CyberWire Daily

Google warns fourteen-thousand Gmail users that Fancy Bear has probably been after their passwords. FIN12, a fast-running ransomware group, is after hospitals’ and healthcare providers’ money. BlackMatter remains active against the agriculture sector. REvil is back and talking on the RAMP forum, but so far it’s getting a chilly reception. Twitch traces its vulnerability to a server misconfiguration. David Dufour from webroot wonders about cracking down on crypto. Our guest is Jeff Dileo of NCC on mastering container security. And Group-IB’s CEO is charged with treason.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/195

Cyberespionage seems undeterred by stern warnings. DDoS hits the Philippine Senate. The US Department of Homeland Security intends to issue cybersecurity regulations for passenger rail and airlines. The US Department of Justice intends to use the False Claims Act to bring civil actions against government contractors who fail to follow “recognized cybersecurity standards.” An update on the Twitch breach. Josh Ray from Accenture looks at what’s going on with Fancy Lazarus. Our guest is Sam Ingalls from eSecurity Planet on the state of Blockchain applications in cybersecurity. And what would it take to get you kids into a nice non-fungible token?

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/194

Twitch is breached. A newly discovered Iranian threat group is described. A Chinese cyberespionage campaign in India proceeds by phishing. SafeMoon alt-coin is trendy phishbait in criminal circles. As the US prepares to convene an anti-ransomware conference, Russian gangs show no signs of slacking off. Betsy Carmelite from BAH on AI/ ML in cyber defensive operations. Our guest is Adam Flatley of Redacted with recommendations from the Ransomware Task Force. And observations on what counts as compromising material.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/193

Facebook restores service after dealing with an accidental BGP configuration issue. There’s now a data auction site for AvosLocker ransomware. Atom Silo ransomware is quiet, patient, and stealthy. The state of investigation into those two guys collared on a ransomware beef in Kyiv last week. Ben Yelin is skeptical of data privacy poll results. Our guest is Microsoft’s Ann Johnson, host of the newest show to join the CyberWire network, Afternoon Cyber Tea. And what would they have thought of the Pandora Papers in Deadwood, back in the day?

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/192

The Pandora Papers leak erstwhile private financial transactions by the rich and well-connected (and it’s 150 mainstream news organizations who cooperated in bringing them to light). Flubot is using itself to scare victims into installing Flubot. Coinbase thieves exploited account recovery systems to obtain 2FA credentials. The US plans to convene an international conference on fighting cybercrime. Conti warns its victims not to talk to reporters. Andrea Little Limbago from Interos on modeling cyber risk. Carole Theriault has thoughts on facial recognition software. And a ransomware bust in Ukraine leads us to ask, why Capri Sun. (Think about it, kids.)

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/191

Moving to the cloud creates a tremendous opportunity to get security right and reduce the risk of data breach. But most cloud security initiatives get underway after services are deployed in the cloud. It’s frustrating when major breaches resulting from basic mistakes, like S3 buckets left unsecured or secrets exposed. Continually checking for risky configurations and unusual behavior in cloud logs is a requirement, but there is an opportunity to be proactive. What if you could configure your security and access controls as you set up cloud infrastructure? The CyberWire's Rick Howard speaks with Hash Table members Kevin Ford of North Dakota State government and Steve Winterfeld of Akamai, as well as sponsor Sysdig's Omer Azaria to discuss how security teams are adopting Infrastructure as Code (IaC) security as part of their overall cloud security strategy to reduce risk.

Product Manager in Anti-Fraud Solutions at SpyCloud, Pattie Dillon shares her journey from raising her family to specializing in the anti-fraud space. Upon reentering the workforce, Pattie worked on identity verification and developed a system with privacy concerns in mind. She moved to work in gift cards and was exposed to money laundering. Traveling along the fraud spectrum, Pattie learned about underground data and feels that this data can be leveraged to actually prevent and fight online fraud. Pattie believes if you don't try, you'll never know. We know we appreciate Pattie sharing her story with us.

Dan Petro, Lead Researcher, and Allan Cecil, Security Consultant, from Bishop Fox join Dave to share their research "You're Doing IoT RNG," that they presented at DefCon 29. There’s a crack in the foundation of Internet of Things (IoT) security, one that affects 35 billion devices worldwide. Basically, every IoT device with a hardware random number generator (RNG) contains a serious vulnerability whereby it fails to properly generate random numbers, which undermines security for any upstream use. In order to perform most security-relevant operations, computers need to generate secrets via an RNG. These secrets then form the basis of cryptography, access controls, authentication, and more. The details of exactly how and why these secrets are generated varies for each use.

The research can be found here:

• You're Doing IoT RNG

A malware campaign offers bogus protection against Pegasus surveillance. A new APT, ChamelGang, is found active against targets in at least ten countries. A ransomware gang can’t get its decryptor right. A proof-of-concept shows that charges can be made from a non-contact Visa card in an iPhone wallet. David Dufour from Webroot warns of potential perils in cyber insurance. Our guest is Shamla Naidoo from Netskope with advice for cyber innovators .And ransomware may be responsible for a child’s death in an Alabama hospital.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/190

GriftHorse will subscribe afflicted Android users to premium services they never knew they’d signed up for (and wouldn’t want if they did). Facebook releases a static analysis tool it uses internally to check apps for security issues. Speculation about what put Group-IB’s CEO in hot water with the Kremlin. A look from NSA about where the major nation-state cyberthreats currently stand. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture has thoughts on quantum security. Our guest is author and Wired editor at large Steven Levy joins us with insights on Facebook’s internal research teams. And a short census of ransomware strains.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/189

Distributed denial-of-service attacks have been making a comeback, and many of them represent criminal extortion attempts. A major British payroll provider is recovering from a cyberattack, but it’s not providing much information on the nature of that attack. Russian authorities arrest the founder of Group-IB on treason charges. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on Out of Band Phishing Using SMS messages. Our UK correspondent Carole Theriault wonders how online trolling is still a thing. And NSA and CISA release guidelines on secure use of virtual private networks.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/188

The triumphant homecoming of Huawei’s CFO. Microsoft describes the FoggyWeb backdoor, a significant cyberespionage tool. Kaspersky looks at the BloodyStealer Trojan and finds it especially risky to gamers. A novel approach to distributed denial-of-service. Apple looks into those iPhone zero-days. Joe Carrigan looks at the latest offerings in passwordless authentication. Our guest is Mathieu Gorge of VigiTrust on how law enforcement and executives can work together to fight cyber threats. And a look at doings in cybercrime: the US arrests more than thirty members of the Black Axe gang, a Russian convict is deported back to face Russian justice, and a blockchain maven pleads guilty to helping Pyongyang.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/187

The EU publicly blames Russia for GhostWriter, and counsels Moscow to amend its ways. Finland’s security services warn of foreign cyberespionage and influence threats. Zoombombing at the highest levels in Cambodia. A ransomware operation, “Colossus,” is described. Conti is back, as predicted, and has hit a major European call center. Dinah Davis from Arctic Wolf on cybersecurity learning standards. Our guest is Otavio Freire from SafeGuard Cyber with insights on how to defend against nation-state actors and zero-day exploits. And Huawei’s CFO is back in China.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/186

Host of the CyberWire Podcast, Dave Bittner, wanted to work with the Muppets, so naturally he landed in cybersecurity. Dave and his Cookie Monster puppet spent much of his childhood putting on shows for his parents friends. During one of those performances, he was discovered and got his start at the local PBS station. A radio, television and film major in college, Dave owned his own company and as the most tech-savvy member of the group, handled that side of things. Dave notes his cybersecurity challenges back then consisted of maybe a corrupt floppy disk. It wasn't until he joined the CyberWIre that cybersecurity became Dave's focus. A former boss showed him how to lead a team and treat everyone with kindness regardless of their role. We thank Dave for sharing his story with us.

The commonly held, idealized picture of technology is that tech makes our lives easier, safer, and better in just about every respect. But an unintended consequence of that picture is an unjustified assumption that companies will sell more products if they serve the public interest, and that may not be so. On the consumer side, personal technology investments are often a race to the price bottom, with little attention paid to the security of the products we buy. Vendors may enjoy less scrutiny and accountability, but that's not necessarily in the consumers' interest. Good things almost always come when technology steps out of the shadows and into the light of the mainstream.

