DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

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DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

Proofpoint

93 episodes

3 days ago

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our Cyber Squirrels! Host Selena Larson, and guest host, Tim Kromphardt sit down with Tony Robinson — Senior Security Research Engineer and “rule magician” from Proofpoint’s Emerging Threats team. Tony shares the story behind IoT Hunter, an open-source tool he created to automate writing detection rules for Internet of Things (IoT) vulnerabilities. From routers and smart cameras to industrial control systems, Tony breaks down how IoT Hunter helps researchers and...

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Send us fan mail! Hello to all our Cyber Squirrels! Host Selena Larson, and guest host, Tim Kromphardt sit down with Tony Robinson — Senior Security Research Engineer and “rule magician” from Proofpoint’s Emerging Threats team. Tony shares the story behind IoT Hunter, an open-source tool he created to automate writing detection rules for Internet of Things (IoT) vulnerabilities. From routers and smart cameras to industrial control systems, Tony breaks down how IoT Hunter helps researchers and...

Show more...

Episodes (20/93)

DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

From Toasters to Botnets: Securing Everyday IoT

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our Cyber Squirrels! Host Selena Larson, and guest host, Tim Kromphardt sit down with Tony Robinson — Senior Security Research Engineer and “rule magician” from Proofpoint’s Emerging Threats team. Tony shares the story behind IoT Hunter, an open-source tool he created to automate writing detection rules for Internet of Things (IoT) vulnerabilities. From routers and smart cameras to industrial control systems, Tony breaks down how IoT Hunter helps researchers and...

3 days ago

37 minutes

DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

Elect More Hackers: Tech Skills for Real-World Change

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our Cyber Squirrels! Can hackers make great public servants? Host Selena Larson, and co-guest hosts, Sarah Sabotka and Tim Kromphardt sit down with Andrew Brandt, Founder and Executive Director of Elect More Hackers — a nonprofit on a mission to get more cybersecurity and tech-minded thinkers into elected office. Together, they explore how hackers and technologists can bring their problem-solving mindset into civic life — from teaching digital safety at lo...

2 weeks ago

54 minutes

DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

From Web Injects to Info Stealers: How Cybercriminals Stay Ahead

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our Cyber Sleuths! Host Selena Larson, and guest host, Sarah Sabotka take you behind the scenes of the ever-changing world of cybercrime—where attackers innovate, scams evolve, and staying one step ahead is a constant challenge. From remote monitoring and management (RMM) abuse to adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) phishing, web injects, flashy malware lures, and the latest wave of information stealers, we unpack the tactics, techniques, and procedures shaping today...

1 month ago

1 hour

DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

When Being Aware of Cybersecurity Means Knowing You're Human

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our Pumpkin Spice Cyber Friends! It’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month — and what better way to kick it off than with a deep dive into the human side of cyber threats? In this episode host Selena Larson welcomes back guest and part-time co-host Sarah Sobatka, our “Cybersecurity Awareness Month Queen” and Staff Threat Researcher at Proofpoint. She joins us to break down why social engineering is at the heart of so many attacks. We take a closer look at how scams and...

1 month ago

48 minutes

DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

Hot sauce and hot takes: An Only Malware in the Building special

Send us fan mail! Welcome in! You’ve entered, Only Malware in the Building — but this time, it’s not just another episode. This is a special edition you won’t want to miss. For the first time, our hosts are together in-studio — and they’re turning up the heat. Literally. Join ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Selena Larson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Proofpoint⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ intelligence analyst and host of their podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DISCARDED⁠, along with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠N2K Networks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dave Bittner⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Keith Mularski⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, former FBI cyb...

1 month ago

34 minutes

DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

Freighty Cats: RFQ Phishing Comes to A Warehouse Near You

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our Cyber Stars! In this episode host Selena Larson welcomes back guest and part-time co-host Tim Kromphardt, fresh from DEFCON, to explore the world of request-for-quote (RFQ) fraud—a growing scam targeting small- to medium-sized businesses with fake purchase requests and net financing schemes. Tim explains how cybercriminals exploit legitimate business practices to steal physical goods like networking tools, surveillance equipment, and medical devices. Using s...

2 months ago

35 minutes

DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

Direct Send Exploitation & URL Rewrite Attacks: What Security Teams Must Know

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our Cyber Squirrels! In this extra-packed episode of Discarded, host Selena Larson welcomes Proofpoint Principal Research Engineer Jason Ford for his first appearance on the show. Together, they dive into two resurging email attack techniques—Microsoft 365 Direct Send abuse and URL rewrite abuse—and why defending against them requires more than just traditional email security. Jason explains what Direct Send is, why attackers exploit this legacy feature, and how...

2 months ago

43 minutes

DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

Phish, Chips & Voldemort: Inside China’s Cyber Targeting of Taiwan

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our Cyber Panda Bears! In this extra-packed episode of Discarded, host Selena Larson and guest host, Sarah Sabotka reunite with Staff Threat Researcher Mark Kelly to dive deep into China-aligned espionage activity—this time with a focus on Taiwan’s semiconductor ecosystem and the strange, stealthy tools threat actors are using to get in. Mark walks us through Proofpoint’s latest research on custom malware (yes, “Voldemort” is back), threat clusters with pun-fill...

3 months ago

42 minutes

DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

Threat Actor Theater: TA2541, TA558, and the Cyber Heist Crew TA582

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our cyber! In this episode of Discarded, host Selena Larson and co-host, Tim Kromphardt, are joined by Joe Wise, Threat Researcher at Proofpoint for a deep dive into the chaotic brilliance of mid-tier eCrime actors—including the elusive TA582. We explore recent activity from TA2541 and TA558—two groups known for their uncanny consistency and precision targeting—before shifting focus to TA582: a standout in today’s threat landscape. TA582’s multilayered, region-s...

3 months ago

37 minutes

DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

10 Things I Hate About Attribution: A Clustering Conundrum

Hello to all our cyber detectives and pedantic CTI friends! In this episode of Discarded, host Selena Larson is joined by Greg Lesnewich, Staff Threat Researcher at Proofpoint for a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most frustratingly fascinating attribution cases yet. What begins as a lighthearted rant: “10 Things I Hate About Attribution,” quickly turns into a deep dive into the murky overlap between TA829 (aka RomCom), TA289, and the elusive GreenSec cluster. From TransferLoader and mal...

4 months ago

56 minutes

DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

Comic Sans and Cybercrime: Inside North Korea’s Global Cyber Playbook

Hello to all our Cyber Pals! In this episode of Discarded, host Selena Larson and co-host Sara Sobotka are joined by Saher Naumaan and Greg Lesnewich, teammates on the espionage threat research team at Proofpoint to unravel the multifaceted—and often bizarre—world of North Korean cyber operations. The team explores: What sets DPRK’s threat actors apart from other nation-state groupsA closer look at North Korea’s cyber and physical support for Russia in UkraineHow cyber activity plays ...

4 months ago

52 minutes

DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

Signatures and Surprises: Inside the Emerging Threats Team

Hello to all our Cyber Masked Vigilantes! In this episode of Discarded, host Selena Larson and co-host Tim Kromhardt are joined by James Emery-Callcott, a Security Researcher on Proofpoint’s Emerging Threats team, for an insider’s look at the technical, tactical, and collaborative forces shaping modern network detection. James takes us behind the curtain of rule writing, CVE coverage, and malware detection, breaking down how signatures are developed, validated, and deployed to protect...

5 months ago

43 minutes

DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

DBIR Deep Dive: Identity, Access, and the Expanding Attack Surface

Hello to all our Cyber Stars! Join host Selena Larson, and guest host, Sarah Sabotka, as they sit down with Alex Pinto, Associate Director of Threat Intelligence at Verizon Business and the lead author behind the industry-defining Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR). Together, they unpack the most pressing findings from the brand new VZDBIR, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how the reports are built—and what they reveal about today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape. Alex sh...

