Stay ConnectedSecurity Unlocked explores the technology and people powering Microsoft’s Security solutions. In each episode, Microsoft Security evangelists Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla take a closer look at the latest innovations in threat intelligence, security research, and data science, with a special focus on demystifying artificial intelligence and machine learning. Be sure to listen in and follow us!
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The success of crypto inspired dozens of other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, Tether, and Dogecoin. Today, people worldwide use cryptocurrencies to buy things, sell things, and make investments. One thing is certain; digital currencies are here to stay, no matter how many times you have to explain what a bitcoin is. Unfortunately, it also created the world of cryptojacking, a form of cybercrime that remains completely hidden from the target and can infect millions of computers with cryptojacking malware. Which brings us to the fundamental question: What can organizations do to protect themselves?
In this episode of Security Unlocked, hosts Natalia Godyla and Nic Fillingham are joined by Microsoft senior software engineer Amitrajit Banerjee and senior staff architect at Intel Rahul Ghosh to discuss the history and prevalence of cryptojacking. The push behind a cryptojacking attack is almost always motivated by money. Mining cryptocurrencies can be very lucrative, but making a profit is challenging unless you cover high costs. They discuss the importance of understanding the actual concept of mining, how victims' CPU power and computing resources can be used, and why it isn't easy in general to detect crypto miners.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
The increasing threat of cryptocurrency miners
Defending against cryptojacking
Guidance for preventing, detecting, and hunting for exploitation
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Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
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Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
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Ransomware attacks have never been so successful. The returns from these attacks are soaring and only becoming easier to conduct. In chapter two of the Microsoft Digital Defense Report, the growing threat of cybercrime is covered in great detail. As we continue to go over the MDDR, it's more apparent than ever that the cybercrime economy and services it provides are stronger and more complex than ever. Cryptocurrency, malware, and adversarial machine learning are just a few of the topics we believe need to be covered in more detail.
In this episode of Security Unlocked, host’s Natalia Godyla and Nic Fillingham are joined by Jason Lyons, principal investigator in the digital crimes unit at Microsoft. Jason is an experienced investigator specializing in computer investigations. He is trained and experienced in hacker methodology/techniques, computer forensics, and incident response. Jason joined the show to discuss Chapter two of the Microsoft Digital Defense Report, which focuses on the state of cybercrime. He also speaks on how cryptocurrency has created new challenges in ransomware, why ransomware continues to grow, and recent trends we are currently seeing in malware.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Microsoft Digital Defense Report
View Nic on LinkedIn
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Related:
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
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Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
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Everything is exciting and new when you're a kid, and curiosity inspires many of us to branch out and try new things. For some, that means drawing from our imagination or trying all kinds of sports. And for others it means spending days at the library, checking out books on modem communications, and eventually hacking into the local dial-up community service. That's just a random example, of course... Either way, curiosity can be a powerful tool, even at a young age. To the point that it may help kickstart a career, you didn't even know existed.
In this episode of Security Unlocked, host Natalia Godyla is joined by S&P Global Ratings BISO Alyssa Miller. Alyssa is a life-long hacker and highly experienced security executive. She runs the security strategy for S&P Global Ratings as the Business Information Security Officer (BISO), bringing together corporate security objectives and business objectives. Natalia and Alyssa discuss her journey in security from a young and curious hacker to a BISO of the largest credit-rating agency, and how she is shaping what the role of the BISO will be for future generations.
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Resources:
View Alyssa Miller on LinkedIn
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Related:
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
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Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
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Disinformation refers to the calculated use of false information to influence others and has been a steadily growing form of information warfare. Unfortunately, disinformation is everywhere these days, often hidden in plain sight. Criminals will also adapt and take advantage of technologies, such as AI and deepfakes, to increase the effectiveness of disinformation campaigns. Of course, there are ways to combat these types of attacks, and we cover recommendations for protecting the enterprise in the 2021 Microsoft Digital Defense Report (MDDR).
In this episode of Security Unlocked, hosts Natalia Godyla and Nic Fillingham are joined by the Director of Enterprise Continuity and Resilience at Microsoft, Irfan Mirza, who authored the chapter on disinformation in the enterprise in the 2021 MDDR. Irfan joins to discuss what disinformation is, why the use of disinformation is growing, how cognitive hacking occurs, and how cybersecurity can start thinking about adapting their strategies.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2021
View Nic on LinkedIn
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Related:
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
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Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
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Microsoft works around the clock to protect their customers, no matter what product they’re using, Microsoft or otherwise. In some instances Microsoft teams up with other companies, creating an all-star cybersecurity team, to handle newly discovered vulnerabilities. It helps everyone stay more secure, and of course, that's the ultimate goal, right?
In this episode of Security Unlocked, hosts Natalia Godyla and Nic Fillingham are re-joined by Jonathan Bar Or, Principal Security Researcher at Microsoft. Jonathan discusses the recently discovered vulnerability that could let attackers bypass System Integrity Protection (SIP) in macOS, why he believes in investing in cross-platform protection, and the importance of collaboration between security researchers, software vendors, and the larger security community.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
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Resources:
Microsoft finds new macOS vulnerability - Shrootless
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Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
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Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
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In December 2020, Microsoft began sharing information with the cybersecurity industry on a group of Russia-based hackers who gained access to multiple enterprises through vulnerable software code, stolen passwords, compromised on-premises servers, and minted SAML tokens. In this supply chain attack, hackers could access the SolarWinds code, slip malicious code into a piece of the software, and use the vendor’s legitimate software updates to spread malware to customer systems.
Security Unlocked is excited to share with you, Decoding NOBELIUM. The docuseries gives you an inside look into the NOBELIUM incident, now viewed as one of the most advanced nation-state and supply chain attacks in history, with stories from the frontline defenders who tracked and responded to the attackers.
Resources:
Decoding NOBELIUM: Video Series
Defending Against Nation-State Attacks | Microsoft Security
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Related:
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
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Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
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We are back, covering more of the 2021 Microsoft Digital Defense Report, and this time we’re taking a deep dive into chapter five on Hybrid Workforce Security and Zero Trust. Zero Trust means precisely what it sounds like, never assuming any device or identity is secure; it's like having major trust issues, but in a professional way. With most businesses moving to remote work because of the pandemic, cybercriminals, of course, found new ways to take advantage, especially since most people are now moving between business and personal activity online. For the first time, we’re going to cover a full 12-month recap of what securing the hybrid workforce has been like.
In this episode of Security Unlocked, hosts Natalia Godyla and Nic Fillingham are joined by Carmichael Patton, Lead Architect for Microsoft's Internal Zero Trust Deployment. Carmichael joins the show to discuss security challenges and trends impacting the hybrid workforce, the three most significant insider risk vulnerabilities, and why some customers are still not using MFA.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
The 2021 Microsoft Digital Defense Report
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Related:
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
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Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
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The way most people operate online these days, what would you even consider private anymore? We are so quick to share details about our job, home, friends, and family without even thinking about how much personal info we're giving away. Privacy and user agreements are a part of almost everyone's life at this point, and what do you know about them? For the most part, we often see a user agreement pop up, click agree and move on, but do you know what you just agreed to? Privacy choices have become routine, though they shouldn’t be.
In this episode of Security Unlocked, hosts Natalia Godyla and Nic Fillingham are joined by Privacy Counsel and Data Protection Officer at Asana, Whitney Merrill. She is an accomplished attorney with 7+ years of privacy, data security, and data governance experience. Whitney discusses how to avoid common privacy mistakes, current privacy attack trends, and the importance of thinking like an attacker.
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Resources:
View Whitney Merrill on LinkedIn
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Related:
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
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Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The newfound popularity of the internet in the nineties spurned an obsession with hacking. Unfortunately, most movies believed that it wasn't possible to show real hacking and still be entertaining; hence all the awkward video game graphics and characters living in sketchy basements regularly yelling out, "We're in!" while pounding on their keyboards. I'd also like to address their outfit choices but now is not the appropriate time. The point is, hackers have been portrayed as the same character repeatedly when in reality, there are many possibilities to turn these skills into a legitimate career.
In this episode of Security Unlocked, hosts Natalia Godyla and Nic Fillingham are joined by Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Veracode Chris Wysopal. In the ’90s, Chris was one of the first vulnerability researchers at The L0pht, a hacker think tank, where he publicized his findings on the dangers of insecure software. Chris shares guidance for anyone getting started with modern secure software development, the best tools to monitor for vulnerabilities in open-source code, and shares what he believes is one of the greatest threats to software development.
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Resources:
View Chris Wysopal on LinkedIn
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Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
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Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
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Okay, look, we know you plan on reading the entire 2021 MDDR at some point. But you're busy. Life gets in the way. We get it. Who has the time! Well, we've got the time, but that's beside the point, and honestly... fortunate for you. We've read the report front to back and have decided to cover some of it today on the podcast, but you'll still need to read all 134 pages yourself if you truly want to grasp the entire piece. Unless you want to be that person who listens to a single podcast and pretends they read the whole thing... then go ahead; we won't tell.
In this episode of Security Unlocked, hosts Natalia Godyla and Nic Fillingham are joined by Sian John, Microsoft's director of strategic growth. Sian is currently working with the business development team, exploring growth opportunities for Microsoft to strengthen security, compliance, and identity offerings that address unfulfilled needs in the market. As a security professional with over 25 years of experience, Sian accompanies us as we discuss the 2021 Microsoft Digital Defense Report, which she personally contributed to.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
2021 Microsoft Digital Defense Report
View Natalia on LinkedIn
View Nic on LinkedIn
Related:
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
What would you say is the most personal possession that you own? Most would say their cell phone... unless you still have a few journals from high school. And if you do, this is your reminder that it might be time to let those go. It's become increasingly apparent lately how much info our phones collect from us, from the first app you check in the morning after waking up, recent calendar entries, and your actual heart rate by 9 am. The crazy part is most people don't give it a second thought. It doesn't interest us... until something or someone goes missing, then it becomes a road map to whatever it is you did.
In this episode of Security Unlocked, host's Natalia Godyla and Nic Fillingham are joined by Senior Digital Forensics Researcher at Cellebrite, SANS Author and Senior Instructor Sarah Edwards. Sarah walks us through the world of mobile digital forensics while also crushing our dreams on how not so relatable it is to our favorite CSI television shows. She explains what makes mobile forensics unique while incredibly intimate and how a mobile device can be used as part of an attack chain.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
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Resources:
View Sarah Edwards on LinkedIn
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Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
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Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
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You're back home celebrating the holidays with friends and family, sharing stories, catching up, and discussing your plans for the year ahead. Next thing you know, that cousin who wouldn't stop sending you emails about the "future of bitcoin" and coin mining kicks the door open, and he's ready to spread some holiday knowledge. Oh yeah, he's also going to cut you in on a sweet deal he has going on with his buddy Carl, who he met at dollar wing night. Unfortunately, Carl is one of the bad guys. He is secretly infecting multiple devices with botnets, collecting crypto-cash at the expense of the naive device owners who don't know that their machines are being used.
In this episode of Security Unlocked, hosts Natalia Godyla and Nic Fillingham are re-joined by Microsoft Defender 365 threat intelligence team member Elif Kaya, whose current primary focus is with botnets, commodity threats, and phishing delivered malware. Elif explains some of the new techniques from botnets, how they're being used for financial theft via cryptocurrency mining, and the impact on the defender's view of these actions.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Phorpiex morphs: How a longstanding botnet persists and thrives in the current threat environment
When coin miners evolve, Part 2: Hunting down LemonDuck and LemonCat attacks
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Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
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Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Do you have a data science or engineering background? If so, you're in luck. If not, you're also in luck because today's guest found a way to make a few complex subjects understandable for everyone. The first of many topics... Fuzzy hashing. It might sound like an adorable, adventurous Muppet character, but I promise you the reason behind it is not cute at all. The short explanation is "fighting crime with math," and honestly, the short version is all I've got for you. So, sit back and pay attention to an episode even the hosts plan on listening to twice.
In this episode of Security Unlocked, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla are joined by Edir Garcia Lazo, a data scientist currently working for the Microsoft Defender Cybersecurity Artificial Intelligence Team. Edir specializes in writing cloud machine learning models for the Malware Classification sub-team, working with threat hunters, reverse engineers, or security researchers. Edir talks us through character changes in malicious payloads, polymorphic malware, and the difference between fuzzing and fuzzy hashing.
Questions we ask:
What you’ll learn:
Resources:
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Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
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Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
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Juan Hardoy leads an international team of investigators, analysts, and lawyers inside the Digital Crimes Unit who share a joint mission to protect customers and promote trust in Microsoft technologies. Hearing that might take your imagination to a place where Juan is deputized to fight crime in digital space, and you wouldn't be completely wrong. Still, unfortunately, he's not sitting at his desk with a sheriff's badge and a cowboy hat. It's not as simple as the days in the west, where you can challenge someone to a duel because of a simple "Pop Up" and claim victory with a glass of whiskey, moving on to the next town with problems. Because in every organization, there's at least one person that will click on anything. These issues will continue to grow and evolve in a world where international and national law enforcement are needed, along with a team of investigators creating what some would call the "secret sauce" for tackling cybercrime.
In this episode of Security Unlocked, hosts Natalia Godyla and Nic Fillingham are joined by Juan Hardoy, an assistant general counsel with the DCU, to discuss his partnership with governments, elected officials, and policymakers. Juan explains the proactive action against cybercriminals trying to hurt our customers, why people aren't going to use our technology or the internet if they don't trust it, and how they bring them to justice in the form of criminal referrals with civil actions.
In this episode you will learn:
Some questions we ask:
Resources:
Visit Juan Hardoy on LinkedIn
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Visit Microsoft Security Blog
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked
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Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
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Have you ever thought about a career in threat intelligence or cyber security? Possibly finishing school with a degree in computer programming and feel overwhelmed with what to do next? Don't worry; we've all experienced this. Maybe not specifically with computer programming, but the figuring it out aspect. You could be ending active military service and working in cyber operations, helping offensive and defensive cyberspace operations, wondering about the next step. The thought of making the transition from military to private industry can be exciting but also nerve-racking. The good news is that there are many different roads to travel, and with the experience and education you've obtained, you'll most likely have more options than you could have ever imagined.
In this episode of Security Unlocked, host Natalia Godyla is joined by Senior Threat Intelligence Analyst Justin Underwood, an army veteran with the personality and charm to calm your nerves. Currently working for a group known as OPTIC, the Operational Threat Intelligence Center at Microsoft, Justin and Natalia discuss his time at Bank of America and Xbox. He explains how it gave him a better understanding of cybersecurity, how he obtained the title of Human Intelligence Collector, and what helped him transition from the army into the world of threat intelligence and cyber security.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
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Resources:
View Justin Underwood on LinkedIn
View Nic on LinkedIn
View Natalia on LinkedIn
Visit Microsoft Security Blog
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked
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Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
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It's finally Friday. You successfully made it through another week and the weekend is so close you can taste it. You pour yourself a bowl of your favorite cereal, but before you can get that first bite your phone rings. It's a random number, but for some reason you're feeling chatty and decide to answer. Unfortunately, it's a robot that somehow knows your name and is asking for your social security number, home address, and password from that first AOL account you made in 1998! It’s easy to recognize classic scams like these, but some of the newer, creative scams can be more challenging to identify. One of these is called BazaCall, and they don’t call you – oh, no. BazaCall will have YOU calling THEM!
In this episode of Security Unlocked, host Natalia Godyla is re-joined by Microsoft Threat Analysts Emily Hacker and Justin Carroll to talk about a relatively new delivery method for malware and ransomware called BazaCall campaigns. They discuss the different delivery methods used, how attackers evade detection, and where the attack chain begins.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
BazaCall: Phony call centers lead to exfiltration and ransomware
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Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
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Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
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Picture this: you’re working on a new software that will revolutionize your industry. You’ve got your work cut out for you, from design to programming to integration. But what about security? Keeping your software secure should be in the conversation from day one, but not all developers are well-versed in application security. The good news is that you’re not alone, and even if this picture that we’ve painted isn’t of you, there are still very accessible ways to learn about application security and information security. One of these ways is We Hack Purple, created by a Microsoft alumnus.
In this episode of Security Unlocked, hosts Natalia Godyla and Nic Fillingham are joined by the founder of We Hack Purple and former Microsoft Senior Cloud Advocate, Tanya Janca, to discuss her company, trainings, and why it’s so important to keep up with the newest movements in the world of security. Before founding her company, Tanya found herself red-teaming and blue-teaming, and declared herself in the world of Purple. She brings us into that world, breaks down app-sec framework, and even gives a few sci-fi book recommendations.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
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Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked
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Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
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Electricity is all around us. In fact, you’re using it to read this right now. It powers (no pun intended) our everyday lives, and it works without us having to think about it. It’s kind of like breathing. I mean, you don’t have to tell your lungs “Hey! Start breathing right now!” But just like with breathing, the problems that can follow an interruption of electricity can be deadly. It shouldn’t be shocking (pun intended) that keeping power grids secure is an international priority.
In this episode of Security Unlocked, hosts Natalia Godyla and Nic Fillingham are joined by Microsoft’s Chief Security Advisor, Hafid Elabdellaoui, to talk about making our power grids safe and stable. So much relies on the stability of our power grids, it’s easy to forget how dependent we are. Hafid discusses the growing concerns with supply chain attacks and explains the importance of cyber hygiene at all levels of an organization.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Defending the power grid against supply chain attacks—Part 1: The risk defined
Defending the power grid against supply chain attacks—Part 2: Securing hardware and software
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Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
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Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
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8 trillion. It’s kind of a big number, right? That’s how many signals are collected, processed, and analyzed by Microsoft’s security team every single day. Those signals are travelling from the cloud, coming through endpoints, coming through Bing, coming through Xbox. All of these signals are turned into intelligence, and if you’re a cloud user, that intelligence is an asset to your security. By making the leap to the cloud, the power, size, and flexibility of Microsoft’s threat intelligence becomes your resource.
In this episode of Security Unlocked, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla are re-joined by Microsoft’s Chief Security Advisor, Sarah Armstrong-Smith, to dive deeper into the back half of her four-part series on Becoming Resilient. We explore different cloud models, the shared responsibility of your cloud service provider, and the growing risks of insider threats.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Becoming resilient by understanding cybersecurity risks: Part 1
Becoming resilient by understanding cybersecurity risks: Part 2
Becoming resilient by understanding cybersecurity risks: Part 3—a security pro’s perspective
Becoming resilient by understanding cybersecurity risks: Part 4—navigating current threats
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Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked
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Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
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How likely are you to fall for a scam? Survey Says… depends on your demographic. Scammers are evolving, from cold calls on the phone, to computer desktop pop-ups with nagging alarm sounds, to buying out search terms like “email support.” Tech support scams have become an ever-present threat in our online world with 3 out of 5 people globally experiencing them and 1 out of 6 people actually giving their money or personal information to the scammers. Even though there are some honorable people who do what they can to help prevent others from being scammed, the prevalence of these frauds shows they aren’t going away anytime soon.
On this episode of Security Unlocked, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla chat with Mary Jo Schrade, the Asia Regional Lead for Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit, about the most recent Global Tech Support Scam Research. The survey covers over 16,000 people in 16 countries and reveals some insights that will leave some feeling hopeful, and some feeling... a little concerned. It’s a relief to know that scam awareness is on the rise globally; however, the groups most susceptible to giving money to scammers may shock you.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Global Tech Support Scam Research
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
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Every occupation has its unique jargon that allows professionals to speak their own language and understand each other’s shorthand. Those of us in the world of cybersecurity are no exception as we frequently toss around acronyms and abbreviations, but how can we cybersecurity professionals communicate all of this crucial ingrained knowledge to people who haven’t the faintest idea about technology, security, or what our conversational shorthand even means?
In this episode of Security Unlocked, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla speak with Microsoft’s Chief Security Advisor, Sarah Armstrong-Smith, about the most effective ways to communicate high-level security topics with non-security professionals. In order to create a more secure world, it’s paramount that the non-tech savvy are equally informed and protected, and Sarah has some excellent tips in achieving that goal.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Sarah Armstrong-Smith's Blog post part 1
Sarah Armstrong-Smith's Blog post part 2
Sarah Armstrong-Smith's Blog post part 3
Sarah Armstrong-Smith's Blog post part 4
Sarah Armstrong-Smith's LinkedIn
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
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Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ready for a riddle? What do 40 hypothetical high school students and our guest on this episode have in common? Why they can help you understand complex cyber-attack methodology, of course!
In this episode of Security Unlocked, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla are brought back to school by Principal Security Researcher, Jonathan Bar Or who discusses vulnerabilities in NETGEAR Firmware. During the conversation Jonathan walks through how his team recognized the vulnerabilities and worked with NETGEAR to secure the issue, and helps us understand exactly how the attack worked using an ingenious metaphor.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There used to be a time when our appliances didn’t talk back to us, but it seems like nowadays everything in our home is getting smarter. Smart watches, smart appliances, smart lights - smart everything! This connectivity to the internet is what we call the Internet of Things (IoT). It’s becoming increasingly common for our everyday items to be “smart,” and while that may provide a lot of benefits, like your fridge reminding you when you may need to get more milk, it also means that all of those devices become susceptible to cyber attacks.
On this episode of Security Unlocked, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla talk to Arjmand Samuel about protecting IoT devices, especially with a zero trust approach. Listen in to learn not only about the importance of IoT security, but also what Microsoft is doing to protect against such attacks and how you can better secure these devices.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Is it just me, or do you also miss the good ole days of fraudulent activity? You remember the kind I’m talking about, the emails from princes around the world asking for just a couple hundred dollars to help them unfreeze or retrieve their massive fortune which they would share with you. Attacks have grown more nuanced, complex, and invasive since then, but because of the unbelievable talent at Microsoft, we’re constantly getting better at defending against it.
On this episode of Security Unlocked, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla sit down with returning champion, Emily Hacker, to discuss Business Email Compromise (BEC), an attack that has perpetrators pretending to be someone from the victim’s place of work and instructs them to purchase gift cards and send them to the scammer. Maybe it’s good to look a gift card horse in the mouth?
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
FBI’s 2020 Internet Crime Report
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How does that old saying go? Keep your friends close and keep your understanding of a threat actor’s underlying behavior and functionality of tradecraft closer? As new tools are developed and implemented for individuals and businesses to protect themselves, wouldn’t it be great to see how they hold up against different attacks without actually having to wait for an attack to happen? Microsoft’s new open-source tool, Simuland, allows users to simulate attacks on their own infrastructure to see where their own weaknesses lie.
In this episode of Security Unlocked, hosts Natalia Godyla and Nic Fillingham sit down with Roberto Rodriguez, Principle Threat Researcher for the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) and Simuland’s developer, to understand how the project came to life, and what users can expect as they use it.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Roberto’s blog post, SimuLand: Understand adversary tradecraft and improve detection strategies
Roberto’s Twitter: Cyb3rWard0g
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We’ve all had a family dinner, Netflix binge, or otherwise relaxing moment ruined by a telemarketer trying to sell you something you didn't need – a magazine subscription, insurance, you name it! But recently, people have been getting calls that are much more sinister in nature; people claiming to be employees of Microsoft, or Apple, or Amazon, have been calling unsuspecting victims and urging them to pay the caller in exchange for cleaning their computer of viruses. Viruses that don’t exist. None of these people work for the companies they claim to, but rather are a small cog in a larger machine working to defraud the public.
On this episode of Security Unlocked, hosts Natalia Godyla and Nic Fillingham kick off a three-episode arc discussing tech support scams. To get started, they speak with Anup B Kumar, Microsoft’s Digital Crime Unit’s Asia lead of investigation and analytics, to get a better sense of who is behind these scams, what their motivations are, and some ideas on how to stop them.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We’re formally sending out a petition to change the phrase “Jack of all trades” to “Hyrum of all trades” in honor of this episode’s guest, Hyrum Anderson. In this episode, hosts Natalia Godyla and Nic Fillingham sit down with Hyrum Anderson who, when he’s not fulfilling his duties as the Principal Architect of the Azure Trustworthy ML group, spends his time playing accordions, making cheese, and founding impressive technology conferences. He does it all!
Rather than chatting with Hyrum about a specific capability that he’s helped to develop, or a blog post that he co-authored – because, believe us, the episode would last for hours – we decided to have a chat with him about his life, how he first got into the world of technology, and his thoughts on the current state of cyber security.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Conference on Applied Machine Learning in Information Security (CAMLIS)
Machine Learning Security Evasion Competition
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It’s an all out offensive on today’s episode while we talk about how the best defense is a good offense. But before we plan our attack, we need to know our vulnerabilities, and that’s where our guest comes in.
On this episode, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla are joined by Will Pearce, who discusses his role as AI Red Team Lead from the Azure Trustworthy ML Group and how he works to find weaknesses in security infrastructure to better develop ways to prevent against attacks.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
AI security risk assessment using Counterfit
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It’s our 30th episode! And in keeping with the traditional anniversary gift guide, the 30th anniversary means a gift of pearls. So from us to you, dear listener, we’ve got an episode with some pearls of wisdom!
On today’s episode, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla bring back returning champion, Nazmus Sakib, to take us through the new Security Signals Report. Sakib walks us through why the report was done and then helps us understand the findings and what they mean for security.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this week’s Security Unlocked we’re featuring for the second and final time, a special crossover episode of our sister-podcast, Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault.
Lululemon has been on the forefront of athleisure wear since its founding in 1998, but while many of its customers look at it exclusively as a fashion brand, at a deeper level this fashion empire is bolstered by a well thought out and maintained digital infrastructure that relies on a hard working team to run it.
On today’s episode, Microsoft CISO Bret Arsenault sits down with Venki Krishnababu, SVP of Global Technology Services at Lululemon. They discuss the ways in which technology plays into the brand, how Venki lead a seamless transition into the remote work caused by the pandemic, and how he’s using the experiences of the past year to influence future growth in the company.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Threat actors are pesky and, once again, they’re up to no good. A new methodology has schemers compromising online forms where users submit their information like their names, email addresses, and, depending on the type of site, some queries relating to their life. This new method indicates that the attackers have figured out a way around the CAPTCHA’s that have been making us all prove we’re not robots by identifying fire hydrants since 1997. And what’s more, we’re not quite sure how they’ve done it.
In this episode, hosts Natalia Godyla and Nic Fillingham sit down with Microsoft threat analyst, Emily Hacker, to discuss what’s going on behind the scenes as Microsoft begins to dig into this new threat and sort through how best to stop it.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Investigating a Unique ‘Form’ of Email Delivery for IcedID Malware
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
On this week’s Security Unlocked, we’re pulling a bait and switch! Instead of our regularly scheduled programming, we’re going to be featuring the first episode of our new podcast, Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault. Each episode is going to feature Microsoft’s CISO Bret Arsenault sitting down with other top techies in Microsoft and other companies in the industry.
In its inaugural episode – which we’re featuring on this episode – Bret sits down with Mark Russinovich, Chief Technology Officer of Microsoft’s Azure. Mark has a unique perspective on cloud technologies and offers insight into the changes that have occurred over the past few years due to advancing technology and the unique challenges brought about during the coronavirus pandemic. Enjoy this first episode of the new series and remember to subscribe so you catch all the rest that are yet to come.
In This Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources
CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Remember the good ole days when we spent youthful hours playing hide and seek with our friends in the park? Well it turns out that game of hide and seek isn’t just for humans anymore. Researchers have begun putting A.I. to the test by having it play this favorite childhood game over and over and having the software optimize its strategies through automated reinforcement training.
In today’s episode, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla speak with Christian Seifert and Joshua Neil about their blog post Gamifying machine learning for stronger security and AI models, and how Microsoft is releasing this new open-sourced code to help it learn and grow.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
OpenAI Plays Hide and Seek…and Breaks The Game! 🤖
Gamifying Machine Learning for Stronger Security and AI Models
Christian Seifert’s LinkedIn
Joshua Neil’s LinkedIn
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Anyone who’s ever watched boxing knows that great reflexes can be the difference between a championship belt and a black eye. The flexing of an opponent’s shoulder, the pivot of their hip - a good boxer will know enough not only to predict and avoid the incoming upper-cut, but will know how to turn the attack back on their opponent. Microsoft’s newest capabilities in Defender puts cyber attackers in the ring and predicts their next attacks as the fight is happening.
On today’s episode, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla speak with Cole Sodja, Melissa Turcotte, and Justin Carroll (and maybe even a secret, fourth guest!) about their blog post on Microsoft’s Security blog about the new capabilities of using an A.I. to see the attacker’s next move.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Justin, Melissa’s, and Cole’s blog post
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
All of us have seen – or at least, are familiar with – the antics of Tom and Jerry or Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote. In each one the coyote or the cat set up these elaborate plans to sabotage their foe, but time and time again, the nimble mouse and the speedy bird are able to outsmart their attackers.
In our third episode discussing Ensuring Firmware Security, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla speak with Shweta Jha and Gowtham Reddy about developing the tools that allow for them to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals in the cat & mouse game that is cyber security.
In this Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions that We Ask:
Resources:
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Throughout the course of this podcast series, we’ve had an abundance of great conversations with our colleagues at Microsoft about how they’re working to better protect companies and individuals from cyber-attacks, but today we take a look at a different source of malfeasance: the insider threat. Now that most people are working remotely and have access to their company’s data in the privacy of their own home, it’s easier than ever to access, download, and share private information.
On today’s episode, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla sit down with Microsoft Applied Researcher, Rob McCann to talk about his work in identifying potential insider risk factors and the tools that Microsoft’s Internal Security Team are developing to stop them at the source.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Rob McCann on Uncovering Hidden Risk
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How many languages do you speak? The average person only speaks one or two languages, and for most people that’s plenty because even as communities are becoming more global, languages are still very much tied to geographic boundaries. But what happens when you go on the internet where those regions don’t exist the same way they do in real life? Because the internet connects people from every corner of the world, cybercriminals can perpetrate scams in countries thousands of miles away. So how do organizations like Microsoft’s Digital Crime Unit combat cybercrime when they don’t even speak the language of the perpetrators?
On today’s episode of Security Unlocked, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla sit down with Peter Anaman, Principal Investigator on the Digital Crimes Unit, to discuss how Peter looks at digital crimes in a very interconnected world and how language and culture play into the crimes being committed, who’s behind them, and how to stop them.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
For Women’s History Month, we wanted to share the stories of just a few of the amazing women who make Microsoft the powerhouse that it is. To wrap up the month, we speak with Valecia Maclin, brilliant General Engineering Manager of Customer Security & Trust, about the human element of cybersecurity.
In discussion with hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla, Valecia speaks to how she transitioned into cybersecurity after originally planning on becoming a mechanical engineer, and how she oversees her teams with a sense of humanity - from understanding that working from home brings unique challenges, to going the extra mile to ensure that no member of the team feels like an insignificant cog in a big machine - Valecia is a shining example of what leadership should look like, and maybe humanity too.
In this Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions that We Ask:
Resources:
Advancing Minorities’ Interest in Engineering
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Every day there are literally billions of authentications across Microsoft – whether it’s someone checking their email, logging onto their Xbox, or hopping into a Teams call – and while there are tools like Multi-Factor Authentication in place to ensure the person behind the keyboard is the actual owner of the account, cyber-criminals can still manipulate systems. Catching one of these instances should be like catching the smallest needle in the largest haystack, but with the algorithms put into place by the Identity Security team at Microsoft, that haystack becomes much smaller, and that needle, much larger.
On today’s episode, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla invite back Maria Puertos Calvo, the Lead Data Scientist in Identity Security and Protection at Microsoft, to talk with us about how her team monitors such a massive scale of authentications on any given day. They also look deeper into Maria’s background and find out what got her into the field of security analytics and A.I. in the first place, and how her past in academia helped that trajectory.
In this Episode You Will Learn:
Some Questions that We Ask:
Resources:
Maria’s First Appearance on Security Unlocked, Tackling Identity Threats with A.I.
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
If you use email, there is a good chance you’re familiar with email scams. Who hasn’t gotten a shady chain letter or suspicious offer in their inbox? Cybercriminals have been using email to spread malware for decades and today’s methods are more sophisticated than ever. In order to stop these attacks from ever hitting our inboxes in the first place, threat analysts have to always be one step ahead of these cybercriminals, deploying advanced and ever-evolving tactics to stop them.
On today’s podcast, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla are joined by Elif Kaya, a Threat Analyst at Microsoft. Elif speaks with us about attacker email infrastructure. We learn what it is, how it’s used, and how her team is combating it. She explains how the intelligence her team gathers is helping to predict how a domain is going to be used, even before any malicious email campaigns begin. It’s a fascinating conversation that dives deep into Elif’s research and her unique perspective on combating cybercrime.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
What tracking an attacker email infrastructure tells us about persistent cybercriminal operations
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today is International Women’s Day, and we are celebrating with a very special episode of Security Unlocked. Hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla revisit their favorite interviews with some of the prominent women featured previously on the podcast.
We speak with Holly Stewart, a Principal Research Lead at Microsoft and known in the Defender organization as “The Queen of AI.” Holly shares how building a security team with different perspectives helps to better understand and stop threats.
Next, we talk with Dr. Anna Bertiger, a Senior Applied Scientist at Microsoft. Anna has an incredible passion for math and explains how she’s using math to catch villains and make computer networks safer.
Finally, we explore what it’s like to hunt down threats with Sam Schwartz, a Program Manager with Microsoft Threat Experts. She came to Microsoft right out of college and didn’t even know what malware was; now she’s helping coordinate a team of threat hunters on the cutting edge of attack prevention.
Security Unlocked will be highlighting female security leaders at Microsoft throughout the month of March. Subscribe now to make sure you don’t miss an episode!
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Digital crime-fighter Donal Keating revisits the podcast, but this time… it’s personal. *cue dramatic crime-fighting music* The Director of Innovation and Research of the Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) at Microsoft joins hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla to regale us with the origin story of the DCU and his captivating career exploits. Whether it’s tales of his early days preventing Windows 98 counterfeits in Ireland or the many international law enforcement raids he’s participated in…there’s no shortage to Donal’s crime-fighting adventures.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Most people know the age-old adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” I can still see my grandmother wagging her finger at me when I was younger as she said it. But what if it's not the book cover we’re judging, but the title? And what if it’s not a book we’re analyzing, but instead a security bug? The times have changed, and age-old adages don’t always translate well in the digital landscape. In this case, we’re using machine learning (ML) to identify and “judge” security bugs based solely on their titles. And, believe it or not, it works! (Sorry, Grandma!)
Mayana Pereira, Data Scientist at Microsoft, joins hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla to dig into the endeavors that are saving security experts’ time. Mayana explains how data science and security teams have come together to explore ways that ML can help software developers identify and classify security bugs more efficiently. A task that, without machine learning, has traditionally provided false positives or led developers to overlook misclassified critical security vulnerabilities.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Microsoft Digital Defense Report
Article: “Identifying Security Bug Reports Based Solely on Report Titles and Noisy Data”
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Prior to the pandemic, workdays used to look a whole lot different. If you had a break, you could take a walk to stretch your legs, shake the hands of your co-workers, or get some 1-on-1 face time with the boss. Ahh... those were the days. That close contact we once had is now something that many of us yearn for as we’ve had to abruptly lift and shift from living in our office to working from our home. But communicating and socializing aren’t the only things that were easier back then. The walls of your office have expanded, and with them, the boundaries of your security protocols. Small in-office tasks like patching a server have now become multi-step processes that require remote management, remote updates, and remote administrative control. With that comes the prioritization of resilience and what it means for enterprises, customers, and security teams alike. That’s where remote enterprise resiliency comes into play.
Today on the pod, we explore the final chapter of the MDDR. Irfan Mirza, Director of Enterprise Continuity and Resilience at Microsoft, wraps up the observations from the report by giving hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalya Godyla the rundown on enterprise resiliency and discusses how we can ensure the highest levels of security while working from home. Irfan explains the Zero trust model and how Microsoft is working to extend security benefits to your kitchen or home office, or... that make-shift workspace in your closet.
In the second segment, Andrew Paverd, Senior Researcher on the Microsoft Security Response Center Team and jack of all trades, stops by… and we’re not convinced he’s fully human. He’s here to tell us about the many hats he wears, from safe systems programming to leveraging AI to help with processes within the MSRC, and shares how he has to think like a hacker to prevent attacks. Spoiler alert: he’s a big follower of Murphy’s Law.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Microsoft Digital Defense Report
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Close your eyes, and imagine a world where booting up your computer wasn’t a susceptibility point for attacks. Imagine a Root of Trust that’s integrated into the CPU. Imagine all of your devices being protected against advanced attacks. Now, what if I told you there’s a cutting-edge processor that’s battle-tested for hardware penetrations, easy to update, and protects credentials, encryption keys, and personal data all at once? What if I told you it was already here, and your systems might already be using it?! Open your eyes, and get ready to be amazed! It’s Pluton, baby! Peter Waxman, Group Program Manager at Microsoft, joins hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla in a tell-all about Pluton. Trust us, Pluton is sure to knock your SOCs off (that’s System on a Chip)!
Now that your eyes have been opened to a more secure system, we’d like to ask you to keep the volume down, because you’ve just entered the Library of Threats. While it may sound like inspiration for the next installment of National Treasure, you won’t find Nicolas Cage in this library (at least you shouldn’t). However, you will find Madeline Carmichael, MSTIC’s Threat Intel Librarian, whose movie-worthy title is just as impressive as it sounds. To be honest though, you might not find anyone in the library, as it bears more resemblance to Professor X’s Cerebro than it does your local hardcover sanctuary.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
CCI: Cyber Crime Investigation. Another day, another email attack - something smells “phishy” in the network. *Slowly puts on sunglasses and flips up trench coat collar* Time to go to work.
Just how easy is it for someone to steal your credentials? Because once they’re stolen, and sold for pocket change, it’s open season. Homoglyphs, drop accounts, email forwarding… is it any wonder billions of dollars have been lost to BEC (business email compromise)?
Join hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla for a fascinating conversation with Peter Anaman, Director and Principal Investigator of the CELA Digital Crimes Unit, as they unpack the cybercrime section of the Microsoft Digital Defense Report to see what these phishers are up to. Scott Christiansen joins us later in the show to recount his journey to security and his role as an Adjunct Professor for Bellevue University's Master of Science in Cybersecurity, along with some great advice for choosing security as a profession.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Microsoft Digital Defense Report
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Special Edition!
We’ve been told for years how important passwords are, taught how to make them stronger and longer and better, and we frantically tear up our home or office when we can’t find that sticky note where we wrote them down. Life feels like it comes to a screeching halt when we’ve lost our passwords, but… what would life be like if we didn’t need them? Can your passwords truly become a thing of the past? Sounds a bit unnerving, but we can promise you, it’s always security first here at Microsoft.
On this special edition episode of the Security Unlocked podcast, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla explore the journey of becoming passwordless with Alex Weinert, Director of Identity Security at Microsoft, as he explains why your passwords don’t matter and how going passwordless can protect you from attackers.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How do we ensure firmware integrity and security? Join hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla and guest Nazmus Sakib, a Principal Lead Program Manager at Microsoft, to dive deeper and assess the complexities and challenges that come along with securing firmware - bootstraps and all!
Megamind Bhavna Soman, a Senior Security Research Lead, joins us later in the show and we learn about her journey in optimizing AI and ML to improve efficiency in security and give the humans a break.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Microsoft Digital Defense Report
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Watchdogs in tow, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla are joined by guest Randy Treit, Principal Security Leader at Microsoft, to examine the process of identifying the source of a threat and stopping the spread by protecting “patient zero.” Randy has a few key tricks up his sleeve as a defender, but you can decide if they’re more impressive than the antics he and his identical twin have pulled while working at Microsoft.
In the second segment, Jeremy Dallman, Principal Program Manager at Microsoft, discusses why some bad actors are known in the security world under some of the most seemingly harmless codenames, such as “Fancy Bear” and “Charming Kitten”, and highlights the techniques his team is using to protect Microsoft’s customers from Nation-State actors.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Microsoft Digital Defense Report
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Yeehaw! “Data Cowboy” is in the building. Join us as Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla sit down with Ram Shankar Siva Kumar, aka “Data Cowboy” at Microsoft, for an exciting conversation about the release of a new adversarial ML threat matrix created for security analysts. Have no fear, we made sure to find out how Ram acquired the name, “Data Cowboy”, so saddle up and get ready for the ride!
Stick around to hear Nic and Natalia explore the urgency of surfacing threats at a faster rate with Justin Carroll, a Threat Analyst at Microsoft, and why it is more important now than ever before.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The last thing we all need this year is an identity crisis. Fear not, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla are here with Maria Puertas Calvo, Data Science Lead of Microsoft’s Identity Security and Protection Team, to learn how AI is being used to protect our personal identities. Maria also reveals previously undisclosed information – her favorite food and her famous top-secret recipe, so get ready to take notes!
Later, the hosts bring back a previous guest, Geoff McDonald, ML Research Lead at Microsoft to unpack his career in cybersecurity and how game hacking led him to where he is now.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
How ready is your corporate security team to handle AI and ML threats? Many simply don’t have the bandwidth or don’t see it as a priority. That’s where security engineers like Microsoft’s Andrew Marshall step in. In this episode, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla speak with Andrew about just what his team is doing to teach security professionals and policy makers about the dangers of AI and ML attacks, and walks through some of the documentation, available for free online, that can help guide the response. Plus, why he really, really doesn’t want to talk about Windows Vista.
Nic and Natalia then explore what it’s like to hunt down threats with Sam Schwartz, a program manager with Microsoft Threat Experts. She came to Microsoft right out of college and didn’t even know what malware was. Now, she’s helping coordinate a team of threat hunters on the cutting edge of attack prevention.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources
Threat Modeling AI Systems and Dependencies
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ever wonder why it's so difficult to really secure a network, systems or data? Cyber criminals are stepping up their game, even as security gets stronger and stronger, and they’re using all sorts of new techniques to break through enterprise walls. In this episode, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla speak with Donal Keating, Director of Innovation and Research for the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit, about one of the key findings in the latest Microsoft Digital Defense Report: how attackers are adapting and becoming more sophisticated. Plus how social engineering is revealing the true weakest link in any security plan -- and it’s something you might not expect.
Then they dive into what it’s like to hunt threats with Michelle Lam, who brings fresh eyes to every security problem she faces at Microsoft. She explains why not spending time in a SOC early in her career helps her spot potential attacks others might miss, and why she’s so passionate about helping serve under-represented communities and inspiring the next generation of security professionals.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources
Microsoft Digital Defense Report, September 2020
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla speak with Sharon Xia, a principal program manager for cloud and AI at Microsoft, about the role machine learning plays in security. They discuss four major themes, outlined in the Microsoft Digital Defense Report, including how to prepare your industry for attacks on machine learning systems, preventing attack fatigue, democratizing machine learning and leveraging anomaly detection for post-breach detection.
Then they speak to Emily Hacker, a threat intelligence analyst at Microsoft, about her path from professional writing to helping find and stop attacks.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources
Microsoft Digital Defense Report, September 2020
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla speak with Mike Flowers and Cole Sodja of the Microsoft Protection Team, and Justin Carroll of the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Global Engagement and Response team, about how they’re using machine learning to identify and model lateral movement attacks.
Then they speak to Dr. Anna Bertiger, Senior Applied Scientist at Microsoft, on how she’s using math to catch villains and make computer networks safer.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Mike, Cole & Justin’s Blog Post
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla speak with Hardik Suri of the Microsoft Defender ATP Research Team about using behavior-based detection and machine learning to block attacks against Exchange servers, and why it’s so critical to patch and enable security capabilities.
Then they speak to Dr. Karen Lavi, a Senior Data Science Lead in the Microsoft Defender Research Team, on the neuroscience of threat detection, and how her team is using AI and machine learning to predict and prevent malware attacks.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There are all kinds of powerful features baked into the Windows operating system. One of them is the Antimalware Scan Interface or AMSI. In this episode, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla speak with Ankit Garg and Geoff McDonald of the Microsoft Defender ATP Research Team to learn how AMSI operates, and how they’re utilizing ML to stop attacks.
Then they speak with Dr. Josh Neil, a Principal Data Science Manager at Microsoft, about his unique path from music to data security, and why his team is sniffing through weak signals to detect attack patterns.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, hosts Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla speak with Arie Agranonik, a Senior Data Scientist in the Microsoft Defender ATP Research team, about building models using deep learning to protect against malicious attacks. It’s complicated work, requiring huge computing power and even larger amounts of data, and it could be the future of threat protection.
They also speak with Holly Stewart, a Principal Research Lead at Microsoft, on how building a security team with different perspectives helps to better understand and stop threats. Plus, her journey from the Peace Corps to Microsoft, and how that informs her decision-making.
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Some Questions We Ask:
Resources:
View Arie Agranonik on LinkedIn
View Nic on LinkedIn
View Natalia on LinkedIn
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Security Unlocked explores the technology and people powering Microsoft's Security solutions. In each episode, Microsoft Security evangelists Nic Fillingham and Natalia Godyla take a closer look at the latest innovations in threat intelligence, security research, and data science, with a special focus on demystifying artificial intelligence and machine learning. Be sure to listen in and subscribe!
Related:
Listen to: Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson
Listen to: Security Unlocked: CISO Series with Bret Arsenault
Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts
Security Unlocked is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of The CyberWire Network.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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