Welcome back to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s (ITRC) Weekly Breach Breakdown, supported by Sentilink. I’m James E. Lee, the ITRC’s President, and this is the episode for July 18, 2025. Each week, we take a look at the latest news and trends related to data security and privacy. This week, the ITRC released our H1 2025 Data Breach Analysis that looks at what happened in the first six months of 2025 when it comes to U.S. data compromises. Let’s talk about the trends, but first, some housekeeping with some numbers: 

A total of 1,732 data compromises were reported in the first half of 2025, resulting in a little more than 165.7 million breach notices. That’s about five percent ahead of where we were at this time last year in terms of compromises. It’s also more reported compromises than at the halfway point in 2023, when we set the current high-water mark for data compromises.  

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The Weekly Breach Breakdown: ITRC H1 2025 Data Breach Analysis – Key Findings & Takeaways – S6E22

Stay ahead with today’s top healthcare cybersecurity headlines. From stealthy Linux backdoors and widespread data theft by Vietnamese hackers, to critical printer vulnerabilities and phishing attacks targeting developers — we cover the latest threats that matter. Get quick, clear updates on malware, cyber risks, and innovations reshaping healthcare security. Perfect for professionals who need the facts fast.

Linux Backdoor Found, Vietnamese Hackers Strike, Fujifilm Printers at Risk, and More

This episode covers the latest in cybersecurity, from the CORNFLAKE.V3 backdoor and QR code phishing scams to hackers abusing the Internet Archive and cheap VPS services. We also look at Apple’s seventh zero-day patch of the year, new DripDropper malware tactics, and how AI crawler traffic is overwhelming websites.

Cyber Threats on the Rise: New Malware, Phishing Tactics, and AI Traffic Overload

Dr. Rick Goud brings a unique perspective to the data sovereignty conversation, combining medical informatics expertise with entrepreneurial technology innovation. As co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Zivver, a secure digital communications platform acquired by Kiteworks in 2025, Goud's journey began with an unexpected twist – missing out on medical school in the Netherlands' lottery system led him to medical informatics, where he discovered his passion for solving healthcare's data security challenges. His background as a strategy consultant in healthcare, where he witnessed firsthand the alarming frequency of sensitive patient data being shared through insecure channels, sparked his mission to create solutions that balance robust security with user-friendly functionality.

The podcast reveals a fundamental tension in European data sovereignty: While Europe boasts the world's strongest data protection laws like GDPR and the upcoming EU Data Act, organizations remain heavily dependent on foreign cloud infrastructure. Goud explains that the challenge extends beyond mere infrastructure – it's the absence of true European alternatives for essential software services that creates vulnerability. He highlights recent incidents, including a French Microsoft executive's court admission that Microsoft cannot prevent U.S. government access to data without customer notification, and the shocking case of a Dutch criminal court judge whose email was blocked by Microsoft at the behest of American authorities. These examples underscore how data sovereignty encompasses not just data protection, but also continuity of service and freedom from foreign interference.

When addressing the economic realities of data sovereignty, Goud advocates for a pragmatic, risk-based approach rather than wholesale abandonment of U.S. cloud services. He emphasizes that organizations should start by identifying their specific risks – whether it's human error (the leading cause of data breaches), email interception, weak passwords, or phishing attacks. The solution often lies in implementing encryption layers where organizations maintain control of their own keys, effectively rendering data unreadable even if accessed by unauthorized parties. This approach allows organizations to continue using familiar tools like Microsoft 365 and Gmail while adding crucial security layers for sensitive information, avoiding the massive costs and behavioral changes required by complete infrastructure migration.

The conversation concludes with practical advice for organizations beginning their data sovereignty journey. Goud recommends starting with "low-hanging fruit" – simple security measures that can be implemented quickly, such as activating DANE (DNS-based Authentication of Named Entities) for email encryption, which despite being available for a decade, sees adoption rates of only 15% to 20%. He stresses the importance of email and file security as the primary risk points where data leaves organizational boundaries. Rather than embarking on multi-year infrastructure overhauls, organizations should focus on immediate, achievable improvements while building partnerships with trusted vendors and peer organizations facing similar challenges. This collaborative approach ensures organizations aren't navigating the complex data sovereignty landscape alone.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickgoud/

Rick Goud: Navigating Europe’s Data Sovereignty Challenges

In this episode of Bulletproof Your Marketplace, Jeremy Gottschalk sits down with seasoned legal counsel Krishan Thakker to unpack how user contracts and robust privacy practices can act as liability shields for digital platforms.

