VP Vance RIPS World Leaders Over Free Speech And Mass Migration, New Wave Of Federal Firings Coming?
Judy Kurtz chats with The Hill's national political reporter Julia Manchester to break down Vice President Vance's remarks at the Munich Security Conference in Germany Friday morning. Also in your Debrief: TikTok returns to Apple, Google app stores amid Trump ban delay; Mexico threatens to sue Google over Gulf of Mexico name change. #TheHill #News #DonaldTrump #JDVance Make sure to subscribe to get your Daily Debrief with top headlines from The Hill every weekday. Follow The Hill on Instagram and X, @thehill
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Newsweek
23 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Google Issues 'High Alert' Warning for Insurance Sector
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A cybersecurity expert from Google's Threat Intelligence Group has warned that the insurance industry should be on "high alert" for attacks by a hacker group linked to the recent assault on the U.S. and U.K. retail sector. Why It Matters The wave of attacks attributed to the group in April—which targeted British retail chain M&S, French fashion house Dior and several U.S. firms—resulted in mass data theft, as well as financial losses totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. Google's warning follows disclosures from at least one insurance firm about disruptions and potential attacks, meaning hacker collective Scattered Spider may have already expanded its efforts into the sector. What To Know Scattered Spider, also known as UNC3944, is believed to be a trans-Atlantic coalition of hackers, whose past targets have included large firms across the technology, telecommunications and financial services sectors, according to Google, and more recently U.K. and U.S. retail chains. "Google Threat Intelligence Group is now aware of multiple intrusions in the U.S. which bear all the hallmarks of Scattered Spider activity. We are now seeing incidents in the insurance industry," chief analyst John Hultquist told The Register tech website on Monday. Hultquist added that, given the actor's history of "focusing on a sector at a time," the industry should be on "high alert," particularly for "social engineering schemes, which target their help desk and call centers." Newsweek has reached out to Google for further information on which companies may have been subject to the latest attacks linked to the group. The April attacks involved the group employing its signature technique of impersonating employees to infiltrate companies' networks. M&S, one of the primary targets, was forced to pause online orders as it dealt with the fallout. The company said disruptions are likely to continue into July, and estimates that the attack will result in a £300 million ($407 million) hit to this year's profits, the BBC reports. Following these attacks, Google updated its guidance on how firms can protect themselves from similar social engineering attacks. Recommendations included on-camera or in-person verifications by help-desk personnel, and to avoid relying on publicly available personal data. Stock image of a password being entered on a laptop keyboard. Inset: A smartphone screen displays the Google app logo. Stock image of a password being entered on a laptop keyboard. Inset: A smartphone screen displays the Google app logo. Oliver Berg / Cheng Xin/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images / Getty Images Google's latest warning for the insurance sector comes as U.S. companies have begun reporting outages and disruptions. Earlier this month, Erie Insurance, which operates in 12 states and has more than 6 million active policies, reported "unusual network activity," and is working with law enforcement while taking measures to "gain full understanding of the event." In a June 11 regulatory filing, Erie said: "Upon learning of this activity, the company activated its incident response protocols and took immediate action to respond to the situation to safeguard our systems." Philadelphia Insurance Companies similarly reported "suspicious activity," and later determined that "unauthorized access" was gained to its network. The company's website remains offline, redirecting users to a notice stating it has been working "around the clock to resolve this issue as quickly as possible." What People Are Saying Google Threat Intelligence, in guidance released following the retail sector attacks, urged companies to "enhance strong authentication criteria," while also enforcing "rigorous identity controls for password resets and multi-factor authentication registration." It added that companies should "educate and communicate the importance of remaining vigilant against modern-day social engineering attacks / campaigns," and that Scattered Spider campaigns "not only target end-users, but also IT and administrative personnel within enterprise environments." What Happens Next? Neither the Erie Insurance disruptions nor the Philadelphia Insurance Companies intrusion have been linked to Scattered Spider.
USA Today
25 minutes ago
- USA Today
Online sexual abuse of kids is getting worse. But vigilantes aren't the answer.
Online sexual abuse of kids is getting worse. But vigilantes aren't the answer. | Opinion As technology evolves, so do predators. In addition to targeting kids on social media, they increasingly use artificial intelligence to generate explicit images from otherwise innocent photos. Show Caption Hide Caption Melania Trump pushes for 'Take It Down Act' Melania Trump spoke out in favor of legislation that would criminalize the publication of nonconsensual deepfake sexual images. The FBI recently announced that ithas launched more than 250 investigations into a loosely organized network of online predators who coerce minors into sharing sexually explicit images, acts of self-harm, the abuse of family pets and even suicide. Every one of the bureau's 55 field offices is handling a case related to the network − a disturbing sign of the growing scale and severity of child exploitation in the digital age. Predators no longer need to be physically close to harm a child. They can reach kids through social media and online games, from TikTok and Discord to Roblox. They masquerade as peers or romantic interests, gain the minors' trust and then manipulate and abuse them − whether they're in a neighboring town or halfway around the world. Kids are sexually exploited, abused online 10 times per second Efforts to protect children online are falling woefully short. Worldwide, children are sexually abused and exploited on the internet about 10 times per second. In the United States, the national CyberTipline, which tracks suspected online child exploitation, recorded a staggering 29.2 million reported incidents in 2024. That included more than 546,000 reports of "online enticement" of sexual acts − more than a dozen times the reports from 2021. As technology evolves, so do predators. In addition to targeting kids using social media, they're increasingly using artificial intelligence to generate explicit images from otherwise innocent photos of children. Law enforcement is struggling to keep pace. There aren't enough investigators and prosecutors to handle the volume and complexity of these digital crimes. In response, a growing community of self-styled "pedophile hunters" is emerging online. Some pose as minors on dating apps or social media platforms − and then confront or expose adults who message them. Others track their targets down in person and violently attack them while broadcasting the assault online. Opinion: I banned TikTok and other social media for my kids. And I don't regret it. According to a New York Times analysis, pedophile hunters have mounted more than 170 documented violent attacks since 2023. The videos have collectively attracted millions of views. In some cases, the targets have been misidentified. A YouTuber with more than 800,000 followers wrongly tagged an innocent 62-year-old man as a pedophile after reading a news story. The man subsequently received a barrage of death threats. The actual pedophile identified in the article was already in jail for his crimes. 'Pedophile hunters' add to the problem Vigilantes may believe they're administering justice. In reality, they're interfering with investigations, putting bystanders in danger and − if turning to violence − committing crimes themselves. Most important, vigilante violence does nothing to help children who are abused online. These kids don't need mob justice, but rather a stronger legal approach and more resources for law enforcement. Lawmakers have made some progress on this front. Opinion: Technology is terrible, but I gave my kid an iPhone anyway. I think it's OK. Congress recently passed the bipartisan Take It Down Act. It criminalizes the publication of intimate photos, including AI-generated ones, of someone without their consent. It also requires social media companies to remove such images within 48 hours of a victim's report. President Donald Trump signed it into law in May. The new law is only a start, however. Congress also needs to hold social media companies accountable for protecting kids. This includes requiring stricter age-verification measures, which could prevent adults from posing as minors and contacting children. Lawmakers also could require companies to actively monitor and remove child sexual abuse content from their platforms. Additionally, the PROTECT Our Children Reauthorization Act would modernize law enforcement's response to online child exploitation by boosting funding and resources for the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program − the national network of federal, state and local law enforcement dedicated to investigating online child sexual abuse. With nearly half of U.S. police departments staffed by fewer than 10 officers, we need federal support if we're to keep pace with tech-savvy online predators. Vigilante violence won't deliver the justice children deserve. Real safety will come from strengthening law enforcement and making social media platforms safer. Teresa Huizar is CEO of Washington, DC-based National Children's Alliance, a network of nearly 1,000 children's advocacy centers, providing justice and healing through services to child victims of abuse and their families.
Business Wire
31 minutes ago
- Business Wire
N-able Accelerates Security Transformation with Appointment of Cybersecurity Leader Vikram Ramesh as Chief Marketing Officer
BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- N-able, Inc. (NYSE: NABL), a global software company delivering a unified cyber resiliency platform, today announced Vikram Ramesh has been appointed Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). With more than two decades of cybersecurity marketing and business leadership, Ramesh will be instrumental in accelerating the company's growth and evolution into a globally recognized leader of cybersecurity solutions. Ramesh previously served as Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) at N-able, where he architected the strategic vision that is now driving the company's security transformation and prior to that, as CMO of Adlumin, he spearheaded efforts to transform the company's messaging and market positioning, leading to its successful acquisition by N-able in November 2024. Before that, he served as Head of Global Marketing at Google Cloud Security, following Google's $5.4 billion acquisition of Mandiant, where he built the global marketing organization from the ground up as CMO. 'Vikram's appointment represents a pivotal moment in N-able's transformation journey," said John Pagliuca, CEO at N-able. "His deep cybersecurity expertise across Fortune 500 enterprises and high-growth security innovators makes him uniquely qualified to lead our marketing evolution as we shift from IT management to becoming the midmarket's most trusted cyber resiliency partner. His proven ability to redefine market categories and drive explosive growth will be instrumental as we establish N-able as a security-first brand.' In his new role, Ramesh will lead the global marketing organization to elevate brand awareness and accelerate the company's growth in the cybersecurity space. Drawing on his experience at industry leaders like Google and Mandiant, he will play a key role in advancing the N-able mission to protect worldwide businesses against evolving cyberthreats. 'I'm thrilled to support N-able's mission and help elevate its brand as a global force in security innovation,' said Ramesh. 'As cyberattacks grow more frequent, targeted, and sophisticated, the need for accessible protection has never been greater. The company's commitment to level the cybersecurity playing field with a unified best-of-breed cyber resilience platform aligns with my passion for ensuring enterprise-grade security is available to organizations of all sizes. I look forward to working with the team to continue strengthening N-able's position as a trusted security partner and market leader.' About N-able At N-able, our mission is to protect businesses against evolving cyberthreats with a unified cyber resiliency platform to manage, secure, and recover. Our scalable technology infrastructure includes AI-powered capabilities, market-leading third-party integrations, and the flexibility to employ technologies of choice—to transform workflows and deliver critical security outcomes. Our partner-first approach combines our products with experts, training, and peer-led events that empower our customers to be secure, resilient, and successful. © 2025 N-able Solutions ULC and N-able Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved. The N-able trademarks, service marks, and logos are the exclusive property of N-able Solutions ULC and N-able Technologies Ltd. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Category: Company
