Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Also: Oracle Suit Points to AI Revenue Forecasting Risk; the AI Sovereignty PushIn this week's panel, four editors discussed the growing role of artificial intelligence in U.S. federal government cybersecurity, Oracle's investor lawsuit over its projected cloud sales to frontier AI lab OpenAI and what AI sovereignty means for enterprises.

Bold Plan Raises Hard Questions About Execution, Liability and OversightThe Trump administration's national cyber strategy calls for a stronger partnership between the federal government and private companies, heralding a shift in the ways private enterprise could participate in offensive operations against nation-state adversaries, ransomware gangs and cybercriminals.

NCC Group's Katharina Sommer on Why Nations Are Turning Inward on Cyber DefenseGeopolitical shifts are reshaping how countries approach cyber resilience. Katharina Sommer, group head of government affairs and analyst relations at NCC Group, explains why governments are turning inward and focusing on sovereign cybersecurity strategies as cross-border collaboration weakens.

Buyout Targets Deeper US Penetration, Digital Risk Intel, Ransomware DefenseCognyte’s $4 million buy of GroupSense boosts its North America strategy, enhancing its investigative analytics platform with deep and darkweb threat insights and access to U.S. government and enterprise customers. The deal will enhance Cognyte’s analytics platform and threat protection offerings.

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."

White House Order Centralizes Crypto Seized Through Civil, Criminal ForfeituresThe Trump administration pledged not spend taxpayer dollars on cryptocurrencies deposited into a federal "Strategic Bitcoin Reserve" created by a Thursday evening executive order. The government has collected an estimated 200,000 digital coins through criminal and civil forfeiture.

Hackers Reportedly Exploited Barracuda ESG Zero-DayThe Belgian government opened a federal probe into a suspected Chinese espionage campaign targeting the country's civilian intelligence service. The attack on the Belgian government aligns with the broader Chinese strategy of compromising edge devices for stealth espionage campaigns.

New Law Calls for Better Reporting, Securing Devices and Critical InfrastructureThe Australian government's proposed cybersecurity legislation passed both houses of the Parliament on Monday, formalizing the government's strategy to boost ransomware payment reporting, mandate basic cybersecurity standards for connected devices and enhance critical infrastructure security.

Stephen Doughty Says Cybersecurity Vital to National And Economic SecurityThe British government will continue disruptive actions against ransomware and malware operators, a top U.K. government official vowed Wednesday. Stephen Doughty, Minister of State, said the recently elected U.K. government views security as a core pillar of economic and strategic growth.

Former Royal Mail and Manchester University CISOs Talk Ransomware ResponseTimely notification of ransomware incidents to British law enforcement agencies played a crucial role in understanding the threats and in developing mitigation strategies, the former security heads of Royal Mail and the University of Manchester said.

Top Government Agencies 'All in the High 90% Range' for Completion, Says MartoranaFederal Chief Information Officer Clare Martorana told the Billington CyberSecurity Summit on Wednesday that the 24 CFO Act Agencies are on track to meet the Sept. 30 deadline given in the federal zero trust strategy released in 2022, which includes key milestones due at the end of the fiscal year.

Hack Targeting Top Government Officials ‘Was Preventable,’ Scathing Report SaysThe independent Cyber Safety Review Board published a scathing report that recommended an overhaul of Microsoft’s security infrastructure and said the tech giant’s operational and strategic decisions led to the successful Chinese hacking campaign targeting top U.S. government officials.

Committee Chairs Accuses UK of Favoring an 'Ostrich Strategy' For RansomwareThe Conservative government of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says it won't champion a reinsurance plan for cyber insurance similar to flood insurance, telling a parliamentary committee it doesn't want to "damage competition." Global ransomware payments surged to record levels during 2023.

Australia Envisions Cybersecurity Leadership in the Pacific With New StrategyThe Australian government says it will mandate ransomware reporting by businesses, boost law enforcement capacity and fund startups with innovative cybersecurity solutions under a strategy unveiled Monday. "We cannot continue as we have," said Cyber Security and Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil.