Weekly Cybersecurity Digest [January, Week 3]
Posted on January 20, 2026
Dear Valued Clients,
Welcome to this week’s cybersecurity digest from Make Sense, your trusted partner in building measurable resilience across Europe’s increasingly interconnected digital and critical-infrastructure landscape. As January progresses, Europe’s cyber environment is being shaped by two converging pressures: expanding digital dependency and escalating geopolitical risk.
From transport-sector data exposure and space-agency breaches to renewed debates over sovereignty and supplier trust, this week underscores a central truth: cyber resilience now depends on coordinated action across borders, sectors, and governance levels.
✅ Top Stories of the Week
i. Eurail / Interrail Data Breach – Passenger Data Exposed
Eurail confirmed unauthorised access to its systems, exposing travellers’ personal information, reservation details, and, in some cases, passport information. The company notified EU authorities and affected customers; investigations and containment measures are ongoing. The incident raises GDPR and cross-border incident-response issues for transport networks across continental Europe. [Read more via SecurityWeek]
ii. Trend Micro Brings Vision One to AWS European Sovereign Cloud
Security vendor Trend Micro has launched its Trend Vision One cybersecurity platform on the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, enabling organisations in regulated industries and government to deploy AI-powered security tools while meeting European data sovereignty and compliance requirements. The move addresses digital sovereignty and advanced threat protection needs across the EU. [Read more via Techzine]
iii. ESA Cyberattack Exposes Email Credentials on Dark Web
The European Space Agency (ESA) suffered a series of cyberattacks that leaked hundreds of gigabytes of data, including staff email credentials and access tokens, onto dark web forums. Hackers exploited poor cyber hygiene and unpatched vulnerabilities, prompting ESA to launch a criminal investigation. Experts warn that space agencies worldwide face growing digital threats. [Read more via Space]
Action prompt: When was the last time your organisation audited access tokens, credential reuse, and patching across research or collaboration platforms?
✅ Industry Trends & Insights
The Six Cybersecurity Trends European CISOs Must Plan For in 2026
A 14-Jan-2026 ISACA analysis identifies six trends shaping 2026: AI-driven attacks, identity-centric security, supply-chain exposure, cloud misconfigurations, automation for alert triage, and regulatory pressure. For continental European organisations, the piece stresses investment in identity controls, AI risk governance, and supply-chain vetting to meet NIS2/DORA obligations while countering increasingly automated adversaries. [Read more via ISACA]
Reflect: Which of these trends presents the greatest operational gap in your current security roadmap?
Germany–Israel Cybersecurity Deal to Boost Defences
Germany and Israel have signed a cybersecurity cooperation agreement to counter cyber threats and enhance the protection of critical infrastructure. Announced by German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, the pact includes a joint “cyber dome” system, an AI and cyber innovation centre, drone defence cooperation and improved civilian warning systems. The partnership also targets energy and connected vehicle network security. [Read more via Reuters]
✅ Regulatory & Policy Updates
EU Plans Mandatory Phase-out of Chinese Suppliers from Critical Networks
On 17 January 2026, officials preparing a European cybersecurity proposal reportedly moved to mandate the phase-out of Chinese telecom and other critical infrastructure suppliers deemed high-risk. The draft would require member states to remove specified vendors on phased timelines, prioritising telecoms and energy sectors. The proposal has provoked debate in capitals about costs, supply-chain disruption and strategic technological sovereignty. [Read more via Reuters]
EU Commission Set to Broaden Cybersecurity Act Certification
The European Commission is preparing to revise the EU Cybersecurity Act to expand certification schemes beyond ICT products and services to include firms’ overall cybersecurity risk-management posture and governance. The proposal aims to simplify stalled certification processes, cover cloud and 5G services, support managed security services and harmonise EU-wide cyber assurance standards. [Read more via Digital Watch Observatory]
Consider: How prepared is your organisation for certification regimes that assess governance maturity – not just technical controls?
✅ Cyber IQ Challenge + Proactive Security Hacks
Quick Quiz:
Which capability most directly strengthens resilience across transport, cloud, and space-sector cyber incidents?
A) Perimeter firewalls alone
B) Identity governance, credential hygiene, and patch discipline
C) Incident response playbooks without testing
D) Vendor questionnaires without verification
(Answer below)
Smart Security Moves of the Week:
- Credential discipline: Rotate access tokens, enforce MFA everywhere, and audit credential reuse across collaborative platforms.
- Sovereign-cloud alignment: Map where security telemetry and logs are processed to ensure jurisdictional compliance.
- Supply-chain visibility: Validate patching and access controls across research, transport, and partner ecosystems.
- Governance rehearsal: Run tabletop exercises simulating cross-border breaches and vendor-driven disruptions.
Answer: B) Identity governance, credential hygiene, and patch discipline
✅ Conclusion
From passenger data exposure and space-sector breaches to sovereign cloud adoption and tightening certification regimes, this week illustrates that Europe’s cyber risk is no longer confined to traditional IT systems. Resilience now hinges on identity control, vendor accountability, and coordinated governance across borders and industries.
Final reflection: If compromised credentials surfaced in your ecosystem tomorrow, how quickly could you contain access, validate impact, and reassure regulators and partners?
At Make Sense, we translate intelligence into measurable defence – strengthening identity security, validating governance maturity, and embedding resilience across Europe’s most critical digital environments.
Stay secure,
The Make Sense SRL Team & CyberTania
