CyberWire Daily

In today's podcast, we hear that a campaign reuses some of the old Comment Crew code, but McAfee researchers think it's not the same old Crew. Facebook thinks its big breach was the work of spammers, not spies. Twitter releases a trove of trolling and invites researchers to take a look. Researchers disclose flaws in D-Link and Linksys routers. Ghost Squad says that they downed YouTube the other da...

Kim Zetter is longtime cybersecurity and national security reporter for the New York Times, and author of the book Countdown to Zero Day. She joins us to discuss her recent feature for the New York Times Magazine, titled The Crisis of Election Security. In it she explores the structure and fragile integrity of the US election system, how we got to where we are today, and what can be done to reesta...

In today's podcast, we hear about election security, and two ways of hacking the vote. DHS points out that the states are getting better about sharing election security information. ISIS sets the template for terrorist information operations. BlackEnergy is back, in Poland and Ukraine, with new, "GreyEnergy" malware. Diplomatic targets prospected in Central Asia. North Carolina, recovering from hu...

In today's podcast we hear about social networking for genocide in Myanmar: Facebook takes down the Army's inauthentic and inflammatory pages. The supply chain seeding attack from China remains dubious. Probes of US election infrastructure, and black market offers of voter databases, are reported. GCHQ sees cybercrime as a chronic threat, but state-sponsored cyber operations as an acute problem. E...

In today's podcast, we heat that Facebook has found that fewer users than feared were affected by its breach, but that in this case "fewer" still means "a lot"—nearly thirty-million of them. Do privacy advocates have an image problem? Supply chain seeding attack story draws more skeptical comment. A pipeline accident turns out not to have been a cyberattack. Estonia joins the UK and the Netherland...

Researchers at Virginia Tech investigate possible ways to manipulate GPS signals and send drivers to specific locations without their knowledge.  Gang Wang is Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Virginia Tech, and he joins us to share his team's findings. The original research can be found here: https://people.cs.vt.edu/gangwang/sec18-gps.pdf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...

In today's podcast we hear that Ukraine says it's under cyberattack, again. ESET connects Telebots and BlackEnergy. Port hacks suggest risks of mixing IT and OT. Talos finds a new Android Trojan. Skepticism over Chinese supply chain seeding attack report continues. Facebook purges more "inauthentic" sites—this time they're American. Data privacy regulation is trending, in both Sacramento and Washi...

In today's podcast, we hear that the report of Chinese supply chain seeding attacks comes in for more skepticism: NSA never heard of it, and Congress would like some answers. The US has an officer of China's MSS in front of a Cincinnati court on charges of industrial espionage: he was extradited this week from Belgium. Notes on officers and agents. Russia repeats denials of hacking the Organisatio...

In today's podcast we hear that there's no consensus, yet, on Bloomberg's report of Chinese seeding attacks on the IT hardware supply chain. Ukrainian fiscal authority sustains DDoS attack. GAO reports on cyber vulnerabilities in US Defense Department weapon systems. Xiongmai DVRs and cameras still exhibit bugs exploited by the Mirai botnet. Patch notes. And a lizard toe-dials from a veterinary cl...

In today's podcast we hear that Bloomberg's report of a Chinese seeding attack on the IT hardware supply chain comes in for skepticism, but Bloomberg stands by—and adds to—its reporting. Everyone is seeing Russia's GRU everywhere, and Russia feels aggrieved by the accusations. The UK prepares a retaliatory cyber capability. The US looks to grid security. Cylance describes Panda Banker. Google had...

Researchers at Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 have been tracking the rise of cryptocurrency mining operations run by criminal groups around the world. Ryan Olson is V.P. of threat intelligence at Palo Alto Networks, and he joins us to share what they've learned. The original research can be found here: https://researchcenter.paloaltonetworks.com/2018/06/unit42-rise-cryptocurrency-miners/   Learn more...

In today's podcast, we hear more on the possibility that China's Peoples Liberation Army engaged in seeding the supply chain with malicious chips. Companies deny it, but Bloomberg stands by its story. All Five Eyes denounce Russia's GRU for hacking. Russia responds unconvincingly. And the NPPD will become a new agency within the US Department of Homeland Security, and the lead civilian agency resp...

