Three Buddy Problem

Security Conversations

The Three Buddy Problem is a popular Security Conversations podcast that goes beyond industry talking points to discuss what others won’t -- nation-state malware, attribution, cyberwar, ethics, privacy, and the messy realities of securing computers and corporate networks. Hosted by three veteran security pros -- journalist Ryan Naraine and malware paleontologists Costin Raiu and Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade -- the weekly show attracts a highly engaged audience of security researchers, corporate defenders, CISOs, and policymakers. Connect with Ryan on Twitter (Open DMs).

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235 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes235

Newest first

Dec 11, 2025 · 2 hr 12 min
Legal corruption, React2Shell exploitation, dual-use AI risks
(Presented by ThreatLocker: Allow what you need. Block everything else by default, including ransomware and rogue code). Three Buddy Problem - Episode 76: On the show this week, Costin walks through how a single Romanian documentary kick-started nationwide protests, exposing how corruption can be perfectly legal when the law itself is gamed, and why this moment feels different, darker, and more consequential than past flare-ups. Plus, news on the React-to-Shell exploitation wave overwhelmin
Dec 6, 2025 · 1 hr 41 min
APTs pounce on React2Shell; BRICKSTORM backdoors; .gov surveillance
(Presented by ThreatLocker: Allow what you need. Block everything else by default, including ransomware and rogue code). Three Buddy Problem - Episode 75: We dig into a CVSS 10/10 unauthenticated RCE bug causing chaos across the internet and early signs that Chinese APTs are already launching exploits, the cascading patch chaos, and a long tail of malware intrusions to come. Plus, commentary on Chrome’s telemetry collection, Microsoft and the "SFI success story," newest BRICKSTORM backdoor in
Nov 29, 2025 · 1 hr 57 min
Shai-Hulud 2.0, Russia GRU Intrusions, and Microsoft’s Regulatory Capture
(Presented by Material Security: We protect your company’s most valuable materials -- the emails, files, and accounts that live in your Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 cloud offices). Three Buddy Problem - Episode 74: We attempt to parse the rumor-fog around Microsoft’s CISO at CYBERWARCON and what it reveals about the company’s shifting posture on intel sharing, regulation, and its outsized grip on the security ecosystem. Plus, coverage of the Shai-Hulud npm supply-chain mess, CISA’s mobil
Nov 21, 2025 · 2 hr 19 min
Gemini 3 reactions, Fortinet/Chrome zero-days, a Cloudflare monoculture and a billion-dollar crypto twist
(Presented by Material Security: We protect your company’s most valuable materials -- the emails, files, and accounts that live in your Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 cloud offices). Three Buddy Problem - Episode 73: The buddies react to Google’s release of Gemini 3 and its early performance, new Chrome interface changes landing on users’ machines, and major highlights from CYBERWARCON. We revisit the long-running debate over APT naming conventions, examine Amazon’s latest threat-intel rep
Nov 14, 2025 · 2 hr 12 min
Anthropic Claude Code automating APT hacks, KnownSec leak, Chinese buses with remote access
Presented by Material Security: We protect your company’s most valuable materials -- the emails, files, and accounts that live in your Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 cloud offices. Three Buddy Problem - Episode 72: We unpack Anthropic’s conflicting self-promotion around the “first AI-orchestrated cyberattack” using Claude Code and the future of automated APT attacks. Plus, Chinese cyber vendor KnownSec falls victim to data breach, fresh accusations that the U.S. stole billions in Bitcoin,
Nov 10, 2025 · 1 hr 9 min
LIVE from Ring0 COUNTERMEASURE: Google v FFmpeg, Ransomware Turncoats, Samsung 0days
Presented by Material Security: We protect your company’s most valuable materials -- the emails, files, and accounts that live in your Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 cloud offices. Three Buddy Problem - Episode 71: The buddies travel to Canada for a live recording at the Countermeasure conference, discussing the Google v FFmpeg open-source patching brouhana, ransomware negotiators charged and linked to ransomware attacks, the looming TP-Link ban in the U.S., and the discovery of LANDFALL,
