Podcast
Only Malware in the Building
Hosted by DISCARDED | N2K Networks · EN
"Only Malware in the Building” is a monthly podcast crafted through a collaboration between N2K CyberWire and the Proofpoint DISCARDED podcast. Join hosts Selena Larson, Threat Researcher at Proofpoint, Dave Bittner—host of the CyberWire Daily podcast—and Keith Mularski, former FBI Cyber Division Unit Chief and now Chief Global Ambassador at Qintel, as this trio of cyber-savvy partners-in-crime team up to uncover the secrets behind some of the most notorious cyberattacks. This segment focuses on the most impactful and intriguing malware stories. Its aim is to distill complex cybersecurity information into digestible, insightful episodes for tech professionals, providing security executives a clear and engaging “so what” that is actionable.
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Episodes
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Class is in session—for cybercriminals.
2w ago00:49:58Tap to summarizeWelcome in! You’ve entered, Only Malware in the Building. Join us each month to sip tea and solve mysteries about today’s most interesting threats. Your host is Selena Larson, Proofpoint intelligence analyst and host of their podcast DISCARDED. Inspired by the residents of a building in New York’s exclusive upper west side, Selena is joined by her co-hosts N2K Networks Dave Bittner and Keith Mularski, former FBI cybercrime investigator and now Chief Global Ambassador at Qintel. Being a security researcher is a bit like being a detective: you gather clues, analyze the evidence, and consult the experts to solve the cyber puzzle. This week, Today, while Keith is off, Dave and Selena kick off a back-to-school special, exploring the cyber threats students, parents, educators, and universities should have on their radar. They examine the rise in job scams targeting university communities, discuss recent espionage activity aimed at higher education institutions in the U.S. and Canada, and look at how cybercriminals prey on younger audiences through online games, YouTube, and social media. From fake game cracks delivering information stealers to sextortion schemes targeting teens, they break down the tactics attackers are using and share practical advice for staying safe as the new school year begins. Sources: Job Scams Using Bioscience Lures Target Universities One Email Closer to the Edge: UNK_MassTraction & the Physics of Exploitation
Transcribe →Nothing left to StealC.
Jul 700:41:01Tap to summarizeWelcome in! You’ve entered, Only Malware in the Building. Join us each month to sip tea and solve mysteries about today’s most interesting threats. Your host is Selena Larson, Proofpoint intelligence analyst and host of their podcast DISCARDED. Inspired by the residents of a building in New York’s exclusive upper west side, Selena is joined by her co-hosts N2K Networks Dave Bittner and Keith Mularski, former FBI cybercrime investigator and now Chief Global Ambassador at Qintel. Being a security researcher is a bit like being a detective: you gather clues, analyze the evidence, and consult the experts to solve the cyber puzzle. This week, This week, our hosts dive into the recent Operation Endgame disruptions targeting the SocGholish and StealC malware ecosystems, exploring what these coordinated takedowns mean for the evolving web injection threat landscape. They unpack how web inject campaigns have become a favored entry point for cybercriminals, enabling everything from credential theft to ransomware deployment, and why taking down infrastructure is only one piece of the puzzle. Plus, they discuss what defenders should watch for next as attackers adapt and rebuild. Sources: StealC video SocGholish video Sayonara, SocGholish: Operation Endgame Disrupts Major Cybercrime Operation StealC You Later: Proofpoint and IBM X-Force Support Operation Endgame Disruptions StealC and Amadey: Breaking down infostealers and the cybercrime services that deliver them Global cyber strike disrupts SocGholish, Amadey, and StealC malware networks
Transcribe →Trusting the wrong package.
Jun 200:46:54Tap to summarizeWelcome in! You’ve entered, Only Malware in the Building. Join us each month to sip tea and solve mysteries about today’s most interesting threats. Your host is Selena Larson, Proofpoint intelligence analyst and host of their podcast DISCARDED. Inspired by the residents of a building in New York’s exclusive upper west side, Selena is joined by her co-hosts N2K Networks Dave Bittner and Keith Mularski, former FBI cybercrime investigator and now Chief Global Ambassador at Qintel. Being a security researcher is a bit like being a detective: you gather clues, analyze the evidence, and consult the experts to solve the cyber puzzle. This week, our hosts dive into the evolving threat of software supply chain attacks and the growing risks facing the open-source ecosystem. As developers increasingly rely on third-party packages and AI-powered coding tools, attackers are finding new ways to abuse trusted software to reach a wider range of targets. The discussion explores why these attacks are becoming more common, what recent incidents reveal about the state of software security, and what organizations can do to better protect themselves. Sources: Shai-Hulud worm returns stronger and more automated than ever before ‘Mini Shai-Hulud’ malware compromises hundreds of open-source packages in sprawling supply-chain attack What We Learned: Axios NPM Supply Chain Compromise Emergency Briefing Your AI Gateway Was a Backdoor: Inside the LiteLLM Supply Chain Compromise
Transcribe →Mythbehavior under investigation.
May 500:44:56Tap to summarizeWelcome in! You’ve entered, Only Malware in the Building. Join us each month to sip tea and solve mysteries about today’s most interesting threats. Your host is Selena Larson, Proofpoint intelligence analyst and host of their podcast DISCARDED. Inspired by the residents of a building in New York’s exclusive upper west side, Selena is joined by her co-hosts N2K Networks Dave Bittner and Keith Mularski, former FBI cybercrime investigator and now Chief Global Ambassador at Qintel. Being a security researcher is a bit like being a detective: you gather clues, analyze the evidence, and consult the experts to solve the cyber puzzle. On this episode of Mythb…oops, we mean Only Malware in the Building, our hosts take on some cyber myths. Dave busts the idea that small organizations aren’t targets, Selena digs into whether AI is really making attackers smarter, and Keith breaks down why identifying a hacker doesn’t mean law enforcement can just go make an arrest. Three myths, one truth: in cybersecurity, nothing is ever that simple.
Transcribe →Who’s logging in?
Apr 700:42:39Tap to summarizeWelcome in! You’ve entered, Only Malware in the Building. Join us each month to sip tea and solve mysteries about today’s most interesting threats. Your host is Selena Larson, Proofpoint intelligence analyst and host of their podcast DISCARDED. Inspired by the residents of a building in New York’s exclusive upper west side, Selena is joined by her co-hosts N2K Networks Dave Bittner and Keith Mularski, former FBI cybercrime investigator and now Chief Global Ambassador at Qintel. Being a security researcher is a bit like being a detective: you gather clues, analyze the evidence, and consult the experts to solve the cyber puzzle. On this episode, we discuss findings from the Sophos Active Adversary Report 2026 by Sophos, highlighting how identity-related weaknesses like compromised credentials and gaps in MFA continue to drive a majority of security incidents. The conversation explores how attackers are moving faster, often operating after hours, and how a growing number of threat groups is adding to the complexity.
Transcribe →AI swarms and cyber alarms.
Mar 1000:51:31Tap to summarizeWelcome in! You’ve entered, Only Malware in the Building. Join us each month to sip tea and solve mysteries about today’s most interesting threats. Your host is Selena Larson, Proofpoint intelligence analyst and host of their podcast DISCARDED. Inspired by the residents of a building in New York’s exclusive upper west side, Selena is joined by her co-hosts N2K Networks Dave Bittner and Keith Mularski, former FBI cybercrime investigator and now Chief Global Ambassador at Qintel. Being a security researcher is a bit like being a detective: you gather clues, analyze the evidence, and consult the experts to solve the cyber puzzle. On this episode, our hosts start with a deep dive into artificial intelligence and its impact on cybersecurity. They explore AI-driven malware, accelerated attack chains like the Fortinet case, and how defenses are adapting—but emphasize that good security hygiene still works. They also debate AI’s effects on creativity and society, highlighting the importance of guardrails and responsible use.
Transcribe →When legit is the trick: Phishing’s sneaky new moves.
