(Presented by TLPBLACK: High-fidelity threat intelligence and research tools for modern security teams. From curated Passive DNS and real-time C2 monitoring to actionable IOC feeds and daily malware samples, we help defenders detect, hunt, and disrupt threats faster, with seamless integration into SIEM and SOAR workflows.) Three Buddy Problem - Episode 86: We dig into GitLab’s explosive look at North Korea’s “Contagious Interview” APT operation, the scale of fake IT worker infiltration, and what it means for companies chasing cheap talent. Plus, a fresh batch of already-exploited Ivanti and Dell zero-days, the return of Apple’s shutdown logs, and thoughts on addictive AI coding agents affecting human purpose. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

(Presented by Thinkst Canary: Most Companies find out way too late that they’ve been breached. Thinkst Canary changes this. Deploy Canaries and Canarytokens in minutes and then forget about them. Attackers tip their hand by touching ’em giving you the one alert, when it matters. With zero admin overhead and almost no false-positives, Canaries are deployed (and loved) on all 7 continents.) Three Buddy Problem - Episode 85: Top stories this week include drone incursions over El Paso and the murky line between cartel activity, anti-drone tech testing, and full-blown hybrid warfare; updates on the Notepad++ supply chain fallout; Microsoft’s zero-day treadmill and AI-enabled attack surfaces; and Apple’s “extremely sophisticated” iOS exploits. Plus, Europe’s growing appetite for offensive cyber, Palo Alto and the uncomfortable politics of cyber attribution, Singapore on telco intrusions, and the economics of end-of-life infrastructure. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

(Presented by Thinkst Canary: Most Companies find out way too late that they’ve been breached. Thinkst Canary changes this. Deploy Canaries and Canarytokens in minutes and then forget about them. Attackers tip their hand by touching ’em giving you the one alert, when it matters. With zero admin overhead and almost no false-positives, Canaries are deployed (and loved) on all 7 continents.) Three Buddy Problem - Episode 84: We process the cybersecurity fallout from the latest Epstein document dump, focusing on why redactions fail in the AI era and how quickly modern tools can unravel them. The conversation moves from sloppy redaction practices and exploit mythology to harder questions about ethics, accountability, and silence within the infosec community. Plus, inside the Notepad++ supply-chain compromise attributed to a known Chinese APT, Microsoft’s security executive changes, Anthropic's AI-driven vulnerability discovery, China-linked network implants, and Lockdown Mode thwarting FBI investigators. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

(Presented by Material Security: We protect your company’s most valuable materials -- the emails, files, and accounts that live in your Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 cloud offices.) Three Buddy Problem - Episode 83: Poland's CERT documents a rare, explicit wiper attack on civilians in a NATO country, including detailed attribution of a Russian government op targeting the electric grid in the heart of winter. We examine why this crosses a long-avoided threshold, why attribution suddenly matters again, and what it says about pre-positioned access, vendor insecurity, and the shrinking gap between cyber operations and acts of war. Plus, another Fortinet fiasco, a new batch of Ivanti zero-days under attack, an emergency patch from Microsoft and the return of the mysterious KasperSekrets account. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

(Presented by Material Security: We protect your company’s most valuable materials -- the emails, files, and accounts that live in your Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 cloud offices.) Three Buddy Problem - Episode 82: We parse news that China-linked VoidLink is a malware framework created entirely by AI and the collapsing line between elite APT operations and everyday threat actors. Plus, a new Sean Heelan essay on low-cost exploit generation and why “AI guardrails” are mostly a comforting myth; AI slop overwhelming bug bounty programs; CISA's new Brickstorm YARA rules; and fresh research on a wiper-malware found in Russian attacks against Poland's electricity sector. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

(Presented by Material Security: We protect your company’s most valuable materials -- the emails, files, and accounts that live in your Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 cloud offices.) Three Buddy Problem - Episode 81: We dissect New York Times reporting on the "precision" of US cyber operations in Venezuela, the competing narratives around offensive cyber capabilities and "letters of marque" for private hackers. Plus, a mysterious failed cyber attack on Poland's power grid, internet blackouts in Iran (with fascinating DNS telemetry revealing Chinese bank traffic and Russian website spikes), and news of China's ban on US/Israeli cybersecurity software. We also cover Check Point's research on "VoidLink" (is it a successor to ShadowPad?), Microsoft's threat intelligence sharing practices, and Google Project Zero's disclosure of zero-click vulnerabilities caused by AI-powered transcription features. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

(Presented by Material Security: We protect your company’s most valuable materials -- the emails, files, and accounts that live in your Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 cloud offices.) Three Buddy Problem - Episode 80: Researcher Hamid Kashfi returns to unpack Iran’s latest unrest, separating economic reality from propaganda while examining how information control, cyber pressure, and state surveillance are shaping events on the ground. Plus, did cyber make the lights go out in Venezuela? Cast: Hamid Kashfi, Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

(Presented by Material Security: We protect your company’s most valuable materials -- the emails, files, and accounts that live in your Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 cloud offices.) Three Buddy Problem - Episode 79: We cover MongoBleed (CVE‑2025‑14847), exposed MongoDB deployments, and the sad realization that zero-day attacks are a normal, everyday occurrence. Plus, AI’s expanding role and misuse across products and workflows, proximity attacks against Bluetooth audio devices, spyware sanctions de-listings, and ransomware economics. In a special mailbag segment, we give our book recommendations and respond to common questions from the listeners. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

(Presented by ThreatLocker: Allow what you need. Block everything else by default, including ransomware and rogue code.) Three Buddy Problem - Episode 78: We close out the year with a no-budget, no-permission awards show, spotlighting the cybersecurity stories that actually mattered. Plus, a bizarre polygraph scandal at CISA, Chinese APT research dumps, ransomware pre-notification hiccups, foreign drone bans, and the growing gap between cyber theater and real operational value. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

(Presented by ThreatLocker: Allow what you need. Block everything else by default, including ransomware and rogue code.) Three Buddy Problem - Episode 77: New React2Shell data from Microsoft, fresh Apple and Cisco zero-days already in the wild, and state-linked campaigns from Russia and China that show a merging of espionage, crime, and infrastructure disruption. Plus, the US government's push to enlist private firms in offensive hacking, letters of marque for cartels, new discovery of spyware used against journalists in Belarus, and Amazon catching North Koreans via keystroke latency. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

(Presented by ThreatLocker: Allow what you need. Block everything else by default, including ransomware and rogue code.) Three Buddy Problem - Episode 76: On the show this week, Costin walks through how a single Romanian documentary kick-started nationwide protests, exposing how corruption can be perfectly legal when the law itself is gamed, and why this moment feels different, darker, and more consequential than past flare-ups. Plus, news on the React-to-Shell exploitation wave overwhelming the internet, why patching is structurally hard, and how APTs and criminals are converging on the same fragile dependency chain. Along the way, they take aim at Microsoft’s shrinking transparency, the limits of vendor trust, and what it really means when defenders are told (again) to just patch and pray. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

(Presented by ThreatLocker: Allow what you need. Block everything else by default, including ransomware and rogue code.) Three Buddy Problem - Episode 75: We dig into a CVSS 10/10 unauthenticated RCE bug causing chaos across the internet and early signs that Chinese APTs are already launching exploits, the cascading patch chaos, and a long tail of malware intrusions to come. Plus, commentary on Chrome’s telemetry collection, Microsoft and the "SFI success story," newest BRICKSTORM backdoor intrusions, the US national security strategy, Anthropic's AI popping smart-contract bugs, a secret FBI ransomware-hunting unit getting weird, and a pair of sad stories in the security community. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

(Presented by Material Security: We protect your company’s most valuable materials -- the emails, files, and accounts that live in your Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 cloud offices.) Three Buddy Problem - Episode 74: We attempt to parse the rumor-fog around Microsoft’s CISO at CYBERWARCON and what it reveals about the company’s shifting posture on intel sharing, regulation, and its outsized grip on the security ecosystem. Plus, coverage of the Shai-Hulud npm supply-chain mess, CISA’s mobile spyware guidance, NSO’s legal contortions, a sharp new GRU-linked intrusion from Arctic Wolf. We also discuss the FCC retreating on telco security rules, and the emerging AI arms race shaping how cloud giants hunt threats and how Washington misunderstands all of it. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

(Presented by Material Security: We protect your company’s most valuable materials -- the emails, files, and accounts that live in your Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 cloud offices.) Three Buddy Problem - Episode 73: The buddies react to Google’s release of Gemini 3 and its early performance, new Chrome interface changes landing on users’ machines, and major highlights from CYBERWARCON. We revisit the long-running debate over APT naming conventions, examine Amazon’s latest threat-intel reporting on Iranian activity, and walk through the Cloudflare outage that briefly knocked chunks of the internet offline. Plus, new APT reports from ESET, Positive Technologies, and SecurityScorecard, and China's CN-CERT (now validated claim) that the U.S. government seized billions in Bitcoin tied to the Lubian mining-pool hack. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Presented by Material Security: We protect your company’s most valuable materials -- the emails, files, and accounts that live in your Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 cloud offices. Three Buddy Problem - Episode 72: We unpack Anthropic’s conflicting self-promotion around the “first AI-orchestrated cyberattack” using Claude Code and the future of automated APT attacks. Plus, Chinese cyber vendor KnownSec falls victim to data breach, fresh accusations that the U.S. stole billions in Bitcoin, Amazon warning about Cisco/Citrix zero-days, Google’s new Private AI Compute and Microsoft kernel zero-day marked as "actively exploited." Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Presented by Material Security: We protect your company’s most valuable materials -- the emails, files, and accounts that live in your Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 cloud offices. Three Buddy Problem - Episode 71: The buddies travel to Canada for a live recording at the Countermeasure conference, discussing the Google v FFmpeg open-source patching brouhana, ransomware negotiators charged and linked to ransomware attacks, the looming TP-Link ban in the U.S., and the discovery of LANDFALL, an APT attack caught using a Samsung mobile zero-day. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 70: Dave Aitel from OpenAI's technical staff joins the buddies to discuss the just-launched Aardvark, OpenAI’s agentic “security researcher” that claims to read code, finds bugs, validates exploits, and ships patches. We press him on where LLMs beat fuzzers, privacy boundaries, human-in-the-loop realities, SDLC budgets, pen-test cadence, and the zero-day economy. Plus, L3 Harris/Trenchant exec pleads guilty to selling exploits to Russian brokers, Kaspersky catches the return of HackingTeam using Chrome zero-day exploit chain, and news of a proposed law in Russia to force researchers to report vulnerabilities first to goverment agencies. Cast: Dave Aitel (Technical Staff, OpenAI), Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 69: We dig into news that Apple's iOS 26 has quietly killed the shutdown.log forensic artifact used to spot signs of infections and what it means for threat hunters. Plus, whispers of a million-dollar WhatsApp zero-click exploit that never materialized at Pwn2Own, a surreal court case linking a Trenchant exploit developer to Russian buyers, and Chinese threat intel reports pointing fingers at the NSA. We also discuss calls for the US government to build a structured, lawful ecosystem for private-sector offensive operations to address existing chaos and market gaps. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Three Buddy Problem (Episode 68): The buddies are trapped in timezone hell with cross-country travel this week. In this special episode, we present Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade's LABScon 2025 keynote-day presentation on the state of cybersecurity and why this phase of our collective project has failed, and how to build something smarter, more sustainable, and deeply interconnected in its place. Juanito traces the field’s evolution from chaos to consolidation, weaving in cybernetics, standardization, and the dawning coexistence of human and artificial evaluative power. The result is part philosophical sermon, part rallying cry, an invitation to reject the industry’s slave morality, rethink our tools, and steer the next era of defense with intention.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 67: We discuss the rise of automated red-teaming, Apple’s $2 million exploit chain bounties aimed at outbidding spyware brokers and the iPhone maker's focus on wireless proximity attacks and “tactical suitcase” Wi-Fi exploits. We also hit the news of Paragon spyware targeting European executives and the bizarre story of NSO Group’s supposed US investor buyout. Plus, an update on Oracle’s zero-day ransomware fiasco, Ivanti’s endless patch delays, the ethics of journalists enabling ransomware operations on leak sites, Europe’s latest failed push for Chat Control, and VirusTotal’s new pricing tiers. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

This week on Security Conversations, Ryan sits down with Chris Eng, former Chief Research Officer at Veracode, to talk about life after nearly two decades at one company and the lessons learned along the way. They dig into a career start at the NSA, the early days of @Stake and the Symantec acquisition, and the birth and ambitions of Veracode. Plus, thoughts on how helping startups shape product strategy, what it takes to translate technical expertise into business impact, and how security culture has evolved since the early “hacker-to-enterprise” days. The conversation touches on defining your career beyond titles, how the perception of “cybersecurity” has changed over the years, and why the industry still has plenty of room for curiosity, reinvention, and good storytelling.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 66: We discuss drone sightings that shut down airports across Europe and what they reveal about hybrid warfare and the changing nature of conflict; Oracle ransomware/extortion campaign tied to unpatched E-Business Suite vulnerabilities and the company’s muted response. Plus, the TikTok–Oracle deal and the strange role Oracle now plays in U.S. national security; OpenAI’s Sora 2 launch and its implications for social media and human expression; Palo Alto’s “Phantom Taurus” APT report, a follow-up on Cisco’s ArcaneDoor disclosures, and the impact of the U.S. government shutdown on CISA. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 65: We zero in on one of the biggest security stories of the year: the discovery of a persistent multi-stage bootkit implanting malware on Cisco ASA firewalls. Details on a new campaign, tied to the same threat actors behind ArcaneDoor, exploiting zero-days in Cisco’s 5500-X series appliances, devices that sit at the heart of government and enterprise networks worldwide. Plus, Cisco’s controversial handling of these disclosures, CISA's emergency deadlines for patching, the absence of IOCs and samples, and China’s long-term positioning. Plus, thoughts on the Secret Service SIM farm discovery in New York and evidence of Russians APTs Turla and Gamaredon collaborating to hit Ukraine targets. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 64: SpyCloud Labs researchers Aurora Johnson and Trevor Hilligoss discuss the world of “internet toilets," the toxic online communities in China where harassment, stalking, and sextortion thrive. We explore how these groups operate, from doxing ex-lovers and enemies to running coordinated campaigns of cyberbullying that often spill into real-world harm. (Recorded at LABScon 2025). Cast: Aurora Johnson, Trevor Hilligoss, Ryan Naraine and Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 63: Co-founder of the Vertex Project Visi Stark joins the buddies to reminisce about his work writing Mandiant's famous APT1 report, the China-nexus threat landscape, the value of cyber threat intelligence, APT-naming schemes, and more... (Recorded at LABScon 2025) Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Visi Stark.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 62: Lindsay Freeman, Director of the Technology, Law & Policy program at the Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law, joins the show to discuss her team's meticulous work to document the Wagner Group's chain of command, military operations in parts of Africa, and the broadcasting of war crimes on social media platforms like Telegram. (Recorded at LABScon 2025) Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Lindsay Freeman.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 61: We cover a pair of software supply chain breaches (Salesforce Salesloft Drift and NPM/GitHub) that raises big questions about SaaS integrations and the ripple effects across major security vendors. Plus, Apple’s new Memory Integrity Enforcement in iPhone 17 and discussion on commercial spyware infections and the value of Apple notifications; concerns around Chinese hardware and surveillance equipment in US infrastructure; Silicon Valley profiting from China’s surveillance ecosystem; and controversy around a Huntress disclosure of an attacker’s operations after an EDR agent was mistakenly installed. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 60: We dissect a fresh multi-agency Salt Typhoon advisory (with IOCs and YARA rules!), why it landed late, why the wall of logos matters (and doesn’t), and what’s actually usable for defenders: new YARA, tool hashes, naming ambiguity across reports, the mention of Chinese vendors, and a Dutch note that smaller ISPs were hit. Plus, Costin details his hunting stack and philosophy (historic IOC/malware hoarding, fast pivots, and AI as analyst “wingman”) and a new Chinese APT report that may intersect with LightBasin and the murky PSOA world. We also debate Google’s proposed “cyber disruption unit” versus Microsoft’s DCU (legal vs. “ethical” takedowns, PR, and business models); react to Anthropic’s report on real attacker use of Claude; note Amazon’s APT29 watering-hole disruption; and close on a fresh WhatsApp-to-ImageIO zero-click chain and practical phone OPSEC. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 59: Apple drops another emergency iOS patch and we unpack what that “may have been exploited” language really means: zero-click chains, why notifications help but forensics don’t, and the uncomfortable truth that Lockdown Mode is increasingly the default for high-risk users. We connect the dots from ImageIO bugs to geopolitics, discuss who’s likely using these exploits, why Apple’s guidance stops short, and the practical playbook (ADP on, reboot often, reduce attack surface) that actually works. Plus, we debate Microsoft throttling MAPP access for Chinese vendors, the idea of “letters of marque” for cyber (outsourced offense: smart deterrent or Pandora’s box?), and dissect two case studies that blur APT and crimeware: PipeMagic’s CLFS zero-day and Russia-linked “Static Tundra” riding seven-year-old Cisco bugs. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 58: The buddies react to the Brandon Dixon episode, digging into what it’s really like to scale products inside a tech giant, navigate politics, and bring features to millions of machines. Plus, an exploration of the AI cybersecurity gold rush, the promise and hype, and the gamble for startups versus the slow-moving advantage of incumbents. We revisit the Chinese "cyber militia" discussion and the looming AI “dot-com bubble,” the value of owning infrastructure, Nvidia and export controls, China’s manufacturing edge, and the geopolitics of supply chains. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 57: Brandon Dixon (PassiveTotal/RiskIQ, Microsoft) leads a deep-dive into the collision of AI and cybersecurity. We tackle Google’s “Big Sleep” project, XBOW’s HackerOne automation hype, the long-running tension between big tech ownership of critical security tools and the community’s need for open access. Plus, the future of SOC automation to AI-assisted pen testing, how agentic AI could transform the cyber talent bottlenecks and operational inefficiencies, geopolitical debates over backdoors in GPUs and the strategic implications of China’s AI model development. Cast: Brandon Dixon, Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, and Ryan Naraine.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 56: China-focused researcher Dakota Cary joins the buddies to dig into China’s sprawling cyber ecosystem, from the HAFNIUM indictments and MSS tasking pipelines to the murky world of APT contractors and the ransomware hustle. We break down China’s “entrepreneurial” model of intelligence collection, why public visibility into these threat actors is so hard to get right, and how companies like Microsoft get caught in the geopolitical crossfire. Plus: a deep dive on suspected MAPP leaks and Sharepoint zero-days, Singapore targeted by extremely sophisticated China-nexus hacking group, soft censorship in corporate threat-intel, and whether the U.S. should rethink how it fills its intelligence gaps. Cast: Dakota Cary, Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 55: A SharePoint zero-day exploit chain from Pwn2Own Berlin becomes a full-blown security crisis with Chinese nation-state actors exploiting vulnerabilities that Microsoft struggled to patch properly, leading to trivial bypasses and a cascade of new CVEs. The timeline is messy, the patches are faulty, and ransomware groups are lining up to join the party. We also revisit the ProPublica bombshell about Microsoft's "digital escorts" and U.S. government data exposure to Chinese adversaries and the company's "oops, we will stop" response. Plus, trusting Google's Big Sleep AI claims and a cautionary tale about AI agents gone rogue that wiped out a production database. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 54: Europol busted pro‑Russian hacktivist crew NoName 057(16), the Brits announce sanctions on Russia’s GRU cyber units, Wagner‑linked “war influencers” streamed atrocities from Africa, and fresh tech worries ranged from a $500 RF flaw that can hijack U.S. train brakes. Plus, ProPublica on Microsoft’s China‑based “digital escorts,” Google’s headline‑grabbing AI‑found SQLite zero‑day, and OpenAI’s new task‑running agents. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s hackers wiped a Russian drone maker, ransomware crippled a major vodka producer, and another Chrome zero‑day quietly underscored how routine critical exploits have become. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 53: We dig into news of the first-ever arrest of a Chinese intelligence-linked hacker in Italy, unpack the mystery behind HAFNIUM and how they somehow got their hands on the same Microsoft Exchange zero-days that researcher Orange Tsai discovered - was it coincidence, inside access, or something more sinister? Plus, China's massive cyber capabilities pipeline, ‘theCom’ teenagers arrested in the UK after ransomware binge, and spyware attacks against Russian organizations. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 52: Fresh intelligence reports out of Europe and China: France’s ANSSI documents a string of Ivanti VPN zero-days ('Houken'), and Quanxin frames a stealth Microsoft Exchange-zero-day chain linked to a North American 'Night Eagle' threat actor. We dissect the technical bread-crumbs, questions the attribution math, and connects Houken to SentinelOne’s “Purple Haze” research. Plus, the FBI’s claim that China’s “Salt Typhoon” has been “contained,” Iran’s Nobitex crypto-exchange breach (Predatory Sparrow torches $90 million and leaks the source code), Iranian cyber capabilities and sanctions avoidance. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 51: Former Immunity/Trail of Bits researcher Hamid Kashfi joins the buddies for a fast-moving tour of cyber activities in the Israel-Iran war. The crew unpacks who 'Predatory Sparrow' is, why Sepah Bank and the Nobitex crypto exchange were hit, and what a $90 million cryptocurrency burn really means. Plus, radar-blinding cyberattacks that paved the way for Israel’s air raid, the human cost of sudden ATM outages and unpaid salaries, and the puzzling “Code Breakers” data leak that preceded it all. Hamid shares on-the-ground context, the buddies debate whether cyber operations can sway a shooting war, and everyone tries to gauge Iran’s true offensive muscle under sanctions. Cast: Hamid Kashfi, Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 50: This week, we dissect cyber flashpoints in the Iran-Israel war, revisit the “magnet of threats” server in Iran that attracted APTs from multiple nation-states, and react to Israel's Mossad sneaking explosive drone swarms deep into Iran to support airstrikes. Plus, Stealth Falcon’s new WebDAV zero-day, SentinelOne’s brush with Chinese APTs, Citizen Lab’s forensic takedown of Paragon’s iPhone spyware, and the sneaky Meta/Yandex trick that links Android web browsing to app IDs. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 49: Cybersecurity veteran Mikko Hypponen joins the show to discuss the fast-changing life and times on NATO’s newest frontline, how Ukraine’s long-range “Spiderweb” drone swarms punched holes in Russian air bases, the cyber connections to the escalating drone warfare, and the coming wave of autonomous “killer robots”. Plus, news on Ukraine’s hack of bomber-maker Tupolev, the industry’s never-ending APT naming mess, iVerify’s newly disclosed iMessage zero-click bug, fresh Qualcomm GPU exploits still unpatched on Android devices, and Cellebrite’s purchase of Corellium. Cast: Ryan Naraine, Costin Raiu and Mikko Hypponen Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade is out this week at Sleuthcon.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 48: We unpack a Dutch intelligence agencies report on ‘Laundry Bear’ and Microsoft’s parallel ‘Void Blizzard’ write-up, finding major gaps and bemoaning the absence of IOCs. Plus, discussion on why threat-intel naming is so messy, how initial-access brokers are powering even nation-state break-ins, and whether customers (or vendors) are to blame for the confusion. Plus, thoughts on an academic paper on the vanishing art of Western companies exposing Western (friendly) APT operations, debate whether stealth or self-censorship is to blame, and the long-tail effects on cyber paleontology. We also dig into Sean Heelan’s proof that OpenAI’s new reasoning model can spot a Linux kernel 0-day and the implications for humans in the bug-hunting chain. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 47: We unpack a multi-agency report on Russia’s APT28/Fancy Bear hacking and spying on Ukraine war supply lines, CISA’s sloppy YARA rules riddled with false positives, the ethics of full-disclosure after Akamai dropped Windows Server “BadSuccessor” exploit details, and Sekoia’s discovery of thousands of hijacked edge devices repurposed as honeypots. The back half veers into Microsoft’s resurrected Windows Recall, Signal’s new screenshot-blocking countermeasure, Japan’s fresh legal mandate for pre-emptive cyber strikes, and why appliance vendors like Ivanti keep landing in the headlines. Along the way you get hot takes on techno-feudalism, Johnny Ive’s rumored AI gadget, and a lively debate over whether publishing exploit code ever helps defenders. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 46: We dig into a Coinbase breach headlined by bribes, rogue contractors and a $20 million ransom demand. Plus, (another!) batch of Ivanti and Microsoft zero-days being exploited in the wild, a new 'Intrusion Logging' feature coming to Android, Apple's iOS 18.5 patches, and the EU announcing its own vulnerability database and software vendor secure-coding pledge. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 45: (The buddies are trapped in timezone hell with cross-continent travel this week). In the meantime, absorb this keynote presented by Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (JAG-S) at CounterThreats 2023. It's a frank discussion on the role of cyber threat intelligence (CTI) during wartime and its importance in bridging information gaps between adversaries. Includes talk on the ethical challenges in CTI, questioning the impact of intelligence-sharing and how cyber operations affect real-world conflicts. He pointed to Ukraine and Israel as examples where CTI plays a critical, yet complicated, role. His message: cybersecurity pros need to be aware of the real-world consequences of their work and the ethical responsibility that comes with it. Acknowledgment: Credit for the audio goes to CyberThreat 2023, SANS Institute, NCSC, and SentinelOne. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 44: We unpack news that US government officials are using an obscure app to archive Signal messages, OpenAI’s new “Aardvark” code-evaluation and reasoning model and leapfrog implications, NSC cyber lead Alexei Bulazel on normalizing US offensive operations, and JP Morgan Chase CISO’s warning to software vendors. Plus, fresh SentinelOne threat-intel notes, France’s attribution of GRU activity and a head-scratching $330 million Bitcoin heist. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Ryan Naraine and Costin Raiu.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 43: Director of the Alperovitch Institute for Cybersecurity Studies Thomas Rid joins the show for a deep-dive into the philosophical and ethical considerations surrounding AI consciousness and anthropomorphism. We dig into the multifaceted implications of AI technology, particularly focusing on data privacy, national security, and the philosophical questions surrounding AI consciousness and rights. Plus, TP-Link under US government investigation and the broader issues of consumer trust in hardware security, the need for regulation and inspectability of technology, and the struggles with patching network devices. Cast: Thomas Rid, Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade and Ryan Naraine. Costin Raiu is away this week.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 42: We dig into news that China secretly fessed up to the Volt Typhoon hacks and followed up with claims that named NSA agents launched advanced cyberattacks against the Asian Winter Games. Plus, the MITRE CVE funding crisis, new Apple 0days in the wild includes PAC bypass exploit, Microsoft Patch Tuesday zero-days. Plus, the effectiveness of Lockdown Mode, the rising costs of mobile exploits, Chris Krebs' exit from SentinelOne after a presidential executive order, and the value and effectiveness of security clearances. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 41: Costin and Juanito join the show from Black Hat Asia in Singapore. We discuss Bunnie Huang's keynote on hardware supply chains and a classification system to establish a grounded perspective on trust in hardware, Ivanti's misdiagnosis of a critical VPN applicance flaw and Mandiant reporting on a Chinese APT exploiting Ivanti devices. Plus, breaking news on the sudden firing of NSA director and head of Cyber Command Tim Haugh. We also discuss Microsoft touting AI's value in finding open-source bootloader bugs, Silent Push report on a RUssian APT impersonating the CIA, a backdoor in a popular Chinese robot dog, and Chinese dominance of the robotics market. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 40: On the show this week, we look at the technical deficiencies and opsec concerns around the use of Signal for ultra-sensitive communications. Plus, some speculation on who's behind Kaspersky’s ‘Operation Forum Troll’ report, Chinese discussion on NSA/CIA mobile networks exploitation, and the return of ‘Lab Dookhtegan’ hack-and-leak exposures. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 39: Luta Security CEO Katie Moussouris joins the buddies to parse news around a coordinated Chinese exposure of Taiwan APT actors, CitizenLab's report on Paragon spyware and WhatsApp exploits, an “official” Russian government exploit-buying operation shopping for Telegram exploits, the fragmentation of exploit markets and the future of CISA in the face of budget cuts and layoffs. Cast: Katie Moussouris, Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 38: On the show this week, we look at a hefty batch of Microsoft zero-days exploited in the wild, iOS 18.3.2 fixing an exploited WebKit bug, a mysterious Unpatched.ai being credited with Microsoft Access RCE flaws, and OpenAI lobbying for the US to ban China's DeepSeek. Plus, discussion on a Binarly technical paper with new approach to finding UEFI bootkits, Mandiant flagging custom backdoors on Juniper routers, and MEV 'sandwich attacks' front-running cryptocurrency transactions. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 37: This week, we revisit the public reporting on a US/Russia cyber stand down order, CISA declaring no change to its position on tracking Russian threats, and the high-level diplomatic optics at play. Plus, a dissection of ‘The Lamberts’ APT and connections to US intelligence agencies, attribution around ‘Operation Triangulation’ and the lack of recent visibility into these actors. We also discuss a fresh batch of VMware zero-days, China’s i-Soon ‘hackers-for-hire’ indictments, the Pangu/i-Soon connection, and a new wave of Apple threat-intel warnings about mercenary spyware infections. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 36: Ryan and Juanito join the show from the RE//verse conference with discussion on Natalie Silvanovic’s keynote on hunting for bugs in mobile messengers, the thrill of looking at exposed attack surfaces and the grueling “losses” bug hunters endure before a breakthrough. We also cover the latest on the $1.4 billion ByBit hack pinned on the Lazarus Group and the malicious JavaScript supply chain attack at the center of the cryptocurrency heist. Plus, the ethical gray zones of tethered exploits via Cellebrite, the whiplash of AI-driven threat intel, and the looming pivot in U.S. cyber policy signaling a stand-down on Russia-focused ops. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 35: Juanito is live from DistrictCon with notes on discussion of an elusive iOS zero-day by a company called QuaDream and Apple’s controversial removal of iCloud backup end-to-end encryption in the UK. We also cover a staggering $1.4 billion hack by the Lazarus Group against Bybit, new angles in NSA-linked cyber-espionage against China’s top universities, Chinese hacking gangs moonlighting as ransomware criminals, and Russian APTs abusing Signal’s “linked devices” feature. Plus, Costin explains Microsoft’s quantum computing breakthrough. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 34: We dig into the latest exploited Apple iPhone zero-day (USB Restricted Mode bypass), an AMD microcode flaw so serious it’s not being fully disclosed, a barrage of Patch Tuesday updates, the helpless nature of trying to defend corporate networks, Russian threat actor movements, and fresh intel from Rapid7, Volexity, and Microsoft. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 33: In this episode, we unpack the UK government's secret push for backdoor access to encrypted iCloud data, Apple’s approach to iCloud encryption, and the broader implications for privacy and security on a global scale. Plus, how security agencies handle zero-day vulnerabilities, surveillance spyware and mercenary hacking, and TikTok-powered election disinformation and interference. From wormable exploits like Eternal Bue to the realities of AI-based spying, the episode offers a detailed look into how government oversight, private sector collaboration, and shifting market forces have reshaped the way we think about cybersecurity. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 32: In this episode, we rummage through the DeepSeek hype and break down what makes it different from OpenAI’s models, why it’s stirring up existential controversies, and what it means for the broader tech landscape. We get into the privacy concerns, the geo-political implications, how AI models handle data, the ongoing debate over IP theft and innovation, and the challenges that come with a Chinese company shipping an open-source alternative. Beyond AI, we dig into some of the latest headlines; from a Chinese ‘backdoor’ in medical devices, problems with CISA’s backdoor bulletin, the risks of insecure IoT, phishing attacks on influencers, and ongoing battles over censorship in the VPN space. We also touch on WhatsApp catching spyware vendor Paragon Solutions and potential shifts in U.S. government policy on commercial mercenary hacking and surveillance companies. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 31: Dennis Fisher steps in for Ryan Naraine to moderate discussion on a very busy week in cybersecurity. The cast dig into the wave of big research reports, the disbanding of the Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB), the ongoing flood of exploits targeting security appliances from Ivanti and SonicWall, and the recent Lumen research on Juniper router backdoors. Plus, the challenges of coordinating disclosures, the tough realities of intelligence work, and the complex landscape of nation-state attacks -- especially around Chinese threat actors and Western defenses. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Dennis Fisher. Ryan Naraine in on work travel.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 30: We discuss French threat-intel Sekoia creating a portal to handle “sovereign disinfections” of the PlugX malware, CISA leadership taking a victory lap using the ‘Secure by Design’ pledge as a trophy, the new Biden cybersecurity Executive Order, another Fortinet zero-day, the TikTok ban and Ukrainian hackers targeting Russian companies. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 29: Another day, another Ivanti zero-day being exploited in the wild. Plus, China's strange response to Volt Typhoon attribution, Japan blames China for hacks, a Samsung 0-click vulnerability found by Project Zero, Kim Zetter's reporting on drone sightings and a nuclear scare. Plus, hijacking abandoned .gov backdoors and Ukrainian hacktivists wiping a major Russian ISP. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 28: In this episode, we explore the ongoing challenges of threat actor naming in cybersecurity and the confusion caused by a lack of standardization, methodological inconsistencies and skewed, marketing-driven incentives. Plus, the US Treasury/BeyondTrust hack, the surge in 0day discoveries, a new variant of the Xdr33 CIA Hive malware, and exclusive new information on the Cyberhaven Chrome extension security incident. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 27: We discuss the discovery of a Palo Alto network firewall attack and a stealthy network ed ge device backdoor (LITTLELAMB.WOOLTEA), the Cyberhaven hack and the shady world of browser extensions, and a look back at the top research projects that caught our attention in 2025. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 26: We dive deep into the shadowy world of surveillance and cyber operations, unpacking Amnesty International's explosive report on NoviSpy, a previously unknown Android implant used against Serbian activists, and the links to Israeli forensics software vendor Cellebrite. Plus, thoughts on the US government’s controversial guidance on VPNs, Chinese reports on US intel agency hacking, TP-Link sanctions chatter, Mossad's dramatic exploding beeper operation and the ethical, legal, and security implications of escalating cyber-deterrence. Also, a mysterious BeyondTrust 0-day! Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 25: An update on Romania’s cancelled election, the implications of TikTok on democratic processes, and the broader issues around surveillance capitalism and micro-targeting. Plus, news on Turla piggybacking on cybercriminal malware to hit Ukraine, the return of Careto and the absence of IOCs, Claroty report on an Iran-linked cyberweapon targeting critical infrastructure, ethical considerations in cyberwarfare, and the implications of quantum computing on security and cryptocurrencies. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 24: In this episode, we did into Lumen/Microsoft’s revelations on Russia's Turla APT stealing from a Pakistani APT, and issues around fourth-party espionage and problems with threat actor attribution. We also discuss Citizen Lab’s findings on Monokle-like spyware implanted by Russian authorities, the slow pace of Salt Typhoon disinfection, the Solana web3.js supply chain attack affecting crypto projects, and the Romanian election crisis over Russian interference via TikTok. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiuand Ryan Naraine.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 23: Volexity founder Steven Adair joins the show to explore the significance of memory analysis and the technical challenges associated with memory dumping and forensics. We dig into Volexity’s “nearest neighbor” Wi-Fi hack discovery, gaps in EDR detection and telemetry, and some real-talk on the Volt Typhoon intrusions. We also cover news on a Firefox zero-day exploited on the Tor browser, the professionalization of ransomware, ESET's discovery of a Linux bootkit (we have a scoop on the origins of this!), Binarly research on connections to LogoFAIL, and major visibility gaps in the firmware ecosystem. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Costin Raiu (Art of Noh) and Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek). Honorary buddy: Steven Adair (Volexity)

