Intelligence Center

Threat Research

Too salty to handle: Exposing cases of CSS abuse for hidden text salting

A simple yet effective tactic, known as hidden text salting, is increasingly used by cybercriminals over the past few months to evade even the most advanced email security solutions, including those powered by machine learning and large language models. Learn More

UAT-8099: Chinese-speaking cybercrime group targets high-value IIS for SEO fraud

Cisco Talos is disclosing details on UAT-8099, a Chinese-speaking cybercrime group mainly involved in SEO fraud and theft of high-value credentials, configuration files, and certificate data. Learn More

Ransomware incidents in Japan during the first half of 2025

Ransomware attackers continue to primarily target small and medium-sized manufacturing businesses in Japan. Learn More

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Latest Talos Takes Podcast Episodes

October 2, 2025
You Can't Patch Burnout: When Cybersecurity Takes a Toll

Every October, Cybersecurity Awareness Month brings a wave of tips: update your software, enable MFA, use strong passwords. But what good is any of that if the people behind the defenses are feeling burned out?In this episode of Talos Takes, Hazel sits down with Joe Marshall for a candid, vulnerable conversation about the human cost of cybersecurity. Joe opens up about his experience during the VPNFilter campaign — months of secrecy, long hours, immense pressure, and the trauma it left behind. Hazel shares her own journey with burnout, and together they talk about how to recognise the warning signs.They close with practical steps: building a personal “incident response playbook” that includes boundaries, peer support, and self-care. Because at the end of the day, you can’t patch a system if you're burned out. 

September 18, 2025
Tampered Chef: When Malvertising Serves Up Infostealers

Imagine downloading a PDF Editor tool from the internet that works great...until nearly two months later, when it quietly steals your credentials. That’s the reality of “Tampered Chef,” a malvertising campaign that preyed on users searching for everyday software.In this episode, Nick Biasini explains how cybercriminals are investing in "malvertising", why enterprises are prime targets, and why there are additional challenges when it comes to defending against time-delayed attacks.

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