CyberWire Daily

Rooted and patient.

Feb 18, 2026
Guest
Keith Mularski
Keith Mularski, former FBI special agent and now Chief Global Ambassador at Qintel, shares first-hand recollections about the Robert Hanssen counterintelligence case. He recounts the investigation's key steps and the arrest operation. The conversation also touches on insider betrayal, surveillance tradecraft, and the emotional aftermath of catching a colleague spy.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

Mandatory Reporting Boosts Resilience

  • Switzerland's NCSC made cyberattack reporting mandatory for critical infrastructure and expanded sharing.
  • Faster reporting and wider sharing improved national early warning and coordinated defense.
ANECDOTE

ClickFix Lure Led To Rapid Domain Compromise

  • Huntress traced an intrusion starting with a ClickFix social engineering lure that delivered Matanbuchas and a custom AsterionRAT.
  • The operator moved laterally within 40 minutes, targeting domain controllers and using defender exclusions.
INSIGHT

PDF Viewers Are High-Impact Attack Surfaces

  • Pen tests found critical and high-severity flaws in widely embedded PDF platforms enabling code execution and data theft.
  • Embedded PDF viewers in authenticated apps create high-impact attack surfaces if unexamined.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app