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Switzerland mandates cyberattack reporting for critical infrastructure from 1 April 2025

As of 1 April 2025, operators of critical infrastructure in Switzerland will be required to report cyberattacks to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) within 24 hours of discovery. This measure, introduced by the Federal Council, is part of an amendment to the Information Security Act (ISA) and aims to enhance cybersecurity coordination and response capabilities.

The reporting obligation applies to key sectors, including energy and water suppliers, transport companies, and public administrations at the cantonal and communal levels. Reports must be submitted when an attack disrupts critical infrastructure, compromises or manipulates information, or involves blackmail, threats, or coercion. Failure to comply may result in financial penalties, which will be enforceable from 1 October, allowing a six-month adjustment period before sanctions take effect.

To facilitate compliance, the NCSC will provide a reporting form on its Cyber Security Hub, with an alternative email submission option for organisations not yet registered on the platform. Initial reports must be submitted within 24 hours, followed by a detailed report within 14 days.

The Federal Council has also approved the Cybersecurity Ordinance, which outlines implementation provisions, reporting exemptions, and mechanisms for information exchange between the NCSC and other authorities. Consultations on the ordinance reflected broad support for streamlined reporting processes, ensuring alignment with existing obligations, such as those under data protection laws.

Additionally, from 1 April, the National Cyber Security Centre will officially change its name as part of its transition into a federal office within the Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS).

This regulatory update aligns Switzerland with international cybersecurity practices, including the EU’s NIS Directive, which has required cyber incident reporting since 2018.

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Geopolitical tensions drive OT and ICS cyberattacks, a new report warns

Attacks on operational technology (OT) networks have increased, driven in part by geopolitical factors, with OT security gaining broader attention, according to the annual report from Dragos.

In 2024, two additional threat groups began targeting OT systems, bringing the total number of known active groups to nine.

Additionally, researchers from Dragos identified two new malware families designed to compromise industrial control systems (ICS).

According to Dragos’ annual report, barriers to OT/ICS attacks have lowered, making these systems more accessible targets for adversaries.

Ransomware attacks against OT/ICS asset owners also increased by 87% in 2024, with the number of ransomware groups targeting these systems growing by 60%.

Dragos monitors 23 threat groups that engage with OT networks for intelligence gathering or system manipulation. Nine of these groups were active in 2024, including two newly identified ones.

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Xpeng plans major investment in humanoid robots

Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng is making a long-term push into humanoid robots, with potential investments reaching up to 100 billion yuan ($13.8 billion), according to CEO He Xiaopeng. Speaking at the annual parliamentary session, He described the company’s current investment as conservative but signalled a willingness to scale up significantly over the next two decades. Xpeng, which entered the humanoid robotics sector in 2020, unveiled its Iron humanoid robot last November, positioning it as a rival to Tesla’s Bot.

Chinese automakers are increasingly venturing into robotics, encouraged by policymakers aiming for breakthroughs in the field. Stellantis-backed Leapmotor has also joined the race, forming a robotics team to develop machines for industrial applications such as factory assembly lines. CEO Zhu Jiangming stated that these robots are intended to enhance efficiency by replacing human labour in production processes.

Xpeng’s CEO suggested that automakers could invest between 1-2 billion yuan per year in developing and deploying humanoid robots in real-world scenarios. As the industry shifts towards automation, carmakers are betting that advanced robotics will play a crucial role in future manufacturing and mobility solutions.

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Coinbase calls for a unified crypto scam reporting system

The reporting system for crypto scams in the US is fragmented and needs to be unified, according to Coinbase’s chief security officer, Philip Martin. Speaking at the SXSW conference, Martin explained that victims often struggle to know where to report scams, with different organisations handling cases in a disjointed manner. He called for a single reporting system that would help track the scale of the issue and improve coordination between organisations.

Martin pointed out that victims of crypto scams often feel frustrated, as many reports seem to go unnoticed, especially with platforms like the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Centre (IC3). He suggested that a more centralised approach would provide better visibility for victims and more effective resources to address the problem.

In addition, Martin noted that many crypto scams originate from outside the US, making it harder for law enforcement to take action. He advocated for stronger international cooperation to ensure scammers have no safe havens. Meanwhile, California’s financial regulator reported over 2,600 complaints last year, revealing new types of scams in the crypto space.

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Allstate faces lawsuit for security failures in data breach

New York State has taken legal action against Allstate, accusing its National General unit of mishandling customer data security and failing to report a breach that exposed sensitive information.

The state’s Attorney General, Letitia James, filed the lawsuit in Manhattan, claiming that the breaches, which occurred in 2020 and 2021, resulted in hackers accessing the driver’s license numbers of over 360,000 people.

According to the lawsuit, National General did not notify affected drivers or state agencies about the first breach, which occurred between August and November 2020.

The second, larger breach, was discovered three months later in January 2021. James alleges that National General violated the state’s Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security Act by failing to protect customer information adequately.

In response, Allstate defended its actions, stating that it had resolved the issue years ago, secured its systems, and offered free credit monitoring to affected consumers.

The lawsuit seeks civil fines of $5,000 per violation, in addition to other remedies. This legal action follows similar penalties imposed on other US companies for data security lapses, including fines for Geico and Travelers.

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Meta has developed an AI chip to cut reliance on Nvidia, Reuters reports

Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, is testing its first in-house chip designed for training AI systems, sources told Reuters.

The social media giant has started a limited rollout of the chip, planning to scale up production if testing delivers positive results. The move represents a crucial step in Meta’s strategy to lessen dependence on external suppliers like Nvidia and lower substantial infrastructure costs.

The company has projected expenses between $114 billion and $119 billion for 2025, with up to $65 billion dedicated to AI infrastructure.

The chip, part of Meta’s Meta Training and Inference Accelerator (MTIA) series, is a dedicated AI accelerator, meaning it is specifically designed for AI tasks rather than general processing. This could make it more power-efficient than traditional GPUs.

Meta is collaborating with Taiwan-based chip manufacturer TSMC to produce the new hardware. The test phase follows Meta’s first ‘tape-out’ of the chip, a crucial milestone in silicon development where an initial design is sent to a chip factory.

However, this process is costly and time-consuming, with no guarantee of success, and any failure would require repeating the tape-out step.

Meta has previously faced setbacks in its custom chip development, including scrapping an earlier version of an inference chip after poor test results. However, the company has since used another MTIA chip for AI-powered recommendations on Facebook and Instagram.

The new training chip aims to first enhance recommendation systems before expanding to generative AI applications like the chatbot Meta AI.

Meta executives hope to implement their own chips for AI training by 2026, although the company continues to be one of Nvidia’s biggest customers, investing heavily in GPUs for its AI operations.

The development comes as AI researchers increasingly question whether scaling up large language models by adding more computing power will continue to drive progress. The recent emergence of more efficient AI models, such as those from Chinese startup DeepSeek, has intensified these debates.

While Nvidia remains a dominant force in AI hardware, fluctuating investor confidence and broader market concerns have caused turbulence in the company’s stock value.

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Musk blames ‘major cyberattack’ for X outage, points to Ukraine

Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, experienced widespread disruptions on Monday, which the billionaire attributed to a major cyberattack.

Musk claimed the platform was targeted by an unusually powerful denial-of-service (DoS) attack, suggesting that a well-coordinated group or nation-state might be responsible. However, he offered no concrete evidence to support the claim, leaving cybersecurity experts sceptical.

Many pointed out that DoS attacks, which flood websites with excessive traffic to overwhelm their servers, are commonly executed by small groups or individuals with relatively limited resources.

Reports of outages spiked early in the day, with Downdetector tracking over 39,000 complaints from users in the US at the peak of the disruption. By the afternoon, the number had dwindled significantly, though intermittent service issues persisted for some.

According to an anonymous industry source, the attack consisted of multiple waves of rogue traffic bombarding X’s servers, beginning around 9:45 UTC.

While Musk later asserted in an interview with Fox Business that the cyberattack originated from Ukraine, the same industry source disputed this claim, stating that the bulk of the malicious traffic came from various locations, including the USA, Vietnam, and Brazil, with only a minimal amount from Ukraine.

Tracing the true origin of DoS attacks is notoriously tricky, as attackers often use proxy servers and botnets to disguise their locations.

