Critical infrastructure

Meta inks 20-year nuclear deal to power AI expansion

Meta has entered a landmark 20-year agreement with Constellation to purchase 1.1 gigawatts of nuclear power from the Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois, starting in 2027.

The deal is designed to support the company’s rapidly growing AI infrastructure and data centres as energy demands surge across the tech industry.

Once facing closure due to financial losses, the Clinton plant’s future is secure — without relying on Illinois’ Zero Emission Credit programme. The agreement will keep over 1,100 local jobs, boost grid capacity by 30 megawatts, and generate an estimated $13.5 million in annual tax revenue.

Illinois lawmakers have praised the deal for its economic and environmental benefits, with Republican Regan Deering calling it ‘a forward-thinking investment.’

The partnership is part of Meta’s broader strategy to build a nuclear-powered AI ecosystem. With clean energy targets of 1 to 4 gigawatts, Meta has been negotiating with multiple nuclear providers and says further agreements are in the final stages.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, global data centre energy use is set to more than double by 2030 — potentially outstripping Japan’s entire electricity consumption. Meta alone plans to invest $65 billion in AI infrastructure in 2025.

The Clinton plant deal also serves as a hedge against the environmental impact of fossil fuels. A 2024 study by the Brattle Group estimated that closing the facility would have led to an additional 34 million metric tons of carbon emissions over two decades. It would also have dealt an annual $765 million blow to Illinois’ GDP.

Constellation, the plant’s operator, said consistent, carbon-free baseload power is essential for the AI-driven future. With its reliability and scale, nuclear energy is increasingly seen as critical to supporting always-on AI systems.

Meanwhile, Meta continues advancing its AI vision. The company plans to fully automate ad creation by late 2026, generating images, videos, and text tailored to user location and timing.

This automation effort has already boosted ad performance, with Q1 2025 results showing a 30% rise in AI-generated ad use, a 10% increase in average ad prices, and $42.31 billion in revenue — a 16% year-over-year jump.

However, the push for AI-generated content has unsettled the advertising industry. Firms like Omnicom Group have seen share prices dip over fears disrupting to traditional creative and production models.

Zuckerberg’s long-term AI vision includes automating marketing and enhancing user experience through AI companions and virtual therapists — part of Meta’s goal to integrate machine learning into everyday life while ensuring its platforms run on clean, scalable energy.

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Cyber attack hits Lee Enterprises staff data

Thousands of current and former employees at Lee Enterprises have had their data exposed following a cyberattack earlier this year.

Hackers accessed to the company’s systems in early February, compromising sensitive information such as names and Social Security numbers before the breach was contained the same day.

Although the media firm, which operates over 70 newspapers across 26 US states, swiftly secured its networks, a three-month investigation involving external cybersecurity experts revealed that attackers accessed databases containing employee details.

The breach potentially affects around 40,000 individuals — far more than the company’s 4,500 current staff — indicating that past employees were also impacted.

The stolen data could be used for identity theft, fraud or phishing attempts. Criminals may even impersonate affected employees to infiltrate deeper into company systems and extract more valuable information.

Lee Enterprises has notified those impacted and filed relevant disclosures with authorities, including the Maine Attorney General’s Office.

Headquartered in Iowa, Lee Enterprises draws over 200 million monthly online page views and generated over $611 million in revenue in 2024. The incident underscores the ongoing vulnerability of media organisations to cyber threats, especially when personal employee data is involved.

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Cyber attacks and ransomware rise globally in early 2025

Cyber attacks have surged by 47% globally in the first quarter of 2025, with organisations facing an average of 1,925 attacks each week.

Check Point Software, a cybersecurity firm, warns that attackers are growing more sophisticated and persistent, targeting critical sectors like healthcare, finance, and technology with increasing intensity.

Ransomware activity alone has soared by 126% compared to last year. Attackers are no longer just encrypting files but now also threaten to leak sensitive data unless paid — a tactic known as dual extortion.

Instead of operating as large, centralised gangs, modern ransomware groups are smaller and more agile, often coordinating through dark web forums, making them harder to trace.

The report also notes that cybercriminals are using AI to automate phishing attacks and scan systems for vulnerabilities, allowing them to strike with greater accuracy. Emerging markets remain particularly vulnerable, as they often lack advanced cybersecurity infrastructure.

Check Point urges companies to act decisively by adopting proactive security measures, investing in threat detection and employee training, and implementing real-time monitoring. Waiting for an attack instead of preparing in advance could leave organisations dangerously exposed.

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Customer data stolen in cyber attacks on Cartier and North Face

Fashion brand The North Face and luxury jeweller Cartier have confirmed recent cyber attacks that exposed customer data, including names and email addresses.

Neither company reported breaches of financial or password information.

North Face identified the attack as a credential stuffing attempt, where previously stolen passwords are used to break into other accounts.

Affected customers are being advised to change their login details, while the company’s owner, VF Corporation, continues recovering from an earlier incident.

Cartier said the breach allowed brief access to limited client data but insisted that it quickly secured its systems.

Retailers such as Adidas, Victoria’s Secret, Harrods, and M&S have all been hit in recent months, prompting warnings that the industry remains an attractive target for cyber criminals.

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NSO asks court to overturn WhatsApp verdict

Israeli spyware company NSO Group has requested a new trial after a US jury ordered it to pay $168 million in damages to WhatsApp.

The company, which has faced mounting legal and financial troubles, filed a motion in a California federal court last week seeking to reduce the verdict or secure a retrial.

The May verdict awarded WhatsApp $444,719 in compensatory damages and $167.25 million in punitive damages. Jurors found that NSO exploited vulnerabilities in the encrypted platform and sold the exploit to clients who allegedly used it to target journalists, activists and political rivals.

WhatsApp, owned by Meta, filed the lawsuit in 2019.

NSO claims the punitive award is unconstitutional, arguing it is over 376 times greater than the compensatory damages and far exceeds the US Supreme Court’s general guidance of a 4:1 ratio.

The firm also said it cannot afford the penalty, citing losses of $9 million in 2023 and $12 million in 2024. Its CEO testified that the company is ‘struggling to keep our heads above water’.

WhatsApp, responding to TechCrunch in a statement, said NSO was once again trying to evade accountability. The company vowed to continue its legal campaign, including efforts to secure a permanent injunction that would prevent NSO from ever targeting WhatsApp or its users again.

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Microsoft takes down massive Lumma malware network

Microsoft has dismantled a major cybercrime operation centred around the Lumma Stealer malware, which had infected over 394,000 Windows devices globally.

In partnership with global law enforcement and industry partners, Microsoft seized more than 1,300 domains linked to the malware.

The malware was known for stealing sensitive data such as login credentials, bank details and cryptocurrency information, making it a go-to tool for cybercriminals since 2022.

The takedown followed a court order from a US federal court and included help from the US Department of Justice, Europol, and Japan’s cybercrime unit.

Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit also received assistance from firms like Cloudflare and Bitsight to disrupt the infrastructure that supported Lumma’s Malware-as-a-Service network.

The operation is being hailed as a significant win against a sophisticated threat that had evolved to target Windows and Mac users. Security experts urge users to adopt strong cyber hygiene, including antivirus software, two-factor authentication, and password managers.

Microsoft’s action is part of a broader effort to tackle infostealers, which have fuelled a surge in data breaches and identity theft worldwide.

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Colt, Honeywell and Nokia to trial quantum cryptography in space

Colt Technology Services, Honeywell, and Nokia have joined forces to trial quantum key distribution (QKD) via satellites to develop quantum-safe networks. The trial builds on a previous Colt pilot focused on terrestrial quantum-secure networks.

The collaboration aims to tackle the looming cybersecurity risks of quantum computing, which threatens to break current encryption methods. The project seeks to deliver secure global communication beyond the current 100km terrestrial limit by trialling space-based and subsea QKD.

Low-Earth orbit satellites will explore QKD over ultra-long distances, including transatlantic spans. The initiative is designed to support sectors that handle sensitive data, such as finance, healthcare, and government, by offering encryption solutions resistant to quantum threats.

Leaders from all three companies emphasised the urgency of developing safeguards to protect against future threats. A joint white paper, The Journey to Quantum-Safe Networking, has been released to outline the risks and technical roadmap for this new frontier in secure communications.

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China creates AI to detect real nuclear warheads

Chinese scientists have created the world’s first AI-based system capable of identifying real nuclear warheads from decoys, marking a significant step in arms control verification.

The breakthrough, developed by the China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE), could strengthen Beijing’s hand in stalled disarmament talks, although it also raises difficult questions about AI’s growing role in managing weapons of mass destruction.

The technology builds on a long-standing US–China proposal but faced key obstacles: how to train AI using sensitive nuclear data, gain military approval without risking secret leaks, and persuade sceptical nations like the US to move past Cold War-era inspection methods.

So far, only the AI training has been completed, with the rest of the process still pending international acceptance.

The AI system uses deep learning and cryptographic protocols to analyse scrambled radiation signals from warheads behind a polythene wall, ensuring the weapons’ internal designs remain hidden.

The machine can verify a warhead’s chain-reaction potential without accessing classified details. According to CIAE, repeated randomised tests reduce the chance of deception to nearly zero.

While both China and the US have pledged not to let AI control nuclear launch decisions, the new system underlines AI’s expanding role in national defence.

Beijing insists the AI can be jointly trained and sealed before use to ensure transparency, but sceptics remain wary of trust, backdoor access and growing militarisation of AI.

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NATO weighs inclusion of cybersecurity in new 5% defense spending target

NATO is discussing proposals to broaden the scope of defence-related expenditures to help member states meet a proposed spending target of 5% of GDP. According to Bloomberg, the target includes 3.5% for traditional defence spending and 1.5% for related activities.

The 1.5% portion may include cybersecurity, protection of critical infrastructure, border and coastal security, space-related initiatives, and the work of non-defence intelligence agencies. Some member states are also advocating for the inclusion of counter-terrorism efforts and dual-use infrastructure, pending agreement among the alliance.

The proposals are currently under negotiation and are expected to be discussed further by NATO’s policy and planning committee. These discussions will inform a framework to be considered at the alliance’s summit in June.

A final decision on the classification of eligible expenditures has not yet been made, according to the reports, and remains subject to consensus among member states. NATO has not responded publicly to inquiries regarding the ongoing negotiations.

The 5% figure was originally proposed by former US President Donald Trump and was initially viewed as an ambitious benchmark. Recent reporting suggests, however, that a growing number of member states now recognise the need for increased defence investments. As of April, 23 out of 32 NATO members had met the current 2% defence spending guideline, with all expected to do so by the summer.

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UK to establish cyber and electromagnetic command to enhance warfare capabilities

The United Kingdom has announced plans to establish a new military formation, the Cyber and Electromagnetic Command, aimed at strengthening its digital and electronic warfare capabilities. The new command will fall under Strategic Command, which already oversees the Ministry of Defence’s offensive and defensive cyber operations and works in coordination with the National Cyber Force.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the formation will be responsible for leading defensive cyber operations, coordinating offensive cyber capabilities, and integrating electromagnetic warfare expertise across the Armed Forces. Rather than creating entirely new capabilities, the command will reorganise existing structures to improve coordination and operational effectiveness.

The announcement comes ahead of the government’s Strategic Defence Review, due to be published on 2 June. The review will set out priorities for defence spending and assess the threats facing the UK, the capabilities required to address them, the condition of the Armed Forces, and the resources available. It is expected to highlight the growing impact of daily cyber attacks on national security and the economy.

To support the new command, the Ministry has introduced an accelerated recruitment route for cyber specialists. This new pathway, announced in February, shortens basic training from ten weeks to four, followed by a three-month programme focused on military cyber skills.

Recruitment and retention remain a key challenge. General Sir Jim Hockenhull, Commander of Strategic Command, previously noted that the competition for digital talent is particularly intense, stating that the UK is currently at a disadvantage in this area. Lieutenant General Tom Copinger-Symes, Deputy Commander of Strategic Command, also highlighted the skills shortage as a more immediate concern than funding.

The review describes the Cyber and Electromagnetic Command as a formation that will consolidate expertise in electromagnetic operations, such as degrading command and control systems, jamming signals to drones or missiles, and intercepting adversary communications. The intention is to ensure these capabilities are available at the right time and place to support integrated military operations.

Hockenhull has also pointed out that the UK’s focus on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past two decades led to a reduced emphasis on electromagnetic capabilities, except in limited areas. He noted that the conflict in Ukraine has demonstrated the importance of integrating cyber and electromagnetic tools with conventional military operations.

In 2024, both Ukraine and Russia have announced plans to establish a new branch within the country’s armed forces specialising in drone warfare and the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

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