CyberWire Daily

In today’s podcast we hear that Bayer, maker of pharmaceuticals and agricultural products, blocked an espionage attempt by China’s Winnti Group, and has been quietly monitoring the threat actor since last year. GlitchPOS and its evolution. Do those apps really need all that access? Two breaches of Facebook data by third parties. Some good digital hygiene notes:  change default passwords and backup your data in a secure and recoverable way. And no, there’s no CIA officer warning you’ll be arrested if you don’t pony up 1.4 Bitcoin. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos with research on GlitchPOS malware. Guest is Leo Simonovich from Siemens Energy on challenges and opportunities in the energy sector. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_04.html  Support our show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s podcast, we hear that OceanLotus, a.k.a. Cobalt Kitty, a.k.a. APT32, is out and about and using a steganographic vector to deliver its loader. Georgia Tech suffers a major data breach, with access to student, staff, and faculty records by parties unknown. Research universities remain attractive targets. Reflections on dual-use technologies. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have raided offices connected with the production of the Orcus RAT, which is either a legitimate tool or a commodity Trojan, depending on whom you believe. David Dufour from Webroot with results from their most recent threat report. Guest is Roy Zur from Cybint Solutions on the essentials of hunting and fishing for information online. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_03.html  Support our show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s podcast, we hear that a ransomware strain deletes duplicates. But you know that just keeping a duplicate on the same drive wasn’t a secure backup, right? Right? Exodus spyware, now ejected from Google Play, is becoming a significant scandal in Italy. Influence operations meet campaigning in India and Israel--fair or unfair seems to be in the eye of the campaigner. In Ukraine, they’re just so much disinformation. OpIsrael hacktivists are expected back this weekend. More on below-the-belt selfies. Prof. Awais Rashid from University of Bristol on training people to work with cyber security complexity at scale. Guest is Hank Thomas from Strategic Cyber Ventures on the current environment for VC funding in cyber security. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_02.html  Support our show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s podcast, we hear that Magento users are being  urged to patch as risk of exploitation rises. Toyota experiences another cyber attack, and some observers blame, on grounds of motive, opportunity, and track record, OceanLotus. Exodus spyware in the Google Play store looks like a case of lawful intercept tools getting loose. Moscow seeks to control and limit VPN providers. Mr. Zuckerberg wants regulation. Mr. Barriss gets twenty years for swatting. And, hey, there’s phishing tackle on the Nigerian National Assembly’s site. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on a spying a leaving unsecured data online. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/April/CyberWire_2019_04_01.html  Support our show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Researchers at Pen Test Partners recently examined a variety of third-party automotive security systems and found serious security issues, potentially giving bad actors the ability to locate, disable or meddle with multiple vehicle systems.Ken Munro is a security researcher with Pen Test Partners, and he joins us to share their findings.The original research can be found here: https://www.pentestpartners.com/security-blog/gone-in-six-seconds-exploiting-car-alarms/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s podcast, we hear that Ukraine is preparing for this weekend’s elections while facing intense Russian information operations. Estonia’s experience with such interference may hold lessons. A Magneto vulnerability, just patched, could compromise paycards on e-commerce sites. Huawei reports record profits, and comes in for sharp British criticism over slipshod engineering. Prisoners in Finland will be helping train AI. And security companies hungry for talent should take note of tech layoffs in the larger IT sector. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS with news that law enforcement agencies are encrypting their radio communications. Guest is Lorrie Cranor, director of CyLab at Carnegie Mellon University. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_29.html  Support our show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s podcast we hear that a  young banking Trojan gains criminal marketshare in the Android ecosystem. Microsoft lawyers up and seizes sites Iran’s Charming Kitten used to stage its attacks. Another Iranian APT, “Elfin,” is described. A battalion’s worth of Russian special operators and cyber troops are on the ground in Venezuela. Washington wants them out; Moscow says they’re in for the duration. And accused NSA leaker Hal Martin is expected to take a guilty plea this week. Daniel Prince from Lancaster University on cyber risk management. Guest is Satish Thiagarajan from Tata Consultancy Services on customizing machine learning to combat cyber attacks. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_28.html  Support our show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s podcast, we hear that the Spanish Defense Ministry has been reported to have suffered cyberespionage. The Lazarus Group’s life of crime. Facebook takes down “coordinated inauthenticity.” Add Lucky Elephant to the bad actor menagerie: it’s harvesting credentials in South Asia. Notes on the ASUS supply chain backdoor. Updates on Norsk Hydro’s recovery from its LockerGoga infestation. Russia says, hey, the Mueller Report totally exonerated us, too. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on data collection and protecting PII. Guest is Matthew Montgomery from Verizon on their Mobile Security Index report. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_27.html  Support our show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s podcast we hear about supply chain attacks and Operation ShadowHammer’s ASUS backdoor. LockerGoga ransomware may be slow and sloppy, but its masters are determined and willing to play for high stakes. What will happen with FEMA over its data mishandling incident? Responses to the Mueller Report’s conclusions. Venezuela says it was hacked again--the rhetorical technique is implausible insistence. And what do PewDiePie fans call themselves? The Nine Year Olds, the Bro Army. Fans of Mr. Pie’s girlfriend are the Marzipans. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI with thoughts on recent revelations that Facebook was making unencrypted passwords accessible to thousands of employees. Guest is Greg Jensen from Oracle on their 2019 Cloud Threat Report. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_26.html  Support our show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s podcast, we hear that the  US Attorney General has reported to Congress the results of Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation. The basic finding is that there’s no evidence of collusion with Russian influence operations. ISIS no longer holds any ground. Expect it back in cyberspace. LockerGoga ransomware hits two chemical plants. FEMA mishandles more than two-million disaster victims’ PII. Notes on Cyber 9/12. And there’s a squabble for YouTube subscribers. Robert M. Lee from Dragos on their recent purchase of Next Defense and the subsequent open-sourcing of their tools. Guest is Rohit Sethi from Security Compass on the PCI security framework. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/March/CyberWire_2019_03_25.html  Support our show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices