The CyberWire Daily Podcast 7.22.22
Ep 1625 | 7.22.22

Espionage and counterespionage during the hybrid war. Assessing Russian cyberops. Conti's fate. Investigating cut Internet cables in France. Trends in “pig-butchering.”

Show Notes

Traditional espionage and counterespionage during the hybrid war. Assessing Russian cyberattacks. Conti's fate and effects. Investigating cut Internet cables in France. My conversation with AD Bryan Vorndran of the FBI Cyber Division on reverse webshell operation and Hafnium. Our guest is Tom Kellermann of VMware to discuss the findings of their Modern Bank Heists report. And, finally the dark online world of “pig-butchering.”

Selected reading.

UK Spy Chief Sees Russia’s Military Running ‘Out of Steam’ Soon (Bloomberg)

Exhausted Russian army gives Ukraine chance to strike back, says British spy chief (The Telegraph) 

'Cut by half' Putin's masterplan backfires as 400 Russian spies thrown out of Europe (Express) 

Half of Russian spies in Europe expelled since Ukraine invasion, says MI6 chief (the Guardian) 

MI6 chief: Russia’s spies ‘not having a great war’ in Ukraine (The Record by Recorded Future) 

CIA chief says 15,000 Russians killed in war, dismisses Putin health rumors (Washington Post) 

CIA Chief Says Russia’s Iran Drone Deal Shows Military Weakness (Bloomberg) 

Ukraine confronts Kremlin infiltration threat at unreformed state bodies (Atlantic Council) 

US seeking to understand Russia’s failure to project cyber power in Ukraine (Defense News)

Battling Moscow's hackers prior to invasion gave Kyiv 'full dress rehearsal' for today's cyber warfare (CyberScoop)

How Conti ransomware hacked and encrypted the Costa Rican government (BleepingComputer) 

Anatomy of Attack: Truth Behind the Costa Rica Government Ransomware 5-Day Intrusion (AdvIntel) 

Conti Criminals Resurface as Splinter RaaS Groups  (Security Boulevard)

The Unsolved Mystery Attack on Internet Cables in Paris (Wired) 

Massive Losses Define Epidemic of ‘Pig Butchering’ (KrebsOnSecurity)