CyberWire Daily

The President launches a new federal AI task force. South Korea investigates financial sector data leaks. AI slop overwhelms a Google bug bounty program. Citrix patches an exploited zero-day. Stealthy malware hides inside Asian email security appliances. Apple tightens macOS privacy around AI agents. Attackers exploit a critical Rejetto File Server flaw. The Senate advances healthcare cybersecurity legislation. Monday business briefing. Our guest is Jared Shepard, CEO of Hypori, with insights on how the military is adopting AI technologies. A real good password…isnt’.

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CyberWire Guest

Today we are joined by Jared Shepard, CEO of Hypori, sharing how he sees the military and DoW adopting AI technologies.

Selected Reading

Trump names national intelligence director Jay Clayton to lead a new federal AI task force (AP News)

South Korean president orders probe into data leaks across financial industry (Reuters)

Google freezes open-source bug bounty program amid flood of invalid AI slop submissions — product flaw submissions halted until 2027 as maintainers drown in hallucinations (Tom's Hardware)

Citrix patches NetScaler SAML zero-day exploited in attacks (Bleeping Computer)

New Linux malware mimics network edge appliances to evade detection (SC Media)

Apple changes full-disk access permissions to curb abuse from AI agents (Ars Technica)

Exploitation Hits Rejetto HFS Vulnerability Discovered by AI (SecurityWeek)

Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Healthcare Cybersecurity (SecurityWeek)

Island raises $400 million in a Series F round. (N2K Pro Business Briefing)

CISO thought he had a 'r3@lg00dp@$$w0rd' but forgot to patch (The Register)

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As space infrastructure expands, so too does the need for cybersecurity expertise beyond securing traditional spacecraft.

Host Maria Varmazis speaks with ⁠Milenk Starcevic⁠, Head of Cybersecurity at ⁠Vision Space⁠, and ⁠Andrzej “Andy” Olchawa⁠, Senior Cybersecurity Engineer also at Vision Space, about the growing space cybersecurity field. They discuss the role of compliance and auditing, how cybersecurity professional can develop space-specific skills, and how emerging capabilities are expanding the attack surface.

Like what you heard? Be sure to subscribe to our free Signals and Space Briefing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, our Sunday newsletter covering the intersection of cybersecurity and space. Subscribe at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thecyberwire.com/newsletters/signals-and-space⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Key Sources:

⁠The Spacecraft Hacker's Handbook.⁠

Space cybersecurity starts on the ground.

Hack the Box.

Is there a topic or person you’d like to hear on our show? You can send your questions and feedback to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠space@n2k.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can also fill our our audience survey: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NJYCN2P ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

T-Minus: Space-Cyber Briefing is a production of N2K CyberWire. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠N2K⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is your nexus for discovery and connection for people, technology, and ideas shaping the future of secure innovation. Learn how at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠n2k.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
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Today we are joined by Jean-Pierre Mouton, Senior Threat Intelligence Consultant at GuidePoint Security, discussing their work on "How Play Achieves Encryption." Play ransomware, also known as PlayCrypt, continues to target organizations across multiple sectors using a consistent double-extortion playbook that combines data theft with widespread encryption. A recent investigation details how the group gained access through a SonicWall VPN, moved laterally using tools such as Mimikatz and PsExec, exfiltrated sensitive data, and used the victim’s own SentinelOne uninstallation utility to disable endpoint protection. The findings highlight several behavioral indicators defenders can monitor, including tool staging through SYSVOL and SystemBC for command and control, event log clearing, and suspicious WinSCP activity.

The research and executive brief can be found here:

⁠⁠⁠⁠How Play Achieves Encryption

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OpenAI fires safety researchers for mishandling sensitive information. CISA looks to secure the next 250. Dell patches six critical flaws, while attackers exploit a FortiMail zero-day. Warlock ransomware expands its reach, and Star Blizzard scales up its phishing. Researchers map maritime GPS spoofing. An alleged Iranian hacker is extradited to the U.S., and law enforcement takes down KillSec. Our guests are John Kindervag and Dr. Chase Cunningham, discussing their new book "Cyber Resilience at Machine Speed: The Zero Trust Model for the AI Era". Clippy’s back, and this time he wants your wallet.

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CyberWire Guest

Today we are joined by John Kindervag, along with Dr. Chase Cunningham, discussing their book "Cyber Resilience at Machine Speed: The Zero Trust Model for the AI Era".

Selected Reading

Disinformation, Defense and Democracy: A Look as This Year’s Election Security (Security Magazine)

CISA launches ‘Securing the Next 250’ campaign to strengthen critical infrastructure cybersecurity and resilience (Industrial Cyber)

Dell asks admins to patch max severity CSM flaws as soon as possible (Bleeping Computer)

Fortinet warns of critical FortiMail flaw exploited in zero-day attacks (Bleeping Computer)

Chinese ransomware group Warlock targets Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries (SC Media)

Russian FSB-linked hackers scale up phishing attacks against Ukraine supporters (The Record)

367,000-Ship Study Finds Global GPS Spoofing, Red Sea Activity Before Grounding (Hackread)

In Rare Move, Alleged Iranian State Hacker Extradited to US (SecurityWeek)

Police Target KillSec Ransomware Group with Arrests and Seizures (Infosecurity Magazine)

Crypto Scammers Hijack Microsoft's Official X Account (SecurityWeek)

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A Pentagon breach exposes data on millions. ShinyHunters goes dark. MI5 warns universities about Chinese espionage. AI agents find creative ways around their guardrails. A fake Zoom installer delivers macOS malware. Cisco patches an actively exploited SD-WAN flaw. OpenAI disrupts a “distillation attack.” Cyber Command confronts operator burnout. Treasury targets alleged ATM jackpotters. Our guest is Etay Maor, Vice President of Threat Intelligence at Cato Networks, with a reminder that your network isn't a recycling bin. Prophecy as a service.

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CyberWire Guest

Today we are joined by Etay Maor, Vice President of Threat Intelligence at Cato Networks, sharing his views on how your network isn't a recycling bin.

Selected Reading

Hackers stole millions of US military personnel records during months-long data breach (TechCrunch)

ShinyHunters website goes offline after FBI deadline expires (Reuters)

MI5 Warns Over 100 Academics Helped China's Espionage Plans (Infosecurity Magazine)

Rogue Agents Investigation (Asymmetric Security)

CloudSyncD: macOS backdoor hidden in a fake Zoom installer (Jamf)

Cisco Patches Exploited Catalyst SD-WAN Zero-Day Vulnerability (SecurityWeek)

Irony alert: OpenAI whines that Chinese model stole its special IP that it stole from everybody else (The Register)

After reports on suicide deaths, Pentagon puts Cyber Command on notice (The Record)

Treasury Blacklists Most-Wanted ATM Malware Developer and His Network (SecurityWeek)

Chatbots as oracles: How AI is giving new life to the ancient practice of seeking answers from inscrutable sources (The Conversation)

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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.

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The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc.
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