While our team is observing the Labor Day holiday in the US, we hope you will enjoy this episode of The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast . New episodes airs on the N2K CyberWIre network every other Wednesday. In this episode of the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast, host⁠ ⁠⁠Sherrod DeGrippo is live from Black Hat 2025 with a special lineup of Microsoft security leaders and researchers. First, Sherrod sits down with Tom Gallagher, VP of Engineering and head of the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC). Tom shares how his team works with researchers worldwide, why responsible disclosure matters, and how programs like Zero Day Quest (ZDQ) are shaping the future of vulnerability research in cloud and AI security. He also announced the next iteration of ZTQ with $5 million up for grabs. Next, Sherrod is joined by Eric Baller (Senior Security Researcher) and Eric Olson (Principal Security Researcher) to unpack the fast-changing ransomware landscape. From dwell time collapsing from weeks to minutes, to the growing role of access brokers, they explore how attackers operate as organized ecosystems and how defenders can respond. Finally, Sherrod welcomes Travis Schack (Principal Security Researcher) alongside Eric Olson to examine the mechanics of social engineering. They discuss how attackers exploit urgency, trust, and human curiosity, why AI is supercharging phishing campaigns, and how defenders can fight back with both training and technology. In this episode you’ll learn:     How MSRC partners with researchers across 59 countries to protect customers Why Zero Day Quest is accelerating vulnerability discovery in cloud and AI How ransomware dwell times have shrunk from days to under an hour Resources: View Sherrod DeGrippo on LinkedIn  Zero Day Quest — Microsoft Microsoft Security Response Center Blog Related Microsoft Podcasts:   Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson The BlueHat Podcast Uncovering Hidden Risks      Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts Get the latest threat intelligence insights and guidance at Microsoft Security Insider   The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast is produced by Microsoft and distributed as part of N2K media network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So, as we mark this Labor Day, join us in celebrating not just the work, but the people who make it possible — the labor behind the labor. This Labor Day, we’re celebrating more than just a holiday — we’re honoring the people who bring their creativity, dedication, and passion to every corner of N2K. The work you hear, read, and see from us doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of talented colleagues who pour themselves into their craft, often in ways that don’t always get the spotlight. From shaping sound and refining scripts to building certification content and producing video, their labor is the heartbeat of what we do. In this special edition, host Ma’ayan Plaut introduces you to some of the voices behind the scenes: Elliott, whose audio artistry makes every show sing; Ethan, whose sharp analysis bridges policy and practice; Alice, whose storytelling brings energy and curiosity to the space industry; George and Ann, who create and refine the certification content that keeps us at the forefront of technology; and Sarelle, whose video production brings our stories to life. Together, they embody the care and creativity that define N2K. And if you’d like to see the labor behind the labor, we’ve also put together a video companion to this project — giving you another way to meet the team and experience their work in action. Be sure to check it out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Please enjoy this encore of Career Notes. Social engineer and CEO of Hekate, Marina Ciavatta, shares her story of how people think her job is a la Mission Impossible coming from the ceiling with a rope and stealing stuff in the dead of the night. Marina does physical pentesting. Starting with an unused degree in journalism, Marina turned her talent for writing into a job as a content producer for a technology company and this appealed to her self-proclaimed nerdism. She fell in love with hacking and got into pentesting thanks to a friend. Marina recommends those interested in physical pentesting "try to find other social engineers to mingle. It's in the name. We are social creatures." We thank Marina for sharing her story with us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we are joined by Jamie Levy, Director of Adversary Tactics at Huntress, who is discussing their work on "Active Exploitation of SonicWall VPNs." Huntress has released an urgent threat advisory on active exploitation of SonicWall VPNs, with attackers bypassing MFA, pivoting to domain controllers, and ultimately deploying Akira ransomware. The campaigns involve techniques such as disabling defenses, clearing logs, credential theft, and Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver (BYOVD) attacks with legitimate Windows drivers. Organizations using SonicWall devices are strongly advised to disable SSL VPN access or restrict it via IP allow-listing, rotate credentials, and hunt for indicators of compromise as this remains an ongoing and evolving threat. Complete our annual ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠audience survey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ before August 31. The research can be found here: Huntress Threat Advisory: Active Exploitation of SonicWall VPNs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A suspected ransomware attack disrupts hundreds of Swedish municipalities. Google warns Gmail users of emerging cyberattacks tied to the ShinyHunters group. A malicious supply chain attack hits the npm registry. Senators press AFLAC for answers following a data breach. Law enforcement takedowns splinter the ransomware ecosystem. The FBI and Dutch police take down a major online fakeID marketplace. Florida proposes requiring healthcare providers to strengthen data breach preparedness and reporting. Our guest is Kathleen Peters, Chief Innovation Officer at Experian North America, explaining why AI is both accelerating and mitigating fraud. An affiliate army pushes fake casinos worldwide. 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 we are joined by Kathleen Peters, Chief Innovation Officer at Experian North America, who is sharing the AI paradox: why AI is both accelerating and mitigating fraud. You can learn more in Experian’s U.S. Identity & Fraud Report. Selected Reading Hundreds of Swedish municipalities impacted by suspected ransomware attack on IT supplier (The Record) Google issues emergency warning for all Gmail users (Geekspin) TransUnion Data Breach Impacts 4.4 Million (Security Week) Npm Package Hijacked to Steal Data and Crypto via AI-Powered Malware (Infosecurity Magazine) US Senators Call for Details of Aflac Data Breach (Bank Infosecurity) Ransomware gang takedowns causing explosion of new, smaller groups (The Record) FBI, Dutch cops seize fake ID marketplace, servers  (The Register) Florida Considers Rule to Improve Healthcare Data Breach Transparency (The HIPPA Journal) Affiliates Flock to ‘Soulless’ Scam Gambling Machine (Krebs on Security) Audience Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. 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 cyberwire@n2k.com 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

The FBI shares revelations on Salt Typhoon’s reach.  Former NSA and FBI directors sound alarm on infrastructure cybersecurity gaps. Google is launching a new cyber “disruption unit”. A new report highlights cyber risks to the maritime industry. A Pennsylvania healthcare provider suffers a data breach affecting over six hundred thousand individuals. Citrix patches a critical vulnerability under active exploitation. The U.S. sanctions a North Korean-linked fraud network. Ransomware is rapidly evolving with generative AI. Our guest is Brandon Karpf, speaking with T-Minus host Maria Varmazis connecting three seemingly disparate stories. Who needs a tutor when you’ve got root access? 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 today is Brandon Karpf, friend of the show, founder of T-Minus Space Daily, and cybersecurity expert talking with T-Minus host Maria Varmazis. Brandon decided to do a stump the host play for this month's space and cybersecurity segment. Selected Reading Chinese Spies Hit More Than 80 Countries in ‘Salt Typhoon’ Breach, FBI Reveals (WSJ) NSA and Others Provide Guidance to Counter China State-Sponsored Actors Targeting Critical Infrastructure Organizations (NSA) Critical Infrastructure Leaders and Former National Security Officials Address Escalating Cyber Threats at Exclusive GCIS Security Briefing (Business Wire) Google previews cyber ‘disruption unit’ as U.S. government, industry weigh going heavier on offense (CyberScoop) Maritime cybersecurity is the iceberg no one sees coming (Help Net Security) Healthcare Services Group reports data breach exposing information of over 624 K individuals (Beyond Machines) Over 28,000 Citrix devices vulnerable to new exploited RCE flaw (Bleeping Computer) US sanctions fraud network used by North Korean 'remote IT workers' to seek jobs and steal money (TechCrunch) The Era of AI-Generated Ransomware Has Arrived (WIRED) Spanish police arrest student suspected of hacking school system to change grades (The Record) Audience Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. 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 cyberwire@n2k.com 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

