THE DAILY PRAETORIAN: Cybersecurity Trends – 4/14/25

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

“Everything we demonstrate we can do with our Allies and partners we can pick up and do anywhere.”

— Gen. Christopher Donahue

Thousands of US soldiers deploy to Europe for Defender drills
Thousands of U.S. soldiers are deploying to Europe for Defender 25, a massive multinational military exercise spanning 18 countries from the Arctic to the Mediterranean. Kicking off April 10, the drills will involve 25,000 troops and feature complex logistics operations, including five simultaneous airborne jumps in Northern Europe and large-scale troop movements across Central and Southeastern Europe. Now in its fifth year, the Defender series aims to strengthen NATO’s combat readiness and deter adversaries with visible, scalable force projection. Click here to read more.

OpenAI’s New GPT 4.1 Models Excel at Coding
OpenAI has unveiled a new family of AI models—GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 Mini, and GPT-4.1 Nano—specifically tuned for coding, signaling an aggressive push to outpace rivals like Google and Anthropic. Boasting improved speed, instruction-following, and the ability to analyze eight times more code, GPT-4.1 outperforms both GPT-4o and even GPT-4.5 in some areas. With 40% faster processing and 80% cheaper input costs, the models aim to transform how developers prototype software and build AI agents. OpenAI says usage is soaring, with 500 million weekly active users. Click here to read more.

Trump Issues Holy Week Declaration on ‘the Living Son of God’, Plans White House Easter Service
President Donald Trump issued a deeply personal and faith-centered message for Holy Week, marking Palm Sunday with a declaration of Christ’s resurrection and a renewed commitment to defending religious liberty in America. Highlighting the sacred significance of the crucifixion and resurrection, Trump’s message emphasized redemption, hope, and national prayer. The White House will also host a special Holy Thursday staff worship service featuring Rev. Franklin Graham and pastors Greg Laurie and Jentezen Franklin, along with worship music and Easter-themed events throughout the week. Click here to read more.

Hertz says hackers stole its customer data
Hertz Global disclosed that a data breach involving third-party vendor Cleo Communications may have compromised sensitive customer information, including contact details, credit card numbers, and driver’s license data. The breach stemmed from zero-day vulnerabilities exploited in Cleo’s platform during incidents in October and December. Hertz emphasized that its own systems were not breached and stated it has found no evidence of fraudulent use of the exposed data. However, a small subset of users may have had their Social Security or passport details impacted. Click here to read more.

Iran resumes smuggling arms to Hezbollah via Beirut’s port
Iran is reportedly using maritime smuggling routes, including via the partially restored Port of Beirut, to transfer weapons to Hezbollah, according to a Western intelligence source cited by The Jerusalem Post. With traditional land and air routes constrained, Iran’s Quds Force Units 190 and 700 are said to be overseeing the sea-based operations. This renewed use of Beirut’s port underscores Hezbollah’s persistent efforts to resupply despite ongoing conflict and surveillance. The activity highlights a growing security concern in the Eastern Mediterranean. Click here to read more.