Drawing on over 15 years advising global technology, e-commerce, and social media companies, Krish shares his expertise at the intersection of data privacy, regulatory compliance, AI governance, and trust & safety. 

Together, they explore why privacy can no longer be an afterthought, the dangers of conflating terms of use with privacy policies, and the financial and reputational fallout from neglecting compliance—illustrated through high-profile failure.

Krish also outlines practical steps for platform operators, including conducting a data audit, adopting a “less is more” approach to PII collection, and drafting clear, standalone user agreements.

Whether you’re a founder, legal counsel, or trust & safety leader, this episode delivers actionable strategies to protect your platform, build user trust, and stay ahead of evolving regulations.

Data Privacy and Data Security — Policies and Practices

Cybersecurity experts Heather Noggle and Dr. Arun DeSouza discussed Kiteworks' Data Security and Compliance Risk: 2025 Annual Survey Report, which introduces the industry's first quantitative risk scoring algorithm. The comprehensive study of 461 organizations reveals that 46% now operate in high- to critical-risk territory, with the median enterprise scoring 4.84 on a 10-point scale—dangerously close to the high-risk threshold of 5.0.

The experts analyzed a counterintuitive finding about third-party risk management: Organizations managing 1,001-5,000 external partners face the highest security risk (average score 5.19), surpassing enterprises with over 5,000 third-party relationships. These larger enterprises can monitor risks in real time, while mid-sized partner ecosystems struggle with enterprise-level complexity on mid-market budgets—resulting in 24% experiencing 7+ annual security incidents.

Industry-specific findings revealed surprising risk disparities. Energy topped the risk charts due to legacy IoT devices and 30-year-old technologies vulnerable to exploitation. Technology ranked second, which Noggle attributed to the "overconfidence factor" and rapid employee turnover. "Tech companies are losing people so fast, they want to implement things so fast. That to me is a perfect storm," DeSouza noted. Conversely, heavily regulated sectors like life sciences demonstrated lower risk scores due to compliance-driven security investments.

The report exposed a dangerous "confidence paradox" where organizations claiming to be "somewhat confident" in data governance showed 19% higher risk scores than those acknowledging uncertainty.

AI governance emerged as a critical vulnerability. While 64% of enterprises track AI-generated content (up from 28% in 2024), only 17% have deployed technical governance frameworks. The stakes are high—the IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report found that 97% of AI-related breaches lacked proper controls, with AI breaches costing $670,000 more than average. 

Poor data visibility creates cascading failures: Organizations unable to count their third parties showed 46% correlation with unknown breach frequency, while 31% of those with 5,000+ partners take over 90 days to detect breaches.

Heather Noggle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathernoggle/ 
Arun DeSouza: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arundesouza/ 


2025 Annual Survey Report: AI and Third-Party Security Danger Zone

Welcome to the Identity Theft Resource Center's (ITRC’s) Weekly Breach Breakdown for October 10, 2025. I'm Alex Achten, Senior Director of Communications & Media Relations for the ITRC. Thanks to Sentilink for supporting the ITRC and this podcast. Each week, we look at the most recent events and trends related to data security and privacy. Today, we will examine our Q3 2025 data breach findings.

The last time we inspected the latest data breach trends was in our H1 2025 Data Breach Report. At that time, we were on pace to track a record number of compromises in 2025. Cyberattacks were the primary cause of data breaches where personal information was stolen. Sixty-nine (69) percent of data breach notices did not include information about the root cause of the attack. What changed in the third quarter of the year? The short answer? Not much. Let’s dive into the Q3 2025 data breach numbers.

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The Weekly Breach Breakdown Podcast: Step Into the Breach – Q3 2025 Data Breach Analysis - S6E31

Kevin Powers, Faculty Director of the Masters of Legal Studies in Cybersecurity Risk and Governance at Boston College Law School, began his professional and academic journey when he volunteered for a task force exploring cybersecurity education at Boston College. Rather than developing a purely technical curriculum, he advocated for an interdisciplinary approach that would integrate law, business, and risk management. "Cybersecurity is not just a technical issue," Powers explained during the podcast episode. Working with stakeholders from the White House, FBI, major financial institutions, and technology companies, the team built a curriculum designed to produce well-rounded cybersecurity professionals.

The program launched in 2015 and recently transitioned to BC Law School, offering 10 courses taught entirely by practitioners actively working in the field. Students include FBI agents, financial compliance officers, and executives from Fortune 50 companies, with an average age of 33.
A central theme of Powers' program is bridging the communication divide between technical teams and business leadership. With recent SEC regulations and requirements like New York's DFS Part 500 mandating board-level cybersecurity oversight, organizations need professionals who understand both technical controls and business implications.

"Boards are recognizing cybersecurity as a core business function," Powers noted, emphasizing that every company operating on networks faces operational risk when systems go down. The program prepares students to communicate cyber risk in business terms and develop governance frameworks aligned with regulatory requirements like CMMC 2.0, FedRAMP, and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.

The program has evolved rapidly to address artificial intelligence governance. Powers redesigned his coursework after discovering AI tools could complete assignments in minutes, shifting 70% of grading to oral presentations that emphasize critical thinking over output.
Looking ahead, Powers identified cloud security and data sovereignty as critical concerns. Many organizations mistakenly believe SaaS platforms automatically back up their data, leaving them vulnerable during incidents. The CDK Global attack on car dealerships illustrated how unprepared businesses can be when cloud services fail.

Beyond academics, Powers emphasizes creating networks. Graduates maintain connections with government agencies, financial institutions, and technology companies, facilitating collaboration across sectors. The program hosts the annual Boston Conference on Cybersecurity, which draws hundreds of attendees including CISOs from major sports franchises and law enforcement leaders.

For organizations navigating increasingly complex regulatory landscapes, Powers' message is clear: cybersecurity expertise must extend beyond technical skills to encompass governance, compliance, and strategic business alignment. As cyber threats evolve, professionals need frameworks like NIST to demonstrate reasonable security practices to regulators while protecting operational continuity.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-powers-54893a8/ 
Boston College School of Law: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/law.html 


Kevin Powers: From Academic to Practical Cybersecurity

In today’s HEAL Security Dispatch Deep Dive, we cover a wave of new cybersecurity threats making headlines. Attackers exploit a Zendesk authentication flaw, hackers spread self-compiling malware through TikTok videos, and an American Airlines subsidiary confirms data theft linked to Oracle systems. Meanwhile, Sotheby’s reports a major breach exposing sensitive client data, and Microsoft revokes 200 fraudulent code-signing certificates tied to ransomware operations. Stay informed with the latest developments in cybersecurity and digital defense.

Global Cyber Threats Surge: TikTok Malware, Airline Data Theft, and Microsoft Crackdown

In this episode, Edd Hall discusses the latest wave of cybersecurity incidents shaking global infrastructure — from the massive AWS outage that disrupted Prime Video and Fortnite, to China’s accusations against the NSA over cyber-espionage operations. He also breaks down CISA’s addition of new exploited vulnerabilities, the discovery of 131 malicious Chrome extensions hijacking WhatsApp sessions, and the major F5 Networks breach affecting over 262,000 systems. The episode wraps up with updates on Volkswagen’s suspected ransomware attack, the active exploitation of a critical Windows SMB flaw, and the emergence of the self-spreading “GlassWorm” malware targeting developer ecosystems.

Major Cyber Incidents Expose Global Infrastructure and Supply Chain Risks

Kitecast features interviews with security, IT, compliance, and risk management leaders and influencers, highlighting best practices, trends, and strategic analysis and insights. Kitecast is cohosted by Tim Freestone and Patrick Spencer who have more than four decades of combined experience in technology and cybersecurity senior leadership roles.

The Daily HEAL Security Dispatch Podcast is a leading source for up-to-the-minute news and deep insights in the realm of healthcare cybersecurity and threat intelligence. 

At the heart of HEAL Security's vision is the commitment to equipping organizations and individuals with rapid, contextually rich cybersecurity updates, establishing itself as a pivotal force in unifying practice and data against the ingenious tactics of criminal and malicious entities. HEAL Security is fervently devoted to constructing a robust resource and community that champions the defense of the healthcare sector against the growing cyber threats from organized crime groups and antagonistic nation-states. Our core focus encompasses the protection of vital IT infrastructures, the security of sensitive patient and clinical information, the safeguarding of critical healthcare systems, and the assurance of continuous, undisturbed patient care services.

New tracks tagged #DataSecurity