5 months ago

51 minutes

DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

The ClickFix Convergence: How Threat Actors Blur the Lines

Hello to all our Cyber Spring Chickens! Join host Selena Larson, and guest host, Sarah Sabotka, as they chat with Saher Naaman, Senior Threat Researcher at Proofpoint, for a deep dive into how modern espionage and cybercrime are increasingly blurring lines. At the center of the conversation is ClickFix—a fast-evolving social engineering technique originally used by cybercriminals but now adopted by espionage actors across at least three countries in just 90 days. We explore: how t...

6 months ago

35 minutes

DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

The Art of the Innocent Ask: How Threat Actors Use Benign Conversations

Hello to all our Cyber Spring Chickens! Join host Selena Larson and guest hosts, Tim Kromphardt and Sarah Sabotka, both Senior Threat Researchers at Proofpoint. These top sleuths crack open Proofpoint’s new Human Factor series and explore one of the most deceptively dangerous tactics in a threat actor’s playbook: the benign conversation. What exactly is a benign conversation—and why is it anything but harmless? Whether it’s a simple “Do you have a minute?” or a seemingly legit job offer...

6 months ago

58 minutes

DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

Diving Into Cyber Journalism: FOIA, Fraud, and the Fight Against Online Threats

Hello to all our Cyber Cherry Blossoms! Join host Selena Larson and guest host, Tim Kromphardt, a Senior Threat Researcher, as they chat with Andrew Couts, Senior Editor, Security and Investigations at WIRED. Andrew shares insights into his work overseeing cybersecurity coverage and investigative reporting, collaborating with newsrooms, and uncovering the hidden threats lurking in the digital world. We dive into how cybersecurity and privacy reporting has evolved, the growing risks posed by d...

7 months ago

46 minutes

DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

RMM Tools: The New Cybercrime Trick?

Hello to all our Remote Cyber Pals! Join host Selena Larson and guest host, Tim Kromphardt, a Senior Threat Researcher, as they chat with Staff Threat Researcher, Ole Villadsen, from Proofpoint. They explore the broader shift from traditional malware to commercially available tools that fly under the radar and how cybercriminals are increasingly abusing Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) tools (sometimes called Remote Access Software) to gain initial access in email-based attacks.&n...

8 months ago

37 minutes

DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

Your Best Defense against Social Engineering: The Gray-Matter Firewall

Hello to all our Cyber Pals! Join host Selena Larson and guest hosts, Sarah Sabotka and Tim Kromphardt, both Senior Threat Researchers from Proofpoint, as they dive into the realities of current social engineering schemes —especially during high-risk times like tax season. Cybercriminals exploit fear, urgency, and excitement to manipulate victims, from IRS impersonation scams and fraudulent tax payment requests to deepfake cons and TikTok frauds. Our hosts dive into real-world examples, inclu...

8 months ago

51 minutes

DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

Hiding in Plain Sight: How Defenders Get Creative with Image Detection

Hello to all our Cyber Pals! Join host Selena Larson and guest host, Sarah Sabotka, as they speak with Kyle Eaton, Senior Security Research Engineer at Proofpoint. They explore the evolving world of image-based threat detection and the deceptive tactics cybercriminals use to evade defenses. From image lures embedded in emails, PDFs, and Office documents to the surprising ways attackers reuse visuals across campaigns, this conversation break down how detection engineering is adapting to counte...

9 months ago

45 minutes

DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

Cyber Groundhog Day and romance scams, featuring Only Malware in the Building

Hey Cyber Pals! This week we are doing a very special spotlight on a recent episode from Only Malware in the Building. Our very own, Selena Larson, also co-hosts on this fabulous podcast. Be sure to check it out and enjoy! Find more OMIB: https://thecyberwire.com/podcasts/only-malware-in-the-building/9/notes —------------------------------------------------ Welcome in! You’ve entered, Only Malware in the Building. Join us each month to sip tea and solve mysteries about today’s mos...

9 months ago

40 minutes