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- Covert hardware, cyber policy rollbacks, and supply chain problems
Covert hardware, cyber policy rollbacks, and supply chain problems
Your midweek breach briefing is here.
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🧠 CyberFact of the Day:
The term “phishing” was first coined in 1996 by hackers tricking AOL users into revealing passwords. The “ph” was a nod to the "phreaking" culture of the 70s, where hackers manipulated phone systems.
📬 This Week’s Clickables
📌 Big News — Chinese solar inverter alarm & White House EO cyber rollback
🚨 Can’t Miss — Connectwise Ransomware breach
🤖 AI in Cyber — Phishing, fraud & AI ransomware
🧪 Strange Cyber Story — SentinelOne vendor breach deep dive
🚨 Big Stories This Week
🔐 Executive Order Scraps Biden-Era Cybersecurity Programs
Intro: A sweeping executive order cancels key Biden cybersecurity initiatives—reshaping federal priorities overnight.
What Happened: On June 6, Trump signed an order reversing Biden-era programs like software SBOM (software bill of materials) requirements and post-quantum encryption mandates
Why It’s Important: The move marks a significant shift toward decentralizing cybersecurity control to states and agencies, away from mandatory standards .
The Other Side: While praised by some as freeing agencies, critics caution it weakens national resilience and regulatory cohesion.
The Takeaway: Federal cyber policy is now less unified. Organizations must pay attention to their own state/fed frameworks to stay secure.
TL;DR: Trump's order rolls back Biden-era cyber mandates in favor of a looser, agency-led approach.
Further Reading:
🔆 U.S. Agencies Warn of Rogue Devices in Chinese Solar Inverters
Intro: U.S. energy and cybersecurity authorities have flagged undercover devices in Chinese-made solar inverters—raising national security alarms.
What happened: Inverters and batteries—including brands like Huawei and Sungrow—were found to contain undocumented radios capable of bypassing firewalls and communicating externally .
Why it’s important: These “kill switches” could allow remote shutdowns or grid manipulation—exposing critical infrastructure to covert sabotage.
The other side: Chinese officials deny any malicious design; some experts urge deeper validation, warning against leaping to conclusions.
The takeaway: Regulators must prioritize hardware vetting, diversify supply chains, and require transparency through SBOMs before installing grid gear.
TL;DR: Undocumented hardware in Chinese inverters raises cyber-physical sabotage fears—utilities must act.
Related reads:
🔥 Can’t Miss This Week
United Natural Foods Hit by Cyberattack, Disrupts Food Supply — Attack forces shutdown of systems at a major food distributor to Whole Foods
ConnectWise Breached via MSP Supply‑Chain Attack — Attackers exploited MSP tools to deploy ransomware
Tax Firm Optima Relief Breached by Chaos Ransomware — Sensitive customer data stolen and leaked post-attack
US Indicts Qakbot Botnet Master, Seizes $24M In Crypto — Justice Dept. hits back at botnet leader behind massive ransomware campaign
20K Malicious IPs taken down — The crackdown on infostealer malware continues
🤖 AI in Cyber
Browser Phishing Up 140% Thanks to AI, Phishing Kits — AI-powered toolkits driving phishing up 140% in browsers
AI in Identity Fraud Arms Race — Fraudsters are automating identity fraud with AI while defenders race to catch up
AI‑Powered Ransomware to Surge in 2025 — Warning of an imminent wave of ransomware attacks that will harness AI for smarter, stealthier malware
Agentic AI is having a Moment — So are hackers who can exploit it and the permissions AI is being granted
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🧟♂️ Strange Cyber Story of the Week
🛡️ SentinelOne Vendor Breach Attempt Thwarted
The Intro: An unexpected cyber clash: Chinese-linked APT breaks into a hardware vendor supplying SentinelOne—before reaching the endpoint defense firm itself.
What Happened: In early 2025, attackers used supply-chain breach methods (ShadowPad malware) to infiltrate a logistics firm linked to SentinelOne. The intrusion stopped short of compromising SentinelOne’s own systems .
Why It’s Important: Security vendors are high-value targets; this event shows how attackers probe through third-party paths to reach deeper networks.
The Other Side: SentinelOne detected and contained the threat before escalation, a testament to effective self-defense—but also a stark warning for all vendors.
The Takeaway: Organizations must harden not only their perimeter but also the security posture of all third-party suppliers.
TL;DR: Attackers breached a SentinelOne vendor but were stopped before reaching the endpoint defense firm—a wake-up call on supply-chain resilience.
More Reading:
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