A whistle-blower claims DOGE uploaded a sensitive Social Security database to a vulnerable cloud server. Allies push back against North Korean IT scams. ZipLine is a sophisticated phishing campaign targeting U.S.-based manufacturing. Researchers uncover a residential proxy network operating across at least 20 U.S. states. Flock Safety license plate readers face increased scrutiny. A new report chronicles DDoS through the first half of the year. LLM guard rails fail to defend against run-on sentences. A South American APT targets the Colombian government. Our guest is Harry Thomas, Founder and CTO at Frenos, on the benefits of curated and vetted AI training data. One man’s fight against phantom jobs posts. 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 today is Harry Thomas, Founder and CTO at Frenos, talking about the benefits of curated and vetted AI training data.  Learn more about the Frenos and N2K Networks partnership to utilize industry validated intelligence to build the first AI native OT security posture management platform. Selected Reading DOGE Put Critical Social Security Data at Risk, Whistle-Blower Says (The New York Times) Governments, tech companies meet in Tokyo to share tips on fighting North Korea IT worker scheme (The Record) ZipLine Campaign: A Sophisticated Phishing Attack Targeting US Companies (Check Point Research) Phishing Campaign Targeting Companies via UpCrypter (FortiGuard Labs) Belarus-Linked DSLRoot Proxy Network Deploys Hardware in U.S. Residences, Including Military Homes (Infrawatch) CBP Had Access to More than 80,000 Flock AI Cameras Nationwide (404 Media) Evanston shuts down license plate cameras, terminates contract with Flock Safety (Evanston Round Table) Global DDoS attacks exceed 8M amid geopolitical tensions (Telecoms Tech News) One long sentence is all it takes to make LLMs misbehave (The Register) TAG-144’s Persistent Grip on South American Organizations (Recorded Future) This tech worker was frustrated with ghost job ads. Now he’s working to pass a national law banning them (CNBC) Audience Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. 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 cyberwire@n2k.com 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

A cyberattack disrupts state systems in Nevada. A China-linked threat actor targets Southeast Asian diplomats. A new attack method hides malicious prompts inside images processed by AI systems.Experts ponder preventing AI agents from going rogue. A new study finds AI is hitting entry-level jobs hardest. Michigan’s Supreme Court upholds limits on cell phone searches. Sen. Wyden accuses the judiciary of cyber negligence. CISA issues an urgent alert on a critical Git vulnerability. Hackers target Maryland’s transit services for the disabled. Our guest is Cristian Rodriguez, Field CTO for the Americas from CrowdStrike, examining the escalating three-front war in AI.  A neighborhood crime reporting app gets algorithmically sketchy. 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 we are joined by Cristian Rodriguez, Field CTO, Americas from CrowdStrike, as he is examining the escalating three-front war in AI. Selected Reading  Cybercrime Government Leadership News News Briefs  Recorded Future Nevada state websites, phone lines knocked offline by cyberattack (The Record) Chinese UNC6384 Hackers Use Valid Code-Signing Certificates to Evade Detection (GB Hackers) New AI attack hides data-theft prompts in downscaled images (Bleeping Computer) How to stop AI agents going rogue (BBC) AI Makes It Harder for Entry-Level Coders to Find Jobs, Study Says (Bloomberg) Fourth Amendment Victory: Michigan Supreme Court Reins in Digital Device Fishing Expeditions (Electronic Frontier Foundation) Wyden calls for probe of federal judiciary data breaches, accusing it of ‘negligence’ (The Record) CISA Alerts on Git Arbitrary File Write Flaw Actively Exploited (GB Hackers) Maryland investigating cyberattack impacting transit service for disabled people (The Record) Citizen Is Using AI to Generate Crime Alerts With No Human Review. It’s Making a Lot of Mistakes (404 Media) Audience Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. 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 cyberwire@n2k.com 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

Farmers Insurance discloses a data breach affecting over a million people. Agentic AI tools fall for common scams. A new bill in Congress looks to revive letters of marque for the digital age. Cybercriminals target macOS users with the Shamos infostealer. New Android spyware masquerades as antivirus to target Russian business executives. CISA seeks public comments on SBOM updates. A major third party electronics manufacturer reports a ransomware attack. Salesforce patches multiple vulnerabilities in its Tableau products. Over 370,000 user Grok conversations were accidentally indexed by Google. Ben Yelin examines the UK’s decision to drop digital backdoor requirements. WIRED gets duped by an AI author. 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 Ben Yelin from University of Maryland Center for Cyber Health and Hazard Strategies joins to discuss the U.K. dropping ‘back door’ demand for Apple user data. Read the article Ben discusses. If you enjoyed this conversation and want to hear more from Ben, check out our Caveat podcast here. Selected Reading Farmers Insurance Data Breach Impacts Over 1 Million People (SecurityWeek) "Scamlexity": When Agentic AI Browsers Get Scammed (Guardio) Bill would give hackers letters of marque against US enemies (The Register) Fake macOS help sites push Shamos infostealer via ClickFix technique (Help Net Security) New Android malware poses as antivirus from Russian intelligence agency (Bleeping Computer) CISA Requests Public Feedback on Updated SBOM Guidance (SecurityWeek) Electronics manufacturer Data I/O reports ransomware attack to SEC (The Record) Salesforce patches multiple flaws in Tableau Server, at least one critical (Beyond Machines) 370,000 Grok AI chats leaked after being indexed on Google (Cyber Daily) How WIRED Got Rolled by an AI Freelancer (WIRED) Audience Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. 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 cyberwire@n2k.com 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

Please enjoy this encore of Career Notes. Senior Vice President and Executive in Residence with Rapid7 and Chairman for Cyversity, Julian Waits, grew up in the era of the Justice League and Superman and it shaped his career. Julian always wanted to do something where he could find a way to help society to basically help others. Starting out as a Baptist minister with aspirations of being a professional musician, Julian found it more practical to take some technology classes and practice his saxophone when he had time. His first tech job was at Texaco where he worked on early networks and moved into systems engineering at Compaq. Julian notes his ADD made coding less attractive than talking with others to solve problems and Compaq provided him with opportunities to pivot. Searching out diversity, Julian moved to DC, and had his first taste of startups. He now describes himself as a serial entrepreneur. We thank Julian for sharing his story with us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we are joined by Dr. Renée Burton, VP of Infoblox Threat Intel, who is discussing their work on VexTrio, a notorious traffic distribution system (TDS) involved in digital fraud. The VexTrio investigation uncovers a massive global ad fraud and scam operation powered by just 250 virtual machines, tying it directly to named individuals and shell companies across Europe. The research exposes VexTrio’s full criminal supply chain—including fake apps, dating scams, affiliate networks, and payment processors—alongside a powerful CDN infrastructure ranked among the world’s top 10k domains. It also calls on the adtech industry to take accountability for enabling and sustaining such widespread abuse. Complete our annual ⁠⁠⁠⁠audience survey⁠⁠⁠⁠ before August 31. The research can be found here: ⁠VexTrio’s Origin Story : From Spam to Scam to Adtech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The FTC warns one country’s “online safety” may be another’s “censorship.” A new bipartisan bill aims to reduce barriers to federal cyber jobs. MURKY PANDA targets government, technology, academia, legal, and professional services in North America. MITRE updates their hardware weaknesses list. Customs and Border Protection conducts a record number of device searches at U.S. borders. A recent hoax exposes weaknesses in the cybersecurity community’s verification methods. A Houston man gets four years in prison for sabotaging his employer’s computer systems. A Florida-based provider of sleep apnea equipment suffers a data breach. Interpol dismantles a vast cybercriminal network spanning Africa.  Brandon Karpf shares his experience with fake North Korean job applicants. Being a smooth-talking English speaker can land you a gig in the cybercrime underworld.  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 we are joined by Brandon Karpf, friend of the show discussing his experience with fake North Korean job applicants. You can also hear more from Brandon on our show T-Minus Daily, where he’s a regular guest on a monthly space segment—catch his latest episode this Monday! Selected Reading US warns tech companies against complying with European and British ‘censorship’ laws (The Record) House lawmakers take aim at education requirements for federal cyber jobs (CyberScoop) MURKY PANDA: Trusted-Relationship Cloud Threat (CrowdStrike) MITRE Updates List of Most Common Hardware Weaknesses (SecurityWeek) Phone Searches at the US Border Hit a Record High (WIRED) The Cybersecurity Community's Wake-Up Call: A Fake Reward and Its Lessons (The DefendOps Diaries) Chinese national who sabotaged Ohio company’s systems handed four-year jail stint (The Record) CPAP Medical Data Breach Impacts 90,000 People (SecurityWeek) Interpol-Led African Cybercrime Crackdown Leads to 1209 Arrests (Infosecurity Magazine) 'Impersonation as a service' next big thing in cybercrime (The Register) Audience Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. 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 cyberwire@n2k.com 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

