In episode 159 of Cybersecurity Where You Are, Sean Atkinson is joined by <a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-palsgraf-44b60b89">Joshua Palsgraf</a>, Sr. Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst at the Center for Internet Security® (CIS®), and Randy Rose, Vice President of Security Operations & Intelligence at CIS. Together, they dive into the scariest malware of 2025 in this special Halloween edition.The conversation explores what makes today’s malware truly terrifying, from stealthy threats that hide in plain sight to modular malware that evolves faster than defenses can adapt. The trio also discusses the corporatization of cybercrime, the rise of Malware as a Service, and how generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is lowering the barrier to entry for cybercriminals.Here are some highlights from our episode:<ul><li>00:42. Introductions to Josh and Randy</li><li>02:21. What makes the scariest malware of 2025 truly "scary"</li><li>05:42. Evolution of malware: people, process, and technology</li><li>09:33. How the corporatization of malware helps to democratize cybercrime</li><li>11:25. The most "terrifying" malware strains of 2025</li><li>15:49. Malware reincarnation: Old threats with new masks</li><li>17:20. GenAI as the great equalizer for cybercriminals, especially social engineers</li><li>23:32. Defense-in-depth and threat-informed strategies</li><li>24:45. Why incident response playbooks must evolve and become living documents</li><li>27:02. What incident response looks like for cloud assets in the Fourth Industrial Revolution</li><li>29:27. Naming malware after horror movie icons</li></ul>Resources<ul><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.cisecurity.org/ms-isac?utm_source=wistia&utm_campaign=msisac&utm_medium=audio&utm_term=theme_tl&utm_content=2025-msisac-podcast_159-wistia-lp_view">Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center®</a></li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.cisecurity.org/insights/podcast/episode-144-carrying-on-the-ms-isacs-character-and-culture?utm_source=wistia&utm_campaign=cis&utm_medium=audio&utm_term=theme_tl&utm_content=2025-cis-podcast_159-wistia-podcast_sub">Episode 144: Carrying on the MS-ISAC's Character and Culture</a></li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.cisecurity.org/insights/podcast/episode-126-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-cti-analyst?utm_source=wistia&utm_campaign=cis&utm_medium=audio&utm_term=theme_tl&utm_content=2025-cis-podcast_159-wistia-podcast_sub">Episode 126: A Day in the Life of a CTI Analyst</a></li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.cisecurity.org/insights/blog/a-short-guide-for-spotting-phishing-attempts?utm_source=wistia&utm_campaign=cis&utm_medium=audio&utm_term=theme_tl&utm_content=2025-cis-podcast_159-wistia-blog_post">A Short Guide for Spotting Phishing Attempts</a></li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.cisecurity.org/insights/white-papers/the-cis-security-operations-center-soc-the-key-to-growing-your-sltts-cyber-maturity?utm_source=wistia&utm_campaign=cis&utm_medium=audio&utm_term=theme_tl&utm_content=2025-cis-podcast_159-wistia-content_dl">The CIS Security Operations Center (SOC): The Key to Growing Your SLTT's Cyber Maturity</a></li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.cisecurity.org/insights/podcast/episode-157-how-a-modern-mission-driven-cirt-operates?utm_source=wistia&utm_campaign=cis&utm_medium=audio&utm_term=theme_tl&utm_content=2025-cis-podcast_159-wistia-podcast_sub">Episode 157: How a Modern, Mission-Driven CIRT Operates</a></li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.cisecurity.org/insights/white-papers/living-off-the-land-scheduled-tasks?utm_source=wistia&utm_campaign=controls&utm_medium=audio&utm_term=theme_rcs&utm_content=2025-controls-podcast_159-wistia-controls_dl">Living Off the Land: Scheduled Tasks</a></li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/cyber-defenders-sound-alarm-f5-hack-exposes-broad-risks-2025-10-20/">Cyber defenders sound the alarm as F5 hack exposes broad risks</a></li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.cisecurity.org/insights/podcast/episode-134-how-genai-lowers-bar-for-cyber-threat-actors?utm_source=wistia&utm_campaign=cis&utm_medium=audio&utm_term=theme_tl&utm_content=2025-cis-podcast_159-wistia-podcast_sub">Episode 134: How GenAI Lowers Bar for Cyber Threat Actors</a></li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.cisecurity.org/insights/blog/active-lumma-stealer-campaign-impacting-us-sltts?utm_source=wistia&utm_campaign=cis&utm_medium=audio&utm_term=theme_tl&utm_content=2025-cis-podcast_159-wistia-blog_post">Active Lumma Stealer Campaign Impacting U.S. SLTTs</a></li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.cisecurity.org/insights/blog/ms-isac-member-reported-phishing-likely-from-tycoon2fa-phaas?utm_source=wistia&utm_campaign=cis&utm_medium=audio&utm_term=theme_tl&utm_content=2025-cis-podcast_159-wistia-blog_post">MS-ISAC Member-Reported Phishing Likely from Tycoon2FA PhaaS</a></li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.cisecurity.org/insights/blog/clickfix-an-adaptive-social-engineering-technique?utm_source=wistia&utm_campaign=cis&utm_medium=audio&utm_term=theme_tl&utm_content=2025-cis-podcast_159-wistia-blog_post">ClickFix: An Adaptive Social Engineering Technique</a></li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.cisecurity.org/insights/blog/top-10-malware-q1-2025?utm_source=wistia&utm_campaign=cis&utm_medium=audio&utm_term=theme_tl&utm_content=2025-cis-podcast_159-wistia-blog_post">Top 10 Malware Q1 2025</a></li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.cisecurity.org/insights/blog/ctas-leveraging-fake-browser-updates-in-malware-campaigns?utm_source=wistia&utm_campaign=cis&utm_medium=audio&utm_term=theme_tl&utm_content=2025-cis-podcast_159-wistia-blog_post">CTAs Leveraging Fake Browser Updates in Malware Campaigns</a></li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/italian-police-freeze-cash-ai-voice-scam-that-targeted-business-leaders-2025-02-12/">Italian police freeze cash from AI-voice scam that targeted business leaders</a></li><li><a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="https://corncon.net/">CornCon Cybersecurity Conference</a></li></ul>If you have some feedback or an idea for an upcoming episode of Cybersecurity Where You Are, let us know by emailing&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" href="mailto:podcast@cisecurity.org">podcast@cisecurity.org</a>.

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