Decipher Security Podcast

This week was a cornucopia of zero days. We talk about the six (!) actively exploited vulnerabilities that Microsoft patched this week in its February update (2:46), then we discuss the one that Apple fixed in iOS 26.3, a vulnerability that has been used in what the company calls an "extremely sophisticated attack" against a few individuals (7:24). That's a clear indication that the vulnerability has likely been used in operations involving commercial spyware vendors. Finally, we give a little love to the long lost TV show CSI: Cyber, which starred James Van Der Beek, and the cameo that two famous hackers had on one episode (12:40). 

The old Threatpost CSI: Cyber running chat discussion

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Attackers are moving faster and faster every day, and the challenge of keeping pace is a daunting one. But it's not impossible. watchTowr's Ryan Dewhurst joins Dennis Fisher to talk about how the "magic" of computers first captured his imagination when he was young, how defenders can learn  from attackers' tactics and adapt, and how the AI revolution is accelerating vulnerability disclosure and exploitation.

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This week we talk about the new CISA Binding Operational Directive that sets a deadline for removing end of support edge security devices from federal government networks (1:15), then we discuss the new research from Silent Push on the new variant of the SystemBC botnet (6:45), and finally we have a movie recommendation for you: Joybubbles, the fascinating new documentary about phone phreaker Joe Engressia Jr.

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It was a busy week in the cybers! Today we start with the targeted exploitation of another Fortinet vulnerability (CVE-2026-24858) that enables simple authentication bypass (1:15), then we discuss Google's disruption of a large residential proxy network called IPIDEA that has been abused by hundreds of threat actors (5:40), then we talk about the continued attacks on an older WinRAR bug by both cybercrime and APT groups (10:11). Finally, we shout out some of our favorite fellow creators in security community: the Three Buddy Problem podcast, John Hammond, and Matt Johansen. 

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This week, we talk about how Microsoft disrupted a long-running, large-scale cybercrime-as-a-service platform called RedVDS that has been active since 2019 and was used in high-volume phishing and BEC scams (1:00), then we discuss the research from Cisco Talos on another (!) Chinese APT called UAT-8837 that is targeting critical infrastructure organizations in North America (6:06), and finally there's the clever new StackWarp vulnerability in AMD processors that was disclosed this week (9:44).

RedVDS takedown

Cisco Talos report

StackWarp

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Jeremiah Grossman and Robert Hansen, two of the more influential and accomplished leaders and entrepreneurs in the cybersecurity community, have seen and done it all in their careers. From their roles as the driving forces behind pioneering web appsec firm WhiteHat Security to building out enterprise security programs to breaking large portions of the web (on purpose), Jeremiah and Robert have unique viewpoints on what works and what doesn't. Now, they're building something new, Root Evidence, a vulnerability management platform backed by data from actual breaches and designed to help security teams prioritize fixing the bugs that actually matter.

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The new year is here! And so are the attacks. The first full week of 2026 brought us new research from Cisco Talos on a China-nexus APT group called UAT-7290 that is expanding its targeting and serving as an initial access group as well as a cyber espionage team (3:02). There is also some great data from GreyNoise on the attack volume from actors trying to exploit the React2Shell vulnerability from December (8:26). The volume is holding steady at more than 300,000 sessions per day, which is...high.

Talos report: https://blog.talosintelligence.com/uat-7290/

GreyNoise report: https://www.greynoise.io/blog/cve-2025-55182-react2shell-opportunistic-exploitation-in-the-wild-what-the-greynoise-observation-grid-is-seeing-so-far

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There may not be any computers in Home Alone, but few movie characters embody the old-school hacker ethos like Kevin McCallister does. Resourceful, clever, determined, and creative, Kevin uses all of the tools and talents at his disposal to repel a pair of relentless adversaries. Merry Christmas ya filthy animals!

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As we ease into the holidays, the security news doesn't stop coming. This week we discuss the research from AWS threat intelligence on Russian adversaries targeting a variety of network edge devices for opportunistic exploitation, then we break down attacks by a Chinese threat actor that target a new zero day in Cisco's AsyncOS, and finally we discuss the continued exploitation of the React2Shell vulnerability. 

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Pete Baker and Zoe Lindsey join Dennis Fisher on the roof of Nakatomi Plaza to discuss one of the great action classics* and a beloved movie in the hacker community: Die Hard. Yippee ki-yay! 

*NOT a Christmas movie

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