Feb 18, 2026

I just heard about some troubling cybersecurity news that demands urgent attention. A recent government oversight report revealed that the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which has ties to Elon Musk, severely violated cybersecurity protocols across almost every executive agency. Most worrisome is the indication that Russian and Chinese threat actors may have accessed highly sensitive systems within the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). This breach apparently happened after DOGE rolled out a government-wide infrastructure to distribute a controversial email, during which firewall protections at OPM were deliberately weakened. This allowed critical personnel data to be exfiltrated beyond secure government networks, raising serious national security alarms given the sensitive nature of the information involved.

At the same time, ransomware attacks on industrial sectors have skyrocketed. Last year, 119 ransomware groups targeted industrial organizations—a nearly 50% jump from the year before—with manufacturing hit the hardest, accounting for two-thirds of these attacks. Attackers are increasingly exploiting stolen credentials obtained through infostealers, taking advantage of password reuse across IT and operational technology systems, and compromising vendor accounts to gain legitimate access. These methods make it harder to detect intrusions since attackers authenticate normally through VPNs and cloud services, highlighting an urgent need to strengthen identity and access management in these critical environments.

There’s also a new and disturbing trend involving malware targeting AI systems. Researchers recently documented the first case of an infostealer malware extracting sensitive configuration files from OpenClaw, an agentic AI assistant. The attackers obtained API keys and authentication tokens, effectively exposing the victim’s AI environment. This development signals that malware authors are now turning their attention to AI assistants, which could open up entirely new attack surfaces and jeopardize AI-driven workflows and sensitive data.

On top of these threats, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is currently operating at reduced capacity due to a Department of Homeland Security shutdown. Although some staff are still working without pay to handle critical threats, this staffing shortfall risks delaying responses to cyber incidents at a time when ransomware and other attacks are on the rise. This situation requires immediate resolution to maintain national cybersecurity resilience during an already vulnerable period.

Finally, law enforcement in Poland recently arrested a man connected to the Phobos ransomware gang, seizing digital evidence including logins, passwords, credit card information, and server IP addresses. This is part of a larger Europol operation targeting ransomware-as-a-service groups, demonstrating ongoing international efforts to disrupt these criminal networks. However, it also underscores the persistent and evolving nature of ransomware threats worldwide. Taken together, these developments highlight critical vulnerabilities across government, industrial, and AI sectors that must be urgently addressed to prevent further damage.

Stay Well!