BotNet News

Cyberthreat News

Cyberattacks against global news media continue to rise in speed, scope and impact, threatening journalists’ safety and psychosocial well-being as well as damaging the public’s trust in the press. The growing complexity of these attacks also highlights the need for collaboration between policymakers, digital platforms and researchers to promote a culture of journalistic information security within newsrooms.

Threats to journalism’s digital security go beyond malware, spyware and ransomware. They include broader threats to data privacy and security such as efforts by some governments to chip away at the encryption protections offered by digital messaging and email services like Signal, ProtonMail and SecureDrop. They also include digital platform surveillance and attempts to undermine the security of legacy social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter).

The global news media faces unique challenges in protecting its people, property and reputation from these threats. These include the need for collaborative training and education, cultural buy-in and organizational (and other) policies to foster a journalistic culture of information security. These threats are especially challenging for journalists in remote or underresourced locations, as well as for newsrooms that employ freelancers.

Attackers are targeting Taiwan’s semiconductor industry with spear-phishing campaigns aimed at organizations involved in the manufacturing, design and testing of chip products, according to enterprise security company Proofpoint. The campaigns have been linked to three China-aligned state-sponsored threat groups.