Storm Watch by GreyNoise Intelligence

GreyNoise Intelligence
  • 4.4 (7)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Storm⚡️Watch is a weekly podcast and livestream that digs deep into various cybersecurity topics and internet exploitation trends. Our goal is simple: to deliver insightful analyses, thought-provoking perspectives, timely updates and the occasional hot-take on the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape.

  1. 06/03/2025

    Cyber Threat Showdown: TikTok Malware, Exploit Scoring Wars & Real-World Attacks

    Forecast = Stormy with a chance of TikTok malware showers—exploit scoring systems hot, but patch management outlook remains partly cloudy. Welcome to Storm⚡️Watch! In this episode, we're diving into the current state of cyber weather with a mix of news, analysis, and practical insights. This week, we tackle a fundamental question: are all exploit scoring systems bad, or are some actually useful? We break down the major frameworks: **CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System):** The industry standard for assessing vulnerability severity, CVSS uses base, temporal, and environmental metrics to give a comprehensive score. It's widely used but has limitations—especially since it doesn't always reflect real-world exploitability. **Coalition Exploit Scoring System (ESS):** This system uses AI and large language models to predict the likelihood that a CVE will be exploited in the wild. ESS goes beyond technical severity, focusing on exploit availability and usage probabilities, helping organizations prioritize patching with better accuracy than CVSS alone. **EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System):** EPSS is a data-driven approach that estimates the probability of a vulnerability being exploited, using real-world data from honeypots, IDS/IPS, and more. It updates daily and helps teams focus on the most urgent risks. **VEDAS (Vulnerability & Exploit Data Aggregation System):** VEDAS aggregates data from over 50 sources and clusters vulnerabilities, providing a score based on exploit prevalence and maturity. It's designed to help teams understand which vulnerabilities are most likely to be actively exploited. **LEV/LEV2 (Likely Exploited Vulnerabilities):** Proposed by NIST, this metric uses historical EPSS data to probabilistically assess exploitation, helping organizations identify high-risk vulnerabilities that might otherwise be missed. **CVSS BT:** This project enriches CVSS scores with real-world threat intelligence, including data from CISA KEV, ExploitDB, and more. It's designed to help organizations make better patching decisions by adding context about exploitability. Next, we turn our attention to a troubling trend: malware distribution via TikTok. Attackers are using AI-generated videos, disguised as helpful software activation tutorials, to trick users into running malicious PowerShell commands. This "ClickFix" technique has already reached nearly half a million views. The malware, including Vidar and StealC, runs entirely in memory, bypassing traditional security tools and targeting credentials, wallets, and financial data. State-sponsored groups from Iran, North Korea, and Russia have adopted these tactics, making it a global concern. For employees, the takeaway is clear: never run PowerShell commands from video tutorials, and always report suspicious requests to IT. For IT teams, consider disabling the Windows+R shortcut for standard users, restrict PowerShell execution, and update security awareness training to include social media threats. We also highlight the latest from Censys, VulnCheck, runZero, and GreyNoise—industry leaders providing cutting-edge research and tools for vulnerability management and threat intelligence. Don't miss GreyNoise's upcoming webinar on resurgent vulnerabilities and their impact on organizational security. And that's a wrap for this episode! We will be taking a short break from Storm Watch for the summer. We look forward to bringing more episodes to you in the fall! Storm Watch Homepage >> Learn more about GreyNoise >>

    50 min

  2. 05/27/2025

    ASUS Router Botnet Attack: AI Uncovers Hidden Backdoor

    Forecast = Mostly cloudy with a chance of rogue SSH access—keep your patches up to avoid a phishy forecast! Welcome to Storm⚡️Watch, where we unpack the latest in cybersecurity threats, research, and the tools that keep the digital world safe. In this episode, we invite GreyNoise Security Architect and researcher Matthew Remacle (a.k.a., Remy) to kick things off with a deep dive into a fascinating and highly sophisticated botnet campaign targeting ASUS routers—a story that starts with a little help from machine learning and ends with some hard lessons for defenders everywhere. GreyNoise researchers spotted this campaign using SIFT, their AI-powered network traffic analyzer, which sifted through more than 23 billion network entries and managed to flag just 30 suspicious payloads targeting ASUS routers. What made this botnet stand out was its surgical precision and stealth—far from the usual noisy, attention-grabbing attacks. The attackers knew exactly what they were doing, focusing on disabling TrendMicro security features embedded in the routers, essentially breaking in by first turning off the alarm. The attack chain reads like a masterclass in persistence: brute force and clever authentication bypasses got them in the door, a null byte injection tricked the router's authentication system, and a command injection vulnerability allowed them to manipulate logging features in a way that opened up even more attack paths. The real kicker? The final backdoor was installed using legitimate ASUS features, meaning it could survive firmware updates and stay hidden from traditional detection methods. This campaign affected thousands of routers globally, with over 4,800 compromised devices detected and counting. Even after ASUS released a patch—adding character validation rather than fixing the underlying flaw—researchers found that the fundamental vulnerability remained, and attackers could potentially work around the patch. This story highlights the ongoing challenges in IoT security: complexity breeds vulnerability, persistence is a nightmare to detect and remove when attackers use legitimate features, and patches often address symptoms rather than root causes. It's a reminder that traditional signature-based detection is no longer enough—behavioral analysis and AI-driven anomaly detection are now essential for spotting these advanced threats. We also touch on the bigger picture: the evolving cat-and-mouse game between attackers and defenders, the importance of defense in depth, and why understanding normal network behavior is more critical than ever. Plus, we look at the human element—attackers who are patient, technically sophisticated, and deeply aware of how to evade detection. For organizations, the takeaways are clear: defense in depth, behavioral monitoring, asset management, and patch management are all non-negotiable. And for everyone else, it's a reminder that the devices we trust to protect us are themselves complex and potentially vulnerable computers. Later in the episode, we take a closer look at vulnerability scoring systems—CVSS, EPSS, and SSVC—and why reading between the scores is so important for risk management. We also highlight the value of fresh, actionable data from sources like Censys and VulnCheck, and round things out with a nod to the ongoing conversation happening on the GreyNoise blog. Thanks for tuning in to Storm⚡️Watch. Stay vigilant, keep learning, and remember: in cybersecurity, the difference between safe and compromised can be as subtle as a single null byte. Storm Watch Homepage >> Learn more about GreyNoise >>

    1h 4m

  3. 05/13/2025

    AI Layoffs, Bug Bounty Fails & Cyber Workforce Crisis

    Forecast = Expect scattered AI layoffs, a flurry of bogus bug bounties, and a persistent workforce drought-so keep your firewalls up and your résumés handy! ‍ On this episode of GreyNoise Storm⚡️Watch, we kick things off with our usual round of introductions before diving into the latest cyber weather and threat landscape. If you're new here, Storm⚡️Watch is where we break down what's moving the needle in cybersecurity, spotlighting the people, tools, and trends shaping the field. For today's poll, we're feeling nostalgic and asking: What do you miss most from the Slow Internet days? Whether it's the wild west of Myspace, the quirky chaos of Fark, the creative playground of Wattpad, or the endless flash animations on Albino Blacksheep, we want to know what old-school internet experience you'd revive if you could. We're also talking about the pitfalls of AI in bug bounty programs. The open-source project curl has had enough of users flooding them with AI-generated "slop" vulnerabilities that waste maintainers' time and don't actually move security forward. It's a reminder that, despite the hype, AI isn't a silver bullet for finding real bugs and can actually create more noise than signal. Speaking of AI, the conversation shifts to how major companies are reshaping their workforce in the name of artificial intelligence. CrowdStrike just announced it's cutting 5% of its jobs, citing AI-driven restructuring and the need for efficiency. It's not just CrowdStrike-Duolingo is pushing AI into every corner of its product and workflow, with leadership urging engineers to "start with AI for every task," even as they admit the tech is still error-prone and often less effective than human effort. The end result? Workers are being asked to manage and troubleshoot clumsy AI tools instead of using their expertise, and users are left with content that's sometimes flat-out wrong or just less engaging than before. But while AI is shaking up tech jobs, the cybersecurity workforce shortage isn't going away. The PIVOTT Act has been revived in Congress to address the growing gap, offering full scholarships for two-year degrees in cyber fields in exchange for government service. It's aimed at making it easier for people to pivot into cyber careers, especially as professionals in other sectors worry about AI-driven job cuts. The Act is being administered by CISA and is designed to streamline the path into government cyber roles, including those requiring security clearances. As always, we spotlight some of the latest developments from Censys, VulnCheck, runZero, and GreyNoise; then wrap up with some quick goodbyes and reminders to check out the latest from all our partners and contributors. Thanks for tuning in to Storm⚡️Watch-where the only thing moving faster than the threats is the conversation. Storm Watch Homepage >> Learn more about GreyNoise >>

    58 min

  4. 05/06/2025

    Biggest Cybersecurity Threats EXPOSED: Zero-Day Attacks, Chinese Hackers & Enterprise Breaches

    Forecast = Cloudy with a chance of zero-days-watch for Spellbinder storms and scattered Git leaks! ‍ On this episode of Storm⚡️Watch, the crew dives into the fast-moving world of vulnerability tracking and threat intelligence, spotlighting how defenders are moving beyond the traditional CVE system to keep pace with real-world attacks. The show kicks off with a look at the latest listener poll, always a source of lively debate, before jumping into some of the most pressing cybersecurity stories of the week. A major focus of this episode is the recent revelation that a China-aligned APT group, dubbed TheWizards, is using a tool called Spellbinder to abuse IPv6 SLAAC for adversary-in-the-middle attacks. This technique lets attackers move laterally through networks by hijacking software update mechanisms-specifically targeting popular Chinese applications like Sogou Pinyin and Tencent QQ-to deliver malicious payloads such as the modular WizardNet backdoor. The crew unpacks how this approach leverages IPv6's stateless address autoconfiguration to intercept and redirect legitimate traffic, underscoring the evolving sophistication of lateral movement techniques in targeted campaigns. The episode then turns to Google's 2024 zero-day exploitation analysis, which reports a drop in the total number of zero-days exploited compared to last year but highlights a worrying shift: attackers are increasingly targeting enterprise products and infrastructure. Microsoft, Ivanti, Palo Alto Networks, and Cisco are among the most targeted vendors, with nearly half of all zero-day exploits now aimed at enterprise systems and network appliances. The discussion covers how attackers are chaining vulnerabilities for more impactful breaches and why defenders need to be vigilant as threat actors pivot to harder-to-monitor enterprise environments. Censys is in the spotlight for its recent research and tooling, including a new Ports & Protocols Dashboard that gives organizations granular visibility into their attack surface across all ports and protocols. This helps teams quickly spot risky exposures and misconfigurations, making it easier to prioritize remediation efforts and automate alerting for high-risk assets. The crew also highlights Censys's collaborative work on botnet hunting and their ongoing push to retire stale threat indicators, all of which are reshaping proactive defense strategies. runZero's latest insights emphasize the importance of prioritizing risks at the asset stack level, not just by CVE. The crew explains how misconfigurations, outdated software, and weak network segmentation can create stacked risks that traditional scanners might miss, urging listeners to adopt a more holistic approach to asset management and vulnerability prioritization. Rounding out the episode, GreyNoise shares new research on a dramatic spike in scanning for Ivanti Connect Secure VPNs and a surge in crawling activity targeting Git configuration files. These trends highlight the persistent risk of codebase exposure and the critical need to secure developer infrastructure, as exposed Git configs can lead to the leak of sensitive credentials and even entire codebases. As always, the show wraps up with some final thoughts and goodbyes, leaving listeners with actionable insights and a reminder to stay vigilant in the face of rapidly evolving cyber threats. If you have questions or want to hear more about any of these topics, let us know-what's on your mind this week? Storm Watch Homepage >> Learn more about GreyNoise >>

    53 min

  5. 04/29/2025

    2025 Cybersecurity Report Breakdown: FBI, Mandiant, GreyNoise, VulnCheck

    Forecast = Scattered phishing attempts with a 90% chance of encrypted clouds. ‍ In this episode of Storm⚡️Watch, the crew dissects the evolving vulnerability tracking landscape and the challenges facing defenders as they move beyond the aging CVE system. The show also highlights the rise of sophisticated bot traffic, the expansion of GreyNoise's Global Observation Grid, and fresh tools from VulnCheck and Censys that are helping security teams stay ahead of real-time threats. In our listener poll this week, we ask: what would you do if you found a USB stick? It's a classic scenario that always sparks debate about curiosity versus caution in cybersecurity. It's officially cyber report season, and we're breaking down the latest findings from some of the industry's most influential threat intelligence teams. GreyNoise's new research spotlights the growing risk from resurgent vulnerabilities-those old flaws that go quiet for years before suddenly making a comeback, often targeting edge devices like routers and VPNs. The FBI's 2024 IC3 report is out, revealing a record $16.6 billion in reported losses last year, with phishing, extortion, and business email compromise topping the charts. Mandiant's M-Trends 2025, VulnCheck's Q1 exploitation trends, and other reports all point to a relentless pace of vulnerability weaponization, with nearly a third of new CVEs being exploited within 24 hours of disclosure. We also dig into a series of ace blog posts and research from Censys, including their push to end stale indicators and their deep dives into the sharp rise in attacks targeting edge security devices. Their recent work with GreyNoise and CursorAI on botnet hunting, as well as their new threat hunting module, are changing the game for proactive defense. VulnCheck's quarterly report is raising eyebrows with the revelation that 159 vulnerabilities were exploited in Q1 2025 alone, and 28% of those were weaponized within a single day of disclosure. This underscores how quickly attackers are operationalizing new exploits and why defenders need to move faster than ever. We round out the show with the latest from runZero and a look at GreyNoise's recent findings, including a ninefold surge in Ivanti Connect Secure scanning and a spike in Git configuration crawling-both of which highlight the ongoing risk of codebase exposure and the need for continuous vigilance. Storm Watch Homepage >> Learn more about GreyNoise >>