Feb 300:39:55Tap to summarizeWelcome in! You’ve entered, Only Malware in the Building. Join us each month to sip tea and solve mysteries about today’s most interesting threats. Your host is Selena Larson, Proofpoint intelligence analyst and host of their podcast DISCARDED. Inspired by the residents of a building in New York’s exclusive upper west side, Selena is joined by her co-hosts N2K Networks Dave Bittner and Keith Mularski, former FBI cybercrime investigator and now Chief Global Ambassador at Qintel. Being a security researcher is a bit like being a detective: you gather clues, analyze the evidence, and consult the experts to solve the cyber puzzle. On this episode, our hosts discuss how attackers are increasingly abusing legitimate, trusted Microsoft workflows to make phishing campaigns more convincing and harder to spot. In device code phishing, victims are socially engineered into completing a real Microsoft OAuth login flow, inadvertently granting attackers valid access tokens without ever sharing a password. They also examined abuse of Microsoft 365 Direct Send, which allows threat actors to send phishing emails that appear to originate from inside an organization, reinforcing a broader shift toward weaponizing built-in cloud services rather than relying on obviously malicious infrastructure.
Transcribe →Poisoned at the source.
Jan 600:44:45Tap to summarizeWelcome in! You’ve entered, Only Malware in the Building. Join us each month to sip tea and solve mysteries about today’s most interesting threats. Your host is Selena Larson, Proofpoint intelligence analyst and host of their podcast DISCARDED. Inspired by the residents of a building in New York’s exclusive upper west side, Selena is joined by her co-hosts N2K Networks Dave Bittner and Keith Mularski, former FBI cybercrime investigator and now Chief Global Ambassador at Qintel. Being a security researcher is a bit like being a detective: you gather clues, analyze the evidence, and consult the experts to solve the cyber puzzle. On this episode, we dive into supply chain attacks through the lens of a massive Android malware campaign that infects devices before they ever reach users, embedding itself in firmware and reseller-installed system images. We connect the dots to other high-impact supply chain incidents—from SolarWinds to the recent F5 breach—and share new intelligence on Android devices compromised during manufacturing and distribution in China. Together, these cases highlight how attacks at the source can quietly scale, persist, and evade traditional defenses.
Transcribe →Yippee-ki-yay, cybercriminals!
Dec 200:40:18Tap to summarizeWelcome in! You’ve entered, Only Malware in the Building. Wrap yourself in a warm blanket, pour your favorite mug of tea, and join us each month as we unwrap the season’s juiciest cyber mysteries. Your host is Selena Larson, Proofpoint intelligence analyst and host of their podcast DISCARDED. Inspired by the residents of a building in New York’s exclusive upper west side, Selena is joined by her co-hosts N2K Networks Dave Bittner and Keith Mularski, former FBI cybercrime investigator and now Chief Global Ambassador at Qintel. Being a security researcher is a bit like being a detective: you gather clues, analyze the evidence, and consult the experts to solve the cyber puzzle. On this episode, we explore Remote access, real cargo: cybercriminals targeting trucking and logistics. From clever schemes to protect shipments to the tools cybercriminals use, our guests discuss how organizations can safeguard physical goods in an increasingly connected world—because even during the season of hustle and bustle, the threats don’t take a holiday.
Transcribe →Pass the intel, please.
Nov 400:38:06Tap to summarizeWelcome in! You’ve entered, Only Malware in the Building. Join us each month to sip tea and solve mysteries about today’s most interesting threats. Your host is Selena Larson, Proofpoint intelligence analyst and host of their podcast DISCARDED. Inspired by the residents of a building in New York’s exclusive upper west side, Selena is joined by her co-hosts N2K Networks Dave Bittner and Keith Mularski, former FBI cybercrime investigator and now Chief Global Ambassador at Qintel. Being a security researcher is a bit like being a detective: you gather clues, analyze the evidence, and consult the experts to solve the cyber puzzle. On this episode, we explore what makes information sharing actually work. From public-private partnerships to actionable intelligence, our guests discuss how organizations can prioritize, process, and operationalize shared cyber threat data to stay ahead of emerging risks. Plus, catch Dave, Selena, and Keith on their road trip adventure in our video on YouTube — full of laughs, unexpected detours, and plenty of sleuthing!
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