CyberWire Daily

Europol dismantles the SocksEscort proxy service. Cyber operations highlight imbalance in the war in Iran. Google rushes Chrome zero-day patches. Veeam fixes critical backup flaws. A former incident responder faces ransomware charges. Thomson Reuters staff push back on an ICE contract. Attackers abuse backup tools for data theft. CISA flags a critical n8n vulnerability. Maria Varmazis is joined by Jack R. Bialik, engineer and author, to discuss the hidden risks of a fully-digital society, and talk about his book "In Lost in Time: Our Forgotten and Vanishing Knowledge." A Phony photo fuels a phantom flight fiasco.

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CyberWire Guest

N2K CyberWire’s Maria Varmazis is joined by Jack R. Bialik, engineer and author, to discuss the hidden risks of a fully-digital society, and talk about his book "In Lost in Time: Our Forgotten and Vanishing Knowledge."

Selected Reading

Europol and international partners disrupt ‘SocksEscort’ proxy service - Joint operation targeted malicious proxy service exploiting residential routers worldwide (Europol)

War in Iran – asymmetry in cyberspace (IISS)

Google fixes two new Chrome zero-days exploited in attacks (Bleeping Computer) 

Veeam warns of critical flaws exposing backup servers to RCE attacks (Bleeping Computer)

Former Employee of Cybersecurity Companies Charged in ALPHV (BlackCat) Ransomware Extortion Case (TechNadu)

They Don’t Want Their Company’s Surveillance Tool Used by ICE (The New York Times)

Data Exfiltration and Threat Actor Infrastructure Exposed (Huntress)

CISA adds n8n RCE flaw to list of known exploited vulnerabilities (SC Media)

Cyber National Mission Force to get new commander amid broader leadership turnover (The Record)

AI Used to Promote Non-Existent Evacuation Flights From the Middle East (Bellingcat)

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Show Notes:

As cybersecurity has matured, the field has become more formalized within businesses with CISOs leading the way. However, despite the value of the CISO and its widespread adoption, the role has continued to lose agency with other board members. In this episode of CISO Perspectives, host ⁠Kim Jones⁠ sits down with Patty Ryan, the CISO at QuidelOrtho, to assess the value of the role. Throughout the conversation, Patty and Kim will discuss the challenges facing CISOs, why the role has lost its agency, and what can be done to reverse the current trajectory.

Want more CISO Perspectives?:

Check out a companion ⁠⁠blog post⁠⁠ by our very own Ethan Cook, where he breaks down key insights, shares behind-the-scenes context, and highlights research that complements this episode. It’s the perfect follow-up if you’re curious about the cyber talent crunch and how we can reshape the ecosystem for future professionals.
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Iran threatens tech firms as hackers strike Stryker. The EU advances efforts toward digital sovereignty. A foreign hacker stumbles upon the FBI’s Epstein files. DOGE used ChatGPT to cull humanities grants. Meta claims increased efforts against scams. A Wisconsin ambulance provider discloses a data breach. CISA shortens the patch deadline for a critical SolarWinds vulnerability. We preview this year’s RSAC 2026 Innovation Sandbox with Cecilia Marinier and Paul Kocher. Dangerous digital diets miss the mark. 

Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app.

Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you’ll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn.

CyberWire Guest

On our Industry Voices segment, we share a RSAC 2026 Conference innovation preview with Cecilia Marinier and Innovation Sandbox judge Paul Kocher talking about this year's Top 10 Finalists.

Selected Reading

Iran-linked hackers claim responsibility for attack on US medical device maker Stryker (Reuters)

'Legitimate targets': Iran issues warning to US tech firms including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Nvidia (The Times of India)

Iranian trolls are flooding social media with pro-Tehran, anti-war propaganda (MS Now)

Commission announces €75 million EURO-3C Project to build a federated Telco-Edge-Cloud infrastructure for digital sovereignty (European Commission)

Hacker broke into FBI and compromised Epstein files, report says (TechCrunch)

When DOGE Unleashed ChatGPT on the Humanities (The New York Times)

Meta says it culled millions of scam ads amid accusations that it profits from them (The Record)

Bell Ambulance Ransomware Attack Impacts Over 237,000 Individuals (Beyond Machines)

CISA Mandates Emergency Patching for SolarWinds Web Help Desk Vulnerabilities (Beyond Machines)

AI Chatbots Are Giving Teens Absolutely Terrible Diet Advice, Study Warns (Gizmodo)

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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.
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In this episode of the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast, host⁠ ⁠⁠Sherrod DeGrippo is joined by Greg Schlomer and Vlad Honyanyy to discuss new research on Jasper Sleet, a North Korean–aligned threat actor incorporating AI into active operations. 

The conversation examines how AI is being integrated across the attack lifecycle — from highly tailored phishing lures and fabricated job applicant personas to accelerating malware development and refining operational workflows. Rather than treating AI as a novelty, Jasper Sleet is using it to increase speed, scale, and adaptability while reducing many of the friction points that once slowed campaigns. 

They also explore what this shift means for defenders. As AI compresses iteration cycles and lowers barriers to entry, traditional attribution signals evolve, influence operations become more convincing, and defensive teams must tighten the loop between intelligence, detection, and response. This is less about experimentation and more about the operationalization of AI as part of modern tradecraft. 

In this episode you’ll learn:      


How AI is changing the speed at which cyber operations evolve 


Why jailbreaking AI models is often trivial for motivated adversaries 


 The strategic implications of AI leveling the playing field between threat actors 

Some questions we ask:     


Is there resistance among experienced malware authors to adopting AI? 


Are we seeing fully AI-written malware in the wild? 


What stands out about Jasper Sleet’s use of AI? 

 

Resources:  

View Greg Schloemer on LinkedIn  

View Sherrod DeGrippo on LinkedIn  

 

Related Microsoft Podcasts:                   


Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson 


The BlueHat Podcast 


Uncovering Hidden Risks     

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts  

Get the latest threat intelligence insights and guidance at Microsoft Security Insider 

 

The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast is produced by Microsoft, Hangar Studios and distributed as part of N2K media network. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast, host⁠ ⁠⁠Sherrod DeGrippo is joined by Greg Schlomer and Vlad H. to discuss new research on Jasper Sleet, a North Korean–aligned threat actor incorporating AI into active operations. 

The conversation examines how AI is being integrated across the attack lifecycle — from highly tailored phishing lures and fabricated job applicant personas to accelerating malware development and refining operational workflows. Rather than treating AI as a novelty, Jasper Sleet is using it to increase speed, scale, and adaptability while reducing many of the friction points that once slowed campaigns. 

They also explore what this shift means for defenders. As AI compresses iteration cycles and lowers barriers to entry, traditional attribution signals evolve, influence operations become more convincing, and defensive teams must tighten the loop between intelligence, detection, and response. This is less about experimentation and more about the operationalization of AI as part of modern tradecraft. 

In this episode you’ll learn:      


How AI is changing the speed at which cyber operations evolve 


Why jailbreaking AI models is often trivial for motivated adversaries 


 The strategic implications of AI leveling the playing field between threat actors 

Some questions we ask:     


Is there resistance among experienced malware authors to adopting AI? 


Are we seeing fully AI-written malware in the wild? 


What stands out about Jasper Sleet’s use of AI? 

 

Resources:  

View Greg Schloemer on LinkedIn  

View Sherrod DeGrippo on LinkedIn  

 

Related Microsoft Podcasts:                   


Afternoon Cyber Tea with Ann Johnson 


The BlueHat Podcast 


Uncovering Hidden Risks     

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts  

Get the latest threat intelligence insights and guidance at Microsoft Security Insider 

 

The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast is produced by Microsoft, Hangar Studios and distributed as part of N2K media network. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices