Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

An On Demand video from ID DatawebScattered Spider continues to evolve, and organizations across financial services, healthcare, insurance, telecommunications, and other sectors are strengthening defenses against increasingly sophisticated identity-driven threats.

Also, Eurail Breach, ChipSoft Hospital Disruptions, W3LL Phishing TakedownThis week, a "Raccoon"-linked actor hit help desks, Eurail exposed 308K users, Fortinet patched critical flaws, Pushpaganda scams, major data leaks hit healthcare and China, ransomware and phishing ops surged, and multiple breaches impacted firms and hospitals.

Defense of Democracies' Mark Montgomery on Warfare Trends, Geopolitical ThreatsCyber operations now support military strategy rather than just acting alone. Mark Montgomery of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies warns that as militaries integrate cyber and kinetic action, private sector enterprises are facing greater exposure to geopolitical threats.

CISA: Iran-Linked Groups Actively Exploiting OT Exposure Risks, PLC ProgrammersFederal agencies are warning that Iranian-linked actors have begun actively exploiting internet-facing PLCs and misconfigured OT systems across U.S. critical infrastructure, enabling network access, lateral movement and potential disruption amid rising geopolitical tensions.

Healthcare sector mergers and acquisitions dramatically amplify cybersecurity and data privacy exposure for potential buyers and sellers, said attorney Jonian Rafti of law firm Proskauer. But there are critical steps entities can take to reduce those risks, he said.

National Accident Health Says Breach Exposed Medical Info of 181,000 PeopleA Maine-based third-party administrator that handles healthcare claims involving day care centers, youth sports and NCAA athlete accidents is notifying more than 181,000 individuals that their medical information and personal identifiers may have been accessed or stolen in a hacking incident.

Critical Infrastructure on the Digital Front LinesRural America is a long way from Taiwan. But cyber power is no respecter of geography. Should China make good on its repeated threats to reunify the island by force, the utilities that provide water and power to small towns all over the United States may find themselves on the digital front lines of a 21st century superpower war.

Researcher Finds Database of Sensitive Patient Info With No Password ProtectionAn unencrypted database containing nearly 150,000 patient records of a California provider of home health and palliative care services was left exposed on the internet, said a cybersecurity researcher who discovered the unsecured data cache. Why does this keep happening in the healthcare sector?

Defense Department Suspends, Reviews Microsoft 'Digital Escorts' ProgramThe Pentagon is reviewing Microsoft's decade-long use of "digital escorts" - U.S.-based staff who review code from Chinese engineers - into military cloud systems, a workaround now deemed a "breach of trust" that may have exposed sensitive but unclassified government data.

'Heightened Threat Environment' Faces Critical Infrastructure, US Government WarnsMany types of commonly used types of industrial control systems continue to be deployed in a manner that leaves them publicly exposed to the internet, often by U.S.-based critical infrastructure operators, in what amounts to a preventable security risk, researchers warn.

Australian Human Rights Commission Detected Leak of 670 Online Forms After a MonthThe Australian Human Rights Commission said unprotected online complaint forms exposed the personal, healthcare and demographic information of Australians to the public internet for over a month. The data leak exposed 670 complaints and nominations online.

Thousands of unique IP addresses are potentially exposing medical devices, electronic medical records systems and other sensitive healthcare information to the internet, said security researcher Himaja Motheram of security firm Censys, which made the discovery.

Cyberattack on Aliquippa Water Plant Highlights Vulnerabilities in OT SystemsThe onset of war between Israel and Hamas led to a spike in cyberattacks against operational technology, says Microsoft in a warning to critical infrastructure operators about the dangers of internet-exposed operational technology.