CyberWire Daily: "When Politics Break the Firewall"

Published: October 1, 2025
Host: Dave Bittner (N2K Networks)
Guest: Tim Starks (Senior Reporter, CyberScoop)

Episode Overview

This episode focuses on the intersection of politics and cybersecurity, exploring how partisan gridlock in Congress is disrupting federal cybersecurity initiatives, and how a recent Senate committee report alleges serious lapses in government cyber practices. The episode also covers major global and industry incidents, including vulnerabilities, international forums, new attack trends, and a fascinating story about a gunshot disrupting Texas internet access. The centerpiece is an in-depth interview with Tim Starks on a Democratic Senate report detailing potential violations of privacy and cyber laws by federal agencies.

Key News Highlights

1. Federal Cybersecurity Programs in Limbo (00:54)

• Expiration Threat: The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 and a $1B state/local cybersecurity grant are at risk as Congress fails to reauthorize them due to a funding stalemate.
• Political Tensions: Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) warns of weakened defenses; Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) blocks extension over free speech concerns related to CISA.
• Expert View: Former CISA Deputy Director Nitin Natarajan emphasizes the critical nature of these programs, especially for smaller jurisdictions.

2. Global Cybersecurity Forum in Riyadh (02:39)

• Themes: Focus on global cooperation, AI as both defensive and offensive tool, quantum computing threats.
• Key Quotes:
  • ITU Secretary General Doreen Bogdan Martin: "Standards are foundational for trust in communications."
  • Panelists warn about people being targeted as much as machines, with low-cost AI exploits rising.
• UN’s New Global Initiative: To strengthen worldwide cyber training and policy development.

3. NIST Removable Media Guidance (04:00)

• New Publication (1334): Two-page practical guide on managing USB and removable media risk in operational tech settings.
• Takeaway: Urges strict policies, secure storage, scanning, and data sanitization.

4. ICE Resumes Smartphone Location Surveillance (04:45)

• Reported By: 404 Media.
• Actions: ICE purchases data from Penlink, reversing a recent suspension.
• Privacy Concerns: Senator Ron Wyden and others worry about warrantless tracking, especially in sensitive locations.

5. VMware Zero-Day Exploited for a Year (05:37)

• Details: High-severity vulnerability (CVSS 7.8) in VMware ARIA/Tools exploited by CS-linked group UNC5174 for at least a year.
• Response: Patches released, but initial advisories didn't acknowledge “in-the-wild” exploitation.
• Linux Impact: Also affects OpenVM tools in popular Linux distros.

6. "Click-Fix" Social Engineering Attacks Surge (06:47)

• Reported By: Huntress.
• Growth: 631% surge in six months across all platforms.
• Mechanics: Exploit user helpfulness—malicious commands are copied to clipboard, then executed through everyday prompts.

7. "Battering Ram" Hardware Memory Attack (07:36)

• Researchers: KU Leuven, U Birmingham, Durham.
• Method: $50 interposer lets attacker bypass memory encryption, with brief physical access.
• Vendors' Response: Intel/AMD state such attacks are out of their threat model.

8. "Matrix PDF" Phishing Toolkit (08:34)

• Discovery: Converts standard PDFs into interactive, credential-stealing lures.
• Bypass: Exploits email filters as no malicious binaries are embedded.

9. Major Data Breaches (09:34)

• Victims: Alliance Life (1.5M records), WestJet (1.2M), Motility Software Solutions (766K).
• Vector: Third-party and ransomware attacks, mostly exposing personal info.

Featured Interview: Tim Starks on the Senate Report and Government Cyber Lapses

Setting the Stage (14:42)

• Dave Bittner welcomes Tim Starks (CyberScoop) to unpack the new report from Senate Homeland Security Democrats.
• Report Focus: Investigation into alleged law and oversight violations at federal agencies, mainly the Social Security Administration (SSA), General Services Administration (GSA), and Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Is the Report Partisan or Serious? (15:47)

• Tim Starks:
  • "If Republicans were doing this report, it wouldn’t exist... The person leading the committee is Gary Peters... one of the more bipartisan senators. So while there’s obviously a political angle, there’s also a lot of legitimate oversight concern.” (16:01)
• Take: More bipartisan than it may appear, but timing and context fuel partisanship perceptions.

What Did the Report Uncover? (17:08)

• Starlink at GSA: Use of a Starlink network (in addition to existing channels) potentially jeopardizes security, enabling off-channel communication.
• Numident Risk Assessment:
  • SSA's own risk assessment put the chance of a catastrophic breach (due to lack of access controls on a big upload) at 35–65%.
  • "Sensitive personal information could be exposed."
• Adversary Risk: Changes in environment/infrastructure reportedly give foreign actors new opportunities.
• Oversight Stonewalling:
  • "They were invited to come in and do some touring... but were blocked at basically every turn." (18:20)

Agency Responses (19:09)

• Tim Starks:
  • "The response has been... a kind of Trumpian response to any negative feedback. That is, these people are partisan hacks... They did reject the gist of it."
  • “They pushed back, but they didn’t push back quite as hard as we’ve seen from time to time when somebody says something they don’t like." (19:17)

What's Next? Is the Report Actionable? (20:07)

• Legislative Action: Existing laws (e.g., FISMA) could be tweaked, but major changes unlikely without a shift in political power.
• Funding Leverage: Congress could, in theory, tie funding to evidence of compliance, but political will is questionable.
• Starks:
  • "There are a few avenues, but I think they're of questionable effectiveness even if they do happen.” (20:54)
  • "I wouldn't put a lot of money on it if it were me." (21:12)

Value for the Public (21:24)

• Starks:
  • "If you're a person who has any of their information in the federal government, which is all of us... that's cause for concern."
  • "As a private individual, there's not much you can do other than voting... or maybe taking court action if you can show your privacy was violated." (21:29)
  • "An informed nation is better off. So I hope that in a way, reporting on something like this contributes to that." (22:04)

Reflections on Government Norms (22:40)

• Bittner: “It’s so strange to be in this place operating outside of history’s norms.”
• Starks:
  • “...What we've seen happen in past administrations... is you might have seen an administration jump to and say, ah, yes, we'll fix this, we want to be responsive to Congress, we want to be responsive to the voters. This administration has exposed a lot of ways in which unless there's something that really actually makes you do something... the weaknesses in our system have been exposed in that way.” (22:48)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On oversight being blocked:
  • "They say they were invited to come in and do some touring. They would say, no, but you can't go into that office... Suddenly they're not getting responses about returning that day." (18:20–19:09, Starks)
• On the likelihood of change:
  • "They're wanting to cut these agencies down in size. There are a few avenues, but I think they're questionable effectiveness even if they do happen." (20:48)
• On informing the public:
  • "I think an informed nation is better off. So I hope that in a way, reporting on something like this contributes to that." (22:02–22:11, Starks)

Offbeat Closer: Internet Downed by a Bullet in Texas (23:37)

• Story: A stray bullet hit a fiber optic cable, cutting off internet, TV and phone services for 25,000+ people.
• Memorable Analogy: "Tracing one stray bullet is like hunting tumbleweeds… only here do bullets sometimes join the food chain of digital disruption."

Episode Timestamps

• 00:54 — Federal cybersecurity programs at risk amid government shutdown
• 02:39 — Global Cybersecurity Forum highlights
• 04:00 — NIST removable media guidance
• 04:45 — ICE smartphone tracking controversy
• 05:37 — VMware zero-day exploited for a year
• 06:47 — Click-fix style attacks surge
• 07:36 — “Battering Ram” memory attack
• 08:34 — Matrix PDF phishing toolkit
• 09:34 — Triad of North American data breaches
• 14:42–23:26 — Main feature: Tim Starks interview on Senate Democratic cyber report and federal agency lapses
• 23:37 — Texas internet outage caused by stray bullet

Summary Tone:
The episode maintains a brisk, investigative tone, typical of CyberWire, blending technical rigor with journalistic scrutiny and a touch of wry humor, especially in the closing news segment.

For more detailed coverage and links to all stories, visit the CyberWire Daily Briefing.