data protection | Breaking Cybersecurity News | The Hacker News

SaaS Adoption is Skyrocketing, Resilience Hasn't Kept Pace SaaS platforms have revolutionized how businesses operate. They simplify collaboration, accelerate deployment, and reduce the overhead of managing infrastructure. But with their rise comes a subtle, dangerous assumption: that the convenience of SaaS extends to resilience. It doesn't. These platforms weren't built with full-scale data protection in mind . Most follow a shared responsibility model — wherein the provider ensures uptime and application security, but the data inside is your responsibility. In a world of hybrid architectures, global teams, and relentless cyber threats, that responsibility is harder than ever to manage. Modern organizations are being stretched across: Hybrid and multi-cloud environments with decentralized data sprawl Complex integration layers between IaaS, SaaS, and legacy systems Expanding regulatory pressure with steeper penalties for noncompliance Escalating ransomware threats and inside...

Popular messaging platform WhatsApp has added a new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered feature that leverages its in-house solution Meta AI to summarize unread messages in chats. The feature, called Message Summaries, is currently rolling out in the English language to users in the United States, with plans to bring it to other regions and languages later this year. It "uses Meta AI to privately and quickly summarize unread messages in a chat, so you can get an idea of what is happening, before reading the details in your unread messages," WhatsApp said in a post. Message Summaries is optional and is disabled by default. The Meta-owned service said users can also enable " Advanced Chat Privacy " to choose which chats can be shared for providing AI-related features. Most importantly, it's made possible by Private Processing , which WhatsApp launched back in April as a way to enable AI capabilities in a privacy-preserving manner. Private Processing is de...

The U.S. House of Representatives has formally banned congressional staff members from using WhatsApp on government-issued devices, citing security concerns. The development was first reported by Axios. The decision, according to the House Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), was motivated by worries about the app's security. "The Office of Cybersecurity has deemed WhatsApp a high-risk to users due to the lack of transparency in how it protects user data, absence of stored data encryption, and potential security risks involved with its use," the CAO said in a memo, according to Axios. To that end, House staff are prohibited from downloading the app on any device issued by the government, including its mobile, desktop, or web browser versions. WhatsApp has pushed back against these concerns, stating messages sent on the platform are end-to-end encrypted by default, and that it offers a "higher level" of security than most of the apps on CAO's approved ...

Hackers never sleep, so why should enterprise defenses? Threat actors prefer to target businesses during off-hours. That's when they can count on fewer security personnel monitoring systems, delaying response and remediation. When retail giant Marks & Spencer experienced a security event over Easter weekend, they were forced to shut down their online operations, which account for approximately a third of the retailer's clothing and home sales. As most staff are away during off-hours and holidays, it takes time to assemble an incident response team and initiate countermeasures. This gives attackers more time to move laterally within the network and wreak havoc before the security team reacts. While not every organization may be ready to staff an in-house team around the clock, building a 24/7 SOC remains one of the most robust and proactive ways to protect against off-hours attacks. In the rest of this post, we'll explore why 24/7 vigilance is so important, the challenges ...

Veeam has rolled out patches to contain a critical security flaw impacting its Backup & Replication software that could result in remote code execution under certain conditions. The security defect, tracked as CVE-2025-23121, carries a CVSS score of 9.9 out of a maximum of 10.0. "A vulnerability allowing remote code execution (RCE) on the Backup Server by an authenticated domain user," the company said in an advisory. CVE-2025-23121 impacts all earlier version 12 builds, including 12.3.1.1139. It has been addressed in version 12.3.2 (build 12.3.2.3617). Security researchers at CODE WHITE GmbH and watchTowr have been credited with discovering and reporting the vulnerability. Cybersecurity company Rapid7 noted that the update likely addresses concerns shared by CODE WHITE in late March 2025 that the patch put in place to plug a similar hole ( CVE-2025-23120 , CVSS score: 9.9) could be bypassed. Also addressed by Veeam is another flaw in the same product (CVE-2025...

Meta Platforms on Monday announced that it's bringing advertising to WhatsApp, but emphasized that the ads are "built with privacy in mind." The ads are expected to be displayed on the Updates tab through its Stories-like Status feature, which allows ephemeral sharing of photos, videos, voice notes, and text for 24 hours. These efforts are "rolling out gradually," per the company. The social media giant, which acquired WhatsApp for a record $19.3 billion in February 2014, first announced its plans for ads in Status way back in November 2018. Meta also claimed that the ads implementation was developed in the "most privacy-oriented way possible" and that it only uses limited information to serve ads. "Your personal messages, calls, and statuses remain end-to-end encrypted, meaning no one can see or hear them," the company said.

Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered over 20 configuration-related risks affecting Salesforce Industry Cloud (aka Salesforce Industries ), exposing sensitive data to unauthorized internal and external parties. The weaknesses affect various components like FlexCards, Data Mappers, Integration Procedures (IProcs), Data Packs, OmniOut, and OmniScript Saved Sessions. "Low-code platforms such as Salesforce Industry Cloud make building applications easier, but that convenience can come at a cost if security isn't prioritized," Aaron Costello, chief of SaaS Security Research at AppOmni, said in a statement shared with The Hacker News. These misconfigurations, if left unaddressed, could allow cybercriminals and unauthorized to access encrypted confidential data on employees and customers, session data detailing how users have interacted with Salesforce Industry Cloud, credentials for Salesforce and other company systems, and business logic. Following responsible discl...

Traditional data leakage prevention (DLP) tools aren't keeping pace with the realities of how modern businesses use SaaS applications. Companies today rely heavily on SaaS platforms like Google Workspace, Salesforce, Slack, and generative AI tools, significantly altering the way sensitive information is handled. In these environments, data rarely appears as traditional files or crosses networks in ways endpoint or network-based DLP tools can monitor. Yet, most companies continue using legacy DLP systems, leaving critical security gaps. A new white paper, Rethinking DLP For The SaaS Era: Why Browser-Centric DLP is the New Mandate , identifies precisely why current DLP methods struggle to secure modern SaaS-driven workflows. It also explores how browser-native security addresses these gaps by focusing security efforts exactly where user interactions occur, in the browser. Why Traditional DLP Tools Fall Short Traditional DLP solutions were built for a simpler time when sensitive...

It's not enough to be secure. In today's legal climate, you need to prove it. Whether you're protecting a small company or managing compliance across a global enterprise, one thing is clear: cybersecurity can no longer be left to guesswork, vague frameworks, or best-effort intentions. Regulators and courts are now holding organizations accountable for how "reasonable" their security programs are—and that's not just a buzzword anymore. But what does " reasonable" even mean in cybersecurity? That's exactly what this free webinar  we hosted with the experts from Center for Internet Security (CIS) will help you answer. New privacy laws, ransomware lawsuits, and regulatory investigations are raising the bar for cybersecurity expectations. If your defense program can't show structure, strategy, and measurable maturity, you're not just at risk—you're already falling behind. This isn't about hype. It's about legal risk, operational readiness, and your reputation. In this...

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered risky default identity and access management (IAM) roles impacting Amazon Web Services that could open the door for attackers to escalate privileges, manipulate other AWS services, and, in some cases, even fully compromise AWS accounts. "These roles, often created automatically or recommended during setup, grant overly broad permissions, such as full S3 access," Aqua researchers Yakir Kadkoda and Ofek Itach said in an analysis. "These default roles silently introduce attack paths that allow privilege escalation, cross-service access, and even potential account compromise." The cloud security firm said it identified security issues in default IAM roles created by AWS services like SageMaker, Glue, EMR, and Lightsail. A similar flaw has also been unearthed in a popular open-source framework called Ray, which automatically creates a default IAM role (ray-autoscaler-v1) with the AmazonS3FullAccess policy. What's concer...

Data is the lifeblood of productivity, and protecting sensitive data is more critical than ever. With cyber threats evolving rapidly and data privacy regulations tightening, organizations must stay vigilant and proactive to safeguard their most valuable assets. But how do you build an effective data protection framework? In this article, we'll explore data protection best practices from meeting compliance requirements to streamlining day-to-day operations. Whether you're securing a small business or a large enterprise, these top strategies will help you build a strong defense against breaches and keep your sensitive data safe. 1. Define your data goals When tackling any data protection project, the first step is always to understand the outcome you want. First, understand what data you need to protect. Identify your crown jewel data, and where you THINK it lives. (It's probably more distributed than you expect, but this is a key step to help you define your protection ...

Austrian privacy non-profit noyb (none of your business) has sent Meta's Irish headquarters a cease-and-desist letter, threatening the company with a class action lawsuit if it proceeds with its plans to train users' data for training its artificial intelligence (AI) models without an explicit opt-in. The move comes weeks after the social media behemoth announced its plans to train its AI models using public data shared by adults across Facebook and Instagram in the European Union (E.U.) starting May 27, 2025, after it paused the efforts in June 2024 following concerns raised by Irish data protection authorities. "Instead of asking consumers for opt-in consent, Meta relies on an alleged 'legitimate interest' to just suck up all user data," noyb said in a statement. "Meta may face massive legal risks – just because it relies on an 'opt-out' instead of an 'opt-in' system for AI training." The advocacy group further noted that Met...

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has added a maximum-severity security flaw impacting Commvault Command Center to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, a little over a week after it was publicly disclosed. The vulnerability in question is CVE-2025-34028 (CVSS score: 10.0), a path traversal bug that affects 11.38 Innovation Release, from versions 11.38.0 through 11.38.19. It has been addressed in versions 11.38.20 and 11.38.25. "Commvault Command Center contains a path traversal vulnerability that allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code," CISA said . The flaw essentially permits an attacker to upload ZIP files that, when decompressed on the target server, could result in remote code execution. Cybersecurity company watchTowr Labs, which was credited with discovering and reporting the bug, said the problem resides in an endpoint called "deployWebpackage.do" that triggers a pre-authenticat...

A high court in the Indian state of Karnataka has ordered the blocking of end-to-end encrypted email provider Proton Mail across the country. The High Court of Karnataka, on April 29, said the ruling was in response to a legal complaint filed by M Moser Design Associated India Pvt Ltd in January 2025. The complaint alleged its staff had received e-mails containing obscene, abusive, and vulgar language, artificial intelligence (AI) generated deepfake imagery, and other sexually explicit content, according to LiveLaw . In a hearing , Justice M Nagaprasanna ordered the Indian government to "initiate proceedings in terms of section 69A of the Information Technology (IT) Act 2008 read with Rule 10 of the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards of blocking of Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009 to block Proton Mail."  "Till such proceedings are taken up and concluded by the government of India, the offending uniform resource locators (URLs) [...] shal...

Popular messaging app WhatsApp on Tuesday unveiled a new technology called Private Processing to enable artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities in a privacy-preserving manner. "Private Processing will allow users to leverage powerful optional AI features – like summarizing unread messages or editing help – while preserving WhatsApp's core privacy promise," the Meta-owned service said in a statement shared with The Hacker News. With the introduction of the latest feature, the idea is to facilitate the use of AI features while still keeping users' messages private. It's expected to be made available in the coming weeks. The capability, in a nutshell, allows users to initiate a request to process messages using AI within a secure environment called the confidential virtual machine (CVM) such that no other party, including Meta and WhatsApp, can access them. Confidential processing is one of the three tenets that underpin the feature, the others being - Enf...

WhatsApp has introduced an extra layer of privacy called Advanced Chat Privacy that allows users to block participants from sharing the contents of a conversation in traditional chats and groups. "This new setting available in both chats and groups helps prevent others from taking content outside of WhatsApp for when you may want extra privacy," WhatsApp said in a statement. The optional feature, when enabled, prevents others from exporting chats, auto-downloading media to their phone, and using messages for artificial intelligence (AI) features. However, it's worth noting users can still take individual screenshots, or manually download the media. The popular messaging service said the feature is "best used" when engaging in sensitive conversations with groups where it's possible that users may not know everyone closely. The feature, WhatsApp said, is rolling to all users who are on the latest version of the application. The disclosure comes as the ...

The problem is simple: all breaches start with initial access, and initial access comes down to two primary attack vectors – credentials and devices. This is not news; every report you can find on the threat landscape depicts the same picture.  The solution is more complex. For this article, we'll focus on the device threat vector. The risk they pose is significant, which is why device management tools like Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) are essential components of an organization's security infrastructure. However, relying solely on these tools to manage device risk actually creates a false sense of security. Instead of the blunt tools of device management, organizations are looking for solutions that deliver device trust . Device trust provides a comprehensive, risk-based approach to device security enforcement, closing the large gaps left behind by traditional device management solutions. Here are 5 of those limitations and how to ov...