Oct 31, 2025 · 2 hr 10 min
OpenAI’s Dave Aitel talks Aardvark, economics of bug-hunting with LLMs
Three Buddy Problem - Episode 70: Dave Aitel from OpenAI's technical staff joins the buddies to discuss the just-launched Aardvark, OpenAI’s agentic “security researcher” that claims to read code, finds bugs, validates exploits, and ships patches. We press him on where LLMs beat fuzzers, privacy boundaries, human-in-the-loop realities, SDLC budgets, pen-test cadence, and the zero-day economy. Plus, L3 Harris/Trenchant exec pleads guilty to selling exploits to Russian brokers, Kaspersky catches
Oct 24, 2025 · 2 hr 11 min
Apple’s iOS forensics freeze, WhatsApp zero-click, China outs NSA
Three Buddy Problem - Episode 69: We dig into news that Apple's iOS 26 has quietly killed the shutdown.log forensic artifact used to spot signs of infections and what it means for threat hunters. Plus, whispers of a million-dollar WhatsApp zero-click exploit that never materialized at Pwn2Own, a surreal court case linking a Trenchant exploit developer to Russian buyers, and Chinese threat intel reports pointing fingers at the NSA. We also discuss calls for the US government to build a structur
Oct 18, 2025 · 31 min
JAGS LABScon 2025 keynote: Steps to an ecology of cyber
Three Buddy Problem (Episode 68): The buddies are trapped in timezone hell with cross-country travel this week. In this special episode, we present Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade's LABScon 2025 keynote-day presentation on the state of cybersecurity and why this phase of our collective project has failed, and how to build something smarter, more sustainable, and deeply interconnected in its place. Juanito traces the field’s evolution from chaos to consolidation, weaving in cybernetics, standardi
Oct 11, 2025 · 2 hr 23 min
Apple Exploit-Chain Bounties, Wireless Proximity Exploits and Tactical Suitcases
Three Buddy Problem - Episode 67: We discuss the rise of automated red-teaming, Apple’s $2 million exploit chain bounties aimed at outbidding spyware brokers and the iPhone maker's focus on wireless proximity attacks and “tactical suitcase” Wi-Fi exploits. We also hit the news of Paragon spyware targeting European executives and the bizarre story of NSO Group’s supposed US investor buyout. Plus, an update on Oracle’s zero-day ransomware fiasco, Ivanti’s endless patch delays, the ethics of jour
Oct 7, 2025 · 44 min
Chris Eng on lessons learned from the NSA, @Stake, Veracode, and 20 years in cybersecurity
This week on Security Conversations, Ryan sits down with Chris Eng, former Chief Research Officer at Veracode, to talk about life after nearly two decades at one company and the lessons learned along the way. They dig into a career start at the NSA, the early days of @Stake and the Symantec acquisition, and the birth and ambitions of Veracode. Plus, thoughts on how helping startups shape product strategy, what it takes to translate technical expertise into business impact, and how security cul
Oct 3, 2025 · 2 hr 3 min
Oracle cl0p ransomware crisis, EU drone sightings, Cisco bootkit fallout
Three Buddy Problem - Episode 66: We discuss drone sightings that shut down airports across Europe and what they reveal about hybrid warfare and the changing nature of conflict; Oracle ransomware/extortion campaign tied to unpatched E-Business Suite vulnerabilities and the company’s muted response. Plus, the TikTok–Oracle deal and the strange role Oracle now plays in U.S. national security; OpenAI’s Sora 2 launch and its implications for social media and human expression; Palo Alto’s “Phantom
Sep 27, 2025 · 1 hr 54 min
Cisco firewall zero-days and bootkits in the wild
Three Buddy Problem - Episode 65: We zero in on one of the biggest security stories of the year: the discovery of a persistent multi-stage bootkit implanting malware on Cisco ASA firewalls. Details on a new campaign, tied to the same threat actors behind ArcaneDoor, exploiting zero-days in Cisco’s 5500-X series appliances, devices that sit at the heart of government and enterprise networks worldwide. Plus, Cisco’s controversial handling of these disclosures, CISA's emergency deadlines for patch
Sep 24, 2025 · 22 min
Live at LABScon: Aurora Johnson and Trevor Hilligoss on China's 'internet toilets'
Three Buddy Problem - Episode 64: SpyCloud Labs researchers Aurora Johnson and Trevor Hilligoss discuss the world of “internet toilets," the toxic online communities in China where harassment, stalking, and sextortion thrive. We explore how these groups operate, from doxing ex-lovers and enemies to running coordinated campaigns of cyberbullying that often spill into real-world harm. (Recorded at LABScon 2025). Cast: Aurora Johnson, Trevor Hilligoss Ryan Naraine and Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade.
Sep 24, 2025 · 28 min
Live at LABScon: Visi Stark shares memories of creating the APT1 report
Three Buddy Problem - Episode 63: Co-founder of the Vertex Project Visi Stark joins the buddies to reminisce about his work writing Mandiant's famous APT1 report, the China-nexus threat landscape, the value of cyber threat intelligence, APT-naming schemes, and more... (Recorded at LABScon 2025). Cast: Visi Stark, Ryan Naraine and Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade.
Sep 24, 2025 · 31 min
Live at LABScon: Lindsay Freeman on tracking Wagner Group war crimes
Three Buddy Problem - Episode 62: Lindsay Freeman, Director of the Technology, Law & Policy program at the Human Rights Center, UC Berkeley School of Law, joins the show to discuss her team's meticulous work to document the Wagner Group's chain of command, military operations in parts of Africa, and the broadcasting of war crimes on social media platforms like Telegram. (Recorded at LABScon 2025) Cast: Lindsay Freeman, Ryan Naraine and Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade.
Sep 9, 2025 · 2 hr 45 min
Can Apple's New Anti-Exploit Tech Stop iPhone Spyware Attacks?
Three Buddy Problem - Episode 61: We cover a pair of software supply chain breaches (Salesforce Salesloft Drift and NPM/GitHub) that raises big questions about SaaS integrations and the ripple effects across major security vendors. Plus, Apple’s new Memory Integrity Enforcement in iPhone 17 and discussion on commercial spyware infections and the value of Apple notifications; concerns around Chinese hardware and surveillance equipment in US infrastructure; Silicon Valley profiting from China’s
Aug 29, 2025 · 2 hr 24 min
Salt Typhoon IOCs, Google floats ‘cyber disruption unit’, WhatsApp 0-click
Three Buddy Problem - Episode 60: We dissect a fresh multi-agency Salt Typhoon advisory (with IOCs and YARA rules!), why it landed late, why the wall of logos matters (and doesn’t), and what’s actually usable for defenders: new YARA, tool hashes, naming ambiguity across reports, the mention of Chinese vendors, and a Dutch note that smaller ISPs were hit. Plus, Costin details his hunting stack and philosophy (historic IOC/malware hoarding, fast pivots, and AI as analyst “wingman”) and a new Chin
Aug 22, 2025 · 2 hr 32 min
Zero-day reality check: iOS exploits, MAPP in China and the hack-back temptation
Three Buddy Problem - Episode 59: Apple drops another emergency iOS patch and we unpack what that “may have been exploited” language really means: zero-click chains, why notifications help but forensics don’t, and the uncomfortable truth that Lockdown Mode is increasingly the default for high-risk users. We connect the dots from ImageIO bugs to geopolitics, discuss who’s likely using these exploits, why Apple’s guidance stops short, and the practical playbook (ADP on, reboot often, reduce attack
Aug 15, 2025 · 1 hr 57 min
On AI’s future, security’s failures, and what comes next...
Three Buddy Problem - Episode 58: Indepth reaction to the Brandon Dixon episode, digging into what it’s really like to scale products inside a tech giant, navigate politics, and bring features to millions of machines. Plus, an exploration of the AI cybersecurity gold-rush, the promise and hype, and the gamble for startups versus the slow-moving advantage of incumbents. We revisit the Chinese "cyber militia" discussion and the looming AI “dot-com bubble,” the value of owning infrastructure, Nv