DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

Send us fan mail! 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 co...

Send us fan mail! 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-sce...

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our Cyber Spring Chickens! Join host Selena Larson, and guest host, Sarah Sabotka, as they chat with Saher Naumaan, 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 cybercriminal...

Send us fan mail! 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...

Send us fan mail! 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 i...

Send us fan mail! 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 Man...

Send us fan mail! 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...

Send us fan mail! 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 att...

Send us fan mail! 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 en...

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our Cyber Magicians! Join host Selena Larson and guest host, Joshua Miller, as they speak with Kristina Walter, the Chief of NSA’s Cybersecurity Collaboration Center.  They explore the cutting-edge collaborations between the NSA and industry partners to combat cyber threats, with a deep dive into the NSA’s Cybersecurity Collaboration Center (Triple C). Kristina sheds...

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our Cyber Magicians! Join host Selena Larson and guest host,Tim Kromphardt, as they speak with Hannah Rapetti, the Takedown Services Manager at Proofpoint. Hannah shares her fascinating journey from librarian to cybersecurity expert, detailing her path into the industry through certifications, CTFs (Capture the Flag), and the Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) community....

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our Cyber Pals! Join host Selena Larson and guest, ransomware expert, Allan Liska, CSIRT at Recorded Future, drops by to share his creative take on cyber-themed graphic novels, proving there’s nothing ransomware can’t inspire—even superheroes.  In this episode, we uncover the shadowy ecosystem driving ransomware attacks, from the industrialization of cybercrime to th...

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our Cyber Frogs! Join host Selena Larson and guest host, Sarah Sabotka, explore the evolving tactics of China-based nation-state threat actors with guest Mark Kelly, Staff Threat Researcher at Proofpoint. They focus on TA415 (APT41 or Brass Typhoon), examining its combination of cybercrime and state-sponsored espionage. From the Voldemort malware campaign to targetin...

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our Cyber Pals! Join host Selena Larson and guest, Genina Po, Threat Researcher at Emerging Threats at Proofpoint. She shares how she tackles emerging cyber threats, breaking down the process of turning data into detection signatures. Using tools like Suricata to create detections for malicious activity, she maps out her approach to writing rules that identify and bl...

Send us fan mail! A note to our listeners, this episode contains some content our listeners might find upsetting including mentions of human trafficking.  Hello to all our Pumpkin Spice Cyber Friends! Join host Selena Larson  and guest host, Sarah Sabotka as they chat with senior threat researcher and fraud expert Tim Kromphardt. They talk about the world of pig butchering and crypto romance scams...

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our Cyber Ghosts! Join host Selena Larson   as she chats with Eilon Bendet– Cloud Threat Researcher from Proofpoint. ​​From account takeovers to state-sponsored hacks, they uncover how cybercriminals are outsmarting traditional defenses – and why even multi-factor authentication might not be enough to keep them out.  Together, they discuss the complexities of cloud t...

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our Pumpkin Spice cyber friends! Join host Selena Larson and today’s co-host, Tim Kromphardt, as they chat with Joe Wise, Senior Threat Researcher and Kyle Cucci, Staff Threat Researcher both from Proofpoint. Together, they unpack recent campaigns involving the abuse of legitimate services, particularly focusing on the clever tactics used by cybercriminals to evade d...

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our cyber citizens! Join host Selena Larson and today’s co-host, Tim Kromphardt, as they chat with Joshua Miller, Senior Threat Researcher and Rob Kinner, Senior Threat Analyst both from Proofpoint. With election season on the horizon, cyber attackers are sharpening their tactics—impersonating government agencies, emailing journalists, and crafting sophisticated phis...

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our mindful and demure cyber sleuths! Join host Selena Larson and today’s co-host, Sarah Sabotka as they chat with Joshua Miller and Greg Lesnewich, Threat Researchers at Proofpoint about the ever-evolving world of advanced persistent threats (APTs). The team unravels the latest espionage tactics of threat actors from Iran, North Korea, and Russia, exploring everythi...

Send us fan mail! Hello, cyber rebels! Ever wondered what lightsabers, the Force, and intergalactic battles have in common with the world of cybersecurity? Welcome to a special episode of the Discarded Podcast. Join host Selena and co-host Greg Lesnewich, Senior Threat Researcher at Proofpoint, along with our guest, Eric Geller, cybersecurity reporter and host of the Hoth Takes Star Wars podcast,...

Send us fan mail! Hello, Cyber Stars! In today's episode of the Discarded Podcast, hosts Selena Larson and Sarah Sabotka are joined by Randy Pargman, Director of Threat Detection at Proofpoint. Randy shares his extensive experience in cybersecurity, from working at the FBI and understanding law enforcement’s role in cyber defense, to endpoint detection and response, to his current role at Pro...

Send us fan mail! Hello, Cyber Stars! In today's episode of the Discarded Podcast, hosts Selena Larson and Pim Trouerbach are joined by Andy Greenberg, Senior Writer at WIRED. Known for his deep dives into the world of hacking, cybersecurity, and surveillance, Andy shares his journey of uncovering and telling compelling stories about the digital underworld. The conversation kicks off with And...

Send us fan mail! Check out new episodes of Only Malware in the Building wherever you listen to podcasts: https://thecyberwire.com/podcasts/only-malware-in-the-building

Send us fan mail! Hello, Cyber Pirates! In today's episode of the Discarded Podcast, hosts Selena Larson and Tim Kromphardt are joined by Kyle Cucci, Staff Threat Researcher at Proofpoint. Dive with us into the world of cyber attacks as Kyle breaks down the intricacies of evasion techniques used by threat actors. From defense evasion to anti-sandboxing and anti-reversing methods, Kyle sheds l...

Send us fan mail! Hello, cyber sleuths! In today's exciting episode of the Discarded Podcast, hosts Selena Larson and Sarah Sabotka are joined by the brilliant Pim Trouerbach, Senior Reverse Engineer at Proofpoint. Pim gives us the lowdown on this massive law enforcement operation targeting multiple high-profile botnets across the globe, called Operation Endgame, and how this coordinated take...