Wind and solar take a cyber hit.

12 snips

Feb 2, 2026

Ann Johnson, Microsoft Corporate VP who champions secure design, chats with Dr. Lorrie Cranor, Carnegie Mellon privacy and usable security expert. They examine why security tools frustrate users. They tackle the struggle to replace passwords with passkeys and why adoption remains messy. They discuss shifting privacy expectations in a world of constant data collection.

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INSIGHT

Grid Monitoring Can Be Disabled Without Outages

Attackers disabled wind and solar monitoring while failing to cause outages.
Poland's CERT attributed the operation to Berserk Bear, highlighting grid exposure despite no blackout.

INSIGHT

New Hacker Alliance Uses Intimidation Tactics

A newly formed Russian hacker alliance, Russian Legion, has used DDoS and intimidation against Denmark.
TRU-SEC assesses them as likely state-aligned but not state-funded, favoring disruption over escalation.

ADVICE

Patch Or Restart Office To Block Exploits

Apply Microsoft updates or restart Office apps immediately after disclosure to block exploitation.
Monitor for weaponized documents and phishing that deliver Covenant C2 via external connections.

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Poland says weak security left parts of its power grid exposed. A Russian-linked hacker alliance threatens Denmark with a promised cyber offensive. Fancy Bear moves fast on a new Microsoft Office flaw, hitting Ukrainian and EU targets. Researchers find a sprawling supply chain attack buried in the ClawdBot AI ecosystem. A new report looks at how threats are shaping the work of journalists and security researchers. A stealthy Windows malware campaign blends Pulsar RAT with Stealerv37. A former Google engineer is convicted of stealing AI trade secrets for China. The latest cybersecurity funding and deal news. On our Afternoon Cyber Tea segment, Microsoft’s Ann Johnson chats with Dr. Lorrie Cranor from Carnegie Mellon about security design. The AI dinosaur that knew too much.

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Afternoon Cyber Tea

Dr. Lorrie Cranor⁠, Director of the CyLab Security and Privacy Institute at Carnegie Mellon University joins Ann Johnson, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft, on this month's segment of Afternoon Cyber Tea to discuss the critical gap between security design and real-world usability. They explore why security tools often fail users, the ongoing challenges with passwords and password less authentication, and how privacy expectations have evolved in an era of constant data collection. You can listen to Ann and Lorrie's full conversation here, and catch new episodes Afternoon Cyber Tea every other Tuesday on your favorite podcast app.

Selected Reading

Russian hackers breached Polish power grid thanks to bad security, report says (TechCrunch)

Newly Established Russian Hacker Alliance Threatens Denmark (Truesec)

Fancy Bear Exploits Microsoft Office Flaw in Ukraine, EU Cyber-Attacks (Infosecurity Magazine)

Notepad++ Hijacked by State-Sponsored Hackers (Notepad++)

ClawdBot Skills Just Ganked Your Crypto (OpenSource Malware Blog)

Under Pressure: Exploring the effect of legal and criminal threats on security researchers and journalists (DataBreaches.Net)

Windows Malware Uses Pulsar RAT for Live Chats While Stealing Data (Hackread)

U.S. convicts ex-Google engineer for sending AI tech data to China (Bleeping Computer)

Upwind secures $250 million in a Series B round. (N2K Pro Business Briefing)

Don't Buy Internet-Connected Toys For Your Kids (Blackout VPN)

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