Zero-day clickjacking flaws affect major password managers. The FBI warns that Russian state-backed hackers are exploiting a long-known Cisco flaw. Apple releases emergency patches for a zero-day flaw in the Image I/O framework. Home Depot faces a proposed class action lawsuit accusing it of secretly using facial recognition at self-checkout kiosks. A VPN browser extension has been exposed for secretly spying on users. Browser fingerprinting overtakes cookies as the dominant method of online tracking. Agentic AI browsers prove easily scammed. A Scattered Spider member earns 10 years in federal prison. Ron Zayas, CEO of Ironwall by Incogni, to discuss the massive data sharing and privacy risks in the leading Buy Now Pay Later apps. An Australian bank’s AI cutbacks are put on permanent hold. 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 we are joined by Ron Zayas, CEO of Ironwall by Incogni, to discuss the massive data sharing and privacy risks in the leading Buy Now Pay Later apps. Tune in to hear the full conversation on Caveat. Selected Reading Researcher Exposes Zero-Day Clickjacking Vulnerabilities in Major Password Managers (Socket) FBI warns of Russian hackers exploiting 7-year-old Cisco flaw (Bleeping Computer) Apple fixes new zero-day flaw exploited in targeted attacks (Bleeping Computer) Home Depot Sued for 'Secretly' Using Facial Recognition Technology on Self-Checkout Cameras (PetaPixel) SpyVPN: The Google-Featured VPN That Secretly Captures Your Screen (Koi Blog) Beyond cookies: browser fingerprinting in 2025 (PITG Network) "Scamlexity": When Agentic AI Browsers Get Scammed (Guardio) SIM-Swapper, Scattered Spider Hacker Gets 10 Years (Krebs on Security) Commonwealth Bank backtracks on AI job cuts, apologises for 'error' as call volumes rise (ABC News) Audience Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. 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 cyberwire@n2k.com 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

Microsoft releases emergency out-of-band (OOB) Windows updates. Trump targets NSA’s leading AI and cyber expert in clearance revocations. A breach may have compromised the privacy of Ohio medical marijuana patients. Cybercriminals exploit an AI website builder to rapidly create phishing sites. Warlock ransomware operators target Microsoft’s SharePoint ToolShell vulnerability. Google and Mozilla patch Chrome and Firefox. European officials report two cyber incidents targeting water infrastructure. A federal appeals court has upheld fines against T-Mobile and Sprint for illegally selling customer location data. Authorities dismantle DDoS powerhouse Rapper Bot. On our Industry Voices segment, we are joined by Matt Radolec, VP - Incident Response, Cloud Operations, and Sales Engineering at Varonis, speaking about ShinyHunters and the problems with securing Salesforce. Microsoft Copilot gets creative with compliance.  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 On our Industry Voices segment, we are joined by Matt Radolec, VP - Incident Response, Cloud Operations, and Sales Engineering at Varonis, who is speaking about ShinyHunters and the problems with securing Salesforce. You can hear more from Matt here. Selected Reading Microsoft releases emergency updates to fix Windows recovery (Bleeping Computer) Trump Revokes Security Clearances of 37 Former and Current Officials (The New York Times) Highly Sensitive Medical Cannabis Patient Data Exposed by Unsecured Database (WIRED) AI Website Builder Lovable Abused for Phishing and Malware Scams (Hackread) Warlock Ransomware Hitting Victims Globally Through SharePoint ToolShell Exploit (InfoSecurity Magazine) High-Severity Vulnerabilities Patched in Chrome, Firefox (SecurityWeek) Russia-linked European attacks renew concerns over water cybersecurity (CSO Online) T-Mobile claimed selling location data without consent is legal, judges disagree (Ars Technica) Officials gain control of Rapper Bot DDoS botnet, charge lead developer and administrator (CyberScoop) Copilot Broke Your Audit Log, but Microsoft Won’t Tell You (Pistachio Blog) Audience Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. 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 cyberwire@n2k.com 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

A researcher uncovers vulnerabilities across Intel’s internal websites that exposed sensitive employee and supplier data. The Kimsuky group (APT43) targets South Korean diplomatic missions. A new DDoS vulnerability bypasses the 2023 “Rapid Reset” fix. Drug development firm Inotiv reports a ransomware attack to the SEC. The UK drops their demand that Apple provide access to encrypted iCloud accounts. Hackers disguise the PipeMagic backdoor as a fake ChatGPT desktop app. The source code for a powerful Android banking trojan was leaked online. A Nebraska man is sentenced to prison for defrauding cloud providers to mine nearly $1 million in cryptocurrency. On this week’s Threat Vector, David Moulton speaks with Liz Pinder and Patrick Bayle for a no holds barred look at context switching in the SOC. A UK police force fails to call for backup. 