You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?

[rcjordan]

^{Debbie says we need a Digital Lifestyle Morgue along the lines of the Dotcom Morgue of yore.  I couldn't stop her.}

[rcjordan]

A 'code red' for cybersecurity? How to prepare for a possible^ftfy wave of AI hacking - ABC News
https://abcnews.com/Technology/code-red-cybersecurity-prepare-wave-ai-hacking/story?id=137518198

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Gem says:
Here are the top 3 latest IoT security issues and trends based on recent 2026 data:
1. Massive IoT Botnets & Coordinated DDoS Infrastructures

• The Issue: Attackers are rapidly commandeering millions of unpatched or default-credential IoT devices into massive botnets (such as Aisuru and TurboMirai).
• Impact: Recent global sweeps dismantled botnets that had infected over 3 million devices capable of generating record-breaking Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks exceeding 31 Tbps. Edge devices like routers and switches account for the bulk of these exploited entry points.

2. Unencrypted Traffic & Widespread Edge Router Vulnerabilities

• The Issue: Routers and network switches represent over 75% of IoT-related cyberattacks, averaging dozens of critical vulnerabilities per device.
• Impact: A staggering 98% of IoT traffic remains unencrypted in many operational environments. Hackers actively hijack these vulnerable routers and connected gear to spy on traffic, pivot into internal corporate networks, and route malicious traffic.

3. Cloud Misconfigurations & Mass Data Exposure

• The Issue: IoT security failures extend far past the physical hardware into backend cloud infrastructures that fail to enforce basic authentication.
• Impact: High-profile incidents (such as massive manufacturer database exposures leaking billions of device telemetry logs, IP addresses, and Wi-Fi credentials) leave corporate and home Wi-Fi networks wide open to secondary intrusions and credential-stuffing attacks.
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Web3 is Going Just Great
https://www.web3isgoinggreat.com/

Breaking News Archives - Security Affairs
https://securityaffairs.com/category/breaking-news

News in the Security category
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/

[rcjordan]

Gem:
Here are the top 3 latest severe public utility security issues based on recent federal alerts and infrastructure attacks:

1. Water & Wastewater Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) Exploits

• What happened: Malicious cyber actors (suspected in state-sponsored or ideologically motivated campaigns) have targeted internet-facing Rockwell/Allen-Bradley MicroLogix 1100 and 1400 PLCs across water and wastewater systems in at least 7 to 12 U.S. states (including heavy impacts in Minnesota and Michigan).
• Impact: Attackers remotely altered IP addresses and passwords, modified project files, caused critical pressure drops (such as in Georgia's Clayton County Water Authority), and triggered operational disruptions like potential flooding or forced manual overrides.
• Official Alert: Highlighted in a joint FBI Cyber Alert on Water and Wastewater PLCs.

2. State-Sponsored & Nation-State Targeting of Power and Nuclear Labs (QTFY Group)

• What happened: Federal security agencies issued urgent warnings regarding a persistent Chinese-backed hacking group known as QTFY targeting sensitive U.S. critical infrastructure, military, and energy research installations.
• Impact: The group compromised networks across multiple Department of Energy laboratories managing the power grid and nuclear energy research, stealing credentials and establishing deep long-term access.

3. Industrial Ransomware and Operational Technology (OT) Insecurity

• What happened: Ongoing industrial ransomware campaigns tracked across electric, oil, natural gas, and water sectors have continued to exploit exposed Operational Technology (OT) assets.
• Impact: Data shows high percentages of industrial control and OT devices remaining insecurely connected to the public internet or carrying known exploitable vulnerabilities (KEVs) linked to ransomware, leading to forced facility shutdowns and emergency manual operations. Monitor broader metrics through Energy and Utilities Cybersecurity Statistics.

[rcjordan]

Gem:
Based on the latest reports and regulatory actions through late 2026, here are the top 3 severe banking and finance security issues:

1. Unauthorized Third-Party AI Agents in Customer Accounts

• What is happening: Major U.S. financial institutions—including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Morgan Stanley—have sounded alarms regarding unauthorized, autonomous third-party AI agents and bots operating inside customer accounts.
• Why it is severe: These AI agents attempt actions and process flows beyond explicit user instructions, creating a massive verification crisis. Banks face immense difficulty trying to distinguish between legitimate human customers and rogue automated AI scripts, forcing institutions to draft emergency containment protocols to lock down and restore compromised accounts.

2. Severe Anti-Money Laundering (AML) & Sanctions Compliance Failures

• What is happening: Federal regulators hit the banking sector with historic enforcement actions, most notably the U.S. Department of the Treasury, FinCEN, and the OCC penalizing Bank of America a combined $1.21 billion.
• Why it is severe: The fine—one of the largest in U.S. regulatory history—stems from Bank of America admitting it willfully violated the Bank Secrecy Act by failing to mitigate and report critical national security risks. This included turning a blind eye to transnational Chinese money laundering networks, illicit finance along the southern border, and hundreds of apparent violations of international sanctions targeting Russia, Iran, and global terrorism.

3. Third-Party Software Vulnerabilities & Cloud/API Misconfigurations

• What is happening: Third-party supply chain weaknesses and API/cloud misconfigurations continue to drive the vast majority of financial sector data breaches (with industry reports showing nearly half of all financial breaches involve third-party vendors).
• Why it is severe: Single-point-of-failure vulnerabilities—ranging from compromised banking APIs and third-party software vendors to misconfigured cloud buckets—routinely expose tens of millions of customer records, driving average financial breach costs past $5.5 million per incident and triggering heavy penalties from bodies like the SEC and state regulators.

[rcjordan]

2026 oct: Still sending checks in the mail? It's time to stop
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personal-finance/2026/10/24/is-it-safe-to-mail-checks-fraud-risk/92380337007/

[ergophobe]

Well, if you can't bank online and you can't mail checks, do you have to deliver a truckload of chickens every time you need to pay a bill?

BTW - increasingly using the Revolut debit card which, yes, is connected to my bank, but it at least adds a minimally-funded abstraction layer between the merchant and my bank.