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Decipher Security Podcast

Decipher

Every week, Dennis Fisher and Lindsey O'Donnell-Welch, the editors of Decipher, bring you exclusive, in-depth conversations with security researchers, CISOs, founders, and security experts to hellp you understand the threat landscape and better protect your organizations.

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  • 370 episodes
  • Updated Friday

Episodes370

Newest first
  • February 20 · 18 min

    China Targets Dell Flaw, New Ivanti Exploitation, and Cyber Shenanigans on The Pitt!

    It's a light news week, but we have some fun content for you! This week, we talk about our latest hacker movie episode--STAR WARS--which is up on the site and all of our feeds now (0:25), then we dig into a nasty hard-coded. credential bug in Dell RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines that Chinese threat actors are exploiting (4:20), and then we move on to an active campaign targeting two vulnerabilities in Ivanti EPMM that is hitting organizations across the U.S., Canada, and other countries (08:33). Finally, we talk a little about an interesting cybersecurity plot line on HBO's show The Pitt (12:15). Spoiler warning: If you're not caught up on this show, there's a minor spoiler, but nothing you haven't really seen in the previews. Support the show

  • February 18 · 1 hr 4 min

    The Hacker Movie Canon: Star Wars

    STAR WARS isn't just one of the more successful and iconic movies of all time and the basis for a worldwide sci-fi empire, it's also a true hacker story. Wade Baker and Rich Mogull, two Star Wars scholars, join Dennis Fisher to break down the Empire's pathetic perimeter defenses, R2D2's arc as a wily hacker, and how the movie hinges on a data breach. Support the show

  • February 13 · 17 min

    Six Zero Days From Microsoft, One From Apple, and a CSI: Cyber Throwback

    This week was a cornucopia of zero days. We talk about the six (!) actively exploited vulnerabilities that Microsoft patched this week in its February update (2:46), then we discuss the one that Apple fixed in iOS 26.3, a vulnerability that has been used in what the company calls an "extremely sophisticated attack" against a few individuals (7:24). That's a clear indication that the vulnerability has likely been used in operations involving commercial spyware vendors. Finally, we give a little love to the long lost TV show CSI: Cyber, which starred James Van Der Beek, and the cameo that two famous hackers had on one episode (12:40). The old Threatpost CSI: Cyber running chat discussion Support the show

  • February 9 · 49 min

    How to Stay Ahead of Attackers With watchTowr's Ryan Dewhurst

    Attackers are moving faster and faster every day, and the challenge of keeping pace is a daunting one. But it's not impossible. watchTowr's Ryan Dewhurst joins Dennis Fisher to talk about how the "magic" of computers first captured his imagination when he was young, how defenders can learn from attackers' tactics and adapt, and how the AI revolution is accelerating vulnerability disclosure and exploitation. Support the show

  • February 6 · 16 min

    Dumping Edge Security Devices, the SystemBC Botnet, and the Joy of Joybubbles

    This week we talk about the new CISA Binding Operational Directive that sets a deadline for removing end of support edge security devices from federal government networks (1:15), then we discuss the new research from Silent Push on the new variant of the SystemBC botnet (6:45), and finally we have a movie recommendation for you: Joybubbles, the fascinating new documentary about phone phreaker Joe Engressia Jr. Support the show

  • January 30 · 20 min

    Fortinet and WinRAR Exploitation, Google's IPIDEA Disruption, and Our Favorite Cybersecurity Creators

    It was a busy week in the cybers! Today we start with the targeted exploitation of another Fortinet vulnerability (CVE-2026-24858) that enables simple authentication bypass (1:15), then we discuss Google's disruption of a large residential proxy network called IPIDEA that has been abused by hundreds of threat actors (5:40), then we talk about the continued attacks on an older WinRAR bug by both cybercrime and APT groups (10:11). Finally, we shout out some of our favorite fellow creators in security community: the Three Buddy Problem podcast, John Hammond, and Matt Johansen. Support the show

  • January 16 · 16 min

    The RedVDS Takedown, Yet Another Chinese APT Emerges, and the StackWarp AMD Bug

    This week, we talk about how Microsoft disrupted a long-running, large-scale cybercrime-as-a-service platform called RedVDS that has been active since 2019 and was used in high-volume phishing and BEC scams (1:00), then we discuss the research from Cisco Talos on another (!) Chinese APT called UAT-8837 that is targeting critical infrastructure organizations in North America (6:06), and finally there's the clever new StackWarp vulnerability in AMD processors that was disclosed this week (9:44). RedVDS takedown Cisco Talos report StackWarp Support the show

  • January 13 · 1 hr 4 min

    The Future of Vulnerability Management With Jeremiah Grossman and Robert "RSnake" Hansen

    Jeremiah Grossman and Robert Hansen, two of the more influential and accomplished leaders and entrepreneurs in the cybersecurity community, have seen and done it all in their careers. From their roles as the driving forces behind pioneering web appsec firm WhiteHat Security to building out enterprise security programs to breaking large portions of the web (on purpose), Jeremiah and Robert have unique viewpoints on what works and what doesn't. Now, they're building something new, Root Evidence, a vulnerability management platform backed by data from actual breaches and designed to help security teams prioritize fixing the bugs that actually matter. Support the show

  • January 9 · 14 min

    A New Chinese APT Debuts and React2Shell Attacks Spike

    The new year is here! And so are the attacks. The first full week of 2026 brought us new research from Cisco Talos on a China-nexus APT group called UAT-7290 that is expanding its targeting and serving as an initial access group as well as a cyber espionage team (3:02). There is also some great data from GreyNoise on the attack volume from actors trying to exploit the React2Shell vulnerability from December (8:26). The volume is holding steady at more than 300,000 sessions per day, which is...high. Talos report: https://blog.talosintelligence.com/uat-7290/ GreyNoise report: https://www.greynoise.io/blog/cve-2025-55182-react2shell-opportunistic-exploitation-in-the-wild-what-the-greynoise-observation-grid-is-seeing-so-far Support the show

  • Dec 22, 2025 · 58 min

    The Hacker Movie Canon: Home Alone

    There may not be any computers in Home Alone, but few movie characters embody the old-school hacker ethos like Kevin McCallister does. Resourceful, clever, determined, and creative, Kevin uses all of the tools and talents at his disposal to repel a pair of relentless adversaries. Merry Christmas ya filthy animals! Support the show

  • Dec 19, 2025 · 21 min

    Russian Targeting of Edge Devices. Cisco AsyncOS Zero Day, and React2Shell Won't Go Away

    As we ease into the holidays, the security news doesn't stop coming. This week we discuss the research from AWS threat intelligence on Russian adversaries targeting a variety of network edge devices for opportunistic exploitation, then we break down attacks by a Chinese threat actor that target a new zero day in Cisco's AsyncOS, and finally we discuss the continued exploitation of the React2Shell vulnerability. Support the show

  • Dec 17, 2025 · 1 hr 4 min

    The Hacker Movie Canon: Die Hard

    Pete Baker and Zoe Lindsey join Dennis Fisher on the roof of Nakatomi Plaza to discuss one of the great action classics* and a beloved movie in the hacker community: Die Hard. Yippee ki-yay! *NOT a Christmas movie Support the show

  • Dec 12, 2025 · 26 min

    More React Bugs Reaction, the Challenge of Vulnerability Management, and CI Attacks

    This week gave us the gift of some more React Server Components vulnerabilities and further exploitation of the previously disclosed bugs by a variety of threat groups. There were also a long list of vulnerabilities disclosed by Microsoft, Adobe, and others, which we discuss in the context of how difficult vulnerability management is right now. Finally, we discuss CISA's warning about continued Russian targeting of US critical infrastructure. GreyNoise report: https://info.greynoise.io/hubfs/At-The-Edge/Weekly-Intelligence-Brief-120825.pdf?_ga=2.212724369.466870115.1765553789-1325891860.1765553788 Support the show

  • Dec 10, 2025 · 1 hr 21 min

    From CIA Officer to a Career in Cybersecurity With Erin Whitmore

    Coming from a military family, Erin Whitmore was prepared for a career of service. But her path took her not into the military, but the intelligence community, first in the private sector supporting the DIA and NGA, and later as a cybersecurty program manager in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. She eventually joined CIA as an operations officer and served in locations around the world before moving back to the private sector where she now focuses on executive risk and strategic intelligence at CYPFER. Erin joins Dennis Fisher to talk about her unique path and how it's prepared her for today's threats and the nascent AI revolution. Support the show

  • Dec 5, 2025 · 33 min

    React2Shell, Typhoon Attacks, and Why Our Infrastructure is So Vulnerable

    Dennis and Lindsey react (!) to the React2Shell vulnerability disclosure and the quick exploitation of it by Chinese threat actors, then discuss the continues intrusions into critical infrastructure by the Salt Typhoon actors and this week's congressional hearing on telecom network security. Finally, we talk about some upcoming hacker movie episodes, including Die Hard and maybe Home Alone! Support the show

  • Dec 2, 2025 · 40 min

    Jeff Gothelf on Designing for Users, Enterprise Agility, and the AI Conundrum

    Jeff Gothelf, a renowned author and product strategist and co-founder of Sense and Respond Learning, joins Dennis to discuss the need to design products with users in mind, how critical thinking can help teams succeed, and what the AI revolution means for security teams and other groups. Support the show

  • Nov 18, 2025 · 24 min

    Rich Mogull on the Cloudflare Outage, Resilience, and Single Points of Failure

    Dennis is joined by Rich Mogull, chief analyst at the Cloud Security Alliance, cloud security trainer, and all around good guy to talk about the Cloudflare outage, why the internet is now just six companies, and what, if anything, organizations can do to improve their resilience in the current environment. Support the show

  • Nov 14, 2025 · 46 min

    Lighthouse Phishing Kit Takedown, Zero Day Mysteries, and Measuring Cyber Attack Costs

    This week was a bit of a throwback to olden times, with the disclosure by Amazon threat intelligence of zero days in Cisco and Citrix products that were exploited by an unnamed APT, and Google using legal action to disrupt the Lighthouse phishing service operation. We dig into those two stories, plus we discuss the challenge of trying to quantify the financial and other effects of a major cyber attack. Related stories: https://decipher.sc/2025/11/12/apt-targets-cisco-and-citrix-zero-days/ https://decipher.sc/2025/11/14/marks-and-spencers-profit-drop-the-financial-toll-of-cyberattacks/ https://decipher.sc/2025/11/12/google-wants-to-snuff-out-lighthouse-phishing-kit/ https://censys.com/blog/highway-robbery-2-0 Support the show

  • Nov 13, 2025 · 1 hr 12 min

    The Hacker Movie Canon: The Social Network

    "You know, you really don't need a forensics team to get to the bottom of this. If you guys were the inventors of Facebook, you'd have invented Facebook." Melanie Ensign joins Dennis Fisher and Lindsey O'Donnell-Welch to discuss David Fincher's massively successful 2010 film, The Social Network, a movie that opens a window into the dark side of Silicon Valley and the lengths that some people will go to in order to win. Support the show