DataBreachToday.com

Cybersecurity Wonks Find Fault With Home Office Ransomware Proposals
A collection of British cybersecurity policy wonks poured cold water over a British government proposal to outlaw ransom payments by government agencies and from regulated operators of critical infrastructure. A ban wouldn't likely represent a significant blow to ransomware profits.

Lawyer Jonathan Armstrong on Legal, Ethical Fallout From Looming 23andMe Auction
The financial collapse of personal genomics giant 23andMe raises an urgent question: What happens to your most intimate data when the company holding it goes bankrupt? Jonathan Armstrong, partner at Punter Southall Law, warns of cascading legal, ethical and security consequences.

Also: 23andMe's Privacy Meltdown, Investors' $500M AI Bet on ReliaQuest
In this week's update, ISMG editors discussed the Trump administration's cybersecurity funding cuts and potential impact on state and local ransomware defense, 23andMe's bankruptcy and the FTC's stance on genetic data privacy, ReliaQuest's $500 million raise and what it means for AI-led SecOps.

Investigators See Ongoing Use of Living-Off-the-Land Binaries, Frequent RDP Abuse
Incident responders studying last year's top attacker tools, tactics and procedures have urged cyber defenders to monitor for the unusual use of legitimate administrator tools, suspicious use of Remote Desktop Protocol, as well as attempts by attackers to hide their tracks by wiping logs.

Officials Warn Trump's Abrupt Firings Severely Weaken National Cyber Defenses
President Donald Trump fired National Security Agency and Cyber Command chief Gen. Timothy Haugh after a meeting with far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, sparking concerns among cybersecurity experts and lawmakers that the dismissals weaken national cyber defenses and military readiness.

The Health Sector Coordinating Council is urging the Trump administration to drop work on a proposed HIPAA security rule update and instead engage in a collaborative dialogue with healthcare sector leaders to create alternative cyber requirements, said Greg Garcia, executive director of HSCC.

Incentives, Tech Barriers and Fraud Fears Hamper FedNow Growth
Economic hesitation, legacy concerns and escalating fraud fears have hampered the adoption of a payment rail touted as the next big thing in the U.S. payment landscape, with government backing and technological promise of clear benefits to consumers and the financial sector.

Also: Gootloader Malware, GCHQ Intern Pleads Guilty, Check Point Breach Update
This week, a "Fast Flux" warning, Gootloader malware, an GCHQ intern pleaded guilty to stealing top secret data and Check Point undercuts hacking claim. Also, Google rolled out end-to-end encryption for some Gmail users, Apple backported patches and Dutch prosecutors cut internet access.

European Commission Demands Law Enforcement Access to Data
The European Commission’s ProtectEU strategy aims to overhaul internal security, proposing law enforcement access to encrypted data by 2026 and a roadmap to explore lawful encryption backdoors and enhanced intelligence-sharing between EU member states and agencies to combat rising cyber threats.

11 Cyber Stocks Fared Worse Than the Nasdaq Thursday After Trump Announced Tariffs
Cybersecurity vendors took Thursday's sell-off hard, with Cloudflare, Fortinet and SailPoint experiencing big stock price drops after President Trump announced higher-than-expected tariffs. Eleven publicly traded cybersecurity firms fared worse than the Nasdaq while 12 companies fared better.

Technology Giant Accused of Using 'Wordplay' to Previously Deny Breach Reports
Cybersecurity experts have slammed Oracle's handling of a large data breach that it's reportedly confirming to 140,000 affected cloud infrastructure clients - but only verbally, and not in writing - following nearly two weeks of it having denied that any such breach occurred.

Also: SEC Drops Kraken, Consensys and Cumberland DRW Lawsuits
This week, hack stats, Hamas crypto funds seizure, conclusion of Kraken, Consensys and Cumberland DRW lawsuits, Kentucky dropped its Coinbase suit, Trump pardoned BitMex co-founders, Lazarus's new tactics, and Crocodilus malware's crypto targets.

Enthusiasm for AI Development Is Outpacing Discussions on Safety
Google DeepMind executives outlined an approach to artificial general intelligence safety, warning of "severe harm" that can "permanently destroy humanity" if safeguards are not put in place before advanced artificial intelligence systems emerge. AGI could arrive by 2030, they predict.

Lawsuits Allege Cybercrime Gang Medusa Stole Data of 132,000 People
An Arizona-based medical imaging practice with locations in 11 states is notifying patients that their data was compromised in a January cyberattack. Litigation filed against the company allege ransomware gang Medusa stole sensitive data pertaining to at least 132,000 people in the incident.

Inside North Korea's IT Scam Network Now Shifting to Europe
North Koreans posing as remote IT workers have spread to Europe, where one Pyongyang fraudster assumed at least 12 personas to target companies in Germany, Portugal and the United Kingdom. Western companies have grappled for years with the prospect of unintentionally hiring a North Korean national.

Integrated Tools Across Generative AI Security, DSPM, DDR Key to Growth Strategy
Cyberhaven is building a data security platform to address evolving risks in generative AI, DSPM and beyond. Backed by $100 million, CEO Howard Ting says the firm will use the funds to expand its portfolio and go-to-market footprint while staying independent.

Chinese Hackers Are Pre-Positioned, and Top Officials Could Be Making Matters Worse
Experts told lawmakers on Wednesday that without urgent federal action to strengthen cyber defenses and additional efforts to improve the cybersecurity practices of some of the highest ranking government officials, another Salt Typhoon attack could be just around the corner.