CyberWire Daily

Latest Episodes:

Coronavirus fraud booms; prosecutors are taking note. Stolen data on the dark net. Software updates affected by pandemic. A new Mirai variant is out. A DDoS that wasn’t. Mar 23, 2020

Show notes

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

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The security implications of cloud infrastructure in IoT. [Research Saturday] Mar 21, 2020

Show notes

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

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CISA on running critical sectors during an emergency. Disinformation, phishbait, and rumor. What’s Fancy Bear up to these days? Distinguishing altruism from self-interest. Mar 20, 2020

Show notes

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

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EU suspects Russia of disinformation. TrickBot’s latest module is a brute. Parallax RAT and the MaaS black market. Pandemic hacking trends. What to do with time on your hands. Mar 19, 2020

Show notes

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

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Coronavirus phishing. Money mule recruiting. Remote work and behavioral baselining. HHS incident seems to have been...an incident. Advice from NIST, and from Dame Vera Lynne. Mar 18, 2020

Show notes

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

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Cyberattack on US HHS probably a minor probe. Disinformation about COVID-19 continues to serve as both phishbait and disruption. US prosecutors move to stop prosecution Concord Management. Mar 17, 2020

Show notes

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

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COVID-19’s effects on cyberspace: disinformation, espionage, data theft, fraud, and extortion. Also far greater remote working. Mar 16, 2020

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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

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TLS is here to stay. [Research Saturday] Mar 14, 2020

Show notes

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

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COVID-19 as both incentive for remote work and phishbait. Offshored trolling. A list of “digital predators.” US Senate doesn’t extend domestic surveillance authority. Mar 13, 2020

Show notes

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

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The return of Turla. Data exposure incidents disclosed. Beijing accuses Taipei of waging cyberwarfare against the PRC. Coronavirus disinformation. Mar 12, 2020

Show notes

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

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