Spamageddon: Xeon Sender’s cloudy SMS attack revealed! [Research Saturday]

An FTC report confirms online surveillance and privacy concerns. Ukraine bans Telegram for state and security officials. Sensitive customer data from India’s largest health insurer is leaked. German law enforcement shuts down multiple cryptocurrency exchange services. HZ RAT sets its sights on macOS systems. Stolen VPN passwords remain a growing threat. Law enforcement dismantles the iServer phishing-as-a-service platform. Today’s guest is Steve Blank, co-founder of the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation at Stanford University, talking with N2K's Brandon Karpf about national security and the dilemma of technology disruption. CISA’s boss pushes for accountability.  Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you’ll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest Today’s guest is Steve Blank, co-founder of the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation at Stanford University, talking with N2K's Brandon Karpf about national security and the dilemma of technology disruption. For some background, you can check out Steve’s article “Why Large Organizations Struggle With Disruption, and What to Do About It.” To listen to Brandon and Steve’s full conversation, check out our Special Edition series that will run over the next two Sundays in our CyberWire Daily podcast feed.  Selected Reading FTC Staff Report Finds Large Social Media and Video Streaming Companies Have Engaged in Vast Surveillance of Users with Lax Privacy Controls and Inadequate Safeguards for Kids and Teens (Federal Trade Commission) Ukraine bans Telegram on state and military devices (The Record) Hacker selling 7 TB of Star Health Insurance’s customer data using Telegram (CSO Online) German Government Shuts Down 47 Exchanges, Says They're Tied To ‘Illegal Activity’ (CoinDesk) New MacOS Malware Let Attackers Control The Device Remotely (Cyber Security News) More Than Two Million Stolen VPN Passwords Discovered (Security Boulevard) High-risk vulnerabilities in common enterprise technologies (Rapid7 Blog) Law Enforcement Dismantles Phishing Platform Used for Unlocking Stolen Phones (SecurityWeek) Insecure software makers are the real cyber villains – CISA (The Register)  Share your feedback. We want to ensure that you are getting the most out of the podcast. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey as we continually work to improve the show.  Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at [email protected] to request more info. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The US government disrupts China’s Raptor Train botnet. A phishing campaign abuses GitHub repositories to distribute malware.Ransomware group Vanilla Tempest targets U.S. healthcare providers.Hackers demand $6 million for stolen airport data. The FCC opens applications for a $200 million cybersecurity grant program. GreyNoise Intelligence tracks mysterious online “Noise Storms”. Scammers threaten Walmart shoppers with arrest. CISA adds five critical items to its known exploited vulnerabilities list. Craigslist founder will donate $100 million to strengthen US cybersecurity. Our guest today is Victoria Samson, Chief Director at Secure World Foundation, talking about space security and stability. Cybercriminals fall prey to very infostealers they rely on. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you’ll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest Our guest today is Victoria Samson, Chief Director at Secure World Foundation, talking with N2K’s T-Minus Space Daily podcast host Maria Varmazis about space security and stability. For some additional detail about space sustainability, visit Secure World Foundation’s Space Sustainability 101.   Selected Reading US Disrupts 'Raptor Train' Botnet of Chinese APT Flax Typhoon (SecurityWeek) Clever 'GitHub Scanner' campaign abusing repos to push malware (Bleeping Computer) Microsoft warns of ransomware attacks on US healthcare (CSO Online) Sea-Tac refuses to pay 100-bitcoin ransom after August cyberattack (The Seattle Times) FCC $200m Cyber Grant Pilot Opens Applications for Schools and Libraries (Infosecurity Magazine) GreyNoise Reveals New Internet Noise Storm: Secret Messages and the China Connection (GreyNoise) Walmart customers scammed via fake shopping lists, threatened with arrest (Malwarebytes) CISA Warns of Five Vulnerabilities Actively Exploited in the Wild (Cyber Security News) Craigslist Founder Pledges $100 Million to Boost U.S. Cybersecurity (Wall Street Journal) Criminals Keep Hacking Themselves, Letting Researchers Unmask Them (404 Media)  Share your feedback. We want to ensure that you are getting the most out of the podcast. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey as we continually work to improve the show.  Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at [email protected] to request more info. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Exploding pagers in Lebanon are not a cyberattack. Europol leads an international effort to shut down the encrypted communications app Ghost. Microsoft IDs Russian propaganda groups’ disinformation campaigns. California’s Governor signs bills regulating AI in political ads. A multi-step zero-click macOS Calendar vulnerability is documented. A new phishing campaign targets Apple ID credentials.The US Cyber Ambassador emphasizes deterrence. Our guest is Linda Betz, Executive Vice President of Global Community Engagement at the FS-ISAC, sharing their work on maintaining security support at all levels of cyber maturity. AI tries to out-Buffett Warren Buffett. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you’ll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest Our guest is Linda Betz, Executive Vice President of Global Community Engagement at the FS-ISAC, sharing their work and the recently-published guide on maintaining security support at all levels of cyber maturity. You can check out their guide “Cyber Fundamentals: Critical baseline security practices for today’s threat landscape” here.  Selected Reading Israel Planted Explosives in Pagers Sold to Hezbollah, Officials Say (The New York Times) Criminal-favored Ghost messaging app busted, owners arrested (Cybernews) Russians made videos falsely accusing Harris of hit-and-run, Microsoft says (The Washington Post) California governor signs laws to crack down on election deepfakes created by AI (Associated Press) Researcher chains multiple old macOS flaws to compromise iCloud with no user interaction (Beyond Machines) iPhone Users Warned As New Email Password-Stealing Attacks Reported (Forbes) Deterrence in cyberspace is possible — and ‘urgent’ — amid ‘alarming’ hybrid attacks, State cyber ambassador says (CyberScoop) New Chatbot ETF Promises to Mimic Warren Buffett, David Tepper (Bloomberg) Share your feedback. We want to ensure that you are getting the most out of the podcast. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey as we continually work to improve the show.  Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at [email protected] to request more info. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The US charges a Chinese national for spear-phishing government employees. The feds impose new sanctions on the makers of Predator spyware. Dealing with fake data breaches. Researchers discover a critical vulnerability in Google Cloud Platform. D-Link has patched critical vulnerabilities in three popular wireless router models. Snowflake ups their authentication game. A US mining company confirms a cyberattack. Researchers identify critical threats targeting construction industry accounting software. Tim Starks from CyberScoop joins us with his reporting on the US Postal Service’s ability to meet the challenges of the upcoming election. Cisco’s second round of layoffs hit hard.  Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you’ll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest Our guest today is Tim Starks, Senior Reporter from CyberScoop, joining us to discuss his piece on "Election officials say U.S. Postal Service woes place election mail at risk."  Selected Reading DoJ: Chinese Man Used Spear-Phishing to Obtain Software From NASA, Military (SecurityWeek) US Ramps Up Sanctions on Spyware-Maker Intellexa (Infosecurity Magazine) All Smoke, no Fire: The Bizarre Trend of Fake Data Breaches and How to Protect Against Them (Security Boulevard) Google Cloud Platform RCE Flaw Let Attackers Execute Code on Millions of Google Servers (Cyber Security News)  D-Link fixes critical RCE, hardcoded password flaws in WiFi 6 routers (Bleeping Computer) Breach-Weary Snowflake Moves to MFA, 14-Character Passwords (GovInfo Security) Owner of only US platinum mine confirms data breach after ransomware claims (The Record) Cracks in the Foundation: Intrusions of FOUNDATION Accounting Software (Huntress) Cisco's second layoff of 2024 affects thousands of employees (TechCrunch) Share your feedback. We want to ensure that you are getting the most out of the podcast. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey as we continually work to improve the show.  Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at [email protected] to request more info. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The FBI and CISA dismiss false claims of compromised voter registration data. The State Department accuses RT of running global covert influence operations. Chinese hackers are suspected of targeting a Pacific Islands diplomatic organization. A look at Apple’s Private Cloud Compute system. 23andMe will pay $30 million to settle a lawsuit over a 2023 data breach.  SolarWinds releases patches for vulnerabilities in its Access Rights Manager. Browser kiosk mode frustrates users into giving up credentials. Brian Krebs reveals the threat of growing online “harm communities.” Our guest is Elliot Ward, Senior Security Researcher at Snyk, sharing insights on prompt injection attacks. How theoretical is the Dead Internet Theory? Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you’ll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest Our guest is Elliot Ward, Senior Security Researcher at Snyk, sharing insights on their recent work "Agent Hijacking: the true impact of prompt injection attacks."  Selected Reading FBI tells public to ignore false claims of hacked voter data (Bleeping Computer) Russia’s RT news agency has ‘cyber operational capabilities,’ assists in military procurement, State Dept says (The Record) The Dark Nexus Between Harm Groups and ‘The Com’ (Krebs on Security) China suspected of hacking diplomatic body for Pacific islands region (The Record) Apple Intelligence Promises Better AI Privacy. Here’s How It Actually Works (WIRED) Apple seeks to drop its lawsuit against Israeli spyware pioneer NSO (Washington Post) 23andMe settles data breach lawsuit for $30 million (Reuters) SolarWinds Patches Critical Vulnerability in Access Rights Manager (SecurityWeek) Malware locks browser in kiosk mode to steal Google credentials (Bleeping Computer) Is anyone out there? (Prospect Magazine)  Share your feedback. We want to ensure that you are getting the most out of the podcast. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey as we continually work to improve the show.  Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at [email protected] to request more info. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rick Howard, N2K CyberWire’s Chief Analyst and Senior Fellow, turns over hosting responsibilities to Errol Weiss, the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the HEALTH-ISAC and one of the original contributors to the N2K CyberWire Hash Table. He will make the business case for information sharing. References: White and Williams LLP, Staff Osborne Clarke LLP , 2018. Threat Information Sharing and GDPR [Legal Review]. FS-ISAC. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), 2015. S.754 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): To improve cybersecurity in the United States through enhanced sharing of information about cybersecurity threats, and for other purposes [Law]. Library of Congress. Staff, n.d. National Council of ISACs [Website]. NCI. Staff, 2020. Guidance to Assist Non-Federal Entities to Share Cyber Threat Indicators and Defensive Measures with Federal Entities under the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 [Guidance]. CISA. Staff, 2023. Information Sharing Best Practices [White paper]. Health-ISAC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Enjoy this encore of Carerr Notes, where the Program Director for Public Policy and External Affairs at the University of Maryland's Center for Health and Homeland Security Ben Yelin shares his journey from political junkie to Fourth Amendment specialist. Several significant life defining political developments like the disputed 2000 election, 9/11, and the Iraqi war occurred during his formative years that shaped Ben's interest in public policy and his desire to pursue a degree in law. An opportunity to be a teaching assistant turned out to be one of those sliding door scenarios that led Ben to where he is now, a lawyer in the academic and consulting worlds specializing in cybersecurity and digital privacy issues. Through his work, Ben hopes to elevate the course of the debate on these very important issues. And, we thank Ben for sharing his story with us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex Delamotte, Threat Researcher from SentinelOne Labs, joins to share their work on "Xeon Sender | SMS Spam Shipping Multi-Tool Targeting SaaS Credentials." SentinelOne’s Labs team has uncovered new research on Xeon Sender, a cloud hacktool used to launch SMS spam attacks via legitimate APIs like Amazon SNS. First seen in 2022, this tool has been repurposed by multiple threat actors and distributed on underground forums, highlighting the ongoing trend of SMS spam through cloud services and SaaS. The research can be found here: Xeon Sender | SMS Spam Shipping Multi-Tool Targeting SaaS Credentials Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fortinet reveals a data breach. The feds sanction a Cambodian senator for forced labor scams. UK police arrest a teen linked to the Transport for London cyberattack. New Linux malware targets Oracle WebLogic. Citrix patches critical Workspace app flaws. Microsoft unveils updates to prevent outages like the CrowdStrike incident. U.S. Space Systems invests in secure communications. Illegal gun-conversion sites get taken down. Tim Starks of CyberScoop tracks Russian hackers mimicking spyware vendors. Cybersecurity hiring gaps persist. Hackers use eye-tracking to steal passwords. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you’ll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest Today, we welcome back Tim Starks, senior reporter from CyberScoop, to discuss “Google: apparent Russian hackers play copycat to commercial spyware vendors.” You can read the article Tim refers to here.  Selected Reading Fortinet Data Breach: What We Know So Far (SOCRadar) Cambodian senator sanctioned by US over cyber-scams (The Register) UK NCA arrested a teenager linked to the attack on Transport for London (Security Affairs) New 'Hadooken' Linux Malware Targets WebLogic Servers (SecurityWeek) Citrix Workspace App Vulnerabilities Allow Privilege Escalation Attacks (Cyber Security News) Microsoft Vows to Prevent Future CrowdStrike-Like Outages (Infosecurity Magazine) Space Systems Command Awards $188M Contract for meshONE-T Follow-on (Space Systems Command) Domains seized for allegedly importing Chinese gun switches (The Register) Why Breaking into Cybersecurity Isn’t as Easy as You Think (Security Boulevard) Apple Vision Pro’s Eye Tracking Exposed What People Type (WIRED) Share your feedback. We want to ensure that you are getting the most out of the podcast. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey as we continually work to improve the show.  Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at [email protected] to request more info. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The UK designates data centers as Critical National Infrastructure. Cisco releases patches for multiple vulnerabilities in its IOS XR network operating system. BYOD is a growing security risk. A Pennsylvania healthcare network has agreed to a $65 million settlement stemming from a 2023 data breach.Google Cloud introduces air-gapped backup vaults. TrickMo is a newly discovered Android banking malware. GitLab has released a critical security update. A $20 domain purchase highlights concerns over WHOIS trust and security. Our guest is Jon France, CISO at ISC2, with insights on Communicating Cyber Risk of New Technology to the Board. And, could Pikachu be a double-agent for Western intelligence agencies? Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you’ll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest Our guest is Jon France, CISO at ISC2, sharing his take on "All on "Board" for AI – Communicating Cyber Risk of New Technology to the Board." This is a session Jon presented at Black Hat USA 2024. You can check out his session’s abstract. Also, N2K CyberWire is a partner of ISC2’s Security Congress 2024. Learn more about the in-person and virtual event here.  Selected Reading UK Recognizes Data Centers as Critical National Infrastructure (Infosecurity Magazine) Cisco Patches High-Severity Vulnerabilities in Network Operating System (SecurityWeek) BYOD Policies Fueling Security Risks (Security Boulevard) Healthcare Provider to Pay $65M Settlement Following Ransomware Attack (SecurityWeek) Google Unveils Air-gapped Backup Vaults to Protect Data from Ransomware Attacks (Cyber Security News) New Android Banking Malware TrickMo Attacking Users To Steal Login Credentials (Cyber Security News) GitLab Releases Critical Security Update, Urges Users to Patch Immediately (Cyber Security News) Rogue WHOIS server gives researcher superpowers no one should ever have (Ars Technica) Pokémon GO was an intelligence tool, claims Belarus military official (The Register)  Share your feedback. We want to ensure that you are getting the most out of the podcast. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey as we continually work to improve the show.  Want to hear your company in the show? You too can reach the most influential security leaders in the industry. Learn more about our network sponsorship opportunities and build your brand where industry leaders get their daily news. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices