News Dispatch 1 – Warlords, Cyber Attacks, Investments & More
Welcome to the first edition of News Dispatches! In this series, I’ll be curating and breaking down the latest events in cybersecurity—highlighting key developments, threats, breaches, and trends you need to know.
US Sanctions
The U.S. sanctioned Myanmar warlord Saw Chit Thu, his sons, and the Karen National Army for operating cyber scam compounds that traffic victims and force them into online fraud schemes targeting Americans. These operations, run from Myanmar’s Shwe Kokko region, are part of a growing cybercrime economy in Southeast Asia generating billions in illicit revenue.
Cyber Attacks
The food retailer, Co-op, suffered a cyber attack on Tuesday morning affecting their contactless payment systems. The criminals behind the attack also claim to have accessed personal data of customers.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cze1eg3z307o
The same group believed responsible for the Co-op cyber attack was also responsible for an attack that targeted Marks & Spencer. The group utilized a social engineering attack to gain access to the company’s systems.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/m-s-coop-hack-scattered-spider-it-worker-b2745218.html
The payroll company, Kelly Benefits, revealed that a data breach that took place in December 2024 impacted 410,000 individuals. The original estimate given was around 32,000, but that number has greatly increased. The criminals allegedly gained access to the business’s computer systems and stole customer data.
https://tech.co/news/half-million-affected-breach
Airlines Invest
The airline industry is making AI and cyber a top priority going forward. Nearly half of airline carriers in North America listed cybersecurity as their top priority. The investment comes as concerns are heightened about the aging IT infrastructure and reliance on third-party vendors.
https://www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/airline-north-america-investments-cyber-ai/747253/