CyberWire Daily

Today we are joined by Dr. Renée Burton, VP of Threat Intelligence at Infoblox, discussing their work on Lurking Lizard, "Fake Installers, Fake Reviews, Fake Services – Real Proxies, Real." The research uncovers Lurking Lizard, a threat actor that has operated since at least 2022 by using fake software installers, VPNs, and lookalike domains to secretly turn victims’ devices into residential proxy nodes.

Researchers identified more than 230 related domains and connected seemingly separate campaigns—including fake 7-Zip, downloader tools, and WireVPN—through shared infrastructure, tracking URLs, deployment patterns, and APIs. The investigation suggests the actor runs an end-to-end proxy operation, recruiting compromised devices and then monetizing their bandwidth through proxy services and fake review sites, with WireVPN appearing to be the latest evolution of the campaign.

The research and executive brief can be found here:

Fake Installers, Fake Reviews, Fake Services - Real Proxies, Real Victims

Cisco patches a maximum-severity vulnerability in its Identity Services Engine. Court documents describe AI as “an astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions.” Researchers chain vulnerabilities to take over employee ChatGPT accounts. Microsoft and Check Point patch vulnerabilities. Manufacturing remains ransomware’s favorite target. Hackers compromise a Japanese image-sharing service. The Settra ransomware group leverages remote management software. An Australian think-tank warns of Chinese AI-enabled surveillance in Venezuela. Maria Varmazis joins me for a look back at ten years of critical infrastructure exploits. Everything you wanted to know about AI but were afraid to prompt.

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CyberWire Guest

Dave Bittner and Maria Varmazis reflect on the past decade of critical infrastructure attacks, looking at major incidents like the Ukraine power grid attack and Colonial Pipeline and the lessons they’ve taught the industry about resilience and preparedness. If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to tune in this Sunday for a special edition of the show, where Dave and Maria continue the conversation.

Selected Reading

Cisco drops another exploited zero-day, this time a perfect 10 (The Register)

‘Doom Loop’: OpenAI and Microsoft Admits LLMs Are Destroying the Web and Built on Theft (404 Media)

AI-Built Exploit and Sign-In Flaw Opened Path to Internal OpenAI Code (SecurityWeek)

Microsoft Patches 18 Vulnerabilities in AI, Cloud Products (SecurityWeek)

New Check Point flaw lets hackers execute code with root privileges (Bleeping Computer)

Manufacturing Accounts for 22% of all Ransomware Victims (Infosecurity Magazine)

23 Million User Records Compromised in Gyazo Data Breach (SecurityWeek)

Ready, Settra, Go: New Settra Ransomware Variant Deploys MeshAgent RMM (Huntress)

USA’s Venezuela takeover comes with bonus exposure to Chinese AI surveillance tech (The Register)

Will A.I. Kill Us? Can It Hack My Bank Account? Your A.I. Questions Answered (New York Times)

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AI goes to war. Iranian strikes leave AWS data unrecoverable. OpenAI discloses more model misbehavior. Researchers uncover 16 Wireshark vulnerabilities. TrustSink turns Entra authentication into a password trap. RatHat raids Android credentials. The FBI takes down a DDoS-for-hire service. A data broker loses its domains. U.S. Cyber Command names a new AI chief. Ethan Cook is joining Dave Bittner and Ben Yelin to discuss the industry-proposed and administration-opposed AI slowdown. CISA’s field of schemes.

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CyberWire Guest

Today, Ethan Cook, N2K’s lead analyst, joins Dave Bittner and Ben Yelin for a discussion about the industry-proposed and administration-opposed AI slowdown, exploring the policy debate and what it could mean for the future of AI. If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to check out the full interview on Caveat here.