It’s time that happened in cybersecurity, where everyone, from suppliers to consumers, has a role to play. In this episode of CyberWire-X, knowledgeable representatives across that spectrum to learn what they have to say about risk, accountability, and, above all, transparency. Guest Dr. Georgianna Shea from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies shares her insights with the CyberWire's Rick Howard, and Sponsor Tanium's CISO for the Americas Chris Hallenbeck joins the CyberWire's Dave Bittner to discuss achievable steps the government, private sector, and the broader public can take to start moving the needle on cybersecurity.

Guest Ariel Zelivansky, Senior Manager of Security Research at Palo Alto Networks, joins Dave to discuss Unit 42's work on the first cross-account container takeover in the public cloud. The Unit 42 Threat Intelligence team has identified the first known vulnerability that could enable one user of a public cloud service to break out of their environment and execute code on environments belonging to other users in the same public cloud service. This unprecedented cross-account takeover affected Microsoft's Azure Container-as-a-Service (CaaS) platform. Researchers named the finding Azurescape because the attack started from a container escape – a technique that enables privilege escalation out of container environments.

The research can be found here:

• What You Need to Know About Azurescape
• Finding Azurescape – Cross-Account Container Takeover in Azure Container Instances

Note: Microsoft is a sponsor of the CyberWire, however, we cover them as we would any other company.

Someone is phishing for Russian rocketeers. The Port of Houston discloses a cyberattack, which the Port says it deflected before it had operational consequences. Ransomware gangs are up and active, and the US is considering mandatory reporting by victims as a defensive policy. Pegasus spyware is said to have been found in the phones of five French government ministers. Johannes Ullrich from the SANS Technology Institute on Attackers Hunting for Environment Variables. Our guest is Graeme Bunton of DNS Abuse Institute. And Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou may soon be headed home from Vancouver.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/185

Ransomware hits a second US Midwestern farm co-op. The US House hears from the FBI that Russia seems not to have modified its toleration of privateering gangs (at least yet). A new APT, “FamousSparrow,” is described. REvil seems to have been--surprise!--cheating its criminal affiliates. Josh Ray from Accenture with an update on the Hades Threat Group. Our guest is Tim Eades of vArmour on the urgent need to update cyber strategies in healthcare. CISA issues a new warning, this one on the Conti ransomware operation. 

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/184

BlackMatter continues to make a nuisance of itself on a large scale. The US is woofing about taking action against ransomware, and Treasury has sanctioned a rogue cryptocurrency exchange, but some advocate stronger measures. Where did all those Ukrainian cybercriminal chat platforms go? A warning of the “censor mode” in some Chinese manufactured smartphones. Caleb Barlow shares thoughts on CMMC certification. Our guest is Kevin Jones of Virsec with reactions to the White House Cybersecurity Summit. And, hey, no, really, Apple is not celebrating the iPhone 13 by giving away a stash of Bitcoin.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/183

Ransomware hits an Iowa agricultural cooperative, which doesn’t meet, the criminals say, the standard for “critical infrastructure.” US Treasury Department announces steps against ransomware’s economic support system. Did Kaseya get its REvil decryptor from the FBI? Ben Yelin describes a major federal court victory for security researchers. Our guest is Dave Stapleton from CyberGRX on the rise of extortionware. And Europol, along with Spanish and Italian police, take down a Camorra cybercrime ring.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/182

Cyber electioneering, in Hungary and Russia, the latter with some international implications. The Mirai botnet is exploiting the OMIGOD vulnerability. A shipping company deals with data extortion. Government websites have been serving up some oddly adult-themed ads. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture has thoughts on quantum security in the automotive industry. Our guest is Padraic O'Reilly of CyberSaint to discuss concerns about the Defense Industrial Base. And no, there’s no such thing as the Elon Musk Mutual Aid Society.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/181

Executive Security Advisor at IBM Security Limor Kessem says she started her cybersecurity career by pure chance. Limor made a change from her childhood dream of being a doctor and came into cybersecurity with her passion, investment, discipline, and perseverance. Limor talks about how we must tighten our core security and at the same time we allow innovation to help us move forward with the times. She's been fortunate to have been able to stand up for others and has had others support her. She said that is very motivating and has allowed her to really explore every possible thing in her career that she can contribute without limiting herself to a certain role. We thank Limor for sharing her story with us.

