THE DAILY PRAETORIAN: Cybersecurity Trends – 1/14/26

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

“Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

-Theodore Roosevelt

What is a Lucky Box and why is there one at the Pentagon?
The Pentagon now houses a Lucky Box vending machine in its main food court, where anyone can drop a few bucks into a slot and walk away with a sealed mystery prize that might be a coveted Pokémon pack, an autographed sports relic or even a Muhammad Ali‑signed glove—though most pulls turn out to be modest surprises; the company behind the machines announced the installation on Christmas Eve and called the Pentagon a “milestone moment,” while Pentagon spokeswoman Sue Gough confirmed the unit has been operating since Dec. 23, sparking curiosity among service members and visitors alike who enjoy a quick gamble while grabbing lunch, even if the defense department’s budget quirks sometimes draw a raised eyebrow; the novelty has already generated buzz on social‑media accounts like U.S. Army W.T.F! Moments, inviting anyone with a taste for chance to try their luck in the heart of America’s biggest military hub. Click here to read more.

OpenAI to buy compute power from Cerebras in deal worth more than $10 billion, source says
OpenAI signs a multi‑year contract to buy up to 750 megawatts of compute power from Cerebras, a deal valued at more than $10 billion that will be delivered in phases through 2028 to accelerate ChatGPT’s response speed; the agreement diversifies Cerebras’s revenue away from its UAE partner G42, showcases the industry’s appetite for massive AI‑training hardware, and aligns with OpenAI’s broader plan to secure tens of gigawatts of compute for future models while it prepares for a potential IPO. click here to read more.

As Iran Cracks Down on Protests, Christians Speak Up
Iranian Christians, many of whom fled persecution decades ago, now publicly support the nationwide protests against the regime, sharing messages of solidarity, praying for justice, and urging U.S. President Donald Trump to intervene; they recount personal histories of imprisonment, describe how the crackdown has killed thousands and shut down the internet, and note that churches inside Iran are increasingly vocal, using prayer calls and social media to rally believers while warning that Christians face heightened risk of accusations and imprisonment as the government blames foreign influence. click here to read more.

Verizon down for nearly 200K users, teams deployed on the ground
Verizon and several other carriers experienced a nationwide outage Wednesday, leaving tens of thousands of users without voice, data, and internet service as engineers raced to restore connectivity; the disruption peaked around 1 p.m., heavily affecting East‑Coast cities like New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami, and Charlotte, and even knocked out 911 emergency calls in New York City and Washington, DC, prompting officials to advise residents to use alternate carriers or landlines, while the FCC announced it will investigate the incident. click here to read more.

Iran closes airspace as Western military official says signals show US attack ‘imminent’
Iran shuts its airspace to all flights after a NOTAM warns that a U.S. attack may be imminent, prompting flight‑tracker maps to show aircraft fleeing the skies over Iran and Iraq; a Western military official tells Reuters that unpredictable U.S. behavior keeps adversaries on edge, while President Trump says the U.S. will monitor the situation after claiming recent killings in Iran have ceased; meanwhile, Poland, Italy and the United Kingdom urge their citizens to leave Iran, the British embassy in Tehran closes temporarily, and the United States withdraws personnel from its Al Udeid base in Qatar as Tehran threatens retaliation against U.S. bases in the region. click here to read more.