Defend Against Hacktivist Groups like APT Handala | The Cyber Security Podcast

Threat Talks - Your Gateway to Cybersecurity Insights

Hacktivists don’t need zero-days to hurt you—they weaponize people. Host Lieuwe Jan Koning sits down with Yuri Wit (SOC analyst) and Rob Maas (Field CTO) to dissect APT Handala: how they hunt targets, deliver wipers, and brag about leaks. We map their moves to the Lockheed Martin Kill Chain and turn it into a Zero Trust defense playbook you can actually use—today.

• (00:00) - - 01:40 - Introduction
• (01:40) - - 02:27 - What is APT Handala?
• (02:27) - - 05:27 - Kill Chain Step 1: Reconnaissance
• (05:27) - - 06:43 - Kill Chain Step 2: Weaponization
• (06:43) - - 10:39 - Kill Chain Step 3: Delivery
• (10:39) - - 14:37 - Kill Chain Step 4: Exploitation
• (14:37) - - 17:34 - Kill Chain Step 5: Installation
• (17:34) - - 23:39 - Kill Chain Step 6: Command and control
• (23:39) - - 26:40 - Kill Chain Step 7: Act on objectives
• (26:40) - - 29:35 - How to respond to being hacked
• (29:25) - - 30:22 - Closing notes

Key Topics Covered
• Handala’s playbook: people-centric recon, phishing kits, wipers, boast-and-leak ops.
• Zero Trust counters: deny-by-default egress, newly-registered-domain blocks, hard EDR, passkeys.
• SOC tells: DNS DGA spikes, encrypted C2 on common apps, “human error” as the biggest CVE.
• Comms reality: when openness helps—and when strategic silence limits amplification.

Additional Resources
• ON2IT Zero Trust: https://on2it.net/zero-trust/
• Lockheed Martin Cyber Kill Chain: https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/capabilities/cyber/cyber-kill-chain.html
• Tor Project (onion services): https://www.torproject.org/
• Threat Talks hub: https://threat-talks.com/

Click here to view the episode transcript.
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🕵️ Threat Talks is a podcast created in collaboration with ON2IT and AMS-IX. Each episode features leading cybersecurity experts sharing real-world insights on emerging threats, trends, and defense strategies — helping organizations stay secure in today’s rapidly evolving digital world.

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