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A public-private conference takes up open source software security at the White House. MuddyWater attributed to Iran. Espionage and ransomware arrests. Jan 13, 2022

Show notes

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

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The US and EU seek to shore up cybersecurity as Russo-Ukraininan tensions run high. NIST updates secure system standards. Ransomware exploits Log4shell. Dog bites man: fraud in social media. Jan 12, 2022

Show notes

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

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Software supply chains and the free-rider problem. An APT is bitten by its own RAT. Europol told to clean up its data. A leak investigation in Denmark. QR-code phishbait. Jan 11, 2022

Show notes

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

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CISA provides an account of progress toward Log4shell remediation. Other issues are reported in open-source libraries. Undersea cable security. FIN7’s BadUSB campaign. Security and Yealink. Jan 10, 2022

Show notes

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

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Julian Waits: Find a way to help society. [Serial Entrepreneur] [Career Notes] Jan 09, 2022

Show notes

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.

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The rise of Karakurt Hacking Team. Jan 08, 2022

Show notes

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

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Kazakhstan shuts down its Internet as civil unrest continues (and one consequence is a disruption of alt-coin mining in that country). More on Log4j. Ransomware hits school website provider. Jan 07, 2022

Show notes

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

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Log4j and industrial control systems. Regulators consider the software supply chain. Malsmoke hits an old vulnerability. Social engineering via Google Docs. Call spoofing and robocalls. Jan 06, 2022

Show notes

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

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CISA reports progress on Log4j. The FTC warns US businesses about taking Log4j risk mitigation seriously. Gangland updates, and some notes on hybrid war. Jan 05, 2022

Show notes

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

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Log4j issues persist. Konni RAT found in New Year’s greetings. Hacktivism or state-directed cyber action? Moscow worries about Mr. Klyushin’s knowledge. The Show-Me-Too-Much State. Jan 04, 2022

Show notes

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

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