Guest Jake Valletta, Director of Professional Services at Mandiant, joins Dave to talk about the critical vulnerability Mandiant disclosed that affects millions of IoT devices. Mandiant disclosed a critical risk vulnerability in coordination with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (“CISA”) that affects millions of IoT devices that use the ThroughTek “Kalay” network. This vulnerability, discovered by researchers on Mandiant’s Red Team in late 2020, would enable adversaries to remotely compromise victim IoT devices, resulting in the ability to listen to live audio, watch real time video data, and compromise device credentials for further attacks based on exposed device functionality. These further attacks could include actions that would allow an adversary to remotely control affected devices.

The research can be found here:

• Mandiant Discloses Critical Vulnerability Affecting Millions of IoT Devices

Patch your Zoho software now--vulnerable instances are being actively exploited. Maximum engagement isn’t necessarily good engagement: the hidden hand of the trolls replaces the invisible hand of the marketplace of ideas. Politics ain’t beanbag, Russian edition. An indictment emerges from the US investigation into possible misconduct during the 2016 elections. The costs of coin-mining. Josh Ray from Accenture on protecting critical infrastructure. Our guest is Tony Pepper from Egress with a look at Insider Data Breaches. And don’t mix investment advice with matters of the heart.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/180

Denial-of-service at a German election agency, as Federal prosecutors investigate GhostWriter. More nation-states get into election meddling. South Africa works to recover from a ransomware attack against government networks. A cryptojacking botnet moves from Linux to Windows. A ransomware gang threatens to burn your data if you bring in third-party help. Ransomware cyberinsurance claims rise. Rick Howard checks in with Tom Ayres from Lead Up Strategies on Cyber Piracy. Caleb Barlow shares insights on CMMC. And it’s a really good week to patch.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/179

That Russian crackdown on ransomware gangs people thought they were seeing? Hasn’t happened, at least according to the FBI. The Cyber Partisans take a virtual whack at President Lukashenka’s government in Belarus. Operation Harvest is complicated and long-running. Phishing with a promise of infrastructure funding. The criminal market for bogus vaccine cards. Johannes Ullrich from SANS on dealing with image uploads - vulnerabilities in conversion libraries. Our UK correspondent Carole Theriault on Deepfakes - what you need to know now. And a deferred prosecution agreement in a “cyber mercenary” case.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/178

Citizen Lab finds, and Apple patches, a zero-day used for zero-click installation of Pegasus spyware. A Cobalt Strike beacon has been turned to cyberespionage use against Linux targets. The Russian government could, it seems, take action against cybercrime, but its will-to-enforcement seems to be inconsistent. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS with more on Apple's CSAM controversy, our guest is Mel Shakir from Dreamit Ventures on selling to CISOs, and their customer sprints. REvil makes nice with grumpy affiliates. And criminals’ commitment to the common good seems weak. That’s not a surprise, is it?

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/177

The Meris botnet continues to disrupt New Zealand banks, and has turned up elsewhere, too. Mustang Panda compromised Indonesian government networks. North Korean operators are using social media to soften up their prospective targets. Al Qaeda sympathizers marked the twentieth anniversary of 9/11 by calling for--what else?--more 9/11s. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture on deep unlearning, our own Rick Howard is in, talking about the latest episode of CSO Perspectives on adversary playbooks, and REvil seems to be back in business after taking what some of its hoods call “a break.”

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/176

Chief Scientist at LivePerson Joe Bradley takes us down his circuitous career journey that led him back to math. Joe had many ambitions from opera singer to middle school teacher, spent some time at two national labs and went back to his first love of math and physics. He notes that many of the most mathematically intuitive people that he's met are people that also have a creative outlet and a lot of times it's music. Adding a business aspect to his technical work, Joe came to his current position. He recommends going deep into your preferred subject and hopes that it helps you to become something different because of all you put into the work. We thank Joe for sharing his story with us.

