Ashish Venkat, an assistant professor of computer science and cybersecurity expert at the University of Virginia (UVA), has received a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a hardware and software system that enables rapid and secure mitigation of cyberattacks, including zero-day events.

A scientist claims to have created a low-cost system for using quantum computing to crack RSA, the world's most commonly used public key algorithm. However, multiple cryptographers and security experts have expressed skepticism regarding the claim. The scientist making the claim is Ed Gerck, who, according to his LinkedIn profile, is a quantum computing developer at Planalto Research, a company he founded.

The UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has updated its guidance to help in the migration to Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC). The updated guidance builds on the NCSC 2020 white paper titled "Preparing for Quantum-Safe Cryptography." It includes advice on algorithm choices and protocol considerations following the availability of draft standards from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The "Q-Day" point, when quantum computers can break existing cryptographic algorithms such as Public-Key Cryptography (PKC), is coming.

Microsoft has launched the Secure Future Initiative to improve the overall security of its products and users. According to Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, the growing speed, scale, and sophistication of cyberattacks requires a new response. He emphasized that ransomware attempts have increased by 200 percent since September 2022. Nation-state actors' cyber operations have become more advanced, and the most resourced attackers are quickly innovating.

In recent weeks, Apple has alerted people in Armenia about their phones being targeted by state-sponsored hackers, with several cybersecurity experts pointing at the Pegasus spyware. The number of spyware infections in Armenia has been steadily increasing over the last two years, according to CyberHUB, an Armenian digital rights organization investigating the incidents. Many infections are linked to Azerbaijan's government, which has a history of conflict with Armenia, particularly over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Umar Iqbal, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, and his collaborators want to provide visibility into what information smart speakers capture, how it is shared with other parties, and how such parties use it. Consumers need to understand these devices' privacy risks and the impact of data sharing on people's online experiences.

Threat actors are using compromised Facebook business accounts to run malicious ads that involve inappropriate images as lures to trick victims into downloading an updated version of NodeStealer malware. Clicking on the ads downloads an archive containing a malicious .exe 'Photo Album' file that drops a second executable written in .NET. According to Bitdefender, this payload steals browser cookies and passwords. Meta first disclosed NodeStealer in May 2023 as a JavaScript malware designed to facilitate the hijacking of Facebook accounts.

Popular messaging and calling apps may reveal a user's IP address to the person on the other end of a call. Most chat apps use peer-to-peer connections by default, which means the user and the person they are talking to connect directly to each other in order to improve call quality. This is not necessarily a significant risk, but experts say it is unclear whether users are aware of this potential privacy issue or how calls over popular messaging apps like Telegram, Signal, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Apple's FaceTime, Viber, Snapchat, and Threema work.

Many cyberattacks on the transportation industry have resulted in the theft of personal data from companies such as Ferrari, Toyota, and Tesla. According to an Upstream 2023 report, data breaches account for 37 percent of cybersecurity automotive incidents, with backend server attacks accounting for 40 percent of incidents. Transportation industry leaders must respond to these trends by conducting internal assessments of existing cybersecurity strategies to ensure preparedness and quick recovery times in the event of a breach.

The BlackCat/ALPHV ransomware gang claims to have breached Henry Schein's network and stolen data, including payroll and shareholder information. Henry Schein is a healthcare solutions provider with operations and affiliates in 32 countries and an estimated revenue of more than $12 billion. On October 15, the company disclosed that it was forced to take some systems offline in order to contain a cyberattack that had impacted its manufacturing and distribution businesses the day before.