And just like that, we’ve come to the end of another year. “But wait” you say, “wasn’t it just January?” Yes, yes it was. And time may or may not be moving at the speed of light these days but hey, I’m not here to discuss the evolution of physics. Today’s focus is on the top 5 episodes of ShadowTalk, Digital Shadows (now ReliaQuest)’ Threat Intelligence podcast.

With so much going on this year in the cybersecurity space, the ShadowTalk team had no shortage of news to cover. From the Colonial Pipeline attack to the Log4j vulnerability, it’s safe to say 2021 has been a year. So without further ado, let’s jump in to the top 5 ShadowTalk episodes of 2021.

#5: Weekly: Chinese Cyber Espionage, GitHub Takedowns, and EURO 2020 Predictions

Who doesn’t love to hear about some good old fashioned Chinese espionage? In this episode the team covered breaking cyber espionage campaigns attributed to Chinese-state-sponsored APT groups as well as what led to new GitHub policies.

Listen here: https://resources.digitalshadows.com/threat-intelligence-podcast-shadowtalk/weekly-chinese-cyber-espionage-github-takedowns-and-euro-2020-predictions

#4: Weekly: Egregor Arrests, SIM-Swapping, and Oldsmar Updates!

What’s a year in review without an Egregor mention? In this one, Adam walked us through the latest on Egregor and the related arrests. The team answers the question – is the threat group down but not out?

Listen here: https://resources.digitalshadows.com/threat-intelligence-podcast-shadowtalk/egregor-arrests-sim-swapping-and-oldsmar-updates

#3: Weekly: VPN Vulnerabilities, EA Gets Attacked, Plus Clop Deals With Affiliate Arrests

Trigger warning, gamers. This one covered the EA breach and the crew detailed the history of attacks against software and game developers.

Listen here: https://resources.digitalshadows.com/threat-intelligence-podcast-shadowtalk/weekly-vpn-vulnerabilities-ea-gets-attacked-plus-clop-deals-with-affiliate-arrests

#2: Weekly: LinkedIn Breach, Marketo Marketplace, Playstation Breach, Western Digital MyBook, Nobelium

Like we said, 2021 was a big year for big companies experiencing big breaches. This episode covered the LinkedIn breach that exposed 700 MILLION users’ data as well as the PlayStation 3 console ID’s leak and how it was different to previous breaches.

Listen here: https://resources.digitalshadows.com/threat-intelligence-podcast-shadowtalk/linkedin-breach-marketo-marketplace-playstation-breach-western-digital-mybook-nobelium

#1: Weekly: Microsoft Exchange attribution, NSO Spyware, Zero-days, and Clippy

And so we’ve made it the top dog. In ShadowTalk’s most listened-to episode of 2021, the crew was quick to cover the fallout from the Microsoft Exchange attack, which as of this episode had been attributed to China. Other stories from this episode included 180 journalists that were selected as targets by clients of the cybersurveillance company NSO Group, and zero-day exploits in 2021 (oh how innocent we were in July!).

Listen here: https://resources.digitalshadows.com/threat-intelligence-podcast-shadowtalk/weekly-microsoft-exchange-attribution-nso-spyware-zero-days-and-clippy

So there we have it, the top 5 ShadowTalk episodes of 2021. It’s been a busy year for the team, and there’s no doubt that 2022 will continue that trend. If you’re not already, make sure to subscribe to our weekly intelligence email for even more threat intelligence news delivered right to your inbox.

And as always, the ShadowTalk team wants to hear from you! Shoot us an email at [email protected] if you have any topics you’d like us to cover or questions for the team.

Well folks, that’s a wrap for ShadowTalk in 2021. From all of us here at Digital Shadows (now ReliaQuest), we hope you have a safe and happy new year and we’ll see you in 2022!