Inside the attack chain: A new methodology for tracking compartmentalized threats
Edmund Brumaghin joins Hazel to discuss how threat actors (including state sponsored attackers), are increasingly compartmentalizing their attacks i.e they're bringing in specialist skillsets from other groups to handle different aspects of the attack chain. Edmund discusses why this is happening, and the challenges this poses for defenders when it comes to attribution and reporting. He then discusses several solutions which seek to evolve traditional threat modelling, and help provide clarity to defenders.More details can be found in this blog https://blog.talosintelligence.com/compartmentalized-threat-modeling/If you're interested in our other blog on initial access groups, that can be found at https://blog.talosintelligence.com/redefining-initial-access-brokers/
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Follow the motive: Rethinking defense against Initial Access Groups
In this episode, Hazel welcomes Talos researcher Ashley Shen to discuss the evolution of initial access brokers (IABs) and the importance of distinguishing between different types of IABs. We talk about the need for a new taxonomy to categorize IABs into three types: financially motivated (FIA), state-sponsored (SIA), and opportunistic (OIA) initial access groups. This taxonomy aims to improve threat modeling and defense strategies by providing a clearer understanding of the motivations and behaviors of different IABs. For more details, check out the blog that Ashley co-authored with other Talos researchers https://blog.talosintelligence.com/redefining-initial-access-brokers/
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Year in Review special pt. 4: How AI is influencing the threat landscape?
A jam packed episode of guests means a slightly longer Talos Takes for your feed today! We welcome Amy Chang and Omar Santos from Cisco, Vitor Ventura from Talos, and Ryan Fetterman from Splunk. Together, we discuss how AI isn't rewriting the cybercrime playbook, but it is turbo charging some of the old tricks, particularly on the social engineering side. We also touch on threat actor-built LLMs and where things may be headed. We then talk about how defensive strategies can leverage AI, particularly in the SOC, to increase visibility and make determinations a lot quicker. Resources mentioned in the episode:Talos' 2024 Year in ReviewCisco's State of AI Security reportDefending at machine speed, by Splunk
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Year in Review special part 3: Identity and MFA attacks
Steven Leung from Cisco Duo joins Hazel to discuss the prevalence of identity-based attacks, why they're happening, and the various methods attackers are using to circumvent MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication), based on data in Talos' 2024 Year in Review. Topics we touch on include phishing, push spray attacks, and Adversary-in-the Middle campaigns, and throughout the episode Steven provides best practice recommendations for implementing MFA at scale, without increasing user friction.For more resources, check out the Duo blog, and Talos' 2024 Year in Review.
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Year in Review special part 2: The biggest ransomware trends
Azim Khodjibaev and Lexi DiScola join Hazel to discuss some of the most prolific ransomware groups (and why LockBit may end this year very differently to how they ended 2024). They also discuss the dominant techniques of ransomware actors, where low-profile tactics led to high-impact consequences.For the full analysis, download Talos' 2024 Year in Review at https://blog.talosintelligence.com/2024yearinreview/
Every week, host Hazel Burton brings on a new guest from Talos or the broader Cisco Security world to break down a complicated security topic. We cover everything from breaking news to attacker trends and emerging threats.
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