The Marquis Attack Shows Why Third-Party Risk Just Got Real

You know that conversation we’ve been having for years about third-party risk? Well, it just got a lot less theoretical. The Marquis ransomware attack that hit back in August 2025 is finally getting the attention it deserves – and the numbers are staggering.

We’re talking about 672,000 people’s data stolen and operations disrupted at 74 banks across the United States. Let that sink in for a moment. One financial services provider gets compromised, and suddenly three-quarters of a hundred banks are dealing with operational issues. This isn’t just a breach; it’s a perfect case study in how interconnected our financial infrastructure really is.

When Zero-Days Come Knocking: Cisco’s Bad Week and the iOS Surveillance Arms Race

Last week felt like one of those reminders that attackers never take a break. While we were all trying to get through another Tuesday, the Interlock ransomware gang was busy exploiting a maximum severity RCE vulnerability in Cisco’s Secure Firewall Management Center software – and they’ve been at it since late January.

What makes this particularly frustrating is that this was a zero-day attack. The Interlock ransomware gang had months to work with this vulnerability before Cisco even knew it existed. For those of us managing Cisco environments, this hits close to home. FMC is supposed to be the central management platform for our firewall infrastructure – the thing that’s supposed to help us maintain security posture, not become the entry point for ransomware operations.

The Perfect Storm: When Zero-Days Meet AI and Critical Infrastructure

Well, this has been quite the week for security professionals. While we were all settling into our Tuesday routines, threat actors were apparently having a field day with some pretty serious vulnerabilities. Let me walk you through what caught my attention – and why you should care about each of these developments.

The Cisco FMC Nightmare That’s Already Being Exploited

First up, and probably the most urgent item on today’s agenda: Interlock ransomware is actively exploiting a critical Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center vulnerability. CVE-2026-20131 scored a perfect 10.0 on the CVSS scale – and for good reason.

When Honeypots Catch More Than Expected: A Week of Crypto Thieves and State Actors

I’ve been digging through this week’s security reports, and there’s a fascinating mix of stories that paint a pretty clear picture of where threat actors are focusing their attention right now. From mysterious honeypot messages to a billion-dollar AI security startup, let’s break down what’s actually happening out there.

The Curious Case of the Iranian Bot Message

Sometimes honeypots catch things that make you scratch your head. SANS reported on an interesting discovery in Cowrie logs where multiple sensors detected the same echo command on February 19th: “MAGIC_PAYLOAD_KILLER_HERE_OR_LEAVE_EMPTY_iranbot_w”.

When Zero-Days Move at Machine Speed: Why Even Tech CEOs Are Getting Fooled

I’ve been digging through this week’s security news, and honestly, it’s painting a pretty sobering picture of where we’re at as defenders. Between sophisticated iPhone exploit kits targeting multiple countries and social engineering attacks that nearly fooled WordPress’s co-founder, it feels like we’re fighting battles on multiple fronts – and the attackers are getting faster and smarter.

When AI Gets Fooled by Fonts and Other Tales from the Security Trenches

You know those weeks when the security news feels like a collection of cautionary tales? This past week delivered exactly that, with everything from clever font tricks that fool AI to a $4.4 million cryptocurrency mishap that’ll make you cringe.

Let me walk you through what caught my attention and why these stories matter for those of us defending networks and systems.

AI Security’s Growing Pains: Why Traditional Defenses Are Falling Short

As someone who’s been watching the security space evolve over the past few years, I’ve noticed something troubling: we’re rushing headfirst into AI adoption while our security practices lag dangerously behind. This week’s news really drives that point home.

The Skills Gap is Real (And Getting Worse)

Let’s start with the elephant in the room. A new report from Pentera surveyed 300 US CISOs and found that most of us are trying to secure AI systems with tools and skills that simply aren’t up to the task. I can’t say I’m surprised, but it’s concerning to see the numbers confirm what many of us suspected.

Even Cybersecurity Firms Aren’t Safe: Lessons from This Week’s Attack Trends

I’ve been digging through this week’s security incidents, and there’s a pattern emerging that should make all of us pause and reassess our defenses. The most telling story? Hackers successfully targeted Outpost24, a cybersecurity firm, with a sophisticated seven-stage phishing campaign aimed at their C-suite executive.

Let me walk you through what happened and why it matters for all of us defending our organizations.

Supply Chain Attacks Are Getting Smarter While Ransomware Groups Adapt to Shrinking Profits

This week brought some sobering reminders about how creative attackers are getting with their methods. Between a sophisticated supply chain campaign hitting developer tools and ransomware groups pivoting their tactics due to declining profits, it’s clear that threat actors are adapting faster than many of us would like.

GlassWorm Returns with a Vengeance

The GlassWorm supply-chain campaign is back, and this time they’ve cast a much wider net. We’re talking about a coordinated attack that hit over 400 packages and repositories across GitHub, npm, and even VSCode/OpenVSX extensions.

Apple’s Background Security Updates and the Shift Toward Stealth Attacks

Last week brought some fascinating developments in our field, and I wanted to share what caught my attention. We’re seeing a clear pattern emerge: attackers are getting more sophisticated about staying hidden, while defenders are finally building systems that can respond without disrupting users.

Apple’s Game-Changing Background Updates

The biggest news might be Apple’s first Background Security Improvements update. They patched CVE-2026-20643, a WebKit vulnerability, across iPhones, iPads, and Macs without requiring a full OS upgrade. This is huge for us in the enterprise space.