CyberWire Daily

• FamousSparrow’s sneaky resurgence.

  China’s FamousSparrow is back. A misconfigured Amazon S3 bucket exposes data from an Australian fintech firm. Researchers uncover a sophisticated Linux-based backdoor targeting industrial systems. Infiltrating the BlackLock Ransomware group’s infrastructure. Solar inverters in the security spotlight. Credential stuffing gets automated. CISA updates the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. The UK’s NCA warns of online groups involved in sadistic cybercrime and real-world violence. Authorities arrest a dozen  individuals linked to the now-defunct Ghost encrypted communication platform. Our guest is Tal Skverer, Research Team Lead from Astrix, discussing the OWASP NHI Top 10 framework. Remembering our friend Matt Stephenson.  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 We are joined by Tal Skverer, Research Team Lead from Astrix, who is discussing the OWASP NHI Top 10 framework and how teams can use these as they implement NHIs into their systems. Selected Reading Chinese Spy Group FamousSparrow Back with a Vengeance, Targets US (Infosecurity Magazine) Aussie Fintech Vroom Exposes Thousands of Records After AWS Misconfiguration (HackRead) New Sophisticated Linux Backdoor Targets OT Systems via 0-Day RCE Exploit (GB Hackers) Blacklock Ransomware: A Late Holiday Gift with Intrusion into the Threat Actor's Infrastructure (Resecurity) Dozens of solar inverter flaws could be exploited to attack power grids (Bleeping Computer) Threat Actors Using Powerful Cybercriminal Weapon 'Atlantis AIO' to Automate Credential Stuffing Attacks (Cyber Security News) CISA Adds of Sitecore CMS Code Execution Vulnerability to List of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (Cyber Security News) NCA Warns of Sadistic Online “Com” Networks (Infosecurity Magazine) 12 Cybercriminals Arrested Following Takedown of Ghost Communication Platform (Cyber Security News) Matt Stephenson remembrance (LinkedIn)  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

  --------  

  35:40
• No click, all tricks.

  Researchers uncover a new Windows zero-day. A covert Chinese-linked network targets recently laid-off U.S. government workers. Malicious npm packages are found injecting persistent reverse shell backdoors. A macOS malware loader evolves. DrayTek router disruptions affect users worldwide. A new report warns of growing cyber risks to the commercial space sector. CISA issues four ICS advisories. U.S. Marshals arrest a key suspect in a multi million dollar cryptocurrency heist. Our guest is Brian Levine, Co-Founder and CEO of FormerGov.com, speaking about creating a networking directory for former government and military professionals. The UK’s NCSC goes full influencer to promote 2FA. 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 Brian Levine, Co-Founder and CEO of FormerGov.com, speaking about the importance of networking and creating a directory for former government and military professionals. Selected Reading New Windows 0-Day Vulnerability Let Remote Attackers Steal NTLM Credentials - Unofficial Patch (cybersecuritynews) Exclusive: Secretive Chinese network tries to lure fired federal workers, research shows (Reuters) New npm attack poisons local packages with backdoors (bleepingcomputer) macOS Users Warned of New Versions of ReaderUpdate Malware (securityweek) DrayTek Routers Vulnerability Exploited in the Wild – Possibly Links to Reboot Loop (cybersecuritynews) ENISA Probes Space Threat Landscape in New Report (Infosecurity Magazine) CISA Warns of Four Vulnerabilities, and Exploits Surrounding ICS (cybersecuritynews) Crypto Heist Suspect "Wiz" Arrested After $243 Million Theft (hackread) NCSC taps influencers to make 2FA go viral (The Register)  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

  --------  

  30:42
• The nightmare you can’t ignore.

  Critical Remote Code Execution vulnerabilities affect Kubernetes controllers. Senior Trump administration officials allegedly use unsecured platforms for national security discussions. Even experts like Troy Hunt get phished. Google acknowledges user data loss but doesn’t explain it. Chinese hackers spent four years inside an Asian telecom firm. SnakeKeylogger is a stealthy, multi-stage credential-stealing malware. A cybercrime crackdown results in over 300 arrests across seven African countries. Ben Yelin, Caveat co-host and Program Director, Public Policy & External Affairs at the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security, joins to discuss the Signal national security leak. Pew Research Center figures out how its online polling got slightly forked. 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 We are joined by Ben Yelin, Caveat co-host and Program Director, Public Policy & External Affairs at the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security, on the Signal national security leak. Selected Reading IngressNightmare: critical Kubernetes vulnerabilities in ingress NGINX controller (Beyond Machines) Remote Code Execution Vulnerabilities in Ingress NGINX (Wiz)  Ingress-nginx CVE-2025-1974: What You Need to Know (Kubernetes)  Trump administration is reviewing how its national security team sent military plans to a magazine editor (NBC News) The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans (The Atlantic) How Russian Hackers Are Exploiting Signal 'Linked Devices' Feature for Real-Time Spying (SecurityWeek) Troy Hunt: A Sneaky Phish Just Grabbed my Mailchimp Mailing List (Troy Hunt) 'Technical issue' at Google deletes some customer data (The Register) Chinese hackers spent four years inside Asian telco’s networks (The Record) Multistage Info Stealer SnakeKeylogger Attacking Individuals and Businesses to Steal Logins (Cyber Security News) Over 300 arrested in international crackdown on cyber scams (The Record) How a glitch in an online survey replaced the word ‘yes’ with ‘forks’ (Pew Research) 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

  --------  

  30:57
• Scammers celebrate with a bang.

  Money laundering runs rampant in Cambodia. Privacy advocates question a new data sharing EO from the White House. An NYU website hack exposes the data of millions. A game demo gets pulled from Steam after users report infostealing malware. The Cloak ransomware group claims a cyberattack on the Virginia Attorney General’s Office. 23andMe files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Medusa ransomware is using a malicious driver to disable security tools on infected systems. Clearview AI settles a class-action lawsuit over privacy violations. A look back at the CVE program. In today’s Industry Voices segment, we are joined by Joe Ryan, Head of Customer Enablement at Maltego Technologies, who is highlighting how to help analysts in resource-constrained environments overcome training gaps and use investigative tools more effectively. Luring AI bots into the digital labyrinth. 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 In today’s Industry Voices segment, we are joined by Joe Ryan, Head of Customer Enablement at Maltego Technologies, who is highlighting how to help analysts in resource-constrained environments overcome training gaps and use investigative tools more effectively. Selected Reading How Scammers Launder Money and Get Away With It (New York Times)  Trump order on information sharing appears to have implications for DOGE and beyond (The Record) Over 3 million applicants’ data leaked on NYU’s website (Washington Square News) Steam pulls game demo infecting Windows with info-stealing malware (Bleeping Computer) Ransomware Group Claims Attack on Virginia Attorney General’s Office (SecurityWeek) 23andMe Files for Bankruptcy Amid Concerns About Security of Customers’ Genetic Data (New York Times) Medusa Ransomware Uses Malicious Driver to Disable Security Tools (SecurityWeek) Clearview AI settles class-action privacy lawsuit worth an estimated $50 million (The Record)   Despite challenges, the CVE program is a public-private partnership that has shown resilience (CyberScoop) Trapping misbehaving bots in an AI Labyrinth (Cloudflare) 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

  --------  

  41:00
• Andrew Hammond: Understanding the plot. [Historian and Curator] [Career Notes]

  Please enjoy this encore of Career Notes. Historian and Curator at the International Spy Museum. Dr. Andrew Hammond, shares how he came to share the history of espionage and intelligence as a career. Starting out in the Royal Air Force when 9/11 happened, Andrew found himself trying to understand what was going on in the world. Studying history and international relations gave him some perspective and led him on his career path which included an introduction to museum industry at the 9/11 Museum. After a stint in academia in the UK, Andrew found his way back to the US and eventually ended up at the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. He said one of the "greatest parts of the job being able to engage with the artifacts" and share their stories. We thank Andrew for sharing his story with us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  --------  

  8:06

More News podcasts

Trending News podcasts

About CyberWire Daily

CyberWire Daily: Podcasts in Family