DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our cyber squirrels! Joining our series host, Selena Larson, is our co-host today, Tim Kromphardt. Together they welcome our special guest–Dr. Bob Hausmann, Proofpoint's Manager of Learning Architecture and Assessments and a seasoned psychologist. Our conversation explores how cyber threat actors exploit the different systems of thought in our brains and how att...

Send us fan mail! Hello to all our cyber pals! Joining our series host, Selena Larson, is our co-host today, Tim Kromphardt. Together they welcome our special guest–Daniel Blackford, the Director of Threat Research at Proofpoint. The conversation dives into the intricate world of cyber threats and the impact of law enforcement disruptions on malware, botnets, and ransomware actors. We'll expl...

Send us fan mail! The Discarded Podcast team is gearing up and working hard for a new season! Until then we have a special Re-Run treat--one of our favorite episodes! Enjoy! Engineering skills can play a massively beneficial role in cyber security, as Pim Trouerbach, a Senior Reverse Engineer at Proofpoint and Jacob Latonis, Senior Threat Research Engineer at Proofpoint, are able to share.  They e...

Send us fan mail! Today’s focus is on the elusive threat actor known as TA4903. But that's not all - we've got a special treat for you as well. Our longtime producer, Mindy, is joining us as a co-host, bringing her expertise and insights to the table, as we turn the mic around and interview, Selena!  We explore recent research conducted by Selena and her team on TA4903’s distinct objecti...

Send us fan mail! I t has been a busy first quarter for the Proofpoint Threat Research team! Today we have returning guest, Pim Trouerbach, to share his personal stories about his favorite malware and discuss the current landscape, including insights on Pikabot, Latrodectus, and WikiLoader.  The conversation explores the evolution from old school banking trojans to the current favored payloads fro...

Send us fan mail! Network-based detections, such as those developed by threat detection engineers using tools like suricata and snort signatures, play a crucial role in identifying and mitigating cyber threats by scrutinizing and analyzing network traffic for malicious patterns and activities. Today’s guest is Isaac Shaughnessy, a Threat Detection Engineer at Proofpoint. Isaac shares his insights...

Send us fan mail! The esteemed Katie Nickels joins us on the show today! Katie is the Director of Intelligence Operations at Red Canary, and our conversation with her explores a wide array of topics, ranging from career growth in threat intelligence to the intricacies of attribution and threat actor naming. Katie delves into her diverse career journey and transitions to advice for those entering t...

Send us fan mail! *This episode contains content warnings of suicide and self-harm* “It’s not about preventing something from happening, it’s being prepared for when it does.” This episode is filled with stories from the different scenarios that have been plaguing people with cyber security attacks. Today’s guest is Kevin Collier, a cybersecurity reporter at NBC. He joins us to discuss his experie...

Send us fan mail! Is 2024 the year of adaptability and collaboration within the security community? Let’s hope so! Today’s episode is Part Two of what to expect in cybersecurity in 2024, and our guests are Randy Pargman and Rich Gonzalez. Randy sheds light on the crucial role of the Detections Team and emphasizes the constant innovation of malware authors, and the team’s mission to outsmart them....

Send us fan mail! To move forward, it’s good to take a minute and reflect on what’s happened. Today’s episode focuses on insights from Daniel Blackford and Alexis Dorais-Joncas , both Senior Managers of Threat Research at Proofpoint. This is the first in our two-part series looking at what’s on the horizon for 2024. Reflecting on 2023, they discuss the use of QR codes, major technique shifts from...

Send us fan mail! In this special Holiday edition of Discarded, the tables are turned with hosts, Selena and Crista, becoming the answer-ers, our returning Moderator, Mindy Semling, as the question asker, and our wonderful audience is transformed into Cyber Elves. This conversation is lively and filled with questions from a variety of engaged audience members. (Thank you to everyone who contribute...

Send us fan mail! Tis the season for understanding TA422’s latest activity AND for singing podcast guests! Today’s returning guest is Greg Lesnewich, Senior Threat Researcher at Proofpoint. He sheds light on the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) employed by TA422. The conversation touches on the significance of the high volumes observed starting in late summer, the exploitation of vulnera...

Send us fan mail! Take a deep dive with us into the incomparable MITRE ATT&CK Framework, a comprehensive knowledge base that catalogs real-world threat actor behaviors derived from threat intelligence. Today’s guests are our great friends at MITRE ATT&CK, Adam Pennington (Attack Lead), and Patrick Howell O’Neill, (Lead Cyber Operations Analyst). They explore how the Framework serves as a c...

Send us fan mail! While the current Israeli/Palestinian conflict is on everyone’s minds, how many are thinking about the repercussions of cyber security? Today’s guest is returning guest, Joshua Miller, Senior Threat Researcher on the APT team at Proofpoint. While he focuses on different Middle East, North African state-aligned threats, he is talking today about a Palestinian-aligned threat group...

Send us fan mail! How can you tell when a website (yes, a website) is compromised? These threats are pretty crafty because they aren't out to target specific individuals; they just wait for folks like you and me to innocently click on compromised websites during our regular browsing. But these threats don't stop at casual browsing. They sneak into emails, social media, search engines, an...

Send us fan mail! Oh the days when spam was the only concern for email security! Our guest today is Chris Wakelin, a Senior Threat Researcher at Proofpoint. He recounts the era when email attachments were plain text, and the concept of malicious URLs had yet to become prevalent. Chris was a pioneer in implementing email security measures and recalled introducing Spam Assassin, an early open-source...

Send us fan mail! Billions of dollars in losses is bad enough. But when a friend loses $1,000 on a platform he trusted, online fraud gets personal. In this podcast episode, we dive deep into the world of online fraud with the personal account of Tim Utzig, a Senior Associate Analyst at Anser and friend of his Selena Larson. Utzig, who is blind, lost $1,000 in an online scam. His story highlights t...

Send us fan mail! Live from New York City, it’s your Discarded podcast team at Protect 2023! Joining Selena Larson, is our special guest, John Hultquist, Chief Analyst at Mandiant, now part of Google Cloud. They discuss various cybersecurity threats and activities of nation-states like Russia, China, and North Korea. China stands out as it hasn't executed significant destructive cyberattacks...

Send us fan mail! Regardless of location, it’s important to understand what is happening in the global threat landscape because we are a global economy. What affects one region may affect one closer to home. Part of the reason Brazil has become a recent hotbed is the amount of online population is expanding rapidly. Today’s guest, Jared Peck (Senior Threat Researcher at Proofpoint), dives deeper i...

Send us fan mail! Just like a forensic scientist, the job of a threat analyst is to search for the digital fingerprints. The key is to have a starting reference point, and then being able to see what is off from there. Our guest today is Bryan Campbell, a Staff Threat Analyst at Proofpoint. He breaks down what is happening on the China cybercrime threat landscape, as well as, the importance of sta...

Send us fan mail! Engineering skills can play a massively beneficial role in cyber security, as Pim Trouerbach, a Senior Reverse Engineer at Proofpoint and Jacob Latonis, Senior Threat Research Engineer at Proofpoint, are able to share. They emphasize the importance of understanding the requirements and context of security researchers to build effective tools. The conversation touches on the poten...

Send us fan mail! What is new with Iranian actor TA453, and what is happening with their attack chains? To answer these questions, today’s guest is Joshua Miller, a Senior Threat Researcher on the APT team at Proofpoint. Since his last visit, Joshua has published new research on TA453, highlighting new malware and social engineering techniques, which can be found here . Join us as we discuss the f...

Send us fan mail! When researching cyber threats, there is a bias towards to the West and most of Europe. But what about the global majority? Today’s guest is Martijn Grooten, a Digital Security Threat Analyst with Internews. With 16 years of experience in cybersecurity, he has recently focused on the impact of security for at risk groups and people. Join us as we discuss the following: Outdated i...

Send us fan mail! It's shaping up to be a weird and wacky summer for threat researchers. While it’s been quieter on the front end, there are still many stories to share with some weird and wacky incidents. This episode also includes a fun, dramatized read of an email tactic. Join us as we discuss the following: Where the team identifies on the Cyber Alignment Chart Use of celebrity names with...

Send us fan mail! Who’s quiet and who’s making noise? What’s the backchannel chatter over at Proofpoint? Proofpoint threat researchers Joe Wise and Pim Trouerbach join this week’s episode to discuss the e-crime vibe for the first half of 2023. Join us as we discuss the following: Emotet’s activity, or lack thereof Chaotic vibes from IcedID TA570 and TA577 setting trends