Black Arrow Cyber Threat Intelligence Briefing 18 July 2025

Welcome to this week’s Black Arrow Cyber Threat Intelligence Briefing – a weekly digest, collated and curated by our cyber experts to provide senior and middle management with an easy to digest round up of the most notable threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber related news from the last week.

Executive Summary

In our briefing this week, and continuing our opening theme from last week, we share research insights that just 10% of employees account for nearly three quarters of all risky behaviour in the workplace, and the need to have cyber security policies that reflect the realities of the workplace and create a security culture. We also report on a new social engineering tactic that encourages employees to run malicious code for the attacker. Other employee risks continue to evolve, including the insider risk of recruiting North Korean IT workers who access sensitive data and extort the employer.

We highlight actions that organisations should focus on now: these include upgrading to Windows 11; managing the risks in their supply chain; and for those organisations in scope, progressing their compliance for DORA. We also highlight the evolving risk of AI cloaking tools, and the surge in ransomware. The consequences of attacks are emphasised by the breach of 6.5m customer records at the UK retailer Co-Op, and a record spike in crypto thefts by North Koreans. Finally, we include news of Russian state and citizen attackers focusing on the UK and Ukraine-aligned countries.


Top Cyber Stories of the Last Week

Most Cyber Security Risk Comes from Just 10% of Employees

A new study by Living Security and the Cyentia Institute has found that just 10% of employees account for nearly three quarters of all risky behaviour in the workplace, challenging assumptions about who poses the greatest cyber risk. Surprisingly, remote and part-time staff are generally less risky than their in-office, full-time colleagues. The report argues for focused action plans and controls for those employees who present the greatest risk.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2025/07/16/human-cybersecurity-risk-employees/

Stop Settling for Check-the-Box Cyber Security Policies

Many organisations still rely on outdated or overly rigid cyber security policies that fail to reflect how work is actually done. This mismatch often drives employees to find workarounds, weakening overall defences. Complex password rules, poorly implemented multi-factor authentication, and generic training programmes are common pitfalls. A recent study found that 65% of office workers admit to bypassing policies, with 70% of IT leaders reporting unauthorised AI use. Effective cyber security requires policies that are practical, tailored to roles, and regularly updated based on real-world feedback, helping foster a security culture rather than just ticking compliance boxes.

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2025/07/15/stop-settling-for-check-the-box-cybersecurity-policies/

A New, Silent Social Engineering Attack Is Being Used by Hackers; Your Security Systems Might Not Notice Until It’s Too Late

Researchers have warned of a new social engineering tactic called FileFix, which exploits common user behaviour to silently trigger malicious commands. By encouraging users to paste a copied link into Windows File Explorer, attackers can run hidden code without raising security alerts. Although current tests involve harmless code, threat actors are already using the method in real-world scenarios, indicating likely progression to malware delivery. The technique does not rely on software flaws but manipulates user trust. Organisations are urged to enhance user awareness and review incident response plans to address this fast-evolving threat.

https://www.itpro.com/security/a-new-silent-social-engineering-attack-is-being-used-by-hackers-and-your-security-systems-might-not-notice-until-its-too-late

Firms Have a Fake North Korean IT Worker Problem – Here’s How to Stop It

A growing number of organisations are being targeted by fraudulent job applicants, many linked to North Korea, who use fake identities, deepfake videos, and AI-generated responses to secure remote IT roles. These individuals have successfully infiltrated major firms, sometimes gaining access to sensitive data and extorting employers. Some companies have reported hundreds of suspicious applications in just weeks. Key warning signs include impressive CVs with minimal LinkedIn presence, reluctance to attend in-person meetings, and inconsistencies in personal details. Without stronger collaboration between HR, legal, and cyber security teams, businesses remain vulnerable to these evolving and well-resourced threats.

https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/13/fake_it_worker_problem/

Orgs and Individuals Clinging to Windows 10 Face Heightened Risk, Says NCSC

The UK’s NCSC has warned that continued reliance on Windows 10 places organisations and individuals at increasing risk as the system nears end-of-life in October 2025. After this date, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or support, making unpatched systems prime targets for cyber attacks. Despite being over a decade old, Windows 10 remains widely used, but the NCSC urges a move to Windows 11, which offers stronger built-in protections by default. Organisations delaying the upgrade risk undermining their cyber resilience and may fall short of basic security standards, such as those required under the UK’s Cyber Essentials certification.

