Both suspected state-backed foreign adversaries and more run-of-the-mill cyber criminals appear to mostly still be focused on using AI tools to make their existing operations faster, more efficient and more error-free. OpenAI's ChatGPT and other models appear to have fairly strong guardrails that are highly resistant to creation of malware or automation of attack operations.
Senior Correspondent at CPO Magazine
Scott Ikeda is a technology futurist and writer for more than 15 years. He travels extensively throughout Asia and writes about the impact of technology on the communities he visits. Over the last 5 years, Scott has grown increasingly focused on the future landscape of big data, surveillance, cybersecurity and the right to privacy.
North Korean hackers have now plundered $2 billion this year and an overall total of $6 billion in stolen crypto. The state-sponsored hacking teams have demonstrated creative means of penetrating crypto platforms and are responsible for at least 30 incidents in 2025, including a $1.46 billion theft from Bybit.
Several of the California AI safety law's terms are even more stringent than comparable rules put into play in the European Union. But despite seemingly broad support there is still criticism of its expected negative impact on innovation, and from the privacy and security side some note that key regulations have yet to be placed on AI developers.
The announcement of a new digital ID that will be mandatory for employment is raising major privacy concerns in the UK, even as the nation grapples with mass unrest about the illegal immigration the scheme was designed to reduce.
The first of the comprehensive EU AI laws establishes prison sentences of one to five years for the creation of deepfakes and other types of content found to cause harm, as well as enhanced penalties for existing crimes that are supported by the use of AI.
A New York City SIM farm recently seized by the Secret Service was being put to use in a variety of criminal activities and had the capability of disrupting local communications networks, according to officials. In total the scheme was thought to have cost millions of dollars to set up.
Kmart is not being fined for a breach of privacy laws, but will have to publish a statement on its website (within 30 days) that explains how it used facial recognition technology during this period and why it was found to be in violation. It must also cease this practice going forward, or face the possibility of future fines and legal action.
Since these are ransomware groups after all, the retirement announcements may well be FUD to cover strategic retreats and rebrands after an extended period of high-level exposure. But at least for the moment some of the world's most significant threats such as Scattered Spider, ShinyHunters, and Lapsus$ appear to be out of the game.
A new CVE program roadmap outlines planned enhancements, such as better identification and prioritization of the most immediate software threats and additional participation by an assortment of security researchers and open-source experts from around the globe.
Just ahead of the final vote on the European Union's controversial "Chat Control" proposal, a broad coalition of tech industry figures has come together to appeal to the bloc's governments to reject it in the name of privacy, security and free speech.










