Talos Takes

Ah, the crisp fall air, brand-new books and backpacks, and the quiet irony of cybercriminals turning on each other to steal a few extra bucks.
Security Engineer Sean Gallagher joins Amy to break down a scam where threat actors are weaponizing greed to turn amateur cybercriminals against themselves. This browser-based attack tricks targets into injecting malicious code into their own sessions under the guise of exploiting a fictional vulnerability to earn crypto-profits.
While this current operation mostly targets the amateur dark-web circuit, the underlying use of the Google Visualization API as a command-and-control channel is a red flag for the future of web security. Tune in to hear why it’s only a matter of time before these techniques turn from petty crypto-scams toward our enterprise supply chains, and how to protect your organization.
Blog: https://blog.talosintelligence.com/clickfix-moves-into-the-browser/

As the new academic year begins, school districts face a surge in cybersecurity threats, from phishing attacks and ransomware to student experimentation with network devices. In this episode, Amy sits down with Cisco Talos expert Pierre Cadieux to discuss practical strategies for IT practitioners. 
How do you strengthen your defenses while managing the delicate balance between security and classroom usability? Here are the most high-priority steps to keep your district safe this semester.
Prioritizing patches episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2018149/episodes/19360999

What happens when a  QR code leads to a major security incident? In this episode, Amy sits down with Senior Incident Response Consultant Terryn Valikodath to break down a recent, high-stakes breach at an Australian medical center. Attackers are ditching traditional malware for "cloud-native" tactics — using personalized QR code phishing to bypass corporate defenses and operate entirely within the cloud.
Beyond the technical details, Amy and Terryn chat about the pressure of defending environments where patient care is on the line and why a blameless culture is a great defense. Take a listen for some practical, down-to-earth advice on how to audit your own logs and keep your team prepared for when things go sideways.
Talos IR Trends Q2 2026: https://blog.talosintelligence.com/ir-trends-q2-2026/

In this episode, Amy and analyst Lexi DiScola unpack the trends Talos IR saw on the frontlines in Q2 2026. From creative phishing lures that slip past email gateways to the weaponization of legitimate remote management tools, we explore why traditional defenses are falling short and the practical things you can do to reclaim the advantage.
What configuration changes and visibility gaps  could be the difference between a minor incident and a full-scale breach? How can you harden your environment with limited resources? Tune into this episode to stay one step ahead of an evolving threat landscape.
Talos IR Quarterly Trends Report: https://blog.talosintelligence.com/ir-trends-q2-2026
Find Talos at Black Hat: https://blog.talosintelligence.com/preview-cisco-talos-at-black-hat-usa-2026/

MFA and password resets aren't always enough.
That’s terrifying for security teams today. In this episode of Talos Takes, we dive deep into ARToken, a sophisticated phishing/BEC-as-a-service platform that steals credentials, bypasses MFA entirely, and leverages primary refresh tokens (PRTs) to maintain persistence in your environment long after a password reset. This turns a simple phishing click into a long-term breach.
It’s time to rethink your defenses. Join us as Cisco Talos Threat Researcher Michael Kelley breaks down how this new breed of automated attack works and, more importantly, how you can spot it. From hunting for suspicious device authorization grants to securing your cloud infrastructure, don't miss this critical look at the new frontier of business email compromise. 
Blog: https://blog.talosintelligence.com/artoken-inside-an-eviltokens-affiliate-panel-targeting-microsoft-365/