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366627540/Brits-clinging-to-Windows-10-face-heightened-risk-says-NCSC

Supplier Risk Is Breaking the Size Myth in Cyber

Organisations of all sizes face growing risk from cyber attacks targeting their suppliers, with over half of recent incidents linked to third parties. The number of globally disruptive cyber attacks has nearly doubled since 2020, and nearly half of affected businesses report revenue loss. Smaller firms are not shielded by size, and larger ones cannot rely on internal measures alone. Increasing use of artificial intelligence and global tensions are widening the threat landscape. Businesses are urged to map their supplier dependencies, assess third-party risks, and ensure continuity plans account for supplier failure.

https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/breaking-news/supplier-risk-is-breaking-the-size-myth-in-cyber-542891.aspx

Most European Financial Firms Still Lagging on DORA Compliance

Six months after DORA came into force, most European financial services firms still fall short of compliance, with 96% admitting their current data resilience measures are insufficient. Key challenges include oversight of third-party risks, increased pressure on IT teams, and rising costs from technology providers. One in five firms has yet to secure budget for implementation. Despite this, 94% now rank DORA as a higher organisational priority, with many integrating it into broader resilience plans. Regulators can impose significant fines for non-compliance, highlighting the urgency for firms to accelerate their cyber resilience efforts.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/european-financial-dora-compliance/

AI Cloaking Tools Enable Harder-to-Detect Cyber Attacks

Threat actors are now using AI-powered cloaking tools to hide phishing and malware sites from detection, making cyber attacks harder to identify. Services like Hoax Tech and JS Click Cloaker offer cloaking-as-a-service, using machine learning and behavioural profiling to show scam content to real uses while misleading security scanners. These tools assess hundreds of data points in real time and can personalise content to increase success. Experts warn this marks a serious shift in the threat landscape, urging organisations to adopt behaviour-based detection, multi-layered defences and adaptive technologies to stay ahead of these evolving threats.

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/ai-cloaking-tools-enable-complex/

Ransomware Surges 63% in Q2

Ransomware attacks surged by 63% in the second quarter of 2025, reaching a record 276 publicly disclosed incidents according to BlackFog. Each month in the quarter broke previous records, with June alone seeing a 113% year-on-year increase. Healthcare was the most targeted sector, followed by government and services, while retail also saw its highest ever Q2 attack levels, particularly in the UK. The Qilin ransomware group led activity, responsible for 10% of incidents. Over 80% of ransomware attacks remain undisclosed, with BlackFog estimating more than 1,400 hidden cases this quarter. The report reinforces the urgent need for stronger data protection measures.

https://betanews.com/2025/07/16/ransomware-surges-63-percent-in-q2/

All 6.5m Co-Op Members Had Data Stolen in Recent Cyber Attack, Retailer Admits

The UK retailer Co-op has confirmed that all 6.5 million of its members had their personal data stolen during a cyber attack earlier this year. The breach, which led to the shutdown of parts of its IT systems in April, allowed attackers to access names, addresses and contact details. The organisation's CEO described the impact on members and staff as devastating. This incident highlights the ongoing risk to large member-based organisations and the need for strong cyber security controls to protect personal data and maintain trust in the face of growing threats.

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-14912243/All-6-5m-op-members-data-stolen-cyber-attack-earlier-year-retailer-admits.html

North Korean Hackers Blamed for Record Spike in Crypto Thefts in 2025

A surge in cryptocurrency thefts has seen over $2 billion stolen in the first half of 2025 alone, already exceeding losses for the whole of last year. A major breach at crypto exchange Bybit, reportedly carried out by North Korean hackers, accounted for $1.4 billion of this amount. The stolen funds are believed to be supporting North Korea’s nuclear programme and helping evade international sanctions. Analysts warn this reflects a broader strategy by North Korea, which includes using remote IT workers to infiltrate Western firms, steal intellectual property, and extort payments under threat of data leaks.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/17/north-korean-hackers-blamed-for-record-spike-in-crypto-thefts-in-2025/

Russia Shifts Cyber War Focus from US to UK Following Trump’s Election

UK intelligence agencies have warned of a marked increase in Russian state-backed cyber attacks targeting British infrastructure since the start of 2025. This shift appears to be a deliberate move away from US targets following Donald Trump’s election, as the Kremlin aims to avoid provoking the new administration. The UK is now seen as Russia’s primary adversary, with threats focusing on disruption and chaos, particularly against critical infrastructure such as energy and healthcare. Officials have noted a surge in hybrid operations combining technology, misinformation and proxies, with some attacks traced to highly capable hacker groups operating under Russian direction.

https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/russia-shifts-cyberwar-focus-from-us-to-uk-following-trumps-election

Europol Disrupts Major Network of Russian-Speaking Cyber Criminals Targeting Ukraine and Its Allies

Europol has led a major international operation disrupting the cyber criminal group NoName057(16), known for targeting Ukraine and NATO countries with denial-of-service attacks. Coordinated across 12 nations, the effort dismantled a network of over 100 servers and resulted in arrests, searches, and legal action against key individuals. The group, with over 4,000 supporters, used gamified tactics and cryptocurrency rewards to encourage participation. Authorities say the attacks were ideologically driven and aimed at countries supporting Ukraine. This highlights the growing threat of politically motivated cyber attacks and the scale of coordination required to counter them.

https://theins.ru/en/news/283214



Threats

Ransomware, Extortion and Destructive Attacks

Ransomware surges 63 percent in Q2 - BetaNews

Newly Emerged GLOBAL GROUP RaaS Expands Operations with AI-Driven Negotiation Tools

Qilin Emerged as The Most Active Group, Exploiting Unpatched Fortinet Vulnerabilities - Cyber Security News

Nearly one-third of Irish firms paid a cyber ransom in last year

Wiper Malware: The Threat to Businesses | SC Media UK

French and UK Authorities Arrest Suspects in Ransomware Cases

Interlock ransomware adopts FileFix method to deliver malware

Interlock Ransomware Unleashes New RAT in Widespread Campaign - Infosecurity Magazine

Police disrupt “Diskstation” ransomware gang attacking NAS devices

Anatomy of a Scattered Spider attack: A growing ransomware threat evolves | CSO Online

Retail Ransomware Attacks Jump 58% Globally in Q2 2025 - Infosecurity Magazine

Ryuk ransomware operator extradited to US, faces five years in federal prison | CyberScoop

Microsoft Exposes Scattered Spider’s Latest Tactics - Infosecurity Magazine

Report: Global retail ransomware intrusions surge | SC Media

Iranian-Backed Pay2Key Ransomware Resurfaces with 80% Profit Share for Cyber Criminals

Ransomware Victims

All 6.5m Co-op members had their data stolen in cyber attack earlier this year, retailer admits | This is Money

Report: Global retail ransomware intrusions surge | SC Media

Four people bailed after arrests over cyber attacks on M&S, Harrods and Co-op - TheIndustry.fashion

Some Glasgow City Council online services still down | Glasgow Times

M&S resumes online recruitment following cyber attack - Retail Gazette

United Natural Foods Expects $400M revenue impact from June cyber attack

Russian vodka producer reports disruptions after ransomware attack | The Record from Recorded Future News

Phishing & Email Based Attacks

A new, silent social engineering attack is being used by hackers – and your security systems might not notice until it’s too late | IT Pro

Microsoft Teams phishing spreads updated Matanbuchus malware loader | SC Media

13 Romanians Arrested for Phishing the UK’s Tax Service - SecurityWeek

Hackers Can Hide Malicious Code in Gemini's Email Summaries

Beware! Research shows Gmail's AI email summaries can be hacked - Android Authority

Preventing Zero-Click AI Threats: Insights from EchoLeak | Trend Micro (US)

Other Social Engineering

A new, silent social engineering attack is being used by hackers – and your security systems might not notice until it’s too late | IT Pro

How deepfake AI job applicants are stealing remote work

Fake North Korean IT workers: How companies can stop them • The Register

What an SMS blaster is, and how to protect yourself from malicious SMS messages while traveling | Kaspersky official blog

How North Korea infiltrates its IT experts into Western companies

Fraud, Scams and Financial Crime

Over Half of “Finfluencer” Victims Have Lost Money, Says TSB - Infosecurity Magazine

Ex-intelligence officer jailed for stealing bitcoin from Silk Road 2.0 operator - iTnews

Indian Police Raid Tech Support Scam Call Center - Infosecurity Magazine

SIM scammer's sentence increased to 12 years, after failing to pay back victim $20 million

Artificial Intelligence

AI Cloaking Tools Enable Harder-to-Detect Cyber Attacks - Infosecurity Magazine

Newly Emerged GLOBAL GROUP RaaS Expands Operations with AI-Driven Negotiation Tools

One in 12 US/UK Employees Uses Chinese GenAI Tools - Infosecurity Magazine

AI adoption is booming but secure scaling not so much - Help Net Security

Grok-4 Falls to a Jailbreak Two days After Its Release - SecurityWeek

Security Flaws With Bitchat Highlight a ‘Systemic Issue’ With Vibe Coding

90% of Large Organisations Unprepared for AI-Enabled Threats | Security Magazine

Cyber Security Bosses Fretting About AI Attacks and Misuse

Researcher tricks ChatGPT into revealing security keys - by saying "I give up" | TechRadar

DeepSeek a threat to national security, warns Czech cyber agency | The Record from Recorded Future News

For developers and IT pros, AI can be both secret weapon and ticking time bomb | ZDNET

GPUHammer: New RowHammer Attack Variant Degrades AI Models on NVIDIA GPUs

Beware! Research shows Gmail's AI email summaries can be hacked - Android Authority

From Vibe Coding To Vibe Hacking — AI In A Hoodie

Curl creator mulls nixing bug bounty awards to stop AI slop • The Register

Malware

Microsoft Teams phishing spreads updated Matanbuchus malware loader | SC Media

Hackers hide dangerous Mac trojan in legit apps | Cybernews

WordPress Gravity Forms developer hacked to push backdoored plugins

AI-Trained Malware Evades Microsoft Defender 8% of the Time, Researchers Warn – Tehrani.com – Tehrani on Tech

Hackers Exploit DNS Queries for C2 Operations and Data Exfiltration, Bypassing Traditional Defences

Hackers exploit a blind spot by hiding malware inside DNS records - Ars Technica

Malware found embedded in DNS, the system that makes the internet usable, except when it doesn't | Tom's Hardware

Google sues 25 alleged BadBox 2.0 botnet operators • The Register

AsyncRAT Spawns a Labyrinth of Forks

North Korean XORIndex malware hidden in 67 malicious npm packages

Threat hunting case study: Lumma infostealer | Intel 471

Vulnerable firmware for Gigabyte motherboards could allow bootkit installation - Help Net Security

Bots/Botnets

Google sues 25 alleged BadBox 2.0 botnet operators • The Register

Mobile

What an SMS blaster is, and how to protect yourself from malicious SMS messages while traveling | Kaspersky official blog

Spyware on Androids Soars  - Security Boulevard

Hackers Love These 7 Screenshots You Keep in Your Gallery

Android Malware Konfety evolves with ZIP manipulation and dynamic loading

Don’t Tap That Notification—This Is How Malware Sneaks Onto Smartphones

SIM scammer's sentence increased to 12 years, after failing to pay back victim $20 million

July 2025 Breaks a Decade of Monthly Android Patches - SecurityWeek

Altered Telegram App Steals Chinese Users' Android Data

Denial of Service/DoS/DDoS

DDoS peaks hit new highs: Cloudflare mitigated massive 7.3 Tbps assault

Averted DDoS attacks spike, report finds | SC Media

Europol disrupts pro-Russian NoName057(16) DDoS hacktivist group

Internet of Things – IoT

Your Mercedes or VW could get hacked via Bluetooth | PCWorld

350M Cars, 1B Devices Exposed to 1-Click Bluetooth RCE

Uncovering the Cyber Security Risk in Smart Meter Data Storage | SC Media UK

Neglecting printer security is leaving you wide open to cyber attacks | IT Pro

Printer Security Gaps: A Broad, Leafy Avenue to Compromise

Data Breaches/Leaks

All 6.5m Co-op members had their data stolen in cyber attack earlier this year, retailer admits | This is Money

'123456' password exposed chats for 64 million McDonald’s job applicants

US Data Breaches Head for Another Record Year After 11% Surge - Infosecurity Magazine

Spies and SAS personnel among 100-plus Britons included in Afghan data leak | Defence policy | The Guardian

How top military chief’s role in Afghan data leak was hidden

The Afghan data breach has already cost millions. What happens next?

Louis Vuitton says UK customer data stolen in cyber-attack | Cybercrime | The Guardian

Paddy Power and BetFair have suffered a data breach • Graham Cluley

Waltz brushes off SignalGate questions, points finger at CISA  | CyberScoop

Data Breach at Debt Settlement Firm Impacts 160,000 People - SecurityWeek

Why hackers love Europe’s hospitals – POLITICO

Over 5.4 Million Affected in Healthcare Data Breach at Episource - Infosecurity Magazine

Anne Arundel Dermatology Data Breach Impacts 1.9 Million People - SecurityWeek

Organised Crime & Criminal Actors

"Telegram has become the new dark web” - 14.07.2025 | BURSA.RO

Abacus dark web drug market goes offline in suspected exit scam

How Criminal Networks Exploit Insider Vulnerabilities

SIM scammer's sentence increased to 12 years, after failing to pay back victim $20 million

Ryuk ransomware operator extradited to US, faces five years in federal prison | CyberScoop

Cyber crime Victim Suicide: Bengaluru Man Dies After Rs 11 Lakh Digital Scam

Cambodia Makes 1,000 Arrests in Latest Crackdown on Cyber Crime - SecurityWeek

Cryptocurrency/Cryptomining/Cryptojacking/NFTs/Blockchain

North Korean hackers blamed for record spike in crypto thefts in 2025 | TechCrunch

Over Half of “Finfluencer” Victims Have Lost Money, Says TSB - Infosecurity Magazine

Ex-intelligence officer jailed for stealing bitcoin from Silk Road 2.0 operator - iTnews

Hacker returns cryptocurrency stolen from GMX exchange after $5 million bounty payment | The Record from Recorded Future News

Millions in savers’ cash goes missing after crypto company collapses

Hacker steals $27 million in BigONE exchange crypto breach

MITRE Launches New Framework to Tackle Crypto Risks - Infosecurity Magazine

Hackers Exploit Apache HTTP Server Flaw to Deploy Linuxsys Cryptocurrency Miner

Insider Risk and Insider Threats

Most cyber security risk comes from just 10% of employees - Help Net Security

One in 12 US/UK Employees Uses Chinese GenAI Tools - Infosecurity Magazine

How deepfake AI job applicants are stealing remote work

Fake North Korean IT workers: How companies can stop them • The Register

How North Korea infiltrates its IT experts into Western companies

Ex-intelligence officer jailed for stealing bitcoin from Silk Road 2.0 operator - iTnews

How Criminal Networks Exploit Insider Vulnerabilities

US Army soldier pleads guilty to extorting 10 tech, telecom firms

Ex-soldier Googled “can hacking be treason?” pleads guilty • The Register

Insurance

Cyber Insurance Premiums Drop, but Coverage Is Key

Supply Chain and Third Parties

Supplier risk is breaking the size myth in cyber | Insurance Business America

Cloud/SaaS

Hackers Leverage Microsoft Teams to Spread Matanbuchus 3.0 Malware to Targeted Firms

Why your Microsoft 365 setup might be more vulnerable than you think - Help Net Security

SaaS Security Adoption Grows Amid Rising Breach Rates - Infosecurity Magazine

Iran seeks three cloud providers to power its government • The Register

Outages

Cloudflare says 1.1.1.1 outage not caused by attack or BGP hijack

Encryption

Forget ransomware - most firms think quantum computing is the biggest security risk to come | TechRadar

How to Start Preparing for a Post-Quantum Future

How CISOs Can Prepare for the Quantum Cyber Security Threat

Safeguarding data in quantum era | Professional Security Magazine

What EU's PQC roadmap means on the ground - Help Net Security

Passwords, Credential Stuffing & Brute Force Attacks

'123456' password exposed chats for 64 million McDonald’s job applicants

From ‘P@ssw0rd’ to payday: Weak credentials threaten financial systems - Digital Journal

Ranked: The World's Most Common Passwords

98% of passwords can be cracked in seconds, analysis finds​ | Cybernews

Social Media

Elmo has been hacked, claims Trump is in Epstein files, calls for Jews to be exterminated • Graham Cluley

Quelle surprise! Twitter faces criminal probe in France • Graham Cluley

Training, Education and Awareness

Most cyber security risk comes from just 10% of employees - Help Net Security

Regulations, Fines and Legislation

Most European Financial Firms Still Lagging on DORA Compliance - Infosecurity Magazine

Cyber security of banks - News - Rádio RSI English - STVR

How financial IT becomes resilient: Implement DORA securely: By Krik Gunning

What EU's PQC roadmap means on the ground - Help Net Security

UK Online Safety Act 'not up to scratch' on misinformation • The Register

US aims to ban China technology in undersea telecoms cables | The Straits Times

Top US cyber agency CISA shrinks under Trump budget, staff cuts

Cyber security Regulation in Flux as Trump Administration Focuses on Evolving Foreign and Tech Threats | Latham & Watkins LLP - JDSupra

Defense Department to Spend $1B on ‘Offensive Cyber Operations’

Operational risks amid cyber policy uncertainty

Models, Frameworks and Standards

Most European Financial Firms Still Lagging on DORA Compliance - Infosecurity Magazine

How financial IT becomes resilient: Implement DORA securely: By Krik Gunning

MITRE Launches New Framework to Tackle Crypto Risks - Infosecurity Magazine

Data Protection

Buy Now, Pay Later... with your data - Help Net Security

Careers, Working in Cyber and Information Security

Military Veterans May Be What Cyber Security Is Looking For

Why burnout is one of the biggest threats to your security | TechRadar

What Fortune 100s are getting wrong about cyber security hiring - Help Net Security

Cyber Training: Post Challenge, Where Are the Skills Learned? | SC Media UK

Law Enforcement Action and Take Downs

US Army soldier pleads guilty to extorting 10 tech, telecom firms

Europol disrupts pro-Russian NoName057(16) DDoS hacktivist group

Newly Emerged GLOBAL GROUP RaaS Expands Operations with AI-Driven Negotiation Tools

13 Romanians Arrested for Phishing the UK’s Tax Service - SecurityWeek

French and UK Authorities Arrest Suspects in Ransomware Cases

Europol disrupts major network of Russian-speaking cyber criminals targeting Ukraine and its allies

Quelle surprise! Twitter faces criminal probe in France • Graham Cluley

SIM scammer's sentence increased to 12 years, after failing to pay back victim $20 million

Ryuk ransomware operator extradited to US, faces five years in federal prison | CyberScoop

Cambodia Makes 1,000 Arrests in Latest Crackdown on Cyber Crime - SecurityWeek

Indian Police Raid Tech Support Scam Call Center - Infosecurity Magazine

Four people bailed after arrests over cyber attacks on M&S, Harrods and Co-op - TheIndustry.fashion

FBI seized multiple piracy sites distributing pirated video games

Misinformation, Disinformation and Propaganda

UK Online Safety Act 'not up to scratch' on misinformation • The Register


Nation State Actors, Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), Cyber Warfare, Cyber Espionage and Geopolitical Threats/Activity

Cyber Warfare and Cyber Espionage

Russia shifts cyber war focus from US to UK following Trump's election | TechRadar

US aims to ban China technology in undersea telecoms cables | The Straits Times

Submarine Cable Security at Risk Amid Geopolitical Tensions & Limited Repair Capabilities

MPs Warn of “Significant” Iranian Cyber-Threat to UK - Infosecurity Magazine

Cyber attacks are evolving – so too must government response - New Statesman

What Is A Military Cyber Command And What Does It Do?

Defense Department to Spend $1B on ‘Offensive Cyber Operations’

Nation State Actors

Cyber attacks are evolving – so too must government response - New Statesman

Nearly one-third of Irish firms paid a cyber ransom in last year

China

One in 12 US/UK Employees Uses Chinese GenAI Tools - Infosecurity Magazine

China’s cyber sector amplifies Beijing’s hacking of US targets - The Washington Post

DeepSeek a threat to national security, warns Czech cyber agency | The Record from Recorded Future News

What It Takes to Stop the Next Salt Typhoon

US aims to ban China technology in undersea telecoms cables | The Straits Times

Submarine Cable Security at Risk Amid Geopolitical Tensions & Limited Repair Capabilities

Risk of undersea cable attacks backed by Russia and China likely to rise, report warns | Telecoms | The Guardian

Chinese Hackers Still Trying to Break Into Telecoms Across Globe

Altered Telegram App Steals Chinese Users' Android Data

US National Guard unit was 'extensively' hacked by Salt Typhoon in 2024, memo says | Reuters

Spain awarded €12.3 million in contracts to Huawei

Russia

Russia shifts cyber war focus from US to UK following Trump's election | TechRadar

Submarine Cable Security at Risk Amid Geopolitical Tensions & Limited Repair Capabilities

Risk of undersea cable attacks backed by Russia and China likely to rise, report warns | Telecoms | The Guardian

Europol disrupts pro-Russian NoName057(16) DDoS hacktivist group

Nato unit helping combat Putin's 'hybrid warfare' threat on British soil

Europol disrupts major network of Russian-speaking cyber criminals targeting Ukraine and its allies

Ukrainian hackers claim IT attack on Russian drone maker • The Register

Venture capital firm hit with $216 million penalty for ‘egregious’ violations of US sanctions against Russian billionaire - ICIJ

Iran

MPs Warn of “Significant” Iranian Cyber-Threat to UK - Infosecurity Magazine

Iranian-Backed Pay2Key Ransomware Resurfaces with 80% Profit Share for Cyber Criminals

Iran seeks three cloud providers to power its government • The Register

North Korea

How deepfake AI job applicants are stealing remote work

Fake North Korean IT workers: How companies can stop them • The Register

How North Korea infiltrates its IT experts into Western companies

North Korean hackers blamed for record spike in crypto thefts in 2025 | TechCrunch

North Korean XORIndex malware hidden in 67 malicious npm packages

Other Nation State Actors, Hacktivism, Extremism, Terrorism and Other Geopolitical Threat Intelligence

Hacktivism Increasingly Targeting Critical Infrastructure | Security Magazine


Tools and Controls

Most cyber security risk comes from just 10% of employees - Help Net Security

AI adoption is booming but secure scaling not so much - Help Net Security

DNS should be your next security priority: Lessons from NIST

SaaS Security Adoption Grows Amid Rising Breach Rates - Infosecurity Magazine

Cyber-Insurance Premiums Drop, but Coverage Is Key

Neglecting printer security is leaving you wide open to cyber attacks | IT Pro

Printer Security Gaps: A Broad, Leafy Avenue to Compromise

Hackers hide dangerous Mac trojan in legit apps | Cybernews

Hackers Exploit DNS Queries for C2 Operations and Data Exfiltration, Bypassing Traditional Defences

Hackers exploit a blind spot by hiding malware inside DNS records - Ars Technica

Police disrupt “Diskstation” ransomware gang attacking NAS devices

Compliance is evolving — Is your resilience ready? | TechRadar

ISC2 Finds Orgs Are Increasingly Leaning on AI

Making security and development co-owners of DevSecOps - Help Net Security

AI-Trained Malware Evades Microsoft Defender 8% of the Time, Researchers Warn – Tehrani.com – Tehrani on Tech

