THE DAILY PRAETORIAN: Cybersecurity Trends – 01/07/26

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

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

-Peter Drucker

U.S. Forces Seize Fleeing Russian-Flagged Oil Tanker In North Atlantic (Updated)
U.S. forces intercepted the Russian‑flagged oil tanker Marinera (formerly Bella 1) in the North Atlantic after weeks of tracking, deploying 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment assets—including MH‑6 Little Birds launched from a Coast Guard cutter—alongside Coast Guard boarding teams and, reportedly, AC‑130J Ghostrider gunships; the operation, coordinated with the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence and supported by RAF surveillance and naval assets, seized the vessel that had been used by a shadow fleet to evade sanctions on Russian, Iranian and Venezuelan oil, prompting Russian officials to denounce the boarding as a breach of international law while U.S. officials emphasized the legal warrant and the ship’s alleged involvement in illicit oil transport; simultaneous U.S. actions also captured another sanctioned tanker, Sophia, in the Caribbean, underscoring the administration’s aggressive stance on sanction enforcement. click here to read more.

Friction-maxxing: why 2026 is embracing inconvenience to feel more human
2026 embraces “friction‑maxxing,” a trend that pushes people to seek inconvenience—paying cash, using flip phones, confronting tense conversations—to rebuild resilience and reclaim authentic humanity amid relentless algorithmic ease; hosts of The Social CTV argue that deliberate discomfort sharpens mental stamina, improves problem‑solving, and deepens personal connections, urging habits such as drafting emails without AI help, tolerating uncertainty, and tackling challenges manually rather than relying on chatbots, thereby counteracting the passive, stress‑free lifestyle shaped by digital platforms. click here to read more.

Tim Allen Opens Up About Reading the Bible and Studying Paul’s Teachings
Tim Allen tells listeners that he is reading the Bible cover‑to‑cover and now focuses on the Apostle Paul’s letters, explaining that Paul portrays law as a tool that reveals humanity’s sinful nature; during Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast, Allen describes how studying Paul’s teachings on the law helps him grasp why moral boundaries exist. He recounts a vivid Jerusalem visit where a guide pointed out sites where Jesus walked, sparking a personal realization of Jesus’s historical presence, and he shares Paul’s dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus, highlighting the apostle’s shift from zealous Jew to Christian advocate. Allen also mentions his earlier struggle with faith after his father’s death, his recent progress through the Old Testament and Romans, and his ongoing quest to understand biblical truth. click here to read more.

Cybersecurity Firms Secured $14 Billion in Funding in 2025: Analysis
Cybersecurity firms attracted nearly $14 billion in 2025, driven by 392 funding rounds that lifted total venture and private‑capital investment 47 percent above 2024’s $9.5 billion; Pinpoint Search Group notes the surge marks the strongest year since the 2021 peak, reflecting investors’ renewed confidence and tighter selectivity toward companies with deep technical expertise, disciplined operations, and relevance to emerging buyer priorities. Seed and Series A deals comprised two‑thirds of the rounds, yet late‑stage financings supplied most of the capital, with 30 deals exceeding $100 million accounting for eight percent of the rounds but nearly half of all dollars. Major injections went to Saviynt ($700 M), Cyera ($540 M), Armis ($435 M), Chainguard ($280 M), Vanta ($150 M), 7AI ($130 M), Noma Security ($100 M) and Dream ($100 M). Investors gravitated toward governance, identity, and AI‑security solutions, treating governance as a prerequisite for scalable AI adoption, while also targeting fraud prevention and critical‑infrastructure protection; enterprises tightened budgets, consolidated vendor stacks, and favored larger, outcome‑driven contracts. click here to read more.

Startup Nation meets the Scale-Up State: Israeli innovation heads to Texas
The Jerusalem Post and the Texas‑Israel Alliance announce Unicorn Rodeo, a two‑day conference in Dallas on April 29‑30, 2026 that links Israeli innovators with Texas’s scale‑up ecosystem; organizers highlight Texas’s position as the U.S.’s eighth‑largest economy and a natural gateway for Israeli tech firms, aiming to turn ideas, capital, and policy into tangible economic outcomes. Speakers include Inbar Ashkenazi, Livia Link‑Raviv, Doug Deason, David Wiessman, Tal Shmueli, and George Seay, who emphasize shared values, entrepreneurial spirit, and the goal of bringing 100 Israeli companies to Texas over the next decade. The event will focus on AI, health, energy, and defense, feature panels, keynote talks, reverse pitches, and a limited‑attendance format with 300 tickets available through pre‑sale at unicornrodeo.org. click here to read more.