The 443 - Security Simplified

Does Security Training Work?

This week on the podcast, we discuss a recently published research study from UC San Diego on the effectiveness on security awareness training on phishing prevention. After that, we discuss a security researcher's work on identifying vulnerabilities in four separate employee webapps at Intel. Finally, we end with our analysis of a Ponemon Institute research report called The State of File Security.

The 2025 Cost of a Breach Report

This week on the podcast, we discuss key findings from IBM and the Ponemon Institute's 2025 Cost of a Breach Report, including a deep analysis of AI impacts in cybersecurity. Before that, we cover Norway's claim that Russian-aligned hackers opened a floodgate in one of their dams. We also discuss a vulnerability in Microsoft 365 Copilot that allowed the AI to delete its own audit logs.

Is Zero Trust a Total Bust?

This week on the podcast, we discuss key findings from a DefCon presentation from researchers at AmberWolf titled ZeroTrust, Total Bust and what it means for Zero Trust Network Access. After that, we review a new vulnerability in the FortiWeb WAF before ending with a quick update from Google Project Zero on a new vulnerability disclosure policy.

What We Know About the Sonicwall SSLVPN Attacks

This week on the podcast, we discuss some recent research into a new zero day vulnerability in the popular WinRAR utility under active exploit. After that, we give a round up on everything we know about the SonicWall SSLVPN attacks from the last few weeks before ending with a review of a new ChatGPT vulnerability.

Clorox vs Cognizant

This week, we discuss the SharePoint ToolShell vulnerabilities that recently received an out-of-cycle patch from Microsoft. After that, we cover some research into a Chrome and Edge extension malware campaign that impacted 2.3 million victims. Finally, we end by discussing a lawsuit from Clorox against their offshore helpdesk provider Cognizant stemming from a security incident 2 years ago.

Outing Chinese Semiconductor Cyber Spies

This week on the podcast, Corey Nachreiner and guest host, Ryan Estes, from WatchGuard’s malware analysis team, cover the cybersecurity news for last week. We chat about AI-based site cloaking tools on the underground, how Domain Tools found potentially unwanted executables hiding in DNS TXT records, and a Chinese state-sponsored set of targeted phishing campaigns going after the Taiwanese semiconductor industry and its supply chain. Join us to learn more and discuss how we can protect ourselves from similar threats. 

Exploring Endpoint Threats with WatchGuard’s Q1 2025 Internet Security Report.

This week on the podcast, Corey Nachreiner and guest host, Ryan Estes, from WatchGuard’s malware analysis team, explore WatchGuard’s recently released Q1 Internet Security Report (ISR). As always with the ISR, we highlight the top malware, network attacks, and malicious domains that our products see, but with our guest host, the author of the Endpoint section, we dive much deeper into all the threats arriving a our customers’ endpoint. Listen in for the latest threat landscape trends and some practical tips to stay safe from the most recent threats.

Rewind: Microsoft Kernel Shift, GPT-4o Threats, and Scattered Spider Update

First, we look back at Microsoft’s major shift to remove endpoint protection from the Windows kernel. When we first covered it, it was a proposed change—now it's happening, and the implications are big.
Next, we revisit a segment on GPT-4o and how generative AI is fueling the next wave of social engineering attacks. It's smarter, faster, and more convincing than ever.
And finally, a refresher on the arrest of a Scattered Spider leader. While that made headlines, the group's activity hasn’t slowed down, they're still very much on the radar, as we discussed just last week.

Lessons From The M&S Breach

This week, we discuss a phishing technique that uses a powerful and risky Microsoft 365 configuration setting. After that, we round up everything we know about the Marks & Spencer breach from April and the lessons that all MSPs can learn from it. After that, we quickly cover a new series of vulnerabilities in a popular Bluetooth chipset that could let attackers gain full control over your headphones.

Social Engineering an LLM

This week on the podcast, we cover a recent blog post from Google's Threat Intelligence Group on a financially motiviated threat actor's latest techniques for stealing data. After that, we dive into the Model Context Protocol (MPC) that organizations have been rapidly adopting to add functionality to their AI deployments and all of the security risks that it introduces.