5 ways to strengthen your firewall and endpoint’s defenses against ransomware

In cybersecurity, the line between a normal update and a serious incident keeps getting thinner. Systems that once felt reliable are now under pressure from constant change. New AI tools, connected devices, and automated systems quietly create more ways in, often faster than security teams can react. This week’s stories show how easily a small…

Law enforcement authorities have announced that they tracked down the customers of the SmokeLoader malware and detained at least five individuals. “In a coordinated series of actions, customers of the Smokeloader pay-per-install botnet, operated by the actor known as ‘Superstar,’ faced consequences such as arrests, house searches, arrest warrants or ‘knock and talks,’” Europol said…

Iain Thomson reports an update to a case previously reported on this site: A US court sentenced a former developer at power management biz Eaton to four years in prison after he installed malware on the company’s servers. Davis Lu, 55, spent a dozen years at Eaton and rose to become a senior developer of……

What if attackers aren’t breaking in—they’re already inside, watching, and adapting? This week showed a sharp rise in stealth tactics built for long-term access and silent control. AI is being used to shape opinions. Malware is hiding inside software we trust. And old threats are returning under new names. The real danger isn’t just the…

From VitalLaw’s weekly roundup of privacy and cybersecurity legislation: Augmented data broker, data breach requirements advance in California. The California state Assembly Appropriations Committee voted on July 9 to pass a bill that would require data brokers in the state to disclose additional information regarding their data-collection practices. S.B. 361, Reg Sess., would, if enacted, require data…

Sophos MDR identifies a new threat cluster riffing on the playbook of Storm-1811, and amped-up activity from the original connected to Black Basta ransomware.