THE DAILY PRAETORIAN: Cybersecurity Trends – 10/15/25

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

“The medium is the message.”

-Marshall McLuhan

Marine communications experts were ‘Thunderstruck’ in first-ever competition
The U.S. Marine Corps held its first-ever Thunderstruck Communications Competition, a service-wide event designed to test the tactical, technical, and physical skills of Marine communicators under field conditions. Fifteen teams from across the fleet competed in the six-mile challenge at Camp Pendleton, which included high-frequency radio, satellite communications, and data networking tasks alongside weapons handling and navigation drills. Hosted by Marine Wing Communications Squadron 38, the event highlighted the vital role of resilient command and control in modern operations. A team from the 1st Marine Logistics Group headquarters regiment took top honors in the inaugural contest. Click here to read more.

Be rude to ChatGPT to get a more accurate response
A new study suggests that being rude to ChatGPT may produce slightly more accurate answers than polite requests. Researchers tested 250 prompts across five tone levels—from very polite to very rude—using ChatGPT-4o on topics like math, science, and history. Surprisingly, “very rude” prompts achieved the highest accuracy at 84.8%, while “very polite” ones scored lowest at 80.8%. The results challenge prior findings that politeness improves chatbot performance. Experts note that cultural and linguistic differences may affect outcomes, and some users remain polite out of habit—or fear of an AI “uprising.” Click here to read more.

Trump awards Charlie Kirk posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom: ‘Martyr for truth and for freedom’
President Donald Trump posthumously awarded conservative activist Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, engraved with a cross, during a Rose Garden ceremony marking what would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday. Trump hailed Kirk as a “martyr for truth and for freedom,” calling him a visionary Christian leader who inspired young Americans. Erika Kirk accepted the medal on behalf of her late husband, who was fatally shot on September 10 at Utah Valley University, and described his life as a testament to faith and liberty. The event drew about 100 attendees and included calls to continue Kirk’s mission of defending Christian and American values. Click here to read more.

Imminent nation-state threat to F5 devices, CISA urges deployment of critical updates
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued an emergency directive urging all federal agencies to immediately update F5 devices and software after a breach by suspected nation-state hackers. The attackers reportedly accessed F5’s source code, internal systems, and details on undisclosed vulnerabilities, posing an “imminent risk” of data theft or system compromise. CISA warned that the flaws could allow unauthorized access to sensitive networks and urged swift patching to prevent “catastrophic” damage. F5 confirmed the breach but said no customer or financial data was exfiltrated. Click here to read more.

Avenged Sevenfold singer sends welcome-home message to released hostages
Avenged Sevenfold’s lead singer M. Shadows sent a personal video message to recently released Israeli hostages Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal, welcoming them home after two years in Hamas captivity and expressing admiration for their strength and love of the band. The two friends, abducted from the Nova music festival in 2023, were visibly emotional upon seeing the message and later listened to Avenged Sevenfold’s “Buried Alive,” a song that gave them hope during their imprisonment. Their story has touched fans worldwide as a testament to resilience and the healing power of music. Click here to read more.