Security Flaws With Bitchat Highlight a ‘Systemic Issue’ With Vibe Coding

For developers and IT pros, AI can be both secret weapon and ticking time bomb | ZDNET

Curl creator mulls nixing bug bounty awards to stop AI slop • The Register

Cyber security executives love AI, cyber security analysts distrust it | TechRadar

Things to think about when deploying AI tools in the cyber security space

Hacker returns cryptocurrency stolen from GMX exchange after $5 million bounty payment | The Record from Recorded Future News

UK launches vulnerability research program for external experts

NCSC Launches Vulnerability Research Institute to Boost UK Resilience - Infosecurity Magazine

From Vibe Coding To Vibe Hacking — AI In A Hoodie



Vulnerability Management

Brits clinging to Windows 10 face heightened risk, says NCSC | Computer Weekly

NCSC Urges Enterprises to Upgrade to Microsoft Windows 11 to Avoid Cyb - Infosecurity Magazine

Microsoft extends updates for old Exchange and Skype servers • The Register

Don't Want to Upgrade to Windows 11? Microsoft Offers Free Windows 10 Security Updates - CNET

Another WannaCry-size cyber event likely, report warns :: Insurance Day

NCSC Launches Vulnerability Research Institute to Boost UK Resilience - Infosecurity Magazine

Vulnerabilities

Qilin Emerged as The Most Active Group, Exploiting Unpatched Fortinet Vulnerabilities - Cyber Security News

Exploits for pre-auth Fortinet FortiWeb RCE flaw released, patch now

CitrixBleed 2 Flaw Poses Unacceptable Risk: CISA - SecurityWeek

Urgent: Google Releases Critical Chrome Update for CVE-2025-6558 Exploit Active in the Wild

Windows KB5064489 emergency update fixes Azure VM launch issues

SonicWall SMA devices persistently infected with stealthy OVERSTEP backdoor and rootkit - Help Net Security

Fully Patched SonicWall Gear Under Likely Zero-Day Attack

Critical SharePoint RCE Vulnerability Exploited Using Malicious XML Payload Within Web Part

Chrome fixes 6 security vulnerabilities. Get the update now! | Malwarebytes

Critical Wing FTP Server vulnerability exploited in the wild (CVE-2025-47812) - Help Net Security

Oracle Patches 200 Vulnerabilities With July 2025 CPU - SecurityWeek

Cisco Warns of Critical ISE Flaw Allowing Unauthenticated Attackers to Execute Root Code

VMware Flaws That Earned Hackers $340,000 at Pwn2Own Patched - SecurityWeek

Cisco Discloses '10' Flaw in ISE, ISE-PIC — Patch Now

July 2025 Breaks a Decade of Monthly Android Patches - SecurityWeek

Hackers Exploit Apache HTTP Server Flaw to Deploy Linuxsys Cryptocurrency Miner

Vulnerable firmware for Gigabyte motherboards could allow bootkit installation - Help Net Security

Over 600 Laravel Apps Exposed to Remote Code Execution Due to Leaked APP_KEYs on GitHub

Critical Langflow Vulnerability (CVE-2025-3248) Actively Exploited to Deliver Flodrix Botnet | Trend Micro (US)


Sector Specific

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·       Manufacturing

·       Maritime & Shipping

·       Oil, Gas & Mining

·       OT, ICS, IIoT, SCADA & Cyber-Physical Systems

·       Retail & eCommerce

·       Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMBs)

·       Startups

·       Telecoms

·       Third Sector & Charities

·       Transport & Aviation

·       Web3


Contact us to help assess where your risks lie and to ensure you are doing all you can do to keep you and your business secure.

Look out for our ‘Cyber Tip Tuesday’ video blog and on our YouTube channel.

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Links to articles are for interest and awareness and linking to or reposting external content does not endorse any service or product, likewise we are not responsible for the security of external links.

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Black Arrow Cyber Threat Intelligence Briefing 25 July 2025

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Black Arrow Cyber Threat Intelligence Briefing 11 July 2025