Weekly Cybersecurity Digest [January, Week 1]
Posted on January 6, 2026
Dear Valued Clients,
As we step into a new year, we wish you a secure and resilient 2026. Welcome to this week’s cybersecurity digest from Make Sense, your trusted partner in building measurable resilience across Europe’s increasingly contested digital landscape. The first week of January set the tone for 2026: supply-chain exposure, identity-layer fragility, and geopolitical dependency are no longer abstract risks – they are shaping daily security reality.
From space-sector data breaches to warnings about Europe’s digital sovereignty, this week reinforces one message: cyber maturity now means securing what you don’t fully control.
✅ Top Stories of the Week
i. European Space Agency Confirms Breach of External Science Servers
ESA acknowledged a cybersecurity incident after a threat actor claiming the handle “888” posted screenshots and offered roughly 200 GB of data from externally hosted science/collaboration servers. ESA said no classified or mission-critical systems were affected. Still, the theft of source code, API tokens, and CI/CD configurations raises supply-chain and access-token security concerns for European space research. [Read more via SecurityWeek]
ii. Over 10,000 Fortinet Devices Exposed to Ongoing MFA-bypass Attacks
Security researchers reported active exploitation of a longstanding Fortinet SSL-VPN two-factor bypass (case-sensitivity issue) affecting thousands of internet-exposed appliances. More than 10,000 Fortinet firewalls remain reachable, allowing attackers to bypass 2FA in specific configurations – a serious risk for European ISPs, telcos, and enterprise edge networks that still run affected versions. Patch/mitigation is urged immediately. [Read more via BleepingComputer]
iii. Belgium’s Cybersecurity Chief Warns Europe has “Lost the Internet”
Director of the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB), Miguel De Bruycker, told the Financial Times and reaffirmed in subsequent outlets on 5 Jan 2026 that Europe faces an “enormous security problem”, citing heavy dependence on US cloud and digital infrastructure. He argued that this deep reliance weakens sovereign control over data and critical systems, increasing external vulnerability to digital supply-chain risks. [Read more via Cybernews]
Action prompt: Map where your critical workloads depend on non-EU digital infrastructure, and identify one risk scenario in which geopolitical pressure could disrupt operations.
✅ Industry Trends & Insights
Europe’s Managed Security Services Market is Showing Strong Growth in Early 2026
A 2025–2030 Europe managed security services market outlook highlights robust growth driven by cloud adoption, AI integration and rising demand for 24/7 threat detection and compliance support. European organisations – especially in financial, healthcare and government sectors – are increasingly outsourcing security operations to managed service providers to address skills gaps and complex regulatory requirements under NIS2/DORA. [Read more via Intel Market Research]
Reflect: Which security capability would deliver the biggest resilience gain if externally managed – detection, response, or compliance monitoring?
Cyble Report: 10 New Ransomware Groups and What It Means for 2026
Published on 1 January 2026, a Cyble threat intelligence report identifies 10 newly active ransomware groups that emerged in 2025, predicting increased use of identity-based access, double extortion and affiliate fragmentation in 2026. The findings signal heightened risk for European enterprises and reinforce the need for stronger identity security and threat-intelligence-led defence strategies. [Read more via Cyble]
✅ Regulatory & Policy Updates
EU Prepares Stricter Tech Enforcement in 2026 Under DMA/DSA
On 5 Jan 2026, the European Union signalled that it will intensify enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Digital Services Act (DSA) throughout 2026, targeting large digital platforms for compliance breaches and transparency failures. Officials emphasised the need for more decisive action against monopolistic practices, illegal online content, and AI governance shortcomings – shaping cybersecurity and digital safety oversight across member states. [Read more via Financial Times]
Reflect: Are your platform risk and vendor governance frameworks ready for enforcement-grade scrutiny?
EU AI Act Implementation Standard Draft Published
The first draft standard supporting implementation of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act has been published, targeting quality management regimes that aid conformity assessment and enforcement under the Act. This draft will assist providers and regulators in meeting high-risk AI requirements, marking an early move from legislation to practical standardisation ahead of broader enforcement in 2026–27. [Read more via Complianceweek]
✅ Cyber IQ Challenge + Proactive Security Hacks
Quick Quiz:
What most strengthens Europe’s resilience against supply-chain compromise and identity-based attacks?
A) Expanding perimeter firewalls
B) Continuous access-token governance and third-party risk validation
C) Annual compliance audits
D) Centralising cloud providers
(Answer below)
Smart Security Moves of the Week:
- Token hygiene: Audit API keys, CI/CD secrets and machine identities across third-party tools.
- MFA reality-check: Test authentication workflows for bypass conditions, not just coverage.
- Sovereignty mapping: Identify critical workloads tied to non-EU infrastructure and model disruption scenarios.
- Ransomware readiness: Update playbooks for identity-driven compromise and double-extortion pressure.
Answer: B) Continuous access-token governance and third-party risk validation.
✅ Conclusion
From breaches in Europe’s space-research ecosystem to warnings about digital sovereignty and persistent identity-layer vulnerabilities, this first week of January shows how cyber risk in 2026 is no longer just technical; it is strategic. Resilience now depends on securing supply chains, governing access at scale, and reducing structural dependency on external platforms.
Final reflection: If a critical digital provider became unavailable tomorrow, how quickly could your organisation adapt – and would security be part of the solution or the bottleneck?
At Make Sense, we transform intelligence into measurable defence – strengthening identity governance, securing supply chains, and building resilience where control is no longer guaranteed.
Stay secure,
The Make Sense SRL Team & CyberTania
