In his second inauguration, President Donald Trump showcased a new alliance with Silicon Valley’s elite, seating tech titans like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos more prominently than governors. A golden era dawns, blurring lines between politics, innovation, and global power. All eyes watch closely now!!!
Mr Donald Trump was sworn in on January 20, 2025, as the 47th U.S. President amid talk of sweeping policy shifts. Global markets breathed a sigh of relief at his trade probes in lieu of immediate tariffs, while billionaire oligarchs stood front and center at the scaled-down ceremony.
Stunned creators and small businesses saw TikTok vanish from U.S. app stores, reeling from a Supreme Court’s ban order—until President-elect Donald Trump vowed to 'SAVE TIKTOK.' In a single day, the platform roared back, revealing just how powerful a viral app and a presidential promise can be. Wow.
LockBit resurfaced days after a global takedown, relaunching on the dark web. While the group's return underscores the difficulty of permanent disruption, experts still view the takedown as a major win for law enforcement.
On the 20th of February this year, a coalition of international law enforcement agencies disrupted LockBit - a prolific ransomware group involved in several recent cyber incidents, such as the DP World hack and Citrix Bleed Vulnerability.
The action was hailed as a major win for cyber security institutions around the world as LockBit had become increasingly prolific in recent years, supplying ransomware as a service.
However, just 6 days later LockBit resurfaced on the darkweb and launched a new site shortly after a recent global law enforcement effort dismantled their infrastructure.
Despite the takedown, the group's leader posted a message and re-listed alleged victim organisations on the new site.
However, it appears that most, if not all, of the victims listed on the new site were targeted before the law enforcement takedown, suggesting that authorities may be able to provide decryptors for these victims. The FBI has not yet commented on the situation.
But it’s not all bad news, the takedown is still regarded as a major win for law enforcement and cyber security agencies with Emsisoft threat analyst Brett Callow stating:
“This doesn’t mean the disruption was a failure,” - “The fact is that LockBit, as a brand, is probably dead. It’s unlikely that anybody would trust an operation that was so completely compromised.”
According to The Hacker News, LockBit may already be in damage control having removed EquiLend and Ernest Healthcare from its data leak site as of February 29 2024, a promising sign for organisations globally.
“Bottom line: this was a very big win for the good guys. That said, this does highlight the challenges law enforcement face,” - “Some groups have cockroach-like resilience and permanently taking them out of action is far from easy.” - Brett Callow
In 2024, deepfakes became a major threat, causing market disruptions and privacy concerns. The rapid growth of AI technology has made digital deception easier, stressing the urgent need for enhanced verification systems to protect against misinformation and cyberattacks.
2024 saw hackers unleashing AI-powered phishing and deepfake scams, leaving agencies scrambling. From deepfake fraud to open-source malware, cybercrime surged. But as we head into 2025, there’s hope—smarter defenses and a chance to outsmart evolving threats. Stay cautious and prepared!
China’s "Salt Typhoon" hackers have breached U.S. telecoms, raising cyber tensions. Experts warn of the threat to international stability, emphasizing the need for collaborative strategies to prevent escalation amid ongoing economic competition.
Chinese hackers allegedly breached U.S. telecoms tied to Harris and Trump campaigns, highlighting election security gaps. AI-driven deepfakes and disinformation also surge on social media, raising risks to democracy as voters near Election Day.
