CyberWire Daily — “The hackers made me do it,” or did they?
Date: January 27, 2026 | Host: Dave Bittner (N2K Networks)

Episode Overview

This CyberWire Daily episode provides a comprehensive roundup of the latest cybersecurity news, including major incidents, legal actions, and global government responses to cyber threats. The highlight is an in-depth interview with Cynthia Kaiser, SVP of the Ransomware Research Center at Halcyon, who discusses artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing threats, the maturing ransomware landscape, and practical advice for cyber defenders in 2026. The episode closes with a memorable story of a retail employee’s creative attempt to blame hackers for a theft scheme.

Key News Stories and Insights

Microsoft Office Zero-Day Emergency Patch

[00:50]

• Microsoft releases an out-of-band security update to patch an actively exploited Office zero-day vulnerability (CVSS 7.8).
• Attackers can bypass OLE security protections when users open malicious documents—preview pane is safe.
• Service-side fix live for Microsoft 365 and Office 2021+. Older versions require registry-based mitigations until patches are ready.
• "Technical details about the attacks remain limited," (Dave Bittner, 01:45).

Suspected Cyberattack Halts Rail Service in Catalonia, Spain

[02:00]

• Rail services in Catalonia disrupted by system failures at Adif; cyberattack suspected but not confirmed.
• Thousands stranded, government urges remote work and rescheduling.
• Ongoing incidents compound a difficult week for Spanish rail.
• "Barcelona Mayor Juame Colboni called the disruption unacceptable," (DB, 03:33).

FBI Investigates Signal Group Chats in Minnesota

[04:00]

• FBI probes Minnesota Signal app groups warning members about ICE agents’ locations.
• Free speech and civil liberties groups argue this could chill public oversight.
• FBI Director Kash Patel acknowledges constitutional concerns: "the FBI would balance constitutional rights with potential violations of federal law," (DB, 04:45).

UK Unveils National Police Service for Cybercrime

[05:05]

• Major overhaul: new national police body like the FBI to tackle digital crimes.
• 90% of UK crime now has a digital element; fraud is 44% of records.
• Home Secretary: "the most significant changes in nearly 200 years," reflecting crime’s increased scale and sophistication.

Romanian Hitman-for-Hire Site Investigation

[06:15]

• Romanian authorities seize assets from two nationals running an alleged murder-for-hire site using cryptocurrency.
• Platform used escrow payments to hide identities; under investigation for organized crime and money laundering.
• "Such sites often prove fraudulent, though investigations are ongoing," (DB, 07:10).

UK Court Awards $4.1M in Saudi Spyware Case

[07:28]

• London-based critic Ganem Al Masarir awarded over $4.1 million after Pegasus spyware linked to Saudi Arabia hacked his devices.
• Digital forensics by Citizen Lab instrumental in the ruling.
• "The court said the hacking enabled extensive surveillance and caused severe psychological harm," (DB, 07:49).

Google to Settle for $68M Over Voice Assistant Privacy

[08:13]

• Lawsuit claims Google’s voice assistant recorded conversations without consent, sharing them with advertisers.
• Settlement awaits court approval; Google offers no comment.

CISA Releases Post-Quantum Cryptography Guidance

[08:46]

• New CISA guidelines map NIST PQC standards to common enterprise tech.
• “The agency stresses that none are fully quantum resistant yet,” (DB, 09:17).
• Focus is mainly on key establishment rather than digital signatures/authentication.

Federal Charges in Large-Scale Snapchat Hacking

[09:41]

• Kyle Svara (IL) charged with hacking nearly 600 Snapchat accounts, stealing and selling private images.
• "One client was former Northeastern University coach Steve Waithy, later convicted of sextortion," (DB, 10:12).

Expert Interview: AI, Quantum Threats, and the Evolving Ransomware Landscape

Guest: Cynthia Kaiser, SVP Ransomware Research Center, Halcyon
[14:45 - 24:38]

On Congressional Focus on AI and Quantum Cyber Threats

• Cynthia appreciates Congress' growing attention, quoting Rep. Olis:

  "If we don't get this right, we're screwed." (Cynthia Kaiser, 14:51)

• Importance of separating fact from hype:

  "...knowing what's accurate, what might be hyperbolic, but then what we can actually do to counter it..." (CK, 15:10)

Meaning of “AI Dominance”

[15:46]

• For Cynthia, AI dominance means US leadership in cutting-edge AI models, shaping ethical use and market power.

