CyberWire Daily

Latest Episodes:

Iran complains, threatens, and spies. Election Day cybersecurity notes. Nov 06, 2018

Show notes

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

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US midterm election cybersecurity updates. PortSmash side-channel proof-of-concept. Botnets compete to cryptojack Android devices. And will the GRU get its "R" back? Nov 05, 2018

Show notes

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

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Election protection. [Research Saturday] Nov 03, 2018

Show notes

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

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Cyber Sitzkrieg. Waiting for the Bears to show up (and ready to set the Dogs on them). Facebook private messages for sale. Nov 02, 2018

Show notes

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

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Wi-Fi access point zero-day reported. US Cyber Command on the offensive. Transparency is tougher than it looks. GandCrab not paying out as much—good. PIPEDA takes effect. Soulmate spyware. Nov 01, 2018

Show notes

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

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Influence operations, and advice on recognizing them. Ransomware updates. US indicts Chinese nationals for industrial espionage. An object lesson from the US Geological Survey. Oct 31, 2018

Show notes

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

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This cybersecurity stuff is tougher than it looks, US state election officials learn. Saudi surveillance. Espionage in Iran. New attack varieties. Chinese hardware concerns. US sanctions chipmaker. Oct 30, 2018

Show notes

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

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Facebook takes down Iranian-run accounts. Criminal investigations look online. IBM to buy Red Hat. Satori is still with us. British Airways and Magecart. Oct 29, 2018

Show notes

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

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Faxploitation. [Research Saturday] Oct 27, 2018

Show notes

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/

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Airline breach bigger than thought. Securing Mexican financial institutions. Demonbot vs. Hadoop. New decryptor out for GandCrab ransomware. Civilian Cybersecurity Corps? Oct 26, 2018

Show notes

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

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