CyberWire Daily

Latest Episodes:

Daily: Medical device, record hacks. (Un)welcome new ransomware: Alfa, Ranscam. ISIS online decline? Jul 12, 2016

Show notes

In today's podcast we hear some reports that ISIS may be losing some social media ground. NATO agrees to increase cyber cooperation. A newly described malware dropper is apparently tailored to work against specific European energy companies. 600,000 patient records are breached in the US. There's a decryptor out for Jigsaw ransomware, but not for the newly introduced "Alfa" or "Ranscam" (and Ranscam doesn't even bother to decrypt in the first place). Markus Rauschecker highlights some of the challenges with information sharing. Google and Niantic deal with Pokémon Go security issues. And don't enter some strangers' home, even if you see Reshirom EX on their sofa.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daily: Pokémon Go is out, with troubles in its popular trail. Cybercrime & hacktivist miscellany. Jul 11, 2016

Show notes

In today's podcast we hear about possible hacks of NATO websites during last week's Alliance meetings. South Asia's scissors-and-paste cyber espionage campaign is surprisingly effective. ISIS and al Qaeda vie for jihadist mindshare, and Anonymous hits government sites in Zimbabwe and South Africa. A hacker/hacktivist dumps what he claims to be Kindle credentials, but analysts are dubious about their provenance. Eleanor Mac malware targets webcams. State Department emails remain under investigation. Chris Gerritz from Infocyte tells us about threat hunting, and Charles Clancy from the Hume Center at Virginia Tech shares concerns about data privacy. Plus, Pokémon Go seems to be catching 'em all—Ash Ketcham, call your office.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daily & Week in Review: Classified info--goose sauce, gander sauce. Security industry buoyed by Avast, AVG. Jul 08, 2016

Show notes

In today’s podcast, we talk through the ramifications of Android encryption issues. Experts consider the implications of D-Link vulnerabilities for IoT security. The Wendy’s paycard breach has gotten much bigger. Familiar exploits circulate in the wild, and Mac backdoors make a comeback. CryptXXX is joined by a new ransomware variant, Cryptobit, and DedCryptor continues to play the Grinch. Avast’s purchase of AVG encourages the markets. The EU adopts new data regulations aimed at improving resilience. The FBI explains what it found in its investigation of Hillary Clinton’s emails, and defense attorneys find new lines of defense. Accenture's Malek Ben Salem shares how big data can help wth analytics, and we learn about early-stage startup accelerators from Mach 37's Bob Stratton.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daily: Blockchains and their uses. Pirrit adware attribution. Avast buys AVG for $1.3B. Jul 07, 2016

Show notes

In today's podcast we hear about Cymmetria's discovery of a major threat actor in South Asia, Patchwork, which assembles attack code by cutting and pasting from the Internet. HummingBad adware infests Android, and Pirrit (affecting Macs) is attributed to a marketer. D-Link routers may be vulnerable to remote-code execution. Google patches more than 100 Android issues. Symantec works on AV product problems. Avast buys AVG. Blockchain's potential. Cyber workforce development. FBI offers explanations to the House. Cyber crooks go after freelancers. Jonathan Katz explains the many uses for blockchain crypto technology, and Chris Key from Verodin has some advice for those entering the cybersecurity workforce.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daily: Cybercrime campaigns. States hope ISIS overplayed its violent hand. No indictment of Clinton over email. Jul 06, 2016

Show notes

In today's podcast we hear about Yingmob's HummingBad Android malware, what it's up to and where it might be headed. We also learn about Eleanor, a Mac OS-X backdoor masquerading as a document conversion app, and we hear about the shifting form of the pseudo-DarkLeech ransomware campaign. The ThinkPwn zero-day may have a wider scope than originally thought. Observers wonder whether ISIS may be overplaying its bloody hand, and, of course, we find out what the FBI concluded in its investigation of former Secretary of State Clinton's emails. Joe Carrigan, from the Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute, reminds us to take care when setting up a new router.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daily: Statecraft, spycraft, & warcraft: inspiration, cells, & espionage. Cybercrime & punishment. Jul 05, 2016

