Daily Cyber Threat Brief – Jan 27, 2026 – Ep 1055

Host: Dr. Gerald Auger, Simply Cyber Media Group
Focus: The top 8 cybersecurity stories for industry insiders, analysts, and leaders, with expert commentary, practical takeaways, and audience Q&A.
Tone: Energetic, friendly, highly informative, occasionally humorous.

Episode Overview

Dr. Gerald Auger kicks off the episode with his trademark energy, welcoming both regulars and newcomers to the daily rundown of critical cyber threats and news. He promises double-value: headline updates plus actionable insights based on 20+ years of industry GRC experience. This episode highlights emerging attack trends, urgent vulnerabilities (especially in Microsoft Office), social engineering, quantum-era encryption concerns, and practical professional advice. Auger skillfully balances entertainment with deep education (“ain’t nobody got time for boring webinars!”), fostering audience interaction.

Special Segment: Tidbits Tuesday—personal story (health maintenance as a life lesson) inserted mid-episode.

Key Stories & Insights

1. Microsoft Office Zero-Day Vulnerability (00:11:41)

• Summary:
  Microsoft released an out-of-band patch for Office 2021/Microsoft 365 due to a high-severity zero-day. Flaw allows local unauthenticated attackers to bypass security via a malicious Office file. Office 2016/2019 do not have immediate patches; temporary registry mitigations are offered.
• Expert Commentary (Gerald, 12:30):

  “Microsoft Office has notoriously been a cesspool of vulnerability and attack surface. Especially with macros back in the day.”

  • Explains the exploit chain: Attacker needs local network access; real risk if lateral movement is possible.
  • Advice:
    • Patch systems immediately.
    • For 2016/2019, deploy registry mitigations (automate via PowerShell script).
    • Use this event to push migration off end-of-life products:

      “This is an opportunity where you can leverage the advisory to promote migration to supported versions.”

    • Train users, though internal phishing diminishes effectiveness.
  • Memorable Line:

    “If your organization is still running Office 2016 or 2019… the support ended October 14, 2025. You shouldn’t even be running this in the first place.”

2. Black Moon Phishing Attacks on Indian Taxpayers (00:18:58)

• Summary:
  New phishing campaign mimics India’s income tax department, sending fake notices containing a backdoored “Black Moon” banking trojan and SyncFuture TSM remote monitoring tool. Advanced evasion techniques used.
• Expert Commentary (Gerald, 19:41):

  “Whenever you send a phishing email, there’s two ways to get someone to fall for it: scare the crap out of them, or put so much honey and sweetener in it.”

  • Highlights the infograph with a classic:

    “Oh yeah, I love a good infograph. Get your saxophones ready, please!” (21:00)

  • Attack flow: Spam email → zip file → HTML file → VBS script → shellcode/malware chain.
  • Anti-AV logic in payload:

    “If it does anything before besides info stealing or running ransomware, it elevates the sophistication of it.”

  • Advice:
    • Deploy strong EDR.
    • User education—don't assume knowledge:

      “Normal people don’t know what phishing is. It’s our job to educate them.”

    • Use secure email gateways.
  • Notable Audience Reminder:

    “I teach at the Citadel…none [of the students] knew what phishing was. We live in a bubble.”

3. North Korea’s Koni Group Targets Blockchain Developers (00:26:05)

• Summary:
  North Korean group Koni (distinct from Lazarus) targets Japan, Australia, and India’s blockchain devs with phishing disguised as project docs, AI-generated PowerShell backdoor, aiming for credentials and crypto theft.
• Expert Commentary (Gerald, 26:44):
  • “AI is writing malware. Welcome to the party, pal.”
  • Advises checking MITRE ATT&CK for group naming discrepancies.
  • Main Takeaway:
    • This trend (AI-assisted malware) is global and escalating.
    • AI reduces dev time and workforce needed for threat actors.
    • Even if geographic focus isn’t on your org, study the TTPs to update threat models:

      “Don’t sleep on this. Just because it’s not happening to us today doesn’t mean we shouldn’t learn from it.”

  • Practical Job Interview Tip:

    “You could bring this story into the interview as part of your responses and look like the smartest kid on the block.”