Guest Jon Hencinski from Expel joins Dave Bittner to discuss his team's recent work on "Expel SOC Stops Ransomware Attack Aimed at WordPress CMS via Drive-By Download Disguised as Google Chrome Update."

In July, 2021, Expel's SOC stopped a ransomware attack at a large software and staffing company. The attackers compromised the company’s WordPress CMS and used the SocGholish framework to trigger a drive-by download of a Remote Access Tool (RAT) disguised as a Google Chrome update.

In total, four hosts downloaded a malicious Zipped JScript file that was configured to deploy a RAT, but we were able to stop the attack before ransomware deployment and help the organization remediate its WordPress CMS. Jons walk us through what happened, how they caught it, and provide recommendations on how to secure your WordPress CMS. 

The research can be found here:

• Expel SOC Stops Ransomware Attack Aimed at WordPress CMS via Drive-By Download Disguised as Google Chrome Update

The SEC’s inquiry into the SolarWinds incident may expose other, unrelated data breaches. Researchers identify an IoT botnet, Meris, as responsible for DDoS attacks against a number of banks. German prosecutors have opened an investigation into the GhostWriter campaign. Researchers look at the cozy, implausibly deniable relationship between Russia’s security services and cyber gangs. A money-launderer gets eleven years. David Dufour from Webroot has straight talk about paying the ransom. Our guest is Jeff Williams from Contrast Security with a look at AppSec Observability. Congratulations to the SINET 16 winners. And we remember 9/11: has it already been twenty years?

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/175

A cyberattack is reported at the UN, with agency data apparently lost to parties and parts unknown. The Bears are quieter, but the privateers are up and at ‘em. DDoS hits Yandex. Cyberespionage using the SideWalk backdoor. TeamTNT is getting tougher to detect. A SWOT analysis of the newly reconstituted AlphaBay contraband market. The Groove Gang is a new age criminal affiliate program. Caleb Barlow describes attackers leveraging US and European infrastructure to hide in plain sight. Our guest is Brad Thies of BARR Advisory on what the next 5 years may have in store for cloud security. And irritate your online chums for just 50 bucks a pop.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/174

BladeHawk cyberespionage campaign in progress. Microsoft warns of targeted attacks in progress. Hey--the hoods took a breather over Labor Day, but the straw hats are off now, and they’re back at work. Someone is rummaging in REvil’s unquiet grave. Bulletproof hosting services and the criminal marketplace. Mike Benjamin from Black Lotus Labs on ReverseRAT 2.0. Rick Howard checks in with Philip Reiner from the Ransomware Taskforce. And does a New Urgent Message Require Action? Maybe not.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/173

No spectacular flurry of Labor Day ransomware, but Ragnar Locker threatens its victims. Berlin complains to Moscow about GhostWriter. Another Pegasus customer is disclosed. The Taliban is searching for data on potential domestic opponents. France-Visas hacked. Modified apps in circulation. Joe Carrigan unpacks a Covid based phishing scam. Carole Theriault weighs in on the ransomware pay-or-do-not-pay discussion. ProtonMail answers a warrant, Apple delays CSAM screening, and an alleged TrickBot coder is arrested.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/172

CEO and co-founder of Sternum, Natali Tshuva shares how she took her interest in science and technology and made a career and company out of it. Beginning her computer science undergraduate degree at age 14 through a special program in Israel, Natali says it opened up a new world for her. Her required service in the IDF found Natali as a member of Unit 8200, the Israeli intelligence. In the Israeli corporate space following the IDF, Natali discovered how cybersecurity could actually create impact in the real world environment and found a way to combine her cybersecurity expertise with the passion to impact critical industries like the medical industry. Natali recommends that those entering the field get some hands-on experience and use your unique strengths to find a way to make the world a better place. We thank Natali for sharing her story. 

Guest Ben Seri, Armis' VP of Research, joins Dave to talk about a set of remote code execution (RCE) vulnerabilities in the pneumatic tube system of Swisslog. Nine vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure used by 80% of major hospitals in North America.

