Defensive Security Podcast - Malware, Hacking, Cyber Security & Infosec

Please consider supporting the DefSec podcast here. Here are the links we discuss this week: https://www.darkreading.com/identity-access-management-security/more-attackers-logging-in-not-breaking-in https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/stryker-attack-wiped-tens-of-thousands-of-devices-no-malware-needed/ https://www.csoonline.com/article/4147833/cisa-urges-it-to-harden-endpoint-management-systems-after-cyberattack-by-pro-iranian-group.html https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/03/widely-used-trivy-scanner-compromised-in-ongoing-supply-chain-attack/ https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/21/delve-accused-of-misleading-customers-with-fake-compliance/

This time it’s not a rerun! ]Please consider supporting the DefSec podcast here. Here are the links we discuss this week: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ransomware-payment-rate-drops-to-record-low-as-attacks-surge/ https://www.securityweek.com/recent-cisco-catalyst-sd-wan-vulnerability-now-widely-exploited/ https://www.darkreading.com/cyberattacks-data-breaches/nation-state-actor-ai-malware-assembly-line https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/ransomware-identity-ai-cloudflare/813319/ https://thehackernews.com/2026/03/anthropic-finds-22-firefox.html?m=1

Please consider supporting the DefSec podcast here. Here are the links we discuss this week: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/amazon-ai-assisted-hacker-breached-600-fortigate-firewalls-in-5-weeks/ https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/16/open_source_registries_fund_security/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/infostealer-malware-found-stealing-openclaw-secrets-for-first-time/ https://www.securityweek.com/api-threats-grow-in-scale-as-ai-expands-the-blast-radius/ https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/19/rmm_rat_trustconnect/

Please consider supporting the DefSec podcast here. Links to this week’s stories: https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/02/notepad_hijacking_lotus_blossom/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fake-job-recruiters-hide-malware-in-developer-coding-challenges/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/amos-infostealer-targets-macos-through-a-popular-ai-app/ https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/10/ai_agents_messaging_apps_data_leak/ https://www.theregister.com/2026/02/11/payroll_pirates_business_social_engineering/

Please consider supporting the DefSec podcast here. Links to the stories we cover in this episode: https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/29/faster_patching_please_cry_infoseccers/ https://thehackernews.com/2026/01/mandiant-finds-shinyhunters-using.html?m=1 https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/marquis-blames-ransomware-breach-on-sonicwall-cloud-backup-hack/ https://thehackernews.com/2026/01/researchers-find-175000-publicly.html?m=1 https://www.darkreading.com/application-security/openclaw-ai-runs-wild-business-environments

Please consider supporting the DefSec podcast here. Links to the stories we cover in this episode: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackers-exploit-security-testing-apps-to-breach-fortune-500-firms/ https://www.securityweek.com/analysis-of-6-billion-passwords-shows-stagnant-user-behavior/ https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/20/group_ib_ai_cycercrime_subscriptions/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/voidlink-cloud-malware-shows-clear-signs-of-being-ai-generated/ https://arstechnica.com/security/2026/01/mandiant-releases-rainbow-table-that-cracks-weak-admin-password-in-12-hours/

Want to be the first to hear our episodes each week? Become a Patreon donor here. Links to the stories in this episode: https://www.theregister.com/2026/01/09/pyongyangs_cyberspies_are_turning_qr/ https://www.scworld.com/perspective/five-ways-to-conduct-a-more-secure-hiring-process https://cybersecuritynews.com/vmware-esxi-exploited-toolkit/ https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/ciso-succession-crisis-highlights-turnover-amplifies-security-risks

Want to be the first to hear our episodes each week? Become a Patreon donor here. Links to this week’s stories: https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/cybersecurity-tech-recommended-by-cyber-insurer-claims-data https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/trust-wallet-links-85-million-crypto-theft-to-shai-hulud-npm-attack/ https://www.securityweek.com/hacker-claims-theft-of-40-million-conde-nast-records-after-wired-data-leak/ https://databreaches.net/2025/12/30/software-company-lacked-downstream-liability-for-data-breach/ https://techcrunch.com/2025/12/12/home-depot-exposed-access-to-internal-systems-for-a-year-says-researcher/

Want to be the first to hear our episodes each week? Become a Patreon donor here. Links to this week’s stories: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/webrat-malware-spread-via-fake-vulnerability-exploits-on-github/ https://cybersecuritynews.com/mongobleed-poc-exploit-mongodb/ https://cybersecuritynews.com/fortigate-firewall-vulnerability/ https://cybersecuritynews.com/oracle-e-business-suite-hack/

Want to be the first to hear our episodes each week? Become a Patreon donor here. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Links to this week’s stories: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2025/12/most-parked-domains-now-serving-malicious-content/ https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/russia-linked-hackers-use-microsoft-365.html?m=1 https://cybersecuritynews.com/amazon-catches-north-korean-it-worker/ https://www.darkreading.com/application-security/fake-proof-ai-slop-hobble-defenders https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2025/12/17/cisco-secure-email-cve-2025-20393/

Want to be the first to hear our episodes each week? Become a Patreon donor here. Links to this week’s stories: https://www.theregister.com/2025/12/09/hypervisor_ransomware_attacks_increasing https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/react2shell-flaw-exploited-to-breach-30-orgs-77k-ip-addresses-vulnerable https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/log4shell-downloaded-40-million https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/ncsc-raises-alarms-prompt https://thehackernews.com/2025/12/researchers-uncover-30-flaws-in-ai.html?m=1

Want to be the first to hear our episodes each week? Become a Patreon donor here. Links to this week’s stories: https://www.darkreading.com/cyberattacks-data-breaches/advanced-security-phishing-tactics https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/28/posthog_shaihulud/?td=keepreading / https://posthog.com/blog/nov-24-shai-hulud-attack-post-mortem https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/27/scattered_lapsus_hunters_zendesk/ https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/25/akira_ransomware_acquisitions Browser extensions pushed malware to 4.3M Chrome, Edge users • The Register

Reposting Episode 331 due to the wrong mp3 attached to the original. Want to be the first to hear our episodes each week? Become a Patreon donor here. Links to this week’s stories: https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/unc6040-proactive-hardening-recommendations https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/13/chinese_spies_claude_attacks/ / https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/anthropic-claims-of-claude-ai-automated-cyberattacks-met-with-doubt/ https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/14/selfreplicating_supplychain_attack_poisons_150k/ https://cyberscoop.com/fortinet-delayed-disclosure-exploited-vulnerability/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/piecing-together-the-puzzle-a-qilin-ransomware-investigation/ Repo Want to be the first to hear our episodes each week? Become a Patreon donor here. Links to this week’s stories: https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/unc6040-proactive-hardening-recommendations https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/13/chinese_spies_claude_attacks/ / https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/anthropic-claims-of-claude-ai-automated-cyberattacks-met-with-doubt/ https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/14/selfreplicating_supplychain_attack_poisons_150k/ https://cyberscoop.com/fortinet-delayed-disclosure-exploited-vulnerability/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/piecing-together-the-puzzle-a-qilin-ransomware-investigation/

Want to be the first to hear our episodes each week? Become a Patreon donor here. Links to this week’s stories: https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/nevada-ransomware-attack-traced-back-to-malware-download-by-employee/805011/ https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/threat-actor-usage-of-ai-tools https://www.darkreading.com/application-security/owasp-highlights-supply-chain-risks-new-top-10 https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366634363/Google-Dont-get-distracted-by-AI-focus-on-real-cyber-threats

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BaNujBx62Y Want to be the first to hear our episodes each week? Become a Patreon donor here. Links to this week’s stories: https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/03/mit_sloan_updates_ai_ransomware_paper/ https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/29/ey_exposes_4tb_sql_database/ https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/zombie-projects-rise-again-undermine-security https://www.darkreading.com/cloud-security/cloud-outages-highlight-need-resilient-secure-infrastructure-recovery

Want to be the first to hear our episodes each week? Become a Patreon donor here. Links we discuss this week: https://thehackernews.com/2025/10/self-spreading-glassworm-infects-vs.html?m=1 https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/artificial-intelligence-security-risks-ey-report/803490/ https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/ai-augment-security-identity-soc/803608/ https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/best-end-user-security-awareness-programs-arent-about-awareness-anymore https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackers-now-exploiting-critical-windows-server-wsus-flaw-in-attacks/

Want to be the first to hear our episodes each week? Become a Patreon donor here. Links to this week’s stories: https://www.cybersecurity-insiders.com/how-ai-will-shape-the-future-of-cyber-defense-a-one-three-and-five-year-outlook/ https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2025/10/15/f5-big-ip-data-breach/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fake-lastpass-bitwarden-breach-alerts-lead-to-pc-hijacks/ https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2025/10/16/mddr-2025/ https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/19/global-cyber-attack-russian-hack-solarwinds-stress-health

Want to be the first to hear our episodes each week? Become a Patreon donor here. Here are the stories we discuss this week: https://cybersecuritynews.com/hackers-actively-compromising-databases/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackers-target-university-hr-employees-in-payroll-pirate-attacks/ https://securityaffairs.com/183154/security/threat-actors-steal-firewall-configs-impacting-all-sonicwall-cloud-backup-users.html https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/07/gen_ai_shadow_it_secrets/ https://thehackernews.com/2025/10/from-phishing-to-malware-ai-becomes.html?m=1 https://databreaches.net/2025/10/12/from-sizzle-to-drizzle-to-fizzle-the-massive-data-leak-that-wasnt/

Want to be the first to hear our episodes each week? Become a Patreon donor here. Here are links to the stories we discuss this week: https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/29/postmark_mcp_server_code_hijacked/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/oracle-patches-ebs-zero-day-exploited-in-clop-data-theft-attacks/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/westjet-data-breach-exposes-travel-details-of-12-million-customers/ https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/material-cybersecurity-breaches-unreported/760892/ https://www.securityweek.com/red-hat-confirms-gitlab-instance-hack-data-theft/ https://www.securityweek.com/hackers-extorting-salesforce-after-stealing-data-from-dozens-of-customers/ https://databreaches.net/2025/10/04/just-days-before-its-data-might-be-leaked-qantas-airways-obtained-a-permanent-injunction/

Here are links to the stories we discuss this week: https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/threat-intelligence/brickstorm-espionage-campaign https://thehackernews.com/2025/09/github-mandates-2fa-and-short-lived.html https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/23/gartner_ai_attack/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/sonicwall-releases-sma100-firmware-update-to-wipe-rootkit-malware/ https://www.zdnet.com/article/battered-by-cyberattacks-salesforce-faces-a-trust-problem-and-a-potential-class-action-lawsuit/

Please follow us on YouTube! Want episodes a week early? Consider becoming a Patreon sponsor of the DefSec podcast here. Here are links to the stories we talked about this week: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2025/09/self-replicating-worm-hits-180-software-packages/ https://dirkjanm.io/obtaining-global-admin-in-every-entra-id-tenant-with-actor-tokens/ https://blog.lastpass.com/posts/attack-targeting-macs-via-github-pages https://cybersecuritynews.com/finwise-insider-breach/ https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/09/how-weak-passwords-and-other-failings-led-to-catastrophic-breach-of-ascension/

Here are the stories we discuss this week: https://natlawreview.com/article/qantas-airways-cuts-executive-pay-after-cyber-incident-governance-signal-industry https://www.securityweek.com/ransomware-losses-climb-as-ai-pushes-phishing-to-new-heights https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackers-left-empty-handed-after-massive-npm-supply-chain-attack https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/12/huntress_attacker_surveillance LunaLock Ransomware threatens victims by feeding stolen data to AI models FBI warns of Salesforce attacks by UNC6040 and UNC6395 groups

Listen and Watch Defensive Security Episodes a week early by becoming a Patreon donor: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec Please subscribe to our YouTube channel: Defensive Podcasts – Cyber Security & Infosec. – YouTube Links: https://blog.gitguardian.com/ghostaction-campaign-3-325-secrets-stolen/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ai-powered-malware-hit-2-180-github-accounts-in-s1ngularity-attack/ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/cybersecurity-breach-1.7597713 https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/6-browser-based-attacks-all-security-teams-should-be-ready-for-in-2025/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackers-use-new-hexstrike-ai-tool-to-rapidly-exploit-n-day-flaws/

Links to stories: https://securityaffairs.com/181430/security/after-sharepoint-attacks-microsoft-stops-sharing-poc-exploit-code-with-china.html https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/software-vulnerabilities-breaches-checkmarx-report/757793/ https://www.securityinfowatch.com/cybersecurity/article/55309774/even-security-leaders-are-breaking-ai-rules-calypsoai-report https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/cyber-insurers-may-limit-payments-breaches-unpatched-cve https://www.darkreading.com/cyberattacks-data-breaches/fake-employees-pose-real-security-risks

I have no idea why Riverside.fm (the service we use to record the podcast) has such an audio/video sync problem for the first minute or so of the recording. We’re working on it… On to the show. Here are the links for this week’s episode: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/new-downgrade-attack-can-bypass-fido-auth-in-microsoft-entra-id https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/docker-hub-still-hosts-dozens-of-linux-images-with-the-xz-backdoor https://www.darkreading.com/threat-intelligence/charon-ransomware-apt-tactics https://www.securityweek.com/vibe-coding-when-everyones-a-developer-who-secures-the-code https://www.securityweek.com/inside-the-dark-webs-access-economy-how-hackers-sell-the-keys-to-enterprise-networks

Want to support our show? Want to get access to episodes a week before everyone else? Become a patreon sponsor here: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec If you’re in Atlanta on August 20, you can join us for a LIVE episode at Mission 25. Register here: MCS Mission: Security’25 Our new merch store is live: DefSec Store We’ve added a lot of new items and will continue to do so over time. On to the show. Here are the links for this week’s episode: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/spikes-in-malicious-activity-precede-new-cves-in-80-percent-of-cases/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackers-plant-4g-raspberry-pi-on-bank-network-in-failed-atm-heist/ https://nerds.xyz/2025/07/ai-security-flaws-veracode-2025/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/tea-app-leak-worsens-with-second-database-exposing-user-chats/ https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/research-llms-attacks-without-humans/754203/

Want to support our show? Want to get access to episodes a week before everyone else? Become a patreon sponsor here: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec If you’re in Atlanta on August 20, you can join us for a LIVE episode at Mission 25. Register here: MCS Mission: Security’25 Our new merch store is live: DefSec Store We’ve added a lot of new items and will continue to do so over time. On to the show. Here are the links for this week’s episode: https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/26/microsoft_sharepoint_attacks_leak/ https://mashable.com/article/google-gemini-deletes-users-code https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/07/open-source-repositories-are-seeing-a-rash-of-supply-chain-attacks/ https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/23/lawsuit_clorox_vs_cognizant/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/allianz-life-confirms-data-breach-impacts-majority-of-14-million-customers/

If you’re in Atlanta on August 20, you can join us for a LIVE episode at Mission 25. Register here: MCS Mission: Security’25 Our new merch store is live(ish): DefSec Store – We’ll be adding more items as time goes on. This is managed through Printify, which has a quite expansive range of products to logo up. Also, some of you may know that Jerry is into photography and contemplating creating a calendar with images he’s taken. Let us know if that sounds interesting. Possible themes are: beach sunsets, flowers, or jet fighters, because that’s about all he’s good at taking pictures of. On to the show. Here are the links for this week’s episode: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/lamehug-malware-uses-ai-llm-to-craft-windows-data-theft-commands-in-real-time/ https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/07/hackers-exploit-a-blind-spot-by-hiding-malware-inside-dns-records/ https://www.darkreading.com/remote-workforce/fully-patched-sonicwall-gear-zero-day-attack https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/new-crushftp-zero-day-exploited-in-attacks-to-hijack-servers/ (for patreon listeners only) https://thehackernews.com/2025/07/malware-injected-into-6-npm-packages.html?m=1(for patreon listeners only)

