Security Now - 16k MP3

This week we're going to examine the success of the abbreviation overloaded DoD's DIB-VDP pilot program. We're going to introduce the relatively new OpenSSF - Open Source Security Foundation - and its Package Analysis Project. We're going to look at some hopeful new privacy legislation recently passed in Connecticut's house which if signed into law would cause it to join four other privacy-progressive states, and we're going to look at Moxie Marlinspike's irreverent rationale for the need for port knocking. Then, after sharing some interesting listener feedback, we're going to look at the background, implementation and future of a very encouraging development in user web browser and Internet privacy.

This week we're going to take a close look at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's mandated must update list, including some recent entries. We're going to examine the somewhat breathtaking mistake that Lenovo made across more than 100 of their laptop models, and a cryptocurrency wallet implemented in a web browser (what could possibly go wrong?) Then we're going to look at another startling vulnerability that was recently discovered in Java versions 15, 16, 17 and 18. We have a bunch of interesting listener feedback, a brief Sci-Fi interlude, and the announcement of a major milestone reached for SpinRite. Then we're going to wrap up by taking a look across the past ten years of 0-day vulnerabilities thanks to some recent research performed by the security firm Mandiant. The title of this week's podcast gives away what's been happening.

This week we examine Chrome's third zero-day of the year, followed by Microsoft's massive 128-patch fest last week, and we note that we don't even bother counting Windows zero-days, though there were another two this month amid the 47 critical vulnerabilities that were patched, one of them being so worrisome that it captured this week's podcast title, which we'll cover at length before we conclude. We also have more WordPress add-on trouble, the return of a longstanding problem in Apache Struts, and we have some interesting commentary about the current hackability status of the United States nuclear arsenal. I want to share a bit of closing-the-loop feedback with our listeners and give everyone a snapshot into the recent work on SpinRite. Then we're going to take a close look at the one flaw, out of 128 that Microsoft patched last week, that truly has the entire security industry on pins and needles because it enables a zero-click Internet worm.

We'll wrap up this week's podcast by revisiting Spring4Shell. Last week, when we first mentioned it, it was just a questionable itch. Now, a week later, it's a full blown outbreak deserving of today's podcast title. But before we roll up our sleeves for that we're going to examine credible reports of a 0-day in the Internet's most popular web server platform. We're going to take a look at Microsoft's newly announced "Autopatch" system, and the rapidly approaching end-of-security life of some Windows 10 editions. We have another instance of an NPM protest-ware modification of a highly used library, and I want to share a bit of miscellany and listener feedback. Then we'll finish by looking at what one week has done to Spring4Shell.

This week we examine a critical Java framework flaw that's been named "Spring4Shell" because it's mildly reminiscent of Java's recent "Log4J" problem. We'll also take a look at the popular QNAP NAS devices and several recent security troubles there. Sophos has got themselves an attention grabbing must patch now 9.8 CVSS vulnerability and it didn't take long (10-days) for the theoretical Browser-in-the-Browser spoof to become non-theoretical. There's more worrisome news on the NPM supply-chain package manager exploitation nightmare, the FinFisher spyware firm happily bites the dust, and some of the young hackers forming the Lapsus$ gang have been identified. Squarely in the doghouse this week is WYZE whose super-popular webcams have problems which are just as serious as those of the company itself... and, oh!, the authentication bypass details, which I'll share, are SO wonderful! Then after a bit of closing-the-loop feedback with our listeners, I want to talk about and put the idea of "Strong Service Concealment" on everyone's radar. "Port Knocking" is not a new idea by any means. But it is extremely clever, cool and useful. In today's world, there's more reason than ever for ports and the services behind them that are not actively soliciting public traffic to be kept completely hidden. There are a number of ways this can be done which are very cool.

This week we start by looking at Chrome's second zero-day vulnerability of the year. We then spend some time with an interview of the Chief Technical Officer of one of Ukraine's largest ISPs learning of the challenges they're currently facing. JavaScript's most popular package manager npm is under attack again, and Honda tells worried reporters that they have no plans to address the consequences of a new glaring security vulnerability affecting five recent years of their Honda Civic design. The FCC classifies Kaspersky Lab as a national security threat and adds a bunch of Chinese Telecom companies and services, as well. Then, after addressing a piece of use-after-free listener feedback, we take a detailed look at the consequences of Chrome's first zero-day of the year and at the attacks launched by North Korea which leveraged that flaw.

This week we look at the US's new cybercrime reporting law that was just passed. We examine a worrisome software supply chain sabotage and the trend it represents. We look at "Browser-in-the-browser," a new way to spoof sign-in dialogs to capture authentication credentials, and we examine the way MicroTik routers are being used by the TrickBot botnet to obscure their command and control servers. A very concerning infinite loop bug has been uncovered in OpenSSL (time to update!) and CISA walks us through their forensic analysis of a Russian attack on an NGO. We then take a look at the Windows vulnerability that refuses to be resolved, and we'll finish by spending a bit more time than we have so far looking more closely at why User-After-Free flaws continue to be so challenging.

This week we briefly touch on last week's Patch Tuesday for both Windows and Android, the world's two most used operating systems. We look at a recent emergency update to Firefox and the need to keep all of our systems' UEFI firmware up to date. NVIDIA suffers a huge and quite embarrassing network breach, and ProtonMail handles their Russian customers correctly. The Linux kernel has seen some challenging times recently, and Russia has decided to start signing website certificates. Research was just published to put some numbers to WordPress add-ons' observably miserable security, and the European Union legislators who brought us GDPR and mandatory website cookie notifications are at it again. What now?

This week we examine many of the cyber-consequences of Russia's unilateral aggression against Ukraine. In a world as interconnected as today, can a rogue nation go it alone? Ukraine has formed a volunteer IT Army. Hacking groups are picking sides. Is Starlink a hope? Actors on both sides of Russia's borders are selectively blocking Internet content. Google has become proactive. The Namecheap registrar has withdrawn service. Use of the Telegram encrypted messenger service has exploded. Cryptocurrency exchanges block tens of thousands of wallets. Russia releases the IP addresses and domains attacking them, and likely some which are not. They also prepare to amend their laws to permit software piracy and appear to be preparing to entirely disconnect from the global Internet. All of the technologies we've been talking about for years are in play.

This week we examine the consequences of paying ransomware extortion demands. How did that work out for you? We take a deep look into "Daxin," a somewhat terrifying malware from attackers linked to China. We take something of a retrospective look at Log4j and draw some lessons from its trajectory. We touch on some technical consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including which kitchen appliances Russia's servers are claiming to be, and the question of the possible consequences of the U.S. becoming involved in launching some cyberattacks at Russia. We have a piece of interesting listener feedback and the results of last week's next SpinRite development pre-release. Then we're going to take a look at the significant mistake Samsung made which crippled and compromised the security of all 100 million of their most recently made Smartphones.