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) Binary Risk Hunt (https://risk.binarly.io) In this reboot of the Security Conversations interview series, Foundation Capital partner Sid Trivedi weighs in on major changes to the RSA Innovation Sandbox, the mandatory $5M uncapped SAFE investment for all 10 finalists, and red-flag concerns around discounts and pro-rata rights. Also discussed: controversial pay-for-play dynamics involving CISOs and venture capital firms, ethical implications of CISOs taking advisory positions in startups, and the challenges of investing in seed-stage startups amidst a trend towards platformization.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 22: We discuss Volexity’s presentation on Russian APT operators hacking Wi-Fi networks in “nearest neighbor attacks,” the Chinese surveillance state and its impact on global security, the NSA's strange call for better data sharing on Salt Typhoon intrusions, and the failures of regulatory bodies to address cybersecurity risks. We also cover two new Apple zero-days being exploited in the wild, the US Government’s demand that Google sell the Chrome browser, and the value of data in the context of AI. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Costin Raiu (Art of Noh) and Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek).

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 21: We dig into an incredible government report on Iranian hacking group Emennet Pasargad and tradecraft during the Israel/Hamas war, why Predatory Sparrow could have been aimed at deterrence in cyber, and the FBI/CISA public confirmation of the mysterious Salt Typhoon hacks. Plus, discussion on hina’s cyber capabilities, the narrative around “pre-positioning” for a Taiwan conflict, the blending of cyber and kinetic operations, and the long tail of Chinese researchers reporting Microsoft Windows vulnerabilities. The future of CISA is a recurring theme throughout this episode with some speculation about what happens to the agency under the Trump administration. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Costin Raiu (Art of Noh) and Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek).

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 20: We revisit the ‘hack-back’ debate, the threshold for spying on adversaries, Palo Alto watching EDR bypass research to track threat actors, hot nuggets in Project Zero’s Clem Lecinge’s Hexacon talk, Apple’s new iOS update rebooting iPhones in law enforcement custody, the mysterious GoblinRAT backdoor, and physical ‘meatspace’ Bitcoin attacks and more details on North Korean cryptocurrency theft. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Costin Raiu (Art of Noh) and Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek).

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 19: We explore Ivan Kwiatkowski’s essay on the limits of threat intelligence, Sophos using kernel implants to surveil Chinese hackers, the concept of ‘hack-back’ and legal implications, geopolitical layers of cyber espionage, CIA malware in Venezuela, Vatican/Mossad mentioned in high-profile Italy hacks, and Canada bracing for .gov attacks from India. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Costin Raiu (Art of Noh) and Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek).

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 18: This week’s show covers the White House's new Traffic Light Protocol (TLP) guidance, Reuters expose of Appin as a hack-for-hire mercenary company, Fortinet zero-day exploitation and missing CSRB investigations, major cryptocurrency heists, Apple opening Private Cloud Compute to public inspection, Russians removed from Linux kernel maintenance and China’s Antiy beefing with Sentinel One over APT reporting. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Costin Raiu (Art of Noh) and Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek).

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 17: News of a wiper malware attack in Israel implicating ESET, threats from wartime hacktivists, China's strange response to Volt Typhoon attribution and Section 702 messaging, an IE zero-day discovery and web browser rot in South Korea, the ongoing isolation of Kaspersky due to sanctions, and the geopolitical influences affecting cybersecurity reporting. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Costin Raiu (Art of Noh) and Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek).

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 16: We break down the new GCHQ advisory on the history and tactics of Russia’s APT29, the challenges of tracking and defending against these sophisticated espionage programs, the mysterious Salt Typhoon intrusions, the absence of technical indicators (IOCs), the risks of supply chain attacks. We also touch on the surge in zero-day discoveries, the nonstop flow of exploited Ivanti security bugs, and why the CSRB should investigate these network edge device and appliance vendors. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Costin Raiu (Art of Noh) and Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek).

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 15: Juanito checks in from Virus Bulletin with news on the return of Careto/Mask, a ‘milk-carton’ APT linked to Spain. We also cover the latest controversy surrounding IDA Pro's subscription model, a major new YARA update, and ongoing issues with VirusTotal's value and pricing. The conversation shifts to North Korean cyber operations, particularly the infiltration of prominent crypto companies, Tom Rid's essay on Russian disinformation results, and the US government's ICE department using commercial spyware from an Israeli vendor. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Costin Raiu (Art of Noh) and Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek).

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 14: The buddies are back together for a discussion on Juan’s LABScon keynote and mental health realities, Microsoft rewriting the Windows Recall security architecture, a new CVSS 9.9 Linux CUPS flaw, Kaspersky's controversial transition to Ultra AV, and the intelligence operations surrounding exploding pagers in Lebanon. (This episode is dedicated to the memory of Jeff Wade from Solis, who was an important part of the LABScon family.) Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Costin Raiu (Art of Noh) and Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek).

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 13: This is a special edition of the show, featuring Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade's full keynote day remarks at LABScon2024. In this talk, Juanito addresses the current state of the threat intelligence industry, expressing a need for a difficult conversation about its direction and purpose. He discusses feelings of disenfranchisement among professionals, the void in meaningful work, and the importance of reclaiming control and value in cybersecurity. Juan emphasizes the need for researchers, journalists, and even VCs, to be the change to reinvigorate the industry and ensure its relevance and impact. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs). Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine are listening to this episode.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 12: Gabriel Bernadett-Shapiro joins the show for an extended conversation on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. We discuss the hype around OpenAI's new o1 model, AI chain-of-thought reasoning and security use-cases, pervasive chatbots and privacy concerns, and the ongoing debate between open source and closed source AI models. Cast: Gabriel Bernadett-Shapiro , Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek). Costin Raiu is on vacation.

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 11: Russia's notorious GRU Unit 29155 (previously tied to assassinations, poisonings and coup attempts) now blamed for destructive cyberattacks for sabotage; FBI and DOJ take down 'Doppelganger' network spreading Russian propaganda; CISA's budget, staff, advisories and YARA rules; Influence Operations 2.0; prolific Chinese hackers and global bug-disclosure implications; North Korean hacking capabilities and 0day expertise. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Costin Raiu (Art of Noh), Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek)

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 10: Top stories this week -- Volt Typhoon zero-day exploitation of Versa Director servers, Chinese APT building botnets with EOL routers, the gap in security solutions for network devices and appliances, Russia's APT29 (Midnight Blizzard) caught reusing exploits from NSO Group and Intellexa, Microsoft’s upcoming Windows endpoint security summit in response to the CrowdStrike incident, and the arrest of Telegram’s Pavel Durov in France. Plus, the NSA is launching a podcast. Hosts: Costin Raiu (Art of Noh), Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek)

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 9: On this episode, we look at the hacking scene in Taiwan, the sad state of visibility into big malware campaigns, the absence of APTs linked to the prolific MIVD Dutch intelligence agency, the blurring lines between big ransomware heists and nation-state actors caught using ransomware as a tool for sabotage and misattribution. Plus, Chinese mobile OS vendor Xiaoimi caught disabling parts of its infrastructure -- including its global app store -- to thwart Pwn2Own contestants; and news of an addition to the LABScon 2024 keynote stage. Hosts: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Costin Raiu (Art of Noh), Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek)

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 8: This week’s show digs into Microsoft’s in-the-wild zero-day woes, Patch Tuesday and the absence of IOCs, a wormable Windows TCP/IP flaw that the Chinese government knew about for months, Iran’s aggressive hacking US election targets, CrowdStrike v Qihoo360 and major problems with APT naming conventions. Hosts: Costin Raiu (Art of Noh), Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek)

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 7: In this episode, we try to close the book on the CrowdStrike Windows BSOD story, Microsoft VP David Weston’s technical documentation and issues around kernel access and OS resilience. We also discuss Binarly’s PKFail research, secure boot bypasses, Dan Geer and tech monoculture, software vendor liability issues and the need for inspectability in security mechanisms. The conversation explores cyber angles to train service disruptions in Paris, the history of cyber operations targeting the Olympics, the lack of public acknowledgment and attribution of cyber operations by Western intelligence agencies, and the importance of transparency and case studies in understanding and discussing cyber operations. Hosts: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Costin Raiu (Art of Noh), Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek)

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 6: As the dust settles on the CrowdStrike incident that blue-screened 8.5 million Windows computers worldwide, we dig into CrowdStrike’s preliminary incident report, the lack of transparency in the update process and the need for more robust testing and validation. We also discuss Microsoft's responsibility to avoid infinite BSOD loops, risks of deploying EDR agents on critical systems, and how an EU settlement is being blamed for EDR vendors having access to the Windows kernel. Other topics on the show include Mandiant's attribution capabilities, North Korea’s gov-backed hacking teams launching ransomware on hospitals, KnowBe4 hiring a fake North Korean IT worker, and new developments in the NSO Group surveillance-ware lawsuit. Hosts: Costin Raiu (Art of Noh), Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek)

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 5: Hot off the press, we dive into the news of the CrowdStrike software update that caused blue screens on computers worldwide, the resulting chaos and potential connections to the Microsoft 365 outage, the fragility of modern computing and the risks of new software paradigms. We also discuss the AT&T mega-breach and the ransom paid to delete the stolen data; the challenges of ransomware and the uncertainty surrounding the deletion of stolen data; the FBI gaining access to a password-protected phone, the prices for zero-click exploits; and the resurgence of APT 41 with expanding targets. Plus, some news on upcoming keynote speakers at LabsCon 2024. Hosts: Costin Raiu (Art of Noh), Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek)

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 4: The boys delve into the massive AT&T call logs breach, the Snowflake incidents and the notion of shared-fate/shared responsibilities; news on fresh Apple notifications about mercenary spyware on iPhones and the effectiveness of notifications for different types of controversial targets. Plus, thoughts on Microsoft's zero-day disclosures and useless Patch Tuesday bulletins, AI-powered disinformation campaigns, and the US government's malware sharing initiative fading away. Hosts: Costin Raiu (Art of Noh), Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek).

The 'Three Buddy Problem' Podcast Episode 3: Former NSA computer scientist Dave Aitel (Immunity Inc., Cordyceps Systems) joins Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade for a frank discussion on the OpenSSH unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability and the challenges around patching and exploitation, the CISA 'secure-by-design' pledge and its impact on software vendor practices, Microsoft lobbying and the CSRB report, and changing face of government's attempts at cybersecurity regulations. We discuss the disruption caused by political changes and the potential implications for cybersecurity policies, impact from the Supreme Court Chevron ruling, security regulations and the challenges of writing laws for future technology, the role of CISA and its accomplishments, the debate around offensive cyber operations and the responsibility of companies like Google in addressing vulnerabilities. The need for clear separation between counterterrorism and espionage operations is highlighted, as well as the importance of understanding both defensive and offensive perspectives. Costin Raiu is on vacation.

The 'Three Buddy Problem' Podcast Episode 2: Ryan Naraine, Costin Raiu and Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade go all-in on the discussion around Google Project Zero disrupting counter-terrorism malware operations. A deep dive on disruption vs exposure, the effects of US government sanctions on private mercenary hacking companies, hypocricy and the tricky relationship between malware researchers are the intelligence community, and the lack of 'success stories' from so-called benevolent malware. We also discuss the implications of the TeamViewer breach by a skilled Russian APT, new Microsoft notifications to Midnight Blizzard victims and share thoughts on the Polyfill.io supply chain compromise.

Welcome to Episode 1 of a brand new cybersecurity podcast discussing the biggest news stories of the week. Ryan Naraine hosts a fast-moving conversation with Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (LABScon) and Costin Raiu (Art of Noh) on the Microsoft Recall debacle, the dark patterns emerging as big-tech embraces AI, Brad Smith's testimony and the lingering effects of the CSRB report, Apple's new Private Cloud Compute (PCC) infrastructure and Cupertino's long game. Oh, we also talk about the KL ban.

Episode sponsors: Binarly, the supply chain security experts (https://binarly.io) XZ.fail backdoor detector (https://xz.fail) Cris Neckar is a veteran security researcher now working as a partner at Two Bear Capital. In this episode, he reminisces on the early days of hacking at Neohapsis, his time on the Google Chrome security team, shenanigans at Pwn2Own/Pwnium, and the cat-and-mouse battle for browser exploit chains. We also discuss the zero-day exploit marketplace, the hype and promise of AI, and his mission to help highly technical founders bring products to market.

Episode sponsors: Binarly, the supply chain security experts (https://binarly.io) XZ.fail backdoor detector (https://xz.fail) Malware paleontologist Costin Raiu returns for an emergency episode on the XZ Utils software supply chain backdoor. We dig into the timeline of the attack, the characteristics of the backdoor, affected Linux distributions, and the reasons why 'Tia Jan' is the handiwork of a cunning nation-state. Based on all the clues available, Costin pinpoints three main suspects -- North Korea's Lazarus, China's APT41 or Russia's APT29 -- and warns that there are more of these backdoors lurking in modern software supply chains.

Episode sponsors: Binarly, the supply chain security experts (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Katie Moussouris founded Luta Security in 2016 and bootstrapped it into a profitable business with a culture of equity and healthy boundaries. She is a pioneer in the world of bug bounties and vulnerability disclosure and serves in multiple advisory roles for the U.S. government, including the new CISA Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB). In this episode, Moussouris discusses Luta Security's new Workforce Platform profit-sharing initiative, the changing face of the job market, criticisms of the CSRB's lack of enforcement authority, and looming regulations around zero-day vulnerability data.

Episode sponsors: Binarly, the supply chain security experts (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Costin Raiu has spent a lifetime in anti-malware research, working on some of the biggest nation-state APT cases in history, including Stuxnet, Duqu, Equation Group, Red October, Turla and Lazarus. In this exit interview, Costin digs into why he left the GReAT team after 13 years at the helm, ethical questions on exposing certain APT operations, changes in the nation-state malware attribution game, technically impressive APT attacks, and the 'dark spots' where future-thinking APTs are living.

Episode sponsors: Binarly, the supply chain security experts (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Danny Adamitis is a principal information security engineer at Black Lotus Labs, the threat research division within Lumen Technologies. On this episode of the show, we discuss his team's recent discovery of an impossible-to-kill botnet packed with end-of-life SOHO routers serving as a covert data transfer network for Volt Typhoon, a Chinese government-backed hacking group previously caught targeting US critical infrastructure. Danny digs into the inner workings of the botnet, the global problem end-of-life devices becoming useful tools for malicious actors, and the things network defenders can do today to mitigate threats at this layer.

