Episodes

  • Chris Eng on lessons learned from the NSA, @Stake, Veracode, and 20 years in cybersecurity

    Chris Eng on lessons learned from the NSA, @Stake, Veracode, and 20 years in cybersecurity
    Oct 7 2025
    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 culture has evolved since the early “hacker-to-enterprise” days. The conversation touches on defining your career beyond titles, how the perception of “cybersecurity” has changed over the years, and why the industry still has plenty of room for curiosity, reinvention, and good storytelling.
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    45 mins
  • Oracle cl0p ransomware crisis, EU drone sightings, Cisco bootkit fallout

    Oracle cl0p ransomware crisis, EU drone sightings, Cisco bootkit fallout
    Oct 3 2025
    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 Taurus” APT report, a follow-up on Cisco’s ArcaneDoor disclosures, and the impact of the U.S. government shutdown on CISA. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (https://twitter.com/juanandres_gs), Ryan Naraine (https://twitter.com/ryanaraine) and Costin Raiu (https://twitter.com/craiu).
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    2 hrs and 3 mins
  • Cisco firewall zero-days and bootkits in the wild

    Cisco firewall zero-days and bootkits in the wild
    Sep 27 2025
    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 patching, the absence of IOCs and samples, and China’s long-term positioning. Plus, thoughts on the Secret Service SIM farm discovery in New York and evidence of Russians APTs Turla and Gamaredon collaborating to hit Ukraine targets. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (https://twitter.com/juanandres_gs), Ryan Naraine (https://twitter.com/ryanaraine) and Costin Raiu (https://twitter.com/craiu).
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    1 hr and 55 mins
  • Live at LABScon: Aurora Johnson and Trevor Hilligoss on China's 'internet toilets'

    Live at LABScon: Aurora Johnson and Trevor Hilligoss on China's 'internet toilets'
    Sep 24 2025
    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 (https://www.labscon.io/speakers/aurora-johnson), Trevor Hilligoss (https://www.labscon.io/speakers/trevor-hilligoss/), Ryan Naraine (https://twitter.com/ryanaraine) and Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jags-is-fine/).
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    22 mins
  • Live at LABScon: Visi Stark shares memories of creating the APT1 report

    Live at LABScon: Visi Stark shares memories of creating the APT1 report
    Sep 24 2025
    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: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (https://twitter.com/juanandres_gs), Ryan Naraine (https://twitter.com/ryanaraine) and Visi Stark (https://x.com/Invisig0th).
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    29 mins
  • Live at LABScon: Lindsay Freeman on tracking Wagner Group war crimes

    Live at LABScon: Lindsay Freeman on tracking Wagner Group war crimes
    Sep 24 2025
    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: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (https://twitter.com/juanandres_gs), Ryan Naraine (https://twitter.com/ryanaraine) and Lindsay Freeman (https://x.com/lindsaysfreeman).
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    32 mins
  • Can Apple's New Anti-Exploit Tech Stop iPhone Spyware Attacks?

    Can Apple's New Anti-Exploit Tech Stop iPhone Spyware Attacks?
    Sep 9 2025
    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 surveillance ecosystem; and controversy around a Huntress disclosure of an attacker’s operations after an EDR agent was mistakenly installed. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (https://twitter.com/juanandres_gs), Ryan Naraine (https://twitter.com/ryanaraine) and Costin Raiu (https://twitter.com/craiu).
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    2 hrs and 46 mins
  • Salt Typhoon IOCs, Google floats ‘cyber disruption unit’, WhatsApp 0-click

    Salt Typhoon IOCs, Google floats ‘cyber disruption unit’, WhatsApp 0-click
    Aug 29 2025
    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 Chinese APT report that may intersect with LightBasin and the murky PSOA world. We also debate Google’s proposed “cyber disruption unit” versus Microsoft’s DCU (legal vs. “ethical” takedowns, PR, and business models); react to Anthropic’s report on real attacker use of Claude; note Amazon’s APT29 watering-hole disruption; and close on a fresh WhatsApp-to-ImageIO zero-click chain and practical phone OPSEC. Cast: Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade (https://twitter.com/juanandres_gs), Ryan Naraine (https://twitter.com/ryanaraine) and Costin Raiu (https://twitter.com/craiu).
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    2 hrs and 25 mins