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⏱️ ≈ 7-minute read
Editor’s Note: This week feels different. Not louder. Not noisier. Just structurally shifting under our feet. AI is accelerating. Nation-state activity is escalating. Zero-days are stacking like they’re on a sprint cadence.
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📬 This Week’s Clickables
📌 Big News
AI disruption warning goes mainstream; Poland grid attack triggers U.S. caution🚨 Can’t Miss
Six exploited Microsoft zero-days; SolarWinds RCE; BeyondTrust pre-auth exploitation; Russian Office exploitation; GitLab flaw revived🤖 AI in Cyber
Gemini used in recon; UNC1069 AI lures; 175K exposed Ollama servers; Moltbook agent data leaks🧪 Strange Cyber Story
Ransomware gang abuses employee monitoring software for persistence
🚨 Big Stories
⚡ After Major Poland Energy Grid Cyberattack, CISA Issues Warning Ripple Effect
Intro
A destructive cyberattack hit Poland’s energy infrastructure. And it didn’t stay in Poland.
What Happened
A significant attack targeting Poland’s power grid prompted CISA to issue warnings urging U.S. operators to review defensive posture and mitigation guidance. The attack signals continued willingness by adversaries to target operational technology environments with disruptive intent, not just data theft or ransomware monetization.
This was operational disruption with geopolitical undertones.
Why It’s Important
Energy grid attacks move cyber from inconvenience to consequence. For enterprises with OT, ICS, or hybrid environments, this reinforces the urgency of segmentation, monitoring, and incident response readiness that assumes system failure.
CISA issuing a ripple warning means this is not viewed as isolated.
The Other Side
There is no confirmation of immediate threat to U.S. grids. Some may argue this is precautionary.
But precaution in OT is cheaper than restoration.
👉 Takeaway: OT resilience is no longer a compliance checkbox. It is national stability infrastructure, whether boards are budgeting for it or not.
TL;DR: Destructive energy-sector attacks abroad trigger U.S. warning. Assume spillover risk.
Further Reading: CyberScoop
The average time to weaponize a public proof-of-concept exploit is now under 48 hours. Speed is the new asymmetry.🤖 ‘Something Big Is Happening.’ AI’s Inflection Point: Why Cybersecurity Will Feel This First
Intro
I know we’re a cyber newsletter. But AI is, and will, present major challenges and opportunities for those in this space.
What Happened
Recent analysis argues that frontier AI systems are no longer assistive tools. They are becoming autonomous systems capable of meaningful technical execution. Models are iterating on work, accelerating productivity, and in some cases improving workflows that previously required human expertise.
The response wasn’t just hype. It reflected an industry sensing inflection.
Why It’s Important
For cybersecurity, this is dual-use acceleration. AI can compress SOC triage cycles and enhance detection. It can also assist reconnaissance, malware development, phishing, and exploitation at scale.
If models can execute structured technical reasoning, then defensive and offensive workflows both get faster.
The Other Side
AI capability inflation is real. Not every breakthrough equals transformation. And enterprise integration remains messy.
But dismissing the trajectory would be a mistake.
👉 Takeaway: AI is not adjacent to cybersecurity anymore. It is becoming core infrastructure within it, and that changes who wins and who gets exposed.
TL;DR: AI is accelerating faster than governance. Cyber teams must plan accordingly.
Further Reading: Yahoo Tech
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🔥 Can’t Miss
🛠️ Microsoft February 2026 Patch Tuesday Fixes 6 Actively Exploited Zero-Days
Microsoft addressed 58 vulnerabilities this month, including six zero-days already being exploited in the wild before most enterprises even opened their patch dashboards. The flaws span Windows components and core services, reinforcing the ongoing pattern of active exploitation preceding enterprise patch cycles. This was not theoretical exposure. Attackers were already operational.
👉 Key takeaway: Exploited zero-days demand emergency patch posture, not routine maintenance windows.🔥 CISA Flags Critical SolarWinds Web Help Desk RCE as Actively Exploited
CISA added a critical SolarWinds Web Help Desk remote code execution flaw to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and ordered rapid remediation. IT help desk tools are high-value pivot points inside enterprise networks.
👉 Key takeaway: Internal support systems are increasingly becoming external attack vectors.⚠️ Critical BeyondTrust Pre-Auth RCE Now Exploited After PoC Release
A pre-authentication RCE vulnerability in BeyondTrust Remote Support and Privileged Remote Access is now being exploited following proof-of-concept publication. Remote support tools sit dangerously close to privilege escalation pathways.
👉 Key takeaway: Public PoC release often marks the starting gun, not the finish line, for exploitation cycles.🧠 Russian Hackers Exploit Recently Patched Microsoft Office Bug in Attacks
Ukraine’s CERT reports that Russian-linked actors are exploiting a recently patched Microsoft Office vulnerability. The issue had already received an out-of-band update from Microsoft, but exploitation continues.
👉 Key takeaway: Patching does not eliminate risk if attackers are faster than deployment.
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🤖 AI in Cyber
🛰️ Google Reports State-Backed Hackers Using Gemini AI for Recon
Google observed state-linked threat actors using Gemini AI to assist with reconnaissance and operational planning. The AI was not launching attacks directly, but it was helping prepare them.
👉 Key takeaway: AI is now embedded in adversary workflow. It does not need to be autonomous to be operationally dangerous.💰 North Korea-Linked UNC1069 Uses AI Lures to Target Crypto Firms
Threat researchers report UNC1069 leveraging AI-generated lures and social engineering techniques in crypto-focused campaigns. Automation increases sophistication without increasing headcount.
👉 Key takeaway: AI lowers the cost of scaling targeted deception.🌐 Researchers Find 175,000 Publicly Exposed Ollama AI Servers
Security researchers identified massive exposure of Ollama servers and OpenAI-compatible APIs accessible online. Misconfiguration and shadow AI deployments are rapidly expanding the attack surface.
👉 Key takeaway: AI infrastructure is becoming the new misconfigured cloud bucket, except this time it can reason.🧪 AI Agent Social Network Moltbook Exposed Sensitive Data
Security analysis of Moltbook’s agent network revealed data exposure risks and bot-to-bot prompt injection issues. Agent ecosystems introduce new trust boundary challenges.
👉 Key takeaway: AI agents introduce new identity and accountability problems enterprises are not prepared for.
🧟♂️ Strange Cyber
🧑💻 Ransomware Gang Abuses Employee Monitoring Tool and SimpleHelp for Persistence
Intro
Sometimes attackers don’t need exotic zero-days. They just need your HR software.
What Happened
A ransomware group leveraged legitimate employee monitoring software alongside SimpleHelp remote support tooling to maintain persistence inside victim environments. Instead of deploying obvious malware frameworks, they repurposed legitimate administrative tools.
Why It’s Important
Dual-use software continues to blur lines between normal operations and malicious activity. Security teams face detection challenges when attacker behavior mimics sanctioned IT workflows.
It is not always the scary tool. Sometimes it is the approved one.
The Other Side
Abusing legitimate tools is not new. But the frequency and creativity of misuse is increasing.
👉 Takeaway: If it can administer your environment, it can compromise it. Approved software is not automatically safe software.
TL;DR: Ransomware actors are hiding in plain sight using legitimate software.
Further Reading: BleepingComputer
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