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 Security analysts are drowning in tools, alerts, and tabs. On today's Threat Vector segment from Palo Alto Networks, we offer a snapshot from host⁠ David Moulton⁠'s conversation with⁠ Liz Pinder⁠ and⁠ Patrick Bayle⁠⁠. Together they take a no holds barred look at context switching in the SOC, what it costs, why it's getting worse, and how smarter design can fix it. You can listen to David, Patrick, and Liz's conversation⁠ here⁠. It’s a must-listen for anyone building or managing a modern SOC. New episodes of⁠ Threat Vector⁠ drop each Thursday on the N2K CyberWire network and in your favorite podcast app. Selected Reading Intel data breach: employee data could be accessed via API (Techzine Global) North Korean Kimsuky Hackers Use GitHub to Target Foreign Embassies with XenoRAT Malware (GB Hackers) Internet-wide Vulnerability Enables Giant DDoS Attacks (Dark Reading) Drug development company Inotiv reports ransomware attack to SEC (The Record) UK ‘agrees to drop’ demand over Apple iCloud encryption, US intelligence head claims (The Record) Ransomware gang masking PipeMagic backdoor as ChatGPT desktop app: Microsoft (The Record) ERMAC Android malware source code leak exposes banking trojan infrastructure (Bleeping Computer) Nebraska man gets 1 year in prison for $3.5M cryptojacking scheme (Bleeping Computer) South Yorkshire Police Deletes 96,000 Pieces of Digital Evidence  (Infosecurity Magazine) Audience Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. 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 cyberwire@n2k.com 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

HR software giant Workday discloses a data breach. Researchers uncover a zero-day in Elastic’s EDR software. Ghost-tapping is an emerging fraud technique where cybercriminals use NFC relay attacks to exploit stolen payment card data. Germany may be on a path to ban ad blockers. A security researcher documents multiple serious flaws in McDonald’s systems. There’s a new open-source framework for testing 5G security flaws. New York’s Attorney General sues the banks behind Zelle over fraud allegations. The DOJ charges the alleged Zeppelin ransomware operator and seizes over $2.8 million in cryptocurrency. Tim Starks from CyberScoop discusses the overlooked changes that two Trump executive orders could bring to cybersecurity. Bots build their own echo chambers. 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 we have Tim Starks from CyberScoop discussing the overlooked changes that two Trump executive orders could bring to cybersecurity. Selected Reading HR giant Workday discloses data breach after Salesforce attack (Bleeping Computer) Researchers report zero-day vulnerability in Elastic Endpoint Detection and Respons Driver that enables system compromise (Beyond Machines) Ghost-Tapping and the Chinese Cybercriminal Retail Fraud Ecosystem (Recorded Future) Is Germany on the Brink of Banning Ad Blockers? User Freedom, Privacy, and Security Is At Risk. (Open Policy & Advocacy) How I Hacked McDonald's (Their Security Contact Was Harder to Find Than Their Secret Sauce Recipe) (bobdahacker) Boffins say tool can sniff 5G traffic, launch 'attacks' without using rogue base stations (The Register) New York claims Zelle’s shoddy security enabled a billion dollars in scams  (The Verge) US Seizes $2.8 Million From Zeppelin Ransomware Operator (SecurityWeek) Researchers Made a Social Media Platform Where Every User Was AI. The Bots Ended Up at War (Gizmodo) Audience Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. 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 cyberwire@n2k.com 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

Bob Rudis, VP Data Science from GreyNoise, is sharing some insights into their work on "Early Warning Signals: When Attacker Behavior Precedes New Vulnerabilities." New research reveals a striking trend: in 80% of cases, spikes in malicious activity against enterprise edge technologies like VPNs and firewalls occurred weeks before related CVEs were disclosed. The report breaks down this “6-week critical window,” highlighting which vendors show the strongest early-warning patterns and offering tactical steps defenders can take when suspicious spikes emerge. These findings reveal how early attacker activity can be transformed into actionable intelligence, enabling defenders to anticipate and neutralize threats before vulnerabilities are publicly disclosed. Complete our annual ⁠⁠⁠audience survey⁠⁠⁠ before August 31. The research can be found here: Early Warning Signals: When Attacker Behavior Precedes New Vulnerabilities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Please enjoy this encore of Career Notes. Head of Cyber Governance with Red Sift, Dr. Rois Ni Thuama shares the circuitous route of her career into cyber governance. She notes the route "looks really clean, but actually it was a bit more Jeremy Bearimy." While at Trinity College, Rois was moved to be part of history unfolding in South Africa and pause her studies. While there, she began making music videos and wildlife documentaries. Upon her return to London, Rois started working in corporate governance and risk at a music technology startup. This ignited her enthusiasm for startups. She now works in a company with several coworkers from that tech startup doing cyber governance. Rois advises law students of many ways into the industry including doing coding, learning risk management, and understanding privacy legislation, and then "just get into the game." We thank Rois for sharing her story.