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Attackers that want to use artificial intelligence tools to build ransomware or help run their cyber operations risk getting much less than they bargained for, said security expert Candid Wuest, in part because they'll still rely on known tactics that can be readily spotted and blocked.

2023 and 2024 Ransomware Breaches Affected More Than 2.5M
Michigan-based McLaren Health Care has agreed to pay $14 million to settle consolidated class action litigation involving two ransomware attacks - allegedly by Alphv/BlackCat in 2023 and by Inc Ransom in 2024 - that affected about 2.5 million patients and employees.

AI Elevates CDO Job From Gatekeeper to Data-Driven Change Agent
The chief data officer is being pushed out of the shadows and into the C-suite spotlight with the rise of AI. While the role emerged as one rooted in compliance and risk management, it has evolved to be a business driver, holding the keys to value creation and human-centered transformation.

Security Service Says China-Linked Actor Compromised Vulnerable Network Devices
Norway's security service confirmed it was targeted by the China-linked Salt Typhoon campaign, marking one of Europe’s clearest public acknowledgements that the cyberespionage operation extended beyond U.S. telecom and federal networks into allied infrastructure.

Shadow Aeza International Directed Traffic to Malicious Adtech
A financially motivated threat actor hacked dozens of domain name system resolvers, connecting them to the infrastructure of a Russian bulletproof hosting service sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Treasury for its criminal links, researchers found.

CEO Jay Chaudhry: SquareX Deal Targets Unmanaged Devices and Third-Party Access
Zscaler has acquired SquareX to deliver browser security through extensions rather than endpoint agents or stand-alone browsers. CEO Jay Chaudhry said the approach speeds deployment, improves security for unmanaged devices and accelerates time-to-market by up to a year.

AI Assistant Executes Hidden Commands Embedded in Docker Image Labels
A vulnerability in Docker's Ask Gordon AI assistant allows attackers to execute malicious commands by hiding them in the container application development platform's image metadata, said security researchers. Dubbed DockerDash, the vulnerability exploits a failure across Docker's AI execution chain.

Database Misconfiguration Exposed 1.5 million API Tokens
A misconfigured database at Moltbook, the viral social network for AI agents, exposed 1.5 million API authentication tokens, 35,000 email addresses and private messages. Security researchers discovered unauthenticated read and write access to all platform data within days of launch.

Experts Advise Moving From Verifying Identities to Knowing Agent Intentions
Financial institutions are rushing to deploy AI agents capable of autonomously initiating transactions, approving payments and freezing accounts in real time. But AI agents are creating a "dual authentication crisis" that traditional security frameworks cannot address.

Terminated Employee Accused of Stealing 1 Million Patient Records
A former Nuance Communications IT worker is facing additional federal charges in an ongoing criminal case alleging he downloaded and stored on a personal hard drive with more than 1 million patient records of a Nuance client two days after he was terminated from his job in 2023.

Varonis CEO Yaki Faitelson Warns Misconfigured AI Is an Accident Waiting to Happen
Varonis has acquired AllTrue.ai to close visibility gaps in AI security. CEO Yaki Faitelson said enterprises are deploying AI agents that access vast datasets at high speed without understanding permissions identity context or abnormal behavior creating urgent demand for data-first AI security.

Also, Active Exploits Hit SolarWinds, Ivanti as APT28 Targets EU, Ukraine
This week, Italy blocked Russian cyberattacks targeting the Olympics. Flaws in SolarWinds, Ivanti and Microsoft Office. Russia's APT28 ramped up attacks in Ukraine, supply chain attacks, regulators probed major breaches and a U.S. judge sentenced the operator of a darkweb drug marketplace.

Global Cyber Alliance: as AI Fuels Cybercrime, Outcomes Keep Getting Worse
Security teams report stronger controls and broader collaboration each year. Yet cybercrime outcomes continue to worsen. Brian Cute of the Global Cyber Alliance says artificial intelligence-based attacks are tipping the scales against cyber defenders.

Terminated Employee Accused of Stealing 1M Patient Records
A former Nuance Communications IT worker is facing additional federal charges in an ongoing criminal case alleging he downloaded and stored on a personal hard drive with more than 1 million patient records of a Nuance client two days after he was terminated from his job in 2023.

As the compliance deadline quickly approaches for changes to align the federal rules for the confidentiality of substance use disorder records with HIPAA, entities that participate in so-called Part 2 programs still face critical unanswered questions, said attorney Aleksandra Vold of BakerHostetler.

Leaked Financial and Admissions Data Includes Contact Details for 'Top Donors'
Harvard University has been named as a victim and doxed by hack-and-leak group ShinyHunters, apparently as a result of the cybercrime group's ongoing "live phishing" attacks that often attempt to trick IT help desks into giving attackers direct access to a victim's network and cloud-based data.

Acquisition Adds Okta and Ping Coverage to Semperis' Identity Security Platform
Semperis has acquired MightyID to extend its identity-first security and cyber resilience strategy beyond Active Directory and Entra ID into Okta and Ping. CEO Mickey Bresman says the deal addresses customer demand for multi-identity provider protection backup recovery and migration.

Southern Connecticut State University CIO Tom Armstrong on Modernization Priorities
Like other schools, Southern Connecticut State University is under pressure to modernize legacy systems, strengthen security and adopt AI. CIO Tom Armstrong must balance expanding research ambitions, student expectations and operational efficiency in an increasingly complex risk environment.