TechLetters ☕️ UK–China cyber hotline. Sandworm takes cyber-disruption to power grids in the EU. Promptware kill chain. Medical software error kills.
Security
UK and China have established a communication channel on cybersecurity to exchange information about cyberattacks. The aim is to reduce tensions, improve communication, and lower the risk of escalation. Should there be a similar channel for information operations? https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-20/uk-and-china-set-up-forum-on-cyberattacks-to-lower-tensions
Poland’s energy infrastructure was targeted in a cyberattack now assessed as Russia-linked, involving an APT Sandworm. If the operation had succeeded, it could have caused major operational disruption, potentially a limited blackout.
The attackers hit two heat and power plants and a system used to manage electricity generated from renewable sources. These targets matter because they affect grid stability and the ability to balance supply and demand in real time.
The campaign included an attempt to deploy a destructive data wiper DynoWiper, designed to render infected systems unoperable. The government said the indicators pointed to groups directly tied to Russian services. Technical analysis of the tool and the associated tactics, techniques, and procedures attributed the activity to the Russia-linked APT group Sandworm, the actor responsible for the December 2015 cyber-induced power outage in Ukraine. https://www.welivesecurity.com/en/eset-research/eset-research-sandworm-cyberattack-poland-power-grid-late-2025/
https://www.gov.pl/web/primeminister/poland-stops-cyberattacks-on-energy-infrastructure
PROMPTWARE kill chain. Attacking AI/LLM-based systems via complex interactions with LLMs to achieve objectives. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2601.09625
Other
Software error in continuous glucose monitors caused 736 serious injuries, and seven deaths. https://abbott.mediaroom.com/press-releases?item=124718
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