. Probes and distributed denial-of-service incidents in Poland and Sweden have the look of state operations. East Asian threat actors moving on from cyber espionage to supply chain attacks. Iran blamed for June's hack of UK Parliamentary email. QR codes may pose security issues. Do FSB social media trolls really train against US targets by watching House of Cards? Johannes Ullrich from SANS Technology Institute and the ISC Stormcast podcast on scammers taking advantage of disaster. And can the CryptoRuble really complete with VopperCoin? Investors want to know. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. We read Recorded Future’s free intel daily, and we think you'll find it valuable, too. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. Interested in the latest research in cyber security? Our new Research Saturday podcast highlights research being done in industry, universities, and governments. Hear from people who are discovering threats, uncovering vulnerabilities, and devising the security measures to keep cyberspace as safe as it can be. Check it out.
Peter Ney is a PhD candidate in the Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington where he is advised by Professor Tadayoshi Kohno. His current research is focused on understanding computer security risks in emerging technologies like DNA synthesis and sequencing and the new threats posed by maliciously crafted, synthetic DNA. He and his team found that security of DNA processing programs is poor and show with a proof-of-concept that it is possible to attack computer systems with adversarial synthetic DNA.
In today's podcast, we hear that German authorities say they see nothing bad up with Kaspersky software, but they're in the Western minority on this one. ISIS messaging looks as if it's shifting toward a hejira narrative. Hyatt discloses a significant credit card breach. Equifax and its competitor TransUnion both remove third-party malvertizing code from their websites. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs with a new vulnerability in software defined networks. Guest is Jeff Schilling, CSO of Armor Cloud Security with insights on Russian state actors. And the dark web is in many ways a lot like the regular web, down to seasonal sales, customer reviews, and cat pictures.
In today's podcast, we hear that German police raid a Panama Papers connected slush fund. North Korea spearphishes in the North American power grid. Security tools can be dual-use, too. Notes on CyberMaryland, where we heard about business climates, the Baltimore-to-Birmingham cyber connection, the Red Queen's race, and the curmudgeonly demeanor too many security types cop. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks with an update on the Cyber Canon suggested reading list and a call to vote for the nominated books. Guest is John Morello from Twistlock on securing container environments. And Google Home's Mini speakers were apparently listening and tattling as well as speaking. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. Cylance uses cutting edge artificial intelligence to help protect your systems. If you are a woman in cyber security and want make connections with others in the field, check out our own Women in Cyber Security event.
In today's CyberWire, we discuss why the US Intelligence Community got prickly about Kaspersky: their Israeli colleagues tipped them off that something was fishy in the software's use. UpGuard says Accenture left some AWS data buckets exposed. Accenture says they were associated with decommissioned systems, but exposed they seem to have been. Sources say Deloitte's breach is worse than hitherto disclosed, with more than three-hundred clients exposed. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI with some follow-up from a listener on password security when using password managers. Brian NeSmith from Arctic Wolf with results from an IoT ransomware survey. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. Cylance uses cutting edge artificial intelligence to help protect your systems. If you are a woman in cyber security and want make connections with others in the field, check out our own Women in Cyber Security event.
In today's podcast, we hear that North Korea may have hacked into South Korean defense plans. Facebook and Google receive increasing scrutiny for Russian ad buys during 2016 US election season. A dissident Chinese billionaire, exiled to New York, says he's been under cyberattack from Shanghai. OilRig is back, with new and improved cyberespionage. Forrester market research reports accessed by hackers. Kovter malware gets an upgrade. Chris Poulin from BAH on medical device safety. Yassir Abousselham from Okta on challenges establishing and managing identity. And we offer some observations from the Cyber Pavilion at the Association of the United States Army meetings. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. Cylance uses cutting edge artificial intelligence to help protect your systems. If you are a woman in cyber security and want make connections with others in the field, check out our own Women in Cyber Security event.
Following major breach revelations from Equifax, Yahoo!, Deloitte and the US Securities and Exchange commission, there have been many calls in the US for increased legislation and regulation that would force better privacy and identity management practices. In this CyberWire special edition, we’ll ask some cyber security experts about GDPR, what it means for privacy and data use, the right to be forgotten, the penalties for noncompliance, and what it means for organizations outside the EU. Joining us are Steve Durbin, Managing Director of the Information Security Forum, a not-for-profit organization providing its members with guidance on cyber, information security and risk management, Brett Hansen, Vice President of data security solutions at Dell, one of the largest suppliers of computer hardware, software and services in the world, and Darron Gibbard, CTSO at Qualys, a global provider of cloud-based security and compliance solutions.
Android Toast Overlay enables attackers to trick Android users into enabling permissions on infected devices by making them think they are clicking on benign buttons superimposed over the user interface.
Ryan Olson is Director of Threat Intelligence at Palo Alto Networks' Unity 42, and he joins us to share their research.
In today's podcast, we hear more on what happened with NSA material at (allegedly) Russian hands. Kaspersky security software alleged to have been exploited for intelligence service reconnaissance of contractor machine. Germany cancels post-Snowden surveillance investigation. Reality Winner will not be released on bail. Awais Rashid from Lancaster University on securing the supply chain. Guest is Timothy H. Edgar, author of “Beyond Snowden: Privacy, Mass Surveillance, and the Struggle to Reform the NSA.”
In today's podcast we hear that sensitive NSA files appear to have been obtained by Russian intelligence services, and there are claims Kaspersky software was the gateway to compromise. Las Vegas massacre investigation expands to consider possibility of accomplices. A new password stealer is out in the wild. NFL Players Association data exposed. Justin Harvey from Accenture on insider threats. Guest Joe Coleman, cyber threat intelligence analyst from PepsiCo.The FCC was mostly advised by bots on net neutrality (and bots who haven't benefited from DeepMind's ethics class).
In today's podcast, we hear that ISIS claims of responsibility for Las Vegas murders continue to lose plausibility, but the shooter's motives remain a mystery. Yahoo!'s epic breach just got even more epic. Equifax looks little better in the wake of its CEO's Congressional testimony. A major breach seems to be unfolding in India. Jonathan Katz from UMD on the importance of random numbers for cryptography. Guest is Dave Mahon from Century Link on the importance of diversity and opportunities for women in cyber security. And does Star Fleet still run Windows XP? Who's responsible for information security on that bridge anyway? Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. Delta Risk put together an infographic full of tips for Cyber Security Awareness Month. If you are a woman in cyber security and want make connections with others in the field, check out our own Women in Cyber Security event.
In today's podcast, we consider the bogus rumors and highly questionable claims of responsibility circulating online after the Las Vegas massacre. ISIS is especially keen to make inspirational capital out of senseless killing and suffering. Google and Facebook come under pressure to moderate the content they carry. The UK prepares to pass tougher restrictions on viewing radical content. The Equifax breach gets two-and-a-half-million people bigger. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on Yahoo! data breach victims’ right to sue. Tony Gauda, CEO of ThinAir on dealing with insider threats. And US Cyber Command is said to have disrupted North Korean intelligence networks. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. Delta Risk put together an infographic full of tips for Cyber Security Awareness Month. If you are a woman in cyber security and want make connections with others in the field, check out our own Women in Cyber Security event.
In today's podcast, it's bots, sockpuppets, and trolls, oh my. Mr. Zuckerberg goes to Washington. Equifax sources suggest China hacked it. Credit bureau phishbait chums the Internet. Pyongyang gets a new Internet connection, and observers bet it's not for checking Mr. Kim's fantasy sports leagues (anyway he could get all that from Mr. Rodman). ISIS posts more inspiration, and warnings. NSA prepares to wind down Section 702 operations. Johannes Ullrich from SANS Technology Institute and the ISC Stormcast podcast on malware using malicious DLL files. US and Russia seem to agree on one thing at least: Bitcoin fraud is bad.
APT 33 is an Iranian cyber espionage group that targets aerospace and energy sectors and has ties to destructive malware. John Hultquist is Director of Intelligence Analysis at FireEye, and he takes us through their research.
In today's podcast, we hear that Whole Foods has been breached—if you've been to the taproom, look to your credit cards. An illusion gap could help bypass Windows Defender, says Cyber Ark. Microsoft says don't sweat the small stuff. A Mac firmware issue may be giving users a false sense of security. Equifax is offering a lifetime of free credit freezing, but observers are dubious. A study suggests there are still a lot of improperly secured clouds out there. ISIS and the Taliban resume their inspiration operations online. David DuFour from Webroot on the difference between Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Guest is R.P. Eddy, coauthor with Richard Clarke of the book Warnings: Finding Cassandras to Stop Catastrophes. And alleged NSA leaker Reality Winner remains in custody, at least for now. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. Recorded Future's user conference RFUN 2017 comes to Washington, D.C. , October 4th and 5th, 2017, bringing together the people who put the act in actionable intelligence. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper If you want to execute at machine speed, doesn’t make sense to see what the algorithms a good machine runs on can do for you? Check out sponsor Cylance .
Deloitte and Equifax continue to find themselves under scrutiny, but we should all resist the urge to chase Ambulances. The SEC commissioner gets a grilling form congress, and we can't help wonder if his Spidey sense was tingling. Chances are your credentials aren't as secure as you'd like them. Dale Drew from Level 3 Communications on attack patterns and lulls. Trip Nine from Comodo on credential theft trends. And Pyongyang is perched on a pile of coal.
In today's podcast, we hear more about the Deloitte breach. Deloitte's stil saying little, but other people are talking. The SEC tells the Senate it's "deeply concerned" about its own breach. Popular iOS and Android stock-trading apps are found vulnerable. Sonic drive-ins have sustained what looks like a pretty big breach. Ben Yelin discusses a bipartisan bill to improve IoT security. Isaac Kohen from Teramind on detecting employees involved in radical political activities on company time. Russian influence operations against the US are turning toward local government, religious groups, civic associations and others at the grassroots. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. Recorded Future's user conference RFUN 2017 comes to Washington, D.C. , October 4th and 5th, 2017, bringing together the people who put the act in actionable intelligence. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper If you want to execute at machine speed, doesn’t make sense to see what the algorithms a good machine runs on can do for you? Check out sponsor Cylance .
In today's podcast we hear that Equifax CEO Smith has joined the company's CSO and CIO in retirement, apparent expiation for the credit bureau's breacn. Deloitte remains tight-lipped. Suggestions about how to handle identity and investigate breaches. Mac OS High Sierra suffers from a password exfiltration zero-day. Joe Carrigan discusses Dave's skepticism of password managers. Stephen Moore from Exabeam on post-breach cleanup. Two days after Germany's elections and the Russian dog hasn't barked (or the Bears growled) but there are plenty of 2016 paw prints over US opinion. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. Recorded Future's user conference RFUN 2017 comes to Washington, D.C. , October 4th and 5th, 2017, bringing together the people who put the act in actionable intelligence. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper If you want to execute at machine speed, doesn’t make sense to see what the algorithms a good machine runs on can do for you? Check out sponsor Cylance .
In today's podcast, we review reports saying that Deloitte has been hacked. Details are sparse but the story is developing. A Verizon AWS S3 bucket is found exposed online. Locky is being spammed out in quantity. Phantom Squad hoods run a DDoS protection racket. Kinetic tensions the US, Tehran, and North Korea raise expectations of cyber offensives. Chinese intelligence thought behind CCleaner backdoor. Unnamed ISPs accused of FinFisher spyware campaign complicity. Chris Poulin from BAH on vulnerabilities in connected cars. And Carlos Danger will go to the Big House. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. Recorded Future's user conference RFUN 2017 comes to Washington, D.C. , October 4th and 5th, 2017, bringing together the people who put the act in actionable intelligence. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper If you want to execute at machine speed, doesn’t make sense to see what the algorithms a good machine runs on can do for you? Check out sponsor Cylance .
In 2016 Bitdefender uncovered a new advanced persistent threat dubbed Pacifier, targeting government institutions starting in 2014. Using malicious .doc documents and .zip files distributed via spear phishing e-mails, attackers would lure victims with invitations to social functions or conferences into executing the attachments. It’s capable of dropping multi-stage backdoors. Liviu Arsene is a senior e-threat analyst at BitDefender, and he's our guide to the complex components of Pacifier APT.
In today's podcast, we hear that the EDGAR breach is being seen as a blow to confidence in financial system. Credit bureaus continue to receive heightened scrutiny after the Equifax breach. FinFisher campaign suggests ISPs may have been compromised. The backdoor in CCleaner seems to have targeted specific companies. US Forces Korea personnel receive a bogus noncombatant evacuation order. Someone behind Locky watches a lot of Game of Thrones. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs with a new attack vector that uses power management systems. Guest is Robert Sell sharing his experience participating in a DEFCON capture the flag. And Thomas the Tank Engine would never do what some skids show him doing.
In today's podcast, we hear that the SEC was hacked, and someone might have made a lot of money from the incident. Equifax tweets send inquirers to a phishing site. Investigation into the Avast caper suggests a state intelligence service's hand. The Department of Homeland Security clarifies its ban on Kaspersky products. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs, cautioning us to not be so distracted by big shiny objects like "taking down the power grid" that we forget the basics, like enabling two-factor authentication. Richard Henderson, global security strategist at Absolute, commenting on the Equifax breach and the challenges of keeping up with patching. And chatbots turn spiritual. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. Recorded Future's user conference RFUN 2017 comes to Washington, D.C. , October 4th and 5th, 2017, bringing together the people who put the act in actionable intelligence. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper.
In today's podcast we learn that so far Russian influence seems not to be operating in Germany's election. Iran's APT33 turns from spying to sabotage. Equifax woes continue, but don't appear to include cover-up of an earlier breach. UpGuard helps Viacom dodge a cyber bullet. You may be party to a contract you didn’t know about. Criminal boneheads again more common than criminal geniuses. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS with a story of the FBI raiding the wrong home based on WiFi router information. Guest is Eddie Habibi from PAS, debunking some ICS myths. And don't be a gazelle. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. Recorded Future's user conference RFUN 2017 comes to Washington, D.C. , October 4th and 5th, 2017, bringing together the people who put the act in actionable intelligence. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper.
In today's podcast, we hear that WikiLeaks is shocked, shocked, to learn that there's gambling…uh, we mean, Russian surveillance going on. Advice from Ukraine about influence operations. The Equifax story may have gotten worse—there may have been an earlier breach in March. Software supply chain issues come up in an Avast backdoor. Awais Rashid from Lancaster University on security being the responsibility of everyone in an organization, not just the IT folks. Mike Kail from Cybric on the DevSecOps trend. Industry notes, and the "Unlucky 13,' presented by Johns Hopkins. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. Recorded Future's user conference RFUN 2017 comes to Washington, D.C. , October 4th and 5th, 2017, bringing together the people who put the act in actionable intelligence. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper.
In today's podcast, we note reports that, while Germany will hold elections Sunday, Russian cyber operators seem quiet. Too quiet? Switzerland and Singapore both report sustaining state-sponsored cyber espionage attempts. ISIS howls for its lone wolves to hit soft targets. The Equifax breach news isn't getting any better. Cisco finds a backdoor in an Avast security product. Chris Poulin from Booz Allen Hamilton, our newest industry partner, introduces himself. He leads the Internet of Things security strategy in Booz Allen’s Dark Labs, as well as dabbles in Machine Intelligence. He joins BAH from IBM, where he lead their X-Force research teams and built the first prototype Watson for cybersecurity.OurMine hackers hit Vevo to redress an insult delivered over LinkedIn. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. Recorded Future's user conference RFUN 2017 comes to Washington, D.C. , October 4th and 5th, 2017, bringing together the people who put the act in actionable intelligence. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper.
Deepen Desai, senior director of security research and operations at Zscaler, describes research he and his team have been doing since discovered a clever bit of malware they’ve named Cobian RAT. (RAT stands for Remote Access Trojan.) It’s available for free, but contains a back door that allows the original author to access and control the RAT remotely.
In today's podcast, we hear about how Equifax continues to struggle in the quicksand of wayward patching and clumsy incident response. Congress, the FTC, the CFPB, and DoNotPay are all taking an interest. Another unsecured database—this one for sale to political campaigns—is found (Alaska voters are affected). Kaspersky says his company is a bystander that's been hit in the Russo-American political crossfire. The US Navy continues to investigate the USS McCain collision. Justin Harvey from Accenture on what it’s like to be on an incident response team. Luke Beeson from BT on the challenges such a large organization faces protecting themselves and their clients. And Harvard decides Manning won't be a Kennedy School Fellow after all.
In today's podcast, we hear that DHS tells the US Executive Branch to stop using Kaspersky security software. Kromtech finds ElastiSearch servers hosting point-of-sale malware. BlueBorne bugs buzz billions of boxes. Equifax says that its breach was accomplished via the Apache Struts flaw patched in April. Industry notes include both venture funding and acquisition news. We take a quick look back at the Billington CyberSecurity Summit. Johannes Ulrich with an update on the Mirai botnet. Renato Marinho, Chief Research Officer at Morphus Labs, on a bad Chrome browser extension that can steal banking credentials. And robo-lawyers come to small claims court. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. We read Recorded Future’s free intel daily, you might find it valuable, too. If you’d like to protect your endpoints against advanced threats, check out Cylance. JHUISI & partner COMPASS Cyber present Cyber Security Conference for Executives on September 19th in Baltimore. Register for the event.
In today's podcast, we hear that North Korea's stealing all the Bitcoins it can find. The Equifax breach continues to spread: countries other than the US are increasingly involved. Patch Tuesday notes. The US Director of National Intelligence addresses the Billington CyberSecurity Summit. Joe Carrigan from JHU on VPN companies collecting private user data. Dr. Richard Ford, Chief Scientist, Forcepoint, on the Equifax breach. And did a Russian lawmaker just cop to the influence ops President Putin has so piously denied? Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. We read Recorded Future’s free intel daily, you might find it valuable, too. If you’d like to protect your endpoints against advanced threats, check out Cylance. JHUISI & partner COMPASS Cyber present Cyber Security Conference for Executives on September 19th in Baltimore. Register for the event.
In today's podcast, we hear about how Equifax has attracted more attention from plaintiffs, AGs, and Congress. Everyone else is on heightened alert for fraud and identity theft. MongoDB says users of its database process were not assigning passwords to administrative accounts. A Bluetooth-based attack vector, "BlueBorne," is described. Syringe pumps are found to be hackable. Bots serve more effective social media clickbait than human operators can. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on deterrence. Myke Cole, cyber security analyst and fantasy writer discussing the importance of empathy when considering your adversaries. And Roman Seleznev gets 27 years after he cops a plea to hacking. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. We read Recorded Future’s free intel daily, you might find it valuable, too. If you’d like to protect your endpoints against advanced threats, check out Cylance. JHUISI & partner COMPASS Cyber present Cyber Security Conference for Executives on September 19th in Baltimore. Register for the event.
Today's podcast features all things Equifax, as the credit bureau deals with its breach (and the lawyers and Wall Street wind up to deal with the credit bureau). The Chaos Computer Club says it's found major flaws in German election software. Moscow seems to have done a lot of catphishing in social media during the last US campaign season. Best Buy boots Kaspersky security products from its big box stores. Dale Drew from Level 3 Communications with some sobering statistics on attack trends. And a Cracka with Attitude gets five years in Club Fed. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. We read Recorded Future’s free intel daily, you might find it valuable, too. If you’d like to protect your endpoints against advanced threats, check out Cylance. JHUISI & partner COMPASS Cyber present Cyber Security Conference for Executives on September 19th in Baltimore. Register for the event.
In today's podcast we hear that credit bureau Equifax had disclosed a massive data breach it discovered on July 29th. Does that mean they're about a month delinquent? WikiLeaks weekly Vault7 dump departs from past practice with respect to content. The ShadowBrokers are back, and offering a twice monthly twofer. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs with her thoughts on the encryption debate. Alexander Klimburg, author of The Darkening Web. And Intelligence Community leaders agree on at least three things: they need a better security clearance process, they need Section 702, and nowadays all intelligence involves cyber intelligence. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. To learn about combining threat intelligence, analytics, and orchestration, check out ThreatConnect’s webinar. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. JHUISI & partner COMPASS Cyber present Cyber Security Conference for Executives on September 19th in Baltimore. Register for the event.
DragonFly 2.0 is up to some very bad things in several nations' power grids. China ramps up cyberespionage against South China Sea rivals. Facebook finds that a Russian front company bought more than $100,000 in influence-ops ads on its service over the last two years. US info ops stumble over a dog. Jonathan Katz on encryption bit depth. Kyle Wilhoit from Domain Tools with the results of a Black Hat survey on "fake news." And a Japanese 13-year-old is in hot water for trying to sell malware. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. To learn about combining threat intelligence, analytics, and orchestration, check out ThreatConnect’s webinar. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. JHUISI & partner COMPASS Cyber present Cyber Security Conference for Executives on September 19th in Baltimore. Register for the event.
In today's podcast we hear about a critical vulnerability in Apache Struts. It's been patched—enterprises are advised to apply it as soon as possible. Dragonfly poses a clear and present danger to European and US power grids. Ransomware continues rampant. Latin American social media platform Taringa suffers a breach. Notes from the Intelligence and National Security Summit. Cryptocurrencies in China and Russia. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on the resignation of many of President Trump’s cyber security advisors. Guest is Tom Billington promoting the upcoming Billington Cybersecurity event. And say it ain't so, Joe—are the Red Sox stealing signals with an Apple Watch? Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. To learn about combining threat intelligence, analytics, and orchestration, check out ThreatConnect’s webinar. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. JHUISI & partner COMPASS Cyber present Cyber Security Conference for Executives on September 19th in Baltimore. Register for the event.
In today's podcast, we hear that election influence operations appear to have begun in Germany. Turla's spoor tracked to the Pacifier APT. Cambodia takes an authoritarian turn, possibly extending to domestic spying via RAT. Rival jihadists remain active online; US Cyber Command working to deny them cyberspace safe havens. More exposed AWS S3 databases. MongoDB databases hit with ransom wiper. PrincessLocker and Locky ransomware continue to romp in the wild. Free RAT backdoors criminals. Johannes Ulrich from SANS Technology Institute and the ISC Stormcast podcast on DDoS extortion emails. Disgruntled customer doxes booter service. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. To learn about combining threat intelligence, analytics, and orchestration, check out ThreatConnect’s webinar. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. JHUISI & partner COMPASS Cyber present Cyber Security Conference for Executives on September 19th in Baltimore. Register for the event.
In today's podcast, we hear that Kenya's Supreme Court has nullified that country's presidential election results over electronic irregularities in the balloting. Chinese steps up cyber espionage against Vietnam during South China Sea disputes. Ransomware continued to surge this week. WikiLeaks dumps "Angelfire" documents from Vault7. Reality Winner says she wasn't properly Mirandized by the FBI. North Korea raids South Korean Bitcoin exchanges. Joe Carrigan from JHU on security issues with fitness apps. Charles Henderson from IBM’s X-Force Red group on automotive security. And get ready for WhopperCoin. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. Check out & subscribe to Recorded Future’s free intel daily. We read it every day. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. JHUISI & partner COMPASS Cyber present Cyber Security Conference for Executives on September 19th in Baltimore. Register for the event.
In today's podcast we hear that Turla's using some sophisticated code against diplomatic and defense industry targets. OurMine hackers use DNS poisoning against WikiLeaks, but WikiLeaks opens up Vault7 anyway: this week it's "Angelfire." Accused US Intelligence Community leaker Reality Winner wants her initial statements to investigators suppressed at trial. House of Cards leaks stories and other material related to the TV show. A quick patching update. Insecure APIs take a toll on Instagram and the FCC. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs with her thoughts on the closure of Alpha Bay. Mike Kearney from Deloitte on predictive reputation protection. And what's up with Rick and Morty? Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. Check out & subscribe to Recorded Future’s free intel daily. We read it every day. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. JHUISI & partner COMPASS Cyber present Cyber Security Conference for Executives on September 19th in Baltimore. Register for the event.
In today's podcast, we hear warnings against taking the Hurricane Harvey phishbait. The IRS says that email telling you to download a questionnaire and return it to the FBI isn't from them. Why you really don't want that tutorial in tumbling Bitcoin. Sources accuse North Korea of stealing cryptocurrency. Trickbot is back, and it's swiping Bitcoin. The ransomware strain in Scottish hospitals was Bit Paymer. More than 700 million email addresses found in the Onliner spambot. UK retailer suffers breach. St. Jude pacemakers get a firmware patch. Robert M Lee from Dragos on cutting through the hype. Joseph Loomis, promoting the upcoming IR17 event. And some industry notes. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. Check out & subscribe to Recorded Future’s free intel daily. We read it every day. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. JHUISI & partner COMPASS Cyber present Cyber Security Conference for Executives on September 19th in Baltimore. Register for the event.
Having a set of standards by which to measure your security organization, being able to compare your security posture to other organizations, and being able to justify your choices to investors and insurance firms are all worthwhile goals? It’s beneficial to have widely agreed upon standards of care and measurement in cyber security, to help know where you stand, where there’s room for improvement, and what’s important to you. That’s where frameworks come in, and the NIST cybersecurity framework is one of the most popular in the cybersecurity industry. In this CyberWire special edition, we’ll examine frameworks in general and the NIST cybersecurity framework specifically, to see if adopting them is worth the time, energy and expense it takes. Joining us are Rick Tracy, Chief Security Officer for Telos corporation, Rafal Los, Managing Director of the Solutions and Programs insight group at Optiv Security, and Matt Barrett, Program Manager for the Cyber Security Framework at NIST. Stay with us.
In today's podcast, we hear reports of cyberespionage against both India and Pakistan—some unknown third nation-state is said to be responsible. NHS Lanarkshire hack confirmed as ransomware. Notes on Hancitor malware, WireX Android DDoS botnet discovered and taken down by an industry consortium. BGP fumble hit Japan's Internet, not hackers. Hurricane Harvey and Game of Thrones phishbait in circulation. Justin Harvey from Accenture on open source threat intelligence. Avi Reichental from XponentialWorks on security issues with implantable data devices. And no, not that GPS. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. Check out & subscribe to Recorded Future’s free intel daily. We read it every day. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. JHUISI & partner COMPASS Cyber present Cyber Security Conference for Executives on September 19th in Baltimore. Register for the event.
In today's podcast, we hear that the USS McCain collision appears to unrelated to any cyberattack, but observers warn of ICS security issues as maritime cyber concerns rise. WikiLeaks' ExpressLane Vault7 dump raises concerns in India. Telnet credentials for Internet-of-things devices exposed; security experts work to close this DDoS risk. "Defray" ransomware being distributed with unusually precise and plausible spearphishing. A ransomware attack disrupts some healthcare services in Scotland. Acquisition news in the cyber sector. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on web sites logging form submissions even before you hit the “submit” button. And Iranian information operations seem to be piping the devil's tune (more or less literally, from Tehran's official point-of-view). Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. Check out & subscribe to Recorded Future’s free intel daily. We read it every day. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. JHUISI & partner COMPASS Cyber present Cyber Security Conference for Executives on September 19th in Baltimore. Register for the event.
In today's podcast we hear about how the four C's have come together: clouds, crooks, cheats, and crypotcurrencies. Locky continues to circulate in evolved forms. WikiLeaks dumps some curious alleged liaisonware documents from Vault7. Russian sources report that FSB officers facing treason charges in Moscow may have given up some connected hackers to the Americans. The FBI makes an arrest in the OPM breach. The Daily Stormer is way offline, but ISIS and its parasitic slave-trading gangs are decidedly online. Dale Drew from Level 3 Communications with some threat intelligence on phishing and malware. Guest is Nicole Eagan, CEO of Darktrace. And another consequence of NotPetya seems to be a pet food shortage. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. Your patient data depends on incident response plans. Prepare with DeltaRisk's webinar. JHUISI & partner COMPASS Cyber present Cyber Security Conference for Executives on September 19th in Baltimore. Register for the event.
In today's podcast we consider the way in which two potential state cyberattacks are now looking more like, respectively, an accident and a conventional crime. US Government officials double-down on warnings of Kaspersky connection to the Kremlin, and Australia's Government isn't buying Huawei's protests that it's not working for the PLA, either. Ropemaker attacks could inject malicious code into email after it's been delivered. Joe Carrigan from JHU on medical device security legislation. Christopher Pierson from Viewpost with observations from DEFCON. Some teasers on the Chertoff Group's Security Series. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. Your patient data depends on incident response plans. Prepare with DeltaRisk's webinar. JHUISI & partner COMPASS Cyber present Cyber Security Conference for Executives on September 19th in Baltimore. Register for the event.
In today's podcast, we hear that Ukraine is worried about cyberattacks in conjunction with tomorrow's independence day holiday. The US Navy investigates the possibility of cyberattack in this week's Malacca Straits collision, but that possibility may be fading. Zscaler finds more malicious apps in Google Play. New York State's Department of Financial Services' cyber regulations begin to take effect Monday. Delaware is also stepping up data security regulations. Johannes Ulrich from the SANS Technology Institute and the ISC Stormcast podcast on hacks to Uber driver accounts. Tony Dahbura from JHU promotes their upcoming Cyber Security Conference for Executives. And ISIS continues its inspiration online as police in many countries scramble to follow the Caliphate's messaging. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. Your patient data depends on incident response plans. Prepare with DeltaRisk's webinar. JHUISI & partner COMPASS Cyber present Cyber Security Conference for Executives on September 19th in Baltimore. Register for the event.
In today's podcast, we hear about maritime hacking worries, with potential risks to navigation, cargo handling, and manifest data. Another misconfigured AWS S3 bucket exposes business data. "Mr. Smith" says he's going to release the Game of Thrones season finale. The UK's NHS may have been breached. Google pulls 500 backdoored apps from the Play store. Fear of robots. Fileless cryptocurrency miner installed through EternalBlue. Jonathan Katz from UMD on separating science from snake oil. Dan Larson from CrowdStrike on incident response for zero-days. Scareware scares web surfers. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. Your patient data depends on incident response plans. Prepare with DeltaRisk's webinar. JHUISI & partner COMPASS Cyber present Cyber Security Conference for Executives on September 19th in Baltimore. Register for the event.
