Cybersecurity

Trilateral sanctions target Media Land for supporting ransomware groups

The United States has imposed coordinated sanctions on Media Land, a Russian bulletproof hosting provider accused of aiding ransomware groups and broader cybercrime. The measures target senior operators and sister companies linked to attacks on businesses and critical infrastructure.

Authorities in the UK and Australia say Media Land infrastructure aided ransomware groups, including LockBit, BlackSuit, and Play, and was linked to denial-of-service attacks on US organisations. OFAC also named operators and firms that maintained systems designed to evade law enforcement.

The action also expands earlier sanctions against Aeza Group, with entities accused of rebranding and shifting infrastructure through front companies such as Hypercore to avoid restrictions introduced this year. Officials say these efforts were designed to obscure operational continuity.

According to investigators, the network relied on overseas firms in Serbia and Uzbekistan to conceal its activity and establish technical infrastructure that was detached from the Aeza brand. These entities, along with the new Aeza leadership, were designated for supporting sanctions evasion and cyber operations.

The sanctions block assets under US jurisdiction and bar US persons from dealing with listed individuals or companies. Regulators warn that financial institutions interacting with sanctioned entities may face penalties, stating that the aim is to disrupt ransomware infrastructure and encourage operators to comply.

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DPDP law takes effect as India tightens AI-era data protections

India has activated new Digital Personal Data Protection rules that sharply restrict how technology firms collect and use personal information. The framework limits data gathering to what is necessary for a declared purpose and requires clear explanations, opt-outs, and breach notifications for Indian users.

The rules apply across digital platforms, from social media and e-commerce to banks and public services. Companies must obtain parental consent for individuals under 18 and are prohibited from using children’s data for targeted advertising. Firms have 18 months to comply with the new safeguards.

Users can request access to their data, ask why it was collected, and demand corrections or updates. They may withdraw consent at any time and, in some cases, request deletion. Companies must respond within 90 days, and individuals can appoint someone to exercise these rights.

Civil society groups welcomed stronger user rights but warned that the rules may also expand state access to personal data. The Internet Freedom Foundation criticised limited oversight and said the provisions risk entrenching government control, reducing transparency for citizens.

India is preparing further digital regulations, including new requirements for AI and social media firms. With nearly a billion online users, the government has urged platforms to label AI-generated content amid rising concerns about deepfakes, online misinformation, and election integrity.

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Ucom completes nationwide 5G rollout in Armenia

Ucom has completed nationwide 5G deployment across Armenia, reaching 48 cities and hundreds of communities. The operator states that more than 94% of the population now has access to high-speed mobile internet.

The rollout began in November 2024 and was completed within one year, covering all major settlements. Coverage also includes Myler Mountain Resort, the Yerevan-Dilijan highway and border crossings at Bagratashen, Bavra and Agarak.

General director Ralph Yirikian says expanding 5G is central to delivering modern, stable connectivity nationwide. Earlier work with Nokia to modernise the mobile network laid the foundations for the nationwide upgrade.

Armenian subscribers can now benefit from faster speeds, low latency and more reliable, internationally compliant connections. 5G enables higher quality video calls, real-time data transfers and innovative services, although Dastakert still lacks coverage.

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Kremlin launches new push for domestic AI development

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the creation of a national task force to accelerate the development of domestic generative AI systems, arguing that homegrown models are essential to safeguarding the country’s technological and strategic sovereignty. Speaking at AI Journey, Russia’s flagship AI forum, he warned that foreign large-language models shape global information flows and can influence entire populations, making reliance on external technologies unacceptable.

Putin said the new task force will prioritise expanding data-centre infrastructure and securing reliable energy supplies, including through small-scale nuclear power stations. Russia still trails global leaders like the United States and China, but local companies have produced notable systems such as Sberbank’s Gigachat and Yandex’s GPT.

Sberbank unveiled a new version of Gigachat and showcased AI-powered tools, ranging from humanoid robots to medical-scanning ATMs. However, recent public demonstrations have drawn unwanted attention, including an incident in which a Russian AI robot toppled over on stage.

The Kremlin aims for AI technologies to contribute more than 11 trillion roubles ($136 billion) to Russia’s economy by 2030. Putin urged state bodies and major companies to adopt AI more aggressively while cautioning against overly strict regulation.

However, he stressed that only Russian-made AI systems should be used for national security to prevent sensitive data from flowing abroad. Western sanctions, which restrict access to advanced hardware, particularly microchips, continue to hinder Russia’s ambitions.

The push for domestic AI comes as Ukraine warns that Russia is developing a new generation of autonomous, AI-driven drones capable of operating in coordinated swarms and striking targets up to 62 miles away, underscoring the growing military stakes of the AI race.

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EU simplifies digital rules to save billions for companies

The European Commission has unveiled a digital package designed to simplify rules and reduce administrative burdens, allowing businesses to focus on innovation rather than compliance.

An initiative that combines the Digital Omnibus, Data Union Strategy, and European Business Wallet to strengthen competitiveness across the EU while maintaining high standards of fundamental rights, data protection, and safety.

The Digital Omnibus streamlines rules on AI, cybersecurity, and data. Amendments will create innovation-friendly AI regulations, simplify reporting for cybersecurity incidents, harmonise aspects of the GDPR, and modernise cookie rules.

Improved access to data and regulatory guidance will support businesses, particularly SMEs, allowing them to develop AI solutions and scale operations across member states more efficiently.

The Data Union Strategy aims to unlock high-quality data for AI, strengthen Europe’s data sovereignty, and support businesses with legal guidance and strategic measures to ensure fair treatment of the EU data abroad.

Meanwhile, the European Business Wallet will provide a unified digital identity for companies, enabling secure signing, storage, and exchange of documents and communication with public authorities across 27 member states.

By easing administrative procedures, the package could save up to €5 billion by 2029, with the Business Wallet alone offering up to €150 billion in annual savings.

The Commission has launched a public consultation, the Digital Fitness Check, to assess the impact of these rules and guide future steps, ensuring that businesses can grow and innovate instead of being held back by complex regulations.

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EU introduces plan to strengthen consumer protection

The European Commission has unveiled the 2030 Consumer Agenda, a strategic plan to reinforce protection, trust, and competitiveness across the EU.

With 450 million consumers contributing over half of the Union’s GDP, the agenda aims to simplify administrative processes for businesses, rather than adding new burdens, while ensuring fair treatment for shoppers.

The agenda sets four priorities to adapt to rising living costs, evolving online markets, and the surge in e-commerce. Completing the Single Market will remove cross-border barriers, enhance travel and financial services, and evaluate the effectiveness of the Geo-Blocking Regulation.

A planned Digital Fairness Act will address harmful online practices, focusing on protecting children and strengthening consumer rights.

Sustainable consumption takes a central focus, with efforts to combat greenwashing, expand access to sustainable goods, and support circular initiatives such as second-hand markets and repairable products.

The Commission will also enhance enforcement to tackle unsafe or non-compliant products, particularly from third countries, ensuring that compliant businesses are shielded from unfair competition.

Implementation will be overseen through the Annual Consumer Summit and regular Ministerial Forums, which will provide political guidance and monitor progress.

The 2030 Consumer Agenda builds on prior achievements and EU consultations, aiming to modernise consumer protection instead of leaving gaps in a rapidly changing market.

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Azure weathers record 15.7 Tbps cloud DDoS attack

According to Microsoft, Azure was hit on 24 October 2025 by a massive multi-vector DDoS attack that peaked at 15.72 terabits per second and unleashed 3.64 billion packets per second on a single endpoint.

The attack was traced to the Aisuru botnet, a Mirai-derived IoT botnet. More than 500,000 unique IP addresses, mostly residential devices, participated in the assault. UDP floods with random ports made the attack particularly potent and harder to spoof.

