CyberWire Daily

In today's podcast, we hear that an evolved DarkHotel campaign is under way. A new malware dropper is out and about thanks to the Necurs botnet. Researchers demonstrate proof-of-concept exploits. Cyber espionage follows trade. Notes on election meddling. Google and Facebook encounter some regulatory and legal headwinds over data collection. Connected cars know a lot about their drivers, and there'...

Researchers at Bitdefender have been tracking a bit of complex rootkit malware called Zacinlo that they suspect has been operating virtually undetected for over six years. Bogdan Botezatu is a senior cyber security analyst with Bitdefender, and he describes what they've found. Research link: https://labs.bitdefender.com/2018/06/six-years-and-counting-inside-the-complex-zacinlo-ad-fraud-operation/...

In today's podcast we run through a brief guide to election risks, and the difference between hacking and influence operations. An Alaskan trade mission prompts a wave of Chinese industrial espionage. Misconfigured project management pages may have exposed Canadian and British Government information. Necurs flared up in a short-lived spam campaign against banks this week. Crooks use bogus Fortnite...

In today's podcast we hear that cyber threats to river traffic have intermodal implications. Nation state hacking, Presidential Policy Directive 20, and international norms of cyber conflict. The tragic consequences of overconfidence concerning communications security. Australia's new cyber laws are more legal hammer than required backdoor. A campaign of ATM robbery nets millions worldwide. A cryp...

In today's podcast we hear some Patch Tuesday notes—both Microsoft and Adobe were busy yesterday. Foreshadow, a new speculative execution vulnerability, is reported. Malaysia gets attention from Chinese espionage services. Competition for jihadist mindshare. Influence operations as marketing. The US FBI gets a new cyber boss. The Kremlin thinks the BBC is biased in the crypto-wars. And laptop stic...

In today's podcast, we hear about the cryptowars down under. Major DDoS incident in Finland. Bears in the home routers, and concerns about IoT and power grid security prompt a US Senator to demand answers. Smart cities present big attack surfaces. Preliminary notes on patches. ZTE and Huawei devices formally disinvited from US Government networks. Cyber retaliation expected from Russia and Iran ov...

In today's podcast, we hear about spyware in the guise of a missile attack warning app. New Dharma variant out. Android. Clipper redirects transactions to crooks' cryptowallets. DLink exploits rob Brazilian banking customers. Utilities prepare for grid hacks, but researchers say an appliance botnet could cycle demand enough to induce blackouts. Vulnerabilities in airline Wi-Fi and SATCOM connectiv...

Researchers at Symantec have been tracking a wide-ranging espionage operation that's targeting satellite, telecom and defense companies.  Jon DiMaggio is a senior cyber intelligence analyst at Symantec, and he takes us through what they've discovered. The research can be found here: https://www.symantec.com/blogs/threat-intelligence/thrip-hits-satellite-telecoms-defense-targets   Learn more about...

In today's podcast we hear that US-CERT is warning of a North Korean RAT. Researchers find vulnerable WPA2 handshake implementations. A sales call results in inadvertent data exposure. Notes on Black Hat: circumspection, hype, barkers, and artificial intelligence. Russia braces for US sanctions and promises retaliation. South Korea will reorganize its Cyber Command. The PGA is hit with ransomware....

In today's podcast we hear that Tehran seems ready to follow Pyongyang into state-sponsored theft to redress financial shortfalls: cryptocurrency ransomware looks like Iran's preferred approach. DarkHydrus uses commodity tool Phishery in Middle Eastern campaign. Jackpotting cryptocurrency ATMs. The US imposes sanctions on Russia. Reality Winner's sentencing date announced. IBM looks at artificiall...

In today's podcast we hare that Oracle has warned of BGP exploits against payment processors. Check Point says it's found vulnerabilities in WhatsApp that could enable chat sessions to be intercepted and manipulated. Germany, Ukraine, and the US independently mull responses to hacking and influence operations. Anonymous announces it wants to take its shots at QAnon. Notes from Black Hat, including...

In today's podcast we hear that chipmaker TSMC says the virus that shut it down in Taiwan was WannaCry. It appears to have been an incidental infection enabled by inattentive installation of software. OpenEMR fixes bugs that could have exposed millions of patient records. British authorities are said to be readying an extradition request for GRU operators they hold responsible for the Novichok att...

