CyberWire Daily

When spyware backfires.

May 7, 2025
Kevin Magee, Global Director of Cybersecurity Startups at Microsoft for Startups, joins to share high-energy insights from the RSAC show floor. He highlights the fallout from a $167 million verdict against NSO Group and discusses urgent hacktivist threats to U.S. infrastructure. Magee also delves into privacy risks with government apps and outlines the implications of NSA workforce reductions and evolving deepfake technologies. With server room humor, he wraps up a whirlwind of cybersecurity challenges and emerging AI trends.
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INSIGHT

Record Penalty for Spyware Abuse

  • The $167 million damages against NSO Group mark a record penalty in the spyware industry.
  • This ruling highlights spyware's serious threat to privacy and democracy globally.
ADVICE

Hardening ICS and SCADA Systems

  • CISA urges asset owners to remove OT systems from the public internet and enforce strong passwords and phishing-resistant MFA.
  • They recommend securing remote access, network segmentation, and preparing for manual operations to avoid ICS disruptions.
INSIGHT

TM Signal Security Risks Revealed

  • The TM Signal app used by Trump officials compromised message encryption by sending plaintext to TeleMessage's AWS server.
  • This exposed sensitive communications to potential espionage and privacy violations for years.
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