Beyond cyber: Securing the next horizon. [Special Edition]

While our team is out on winter break, please enjoy this episode of Research Saturday. This week, we are joined by ⁠Tom Hegel⁠, Principal Threat Researcher from ⁠SentinelLabs⁠ research team, to discuss their work on "Ghostwriter | New Campaign Targets Ukrainian Government and Belarusian Opposition." The latest Ghostwriter campaign, linked to Belarusian government espionage, is actively targeting Ukrainian military and government entities as well as Belarusian opposition activists using weaponized Excel documents. SentinelLabs identified new malware variants and tactics, including obfuscated VBA macros that deploy malware via DLL files, with payload delivery seemingly controlled based on a target’s location and system profile. The campaign, which began preparation in mid-2024 and became active by late 2024, appears to be an evolution of previous Ghostwriter operations, combining disinformation with cyberattacks to further political and military objectives. The research can be found here: ⁠Ghostwriter | New Campaign Targets Ukrainian Government and Belarusian Opposition Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While our team is out on winter break, please enjoy this Special Edition episode. Cybersecurity is no longer confined to the digital world or just a technical challenge, it’s a global imperative. The ⁠NightDragon Innovation Summit⁠ convened a group of industry leaders to discuss how public and private entities can work together to address emerging threats and harness the power of AI, cybersecurity, and innovation to strengthen national defense. In this special edition podcast, we capture a glimpse into the knowledge and expertise shared at the NightDragon Innovation Summit. We are joined by ⁠NightDragon⁠ Founder and CEO ⁠Dave DeWalt⁠, ⁠DataBee⁠ CEO ⁠Nicole Bucala⁠, ⁠Liberty Mutual Insurance⁠ EVP and CISO ⁠Katie Jenkins⁠, Sophos CEO ⁠Joe Levy⁠, and ⁠Dataminr⁠ VP of Sales Engineering ⁠Michael Mastrole⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While our team is out on winter break, please enjoy this episode of Only Malware in the Building. Welcome in! You’ve entered, Only Malware in the Building. Wrap yourself in a warm blanket, pour your favorite mug of tea, and join us each month as we unwrap the season’s juiciest cyber mysteries. Your host is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Selena Larson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Proofpoint⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ intelligence analyst and host of their podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠DISCARDED⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Inspired by the residents of a building in New York’s exclusive upper west side, Selena is joined by her co-hosts ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠N2K Networks⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Dave Bittner⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Keith Mularski⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, former FBI cybercrime investigator and now Chief Global Ambassador at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Qintel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Being a security researcher is a bit like being a detective: you gather clues, analyze the evidence, and consult the experts to solve the cyber puzzle. On this episode, we explore Remote access, real cargo: cybercriminals targeting trucking and logistics. From clever schemes to protect shipments to the tools cybercriminals use, our guests discuss how organizations can safeguard physical goods in an increasingly connected world—because even during the season of hustle and bustle, the threats don’t take a holiday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s episode, we dig into the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s annual Breachies, highlighting some of the year’s most avoidable, eye-opening, and sometimes head-shaking data breaches. From companies collecting far more data than they need to third-party missteps and quiet misconfigurations, the Breachies offer a revealing look at how familiar privacy failures keep repeating—and why they matter for users. 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 we have a CyberWire holiday favorite: The 12 Days of Malware — with Dave and a lineup of cybersecurity friends gleefully rewriting The 12 Days of Christmas to celebrate malware, mishaps, and life online, one verse at a time. Share your feedback. What do you think about CyberWire Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show. Want to hear your company in the show? N2K CyberWire helps you reach the industry’s most influential leaders and operators, while building visibility, authority, and connectivity across the cybersecurity community. Learn more at sponsor.thecyberwire.com. 