Azure’s automated DDoS Protection infrastructure handled the traffic surge, filtering out malicious packets in real time and keeping customer workloads online.

From a security-policy viewpoint, this incident underscores how IoT devices continue to fuel some of the biggest cyber threats, and how major cloud platforms must scale defences rapidly to cope.

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Sundar Pichai warns users not to trust AI tools easily

Google CEO Sundar Pichai advises people not to unquestioningly trust AI tools, warning that current models remain prone to errors. He told the BBC that users should rely on a broader information ecosystem rather than treat AI as a single source of truth.

Pichai said generative systems can produce inaccuracies and stressed that people must learn what the tools are good at. The remarks follow criticism of Google’s own AI Overviews feature, which attracted attention for erratic and misleading responses during its rollout.

Experts say the risk grows when users depend on chatbots for health, science, or news. BBC research found major AI assistants misrepresented news stories in nearly half of the tests this year, underscoring concerns about factual reliability and the limits of current models.

Google is launching Gemini 3.0, which it claims offers stronger multimodal understanding and reasoning. The company says its new AI Mode in search marks a shift in how users interact with online information, as it seeks to defend market share against ChatGPT and other rivals.

Pichai says Google is increasing its investment in AI security and releasing tools to detect AI-generated images. He maintains that no single company should control such powerful technology and argues that the industry remains far from a scenario in which one firm dominates AI development.

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Europe’s digital sovereignty advances through SAP’s new AI collaborations

SAP has announced new partnerships with Bleu, Capgemini, and Mistral AI to advance Europe’s digital sovereignty. The collaboration combines SAP’s expertise in enterprise software with France’s AI ecosystem to develop secure, scalable, and sovereign cloud solutions for governments and regulated sectors.

Bleu and Delos Cloud have established a Franco-German alliance focused on crisis resilience, creating joint capabilities for early detection, analysis, and remediation of cyber incidents. Their cooperation supports rapid response in extreme scenarios and reinforces control over critical infrastructure.

SAP and Capgemini are expanding their partnership to advance sovereign agentic AI and strengthen cybersecurity across Europe. Their new Sovereign Technology Partnership will deliver data management, cloud services, and automation tools for public and regulated sectors.

SAP and Mistral AI are also deepening their collaboration to create Europe’s first full sovereign AI stack. SAP will offer Mistral’s frontier models through its sovereign AI foundation on SAP BTP, while both companies co-develop industry-specific AI applications designed for engineering and R&D workloads.

These partnerships form part of SAP’s broader sovereign cloud strategy, backed by more than €20bn in investment. SAP states that its aim is to provide a secure, compliant, and locally controlled infrastructure that enables innovation while safeguarding European data, assets, and long-term technological independence.

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UNESCO and SAP selected the AI system EDiSON for the Solomon Islands

SAP and UNESCO have agreed to deploy the AI-supported disaster management system EDiSON in the Solomon Islands.

The platform, created by SAP Japan and the start-up INSPIRATION PLUS, utilises the SAP Business Technology Platform with machine learning to merge real-time meteorological information with historical records, rather than relying on isolated datasets.

A system that delivers predictive insights that help authorities act before severe weather strikes. It anticipates terrain damage, guides emergency services towards threatened areas and supports decisions on evacuation orders.

The initiative aims to serve as a model for other small island states facing similar climate-related pressures.

UNESCO officials say the project strengthens early warning capacity and encourages long-term resilience. EDiSON will become operational in 2026 and aims to offer a scalable approach for nations with limited technical resources.

Its performance in Japan has already demonstrated how integrated data management can overcome fragmented information flows and restricted analytical tools.

The design of EDiSON enables governments to adopt advanced disaster preparedness systems instead of relying on costly, bespoke infrastructure. A partnership that seeks to improve national readiness in the Solomon Islands, where earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones and floods regularly threaten communities.

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