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Headlines

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued an emergency directive revealing that Russian government-backed hackers exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft's email system. The directive, released on April 2, describes the hackers' use of stolen authentication details to infiltrate the company’s customer systems. Some of those customers included unspecified government agencies.

This revelation follows Microsoft's acknowledgment in March of ongoing struggles with the group, dubbed "Midnight Blizzard." Microsoft pledged cooperation with affected customers and CISA, emphasizing collaborative efforts to investigate and mitigate the breach.

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, fired two researchers over alleged information leaks, as reported by The Information. Leopold Aschenbrenner, a researcher specializing in AI safety, and Pavel Izmailov, who contributed to reasoning projects, were both terminated — though no parties have disclosed the nature of the leaked information. This development follows OpenAI's initiative in mid-February to recruit an "insider risk investigator" to counter leaks and protect intellectual property.

This happens in the shadow of recent bad press for the company, most notably the public dismissal and subsequent reinstatement of CEO Sam Altman in November. And with recent debates around the future of AI, Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever was excluded from the company for advocating greater responsibility among developers.

 In more CISA news, the agency has issued a critical warning following a password breach on the business analytics platform Sisense. The company’s clientele includes major corporations like Air Canada and Nasdaq. Its extensive data stores are now under extreme risk, potentially making it a prime target for sophisticated supply chain cyberattacks.

CISA recommends all Sisense customers, “Reset credentials and secrets potentially exposed to, or used to access, Sisense services,” and, “Investigate—and report to CISA—any suspicious activity involving credentials potentially exposed to, or used to access, Sisense services.” But only time will tell how much damage has already occurred.

Interesting Read

Layoffs in the video game industry continued from a disastrous 2023 to what is looking like an even worse 2024. In this article for IGN, Rebekah Valentine provides great coverage of this industry shake-up.

In a year where many cyber security professionals are nervous about job loss, the adjacent world of video games gives some important perspective.

Employment Tip: Specialization

Cybersecurity is a vast field — one where you can find a niche that fits your specific skills. By specializing, you give yourself the chance to become a leading talent in the category, from penetration testing to cloud security and beyond.

For the latest openings in cybersecurity careers, check CybersecurityHQ.

Stay Safe, Stay Secure.

The CybersecurityHQ Team