Swisslog’s Translogic Pneumatic Tube System (PTS), a solution that plays a crucial role in patient care, found vulnerable to devastating attack. Dubbed PwnedPiper, the vulnerabilities allow for complete take over of the Translogic Nexus Control Panel, which powers all current models of Translogic PTS stations. Older IP-connected Translogic stations are also impacted, but are no longer supported by Swisslog.

The research can be found here:

• PwnedPiper

Uncle Sam recommends cyber vigilance during your kinetic relaxation this Labor Day weekend. The ransomware threat to food and agriculture. “Low and slow” fraud from compromised email in-boxes. Israel promises an investigation of cyber export controls. Josh Ray from Accenture Security on giving back to the community and the Jenkins Attack Framework for red teaming. Our guest is Andy Ellis on the transparency in cybersecurity initiative. And NIST has draft consumer IoT guidelines out for comment.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/171

The LockBit gang jumps the gun, and crows a bit higher than the facts seem to warrant. Ghostwriter seems to ride a much bigger infrastructure than previously believed. BrakTooth bugs afflict “billions” of Bluetooth devices. OMG cables include a keylogger that phones home. The EU fines WhatsApp over GDPR violations. Insider threats can be difficult to recognize. David Dufour from Webroot thinks it’s great that you haven’t been breached...yet. Our guest is Mark Nunnikhoven from Lacework with results from their Cloud Threat Report. And an alleged stalkerware vendor is sanctioned by the US Federal Trade Commission.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/170

Ransomware continues to hold pride-of-place in cybercrime. A look inside the mind of cyber gangland, or at least that portion of their mind they’re willing to expose. Business email compromise operators look for communication skills, and the underworld seems to think university students make good money mules. Reports of vulnerabilities in a home security system. When Canberra angered Beijing. Caleb Barlow has thoughts on the FBI response to MS Exchange vulnerabilities. Our guest’s are Peter Singer and Lisa Guernsey on New America's Teaching Cyber Citizenship initiative. And CISA and the FBI advise being alert over Labor Day.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/169

Possible consequences of the Taliban’s seizure of Afghanistan’s APPS data. Another DeFi platform sustains a cryptocurrency theft. How would one handle a hardware backdoor? LockBit begins dumping data stolen from Bangkok Airways. Registration for CISA’s President’s Cup is now open. Joe Carrigan describes the superiority of AI generated phishing emails. Rick Howard speaks with Art Poghosyan from Britive on Software Defined Perimeters. And China moves to keep minors from wasting too much time in online gaming.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/168

Data breach and ransomware affect an airline’s customers. The Phorpiex botnet operators say they’re going out of business, and everything must go. New warrants for the Australian Federal Police in cybercrime cases. US Federal cybersecurity roles and responsibilities. Rick Howard takes on adversary playbooks. Josh Ray from Accenture Security on The Biden Administration's cybersecurity executive order, what it means for product security. And Indiana warns of a COVID-19 contact tracking database exposure.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/167

Chief Technology Officer of ActiveNav Rich Hale takes us through his career aspirations of board game designer (one he has yet to realize), through his experience with the Royal Air Force to the commercial sector where his firm works to secure dark data. During his time in the Air Force, Rich was fortunate to serve on a wide range of different platforms from training aircraft to bombers, and all the way into procurement and policy. Transitioning to the commercial sector, Rich notes he was well prepared for some aspects, but lacking in some he's made up on his own. Rich likes to lead with vision and empower his teams. He counsels that you should not fear making a career change, but be sure to look twice before making the leap. We thank Rich for sharing his story with us.

Guest Deepen Desai, Zscaler's Chief Information Security Officer and VP Security Research & Operations, joins Dave to discuss their ThreatLabz team's research "Joker Joking in Google Play: Joker malware targets Google Play store with new tactics." Joker is one of the most prominent malware families targeting Android devices. Despite public awareness of this particular malware, it keeps finding its way into Google’s official application market by employing changes in its code, execution methods, or payload-retrieving techniques. This spyware is designed to steal SMS messages, contact lists, and device information, and to sign the victim up for premium wireless application protocol (WAP) services.

