SANS Internet Storm Center Stormcast Episode Covers Cybersecurity Topics

🎬 The March 3, 2026, SANS Internet Storm Center Stormcast episode covers three cybersecurity topics. First, it examines attackers using compound document formats, such as a ZIP file embedded in an RTF, to obfuscate malicious payloads, with a specific example exploiting a Microsoft vulnerability patched in February 2026; tools for analyzing these documents and extracting malicious URLs are demonstrated. Second, the episode discusses the transition to quantum-safe internet certificates, highlighting that quantum-resistant certificates and signatures are 20 times larger than traditional ones, prompting Cloudflare and Google to propose Merkel tree certificates to compress TLS handshakes—both plan to implement this within a year while maintaining backward compatibility. Third, it details a recently patched Chrome vulnerability where browser extensions could exploit the Gemini AI panel to access camera and microphone permissions without explicit user warnings, exposing risks in AI-integrated browser capabilities. The episode notes that 50% of Cloudflare-proxied connections already use quantum-safe encryption for traffic, though not yet for certificates.