Critical infrastructure

Energy independence enables new models for data centre construction

Many data centre developers face delays due to grid constraints or unreliable utilities. To circumvent these challenges, they are embracing alternative power setups.

Popular options include solar arrays paired with battery storage, microgrid deployments, mobile gas generators, and even hydrogen fuel cells. These systems offer more control, robust uptime and faster deployment than waiting for utility upgrades.

Such energy independence also increases site flexibility. Operators can choose locations without worrying about grid strengthening or local permitting delays, enhancing both scalability and disaster resilience.

As demand for cloud and AI capacity grows, hybrid energy architectures are proving vital. They ensure continuity and avoid overtaxed grid infrastructure.

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Skype used to distribute hidden malware in small business attacks

Security researchers at Kaspersky discovered that hackers used Skype to distribute a Remote Access Trojan known as GodRAT. Initially spread via malicious screensaver files disguised as financial documents, the malware employed steganography to conceal shellcode inside image files, which then downloaded GodRAT from a remote server.

Once activated, GodRAT collected detailed system information, including OS specs, antivirus presence, user account data and more. The trojan could also download additional plugins such as file explorers and password stealers. In some cases, it deployed a second malware, AsyncRAT, granting attackers prolonged access.

GodRAT appears to be an evolution of previous tools, such as AwesomePuppet, and shares artifacts with Gh0st RAT, suggesting a link to the Winnti APT group. While Kaspersky did not disclose the number of victims, the campaign primarily targeted small and medium-sized businesses in the UAE, Hong Kong, Jordan, and Lebanon. Cybercrime using Skype as a vector reportedly ceased around March 2025 as criminals shifted to other distribution channels.

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Microsoft limits certain companies’ access to the SharePoint early warning system

Microsoft has limited certain Chinese companies’ access to its early warning system for cybersecurity vulnerabilities following suspicions about their involvement in recent SharePoint hacking attempts.

The decision restricts the sharing of proof-of-concept code, which mimics genuine malicious software. While valuable for cybersecurity professionals strengthening their systems, the code can also be misused by hackers.

The restrictions follow Microsoft’s observation of exploitation attempts targeting SharePoint servers in July. Concerns arose that a member of the Microsoft Active Protections Program may have repurposed early warnings for offensive activity.

Microsoft maintains that it regularly reviews participants and suspends those violating contracts, including prohibitions on participating in cyber attacks.

Beijing has denied involvement in the hacking, while Microsoft has refrained from disclosing which companies were affected or details of the ongoing investigation.

Analysts note that balancing collaboration with international security partners and preventing information misuse remains a key challenge for global cybersecurity programmes.

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Europol warns that the $50,000 Qilin reward is fake

Europol has warned that a reported $50,000 reward for information on two members of the Qilin ransomware group is fake. The message, circulating on Telegram, claimed the suspects, known as Haise and XORacle, coordinate affiliates and manage extortion operations.

Europol clarified that it does not operate a Telegram channel and that the message does not originate from its official accounts, which are active on Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Bluesky, YouTube, and Facebook.

Qilin, also known as Agenda, has been active since 2022 and, in 2025, listed over 400 victims on its leak website, including media and pharmaceutical companies.

Recent attacks, such as the one targeting Inotiv, demonstrate the group’s ongoing threat. Analysts note that cybercriminals often circulate false claims to undermine competitors, mislead affiliates, or sow distrust within rival gangs.

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New robotic system uses AI to analyse water quality

A new study in Robot Learning has introduced a robotic system that combines machine learning with decision-making to analyse water samples. The approach enables robots to detect, classify, and distinguish drinking water on Earth and potentially other planets.

Researchers used a hybrid method that merged the TOPSIS decision-making technique with a Random Forest Classifier trained on the Water Quality and Potability Dataset from Kaggle. By applying data balancing techniques, classification accuracy rose from 69% to 73%.

The robotic prototype includes thrusters, motors, solar power, sensors, and a robotic arm for sample collection. Water samples are tested in real time, with the onboard model classifying them as drinkable.

The system has the potential for rapid crisis response, sustainable water management, and planetary exploration, although challenges remain regarding sensor accuracy, data noise, and scalability. Researchers emphasise that further testing is necessary before real-world deployment.

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Fed urges banks to embrace blockchain innovation

Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman has warned that banks must embrace blockchain technology or risk fading into irrelevance. At the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium on 19 August, she urged banks and regulators to drop caution and embrace innovation.

Bowman highlighted tokenisation as one of the most immediate applications, enabling assets to be transferred digitally without intermediaries or physical movement.

She explained that tokenised systems could cut operational delays, reduce risks, and expand access across large and smaller banks. Regulatory alignment, she added, could accelerate tokenisation from pilots to mainstream adoption.

Fraud prevention was also a key point of her remarks. Bowman said financial institutions face growing threats from scams and identity theft, but argued blockchain could help reduce fraud.

She called for regulators to ensure frameworks support adoption rather than hinder it, framing the technology as a chance for collaboration between the industry and the Fed.

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Indian firms accelerate growth through AI, Microsoft finds

Indian firms are accelerating the adoption of AI, with many using AI agents to enhance workforce capabilities rather than relying solely on traditional methods.

According to Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index, 93% of leaders in India plan to extend AI integration across their organisations within the next 12 to 18 months.

Frontier firms in India are leading the charge, redesigning operations around collaboration between humans and AI agents instead of following conventional hierarchies.

Over half of leaders already deploy AI to automate workflows and business processes across entire teams, enabling faster and more agile decision-making.

Microsoft notes that AI is becoming a true thought partner, fuelling creativity, accelerating decisions, and redefining teamwork instead of merely supporting routine tasks. Leaders report that embedding AI into daily operations drives measurable improvements in productivity, innovation, and business outcomes.

The findings are part of a global survey of 31,000 participants across 31 countries, highlighting India’s role at the forefront of AI-driven organisational transformation rather than merely following international trends.

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Google Cloud boosts AI security with agentic defence tools

Google Cloud has unveiled a suite of security enhancements at its Security Summit 2025, focusing on protecting AI innovations and empowering cybersecurity teams with AI-driven defence tools.

VP and GM Jon Ramsey highlighted the growing need for specialised safeguards as enterprises deploy AI agents across complex environments.

Central to the announcements is the concept of an ‘agentic security operations centre,’ where AI agents coordinate actions to achieve shared security objectives. It represents a shift from reactive security approaches to proactive, agent-supported strategies.

Google’s platform integrates automated discovery, threat detection, and response mechanisms to streamline security operations and cover gaps in existing infrastructures.

Key innovations include extended protections for AI agents through Model Armour, covering Agentspace prompts and responses to mitigate prompt injection attacks, jailbreaking, and data leakage.

The Alert Investigation agent, available in preview, automates enrichment and analysis of security events while offering actionable recommendations, reducing manual effort and accelerating response times.

Integrating Mandiant threat intelligence feeds and Gemini AI strengthens detection and incident response across agent environments.

Additional tools, such as SecOps Labs and native SOAR dashboards, provide organisations with early access to AI-powered threat detection experiments and comprehensive security visualisation capabilities.

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Rapper Bot dismantled after 370,000 global cyberattacks

A 22-year-old man from Oregon has been charged with operating one of the most powerful botnets ever uncovered, Rapper Bot.

Federal prosecutors in Alaska said the network was responsible for over 370,000 cyberattacks worldwide since 2021, targeting technology firms, a central social media platform and even a US government system.

The botnet relied on malware that infected everyday devices such as Wi-Fi routers and digital video recorders. Once hijacked, the compromised machines were forced to overwhelm servers with traffic in distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.

Investigators estimate that Rapper Bot infiltrated as many as 95,000 devices at its peak.

The accused administrator, Ethan Foltz, allegedly ran the network as a DDoS-for-hire service, temporarily charging customers to control its capabilities.

Authorities said its most significant attack generated more than six terabits of data per second, making it among the most destructive DDoS networks. Foltz faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

The arrest was carried out under Operation PowerOFF, an international effort to dismantle criminal groups offering DDoS-for-hire services.

US Attorney Michael J. Heyman said the takedown had effectively disrupted a transnational threat, ending Foltz’s role in the sprawling cybercrime operation.

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Comet browser caught submitting private info in fake shop

Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a new AI browser exploit that allows attackers to manipulate autonomous systems using fake CAPTCHA checks.

The PromptFix method tricks agentic AI models into executing commands embedded in deceptive web elements invisible to the user.

Guardio Labs demonstrated that the Comet AI browser could be misled into adding items to a cart and auto-filling sensitive data.

Comet completed fake purchases without user confirmation in some tests, raising concerns over AI trust chains and phishing exposure.

Attackers can also exploit AI email agents by embedding malicious links, prompting the system to bypass user review and reveal credentials.

ChatGPT’s Agent Mode showed similar vulnerabilities but confined actions to a sandbox, preventing direct exposure to user systems.

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