Three Buddy Problem - Episode 39: Luta Security CEO Katie Moussouris joins the buddies to parse news around a coordinated Chinese exposure of Taiwan APT actors, CitizenLab's report on Paragon spyware and WhatsApp exploits, an “official” Russian government exploit-buying operation shopping for Telegram exploits, the fragmentation of exploit markets and the future of CISA in the face of budget cuts and layoffs.

Cast: Katie Moussouris, Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Links:

• Transcript (unedited, AI-generated)
• China's MSS discloses Taiwan APTs
• Antiy report Taiwan's "Green Spot" attack group
• Citizen Lab on Paragon’s Proliferating Spyware Operations
• Operation Zero wants Telegram 1-click RCE exploits
• Operation Zero 0day Vulnerability Platform
• GitHub Action supply chain attack
• Blast radius of GitHub Action supply chain attack
• Windows .lnk shortcut exploit abused as zero-day
• Sean Plankey nominated to lead CISA
• Trump admin halts funding for two cybersecurity efforts
• CISA publishes Jen Easterley's calendars
• CISA statement on 'red-team' layoff reports

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 38: On the show this week, we look at a hefty batch of Microsoft zero-days exploited in the wild, iOS 18.3.2 fixing an exploited WebKit bug, a mysterious Unpatched.ai being credited with Microsoft Access RCE flaws, and OpenAI lobbying for the US to ban China's DeepSeek.

Plus, discussion on a Binarly technical paper with new approach to finding UEFI bootkits, Mandiant flagging custom backdoors on Juniper routers, and MEV 'sandwich attacks' front-running cryptocurrency transactions.

Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Links:

• Transcript (unedited, AI-generated)
• Microsoft Flags Six Active Zero-Days, Patches 57 Flaws
• Unpatched.ai discoveries
• Apple Ships iOS 18.3.2 to Fix Already-Exploited WebKit Flaw
• Apple iOS 18.3.2 and iPadOS 18.3.2 documentation
• Citizen Lab: Predator in the wires
• FreeType Zero-Day Being Exploited in the Wild
• CVE-2020-15999: FreeType Heap Buffer Overflow
• Mandiant : Ghost in the Juniper router
• Jun OS out-of-cycle security bulletin (CVE-2025-21590)
• Juniper Malware Removal Tool
• Binarly: UEFI Bootkit Hunting -- In-Depth Search for Unique Code Behavior
• Crypto Trader Loses $215,000 in MEV Sandwich Attack on Uniswap
• The Secretive World Of MEV, Where Bots Front-Run Crypto Investors For Big Profits
• Reuters journalist Raphael Satter loses overseas citizenship
• Yanis Varoufakis: Trump’s tariff chaos explained
• Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism (Yanis Varoufakis)

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 37: This week, we revisit the public reporting on a US/Russia cyber stand down order, CISA declaring no change to its position on tracking Russian threats, and the high-level diplomatic optics at play.

Plus, a dissection of ‘The Lamberts’ APT and connections to US intelligence agencies, attribution around ‘Operation Triangulation’ and the lack of recent visibility into these actors. We also discuss a fresh batch of VMware zero-days, China’s i-Soon ‘hackers-for-hire’ indictments, the Pangu/i-Soon connection, and a new wave of Apple threat-intel warnings about mercenary spyware infections.

Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Links:

• Transcript (unedited, AI-generated)
• Kim Zetter: Did Trump admin order a stand-down on Russia?
• Unraveling the Lamberts Toolkit (Securelist)
• VB2019: King of the hill: nation-state counterintelligence for victim deconfliction
• VB2018: Draw me like one of your French APTs
• Symantec: Who is Longhorn?
• VMware: Three new zero-days exploited
• Broadcom patches 3 VMware zero-days exploited in the wild
• DOJ indictments: i-Soon hackers for hire and APT27
• Unmasking I-Soon
• Catalan court orders former NSO Group execs be indicted for spyware abuses
• Apple sending 'mercenary spyware' threat notifications
• How Social Engineering Sparked a Billion-Dollar Supply Chain Cryptocurrency Heist
• Safe{Wallet] post-mortem on ByBit $1.4B crypto heist

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 36: Ryan and Juanito join the show from the RE//verse conference with discussion on Natalie Silvanovic’s keynote on hunting for bugs in mobile messengers, the thrill of looking at exposed attack surfaces and the grueling “losses” bug hunters endure before a breakthrough.

We also cover the latest on the $1.4 billion ByBit hack pinned on the Lazarus Group and the malicious JavaScript supply chain attack at the center of the cryptocurrency heist. Plus, the ethical gray zones of tethered exploits via Cellebrite, the whiplash of AI-driven threat intel, and the looming pivot in U.S. cyber policy signaling a stand-down on Russia-focused ops.

Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Links:

• Transcript (unedited, AI-generated)
• RE//verse Conference
• FBI Says North Korea Hacked Bybit as Details of $1.5B Heist Emerge
• FBI alert on $1.5b crypto heist
• CISA report on TraderTraitor
• Bybit launches bug bounty program
• Lazarus Bounty
• Cellebrite zero-day exploit used to target phone of Serbian student activist
• Trump administration retreats in fight against Russian cyber threats
• Hegseth orders Cyber Command to stand down on Russia planning

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 35: Juanito is live from DistrictCon with notes on discussion of an elusive iOS zero-day by a company called QuaDream and Apple’s controversial removal of iCloud backup end-to-end encryption in the UK. We also cover a staggering $1.4 billion hack by the Lazarus Group against Bybit, new angles in NSA-linked cyber-espionage against China’s top universities, Chinese hacking gangs moonlighting as ransomware criminals, and Russian APTs abusing Signal’s “linked devices” feature. Plus, Costin explains Microsoft’s quantum computing breakthrough.

Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Links:

• Transcript (unedited, AI-generated)
• DistrictCon: Dissecting a QuaDream iOS zero-day
• Unpacking the UK government's secret iCloud backdoor demand
• U.K. orders Apple to let it spy on users’ encrypted accounts
• Apple Pulls Advanced Data Protection for New UK Users Amid Backdoor Demand
• Bybit Sees Over $4 Billion ‘Bank Run’ After Crypto’s Biggest Hack
• ByBit CEO explains crypto heist
• iVerify on Pegasus infections
• Is there a Pangu Team/i-SOON connection?
• Russian hackers actively targeting Signal Messenger
• How Russian APTs abuse Signal 'linked devices' for real-time spying
• Cisco Talos: In the midst of a Typhoon
• Satya Nadella: Reflections on a quantum computing breakthrough
• Taiwan wants to ban Fortinet, Zoom
• Pangu Team Bvp47 report

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 34: We dig into the latest exploited Apple iPhone zero-day (USB Restricted Mode bypass), an AMD microcode flaw so serious it’s not being fully disclosed, a barrage of Patch Tuesday updates, the helpless nature of trying to defend corporate networks, Russian threat actor movements, and fresh intel from Rapid7, Volexity, and Microsoft.

Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Links:

• Transcript (unedited, AI-generated)
• Apple iOS 18.3.1 zero-day bulletin
• Apple Says iPhone USB Restricted Mode Exploited in ‘Extremely Sophisticated’ Attack
• Quarkslab: Analysis of USB Restricted Mode bypass (CVE-2025-24200)
• ZDI Patch Tuesday recap (exploited Windows 0days)
• The BadPilot campaign (Seashell Blizzard subgroup)
• Rapid7 on PostgreSQL zero-day linked to BeyondTrust 0days
• PostgreSQL 0day advisory (CVE-2025-1094)
• Google partial disclosure of high-risk flaw in AMD microcode
• AMD SEV Confidential Computing Vulnerability (CVE-2024-56161)
• Fortinet documents another exploited 0day
• Storm-2372 conducts device code phishing campaign
• CrowdStrike on malware naming schemes

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 33: In this episode, we unpack the UK government's secret push for backdoor access to encrypted iCloud data, Apple’s approach to iCloud encryption, and the broader implications for privacy and security on a global scale. Plus, how security agencies handle zero-day vulnerabilities, surveillance spyware and mercenary hacking, and TikTok-powered election disinformation and interference.

From wormable exploits like Eternal Bue to the realities of AI-based spying, the episode offers a detailed look into how government oversight, private sector collaboration, and shifting market forces have reshaped the way we think about cybersecurity.

Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Links:

• Transcript (unedited, AI-generated)
• UK orders Apple to let it spy on users’ iCloud data
• How to turn on Advanced Data Protection for iCloud
• Kim Zetter: US government disclosed 39 zero-days in 2023
• CISA alert on Trimble zero-day exploitation
• France VIGINUM report on foreign digital election interference

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 32: In this episode, we rummage through the DeepSeek hype and break down what makes it different from OpenAI’s models, why it’s stirring up existential controversies, and what it means for the broader tech landscape. We get into the privacy concerns, the geo-political implications, how AI models handle data, the ongoing debate over IP theft and innovation, and the challenges that come with a Chinese company shipping an open-source alternative.

Beyond AI, we dig into some of the latest headlines; from a Chinese ‘backdoor’ in medical devices, problems with CISA’s backdoor bulletin, the risks of insecure IoT, phishing attacks on influencers, and ongoing battles over censorship in the VPN space. We also touch on WhatsApp catching spyware vendor Paragon Solutions and potential shifts in U.S. government policy on commercial mercenary hacking and surveillance companies.

Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Links:

• Transcript (unedited, AI-generated)
• DeepSeek Privacy Policy
• White House evaluates effect of China AI app DeepSeek on national security
• Why ‘Distillation’ Has Become the Scariest Word for AI Companies
• Microsoft Probing If DeepSeek-Linked Group Improperly Obtained OpenAI Data
• U.S. Navy bans use of DeepSeek AI
• Wiz Research Uncovers Exposed DeepSeek Database Leaking Sensitive Information
• ScatterBrain: Unmasking the Shadow of PoisonPlug's Obfuscator
• ScatterBrain: Deobfuscation library for PoisionPlug.SHADOW's ScatterBrain obfuscator
• CISA, FDA Warn of Dangerous Backdoor in Contec Patient Monitors
• CISA advisory: Contec CMS8000 contains a backdoor
• Contec CMS 8000 product manual
• NordVPN NordWhisper
• WhatsApp: Spyware company Paragon targeted users in two dozen countries
• X Phishing Campaign Targeting High Profile Accounts, Promoting Crypto Scams
• LABScon24: Follow the Money -- CCP’s Ownership of Firms Investing in the USA (Elly Rostoum)
• Binarly Post-Quantum Readiness Technology

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 31: Dennis Fisher steps in for Ryan Naraine to moderate discussion on a very busy week in cybersecurity. The cast dig into the wave of big research reports, the disbanding of the Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB), the ongoing flood of exploits targeting security appliances from Ivanti and SonicWall, and the recent Lumen research on Juniper router backdoors.

Plus, the challenges of coordinating disclosures, the tough realities of intelligence work, and the complex landscape of nation-state attacks -- especially around Chinese threat actors and Western defenses.

Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Dennis Fisher.

Links:

• Transcript (unedited, AI-generated)
• DHS Disbands Cyber Safety Review Board, Ending One of CISA’s Few Bright Spots
• CSRB report on Microsoft Exchange Online Intrusion
• Senator Ron Wyden on CSRB disbandment
• CISA CSRB: good riddance
• Threat Actors Chained Vulnerabilities in Ivanti Cloud Service Applications
• SonicWall confirms new 0day exploited in the wild
• The J-Magic Show: Magic Packets and Where to Find Them

Three Buddy Problem - Episode 30: We discuss French threat-intel Sekoia creating a portal to handle “sovereign disinfections” of the PlugX malware, CISA leadership taking a victory lap using the ‘Secure by Design’ pledge as a trophy, the new Biden cybersecurity Executive Order, another Fortinet zero-day, the TikTok ban and Ukrainian hackers targeting Russian companies.

Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade, Costin Raiu and Ryan Naraine.

Links:

• Transcript (unedited, AI-generated)
• Court-Authorized Operation Removes PlugX Malware from Over 4,200 Infected U.S. Computers
• PlugX removal affidavit
• Sekoia -- PlugX worm disinfection campaign
• Jen Easterly: Building a secure by Design ecosystem
• Trump zeroes in on Sean Plankey to lead CISA
• Sean Plankey bio
• Biden cybersecurity executive order
• Biden executive order aims to shore up US cyber defenses
• Gravy Analytics accused of negligence over location data breach
• Tracking the mobile trackers (Costin Raiu) - YouTube
• Russia's largest platform for state procurement hit by cyberattack from pro-Ukraine group
• New Star Blizzard spear-phishing campaign targets WhatsApp accounts
• UK proposes ransomware payment ban
• Fortinet authentication bypass zero-day
• Fortinet: Deep dive into a Linux rootkit malware
• Bernardo Quintero's new book on VirusTotal (Spanish-language)