Ben Yelin: A detour could be a sliding door moment. [Policy] [Career Notes]

Enjoy this special encore episode where we are joined by Chief Security Officer of Microsoft Canada Kevin Magee, he's sharing his background as a historian and how it applies to his work in cybersecurity. Likening himself to a dashing Indiana Jones, Kevin talks about how he sees history unfolding and the most interesting things right now are happening in security. Spending time tinkering with things in the university's computer room under the stairs gave way to Kevin's love affair with technology. As Chief Security Officer, Kevin says he uses an analogy: "I think we focus on the arrows, not the the archer" meaning there's too much focus on the attacks rather than the ones mounting them. As a historian and witness to our current history, Kevin sees the changes all affecting cybersecurity. We thank Kevin for sharing his story with us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special edition of our podcast, Simone Petrella sits down with cybersecurity luminary Alex Stamos, Chief Information Security Officer at SentinelOne, to delve into one of the most challenging years in tech history. 2024 has seen unprecedented breaches of multinational corporations, high-stakes attacks from state actors, massive data leaks, and the largest global IT failure on record. As both a seasoned security executive and respected thought leader, Stamos offers a firsthand perspective on how the security landscape is evolving under these pressures. In this exclusive keynote discussion, Stamos draws from his extensive experience to share hard-won lessons from the upheavals of 2024, discussing how companies can build — and rebuild — trust amidst this environment of constant threat. What new responsibilities do organizations have to their customers, employees, shareholders, and society? And what major shifts can we expect across cybersecurity and IT practices in response to these cascading challenges? Tune in for a deep dive into how security professionals are rising to meet their roles in a world brimming with motivated and capable adversaries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Enjoy this special encore episode, where we are joined by Jon Williams from Bishop Fox, as he is sharing their research on "It’s 2024 and Over 178,000 SonicWall Firewalls are Publicly Exploitable." SonicWall published advisories for CVE-2022-22274 and CVE-2023-0656 a year apart after finding that NGFW series 6 and 7 devices are affected by two unauthenticated denial-of-service vulnerabilities. The research states "Our research found that the two issues are fundamentally the same but exploitable at different HTTP URI paths due to reuse of a vulnerable code pattern." They also found that when they scanned SonicWall firewalls with management interfaces exposed to the internet, they found that 76% are vulnerable to one or both issues. The research can be found here: It’s 2024 and Over 178,000 SonicWall Firewalls are Publicly Exploitable Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CISA issues a warning about a critical security flaw in Palo Alto Networks’ Expedition tool. A federal agency urges employees to limit phone use in response to Chinese hacking. Law enforcement is perplexed by spontaneously rebooting iPhones. A key supplier for oilfields suffers a ransomware attack. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) patches multiple vulnerabilities in its Aruba Networking access points. Cybercriminals use game-related apps to distribute Winos4.0. Germany proposes legislation protecting security researchers. The TSA proposes new cybersecurity regulations for critical transportation infrastructure. Our guest is Aaron Griffin, Chief Architect from Sevco Security, sharing the discovery of a significant Apple iOS bug involving iPhone Mirroring.  AI tries to wing it in a Reddit group, but moderators put a fork in it.  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 Aaron Griffin, Chief Architect from Sevco Security, sharing the discovery of a significant Apple iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia privacy bug that exposes employee personal iPhone apps and data to companies through iPhone Mirroring. Read Sevco’s blog on the topic. Selected Reading CISA warns of Critical Palo Alto Networks Vulnerability Exploited in Attacks (GB Hackers) U.S. Agency Warns Employees About Phone Use Amid Ongoing China Hack (Wall Street Journal) Host of House panels getting briefed on major Chinese hacker telecom breaches (CyberScoop) Police Freak Out at iPhones Mysteriously Rebooting Themselves, Locking Cops Out (404 Media) Texas-based oilfield supplier faces disruptions following ransomware attack (The Record) HPE Patches Critical Vulnerabilities in Aruba Access Points (SecurityWeek) Winos4.0 hides in gaming apps to hijack Windows systems (The Register) Germany drafts law to protect researchers who find security flaws (Bleeping Computer) TSA proposes new cybersecurity rule for surface transportation, seeks public feedback (Industrial Cyber) Reddit’s ‘Interesting as Fuck’ Community Rules That AI-Generated Video Is Not Interesting (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