4. CISA Releases Post-Quantum Cryptography Product List (00:34:50)

• Summary:
  CISA, with NSA and under EO2025, published categories for hardware/software supporting post-quantum cryptography (PQC). Aimed at procurement as guidance for prepping for quantum-era security challenges.
• Expert Commentary (Gerald, 35:37):

  “Here’s my thing…for most of us, including me, quantum is not on my radar. It’s not on my roadmap…it’s not on my five-year plan…”

  • Pragmatic security budget advice: Prioritize controls with broadest impact (MFA, EDR, strong passwords) over quantum upgrades unless your risk profile is extreme.
  • GRC Wisdom:

    “You’re given a hundred bucks to feed the family—I need to spend that hundred in the way that gets the biggest risk reduction.”

  • Minor debate in chat about the long-term view on quantum investment.

5. Cloudflare BGP Route Leak Due to Misconfig (00:44:13)

• Summary:
  A router policy error in Miami at Cloudflare redistributed internal IPv6 BGP updates externally, causing 25 minutes of packet loss/congestion.
• Expert Commentary (Gerald, 44:54):

  “Only a couple organizations run the internet…Cloudflare, Google, Akamai...”

  • Explains BGP/ASN concepts for non-networkers.
  • Key Learning:
    • Network misconfigs by major providers can have outsized impacts.
    • “Worth spending 20 minutes learning what BGP is at a very high level.”
  • Practical Note:
    • Event is over, but deep dive for those wanting to up skill or drop a post-mortem in interviews.

6. Physical Access Control Vulnerabilities at Euro Firms (00:49:11)

• Summary:
  SEC Consult found 20+ serious flaws in dormakaba’s Exospace door systems, including hardcoded creds, weak crypto, and command injection. Some exposed to internet.
• Expert Commentary (Gerald, 49:55):

  “Whenever there’s a system related to security…it needs to be an elevated priority because it’s the whole point.”

  • Urges verification with physical security staff and urgent patching, especially for European orgs.
  • Threat Model:
    • Most attacks would require remote + physical coordination.
    • Likelihood of targeted remote + on-site attack is lower than common cyber threats, but not zero.

7. Stanley: Phishing Malware-as-a-Service for Chrome Extensions (00:53:10)

• Summary:
  “Stanley” service enables anyone to buy Chrome extensions that easily pass Google’s review, overlay full-screen phishing iframes, and support silent installs (Chrome/Edge/Brave). Tiers up to $6,000 for premium support.
• Expert Commentary (Gerald, 53:45):

  “This is marketing—hey, 100% money back guarantee, free trial, seven days, give it a shot!”

  • User education is the main defense.
  • Org-level mitigation: disable extension install permissions, use browser management policies, EDR/SIEM beaconing detection (e.g., RITA).
  • Technical Note:
    • Consistent C2 polling is detectable.

8. Phishing Attacks on SSO via Real-time Voice Calls (Vishing) (00:56:48)

• Summary:
  Shiny Hunters run real-time vishing and phishing attacks targeting Single Sign-On (SSO) credentials, synchronizing calls with MFA prompts, leading to SaaS account compromise (victims: SoundCloud, Betterment). No software vulns, strictly social engineering.
• Expert Commentary (Gerald, 57:30):

  “Shiny Hunters…they’re good at social engineering. They’re like 20 years old, plus or minus two years...”

  • Educate end users and help desk staff; support for employees who push back on aggressive callers is essential.
  • Don’t abandon SSO: Benefits outweigh risks if combined with user awareness and process controls.
  • Strategic Note:

    “This is GRC. Educate your end users. Get with your help desk. Get in front of these stories and push back.”

Special Segment: Tidbits Tuesday (Mid-Episode; ~39:48–44:13)

• Gerald shares his experience getting a colonoscopy as a PSA on personal health maintenance, demystifying the process:

  “It’s run like an oil change...you are passed out before anything happens. When you wake up, it’s over. If you’ve been nervous about the procedure…that doesn’t happen.”

• Why?
  He encourages listeners to take care of their health, as it supports longer, healthier careers (and life!).
• Audience reaction: Positive and supportive, chat filled with humor and camaraderie.

Jawjacking Q&A with Eric Taylor, Barricade Cyber (63:24–96:04)

Tone: Relaxed, interactive, community-driven.

