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The source of Kaseya’s REvil key remains unknown. Cyber incident disrupts port operations at Cape Town and Durban. Updates on the Pegasus Project. And a guilty plea in a swatting case. Jul 26, 2021

Show notes

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

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Ingrid Toppelberg: Knowing how to take risks will pay off. [Cybersecurity education] [Career Notes] Jul 25, 2021

Show notes

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.

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Is enhanced hardware security the answer to ransomware? [CyberWire-X] Jul 25, 2021

Show notes

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 securityandpersonnel 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.

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Free malware with cracked software. [Research Saturday] Jul 24, 2021

Show notes

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

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Cyber threats to, and around, the Olympic Games. Kaseya got a decryptor, from somewhere…. NSO says it’s not responsible for Pegasus misuse. US cyber policy toward China. Fraud Family busted. Jul 23, 2021

Show notes

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

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Extortion is the motive in the Saudi Aramco incident. Updates on the Pegasus Project. Chinese cyberespionage and Beijing’s tu quoque. FIN7 resurfaces, and a post-mortem on Egregor. Jul 22, 2021

Show notes

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

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Historical threats to industrial control systems inform current security practices. Ransomware privateering and side-hustling. Updates on the Pegasus Project. Jul 21, 2021

Show notes

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

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APT side hustles and evidence of espionage. NSO replies to the Pegasus Project, and AWS removes NSO from its CloudFront CDM. Other data breaches and ransomware incidents. Jul 20, 2021

Show notes

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

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Microsoft Exchange Server hacks officially attributed to China. Indictment in industrial espionage case. Entities List expands. Abuse of NSO Group’s Pegasus tool reported. Jul 19, 2021

Show notes

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

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Peter Baumann: Adding value to data. [CEO] [Career Notes] Jul 18, 2021

Show notes

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.

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