Information

Old habits die hard: 2025’s most common passwords were as predictable as ever

Digital Security Once again, data shows an uncomfortable truth: the habit of choosing eminently hackable passwords is alive and well Christian Ali Bravo 20 Jan 2026  •  , 3 min. read ‘123456’ continues to reign supreme as the most commonly-used password among people across the world, according to two reports, from NordPass and Comparitech, respectively. A full 25 percent of the top 1,000 most-used passwords are made up of nothing but numerals. In addition, ‘123456’…

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Kimwolf Botnet Lurking in Corporate, Govt. Networks

A new Internet-of-Things (IoT) botnet called Kimwolf has spread to more than 2 million devices, forcing infected systems to participate in massive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and to relay other malicious and abusive Internet traffic. Kimwolf’s ability to scan the local networks of compromised systems for other IoT devices to infect makes it a sobering threat to organizations, and new research reveals Kimwolf is surprisingly prevalent in government and corporate networks. Image: Shutterstock, @Elzicon. Kimwolf…

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Why LinkedIn is a hunting ground for threat actors – and how to protect yourself

Social Media The business social networking site is a vast, publicly accessible database of corporate information. Don’t believe everyone on the site is who they say they are. Phil Muncaster 16 Jan 2026  •  , 4 min. read In November, Britain’s Security Service began notifying members of parliament (MPs) and their staff of an audacious foreign intelligence-gathering scheme. It claimed two profiles on LinkedIn were approaching individuals working in British politics in order to solicit…

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Is it time for internet services to adopt identity verification?

Social Media Should verified identities become the standard online? Australia’s social media ban for under-16s shows why the question matters. Tony Anscombe 14 Jan 2026  •  , 5 min. read New legislation in Australia makes it illegal for those under 16 to have a social media account. To avoid financial penalties, social media companies have scrambled to remove accounts they believe breach the legislation. Notably, there are no consequences for the under-16s who attempt to…

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Investor Lawsuit Over CrowdStrike Outage Dismissed

A federal judge in Austin, Texas, has dismissed a major securities class action lawsuit against CrowdStrike over the highly disruptive outage caused by a software update in July 2024. Millions of Windows devices worldwide crashed after the cybersecurity giant pushed an insufficiently tested update to endpoints running its software. The incident led to severe disruptions at airports, banks, media outlets, and hospitals. Just days after the incident, CrowdStrike investors announced plans to file a securities…

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Your personal information is on the dark web. What happens next?

If your data is on the dark web, it’s probably only a matter of time before it’s abused for fraud or account hijacking. Here’s what to do. Phil Muncaster 13 Jan 2026  •  , 5 min. read Contrary to popular belief, much of the dark web isn’t the den of digital iniquity that some commentators claim. In fact, there are plenty of legitimate sites and forums there offering privacy-enhanced content and services to help individuals…

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Patch Tuesday, January 2026 Edition

Microsoft today issued patches to plug at least 113 security holes in its various Windows operating systems and supported software. Eight of the vulnerabilities earned Microsoft’s most-dire “critical” rating, and the company warns that attackers are already exploiting one of the bugs fixed today. January’s Microsoft zero-day flaw — CVE-2026-20805 — is brought to us by a flaw in the Desktop Window Manager (DWM), a key component of Windows that organizes windows on a user’s…

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In Other News: 8,000 Ransomware Attacks, China Hacked US Gov Emails, IDHS Breach Impacts 700k

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…

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Tim Kosiba Named NSA Deputy Director

The National Security Agency (NSA) on Friday announced the appointment of Timothy Kosiba as its 21st Deputy Director. The appointment, designated by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, has received formal approval from President Donald J. Trump. Kosiba, a veteran of the Intelligence Community with over 30 years of federal service, returns to the agency as its most senior civilian leader. Timothy Kosiba, Deputy Director at the National Security…

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Credential stuffing: What it is and how to protect yourself

Digital Security Reusing passwords may feel like a harmless shortcut – until a single breach opens the door to multiple accounts Christian Ali Bravo 08 Jan 2026  •  , 4 min. read Reusing the same password across multiple accounts may be convenient, but it sets you up for trouble that can cascade across your digital life. This (bad) habit creates the perfect opening for credential stuffing, a technique where bad actors take a list of…

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