Cyber News Bytes: What’s Happening in Cybersecurity This Week

Not every security story arrives with alarms or urgency. Some unfold slowly, reveal patterns, and tell us more about where risk is drifting rather than exploding.

 This week’s headlines are a good example of that shift.

Let’s break down what happened this week. 👇

1. SEC charges expose a $14M crypto scam built on fake AI credibility

What happened:
The SEC filed charges against multiple companies tied to a coordinated cryptocurrency investment scam that raised more than $14 million from retail investors. The operation used social media ads to lure victims into WhatsApp investment groups where fake “professors” and “assistants” promoted AI-generated trading signals and directed users to fraudulent crypto platforms that never executed real trades.

Why it matters:
This case shows how AI branding is increasingly used as a social-engineering multiplier rather than a technical innovation. The scam succeeded not because of advanced infrastructure, but because it simulated legitimacy over time, blending financial language, authority figures, and perceived regulatory alignment.

How to use it:
Security teams should treat long-term trust building campaigns as a core threat model, not an edge case. The longer an attacker can maintain narrative control, the more traditional warning signs lose their effectiveness.

Read more on Hacker News

2. ServiceNow’s $7.75B Armis acquisition reflects platform-driven security consolidation

What happened:
ServiceNow announced an all cash acquisition of Armis for $7.75 billion, shelving Armis’ IPO plans and integrating its asset intelligence and exposure management capabilities into ServiceNow’s workflow ecosystem. The deal follows recent Armis acquisitions and comes shortly after ServiceNow confirmed its intent to acquire identity security company Veza.

Why it matters:
This move reinforces a broader trend: security tools are becoming more valuable when they translate visibility into operational context. Asset intelligence across IT, OT, IoT, and medical environments is no longer niche it’s foundational to managing risk in increasingly automated and AI assisted enterprises.

How to use it:
For security leaders, this signals continued pressure to rationalize tooling around platforms that enable action, not just alerts. Integration and workflow relevance are becoming as important as detection depth.

Read more on Security Week

3. Malicious Chrome extensions quietly turning browsers into data collection points

What happened:
Researchers identified two Chrome extensions posing as proxy and network-testing tools that rerouted user traffic through attacker-controlled infrastructure. Acting as a man in the middle, the extensions were capable of harvesting credentials, session cookies, API tokens, and sensitive form data across hundreds of high-value domains.

Why it matters:
Browser extensions continue to represent a persistent blind spot in endpoint security. Marketplace presence and long availability still create a false sense of safety, even among technically experienced users.

How to use it:
Extension governance should be treated as part of the supply chain threat model, not a user level hygiene issue. Permissions, traffic behavior, and ongoing monitoring deserve the same scrutiny as any other third-party component.

Read more on Bleeping Computer

Across all three stories, the pattern is consistent: risk is increasingly shaped by trust, integration, and visibility gaps, not just technical flaws. Whether it’s AI branded scams, platform consolidation, or quietly malicious extensions, attackers and vendors alike are operating in the spaces where users and organizations assume legitimacy.

Security strategy today is less about reacting faster and more about questioning what feels normal.

Keep Learning, Keep Growing,
Sandra