Benedict Collins

US federal agencies warn that an active campaign is using AI-assisted malware to target Siemens S7 Series programmable logic controllers in energy, water and agricultural infrastructure. Attackers are scanning the internet for vulnerable PLCs, disguising malware as monitoring tools, and using AI to chain exploits while reducing the expertise and time needed to develop attack tools. Successful compromises could cause industrial disruption, safety incidents, equipment damage, data loss and cascading effects. The attackers’ identity remains unknown, although the article notes that Iranian and Russian-linked activity has previously targeted critical infrastructure. Recommended defenses include isolating PLCs from the internet and promptly applying software updates.

The US Army is phasing out the approximately 600-soldier 3rd Battalion of the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, an experimental drone and robot assault unit created under former chief of staff Gen. Randy George. Acting chief of staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve has ordered the unit to return to conventional airborne infantry duties as part of a broader “back-to-basics” approach. The battalion will first take part in the Saber Junction exercise in Germany and report its findings to inform future experimentation. Army officials maintain that the service remains committed to achieving drone dominance, but critics argue that reducing the dedicated unit risks losing momentum as Ukraine’s war demonstrates the central role of drones, electronic warfare, jamming, GPS spoofing and high-powered microwave systems in modern combat.

XOCEAN uses fleets of small, centrally controlled uncrewed surface vessels to collect oceanographic, seabed and environmental data for offshore energy, subsea cables, fishing and other industries. Cloud connectivity and near-real-time processing allow clients to access usable marine data faster than with traditional crewed survey vessels, while reducing costs, offshore risks and dependence on large assets. CEO James Ives says the company's model is built around scalable systems supported by AWS infrastructure, with future advances expected in autonomy, onboard processing, power systems and closed-loop operational decision-making. XOCEAN says its work has contributed to projects representing about 48 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity and expects its current pipeline to support more than 100 gigawatts.

A Pew Research poll finds that most Americans are more concerned than excited about AI, with fears that the technology will replace jobs rising from 64% in 2024 to 71%. Concern has increased particularly among adults under 30, whose optimism has sharply declined since 2021. Tech executives including Sam Altman, Jensen Huang, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg have offered competing reassurances, but the article argues that their claims have done little to reduce public anxiety.

An Incogni survey of 1,000 internet users found that data-exposure fears and the spread of low-quality AI-generated content are making people more anxious and less trusting of the internet. More than half believed their personal data would eventually be breached, while 63% said this fear caused anxiety. Nearly half felt less certain about what online content was real, and many reported fatigue or a desire to spend less time online. Fifty-eight percent had deleted a social media account or messaging app because of stress, anxiety or privacy concerns. Although 30% said they would pay for an internet without tracking and algorithms, willingness varied by income, raising concerns that privacy could become a privilege rather than a guarantee.

The proposed Water Cyber Shield Act would give the EPA more authority and provide $300 million annually for cybersecurity upgrades across U.S. water utilities. The measure responds to coordinated attacks affecting utilities in multiple states, including incidents attributed to Iran, but experts question whether Congress will pass it and whether the funding is sufficient. They argue that spreading the money across roughly 50,000 community water systems would provide little per facility, while aging operational technology, limited maintenance windows and weak network security remain urgent problems. Recommended immediate measures include isolating industrial control networks, removing internet-exposed management interfaces, enforcing multifactor authentication and replacing default credentials. A separate Water Watch Center initiative, backed by DEF CON Franklin and the National Rural Water Association, aims to monitor most community water systems through managed detection and response services.

A passenger on Delta Flight 591 allegedly jammed the legitimate onboard Wi-Fi for about 30 minutes after departing Las Vegas and created a fake “Delta WiFi Fast” network. Experts say the deauthentication and evil-twin attack could have enabled traffic interception, phishing, credential theft, and device probing, although Delta confirmed that aircraft systems and flight safety were unaffected. Security professionals characterize the incident as a serious misuse of well-known techniques rather than harmless experimentation, note potential federal legal consequences, and advise travelers to treat in-flight Wi-Fi as untrusted, use VPNs, disable automatic connections, and avoid networks or login pages that do not match airline procedures.

President Donald Trump signed a memo allowing vetted private US firms to partner with the government in surveillance and offensive cyber operations against foreign transnational criminal organizations targeting Americans. Participating companies may disrupt or destroy physical and digital systems, but must operate under federal oversight, follow government procedures, avoid targeting US citizens and systems, and maintain at least $1 million in bond or escrow that can be forfeited for noncompliance. The program is intended to use private-sector capabilities to counter cybercrime and protect critical infrastructure, with annual reviews of its progress and participating companies.

Benedict Collins argues that Mark Zuckerberg’s AI manifesto presents Meta as the champion of individual empowerment while contradictorily advocating a model in which Meta, the United States, and its allies retain decisive control over AI. The manifesto’s claims about job creation, personal superintelligence, privacy, and affordable access are criticized as vague and unsupported. Collins also objects to calls for looser data restrictions and faster AI infrastructure development, citing risks to workers, communities, healthcare affordability, energy costs, food security, and ecosystems. The piece concludes that AI should not be treated as an essential solution to problems that remain unresolved through more basic social and economic measures.

The Trump administration has lifted the ban that prevented federal employees from installing TikTok on government devices. The restriction was introduced in 2022 over concerns about ByteDance’s potential ties to the Chinese government, data collection, and algorithmic influence. The Office of Management and Budget confirmed that TikTok may now be used on government devices. The change follows a U.S. restructuring in which TikTok’s American operations are controlled by the TikTok USDS Joint Venture, while ByteDance retains an approximately 20% stake. Several federal agencies and the White House have already created official TikTok accounts.