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Sean Cairncross Confirmed in 59-35 Senate Vote Despite Lacking Technical Experience
The United States has a new national cyber director after a tense Senate vote ended months of political and procedural delays, allowing the Trump administration to push forward with its sweeping overhaul of federal cybersecurity priorities.

Security Experts Call for Coordinated Autonomy Over Complete Integration
One team quotes Shakespeare. The other speaks in Morse Code. Now, imagine forcing them to write a play together. Yet IT and OT organizations are being asked to work as one. Is full integration really possible, or should we keep them at respectful distance for security reasons?

Orange Cyberdefense's Dominic Trott on Investor Hesitancy, Geopolitical Obstacles
The United Kingdom has a strong track record of supporting startups and building successful organizations, but U.K. cybersecurity startups still face hurdles, said Dominic Trott, director of strategy and alliances for the U.K. region at Orange Cyberdefense.

Threat Actor Maintains Long-Term Stealthy Access
Chinese nation-state hackers penetrated mobile telecom networks across Southeast Asia likely in order to track individuals' location, say security researchers. One tell about the hackers' intentions was deployment of a custom-made network scanning and packet capture utility tracked as CordScan.

The use on online tracking tools on the health-related websites and apps of HIPAA and non-HIPAA regulated entities continues to be a lightning rod due to a long list of ongoing data privacy, regulatory and legal concerns, said partner and attorney Elizabeth Hodge of the law firm Akerman.

Red-Hot Startup Noma Security to Deepen Protection for AI Models and Agents
With agentic AI deployments accelerating, Noma Security’s $100 million Series B will fuel development of risk management and runtime protection features. CEO Niv Braun said demand for securing agentic AI has surged among Fortune 500 firms and healthcare and financial institutions.

US Alleged Illumina 'Knowingly' Sold Feds Systems Containing Vulnerabilities
Genomics sequencing firm Illumina Inc. has agreed to pay $9.8 million to resolve False Claims Act whistleblower allegations that it sold software and systems containing cybersecurity vulnerabilities over more than seven years to government agencies.

New Funding, Platform Expansion Aim for Predictive, Autonomous Threat Defense
Safe's $70 million Series C will fund expanded capabilities across its cyber risk quantification, exposure management and third-party oversight tools. The company says its agentic AI vision – cyber AGI – will transform how enterprises manage and mitigate cyberthreats.

Also: Rethinking IT-OT Integration; Previewing Black Hat 2025
In this week's update, four ISMG editors discussed the latest on the ToolShell exploit and the rise of Warlock ransomware, why IT-OT integration may not be the best answer for industrial security and what to expect next week from ISMG Studio at Black Hat Conference 2025.

Security Expert Silke Holtmanns on Telecom Threats, Data Challenges and Zero Trust
Telecom firms face rising cyberthreats, growing regulatory pressure and shrinking budgets. But instead of chasing flashy solutions, the industry should focus on strengthening its security fundamentals, said Silke Holtmanns, telecommunication and critical infrastructure security expert at Blue Hour.

Investor Umesh Padval on Platform Power, Scaling Fast and Global AI Plays
Q2 2025 saw AI dominate global VC funding, grabbing $47.5 billion of the $94.6 billion raised. AI Investor Umesh Padval breaks down what makes AI infrastructure startups worth betting on - from platform depth and speed to regional ecosystems and exit timing.

Runners Hired to Connect Device to Bank's Network, Facilitating Remote Hacks
Researchers tied a cybercrime group tracked as UNC2891 to an attempted Asia-Pacific bank heist, in which remote attackers physically installed a 4G-enabled Raspberry Pi onto an ATM network switch, giving them remote access to the internal IT environment as part of an attempted cashout attack.

Gartner's Charlie Winckless on Why Palo Alto Is Breaking With Past M&A Tradition
Palo Alto Networks aims to acquire CyberArk for $25 billion, marking a major shift from its startup-focused M&A approach. Gartner VP Analyst Charlie Winckless says the deal highlights how AI and machine identity are reshaping what platform security vendors need to deliver.

Also: ToolShell Hits South Africa, Most Americans Are Online Fraud Victims
This week: Did China sneak a peek into ToolShell? ToolShell hacking in South Africa, Cisco flaws, an Arizona woman sentenced for aiding North Korea. Most Americans scammed online, a NASCAR data breach and a claimed data leak at France's Naval Group. Orange telecom disrupted. Dating app Tea breach.

Series C Funding Supports Evolution to Protecting API-Powered Business Revenue
With AI now outpacing cloud in enterprise adoption, Wallarm is evolving its API security platform to safeguard not just endpoints, but the business logic that drives digital revenue. With $55 million in new funding, the company is targeting CIOs and expanding globally to meet demand across sectors.

Advice for Young Cyber Professionals in the Age of AI and Security Automation
Professionals across industries, especially those in early career stages, are struggling to find not only jobs but also career path direction. The old map no longer applies. Today's environment requires adaptability, strategy and a willingness to build new paths entirely.

AI Tools Detect Breaches Quicker but Shadow AI Causes Breaches, Too
Organizations are detecting data breaches more quickly and paying less to remediate them, says IBM's new "Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025." Some caveats apply, with U.S. organizations experiencing higher breach costs. Breach fallout from shadow AI is also rising.

Firm Admits Paying Ransom in Exchange of Hacker's Promise to Delete Stolen Info
Two Florida-based law firms with offices in other states are notifying 282,100 people whose healthcare and other information was potentially compromised in separate data theft incidents. One of the firms admitted to paying a ransom to prevent its data from being leaked on the darkweb.

CyberArk Deal Adds Privileged Access Capabilities to Palo Alto Networks' Core Stack
With a $25 billion acquisition of CyberArk, Palo Alto Networks expands its cybersecurity platform to secure human, machine and AI identities. CEO Nikesh Arora said the move is timely as 88% of ransomware attacks now stem from credential theft, and agentic AI emerges as a new risk vector.