Cybersecurity specialists have noted that assigning blame based solely on IP addresses can be misleading, as they rarely indicate the actual perpetrators. Despite Musk’s insistence on a Ukraine-based origin, no definitive proof has been presented to substantiate the claim.

Musk’s comments come amid his increasingly vocal criticisms of Ukraine’s ongoing war efforts against Russia, aligning with sentiments echoed by US President Donald Trump, whom he advises.

Over the weekend, Musk suggested that Ukraine’s battlefield operations would collapse without his Starlink satellite communication system, although he clarified that he had no intention of cutting off access.

The latest controversy surrounding X’s cyberattack has further fueled speculation about Musk’s political and strategic positioning in the ongoing geopolitical conflict.

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Tusk warns against arrogance after US-Poland social media clash

Poland’s Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, has urged allies to show respect and avoid arrogance in a recent post on X, following a heated social media exchange between Polish and US officials. The remarks came after a disagreement over the role of Starlink satellites in Ukraine’s war effort. Radosław Sikorski, Poland‘s foreign minister, had suggested Ukraine may need an alternative to Starlink if its reliability becomes an issue. Poland funds the satellite service for Ukraine, which is crucial for military communications.

The dispute escalated when Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, accused Sikorski of being ungrateful, stating that ‘no one has made any threats about cutting Ukraine off from Starlink.’ Rubio emphasised the importance of Starlink in Ukraine’s success, saying the war could have been lost without it. Sikorski responded by thanking Rubio for reaffirming the collaboration between the US and Poland in providing the service.

The controversy deepened when Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, which operates Starlink, labelled Sikorski a “small man” and told him to ‘be quiet’ after the suggestion that Poland may seek alternatives. Musk reiterated his commitment to keeping Starlink operational in Ukraine, despite political disagreements, and denied using the service as a bargaining chip.

The ongoing debate highlights growing tensions surrounding the role of private companies in international conflict and the geopolitical importance of satellite technology. Meanwhile, the Franco-British operator Eutelsat saw a surge in stock prices, as speculation grows that it could potentially replace Starlink in providing services to Ukraine.

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New York MTA partners with Google to detect track problems

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York City has partnered with Google Public Sector on a pilot program designed to detect track defects before they cause significant disruptions. Using Google Pixel smartphones retrofitted onto subway cars, the system captured millions of sensor readings, GPS locations, and hours of audio to identify potential problems. The project aimed to improve the efficiency of the MTA’s response to track issues, potentially saving time and money while reducing delays for passengers.

The AI-powered program, called TrackInspect, analyses the sounds and vibrations from the subway to pinpoint areas that could signal defects, such as loose rails or worn joints. Data collected during the pilot, which ran from September 2024 to January 2025, showed that the AI system successfully identified 92% of defect locations found by human inspectors. The system was trained using feedback from MTA inspectors, helping refine its ability to predict track issues.

While the pilot was considered a success, the future of the program remains uncertain due to financial concerns at the MTA. Despite this, the success of the project has sparked interest from other transit systems looking to adopt similar AI-driven technologies to improve infrastructure maintenance and reduce delays. The MTA is now exploring other technological partnerships to enhance its track monitoring and maintenance efforts.

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NHS looks into Medefer data flaw after security concerns

NHS is investigating allegations that a software flaw at private medical services company Medefer left patient data vulnerable to hacking.

The flaw, discovered in November, affected Medefer’s internal patient record system in the UK, which handles 1,500 NHS referrals monthly.

A software engineer who found the issue believes the vulnerability may have existed for six years, but Medefer denies this claim, stating no data has been compromised.

The engineer discovered that unprotected application programming interfaces (APIs) could have allowed outsiders to access sensitive patient information.

While Medefer has insisted that there is no evidence of any breach, they have commissioned an external security agency to review their systems. The agency confirmed that no breach was found, and the company asserts that the flaw was fixed within 48 hours of being discovered.

Cybersecurity experts have raised concerns about the potential risks posed by the flaw, emphasising that a proper investigation should have been conducted immediately.

Medefer reported the issue to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the Care Quality Commission (CQC), both of which found no further action necessary. However, experts suggest that a more thorough response could have been beneficial given the sensitive nature of the data involved.

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