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SecurityWeek’s cybersecurity news roundup provides a concise compilation of noteworthy stories that might have slipped under the radar.
We provide a valuable summary of stories that may not warrant an entire article, but are nonetheless important for a comprehensive understanding of the cybersecurity landscape.
Each week, we curate and present a collection of noteworthy developments, ranging from the latest vulnerability discoveries and emerging attack techniques to significant policy changes and industry reports.
Here are this week’s stories:
MITRE launches D3FEND 1.0
MITRE has released version 1.0 of D3FEND, a cybersecurity ontology and knowledgebase designed to standardize a vocabulary for techniques to counter cyber threats. First introduced in beta in June 2021, D3FEND has since tripled its semantic graph.
Fake CrowdStrike hiring emails deliver malware
CrowdStrike has issued a warning over a phishing campaign that involves fake hiring emails with the goal of delivering malware. The attack starts with an email informing the recipient about an interview for a job they supposedly applied for at CrowdStrike. The message directs victims to a malicious website where they are prompted to download an app, which in turn downloads a cryptocurrency miner.
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CISA releases performance goals adoption report and Microsoft cloud logs playbook
CISA this week announced the release of the Cybersecurity Performance Goals Adoption Report in an effort to show how adoption of Cybersecurity Performance Goals (CPGs) benefits critical infrastructure sectors. The agency has also released a step-by-step guide to help organizations get the most out of newly introduced logs in Microsoft Purview Audit.
Open source tool from Bishop Fox
Bishop Fox has released Raink, an open source command-line tool that uses a novel LLM-based listwise ranking algorithm. The company says the tool can solve complex ranking problems, such as linking code diffs to security advisories.
WEF Global Risk Report 2025
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has published its 2025 Global Risk Report, which covers threats such as armed conflicts and environmental risks, but also misinformation, disinformation, and cyber warfare. The report was published shortly after the WEF’s Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025 report, which highlights key cybersecurity challenges.
Hacking industrial switches
Claroty has disclosed vulnerabilities in Planet Technology Corp’s WGS-804HPT industrial switch, which is widely used in the building automation sector. An attacker can exploit the flaws to remotely execute code on a vulnerable device. Once compromised, these devices can be abused for lateral movement on the network.
Lawsuits and settlements
Several lawsuits and settlements involving major companies were announced in the past week. Robinhood agreed to pay $45 million to settle SEC charges over a 2021 data breach and other violations. Enzo Biochem has settled with the SEC for $7.5 million over a 2023 ransomware attack.
The FTC has announced taking action against General Motors for sharing drivers’ location and behavior data without their consent, and Texas’ attorney general has sued Allstate and Arity for collecting, using and selling the driving data of 45 million people to insurance companies.
GDPR complaints against Chinese companies TikTok, AliExpress, Shein and others
Noyb, the European Center for Digital Rights, has filed GDPR complaints against several Chinese companies over unlawful data transfers to China. The targeted companies are TikTok, AliExpress, Shein, Temu, WeChat and Xiaomi.
FBI call logs exposed in AT&T hack
The AT&T data breach disclosed last year may have impacted the call and text logs of FBI agents (paywalled via Bloomberg), and there has been concern that the data could expose the identities of confidential informants. Data from all FBI devices under AT&T service was presumed taken.
Booz Allen invests in quantum hardware firm SEEQC
Booz Allen Ventures announced a strategic investment in quantum computing company SEEQC, which is focused on innovations in quantum hardware to enable the rapid scaling of quantum computers.
macOS vulnerability detailed by Microsoft
Microsoft has shared details on a macOS vulnerability that can be exploited to bypass Apple’s System Integrity Protection (SIP). Bypassing SIP can allow an attacker to deploy persistent malware and bypass other security systems. Apple patched the flaw, tracked as CVE-2024-44243, in December.
Cybersecurity funding in 2024
Cybersecurity venture investment increased to $11.6 billion in 2024, from $8.1 billion in the previous year, according to Crunchbase. However, only 639 rounds were announced last year, a 22% drop compared to 2023.
Related: In Other News: Volkswagen Data Leak, DoubleClickjacking, China Denies Hacking US Treasury