Fears of worsening violence looms in Baghdad, emphasizing the challenges faced by Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of parliament’s biggest bloc as he attempts to form a majority government have October’s contested election. There were two explosions Sunday targeting two banks associated with Kurdish politicians in the Karrada district

Oil prices climbed to their highest level since 2014 as possible supply disruptions due to attacks in the Mideast Gulf added to a tight supply outlook. Brent crude rose $0.88 or 1%, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude jumped 1.5% or $1.23. Both benchmarks were highest since October 2014.  After

Drones caused an explosion on three oil tankers in Abu Dhabi and may have caused a separate fire at an extension of the Abu Dhabi Airport. The suspected drone attacks killed three people and injured six. Senior Emirati diplomat Anwar Gargash blamed Yemen’s Houthi rebels for the attack and the

Tonga has released its first government update after a volcanic eruption triggered a Tsunami. Tonga said it had been hit by an unprecedented disaster and confirmed three deaths, two locals and one British national. The smaller outlying islands were particularly affected with all of the houses destroyed or just one

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Germany and Ukraine this week following the Russian threat toward Ukraine. Blinken will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. The goal is to reinforce the US commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty.  In Berlin, Blinken will discuss

NATO signed a deal on Monday to strengthen its cyber support for Ukraine after a hacking attack against Kyiv. These attacks have prompted fears that Russia could be plotting an invasion. Ukraine said Sunday that it had evidence Moscow was behind last week’s attack on government websites, however the Kremlin

The PCI Security Standards Council announced an update of the PCI Card Production and Provisioning Security Requirements. The update allows payment card vendors to secure components and sensitive data involved in the production of payment cards. These standards protect against fraud via the compromise of card materials.  Card production includes

Microsoft researchers have revealed evidence of a malware operation targeting multiple organizations in Ukraine in the wake of last week’s cyber attack on Ukrainian government websites. The new attack is deploying Master Boot Records (MBR) wiper malware disguised as ransomware. According to Microsoft, the malware first appeared on the victimized

14 members of the REvil ransomware group have been arrested by the Russian government. A joint effort between the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia led to the arrest of the members of the cybercrime group. Several assets were seized in

Great reporting by Microsoft here: Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) has identified evidence of a destructive malware operation targeting multiple organizations in Ukraine. This malware first appeared on victim systems in Ukraine on January 13, 2022. Microsoft is aware of the ongoing geopolitical events in Ukraine and surrounding region and