The CyberWire Daily

Chinese hackers breach the U.S. Treasury Department. At least 35 Chrome extensions are compromised. Federal authorities arrest a U.S. Army soldier over accusations of sensitive data stolen from AT&T and Verizon. A misconfigured Amazon cloud server exposes sensitive data from over 800,000 VW EV owners. Rhode Island confirms a data breach linked to ransomware group Brain Cipher. Ascension healthcare confirms the exposure of the personal and medical data of 5.6 million customers. A recent patch to Windows BitLocker encryption proves inadequate. A suspected Chinese hacking campaign is exploiting a vulnerability in Palo Alto firewalls for espionage. The DOJ bans the sale of Americans’ sensitive data to adversarial nations. HHS proposes a HIPAA update to address cybersecurity. Our guest is Mick Baccio, Global Security Advisor at Splunk, with insights on the cybersecurity resilience gap. CISA Director Easterly looks back at 2024. 

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Our guest is Mick Baccio, Global Security Advisor at Splunk’s security research team SURGe, sharing some insights on the cybersecurity resilience gap and top cyber challenges/priorities for the public sector. You can read more about this in SURGe’s blog and whitepaper. 

US Treasury Department breached through remote support platform (Bleeping Computer)

New details reveal how hackers hijacked 35 Google Chrome extensions (Bleeping Computer)

U.S. Army Soldier Arrested in AT&T, Verizon Extortions (Krebs on Security)

AT&T and Verizon Say Chinese Hackers Ejected From Networks (GovInfo Security)

Volkswagen leak exposes private information of 800,000 EV owners, including location data (TechSpot)

Hackers Leak Rhode Island Citizens' Data on Dark Web (Infosecurity Magazine)

Ascension cyberattack exposed medical data of 5.6M customers (Healthcare IT News)

Patched BitLocker Flaw Still Susceptible to Hack (GovInfo Security)

Palo Alto Firewalls Backdoored by Suspected Chinese Hackers (BankInfo Security)

US prohibits data sales to adversarial nations (SC Media) 

Massive healthcare breaches prompt US cybersecurity rules overhaul (Bleeping Computer)

CISA's 2024 Review Highlights Major Efforts in Cybersecurity Industry Collaboration (Infosecurity Magazine)

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Sharon Lemac-Vincere is an academic that focuses her research on the intersection of space and cyber. She has released a report on space and cybersecurity which outlines how Scotland can lead the way in both industries. 

You can connect with Sharon on LinkedIn, and read her paper on The Cyber-Safe Gateway : Unlocking Scotland's Space Cybersecurity Potential on this website.

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While we are on our winter publishing break, please enjoy an episode of our N2K CyberWire network show, The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast by Microsoft Threat Intelligence. See you in 2025!

On this week's episode of The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Podcast, we discuss the collaborative effort between Microsoft and Fortra to combat the illegal use of cracked Cobalt Strike software, which is commonly employed in ransomware attacks.  To break down the situation, our host, Sherrod DeGrippo, is joined by Richard Boscovich, Assistant General Counsel at Microsoft, Jason Lyons, Principal Investigator with the DCU, and Bob Erdman, Associate VP Research and Development at Fortra. The discussion covers the creative use of DMCA notifications tailored by geographic region to combat cybercrime globally. The group express their optimism about applying these successful techniques to other areas, such as phishing kits, and highlight ongoing efforts to make Cobalt Strike harder to abuse.   

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

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Brandon Karpf sits down with Mike Silverman, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at FS-ISAC, to discuss the white paper Building Cryptographic Agility in the Financial Sector.

Authored by experts from FS-ISAC’s Post-Quantum Cryptography Working Group, the paper addresses the vulnerabilities posed by quantum computing to current cryptographic algorithms. It provides financial institutions with strategies to safeguard sensitive data and maintain trust as these emerging threats evolve.

Discover the challenges and actionable steps to build cryptographic agility in this insightful conversation.

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While we are on our winter publishing break, please enjoy an episode of our N2K CyberWire network show, The BlueHat Podcast by Microsoft and MSRC. See you in 2025!

Yonatan Zunger, CVP of AI Safety & Security at Microsoft joins Nic Fillingham and Wendy Zenone on this week's episode of The BlueHat Podcast. Yonatan explains the distinction between generative and predictive AI, noting that while predictive AI excels in classification and recommendation, generative AI focuses on summarizing and role-playing. He highlights how generative AI's ability to process natural language and role-play has vast potential, though its applications are still emerging. He contrasts this with predictive AI's strength in handling large datasets for specific tasks. Yonatan emphasizes the importance of ethical considerations in AI development, stressing the need for continuous safety engineering and diverse perspectives to anticipate and mitigate potential failures. He provides examples of AI's positive and negative uses, illustrating the importance of designing systems that account for various scenarios and potential misuses. 

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Please enjoy this encore episode of a Special Edition.

N2K’s Brandon Karpf speaks with guest Justin Fanelli, Acting CTO of the US Navy, about the US Navy streamlining the innovation process. For some background, you can refer to this article. 

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VP of Global Solutions Architecture at eSentire Tia Hopkins shares her career journey and talks about its beginnings in engineering and pivots into cybersecurity leadership. Tia shares how she liked to take things apart when she was young, including the brand new computer her mother bought her and how she was fascinated by all the pieces of it spread all across her bedroom floor. As she started studying engineering, Tia learned she was more of a technologist than an engineer. Tia got her start in technology without completing her formal education by what she says is "grit and right place, right time." Once she was in a management role, Tia wanted to validate her knowledge, experience, and ability and not only completed her bachelor's degree, but also two master's degrees. Tia recently started an organization to encourage and grow interest, confidence, and leaders of women of color in the field of cybersecurity. We thank Tia for sharing her story with us.

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This week, we are joined by Asheer Malhotra and Vitor Ventura from Cisco Talos, and they are discussing "Operation Celestial Force employs mobile and desktop malware to target Indian entities." Cisco Talos revealed Operation Celestial Force, an espionage campaign by the Pakistani threat group "Cosmic Leopard," targeting Indian defense, government, and technology sectors.

Active for at least six years, the operation has recently increased its use of mobile malware and commercial spyware for surveillance.

The research can be found here:

• Operation Celestial Force employs mobile and desktop malware to target Indian entities

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Please enjoy this encore episode of Only Malware in the Building.

Welcome in! You’ve entered, Only Malware in the Building. Grab your eggnog and don your coziest holiday sweater as we sleuth our way through cyber mysteries with a festive twist! Your host is Selena Larson, Proofpoint intelligence analyst and host of their podcast DISCARDED. Inspired by the residents of a building in New York’s exclusive upper west side, Selena is joined by N2K Networks Dave Bittner and Rick Howard to uncover the stories behind notable cyberattacks. Being a security researcher is a bit like being a detective: you gather clues, analyze the evidence, and consult the experts to solve the cyber puzzle. On this episode, our cyber ghosts delve into the past, present, and future of some of the season’s most pressing threats: two-factor authentication (2FA), social engineering scams, and the return to consumer-targeted attacks.

Together, Rick, Dave, and Selena deliver a ghostly—but insightful—message about the state of cybersecurity, past, present, and future. Can their advice save your holiday season from digital disaster? Tune in and find out.

May your holidays be merry, bright, and free of cyber fright!

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Please enjoy this encore episode of Solution Spotlight.

In this special edition of Solution Spotlight, N2K President, Simone Petrella is talking with ISC2 CEO Clar Rosso about putting a dent in the cybersecurity workforce gap through empowerment, breaking down barriers and expanding DE&I initiatives.

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