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US Cyber Defense Agency Was Not Initially Aware Hackers Were Part of Salt Typhoon
The U.S. federal government's first hint that Chinese hackers penetrated American telecommunications infrastructure came from telemetry on government networks, said Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Hackers Exploit Malicious Macros in Diplomatic Documents to Target Asian Nations
Hackers possibly from the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate have been spying on neighboring government of Kazakhstan using legitimate documents that have been booby-trapped with malicious macros. The latest campaign, dubbed "Double-Tap," emerged in October 2024.

New Identity Infrastructure Streamlines Compliance Adherence in Regulated Settings
Identity management startup Orchid Security raised $36 million in a seed round led by Team8 and Intel Capital to tackle compliance challenges. The company's infrastructure addresses complex compliance and security needs for enterprises, enabling efficient application onboarding and integration.

US CISA Releases Guidance to Streamline AI Cyber Incident Information Sharing
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released a playbook Tuesday through its flagship public-private collaborative to help guide public-private information sharing around artificial intelligence cybersecurity incidents while detailing federal actions to strengthen shared defense.

Threat Actor 'Codefinger' Targets Cloud Environments
A ransomware group is targeting Amazon S3 buckets, exploiting the data stored there using AWS's server-side encryption with customer keys and demanding a ransom in exchange for the encryption key needed to unlock the data. The group uses compromised or publicly exposed AWS account credentials.

Executive Order Paves Way for Data Centers on Federal Land, Clean Energy Progress
The U.S. federal government will open up sites to developers of AI frontier models to build gigawatt-scale data centers with clean energy under an executive order signed Tuesday by President Joe Biden. AI applications are expected to drive soaring energy demands well beyond 2030.

British Government Proposals Also Include Payment Bans for Critical Infrastructure
Banning ransom payments by public sector and critical infrastructure entities, notifying the government of any intent to pay a ransom, and reporting incidents to authorities comprise three counter-ransomware initiatives proposed by the British government. Which ones will pass muster?

Kong's API Security Perspectives Report Says Many Teams Unprepared for AI Threats
Despite 92% of companies securing their APIs, 40% of leaders doubt whether their investments are adequate against AI-driven threats, said Kong's API Security Perspectives Report. Only 13% of organizations in the U.S. and 4% in the U.K. admit to taking no specific measures against AI threats.

Malware Used a Hardcoded IP Address for Command and Control
U.S. federal law enforcement said Tuesday it deleted more than 4,000 instances of PlugX malware used in a Chinese cyberespionage operation after a European partner gained control of the malware's command and control server. PlugX spreads through infected USB drives.

Mission Omega's Ian Mitchell on What Works and What Doesn't in Program Integration
Fraud management and anti-money laundering represent two distinct disciplines in financial crime prevention. While AML primarily is a compliance-driven function, fraud is a risk management function driven by the organization's risk appetite for fraud, said Ian Mitchell, co-founder of Mission Omega.

Guardrails Bypassed on Azure OpenAI to Generate 'Thousands of Harmful Images'
Microsoft filed a lawsuit targeting a cybercrime service used to generate "thousands of harmful images" by subverting the guardrails built into its Azure generative artificial intelligence tools. The company said attackers built a tool that reverse-engineered the guardrails in its AI platform.

Experts Weigh the Pros and Cons of Work Culture and Merging AML and Fraud Teams
A recent report found that more than 57,000 Americans fall victim to scams every day. Financial fraud is rising globally. In response, the National Automated Clearinghouse Association is pushing for real-time fraud monitoring by 2026, requiring closer collaboration between fraud and AML teams.

HHS OCR Letter Also Reminds Entities That AI Tool Use Must Comply with HIPAA
Federal regulators are reminding healthcare providers, insurers and other regulated firms of their duty to ensure that AI and other emerging technologies for clinical decision making and patient support are not used in a discriminatory manner - and comply with HIPAA.

Mitigating Cybersecurity, Privacy Risks for New Class of Autonomous Agents
Many organizations are looking to artificial intelligence agents to autonomously perform tasks that surpass traditional automation. Tech firms are rolling out agentic AI tools that can handle customer-facing interactions, IT operations and a variety of other processes without human intervention, but experts are cautioning security teams to watch for cyber and privacy risks.

Cybercrime History Teaches That Paying a Ransom for Data Deletion Is Foolish
Data breach victim PowerSchool, maker of a widely used K-12 student information system platform, has been attempting to assure schools, and parents and guardians, by saying its attacker has promised to delete the stolen data. What's the old saying about those who fail to learn from history?

Many important efforts by the Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency to help the healthcare sector and other critical infrastructure sectors bolster their cybersecurity are likely to continue under the incoming Trump administration, predicted CISA Deputy Director Nitin Natarajan.

Days Are Dwindling, But Biden White House Unveils New AI Roadmap for HHS
With 10 days left in office, the Biden administration released an artificial intelligence strategic plan for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service. HHS called the plan a "comprehensive roadmap" outlining the department’s "commitment to trustworthy, ethical and equitable AI use.

Nvidia, Semiconductor Trade Group Push Back Against Reported Chip Restrictions
The White House’s reported final push to impose tighter restrictions on global semiconductor exports, including artificial intelligence chips critical for data centers, has drawn strong criticism from Nvidia and the semiconductor industry in the last days of the administration.

Also: Cybersecurity Tech Leader Amit Yoran’s Life, Leadership and Legacy
In this week's update, ISMG editors discussed the escalating geopolitical cyberthreats expected in 2025, including advanced and persistent campaigns linked to Chinese actors. Panelists also paid tribute to Amit Yoran, one of the cybersecurity industry's most influential leaders.

Cyberespionage Campaign Reached Treasury Office that Reviews Foreign Investment
Chinese hackers reportedly breached a U.S. government office responsible for reviewing foreign investments for national security threats as part of a cyberespionage campaign targeting the Department of Treasury. Hackers gained access to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.