CyberWire Daily

• A wolf in DOGE’s clothing?

  DOGE’s unchecked access to federal networks sparks major cybersecurity fears. Senator Hawley’s AI ban targets China and raises free speech concerns. Apple service ticket portal vulnerability exposed millions of users’ data. North Korean ‘FlexibleFerret’ malware targets macos via job scams and fake zoom apps. February 2025 android security update fixes 48 vulnerabilities, including exploited zero-day. Grubhub data breach exposes customer and driver information. Abandoned cloud infrastructure creates major security risks. Texas to launch its own Cyber Command amid rising cyber threats. Dell PowerProtect vulnerabilities pose critical security risks. On our Threat Vector segment, David Moulton and his guests look at the potential dangers of DeepSeek. U.S. Government is quietly altering the Head Start database. And a moment of inspiration from a spacefaring poet. 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. Threat Vector Segment Artificial intelligence is advancing fast, but with innovation comes risk. In this segment of Threat Vector, host David Moulton sits down with Sam Rubin, SVP of Consulting and Threat Intelligence at Unit 42, and Kyle Wilhoit, Director of Threat Research, to explore the vulnerabilities of DeepSeek, a new large language model. To listen to the full discussion, please check out the episode here or on your favorite podcast app, and tune in to new episodes of Threat Vector by Palo Alto Networks every Thursday.  Selected Reading Musk’s DOGE effort could spread malware, expose US systems to threat actors (CSO Online) As DOGE teams plug into federal networks, cybersecurity risks could be huge, experts say (The Record) Senator Hawley Proposes Jail Time for People Who Download DeepSeek (404 Media) Apple Service Ticket portal Vulnerability Exposes Millions of Users Data (Cyber Security News)  N. Korean ‘FlexibleFerret’ Malware Hits macOS with Fake Zoom, Job Scams (Hackread) Google fixes Android kernel zero-day exploited in attacks (Bleeping Computer) GrubHub Data Breach - Customers Phone Numbers Exposed (Cyber Security News)  Here’s all the ways an abandoned cloud instance can cause security issues (CyberScoop) Texas to Establish Cyber Command Amid “Dramatic” Rise in Attacks (Infosecurity Magazine) Multiple Dell PowerProtect Vulnerabilities Let Attackers Compromise System (Cyber Security News)  ‘Forbidden Words’: Github Reveals How Software Engineers Are Purging Federal Databases (404 Media)  T-Minus Deep Space: Inspiration4 with Dr. Sian “Leo” Proctor. (T-Minus Deep Space podcast) Dr. Sian Proctor got her ticket to space after being selected for her poetry (Instagram)  2025 SpaceCom: Interview with Dr. Sian Proctor (YouTube)  Share your feedback. We want to ensure that you are getting the most out of the podcast. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey as we continually work to improve the show.  Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at [email protected] to request more info. 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

  --------  

  32:54
• Federal agencies in power struggle crossfire.

  Federal agencies become battlegrounds in an unprecedented power struggle. XE Group evolves from credit-card skimming to exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities. WhatsApp uncovers a zero-click spyware attack linked to an Israeli firm.Texas expands its ban on Chinese-backed AI and social media apps. Data breaches expose the personal and medical information of over a million people.NVIDIA patches multiple critical vulnerabilities. Arm discloses critical vulnerabilities affecting its Mali GPU Kernel Drivers and firmware. The UK government aims to set the global standard for securing AI. Tim Starks from CyberScoop has the latest from Senate confirmation hearings. The National Cryptologic Museum rights a wrong.  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 Joining us today is Tim Starks, Senior Reporter from CyberScoop, to discuss two of his recent articles:  FBI nominee Kash Patel getting questions on cybercrime investigations, Silk Road founder, surveillance powers Even the US government can fall victim to cryptojacking Selected Reading Top Security Officials at Aid Agency Put on Leave After Denying Access to Musk Team (New York Times) Exclusive: Musk aides lock workers out of OPM computer system (Reuters) Federal Workers Block Doors of Admin Building Over Elon Musk Data Breach (DC Media Group) Trump Broke the Federal Email System and Government Employees Got Blasted With Astonishingly Vulgar Messages (Futurism) CISA employees told they are exempt from federal worker resignation program (The Record) From credit card fraud to zero-day exploits: Xe Group expanding cybercriminal efforts (CyberScoop) Israeli Firm Paragon Attack WhatsApp With New Zero-Click Spyware (Cyber Security News) Texas Gov. Greg Abbott bans DeepSeek, RedNote and other Chinese-backed AI platforms (Statesman) Hundreds of Thousands Hit by Data Breaches at Healthcare Firms in Colorado, North Carolina (SecurityWeek) Insurance Company Globe Life Notifying 850,000 People of Data Breach (SecurityWeek) NVIDIA GPU Display Driver Vulnerability Lets Attackers Steal Files Remotely - Update Now (Cyber Security News) Arm Mali GPU Kernel Driver 0-Day Vulnerability Actively Exploited in the Wild (Cyber Security News) UK Announces “World-First” AI Security Standard (Infosecurity Magazine) Larry Pfeiffer on Bluesky (Bluesky) Possibly related to the Bluesky post: Trailblazers in U.S. Cryptologic History  Share your feedback. We want to ensure that you are getting the most out of the podcast. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey as we continually work to improve the show.  Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at [email protected] to request more info. 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