Selected Reading

The era of AI warfare has arrived (Financial Times)

Iran strikes on Amazon data centers caused permanent loss of customer data (Ars Technica)

OpenAI Discloses Six New Incidents of ‘Concerning' A.I. Behavior (The New York Times)

AISLE Discovers 16 CVEs in Wireshark, the World’s Most Popular Network Protocol Analyzer (AISLE)

TrustSink: How a Rogue External MFA Provider Steals Passwords (Varonis)

RatHat: AI-Powered Mobile Threat is Here for Your Credentials & Bank Accounts (Zimperium)

US takes down NightmareStresser DDoS-for-hire platform (Bleeping Computer)

Data Broker Radaris Loses Domains in Privacy Fight (Krebs on Security)

Former NGA Executive Ronzelle Green Named USCYBERCOM Chief AI Officer (ExecutiveGov)

CISA releases Cyber Decoys guide detailing tripwires, honeytokens to strengthen critical infrastructure detection and response (Industrial Cyber)

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Officials investigate suspected cyberattacks on U.S.-bound oil tankers. Iranian operators deploy Chosen Brick surveillance malware. Ukraine cracks down on scam call centers. Researchers uncover two TP-Link camera zero-days. Maria Varmazis looks at weapons in space. CenterPoint Energy reports a data breach. Spain records its first breach caused by an autonomous AI agent. PhantomRaven targets developers through malicious npm packages. Illicit casinos provide cover for cybercrime. A New York healthcare provider exposes patient data. Our guest is Chad Thunberg, CISO at Yubico, on how real crypto-agility still needs a hardware root of trust. Hackers do a little Flock picking.

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CyberWire Guest

Today Chad Thunberg, CISO at Yubico, discusses how software-only encryption is only half the answer: real crypto-agility still needs a hardware root of trust, not just a software patch.

Selected Reading

Coast Guard, FBI investigating after 2 oil tankers bound for US hit with cyberattacks (ABC News)

US, UK, Dutch Agencies Expose Iranian ‘Chosen Brick’ Surveillance Malware (SecurityWeek)

Ukraine moves to crack down on scam call centers after corruption scandal (The Record)

Zero-Day Flaw in TP-Link Cameras Enables Covert Eavesdropping (Infosecurity Magazine)

CenterPoint Energy Discloses Data Breach Following Dark Web Claims of 7.5 Million Records Stolen (Beyond Machines)

Spain gets its first taste of AI-aided cyber attack (The Register)

PhantomRaven: An LLM-Generated Information Stealer Developed for Bug Bounty Hunting (CrowdStrike)

How Money Laundering, Scams, and Espionage Hide in a Web Full of Casino Garbage (Infoblox)

280,000 Impacted by Premier Medical Group Data Breach (SecurityWeek)

Meink: Space Force has deployed space control weapons to orbit (DefenseScoop)

Hackers Got Inside a Flock Camera. Its Data Shows How the System Really Works (WIRED)

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The President pushes back on calls to slow AI. Microsoft lays out potential AI safety rules. Lawmakers consider the crypto Clarity Act. Florida’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles and Japan’s Digital Agency suffer data breaches. Phishing campaigns grow increasingly difficult for email security tools to spot. New York seizes a dozen AI deepfake domains. Alleged Black Axe cybercriminals face charges. Our guest is Camille Stewart Gloster, former U.S. Deputy Cyber Director and author of the new book "The Insider You Built: How Organizations Stay in Control of Autonomous AI Agents." AI meets the long arm of the old law.

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CyberWire Guest

Today we’re joined by Camille Stewart Gloster, author of The Insider You Built: How Organizations Stay in Control of Autonomous AI Agents, and founder of CAS Strategies. We’ll discuss her new book and the broader questions it raises about AI agents. You can learn more about "The Insider You Built” here.

Selected Reading

Trump pushes back on Anthropic CEO's call for an AI slowdown (SC Media)

Microsoft AI Code of Conduct Sets Cyberattack Boundaries, Chain of Command, Safety Constraints (SecurityWeek)

Microsoft releases emergency Windows updates to fix RDS failures (Bleeping Computer)

This bill could reshape crypto in America -- and it's sparking a major battle (NPR)

Florida Department of Highway Safety hacked by international criminal group (WPTV)

240,000 Hit by Data Breach at Japan’s Digital Agency (SecurityWeek)

VBSpam comparative review - Q3 (Virus Bulletin)

New York Seizes 12 Celebrity Deepfake Websites (404 Media)

Suspected Black Axe gang leaders face cybercrime charges in the US (Bleeping Computer)

Ex-FTC boss Khan urges Uncle Sam to break out the handcuffs for AI CEOs, citing 1934 precedent (The Register)

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What do you think about CyberWire Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show.

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N2K CyberWire helps you reach the industry’s most influential leaders and operators, while building visibility, authority, and connectivity across the cybersecurity community. Learn more at sponsor.thecyberwire.com.

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