CyberWire Daily

Please enjoy this encore of CISO Perspectives.

In this mid-season episode, Kim takes a step back to reflect on the journey so far—revisiting key conversations, standout moments, and recurring themes that have shaped the season. During the episode, Kim sits down with N2K's own Ethan Cook to connect the dots across episodes, uncovering deeper patterns and takeaways. Whether you're catching up or tuning in weekly, this episode offers a thoughtful recap and fresh perspective on where we've been—and what's still to come.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Poland says weak security left parts of its power grid exposed. A Russian-linked hacker alliance threatens Denmark with a promised cyber offensive. Fancy Bear moves fast on a new Microsoft Office flaw, hitting Ukrainian and EU targets. Researchers find a sprawling supply chain attack buried in the ClawdBot AI ecosystem. A new report looks at how threats are shaping the work of journalists and security researchers. A stealthy Windows malware campaign blends Pulsar RAT with Stealerv37. A former Google engineer is convicted of stealing AI trade secrets for China. The latest cybersecurity funding and deal news. On our Afternoon Cyber Tea segment, Microsoft’s Ann Johnson chats with Dr. Lorrie Cranor from Carnegie Mellon about security design. The AI dinosaur that knew too much. 

Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app.

Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you’ll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn.

Afternoon Cyber Tea

Dr. Lorrie Cranor⁠, Director of the CyLab Security and Privacy Institute at Carnegie Mellon University joins Ann Johnson, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft, on this month's segment of Afternoon Cyber Tea to discuss the critical gap between security design and real-world usability. They explore why security tools often fail users, the ongoing challenges with passwords and password less authentication, and how privacy expectations have evolved in an era of constant data collection. You can listen to Ann and Lorrie's full conversation here, and catch new episodes Afternoon Cyber Tea every other Tuesday on your favorite podcast app.

Selected Reading

Russian hackers breached Polish power grid thanks to bad security, report says (TechCrunch)

Newly Established Russian Hacker Alliance Threatens Denmark (Truesec)

Fancy Bear Exploits Microsoft Office Flaw in Ukraine, EU Cyber-Attacks (Infosecurity Magazine)

Notepad++ Hijacked by State-Sponsored Hackers (Notepad++)

ClawdBot Skills Just Ganked Your Crypto (OpenSource Malware Blog)

Under Pressure: Exploring the effect of legal and criminal threats on security researchers and journalists (DataBreaches.Net)

Windows Malware Uses Pulsar RAT for Live Chats While Stealing Data (Hackread)

U.S. convicts ex-Google engineer for sending AI tech data to China (Bleeping Computer)

Upwind secures $250 million in a Series B round. (N2K Pro Business Briefing) 

Don't Buy Internet-Connected Toys For Your Kids (Blackout VPN)

Share your feedback.

What do you think about CyberWire Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show.

Want to hear your company in the show?

N2K CyberWire helps you reach the industry’s most influential leaders and operators, while building visibility, authority, and connectivity across the cybersecurity community. Learn more at sponsor.thecyberwire.com.

The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Please enjoy this encore of Career Notes.

Richard Melick, Director of Threat Reporting for Zimperium, talks about his journey, from working in the military to moving up to the big screens. He shares that he's been in the business of solving unique cybersecurity problems for so long that he has found his own path that works very well for him. He says, "if I go to a unique problem and try to solve it, I find that I'm solving it the same way that I would've solved it five years ago, because I found my pattern." Richard reflects on his time working in the industry, from moving away from the military and into different roles over the years. He notes that giving credit where credit is due, to those who deserve it, is how you keep the audience engaged as a storyteller. We thank Richard for sharing his story.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A popular chatbot exposes millions of private user messages. The White House rescinds Biden-era federal software security guidance. A senior Secret Service official urges more scrutiny of domain registration. The President’s NSA pick champions section 702. France looks to reduce reliance on U.S. digital infrastructure. CISA shares guidance on insider threats. Hugging Face infrastructure was abused to distribute an Android RAT. Ivanti discloses a pair of critical zero-days. Popular dating sites suffer a data breach. Our guest is Tim Starks from CyberScoop, discussing how the US looks to push its view of AI cybersecurity standards to the rest of the world. The Nobel Committee blames hackers for a spoiler alert. 

Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app.

Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you’ll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn.

CyberWire Guest

Our guest is Tim Starks from CyberScoop discussing how the US looks to push its view of AI cybersecurity standards to the rest of the world. You can read Tim’s coverage here. 

Selected Reading

Massive AI Chat App Leaked Millions of Users Private Conversations (404 Media)

White House Scraps 'Burdensome' Software Security Rules (SecurityWeek)

The 'staggering' cybersecurity weakness that isn't getting enough focus, according to a top Secret Service official (CyberScoop)

NSA pick champions foreign spying law as nomination advances (The Record)

French Government To Replace Zoom and Teams With Visio, a Local Alternative (The New York Times)

CISA Urges Critical Infrastructure Organizations to Take Action Against Insider Threats (HSToday)

Hugging Face Abused to Deploy Android RAT (SecurityWeek)

Ivanti warns of two EPMM flaws exploited in zero-day attacks (Bleeping Computer)

Match Group breach exposes data from Hinge, Tinder, OkCupid, and Match (Bleeping Computer)

Nobel Hacking Likely Leaked Peace Prize Winner Name, Probe Finds (Bloomberg)

Share your feedback.

What do you think about CyberWire Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show. 

Want to hear your company in the show?

N2K CyberWire helps you reach the industry’s most influential leaders and operators, while building visibility, authority, and connectivity across the cybersecurity community. Learn more at sponsor.thecyberwire.com.

The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Google dismantles a huge residential proxy network. Did the FBI take down the notorious RAMP cybercrime forum? A long running North Korea backed cyber operation has splintered into three specialized threat groups. U.S. military cyber operators carried out a covert operation to disrupt Russian troll networks ahead of the 2024 elections. Phishing campaigns target journalists using the Signal app. SolarWinds patches vulnerabilities in its Web Help Desk product. Amazon found CSAM in its AI training data. Initial access brokers switch up their preferred bot. China executes scam center kingpins. Our guest is Tom Pace, CEO of NetRise, explaining how open-source vulnerabilities are opening doors for nation-states.  An unsecured webcam peers into Pyongyang. 

Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app.

Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you’ll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn.

CyberWire Guest

Today, Tom Pace, former DOE cyber analyst and CEO of NetRise, joins the show to explain how open-source vulnerabilities are opening doors for nation-states and why visibility into who maintains code repositories matters.

Selected Reading

Google Disrupted World’s Largest IPIDEA Residential Proxy Network (Cyber Security News)

Notorious Russia-based RAMP cybercrime forum apparently seized by FBI (The Record)

Long-running North Korea threat group splits into 3 distinct operations (CyberScoop)

Secret US cyber operations shielded 2024 election from foreign trolls, but now the Trump admin has gutted protections (CNN Politics)

Phishing attack: Numerous journalists targeted in attack via Signal Messenger (Netzpolitik.org)

Signal president warns AI agents are making encryption irrelevant (Cyber Insider)

SolarWinds Patches Critical Web Help Desk Vulnerabilities (SecurityWeek) 

Amazon Found ‘High Volume’ Of Child Sex Abuse Material in AI Training Data (Bloomberg)

Initial access hackers switch to Tsundere Bot for ransomware attacks (Bleeping Computer)

China Executes 11 People Linked to Cyberscam Centers in Myanmar   (Bloomberg)

North Korean Hackers' Daily Life Leaked in Video (The Chosun)

Share your feedback.

What do you think about CyberWire Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show.

Want to hear your company in the show?

N2K CyberWire helps you reach the industry’s most influential leaders and operators, while building visibility, authority, and connectivity across the cybersecurity community. Learn more at sponsor.thecyberwire.com.

The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices