Welcome in! You’ve entered, Only Malware in the Building. Join us each month to sip tea and solve mysteries about today’s most interesting threats. 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 her co-hosts N2K Networks Dave Bittner and Keith Mularski, former FBI cybercrime investigator and now Chief Global Ambassador at Qintel.
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 three hosts discuss several articles covering a new wave of social engineering attacks tied to the so-called Contagious Interview campaign. In this operation, threat actors linked to North Korea are reportedly posing as tech recruiters to trick job seekers into downloading malware. The discussion highlights updates to two malware strains—BeaverTail and InvisibleFerret—that have been retooled with cross-platform capabilities and new data theft features, raising fresh concerns about how targeted individuals could become a gateway into larger organizational networks.
You can find the links to the stories here:
Lazarus Group Infostealer Malwares Attacking Developers In New Campaign
Contagious Interview: DPRK Threat Actors Lure Tech Industry Job Seekers to Install New Variants of BeaverTail and InvisibleFerret Malware
North Korean State Sponsored Supply Chain Attack on Tech Innovation
Lazarus Group Targets Organizations with Sophisticated LinkedIn Recruiting Scam
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32:14
The RMM protocol: Remote, risky, and ready to strike.
Please enjoy this encore of Only Malware in the Building.
Welcome in! You’ve entered, Only Malware in the Building. Join us each month to sip tea and solve mysteries about today’s most interesting threats. 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 our newest co-host, Keith Mularski, former FBI cybercrime investigator and now Chief Global Ambassador at Qintel.
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 hosts discuss the growing trend of cybercriminals using legitimate remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools in email campaigns as a first-stage payload. They explore how these tools are being leveraged for data theft, financial fraud, and lateral movement within networks. With the decline of traditional malware delivery methods, including loaders and botnets, the shift toward RMMs marks a significant change in attack strategies. Tune in to learn more about this evolving threat landscape and how to stay ahead of these tactics.
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38:40
The great CoGUI caper.
Welcome in! You’ve entered, Only Malware in the Building. Join us each month to sip tea and solve mysteries about today’s most interesting threats. 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 her co-hosts N2K Networks Dave Bittner and Keith Mularski, former FBI cybercrime investigator and now Chief Global Ambassador at Qintel.
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 hosts discuss Chinese-speaking threat actors are targeting Japan with a massive phishing campaign using a sneaky new kit called CoGUI, which has hit organizations with over 170 million messages in a single month. The campaign mimics trusted brands like Amazon, PayPay, and Rakuten to steal login and payment info—lining up with warnings from Japan’s Financial Services Agency about attackers cashing out and buying Chinese stocks. While the CoGUI kit is slick with its evasion tricks and browser profiling, your hosts are hot on its trail with new detections to help stop the phishing frenzy.
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35:20
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35:20
The RMM protocol: Remote, risky, and ready to strike.
Welcome in! You’ve entered, Only Malware in the Building. Join us each month to sip tea and solve mysteries about today’s most interesting threats. 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 our newest co-host, Keith Mularski, former FBI cybercrime investigator and now Chief Global Ambassador at Qintel.
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 hosts discuss the growing trend of cybercriminals using legitimate remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools in email campaigns as a first-stage payload. They explore how these tools are being leveraged for data theft, financial fraud, and lateral movement within networks. With the decline of traditional malware delivery methods, including loaders and botnets, the shift toward RMMs marks a significant change in attack strategies. Tune in to learn more about this evolving threat landscape and how to stay ahead of these tactics.
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39:40
Hello? Is it malware you’re looking for?
Welcome in! You’ve entered, Only Malware in the Building. Join us each month to sip tea and solve mysteries about today’s most interesting threats. 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 our newest totally unbiased co-host, Archy, a highly sophisticated AI robot who swears they have no ulterior motives (but we’re keeping an eye on them just in case).
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 hosts discuss Telephone-Oriented Attack Delivery (TOAD), also known as callback phishing. In this type of attack, an attacker sends a seemingly benign email, often containing an invoice or payment notification, along with a phone number. When the victim calls, they speak with the attacker, who convinces them to install remote access tools, leading to malware installation, phishing, and financial theft. Tune in as we explore how this deceptive tactic works and ways to protect yourself from falling victim to it.
"Only Malware in the Building” is a monthly podcast crafted through a collaboration between N2K CyberWire and the Proofpoint DISCARDED podcast. Join hosts Selena Larson, Threat Researcher at Proofpoint, Dave Bittner—host of the CyberWire Daily podcast—and Keith Mularski, former FBI Cyber Division Unit Chief and now Chief Global Officer at Qintel, as this trio of cyber-savvy partners-in-crime team up to uncover the secrets behind some of the most notorious cyberattacks. This segment focuses on the most impactful and intriguing malware stories. Its aim is to distill complex cybersecurity information into digestible, insightful episodes for tech professionals, providing security executives a clear and engaging “so what” that is actionable."
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