Media: The Sophisticated Soft Weapons of the Modern Era

Cognitive Manipulation Mechanisms

Modern media represents a complex neuropsychological intervention system designed to systematically influence human cognitive processes through strategic communication technologies.

US Homeland Security News :Venezuela under US cyber attack! Blackout in Greater Caracas and other regions of Venezuela.

Given the available evidence, there is a strong possibility that the power outage was caused by internal problems, infrastructure or human sabotage, not a foreign cyberattack.

The release of this news is more of a psychological nationalism for the Venezuelan people and their weak government officials than a technical and cyber reality...

US Homeland Security News

Google recommends that 2.5 billion Gmail users change their passwords following an advanced phishing attack that started through a Salesforce vulnerability.

 

Google recommends that 2.5 billion Gmail users change their passwords following an advanced phishing attack that started through a Salesforce vulnerability.

The attack included fake phone calls with attackers posing as Google representatives, prompting users to enter their login details.

Google did not specify the extent of the affected users but emphasized the need for an immediate password change. It also recommends enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) and avoiding entering login details during unidentified phone calls.

The password change recommendation was also delivered via messages within Gmail to ensure users take immediate action.

Hackers breached the customer service system of TransUnion in the US through a third-party application, exposing sensitive personal information of about 4.4 million Americans including names, addresses, birth dates, and Social Security numbers, but without credit reports.

 

Hackers breached the customer service system of TransUnion in the US through a third-party application, exposing sensitive personal information of about 4.4 million Americans including names, addresses, birth dates, and Social Security numbers, but without credit reports.

The attack is attributed to the ShinyHunters and UNC6395 groups who exploited vulnerabilities in Salesforce.

TransUnion provides credit rating and financial information management services, so such a leak poses a serious risk of identity theft.

The company offers affected individuals two years of credit monitoring and identity protection services, while a class-action lawsuit against it is under review. Law enforcement authorities continue their investigation.

ESET researchers exposed PromptLock, the world’s first ransomware written using artificial intelligence.

 

ESET researchers exposed PromptLock, the world’s first ransomware written using artificial intelligence.

This is a PoC demonstrating the potential of using a local LLM (gpt-oss:20b via Ollama API) to create Lua scripts in real time, used for file scanning, data theft, and encryption.

The ransomware is written in Golang, runs on Windows and Linux, and uses the SPECK 128-bit encryption algorithm. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that each execution generates different and dynamic code, making it difficult for signature-based detection systems to stop it.

Although this is a demonstration and not a real attack, researchers warn that integrating AI into ransomware could make advanced capabilities accessible even to criminals with little technical knowledge, creating a new generation of more sophisticated ransomware.

ESET’s recommendations for dealing with this are maintaining proper backups, monitoring dynamic script creation, and preparing defenses against AI-based attacks.

#Ransomware #AI #PromptLock #ESET #CyberThreats #Malware

Tom Alexandrovich, a child molester who is the mastermind and founder of the Israeli Cyber Dome.

Tom Artyom Alexandrovich, 38, an Israeli national; executive director of the cyber department of the

Israeli National Cyber Authority, was arrested in Las Vegas, USA, along with eight other men. He was arrested on a felony charge of luring a child using a computer for sexual activity and was released on $10,000 bail and immediately returned to Israel.

Prior to this incident, Alexandrovich was known as a senior manager in Israel’s cybersecurity sector, specifically the Israeli National Cyber Authority. He had recently attended the Black Hat briefings, a cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas.

Under Nevada law, the charge of luring a child using a computer for sexual activity can carry a prison sentence of between one and ten years.

Others arrested with him include:

David Wonnacott-Yahnke, 40

Jose Alberto Perez-Torres, 35

Aniket Brajeshkumar Sadani, 23

James Ramon Reddick, 23

Ramon Manuel Parra Valenzuela, 29

Neal Harrison Creecy, 46

John Charles Duncan, 49

Tom Alexandrovich is a cybersecurity leader and executive specializing in national security cyber defense. He played a key role in designing and building Israel’s groundbreaking “Cyber Dome” program, a national initiative to protect civilian cyberspace. His expertise includes developing national cyber strategies, building high-performance teams, and protecting critical infrastructure and democratic institutions from advanced persistent threats (APTs).

With deep experience in cyber threat intelligence (CTI) and proactive cyber defense, Alexandrovich has shaped national cybersecurity policies not only in Israel but also on the international stage. He has advised senior government officials, managed multi-million dollar cybersecurity budgets, and contributed to the resilience of critical infrastructure and election security.

As the founder of Israel’s Cyber Dome program and the national approach to proactive cyber defense, Alexandrovich has significantly strengthened the country’s cyber resilience. His contributions include co-founding the Israeli National Aviation Cyber Security Program and receiving the Israel Defense Forces Award for Outstanding Achievement.

This incident exemplifies the multi-layered complexities that arise from the intersection of technology, ethics, and politics. The arrest of a senior cybersecurity official not only has a personal dimension, but also raises fundamental questions about the regulatory structure and professional ethics in this field. Given the sensitive place of cybersecurity in international relations, such incidents can have profound implications for strategic cooperation.

From an analytical perspective, this incident highlights the importance of multi-dimensional approaches; Because it cannot be reduced to a single individual error. The ethical, security, and political issues are intertwined, and any strategic analysis must consider these dimensions simultaneously.

Many analysts consider him to be one of the most powerful cyberwarfare officials in the entire Israeli government, a man who operates at the nerve center of the national intelligence and defense apparatus. As head of the data and artificial intelligence division at Israel’s National Cybersecurity Authority, his job is nothing less than protecting Israel’s critical infrastructure from digital attacks—everything from the power grid to airports to the country’s most sensitive information networks.

Officially, the swift response from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office was an attempt to contain the diplomatic crisis. The clear statement that no arrests had taken place was implicitly intended to calm public opinion and prevent media hype. This approach in crisis diplomacy is a smart move to avoid damaging political relations.

Israel was able to prevent the crisis from escalating by insisting that the issue had no political dimensions; However, the global media coverage highlights the importance of public opinion management. This incident demonstrated that failure to control the media narrative in a timely manner can have serious costs for an institution’s credibility. Therefore, designing a proactive communication strategy is a key imperative in cyber management.

AI-Driven Trends in Endpoint Security: What the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ Reveals

 

Cyber threats and attacks like ransomware continue to increase in volume and complexity with the endpoint typically being the most sought after and valued target. With the rapid expansion and adoption of AI, it is more critical than ever to ensure the endpoint is adequately secured by a platform capable of not just keeping pace, but staying ahead of an ever-evolving threat landscape.

SentinelOne's steadfast commitment to delivering AI-powered cybersecurity enables global customers and partners to achieve resiliency and reduce risk with real-time, autonomous protection across the entire enterprise — all from a single agent and console with a robust, rigorously tested platform that keeps the customer in control.

Cybersecurity today isn't just about detection—it's about operational continuity under pressure. For example, endpoint solutions must account for encrypted traffic inspection, policy enforcement during identity compromise, and fast containment across distributed environments. These capabilities are especially critical in industries like healthcare or finance, where seconds can mean regulatory penalties or breached patient records.

Gartner recently named SentinelOne a Leader in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms for the fifth consecutive year. This recognition builds on the Singularity Platform's momentum in innovation as the first solution with an AI analyst and the first unified platform delivering EDR, CNAPP, Hyperautomation, and SIEM to be FedRAMP High (the highest level of U.S. federal cloud security authorization) Authorized.

SentinelOne provides protection for organizations of all sizes—from small businesses to global governments and enterprises—meeting their unique needs in the face of an increasingly complex cyber landscape. The Singularity Platform secures organizations across any device, any OS, and any cloud, providing industry-leading signal-to-noise so SOC teams can focus on responding as quickly as possible. With advanced XDR, AI SIEM, and CNAPP capabilities, a lightweight agent, and responsible architecture, SentinelOne offers a solution designed for both security and operational resiliency.

Organizations using Singularity Endpoint and Purple AI detect threats 63% faster, reduce MTTR by 55%, and lower the likelihood of a security incident by 60%. Customers have reported a 338% ROI over three years, maximizing the value of their security investments while strengthening their endpoint security.

For example, a healthcare provider using SentinelOne reported cutting incident response time by over 50% during a phishing-induced ransomware outbreak, thanks to automated rollback and unified visibility across cloud workloads and endpoints.

Many teams searching for EDR or XDR platforms are trying to answer: "Will this reduce alert fatigue?" or "Can it integrate with my SIEM or SOAR stack without more overhead?" This is where automation must go beyond buzzwords—reducing manual triage, stitching disconnected signals, and working with existing tools instead of replacing them.

https://thehackernews.com/2025/07/ai-driven-trends-in-endpoint-security.html

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Thousands tricked by fake crypto apps via Facebook ads

They install a stealthy new malware—JSCEAL—that hijacks wallets, steals passwords in real-time, and evades most detection tools.

Worse? It's still active.

Human rights activist, Yasemin Acar: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Human rights activist Yasemin Acar was acquitted in a Berlin court after facing charges for chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Acar said, “Germany has found a way to criminalize and discredit a legitimate struggle for justice by claiming that the chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” calls for the erasure of Jewish life. But it is fully aware that this call represents a demand for liberation from Zionism, occupation, and settler colonialism - freedom for Palestine, from the river to the sea.”

The court accepted her detailed defense, which highlighted Germany’s political and military role in Palestinian suffering and the genocide in Gaza. Acar added, “True justice will not come from laws that selectively decide who deserves rights and who does not. Nor will it come from courts that define justice based on what serves power.”

Israel continues its genocidal war on Gaza and aggression in the occupied West Bank

Israeli journalist Avraham Grinzig reacted to the UK’s decision to recognize the Palestinian state, saying that by September, there will be nothing left to recognize, as Israel continues its genocidal war on Gaza and aggression in the occupied West Bank.

120,000+ attacks in the wild

Hackers are exploiting a critical bug (CVSS 9.8) in a popular WordPress theme to hijack sites—no login needed.

They’re planting PHP backdoors and rogue admin accoun

Netanyahu's favorability among Americans plunged to a record low in a new poll released Tuesday.

 

A new poll from Gallup showed Netanyahu with his lowest favorability among Americans since the pollster began tracking his favorability in 1997—nearly 30 years.

Fifty-two percent of respondents said they view Netanyahu unfavorably, compared to only 29 percent who view him favorably; 19 percent said they had no opinion of him.

In June 2024, 45 percent viewed him unfavorably, compared to 35 percent who viewed him favorably and 21 percent who had no opinion. In April 2019, 40 percent viewed him favorably, while 27 percent viewed him unfavorably and 33 percent had no opinion of him.

Dan Bilzerian

 Dan Bilzerian:

“I like #Muslims. They follow a #peaceful religion, but they often receive unfair portrayal in the media.”

The FDD confirmed the results of the operation of the hacking group CYBER ISNAAD FRONT!!!

A new Anti-Israel hacktivist group called Cyber Isnaad Front (الجبهة الإسناد السيبرانية) claims to have compromised Israeli government, military, and private sector targets. 
While the group posts in Arabic and presents itself as independent, Its behaviors align with known Iranian hacktivist fronts, suggesting the group may have ties to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

This article was written by Max Lesser and Ari Ben Am on FDD.

Do you know them?!!!

Let's take a quick look at them:

Max Lesser is a senior analyst on emerging threats at FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation. Max previously served as head of U.S. policy analysis and engagement at Darktrace Federal, a cybersecurity company that specializes in AI. Max’s research and insights on foreign malign influence have been referenced by OpenAI and featured in media such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and NBC News.

Max Lesser Expertise:

Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cyber, Cyber-Enabled Economic Warfare, Information Warfare

Max Lesser Projects:

Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation, Transformative Cyber Innovation Lab

… But Ari Ben Am

Ari Ben Am is an adjunct fellow at FDD's Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation. His research focuses on emerging threats, influence and information operations, cyber operations, and hybrid warfare.

Ari is an open-source intelligence analyst by trade and the co-founder of Telemetry Data Labs, a Telegram data analytics and investigation platform. He writes in an independent capacity at Memeticwarfare.io. Ari earned a dual B.A. in East Asian and Middle Eastern studies from Tel Aviv University.

Ari Ben Am Expertise:

Cyber, Cyber-Enabled Economic Warfare, Information Warfare

Projects:

Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation, Transformative Cyber Innovation Lab

Book Ari Ben Am

Hacktivist Front Has Already Found Success

Cyber Isnaad Front opened a Telegram Channel on June 17 and, the next day, claimed to have successfully compromised Israeli defense contractors and critical infrastructure providers, exfiltrating data and destroying systems. The group’s Telegram channel has fewer than 1,000 subscribers. Regardless of its small following, the group backed up its claims of success by posting employee data, documents, blueprints, and CCTV footage of offices and factories. While the Foundation for Defense of Democracies cannot authenticate this evidence, at least some of it appears to be genuine. The posted documents have no language issues or formatting problems. Other elements, such as CCTV footage, show no obvious signs of forgery.

When posting about its alleged victims, the group uses a modified version of the inverted red triangle that Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades places on military targets in propaganda videos. The Telegram channel also links to an associated dark web site, where it salutes the Palestinian nation and the children of Gaza.

Hacktivist Group or Front for Iran?

While draping itself in the imagery of Palestinian terrorist groups, Cyber Isnaad Front’s behavior aligns with Iranian hackers, specifically, the Iranian group Emennet Pasargad, which now operates under the name Aria Sepehr Ayandehsazan (ASA). ASA is one of the most skilled and prolific Iranian cyber threat actors, known for attacking Israeli, U.S., and European targets. Like ASA, Cyber Isnaad Front targets Israeli critical infrastructure, government agencies, and military suppliers. Both groups post high-quality videos and stylized images and documents showcasing hacked data. Both groups also use dark web sites and similar rhetoric alleging Israeli war crimes.

Iranian state media appears to have worked in lockstep with Cyber Isnaad Front as it has done with ASA in the past. Iranian press outlets published multiple articles, including in Hebrew, to broadcast Cyber Isnaad Front’s successes. Given the group’s small Telegram following and recent creation, it is unlikely that Iranian news outlets would have picked up its claims had there not been backchannel coordination. The Iranian influence operation “Attack Alarm” also shared content from Cyber Isnaad Front.

Unlike other Iranian and pro-regime threat actors, however, Cyber Isnaad Front uses human actors in its videos instead of screen recordings or other imagery. This may be a sign of Iranian hacktivists mimicking Russia’s use of actors in its influence operations.

Know Your Customer Requirements Make Hacking Harder

The United States has already sanctioned members of ASA but with little success. Effective financial sanctions are needed to protect the integrity of the global financial system from illicit activity. The United States and its partners should therefore improve the integrity of global internet infrastructure to impose costs on Cyber Isnaad Front and other threat actors. Malicious actors often rent servers and purchase domains without revealing their identities or, if they are under U.S. sanctions, their designation. These groups prefer to rent from Western companies or hosting companies with infrastructure located in America or Europe since cyber defense tools are less likely to identify Western-hosted operations as malicious. Washington must work with Europe — where many network providers are domiciled — to create stricter know your customer requirements for hosting providers, including integrating biometrics. Forcing hackers to use less reliable and less trusted network infrastructure — perhaps even illicit providers — will make each operation more expensive and more cumbersome. Pressuring threat actors to use lower-quality providers also makes it easier for the United States and its allies to take action against those providers as illustrated by the July 1 sanctioning of the Russian bulletproof hosting firm Aeza.

The Evolution of Modern Warfare: Technology, Strategy, and the New Battlefield

Modern warfare has evolved significantly over the past few decades, influenced by technological advancements, geopolitical shifts, and changes in military strategy.

Here are some key aspects of modern warfare

1. Technological Advancements

• Cyber Warfare: The rise of the internet and digital technologies has led to cyber warfare becoming a critical component of modern conflicts. Nations engage in cyber attacks to disrupt infrastructure, steal sensitive information, and influence public opinion.
• Drones and Unmanned Systems: Drones are now widely used for surveillance and targeted strikes, allowing for precision attacks without risking human lives. This has changed the dynamics of battlefield engagement.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI is increasingly being integrated into military operations, from logistics and planning to autonomous weapons systems. AI can analyze vast amounts of data to provide strategic insights and enhance decision-making.

2. Asymmetrical Warfare

• Modern conflicts often involve asymmetrical warfare, where state and non-state actors engage in unconventional tactics. Insurgencies, guerrilla warfare, and terrorism are common, as weaker parties exploit the vulnerabilities of stronger opponents.

3. Hybrid Warfare

• Hybrid warfare combines conventional military force with irregular tactics, cyber operations, and information warfare. This approach blurs the lines between war and peace, making it difficult to identify the enemy and respond effectively.

4. Information Warfare

• Controlling the narrative is crucial in modern warfare. Propaganda, misinformation, and psychological operations are used to influence public perception and undermine the enemy's morale. Social media plays a significant role in disseminating information rapidly.

5. Globalization and Proxy Wars

• Globalization has led to increased interdependence among nations, but it has also resulted in proxy wars where countries support opposing sides in conflicts to further their interests without direct involvement.

6. Legal and Ethical Considerations

• The changing nature of warfare raises complex legal and ethical questions. Issues such as the use of drones, cyber attacks, and the treatment of combatants and civilians are subjects of ongoing debate in international law.

7. Future Trends

• The future of warfare may see further integration of AI, robotics, and biotechnology. Nations are investing in developing advanced technologies to maintain a strategic edge, leading to an arms race in emerging domains.

Conclusion

Modern warfare is characterized by its complexity and the interplay of various factors, including technology, strategy, and international relations. As conflicts continue to evolve, understanding these dynamics is essential for policymakers, military leaders, and scholars alike. The challenges posed by modern warfare require innovative solutions and a reevaluation of traditional military doctrines.