TransUnion suffers data breach impacting over 4.4 million people
Consumer credit reporting giant TransUnion warns it suffered a data breach exposing the personal information of over 4.4 million people in the United States. TransUnion is one of the three major credit bureaus in the United States, alongside Equifax and Experian. It operates in 30 countries, employs 13,000 staff, and has an annual revenue of $3 billion. It collects and maintains credit information on over 1 billion consumers worldwide, with approximately 200 million of those based in the U.S. This information is shared with 65,000 businesses, including lenders, insurers, and employers.
Unpacking Passkeys Pwned: Possibly the most specious research in decades
Don’t believe everything you read—especially when it’s part of a marketing pitch designed to sell security services. The latest example of the runaway hype that can come from such pitches is research published today by SquareX, a startup selling services for securing browsers and other client-side applications. It claims, without basis, to have found a “major passkey vulnerability” that undermines the lofty security promises made by Apple, Google, Microsoft, and thousands of other companies that have enthusiastically embraced passkeys.
Google previews cyber ‘disruption unit’ as U.S. government, industry weigh going heavier on offense
Google says it is starting a cyber “disruption unit,” a development that arrives in a potentially shifting U.S. landscape toward more offensive-oriented approaches in cyberspace. But the contours of that larger shift are still unclear, and whether or to what extent it’s even possible. While there’s some momentum in policymaking and industry circles to put a greater emphasis on more aggressive strategies and tactics to respond to cyberattacks, there are also major barriers.
FBI cyber cop: Salt Typhoon pwned ‘nearly every American’
China’s Salt Typhoon cyberspies hoovered up information belonging to millions of people in the United States over the course of the years-long intrusion into telecommunications networks, according to a top FBI cyber official. “There’s a good chance this espionage campaign has stolen information from nearly every American,” Michael Machtinger, deputy assistant director for the FBI’s cyber division, told The Register. “There’s a thought among the public that if you don’t work in a sensitive area that the PRC might be interested in for its traditional espionage activities, then you are safe, they will not target you,” he said, during a Thursday interview with The Register. “As we have seen from Salt Typhoon, this is no longer an assumption that anyone can afford to make.”
Congress urged to act as AI policy crossroads nears
With artificial intelligence rapidly evolving, Congress faces a narrowing window to shape policy that fosters innovation while guarding against risk. Bipartisan interest, mounting industry pressure and an AI Action Plan released last month by the Trump administration have created what policy veterans describe as a rare moment of alignment – one not expected to last. “Stars are aligning with who is in control of the government,” said Sarah Beth Jansen, a longtime Washington advisor and senior fellow at the McCrary Institute, on Cyber Focus.
