#operational-security

#operational-security

An FBI informant helped run the Incognito dark web market and allegedly approved the sale of fentanyl-laced pills, including those from a dealer linked to a confirmed death, WIRED reported this week. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Epstein's ties to Customs and Border Protection officers sparked a Department of Justice probe. Documents say that CBP officers in the US Virgin Islands were still friendly with Epstein years after his 2008 conviction, illustrating the infamous sex offender's tactics for cultivating allies.

The following day, as I was reading through my cables, I looked up from my computer to find a very unkempt individual, about 20 years my senior with bushy eyebrows and a dirty, wispy looking mustache hovering over me, in essence, violating my personal space. He introduced himself as Aldrich Ames, the individual planning the conference which I had refused to sign off on the day before.

I'm still not clear on what the legal authority is for the United States to run the country of Venezuela, but several members of Congress and other legal experts have said this operation to take Maduro was illegal because you didn't seek congressional authorization, said Stephanopoulos. Why wasn't congressional authorization necessary? It wasn't necessary because this was not an invasion. We didn't occupy a country.

The 84-page report concludes that Hegseth's decision to share highly sensitive military plans on the commercially available encrypted messaging app, using his personal cell phone, could have jeopardized the safety of American servicemembers and the mission. "The Secretary sent nonpublic DoD information identifying the quantity and strike times of manned U.S. aircraft over hostile territory over an unapproved, unsecure network approximately 2 to 4 hours before the execution of those strikes," according to the report.

The report, slated to be released on Thursday, is said to recommend further training in the handling of sensitive information. The Pentagon's inspector general has reportedly determined that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth improperly used the messaging app Signal to convey sensitive information, thereby putting a United States military operation at risk. Media reports, released on Wednesday, offered a preview of the inspector general's report, slated to be released in full on Thursday.

The activity of the Lumma Stealer (aka Water Kurita) information stealer has witnessed a "sudden drop" since last months after the identities of five alleged core group members were exposed as part of what's said to be an aggressive underground exposure campaign dubbed Lumma Rats since late August 2025. The targeted individuals are affiliated with the malware's development and administration, with their personally identifiable information (PII), financial records, passwords, and social media profiles leaked on a dedicated website.

All individuals with access to or knowledge of an organization's computers, networks, facilities, information, or personnel are potential insider threats, including vendors and contractors. The ability to intentionally use or accidentally misuse any of this information can breach confidentiality, reveal trade secrets, cause a data security incident, or harm an organization's personnel, ultimately impacting its reputation and ability to do business.

Sensitive data loss episodes can have reputational, financial, legal, and regulatory consequences. CISOs need to have their data leakage defences and best practices in place.