In today's podcast, we hear that Bloomberg reports that a Chinese hardware hack has infested sensitive US supply chains. Dutch authorities expel GRU officers for attempting to hack the international body investigating the nerve agent attacks in Salisbury. Australia, the UK, and Canada all finger the GRU as responsible for high-profile cyberattacks. The US indicts seven GRU officers for a range of...

In today's podcast, we hear that Facebook continues to investigate its breach, and says it's not found any evidence of apps compromised through Facebook Login. Irish authorities open a GDPR investigation of Facebook. Bogus offers of Zoho Office Suite are malicious. A big botnet hits Brazil's banking customers. Home routers found vulnerable. Google and Adobe patch. A DGSI officer is arrested in Fra...

In today's podcast we hear that the US FBI and DHS warn that RDP exploitation is up. Facebook's breach exhibits the tension between swift disclosure and sound incident response. A look at slow-rolled disclosure. Google draws criticism for some content it hosts. North Korea's Reaper Group never missed a beat. Citizen Lab says Saudi Arabia is spying on at least one prominent dissident who's a perman...

In today's podcast we hear an update on Facebook's data breach, including EU inquiries, Congressional attention, FTC scrutiny, and user unhappiness. The threat of Chinese election meddling seems to be a matter of concern in the US Intelligence Committee. And, despite promises, there was no livestreamed obliteration of much of anything yesterday. Rick Howard from Palo Alto Networks on rebooting the...

Researchers at security firm FireEye have been tracking malicious actors they call FIN7, a group which targets payment card data in the hospitality industry and elsewhere. They make use of targeted phishing campaigns, telephone vishing and even a convincing front company to do their deeds.  Nick Carr and Barry Vengerick are coauthors of the research, along with their colleagues Kimberly Goody and...

In today's podcast, we hear that Facebook has disclosed a cyberattack that affected fifty million users. A botnet is brute-forcing credentials. Cybercriminals show signs of ramping up spoofed retail domains in preparation for holiday shopping. The US Secret Service warns of ATM wiretapping. The Port of San Diego struggles with ransomware. The US SEC fines a company for cyber deficiencies. Mr. Assa...

In today's podcast, we find out that Fancy Bear has its very own rootkit. VPNFilter turns out to do a lot more than previously suspected. One of the Salisbury assassins is identified as a GRU colonel. A voice recorder app is kicked out of Google Play for being a banking Trojan. Apple's Device Enrollment Program may have authentication issues. Big Tech might learn to like being regulated. And farew...

In today's podcast, we hear that cryptojacking apps have reappeared in Google Play. A brewer's experience with ransomware shows that victims needn't be helpless in the face of extortion. A look at the black market finds that zero-day vendors have grown a lot scarcer on the ground. Google responds—a little—to concerns about privacy in Chrome login. The US Senate is holding hearings on privacy. Big...

In today's podcast, we hear that Iran has accused Saudi Arabia, UAE, and the US of running Saturday's terror attack "from the shadows." Data exposure at the UN. Kodi platform exploited for cryptojacking. SHEIN retail breach affects more than six million. Atlanta says its ransomware incident is now "over." FBI warns of payroll phishing. A US strategy for quantum technology is offered. A look at spo...

In today's CyberWire, we hear about a terror attack in Iran that has heightened tensions among adversaries: expect a heightened cyber optempo.  A JET vulnerability in Microsoft products is publicly disclosed as Microsoft misses the Zero Day Initiative's 120-day deadline. France will open-source its secure operating system. UK, US attitudes continue to stiffen towards Russia in cyberspace. Russian...

Researchers at security firm Cybereason recently set up online honeypots to attract adversaries interested in industrial control system environments. It didn't take long for sophisticated attackers to sniff out the virtual honey and start snuffling around. Ross Rustici is senior director of intelligence services at Cybereason, and he joins us to share what they learned. The research is titled ICS...

In today's podcast, we hear about the US national cyber security strategy, and developing international norms, calling out bad actors, establishing a credible deterrent, and imposing consequences are important parts of it. The State Department blacklists thirty-three Russian bad actors. GCHQ is standing up a 4000-person cyber operations group to counter Russian activity. A cryptocurrency heist in...

In today's podcast, we hear that Magecart has hit a Philippine media conglomerate. Bogus (and malicious) financial apps are ejected from Google Play. Gulf states are taking warnings about Iran's OilRig seriously. A cloud hosting service serves up phish. Taiwan believes China is preparing to meddle in its elections. Facebook sets up an anti-disinformation war room. Nebraska sends in the National Gu...