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 White House bans foreign-made drones. African law enforcement agencies crackdown on cybercrime. A new phishing campaign targets Russian military personnel and defense-related organizations. A University of Phoenix data breach affects about 3.5 million people. A pair of Chrome extensions covertly hijack user traffic. Romania’s national water authority suffered a ransomware attack. A cyberattack in France disrupts postal, identity, and banking services for millions of customers. NIST and MITRE announce a $20 million partnership for AI research centers. A think-tank says the U.S. needs to go on the cyber offensive. Tim Starks from CyberScoop discusses the passage of the defense Authorization Bill and a look back at 2025. In high school, it’s no child left unscanned. 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 are joined by Tim Starks from CyberScoop discussing the passage of the Defense Authorization Bill and a look back at 2025. Selected Reading Trump Administration Declares Foreign-Made Drones a Security Threat (The New York Times) Hundreds of Arrests as Operation Sentinel Recovers $3m (Infosecurity Magazine) Cyber spies use fake New Year concert invites to target Russian military (The Record) University of Phoenix Data Breach - 3.5 Million+ Individuals Affected (CybersecurityNews) Malicious extensions in Chrome Web store steal user credentials (BleepingComputer) Ransomware Hits Romanian Water Authority, 1000 Systems Knocked Offline (Hackread) Cyberattack knocks offline France's postal, banking services (BleepingComputer) NIST, MITRE announce $20 million research effort on AI cybersecurity (CyberScoop) US Must Go on Offense in Cyberspace, Report Warns (Govifosecurity) AI Bathroom Monitors? Welcome To America's New Surveillance High Schools (Forbes) Share your feedback. What do you think about CyberWire Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show. Want to hear your company in the show? N2K CyberWire helps you reach the industry’s most influential leaders and operators, while building visibility, authority, and connectivity across the cybersecurity community. Learn more at sponsor.thecyberwire.com. 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

In this CISOP episode of CSO Perspectives, Host Kim Jones sits down with John Funge, venture capitalist at DataTribe, to explore how investors view the cybersecurity landscape. Kim reflects on the tension between innovation, profit motives, and the real needs of security practitioners—raising questions about whether the industry prioritizes mitigation over true solutions. John offers a candid look inside the VC decision-making process, breaking down how teams, market fit, and long-term defensibility shape investment choices. Together, they examine how founders, investors, and CISOs can better align to drive meaningful, effective security innovation. Want more CISO Perspectives? Check out a companion ⁠⁠blog post⁠⁠ by our very own Ethan Cook, where he breaks down key insights, shares behind-the-scenes context, and highlights research that complements this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NATO suspects Russia is developing a new anti-satellite weapon to disrupt the Starlink network. A failed polygraph sparks a DHS probe and deepens turmoil at CISA. A look back at Trump’s cyber policy shifts. MacSync Stealer adopts a stealthy new delivery method.  Researchers warn a popular open-source server monitoring tool is being abused. Cyber criminals are increasingly bypassing technical defenses by recruiting insiders. Scripted Sparrow sends millions of BEC emails each month. Federal prosecutors take down a global fake ID marketplace. Monday business brief. Our guest is Eric Woodruff, Chief Identity Architect at Semperis, discussing "NoAuth Abuse Alert: Full Account Takeover." Atomic precision meets Colorado weather. 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 on our Industry Voices, we are joined by Eric Woodruff, Chief Identity Architect at Semperis, discussing "NoAuth Abuse Alert: Full Account Takeover." Tune into the full conversation here. Selected Reading Starlink in the crosshairs: How Russia could attack Elon Musk's conquering of space (AP News) Project West Ford (Wikipedia) Acting CISA director failed a polygraph. Career staff are now under investigation (POLITICO) Dismantling Defenses: Trump 2.0 Cyber Year in Review (Krebs on Security) MacSync macOS Malware Distributed via Signed Swift Application (SecurityWeek) From ClickFix to code signed: the quiet shift of MacSync Stealer malware (Jamf)  Hackers Abuse Popular Monitoring Tool Nezha as a Stealth Trojan (Hackread) Cyber Criminals Are Recruiting Insiders in Banks, Telecoms, and Tech (Check Point) Scripted Sparrow Sends Millions of BEC Emails Each Month (Infosecurity Magazine) FBI Seizes Fake ID Template Domains Operating from Bangladesh (Hackread) Adaptive Security raises $81 million in a Series B round led by Bain Capital Ventures. (N2K Pro) NIST tried to pull the pin on NTP servers after blackout caused atomic clock drift (The Register) Share your feedback. What do you think about CyberWire Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show. Want to hear your company in the show? N2K CyberWire helps you reach the industry’s most influential leaders and operators, while building visibility, authority, and connectivity across the cybersecurity community. Learn more at sponsor.thecyberwire.com. 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

Please enjoy this encore of Career Notes. Principal consultant and pen tester at Secureworks, Eric Escobar, shares his career path translating his childhood favorite Legos to civil engineering and pivoting to cybersecurity. Eric was always headed toward engineering and got both his bachelor and master degrees in civil engineering. Upon breaking into a network with a friend, he was bitten by the cybersecurity bug. Making the switch to the red team and basically becoming a bankrobber for hire, Eric tests the security of many companies' networks. He feels that curiosity is an essential trait for cybersecurity and collaboration is key as no one person knows everything. He advises those interested in cybersecurity to just start. We thank Eric for sharing his story with us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Darren Meyer, Security Research Advocate at Checkmarx, is sharing their work on "Bypassing AI Agent Defenses with Lies-in-the-Loop." Checkmarx Zero researchers introduce “lies-in-the-loop,” a new attack technique that bypasses human‑in‑the‑loop AI safety controls by deceiving users into approving dangerous actions that appear benign. Using examples with AI code assistants like Claude Code, the research shows how prompt injection and manipulated context can trick both the agent and the human reviewer into enabling remote code execution. The findings highlight a growing risk as AI agents become more common in developer workflows, underscoring the limits of human oversight as a standalone security control. The research can be found here: ⁠Bypassing AI Agent Defenses With Lies-In-The-Loop Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump signs the National Defense Authorization Act for 2026. Danish intelligence officials accuse Russia of orchestrating cyberattacks against critical infrastructure.  LongNosedGoblin targets government institutions across Southeast Asia and Japan. A new Android botnet infects nearly two million devices. WatchGuard patches its Firebox firewalls. Amazon blocks more than 1,800 North Korean operatives from joining its workforce. CISA releases nine new Industrial Control Systems advisories. The U.S. Sentencing Commission seeks public input on deepfakes. Prosecutors indict 54 in a large-scale ATM jackpotting conspiracy. Our guest is Nitay Milner, CEO of Orion Security, discussing the issue with data leaking into AI tools, and how CISOs must prioritize DLP. Riot Games finds cheaters hiding in the BIOS. 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 Nitay Milner, CEO of Orion Security, discusses the issue with data leaking into AI tools, and how CISOs must prioritize DLP. Selected Reading Trump signs defense bill allocating millions for Cyber Command, mandating Pentagon phone security (The Record) Denmark blames Russia for destructive cyberattack on water utility (Bleeping Computer) New China-linked hacker group spies on governments in Southeast Asia, Japan (The Record) 'Kimwolf' Android Botnet Ensnares 1.8 Million Devices (SecurityWeek) New critical WatchGuard Firebox firewall flaw exploited in attacks (Bleeping Computer) Amazon blocked 1,800 suspected DPRK job applicants (The Register) CISA Releases Nine Industrial Control Systems Advisories (CISA.gov) U.S. Sentencing Commission seeks input on criminal penalties for deepfakes (CyberScoop) US Charges 54 in Massive ATM Jackpotting Conspiracy (Infosecurity Magazine) Riot Games found a motherboard security flaw that helps PC cheaters (The Verge) Share your feedback. What do you think about CyberWire Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show. Want to hear your company in the show? N2K CyberWire helps you reach the industry’s most influential leaders and operators, while building visibility, authority, and connectivity across the cybersecurity community. Learn more at sponsor.thecyberwire.com. 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