In today's podcast, we hear that GCHQ may have known about the FBI's intentions to arrest Marcus Hutchins even before Hutchins departed England for Black Hat. A Chinese oil production field is thought to have sustained some sort of cyber incident similar to those involving NotPetya. US Cyber Command receives elevated status—it's now the tenth Unified Combatant Command. Ukrainian authorities warn that country's financial sector to expect a new wave of cyberattacks. Turla is back, inviting you to the G20 meetings. GPS spoofing fears rise. Dealing with extremism online. Palo Alto Networks' Rick Howard on the fading popularity of the Rig exploit kit. And another initial coin offering is hacked. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. Your patient data depends on incident response plans. Prepare with DeltaRisk's webinar. JHUISI & partner COMPASS Cyber present Cyber Security Conference for Executives on September 19th in Baltimore. Register for the event.
In today's podcast, we hear that ransomware strains, old and new, are circulating in the wild. ShadowPad backdoors are tentatively attributed to Chinese espionage operations in the supply chain. A hacker releases the decryption key for Apple's Secure Enclave. Profexor may actually not know much about Fancy Bear's romp through the DNC. Another misconfigured AWS bucket exposes data on voters in Chicago. The difficulties of countering extremism online. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs on the cloud security maturity model. Joseph Carson from Thycotic on the evolution of phishing campaigns. The FBI has a roadshow warning companies of the risks of using Kaspersky security products.
In today's podcast, we hear that Holyrood is defending itself with some success against email brute-forcing. India's national ID system compromised, again. ShadowBroker-leaked exploits continue to do damage. Hijacked Chrome extensions prove difficult to eradicate. New variants of Locky and other ransomware are out. "Pulse wave" DDoS attacks are observed. Researchers find DDoS-as-a-service for sale in Chinese online souks. Governments express suspicion of foreign IT. Extremist site loses hosts, but its content will go on, even as opposing vigilantes mistakenly dox innocent targets. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs with thoughts from Black Hat and shifting awareness of the dark web. Brad Stone from Booz Allen on a recently released report on NotPetya. And OurMine hijacks HBO social media accounts. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. Your patient data depends on incident response plans. Prepare with DeltaRisk's webinar. Domain Tools leverages both human and machine intelligence to expose malicious infrastructure. Learn more in their white paper.
In today's podcast, we hear about a new draft of NIST SP 800-53. There's been an attempt to brute-force email credentials in Scotland's Parliament. Fancy Bear's romp through high-end hotel Wi-Fi suggests the Equation Group leaks will be with us for some time. "Mr. Smith" remains at large, and still wants to be paid. Trickbot uses unusually convincing counterfeit sites. PowerPoint malware vectors may be part of a criminal test. NetSarang urges swift patching of a backdoor in its software. Extremist inspiration persists. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on privacy concerns with robot vacuum cleaners. Guest is Jeff Pederson from Kroll Ontrack, a data recovery firm, with tips on data recovery.And some guy in Nigeria with more moxie than skills is behind a big business email compromise campaign. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. Your patient data depends on incident response plans. Prepare with DeltaRisk's webinar. Domain Tools leverages both human and machine intelligence to expose malicious infrastructure. Learn more in their white paper.
In today's podcast, we hear that the Lazarus Group is back, and now they're phishing in English. The Daily Stormer gets the boot, but companies and governments continue to struggle with developing appropriate responses to extremist content. Google has swiftly cleaned up SonicSpy, but the malware is still circulating outside the Play store. Indian police make four arrests for HBO hacking, but none of them are related to "Mr. Smith." Marcus Hutchins is out on bail and preparing for an October trial. DJI drones get a peacemaking makeover. Justin Harvey from Accenture on prepping for destructive attacks. Jeff Schumann CEO of Wiretap on vulnerabilities in messaging technologies like Slack and Yammer. And one weird trick to recognizing that a call is a help desk scam. Ready? It's this: they called you. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. Your patient data depends on incident response plans. Prepare with DeltaRisk's webinar. Domain Tools leverages both human and machine intelligence to expose malicious infrastructure. Learn more in their white paper.
In today's podcast, we hear about online reactions and hacks in response to the Charlottesville rioting and homicide. Operation #LeakTheAnalyst releases another, smaller, set of documents. The ShadowBrokers get some poor customer reviews for their Exploit-of-the-Month Club. Reputation matters in the dark web souks. More HBO leaks (but no new messages). Google ejects SonicSpy-infected apps from the Playstore. Oxford researchers describe Android library collusion attacks. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on recent incursions into the Irish and UK power grids. And fellow security researchers can't believe Marcus Hutchins would wittingly do what the Feds accuse him of. Thanks for listening to the CyberWire. One of the ways you can support what we do is by visiting our sponsors. If you’d like to learn more about how small nuances in how artificial intelligence and machine learning are used can make a big difference, check out E8’s white paper. Your patient data depends on incident response plans. Prepare with DeltaRisk's webinar. Domain Tools leverages both human and machine intelligence to expose malicious infrastructure. Learn more in their white paper.
In today's podcast, we hear that Mr. Smith turned down HBO's offer of a $250,000 bug bounty. Fancy Bear uses EternalBlue tools against hotel Wi-Fi networks. Argument over who leaked DNC emails last year flares again. New versions of Locky and Mamba ransomware circulate in the wild. The US Department of Defense is ready to use rapid acquisition to buy cyber tools and services. The FBI says a Maryland man used eBay and PayPal to receive ISIS funds for possible terror activity. Ukraine makes an arrest in the NotPetya case. David Dufour from Webroot on basic cyber hygiene. Barmak Meftah, President & CEO at AlienVault, with his thoughts on the state of the industry. And WikiLeaks dumps video intercept tool CouchPotato. Supported by E8 Security, Johns Hopkins University, and Domain Tools.
In today's podcast, we learn that EU election monitors say Kenyan presidential voting went off without hacking (the losing opposition disagrees). Germany looks toward securing September's vote. North Korea receives cyber attention from somewhere in the civilized world. Ukraine's postal service sustains a two-day DDoS attack. WannaCry and NotPetya pseudoransomware fallout. Spyware-infected apps found in the Google Play Store. Jonathan Katz from UMD on a RSA 2048 encryption hack. Markus Jakobsson from Agari on a proposed cyber threat classification system. "Mr. Smith" comes to Midtown, and he wants a raise from Richard. Supported by E8 Security, Johns Hopkins University, and Domain Tools.
In today's podcast, we hear that Patch Tuesday saw Windows and Adobe fixes. Venezuela's civil conflict gets a hacktivist dimension. Anti-Israeli wiper malware is circulating in the wild, unpolished by nasty. Kaspersky Lab expects to see more pseudoransomware, especially when disruption and not profit is the goal. The KONNI RAT, of unknown origin sniffs at sites associated with North Korea. The HBO hack remains under investigation. Putin turns his attentions to Georgia. Johannes Ulrich from the SANS Technology Institute and the ISC Stormcast podcast on weak two-factor authentications systems. Tim Erlin from Tripwire on their Infosecurity Europe 2017 survey. And familiar password advice gets jettisoned. Supported by E8 Security, Johns Hopkins University, and Domain Tools.
In today's podcast, we hear about a security incident at EirGrid, a misconfigured server in Texas, and a demonstration of photovoltaic system hacking prompt power grid security concerns. Update on the Mandiant employee hack. "Mr. Smith" holds HBO for ransom (but says, no, he's really a good guy). Shipping industry looks for GPS backup capability, and shippers not hit by NotPetya enjoy an increase in business. Google patches ten Android remote-code execution vulnerabilities. Joe Carrigan from JHU on Facebook and Google eavesdropping conspiracy theories. Juan Perez-Etchegoyen from Onapsis on Oracle business app vulnerabilities . NIST issues a Cybersecurity Workforce Framework. Supported by E8 Security, Johns Hopkins University, and Domain Tools.
In today's podcast, we hear that the US Army bans, immediately, all use of DJI commercial-off-the-shelf drones. We discuss two known unknowns and offer some background on Defense acquisition practices. Amazon will begin scanning AWS customers' buckets for publicly accessible data. Dale Drew from Level 3 Communications offers his view on hacking back. White hat hackers offer recommendations for election security. And Marcus Huchins, a.k.a. MalwareTech, pleads not guilty to Kronos-related charges and makes bail. Supported by E8 Security, Johns Hopkins University, and Domain Tools.
In today's podcast, we hear that security researcher MalwareTech has been arrested as the alleged author of the Kronos banking Trojan. Carbanak hoods release "Bateleur" into the wild, phishing in chain restaurant waters. A long DDoS attack in China seems aimed at extortion. German elections prepare for Russian influence operations, but the novelty may have worn off Moscow's line. US states and DHS work toward cooperative cybersecurity. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on dark web gun sales. William Saito on Japan’s cyber security preparations for the upcoming Olympics. The FBI is investigating the HBO hack.
In today's podcast, we hear that WikiLeaks has dumped "Dumbo" project documents. Separation of agencies as a way of rendering leaks less likely. HBO's hack is getting bigger, apparently. Group IB outs members of the United Islamic Cyber Force to Interpol. Cerber goes after Bitcoin. WannaCry ransom payments are being moved, perhaps laundered. Lawsuits loom over NotPetya as more companies warn the malware had a material effect. The FBI says you can't exercise your right to be forgotten by DDoS. Election fraud in Venezuela. Markus Rauschecker from UMD CHHS on large companies like FaceBook and Google being vulnerable to privacy and antitrust concerns. Jim Pflaging from the Chertoff Group, promoting their upcoming Security in the Boardroom event, speaking to the role of the board director when it comes to cyber security.And your guests can eavesdrop on you through your Amazon Echo. (But why would you have those people over anyway?)
In today's podcast we following up on some of the stories we've been tracking: the latest on Operation #LeakTheAnalyst, firmware spyware in down-market phones, Sweden's big breach, and Ukraine's new cyber friends. BrickerBot is back, offering Indian routers and modems unwelcome help. The US Senate considers IoT security legislation, and the US Justice Department issues a framework with guidelines for bug-hunting programs. Bitcoin's hard fork occurred yesterday. Robert M. Lee from Dragos, on ICS attack basics. David Murray from Corvil on security in the financial markets. And why people care about the HBO hack.
In today's podcast, we hear about the HBO hack, and the exposure of episodes and scripts Operation #LeakTheAnalyst targets individual security researchers. Election hacking: machines, databases, and public opinion are all targets. The UK's Home Secretary wants Silicon Valley to rethink strong encryption. Russia, like China, is clamping down on virtual private networks. The BTC-e Bitcoin exchange is shut down amid allegations of money laundering. Awais Rashid from Lancaster University on developing a security culture. Michael Janke from Data Tribe on his efforts to stand up the National Institute of Digital Security. And write this 500 times: "I will not mine Bitcoin on my school computer."
Black Hat 2017 has wrapped up, and by all accounts it was another successful conference, with an active trade show floor, exciting keynotes and engaging, informative educational sessions on a variety of topics. There was business being done, with hopeful entrepreneurs and investors alike looking to identify the next big thing in cyber security. In this CyberWire special edition, we’ve rounded up a handful of presenters and one investor for a taste of Black Hat, to help give you a sense of the event. Patrick Wardle is Chief Security Researcher at Synack, and creator of objective-see, an online site where he publishes the personal tools he’s created to help protect Mac OS computers. He’ll be telling us about his research on the FruitFly malware recently discovered on Mac OS. https://objective-see.com/ Hyrum Anderson is technical director of data science at Endgame, he will discuss research he released on stage at Black Hat showing the pros and cons of using machine learning from both a defender and attacker perspective. https://www.endgame.com/our-experts/hyrum-anderson Zack Allen, Manager of Threat Operations, and Chaim Sanders, Security Lead, of ZeroFOX will be speaking about their Black Hat presentation on finding regressions in web application firewall (WAF) deployments. https://www.linkedin.com/in/zack-allen-12749a76 https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaim-sanders-a7a23713/ And we’ll wrap it up with some insights from Alberto Yepez, founder and managing director of Trident Cybersecurity, on the investment environment and the changes he’s seen in the market in the last year. https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertoyepez/
In today's podcast we hear that US investigators are looking for a disgruntled former insider in the ShadowBrokers case. Operation #HackTheAnalyst claims to have doxed a threat intelligence analyst. Electrical utilities look to their defenses. Trickbot gets wormy. NotPetya continues to have material effect on its corporate victims' earnings. Sweden's government shaken by its data breach. ISIS loses brick-and-mortar presence; may be moving online. Ransomware's lethality to small businesses may be exaggerated. And how do you fund a nuclear program? Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs, on their work developing a global ID system for refugees. From Pyongyang, Texas Hold 'Em looks like a good bet.
In today's podcast, we learn that WikiLeaks has dumped Vault7 documents attributed to the CIA. Russian catphish are said to have nibbled at French President Macron's campaign. North Korea mines Bitcoin. Malware warnings include a banking Trojan and two malicious Android apps. NotPetya's effect on TNT is said to have hit small businesses hard. MedSec has no regrets, and says it would short St. Jude again. The Pwnie Awards have been given at Black Hat. Justin Harvey from Accenture on recent waves of auto-propagating malware. Edna Conway from Cisco on third party risks. And the ShadowBrokers are back.
In today's podcast we hear there's a new catphish out in the wild: meet Mia Ash. WikiLeaks throws shade by dumping UMBRAGE from Vault7. Germany braces for hacking by Russia, China, and Iran—especially by Russia. Google kicks unwelcome intercept tool Lipizzan out of the PlayStore. WhatsApp scammers phish for banking credentials. Business disruption kills small businesses in ransomware attacks, not the ransom itself. Facebook makes a plea for culture change. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on allegations the FBI was paying the Geek Squad to ferret out illegal content on computers brought in for service. Neill Feather from SiteLock dispells the notion that small businesses can rely on security by obscurity. And there are enough anti-drone products out there to make Wyle E. Coyote max out his Acme loyalty card.
In today's podcast we hear about a Symantec study that shows APTs use some pretty buggy tools. Juche may not extend to the Internet, at least for Pyongyang's leaders. Iran's CopyKitten is characterized as unsophisticated but nonetheless effective. Mac users awakened by Fruitfly—the FBI is investigating. Adobe tells us to begin saying our goodbyes to Flash. Jonathan Katz from UMD on recent experiments with quantum cryptography. Stewart Kantor from Full Spectrum on protecting utility companies by using private RF (radio frequency) networks. And some notes from Vegas, because what goes on in Vegas doesn't stay there.
In today's podcast, we hear that hundreds of enterprises may be oversharing on Google Groups. Wells Fargo works to recover from botched e-discovery. Energetic Bear may be back, with some cunning phishbait. Pravda says Russians feel strange new respect in cyberspace. The CopyKittens appear to be Persian cats. Another Ethereum ICO is pilfered, but, contrary to expectations, the White Hat Group looks like a genuine group of white hats. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs wonder what qualifies at personal information on the Dark Web. FICO's Doug Clare outlines scoring your cyber security posture. And some notes from Vegas.
In today's podcast, we hear about the wisdom of attending to your AWS Access Control Lists. Wells Fargo data leaked in the course of e-discovery. NotPetya fallout and investigation. The Islamic State's presence in cyberspace is getting a bit threadbare. Fruitfly has been buzzing through Macs, quietly, for a decade. Palo Alto Networks' Rick Howard describes a new security framework. Other dark web souks are poised to take the place of Alpha Bay and Hansa Market. And Ocean's 11 meet the IoT.
In today's podcast we hear about an international raid that took down the illicit Hansa Market—which, it turns out, the Dutch National Police had covertly taken over for about a week. Recovery from WannaCry and NotPetya continues its long slog. Banking malware is on the rise in the wild. Studies warn of power grid vulnerabilities. Devil's Ivy infests security cameras in the IoT. Digital Shadows offers a look at hackers' black markets and see similarities to the drug trade. Our newest partner Robert M. Lee from Dragos introduces himself and the ICS work he does. Guests are Leslie P. Francis and John G. Francis, coauthors of the book, “Privacy - What Everyone Needs to Know.”And our congratulations to Dr. Whitfielf Diffie, the newest Fellow of the Royal Society.
In today's podcast, we discuss a reminder from Amazon Web Services is timely: check your cloud's configuration. Hacks now seem to affect revenue for years. A rundown of some new threats and vulnerabilities. Apple issues security patches for iOS, MacOS, and Safari. Oracle fixes more than 300 bugs. Dale Drew from Level 3 Communications on the responsibilities of ISPs. Chris Ensey from Dunbar Cyber Security, on the roles states play in creating an environment for innovation and success in cyber security. And forget Mayweather-Macgregor—the pay per view we'd sign up for is Putin-Wittes.
In today's podcast, we hear about how another tippy AWS S3 bucket spills its contents over the Web. The FedEx 10-K report indicates it may never fully recover systems and data hit by NotPetya. Virus hides in Game of Thrones torrent. Harvard's Belfer Center wants to secure electronic voting. Departments of Commerce and Homeland Security consider moonshot research to take out botnets. M&A and venture funding notes. Justin Harvey from Accenture on fileless malware. Robert Hamilton from Imperva Incapsula on DDoS attacks on video game servers. And an initial coin offering gets hacked.
In today's podcast we hear more on how Qatar has accused the UAE of hacking, and vows legal retribution—all on the strength of a Washington Post story. UAE says it didn't do it. Warnings about vulnerabilities in commonly used IoT code. Markus Rauschecker from UMD CHHS on Facebook running afoul of European privacy laws. Tina Ladabouche, NSA GenCyber Program Manager, on the NSA’s GenCyber program, supporting summer camp programs. FBI warns of risks inherent in Internet-connected toys. And people really, really don't read those EULAs.
In today's podcast we hear that Qatar has accused the United Arab Emirates of a hacking and disinformation campaign—the UAE deny it. Russia's Foreign Ministry says it was hacked. Russia-experts in the US said to be receiving unwelcome attention from possible state intelligence services. Deterrence and confidence building measures remain works in progress in cyberspace. Ransomware and click-fraud combined in a single criminal campaign. Macs attacked by banking credential stealing malware. Johns Hopkins' Joe Carrigan reviews educational options for aspiring cyber security pros. Twitter bots driving traffic to dodgy adult sites. And Ashley Madison proposes a settlement for its 2015 breach.
In today's podcast, we hear that WikiLeaks dumps another alleged CIA cyber manual from Vault7. Cyberwar is the continuation of war (and therefore policy) by other means. Counting the cost of NotPetya. AWS S3 misconfigurations could happen to the best of us (but need not). Chasing innovation in the UK and the US. AlphaBay taken down in international police operation. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks on their new initiative with the Girl Scouts for cyber security merit badges. Raj Samani, chief scientist from McAfee, on NotPetya. And what kind of bait is best for phishing?
In today's podcast, we hear about signs that NotPetya was covering up a broad espionage campaign. State-sponsored hacking seems, when not simple spying, to aim at eroding trust. Verizon suffers a major customer data breach said to derive from a vendor's misconfiguration of an Amazon S3 bucket. Industry notes—venture funding and an acquisition. David Dufour from Webroot on homoglyph attacks. Thomas Jones from Bay Dynamics on federal agencies being required to submit a Framework Implementation Action Plan. Singapore will license white hats. And Russia wants you properly signed into adult sites. Or, at least, one of them, anyway.
In today's podcast we share some Patch Tuesday notes: Microsoft and Adobe both offer updates. Kremlinology goes cyber as infrastructure attacks remain under investigation. A cyber company emerges from stealth. The US General Services Administration removes Kaspersky Lab from Schedule 70. Election influence investigations turn to the question of Russian opposition research. Jonathan Katz from the University of Maryland explains a side-channel attack on 1024-bit encryption. Cisco's Jennie Kay wants to ease your trade show anxiety with a helpful webinar. And, Sheriff of Nottingham, call your office, because Robin Hood was no winker.
In today's podcast we hear about how Russia has apparently been phishing in the North American and European power grid. NATO has had about enough of that. There will be no US-Russian joint cybersecurity effort. The Adwin RAT is back, and seeking to socially engineer its way into aerospace company networks. Election hacking investigation updates. Industry notes, including both venture and M&A news. Level 3 Communications' Dale Drew provides an update on botnets. Ntrepid's Lance Cottrell describes online ad tracking technology. And BYOD can pose a threat, especially when the device your rogue employees are bringing is an off-the-books server.
In today's podcast we discuss some answers to two Russian claims. No, Russia and America won't be linking up in a cyber alliance. And no, no one at the G20 meetings actually bought the line about election hacking retailed there by President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov. NotPetya recovery continues. Android infestations in the wild. US power plants warned to be alert for cyberattack. Criminals compromise self-service food kiosks; others phish with official-looking Australian emails as bait. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS reviews license plate reader laws. ISIS adopts misspelling as a form of OPSEC.
In today's podcast, we hear that NotPetya still looks like a Russian campaign to Ukrainian authorities, and experts remain skeptical that affected data can be recovered. Companies warn that NotPetya may have a material effect on earnings. WikiLeaks dumps Gyrfalcon and BothanSpy documents from Vault7. Johannes Ulrich from SANS and the ISC Stormcast Podcast on no SQL database security. Andy Greenberg, senior writer at WIRED, on his July 2017 issue cover story on Ukraine cyberwar. And pro wrestling fans now have something in common with registered voters, data.gov.uk, and the National Geospatial Agency.
In today's podcast we hear about the Ukrainian police raid on Intellect Service and their seizure of M.E. Doc servers. Ukraine's Interior Ministry says this stopped a second wave of NotPetya. Affected companies continue to recover from the NotPetya infestation. US Cyber Command prepares to parry hybrid warfare. Spyware campaign hits Chinese-language news services. The EU considers adopting a "right to repair." Joe Carrigan from the Johns Hopkins University ponders always-on cameras. Dan Larson from CrowdStrike on fileless attacks. Medical information-sharing runs into problems in the UK.
In today's podcast, we hear how affected enterprises are restoring services after last week's NotPetya pandemic. Maersk's experience prompts some introspection in the logistics sector. Ukraine prepares to charge ME Doc's maker with criminal negligence for allowing the infection to take hold. NotPetya tied to BlackEnergy and thence to a "state actor" (NATO's not saying it's Russia, but Ukraine is). Awais Rashid from Lancaster University looks at the anatomy of recent attacks. Haiyan Song from Splunk on a recent IDC report, “Investigation or Exasperation? The State of Security Operations.” FSB certificates allegedly express links between FSB and Kaspersky.
In today's podcast, we hear that recovery from Petya/Nyetya/NotPetya proceeds—and it's not ransomware. Ukraine says Russia's responsible. US warnings of cyberattacks on nuclear power plants may have been premature. NATO members consider when to invoke Article 5 in cyberspace. Islamist inspiration and other political discontents continue to prompt content screening in Europe. Europe is also in punitive mood with respect to regulation. Kaspersky says it will show the US its source code if that's the cost of doing business. Markus Rauschecker from UMD CHHS describes a novel use of kidnapping insurance. And, hey, Lords and Commons: that's not really Windows support asking for your password.
In today's podcast we hear that Petya/Nyetya/NotPetya is almost certainly a wiper, and not ransomware after all. Ukraine blames Russia, but whoever did it had EternalBlue before the ShadowBrokers leaked it. WikiLeaks Vault7 disgorges OutlawCountry, a Linux attack tool. The ShadowBrokers raise their rates. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs with research on fraud guides on the dark web. Guests are Drew Gidwani, Director of Analytics at ThreatConnect, and Andy Pendergast, VP of Product & Co-Founder at ThreatConnect, speaking about the findings of a recent SANS Survey on Security Optimization. Russia calls for international cooperation to stamp out cybercrime.
In today's podcast we hear that the current Petya/Nyetya/NotPetya outbreak down deep doesn't look like ransomware, but a wiper, and a nasty one at that—probably a cyber warfare campaign. How are these three things alike: shipping, manufacturing, and Big Law? The ShadowBrokers are back, and WikiLeaks' Vault7 disgorges what looks like a creepy stalking tool. Other non-Petya ransomware attacks. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks explains the importance of capture-the-flag competitions. And officialdom seems to cling bitterly to Windows XP.
The IoT, or Internet of Things, broadly defined is the collection of physical objects with IP addresses, connected to the internet. From consumer devices like security cameras, DVRs, and smart thermostats to industrial control systems and autonomous cars, the IoT offers potential for both opportunity and vulnerability. In the first half of this CyberWire Special Edition, we speak with IoT experts Katie Curtin, director of IoT cyber security product management for AT&T, and Chris Poulin, Principal at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he leads internet of things security strategy for their strategic innovation group, as well as their industrial control group. They provide their take on the current state of the internet of things for consumers, enterprise, industrial control and even self-driving cars. In the second part of our program, we examine third party risk. Ponemon Institute recently released an independent research report titled, “The Internet of Things - a New Era of Third Party Risk.” Dr. Larry Ponemon is the chairman and founder of Ponemon Institute, and he’s going to take us through some of the report’s findings, but first we’ll hear from Gary Roboff, a senior advisor at Shared Assessments and their Santa Fey group, who were the sponsors of the report.
Today we speak at length with Tanium's Chief Security Architect on tracking the Petya ransomware pandemic.
In today's podcast we hear that another ransomware pandemic has broken out—this one looks more sophisticated and dangerous than WannaCry. Ukraine is again the center, but it's moving out fast. Notes on the Parliament email hack in the UK. Accenture's Justin Harvey explains destructive malware. IBM's David Jarvis advocates an adoption of a "new collar" recruiting strategy. And ISIS isn't doing much cyber damage, but its hacktivist sympathizers are really tugging on Superman's cape.
In today's podcast, we hear that the UK's Parliament recovers from a brute-force attack. Reports on election hacking in the US suggest there was some American cyber retaliation last year against Russian influence operations. BlackTech goes after intellectual property in East Asia. Windows Defender gets a patch, but Windows 10 source code leaks. Fireball malware's extent is disputed. ISIS hacktivists deface websites associated with the government of the State of Ohio. Webroot's David Dufour offers thoughts on phishing. And how much can we count on common sense?
In today's podcast we hear about how Brutal Kangaroo has hopped out of Vault 7—don't let it poke your device with a thumb drive. Big data leaks wind up being traded on the black market. The dangers of careless configuration of an S3 bucket. Ransomware remains pricey. It can also serve as misdirection. Dale Drew from Level 3 Communications shares lessons from WannaCry. Darron Gibbard from Qaulys offer his take on the EU's GDPR. Software companies receive and respond to code audit requirements as a condition of doing business in Russia.
In today's podcast we hear that WannaCry's still here—just ask Honda and the Australian state of Victoria. North America and Europe work to secure their grids against CrashOverride. The US Congress hears testimony about Russian election influence ops: they didn't change the vote, but did they ever shake people up. Business email compromise scams hook sophisticated victims. The Queen's Speech says that, whatever else Brexit may mean, it won't mean a GDPR exit. Johns Hopkins University's Joe Carrigan review the ease of listening in on RF traffic. Asaf Cidon from Barracuda Networks on the increased threat from ransomware. And what's all this about CISOs and root canals? We didn't know that was an alternative to bearing bad news to the Board.
In today's podcast, we hear that nation-state influence operations against elections prompt investigation, introspection, and policy studies. We also hear about the implications of a major voter database exposure in the US, and about what might be done to mitigate such risks. Lancaster University's Awais Rashid shares research on security stakeholder biases. Arlen Frew from Nominum on small business vulnerabilities. Leaks from intelligence services seem to be inflicting collateral damage on Internet users as they find their way into criminal hands.
In today's podcast, we hear that some believe they've seen the Professor Moriarity behind 2017's Android malware outbreak. Erebus is back, and this time it's in Linux. Mirai may be about to become more resistant to cleaning. Crytpo wars flare in the UK and EU as terror investigations proceed. A quick look at SINET's Innovation Summit. Raytheon's DHS cyber contract survives challenge. CrashOverride looks to a lot of experts like a proven cyber weapon. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS discusses a "right to know" privacy law. Perspectives on attribution from John Brick of the DNG-ISAC. And did the dog eat the Fort's homework, or did some Bear feed said homework to the dog?
In today's podcast, we hear that Google is in an "uphill battle" against adware infestation of the PlayStore. GCHQ seems to agree with NSA, which seems to think WannaCry was a North Korean caper. Big data firm leaves voter data exposed on an Amazon S3 account. GCHQ says the Russians didn't disrupt the recent UK elections. Dr. Charles Clancy from VA Tech's Hume Center describes methods for preventing another Dyn-style attack. Two hackers sentenced, one in Pennsylvania, the other in East Anglia, one for the vengeance and one for the lulz.
In today's podcast, we hear that WikiLeaks has dumped more of Vault7. More attribution of WannaCry to North Korea, where Hidden Cobra and the Lazarus Group appear to be one and the same. FIN10 cybercriminals are asking US and Canadian businesses for a big payoff to head off a big doxing. Conventional ransomware hits British universities. Kasperky and Avast release free decryptors for Jaff and EncrypTile. Markus Rauschecker from UMD CHHS reviews China's new cyber laws. Jocelyn Aqua from PwC describes attitudes toward AI. The ISAC process seems to be working. And patch early, patch often.
In today's podcast, we hear that the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have warned that Hidden Cobra actively pursuing DDoS campaigns. Microsoft patches remaining ShadowBrokers' exploits, even in deprecated systems. The US Congress votes to sanction Russia for election influence operations. Those operations have a long, long history, going back to the 1930s at least. Electrical and natural gas sectors work to protect themselves against CrashOverride. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs reminds us not to forget the basics. Michael Callahan from Firemon shares survey data suggesting that IT pros spend too much time fixing their coworkers personal devices. Mergers and acquisitions seem to be followed by layoffs—Hexadite is said to be the latest case.
