Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Vital Service Providers Need a Plan to Work Through Internet Outages, CISA SaysCritical U.S. infrastructure like water, power and even banking systems will be successfully hacked by enemy cyber warriors in the event of a military confrontation with a peer adversary like Russia or China, officials from the nation's civilian cyber defense agency said.

UK Government Said It Is Working With Chinese Officials to Remove ListingsThe U.K. government is working with Chinese officials to remove the sensitive de-identified data of 500,000 participants of the UK Biobank that was listed for sale on the Chinese e-commerce site Alibaba. U.K. officials said the incident did not appear to involve a cyberattack.

China, Iran, North Korea Hackers Exploit Gemini Across Attack Life CycleState-backed hackers weaponized Google's artificial intelligence model Gemini to accelerate cyberattacks, using the productivity tool as an offensive asset for reconnaissance, social engineering and malware development. Google said it has disabled accounts and strengthened defenses.

Berlin Readies Legislation Authorizing More Aggressive Stance in CyberspaceGermany wants to drastically step up defenses against cyberattacks from foes such as Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, and it's looking to key ally Israel for lessons and cooperation.

Claude Ran Up to 90% Intrusion Tasks Autonomously in China-Linked CampaignA Chinese state-linked hacking group relied on the Claude Code model to automate most of a cyberespionage campaign against dozens of organizations, Anthropic said. The AI firm describes the campaign as the first verified case of an AI system handling the bulk of a real-world intrusion.

ENISA: Nation-State Hacking 'Steadily Intensified' Over 12-Month PeriodNearly every member government of the European Union experienced a cyberattack from a nation-state hacker in the 12 months ending in July, primarily from Russian and Chinese threat actors who "steadily intensified" hacking, says the European cyber agency.

Report Urges Indo-Pacific Cyber Shield Strategy Amid Increased Nation-State ThreatsA Center for a New American Security study found China and North Korea are accelerating cyberattacks, influence operations and infrastructure breaches across the Indo-Pacific, as researchers urge the U.S. to help develop a regional cyber shield, and deploy forward cyber teams.

Also, Spain Arrests Hacker Behind Leaks Targeting Politicians and JournalistsThis week, Chinese sites mimicked brands, Spain arrested data leak hackers, Swiss health nonprofit ransomware attack, ICC probed a cyberattack, UNFI restored systems, a flaw in smart tractors, RomCom RAT. A U.K. man sentenced for locking employer out of network. A WordPress hack installs a Trojan.

Also, Researchers Exploit Tesla Wall Connector Via Charging CableThis week: Chinese Salt Typhoon hackers hit Viasat, researchers hacked a Tesla charger, Sitecore CMS flaws, Krispy Kreme disclosed hacking damage, Archetyp Market taken down. Episource disclosed a ransomware hack and Spain ruled out cyberattack for the April Iberian blackout.

Google Cloud's Hultquist on How State Hackers Exploit Code and Corporate HiringJohn Hultquist, chief analyst at Google Threat Intelligence Group, Google Cloud, discussed how China and North Korea are transforming cyberattacks into organized, factory-like operations. Alongside zero-day exploits, North Korean IT operatives are quietly infiltrating Fortune 500 companies under false identities.

Chinese Cyber Pre-Positioning Endangers US Military Logistics and ReadinessThe U.S. military's ability to deploy, supply and sustain its forces in a major conflict is under threat - not from enemy fire, but from cyberattacks targeting the digital systems that keep troops and equipment moving, according to a new report.

Russian, Iranian and Chinese APTs Among Most Active Ransomware CollaboratorsSecurity researchers are increasingly finding it challenging to attribute cyberattacks due to surging cooperation between nation-state hackers and ransomware groups, especially for espionage purposes. They say it reflects the blurring of the lines between state-directed and criminal activities.

Officials Worry Trump's Cybersecurity Agenda Could Scrap Biden's Final Cyber OrdersAn executive order set to be published by the Biden administration in its waning days could offer the next White House a blueprint to counter Chinese cyberattacks but experts fear its timing - so close to the transition of power - could make it practically dead on arrival.

Treasury Tells Lawmakers Chinese Threat Actor Remotely Breached Agency WorkstationsThe U.S. Treasury Department notified lawmakers Friday that the agency was the victim of a major cyberattack in which Chinese-linked hackers gained access to unclassified documents after gaining access to remote workstations through a third-party software provider, BeyondTrust.

Stealthy Backdoor Publicly Available on GitHub Can Be Weaponized for Larger AttacksGodzilla webshell, a Chinese-language backdoor known for its stealth and ability to execute commands and manipulate files, is now publicly available on GitHub, and federal authorities have issued a stern warning to the healthcare sector to prepare for this threat and inevitable cyberattacks.

Spy Agency Says Taiwanese Defense Ministry Is Trying to Disrupt Chinese PoliticsChina's Ministry of State Security has accused a Taiwanese government agency of waging cyberattacks on the mainland's digital assets across multiple organizations and running disinformation campaigns on social media to disrupt the political system and sow social discord.

Global Botnet's Victims Are in United States, Germany, Romania and Hong KongFBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday the bureau seized control of a Chinese-developed botnet that maintained access to thousands of compromised devices across the globe as part of an effort to launch widespread disruptive cyberattacks. The botnet is a Mirai variant.