THE DAILY PRAETORIAN: Cybersecurity Trends – 8/12/25

Securing Tomorrow: Your Daily Dose of Cyber Safety, Tech Trends, National Defense News, and Inspiration.

“Presence equals influence.”

— Admiral Karl Schultz

Coast Guard commissions its first new icebreaker in more than 25 years
The Coast Guard has commissioned the USCGC Storis, its first new icebreaker in more than 25 years, converting a former Royal Dutch Shell oil drilling support vessel to bolster U.S. Arctic capabilities ahead of new ship deliveries in 2030. The $125 million upgrade gives the Storis navigation, communications, and defensive enhancements, joining the Polar Star and Healy as the nation’s only icebreakers amid rising competition with Russia and China in the resource-rich Arctic. While Congress has approved $25 billion for 40 new cutters, including icebreakers, and $300 million for new port facilities, all three vessels will remain homeported in Seattle until at least next year. Click here to read more.

Microsoft releases lightweight Office taskbar apps for Windows 11
Microsoft is rolling out new lightweight taskbar companion apps for Microsoft 365 business users on Windows 11, offering quick access to People, File Search, and Calendar directly from the taskbar. The People app provides an org chart and lets users quickly start Teams chats, calls, or emails; the File Search app enables fast file retrieval across OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, and Outlook with previews and filters; and the Calendar app shows upcoming events and meeting join options. Announced at last year’s Ignite conference and tested in beta, the apps will now install automatically with Microsoft 365 on Windows 11 unless blocked by IT admins, though users can disable auto-launch. Click here to read more.

Celebrating 500 years since the first printed English New Testament
This year marks the quincentenary of the first printed English New Testament, completed by William Tyndale in 1525 after fleeing England to avoid Church opposition. Translating directly from Greek using Erasmus’s text, Tyndale first printed in Cologne—though only 22 chapters of Matthew survived—before successfully publishing the full New Testament in Worms, with copies reaching England and Scotland by early 1526. His work laid the foundation for the King James Version and many modern translations, shaping the English Bible for centuries. The Tyndale Society, founded in 1995, launched anniversary celebrations in Antwerp this July with an academic conference, concerts by the Tyndale Singers, and rare exhibits, including the only pristine surviving 1526 New Testament and a prison letter from Tyndale himself. Events will continue globally through 2026, offering churches and communities opportunities to reflect on the enduring impact of Scripture in the English language. Click here to read more.

Created a passkey? Hackers can bypass it using a simple downgrade attack
Security researchers at Proofpoint have revealed that hackers can bypass passkey authentication through a simple downgrade attack, exploiting gaps in platform support for FIDO2 logins. While passkeys are designed to replace passwords with a phishing-resistant method, many cloud identity services—such as Microsoft Entra ID—do not support them across all browsers and operating systems, allowing attackers to spoof an unsupported user agent and force victims into using weaker login methods like passwords with or without MFA. Proofpoint demonstrated a phishing kit that mimics Microsoft’s login flow, tricks users into selecting “other ways to sign in,” and captures both credentials and session cookies, enabling attackers to hijack accounts without needing further authentication. Though no active campaigns have been observed, researchers warn the flaw affects multiple passkey implementations and remains a serious threat until older authentication methods are fully disabled. Click here to read more.

Israel in talks with South Sudan about Gazan resettlement plans – report
Israel is reportedly in talks with South Sudan about a potential plan to resettle Palestinians from Gaza to the East African nation, according to six sources familiar with the discussions cited by the Associated Press. The proposal, which could deepen ties between the two countries, involves exploring the establishment of camps for Gazans who choose to relocate, with an Israeli delegation expected to visit South Sudan to assess possibilities. South Sudanese civil society leader Edmond Yakani confirmed conversations with officials about the plan, which follows last week’s visit to Israel and the West Bank by South Sudan’s Foreign Minister Monday Semaya Kumba. Israel and South Sudan share longstanding ties, with Israel having supported South Sudan’s struggle for independence and being among the first to recognize it in 2011. Click here to read more.