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Plex urges users to immediately update their Media Server due to an undisclosed security flaw. Cisco warns of a critical remote code execution flaw in their Secure Firewall Management Center software.Rockwell Automation discloses multiple critical and high-severity flaws. Hackers breached a Canadian House of Commons database. Active law enforcement and government email accounts are sold online for as little as $40. Telecom giant Colt Technology Services suffers a cyber incident disrupting its customer portal. Taiwan launches new measures to boost hospital cybersecurity after ransomware attacks.  NIST has released a concept paper proposing control overlays for securing AI systems. A date with an AI chatbot ends in tragedy. Our guest is Randall Degges, Snyk's Head of Developer and Security Relations, to discuss how underqualified or outsourced coding support can open doors for nation-state threats. Dutch speed cameras are stuck in a cyber-induced siesta. 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 we are joined by Randall Degges, Snyk's Head of Developer and Security Relations, to discuss how underqualified or outsourced coding support can open doors for nation-state threats. Selected Reading Plex warns users to patch security vulnerability immediately (Bleeping Computer) Cisco Discloses Critical RCE Flaw in Firewall Management Software (Infosecurity Magazine) Critical Flaws Patched in Rockwell FactoryTalk, Micro800, ControlLogix Products (SecurityWeek) CISA Releases Thirty-Two Industrial Control Systems Advisories (CISA.gov) Hackers Breach Canadian Government Via Microsoft Exploit (Bank Infosecurity) Compromised Government and Police Email Accounts on the Dark Web (Abnormal.AI) Telco giant Colt suffers attack, takes systems offline (The Register) Taiwan announces measures to protect hospitals from hackers (Focus Taiwan) New NIST Concept Paper Outlines AI-Specific Cybersecurity Framework (Hack Read) A flirty Meta AI bot invited a retiree to meet. He never made it home. (Reuters) Dutch prosecution service attack keeps speed cameras offline (The Register) Audience Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. 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 cyberwire@n2k.com 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

A ransomware attack exposes personal medical records of VA patients. New joint guidance from CISA and the NSA emphasizes asset inventory and OT taxonomy. The UK government reportedly spent millions to cover up a data breach. Researchers identified two critical flaws in a widely used print orchestration platform.  Phishing attacks increasingly rely on personalization. Rooting and jailbreaking frameworks pose serious enterprise risks. Fortinet warns of a critical command injection flaw in FortiSIEM. Estonian nationals are sentenced in a crypto Ponzi scheme. Michele Campobasso from Forescout joins us to unpack new research separating the hype from reality around “vibe hacking.” Meet the Blockchain Bandits of 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 Michele Campobasso from Forescout joins us to unpack new research separating the hype from reality around “vibe hacking.” Their team tested open-source, underground, and commercial AI models on vulnerability research and exploit development tasks—finding high failure rates and significant limitations, even among top commercial systems. Selected Reading Medical records for 1 million dialysis patients breached in data hack of VA vendor (Stars and Stripes) NSA Joins CISA and Others to Share OT Asset Inventory Guidance (NSA.gov) CISA warns of N-able N-central flaws exploited in zero-day attacks (Bleeping Computer) U.K. Secretly Spent $3.2 Million to Stop Journalists From Reporting on Data Breach (The New York Times) From Support Ticket to Zero Day  (Horizon3.ai) Personalization in Phishing: Advanced Tactics for Malware Delivery (Cofense) The Root(ing) Of All Evil: Security Holes That Could Compromise Your Mobile Device (Zimperium) Fortinet warns of FortiSIEM pre-auth RCE flaw with exploit in the wild (Bleeping Computer) Estonians behind $577 million cryptomining fraud sentenced to 16 months (The Record) Someone counter-hacked a North Korean IT worker: Here’s what they found (Cointelegraph) Audience Survey Complete our annual audience survey before August 31. 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 cyberwire@n2k.com 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