Key Points & Questions:

• Camera/Lighting Tech Banter: Eric discusses streaming setups for audience aspiring to present professionally.
• Ask Barricade Q&A System: Submit any security/career questions via askbarricade.com for written/video response.
• Hiring:
  • Upcoming CrowdStrike Falcon administrator opening.
  • Infosec applicants need some hands-on experience, Python/PowerShell preferred.
  • Entry-level okay if candidates have foundational knowledge (not “I don’t know what PowerShell is”).
• Most Interesting Incident:
  • Often, internal IT/security teams feel defensive when external IR teams are called in.

  “We’re not here to throw somebody under the bus unless there’s massive gross negligence.”

  • Sometimes stumble on data that must be reported to law enforcement: “I don’t really care what your data is...I’m there to hunt evil...but if I stumble across [certain things], I gotta say something.”
• Spam with Public Names:
  • YouTube “real name” usage increases spam slightly, but is part of public persona for consulting credibility.
  • Sobering truth: Cyber practitioners face dark realities: “Cyber is not all sunshine and rainbows. You’re going to come across stuff that’ll make you feel nauseous for days.”
• 6,000 Page Pen Test Report:
  • “What the Holy f—? That’s got to be a Nessus scan result...get the F out of here. Just a tool dump, likely with no verification.”
• Remote vs. Onsite Work:
  • Open question: Some roles may require on-site presence depending on trust and need for collaboration.
• When to Apply for SOC L2:
  • Assess your skills against industry standard job postings for your sector.
  • Most promotions are for those already demonstrating 80–90% of next-level responsibility.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Vulnerability Management:

  “I’m given a hundred bucks, and told to feed the family—protect the organization. I need to spend that hundred in the way that gets the biggest risk reduction.” (35:37)

• On Tech Debt and EOL Software:

  “This is an opportunity... to get everybody off 16 and 19 [Office]. If you don’t like it, too bad. We’re doing that.” (16:37)

• On Social Engineering Defense:

  “Get with your help desk...get support from management so they can push back on pushy callers without fear.” (57:30)

• On Realism in Cyber:

  “Normal people don’t know what phishing is. It’s our job to educate them.”

• On Staying Current:

  “Don’t think if you saw ‘Koni’...and thought ‘I’m behind’—we’re all figuring this out for the first time.” (26:44)

Important Timestamps

| Time | Segment / Topic | |--------------|--------------------------------------------------------| | 00:11:41 | Microsoft Office Zero-Day Exploit | | 00:18:58 | Black Moon Phishing Attacks | | 00:26:05 | North Korea / Koni Targeting Blockchain & Crypto | | 00:34:50 | CISA PQC Product List – Quantum-Ready Security | | 00:44:13 | Cloudflare BGP Route Leak | | 00:49:11 | Dormakaba Physical Access Control Vulnerabilities | | 00:53:10 | Stanley – Chrome Phishing Malware-as-a-Service | | 00:56:48 | SSO Vishing Attacks by Shiny Hunters | | ~00:39:48 | Tidbits Tuesday: Health PSA | | 63:24–96:04 | Jawjacking Q&A with Eric Taylor (Barricade Cyber) |

Actionable Takeaways

• Patch all affected Microsoft Office installs immediately; use policy/registry mitigation for EOL systems.
• Educate users and staff—don’t underestimate lack of basic knowledge about phishing and social engineering.
• Update threat models regularly with new APT trends; use current event stories as professional ammo in interviews and risk assessments.
• Prioritize the broadest-impact controls (e.g., EDR, MFA) over “future-tech” like PQC unless your org demands.
• Physical security is a cyber issue—coordinate patching and awareness with facilities/physical security teams.
• Beware persistent Chrome-based phishing; limit extension installs and monitor for beaconing.
• Support the help desk—train, empower, and back them up in the fight against aggressive social engineering.
• Invest in your health as well as your career.

Further Resources

• Simply Cyber Community: Chat, Discord, and regular live streams for support and learning.
• Ask Barricade: Submit security/career/incident questions for Barricade Cyber team.
• Upcoming Webinars: Anti Siphon and Flare events—as mentioned, ideal for career development.

Summary by an independent reviewer, preserving the spirit and insights of the Simply Cyber community and its energetic hosts.