Robert M Lee from Dragos provides an overview of CrashOverride. A quick look at yesterday's Patch Tuesday. Some of the fixes even reached back into Windows XP's unquiet grave. Terrorist information operations are increasingly sustained by cryptocurrency funding. Accenture's Justin Harvey reviews automation and orchestration. Russian intelligence may have been more active probing US state election systems than previously thought. Fake-news-as-a-service is now a black-market offering.
In today's podcast, we hear that CrashOverride looks like a power grid threat, and industry and government are taking it seriously. Cyber operations against ISIS are proving better at collection than disruption. Criminals are exploiting vulnerable Samba instances to spread cryptocurrency mining software. NSO Group has put itself up for sale, valued at more than a billion dollars. Well-informed observers of a civil libertarian bent think botnets don't have First Amendment rights. Johannes Ulrich from from SANS and the ISC Stormcast Podcast on IPV6 security. Kirsten Bay from Cyber adAPT on Wannacry and the importance of a detection-led approach. And if you wondered about that airport laptop ban, here's the rest of the story.
In today's podcast, we hear that Dragos and ESET are bringing some clarity—and some bad news—to investigation of December 2016's Ukrainian power-grid hack. Qatar and its neighbors try to sort out hack-induced diplomatic troubles. DoubleSwitch social media malware hijacks dissidents' accounts. CertLock impedes removal of unwanted programs by security software. MacSpy and MacRansom appear as malware-as-a-service offerings. AMT vulnerability exploited in the wild. David Dufour from Webroot explains why attribution is so difficult. Robert Rodriguez from SINET describes the upcoming Innovation Summit 2017. China arrests twenty-two for trading in stolen iOS user data.
In today's podcast we hear that whatever else former FBI Director Comey told the Senate, one thing is clear: he's convinced the Russian are fully committed to influence operations, and that they'll be back. More on disinformation and hacking in Qatar. Fresh malware surfaces in the Android ecosystem—some but not all has been booted from the PlayStore. Mousing over a malicious hyperlink can now be an infection vector. Cryptocurrencies, money transfer, and money laundering. Ben Yelin explains Florida money laundering legislation aimed at Bitcoin. Will Ackerly from Virtru discusses privacy and the right to be forgotten, online. GDPR and some thoughts on the distinctions among anonymity, privacy, and security.
In today's podcast, we hear that Qatar remains in bad odor with its neighbors over a recent online provocation. (Russia denies any involvement.) Anomali talks about influence operations, especially with respect to elections, where they may be moving from doxing to disinformation. Leaks about election hacking shouldn't turn you off to multifactor authentication—it's not the technology; it's us. Former FBI Director Comey testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Level 3 Communications' Dale Drew review health care security stats. Drew Paik from Authentic8 shares vacation traveling tips. And a lesson from the NSA leak arrest: assume the boss is watching.
In today's podcast, we say farewell to a legendary coder, and we also remember the Battle of Midway. Influence operations in the Gulf may have been Russian. Alleged leak of NSA report on election hacking proceeds. Two new data breaches are disclosed. A script kiddy is arrested in Japan for writing and distributing ransomware. EternalBlue remains a risk. Johns Hopkins' Joe Carrigan reviews research on cracking mobile device passwords using accelerometers. Eliana Schwartz describes the Cybertech Fairfax conference. Turla resurfaces, and they've new backdoors and everything. But what's their thing with Britney Spears?
In today's podcast we hear about a leaked report describing eleventh-hour Russian influence operations during last year's US elections. An alleged leaker is already charged and in custody. The UK's investigation into last weekend's terror attacks continues, online as well as in physical space. Apple hints it's helping out. The attackers seem to have been known to authorities. In its continuing campaign of online inspiration, ISIS claims responsibility for the destruction of a church in the Philippines and a lethal standoff in Australia. Violent anarchist groups seem to be following the ISIS playbook in cyberspace. Some thoughts on wolves. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks on government cloud deployment. Andrea Little Limbago from Endgame has results from a survey on Americans’ perceptions of the US government’s cybersecurity capabilities. And the DarkOverlord is back.
In today's podcast, we hear that ISIS has claimed responsibility for Saturday's terror attacks in London. The UK reacts with strong words against terrorist safe spaces online. The Prime Minister wants restrictions on end-to-end encryption and a very hard line against extremist messaging. Hacking has diplomatic consequences for Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. India investigates a possible cyberattack against a fighter aircraft. Dr. Charles Clancy from VA Tech's Hume Center on the FCC's approach to consumer privacy. Ransomware purveyors also selling stolen data. EternalBlue exploits remain active.
In today's podcast we hear, second-hand but ultimately from Vladimir Vladimirovich himself, that Russian hackers are free-spirited, patriotic artists, and maybe he'd be in a position to know. WikiLeaks dumps more Vault7 documents. White hats reconsider crowdsourcing membership in the exploit-of-the-month club. OceanLotus may be weaponizing a ShadowBrokers' leak. Fireball malware used for ad fraud. A think tank warns of Royal Navy submarine cyber vulnerabilities. Kmart discloses a point-of-sale breach. Jonathan Katz from UMD on undetectable backdoors. Leo Taddeo from Cyxtera Technologies on what the Comey firing means for encryption and cyber security. And a motorcycle gang is hacking cars. Why? Because that's the way they roll.
In today's podcast we discuss the ShadowBrokers and their new exploit-of-the-month club, now open for subscription. We get some industry reaction, and it seems unlikely that the ShadowBrokers should be taken at face value. Plus, Webroot's David Dufour give us the dirt on worms.
In today's podcast, we hear that the ShadowBrokers open their exploit-of-the-month club at the low, low price of $22,000 in Zcash. Group-IB finds more evidence that the Lazarus Group is a North Korean intelligence unit. Extortion, both real and bluffing, grows in underworld popularity, but carders are with us still, alas. President Macron tells President Putin everyone's on to his use of Russia Today and Sputnik News for disinformation. Accenture's Justin Harvey explains red-teaming. Ely Kahn from Sqrrl outlines NIST's call for comments on their cybersecurity framework. And if you're a regular Joe or Jane looking for some Android action, take this advice straight from the shoulder: steer clear of Star Hop and Candy Link.
In today's podcast, we hear that British Airways suffered a glitch, not a hack, but whichever it was, it amounted to an infrastructure takedown. Fancy Bears may be snuffling at the Government of Malta. The ShadowBrokers may be cashing out. Google kicks Judy adware out of the PlayStore. Researchers find another Android vulnerability, "Cloak-and-Dagger." Anonymous is working on the Houdini RAT. Mall hackers in Liverpool mind their manners. Johannes Ulrich from SANS and the ISC Stormcast podcast on DNS security. And security researchers get rickrolled.
In today's podcast we hear that bogus WannaCry remediation apps are cumbering the PlayStore—don't be taken in. More on the complexities of WannaCry attribution. An EternalRocks worm may have been withdrawn by its authors. Citizen Lab finds evidence that influence operations against targets in almost forty countries are now corrupting data. Vietnam does some cyber snarling at the Philippines over the South China Sea. Samba gets a patch as observers fear emergence of a worm. Biometrics and impersonation—experts advise complexity. GDPR is just one year away, but preparation still lags. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf shares her story of founding Code Like a Girl. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs describes self sustaining enterprises. And two noteworthy pieces of legislation are introduced into the US House and Senate.
In today's podcast, we hear about a vulnerability in widely used networking software leaves it open to a worm infestation. Were the WannaCry hackers annoying stumblebums, or are there deeper games afoot? Help desk scammers say they'll rid you of ransomware—they won't. Researchers watch "Widia," commodity ransomware that's still an early stage work-in-progress. The Manchester terrorist looks more like a known wolf than a lone wolf. Ben Yelin reviews the Supreme Court's consideration of a cell site privacy case. Yong-Gon Chon from Focal Point Data Risk discusses their Cyber Balance Sheet Report. And US Cyber Command would like ISIS to know that they're in the Fort's crosshairs.
In today's podcast we hear that the Manchester bombing investigation is looking closely at the bomber's networks, with international cooperation. NSA says it's waging cyber war against ISIS. EnSilo patches ESTEEMAUDIT, one of the vulnerabilities set up for exploitation by EternalBlue. Russian police arrest members of the Cron cyber gang. Ben Read from FireEye describes recently discovered zero-days. Jonathan Katz outlines some Bitcoin vulnerabilities. And the Cyber Investing Summit opened with some demonstrations of the use and abuse of misdirection in hacking.
In today's podcast, ISIS claims responsibility for the Manchester concert bombing. Security companies make their case for pinning Wannacry on North Korea. US legislators consider bills to upgrade equipment and permit limited hacking back. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs considers coming European privacy regulations. Doug Depeppe from the Cyber Resiliency Project describes a community based approach to cyber resiliency.
In today's podcast, the FBI and CIA are reported to be looking for the source of a compromise that shut down CIA agents in China between 2010 and 2012: hackers or moles, no one knows. Or was it just a tradecraft mismatch? WannaCry has been slowed, at least temporarily. Observers speculate the ransomware may have been a probe. Other uses of EternalBlue exploits look more focused and more disciplined, and arguably more serious. WikiLeaks dumps another leaked implant. Johns Hopkins' Joe Carrigan gives us the VPN basics. And the ShadowBrokers are expected to open their Leak-of-the-Month Club in June (subscription only).
In today's podcast we learn that crooks are interested in home IoT. Twitter outages aren't just you. Android Marshmallow won't be getting a patch, just a replacement. WannaCry observers focus on North Korea as a possible source. Palo Alto Networks' Rick Howard has research on Shamoon. Joyce Brocaglia from Alta Associates and the Executive Women's Forum shares results from the 2017 Women in Cyber Security Survey. And no one, yet, knows who the ShadowBrokers are with any certainty. (Or it they do, they're not talking.)
In today's podcast, we hear that Iran's OilRig cyberespionage campaign seems to employing Russian hoods, and BlackEnergy. WannaCry recovery continues, but there may be worse to come. Still talking funny, the ShadowBrokers say you'll be able to subscribe to an Equation Group leak service next month. The US Senate considers putting the Vulnerability Equities Process on a legal foundation. NIST issues draft guidance on cyber Executive Order implementation. Level 3 Communications' Dale Drew predicts there's more ransomware in our futures. Mandeep Khera from Arxan Technologies outines vulnerabilities in mobile apps. And political parties in Western Europe still stink at email security, for all their worries about Fancy Bear.
In today's podcast, we hear that APT3, also known as Gothic Panda, has been fingered as an agent of China's Ministry of State Security. An unreleased Disney flick is held for ransom: Disney doesn’t pay, movies goes up on Pirate Bay. WannaCry may be sloppy but it's still dangerous. OT has a harder time patching against WannaCry than IT does. Dr. Charles Clancy from VA Tech's Hume Center contracts the Shadowbrokers vs Vault 7. Area 1's Oren Falkowitz describes innovative ways to prevent phishing. The ShadowBrokers are back and still talking crocodile. And WikiLeaks releases more of Vault7.
In today's podcast we follow the developing story of the WannaCry pandemic as it continues to unfold, with speculation about attribution focusing on the Lazarus Group. Why malware would have a kill switch. Throwbacks to the worm wars. The risks of unpatched, superannuated, or pirated software. Litigation exposure in the WannaCry affair. David Dufour from Webroot on the basics of exploits and scripts. Paige Schaffer from Generali Global Assistance reviews the Identity Theft Assessment and Prediction Report published by the University of Texas at Austin Center for Identity. Cyber Pearl Harbors, again—what might one actually look like?
In today's podcast we hear how WannaCry ransomware became a pandemic over the weekend. Johannes Ulrich joins us to help sort it out. A temporary lull is feared likely to be more temporary than most would like. Baijiu espionage malware is spreading through GeoCities. Another APT—APT32—is also devoted to espionage, apparently in alignment with the government of Vietnam. Bin Laden's son is working to inspire lone wolves. National authorities seek to draw influence operations lessons from the concluded French presidential campaign. Armies make tactical use of cyber operations. And there's a dragnet out for tech-support scammers.
In today's podcast, we hear about the long-expected US Executive Order, with commentary from Politico's Eric Geller. It was signed yesterday, and gives prominence to the NIST Framework, DHS,and OMB. Eternal Blue is used to spread WannaCry ransomware, and the UK's NHS is hard hit. Fancy Bear prances in NATO costume. US Intelligence Community leaders warn the Senate that the Russian cyber threat is large, growing, and not going away. The University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz explains some potential browser protocol vulnerabilities. And spamming celebrates its thirty-ninth birthday—no happy returns for you, spammers.
In today's podcast, we hear that French media sites are recovering from a massive, successful DDoS attack whose source is still under investigation. Android adware harvests and reports PII. Microsoft's quick patching of zero-days included three that are being exploited in the wild by state and criminal actors. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS reviews the first 100 (cyber) days of President Trump. Ken Spinner from Varonis on their latest data risk report. Advice on Mother's Day gift cards, and some news about skids and harassing phone calls.
In today's podcast, we hear that NSA says it warned its French counterparts about Russian cyber ops targeting France's elections. Next up for Fancy Bear? Probably German elections, but in the meantime there's also some phishing with zero-days. The NSA Director also advocates calling out Russia for bad behavior in cyberspace, and says that US Cyber Command is ready and able to hold targets at risk, so deterrence and retaliation are available options. Microsoft, Adobe, and Cisco issued significant patches yesterday. Accenture Labs' Malek Ben Salem shares results from their security survey. Rohit Sethi from Security Compass outlines managing application security. And President Trump has told the FBI Director, "you're fired."
In today's podcast, we hear that haste may make for, not exactly waste, but at least brazen and ineffectual influence operations. Metadata evidence of Fancy Bears paws in En Marche! emails. Moscow snorts "false flags," but UK, German, and US officials say the Bears are there and up to no good. ISIS posts another bit of depravity as inspiration. North Korea is thought to be paying for its advanced weapons programs with cyber bank heists. Persirai joins Mirai in the IoT botnet world. The US FCC sustains a DDoS attack. Joe Carrigan from JHU explains the benefits of segmenting your home network. Andrew Blaich from Lookout on finding the Pegasus lawful intercept tool on Android devices. Microsoft patches an RCE flaw in its Malware Protection Engine. SS7 protocol weakness permits defeat of two-factor authentication.
In today's podcast, we discuss Emmanuel Macron's victory in France's presidential election despite last-minute hacking and leaked emails. (Hacked emails seem not particularly scandalous as the story develops.) Germany and the UK brace for cyberespionage in their own upcoming elections. Intel AMT flaw more serious than expected, will get fixes this week. HandBrake download server proved RAT-infested. Kazuar looks like an Uroburos upgrade. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs weighs in on Op Israel. Ransomware market features FrozrLock and Fatboy.
In today's podcast we hear about elections and election influence operations in Europe, and the difficulty of taming Fancy Bear. Some weekend reading. The Google Docs worm and dynamite phishing incident takes an odd (but implausible) turn. Snake malware seems poised to strike at Mac users. We welcome Johannes Ulrich from SANS and the Internet Stormcenter Podcast. Allan Liska outlines his book on ransomware. And there's a new product in the crimeware-as-a-service souk: it's called "Fatboy," it speaks Russian, and yes, it's ransomware.
In today's podcast, we hear about how OAuth abuse rushed a worm around Google Docs, and how the good guys swiftly contained the attack. Bondnet discovered mining cryptocurrency. The Blackmoon financial malware gets an upgrade. Carbanak is still out there, trickier than ever. No-phishing season at Gannett. India's national biometric ID system runs into security and legal trouble. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks previews the Cyber Canon awards ceremony. Andrew Chanin describes the upcoming Cyber Investing Summit. And reflections on passwords yesterday, today, and tomorrow, both here on earth and in a galaxy far, far away.
In today's podcast we hear that Shamoon's Trojan servant seems to have got a new comms channel. Sabre discloses possible breach: hospitality and travel sectors affected. Some more things to worry about: ultrasonic beaconing, SIM card fraud, VPN privilege escalation, and another bad app in the PlayStore. (But you can fix all these.) Governments look to social media restrictions to control hate speech and fake news. (Social media providers look to human curation and the blockchain for help.) Level 3's Dale Drew describes the evolution they're seeing in botnets. Tripwire's Craig Young shares his research on hacking smart TVs. Cyberespionage and influence updates, from Washington to Seoul.
In today's podcast we hear that Trojanized USB sticks are out in the wild. So are phishing emails complete with backdoors and spyware payloads. Intel reports (and mitigates) a major firmware vulnerability in Core processors. The DarkOverlord and third-party risk. ShadowWali backdoors afflict Japanese enterprises. The LizardSquad may be back, but you still shouldn't listen to them, still less pay them protection. Neustar looks at DDoS trends. Ben Yelin from the UMD Center for Health and Homeland Security explains tractor hacking. Nehemiah Security's Paul Farrell thinks we need to mind the security basics. And do info ops heighten the contradictions?
In today's podcast, we hear how the NSA is revising its interpretation of Section 702 collection, to the general approval of privacy advocates. WikiLeaks drops another alleged tool from Vault7—this one looks like garden-variety data-loss-prevention beaconing. The UK and France are on alert for influence operations, and the US Congress takes testimony on such marketing-in-battledress. South and Southwest Asian governments move to block or censor social media. Prof. Awais Rashid from Lancaster University describes some of the risks of the cloud. The DarkOverlord returns, extorting TV and movie content owners over shows stolen from a third-party post-production company.
In today's podcast, we hear that researchers have named the hitherto unnamed country that attempted to hack Israeli targets. Other researchers conclude Shamoon is still under the same management. Roles and missions dispute among Israeli security organizations. Peter Galvin from Thales takes a look at data security in the US Federal sector. VA Tech's Dr. Charles Clancy explains the pros and cons of 5G mobile technology. Financial malware vector startles phishing victims into clicking. Vigilante botnets are not helping the IoT. Countermessaging is still not as easy as it looks. And there's a lot of thinly sourced hope about hacking North Korean missiles.
In today's podcast, we hear about the bear tracks analysts are seeing in Macron's campaign for France's presidency. (They're also appearing in German political parties' think tanks.) Cyber gangs continue to pore over ShadowBrokers' leaks. Verizon and Samsung threat reports see ransomware and nation-state espionage as the trending issues. Amid debate over cyber authorities, Israel says it detected and stopped a major attack. Palo Alto Networks' Rick Howard outlines a new white paper on credential theft. Ellison Anne Williams from Enveil describes their innovation in encryption. Adware infests online markets through spam and Trojanized apps.
In today's podcast, we follow the story of Fancy Bear (a.k.a. Pawn Storm, a.k.a. APT28) and France's elections. Why clever phishing continues to succeed, and what's up with 0Auth abuse. Information operations distinguished from simple "hacking." Another point-of-sale compromise suggests identity management issues. The University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz explains a JSON encryption vulnerability. Stan Black from Citrix explains the pros and cons of the IoT. And can hackers really blow up a submarine by driving their car fast and furiously? You be the judge.
In today's podcast, we hear that Fancy Bear has as expected been spotted snuffling around the French Presidential election. Denmark and Bulgaria also report bearish activity. Sino-US pressure on North Korea may foreshadow an uptick in the cyber op-tempo. Power failures prompt worries about the grid's fragility. Milkydoor's Trojanized Android apps pose a BYOD threat to businesses. Webroot is fixing its AV misunderstanding with Windows. Alleged Kelihos botnet master indicted. Webroot's David Dufour discusses IoT supply chain challenges. Eric Burger describes the 2017 Borderless Cyber conference. And another Ashley Madison extortion caper surfaces.
In today's podcast we hear that cyberattack worries mount with international tensions over North Korea. France's first-round presidential elections conclude with two outsiders headed for the finals. WikiLeaks' and ShadowBrokers' leaks find their way into the criminal wild. US shows renewed interest in prosecuting WikiLeaks' Assange. Locky ransomware is back from the dead. SMSVova spyware kicked out of the PlayStore. More Canadian pharma spam. Emily Wilson from Terbium labs describes the unintended consequences of "spectacle" attacks. Seleznev gets 27 years for carding. And notes on some less-than-fully-successful criminals.
In today's podcast we hear that cyber gangs are busily at work reverse-engineering the last ShadowBrokers' document dump. But the Russian ones at least are probably getting some state help. Insider threats and mole hunts. BrickerBot's author plays a dangerous vigilante game—operating technology may be particularly at risk. Hollywood's best depictions of hacking. Ben Yelin describes a weaponized animated GIF. Carson Sweet from CloudPassage on government requests that providers turn over emails and lagging legislation. And there are forty-three million dollars in a Nigerian apartment. No, really—forty-three million in cash.
In today's podcast we hear about snakes in the PlayStore's walled garden (one of them with a helpful flashlight, and another one with a plumber's cap and a mustache, which must look pretty odd on a serpent). A look at how cyber gangs communicate—they do it a lot like the rest of us. Source code distribution and the jokers who make annoying use of it. More troubling reports about an IPO-ready unicorn. The Johns Hopkins University’s Joe Carrigan explains limitations of fingerprint scanners. Amit Rahav from Secret Double Octopus describes innovations in authentication. Plus, what information do your products collect about you? And how do you know what the vendors are doing with it?
In today's podcast we hear about a new vigilante in the IoT—Hajime—and learn that the security industry doesn't think much of vigilantes. Observers pore over the most recent ShadowBrokers' files and don't like what they see, even though most of the more dangerous exploits have been patched. Still no word on how the ShadowBrokers got their wares, or where WikiLeaks got the contents of Vault 7. BankBot is back in the PlayStore with Trojanized video apps. Attackers are seen using pixel-tracking for target recon. AsTech’s Greg Reber outlines cyber M&A due diligence. Lancaster University’s Awais Rashid describes their effort to assemble a cyber security body of knowledge. And Oracle issues a very big patch.
In today's podcast, we hear about a newish ransomware strain, Karmen, hitting the low-end ransomware-as-a-service market. Homograph vulnerability proof-of-concept revealed. Jihadist infosec service advises good cyber hygiene for terrorists post-Vault 7. The ShadowBrokers try to drag a red herring—actually a bad frog—across their tracks. Hopeful speculation continues that the US hacked North Korea's missile test last weekend. Hajime malware is competing with MIrai for bots, although to what end is unclear. Dr. Charles Clancy from VA Tech’s Hume Center contrasts Vault-7 vs. the Shadowbrokers. Bill Anderson from OptioLabs outlines battlefield mobile device security. And you're not going to get rich by using security cameras to mine Bitcoin.
In today's podcast, we hear about a big missile fizzle on Pyongyang's Day of the Sun yesterday—there's hopeful but a priori speculation of a cyber op against North Korea's nuclear strike R&D program. Friday's ShadowBrokers' leaks suggest financial service, industrial IoT vulnerabilities. Syrian regime calls hoax on nerve gas attack claims (informed observers are unconvinced). How ISIS recruits women for martyrdom operations. Ransomware update. Medical device makers might learn from mobile device makers. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks ponders the first principle of automotive security. And clouds gather over a security unicorn.
In today's podcast, we hear that the ShadowBrokers are fed up with all of you peoples. The Callisto Group spearphised the UK's Foreign Office last year. The US DCI calls out WikiLeaks as a hostile intelligence service. Lawful intercept shops alleged to be willing to deal with pariah regimes. University of Maryland’s Jonathan Katz discusses Google’s unfulfilled promise of end-to-end encryption in gmail. Ajit Sancheti from Preempt Security explains the tension between security and human nature. NATO insiders would like to see the Atlantic Alliance weaponized memes.
In today's podcast we hear about how Ewind adware infests cloned apps in the Android ecosystem. Influence operations rise to prominence amid increased Russian and Islamist activity against Western targets. Accused Russian traitor makes jailhouse denunciation of Russia's coziness with cyber organized crime. Finspy found distributed via Word zero-day. And suppose you're doing a nickel in Ossining or San Q (not that you would be). Webroot’s David Dufour warns of tax-season phishing. Fred Wilmot from PacketSled explains the convergence of OT, IT and IoT. And, how do you stay connected in the big house?
In today's podcast, we discuss April's Patch Tuesday, with news and tasks for Windows, Adobe, and SAP admins. Cyber threats to healthcare include ransomware, breaches, and device hacking. NATO and non-NATO partners establish an information operations center in Helsinki to contest Russian influence in cyberspace. Analysts continue to pick over the latest from the ShadowBrokers. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs describes the Dark Web ecosystem. And WikiLeaks Vault 7 seems to out cyber operators as fans of Star Trek, anime, and Ape Escape. No surprises there, eh?
The 2017 Women in Cybersecurity conference was held in Tucson Arizona, and the CyberWire was on hand to cover the event. We spoke with a variety of cyber security professionals, at different stages of their careers. We covered some of their career journeys and professional insights on our daily podcast, and in this special edition learn why a women in cybersecurity conference is more important than ever, what they wish they knew when they were starting out, as well as some advice for the men in the industry.
In today's podcast, we hear about how a Word zero-day is spreading the Dridex banking Trojan. Amazon third-party sellers bitten by reused passwords. IBM catches Mirai mining Bitcoins. Symantec discerns Longhorn tools in WikiLeaks' Vault 7. Tensions over Syria's civil war seem to be behind the Shadow Brokers' return. ISIS is now attempting to recruit women to the Caliphate. Germany considers a cyber first-use doctrine. Crypto wars flare in Europe as French Presidential candidate Macron takes a strong anti-encryption line. The University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security’s Ben Yelin weighs in on the FCC’s rollback of ISP privacy rules. Dario Forte from DF Labs cautions against AI hype. A Penn State professor takes the 2017 Gödel Prize for his work on differential privacy.
In today's podcast, we hear that US strikes against Syrian targets and harsh words for Assad are followed by apparent Russian information operations as bilateral tensions mount. Both WikiLeaks and the Shadow Brokers resurfaced late last week. A light Patch Tuesday is foreseen, but observers expect a fix for a Microsoft Office zero-day being actively exploited. Okta files its anticipated IPO. Dallas emergency sirens were hacked early Saturday. The Johns Hopkins University’s Joe Carrigan discusses upcoming updates to the Waze GPS app. Kathleen Smith from cybersecjobs.com and clearedjobs.net joins us from the Women in Cybersecurity Conference. Spanish police collar the alleged "spam king."
In today's podcast, we hear about how Operation TradeSecret collected intelligence on US trade policy during the run-up to the Sino-American summit at Mar a Lago. BrickerBot is out, a PDoS campaign that looks like nasty vigilante work, so close your Telnet ports and change your IoT device default passwords. The Amnesia campaign is after unpatched DVRs. Sathurbot exploits unpatched WordPress instances and infects Torrent users. Lancaster University’s Awais Rashid has concerns over IoT devices limited interfaces. Endgame’s Andrea Little Limbago shares her story from the Women in Cybersecurity Conference. Surveillance and influence operations allegations in the last US Presidential campaign have their counterparts in the current French one.
In today's podcast we hear about Operation TradeSecret, which joins Operation Cloudhopper: both appear to be facets of a Chinese cyberespionage campaign. 20,000 loan applications are exposed by a third-party IT vendor. North Korea's Lazarus Group still has banks in its crosshairs. A study shows that mobile users are in a complicated relationship with their apps. US Congressional hearings into Russian influence operations and allegations of US surveillance continue. IBM’s Wendi Whitmore joins us from the 2017 Women in Cybersecurity Conference. Palo Alto Networks’ Rick Howard describes the cloud paradigm shift. And tomorrow is OpIsrael; Israeli enterprises say they're prepared.
In today's podcast, we hear about how Operation Cloudhopper gets to its espionage targets via their cloud and managed service providers. Details are out on the Android version of the Pegasus spyware. Microsoft will upgrade Office security. Notes on the annual SeaAirSpace expo, including an excursus on cyber Marines. Cisco’s Chief Privacy Officer Michelle Dennedy joins us from the Women in Cybersecurity Conference. Dale Drew from Level 3 describes the security ecosystem disruption. And what is going on in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, a place where the laws of physics may not apply?
In today's podcast, we hear that Pegasus is now in the Android ecosystem. British authorities warn of possible ISIS cyberattacks on infrastructure. Russia investigates the St. Petersburg metro bombing. New evidence connects North Korea with the Lazarus group. Fancy Bear continues to romp unabated, and Turla seems to have remained quietly active for about twenty years. Zero-days reported for Samsung's Tizen. Our coverage of the Women in Cybersecurity Conference continues, featuring a conversation with Endgame malware researcher Amanda Rousseau. Virgina Tech’s Hume Center’s Dr. Charles Clancy describes telephony DDOS. Apple issues an emergency iOS patch. Industry notes, and tax season security advice.
In today's podcast, we hear that WikiLeaks has dumped what it claims are CIA source code files. The leak seems to aim at raising suspicion that attacks attributed to foreign governments are in fact false-flag operations. The International Association of Athletics Federations says it was hacked by Fancy Bear. Two new RATs—remote access Trojans—are discovered in the wild. ISIS takes some cyber hits, and an investigator outlines the group's information operations manual. At the annual Women in Cyber Security Conference we catch up with US Naval Academy Midshipmen Svetla Walsh and Deja Baker. David Dufour from Webroot reviews their latest threat report.
In today's podcast, we hear about how Fancy Bear left tracks in Bitly, and Fancy Bear did an awful lot of phishing going back to March 2015. Experts take a look at Russian espionage and influence operations, and they draw some disturbing conclusions. The EU seems ready to go anti-encryption—how that will work with the EU's regulatory emphasis on privacy is anyone's guess. The University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz explains the recent Z-Coin crypto-currency bug. Bob Ackerman from Allegis Captical and DataTribe offers insights on the investment environment for cyber. And no, that's not a famous theologian tweeting: it's the head G-Man.
In today's podcast, we hear about Apple's patches issued this week—how are your systems? Lastpass is working on a patch for an undescribed bug (said to be a complicated one). What IT staff actually work on. Politico's Eric Geller discusses emerging Trump Administration cyber policy. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs outlines the data breach timeline.
In today's podcast, we pass on what we've heard at ITSEF about Russian hybrid warfare: it aims, experts say, at redressing the loss of the Cold War. Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 found vulnerable to a buffer overflow attack. Cerber ransomware evolves to evade detection. Bugs found in Siemens ICS products. VMWare patches vulnerabilities. Laptops with sensitive information lost in Hong Kong and New York. Joe Carrigan from the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute reviews a teddy bear who can’t keep a secret. Peak10’s David Kidd outlines compliance advantages of the cloud. Malicious USB sticks strewn around a Canadian university campus.
In today's podcast, we hear how Cozy Bear slips through with domain fronting. Shamoon's infection methods are revealed. The crypto wars flare over not-so-lone wolves, but there are some genuine lone wolves out there as well. Medical and dental practices warned against attacks on FTP servers. A networked sterilizer is, well, digitally unhygienic. Docs dot com search functionality temporarily disabled. Remember, if you want to reach the G-men, it's FBI dot GOV, not dot com. The UMD Center for Health and Homeland Security's Ben Yelin examines a case where a defendant's expertise is being held against him. Brian Brunetti from Route1 warns about VPN insecurity. Scareware hits iOS users. And a Brooklyn prosecutor gets bad advice from the old heart.
In today's podcast, we hear that British police think ISIS not-so-lone wolves may have been howling over WhatsApp. WikiLeaks still disgruntled over its disclosure offer's cool reception. March-Madness is also phishing season. How and why online gamers cheat. GiftGhostBot drains gift-card balances. States mull next steps after the America's JobLink breach. CrowdStrike walks back some claims in its Ukrainian artillery hacking report, but insists the hack was real, and that signs point to Fancy Bear. Lancaster University's Awais Rashid warns of the use of open source intel in social engineering. Wall Street Journal tech reporter Sarah Needleman explains the esports cheating arms race. April 7 marks two deadlines for cyber actions; observers hope for two fizzles.
In today's podcast we hear assessments of WikiLeaks' latest Vault 7 files—compromised supply chain or damp squib? NATO worries about Russian information operations. ISIS continues to push jihadist inspiration online, claiming the London killer as one of the Caliphate's soldiers. Facile attribution can mislead, as seen in a surprising arrest. Comments on America's Joblink Alliance breach. Acalvio's Chris Roberts wonders if AI and Machine Learning are all they're cracked up to be. Palo Alto Networks' Rick Howard has an update on the Cyber Threat Alliance. And Estonian experience suggests to the world that President Putin is a proud spirit who cannot endure to be mocked.
In today's podcast we offer a rundown of recently announced threats and vulnerabilities in stores and documents: Play Store, App Store, and MS Office. Some crooks move to the cloud. GoDaddy buys Sucuri. The US is rumored to be preparing a North Korean indictment for the Bangladesh Bank heist. Social media look for bad bots. Level 3's Dale Drew describes botnet evolution. LookingGlass' Eric Olson explains FaceBook Marketplace security. And some dodgy scientific journals seem to use catphish for peer review.
In today's podcast, we hear that laptop flight restrictions spread as security services continue to grapple with ISIS inspiration operations. The Necurs botnet returns, but now it's swapped pump-and-dump scams with penny stocks for its usual ransomware payloads. MajikPOS is active in the North American wild. Joe Carrigan from the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute reviews lessons learned from the Cloudbleed event. Philip Susmann describes Norwich University's DECIDE cyber simulation platform. And the Bangladesh Bank hack looks like it may have been a North Korean job.
In today's podcast, we hear about the claim that "the Turkish Crime Family" is holding iPhones hostage. WikiLeaks grumbles that it has few takers for its Vault 7 bugs. Germany raises its state of cyber alert, pre-election. The US expects more Russian cyber and influence operations. A Russian bank says it was framed (and maybe it was). UMD's Jonathan Katz provides technical details on the recent SHA-1 collision. Mandiant's Ronald Bushar gives us highlights from their M-Trends report. Fears of a "cyber Pearl Harbor" may distract from real ICS risks. And no, Martians haven't landed in New Jersey.
In today's podcast we ask whether careless cyber criminals working for the FSB blew the gaffe on the Yahoo! hack. WikiLeaks offers to share Vault 7 vulnerabilities with vendors, but it wants something in return. A look at the Atlantic Council's recently concluded Cyber 9/12 competition. Does cabin fever increase the risk of being hacked? Enigma Software saw things during last week's unseasonable US weather that suggests it might. We welcome David Dufour from Webroot to the show as our newest industry partner. And Kirk ransomware is ready to beam into your enterprise.
In today's podcast, we hear about observers who look around and think they may be seeing Cold War Two in cyberspace. (But this is no bipolar conflict.) Investigation into Vault 7 continues as people wonder where WikiLeaks gets its leaks. The quiz app Wishbone has been breached—take it as a teachable moment with the children. Fileless malware gets quieter as researchers get close to the cyber gang. A cloud-based keylogger is getting ready to take black market share. Palo Alto Networks' Rick Howard describes a capture-the-flag collaboration. Futurist Brian David Johnson explains Threatcasting. The proposed Active Cyber Defense Certainty Act. And what we're seeing at a policy competition.
In today's podcast we hear about the return of the the Lazarus Group (or maybe it never really left). A Dun & Bradstreet database is compromised—more than thirty-three million are said to be affected. British travel association ABTA suffers a breach. Notes on identity theft. Netherlands voter information sites hit with DDoS—Turkish hacktivists (or government operators) suspected. The University of Maryland's Center for Health and Homeland Security's Markus Rauschecker describes the increasingly important role of cyber lawyers in M&A activity. Digital Guardian's Tim Bandos has methods for protecting against state sponsored actors and hacktivists. The US indicts four in the Yahoo! breach—two of them have FSB connections.
In today's podcast, we look as influence operations in the UK and in Europe: the former emanate from Russia, the latter from Turkey. Third-party social media apps increase your attack surface. Petya ransomware is stolen and improved by rival crooks. Google purges bad apps from the Play Store. Patch Tuesday notes. A convicted leaker offers some unexpected wisdom for prospective whistleblowers. Lawyers can't figure out the GDPR. US said ready to indict four for the Yahoo! breaches. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs discusses the effects of high profile breaches on Dark Web markets. Justin Harvey from Accenture Security wonder if private sector attribution is dead. And we bid a respectful farewell to Becky Bace, one of our industry's thought leaders.
In today's podcast, we hear about how the Apache Struts bug has bitten in Canada. FireEye sees financial cybercrime approaching state espionage exploits in sophistication. The US Air Force leaves sensitive personal information exposed in a backup database. Investigation into WikiLeaks' Vault 7 continues. Okta files for its IPO. Ben Yelin from the UMD Center for Health and Homeland Security reviews a mobile device privacy bill. Adam Thomas from Deloitte outlines their latest cyber insurance report. And today is Patch Tuesday.
In today's podcast, we review some speculation about Vault 7 that holds the leaker was an insider. (But there's no specific insider named, yet—the investigation is still in its early stages.) Supply chain security issues are raised by both Vault 7 leaks and discovery of pre-loaded malware in some Android devices. Bitcoin won't get its own ETF, yet. Japanese companies willingness to "pay to make it go away" is seen playing into the hands of ransomware extortionists. Dr. Charles Clancy from Virginia Tech's Hume Center surveys the end-to-end encryption debate. Novetta's Dr. Corey Petty previews his upcoming Etherium smart contracts presentation. GCHQ warns Britain's political parties to expect Russian influence operations in the general election.
In today's podcast, WikiLeaks offers to enter the responsible disclosure game, but be warned: there are legal problems should you accept classified information. Some AV companies tout their reviews in Vault 7. Speculation about how CIA hacking notes leaked turns to an insider threat. HackRead warns that Playstation credentials may have been compromised. The Apache Struts vulnerability is being exploited in the wild. Observers cast doubt on reports the US successfully hacked North Korean missile launches. Joe Carrigan from the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute weighs in on SHA-1. Comodo's Kenneth Geers share insights from their 2016 Global Report. Trend Micro and Interpol take a look at the West African cybercrime scene.
In today's podcast, we follow the Vault 7 story and the false flags that really aren't there. A call for more stress-testing of software. RAND reports on the market for zero-days. The Near Abroad warns the US that it would like to see more American soft power deployed in their part of the world. Jonathan Katz from the University of Maryland praises Google's Project Wycheproof. VMWare's Tom Corn provides his take on the promise of secure cloud environments.
In today's podcast we talk over the latest news, rumors, gossip, and common sense surrounding WikiLeaks and its Vault 7 dump of hacking tools and other spy stuff. And wait a minute—do angels really weep? After all, they're supposed to be pure intelligence. But you came here for the hacking, not the angelology, and there's a lot of stuff dancing around in Vault 7. Research Scientist Jim Walter from Cylance weighs in with his take. Some people even see dancing Bears, but we think they're seeing things. Dale Drew from Level 3 Communications tracks changes they’re seeing in DDoS attacks.
In today's podcast we hear about how StoneDrill maybe succeeding Shamoon—it's more evasive and at least as destructive. Malwarebytes advises sticking to Google Play to avoid a new Trojan. Russian hackers—apparently mobsters who've copped some of Cozy Bear's MO—are blackmailing US progressive political groups. The University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security's Ben Yelin explains Amazon Alexa's role in a murder case. Neill Feather from SiteLock describes a Wordpress vulnerability. Congress considers a bill to allow companies to hack back. WikiLeaks' Vault Seven seems mostly unsurprising. Washington wiretapping allegations prompt recriminations.
In this CyberWire 2017 RSA Conference special edition, we wrap up our show coverage with insights from experts, about the trends they’re seeing, the products they’re pitching, and where they think we, as an industry, need to go. Guests include:
Mark Dufresne, Director, Threat Research and Adversary Prevention, Endgame https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-dufresne-b3275610a/ James Lyne, Global Head of Security Research, Sophos https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameslyne/ Emily Mossburg, Principal, Cyber Risk Services Leadership Team, Deloitte & Touche https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilymossburg/ Mark Nunnikhoven, Vice President, Cloud Research, Trend Micro https://www.linkedin.com/in/marknca/ Levi Gundert, Vice President of Intelligence and Strategy, Recorded Future https://www.linkedin.com/in/levigundert/ Carl Leonard, Principal Security Analyst, Forcepoint https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-leonard-5486405/ Evan Blair, Founder, ZeroFOX https://www.linkedin.com/in/evanblair/ Gabby Nizri, Founder and CEO, Ayehu Software Technologies https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabbynizri/ Jason Porter, Vice President Security Solutions, AT&T https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-porter-4a604757/
In today's podcast, we hear about warnings from Cisco's Talos unit and others concerning DNSMessenger, a dangerous and evasive RAT. DDoS hits Luxembourg government sites and remains a threat to businesses. The US is said to be running a cyber campaign against North Korea's ballistic missile program. The US Defense Science Board releases its report on cyber-deterrence. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks explores the history of security orchestration. Mutual recriminations over allegations of election-season campaign surveillance swirl in the US.
In today's podcast, we review some encouraging news about Android apps, Cloudbleed, and Slack's swift bug patching. Amazon finds a typo at the root of Wednesday's internet outages. Symantec opens a venture arm. Yahoo! breach post mortems continue. Decryption tools for Dharma ransomware are out. Prospects look dim, again, for Wassenaar. China calls for the demilitarization of cyberspace. Terbium's Emily Wilson surveys the Dark Web scene during tax season. MasterCard's Melanie Gluck takes us behind the scenes of credit card security. And the security sector bids farewell to Howard Schmidt—leader, advisor, and mentor.
In today's podcast we hear about how a criminal gang is deploying sophisticated malware against remote banking system customers. Business email compromise continues to appear in the wild—be good to your proofreaders, CEOs. Telegram being used by phone scammers. FCC privacy and caller-ID blocking regulations debated. Vulnerable WordPress plug-in found. Markus Rauschecker from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security reviews the privacy implications of Smart Cities. Tony Guada from ThinAir explains the weaponization of data. And life sure was a lot easier before toys became part of the IoT.
In today's podcast, we hear that yesterday's Internet outages were due to errors in Amazon's S3 servers. Dridex has evolved to become more evasive. The Necurs botnet acquires a DDoS capability. Web cache deception attack technique is described. Austrian authorities think they have a suspect in the attempted cyberattack on Vienna's airport. Palo Alto buys LightCyber. Companies continue to grapple with GDPR compliance. Uncertainty about US policy direction expected to drive an increase in foreign cyber espionage. The University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz reviews encryption types. Jon Gross from Cylance explains Snake Wine. Congress thinks about casus belli in cyberspace. And in the IoT, people are worried about everything from Terminators to Teddy bears.
In today's podcast, we learn that the BND may have been listening to the BBC, but not in a good way. Cylance reports on Snake Wine, a curiously familiar vintage sniffed in Japanese networks. Singapore's military sustains a phishing campaign without sustaining apparent damage. Google discloses more unpatched Microsoft vulnerabilities, these in IE and Edge browsers. Criminals claim to have exploited Cloudbleed, but the jury's still out. Joe Carrigan from the Johns Hopkins University's Information Security Institute helps us understand Cloudbleed. Steven Grossman from Bay Dynamics reviews New York State's newly enacted cyber regulations. And watch your language around those networked stuffed animals.
At the 2017 RSA conference, artificial intelligence and machine learning were on just about everyone’s list of hot topics. Countless companies are offering AI and ML solutions, with many of them claiming “game changer” status. In this CyberWire special edition, we gather a group of experts to help sort through the hype, try to agree on some definitions, demystify the technology, and make the business case for artificial intelligence.
In today's podcast, we hear how Cloudflare suffered from Cloudbleed. The bug's now swatted, but it will take a lot of people some time to clear up their passwords. Spora ransomware's customer service gives lousy service. TrumpLocker ransomware's just VenusLocker poaching some brand equity. Pen testers say they can break into most networks in under twelve hours. FBI asked again how it gained access to the San Bernardino jihadist's iPhone. Update on the Moscow treason trials. The University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security's Ben Yelin describes some unintended consequences from a Trump executive order. Headed to Coachella? Hang onto your passwords.
SHA-1 is broken, for real. Grizzly Steppe threat actors seem to have a lot in common with the Carbanak gang. Bitcoin exchange hit by DDoS. Linux patches an old vulnerability. Reuters says Symantec was in talks to buy FireEye, but the companies backed away from a deal. An arrest in the Deutsche Telekom hack. Dr. Charles Clancy from Virginia Tech's Hume Center explores the designation of election systems as critical infrastructure. Jason Porter from AT&T decribes the newly formed IoT Cybersecurity Alliance. And what the vulnerability researchers found when they looked at connected cars.
In today's podcast, we hear about how Patcher ransomware is infesting Macs. Locky, Cryptowall, and Cerber are also still out and about in the wild. NSA seems likely to continue its Vulnerabilities Equities Process. Industry reactions to New York State's coming cybersecurity regulations for financial institutions. A look back at RSA discussions of cyber warfare. Further developments in the study of BugDrop malware. Terbium Labs' Emily Wilson examines the way novel exploits becomes part of the standard tool kit. And TruSTAR looks at Grizzly Steppe and has some thoughts on the difficulties of attribution.
In today's podcast, we hear from Paris that Moscow's not welcome in upcoming French elections. A new version of Mirai is out, spreading through Windows systems. Researchers warn of FTP protocol injection vulnerabilities in Python and Java. A new JavaScript exploit may affect Internet Explorer. New York State's new financial sector cyber regulations take effect next Wednesday. The Johns Hopkins University's Joe Carrigan reviews privacy tools from the EFF. Mark Dufresne from Endgame explains Fileless Attacks. A quick glance back at RSA, and some analysts' thoughts on why Verizon still wants Yahoo!'s assets.
In today's podcast, we hear that analysts are predicting a surge in North Korean hacking after China embargoes coal. ViperRAT catphishes the IDF. Magic Hound and Shamoon both use malicious macros to infect victim systems. TASS says no one really knows who hacked OSCE. Sputnik teases with a WikiLeaks tease. RSA Security's Zulfikar Ramzan offers insights from the conference. UMD Center for Health and Homeland Security's Markus Rauschecker explains how Airbnb might be affecting some foundational elements of the internet. Google shames Microsoft over patching. NIST has cyber advice for power utilities. Some RSA notes, and My Friend Cayla gets the boot from Berlin.
In today's podcast, we talk about hybrid warfare, with disinformation, cyber espionage, and spyware infestations—we also hear calls for norms of cyber conflict. BugDrop is active in Ukraine, and researchers see some cut-and-paste oddness slip from Fancy Bear's paws. A new X-Agent variant is out: this one infects Macs. Ransomware thumbs its nose at security products. A look at RSA trends as the conference closes. A converation with City of San Diego CISO and author Gary Hayslip. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks on a new addition to the Cyber Canon that's all about DevOps. And where do we get one of those "Has no purchase authority" T-shirts?
In today's podcast, in addition to notes from RSA, we hear some fresh accusations of Russian government hacking from Ukraine. Threat actors adapt. ASLR bypass exploit demonstrated. Yahoo!'s acquisition by Verizon appears likely to be deeply discounted. From RSA, notes on coming industry consolidation. Dale Drew from Level 3 Communications offers a strategy for choosing security vendors. James Lyne from Sophos provides his take of the RSA conference from the show floor. An update on the Popr-D3 Android malware. How they name the bears.
In today's podcast we consider the difficulty of distinguishing nation-state hacks from criminal capers. It's not always clear, and sometimes it's a distinction without a difference. But in any case, many call for international norms of cyber conflict. Waterholes and catphish. Ben Yelin reviews President Obama's security legacy. Steve Grobman from Intel Security on the challenges of changing course. RSA is at its midpoint; we offer some of what we're hearing on the floor about false alarms, where to draw the perimeter, and concerns about the Internet-of-things.
Researchers look into a wave of attacks on financial institutions. Microsoft calls for Geneva Convention for cyberspace. We take a look at phishing. The RSA conference is underway, and we’ve got news from the innovation sandbox, and venture capitalists. Trevor Hawthorn from Wombat Security shares insights from their State of the Phish report. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs outlines nationalism on the dark web.
In today's podcast, Hamas appears to have improved its cyber attack capabilities. Egypt is believed to be ramping up Internet surveillance. ISIS sympathizers are being targeted with Android malware delivered over Telegram. The US increasingly integrates cyber into kinetic military operations. Russia is suspected of hacking the Italian Foreign Ministry. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Technology Labs describes privacy techniques for data mining. And, of course, we begin our coverage of RSA in in San Francisco with a look at the annual Innovation Sandbox.
In today's podcast we hear about patching: the good, the bad, and the ugly. But mostly the good. Dridex is back. Brussels airport hacker turns out to be a literal script-kiddie, with the emphasis on the "kiddie." Moscow treason trials shut down Russian cooperation with Western law enforcement. Robert Lord from Protenus returns to share their Breach Barometer Report results. Ben Yelin from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security revisits the Playpen case. Industry notes, a look ahead to RSA, and some Valentine's Day advice.
In today's podcast we review some updates on the Martin NSA-contractor case. Fileless malware hits banks worldwide. DDoS tools undergo refinement. Researchers take a look at ransomware developments. It's been an active week for the cyber sector in mergers, acquisitions, and venture funding. There's a new industry consortium for IoT security, and an autonomous vehicle consortium issues a manifesto for cooperation. Conga CISO Travis Howe shared his thoughts on privacy. The Johns Hopkins University's Joe Carrigan provides tips on third party DNS. And we suggest some good alternatives to doing random stuff.
In today's podcast, we hear that ISIS-affiliated hackers deface UK National Health Service sites with propaganda. Turkish Islamists DDoS Austria's parliament. Poorly crafted, but troubling, Mac malware seems linked to Iran. Criminals follow the money into the cloud. Salient buys Triple I, Malwarebytes picks up Saferbytes, and Sophos buys Invincea. Pala Alto Networks' Rick Howard walks us through the adversary playbok. The author and purveyor of the Dendroid RAT gets probation.
In today's podcast, we hear about brokerages in Taiwan being extorted with threats of DDoS. Polish banks compromised in watering hole campaign. Criminals turn from JavaScript to less obviously suspicious kinds of files. Cyber vigilantes poke at unsecured printers and dark web hosting. China ratchets up its efforts to control its Internet. The US shares classified intelligence on Russian influence operations with European allies, and works on its own information operations capability. Dale Drew from Level 3 Communications takes note of the increase in ransomware. Rami Essaid from Distil Networks describes efforts to combat ticket scalping bots. And a former NSA contractor will probably face espionage charges related to the ShadowBrokers.
In today's podcast, we hear about how criminal markets offer ransomware-as-a-service under the guise of education. The UK's NHS and Licking County Ohio deal with separate ransomware attacks. The Slammer worm tried a comeback after fourteen years—so patch those known vulnerabilities. Crooks scammed slot machines, possibly by defeating their pseudo-random number generation. Norway tracks Fancy Bear. Russia says FSB officers charged with treason gave info to the Americans, but not necessarily the CIA. Markus Rauschecker outlines proposed changes to the email privacy act. GCHQ says security companies are peddling "witchcraft."
In today's podcast, we hear reports that Cellebrite forensic tools have been dumped online. The IRS warns that W-2 fraud is being combined with business email compromise. Cisco router vulnerabilities are under discussion. A Windows zero-day can produce the blue screen of death. Recent surveys prompt a review of enterprise security spending priorities: the perimeter is down, the endpoint is up, and network visibility is everywhere. Russia's treason trial proceeds. The US sends a good-cop/bad-cop message, or maybe just a mixed message, in cyber. Accenture Technology's Malek Ben Salem discusses embedded device security. Author Frederick Lane on his latest book, Cybertraps for Expecting Moms and Dads. And is Hogwarts in Buckinghamshire, or the Monongahela Valley?
In today's podcast, we hear about how criminals are recruiting company insiders, and how the black market trades insider information for illicit speculation. Cisco studies the costs and causes of data breaches, and the security industry offers reactions. Jonathan Katz from the University of Maryland describes searchable encryption. Vadim Vladimirskiy from Nerdio explains IT as a Service. The Internet seems to serve, again, as an R&D resource for threat actors. This time it's ISIS and commercial drones, but there's a lot out there for sale and trade.
Bear prints in the Czech foreign ministry. Tinker, tailor, soldier, hacker in Moscow, with a side of Humpty Dumpty. Gamer forum data breaches go undetected for seventeen months. Credential reuse (and the limitations of human memory) are seen as a big threat to security. An IBM study throws up its hands over the state of healthcare cyber security. Trustwave's Chris Schueler reviews their latest report on resource limitations. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs tracks the increased use of doxing. And Phineas Phisher, depending on whom you believe, is either under arrest or still at large.
In today's podcast, we review some ransomware developments: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Netgear routers and the mom-and-pop dilemma. Breaking Android pattern locks. Facebook has a novel approach to password recovery. Keysight will buy Ixia, and IBM's acquisition of Agile 3 Solutions gets positive analyst reviews. Australia's Data61 innovation shop wants to go all-in for cyber. ISIS makes hay of US immigration policy, but the group shows signs of cracks. Ben Yelin from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Securty revisits the CoinBase vs IRS case. Ian Cowger from RiskIQ explains malvertising. And remember Shaltai-Boltai.
WWhat are you expecting in 2017 when it comes to cyber security? There are sure to be attacks like we saw last year, ransomware and botnets, IoT vulnerabilities we just didn’t see coming. And what about all of those unfilled jobs? Can automation help fill the gap? Is the board room finally going to give cyber the attention it deserves? How will president Trump affect cyber policy?
In today's podcast we discuss some updates on the Russian treason arrests, with side suspicions being cast in the direction of underworld in-fighting. A principal victim of Shamoon 2 reports its recovery. IoT threats and the risk of always-on, always-listening devices. French security officials warn that cyber jihad could enlist cyber mercenaries. Cisco patches its telepresence software. Joe Carrigan from Johns Hopkins stops by to discuss always-listening IoT devices. And don’t worry: no one really got locked into their room at that posh Alpine resort. (Worry about other stuff.)
In today's podcast, we hear that LeakedSource is down, maybe for good. DoubleFlag seems to be selling bogus data on the black market. (And where, we ask, is the Ripper review? If you can't trust a criminal, who can you trust these days? Sad.) Fancy Bear is back—actually, she never really left—now snuffling at British and German networks. Saudi Arabia remains on Shamoon alert. The Dridex banking Trojan has reappeared, in an improved version. Dale Drew from Level 3 Communications shares findings on the Asia Pacific region. Vince Crisler from Dark Cubed puts Grizzly Steppe in perspective. And tech support scammers get scammed—don't try this at home.
In today's podcast, Dark Web trading post AlphaBay looks buggy, and leaky. Some not-so-bad news on ransomware (and bravo to those Gateway City librarians). Risk Based Security's 2016 breach report says the USA is number one (but not in a good way). Sweden's armed forces recover from a cyberattack by unnamed parties. Saudi Arabia remains on high-alert for fresh infestations of Shamoon. Dan Larson from CrowdStrike weighs in on ransomware evolution. Markus Rauschecker from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security highlights a Dept. of Commerce report on the IoT. And the Russian treason case may be closer to what would look like a corruption case under Western eyes.
In today's podcast we hear about Russia's arrest of a Kaspersky Lab threat researcher (charges are said to be unrelated to Kaspersky). Charger ransomware is detected and ejected from the Play Store. Mobile users are urged to watch their apps—too many snakes are still getting into the walled gardens. RATs evolve and return to the wild. Shamoon 2 expands its target set. A database vigilante may be out there. Awais Rashid joins us from Lancaster University to share thoughts on IoT devices in healthcare. Michael Lipinski from Securonix wonders if state actors have become a convenient excue. Cyber fraud rises in the United Kingdom—it's safer for the crooks than stickups. M&A and venture funding news. And that Verizon-Yahoo! deal remains up in the air.
In today's podcast, we discuss a report from Symantec that Shamoon may be connected to Greenbug. Google is purging HummingWhale malware from the Play Store. Apple issues a major set of patches across its product line. CIA has a new director; GCHQ's still looking for one. Yahoo!'s deal with Verizon will be delayed until April at least. Other industry M&A and venture funding news is more upbeat. Lloyds Bank is said to have been targeted with cyber extortion. Ben Gurion University's Yisroel Mirsky describes vulnerabilities with 3D printers. And there's no honor among thieves—if you don't believe us, ask the thieves.
In today's podcast we discuss some fake tweets from hijacked news accounts around the time of the US Presidential transition—OurMine seems to have some at least tangential involvement. BankBot Android Trojan evolves, and Skyfin will quietly buy stuff you don't want from the Google Play Store. Sage 2.0 ransomware distributed by repurposed spam. Ill-named Dharma ransomware hits Indian pony site. Lloyds Bank disclosed DDoS attacks. Cryptographer Matthew Green describes Google new open source Key Transparency project. Jonathan Katz from the University of Maryland explains multivariate encryption. The SEC looks at Yahoo!'s breach disclosure record. And the FBI is taking an interest in the gentleman Krebs fingered as Mirai's master.
In today's podcast, we hear about how the Carbank cyber gang is getting trickier and more ambitious. In other cybercrime news, ransomware takes off after more databases. There's a new ransomware-as-a-service offering in the black market. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs addresses perceptions of terrorists on the dark web. Simone Petrella from CyberVista provides her perspective on cyber security workforce issues. A new strain of Android ransomware hits Russian-speaking users. Locky's back, but in a feeble sort of way. Cybercriminals lock files at a cancer service not-for-profit. Russian policy wonks seem to suggest that we're not at the point in history where 2016 yielded to 2017. Instead—calling all Cold Warriors—1948 just ticked over into 1949.
France prepares for election hacking. Ukrenergo [yook-REN-air-go] acknowledges its electrical service was hacked. Malwarebytes reports on Fruitfly, malware swarming about biomedical research facilities. Krebs believes he's found the author of Mirai. Anonymous says it's going to dox US President-elect Trump. Ben Yelin reviews your rights to privacy at the border. Nir Giller from CyberX addresses the false sense of security when it comes to ICS. And the RSA Conference announces the finalists in the Innovation Sandbox.
Carbanak is back, and in the cloud. GhostAdmin quietly assembles a few good bots. Malware writers troll security researchers on VirusTotal. Oracle issues a big patch; Apple is said to be preparing a smaller one. M&A activity is in the news. Australia investigates fallout from the Yahoo! breaches. Experts warn European election officials and politicians to be on the lookout for Bears. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks seeks a unified theory of security. David Bianco from Sqrrl offers advice on threat hunting. And US President Obama issues some pardons and commutations—General Cartwright and Private Manning are on the list. Not so Mr. Snowden.
In today's podcast we hear warnings that electrical utilities should regard hacks of Ukraine's power grid as a wake-up call (the squirrel threat notwithstanding). Various nations work to shore up their defenses against Russian government hacking and influence operations. Russia protests its innocence, but there are some reliable reports of Fancy Bear sightings in Norway. Cyber criminals are back, except for those behind Locky ransomware, who seem to still be on holiday break. New approaches to ransomware and phishing. Dale Drew from Level 3 Communications tell us about the BGP Flowspec. And a loyalty program at the Golden Arches may be proving problematic.
In today's podcast we get updates on grid hacking in Ukraine and the case of the EyePyramid spyware in Italy. Smartphone forensics shop Cellebrite suffers a data breach. WhatsApp appears to have an encryption issue, but most observers think it's not really a backdoor. WordPress gets eight patches. ENISA issues recommended best practices for securing connected cars. A US Justice Department IG will look into the FBI's investigation of classified information handling in the Clinton State Department. President Obama expands NSA's authority to share raw SIGINT with other intelligence agencies. The Johns Hopkins University's Joe Carrigan reminds us to protect our mobile phone numbers. Stanford Cyber Initiative Executive Director Allison Berke shares that organization's mission. Guccifer 2.0 wants to clear a few things up, and the ShadowBrokers say "bye-bye," or maybe "do svidaniya."
In today's podcast, we hear about the arrest of an Italian brother and sister for an EyePyramid spyware crime spree that may have been in progress since 2010. Ukraine confirms that Kiev's power grid was hacked last month, and the Ukrainian government tries to tide over some influence operations of its own. Policy wonks talk information operations and some realize that such ops aren't new. The peace sign hack joins the Gummibear hack as a challenge to biometric authentication. Yisroel Mirsky from Ben Gurion University explains new research using databases of exploits and vulnerabilities. Quick industry notes. And Hamas goes catphishing.
In today's podcast we learn that Shamoon is back, and still a nasty piece of work. Ukraine's grid was hacked again last month, probably by the same people who did it at the end of 2015. A new strain of ransomware offers a tiered extortion model (and unfortunately pretty solid encryption). France and Britain prepare for Russian election hacking. Awais Rashid from Lancaster University outlines the human factors in cyber security. Limor Kessem from IBM Security discusses their recently released ransomware study.The debate over influence operations flares again in the US. And China still finds Pokemon threatening.
California says a nation-state was behind the Anthem hack. The ShadowBrokers hold a yard sale (we'd pass on the malware, but if they had a nice blender out we'd consider it). WikiLeaks says it's interested in relationships, not doxing. The US FDA confirms vulnerabilities in cardiac devices. Hello Kitty gets breached. Yahoo! will become Altaba, and get new leadership. Germany and the UK study ways of increasing cyber capability. The University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz reviews emerging encryption types. Uri Sternfeld from Cybereason explains their free ransomware prevention tool, RansomFree. Russia complains it's the subject of a witch hunt.
In today's podcast we hear about the report on Russian election hacking and influence operations the US Director of National Intelligence released Friday. Election hacking? Not really, but influence operations? You bet. Robert M. Lee from Dragos Security weighs in on the report. European authorities worry about Russia inserting itself into 2017 elections. Law, and order, torts and Twitter. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs describes the role of law enforcement on the Dark Web. And a note on she-who-must-not-be-named (our listeners in San Diego will know exactly whom we mean—heck, it's Alexa).
In today's podcast, we hear about a worldwide spearphishing attack against industries in 50 countries. Ransomware is already proving as much of a problem as predicted: exposed data bases are hijacked in a turf-war among extortion gangs, and KillDisk has now appeared in ransomware kits. Investment analysts wonder if Verizon's bid for Yahoo!'s core assets will go through. Ben Yelin from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security discusses the IRS demanding info on some bitcoin users. FireEye's Tony Cole reviews their latest report on what to expect in 2017. The US Intelligence Community tells the Senate that, yes indeed, the Russians were hacking during the election. A full report is promised for next week.
In today's podcast we hear about how indiscriminate indicators of compromise spawn fake news about a Vermont grid hack. Meanwhile, the Mounties cautiously, tentatively, investigate some odd potential IOCs at an Ontario utility. A hacker claims he pwned the FBI, but it looks like a hoax. A quick rundown of exploits currently romping in the wild—many of them involve ransomware. Rick Howard from Palo Alto describes Security Orchestration. Marika Chauvin from Threat Connect shares research on Hacktivists vs Faketivists. And yes, your thumbprint will authenticate you to your phone even if you've dozed off, Mom.
In today's podcast, we hear about how some hacktivists are again turning to defacement, which they claim to be doing as a public service to raise security awareness. Recorded Future takes a close look at ransomware's likely course in 2017. ISIS exposes itself online. Attribution controversies: the Vermont hack-that-wasn't, tactical hacks in eastern Ukraine, and the FBI-NCCIC Joint Analysis Report. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Technology Labs describes how Deep Learning may be applied to cyber security. And would you hug Skynet, if it looked like Teddy Ruxpin?
In today's podcast, we follow the way in which the Vermont utility hacking story fizzled. We also hear more serious grounds for concern about electrical grid security continue from Joe Weiss of Applied Control Solutions. Observers are disappointed by the Grizzly Steppe Joint Analysis Report—its evidence strikes many as mighty circumstantial. US-Russian cyber strategies and cyber diplomacy. Anonymous greets the Bilderbergers. ISIS claims responsibility for recent massacres as part of its online inspiration. Level 3 Communications' Dale Drew provides his take on the coming year. German police believe they've stopped a Saarland bomb plot.
Our podcast team is taking a break this week for the holidays. We’re revisiting some of our favorite interviews from 2016. Daniel Ennis is former director of the NSA Threat Operations Center, or NTOC, and is currently executive director of the University of Maryland Global Initiative on Cyber. We spoke with Daniel Ennis back in July.
Every day there seems to be a new security product on the market, with many of them claiming they provide something that you simply can’t live without. Companies appear and disappear, and businesses are faced with difficult, confusing, and often expensive choices. In this CyberWire special edition, we explore how businesses are navigating the process of choosing products and technologies in a crowded marketplace. We talk to some key stakeholders to find out what drives their purchasing decisions, and what they wished their vendors knew before they came knocking on their doors.
Our podcast team is taking a break this week for the holidays. We’re revisiting some of our favorite interviews from 2016. Tom Coale is an attorney with the law firm Talkin and Oh, in Maryland, where one of his specialties is representing people who have been denied security clearances. Previously, Mr. Coale was Department Counsel for the Department of Defense, representing the government in security clearance due process hearings. We spoke to Tom Coale back in July.
Our podcast team is taking a break this week for the holidays. We’re revisiting some of our favorite interviews from 2016. Tom Wingfield is Professor of Cyberspace law at the National Defense University, and one of the authors of the Tallin manual, an academic study of how international law applies to cyber conflicts and cyber warfare. We interviewed Tom Wingfield back in October, on location at the 2016 ASUA meeting in Washington DC.
Our podcast team is taking a break this week for the holidays. We’re revisiting some of our favorite interviews from 2016. Back in May, we spoke with author and historian Abby Smith Rumsey about her latest book, “When We Are No More: How digital memory shapes our future.” The book explores human memory from pre-history to the present, from pictures painted on cave walls to the present, with all the world’s knowledge available in an instant on our mobile devices.
In today's podcast we hear more about how Fancy Bear has gone to war. Russia denies meddling with US elections. US retaliation for influence operations is still under consideration—some speculate that when it comes, it may be loud. Siemens patches its widely used HVAC controller. Post mortems on the Yahoo! breach continue (and draw attention to cybersecurity EFTs). FBI Special Agent Keith Mularski describes the takedown of the Avalanche botnet. Awais Rashid from Lancaster University on data exfiltration by APTs. And NIST releases its guide to cyber incident response and recovery.
In today's podcast, we hear about ISIS attempts to inspire Christmas attacks. Ukraine is on the receiving end of Russian tactical cyber operations, and yes, it's Fancy Bear. Analysts mull the possibility of a Russo-American détente emerging from cyber conflict. Mirai continues to rope maverick devices into its bot-herd. Virginia Tech's Hume Center's Dr. Charles Clancy explains mobile device encryption. Adnan Amjad from Deloitte describes creative ways of finding IT talent. And WordPress and Tumblr receive criminal attention.
In today's podcast, we hear about Ukraine's investigation of Saturday's power outages around Kiev—speculation says it was either a demonstration or misdirection. German police track terrorists' spoor online. Pakistani hackers hit Google's Bangladesh domain, possibly for the lulz. (Speaking of the lulz, OurMine is back and messing with Twitter accounts.) Panasonic and IOActive disagree over reports of airline vulnerabilities. Verizon mulls its Yahoo! acquisition plans, post-breach. NIST is looking for some post-quantum standards. Google's Project Wycheproof gets good early reviews. Joe Carrigan from the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute discusses the utility of burner email addresses. Sam McLane from Arctic Wolf reviews your incident response plan. Wassenaar renegotiation goes on hold. And the ShadowBrokers offer a low, low price, for Equation Group code, if you act now. (But we say "pass.")
In today's podcast, we discuss another possible cyber incident that hit Ukraine's power grid last Saturday. Flashpoint looks at the ShadowBrokers' alleged Equation Group code and sees a rogue insider behind the leak. WordPress sites are receiving a lot of brute-forcing attempts. New spam and other attack techniques are evading volumetric detection. Mirai is sniffing for new IoT bots, and Dave Larson from Corero Network Security tells us what to expect in 2017. Jonathan Katz from the University of Maryland outlines advances in fully homomorphic encryption. Russian crooks skim ad revenue with the Methbot scam. Wassenaar cyber arms control remains controversial. And informed speculation suggests the ShadowBrokers and Bocephus Cleetus are—da—effectively, the same people.
In today's podcast, we hear about how the ShadowBrokers are stocking their discount rack with Equation Group bargains. Yahoo's data breach attracts regulatory, investor, and due diligence scrutiny. Yahoo's stolen data is also being offered for sale on the dark web. Multiple other data breaches come to light, and skids hit online games with DDoS attacks. Ben-Gurion University's Yisroel Mirsky describes vulnerabilities of the US 911 system. US investigation of Russian election influence operations continues, and the US says it's planning some sort of retaliation.
In today's podcast we hear about "Rasputin," a cybercriminal selling US Election Assistance Commission credentials. US investigation of Russian influence operations continues, with promises of eventual retaliation (nose-thumbing from Moscow received in response). UK and EU officials worry about Russian meddling with 2017 elections. The Yahoo! breach sinks in—some call it the "Exxon Valdez" of cyberspace. New ransomware strains and growing ransomware sector, but help in the form of an international public-private partnership. Markus Rauschecker from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security discusses the National Cyber Incident Response Plan (NCIRP). We talk privacy and encryption policy Jacob Ginsberg from EchoWorx. with And we're closer to seeing robot drivers on the streets.
In today's podcast, we hear about Yahoo's disclosure of a record-setting breach—over a billion customer accounts are affected. CyberWire editor John Petrik collects industry comments on the breach. Microsoft reports finding "FinFisher-like" spyware in the wild. US investigation of Russian election hacking continues. The case for and against Fancy Bear is being made by observers, but the Intelligence Community says it will keep its conclusions to itself until the investigation is complete. ThreatConnect describes "faketivism." And the ShadowBrokers are back, and their broken English hasn’t gotten more convincing.
In today's podcast, we learn that Ukraine says its Defense Ministry was hacked, probably by Russia. US investigations of apparent Russian influence operations during elections continue. Venezuela talks up cyber threats as contributing to its financial crises. Dr. Web reports a new Loki Trojan variant in the wild. BugSec and Cynet disclose Facebook Messenger flaw (now patched). Level 3's Dale Drew provides insights on nation state hackers. Omri Iluz from PerimeterX warns us about gift card fraud. Colonel's Club breached. And hacktivists go after Russian consular data.
In today's podcast, we learn that SWIFT has warned member banks of ongoing attempts at fraudulent funds transfer. US investigation of Russian influence operations continues, with bipartisan support. German fears of Russian election hacking persist. Apple iOS, McAfee VirusScan Enterprise, and AirDroid get patches. Tor releases a browser with upgraded anonymity. Kevin Bocek from Venafi reminds us of the looming SHA-1 sunsetting. Ben Yelin from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security examines a case involving stingray devices and warrantless searches. And some guy steals a million so he can spend it on in-game purchases.
In today's podcast, we hear about how an international police action swept up youths shopping for DDoS tools. Russian banks sustain a mild, easily parried DDoS attack. Mirai gets trickier. US-CERT warns against vulnerabilities in home routers. Popcorn Time ransomware says it's doing good by doing bad, but few will be deceived. US opens an investigation after the Intelligence Community concludes that Russian services tried to throw the US election away from Clinton and toward Trump. Emily Wilson from Terbium labs describes the markets for drugs and pharmaceuticals on the dark web. And North Korea says they didn't do it, you tantrum-throwing conservative puppet regime, you.
In today's podcast, South Korea braces for the North to take cyber advantage of a constitutional crisis, but so far all's quiet. (Or most is quiet, anyway.) Germany takes official notice that Fancy Bear is working to disrupt next year's elections. The US state of Georgia thinks DHS may have tried to penetrate its election system post-election, and it wants to know what's up. ISIS is back online, and calling for attacks against Americans and Shiites. A phishing campaign trolls customer service reps with fileless malware. Experts expect more Mirai-driven DDoS. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks tells about the Cybersecurity Canon. Caleb Barlow from IBM Security explains the importance of a well practiced resiliency plan. And the Avalanche criminal kingpin is on the lam after being sprung from a Ukrainian jail.
In today's podcast, we hear about an industrial espionage campaign against Germany's steel industry. Turkish hacktivists' Sledgehammer gamifies DDoS (and installs backdoors in its gamers). The Floki Bot Trojan is a cheap and evasive addition to the Zeus family. Dridex is back. GPS gets a cybersecurity upgrade. Too many people are still using Windows XP. Joe Carrigan from the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute reports back from the Grace Hopper conference. ZScaler's Deepen Desai describes the Stampado strain of ransomware. NSA is said to be struggling to compete with the private sector for cyber talent.
In today's podcast, we hear that more network security cameras have been found vulnerable to bot-herding. Sony's are patched, so patch. Unpatched Flash bugs incorporated into exploit kits. New ransomware strains are out. Russia announces a new national Internet strategy as Canada and the EU grapple with the complexity and ambivalence of controlling extremist content. Steganography is back, alas, and in your banner ads. Dr. Charles Clancy from VA Tech’s Hume Center explains the challenges of developing security solutions that can function in both the federal and commercial realms. Ebba Blitz from Alertsec hasthe results of a survey on what Americans fear most when it comes to cyber security. And Tay's kid sister Zo makes her debut.
In today's podcast, we hear that more state-directed hacking is in the forecast for 2017 (and Pyongyang seems to have a head start). A new DDoS botnet rivals Mirai. Ransomware notes. Android users are advised to stick with Google Play (and so avoid Gooligan). Content filtering in social media. Cris Thomas from Tenable talks about their cybersecurity report card. Awais Rashid from Lancaster University outlines critical national infrastructure. And more connected toys seems to be far too curious about those who play with them.
In today's podcast, we hear what the US Presidential Commission on Cybersecurity recommended in its long-anticipated report. Russia's FSB says today's the day foreign intelligence services are going to try to disrupt the Russian financial system. Ransomware author Pornpoker gets collared. Distributed guessing attacks might have been made against Tesco. Gooligan's business model is mostly advertising and garbage apps. Markus Rauschecker from University of MD's Center for Health and Homeland Security ponders IoT liability. Tenable's Global Cybersecurity Assurance Report Card tells the globe it's got room for improvement.
In today's podcast, we hear about an international take down of the Avalanche cybercrime ring. (Bravo, FBI…and others.) A vulnerability in AirDroid is reported—you can find the app in the Google Play Store. Russia says there's a plot afoot to hack its banks and spread financial panic. US Senators tell the White House they want to know more about Russian attempts to influence US elections. This week has seen more Mirai DDoS, a resurgence of Shamoon, and another round of WikiLeaks doxing. There are also changes to NISPOM and Rule 41 in the US, and Ben Yelin from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security fills us in on that. Denim Group's John Dickson helps us understand what we might expect from the coming Trump presidency. In the UK the Snooper's Charter received Royal assent. And what do pacemakers and e-cigarettes have in common? Malware.
In today's podcast, we learn that Shamoon is back, again probably from Iran, and again hitting Saudi targets. Mirai infestations are turning up in the UK; observers see a criminal race to round up the biggest bot herd. Fancy Bear is also back, and still pawing at WADA. Good backup practices enabled San Francisco's Muni light rail to recover from ransomware. Palo Alto warns of a new Android Trojan. Facebook says there's no way ransomware was hidden in Messenger images. Firefox patches the zero-day that threatens Tor anonymity. Professor Jonathan Katz from the University of Maryland explains why ransomware crypto is hard, and Group iB's Dmitry Volkov describes ATM jacking group Colbalt. Germany mulls going for more surveillance, less privacy, as investigations of ISIS operations continue.
In today's podcast, we hear about Deutsche Telekom's recovery from DDoS, and why there's probably a lot more Mirai where that came from. Omri Iluz from PerimeterX gives us the background on botnets. Germany arrests an alleged mole in the BfV. ISIS claims the Ohio State attacker as its "soldier." The Snooper's Charter becomes law in the UK. San Francisco's Muni hangs tough on ransomware. A new Android malware strain is out in the wild. We welcome Awais Rashid from Lancaster University to the show. And Ross Ulbricht's defense team say they've found a third crooked cop in the Silk Road case.
In today's podcast, we hear about how ISIS sympathizers are celebrating the Ohio State slasher rampage in social media. Germany's BND warns of Russian plans to disrupt elections. Deutsche Telekom recovers from a Mirai-driven DDoS attack. San Francisco's light rail recovers from ransomware (and resumes collecting fares). Holiday retail cyber security trends. A look into the dark web. Continuing security troubles for former and prospective US Secretaries of State. Level 3's Dale Drew takes a look at critical infrastructure. The Carter Administration gets doxed, and xHamster is breached.
In this CyberWire Podcast Special Edition, we examine the current state of investment in cyber security, speak to experts in the field, and learn from top cyber security-focused venture capitalists what they expect before they invest.
In today's podcast, we hear about how military, law enforcement cooperation are taking a toll of ISIS cyber operators. President Obama says the US elections weren't affected by hackers. DDoS in Brussels and Ireland remain under investigation. A Mirai botnet is available for rent on the cyber black market. ATM skimmers threaten holiday users—and the new inset skimmers are tough to detect. Ransomware hits San Francisco light rail (so the Muni lets passengers ride free). Booz Allen's Brad Medairy walks us through the Ukraine grid hack. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs describes how they celebrate the holidays in the Dark Web. And no, Anthony Bourdain's foodie show wasn't hacked to get banned in Boston
In today's podcast, we hear about how ISIS is making its way, quietly, back into the cyber news (and how the Australian Signals Directorate is on the case). The Broadband Internet Technology Advisory Group wants the IoT industry to face some unpleasant facts, and the security industry calls for standards. Europol finishes its second sweep of money mules. ATM jackpotting spreads in Europe and Asia. India suffers a wave of carding. Joe Carrigan from the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute reports back from the NICE Conference. BBC Journalist and Author Gordon Corera is our guest, discussing his latest book, "Cyber Spies - The secret history of surveillance, hacking and digital espionage." And security experts warn us all to be cyber savvy on Black Friday.
In today's podcast we hear about the FBI's warning that cash-spewing ATMs could be coming to a strip mall near you, courtesy of the Russian mob. Bad news and good news about ransomware. Another Android backdoor is reported. Exploitable security cameras get a patch. The Conficker worm's still crazy after all these years. Lessons for users from the Three Mobile hack. Biometrics meets the Wind in the Willows? (Fujitsu Biometrics' Derek Northrope provides a reality check.) Palo Alto's Rick Howard discusses the disconnect between the board room and the tech crew. China's new Internet law. And what have Fancy and Cozy Bear been up to? Hibernating?
In today's podcast, we talk about thinking twice before opening pictures received via Facebook Messenger. A recruiting site exposes GitHub profiles. Investigation of credential abuse in the Three Mobile upgrade fraud continues. Fortinet warns German users against an Android banking Trojan. Much advice on how to stay safe online during holiday shopping is out. Symantec plans to buy LifeLock, and Optiv is filing an IPO. President Obama says, while in Berlin, that he won't pardon Snowden. Rumors of DNI and SecDef discontent with Director NSA circulate. Markus Rauschecker from the University of MD Center for Health and Homeland Security reviews new automotive security guidelines from the feds. And no, Chinese cabinet ministers don't have a side gig recruiting for the Canadian Forces.
In today's podcast, we hear about US DNI Clapper's long-expected resignation and his contention that attributing election hacking to Russia seems to have induced Moscow to "curtail" such operations. The UK arrests suspects in an upgrade fraud scheme suffered by Three Mobile and its customers. Updates on Android spyware and banking Trojans. Siri might be helping bypass your iPhone's lockscreen. There's good and bad news about ransomware, but, happily, more good than bad. A quick review of the week's industry news, with an emphasis on cyber security start-ups. Dr. Charles Clancy from Virginia Tech's Hume Center outlines Virginia's new Cyber Security Range initiative. Sara Sorcher from the Christian Science Monitor's Passcode provides an overview of what we might expect from the Trump presidency. And, in China, wisdom sees a passing of the Mandate of Heaven in cyberspace. Or that's what wisdom's spokesmen are saying, anyway.
In today's podcast, we hear about German concerns over Russian meddling in elections. In the US, the NSA Director says a nation-state made a conscious attempt to influence American elections. Dictators can use social media, too, it seems. Huawei and ZTE reassure customers about the Adups backdoor. Holiday shopping security warnings are out, and they're not just about online purchases, either—watch out for that in-store Wi-Fi. The UK's Snooper's Charter passes the House of Lords. Ran Yahalom from Ben Gurion University describes USB hardware attacks. John LaCour, CEO of Phishlabs provides advice on avoiding (wait for it…) phishing attacks. And a Russian court tells that country's ISPs to shut down LinkedIn—it's a concern about privacy, don't you know.
In today's podcast, we hear about some lawful intercept tools that have been found prospecting Android. Synack calls shenanigans on Shazam, but maybe no harm, no foul. Carbanak turns from banks to hospitality. Insider threats and how to mitigate them—if you've got a facility clearance, you've got a deadline coming up, and Steven Grossman from Bay Dynamics explains what it means. Arlington Capital merges three of its companies into a new cyber shop, Polaris Alpha. Symantec is rumored to be sniffing at LifeLock. Cyber policy discussions in Germany and the US sound a lot alike. Jonathan Katz from the University of Maryland explains the pros and cons of photonic encryption. A teenager cops to the TalkTalk hack, and, if you're asking for a friend, the tally of accounts affected by the AdultFriendFinder breach hits 412 million.
In today's podcast we hear about a backdoor Kryptowire has found preinstalled in some Android phones. We speak with Ryan Johnson, the researcher who discovered the vulnerability. The Locky ransomware takes a run at US Army Cyber Command. CrySis ransomware is decrypted. SpamTorte 2.0 is out, and it's thinking big. A Trojan may be implicated in the Tesco fraud campaign, and it may have more banks in its crosshairs. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs shares the findings of their latest report on the Dark Web, and Ping Identity's Pamela Dingle explains the Digital Transformation Journey. And watch out for the AdultFriendFinder-themed spam that will follow in the breach's wake.
In today's podcast, we follow up on last week's DDoS against Russian banks. Fancy Bear's been poking at think tanks, and ESET has a rundown of Fancy's fancies over the last couple of years. DDoS can be low and slow as well as high and noisy. Banks consider cyber lessons learned from Tesco heists. International recruiter Michael Page blames a third-party for data loss. Canada's Casino Rama—that's the casino's name—sustains a breach. A family of sites none of you would visit is also breached—we tell you because you're probably asking on behalf of 339 million friends. LabMD wins a stay against the FTC. Level 3's Dale Drew considers the changing nature of the IoT. And Kaspersky takes Microsoft to court in Moscow on an anti-trust beef.
In today's podcast, we look back at election hacking concerns in the US (most of which didn't happen) and we hear from some people who offer advice for the next administration's first 100 days. Fancy Bear is phishing with Adobe and Microsoft zero-days. Investigation of the Tesco fraud continues. It looks as if the Bangladesh Bank might recover some of its losses in the SWIFT heist. There's an OPM-themed phishing campaign afoot. Server database issues point up the importance of digital hygiene. More Yahoo troubles. Markus Rauschecker from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security explains new FCC privacy rules. Chuck Ames, Director of Cybersecurity for Maryland, describes new regulations for companies looking to do business with the government. Advice for the next US President. And, Marines, happy birthday and semper fi.
In today's podcast we look at Patch Tuesday: Microsoft closes thirteen vulnerabilities (five of them "critical"), Adobe fixes Flash Player, and Google addresses Android issues. "Trigger-based" mobile malware, and why it's hard to see. Why usability matters to security. Tesco continues to recover from ATM fraud. Canadian police surveillance is scrutinized. Thermostat trouble in Finland. The Johns Hopkins University's Joe Carrigan discusses privacy of medical records. Professor Gene Tsudik from University of California, Irvine, explains a potential vulnerability with typing while Skyping. And, oh, we also hear there was some election or something in the US.
In today's podcast we hear that US authorities are ready for election hacking, but assess the risk as low. (The information operations, however, seem to be another matter.) Flashpoint sees Mirai being fragmented in a black-market market correction. Users in Turkey flee censorship into Tor. Operation Hyperion shuts down a lot of dark web nastiness. Tesco fraud investigations continue. Palo Alto's Rick Howard describes a new white paper on the growing sophistication of Nigerian online scammers. CrowdStrike's Dan Larson explains the evolving motivations of threat actors. And an email spoofer tells the court there's no tort, because his email was so implausible.
In today's podcast, we offer an Election Day Eve round-up of current cyber tensions, especially between the US and Russia: influence operations for sure, disruption possibly, vote manipulation maybe (but probably not). Ukrainian hacktivists continue to dox a major Putin consigliere. UK retail bank Tesco shuts down online operations due to a wave of fraud. Ben Yelin from the University of Maryland Center of Health and Homeland Security provides a final assessment of the US presidential candidates. And Indian police say a rival service seems responsible for a July DDoS attack in Mumbai.
In today's podcast, we hear about how Liberia has sustained a significant DDoS attack (Mirai is behind it). Linux/Moose is also on the IoT loose. Hospitals in the UK continue to recover from ransomware attacks. Anonymous doesn't like ISIS, but it also doesn't like the governments who are fighting the Caliphate. Exaspy malware targets business leaders' Android phones. A new joint venture is poised to become a mid-major in the cyber security sector. Accenture Technology Labs' Malek Ben Salem explains developments in redactable blockchain. AT&T CSO Bill O'Hern provides his perspective on current and coming cyber security challenges. And an update on election hacking—it's more of the same, with more coming.
In today's podcast we hear about how fallout from the FBI investigation of former Congressman Wiener continues to drop onto the Clinton campaign. WikiLeaks' Assange says he'll continue to dox, but denies he's doing so with Russian help. Iot-driven DDoS fears continue. A new exploit kit is replacing earlier stars in the criminal firmament. Jonathan Katz from the University of Maryland describes an experiment Google ran, pitting several AIs against each other in an encryption challenge. Edward Fox from MetTel explains the role telecommunications companies play in cyber security. NIST issues a cybersecurity workforce framework, NSA promotes its Day of Cyber, and the SINET 16 are introduced in Washington.
In today's podcast, we hear about the Microsoft and Google disagreement over public vulnerability disclosure (with a side of Fancy Bear). We also get some industry reactions to the dispute. Terbium takes a good look at the dark web and finds it's not as uniformly sinister as many believe. Google and Mozilla move to reject dodgy certificates. NIST releases a job map. Anonymous gets a grade of incomplete in its trolling of ISIS. Identity Guard's Jerry Thompson describes new technology for protecting your identity online. Ran Yahalom from Ben-Gurion University explains hiding data in USB devices. And the Shadow Brokers' news seems a bit old.
In today's podcast we hear that the Shadow Brokers are back, and again mangling English like a bad scriptwriter doing Ensign Chekhov fan-fiction. Russian leaders continue to scoff at American elections, and WikiLeaks continues to leak. Microsoft doesn't patch fast enough to suit Google. Researchers consider the scope, threat, and mitigation of the Mirai IoT botnet. We welcome Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks to the show. Ferruh Matvituna explains how Content Security Policy can protect against cross site scripting. And Furby's back, but this time it's connected.
In today's Halloween podcast, we consider post mortems on the October IoT distributed denial-of-service attacks, which suggest there are bigger problems than just factory settings. Recalls of potentially compromised devices continue, and some think about hacking back. (A hint—think twice.) HackForums pulls down its network stressor offerings. South Korea says the North is up to more cyber badness. US election hacking concerns continue. The FBI reopens its email inquiry. Level 3's Dale Drew discusses the growing scale of online attacks. And observers wonder, what do you have to do to lose a clearance?
On today's podcast, we hear that ransomware is still with us. A new study of online fraud is out, and one lesson is, it's better to take some, any, precaution than to whistle and hope for the best. The Australian Red Cross suffers a data breach affecting more than a million blood donors' records. Windows seems to suffer from an exploitable vulnerability—how serious it may prove remains to be seen. Mirai botnets continue to sputter across the IoT. Signs point to a public-health approach to mitigating DDoS. Ben Yelin reports on a Maryland surveillance hearing. Duo Security's Dug Song thinks it's time to get back to basics. Not everyone believes you need to resign yourself to being hacked. And those doxed Kremlin emails? Apparently real.
In this CyberWire Podcast Special Edition, we examine the current state of cyber security education, speak to experts in the field, and learn about what it’s going to take to prepare the next generation of cyber security professionals.
In today's podcast, we hear more about the IoT worries people are sharing about both industrial systems and consumer-grade products. Iot device recalls continue. Analysts expect there are more, and worse, DDoS attacks to come. Cyber espionage surfaces again in the Middle East. Yisroel Mirsky from Ben-Gurion University on machine learning research. Thomas Pore from Plixer on the Mirai botnet source code. And what's sauce for the goose, is sauce for the gander. Or so we hear, at least with doxing.
In today's podcast, we hear that Friday's Dyn DDoS may have been the work of skids and script kiddies, not high-end Russian spies. A recall of vulnerable IoT devices proceeds. Utilities see the DDoS attacks as a warning shot—they should maybe start by getting rid of all those pagers? ISIS tweaks its online messaging to point out that the Caliphate is enduring a divinely ordained period of trial. CloudFanta malware harvests credentials via a cloud storage app. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs weighs in on credit card fraud in the dark web. Edward Hammersla from Forcepoint reviews their study of Millennials in the federal workplace. And, fellow youths, there's some bad news and some good news about cyber
In today's podcast we hear about some who think that IoT botnets may be best considered an instance of a more general problem with poorly secured endpoints. Good digital hygiene can be good digital citizenship. IoT device recalls follow the DDoS against Dyn. Attribution of the attacks remains up in the air—Clapper looks at "multinational hackers, Jester looks at Russia (and Russia looks at Jester and sees Vice President Biden), and yes, John McAfee is looking at North Korea. Joe Carrigan from The Johns Hopkins University's Information Security Institute inventories IoT devices, and Malcolm Harkins from Cylance shares his thoughts on taking risks.
In today's podcast we hear about how, while the Internet has recovered from Friday's DDoS attacks on DNS provider Dyn, its users are suffering a significant hangover. No attribution, but the Jester thinks he's (she's? they're) on the case. Observers see significant potential for more damaging IoT-based attacks to come. Virginia Tech's Dr. Charles Clancy weighs in on quantum computers and encryption. And Hal Martin's lawyer adumbrates his client's defense in the case of the Top Secret Collector's Collection of Top Secret documents.
In today's podcast we follow the developing story of intermittent DDoS attacks affecting Internet sites throughout the US East Coast. Hotspot vigilantes try to get Julian Assange reconnected inside Ecuador's London embassy. More election documents appear in WikiLeaks. Russia offers to monitor US elections. NSA's Director talks about labor force issues. The University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz explains an update to a key encryption component of the internet. Guest Kevin Green from DHS describes his work on software assurance programs. And some advice from the Cyber Security Hall of Fame: You want security, convenience, and freedom? Pick two.
In today's podcast we hear about Czech authorities' arrest of a Russian man in connection with 2012's LinkedIn hack. US response to Russian election hacking is still under preparation. IoT botnets proliferate as Mirai source code spreads through the criminal underground. Some 200 strains of ransomware are reported in the wild. Financial regulators push greater security. Muddy Waters and St. Jude continue their dispute over medical device vulnerabilities. Ran Yahalom from Ben-Gurion University discusses a group of vulnerabilities known as Bad USB. Tom Sadowski from the University of Maryland system discusses CyberMaryland and the role of the University System.
In today's podcast, we hear that Ecuador has told the world they cut Assange's Internet connection (but will continue his asylum), and that they did so on their own. Russia Today remains predictably unconvinced. WikiLeaks shows no signs of stopping election doxing. The US may be considering a campaign of counter-embarrassment as its response to Russian information operations. Fallout from the Yahoo! breach continues. London banks are hit with ransomware. More IoT botnets form from Mirai code. Terbium's Emily Wilson explains the weaponization of intel. Venafi's Kevin Bocek describes what their look at Yahoo!'s encryption revealed. And we take a quick look at the blockchain.
In today's podcast we hear the current skinny on hacking the US elections. WikiLeaks' Assange lives, but he seems to be offline, and RT gets dumped by its British bank. The US continues to make noises about retaliating against Russian hackers. Russia sheds crocodile tweets over American gasconade. A retired general pleads guilty to lying to the FBI. The Shadow Brokers say, really, they want someone to bid, or else. Markus Rauschecker from the University of MD Center for Health and Homeland Security explains a recent ruling involving kids' privacy online. Netskope's Ravi Balupari describes the latest behaviors of the Virlock ransomware. Level 3 keeps score on the Mirai botnet. And, fellow youths, you may after all be the weakest link.
In today's podcast we hear about Pakistani phishing in the Indian Army's pond. ISIS loses prophetically important town of Dabiq, and must adjust its messaging accordingly. WikiLeaks continues to poke at the Clinton campaign. Fancy Bear is again in the spotlight as the US preps a response to Russian election hacking. IoT malware—Mirai and LuaBot—affects networking gear. Dyre's masters are back and working on a new banking Trojan. Robert Lee from Dragos Security offers his opinion on recently nuclear power plant breach revelations. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Technology Labs explains new research on semantic technology for security analytucs. And what, exactly, does EvilTwin think he, she, or they might be up to?
In today's podcast we follow the continuing story of election hacks, and the varying but convergent motives behind them. We get a side helping of good government advice from Mr. Putin. (Thanks, Vlad!) Al Qaeda tries to reach the Millennial jihadist market with ISIS-like information operations. The Internet-of-Things enhances its reputation as an Internet-of-Trouble. Cyber stocks see turbulence as downbeat guidance spooks speculators. Pork Explosion isn't a movie from the Seventies—it's an Android backdoor. The Johns Hopkins University's Joe Carrigan responds to a listener inquiry about Amazon's recent password resets. DDoS expert Dave Larson from Corero Network Security shares his perspective on recent attacks. And please don't use a misspelled app to take selfies.
In today's podcast, we hear about possible patriotic hacktivism in South Asia. IoT devices are being exploited as proxies, and exploit kits continue to serve up ransomware against poorly managed systems. Market volatility puts cyber stocks on a roller coaster. The US continues to work out its proportional response to Russian election hacking. Russia says it's willing to ride out all that domestic American messiness in the hope of better relations. We welcome our newest Academic and Research Partner, Ran Yahalom, Project Leader at the Malware Lab of the Cyber Security Research Center at Ben-Gurion University. LastPass' Amber Steel shares the results of their recent password security survey. And criminal cartels use in-game currencies for money laundering.
In today's podcast we take a quick look back at Patch Tuesday. Amazon gets solid reviews for a password reset campaign. A new Trojan is caught manipulating SWIFT fund transfer logs. IoT botnets worry ecommerce sites, and the EU's proposed stickers seem unlikely to allay those concerns. Australia confirms a foreign intelligence service hacked its Bureau of Meteorology, but it won't say which foreign service that was. TV5Monde offers details on its experience with a false-flag hack. Jonathan Katz from the University of Maryland describes obfuscation techniques he saw at a recent crypto conference. Quortum's Joey Alonzo provides tips on mobile device security. And, says the US to Russia, ready or not, here we come. (Maybe.)
In today's podcast, we hear about Industrial control system worries in the electrical power sector. IoT botnets spook the EU, and research into Mirai reveals some interesting features of last month's DDoS attacks. The US Intelligence Community says officially that the Russians are trying to influence US elections. The Russians say it's rubbish, and the candidates swap accusations. WikiLeaks doxes the Clinton campaign. Level 3's Dale Drew discusses the security of election systems. Smrithi Konanur from HPE Data Security explains credit card security. The FBI wants another terrorist's iPhone unlocked. Verizon mulls the price at which it might now buy Yahoo! And experts suggest best practices for Cyber Security Awareness Month.
In today's podcast we discuss the consensus that Guccifer 2.0 didn't actually hack the Clinton Foundation. We hear how information operations might work during an election. The arrested NSA contractor's alleged motives remain unclear. The Mirai botnet got its exploitable vulnerabilities by downstream propagation of default credentials. The US Surgeon General discloses a breach. Dr. Charles Clancy from Virginia Tech's Hume Center considers policy statements from US presidential candidates. Joyce Brocaglia tells us about the Executive Women's Forum. And if you have a hard time listening to us, you may be suffering from "security fatigue." Don't believe us—take it from NIST.
In today's podcast we learn about the FBIs' arrest of an NSA contract worker—classified material was found in his home and vehicle. TalkTalk gets a record fine—£400,000, which comes to a hundred thousand hackerweight—for its 2015 data breach. Yahoo! email surveillance allegations amount to a story that's still murky and anonymously sourced. The Johns Hopkins University's Joe Carrigan stops by to discuss local vs cloud storage. Peder Muller from Novetta previews his upcoming presentation on Bitcoin and Blockchain. And the AUSA Meeting and Exposition closed yesterday with a look at 2030, warnings of Russian information operations, and considerations of how the US Government can keep pace with industry innovation.
In today's podcast, we learn that Guccifer 2.0 is back, but that few are buying what he, she, or they are selling. Experts continue to warn of Russian information operations directed against the perceived legitimacy of US elections. International norms of cyber conflict. IoT-based DDoS concerns rise with wide distribution of MIrai source code. Flashpoint finds Floki Bot for sale in the underground. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs explains the difference between the deep and dark webs. Tallinn Manual coauthor Thomas Wingfield discusses developing norms in cyber conflict. More trouble for Yahoo!. M&A news. And a dating site is breached in New Zealand.
In today's podcast we hear about cyber conflict and its place in the international order, including especially its place in Russian-American relations. The implications of the Mirai botnet and the release of its source code. Kaspersky breaks the MarsJoke crypto ransomware. Russia indicates a crackdown on cybercrime (maybe). Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS explains changes the FBI wants to Rule 41. Igor Volovich from ROMAD Cyber Systems thinks is time to think beyond malware signature matching. Industry notes, and, from the black market, the Shadow Brokers still haven't found their ideal buyers.
In today's podcast, we hear about Homeland Security's warnings that state election systems are being probed by potential attackers. Newsweek speculates that a brief DDoS attack it sustained was election-related (they also suspect the Russians—no bear named yet). Mirai source code used in large KrebsOnSecurity DDoS published in a hacker forum. The University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz explains why asymmetric encryption is so attractive for ransomware. DressCode malware found in 3000 Trojanized apps. SEC may investigate Yahoo! breach.
In today's podcast, we hear about how IoT botnets bring scunion across the Internet, and why security cameras are attractive to bot rustlers. InfoArmor's explanation of the Yahoo! breach gains traction among observers. Europol warns that ransomware is on the rise. Zerodium raises its iOS 10 remote jailbreak bounty to a cool million and a half. US states continue to grapple with election hacking. Markus Rauschecker outlines some new cyber regulations proposed in New York. Dr. Eli David from Deep Instinct explains deep learning. And the Tofsee botnet is chumming for the lonely—click with caution.
In today's podcast we hear predictions that terabit-per-second DDoS attacks may be on their way toward becoming the new normal. We consider the real threat that lies in the IoT. (A hint: security cameras are to the Internet what squirrels are to the power grid.) More concerns about election hacking surface in the US. Dr. Charles Clancy from Virgnia Tech's Hume Center explains software defined networking. Netsparker's Ferruh Mavituna shares advice on securing content delivery networks. InfoArmor looks into the Yahoo! breach and finds more crooks than spies. But the crooks may be fencing data to the spies.
In today's podcast, we hear about alleged Russian hacking and information operations, and US investigations of the same. The Russian goal is thought to be the undermining of US elections' credibility. DDoS has come to the IoT. Yahoo! security receives some harsh scrutiny. TheDarkOverlord is back, and extorting investment bankers. Kathleen Smith from ClearedJobs.net returns for more conversation about retaining employees. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs explains research in semantic technology for analytics. And how much does a bear weigh, anyway? (We're thinking it would be a European Brown Bear, right, Fancy?)
In today's podcast we follow developments in the Yahoo! breach. Fancy Bear is back, and distributing a Mac Trojan to aerospace companies. Investigation of the Shadow Brokers' leak suggests inadvertent exposure, not hackers or moles. A new variant of Virlock ransomware is out in the wild. The US Justice Department warns of IoT threats. A Hamburg magistrate finds Facebook in violation of German privacy law. And we hear from Johns Hopkins' Joe Carrigan on how to be your parents' CISO, and from ClearedJobs Kathleen Smith about the cyber labor market.
In today's podcast, we follow the latest on the Yahoo! breach. British sources say GCHQ stopped a Russian attack on last year's UK general election. A White House staffer's email is hacked. KrebsOnSecurity is back, but many see a lesson in the dangers of IoT botnets and democratized censorship. Researchers describe iOS and Android vulnerabilities. The FBI releases more documents from its State Department email investigation. Yisroel Mirsky from Ben-Gurion University discusses security risks of Android touch loggers. Switzerland votes for more surveillance, and US states reassure voters that the election won't be hacked.
In today's podcast, Yahoo!'s really bad breach. We hear about Raum, a malicious tool the Black Team is offering in select criminal markets on a pay-per-install basis. In industry news, we learn that Vista Equity Partners is taking Infoblox private. Webroot is acquiring CyberFlow Analytics, Oracle has bought Palerra, and Elastic has acquired Prelert. White Ops closes a $20 million Series B round. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs explains the importance of reputation on the Dark Web. RedOwl's Brian White outlines insider threats. A new third-party risk management coalition forms. NATO-themed phishbait hooked German politicians.
In today's podcast, we hear more on the recent hacking of German political parties. Russia reorganizes its security services—apparently the KGB is back in everything but name. KrebsOnSecurity sustains a record-breaking DDoS attack. Yahoo! discloses a record breaking data breach. Ben Yelin from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security weighs in on a possible Snowden pardon. Steve Durbin tells us what organizations like the ISF have to offer. Ransomware may be meeting data manipulation.
In today's podcast, we hear about Russian hackers turning their attention to German political targets as well as politicians in the US. The son-of-Shadow-Brokers vulnerability Cisco discovered is being exploited in the wild. New strains of ransomware are out—Mamba is as dangerous to networks as its namesake is to human tissue. The Air Force Association is taking up cyber in its annual meetings. The Internet-of-moving things handles disclosures. Matthew Green from Johns Hopkins University's Information Security Institute discuses the downsides of crypto backdoors. University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz talks about new security standards adopted by Google. And North Korea parts the curtain in front of its domains.
In today's podcast we hear about how the FBI is seeking to impose costs on Fancy Bear and Cozy Bear. Election hacking fears remain, despite DHS reassurances, and industry sources warn of privacy risks within campaign databases. Investigation continues into the ISIS-claimed weekend attacks. Cisco patches a firewall vulnerability related to a Shadow Brokers' exploit. Dr. Charles Clancy from Virginia Tech's Hume Center weighs in on the Muddy Waters Capital / St. Jude Medical legal battle. Casey Ellis from Bugcrowd explains how they crowdsource application testing. M&A activity, and another warning to beware of chat bots.
In today's podcast we offer updates on the weekend's attacks against US targets in Minnesota, New York, and New Jersey. So far the cyber dimension is limited to ISIS cheerleading and claiming credit online, but the investigations are still in their early stages. Fancy Bear doxes more athletes from the WADA networks. Fancy's also still interested in US elections, and experts point out that releasing genuine emails could be battlespace preparation for online disinformation operations. In industry news, Oracle buy Palerra, and major tech companies form a Vendor Security Alliance. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs outlines some frameworks they've been developing for the industrial IoT. Reactions to the prospect of a Snowden pardon, and an insider gives his take on Snowden, the movie.
In today's podcast, we hear about VIPs everywhere rushing to delete their emails before Fancy Bear gets her paws into them. Opinion leaders rumble about the Cyber War having picked up where the Cold War left off. Election security concerns may prompt US Senate hearings. British companies take a look at operations in the Baltimore-Washington area. Other industry notes include VC rounds, M&A activity, a new automotive cyber security venture, and the announcement of 2016's SINET 16. Dale Drew from Level 3 Communications offers tips on protecting medical data. We speak with IBM's Shelley Westman about encouraging more women to join the industry. And the US House doesn't think too much of a Snowden pardon.
In today's podcast we get an increasingly familiar update: Fancy Bear is dancing and prancing through poorly protected networks, and she doesn't seem to care who knows it. More politically motivated hacking out of Russia prompts US promises of investigation and costs to be imposed. Failures in digital hygiene continue to be exploited. SCADA hacks worry the electrical grid. Joe Carrigan from the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute offers tips for safe device sharing. SentinelOne's Tim Strazzere describes an Android vulnerability his research uncovered. And some good news: NIST has released a new cyber self-assessment tool, and they'd like you to give it a spin.
In today's podcast we discuss the posting of more documents swiped from the US Democratic Party, which most consider the work of Russia's Fancy Bear. US officials continue to worry about election hacking. "Periscope skimming" is a new ATM hack. The US government mulls the reorganization of its cyber agencies. Raj Gopalakrishna, Chief Software Architect at Acalvio, provides his insights on machine learning. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS explains some newly released revelations about Stingray surveillance devices. The new Snowden biopic hits movie theaters.
It's Patch Tuesday, and time to apply the latest fixes from Redmond. Symantec's August Security Report is out. Middlemen make it tough to track exploit sales. GovRAT continues to afflict networks in the wild. Lessons from private key exposure. Russia says the international order isn't the same thing as the American order. The US and the UK conclude a cyber cooperation agreement. More bogus apps for Pokemon-GO. We welcome Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs to the show, and Tony Dabhura from Johns Hopkins University's Information Security Institute tells about their upcoming conference for senior executives. And could people soon be asked to stand and remove their hats for "City Escape?"
In today's podcast we wrap up our coverage of last week's Intelligence and National Security Summit, discussing some of the issues surrounding cyber conflict among nation-states and terrorist organizations. Unresolved issues of cyber deterrence and where it should fit into the spectrum of conflict. Goals of election hacking and other influence operations, from propaganda through lobbying through bribery. Ransomware trends and credential breaches. Yisroel Mirsky from Ben Gurion University discusses air gap security. And sometimes your enemies are an even better recommendation than your friends.
In today's podcast, we look at the ways in which election hacking have driven increased tension between Russia and the US. (And Wikileaks says it plans to release more election-related documents, before the US elections.) GovRAT 2.0 is out in the wild. Congress reports out its investigation of the OPM hack, and we get insider perspective from Cylance's Malcolm Harkins. Intel sells its security unit (which will go back to its old McAfee name). Markus Rauschecker from UMD CHHS discusses a proposal to check social media accounts at the border. And the FBI arrests two it says are the Crackas-with-Attitude.
In today's podcast we explore ongoing concerns about Russian attempts to influence US elections. The US Congress has harsh words for OPM in their data breach report. Google has a plan for countering ISIS messaging online. Ransomware may prove self-limiting for criminals, and St. Jude Medical sues Muddy Waters Capital and MedSec. We hear about next-generation SOCs from Siemplify's Amos Stern, and University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz explains a vulnerability in homomorphic encryption.
In today's podcast we hear about cyber risks and cyber talks at the G20 summit. China may be looking to the Russian model in the Near Abroad as it thinks about its next steps in the South China Sea. The current state of Russian-American relations in cyberspace—they're dominated by election hacking and information operations. The risks of shared cryptographic keys. An Android Trojan evolves. Industry notes—contracts, patches, acquisitions, and lawsuits. John Leiseboer from Quintessence Labs outlines cryptographic and key management standards. Gabby Nizry from Ayehu explains the benefits of automation. And EXTRABACON is still a problem.
In today's podcast, we hear about some Pokémon-themed Linux rootkits. An evolved Linux Trojan is herding I0T botnets. Social media monitoring leads to convictions of jihadist plotters in Australia and the UK. Pegasus spyware and NSO Group's pricelist. Election hacking on four continents. Are the Shadow Brokers engaged in intelligence or influence operations? (In any case, no one's really bidding on the Equation Group code the Brokers say they're auctioning.) The FBI releases information on its investigation into former Secretary of State Clinton's email. Accenture Labs' Malek Ben Salem describes frameworks for Industrial IoT. And for a while it looked like cyber high noon at the G20 talks.
In today's podcast, we discuss Apple's patches against the Trident zero-days, and review what the press is saying about the cyber arms market. Policy wonks and politicians speak in favor of cyber offense, and militaries speak up for nuance. Election hacks continue, this time in Hong Kong. How companies and governments adjust to a difficult cyber labor market, with insights from Level 3's Dale Drew. Gene Stevens from ProtectWise explains the contribution of interface design to security. Responsible disclosure, stock shorting, and the importance of cooperation between vendors and researchers. A quick look at the week in the security industry. More old breaches show its's a bad idea to reuse passwords. And Guccifer gets four years.
In today's podcast we hear about a successful business email compromise caper, and some more SWIFT fraud. Vanya the RIPPER is on the lam from Thai police. iMessaging issues surface. Cerber ransomware is being spread by Word documents. Adobe's hot fix swats a Cold Fusion bug. Rowhammer attacks are shown to be a real possibility. Election hacking and influence operations. Centrify's Corey Williams weighs in on the Sage Software data breach, and Jonathan Katz from the University of Maryland explains an iMessage vulnerability. And a tip: if you look good for your mugshot, you won't be tempted to Facebook a more flattering one to the authorities.
In today's podcast we follow the story of alleged Russian hacking of US think tanks and election databases (allegations Russia dismisses as American provocation). US Federal and state officials think about securing November's vote. Mississippi organizes a new public-private cyber security coalition. SWIFT discloses new money transfer fraud attempts. New ransomware strains are out in the wild, and a Trojan is impersonating Google Chrome. Dr. Jim Kent from Nuix shares his thoughts on insider threats, and we welcome Yisroel Mirsky from Ben-Gurion University, our newest Academic and Research Partner. And, producers, rethink your B-roll: we take a look at the best stock picture of a hacker yet.
Whether your bootstrapping your business on your own, borrowing from friends and family or going for your Series A venture capital round, raising money is something most business owners have to deal with, sooner or later. We spoke with experienced business leaders in cyber security to find out what they did to fund their companies, lessons they learned, and what advice they’d give.
In today's podcast we follow concerns about US election hacking brought on by an FBI warning that someone (the Russians, IC and industry sources say) has hacked into Illinois and Arizona voter databases. Lawful intercept vendors receive more scrutiny in the wake of the Trident iPhone zero-day revelations. Analysts raise concerns about data manipulation in both elections and criminal investigations. St. Jude Medical disputes allegations that its pacemakers are hackable, and the security sector does some ethical introspection about disclosure. The IoT is beginning to exploited in DDoS campaigns. Malicious EMV cards are implicated in Thailand's ATM skimming crime wave. University of Maryland CHHS' Ben Yelin weighs in on the legal issues surrounding the Muddy Waters Capital story, and Security Mentor's Dan Lohrmann explains sophisticated attacks on the C-Suite. And Angry Birds join Pokémon on various enterprise blacklists.
In today's podcast, we update the story on SCADA malware in Iran—Iran now thinks it didn't cause petrochemical industry fires. France, India, and Australia investigate theft of submarine design data. Citizen Labs' investigation of iOS spyware renews debate over cyber arms control. The Shadow Brokers haven't yet got their half-billion dollars, but their leaks chill US-Russian relations and prompt both election fears and concerns over zero-day disclosure. The US prepares to revise its anti-ISIS social media operations. Security firm MedSec discloses alleged St. Jude medical device vulnerabilities to a hedge fund, seeking to profit from short-selling. Markus Rauschecker from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security gives us the details on PPD 41 from the White House. Fishing and hunting license databases exposed.
In today's podcast, we hear about a spyware case connected to Pegasus, a tool that can jailbreak an iPhone (they say) with a single click. Apple issues an out-of-band patch for the three iOS zero-days Pegasus exploits. Shadow Brokers leaks remain under investigation. Phishlabs and TrapX release anti-ransomware tools. Ramnit and Dreambot are after bank accounts (and Dreambot spreads over Tor). NIST has a de-identification standard out for comment. AT&T's Bindu Sundaresan looks at academic networks as students head back to school. Johns Hopkins' Joe Carrigan discusses option for safely backing up your photos. Industry news includes some interesting short-selling. And Russia isn't feeling the love in cyberspace.
In today's podcast, we look at ways in which terrorist incidents have motivated France and Germany to seek ways of compelling encrypted messaging apps to open traffic to inspection. In the UK such incidents have also prompted a harsh Parliamentary report on social media companies' efforts to combat radicalization. Shadow Brokers leaked exploits continue to appear in the wild. Investigation continues, but observers begin to see the incident as part of a general attack on US official credibility. Assange promises more leaks of Clinton material. Ransomware appears in India and Vietnam. A new Android banking Trojan uses Twitter for command-and-control. Dale Drew from Level 3 Communications shares tips on setting up a SOC, and Ralph Cita explains how they make free training available at Cybrary. And Ashley Madison gets bad reports in three of the Five Eyes.
In today's podcast we hear about Russian hackers going after New York Times reporters (the FBI is investigating). Exploits in the Shadow Brokers' teaser are "test-driven" in the wild. Some of them may affect Huawei products. The Goznym banking Trojan moves from Poland to Germany. British universities are targeted by ransomware. Researchers give victims of Wildfire ransomware some relief in the form of a decryptor. Gaming sites come under attack. We've all heard of the cloud, but Accenture's Malek Ben Salem tells about the coming fog. There's a new push to restrict encryption in the EU. And a fourth-grade steely-eyed missileman arises in Texas.
In today's podcast we discuss the Shadow Brokers' leaks, reviewing ongoing speculation and speaking with some experts who offer insight into the matter: Jason Healey, the principal investigator in Columbia University's study of NSA zero-day disclosure policy, and RedSeal's CEO and CTO discuss firewall security and vulnerability. Juniper joins Cisco and Fortinet in confirming that Shadow Brokers' zero-days affect its products. IoT encryption R&D updates. Security start-ups attract more investment. And some thoughts on what not to say to your VC.
In today's podcast we continue to follow the Shadow Brokers, and we take a quick look into the shadowy world of hybrid warfare. No fresh leaks in this incident, but someone seems to be using seized Silk Road Bitcoin wallets to bid on leaked files. Election hacking worries persist, and concerns about secret ballots appear. Some users want a general strike against Tor. Point-of-sale malware and what to do about it. Industry notes. A new Wassenaar round will revisit cyber arms control next month. John Leiseboer from QuintessenseLabs addresses data redundancy and replication, and Michael Marriott from Digital Shadows tells us about the shady deer.io online market.
In today's podcast, we hear about emails flooding dot gov in-boxes. A re-tooled version of Locky ransomware is out in the wild. As we look back at the week, the big news surrounds the Shadow Brokers' data dump and implausible auction—they seem to have some genuine NSA goods. The brokers themselves are thought to be either Russian spies or rogue insiders, or some mix of both. Worries about US election hacking rise. More companies are concerned about insider threats. The University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz explains how to reverse engineer encryption, and Chris Fogle from Delta Risk tells us how board members can prepare for cyber challenges. And, yes, there's another Pokémon-GO hack.
In today's podcast we hear more about the Shadow Brokers, who are confirmed to have dropped some genuine zero-days. Most observers now think there was a compromise at NSA; some suspect Russian intelligence services. North Korea is again scrutinized for SWIFT fraud. Operation Ghoul targets industrial intellectual property in thirty countries. We see continued industry churn (including some layoffs as well as M&A rumors). CrowdStrike's Adam Meyers tells us about the Boson Spider gang, and Ben Yelin from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security weighs in on the Shadow Brokers.
In today's podcast we follow the continuing story of the Shadow Brokers and their claims of having got their hands on Equation Group attack code (as bizarre as their story is, a lot of informed observers think the code they've posted is the real deal). Many see the Shadow Brokers incident as an escalation of a cyber cold war between Russia and the United States. More banking Trojan activity in South America. DNSSEC is exploited in DDoS attacks, and Cerber is still number one in the ransomware-as-a-service market (where Shark is a dodgy upstart). Kensington's Rob Humphrey shares the results of their recently security survey, and Johns Hopkins University's Joe Carrigan weighs in on securing your devices in the real world. And yes, more Pokémon stuff.
In today's podcast we learn about claims made by hackers calling themselves "the Shadow Brokers." They say they've pwned the Equation Group, and obtained NSA attack code which they're now selling for one million Bitcoin. Guccifer 2.0 gets a lot more polished and even leakier. A bogus QuadRooter patch is serving malware in Google's Play Store. Fidelis tells us about Vawtrak's evolution. Someone's watching the Veracrypt audit. Iran looks into possible cyber causes of oil-and-gas facility fires. Fake Pokémon installers have trainers choosing ransomware. No more Pokéstops allowed in Germany's Flughafen. Vikram Sharma from Quintessence Labs outlines the challenges and opportunities of combining cutting edge science with market realities. Hardik Modi from Fidelis Cybersecurity expains changes they're tracking in the Vawtrak banking trojan. And British lawyers get a license to hunt hackers.
In today's podcast we learn that Russian hackers went after Republicans as well as Democrats. An anti-doping whistleblower's account is illegally compromised. ISIS turns to online inspiration to recover jihadist mindshare. The MICROS point-of-sale system hack appears to underlie widespread credit card compromises. Secure Boot's "golden key" exposure is seen as a warning against backdoors. Security industry M &A and IPO notes. Level 3 Communications' Dale Drew tells us about machine-to-machine learning, and how it may improve security. And for some reason researchers develop a proof-of-concept for a DDoS-based cryptocurrency.
In today's podcast we learn that the US Intelligence Community discovered the DNC hack sometime last year—much earlier than its public disclosure this Spring. We hear about threats to critical infrastructure, and we follow developments in the cyber criminal markets—ransomware's getting mighty picky, if you ask us. We hear about ISIS's appeal to disaffected petty criminals. The Olympics see both cybercrime and patriotic hacktivism. Quintessence Labs' John Leiseboer discusses redundancy and replication of data, and we interview Robert M. Lee from Dragos Security about ICS SCADA security, and preparing for cyber security jobs. And, of course, we hear more about how Pokémon-GO is driving security people quite nuts.
In today's podcast, we hear about cyber and information operations in Eastern Europe that look disturbingly like battlespace preparation. The FBI finds that the scope of the Democratic Party hacks is much greater than initially believed. The Bureau seems ready to ask for more authority to unlock devices, but opponents point to Microsoft's inadvertent leak of Secure Boot keys as an object lesson in why that's a bad idea. USENIX proofs-of-concept include Linux and car-hacking exploits. Samsung Pay is criticized as vulnerable to token skimming. Senior Law Analyst Ben Yelin outlines the FBI's request to expand the reach of National Security Letters. Deputy Director Rick Lipsey explains the mission of the ISAO Standards Organization. New ransomware features disappearing extortion emails. And how do you solve a problem like Pokémon-GO?
In today’s podcast we follow developments in nation-state hacking, from Hainan to Tehran. Australia’s online census is taken offline—the Bureau of Statistics cries DDoS, but observers aren’t so sure. A new strain of ransomware under development in the underworld skips encryption and goes straight for deletion. Issues with Oracle’s MICROS point-of-sale systems may be the root cause of recent store and hotel breaches. Google says, thanks Check Point, we appreciate it, but most of QuadRooter has already been mitigated (they’re working on the rest of it). Joe Carrigan from Johns Hopkins University warns us about side-loading Android apps, and Leemon Baird from Swirld describes a new trust-based peer to peer software platform. And we note that yesterday was Patch Tuesday.
In today’s podcast we look at an APT group that’s been active since 2011. We hear about the Quadrooter Android vulnerability. We take a look back at Black Hat, and look for some sensible perspective on cyber risk. We also read some discussion of the differences between espionage, crime, and warfare. The US Marshalls will auction SilkRoad’s forfeited Bitcoin later this month. Dr. Charles Clancy from Virginia Tech's Hume Center tell us what to expect from 5G cellular technology. And yes, there’s more Pokémon-themed malware in the Play Store.
The 2016 Black Hat conference is in the books, and we wrap up our coverage with more insights from industry leaders on what trends they’re seeing, and where they think the industry is headed.
In today’s podcast we hear about Bifinex’s recovery from its recent heist and the possibly temporary haircut its depositors got. We also follow the related Ethereum hard fork. News on Olympic hacks and risks of hacking from Booz Allen Hamilton's Brad Medairy and Grey Burkhart. Trustwave reports home smart thermostat bugs. Checkpoint discloses Qualcomm Android Quadrooter firmware vulnerabilities. More signs that Fancy Bear was prancing through the DNC. A look back at Black Hat, and notes on DARPA’s AI capture-the-flag challenge. Jonathan Katz explains the Etherium fork.
In today’s podcast we look at Black Hat and draw some consensus advice for start-ups. Cyber espionage rises around the South China Sea. Apparent Russian hacking continues to worry election officials and voters in the US. The HEIST exploit is demonstrated. ISIS jockeys with al Qaeda, Boko Haram factions for jihad leadership. Brazil works on cybercrime as the Olympics open tonight. Apple announces a bug bounty. Cyber companies are said to be preparing layoffs. Accenture Technology Labs' Malek Ben Salem explains software based networking. Galina Datskovsky from Vaporstream outlines the security concerns with voice activated devices. And companies work to keep Pokemon out of places they shouldn’t go.
The 2016 Black Hat conference is underway in Las Vegas this week, and in this special report from the show floor we’ll hear from industry leaders about industry trends, and from venture capital funders about what they need to see before saying yes, and why it’s harder to get startup funding than it used to be.
In today’s podcast, we get some updates from Black Hat. DNC hacks raise questions about US voting security, and Democratic Senators call for hearings on Donald Trump’s request that Russia find the 30,000 emails deleted from Hillary Clinton’s State-Department-era homebrew server. China seems to be probing Philippine networks in conjunction with the dispute over territorial waters in the South China SeaMore signs that Telegram is leaky. Updates on ISIS and its competitors’ information operations. The Gozi banking Trojan is headed for US targets. Bitfinex is looted of tens of millions in Bitcoin. The Real Deal criminal market’s boss is missing. Vikram Sharma from Quintessence Labs shares lessons learned about entrepreneurial course correction.
In today’s podcast we follow the latest fallout from the DNC hacks (Russia’s still the prime suspect). Fears of election hacking rise in the US. Government electronic surveillance rises worldwide, driven in part by increasing fear of jihadist terrorism. ISIS unit “Emni” is said to have broad responsibility for recruiting and organizing terror cells. Android security upgrades from Johns Hopkins University expert Joe Carrigan. TripWire's Dwayne Melancon explains spearphishing. A quick look over at Black Hat USA. And some observers think Pokemon-GO is a mind control tool. (We don’t, except insofar as any popular mania amounts to mind-control.)
In today’s podcast we give a short update on Black Hat before turning to developments in Syria and Iran. Tension between the US and Russia mounts over alleged Russian hacks of US political campaign networks and more recently alleged US spyware operations in Russian enterprises. ISIS wishes to disrupt the Olympics, and cybercriminals are seeking to profit from the Rio Games. Adware uses steganography, and INTERPOL takes down a Nigerian online scam. Ben Yelin explains a recent court ruling in Microsoft's favor that deals with offshore data privacy, and Sameer Dixit from Spirent outlines emerging threats patterns.
In today’s podcast we hear about Russian reports of an APT active against military, scientific, defense, and government networks. US investigations into the hacks of the DNC, DCCC, and Clinton campaign continue, with suspicion still directed at Russia. ISIS calls online for an extension of jihad to Russia. The SpyNote Android Trojan is out in the criminal underground. Researchers report vulnerabilities associated with WhatsApp and SwiftKey. And we share some security advice from Level 3's Dale Drew for those attending Black Hat.
In today’s podcast we hear some preliminary news about ISIS information operations as expressed in captured files. Hacktivists experience remorse and debate doxing ethics. We review the speculation about the DNC hack and note that another Democratic Party campaign organization may also have been compromised. State-sponsored hacking is driving enterprises to seek help from security companies. The University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz tells us about post-quantum encryption, and Daniel Ennis, former NTOC Director at NSA and currently Executive Director of the University of Maryland Global initiative on Cyber, shares his thoughts on his time with the agency, and the need for cooperation in cybersecurity by government, universities, and industry. Pokémon trainers are still going where they shouldn’t.
In today’s podcast we hear about how ISIS continues to pursue its strategy of using information operations to inspire lone wolves, and what investigators in France, Germany, and the United States are seeing as they look at jihadist social media. We learn about advances in facial recognition software. WikiLeaks releases audio files culled from DNC email hacks. More releases are expected, and evidence continues to point (circumstantially but substantially) toward Russian services as the hackers. Trump suggests Russian intelligence would do everyone a favor if it releases the 30,000 deleted Clinton emails many think the Russians have. Gigamon's Shezad Merchant tells us all about metadata, and Marcus Rauschecker explains the privacy implications of facial recognition software. We take a stroll through the crimeware souk (just looking, thanks).
In today’s podcast we discuss ISIS terror and online inspiration. We learn that experts are reaching consensus that Russia hacked the US Democratic National Committee, and we hear some steps that might be taken to protect email. We speak with the company that provided cyber security for the Republican National Convention. New vulnerabilities are discovered in wireless keyboards and smart lightbulbs. Ransomware persists, and the numner of DDoS attacks seems to be spiking, recently. The White House issues PPD-41, “Cyber Incident Coordination.” Level 3's Dale Drew speaks to the uptick in DDoS attacks, and Vince Crisler from Dark Cubed shares his experiences protection the RNC national convention from cyber threats. And people are still catching Pokémon in places they shouldn’t.
In today’s podcast we catch up on the big story in cyberspace—the expanding scope of the Democratic National Committee email hack. Most observers continue to see a Russian hand behind it, but some point out that the evidence remains circumstantial. Experts see the hack as a cautionary tale in the importance of authentication and encryption. Stu Sjouwerman is the founder and CEO of KnowBe4, and he provides his take on the possible Russian hack. ISIS continues its attempts online to inspire lone-wolf jihadists. A young cyber start-up emerges from stealth, and we get an update on cybersecurity in the automobile industry from CyberWire editor John Petrik.
In today’s podcast we take a look at the doxing of the DNC, a story which will have, as they say, “legs,” if only because essentially everyone now sees Russian intelligence behind the hack. ISIS and al Qaeda continue their competition to inspire lone-wolf jihad. Turkey’s crackdown on would-be putschists continues. Anonymous goes after targets in Turkey. Cyber M&A notes. Dr. Charles Clancy from the Hume Center at Virginia Tech tells us about the challenges and opportunities coming with Smart Cities. And a look back at Friday’s inaugural Billington Global Automotive Cybersecurity Summit.
In today's podcast, Hacktivists return to DDoS—the Library of Congress is hit. AKP emails continue to receive scrutiny. A look at the jihadists' toolbox. Some quick takes on automotive cyber security, as the industry moves toward fully autonomous cars. Wassenaar and the DCMA still aren't getting much industry love. And we talk to attorney Tom Coale about security clearances and Ben Yelin on the constitutionality of Stingrays.
In today’s podcast, we hear about patched vulnerabilities in widely used products—the consensus among experts is that you should patch without delay. A new ransomware variant—“HolyCrypt”-is discovered in development. OurMine hacks the Playstation boss’s Twitter account. Hackers get ready to go after US Presidential campaigns (and some have already started). ISIS information ops continue to concentrate on recruiting and inspiration. Pokemon-GO is too Darwinian for some. The University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz describes a TOR alternative.
In today’s podcast we review some of the cyber implications and sequelae of the apparent failed coup d’état in Turkey. Signs in the Shumukh al Islam leaks suggest ISIS is making inroads among China’s Uighur minority. A Brazilian jihadist group pledges allegiance to ISIS online, adding to Brazil’s cybersecurity (and more importantly, physical security) concerns for the Rio Olympics. enSilo reports widespread code-hooking issues in security software. A look at ransomware, and an actual sockpuppet surfaces in Canada. Morphisec's Ronen Yehoshua describes a technique they call moving target defense, and Markus Raushecker shares his take on the sentencing of a swatter who targeted Brian Krebs.
In today’s podcast we hear about the doxing of a major ISIS forum, and we take a look at the state of play with respect to online information operations in the war with ISIS. We ask whether jihad and kawaii offer contrasting case studies of inspiration. In Turkey, did coup plotters (who might have known better) overlook the Internet? DDoS campaigns rise against governments, companies, and games. A researcher shows how 2FA and account recovery capabilities can be subverted for fraud. Malicious Excel macros are out in the wild. So are the Cknife web shell, as described to us by Recorded Future's Levi Gundert, and the venerable Enfal malware family. Joe Carrigan reminds us why we she be using two-factor authentication. We look at some recent venture investments.
Cyber security comes down to risk management, and it’s hard to manage what can’t be measured. How can cyber risk be credibly quantified and communicated? We’ll talk to companies developing technology solutions aimed at quantifying cyber risk and hear from insurance experts and other industry stakeholders grappling with this important new challenge facing businesses today.
In today’s podcast, we hear about social media’s role in the suppression of the coup d’ état in Turkey. The United Cyber Caliphate and the competing “Peace Brigades” release overlapping and competing target lists. Ukrainian nationalist hacktivists hit Poland’s Ministry of Defense. “Delilah” is a backdoor Trojan built for blackmail, and “Wildfire” is a new strain of ransomware. Some databases for sale on the Dark Web look like junk. Deloitte's Emily Mossberg shares insights from their latest report, and John Leiseboer from Quintessence Labs explains the security benefits of interoperability. Pokémon Go looks like the biggest mania since the 17th Century’s tulip craze.
In today’s podcast we hear about ISIS and its response to pressure from its enemies—the news is decidedly mixed, especially given the tragedy in France. Familiar banking Trojans, exploit kits, and ransomware pick up some new functionality. Someone’s jackpotting ATMs in Taiwan. SAP and Cisco patch. US court rulings have privacy and liability implications. Venture capital investments and M&A news. Ben Yelin tells us about a 4th Amendment case involving privacy on your home computer, and Eli Sugarman from the Hewlett Foundation's Cyber Initiative shares their grant making story. And Pokemon-Go continues its irresistible rise—don’t slip into any augmented reality pitfalls.
In today's podcast we hear about some expansive court decisions that may make you uneasy. Chinese spies get into the FDIC, and the victim may have covered it up. Start-ups attract fresh investment. New exploit kits jockey for position. Securing your Bitcoin wallet. What to make of Pokemon's security issues. Dale Drew from Level 3 Communications gives us the low-down on some cyber security lingo, and Darin Stanchfield from KeepKey explains options for securing your Bitcoin. And, in California, an alleged violation of Asimov's First Law of Robotics.
In today's podcast we go over some of the highlights of this week's patches, including fixes from Microsoft, Abode, Drupal, and Niantic. We discuss the security of the industrial Internet-of-things and critical infrastructure, especially the power grid. We hear about the current state of ransomware play, and note the return of xDedic, the hacker server hawker, to the dark web souk. Industry news includes coming cyber upgrades to SWIFT, VC updates, and notes on the markets. The University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz tells us about "fansmitters", and Booz Allen's Scott Stables shares threat data from their latest ICS report.
In today's podcast we hear some reports that ISIS may be losing some social media ground. NATO agrees to increase cyber cooperation. A newly described malware dropper is apparently tailored to work against specific European energy companies. 600,000 patient records are breached in the US. There's a decryptor out for Jigsaw ransomware, but not for the newly introduced "Alfa" or "Ranscam" (and Ranscam doesn't even bother to decrypt in the first place). Markus Rauschecker highlights some of the challenges with information sharing. Google and Niantic deal with Pokémon Go security issues. And don't enter some strangers' home, even if you see Reshirom EX on their sofa.
In today's podcast we hear about possible hacks of NATO websites during last week's Alliance meetings. South Asia's scissors-and-paste cyber espionage campaign is surprisingly effective. ISIS and al Qaeda vie for jihadist mindshare, and Anonymous hits government sites in Zimbabwe and South Africa. A hacker/hacktivist dumps what he claims to be Kindle credentials, but analysts are dubious about their provenance. Eleanor Mac malware targets webcams. State Department emails remain under investigation. Chris Gerritz from Infocyte tells us about threat hunting, and Charles Clancy from the Hume Center at Virginia Tech shares concerns about data privacy. Plus, Pokémon Go seems to be catching 'em all—Ash Ketcham, call your office.
In today’s podcast, we talk through the ramifications of Android encryption issues. Experts consider the implications of D-Link vulnerabilities for IoT security. The Wendy’s paycard breach has gotten much bigger. Familiar exploits circulate in the wild, and Mac backdoors make a comeback. CryptXXX is joined by a new ransomware variant, Cryptobit, and DedCryptor continues to play the Grinch. Avast’s purchase of AVG encourages the markets. The EU adopts new data regulations aimed at improving resilience. The FBI explains what it found in its investigation of Hillary Clinton’s emails, and defense attorneys find new lines of defense. Accenture's Malek Ben Salem shares how big data can help wth analytics, and we learn about early-stage startup accelerators from Mach 37's Bob Stratton.
In today's podcast we hear about Cymmetria's discovery of a major threat actor in South Asia, Patchwork, which assembles attack code by cutting and pasting from the Internet. HummingBad adware infests Android, and Pirrit (affecting Macs) is attributed to a marketer. D-Link routers may be vulnerable to remote-code execution. Google patches more than 100 Android issues. Symantec works on AV product problems. Avast buys AVG. Blockchain's potential. Cyber workforce development. FBI offers explanations to the House. Cyber crooks go after freelancers. Jonathan Katz explains the many uses for blockchain crypto technology, and Chris Key from Verodin has some advice for those entering the cybersecurity workforce.
In today's podcast we hear about Yingmob's HummingBad Android malware, what it's up to and where it might be headed. We also learn about Eleanor, a Mac OS-X backdoor masquerading as a document conversion app, and we hear about the shifting form of the pseudo-DarkLeech ransomware campaign. The ThinkPwn zero-day may have a wider scope than originally thought. Observers wonder whether ISIS may be overplaying its bloody hand, and, of course, we find out what the FBI concluded in its investigation of former Secretary of State Clinton's emails. Joe Carrigan, from the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute, reminds us to take care when setting up a new router.
In today's podcast we look at ISIS's shifting tactics in cyberspace, and the civilized world's response to them. OurMine continues to market its "services" by compromising celebrity accounts through recycled credentials. Two new ransomware varieties--"Satana" and "Zepto"--make their appearance, and researchers track (without attribution) the spoor of MNKit and SBDH malware. A researcher releases, without prior disclosure, a ThinkPad zero-day. The FBI investigation into State Department email issues warms up. Ben Yelin from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security tells us about a Florida man in trouble for hacking an election site, and Michael Jacobs brings us the National Cybersecurity Hall of Fame.
In today's podcast we discuss Internet-of-things threats, not only botnets assembled from compromised security cameras, but also medical device hacking (with Conficker) as a way of stealing patient information. More insurance sector breaches appear to be in progress, too. The Sprashivai social network is compromised. The Infy espionage infrastructure is taken down (but may return—they often do). NERC standards for power grid cyber security take effect today. John Leisebeor from Quintessence Labs explains key management within a security framework, and we learn about DevOps from Cybric's Mike Kail and eGlobalTech's Branko Primetica.
In today's podcast we hear about DarkOverlord and the data he's selling online. Guccifer 2.0 returns to blogging, and says he's not working for the Russians, but CrowdStrike, ThreatConnect, and SecureWorks present evidence to suggest otherwise. Thompson-Reuters says it's contained the World-Check database leak. Oculus' Twitter account is briefly hijacked (now restored to company control). Point-of-sale breach disclosures are confirmed. Why hackers hack when they do. Some governments' efforts to control information online seem to be having greater than expected success. Level 3's Dale Drew explains the season nature of cyber attacks, and Cytegic's Dan Pastor offers his view on the recent SWIFT banking attacks.
In today's podcast, we note that in the wake of the ISIS bombings in Istanbul, security services around the world are looking for online intelligence that might help prevent future terror attacks. Another wave of SWIFT fraud appears to have hit--this time the victims are banks in Ukraine and Russia. Ransomware updates (including the unwelcome return of Locky), notes on smishing, and a review of some questionable PlayStore apps. Apple's iPhone turns 9 and The University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz explains that company's move toward "differential privacy." Jon Allen from Booze Allen Hamilton talks about the Automotive ISAC and previews the upcoming Billington Cybersecurity Global Automotive Cybersecurity Summit.
In today's podcast we get an update on the Russian threat group that hit the DNC. A hacker claims to have nine million health insurance records for sale on the dark web. Too many medical devices are vulnerable to Windows 7 and XP exploits. What scared the Nuclear exploit kit's operators. The IRS takes down its e-filing PIN system, and OPM acknowledges its breach affected tens of millions more than just those seeking clearances. We hear some merger and acquisition news, catch up on some workforce training initiatives, and hear about some black hats who'd like their celebrity victims to think of them as white hats. Law expert Ben Yelin from the Center for Health and Homeland Security tells the tale of a well-intentioned security researcher raider by the FBI. Cisco's Tejas Vashi outlines their $10 million cyber security scholarship program.
In today's podcast we offer a quick survey of the vast and spreading Ransomware landscape. (And talk about some other bits of cybercrime as well, but if Willie Sutton were alive today, and had an Internet connection, he'd be into ransomware.) Brexit's implications remain under study and speculation, but many see a shift in the tech startup scene in the general direction of Berlin. Most observers have now concluded that the DNC hack was a Russian job (and not the work of a lone hacktivist). Joe Carrigan from the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute reminds us why we shouldn't reuse passwords.
In today's podcast we discuss the implications of Brexit, and we talk with someone whose researchers predicted it from social media analytics. GhostSquad strikes, apparently, for ISIS, and LizardSquad DDoSes Overwatch for the lulz. Some old threats come back (some never really left). US Cyber Command is operational against ISIS. The importance of low-power WAN for the IoT. State Department email investigation continues. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Technology Labs tells us about Software Defined Security. Daniel Mayer from Expert System explains how they predicted the UK vote, and Matthew Knight from Bastille Networks shares his research into low-power wide area networks.
In today's podcast we hear that Brexit's trending in Twitter as British voters go to the polls—the results will have interesting implications for security and the security industry. Tech support scammers put down their phones and pick-up their pop-ups. Some mixed news on ransomware. Markus Rauschecker from the Center for Health and Homeland Security mulls laws of war for cyberspace. ZScaler's Deepen Desai reports on new MS Office macro malware. US voter information leaks onto the Internet. More skepticism about Guccifer 2.0. And did we just hear a non-denial denial about the DNC hack?
In today's podcast we talk about Android malware loose in the wild, crimeware-as-a-service (both ransomware and banking Trojans). We hear about the growing consensus that Russian intelligence services were responsible for the DNC hack, and we note the latest report: those services also seem to have pwned the Clinton Foundation. Critical infrastructure jitters persist. Analysts look at cyber insurance markets, bellwether security stocks, and a new VC investment. Dr. Charles Clancy from the Hume Center at Virginia Tech discusses the cyber challenges faces the transportation industry, and Ayse Kaya Firat from Cloudlock shares key points from their recent report on the dangers of third party apps.
In today's podcast we hear about trends in cyber espionage and ransomware. We also learn more about the DNC hack, which looks more like a Russian operation (and Guccifer 2.0 goes a little bit public and looks a lot less plausible as a lone hacktivist). XDedic looks bigger (but may be out of its stolen server-time business). GSA has a new cyber SIN, and the US Secret Service wants cyber triage tools. Israel relaxes its cyber export controls, and Wassenaar reconvenes to rework its cyber arms export control regime. Fidelis Vice President of Cybersecurity Services Mike Buratowski shares their research into the DNC hack, and CyberWire editor John Petrick explains false flags.
In today's podcast we review the bidding over responsibility for the DNC hack—most observers still think signs point toward Moscow. Wikileaks promises more DNC documents to come. Suspicions revive that the Cyber Caliphate may be a false-flag operation and other notes on the difficulty of attribution. Dridex may be present in some SWIFT-related bank fraud. Angler seems gone for good (but replaced by other exploit kits). UK MPs suggest holding CEO's responsible for breaches by hitting their pay. Tanium and FireEye and their rejected suitors. DoJ responds to the Silk Road appeal. Jonathan Katz from the University of Maryland explains the Etherium/DAO cryptocurrency heist, and Ryan Stolte from Bay Dynamics share results from a report on board room engagement with cyber.
In today's podcast we continue to follow the developing story of the Democratic National Committee hack (Russia denies responsibility, but CrowdStrike stands by its attribution). DNC chair Wasserman Schultz says no financial information was lost, and on cue Guccifer 2.0 produces some. The FBI continues its probe of possible ISIS connections to the Orlando killings. Researchers describe an approach to developing intelligence from social media. FireEye is said to be uninterested in being acquired. Tanium's not interested, either. Some serious bugs are addressed this week. Dale Drew from Level 3 compares honey pots to live data and Craig Smith from Open Garages takes us on the road to car hacking.
In today's podcast we look at developments in the Panama Papers case. A "lone hacker" going by "Guccifer 2.0" claims the DNC hack, but CrowdStrike stands by its attribution to Russian intelligence. Investigators look at Orlando shooter Mateen's online history. Anonymous hits ISIS in cyberspace, and so does US JTF-Ares. xDedic is the latest black market: it deals in server access. Telegram denies being vulnerable. Admins complain about one of Microsoft's June patches. Quintessence Lab's Vikram Sharma tells us about quantum key encryption. And we hear from Wandera's Michael Covington about the true cost of buying cheap sunglasses online.
In today's podcast, we follow up on Russian intelligence services' hacks of the US Democratic National Committee, and their connection with other cyber espionage campaigns. We hear about more Chinese government industrial spying. ISIS claims to the Orlando shooter as one of its own as the civilized world continues to grope toward an understanding of ISIS information operations. More breaches add more credentials (and server access) to the black market. We take a quick look at Patch Tuesday. Charles Clancy from the Hume Center at Virginia Tech gives us a lesson in information sharing, and Vinny D'Agostino from K2 Intelligence shares how they're helping NFL players stay safe on social media.
In today's podcast, we talk about the breaking news concerning Russia's hack of the DNC, with insights from STEALTHbits Technologies' Adam Laub. We discuss the state of the investigation into what, if any, role online inspiration played in the Orlando gunman's massacre. North Korea appears to have engaged in a long-running campaign of cyber espionage against the South. The Molerats' failure to clear document information may have unmasked them. The Vawtrak banking Trojan gets more evasive. Shadow apps place enterprises at risk, and application collusion disturbs mobile users. The Angler exploit kit has practically vanished, replaced for the most part by Neutrino. Symantec's acquisition of Blue Coat fuels M&A speculation. And the price of that Windows LPE zero day keeps dropping. Ben Yelin reviews a judge's ruling that restricts the FBI's use of hacking.
In today's podcast we recap what's known publicly about ISIS inspiration of the apparent jihadist massacre at an Orlando gay club, and consider speculation about ISIS's and its rivals' information operations as ISIS loses territory on the ground. Social media security concerns persist, ransomware's criminal market sees some ups and downs, and we learn about encryption keys from Quintessence Labs. M&A activity sees Symantec buy Blue Coat, and Microsoft pick up LinkedIn. India worries about China's cyber activities. John Leiseboer from Quintessense Labs outlines the importance of key management in cryptography.
In today's podcast we hear from the experts on how old data breaches can cross-contaminate users' other accounts. Point-of-sale problems seem ready to grow in the recent Wendy's incident. Ransomware's shifting landscape sees Locky's distribution botnet vanish (for unclear reasons), Crysis replace TeslaCrypt, and CryptXXX jump exploit kits. Some startups get some nice VC rounds. We hear about the law surrounding mobile location data, and we're reminded of cyber-physical threats to security systems and critical infrastucture. Markus Rauschecker from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security reviews an important circuit court privacy decision, and researcher Wesley Wineberg warns us about embedded security cameras.
In today's podcast we follow the latest news and trends with respect to ransomware, now the hottest commodity on the black market, and still able to fetch between $15,000 and $20,000 an extortion. Twitter credentials join VK's in the criminal souk; both sets may have been harvested via earlier breaches in other social media sites. NATO looks into cyber collaboration, workforce development, innovation (Estonia hints low budgets can drive creativity), and the risk of strategic surprise in hybrid warfare. Cylance becomes the industry's latest unicorn with a big Series D funding round. The Johns Hopkins University's Joe Carrigan help us plan our backup strategy, and Scott Petry from Authentic8 offers suggestions for safe browsing while traveling.
In today's podcast we hear about trends in phishing, ransomware, and distributed denial-of-service—and none of those trends are particularly good. We hear why some ransomware may keep coming back after it's been removed. US bank regulators warn financial institutions to mind their security manners in the wake of the SWIFT-related fraudulent transfers, and investigation into the Bangladesh Bank hack still point toward Pyongyang (with a slight nod in the direction of Shanghai. The FBI is actively stinging potential jihadists, and Singapore gets ready to wean its civil servants from the Internet at work. And we welcome our newest research partner, Dr. Charles Clancy from Virginia Tech's Hume Center.
In today's podcast we discuss another in the long-running series of big social media breaches, this one in VK. Password re-users are advised to change not only their credentials, but their ways. Vulnerabilities are reported in Facebook features, and in Ubee VoIP routers. Dale Drew from Level 3 Communications explains that cyber attack traffic in Latin America is up. Raytheon's Dave Amsler shares the findings of a new survey on how companies interact with MSSPs. Al Qaeda makes its way back to Twitter (from Syria). As the US seeks expanded warrantless electronic search authority in terrorism and espionage investigations, observers find themselves thinking that maybe Snowden actually did the NSA some favors.
In today's podcast we follow developments in the SWIFT-related Bangladesh Bank fraud case—more observers buy into the view that North Korea was involved. Many see anti-racketeering measures being adapted to cyberspace, with businesses improving their security by reducing their attackers' return-on-investment. Pakistani hackers spearphish Indian civil servants and install espionage backdoors. Anti-ISIS measures seem to have heightened ISIS's internal mistrust. Irongate and other IoT threats are discussed, as is a rise in hacker attention to Android. Malek Ben Salem speaks to the challenges of identity in the IoT. Zack Schuler from Ninjio makes the case for entertaining training. And OurMine tweets dadada...
In today's podcast we review some notes on alleged North Korean involvement in fraudulent SWIFT transfers, and on new US sanctions. We take a look at various corners of the cyber criminal underground, including commodification of both malware and stolen data. Big claims for artificial intelligence are going to involve some big litigation, too. And we hear, again, about the vulnerability of data-at-rest and the importance of encrypting your devices. Ben Yelin from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland security discusses the potential legal ramifications of a Facebook privacy suit, and Joseph Billingsley tells us about the Military Cyber Professionals Association.
In today's podcast we hear about online censorship in China, and an espionage campaign directed against Taiwan. RiskIQ finds that many large companies are riding for the same fall Mossac Fonseca took with the Panama Papers. We talk to Trustwave about that alleged Windows zero-day being sold by cyber criminals, and we hear about some smaller potatoes in the ransomware market. Industry news highlights US Federal contract wins and recent M&A activity. The University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz highlight some new research in random number generation.
In today's Podcast, we hear about Citizen Lab's discovery of an apparent cyber espionage campaign operating under journalistic cover (and targeting journalists). We discuss the state of the black market for both zero-days and stolen data, and get some recommendations for identity protection from the experts. Venafi talks about the implications of the coming SHA-1 expiration, Joe Carrigan from Johns Hopkins tells us what's wrong with public photo-printing kiosks, and some University of Michigan researchers have a clever, insidious hardware backdoor proof-of-concept.
In today's podcast we hear about the ways in which some old breaches are resurfacing to trouble major social media platforms. Those old breaches are also looking far larger than initially suspected. We learn about "sandjacking" and "bug poaching" as new additions to the lexicon of cyber crime. Analysts continue to think threats will drive cyber industry growth, and venture capital interest seems high, but more selective. Dr. Vikram Sharma from Quintessence explains One Time Pads, and Threat Quotient's Ryan Trost shares the pros and cons of attribution.
In today's podcast, we discuss the SWIFT transfer issues now under investigation in a dozen more banks. SWIFT announces a five-point security strategy. Attacks on the private sector are seen as having national security implications. Other cyber threats to business--DDoS and ransomware--place availability of data and networks at risk. We take a look at investor interest in cyber stocks, and we talk with experts on artificial intelligence and encryption. And, as far as nation-state attacks are concerned, again, signs point to Pyongyang. (As they so often do.) Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs explains AI and Machine Learning, and Brent Waters, of the University of Texas at Austin, who's recently been honored with an early career award from the Association of Computing Machinery for his contributions to encryption.
In today's podcast we hear about security in international banking, some developments in the world of malware, and how presidential impersonation and a big loss cost a CEO his job. Analysts like some of the bigger cyber players (and they're waiting for Palo Alto's results tonight). VCs back three security companies with new funding. The State Department IG's report on email retention and security is out. DARPA wants to secure legacy IT systems, and US SOCOM wants innovative cyber tools. Dale Drew from Level 3 Communications walks us through the negotiations of ransomware, and Danny Rogers from Terbium Labs explains how to search for something when you don't know what that something is.
In today's podcast, we hear about the current state of ransomware, why criminals like it, and what can be done about it. Keyloggers are being distributed by malicious USB charging devices. Blue Coat may be headed for an IPO. US cyber operations have been called "cyber bombs," but they may be a lot more like battlespace preparation (and so traditional EW and intelligence). Microsoft Azure Active Directory does something about bad passwords. And Markus Rauschecker from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security explains why the FCC and FTC are holding back on IoT regulation.
In today's podcast, we hear about Turla's return, this time in an espionage campaign against Switzerland's RUAG. The Panama Papers and other hacks prompt reiteration of lots of good, if familiar advice, some of it directed at the US Congress and other small businesses. The TeslaCrypt proprietors seem less remorseful than resourceful, as they shift to CryptXXX. SWIFT plans to announce a security upgrade today. US Cyber Command announces the winners of its $460 million IDIQ. Guccifer prepares to cop a plea, and the Scunthorpe Problem surfaces in Oxfordshire. We also hear about cloud storage security from Quintessence Labs, and Protemus talks to us about medical records' privacy.
In today's podcast, we hear about attempts by SWIFT to work toward upgraded security with clients. Japan sustains a coordinated looting of ATMs (to the tune of ¥1.44 billion). Operation Ke3chang returns to snoop on Indian diplomatic missions. ISIS returns to inspiration. Business gives advice to government in the UK and the US, and investors see recent cyber stock price corrections as, maybe, a buying opportunity. We learn about monitoring your wireless attack surface from Pwnie Express' Paul Paget. And Joe Carrigan from Johns Hopkins Information Security Institute shares how they keep Mom safe online, Baltimore style.
In today's podcast, we follow moves to upgrade US Cyber Command to a Unified Combatant Command. We follow developments in Operation Groundbait, Phineas Phisher's latest, and the discovery of China's 50-cent-ers. Conficker is still out and active eight years after patching We take a look at industry news, and hear about how TeslaCrypt may be closing up shop. Our expert today is Accenture Labs' Malek Ben Salem who discusses semantic technology for cyber defense. We'll also hear from historian and author Abby Smith Rumsey who'll talk about her book, “When We are No More: How Digital Memory Memory Will Shape Our Future."
In today's podcast, we learn that the LinkedIn breach is the same old one from 2012, only now two orders of magnitude larger than thought. ESET describes a cyber surveillance campaign, Operation Groundbait, in Ukraine's Donbas region. Phineas Phisher hacks on behalf of Kurdish anti-capitalists. The SEC warns of cyber risks to the financial sector. Cisco reports better than expected results (thanks in part to its security business). Ben Yelin from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security wonders if a case involving locked hard drive may go to the Supreme Court.
In today's podcast we discuss a breaking story about what's potentially a very large breach at LinkedIn. Banks' interactions with SWIFT (not SWIFT itself, necessarily) concern observers. Malware and scareware appear in the Play Store. China interrogates Apple, Cisco, and Microsoft about security. We hear about ways in which participants in black markets evolve to function more like legitimate enterprises. University of Maryland professor Jonathan Katz unlocks the secrets of cracking ransomware, and Zimperium's John Michelsen says it's time to be proactive with the defense of our mobile devices.
Today we discuss some exploits running loose in the wild. GSA's 18F unit cleans up its Slack implementation and shares its lessons learned from a potential breach. Older Android devices are susceptible to an Accessibility exploit. A million-device clickfraud botnet drains advertising budgets. A new cyber espionage campaign prefers quality to quantity. SWIFT gets security advices. ISIS shifts recruiting focus to Central Asia. Cyber tensions rise between the US and China. Dale Drew from Level 3 shares the perspective of a backbone provider, and Yong-Gon Chon wonder if company's don't overreact to breaches.
In today's podcast we discuss Germany's attribution of an ongoing cyber espionage campaign: it's Russia, says the BfV. Bank attacks continue, both related to, and unrelated to, the SWIFT funds transfer system (and some seem criminal, some hacktivist in motivation). Russia says it plans to close about 4000 sites for trafficking in extremist ideology and drugs. Markets look forward to the next cyber security bellwether stock to report. And John Leiseboer from Quintessence Labs explains random number generation.
In today's podcast, we look back at the week just ending and see new attempts on banking systems. Some involve SWIFT; others involve Anonymous, and some have to do with the FDIC. And what about those fingerprints? Markus Rauschecker from the Center for Health and Homeland Security examines the increased scrutiny the FTC and FCC are putting on mobile device providers. And we interview Dr. Emma Garrison-Alexander about her leadership positions with NSA, TSA and UMUC.
In today's podcast we discuss a warning from US-CERT and Onapsis against some old but active SAP vulnerabilities. Pawn Storm is back, and active against German political targets. DDoS-for-hire is proving lucrative, as is ransomware. Joe Carrigan from Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute explains what you should do when you get suspicious-looking email. IBM speaks with us about their cyber security plans for their Watson AI.
We run through some of the high points of May's Patch Tuesday. We get updates on Viking Horde Android malware and Bucbi ransomware. Venture capital seeks out IoT security investments as Pwnie Express and Bayshore Networks attract funding. Quintessence Labs' Dr. Vikram Sharma explains emerging quantum technologies. And IBM will train Watson to deal with cyber security issues.
In today's podcast we hear about the Panama Papers database. We also discuss updates concerning the Bangladesh Bank heist investigation. New ad-fraud malware, Viking Horde, shows up in the Google Play Store. In ransomware news, CryptXXX is no longer so easily decrypted, Bucbi exploits RDP vulnerabilities, and Triumfant shares what they've learned about Locky. We also talk to Accenture's Malek Ben Salem about big data security frameworks.
In today's podcast we follow the progress of anti-banking DDoS hacktivism Operation Icarus. The Panama Papers are released in the form of a searchable database. Some apparently big compromises look a bit recycled. Victims' willingness to pay keeps the ransomware black market primed. Investor disappointment depresses security company valuations. We talk with the University of Maryland's Ben Yelin about how law lags technological advance, and GCHQ says don't be too quick to change passwords.
Today we hear about what's going on with proof-of-concept exploits. Ransomware continued its run this week, but DDoS shouldn't be forgotten, either--it's good for both business interruption and misdirection. Thoughts on those 270 million email credentials. A couple of big security companies post Q1 results, and Adrian Turner, CEO of Australia's Data 61, explains the future of that nation's domestic cyber sector. Dale Drew from Level 3 Communications shares the news of a new DDoS technique. The LAPD succeeds in cracking an iPhone 5s. And where in the world is Satoshi Nakamoto?
Today we consider various ways of hiding attack campaigns: noisily or quietly, what the approaches have in common is highly selective targeting. Anonymous proceeds with Operation Icarus (against "the global banking cartel"). We observe World Password Day with advice from AT&T's Johannes Jaskolski and Johns Hopkins' Joe Carrigan. Plus, we take a quick look at how one script kiddie values his stolen data.
In today's podcast we look at studies of how ISIS actually operates online. Apparently they do so much the way crooks do—by abusing legitimate services. But when it comes to encryption, the jihadists seem to be rolling their own. Ransomware updates and warnings—the FBI reminds victims not to pay. The group that hit the Qatar National Bank may be preparing release of another bank's information. Infrastructure companies invest to shore up cyber defenses. We hear from the University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz on digital signatures, and we talk with the Denim Group's John Dickson about power grid security.
In today's podcast we look quickly at the current state of the cyber war between the US and ISIS. Anonymous is out to punish banks with DDoS for "crimes against humanity," and criminals continue to hone their ransomware game. The US security clearance system seems set to move toward FICO-like scoring. Joe Carrigan from Johns Hopkins University explains why medical records are so valuable on the cyber black market. Bob Hansmann from Forcepoint returns for more findings from their 2016 threat report. And Satoshi Nakamoto seems as airborne as ever.
In today's podcastwe hear some encouraging examples of responsible disclosure.Ransomware is still out and about. IBM seems to see a futurein blockchain technology. Bob Hansmann from Forcepoint shares highlights from their threatreport. Ben Yelin tracks the Snowdenremedies. And Craig Wright again claims he's Bitcoin'sSatoshi Nakamoto—the BBC and the Economist seem readyto take him at his word.
Today we hear about potential backdoors (or maybe PUPs). Cash-stealing malware reported in Google Play. Third-party developers leave their credentials lying around GitHub. Triumfant watches Locky morph—five times a day. Dale Drew from Level 3 talks about point-of-sale risks. Verizon tells us all about their Data Breach Report. The Panama Papers may soon be released in full. Investors worry about the cyber sector, but some see healthy adjustment. And US Cyber Command works to make the "L" in ISIL stand for "loser."
In today's Podcast, we hear about ISIS attempts at inspiration online—their technical capabilities are low, but they continue to hit information ops hard. A Bavarian nuclear plant finds a malware infestation—spooky, but apparently without effect. Observers expect more hacks like the one on the Bangladesh Bank, and the Platinum threat group looks state-sponsored. The security industry may be showing signs of consolidation. . The University of Maryland's Markus Rauschecker explains why law firms are attractive hacking targets, and Todd O'Boyle from Percipient Networks urges us to listen to our malware.
In today's Podcast, we hear reports of success in the cyber war against ISIS. Inquiry into the Bangladesh Bank hack continues; the threat actors behind it may have additional capers in the works. Android malware flourishes, and so does a vigorous underground extortion market. The FBI says it doesn't know what vulnerability was exploited to open the San Bernardino iPhone, and that it doesn't want a hacking arms race with criminals and terrorists. Ferruh Matvituna from Netsparker shares some wisdom on app security, and Jonathan Katz from the University of Maryland explains program obfuscation.
In today's podcast we hear more about possible other instances of fraudulent messaging in the SWIFT financial transfer network. We discuss an active Android ransomware campaign that appears to be using old Hacking Team exploits. US DNI Clapper thinks the acceleration of encryption, post-Snowden, really hasn't been a very good thing, and calls for a balance between privacy and security. The US continues to ramp up its cyber offensive against ISIS. Joe Carrigan from the Johns Hopkins Information Security Institute tells the tale of a scammer strung along.
In today's Daily Podcast we discuss reports that the Bangladesh Bank hackers succeeded in getting into, and manipulating, some SWIFT client software. The outlines of the US cyber campaign against ISIS grow clearer. Updates on how the US Department of Justice is getting into iPhones. We take a look at the disappointing—to many analysts—SecureWorks IPO and what it means for VCs and cyber unicorns. Plus, CyberWire Editor John Petrik reports on last week's SINET ITSEF conference.
In today's Daily Podcast we hear about Mexican and Philippine authorities’ investigations into voting database compromises. Ransomware continues to circulate, and we learn something about the increased sophistication of phishing. Point-of-sale crooks race against US EMV adoption. We take a look at the SecureWorks IPO and the long interest in some leading security stocks. Joseph Opacki from PhishLabs explains the growing sophistication of phishing schemes, and Benjamin Yelin from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security tells us about mobile security and Stingrays.
In today's Daily Podcast we hear about CryptXXX—recently discovered ransomware—and about old, familiar Dorkbot. The US Congress continues to mull legislation that would mandate decryption, and the banking and tech sectors don’t care at all for what they see in those pending bills. Australia announces its cyber security strategy, and says that its national capabilities definitely include offensive ones. Jason Lewis from LookingGlass warns us about third party network access, and Dale Drew from Level 3 Communications emphasizes the importance of collaboration.
In today's Daily Podcast we gain perspective on post-Brussels ISIS-inspired hacktivism. Developers should take care using Xcode command line development tools. The Thanatos Trojan is discovered in, and booted from, a hosting service. Analysts draws some familiar lessons from last year’s Hacking Team breach. And plaintiffs may think twice about suing Ashley Madison for alleged catphishes. Plus, Jonathan Katz from the Maryland Cybersecurity Center shares his team's research into searchable encryption.
In today's Daily Podcast we hear about the latest wave of ISIS-sympathizer cyber attacks—they’re again low-level defacements of poorly defended targets. Chris Morgan from IKANOW provides tips on quantifying cyber risk. A new strain of ransomware is identified, but it seems connected to some long-familiar criminal actors. Microsoft and Apple both continue to resist US Government requests for data and assistance in criminal investigations. Markus Rauschecker reviews the Compliance with Court Orders Act of 2016.
In today's Daily Podcast we follow up with corrections to last week’s reports of Russian attacks on Sweden’s air traffic control system. The US and Russia hold talks on reducing tensions in cyberspace. The US cyber offensive against ISIS picks up its pace. Older JBoss servers are at risk of ransomware. Some M&A news in the cyber sector. And there are fresh accounts of how the Hacking Team was hacked last year. Plus, Joe Carrigan from the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute warns us not to trust that free airport WiFi.
In today's Daily Podcast we discuss the international response to ISIS, and the terror group's latest info ops. We cover the news from cyber gangland (and bid Paunch farewell as he enters a Russian prison) including malware developments and the latest criminal approaches to making their infrastructure resilient. We learn some things about competitions as a way of building the rising cyber labor force from Raytheon's Jack Harrington, and we hear about the challenges of cloud data security from University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz. It seems privacy is in tension not only with security, but with transparency as well. And we talk about what the metaphorical hat you wear says about you (you hacker, you).
In today's Daily Podcast we discuss ISIS info ops and the cyber war the US is waging against the terrorist group. Ransomware phishing now show signs of knowing its targets' physical addresses. Patch Tuesday also saw updates from Cisco and Google. Cyber sector IPO rumors and declarations of intent. A Department of Justice lawyer, speaking for himself, thinks the debate over offshore accounts should inform thinking on the debate over privacy and security. Plus, Dale Drew from Level 3 Communications explains the importance of having a threat research lab.
In today's Daily Podcast we continue our follow-up on the Panama Papers' investigation. Ransomware, DDoS, and malvertising continue their win, place, and show finishes in the criminal sweeps. Patch Tuesday addresses Badlock and other vulnerabilities. Some M&A news in the cyber sector. And the FBI may not have used Cellebrite's services to unlock the San Bernardino jihadi's iPhone after all. Plus, Johns Hopkins' Information Security Institute's Joe Carrigan warns us about phony calls claiming to be Microsoft tech support.
In today's Daily Podcast we follow up on the Panama Papers' investigation, and, like everyone else, wait for the expected shoes to drop. BAE warns that Qbot has become more aware, more evasive, and harder to block. Cisco's Talos predicts the disturbing rise of "crytpoworms." The US Federal CIO warns of the risks inherent in legacy systems. Guy Guzner from FireGlass helps us sort out the Panama Papers speculation, and Markus Rauschecker wonders if the FBI will have better luck convincing Apple to unlock another iPhone. And we take a trip down memory lane with the unlamented legacy code represented by Clippy.
In today's Daily Podcast we follow up on the Panama Papers' fallout. Leaker "John Doe" remains unidentified, and the scandal is roiling politics in Ukraine. Some observers think the Russian Financial Monitoring Service is behind the leaks. Dridex evolves into new lines of cyber crime. Juniper patches a suspect random number generator. GCHQ is said to have helped publishers stop the new Harry Potter book from leaking. And CyberWire editor John Petrik reviews an interesting price list from Dell SecureWorks.
In today's Daily Podcast we report on the results of yesterday's #OpIsrael—basically a fizzle, but a fizzle with the usual disturbing implications. Pirrit adware moves to OS X. Ransomware remains a low-risk, high-payoff cyber caper. We take a look at some industry news: good, bad, and middling. We talk to the University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz about fully homomorphic encryption, and we discuss Japan's cyber security landscape with William Saito, special advisor to the prime minister of Japan.
The people we spoke to at 2016's Women in Cybersecurity Conference had a remarkable diversity of career and academic backgrounds, as well as life experiences. Many themes emerged from our conversations, including the importance of mentorship, willingness to try new things and take risks, and the importance of flexibility and communications skills. They also dispelled some myths, including the notion that you need to have a technical background for a career in cyber security. We sat down with a range of women, from students to industry leaders, for candid conversations about their personal journeys, their experiences as women in a male dominated field, and their advice to women considering a career in cybersecurity.
In today's Daily Podcast we catch up on the latest reports of the recent MedStar ransomware infestation. Mobile security company SkyCure share the results of their recent report on vulnerabilities in the medical field. DDoS also remains a problem. The FTC and IRS warn of socially engineered scams. The Panama Papers continue to name a lot of celebrities, but no new political leaders. Hacking Team loses its export license. We talk to the Johns Hopkins University's Joe Carrigan and get his expert reflections on last week's Women in CyberSecurity conference.
In today's Daily Podcast we find out more about how the Panama Papers leaked, and what their consequences are likely to be. A malicious SEO campaign hits vulnerable Joomla and WordPress installations. Ransomware gets personal. Dr. Web finds a Trojan in 104 Android apps. We discuss the Billington CyberSecurity International Summit. US policymakers mull the status of Cyber Command. We talk to the University of Maryland's Ben Yelin about ransomware and HIPPA.
In today's Daily Podcast we hear about the spreading Panama Papers tax evasion (or avoidance, or wealth hiding) scandal. US State Department databases may have unpatched vulnerabilities, and PII of Turkish citizens is posted online. We talk to SCADAFence about securing the manufacturing Internet-of-things, and Markus Rauschecker from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security tells us about how legal standards are established in cases involving cyber security.
In today's Daily Podcast we hear about MedStar's recovery from ransomware, and a joint US-Canadian warning about the general threat of ransomware. A new strain of ransomware offers victim-friendly QR codes for easy mobile payment of ransom. The "Panama Papers," leaked by a whistle-blower, seem to offer some pretty spectacular stories of international governmental corruption. We talk to Accenture's Malek Ben Salem about securing the Internet-of-things.
In this podcast, we look back at a week of ransomware. The FBI succeeds in unlocking the San Bernardino jihadist's iPhone without Apple's help (and Apple like the rest of us would like very much to know why). Policymakers consider their alternatives in cyber conflict, and they run from lawfare to warfare. Tay's briefly let out of her room, but quickly sent back (and that's no April Fooling).
Plus Backchannel's Steven Levy on repeating the cryptowars, and Ben Yelin on the challenges of establishing legal standing against the NSA.
In today's Daily Podcast we hear about some of the other current threats—while ransomware is very much in the news, we'd do well to remember the problems of denial-of-service and business email compromise. The US continues to work toward "operationalizing" deterrence in the cyber domain. We talk to the Johns Hopkins University's Joe Carrigan about how you can secure your new computer. And CNBC appears to have been too participatory in a story about password hacking.
In today's Daily Podcast we hear about the ongoing story of the MedStar Health hack, which anonymous sources say was ransomware. The incident remains under investigation. We hear about ransomware's evolution. Big Law finds itself in the crosshairs of a Russian (or Ukrainian?) cyber gang. The Justice Department hints at more litigation over decryption. We talk to the University of Maryland's Markus Rauschecker about the NIST Framework, and we finish our conversation with Zimperium about their successful experience integrating their mobile security solution with a big telecom's services.
In today's Daily Podcast we hear about yesterday's apparent hack of MedStar Health—possibly ransomware, but that's still unconfirmed. FireEye warns that legacy point-of-sale systems are under increasing attack. Kaspersky says Turla spyware is using satellite connections to work around C2 server takedowns. The FBI says its succeeded in cracking that jihadi's iPhone. We talk to Accenture's Malek Ben Salem on healthcare cyber security, and we hear from Zimperium about their successful experience integrating their mobile security solution with a big telecom's services.
In today's Daily Podcast we talk about how "Google-dorking" may have helped the Rye dam hackers find a vulnerable system. If you're pushing propaganda, why the Dark Web probably isn't for you. Symantec finds stolen SHA-2 certs in malware. Trustwave finds XSS flaw; Zen Cart patches same. Carbon Black identifies PowerWare, a new ransomware variant. We talk to Bufferzone about hospitals and ransomware, and the University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz explains why random numbers matter.
In today's Daily Podcast we talk about ISIS info operations and the difficulties of developing actionable intelligence about the group's cells. The US indicts seven Iranians for the Rye dam hack and DDoS against financial institutions. Walled garden app stores still have security issues. Verizon Enterprise Solutions and the E-Council suffer security issues, respectively a data breach and Angler redirection. More ransomware news, and developments in the Apple-FBI standoff. We talk with MorphoTrust about security in filing state tax returns.
In today's Daily Podcast we discuss why ISIS inspiration seems to obviate the need for command-and-control. The US indicts seven Iranians for the Rye dam hack and DDoS against financial institutions. Concerns about the security of water utilities grow. ESET finds some new malware delivered by USB drive. We talk with the University of Maryland's Ben Yelin about rights to privacy in cyberspace.
In today's Daily Podcast we discuss the developing investigation into ISIS inspiration and control of the Brussels attacks, and what's now know about November's Paris shootings. Ransomware may be developing the ability to spread through networks. The insurance and cyber security sectors are working toward a common understanding of risk, and we talk with Accenture's Malek Ben Salem about processing and protecting unstructured data.
In today's Daily Podcast we discuss what's known so far about ISIS inspiration or control of the Brussels attacks. Some precautions users can take against ransomware are recommended. The US Department of Justice has told the presiding Magistrate the FBI no longer needs Apple's help to open the San Bernardino iPhone, and we talk with the Johns Hopkins University's Joe Carrigan about the technical pros and cons of each side's case. Finally, we say farewell to Andy Grove, long of Intel, who died yesterday at the age of 79.
Baltic elves versus Russian trolls. Pakistan considers its cyber strategy. Investigation continues into the Bangladesh Bank hack. More hackers are interested in going after OS kernels. Apple and the Department of Justice are poised for this week's hearings. And the University of Maryland's Markus Rauschecker tells us what it means to "hack the Pentagon."
More on Buhtrap and its sophisticated spearphishing of Russian banks. There are more reasons (as if they were needed) not to jailbreak your iPhones and iPads. Also, stay away from "adult" apps on your Android. And we hear from the University of Maryland's Ben Yelin, who brings us up to date on the lingering fallout of the Snowden leaks.
Daily: Spies & crooks, together again. Artful spearphishers will eventually learn to proofread. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs explains how decoy apps are helping secure mobile devices.
Crypto wars updates. Iran vs. US in cyberspace. Big Angler malvertising campaign. CyberWire editor John Petrik joins us to discuss the expected indictment of Iranian hackers by the US government. Chris Webber from Centrify shares tips for multi-factor authentication.
Daily: Naming & shaming Iran's hackers? Palo Alto spots "Digital Quartermaster." Team Apple bigger than Team DoJ. Plus, Jonathan Katz from the Maryland Cyber Security Center responds to Richard Clarke's NPR interview. Are claims of NSA's capabilities grounded in reality?
Daily: ISIS security breaches threaten narrative. Cyber industry issues. Updates on the crypto wars. Plus, Joe Carrigan from Johns Hopkins University's Information Security Institute shares an overview of Phishing scams.
The US is said ready to indict Iranian operators for 2013's hack a Rye, NY dam. ISIS has an insider threat problem—disgruntled employees. Adobe and Oracle patch Flash and Java. The FCC and FTC stay busy with cyber regulation. The court fight between Apple and the US Department of Justice gets uglier. Markus Rauschecker from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security shares his views on the role of the FTC in cyber enforcement, and Tim Matthews from Imperva gives us some warning about the IoT.
RSA in an international conference, with attendees and exhibitors from around the world. Andy Williams is the UK Cyber Envoy. His mission at RSA was to spread the word about his nation’s significant cyber capabilities, to help facilitate business relationships with companies in the US, and to promote the technologies that UK companies were showing at the conference. Telesoft Technologies is one of those companies, and Matthew George is their CTO. He’ll tell us about their effort to bring the speed of FPGA’s to the market. And finally, we’ll hear from Ezequiel Gutesman, Director of Research at Onapsis Research Labs. He’ll share the findings from a Poneman report on security within German software giants SAP's offerings.
Daily: ISIS rival in Syria. OnionDog hits Korea. Ransomeware and DDoS. Remorse in Manitoba. Dave Larson, COO at Corero, shares his thoughts on DDoS attacks, and Jonathan Katz from the University of Maryland addresses recent healthcare ransomware attacks.
There was no shortage of new and innovative technology on display at the RSA conference. We sat down with industry innovators to get their perspectives. In this RSA special edition, we’ll hear from Lance Cotrell, Chief Scientist at Ntrepid about their secure browser technology. Emily Mossberg is from Deloitte Advisory Cyber Risk Services, and she’ll give us her perspective on emerging trends in cyber risk management. Oliver Friedrichs is the CEO of Phantom, who were the winners of this year’s RSA Sandbox competition. He stresses the importance of automation. Richard Moulds from Whitewood Encryption Systems tells us about their true random number generation and delivery system, And finally, Vikram Sharma from Quintessence Labs, who’s flagship Trusted Security Foundation aims to centralize the management of encrypted keys.
Daily: DPRK attempt on RoK rail ICS? Ransomware updates. US tax season cyber issues. Plus, Accenture's Malek Ben Salem on embedded device security.
Threat intelligence - it's more than just attribution. In fact, unless you carry a gun and wear a badge, it's probably not much about attribution at all. Instead, it's about reducing risk. Special thanks to our guests who sat down for interviews at RSA: Ryan Trost, Cofounder and CTO at ThreatQuotient Eric Olson, VP of Intelligence Operations at LookingGlass Rick Howard, Chief Security Officer at Palo Alto Networks
Daily: RSA retrospective. RoK accuses DPRK of hacking. KeRanger updates. Cyberwar investments. Plus the University of Maryland's Center for Health and Homeland Security's Markus Rauschecker discusses how social media companies are joining the fight against ISIS.
Daily: Looking back at RSA. "Transparent Tribe" and "Pawn Storm" expand target sets. Mac ransomware found, blocked. Apple's amici. Plus, Jonathan Katz from the University of Maryland on SSL browser security and Jay Botelho from Savvius on their Vigil 2.0 packet capture tool.
Daily: RSA wraps up. Naikon disappears, BlackEnergy is scrutinized, and mobile threats get sophisticated.
Daily: RSA update - SecDef sounds libertarian? Ashley Madison extortion. DROWN update. More on Ukraine grid hack.
Daily: Norway reports Chinese cyber espionage. Hospital ransomware. Carding black market. RSA update.
Daily: US Govt on Ukraine grid hack. ISIS threatens social media hacks. Ransomware rising. "Government OS."
Daily: Hacktivism vs. Italy & the UN. Ransomware update. Report on healthcare's cyber threat model. Apple takes the 5th?
Daily: Operation Dust Storm vs Japan. Operation Blockbuster vs. The Lazarus Group. Apple vs the FBI. Venture capital gets tight. Parents may want to monitor kids' smartphones.
Anonymous hits Belgium & Cincinnati. Twitter vs. jihad? MouseJack. Apple, FBI dispute updates.
Russian cyber ops in Syria. Ransomware evolutions. Apple vs. the US Justice Department. Johns Hopkins' Joe Carrigan talks about SCADA security, Shodan and the Internet-of-things.
Daily: DDoS by pingback. Twitter flaw patched. Security system flaws. Apple vs. FBI, continued.
Dridex, Locky, PadCrypt, and extortion. Hollywood vs. ISIS? ISIS vs. ISIS? Apple vs. FBI.
Dridex & Locky, macro-spread malware. Apple, FBI, spar in & out of court. Dark Reading watches 20 startups.
Ukraine grid hack investigation. Malware descriptions: Fysbis, Corkow. Ransomware news. UK police vs. Crackas.
In today's podcast, we hear about the possibility that Russian hackers prepared for attacks on Ukraine's power grid with earlier incursions into mining and railroad networks. We consider hacktivists' motives, and relay some news on the arrest of an alleged Cracka with Attitude. More countries look to develop an offensive cyber capability. And we hear from the University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz on provable security. http://thecyberwire.com
In today's podcast, we look at a variety of threats to taxpayers during the run-up to April 15. Ransomware continues its spread, now with UmbreCrypt, a CrypBoss variant. Cisco and SAP both issue significant patches. Anonymous refines its target list, and White Team vigilantes go after LizardSquad. VTech revises its terms and conditions (but this may not solve toy privacy issues). And we hear from the Johns Hopkins University's Joe Carrigan, who takes us through the privacy implications of some high-profile data breaches. http://thecyberwire.com
In today's podcast, we consider a possible shift in China's cyber espionage interests. Ransomware continues to spread indiscriminately. Analysts look at cyber company stock prices, and VCs continue to invest in the sector. The US President's budget is out, and analyzed—there's a lot of funding for cyber security. The White House issues a "National Cyber Security Action Plan." And we hear from the Johns Hopkins University’s Joe Carrigan, who takes us through the privacy implications of some high-profile data breaches.
In today's podcast, we continue to follow cyber crime's adoption of espionage tools. ISIS announces its priority targets. The UN and many member governments grapple with the challenge of developing counter-terror intelligence from online sources. Companies prepare for Privacy Shield. NSA supports undergraduate research at Marshall, East Tennessee State Universities. We also hear from the University of Maryland's Markus Rauschecker, who discusses the Department of Homeland Security's cyber mission. http://thecyberwire.com
In today's podcast, we discuss reports that hacktivists have released personal information gleaned from Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security databases. Anonymous engages a grab-bag of targets. Cyber stocks experience a sell-off. Governments continue their attempts to balance privacy and security. We also hear from the University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz, who explains key escrow. http://thecyberwire.com
In today's podcast, we hear some small signals that the ISIS narrative may be faltering. European governments struggle to accommodate privacy while addressing security. Malware gets more evasive, and ransomware retains its popularity among crooks. And finally, are some white hats approaching a line they shouldn't cross? We also hear from the University of Maryland's Markus Rauschecker, who discusses critical infrastructure's cyber risks and responses. http://thecyberwire.com
The Emissary Trojan evolves. An active campaign hits WordPress sites with the Nuclear exploit kit. A patch for Chromodo is coming. A former Norse insider disputes negative accounts of the company's business. Studies of trends in cyber conflict. Google moves against online radicalization. Card skimmers and malware-serving invoices.
SCADA security developments. Security company's fixing product flaws. Retail breaches. Safe Harbor's now Privacy Shield.