Decipher Security Podcast

It may be spooky season, but we start by discussinf the fact that the frightening prospect of mass PHP2Shell exploitation has not materialized. Some good news! Then we dig into the Silent Train operational infrastructure report that Black Lotus Labs released detailing Volt Typhoon's activities. Finally, we have some spooky-themed malware names for you! Timestamps 0:00 Intro and Halloween small talk2:36 Update on the PHP-to-shell vulnerabilities: almost no confirmed exploitation4:38 Why the hype happened and how it compares to Log4Shell6:19 Retracted exploitation claims and how defenders used the lead time8:14 Why the exploits are hard to build (what Dennis heard from Caliph)10:01 Hype vs. everyday weaknesses that businesses don't prioritize11:39 "Black October," Matt Johansson and cybersecurity going mainstream16:34 Cybersecurity Awareness Month and the MFA takeaway17:00 Entry-level security jobs and advice for new grads20:02 Volt Typhoon and the Silent Train report (Lumen's Black Lotus Labs)23:01 The Littleton, MA utility intrusion24:01 Volt Typhoon's targets and its use of SOHO routers and IoT devices26:10 Operational discipline in how they rotate infrastructure28:26 Threat actor naming conventions29:46 Favorite spooky malware names: Ghost RAT, BlackCat, Spectre, Satan, GhostNet34:44 Halloween costumes and the Halloween nor'easter story36:45 Outro

Tom Hegel of SentinelLabs joins Dennis Fisher for a deep discussion of the value of a broad background, not just in tech but in life, how threat intelligence teams function, and the wide range of effects AI is having on how defenders and attackers function. Timestamps0:00 – Welcome and intro with Tom Hegel0:40 – LabsCon recap and the standout opening talk2:10 – How Tom got into security: taking apart VCRs and repairing hardware3:35 – Fake antivirus, forensics and the early days of the industry5:49 – From MSSPs and SIEM vendors to Sentinel One7:02 – 90s self-sufficiency culture and Pringles-can cantennas8:24 – Hacking retro hardware with AI, and Doom on everything10:20 – Why a broad foundation beats early specialization12:28 – Threat intel: detection noise and writing for your audience15:17 – Diverse teams and global perspectives17:11 – Echo chambers in the security community19:40 – Underreported regions: Africa, Latin America and Chinese soft power22:09 – Living with compromised devices and surveillance capitalism25:01 – Post-compromise detection, and the PHP vulnerability hype28:22 – N-days vs. zero days: what attackers actually use30:29 – AI's early days and the long-term impact on software quality31:32 – Slop software and the rise of risky DIY apps33:36 – How threat actors use AI, from advanced groups to low-skill crime36:01 – Parallels to the 90s "wild west" of hacking37:17 – Defenders are empowered by AI too38:00 – Will people still understand how software works?39:20 – Cognitive decline and using AI without losing skill40:39 – AI-generated threat intel reports and accuracy43:22 – Hype-chasing vendors and AI slop45:13 – Trusting proven experts45:50 – Small, trusted conferences and private signal groups

This week was a tale of two stories: the PHP2Shell vulnerabilities and the compromise of several certificates issued by CA eMudhra in India. Timestamps00:00 — A wild week in security news02:50 — PHP vulnerabilities and the disclosure drama08:07 — Why coordinating an embargo is so difficult10:02 — Preparing for the PHP patches11:29 — The PHP bugs make national headlines13:44 — Inside the researchers’ PHP vulnerability analysis15:56 — Exploit risk, patching, and the long tail18:06 — Cloudflare’s mitigation and the response so far21:44 — Compromised certificate authority keys23:37 — Revoking certificates and restoring trust25:07 — The hidden infrastructure behind internet security28:11 — “We have a problem here” — shout-out to Wayne29:22 — What’s coming next

The newly disclosed PHP2Shell vulnerabilities (CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619) are as serious as everyone feared, and Ben Harris of watchTowr joins Dennis Fisher to discuss their long-term impact.Timestamps00:00 - Introduction and why the PHP bugs are a big deal00:22 - The disclosure process starts to unravel01:04 - Why the two PHP vulnerabilities are so severe02:07 - Why the embargo mattered and why the leak was dangerous02:49 - PHP’s massive footprint across the internet04:08 - What mitigations can and cannot do05:35 - Comparing this to Log4Shell06:32 - Why sysadmins outside security are suddenly paying attention07:22 - Why old assumptions about disclosure may no longer hold08:48 - How LLMs accelerate reproduction from tiny clues09:13 - Why even partial screenshots and leaked video can be enough10:33 - A rough six to twelve months ahead for security teamsLinksPHP blog: https://thephp.foundation/blog/2026/10/21/todays-php-security-release-and-how-were-strengthening-php-security/Our story: https://decipher.sc/2026/10/20/critical-php-flaws-disclosed-patches-out-now/

Cybersecurity policy can stall when technical experts and lawmakers speak different languages. Beau Woods, CEO and founder of Stratigos Security joins Lindsey O’Donnell-Welch to explain how Hackers on the Hill brings cybersecurity researchers and policymakers together to build understanding and move ideas forward. Timestamps 0:05 Introduction to Beau Woods 1:46 The Origins of Hackers on the Hill 5:48 Bridging Cybersecurity Research and Policy 9:43 Misconceptions in Cybersecurity Legislation 13:47 Growing Technical Literacy in Government 19:46 Applying Security Across Critical Sectors 25:47 Mock Hearings and Policy Conversations 28:36 Cyber Policy Shark Tank 31:58 AI, Cybersecurity, and Public Policy 36:57 Societal Goals Over Technology 37:33 Closing Thoughts