    1h 2m

  6. 04/22/2025

    CVE Chaos: The Fragmented Future of Vulnerability Tracking, Bad Bots & Real-Time Threat Intel

    Forecast = Prepare for scattered CVEs, rising bot storms, and real-time threat lightning. Keep your digital umbrellas handy! ‍ On this episode of Storm⚡️Watch, we're breaking down the latest shifts in the vulnerability tracking landscape, starting with the ongoing turbulence in the CVE program. As the MITRE-run CVE system faces funding uncertainty and a potential transition to nonprofit status, the global security community is rapidly adapting. New standards and databases are emerging to fill the gaps—Europe's ENISA is rolling out the EU Vulnerability Database to ensure regional control, while China continues to operate its own state-mandated systems. Meanwhile, the CVE ecosystem's chronic delays and the NVD's new "Deferred" status for tens of thousands of older vulnerabilities are pushing teams to look elsewhere for timely, enriched vulnerability data. Open-source projects like OSV.dev and commercial players such as VulnCheck and Snyk are stepping up, offering real-time enrichment, exploit intelligence, and predictive scoring to help organizations prioritize what matters most. The result is a fragmented but innovative patchwork of regional, decentralized, open-source, and commercial solutions, with hybrid approaches quickly becoming the norm for defenders worldwide. We're also diving into Imperva's 2024 Bad Bot Report, which reveals that nearly a third of all internet traffic last year came from malicious bots. These bots are getting more sophisticated—using residential proxies, mimicking human behavior, and bypassing traditional defenses. The report highlights a surge in account takeover attacks and shows that industries like entertainment and retail are especially hard hit, with bot traffic now outpacing human visitors in some sectors. The rise of simple bots, fueled by easy-to-use AI tools, is reshaping the threat landscape, while advanced and evasive bots continue to challenge even the best detection systems. On the threat intelligence front, GreyNoise has just launched its Global Observation Grid—now the largest deception sensor network in the world, with thousands of sensors in over 80 countries. This expansion enables real-time, verifiable intelligence on internet scanning and exploitation, helping defenders cut through the noise and focus on the threats that matter. GreyNoise's latest research shows attackers are exploiting vulnerabilities within hours of disclosure, with a significant portion of attacks targeting legacy flaws from years past. Their data-driven insights are empowering security teams to prioritize patching and response based on what's actually being exploited in the wild, not just theoretical risk. We're also spotlighting Censys and its tools for tracking botnets and advanced threats, including collaborative projects with GreyNoise and CursorAI. Their automated infrastructure mapping and pivoting capabilities are helping researchers quickly identify related malicious hosts and uncover the infrastructure behind large-scale attacks. Finally, VulnCheck continues to bridge the gap during the CVE program's uncertainty, offering autonomous enrichment, real-time exploit tracking, and comprehensive coverage—including for CVEs that NVD has deprioritized. Their Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and enhanced NVD++ service are giving defenders a broader, faster view of the threat landscape, often surfacing critical exploitation activity weeks before it's reflected in official government feeds. As the vulnerability management ecosystem splinters and evolves, organizations are being forced to rethink their strategies—embracing a mix of regional, open-source, and commercial intelligence to maintain visibility and stay ahead of attackers. The days of relying on a single source of truth for vulnerability data are over, and the future is all about agility, automation, and real-time insight. Storm Watch Homepage >> Learn more about GreyNoise >>

    57 min

  7. 04/15/2025

    Cyber Threat Horizon: InfosecSherpa Interview, Ukraine Drone Malware, & VulnCon Recap

    Forecast = Scattered exploits, Mirai storms brewing, and rogue drones dropping malware over Russia. Keep your firewalls up—a vulnerability front is rolling in fast! ‍ On this episode of Storm⚡️Watch, we're bringing you a packed episode that covers the latest in cyber threat intelligence, industry news, and a few stories you won't want to miss. We kick things off with our usual round of introductions and a quick look at the cyber weather, setting the stage for what's happening across the threat landscape. In our first segment, Tod shares his wrap-up from VulnCon 2025, highlighting the key takeaways and emerging trends from this year's conference. From new vulnerability research to the latest in exploit techniques, Tod breaks down what security professionals need to know and what's likely to shape the industry in the coming months. Next up, we sit down with Tracy Z. Maleeff, better known as InfosecSherpa, for an interview that traces her journey from librarian to cybersecurity professional. Tracy shares insights on career pivots, the importance of information literacy in security, and her ongoing work to make the field more accessible. Her story is a must-listen for anyone considering a move into cyber or looking for inspiration from someone who's successfully navigated the transition. We then turn our attention to a headline-grabbing story out of Ukraine, where reports indicate that drones sent into Russian territory are not just for surveillance or kinetic impact—they're also carrying malware designed to infect military systems if captured. This blend of physical and cyber warfare is a stark reminder of how modern conflicts are increasingly fought on multiple fronts, with digital payloads now as critical as traditional munitions. If we need to fill a little extra time, we'll explore some of the more bizarre aspects of hybrid warfare, including reports of weaponized consumer goods—think exploding sex toys and cosmetics—being used as part of psychological and disruption campaigns targeting the West. It's a strange new world where almost anything can be turned into a tool of conflict. We also spotlight recent research from Censys on the Salt Typhoon attacks, which underscore the need for advanced defenses as attackers continue to exploit edge devices and cloud infrastructure. Their findings highlight the importance of proactive monitoring and rapid response to emerging threats. On the GreyNoise front, we've observed a threefold surge in exploitation attempts targeting TVT DVRs, likely linked to Mirai botnet activity. This uptick is a clear signal that attackers are constantly scanning for vulnerable devices to conscript into their botnets, and it's a reminder for defenders to stay vigilant and patch exposed systems. As always, we wrap up with a round of goodbyes and a reminder to subscribe for more insights, interviews, and real-time threat intelligence. Thanks for tuning in to Storm⚡️Watch—where we keep you ahead of the cyber storms. Storm Watch Homepage >> Learn more about GreyNoise >>

    1h 6m

  8. 04/08/2025

    2025 Cyber Breakdown: CrushFTP Chaos, NVD Crisis & North Korean Threats

    Forecast: Patchy with a 32% backlog surge, CVE squalls causing auth bypass showers, and Lazarus fronts looming—keep your threat umbrellas handy!" 🌩️☔ We're kicking things off with a deep dive into the chaotic world of CVEs. The CrushFTP vulnerability saga is a case study in how bureaucracy can collide with real-world threats. When a critical auth bypass flaw emerged in March 2025, patches rolled out quickly, but the CVE process stumbled—two different identifiers (CVE-2025-2825 and CVE-2025-31161) were assigned by competing firms, VulnCheck and Outpost24. The resulting confusion left organizations scrambling as exploit activity spiked, with Shadowserver tracking over 1,800 vulnerable instances initially. CrushFTP blamed security researchers for accelerating attacks, while defenders faced the nightmare of reconciling conflicting vulnerability tracking. The National Vulnerability Database (NVD) isn't making life easier either. Despite processing CVEs at pre-2024 rates, a 32% surge in submissions has created a growing backlog. NIST's March 2025 update reveals they're exploring machine learning to automate tasks, but with older CVEs now being marked "deferred," many legacy systems might fly under the radar. It's a stark reminder that even foundational security infrastructure is buckling under scale. Shifting gears to nation-state threats, North Korean IT workers are running a global shadow IT empire. Google's threat team uncovered operatives managing 12+ fake personas across Europe and the US, targeting defense contractors and governments. Their projects range from blockchain job marketplaces to AI-driven web apps, funded through crypto and freelance platforms like Upwork. The plot thickens with BYOD policies becoming an unwitting accomplice—these workers exploit virtualized environments to avoid detection, while extortion schemes spike amid increased law enforcement pressure.   Rounding out the episode, we'll touch on critical advisories from Censys, VulnCheck, runZero, and GreyNoise—including the CrushFTP auth bypass and a new Ivanti Connect Secure RCE flaw.   Storm Watch Homepage >> Learn more about GreyNoise >>

    1h 2m
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Storm⚡️Watch is a weekly podcast and livestream that digs deep into various cybersecurity topics and internet exploitation trends. Our goal is simple: to deliver insightful analyses, thought-provoking perspectives, timely updates and the occasional hot-take on the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape.

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