Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

German Financial Regulator Warns Sector to Step Up DefensesOpenAI is stepping up to do what arch-rival Anthropic still won't. The AI firm will give European authorities and companies access to its new vulnerability-finding AI model, so they can beef up their cybersecurity.

Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (aka Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz or BfV) and Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) have issued a joint advisory warning of a malicious cyber campaign undertaken by a likely state-sponsored threat actor that involves carrying out phishing attacks over the Signal messaging app

Germany's domestic intelligence agency is warning of suspected state-sponsored threat actors targeting high-ranking individuals in phishing attacks via messaging apps like Signal. [...]

A recent ruling from Germany's Federal Supreme Court (BGH) has revived a legal battle over whether browser-based ad blockers infringe copyright, raising fears about a potential ban of the tools in the country. [...]

German sportswear giant Adidas disclosed a data breach after attackers hacked a customer service provider and stole some customers' data. [...]

BSI Cites New Technologies, Geopolitical Tensions as Key Risk FactorsMounting decentralization and digitization put electricity grids at risk of hacking that could cause power outages, the German cybersecurity agency warned Wednesday. Technologies such as internet-connected solar power inverters and a tense geopolitical situation sparks increased concern.

Also: Ransomware Hackers Demand BaguettesThis week, Chinese spying, Italian hacking scandal, an FBI warning and Okta fixed a bug. Google mandated MFA, zero days in PTZOptics and a Mexican airport didn't pay ransom. Cybercriminals demanded baguettes, breach lettersin Ohio and Germany will shield white hats. The Italian DPA rebuked a bank.

CrowdStrike is alerting about an unfamiliar threat actor attempting to capitalize on the Falcon Sensor update fiasco to distribute dubious installers targeting German customers as part of a highly targeted campaign

Cybersecurity agencies from Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the U.K., and the U.S. have released a joint advisory about a China-linked cyber espionage group called APT40, warning about its ability to co-opt exploits for newly disclosed security flaws within hours or days of public release

Escalation of Cyberespionage Likely Tied to Upcoming European ElectionsGerman federal agencies warned that phishing attacks targeting political parties surged ahead of upcoming European Union elections. The government did not attribute the attacks to a specific country but confirmed that they are tied to a nation-state group.

The German national cybersecurity authority warned on Tuesday that it found at least 17,000 Microsoft Exchange servers in Germany exposed online and vulnerable to one or more critical security vulnerabilities. [...]

Researchers are warning that a notorious hacking group linked to Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) is targeting political parties in Germany for the first time, shifting their focus away from the typical targeting of diplomatic missions. [...]

With shades of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, German political parties skirted consumer data privacy regulations during the country's last parliamentary election, a privacy watchdog warns.

There is a madness to the methods Boffins at universities in France, Germany, Luxembourg, and Sweden took a deep dive into known Java deserialization vulnerabilities, and have now resurfaced with their findings. In short, they've drawn attention to the ways in which libraries can accidentally introduce serious security flaws.…

Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky on Tuesday responded to an advisory released by Germany's Federal Office of Information Security (BSI) against using the company's security solutions in the country over "doubts about the reliability of the manufacturer." Calling that the decision was made on "political grounds," the company said it will "continue to assure our partners and customers of the