Canada orders ByteDance to shut down local operations. Cisco releases urgent patches for multiple vulnerabilities. SteelFox malware delivers a crypto-miner and info-stealer. North Korean campaigns pursue fake jobs and remote workers. A suspected cyber intrusion disrupts Washington state court systems. Over 200,000 customers of SelectBlinds have their credit card info stolen. Cyber experts encourage congress to pursue bipartisan readiness studies despite DoD pushback. On our Industry Voices segment, we welcome guest Jeremy Huval, Chief Innovation Officer at HITRUST®,  discussing the AI explosion and the need to consider the risks before implementation. Curiosity killed the cat lover’s computer.  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 On our Industry Voices segment, we welcome guest Jeremy Huval, Chief Innovation Officer at HITRUST®,  discussing the AI explosion and the need to consider the risks before implementation. Learn more about how robust your AI risk management program is here. Selected Reading Canada Orders Shutdown of Local TikTok Branch Over Security Concerns (Infosecurity Magazine) Cisco Patches Critical Vulnerability in Industrial Networking Solution (SecurityWeek) Cisco Desk Phone Series Vulnerability Lets Remote Attacker Access Sensitive Information (GB Hackers) ‘SteelFox’ Miner and Information Stealer Bundle Emerges (SecurityWeek) North Korean Hackers Employing New Tactic To Acquire Remote Jobs (Cyber Security News) Outages impact Washington state courts after ‘unauthorized activity’ detected on network (The Record) SelectBlinds says 200,000 customers impacted after hackers embed malware on site (The Record) Congress must demand a study of America’s cyber forces (CyberScoop) Cybercrooks target Bengal cat lovers in Australia (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

Election day wrap-up. The FBI issues a warning about cybercriminals selling government email credentials. Google issues an emergency update for Chrome. An Interpol operation nets dozens of arrests and IP takedowns. Microchip Technology disclosed $21.4 million in expenses related to a cybersecurity breach. Ransomware makes a Georgia hospital revert to paper records. South Korea fines Meta $15 million over privacy violations. A cyberattack disables panic alarms on British prison vans. A small city in Kansas recovers from a devastating pig butchering scheme. Our guest today is Javed Hasan, CEO and Co-Founder of Lineaje, discussing the growing risks within open source ecosystems. Sending data down the compressed air superhighway. 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 Javed Hasan, CEO and Co-Founder of Lineaje, discussing the growing risks within open source ecosystems. Selected Reading Top US cyber official says 'no evidence of malicious activity' impacting election (The Record) FBI Warns Gmail, Outlook Users Of $100 Government Emergency Data Email Hack (Forbes) Chrome Security Update: Patch for Multiple High Severity Vulnerabilities (Cyber Security News) Interpol disrupts cybercrime activity on 22,000 IP addresses, arrests 41 (Bleeping Computer) Microchip Technology Reports $21.4 Million Cost From Ransomware Attack (SecurityWeek) Ransomware Attack Disrupts Georgia Hospital's Access to Health Records (SecurityWeek) South Korea Fines Meta $15 Million for Illegal Data Collection on Facebook Users (CEO Today) Cyberattack disables tracking systems and panic alarms on British prison vans (The Record) FBI recovers just $8M after crypto scam crashes Kansas bank (The Register) The bizarre reason pneumatic tubes are coming back (BBC Science Focus) 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

On election day U.S. officials express confidence. A Virginia company is charged with violating U.S. export restrictions on technology bound for Russia. Backing up your GMail. Google mandates MFA. Google claims an AI-powered vulnerability detection breakthrough. Schneider Electric investigates a cyberattack on its internal project tracking platform. A Canadian man suspected in the Snowflake-related data breaches has been arrested. On our Threat Vector segment, David Moulton sits down with Christopher Scott, from Unit 42 to explore the essentials of crisis leadership and management.  I spy air fry? 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. Threat Vector Segment In this segment of the Threat Vector podcast, host David Moulton sits down with Christopher Scott, Managing Partner at Unit 42 by Palo Alto Networks, to explore the essentials of crisis leadership and management in cybersecurity. You can hear the full discussion here and catch new episodes of Threat Vector every Thursday on your favorite podcast app.  Selected Reading In final check-in before Election Day, CISA cites low-level threats, and not much else (The Record) Joint ODNI, FBI, and CISA Statement (FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation) Exclusive: Nakasone says all the news about influence campaigns ahead of Election Day is actually 'a sign of success' (The Record) Virginia Company and Two Senior Executives Charged with Illegally Exporting Millions of Dollars of U.S. Technology to Russia (United States Department of Justice) Gmail 2FA Cyber Attacks—Open Another Account Before It’s Too Late (Forbes) Mandatory MFA is coming to Google Cloud. Here’s what you need to know (Google Cloud) Schneider Electric says hackers accessed internal project execution tracking platform (The Record) Google claims AI first after SQLite security bug discovered (The Register) Suspected Snowflake Hacker Arrested in Canada (404 Media) Is your air fryer spying on you? Concerns over ‘excessive’ surveillance in smart devices (The Guardian)  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 flags fake videos claiming to be from the agency. Okta patches an authentication bypass vulnerability. Microsoft confirms Windows Server 2025 Blue Screen of Death issues. Scammers exploit DocuSign’s APIs to send fake invoices that bypass spam filters. Hackers use smart contracts for command and control. ICS suppliers face challenges convincing customers to secure their environments. Barracuda tracks a phishing campaign impersonating OpenAI. X-Twitter makes controversial changes to its block feature. A Nigerian man gets 26 years in prison for email fraud. On our Solution Spotlight, N2K's Simone Petrella interviews Alex Stamos, CISO at SentinelOne, at the ISC2 Security Congress 2024 about lessons learned in 2024 and what that means for 2025. For a South Dakota plastic surgeon, ransomware was just the beginning of his financial woes. 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 On our Solution Spotlight, N2K's Simone Petrella interviews Alex Stamos, CISO at SentinelOne, at the ISC2 Security Congress 2024 about lessons learned in 2024 and what that means for 2025. Selected Reading FBI flags false videos impersonating agency, claiming Democratic ballot fraud (CyberScoop) Okta security bug affects those with really long usernames (The Register) Microsoft confirms Windows Server 2025 blue screen, install issues (Bleeping Computer) Scammers Use DocuSign API to Evade Spam Filters with Phishing Invoices (Hackread) Supply Chain Attack Uses Smart Contracts for C2 Ops (Infosecurity Magazine) Siemens and Rockwell Tackle Industrial Cybersecurity, but Face Customer Hesitation (SecurityWeek) Cybercriminals impersonate OpenAI in large-scale phishing attack (Barracuda) X updates block feature, letting blocked users see your public posts (TechCrunch) US Sentences Nigerian to 26 Years in Prison for Stealing Millions Through Phishing (SecurityWeek) Doctor Hit With $500K HIPAA Fine: Feds Worse Than Hacker (GovInfo Security)  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 duties to William MacMillan, the Chief Product Officer at Andesite, to discuss the Cybersecurity First Principle of automation: current state and what happens now with AI as it applies to SOC Operations. For a complete reading list and even more information, check out Rick’s more detailed essay on the topic. Check out Rick's 3-part election mini-series: Part 1: Election Propaganda Part 1: How Does Election Propaganda Work? In this episode, Rick Howard, N2K CyberWire’s Chief Analyst and Senior Fellow, discusses personal defensive measures that every citizen can take—regardless of political philosophy—to resist the influence of propaganda. This foundational episode is essential for understanding how to navigate the complex landscape of election messaging. Part 2: Election Propaganda: Part 2: Modern propaganda efforts. In preparation for the US 2024 Presidential Election, Rick Howard, N2K CyberWire’s Chief Analyst and Senior Fellow, discusses recent international propaganda efforts in the form of nation state interference and influence operations as well as domestic campaigns designed to split the target country into opposing camps. Guests include Nina Jankowicz, Co-Founder and CEO of the The American Sunlight Project and Scott Small, Director of Cyber Threat Intelligence at Tidal Cyber. Part 3: Election Propaganda: Part 3: Efforts to reduce the impact of future elections. Thinking past the US 2024 Presidential Election, In part three of the series, Rick Howard, N2K CyberWire’s Chief Analyst and Senior Fellow, discusses reducing the impact of propaganda in the future elections with Perry Carpenter, Chief Human Risk Management Strategist at KnowBe4 and host of the 8th Layer Insights Podcast, Nina Jankowicz, Co-Founder and CEO of the The American Sunlight Project, and Scott Small, Director of Cyber Threat Intelligence at Tidal Cyber. References: Bob Violino, 2022. 7 top challenges of security tool integration [Analysis]. CSO Online. Bruce Japsen, 2024. UnitedHealth Group Cyberattack Costs To Hit $2.3 Billion This Year [News]. Forbes. Clay Chun, 2019. JOHN BOYD AND THE “OODA” LOOP (GREAT STRATEGISTS) [Explainer]. War Room - U.S. Army War College. Michael Cobb, 2023. The history, evolution and current state of SIEM [Explainer]. TechTarget. Rick Howard, 2022. History of Infosec: a primer. [Podcast and essay]. The CyberWire - CSO Perspectives. Rick Howard, 2020. Security operations centers: a first principle idea. [Podcast and Essay]. The CyberWire. Rick Howard, 2020. SOAR – a first principle idea. [Podcast and Essay]. The CyberWire - CSO Perspectives. Rick Howard, 2021. XDR: from the Rick the Toolman Series. [Podcast and Essay]. The CyberWire - CSO Perspectives. Robert Lemos, 2024. SOAR Is Dead, Long Live SOAR [Analysis]. Dark Reading. Timbuk 3, 1986. The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades [Song]. Genius. Timbuk3VEVO, 2009. Timbuk 3 - The Future’s So Bright [Music Video]. YouTube. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Please enjoy this encore episode, where we are joined by VP of R&D at Arctic Wolf Networks Dinah Davis, as she shares how she arrived in the cybersecurity industry after finding her niche. Dinah recalls how at a time of indecision, a computer course at university and a job with the Canadian government helped to solidify her career direction. Dinah mentions how "security and cryptography specifically was this perfect mix of real world problem solving and mathematics and computer science all combined into one ball of happiness." Networking played a key role in Dinah's journey. She recommends that those interested in joining the field to go for what they believe in. And, we thank Dinah for sharing her story with us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices