logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2023
30m 57s

The United Kingdom's catastrophic ransom...

N2K Networks
About this episode

The UK faces a looming threat of a catastrophic ransomware attack. The Senate confirms a new National Cyber Director. The rivalry between malware groups BatLoader and FakeBat. BazarCall phishing attack and its unusual use of Google Forms. A serious vulnerability threatens K-12 student data. Spiderman game developer Insomniac Games becomes the latest ransomware victim. Today’s guest is Tim Starks from the Washington Post’s Cybersecurity 202 with China’s influence operations in Taiwan, along with a look back at 2023. We'll touch on Microsoft's Patch Tuesday and why outdated password policies are still a problem.

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

Today’s guest is Tim Starks from the Washington Post’s Cybersecurity 202. Tim and Dave discuss China’s influence operations in Taiwan, along with a look back at 2023. 


Selected Reading

UK at high risk of ‘catastrophic ransomware attack’, report says (The Guardian)

Roll Call Vote 118th Congress - 1st Session  (United States Senate)

How Does Access Impact Risk? (IST)

API and App Security: Q3 2023 Snapshot (ThreatX)

The Kids Aren’t Alright: Vulnerabilities in Edulog Portal Revealed K-12 Student Location Data (tenable)

Press and pressure: Ransomware gangs and the media (Sophos)

BazarCall Attack Leverages Google Forms to Increase Perceived Credibility (Abnormal)

Two Competing, Russian-Speaking Cybercrime Groups Attack Employees from 23 Companies in the Manufacturing, Software, Legal, Retail, and Healthcare Sectors Using Malicious Google Ads (esentire)

Spider-Man 2 developer Insomniac Games hit by Rhysida ransomware attack  (cyberdaily)

Microsoft Patch Tuesday December 2023 (Sans)

Share your feedback.

We want to ensure that you are getting the most out of the podcast. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey as we continually work to improve the show. 

Want to hear your company in the show?

You too can reach the most influential leaders and operators in the industry. Here’s our media kit. Contact us at cyberwire@n2k.com to request more info.

The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © 2023 N2K Networks, Inc.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up next
Yesterday
Julian Waits: Find a way to help society. [Serial Entrepreneur] [Career Notes]
Please enjoy this encore of Career Notes. Senior Vice President and Executive in Residence with Rapid7 and Chairman for Cyversity, Julian Waits, grew up in the era of the Justice League and Superman and it shaped his career. Julian always wanted to do something where he could fin ... Show More
11m 4s
Aug 23
Beyond the smoke screen. [Research Saturday]
This week, we are joined by Dr. Renée Burton, VP of Infoblox Threat Intel, who is discussing their work on VexTrio, a notorious traffic distribution system (TDS) involved in digital fraud. The VexTrio investigation uncovers a massive global ad fraud and scam operation powered by ... Show More
22m 22s
Aug 22
A free speech showdown.
The FTC warns one country’s “online safety” may be another’s “censorship.” A new bipartisan bill aims to reduce barriers to federal cyber jobs. MURKY PANDA targets government, technology, academia, legal, and professional services in North America. MITRE updates their hardware we ... Show More
31m 48s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2019
E992: The Next Unicorns: Expanse CEO & Co-founder Tim Junio reduces exposure to online threats by providing “attack surface visibility”, shares insights into current threats from China & Russia, poten
0:50 Jason intros Tim Junio 1:44 Tim explains what Expanse does and how "attack surface inventory" is the first step in their cybersecurity platform 5:20 Tim explains the Dyn cyber attack 13:20 How many Fortune 500 companies have been blackmailed via cyber attack? 19:32 "White-ha ... Show More
1h 37m
Nov 2023
Think before you shrink! And our guest is faked
Don't minimise your Teams Meeting video call too hastily, you might reveal your dirty secrets! Would you be prepared to pay for Facebook and Instagram? And who is being faked to promote cryptocurrency scams?All this and much more is discussed in the latest edition of the “Smashin ... Show More
1h 4m
May 2020
The Dark Secrets of a Hacking Hero
In May of 2017, Marcus Hutchins saved the internet. A vicious ransomware attack known as WannaCry had infected computer systems across dozens of countries. It was the worst cyberattack in history at the time, and it seemed unstoppable. But Hutchins, a 23-year-old-hacker in Ilfrac ... Show More
30m 39s