Here are 10 of the most significant ransomware attacks since 2020, plus the key lessons they teach us about protecting ourselves. 1. Colonial Pipeline (USA, 2021) What happened:   The DarkSide group hit Colonial Pipeline, the largest fuel pipeline operator in the U.S., forcing a temporary shutdown that disrupted fuel supplies along the East Coast .​ How they got in:  Attackers used a compromised password on an old VPN account that did not have multi‑factor authentication (MFA

It's no secret that ransomware is a serious issue facing companies today. In fact, 2025 alone saw an estimated 41% of organizations hit with ransomware . It's a sneaky, silent animal that most people are completely unaware of until it strikes with deadly force. If it were an animal, it would look like this: For the realists out there, ransomware is a type of malicious software that locks up your company's data or systems, demanding payment—often in cryptocurrency—to restore a

Looking Back in Order to Look Ahead The last year was an interesting one for cybersecurity. We saw some pretty significant failures, but also some pretty significant developments. And as we step into 2026, the cybersecurity landscape feels more volatile—and more pivotal—than ever. The events of 2025 didn’t just challenge existing defenses; they reshaped the global understanding of what modern threat actors are capable of. Last year saw a surge in cloud intrusions, AI-augmente

Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 just unveiled the SHIELD governance framework, a fresh tool designed to bolster security in vibe coding practices . This initiative helps organizations assess and mitigate risks tied to AI-assisted coding tools, ensuring safer development environments. Because while AI coding boosts productivity, it also opens doors to sneaky security threats like data poisoning or malware insertion. The SHIELD framework aims to solve that. Vibe coding, in case you

If you've been scrolling through headlines lately, you've probably noticed quantum computing popping up. And with good reason: 2025 has been a wild year for it, with real strides turning heads from Wall Street to university labs. We're seeing major updates in the field of Quantum Computing, and even some early hints of practical uses. A 30-Second Refresher: What Quantum Computing Actually Is Think of your regular computer as a person in a maze. He picks one path at a time to

Technology dominates how we communicate, learn, and entertain ourselves. From smartphones to smart homes, it helps simplify and enrich our lives. With the emergence of AI, however, we've seen a fascinating mixture of awe and fear that seems to have struck everyone. Maybe it's because Hollywood and literature have spent decades telling us that AI is going to take over the world. In 2001: A Space Odyssey  (1968), HAL 9000 is the ultimate polite psychopath: “I’m sorry, Dave. I’m

The lush ecosystem of Python, with its numerous libraries and frameworks, offers immense power and flexibility. It also opens the door to potential vulnerabilities if not handled with care. As developers, it's important to be vigilant and proactive, ensuring that our Python code remains safe, impervious to the prying eyes and malicious intentions of those who would seek to exploit it. In this post, we'll explore three practices that you can begin implementing into your coding

There's a fundamental formula in Physics that precisely defines the concept of work : W = Fs : Work (W) equals force (F) multiplied by displacement or distance (s) In order for something to produce work, it must have a force moving it, and it must move some sort of distance. Let's delve deeper into this principle by exploring various scenarios. Imagine applying 0.5 pounds of pressure (Force) to a rubber ball, causing it to roll 3 feet (distance). In this case, the Work would

Most security programs fail. Even with 96% of executives making security a top priority, teams struggle to build lasting security awareness: Cybercrime costs are predicted to exceed $10 trillion annually by the end of 2025 . Roughly 68% of data breaches  come down to human factors. Ninety-nine percent of IT leaders  know security culture matters, but three-quarters of companies still got hit with security incidents last year. Now, you might think your security culture is sol

Quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize various fields, including natural language processing (NLP) and the functioning of large language models (LLMs).

In today's quickly-evolving tech landscape where cybersecurity threats become more complex with each year, many developers are struggling to fortify their applications and networks against attacks. One technology in particular---vibe coding--- has proven itself to be quite the double-edged sword . It can speed up the CI/CD pipeline, but it also opens up apps and networks to severe security risks. But even as threats are evolving, so is security, and one increasingly popular

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It's been fifteen years since "Satoshi Nakamoto" released Bitcoin to the world, and it's changed things. Whether it's because it has made...

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m getting a little tired of cyberattacks. I don't mean on my personal accounts or machines, but just in general. It feels like we are seeing an increasing number of these things. Just in the last few months, we have seen attacks on casinos, electoral records, universities, and even cybersecurity service providers. It’s really depressing. Here’s the question, though: why ? Why are these things happening with an alarming frequency? Are

Originally printed in Catholic Exchange on August 8, 2019 Told by Sean Fitzpatrick Late one night, St. Dominic sat up to write deep...

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