Episode sponsors: Binarly, the supply chain security experts (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Allison Miller is founder and CEO of Cartomancy Labs and former CISO and VP of Trust at Reddit. She has spent the past 20 years scaling teams and technology at Bank of America, Google, Electronic Arts, PayPal/eBay, and Visa International. In this conversation, we discuss the convergence of security with fraud prevention and anti-abuse, the challenges and complexities in IAM implementations, the post-pandemic labor market, the evolving role of CISOs and new realities around CISO exposure to personal liability, thoughts on the 'build vs buy' debate and the nuance and dilemma of paying ransomware demands.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Rob Ragan, principal architect and security strategist at Bishop Fox, joins the show to share insights on scaling pen testing, the emergence of bug bounty programs, the value of attack surface management, and the role of AI in cybersecurity. We dig into the importance of proactive defense, the challenges of consolidating security tools, and the potential of AI in augmenting human intelligence. The conversation explores the potential of AI models and their impact on various aspects of technology and society and digs into the importance of improving model interaction by allowing more thoughtful and refined responses. We also discuss how AI can be a superpower, enabling rapid prototyping and idea generation. The discussion concludes with considerations for safeguarding AI models, including transparency, explainability, and potential regulations. Takeaways: Scaling pen testing can be challenging, and maintaining quality becomes difficult as the team grows. Bug bounty programs have been a net positive for businesses, providing valuable insights and incentivizing innovative research. Attack surface management plays a crucial role in identifying vulnerabilities and continuously monitoring an organization's security posture. Social engineering attacks, such as SIM swapping and phishing, require a multi-faceted defense strategy that includes technical controls, policies, and user education. AI has the potential to augment human intelligence and improve efficiency and effectiveness in cybersecurity. Improving model interaction by allowing more thoughtful and refined responses can enhance the user experience. Algorithms can be used to delegate tasks and improve performance, leading to better results in complex tasks. AI is an inflection point in technology, comparable to the internet and the industrial revolution. Can be game-changing to automate time-consuming tasks, freeing up human resources for more strategic work. Autocomplete and code generation tools like Copilot can significantly speed up coding and reduce errors. AI can be a superpower, enabling rapid prototyping, idea generation, and creative tasks. Safeguarding AI models requires transparency, explainability, and consideration of potential biases. Regulations may be necessary to ensure responsible use of AI, but they should not stifle innovation. Global adoption of AI should be encouraged to prevent technological disparities between countries.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Seth Spergel is managing partner at Merlin Ventures, where he is responsible for identifying cutting-edge companies for Merlin to partner with and invest in. In this episode, Seth talks about helping startups target US federal markets, the current state of deal sizes and valuations, and the red-hot sectors in cybersecurity ripe for venture investment.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Dan Lorenc is CEO and co-founder of Chainguard, a company that raised $116 million in less than two years to tackle open source supply chain security problems. In this episode, Dan joins Ryan to chat about the demands of building a "growth mode" startup, massive funding rounds and VC expectations, fixing the "crappy" CVE and CVSS ecosystems, managing expectations around SBOMs, and how politicians and lobbyists are framing cybersecurity issues in strange ways.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Nick Biasini has been working in information security for nearly two decades. In his current role as head of outreach for Cisco Talos Intelligence Group, he leads a team of threat researchers tasked with tracking nation-state APTs, mercenary hacker groups and ransomware cybercriminals. In this episode, Biasini talks about the cryptic world of threat actor attribution, the rise of PSOAs (private sector offensive actors) and why network edge devices are a happy hunting ground for attackers.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Allison Nixon is Chief Researcher at Unit 221B and a trailblazer in the world of cybercrime research. In this episode, we deep-drive into the shadowy dynamics of underground criminal communities, high-profile ransomware attacks, teenage hacking groups breaking into big companies, and the challenges of attribution and law enforcement. Allison sheds light on why companies continue to be vulnerable targets and what they're often missing in their cybersecurity strategies.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Dakota Cary is a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub, conducting research on China’s efforts to develop its hacking capabilities, artificial-intelligence and cybersecurity research at Chinese universities, the People’s Liberation Army’s efforts to automate software vulnerability discovery, and new policies to improve China’s cybersecurity-talent pipeline. In this episode, Cary expands on a new report -- 'Sleight of Hand' -- that delves into the changing legal landscape for vulnerability disclosure in China, the PRC's weaponization of software vulnerabilities, advanced threat actors in China and that infamous Bloomberg 'rice grain' spy chip story.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Abhishek Arya is director of engineering at Google, overseeing open source and supply chain security efforts that include OSS-Fuzz, SLSA, GUAC and OSV DB. In this episode, Arya talks about some early success experimenting with AI and LLMs on fuzzing and vulnerability management, the industry's over-pivoting on SBOMs, regulations and liability for software vendors, and the long road ahead for securing software supply chains.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Dr Sergey Bratus is a Research Associate Professor of Computer Science at Dartmouth College and a program manager at DARPA. In this episode, he discusses his pioneering work on securing parsers and patching long-forgotten devices. He also puts the AI hype into context and showers praise on the labor-of-love "citizen science" of hacking all the things.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) DARPA program manager Perri Adams joins the conversation to chat about her love for CTF hacking competitions, the hunt for leapfrog security technologies in DARPA’s Information Innovation Office (I2O), and the goal of the new AI Cyber Challenge (AIxCC) offering $20 million in prizes to teams competing to develop AI-driven systems to automatically secure critical code.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Peculiar Ventures chief executive Ryan Hurst joins the show to talk about a career that spanned 20 years at Microsoft and Google, his work building the plumbing for encryption on the web, unsolved problems in BGP security, the hype and promise of AI, and Microsoft's ongoing cloud security hiccups.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Bessemer Venture Partner's Jason Chan returns to the show for a frank discussion on the state of cyber, including thoughts on Microsoft's prominent security failures, the meaning of layoffs hitting security teams, the excitement around AI, and the long road ahead. The former Netflix security chief also talks about merging of the IT and security functions and the importance of cybersecurity proving its value to the business.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) GitHub security chief Mike Hanley joins the show to discuss merging the CSO and SVP/Engineering roles, securing data and code in an organization under constant attack, the thrilling promise of AI to the future of secure code, the dangers of equating SBOMs to supply chain security, and new SEC reporting rules for CISOs.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Cenlar FSB security chief Jason Shockey joins the show to discuss the task of securing a financial institution, pivoting from a career in the military to the private sector, the current state of the job market, managing risk from APTs, and the mission of his My Cyberpath project.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Faraday chief executive Federico 'Fede' Kirschbaum joins the show to talk about building a startup in the vulnerability management space, the intricacies of the Argentinian hacking culture, stories of exploit writers and mercenary hackers, and the overwhelming U.S.-centric view of the cybersecurity industry.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Product security executive Kymberlee Price joins the show to gab about life in the trenches at the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC), the challenges of maintaining healthy hacker/vendor relationships, the harsh realities of bug-bounty programs, and thoughts on the cybersecurity job market.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) New General Manager of the Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF) Omkhar Arasaratnam joins Ryan for a candid conversation on the challenges surrounding open-source software security, lessons from the Log4j crisis, the value of SBOMs, and the U.S. government efforts at securing America's software supply chains.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Rishi Bhargava and the team of entrepreneurs behind Demisto’s $560 million exit are back at it with a new startup building technology in the customer identity market. The new company, called Descope, raised an abnormally large $53 million seed-stage funding round with ambitious plans to take on rivals big and small in the customer identity and authentication space. On this episode of the podcast, Bhargava joins Ryan to talk about the VC funding landscape, the confusing 'identity' category, the responsibilities of vendors in the identity ecosystem, the emergence of Microsoft and Google as big security players, and some thoughts on the Israeli startup scene.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Symmetry Systems executive Claude Mandy joins the show to discuss a career in the security trenches, life as a CISO during the WannaCry crisis, and first principles around data security. We dig into the emerging Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) category and how it extends the Zero Trust philosophy to hybrid cloud data stores.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Munich Re Ventures investment principal Sidra Ahmed Lefort joins Ryan Naraine for a frank discussion on the state of VC funding in cybersecurity, the rise (and coming correction) in the land of security 'unicorns', the massive early-stage funding rounds and what they mean, layoffs and contractions, and the places in security still ripe for innovation.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) SecuRepairs.org co-founder Paul Roberts joins the show to discuss his passion for the right to repair consumer electronic devices, the big-ticket lobbyists working to undermine the movement, and how changing consumer spending patterns are helping to rack up regulatory wins.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Luta Security founder and chief executive Katie Moussouris joins the show to dish on the bug-bounty ecosystem, the abuse of hacker labor, and the common mistakes made by even the most mature security programs. A security industry pioneer, Moussouris argues for better use of bug bounty metrics to drive decisions and a heavy focus on reducing duplicate vulnerability submissions.

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Caleb Sima is a cybersecurity lifer now responsible for security at Robinhood, a mobile stock trading platform. Caleb joins Ryan on the show to discuss the early hacking scene in Atlanta, building SPI Dynamics in a webapp security powerhouse, the evolution of attack surfaces, the CISO's changing priorities, and more...

Episode sponsors: Binarly (https://binarly.io) FwHunt (https://fwhunt.run) Famed hacker Charlie Miller joins Ryan on the podcast to discuss a career in vulnerability research and software exploitation. Charlie talks about hacking iPhones and Macbooks at Pwn2Own, the 'No More Free Bugs' campaign, the Jeep hack that led to a recall and his current work securing Cruise's self-driving fleet. Plus, an interesting take on iOS Lockdown Mode.

Episode sponsors: Binarly and FwHunt - Protecting devices from emerging firmware and hardware threats using modern artificial intelligence. SentinelLabs malware hunter Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (JAG-S) returns to the show to discuss how big-game attribution has changed over the years, the nation-state APT landscape, Mudge and the nightmares facing CISOs, and a mysterious actor named Metador.

Episode sponsors: Binarly and FwHunt - Protecting devices from emerging firmware and hardware threats using modern artificial intelligence. Dan Lorenc and a team or ex-Googlers raised $55 million in early-stage funding to build technology to secure software supply chains. On this episode of the show, Dan joins Ryan to talk about the different faces of the supply chain problem, the security gaps that will never go away, the decision to raise an unusually large early-stage funding round, and how the U.S. government's efforts will speed up technology innovation.

A conversation with Bishop Fox chief executive Vinnie Liu on the origins and evolution of the pentest services business, the emerging continuous attack surface management space, raising $75m as a 'growth mode' investment, cybersecurity's people problem, and much more...

Network security pioneer Marty Roesch takes listeners on a trip down memory lane, sharing stories from the creation of Snort back in the 1990s, the startup journey of building Sourcefire into an IDS/IPS powerhouse and selling the company for $2 billion, the U.S. government killing a Check Point acquisition, and his newest adventure as chief executive at Netography.

Serial entrepreneur Subbu Rama joins the show to talk about building a cybersecurity business, addressing the problem of entitlement sprawl and raising seed funding for intelligent access governance technology.

Maddie Stone is a security researcher in Google's Project Zero team. Over the last few years, she has publicly tracked the discovery and disclosure of zero-day malware attacks seen in the wild. On this episode, Maddie joins Ryan to chat about three years of zero-day exploitation data, the nuances around 0day disclosures, the never-ending struggle to mitigate memory corruption attacks and the need for transparency among affected vendors.

Symmetry Systems co-founder Mohit Tiwari has been studying data security and control flow access for more than a decade. On this episode of the podcast, he discusses his transition from academia to data security entrepreneurship, first principles around the data security and privacy, the exploding DSPM (data security posture management) space, and the mission to solve one of cybersecurity's biggest problems.

Director at Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) Shane Huntley joins the show and talks about lessons from the 2009 Aurora attacks, the surge in zero-day discoveries, the usefulness of IOCs, North Korean APT operations, private sector mercenary hackers, the expanding nation-state threat actor map, and much more...

Netskope security chief Lamont Orange joins the show to chat about the changing role of the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), managing security as a business enabler, the cybersecurity skills shortage, and his own unique approach to security leadership.

Thinkst founder and CEO Haroon Meer joins Ryan Naraine on the show to talk about building a successful cybersecurity company without venture capital investment, fast-moving attack surfaces and the never-ending battle to mitigate memory corruption issues.

Chief executive officer at Egress Tony Pepper joins the show to talk about entrepreneurship in the fast-paced age of modern computing, the state of e-mail security, and his company's bet on securing the future of messaging in the enterprise.

Justin Campbell leads Microsoft’s Offensive Research and Security Engineering (MORSE) team. He joins the show to talk about his team's discovery of a SolarWinds in-the-wild zero-day, the never-ending stream of memory safety vulnerabilities, the evolving 'shift-left' mindset and Redmond's ongoing work to reduce attack surfaces.

Global director of Kaspersky's GReAT research team Costin Raiu returns to the show for an indepth discussion on the mobile surveillance business, the technically impressive FORCEDENTRY iOS exploit, the ethical questions facing exploit developers and the role of venture capitalists in the mobile malware ecosystem.

Corellium co-founder and chief executive Amanda Gorton joins the show to talk about raising $25 million in Series A funding, the market fit for device modeling and software virtualization products, the trials and tribulations of startup life, and the nuances of operating in the world of offensive security research.

Venky Venkateswaran works on client security and roadmap planning at Intel Corp. On this episode of the podcast, Venky joins Ryan to talk about a reported surge in firmware attacks, Intel's ongoing investments in cybersecurity, the importance of transparency and open documentation, and the company's push to fight ransomware with its flagship TDT (Threat Detection Technology).

Episode sponsored by SecurityWeek.com JupiterOne CISO Sounil Yu joins the show to sift through the noise and explain the value of SBOMs (software bill of materials), the U.S. government's response to software supply chain security gaps, and what every buyer and seller should be doing to prepare for major changes in the ecosystem.

Episode sponsored by MongoDB.com. Algirde Pipikaite, the project lead of the Governance and Policy team at the Center for Cybersecurity at the World Economic Forum, joins the podcast to discuss her work to bridge the gap between cybersecurity experts and decision makers. We chat about communicating risk to different audiences, cybersecurity as a business enabler, and the need for more global private-public collaboration.

Josh Schwartz, aka FuzzyNop, oversees offensive security, product engineering, and security engagement functions at Verizon Media (soon to be Yahoo). He shares insights on red-teaming, overcoming the adversarial relationship between red/blue teams. chasing the "feeling" of being secure, and why there's a need for more empathy in cybersecurity. (Episode sponsored by Eclypsium)

Netflix threat detection and response practitioner Michael Laventure joins the show to talk about a simple goal to "do security better." We discuss a transition from .gov security work to the fast pace of Silicon Valley, the culture clashes that can make life difficult, the value of threat-intelligence to a modern security program, and why we should all be optimistic about the future of cybersecurity.

Founding-member of the Google security team Heather Adkins joins the conversation to stress the importance of defenders playing the "long-game," the need for meaningful culture-change among security leaders, the expansion of zero-trust beyond identities and devices, and some thoughts on the future of electronic voting. Sponsored by Eclypsium: Eclypsium ships an enterprise device platform that provides visibility and mitigation for malicious activity all the way down to the firmware and hardware level. Think of it as one platform to discover, inventory, assess risk, patch, and detect compromises and supply chain breaches across your entire fleet of devices. Request a demo at Eclypsium.com.

Facebook product security leader Collin Greene joins the show to discuss philosophies around securing code at scale, the pros and cons of relying on bug-bounty programs, the humbling lessons from being on the wrong side of a malicious hack, and why "shift-left" should be the priority for every defender.

Former head of offensive security research at NVIDIA Alex Matrosov joins the show to talk about the state of security at the firmware layer, the need for specialized reverse engineering skills, the limits of bug-bounty programs for hardware research, and the future of advanced malware analysis.

Charles Nwatu is an engineering manager in Netflix's Security, Technology Assurance & Risk organization. He joins Ryan on the show to talk about a career pivot from U.S. gov service into cybersecurity in Silicon Valley, the exciting parts of compliance and risk management, and why newcomers should consider jobs in SOCs to kickstart security careers.

Director of Internet Analyis at Kentik, Doug Madory, joins the podcast to shed light on the mysterious appearance of unused IPv4 space belonging to the US Department of Defense: the strange connection to a Florida company now managing the world's largest honeypot; the odd Inauguration Day timing of this discovery;, and why enterprise network defenders should pay very close attention.

Sponsored by Eclypsium Chris Castaldo has a fascinating career in cybersecurity. A U.S. army veteran who dabbled in tech during the early 2000s dot-com boom before settling on security, Castaldo is now CISO at Crossbeam and a decision-maker with a bird's eye view into how the should be protected. Castaldo joins Ryan on the show to talk about his new book on securing the startup, why he's the rare CISO that loves security vendor briefings and demos, and his vision of the CISO's top priorities.

Shubham Shah is a brilliant hacker who quit his pen-testing job to hack for cash in bug-bounty programs. He quickly mastered the game of automating automating pre-breach reconnaissance and zero in on common webapp programming and configuration errors. Shubs, now co-founder at Assetnote, joined Ryan on the show to talk about the stressful life of a fulltime bug-bounty hunter, advancements in web app security defense, and how automation is completely rewriting the bug-discovery business.

Newly appointed Executive Editor at VentureBeat Fahmida Rashid joins the show to talk about her introduction to computer networking in school, her winding path into cybersecurity journalism, the security stories worth telling, the venture capital ecosystem, and the surge in unicorn cybersecurity startups.

Microsoft's David Weston joins Ryan on the show to discuss a new report that shows 83% of organizations have been hit by a firmware attack in the last two years. As businesses continue to under-invest in resources to prevent firmware attacks, Weston warns about the inevitability of advanced attacks at the 'invisible' layer, the absence of skills and tools to find malicious activity in firmware, the nightmare of navigating the patching treadmill, and exciting tech innovation in the space.

At age 16, Lena Smart finished high school and went into the workforce. At the time, a university degree and advanced education were not available to her in a single-parent household in Scotland. Today, she is CISO of MongoDB, a $16 billion company with thousands of employees around the world and she is a leading voice on education and talent-identification in cybersecurity. Lena joins Ryan on the show to tell stories from her childhood, the decisions that carved a path for a successful career in security, the anguish of imposter syndrome, the joys of building a modern security program, and impressive tech innovation moving the security needle.

Patrick Howell O’Neill is the cybersecurity senior editor for MIT Technology Review. In this out-of-band episode of the show, Patrick joins Ryan to discuss his latest scoop on Google Project Zero's visibility into malware used in a Western .gov counter-terrorism operation, the tricky nature of attributing nation-state backed attacks, Apple's iOS becoming a hot target and the controversies surrounding all of these conversations. Follow Patrick on Twitter.

After a 20-year career working in the offensive security reseach trenches, security industry pioneer Nico Waisman made the transition to defense to head up privacy and security efforts at ride-sharing firm Lyft. Waisman joins Ryan Naraine on the show to talk about early hacking in Argentina, the contributions of non-Americans to the security industry, and much much more...

Ron Brash joins Ryan Naraine on the show to talk about the recent water supply hack, the state of security in ICS/SCADA installations, the checklist of affordable things for critical infrastructure defenders, and the things we should worry -- and not worry -- about. Ron is Director of Cyber Security Insights at Verve Industrial Protection, a critical infrastructure-focused organisation that sells services and products that work across IT and OT environments for effective cyber security, controls and management.

This is the republication of an interview first conducted in March 2013 with then-VUPEN chief executive Chauki Bekrar. The audio file was lost in several podcast platform transfers and I'm glad to be able to retain this interview for historical purposes. The recording was conducted in the hallways of the CanSecWest Pwn2Own hacking contest in 2013 where Bekrar's team of hackers demo'd a zero-day attack against Microsoft Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8, an exploit that bypassed all mitigations including the browser sandbox. We chat about the controversies surrounding the sale of zero-day vulnerabilities and exploits, his company’s business dealings and the work that goes into winning the CanSecWest Pwn2Own hacker contest. (Please excuse the audio quality and background chatter, this was recorded with a small handheld device in a noisy room).

Journalist-turned-intel analyst Selena Larson joins the podcast to discuss the nuances of cybersecurity journalism, making the shift to analyzing intelligence and writing for a private audience, the ransomware epidemic, and the state of critical infrastructure security.

Gusto chief security officer Fredrick 'Flee' Lee talks about his passion for democratizing security, solving problems for small businesses, the responsibilities of being a black security leader, and the people and experiences that influenced him along the way.

TechCrunch security writer Zack Whittaker stumbled into journalism while in college and has carved a successful career covering cybersecurity the last decade. He joins the podcast to talk about landing at ZDNet out of university and some lucky breaks along the way. Zack also talks about the trials of living and working with Tourette syndrome.

Netflix security leader Jason Chan talks about the connections between ultra-marathons and running a robust security program, his view of the defender's top priorities, the talent shortage in cybersecurity, and the shifting patterns that drive secure code delivery.

After a career in government that included physical security work for the U.S. State Department, Matt Honea transitioned to Silicon Valley and turned his attention to the cyber-insurance space. He joins the podcast for a frank discussion on cyber-insurance, ransomware payments and trends, and his opinions on innovation in security.

Cybersecurity journalist and author Andy Greenberg joins the podcast to talk about his career as a journalist, the ins-and-outs of negotiating a big story with sources, the intricacies of writing a good book, and some of his biggest stories to date.

After a career in diplomacy at the U.S. State Department, Uber's Brooke Pearson headed to Silicon Valley to find a new path in cybersecurity. We chat about her early interest in Russia and international relations, a life-changing chance encounter during an airport layover, using non-traditional skills to find success in tech, and her passion for helping minorities find meaningful careers in security.

[ DISCLAIMER: These are the personal opinions of Tim MalcomVetter and do not construe an official endorsement or business relationship of his employer with any product or service. ] Walmart Red Team lead Tim MalcomVetter joins the podcast to talk about red-team/blue team dynamics, the adversarial relationship between the two sides, the mentality of a determined attacker, and why everyone in cybersecurity should give jiu-jitsu a try.

Hacker-turned-entrepreneur Matt Suiche reminisces about the hacking scene in France, his introduction to memory forensics and how his research led to presenting at Microsoft's Blue Hat, the grind of building and selling a company, and his passion for supporting young security researchers in developing countries.

AT&T Cybersecurity's Jaime Blasco talks about falling in love with security as a high-school student in Spain, finding a career path in pen-testing and offense, shifting to building defensive technologies and his current passion for exploring the value of machine learning.

Mobile security pioneer Collin Mulliner talks about the early days of hacking PalmOS devices, the current state of smartphone platforms, his work on securing self driving cars, and why he built and open-sourced a firmware analyzer tool.

Hitch Partners principal Michael Piacente dishes on the cybersecurity job market during an economic crisis, the intricacies of recruiting top-flight security talent, the high rate of turnover among CISOs, and why companies should spend more time on writing better job descriptions.

Security industry pioneer Dave Aitel dishes on entrepreneurship, fostering a "one team, one parking lot" culture, how lessons from his time at the NSA still guides his decisions, and his approach to blunt, honest marketing. We also discuss a shared passion for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and his work supporting Project Grapple in Miami.

Former Chief Security Scientist at Bank of America, Sounil Yu, explains why he created the Cyber Defense Matrix framework and how organizations are using it to drive visibility and security decisions in multiple places. We discuss securing "cattle vs pets," the next era of security innovation, and the increasing security poverty line that hurts small- and medium-sized businesses.

In an industry where 10-15% of staff are women, Akamai's security team is 40% women and growing. Chief security officer Andy Ellis joins the podcast to share lessons on practical things -- some subtle, some major -- that pushed real diversity on Akamai's security team.

Veteran malware hunter Costin Raiu talks about writing his own an anti-virus program as a teenager in Romania, his work tracking advanced threat actors globally, and why he assumes his computer is compromised by at least three APT groups.

Flashpoint chief executive Josh Lefkowitz talks about how his previous work as a counter-terrorism analyst underscored the value of contextual threat-intelligence, his company's approach to gathering and analyzing data, and his mission to be an extension of a client's security team.

BlackBerry security response executive Christine Gadsby joins the podcast to talk about tough decisions around shipping secure software, the challenges of securing supply chain dependencies, BlackBerry's new ransomware recovery feature, and her upcoming Black Hat 2018 presentation.

Cybersecurity industry veteran Chad Loder talks about his time as co-founder of Rapid7, the decision to acquire Metasploit, lessons learned from moving to the CISO chair and why the industry still struggles with security awareness training.

Chris Castaldo, senior director of cybersecurity at 2U, Inc., joins Ryan on the podcast to talk about building a threat model for digitizing the education sector, his top priorities as a defender, new solutions that impress him, and why it's important to get independent third-party security assessments.

Founder and CEO of Wire Security, Wim Remes, joins the podcast to discuss the intricacies of penetration testing, red-teaming, bug bounty programs, and calls for defenders to embrace continuous pen-testing.

Lacework Chief Security Architect Dan Hubbard joins the podcast to discuss his new research on container security, the challenges of securing cloud deployments, and why technological advancements have widened attack surfaces.

David Weston manages the Windows Device and Offensive Security Research teams at Microsoft. He joins the podcast to talk about how proactive red-team exercises push major mitigations to Microsoft's products and the current state of security in the Windows ecosystem.

SVP and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Lending Club, Rich Seiersen, digs into the nuts and bolts of defending a financial services firm, his approach to finding quality cybersecurity talent, and the importance of confronting security with data. (Recorded during fireside chat at SecurityWeek’s CISO Forum).   https://securityconversations.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/rich_seierson.mp3

Founder and CEO of GreyNoise Intelligence Andrew Morris (andrew___morris) talks about his “anti threat-intelligence” company, the ways SOCs are using it to filter through scanning noise and the trials and tribulations of bootstrapping a start-up.   https://securityconversations.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/andrew_morris.mp3

Managing Partner at YL Ventures, Yoav Leitersdorf (ylventures), explains the surge in cybersecurity investments in Israel, the priorities for his $75 million fund and which sectors are ripe for the picking.   https://securityconversations.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/ep30-yoav_leitersdorf.mp3

Principal Security Researcher at Recorded Future’s Insikt Group, Juan Andrés Guerrero-Saade (juanandres_gs), explains the nuances of good threat intelligence, sheds light on nation-state hacker activity and warns that adversaries don’t have to be “sophisticated” to launch successful attacks.   https://securityconversations.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/juan_andres_guerrero_saade.mp3

The founder and CEO of Dragos, Inc. Robert M. Lee (RobertMLee) cuts through the hype around threats to critical infrastructure and offers a matter-of-fact take on active defense, “hacking-back,” and nation-state espionage operations.   https://securityconversations.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/ep28-robert-m-lee.mp3

VP of Product at RiskIQ Brandon Dixon (@9bplus) delves into nation-state cyber operations, explains why it’s dangerous to underestimate North Korea’s capabilities, and his passion for roasting the perfect coffee bean. https://securityconversations.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/ep27-brandon-dixon.mp3

Slack security architect Ryan Huber talks about the gargantuan task of defending an organization with 8 million daily active users, burnout, and fatigue in security teams and a range of issues around bug bounties and penetration testing.

Chief Technology Officer at Quarkslab Ivan Arce (@4dgifts) tells stories about the birth of penetration testing platforms, the concentration of hacking talent in Argentina, and his focus on security problems in the Android ecosystem. https://securityconversations.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/ivan_arce_01.mp3

Founder and CEO of Fyde (@FydeApp) Sinan Eren discusses the “iOS-ification” of platforms and the security ramifications, the dangers of running AV software, the iOS vs. Android security argument, and his new venture to address mobile phishing attacks. https://securityconversations.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Ep-24-sinan_eren.mp3

Founder and CTO at Senrio Stephen Ridley (@s7ephen) talks about the abysmal state of IoT security, his recent exploitation of an IP camera, and router to exfiltrate corporate data and his experience as a minority in the security industry. https://securityconversations.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Ep23-stephen-ridley.mp3

Founder and CEO at MKACyber Mischel Kwon joins the podcast to address the state of the SOC (Security Operations Center) and how businesses should deal with issues around excessive alerts, incident response times, and outdated metrics.

CISO and VP of Strategy at Digital Shadows Rick Holland discusses his path in the information security industry, advancements in the threat intel space, and his passion for good bar-b-que.

Latacora Security founder Thomas Ptacek joins the podcast to weigh in on the cybersecurity skills shortage, his approach to recruiting and hiring, and what needs to be done to address diversity in the industry.

Co-founder and Chief Security Officer at Signal Sciences Zane Lackey riffs on DevOps, the almost impossible task of defending organizations from intruders, bug bounties versus penetration testing, and the pros and cons of launching a company with venture capital investment.

Thinkst founder Haroon Meer talks about building a security company from scratch without VC funding, using Canaries to pinpoint signs of intruder activity, advancements in security research, and the state of the bug bounty market.

Red teamer and security researcher by day, nerdcore rapper by night, ‘int eighty’ joins the podcast to talk about his work breaking into computer systems, common security mistakes that people make, and his double life as a musician in Dual Core.

Veteran cybersecurity writer Dennis Fisher joins the podcast to talk about his new journalism venture at decipher.sc, his preference for long-form writing, and the trends worth following in the security space.

Tim Maurer, a scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, talks about nation state-backed hacking activity and the dangers of breaking trust in the global financial system.

Principal and founding investor at ForgePoint Capital Cybersecurity William Lin talks about venture capital activity in the security space, sectors that are ripe for investment, missed bets on successful companies, and the cybersecurity talent shortage.

Chief Information Security Officer at Turner Broadcasting Pete Chronis discusses his new book on solving the cybersecurity conundrum, the day-to-day grind of securing a global media organization, and the role of the CISO in the modern world.

Adobe’s Chief Security Officer Brad Arkin talks about setting and managing risk management priorities, protecting company infrastructure, the challenges of securing software, and the looming death of Adobe Flash Player.

Director of Security at Facebook Aanchal Gupta joins the podcast to share her story and provide guidance for young women struggling to overcome societal obstacles.

Senior Director of Security and Compliance at Vera Security Tom Conklin talks about the pros and cons of using bug bounty programs, the challenges of managing risk in smaller companies, and why user awareness training is an ongoing headache for security administrators.

Chief Information Security Officer at Fox News, Fox Business, and Fox Television John Terrill joins the podcast to talk about life in the CISO trenches and makes a bold prediction that could significantly change the cybersecurity narrative.

Co-founder and CEO of Recorded Future Christopher Ahlberg discusses the emergence of threat intelligence as a valuable security tool, the morals and ethics surrounding disclosure of nation-state attacks and the importance of tracking adversaries beyond the wall.

As businesses struggle with security awareness training for employees, Elevate Security co-founder Masha Sedova argues that the focus should be on “behavior change” and recommends the use of positive motivation and available tools to get employees to make better security decisions.

Veteran security journalist Paul Roberts talks about the creation of Security Ledger, his work covering cybersecurity, the democratization of media, and hiccups with IoT legislation.

Dino Dai Zovi, co-founder and CTO of Capsule8, joins the podcast to talk about the fallout from the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities, the transition from security research to managing a VC-funded start-up and reminisce about his time as a famous Pwn2Own MacBook hacker.

Sharon Anolik, President and Founder of Privacy Panacea, talks about her work advising corporate clients on privacy and data protection issues, the looming chaos surrounding the European Union’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and the role she plays on ‘Silicon Valley.’

Award-winning security journalist and author Kim Zetter talks about her work tracking cyber-espionage campaigns, why she uses an old school cassette player to record sensitive interviews and the dramatic changes sweeping the security industry.

Dark Reading executive editor Kelly Jackson Higgins joins the podcast to tell security journalism war stories, talk about her new WiFi-enabled refrigerator and some trends worth following closely.

Computer security researcher and CEO of Luta Security, Katie Moussouris. talks about her life in the penetration testing trenches, advocating responsible security research, building bug bounty programs and the challenges of succeeding as a woman in the industry.