Weekly Cybersecurity Digest [August, Week 1]
Posted on August 5, 2025
Dear Valued Clients,
Welcome to this week’s cybersecurity digest, curated by Make Sense to keep you informed about the latest developments in information security across Europe. Telecom cores, debt-collection archives, and pharmaceutical IP all came under fire this week. Orange France isolated systems after an internal breach, Ireland’s Cabot faces GDPR litigation, and Europol’s “Operation Checkmate” knocked BlackSuit ransomware offline—while its operators already pivot. Survey data shows most large UK firms would still pay ransom even if it were outlawed.
As always, we bring you the most relevant updates to help strengthen your operational defenses.
✅ Top Stories of the Week
i. Orange, France’s largest telecom provider, hit by cyber-attack
Orange confirmed a cyberattack against an internal IT platform on 26 July, prompting Orange Cyberdefense to isolate systems. The containment cut off some corporate management portals and select consumer services across France. Investigators say no customer data appears exfiltrated, but the incident underscores heightened espionage warnings from France’s ANSSI about state-backed targeting of telecom cores ahead of major events. [Read more via The Record]
ii. Cabot Financial Ireland faces class-action after 394 k-record breach
Irish debt-collector Cabot Financial faces a class-action campaign after a September 2024 breach exposed roughly 394,000 customer, employee and bank records. Litigation firm Lacey Solicitors began filing GDPR compensation claims on 1 August, citing recent Irish Supreme Court precedent that eases non-material damages suits—signalling bigger legal risk for firms that mishandle personal data. [Read more via Lacey Solicitors]
iii. Europol-led “Operation Checkmate” seizes BlackSuit ransomware infrastructure
Europol’s “Operation Checkmate” seized BlackSuit ransomware’s infrastructure on 24 July, coordinating German, UK, Irish and French police plus the FBI. Investigators identified 180+ victims and froze $1.7 million in crypto. Analysts warn, however, that BlackSuit’s Conti-linked operators have already pivoted to an INC rebrand, underscoring the whack-a-mole challenge of ransomware disruption. [Read more via Cyberscoop]
iv. BlackByte ransomware hits Spanish pharma group DARA Pharma
Ransomware gang BlackByte posted Spanish pharma firm DARA Pharma to its leak site on 30 July, threatening to publish stolen data unless paid. Although details of the intrusion remain scarce, the incident extends a summer wave of healthcare attacks across Europe and could trigger higher fines under Spain’s forthcoming NIS2 transposition if negligence is proven. [Read more via DeXpose]
✅ Industry Trends & Insights
Commvault Survey: 75% of UK Firms Would Flout A Ransom-Payment Ban
Commvault’s Censuswide survey of 1,000 UK leaders at £100 m-plus firms finds that three-quarters would still pay hackers to keep their company alive—even if Westminster extended its proposed ransom-payment ban to the private sector and attached criminal penalties. The gap between policy support and crisis behaviour highlights the need for deeper cyber-resilience planning. [Read more via Commvault]
✅ Regulatory & Policy Updates
EU AI Act: transparency & systemic-risk duties for generative-AI models now in force
From 2 August, the EU’s AI Act imposes transparency, copyright and safety duties on general-purpose AI models. Providers must publish training-data summaries, assess systemic risks and notify Brussels if compute exceeds 10^25 FLOP. Legacy models get until 2027 to comply. A voluntary Code of Practice offers lighter paperwork but fines can reach 7 % of global turnover. [Read the press release via Digital EU]
✅ Cyber IQ Challenge + Proactive Security Hacks
Quiz: Which EU regulation introduces strict transparency and risk-management duties for general-purpose AI models deployed in Europe?
A) Digital Markets Act
B) eIDAS 2
C) EU AI Act
D) AI Liability Act
Answer below!
Smart Security Move of the Week – Prove Your Backups Can Beat Ransomware
- Run quarterly full-scale restore tests in a clean, isolated environment.
- Maintain at least one immutable or air-gapped backup copy (object-lock, tape, or offline disk).
- Enforce MFA and role-based access for all backup admin accounts.
- Segregate backup management traffic onto a dedicated network segment.
✅ Quiz Answer: C) EU AI Act
✅ Conclusion
Europe’s threat canvas is widening—from telcos to pharma—yet regulatory pressure is also intensifying. The AI Act’s new obligations, potential ransom-payment bans, and ransomware takedowns all point to a tougher compliance-and-resilience era. Validate backups, map AI model risk, and rehearse crisis playbooks now; waiting invites legal and operational peril. Make Sense trainings translate these weekly signals into practical controls so your team stays ready, compliant, and resilient.
Stay secure,
The Make Sense SRL Team & CyberTania
