Insights

Most Parked Domains Now Serving Malicious Content

Direct navigation — the act of visiting a website by manually typing a domain name in a web browser — has never been riskier: A new study finds the vast majority of “parked” domains — mostly expired or dormant domain names, or common misspellings of popular websites — are now configured to redirect visitors to sites that foist scams and malware. A lookalike domain to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center website, returned a non-threatening…

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CISA Releases 12 Industrial Control Systems Advisories

CISA released 12 Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Advisories. These advisories provide timely information about current security issues, vulnerabilities, and exploits surrounding ICS.  ICSA-25-345-01 Johnson Controls iSTAR ICSA-25-345-02 Johnson Controls iSTAR Ultra ICSA-25-345-03 AzeoTech DAQFactory ICSA-25-345-04 Siemens IAM Client ICSA-25-345-05 Siemens Advanced Licensing (SALT) Toolkit ICSA-25-345-06 Siemens SINEMA Remote Connect Server ICSA-25-345-07 Siemens Building X – Security Manager Edge Controller ICSA-25-345-08 Siemens Energy Services ICSA-25-345-09 Siemens Gridscale X Prepay ICSA-25-345-10 OpenPLC_V3 ICSMA-25-345-01 Grassroots DICOM (GDCM) ICSMA-25-345-02…

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2025 CWE Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Weaknesses

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), in collaboration with the Homeland Security Systems Engineering and Development Institute (HSSEDI), operated by the MITRE Corporation, has released the 2025 Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Weaknesses. This annual list identifies the most critical weaknesses adversaries exploit to compromise systems, steal data, or disrupt services.  Prioritizing the weaknesses outlined in the Top 25 is integral to CISA’s Secure by Design and Secure by Demand…

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Microsoft Patch Tuesday, December 2025 Edition

Microsoft today pushed updates to fix at least 56 security flaws in its Windows operating systems and supported software. This final Patch Tuesday of 2025 tackles one zero-day bug that is already being exploited, as well as two publicly disclosed vulnerabilities. Despite releasing a lower-than-normal number of security updates these past few months, Microsoft patched a whopping 1,129 vulnerabilities in 2025, an 11.9% increase from 2024. According to Satnam Narang at Tenable, this year marks…

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Opportunistic Pro-Russia Hacktivists Attack US and Global Critical Infrastructure

CISA, in partnership with Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Security Agency, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center, and other international partners published a joint cybersecurity advisory, Pro-Russia Hacktivists Create Opportunistic Attacks Against US and Global Critical Infrastructure. This advisory, published as an addition to the joint fact sheet on Primary Mitigations to Reduce Cyber Threats to Operational Technology (OT) released in May 2025, details that pro-Russia hacktivist groups are…

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Drones to Diplomas: How Russia’s Largest Private University is Linked to a $25M Essay Mill

A sprawling academic cheating network turbocharged by Google Ads that has generated nearly $25 million in revenue has curious ties to a Kremlin-connected oligarch whose Russian university builds drones for Russia’s war against Ukraine. The Nerdify homepage. The link between essay mills and Russian attack drones might seem improbable, but understanding it begins with a simple question: How does a human-intensive academic cheating service stay relevant in an era when students can simply ask AI…

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SMS Phishers Pivot to Points, Taxes, Fake Retailers

China-based phishing groups blamed for non-stop scam SMS messages about a supposed wayward package or unpaid toll fee are promoting a new offering, just in time for the holiday shopping season: Phishing kits for mass-creating fake but convincing e-commerce websites that convert customer payment card data into mobile wallets from Apple and Google. Experts say these same phishing groups also are now using SMS lures that promise unclaimed tax refunds and mobile rewards points. Over…

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PRC State-Sponsored Actors Use BRICKSTORM Malware Across Public Sector and Information Technology Systems

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is aware of ongoing intrusions by People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored cyber actors using BRICKSTORM malware for long-term persistence on victim systems. BRICKSTORM is a sophisticated backdoor for VMware vSphere1,2 and Windows environments.3 Victim organizations are primarily in the Government Services and Facilities and Information Technology Sectors. BRICKSTORM enables cyber threat actors to maintain stealthy access and provides capabilities for initiation, persistence, and secure command and control.…

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CISA, Australia, and Partners Author Joint Guidance on Securely Integrating Artificial Intelligence in Operational Technology

CISA and the Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre, in collaboration with federal and international partners, have released new cybersecurity guidance: Principles for the Secure Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Operational Technology. This guidance aims to help critical infrastructure owners and operators integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into operational technology (OT) systems securely, balancing the benefits of AI—such as increased efficiency, enhanced decision-making, and cost savings—with the unique risks it poses to the safety, security, and reliability…

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A NICE Retrospective on Shaping Cybersecurity’s Future

Rodney Petersen has served as the Director of NICE at the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) for the past eleven years where his focus has been on advancing cybersecurity education and workforce development. He will be retiring from federal government service at the end of the 2025 calendar year. Prior to his role at NIST, he has worked in various technology policy and leadership roles with EDUCAUSE and the University of Maryland. The…

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