News Briefs

Community Networks Offer a Durable Route Across the Digital Divide

An ITU report finds that community-owned networks, backed by reliable technology, flexible financing and supportive regulation, can bring affordable, meaningful internet access to remote populations that traditional providers have struggled to reach at lasting scale. more

ZEGO’s Cyberattack Pushes Bavarian Textile Firm Into Insolvency

A cyberattack forced Bavarian textile specialist ZEGO into insolvency after a six-week production shutdown. The company is pursuing restructuring efforts to preserve jobs, customer relationships and its future amid growing cyber risks. more

FBI Warns of Russian Cyber Campaign Targeting Vulnerable Routers

The FBI and international partners warn that Russia's FSB Center 16 is exploiting vulnerable routers worldwide, highlighting persistent weaknesses in network security and urging organizations to adopt stronger protections to safeguard critical infrastructure against intrusion. more

UK Unveils AI Cyber Shield to Counter Machine-Speed Digital Threats

Britain is developing Cyber Shield, an AI-powered national cyber defense program designed to detect threats, automate responses and protect critical infrastructure as increasingly sophisticated attacks challenge conventional security and strain existing defensive capabilities. more

Vinton Cerf Retires After Two Decades at Google, Looks Ahead to AI Interoperability

Internet pioneer Vinton Cerf will retire from Google after more than two decades, leaving a legacy that shaped the modern internet while predicting standardized protocols will become essential for the next generation of autonomous AI agents. more

Spain to Require Four Hours of Mobile Service During Power Blackouts

Spain will require telecom operators to keep mobile networks running for up to four hours during power outages, introducing phased resilience standards, stronger emergency communications safeguards and stricter backup requirements for critical digital infrastructure. more

CENTR Warns Against Excessive Burdens in EU Cybersecurity Overhaul

Europe's national domain registries support the EU's Cybersecurity Act 2 but warn that supplier restrictions, overlapping compliance rules and broad supply chain definitions could undermine critical internet infrastructure and burden essential service operators. more

Researchers Uncover Browser-Based SSD Side Channel That Can Track User

Researchers have uncovered a browser-based technique that exploits SSD activity through local storage features, allowing malicious websites to infer user behavior, identify visited sites and applications, and potentially expand online tracking without special permissions. more

Blank Domain Names Surpass Websites in Value for the First Time, Report Finds

The domain name market recorded its strongest quarter in three years as .com sales hit a record high and investors poured capital into undeveloped web assets, signaling growing demand for premium digital real estate and scarce online identities. more

Starlink and Amazon Could Gain Access to Europe’s Satellite Airwaves

The European Union plans to reserve most future satellite spectrum for regional firms while still allowing Starlink and Amazon to compete, reflecting Brussels' attempt to balance technological sovereignty with market openness in a strategically sensitive communications sector. more

Iran Begins Restoring Internet After Record 88-Day Blackout

Iran has begun restoring internet access after an 88-day shutdown, but legal challenges and political divisions threaten the future of a reopening driven by economic strain and mounting pressure to reconnect the country. more

Iran Threatens Subsea Internet Cables in the Strait of Hormuz

Iran is seeking to monetize and potentially weaponize subsea internet cables beneath the Strait of Hormuz, exposing how modern geopolitical conflicts increasingly threaten the digital infrastructure underpinning global finance, communications and trade. more

Inside Iran’s Shift From Internet Shutdowns to Tiered Connectivity

Iran's wartime internet restrictions transformed online access into a costly, unequal system, according to researcher Imad Payande, with black markets, selective connectivity and institutional privilege reshaping how citizens reached the global web. more

Internet Censorship Grows More Sophisticated, Warns OONI Co-Founder

Maria Xynou warns that internet censorship is becoming more sophisticated and less transparent as governments deploy targeted blocks, throttling and encrypted traffic interference, while OONI's crowdsourced measurements help researchers and human-rights groups expose restrictions and defend online freedoms worldwide. more

AI-Driven Cyber Threats Are Growing, Google Warns

Google says cybercriminals and state-backed hackers are rapidly adopting generative AI to automate attacks, disguise malware, exploit vulnerabilities and spread disinformation, marking a shift from experimental use to industrial-scale cyber operations across the global threat landscape. more