CyberWire Daily

In today’s podcast, we hear that GandCrab has been scuttling through unpatched holes. Independent testing as an alternative to banning specific vendors as security risks. Big Tech gets some Congressional scrutiny over content moderation. Facebook takes down inauthentic accounts working to influence the Moldovan elections. The Federal Trade Commission is rumored to be queuing up a record privacy fine. Defending forward from disillusioned Bears. And happy birthday, GCHQ. Craig Williams from Cisco Talos on router vulnerabilities. Guest is Amanda Berlin, founder of Mental Health Hackers on her efforts to address mental health issues in infosec. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_15.html  Support our show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s podcast we hear that US prosecutors have unsealed the indictment of a former US Air Force counterintelligence specialist on charges she conspired to commit espionage on behalf of Iran. The US Treasury Department announces further sanctions on Iranian individuals and one organization named in that indictment. Two alleged members of Apophis Squad are indicted. Whatever became of the all the data stolen from Equifax? That information’s apparently not for sale on the dark web. Malek Ben Salem from Accenture Labs on reducing the attack surface of containers. Guest is Kevin McNamee from Nokia with results from their recent threat intelligence report.  For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_14.html  Support our show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s podcast, we hear that China has denied involvement in the Australian Parliament hack. Patch Tuesday notes. A new strain of Shlayer malware is out. A look at GreyEnergy. Reactions to the destructive VFEmail attack. And thoughts on St. Valentine’s Day, with advice, admonition, and an excursus on credential-stuffing and holiday doughnuts. Dr. Charles Clancy from VA Tech’s Hume Center on the Pentagon’s use of AI for RF spectrum management. Guest is Matt Cauthorn from ExtraHop on malicious Chrome extensions. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_13.html  Support our show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s podcast, we hear that VFEmail has sustained a devastating, data-destroying attack. The EU considers whether it should, can, or will make a coordinated response to China’s APT10. A US Executive Order outlines a strategy to maintain superiority in artificial intelligence. Norway warns, again, of the risk of GPS jamming. US Army Stryker vehicles were hacked during testing last year. And some Marines are getting ahead of themselves, downloading close air support control apps to personal tablets. Johannes Ullrich from SANS and the ISC Stormcast podcast on using hardware flaws for network access. Guest is Shane Harris from the Washington Post with an update on the Paul Whelan case in Russia. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_12.html  Support our show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s podcast, we hear that clipper malware has been ejected from Google Play. A different cryptojacker is kicking its competitors out of infected machines. Australian authorities continue to investigate the attempted hack of Parliament, with Chinese intelligence services as the prime suspects. How do you solve a problem like Huawei? Russia prepares to test its ability to disconnect from the Internet in the event of war. Prosecutors investigate alleged blackmail by below-the-belt selfie. Ben Yelin from UMD CHHS on politicians blocking citizens on social media. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_11.html  Support our show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The team at Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 recently published research tracking trends in how organizations are addressing cloud security, along with tips for improvement. Ryan Olson is VP of threat intelligence at Palo Alto Networks, and he joins us to share their findings.The original research can be found here: https://unit42.paloaltonetworks.com/unit-42-cloud-security-trends-tips/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s podcast, we hear that Australia is investigating an attempted hack of its Federal Parliament. The US Department of Homeland Security warns that spies are working through third parties to get to their targets. Spyware is bundled in a legitimate privacy app. Credit unions get spearphished. Mr. Bezos says, “No thanks, Mr. Pecker.” Apple will pay a FaceTime bug bounty. Microsoft says don’t use IE as a browser. And what they found in that seal scat.  Justin Harvey from Accenture on credential stuffing. Guest is Sandi Roddy from Johns Hopkins APL on secure key management. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_08.html  Support our show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s podcast, we hear about social engineering, with a few new twists. Some airlines may be exposing passenger data with insecure check-in links. APT10 may be lying low, for now, but the US Department of Homeland Security expects the cyber spies to be back. A researcher finds a macOS Keychain bug, but would rather not tell Apple about it. Governments in Europe and North America continue to assess risks associated with Huawei and ZTE. And a Trojan hides in The Sims 4. Awais Rashid from Bristol University with thoughts on the challenges of securing smart phones. Carole Theriault explores recent concerns over popular video app VLC Player security issues with Sophos’ Paul Ducklin. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_07.html  Support our show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s podcast, we hear that Chinese threat group APT10 seems to have been busy lately, and up to its familiar industrial espionage. More governments express skepticism about Chinese manufacturers. The US report on election security is out: influence ops were found to have had no material effect on the midterms. Lithuania worries about Russian election meddling. A reverse RDP attack risk is reported. An industrial IoT remote code flaw. And congratulations to the finalists in RSA’s Innovation Sandbox. Emily Wilson from Terbium Labs on biometrics for sale on the dark web. Guest is Katie Nickels from MITRE on the ATT&CK knowledge base. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_06.html  Support our show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s podcast, we hear that ExileRAT is targeting Tibet’s government-in-exile. The SpeakUp backdoor afflicts many varieties of Linux systems. Facebook bans ethnic militias in Myanmar from its platform. Norway’s PST intelligence service says that Huawei constitutes a security risk, and China says that’s nonsense. Someone seems to be hacking contact lists belonging to UK Members of Parliament. Bangladesh Bank is suing to recover the $81 million missing from its 2016 SWIFT heist. Joe Carrigan from JHU ISI on Facebook’s password flexibility on mobile devices. Guest is Josef Williamson from EclecticIQ on cyber espionage and nation state threats. For links to all of today's stories check our our CyberWire daily news brief: https://thecyberwire.com/issues/issues2019/February/CyberWire_2019_02_05.html  Support our show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices