Episode

Ho-Ho-Hold Up—Is That Message Real? Bad Santas Are Sending Seasonal Scams

Podcast
DISCARDED: Tales From the Threat Research Trenches
Published
Dec 9, 2025
Duration seconds
2034
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2445401/episodes/18320525-ho-ho-hold-up-is-that-message-real-bad-santas-are-sending-seasonal-scams.mp3
Audio
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2445401/episodes/18320525-ho-ho-hold-up-is-that-message-real-bad-santas-are-sending-seasonal-scams.mp3
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/discarded-tales-from-the-threat-research-trenches-5154469/episodes/ho-ho-hold-up-is-that-message-real-bad-santas-are-sending-seasonal-scams
Markdown
/podcast/discarded-tales-from-the-threat-research-trenches-5154469/ho-ho-hold-up-is-that-message-real-bad-santas-are-sending-seasonal-scams.md

Actions

  • POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/discarded-tales-from-the-threat-research-trenches-5154469/episodes/ho-ho-hold-up-is-that-message-real-bad-santas-are-sending-seasonal-scams/transcription-requests
    Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
  • GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/discarded-tales-from-the-threat-research-trenches-5154469/ho-ho-hold-up-is-that-message-real-bad-santas-are-sending-seasonal-scams.md
    Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

Summary

Send us fan mail! Happy Holidays to all our Cyber Pals! Host Selena Larson, and co-guest ho-ho-ho hosts, Tim Kromphardt & Sarah Sabotka unwrap the surprising (and sometimes clever) ways cybercriminals use seasonal themes to trick both consumers and enterprises. From fake party invites and too-good-to-be-true discounts to holiday-flavored malware and RMM delivery, the team breaks down how threat actors capitalize on increased spending, lower vigilance, and year-end business pressure. They ...