Leaky API may have exposed Salesforce customers' data, TSMC reports a virus in its semiconductor plants. TCM Bank discloses a paycard application leak. Ransomware in Hong Kong. The US Census Bureau prepares to secure its 2020 "fully digital" census. The unbearable, irresistible urge to monetize data. Notes on automotive cybersecurity. Depending on whom you ask, the Bitfi wallet was either hacked,...

Researchers at McAfee recently discovered code execution vulnerabilities in the default settings of the Cortana voice-activated digital assistant in Windows 10 systems.  Steve Povolny is head of advanced threat research at McAfee and he shares their findings. The research can be found here: https://securingtomorrow.mcafee.com/mcafee-labs/want-to-break-into-a-locked-windows-10-device-ask-cortana-cv...

In today's podcast we hear that the US Intelligence Community warns of Russian threats, again. A criminal spearphishing campaign hits Russian industrial companies. A cryptojacking wave is installing CoinHive in MicroTik routers. Speakers at the Billington Automotive CyberSecuirty Summit stress collaboration, design for security, and the convergence of cyber and safety. Autonomy and connectivity ma...

In today's podcast, we hear that Cisco plans to buy Duo Security. Dragos warns of the RASPITE adversary actor. Russia's Sandworm group is phishing people connected with a Swiss chemical forensics lab. How influence operations can be a no-lose proposition. A cryptojacking campaign is discovered and stopped. Malspam is using gifs to carry a keylogger payload. And Facebook CSO Alex Stamos has fixed a...

In today's podcast we hear that a Swiss chemical agent forensic lab has seen Sandworm phishing attempts. Facebook kicks thirty-one "inauthentic" accounts from its platform: they seem to have been engaged in influence operations, possibly Russian. Attribution remains difficult. NSO Group's Pegasus spyware found in Amnesty International phone. SamSam ransomware exacts a high cost. Yale realizes it w...

In this CyberWire special edition, we take a look at data-centric security, focusing on the security of the data itself, rather than the surrounding networks, application or servers.    To help us on our journey of understanding we’ve lined up a number of industry experts. Ellison Anne Williams is CEO of Enveil, a company that’s developed cutting edge encryption techniques. Adam Nichols is princip...

In today's podcast we hear more warnings about Russian cyber operators in the North American power grid. The US Department of Homeland Security announces formation of a National Risk Management Center. Cosco's preparation may have rendered the shipper more resilient to the cyberattack it sustained. Congress worries over election hacking and deep fakes. Electronic warfare is back. An alt-coin platf...

In today's podcast, we hear about NetSpectre, a new speculative execution proof-of-concept. Australia's Electoral Commission says there were no signs of hacking recent by-elections. US states remain concerned about election hacking. Missouri Senator McCaskill confirms that Fancy Bear made an unsuccessful attempt to access her staff's network. Russian threats to power grids. Industrial espionage co...

Researchers at Defiant recently analyzed a malware family they named "BabaYaga," which has the curious behavior of clearing out other malware and keeping infected sites up to date. Brad Hass is a senior security analyst at Defiant, and he guides us through their findings. The research can be found here: https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2018/06/babayaga-wordpress-malware/ Learn more about your ad cho...

In today's podcast we learn that Fancy Bear is said to be snuffling around at least one US Senatorial office. The US National Security Council meets to consider Russian election interference. Notes on Chinese and Iranian cyberespionage. New malware loaders are offered on the black market. Smart home hubs are shown to be hackable. Tenable enjoys a good IPO. A burglar in Silicon Valley didn't say, y...

In today's podcast we hear that LifeLock gets locked down—probably no harm done, maybe. US-CERT warns of active campaigns against ERP applications. Ad blockers may be doubling as spyware. A new RAT gnaws away at corporate HR departments. Underminer shows that exploit kits aren't obsolete after all. NSA gets a bad report from its IG. Congress worries over Russian infrastructure reconnaissance and i...

In today's podcast, we hear that Leafminer is infesting networks in the Middle East. Red Alert, Kronos, Mirai, and Gafgyt make their reappearance in new forms. Shipping firm Cosco is dealing with a cyberattack. US officials raise warnings about Russian threats to the power grid and elections. Congress considers cyber retaliation. A dispute over cyber insurance coverage lands the insured and the in...

In today's podcast, we hear that warnings of Russian prep for an attack on power grids become more pointed. Phishing and impersonation attacks continue to rise. Microsoft patches a patch. The SingHealth breach remains under investigation. The Satori botnet may be taking another run at Android devices. Bluetooth vulnerabilities render paired devices susceptible to man-in-the-middle attacks. And evi...