CyberWire Daily

Please enjoy this encore of Career Notes.

Kayla Williams, CISO of Devo, sits down to share her story, from graduating with a finance degree to rising to where she is now. She quickly learned that finance was not for her and changed paths, working towards gaining an information security certificate. From there she was able to excel and was offered the opportunity to move to England which changed her life. Working in her new role, she really enjoys thriving with her team. She says "We really try to be the department of no problem versus the department of no." She mentions how her and her team work on a day to day basis together solving issues and yet she says not everything related to cybersecurity needs to be a fire drill. She would rather her and her team build bridges in the face of adversity and in the face of people who may be naysayers. We thank Kayla for sharing her story.
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Today we are joined by Justin Albrecht, Principal Researcher at Lookout, discussing "Attackers Wielding DarkSword Threaten iOS Users." DarkSword is a highly sophisticated iOS exploit chain discovered by Lookout that targets iPhones (iOS 18.4–18.6.2), enabling near zero-click compromise and rapid theft of sensitive data, including credentials and cryptocurrency wallet information.

Likely deployed by a Russia-linked threat actor (UNC6353) against Ukrainian users, it uses watering hole attacks on compromised websites and operates in a “hit-and-run” fashion—exfiltrating data within minutes before wiping traces. The campaign highlights a growing secondary market for advanced exploits, allowing financially motivated groups to access powerful tools once reserved for state actors, significantly expanding the mobile threat landscape.

The research and executive brief can be found here:


⁠Attackers Wielding DarkSword Threaten iOS Users

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Five Eyes agencies issue agentic AI guidance. A federal database leaks Social Security numbers. A stealthy worm poisons open source packages. OT firms are sidelined from frontier cyber models. The FBI warns of a surge in cyber-enabled cargo theft. Officials flag likely election interference as security programs face cuts. Researchers uncover a covert Python backdoor. Ubuntu’s site takes Iranian-linked DDoS fire. Cyber pros are sentenced in a ransomware case. Our guest is Andrew Carr, Global Head of Threat Management at Booz Allen, discussing how AI is accelerating cyberattacks. OpenAI joins the invitation-only club.

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CyberWire Guest

On today’s Industry Voices we are joined by ⁠Andrew Carr⁠, Global Head of Threat Management at ⁠Booz Allen Hamilton⁠, discussing how AI is accelerating cyberattacks and reshaping cybersecurity defenses. If you enjoyed this conversation be sure to check out the full interview here.

Selected Reading

Careful Adoption of Agentic AI Services (CISA) 

Careful adoption of agentic AI services (Cyber.gov.au)

Medicare portal exposed health providers’ Social Security numbers (The Washington Post)

Open-source registries hit by 'Mini Shai-Hulud' supply chain attacks (Developer)

OT Cybersecurity Frozen Out by Frontier Labs (OTToday)

FBI Warns of Surge in Hacker-Enabled Cargo Theft (SecurityWeek)

Breach Roundup: US Cyber Command Flags Election Threats (Gov Infosecurity)

Sophisticated Deep#Door Backdoor Enables Espionage, Disruption (SecurityWeek)

Pro-Iran group turns Ubuntu DDoS into shakedown (The Register)

Two Americans Who Attacked Multiple U.S. Victims Using ALPHV BlackCat Ransomware Sentenced to Prison (United States Department of Justice)

OpenAI locks GPT-5.5-Cyber behind velvet rope (The Register)

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A critical Linux flaw dubbed “Copy Fail” raises alarm. The House moves to extend Section 702. The White House pushes back on expanded Mythos access. cPanel and SonicWall rush out security patches. Researchers warn AI agents may leak credentials. Smishing targets key industries. Ukrainian police arrest suspects in a massive Roblox account theft scheme. Our guest is Jamie Moles, technical manager at ExtraHop, discussing how the pace of vibe coding is creating major AI blind spots. Honeypot hijinks get halted by curious clicks. 

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CyberWire Guest

Our guest is Jamie Moles, technical manager at ExtraHop, discussing how the pace of vibe coding is creating major AI blind spots.

Selected Reading

Copy Fail (Copy.Fail)

House extends a controversial spy tool, but Senate path is unclear ahead of deadline (NPR)

White House Opposes Anthropic’s Plan to Expand Access to Mythos Model (WSJ)

Critical Authentication Vulnerability in cPanel and WHM (Beyond Machines)

Security Advisory: Firmware Update Required — Gen 6, Gen 7, and Gen 8 Firewalls (Sonic Wall)

Phishing the agent: Why AI guardrails aren’t enough (Okta)

Phoenix Rising: Exposing the PhaaS Kit Behind Global Mass Phishing Campaigns (Group-IB Blog)

Ukrainian police detain hackers suspected of stealing thousands of Roblox accounts for resale (The Record)

I accidentally made law enforcement shut down their stresser honeypot (lina's blog)

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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.
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OpenAI and Anthropic brief Congress on cyber-capable AI. The GAO flags improper DOGE access to Treasury payment systems. Greece moves to end online anonymity. CISA orders agencies to patch an exploited Windows zero-day. Researchers uncover ransomware that destroys data instead of encrypting it. State CISOs report falling confidence. Neurodivergent cyber pros cite inclusion gaps. Police arrest a 19-year-old alleged Scattered Spider member. Our guest is Chris Boehm, Zero Networks’ Field Chief Technology Officer, on minimizing your blast radius. AI lowers the bar and lengthens the line in the courtroom. 

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CyberWire Guest

Our guest is Chris Boehm, Zero Networks’ Field Chief Technology Officer, discussing "One Compromised System and BOOM, Meet Your Blast Radius."

Selected Reading

OpenAI, Anthropic brief House Homeland Security on AI cyber threats (Axios)

Scoop: White House workshops plan to bring back Anthropic (Axios)

GAO report on DOGE payments access ‘just the tip of the iceberg’ (Federal News Network)

Greece to ban anonymity on social media (Euractiv)

CISA orders feds to patch Windows flaw exploited as zero-day (Bleeping Computer)

Broken VECT 2.0 ransomware acts as a data wiper for large files (Bleeping Computer)

State CISOs Report Lower Confidence Across the Public Sector Cyber Ecosystem, 2026 NASCIO-Deloitte Survey Finds (NASCIO)

Neurodivergence in the Cybersecurity Workforce (ISC2)

Teen charged in Chicago was part of international ‘Scattered Spider’ hacker group, feds say (Chicago Tribune)

People Using AI to Represent Themselves in Court Are Clogging the System (404 Media)

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.

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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.
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