Zscaler’s ThreatLabz research team has been constantly monitoring the Joker malware. Recently, they observed regular uploads of it onto the Google Play store. ThreatLabz notified the Google Android Security team, who have taken prompt action to remove the suspicious apps from the Google Play store. 

This prompted them to evaluate how Joker is so successful at getting around the Google Play vetting process. The team saw 11 different samples regularly uploaded to Google Play recently clocking 30k installs.

The research can be found here:

• Joker Joking in Google Play: Joker malware targets Google Play store with new tactics

A young man claiming responsibility for the T-Mobile breach talks to the Wall Street Journal. A new cyberespionage group, “SparklingGoblin,” seems particularly interested in educational institutions, especially in Southeast and East Asia. Are governments training AI with stolen data? Mitigations for Microsoft issues. Cellebrite tools may still be available to Chinese police. Kevin Magee from Microsoft wonders if leaders have over pivoted toward technical skill. Our guest is Bill Wright of Splunk on the ongoing geopolitical ransomware trend. And another ransomware gang says it’s going out of business...we’ll wait and see.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/166

Outcomes from the White House industry cybersecurity summit: standards, training, zero-trust, and multifactor authentication. The Cyber Partisans aim at the overthrow of Lukashenka’s rule in Minsk. A role for storytelling in security. Scams, sports, and streaming. Speculation about the ShinyHunters’ next moves. Verizon’s Chris Novak on Reducing false positives in threat intelligence. Bentsi Ben Atar from Sepio Systems on the risks of hardware-based attacks, internal abusers, corporate espionage, and Wi-Fi. And cybercriminals like their VPNs, too.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/165

Politically motivated hacktivism in Belarus. The Taliban’s data grab in Afghanistan. Four rising ransomware operations. Mike Benjamin from Black Lotus Labs on UDP reflectors. Our guest is Chris Grove of Nozomi Networks with insights on OT/IoT Security. And the White House says “concrete announcements” are expected after today’s meetings on cybersecurity with industry leaders, so we’ll be staying tuned.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/164

Guest David Derigiotis, Corporate Senior Vice President at Burns & Wilcox, joins Dave and Ben for an in-depth discussion this episode. Departing from our usual format, we take a closer look at the implications of Apple’s recent announcements that they will be enabling scanning for Child Sexual Abuse Materials, CSAM, on iOS devices. We devote the entire episode to this topic and hope you will join us.

More hacktivism appears to have hit Iran. Misconfigured Power Apps portals expose data on millions. The FBI warns of the activities of a ransomware affiliate gang. Mr. White Hat really does seem to have given back all that stolen alt-coin. Ben Yelin checks in on Apple’s CSAM plans. Our guest is Charles DeBeck from IBM Security on the true cost Cost of a Data Breach. And, finally, dog bites man: criminals cheat other criminals.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/163

The Taliban consolidates control over Afghanistan, and it’s doing so online as well as on the ground. Reports say the US State Department has come under cyberattack; State says that any such incident was without significant effect. The ShinyHunters say they’ve obtained a great deal of PII from AT&T, but AT&T says that, whatever the crooks have, it didn’t come from AT&T. Rick Howard on orchestration. Carole Theriault on women in cybersecurity - are thing getting any better? And exploitation gives organizations even more incentive to patch Microsoft Exchange server instances.

For links to all of today's stories check out our CyberWire daily news briefing:

https://www.thecyberwire.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/10/162

Vice President for Cyber and Information Solutions within Mission Systems at Northrop Grumman, Jennifer Walsmith takes us on her pioneering career journey. Following in her father's footsteps at the National Security Agency, Jennifer began her career out of high school in computer systems analysis. Jennifer notes she saw the value of a college degree and at her parents' urging attended night school. She completed her bachelors in computer science at University of Maryland, Baltimore County with the support of the NSA. Jennifer talks about the support of her team at NSA where she was one of the first women to have a career and a family, raising two children while working. Upon retirement from government service, Jennifer chose an organization with values that closely matched her own and uses her position to help her team define possible where they sometimes think they can't. We thank Jennifer for sharing her story with us.