Show notes

In today's podcast we look at ISIS's shifting tactics in cyberspace, and the civilized world's response to them. OurMine continues to market its "services" by compromising celebrity accounts through recycled credentials. Two new ransomware varieties--"Satana" and "Zepto"--make their appearance, and researchers track (without attribution) the spoor of MNKit and SBDH malware. A researcher releases, without prior disclosure, a ThinkPad zero-day. The FBI investigation into State Department email issues warms up. Ben Yelin from the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security tells us about a Florida man in trouble for hacking an election site, and Michael Jacobs brings us the National Cybersecurity Hall of Fame.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daily & Week in Review: Conficker worms into medical IoT. Talking key management, DevOps. NERC standards take effect. Jul 01, 2016

Show notes

In today's podcast we discuss Internet-of-things threats, not only botnets assembled from compromised security cameras, but also medical device hacking (with Conficker) as a way of stealing patient information. More insurance sector breaches appear to be in progress, too. The Sprashivai social network is compromised. The Infy espionage infrastructure is taken down (but may return—they often do). NERC standards for power grid cyber security take effect today. John Leisebeor from Quintessence Labs explains key management within a security framework, and we learn about DevOps from Cybric's Mike Kail and eGlobalTech's Branko Primetica.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daily: Hacktivism or denial-&-deception? (Smart money's on D&D.) LizardStressor herds CCTV bots. Jun 30, 2016

Show notes

In today's podcast we hear about DarkOverlord and the data he's selling online. Guccifer 2.0 returns to blogging, and says he's not working for the Russians, but CrowdStrike, ThreatConnect, and SecureWorks present evidence to suggest otherwise. Thompson-Reuters says it's contained the World-Check database leak. Oculus' Twitter account is briefly hijacked (now restored to company control). Point-of-sale breach disclosures are confirmed. Why hackers hack when they do. Some governments' efforts to control information online seem to be having greater than expected success. Level 3's Dale Drew explains the season nature of cyber attacks, and Cytegic's Dan Pastor offers his view on the recent SWIFT banking attacks.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daily: Istanbul bombings prompt global intel collection re-look. Cyber threats to transportation. Jun 29, 2016

Show notes

In today's podcast, we note that in the wake of the ISIS bombings in Istanbul, security services around the world are looking for online intelligence that might help prevent future terror attacks. Another wave of SWIFT fraud appears to have hit--this time the victims are banks in Ukraine and Russia. Ransomware updates (including the unwelcome return of Locky), notes on smishing, and a review of some questionable PlayStore apps. Apple's iPhone turns 9 and The University of Maryland's Jonathan Katz explains that company's move toward "differential privacy." Jon Allen from Booze Allen Hamilton talks about the Automotive ISAC and previews the upcoming Billington Cybersecurity Global Automotive Cybersecurity Summit.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daily: Not interested in Fancy Bear? Fancy Bear's interested in you. No dark-grey hats, please. Jun 28, 2016

Show notes

In today's podcast we get an update on the Russian threat group that hit the DNC. A hacker claims to have nine million health insurance records for sale on the dark web. Too many medical devices are vulnerable to Windows 7 and XP exploits. What scared the Nuclear exploit kit's operators. The IRS takes down its e-filing PIN system, and OPM acknowledges its breach affected tens of millions more than just those seeking clearances. We hear some merger and acquisition news, catch up on some workforce training initiatives, and hear about some black hats who'd like their celebrity victims to think of them as white hats. Law expert Ben Yelin from the Center for Health and Homeland Security tells the tale of a well-intentioned security researcher raider by the FBI. Cisco's Tejas Vashi outlines their $10 million cyber security scholarship program.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices