BotNet News

Cyberthreat News

Global news media faces a growing set of digital security threats that undermine its ability to provide quality, independent journalism and erode the public’s trust. They can include digital attacks that stifle business models, drive audiences away by slowing or crashing websites and threaten the safety of sources and whistleblowers. They can also include threats to journalistic integrity and reputation, as well as data breaches that expose customers’ sensitive information.

The threat landscape continues to evolve, with hackers finding new ways to exploit systems, including using vulnerability exploitation to gain unauthorized access and steal information. Attackers are leveraging ransomware and cloud chain attacks to extort businesses, with one victim being hit every 2 seconds, according to Cybersecurity Ventures. These attacks are often linked to phishing and stolen credentials, and can lead to financial losses and operational disruptions.

In addition to stealing customer information, hackers can also use hacking tools to spy on organizations and conduct espionage for profit and foreign policy goals. Recent examples include Chinese hackers breaching twenty Canadian government networks to perform espionage, IP theft and malign influence, and attacks on defense industries in Ukraine for intelligence gathering, translational repression and monetization.

Additionally, there is a growing concern over software vulnerabilities and platform surveillance that impact digital security and privacy. This includes the threat to cryptography and other software security protections for messaging apps like Signal, WhatsApp and ProtonMail as well as X (formerly Twitter). There is also a continuing concern around how legacy social platforms collect data on users to target ads, and about whether or not they are providing meaningful privacy guarantees.