  --------  

  32:26
• Margaret Cunningham: A people scientist with a technology focus. [Behavioral science} [Career Notes]

  Please enjoy this encore episode with Principal Research Scientist for Human Behavior at Forcepoint, Margaret Cunningham. She shares her story of how she landed in cybersecurity. With a background in psychology and counseling and not feeling that one-on-one counseling was her thing, Margaret had a transformational moment in her PhD program in applied experimental technology when she realized she could "provide helping services and good work services at a broader scale." Margaret found her professional footing at DHS's Human Systems Integration Branch of Science and Technology Department as the person who figured out how to measure how new technologies impacted human performance. Margaret points out that making connections and reading whatever you can is important to stay up to date in the field. She notes that her statistical analysis skills are an asset. She hopes to create champions in human behavior and performance in the world of technology. We thank Margaret for sharing her story with us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  --------  

  6:56
• A Digital Eye on supply-chain-based espionage attacks. [Research Saturday]

  This week, Dave Bittner is joined by Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (JAGS) from SentinelOne's SentinelLabs to discuss the work his team and Tinexta Cyber did on "Operation Digital Eye | Chinese APT Compromises Critical Digital Infrastructure via Visual Studio Code Tunnels." Tinexta Cyber and SentinelLabs have been tracking threat activities targeting business-to-business IT service providers in Southern Europe. Based on the malware, infrastructure, techniques used, victimology, and the timing of the activities, we assess that it is highly likely these attacks were conducted by a China-nexus threat actor with cyberespionage motivations. The relationships between European countries and China are complex, characterized by cooperation, competition, and underlying tensions in areas such as trade, investment, and technology. Suspected China-linked cyberespionage groups frequently target public and private organizations across Europe to gather strategic intelligence, gain competitive advantages, and advance geopolitical, economic, and technological interests. The research can be found here: Operation Digital Eye | Chinese APT Compromises Critical Digital Infrastructure via Visual Studio Code Tunnels Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  --------  

  27:07
• The end of a cybercrime empire.

  Authorities dismantle a Pakistan-based cybercrime network. Lawmakers question the feasibility of establishing a U.S. Cyber Force as a standalone military branch. The DOJ sues to block HPE’s acquisition of Juniper Networks. Tangerine Turkey deploys cryptomining malware. Major healthcare providers send breach notifications. Norwegian police seize a Russian-crewed ship suspected of damaging a communications cable. Researchers discover critical vulnerabilities in GitHub Copilot. D-Link patches a critical router vulnerability. CISA and the FDA have warned U.S. healthcare organizations of severe security vulnerabilities in Chinese-made patient monitors. Pauses in funding create confusion for federal cybersecurity vendors. We bid a fond farewell to a pair of N2K colleagues. The case of the disappearing government data.  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’s guest segment is bittersweet as we offer our thanks and see you laters to two of our beloved colleagues N2K President Simone Petrella, who’s taking her leadership role to our advisory board, and Executive Editor Brandon Karpf, who will be taking up the mantle of protecting our national security starting his own company, Hedy Cyber. Join us in celebrating their incredible journeys, contributions to our successes, and letting them both know just how deeply they will be missed by all of us here at N2K. Selected Reading US, Dutch Authorities Disrupt Pakistani Hacking Shop Network (SecurityWeek) Lawmakers push for guardrails, deadline on cyber military study (The Record) US Sues to Stop HPE $14 Billion Deal to Buy Juniper Networks (Bloomberg) Tangerine Turkey mines cryptocurrency in global campaign (Red Canary) US healthcare provider data breach impacts 1 million patients (Bleeping Computer) NorthBay Health Data Breach Impacts 569,000 Individuals (SecurityWeek) Norway seizes ship suspected of sabotage, says crew are Russian nationals (The Record) GitHub Copilot Jailbreak Vulnerability Let Attackers Train Malicious Models (Cyber Security News) D-Link Routers Vulnerability Let Attackers Gain Full Router Control Remotely (Cyber Security News) CISA, FDA Warn of Dangerous Backdoor in Contec Patient Monitors (SecurityWeek) Federal Cybersecurity Contractors Whiplashed By Uncertainty (GovInfo Security) Archivists Work to Identify and Save the Thousands of Datasets Disappearing From Data.gov (404 Media) Share your feedback. We want to ensure that you are getting the most out of the podcast. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey as we continually work to improve the show.  Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at [email protected] to request more info. 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

  --------  

  36:50

More News podcasts

Trending News podcasts

About CyberWire Daily

CyberWire Daily: Podcasts in Family