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Headlines

After a lengthy stint on the FBI’s “most wanted” list, Vyacheslav Igorevich Penchukov, known by his hacker name “Tank,” was finally sentenced to 18 years in prison and fined more than $73 million. The Ukrainian has been a significant figure in the scene for over a decade, acting as one of the leaders for Jabber Zeus—a notorious malware gang in the 2010s.

Using the Zeus program to infect computers, the gang gathered bank account information from computers across the US and Europe. They used that information to withdraw money and send it to other accounts through money mules. His hacking career ended in 2022 when he was captured by authorities while in Switzerland.

Indonesia claims it is on the mend after a June ransomware attack affected more than 160 of its government agencies. The attackers, identifying as Brain Cipher, demanded $8 million to release a sweeping trove of stolen data. They ended up apologizing and sending the decryption key for free. An odd ending to the attack that may end up changing as more information comes in.

Since then, everything from immigration services to airport operations has suffered. The attack also exposed the tremendous amount of government data that was not backed up, making many agencies extremely vulnerable.

A court in Spain announced they were sentencing 15 schoolchildren to a year of probation for creating and spreading AI-generated images of their female peers. Last year, police were notified by parents that faked naked images of their daughters were being shared on WhatsApp—causing anxiety and terror in the children.

The story highlights yet another dimension of the AI debate, bringing the issue of deepfakes to a much more personal level.

Interesting Read

Florie Lhuillier left her career in the music industry to become Head of Cybersecurity at CCGroup. In this interview with Cybernews, she outlines how she got the role and what it takes to stay effective in such a dynamic field. It’s a great read, reminding cybersecurity professionals how much work goes into their readiness.

Lhuillier also looks at the marketplace, pointing to the enormous amount of vendors and the moves to consolidate from the big players. She believes we’ll see massive changes over the next couple of years.

Employment Tip: Consider Freelancing

Freelancing gives you a diverse portfolio of clients and tasks. Penetration testing, consulting, and more tasks are often handed out to freelancers. These gigs help you build a track record, make money, and build a network.

For the latest openings in cybersecurity careers, check CybersecurityHQ.

Stay Safe, Stay Secure.

The CybersecurityHQ Team