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Notes on the fall of Afghanistan, with its cyber and kinetic implications. US State Department hack reported. ShinyHunters resurface. Further incentive to patch Microsoft Exchange Server. Aug 23, 2021

Show notes

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

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From board advisor to board member: evolution of the modern CISO. [CyberWire-X] Aug 22, 2021

Show notes

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.

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Jennifer Walsmith: Pioneering and defining possible. [Cyber Solutions] [Career Notes] Aug 22, 2021

Show notes

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.

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Exploring vulnerabilities of off-the-shelf software. [Research Saturday] Aug 21, 2021

Show notes

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

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Warm wallet pilferage. Advice on reducing the ransomware risk. Regulatory action in the T-Mobile breach. China’s privacy law. FTC refiles monopoly complaint against Facebook. Better MICE traps? Aug 20, 2021

Show notes

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

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T-Mobile outlines what it’s offering customers hit by its data breach. Taliban on good T&C behavior? Apple’s CSAM. OS bug may affect medical devices. A report on 2020’s US Census Bureau hack. Aug 19, 2021

Show notes

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

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Taliban seizes HIIDE devices. T-Mobile customer data compromised. Ransomware attack against Brazil’s Treasury. Social engineering espionage. Ransomware vs. sewers. IoT bug disclosed. Aug 18, 2021

Show notes

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

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Consequence of the Taliban victory for influence operations and information security. Privateering gangs described. Data exposures, data compromises. Aug 17, 2021

Show notes

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

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Possible consequences of Afghanistan’s fall to the Taliban. Non-state actors’ political motives. Poly Network rewards “Mr. White Hat.” C2C offering will check your alt-coin. Breach at T-Mobile? Aug 16, 2021

Show notes

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

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Rick Howard: Give people resources. [CSO] [Career Notes] Aug 15, 2021

Show notes

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.

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