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

Oct 25, 2024 · 1 hr 26 min
Fortinet 0days, Appin hack-for-hire exposé, crypto heists, Russians booted from Linux kernel
Three Buddy Problem Episode 18: This week’s show covers the White House's new Traffic Light Protocol (TLP) guidance, Reuters expose of Appin as a hack-for-hire mercenary company, Fortinet zero-day exploitation and missing CSRB investigations, major cryptocurrency heists, Apple opening Private Cloud Compute to public inspection, Russians removed from Linux kernel maintenance and China’s Antiy beefing with Sentinel One over APT reporting. Cast: Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek), Juan Andres Guerrero-S
Oct 18, 2024 · 1 hr 38 min
ESET Israel wiper malware, China's Volt Typhoon response, Kaspersky sanctions and isolation
Three Buddy Problem Episode 17: News of a wiper malware attack in Israel implicating ESET, threats from wartime hacktivists, China's strange response to Volt Typhoon attribution and Section 702 messaging, an IE zero-day discovery and web browser rot in South Korea, the ongoing isolation of Kaspersky due to sanctions, and the geopolitical influences affecting cybersecurity reporting. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Costin Raiu (Art of Noh) and Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek).
Oct 11, 2024 · 1 hr 9 min
Typhoons and Blizzards: Cyberespionage and national security on front burner
Three Buddy Problem Episode 16: We break down the new GCHQ advisory on the history and tactics of Russia’s APT29, the challenges of tracking and defending against these sophisticated espionage programs, the mysterious Salt Typhoon intrusions, the absence of technical indicators (IOCs), the risks of supply chain attacks. We also touch on the surge in zero-day discoveries, the nonstop flow of exploited Ivanti security bugs, and why the CSRB should investigate these network edge device and applianc
Oct 4, 2024 · 1 hr 30 min
Careto returns, IDA Pro pricing controversy, crypto's North Korea problem
Three Buddy Problem Episode 15: Juanito checks in from Virus Bulletin with news on the return of Careto/Mask, a ‘milk-carton’ APT linked to Spain. We also cover the latest controversy surrounding IDA Pro's subscription model, a major new YARA update, and ongoing issues with VirusTotal's value and pricing. The conversation shifts to North Korean cyber operations, particularly the infiltration of prominent crypto companies, Tom Rid's essay on Russian disinformation results, and the US government's
Sep 28, 2024 · 1 hr 19 min
Exploding beepers, critical CUPS flaws, Windows Recall rebuilt for security
Three Buddy Problem Episode 14: The buddies are back together for a discussion on Juan’s LABScon keynote and mental health realities, Microsoft rewriting the Windows Recall security architecture, a new CVSS 9.9 Linux CUPS flaw, Kaspersky's controversial transition to Ultra AV, and the intelligence operations surrounding exploding pagers in Lebanon. This episode is dedicated to the memory of Jeff Wade from Solis, who was an important part of the LABScon family. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade
Sep 21, 2024 · 31 min
Ep13: The Consolation of Threat Intel (JAG-S LABScon keynote)
Three Buddy Problem Episode 13: This is a special edition of the show, featuring Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade's full keynote day remarks at LABScon2024. In this talk, Juanito addresses the current state of the threat intelligence industry, expressing a need for a difficult conversation about its direction and purpose. He discusses feelings of disenfranchisement among professionals, the void in meaningful work, and the importance of reclaiming control and value in cybersecurity. Juan emphasizes t
Sep 14, 2024 · 1 hr 14 min
Ep12: Security use-cases for AI chain-of-thought reasoning
Three Buddy Problem - Episode 12: Gabriel Bernadett-Shapiro joins the show for an extended conversation on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. We discuss the hype around OpenAI's new o1 model, AI chain-of-thought reasoning and security use-cases, pervasive chatbots and privacy concerns, and the ongoing debate between open source and closed source AI models. Cast: Gabriel Bernadett-Shapiro, Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek) * Costin Raiu is on vacat
Sep 6, 2024 · 1 hr 15 min
Ep11: Cyberwarfare takes an ominous turn
Three Buddy Problem - Episode 11: Russia's notorious GRU Unit 29155 (previously tied to assassinations, poisonings and coup attempts) now blamed for destructive cyberattacks for sabotage; FBI and DOJ take down 'Doppelganger' network spreading Russian propaganda; CISA's budget, staff, advisories and YARA rules; Influence Operations 2.0; prolific Chinese hackers and global bug-disclosure implications; North Korean hacking capabilities and 0day expertise. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (Sentine
Aug 30, 2024 · 1 hr 18 min
Ep10: Volt Typhoon zero-day, Russia's APT29 reusing spyware exploits, Pavel Durov's arrest
Three Buddy Problem - Episode 10 -- Top stories this week: Volt Typhoon zero-day exploitation of Versa Director servers, Chinese APT building botnets with EOL routers, the gap in security solutions for network devices and appliances, Russia's APT29 (Midnight Blizzard) caught reusing exploits from NSO Group and Intellexa, Microsoft’s upcoming Windows endpoint security summit in response to the CrowdStrike incident, and the arrest of Telegram’s Pavel Durov in France. Plus, the NSA is launching a p
Aug 23, 2024 · 1 hr 6 min
Ep9: The blurring lines between nation-state APTs and the ransomware epidemic
The 'Three Buddy Problem' Podcast Episode 9: On this episode, we look at the hacking scene in Taiwan, the sad state of visibility into big malware campaigns, the absence of APTs linked to the prolific MIVD Dutch intelligence agency, the blurring lines between big ransomware heists and nation-state actors caught using ransomware as a tool for sabotage and misattribution. Plus, Chinese mobile OS vendor Xiaoimi caught disabling parts of its infrastructure -- including its global app store -- to
Aug 17, 2024 · 1 hr 17 min
Ep8: Microsoft's zero-days and a wormable Windows TCP/IP flaw known to China
The 'Three Buddy Problem' Podcast Episode 8: This week’s show digs into Microsoft’s in-the-wild zero-day woes, Patch Tuesday and the absence of IOCs, a wormable Windows TCP/IP flaw that the Chinese government knew about for months, Iran’s aggressive hacking US election targets, CrowdStrike v Qihoo360 and major problems with APT naming conventions. Hosts: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (SentinelLabs), Costin Raiu (Art of Noh), Ryan Naraine (SecurityWeek)
Aug 2, 2024 · 1 hr 10 min
Ep7: Crowd2K and the kernel, PKFail supply chain failures, Paris trains sabotage and Russian Olympic attacks
The 'Three Buddy Problem' Podcast Episode 7: In this episode, we try to close the book on the CrowdStrike Windows BSOD story, Microsoft VP David Weston’s technical documentation and issues around kernel access and OS resilience. We also discuss Binarly’s PKFail research, secure boot bypasses, Dan Geer and tech monoculture, software vendor liability issues and the need for inspectability in security mechanisms. The conversation explores cyber angles to train service disruptions in Paris, the hi
Jul 26, 2024 · 1 hr 16 min
Ep6: After CrowdStrike chaos, should Microsoft kick EDR agents out of Windows kernel?
The 'Three Buddy Problem' Podcast Episode 6: As the dust settles on the CrowdStrike incident that blue-screened 8.5 million Windows computers worldwide, we dig into CrowdStrike’s preliminary incident report, the lack of transparency in the update process and the need for more robust testing and validation. We also discuss Microsoft's responsibility to avoid infinite BSOD loops, risks of deploying EDR agents on critical systems, and how an EU settlement is being blamed for EDR vendors having acc
Jul 19, 2024 · 59 min
Ep5: CrowdStrike's faulty update shuts down global networks
The 'Three Buddy Problem' Podcast Episode 5: Hot off the press, we dive into the news of the CrowdStrike software update that caused blue screens on computers worldwide, the resulting chaos and potential connections to the Microsoft 365 outage, the fragility of modern computing and the risks of new software paradigms. We also discuss the AT&T mega-breach and the ransom paid to delete the stolen data; the challenges of ransomware and the uncertainty surrounding the deletion of stolen data; the
Jul 12, 2024 · 1 hr 11 min
Ep4: The AT&T mega-breach, iPhone mercenary spyware, Microsoft zero-days
The 'Three Buddy Problem' Podcast Episode 4: Listen as the hosts delve into the massive AT&T call logs breach, the Snowflake incidents and the notion of shared-fate/shared responsibilities; news on fresh Apple notifications about mercenary spyware on iPhones and the effectiveness of notifications for different types of controversial targets. Plus, thoughts on Microsoft's zero-day disclosures and useless Patch Tuesday bulletins, AI-powered disinformation campaigns, and the US government's malw
Jul 5, 2024 · 1 hr 4 min
Ep3: Dave Aitel joins debate on nation-state hacking responsibilities
The 'Three Buddy Problem' Podcast Episode 3: Former NSA computer scientist Dave Aitel (Immunity Inc., Cordyceps Systems) joins Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade for a frank discussion on the OpenSSH unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability and the challenges around patching and exploitation, the CISA 'secure-by-design' pledge and its impact on software vendor practices, Microsoft lobbying and the CSRB report, and changing face of government's attempts at cybersecurity regulations. We disc
Jun 29, 2024 · 1 hr 8 min
Ep2: A deep-dive on disrupting and exposing nation-state malware ops
The 'Three Buddy Problem' Podcast Episode 2: Ryan Naraine, Costin Raiu and Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade go all-in on the discussion around Google Project Zero disrupting counter-terrorism malware operations. A deep dive on disruption vs exposure, the effects of US government sanctions on private mercenary hacking companies, hypocricy and the tricky relationship between malware researchers are the intelligence community, and the lack of 'success stories' from so-called benevolent malware. We als
Jun 22, 2024 · 46 min
Ep1: The Microsoft Recall debacle, Brad Smith and the CSRB, Apple Private Cloud Compute
Welcome to Episode 1 of a brand new cybersecurity podcast discussing the biggest news stories of the week. Ryan Naraine hosts a fast-moving conversation with Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (LABScon) and Costin Raiu (Art of Noh) on the Microsoft Recall debacle, the dark patterns emerging as big-tech embraces AI, Brad Smith's testimony and the lingering effects of the CSRB report, Apple's new Private Cloud Compute (PCC) infrastructure and Cupertino's long game. Oh, we also discuss the KL ban.
Apr 11, 2024 · 54 min
Cris Neckar on the early days of securing Chrome, chasing browser exploits
Episode sponsors: - Binarly, the supply chain security experts (https://binarly.io) - XZ.fail backdoor detector (https://xz.fail) Cris Neckar is a veteran security researcher now working as a partner at Two Bear Capital. In this episode, he reminisces on the early days of hacking at Neohapsis, his time on the Google Chrome security team, shenanigans at Pwn2Own/Pwnium and the cat-and-mouse battle for browser exploit chains. We also discuss the zero-day exploit marketplace, the hype and promi
Apr 5, 2024 · 51 min
Costin Raiu joins the XZ Utils backdoor investigation
Episode sponsors: - Binarly, the supply chain security experts (https://binarly.io) - XZ.fail backdoor detector (https://xz.fail) Malware paleontologist Costin Raiu returns for an emergency episode on the XZ Utils software supply chain backdoor. We dig into the timeline of the attack, the characteristics of the backdoor, affected Linux distributions, and the reasons why 'Tia Jan' is the handiwork of a cunning nation-state. Based on all the clues available, Costin pinpoints three main suspe