• “To me, that means we're the market leaders. We are able to ensure that the AI that goes out there conforms to the free speech and all other ethics that we hold dear as a country, and that we know… how it can be exploited, how it can be used for safety, and how to combine that.” (CK, 16:01)

Current US Standing and International Competition

[16:34]

• US is 4–6 months ahead of competitors, especially China, who rapidly follow US AI advances.

• “Whether that's from... figuring out things, stealing things along the way, or just when you know something's possible, sometimes it's easier to get to that point. Either way, the US is still ahead.” (CK, 16:45)

Ransomware Outlook for 2026

[17:27]

• AI hasn’t fundamentally changed ransomware tactics—yet—but lowers barriers and speeds up tasks.

• “It’s lowered the barriers and it's accelerated some discrete tasks, some workflows.” (CK, 17:35)

• Growth in deepfake social engineering expected to overtake traditional techniques.

• “...deep fake social engineering [will] really start to overtake just the traditional identity tech, a traditional social engineering.” (CK, 18:23)

Ransomware Market Maturity: Innovation or Refinement?

[19:41]

• We're in a refinement stage: ransomware is much faster, driven by operator experience and increased virtualization, not just AI.
• The dwell time for attackers is now “24 hours to hours”—necessitating automated, real-time defensive strategies.

• “You really need automated defense, you need defense in depth to be able to identify these attacks in real time.” (CK, 20:40)

Will Quantum Threats Change Ransomware?

[21:48]

• Quantum tech threats are a little way off for broad ransomware usage; greatest concern is state-level actors.
• Future risk: encrypted stolen data could become accessible as quantum tools develop.

• “Even the information that's been stolen along the way, if it was encrypted ... the ability to then go through data to identify high value data ... could come into play.” (CK, 22:19)

Advice for Defenders in 2026

[23:01]

• Expect less lead time, more convincing attacks, and faster threat cycles.

• “Really defenders should expect the shorter lead times, more convincing social engineering and faster iteration...” (CK, 23:04)

• Basics matter: rapid patching, strong identity controls, resilient detection and response.
• Increased focus on protecting in-house AI models—these are emerging, consolidated data targets for attackers.

• “We really have to think about the security and extra security we're putting around the AI tools on our own systems to better protect our information.” (CK, 24:28)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “If we don't get this right, we're screwed.”
  — Representative Olis (quoted by Cynthia Kaiser), [14:51]

• “AI hasn't fundamentally changed ransomware tactics, but it's changed kind of the economics of ransomware.”
  — Cynthia Kaiser, [17:30]

• “Now really all these [ransomware] things are happening in 24 hours to hours... you really need automated defense.”
  — Cynthia Kaiser, [20:34]

Noteworthy Segment

The “Best Buy Guy” and the Hacker Alibi

[25:28]

• In Savannah, Georgia, Best Buy employee Dorian Allen reportedly allowed $40,000+ in thefts, claiming hackers threatened to leak nudes unless he complied.
• Police: Allen could not provide evidence of “hackers.” Surveillance showed staged checkouts of 143 items.

• “While these supposed hackers remain, for now, safely imaginary.” (DB, 26:11)

Timestamps Index

• 00:50–13:00: Global cybersecurity news
• 14:45–24:38: Interview with Cynthia Kaiser (AI, quantum threats, ransomware trends, defenders’ advice)
• 25:28–26:11: Best Buy “hacker” alibi story

Tone & Language

Throughout, Dave Bittner maintains a professional but approachable style, deftly balancing succinct news delivery with deeper industry insights. Cynthia Kaiser brings expertise and a pragmatic perspective, focusing on real-world implications over hype, and highlighting clear, actionable guidance for security professionals.

This summary seeks to provide listeners and non-listeners alike a rich, detailed snapshot of the episode’s most significant news, expert insights, and memorable moments—focusing on what’s shaping the cybersecurity landscape today and tomorrow.