Episode 315 is available for our patreon donors and will be posted for everyone else on Monday, July 28. Going forward, episodes will be released to our patreon donors shortly after recording and will be released to everyone else a week later. If you want to become a patreon donor, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec Also, our new merch store is live and available here: https://store.defensivesecurity.org It’s a work in progress and please let me know if you have any issued with it. Thank you all and we’ll talk on Monday!

Want to support us? Want even MORE DefSec? Starting this week, we are providing more DefSec for our Patreon donors. Sign up to be a Patreon donor today: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec Links: https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/10/cisa_citrixbleed_kev/ https://www.axios.com/2025/07/08/scattered-spider-cybercrime-hackers https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/employee-gets-920-for-credentials-used-in-140-million-bank-heist/ Additional links for Patreon donors: https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/13/fake_it_worker_problem/ https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/09/chatgpt_jailbreak_windows_keys/

Want to support us? Want even MORE DefSec? Starting this week, we are providing more DefSec for our Patreon donors. Sign up to be a Patreon donor today: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRzMJbBZ490 Links: https://www.csoonline.com/article/4012801/the-top-red-teamer-in-the-us-is-an-ai-bot.html https://www.darkreading.com/endpoint-security/attackers-top-brands-callback-phishing https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/initial-access-broker-self-patches-zero-days https://www.darkreading.com/cybersecurity-operations/ransomware-reshaped-how-cyber-insurers-perform-security-assessments https://www.darkreading.com/endpoint-security/phishing-training-doesnt-work

Want to support us? Want even MORE DefSec? Starting this week, we are providing more DefSec for our Patreon donors. Sign up to be a Patreon donor today: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec Links: https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/06/active-exploitation-of-ami-management-tool-imperils-thousands-of-servers/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/man-pleads-guilty-to-hacking-networks-to-pitch-security-services/ https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2025/06/23/new-hire-phishing-risk/ Patreon exclusive discussions: https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2025/06/27/cybersecurity-risk-reduction-breach-transparency/ https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/24/vulnerability_management_gap_noone_talks/

Like what we’re doing with the DefSec Podcast and want to help support us? Donate here: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec Links: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/no-the-16-billion-credentials-leak-is-not-a-new-data-breach/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/russian-hackers-bypass-gmail-mfa-using-stolen-app-passwords/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/north-korean-hackers-deepfake-execs-in-zoom-call-to-spread-mac-malware/ https://socket.dev/blog/libxml2-maintainer-ends-embargoed-vulnerability-reports

Like what we’re doing with the DefSec Podcast and want to help support us? Donate here: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec Links: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/sentinelone-shares-new-details-on-china-linked-breach-attempt/https://thehackernews.com/2025/06/new-supply-chain-malware-operation-hits.html?m=1https://www.csoonline.com/article/4002103/cisos-beware-genai-use-is-outpacing-security-controls.htmlhttps://thehackernews.com/2025/06/fin6-uses-aws-hosted-fake-resumes-on.html?m=1

Like what we’re doing with the DefSec Podcast and want to help support us? Donate here: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec Links:  https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/06/chatgpt_for_evil/https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/06/ransomware_negotiation/https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/how-to-approach-security-era-ai-agentshttps://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/coinbase-breach-tied-to-bribed-taskus-support-agents-in-india/https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/04/kiranapro_cyberattack_deletes_cloud_resources/ / https://x.com/deepakravindran/status/1930776943101894869

Like what we’re doing with the DefSec Podcast and want to help support us? Donate here: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec In this episode of the Defensive Security Podcast, hosts Jerry Bell and Andrew Kalat discuss a range of topics including the introduction of a new cryptocurrency, Guard Llama Coin, and the implications of recent cybersecurity incidents involving ConnectWise and ransomware attacks. They explore the challenges organizations face in responding to nation-state attacks, the complexities of ransomware tactics, and the importance of employee security awareness. The conversation emphasizes the need for timely patching and proactive security measures to protect against evolving threats. Links:  https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/30/connectwise_compromised_by_sophisticated_government/https://www.darkreading.com/application-security/dragonforce-ransomware-msp-supply-chain-attackhttps://www.darkreading.com/threat-intelligence/3am-ransomware-adopts-email-bombing-vishing

In this episode of the Defensive Security Podcast, hosts Jerry Bell and Andrew Kalat discuss various cybersecurity topics, including a significant data breach at Coinbase, the challenges of cryptocurrency security, the importance of patch management, and the evolving landscape of cyber threats. They also discuss insider threats, the failures of rigid security programs, and the overlooked cybersecurity risks in mergers and acquisitions. The episode concludes with a discussion on emerging threats, particularly the potential for ransomware to infect CPUs. Like what we’re doing and want to help support us? Donate here: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec Links:https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/05/21/coinbase_confirms_insider_breach_affects/https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/14/improve_patching_strategies/https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ransomware-gangs-increasingly-use-skitnet-post-exploitation-malware/https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/rigid-security-programs-failhttps://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/hidden-cybersecurity-risks-mergers-acquisitionshttps://www.theregister.com/2025/05/11/cpu_ransomware_rapid7/

In this episode, Jerry and Andrew discuss the importance of data security, phishing attacks targeting hiring managers, the implications of paying ransoms, and the recent Disney data breach incident. They emphasize the need for better training for employees and the challenges of managing software supply chains. The conversation highlights the evolving landscape of cyber threats and the necessity for organizations to adopt more robust security practices. Links:https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/venom-spider-phishing-schemehttps://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2025/05/08/powerschool_data_extortionist/https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/supply-chain-attack-hits-npm-package-with-45-000-weekly-downloads/https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/02/disney_slack_hacker_revealed_to/ Like what we’re doing and want to help support us? Donate here: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec

In this episode, we discuss the Google Mandiant 2025 M-Trends report. The report is available here: https://services.google.com/fh/files/misc/m-trends-2025-en.pdf Like what we’re doing and want to help support us? Donate here: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec

In this episode of the Defensive Security Podcast, hosts Jerry Bell and Andrew Kalat discuss the latest trends in cybersecurity, focusing on the rise of BEC scams and the significant losses attributed to cybercrime in 2024. They explore emerging threats, including social engineering tactics and hardware vulnerabilities, particularly in management interfaces. The conversation also delves into the complexities of vulnerability management, the risks associated with supply chain attacks in open source software, and the alarming rate at which CVEs are being exploited. The hosts emphasize the need for organizations to be proactive in their security measures and to understand the evolving landscape of cyber threats. Links: https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/fbi-internet-crime-bec-scams-investment-fraud-losses/746181/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/asus-releases-fix-for-ami-bug-that-lets-hackers-brick-servers/ https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/21/microsoft_apple_patch/ https://thehackernews.com/2025/04/ripples-xrpljs-npm-package-backdoored.html https://thehackernews.com/2025/04/159-cves-exploited-in-q1-2025-283.html Like what we’re doing and want to help support us? Donate here: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec

Summary In this episode of the Defensive Security Podcast, hosts Jerry Bell and Andrew Kalat discuss various cybersecurity topics, including the rise of ransomware, the importance of backup strategies, and the implications of AI in phishing attacks. They discuss into the challenges of managing non-human identities and the need for effective communication of security metrics. The conversation also touches on the recent Oracle breach and the evolving landscape of cybersecurity threats. Links: https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/remote-access-tools-ransomware-entry/745144/ https://www.darkreading.com/cyberattacks-data-breaches/oracle-breach-2-obsolete-servers https://thehackernews.com/2025/04/explosive-growth-of-non-human.html?m=1 https://thehackernews.com/2025/04/security-theater-vanity-metrics-keep.html?m=1 https://www.securityweek.com/ai-now-outsmarts-humans-in-spear-phishing-analysis-shows/ Like what we’re doing and want to help support us? Donate here: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec

In this episode, Jerry and Andrew discuss various cybersecurity topics, including the recent Oracle Cloud security breach, a GitHub supply chain attack, insider threats, and the implications of AI in cybersecurity. They explore the challenges of maintaining trust in cloud services, the complexities of insider threats, and the evolving landscape of cybercrime driven by AI advancements. The conversation emphasizes the need for robust security measures and the importance of adapting to emerging threats in the cybersecurity realm. Links: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/oracle-privately-confirms-cloud-breach-to-customers/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/recent-github-supply-chain-attack-traced-to-leaked-spotbugs-token/ ttps://www.securityweek.com/39-million-secrets-leaked-on-github-in-2024/ https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/02/deel_rippling_espionage/ https://www.securityweek.com/ai-giving-rise-of-the-zero-knowledge-threat-actor/ Like what we’re doing and want to help support us? Donate here: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec

In this episode of the Defensive Security Podcast, hosts Jerry Bell and Andrew Kalat discuss a range of cybersecurity topics, including the recent Oracle Cloud breach, the challenges of asset management in large environments, and the importance of prioritizing vulnerabilities. They also explore the findings from a pen test report, the implications of emerging threats like Medusa ransomware, and the need for better security practices in organizations. Links: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/oracle-customers-confirm-data-stolen-in-alleged-cloud-breach-is-valid/ https://thehackernews.com/2025/03/10-critical-network-pentest-findings-it.html?m=1 https://www.horizon3.ai/attack-research/attack-blogs/critical-or-clickbait-github-actions-and-apache-tomcat-rce-vulnerabilities-2025/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2025/03/30/fbi-warns-use-2fa-as-time-traveling-hackers-strike/ https://www.reversinglabs.com/blog/epss-is-not-foolproof-shift-your-appsec-beyond-vulnerabilities Like what we’re doing and want to help support us? Donate here: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec

Summary In this episode, we celebrate the 300th episode of the Defensive Security Podcast then discuss various cybersecurity topics including the rise of AI-driven threats, the importance of zero trust architecture, best practices for incident response, the impact of human error on security breaches, and the risks associated with collaboration tools. We also cover the dangers of malvertising campaigns exploiting platforms like GitHub. Like what we’re doing and want to help support us? Donate here: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec Links: https://venturebeat.com/security/51-seconds-to-breach-how-cisos-are-fighting-back-against-lightning-fast-attacks/ https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/10/incident_response_advice/ https://www.scworld.com/news/95-of-data-breaches-involve-human-error-report-reveals https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/remote-access-infra-remains-riskiest-corp-attack-surface https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/microsoft-says-malvertising-campaign-impacted-1-million-pcs/

Summary In this episode of the Defensive Security Podcast, hosts Jerry Bell and Andrew Kalat discuss various cybersecurity topics, including a Disney employee’s mishap with an AI tool that led to a significant hack, vulnerabilities in VMware ESX hypervisors, and a developer’s sabotage of their ex-employer. They also explore the implications of GitHub repository exposure and the growing risks associated with third-party vendors in cybersecurity. Link to support Andy and Jerry’s work creating the Defensive Security Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec Story links: https://www.wsj.com/tech/cybersecurity/disney-employee-ai-tool-hacker-cyberattack-3700c931 https://doublepulsar.com/use-one-virtual-machine-to-own-them-all-active-exploitation-of-esxicape-0091ccc5bdfc https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/08/developer_server_kill_switch/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/02/copilot-exposes-private-github-pages-some-removed-by-microsoft/ https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/third-party-risk-top-cybersecurity-claims

In this episode of the Defense of Security podcast, hosts Jerry Bell and Andrew Kalat discuss various cybersecurity topics, including a recent incident involving notorious hackers breaching a company network in under an hour, strategies to defend against deepfake attacks, the targeting of freelance developers by North Korean adversaries, vulnerabilities in Palo Alto firewalls, and the emergence of ghost ransomware. The conversation emphasizes the importance of proactive security measures and the evolving landscape of cyber threats. Want to support the Defensive Security Podcast? You can donate here: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec Takeaways: The speed of cyber attacks is increasing, with breaches occurring in under an hour. Organizations must implement robust processes to defend against deepfake attacks. Freelance developers are at risk of being targeted by sophisticated cybercriminals. Palo Alto firewalls are vulnerable to attacks if management interfaces are exposed to the internet. Ghost ransomware is a growing threat, often using familiar tactics to exploit vulnerabilities. Links: https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/02/notorious-crooks-broke-into-a-company-network-in-48-minutes-heres-how/ https://www.darkreading.com/vulnerabilities-threats/4-low-cost-ways-defend-organization-against-deepfakes https://www.welivesecurity.com/en/eset-research/deceptivedevelopment-targets-freelance-developers/ https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/19/palo_alto_firewall_attack/ https://hackread.com/fbi-cisa-ghost-ransomware-threat-to-firms-worldwide/

Become a Patreon supporter of the show here: https://www.patreon.com/defensivesec Links: https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/ransomware-gangs–tactics-/739937/ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/over-12-000-keriocontrol-firewalls-exposed-to-exploited-rce-flaw/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2025/02/russian-spies-use-device-code-phishing-to-hijack-microsoft-accounts/ https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/open-source-ai-models-pose-risks-of-malicious-code-vulnerabilities https://www.csoonline.com/article/3823429/24-of-vulnerabilities-are-abused-before-a-patch-is-available.html

In this episode of the Defense of Security Podcast, Jerry Bell and Andrew Kalat discuss the evolving landscape of cybersecurity threats, focusing on ransomware tactics that exploit insider threats, the hijacking of LLM resources, and the effectiveness of phishing simulations. They explore how adversaries are increasingly targeting employees to gain access to sensitive data and how organizations can better protect themselves against these threats. The conversation also covers the ethical implications of phishing tests and the need for a more supportive approach to security awareness training. In this episode, Jerry and Andrew discuss the challenges faced by cybersecurity teams, the dynamics between security and other business units, and the importance of learning from incidents to improve security practices. They explore the balance between enabling business operations and maintaining security, the implications of generative AI in the workplace, and the need for effective governance around AI usage. The conversation emphasizes the proactive role security professionals must take in navigating these complexities while ensuring organizational safety. Takeaways Ransomware attackers are increasingly using insider threats to gain access. Greed can turn employees into insider threats, especially in tough economic times. LLM hijacking is a new tactic that exploits compromised API keys. Phishing simulations may create a rift between users and IT security teams. Punitive measures for phishing failures can lead to underreporting of actual attacks. Security awareness training should focus on protecting users, not punishing them. Adversaries are finding valid API keys to exploit cloud resources. The effectiveness of phishing simulations is being questioned by experts. Organizations need to do a better job at protecting their secrets and credentials. The cybersecurity landscape is rapidly evolving, requiring constant adaptation. Cybersecurity teams often feel like janitors cleaning up after others. Organizational dynamics can create resentment in security teams. Learning from incidents is crucial for improving security practices. Balancing security needs with business operations is essential. Generative AI presents both risks and opportunities for organizations. Effective governance is needed for AI usage in business. Security professionals must help businesses understand risk management. Building relationships across departments can improve security outcomes. AI tools should be used with proper agreements to protect data. The landscape of AI in business is rapidly evolving and requires adaptation. Links https://www.scworld.com/news/ransomware-attackers-turn-to-workers-for-data-breach-access https://www.darkreading.com/application-security/llm-hijackers-deepseek-api-keys https://www.wsj.com/tech/cybersecurity/phishing-tests-the-bane-of-work-life-are-getting-meaner-76f30173 https://www.securityweek.com/security-teams-pay-the-price-the-unfair-reality-of-cyber-incidents/ https://www.darkreading.com/threat-intelligence/employees-sensitive-data-genai-prompts