Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Peter Justen of AmeriTrust on How Data Integrity Affects Benefits AdministrationArtificial intelligence is transforming healthcare and government benefits administration, but organizations must strengthen data quality and operational processes before expecting meaningful results, said Peter Justen, founder and CEO at AmeriTrust Solutions.

Five Eyes Agencies Document 5-Step Chinese Job Platform Spy SchemeThe Five Eyes intelligence agencies issued a rare joint bulletin warning that Chinese military intelligence is using LinkedIn, Indeed, and Upwork to recruit government and military insiders. The operation targets clearance holders, military personnel, academics and journalists.

Fragmented Governance and Scarce Resources Make America's Water Sector VulnerableAmerica's water utilities are the nation's most cyber-vulnerable critical service sector, but their cybersecurity is overseen and supported by an ill-fitting patchwork of government agencies and most lack the resources to meet the threat they face.

Hijacking DNS Settings Helps Russian Hackers Decrypt TLS Traffic, Microsoft WarnsHackers tied to Russia's GRU military intelligence agency are compromising SOHO routers to hijack their DNS settings and spy on the cloud activities of high-value government, IT, telecommunications and energy organizations, Microsoft warns.

Healthcare Hit Shows Symbols Matter as Iran Shifts Focus to Economic DamageCybersecurity experts say that the Handala "hacktivist" group that claimed credit for attacks against two American firms on Wednesday is run by the Iranian government. The shift to destructive cyberattacks parallels Iran's attempt to inflict greater economic damage on the United States and allies.

NIST Seeks Input to Protect AI Systems Used in Government, Critical InfrastructureThe National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking public input from security experts and stakeholders to weigh in on security threats from agentic AI warning they may be vulnerable to exploits like hijacking, backdoors and misaligned behavior across federal networks.

More Than 100,000 Affected by Hack Detected on Dec. 30The New Zealand government is probing a year-end ransomware hack of private healthcare service provider Manage My Health that impacted thousands of patients. Digital extortion group Kazu has claimed responsibility and threatened to leak the data on Jan. 15 unless it receives a $60,000 ransom.

Cyber Advisory Cites Abuse of Linked Devices to Monitor Sensitive CommunicationsThe U.S cyber defense agency issued an alert outlining how commercial spyware and state-aligned groups are abusing messaging-app features through malicious QR-based linking and zero-click exploitation to monitor U.S. government, military and other high-profile figures.

Reduced Staffing Disrupts Regulatory Work, Leaves Health Entities More VulnerableIf it lasts much longer, the federal government shutdown could prove to be highly disruptive, risky and increasingly unnerving for healthcare sector providers that depend upon federal agencies for cybersecurity-related support and resources, some experts said.

Numerous Attacks Designed and Timed 'to Amplify the Impact of Kinetic Strikes'Russia in the first half of this year markedly increased the tempo of its cyberattacks targeting Ukraine, with defenders cataloging 3,000 cybersecurity incidents, largely targeting the military, government, local authorities and energy sector, often timed to amplify the impact of kinetic attacks.

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.

State-Sponsored Espionage Group Tied to Exploits of No-Longer-Supported Cisco GearRussian intelligence hackers are using obsolete and unpatched equipment made by networking mainstay Cisco Systems to further stealthy and ongoing cyberespionage operations, the U.S. federal government warned Wednesday. Hackers exploit a vulnerability in the Smart Install feature of Cisco devices.

Labour Government Also Backs Ransomware Payment Clearance and ReportingThe British government vowed Tuesday to proceed with a proposed ransomware payment ban for critical infrastructure organizations such as the National Health Service and to press forward on a mandate for other businesses to notify authorities in advance of paying out a ransom.

Leaders of the Russian Military Intelligence Units of the GRU Also TargetedThe U.K. government on Friday sanctioned three Russian Military Intelligence Service units 29155, 26165 and 74455 in the United Kingdom and Ukraine. The sanctions also targeted 18 Russian officials for their role in GRU cyber operations dating back to 2013.

'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.

Geopolitical Conflict Involving Iran, Israel, US Ripe for Attacks on SectorGovernment authorities are warning of increased risk of Iranian cyber and related threats against healthcare and public health sector organizations - including ransomware, distributed denial-of-service and other attacks related to that nation's escalated conflicts with Israel and the U.S.

Group's Advisory Follows an Updated Joint Alert from US, Australian AgenciesThe American Hospital Association is warning hospitals and other healthcare sector organizations of rising double-extortion attack threats involving the Play ransomware group. The AHA alert follows an updated joint government advisory issued last week about Play's latest tactics.

New Cyber and Electromagnetic Command Pitched as Lessons Learned from UkraineThe United Kingdom pledged Thursday one billion pounds for a military "Digital Targeting Web" the government said will enable quick fire targeting of enemy assets, including through offensive cyber operations. "Ways of warfare are rapidly changing," said Defense Secretary John Healy.

Old Visuals, AI Deepfakes and Fake Claims Go Viral Amid Escalating ConflictMisinformation is going viral in India as the New Delhi government called Friday on the financial sector to strengthen cyber defenses amid growing military activity along the Pakistani border. Tensions between the two countries ratcheted significantly upward Friday.

Hackers Targeted Critical Infrastructure for Sabotage, Data TheftRussian and Chinese hackers targeted critical infrastructure in the Netherlands for strategic gains amid escalating tensions with Western governments, the Dutch intelligence agency said. The Netherlands witnessed a number of "cyberespionage attempts against the Dutch government."