Off the Wire: A Play by Play on Cybersecurity and Technology Issues

Anthropic’s “Mythos” Leak, Project Glasswing, and the 90-Day Patch Countdown

Hosts Tanner and Anthony discuss reports of Anthropic’s new “frontier” general-purpose model, Mythos (Mythos Preview), described as exceptionally strong at finding and exploiting novel security bugs and allegedly sitting on thousands of unpatched zero-days affecting major operating systems and browsers. They review examples cited, including decades-old FreeBSD and OpenBSD flaws and a Linux kernel issue, and note a separate security firm (Aisle) replicated parts of the findings using open-weight models, though Mythos appears better at moving from detection to exploitation. The episode explains how Mythos became public via leaks, then outlines Anthropic’s Project Glasswing: about 50 vendors received 90 days of access plus credits to patch systems, with Mozilla reportedly patching 271 Firefox issues. They close with preparation steps for lean IT teams: asset inventory, vendor outreach, risk-based prioritization, mitigation and isolation, patch validation, workload planning, governance and insurance review, stronger detection controls, least privilege/zero trust, and verifying backups.

00:00 Too Dangerous to Release

01:45 Meet Mythos Preview

02:25 Zero Days Found

05:19 Can Others Replicate It

06:46 Efficiency and Edge Models

08:17 Leaks and Access Blunders

10:42 Project Glasswing Explained

15:10 90 Day Clock and Fallout

16:24 Break and Subscribe

17:05 Prep Plan for IT Teams

19:05 Patching Priorities and Testing

21:00 Controls Backups and Wrap Up

24:02 Final Thoughts and Sign Off

OT Security Part 4: Why OT Monitoring Is Now a Necessity (Tools, Baselines, and Incident Response)

In this Off the Wire episode, Tanner and Anthony wrap part four of their OT security miniseries by focusing on OT monitoring and why it’s needed, noting that over 90% of small and medium businesses with OT environments lack monitoring and that AI is lowering the time and effort required for attacks. They explain how legacy OT systems were built without security, often use unencrypted or proprietary protocols, and can’t run agent-based tools like EDR, making specialized monitoring essential. The discussion covers how monitoring complements preventive controls, helps establish a communications baseline, flags anomalies (like unexpected east-west traffic), supports forensics and log retention, integrates alerts with email and SIEMs, and validates segmentation and documented exceptions.

They also debunk the “air-gapped OT” myth, stress mapping all IT/OT bridges, recommend an OT-specific incident response plan, and list tool options including Malcolm, Security Onion, Dragos (free under $100M revenue), and vendors like Darktrace, Tenable OT, Cisco Cyber Vision, Nozomi, and SCADAfence, alongside drivers like NERC CIP, CMMC, mandates, and cyber insurance.

00:00 Recording The Intro

00:02 Why OT Monitoring Matters

00:31 Small Targets AI Threat

02:31 OT Risks Real World Impact

05:39 OT Is A Different Animal

08:35 Baselines For Segmentation

10:03 Air Gap Myth Bridges

12:09 SCADA Migration Opportunity

13:21 Realistic OT Attack Chain

15:47 What to Monitor in OT

16:11 Five Key Visibility Signals

19:21 OT Incident Response Planning

20:27 Picking Monitoring Tools

22:41 Compliance and Budget Levers

24:13 OT Security Checklist

26:52 Final Thoughts and Next Episode

Managing Third-Party Remote Access: Tools, Risks, and Practical Tips (Off the Wire Part 3)

In part three of Off the Wire’s four-part miniseries, the hosts discuss third-party remote access risks and why VPNs with MFA alone are insufficient, citing major breaches like Target and Toyota and a 2023 vendor compromise as wake-up calls. They review third-party access tools (BeyondTrust/Bomgar, SecureLink, ManageEngine PAM360, and OT-focused options like Claroty and Slo), explaining benefits such as role-based access control, detailed logging and session recording, layered approvals, session time limits, vendor-managed user provisioning, automatic deprovisioning, individual accountability, passwordless access, and rapid access shutdown when relationships end.

They describe these tools as proxy-based “airlocks” that prevent lateral movement and enable oversight. Implementation advice includes treating it as non-negotiable while documenting exceptions, requiring ticket numbers, routing requests via chat, ensuring multiple approvers, sending logs to a SIEM, updating incident response plans, auditing access annually, and providing vendors a setup one-pager.

00:00 Third Party Access Intro

01:19 Why VPN Is Not Enough

01:51 Real World Breach Examples

02:44 Wake Up Call Story

04:33 Tool Options Overview

06:11 Key Features And Benefits

14:39 How These Tools Work

16:51 Vendor Pushback And Compliance

21:49 Implementation Tips Checklist

26:59 Wrap Up And Final Tip

OT Security Miniseries: Securing the Browser to Protect IT and OT Networks

In this Off the Wire Podcast OT miniseries episode based on the Dragos OT report, the hosts explain how OT environments are often compromised through IT networks and focus on the browser as a major attack target alongside email. They discuss practical ways to harden browser security, including DNS filtering (with examples like blocking newly registered domains and improving visibility), CIS browser hardening benchmarks and policies (updates, extension restrictions, disabling built-in password saving, limiting browsers), and the role of secure web gateways/web proxies with SSL inspection and DLP considerations. They also cover enterprise password managers, passkeys, and new enterprise browser tools that provide granular controls and DLP for web apps (including AI use cases), plus how EDR and SIEM telemetry support detection and response. They close with a recommended rollout order and preview upcoming episodes on third-party vendor management and OT network monitoring.

00:00 Mini Series Setup

00:43 Why Browsers Are Targeted

03:43 DNS Filtering Basics

06:41 Remote Protection Benefits

09:06 CIS Browser Hardening

11:30 Locking Down Extensions

14:11 Secure Web Gateway Proxies

16:56 Subscribe and Share

17:43 Enterprise Password Managers

19:23 Password Manager Benefits

20:22 Hosting and Vendor Risks

21:12 Passkeys and Unique Logins

23:37 KeyPass and Offline Vaults

24:05 Enterprise Browser Overview

25:53 DLP and Download Controls

26:40 BYOD Visibility and AI Policies

30:21 AI Extensions and Control

32:14 EDR and SIEM Telemetry

35:37 Layering Tools Before EDR

36:54 Practical Rollout Roadmap

40:55 OT Tie In and Next Episodes

Email Protection for OT Security: Stop Impersonation, Phishing, and Inbox Threats (Series Part 1)

In this Off the Wire Podcast episode (part 1 of a four-part miniseries inspired by the Dragos OT security report), Tanner and Anthony explain why email remains one of the most common paths attackers use to move from IT into OT, highlighting growing sophistication from LLM-enabled spearphishing and simple employee-impersonation attacks using lookalike Gmail accounts. They argue that relying only on built-in Microsoft 365 tools can leave gaps and require heavy manual work, and they outline key capabilities of dedicated email security platforms: behavioral detection, impersonation protection, post-delivery remediation to remove emails from many mailboxes, mailbox visibility, DLP for PII, shadow IT/SaaS discovery, and automated user reporting workflows. They discuss major vendors, compare gateway vs API-based deployments, stress proof-of-concept testing in monitor mode, and preview upcoming episodes on browser protection, third-party remote access, and OT monitoring.

00:00 Impersonation Email Crisis

00:51 OT Report Sparks Mini Series

02:12 Phishing Gets Smarter With AI

03:13 Why Email Is The Weak Link

04:57 Why Built In Tools Fall Short

08:23 Modern Email Security Features

12:36 Break And Subscribe

13:22 Top Vendors And Deployment Models

17:43 How To Evaluate The Right Tool

22:02 Proof Of Concept And Rollout Tips

25:35 Results And OT Security Takeaway

27:23 Final Thoughts And Next Episode

2026 Dragos OT Report: Foreign Adversaries Inside Utility Networks + How to Protect Your OT Environment

In this Off The Wire episode, Anthony and Tanner break down the 2026 Dragos OT report, describing it as sobering and highlighting claims that foreign adversaries are already embedded in U.S. utility networks. They discuss how these actors differ from typical fast-moving ransomware by staying hidden, mapping OT environments, studying SCADA points, alarms, configuration files, and normal process behavior, with detection potentially taking days even in best cases.

The conversation covers attacker specialization and handoffs between teams for initial access, reconnaissance, and exploitation, sometimes involving transactions between groups. They highlight the gap between vulnerability disclosure, patch availability, and exploitation (reported as ~24 days), and emphasize the need for mitigation beyond patching. Visibility is a major theme: only 46% reportedly have OT monitoring, with average detection cited as ~5 days with monitoring versus ~42 days without, often only discovered after something breaks. They discuss why OT is hard to secure (limited logging, fragile legacy systems, insecure protocols like Telnet/LDAP, flat networks, and weak IT/OT separation) and why monitoring helps detect anomalies and insecure traffic. The episode also addresses third-party and remote-access risk, including targeting of engineering firms and edge devices, exploitation of cellular router devices, and the growing reliance on stolen credentials and valid logins (including MFA fatigue), citing a stat that 73% of breaches involve stolen credentials. They note a reported 49% increase in ransomware groups affecting OT, 119 groups targeting OT, and over 3,300 impacted OT environments, with many OT incidents misclassified as IT-only. The hosts recommend focusing on fundamentals: an OT incident response plan, asset inventory, behavior-based monitoring, tight restrictions on remote access, and unique credentials supported by password managers. They announce a five-episode miniseries springboarding from this overview, with upcoming episodes on OT monitoring/visibility, securing users via a secure browser approach, improving email defenses against phishing, and revisiting third-party remote access.

00:00 Dragos 2026 OT Report: Why This One Hits Different

01:24 Adversaries Already Inside: Quiet Recon in Utility OT Networks

02:59 Specialized Attack Teams & Access Handoffs (Initial Access → Recon → Exploit)

05:07 Patch Lag vs Exploit Speed: Why Mitigation Matters in OT

06:24 Visibility Gap: OT Monitoring Stats and Detection Time Reality

07:49 Why OT Monitoring Works: Protocols, Anomalies, and Holistic Context

09:56 Third-Party Remote Access: Vendors, VPNs, Edge Devices, and Cellular Routers

13:07 Valid Credentials Are the New Exploit: Detecting “Legit” Logins

17:06 Ransomware Moves Into OT: Scale, Misclassification, and Rising Risk

18:56 Old Problems Still Breaking OT: Flat Networks, Legacy Protocols, No Segmentation

22:15 Disruption Is the Goal: OT Security Fundamentals to Focus On Now

25:58 Mini-Series Preview + Final Takeaways (Stolen Credentials, Next Episodes)

29:01 Wrap-Up and What’s Next: OT Monitoring & Visibility Episode Teaser

Cost-Saving Strategies for IT: Reports vs Alerts & Beyond | Off the Wire Podcast

In this episode of Off the Wire Podcast, we dive deep into effective cost-saving strategies for IT departments. We discuss the pros and cons of reports versus alerts, the rising costs of technology, and how to make every dollar count. We also share insights on consolidating tools and platforms, justifying hardware and software expenses, and leveraging AI to maximize efficiency. Join us as we explore practical tips to help you save money and optimize resources amidst an environment of increasing costs. Don't miss our real-world examples and actionable advice to streamline your IT operations!

00:00 Introduction Hook: Reports vs Alerts
00:51 Welcome to Off the Wire Podcast
01:07 Rising Costs in Technology
02:14 Cost-Saving Strategies
09:19 Vendor Relationships and Consolidation
11:41 Tool and Platform Consolidation
22:27 Open Source Solutions: Pros and Cons
23:32 The Downside of Open Source Systems
24:28 AI: A Different Paradigm
25:57 Optimizing Hardware Costs
27:16 Support and Warranties: Are They Worth It?
32:34 Vendor Negotiations and Cost Savings
35:53 Auditing and Automating for Efficiency
44:32 Engaging Employees for Cost-Saving Ideas
46:08 Final Thoughts and Recommendations

Preparing for the Storm: Effective Risk Management & Crisis Planning

In this episode of 'Off the Wire,' join Hosts Anthony and Tanner as they discuss the essential strategies for preparing for impending storms, particularly how to handle weather-related crises, with a focus on risk management and maintaining efficiency. Topics covered include the importance of having a storm prep checklist, the necessity of contingency plans, the balance of mitigating risks while maintaining operational flexibility, and the crucial role of effective communication and leadership during a crisis. Listen in for invaluable insights on how to ensure the safety of personnel and continuous operation of essential services during critical events.

00:00 Introduction and Setting the Scene

00:11 Storm Preparation Mindset

01:02 High-Level Storm Preparation Process

01:20 Detailed Preparation Steps

03:20 Importance of Checklists and Risk Assessment

05:37 Technology and Field Operations

08:38 Internet Connectivity During Storms

12:02 Managing Personnel During Crises

19:17 Flexibility and Adjustments During Crises

25:23 Final Thoughts and Tips

29:35 Closing Remarks