Cyber Security Headlines Week in Review: Velociraptor pushes LockBit, Hartman loses nomination, Sotheby's cyberattack
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Oct 17, 2025 This week features Tom Hollingsworth, a networking advisor at The Futurum Group known as the Networking Nerd, and Brett Conlon, CISO at American Century Investments. They dive into the implications of the F5 hack, comparing it to past supply-chain incidents like SolarWinds. The misuse of Velociraptor by ransomware groups raises alarms about security tool co-optation. They also discuss the lessons learned from Sotheby's breach on resilience and the alarming 32% surge in identity attacks driven by stolen passwords, advocating for stronger security measures.
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Defensive Tools Can Become Offensive Weapons
- Defensive tools can be weaponized by attackers when their versions or controls are weak.
- Brett Conlon stresses that controls, oversight, and version integrity are what separate defense from offense.
Make Tools Self-Validate And Fail Safe
- Implement phone-home checks and disablement if tooling loses connectivity.
- Tom Hollingsworth recommends integral controls so tools neutralize themselves when protections fail.
Question Access Before Granting Privileges
- Empower all operational teams to question tool access and potential misuse.
- Brett Conlon advises assessing required privileges and containment speed before granting access.