Microsoft Office Patch Exploited by Russian Hackers; US House Advances Deep Space Program
A critical Microsoft Office vulnerability was swiftly exploited by Russian-state hackers, while in the US, the House took a step toward a "commercial" deep space program, and the FBI faced challenges accessing a journalist's iPhone. Meanwhile, Estonia's President emphasized the need for Europe to bolster its defense capabilities.
Russian-state hackers, identified as APT28, Fancy Bear, Sednit, Forest Blizzard, and Sofacy, exploited a critical Microsoft Office vulnerability (CVE-2026-21509) within 48 hours of Microsoft releasing an urgent security update late last month, according to researchers. The hackers compromised devices within diplomatic, maritime, and transport organizations in more than half a dozen countries. After reverse-engineering the patch, the group wrote an advanced exploit that installed previously unseen backdoors.
In Washington, D.C., a US House committee unanimously passed a reauthorization act for NASA on Wednesday, signaling a move toward a "commercial" deep space program. The legislation, which still needs approval from the full House and the Senate, provides the space agency with a general sense of direction from legislators. These reauthorization bills are distinct from appropriations bills, which provide actual funding for specific programs, but play an important role in establishing space policy.
The FBI encountered difficulties accessing data from a Washington Post reporter's iPhone after seizing the device from her home on January 14. According to a court filing, the phone was protected by Apple's Lockdown Mode. Agents were able to access the reporter's work laptop by having her use the fingerprint reader. The search warrant was executed as part of an investigation into a Pentagon contractor accused of illegally leaking classified information.
Estonian President Alar Karis told Euronews that Europe must bolster its own defense capabilities so as to "not test Article 5" of NATO. He added the bloc has long been "naive" about its security. Karis expressed confidence that the United States would honor Article 5 of NATO's common defense, despite concerns about the transatlantic relationship.
In other news, Anthropic, an AI lab, released a Super Bowl commercial featuring a chatbot giving advice, but emphasized that ads would not be coming to its own chatbot, Claude.
Discussion
AI Experts & Community
Be the first to comment