We bring to your attention a sampling of recent media stories involving cyber risk & privacy liability.

Among the stories we’re highlighting this month: Attackers Are Using Custom GPTs, Cyber Incident Hits Grocery Stores, California Subpoenas OpenAI, Japan Declares First Cyberspace Emergency, and more!

Breach Tracker

• Japan Declares First Cyberspace Emergency as AI Turns Ransomware Into Carpet Bombing (read more)
• Attackers Are Using Custom GPTs to Implement ClickFix Attacks in a New RAT Campaign (read more)
• Hacker Claims ‘123456’ Password Let Them Breach the Danish National Registry, Accessing 8.8 Million Records (read more)
• California Subpoenas OpenAI Over Cyber Risks From AI Agents (read more)
• ASOS Confirms Breach of Customer Data After Hackers Send Rogue App Notification (read more)
• Personal Information for Over 1 Million People Stolen in a Cyberattack on Arizona’s Court System (read more)
• Cyber Incident Hits Grocery Stores in US, Netherlands and Belgium (read more)
• Cyberattacks Hit European Supermarket Chains and Disrupt Refrigeration Systems (read more)
• Hundreds of Thousands Impacted by Data Breach at Biosensor Firm iRhythm (read more)
• Frontline Education Breach Exposes School District Employee Data (read more)
• Cyberattack on Major Polish Invoicing Platform Exposes Customer Data (read more)
• BigCommerce Alerts Merchants of Data Breach Linked to Ribon Apps (read more)
• 250,000 Impacted by Data Breaches at New Jersey, Texas Healthcare Firms (read more)
• Hackers Stole Millions of US Military Personnel Records During Months-Long Data Breach (read more)
• Advantest Discloses Data Breach Months After Ransomware Attack (read more)
• ID Verification Giant IDScan Confirms Data Breach With More Than 150 Million Driver’s Licenses Stolen (read more)
• SSO Personal Data Breach FAQs (read more)

NetDiligence In the News

What do 10,309 real cyber insurance claims reveal about today’s losses?

NetDiligence’s 2026 Cyber Claims Study examines incidents from 2021–2025 and shows how ransomware, business email compromise, business interruption and recovery costs shape claims across organizations of different sizes.

Explore the new key-findings analysis for a concise look at the claims data, then access the full study for sector, cause-of-loss and company-size detail. Suggested email/web feature; confirm creative, excerpt approval and destination with the marketing team.

Read the full blog to learn more about this year’s findings

NetDiligence Announces 2026 Toby Merrill Award Winners

NetDiligence presents these awards each year honoring the late Toby Merrill, an icon in cyber insurance.

The Toby Merrill Award for Excellence is given to a seasoned cyber insurance thought leader, the Rising Star Award is given to an emerging insurance professional, and the Community Spirit Award acknowledges an individual who fosters camaraderie and community within the cyber insurance industry

Read the full press release to see this year’s winners

NetDiligence Announces 2026 Cyber Claims Study Webinars

Review of Findings and Frontline Insights – What the claims reveal—and what practitioners are seeing.
October 22, 2026 11:00am-12:00pm ET

Join NetDiligence and industry guests for a pre-recorded look at key findings from the 2026 Cyber Claims Study, followed by a live Q&A. Hear how the claims data and frontline experience inform today’s cyber risk and response conversations.

Register for the October 22 webinar

State of the Market Insights – Where cyber claims and market conditions meet.
November 10, 2026, 11:00am–12:00pm ET |

Join NetDiligence and a panel of insurance market experts for a recorded discussion of the 2026 Cyber Claims Study and the state of the cyber insurance market. The session connects claims experience with underwriting and market perspectives; it does not include live Q&A.

Register for the November 10 webinar

The Evolving Cyber Threat Landscape

• Ransomware Activity Hits 2026 High as Industrial Sector Bears 31% of Attacks and Qilin Dominates (read more)
• 3 Cyber Threats That Defined the Summer of 2026 (read more)
• SB 690 Signed Into Law – What It Means for CIPA/Web Tracking Litigation (read more)
• Influencer Marketing, Social Media Reshape Media Liability Risk, NetDiligence Panelists Say (read more)
• Senate Passes Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Healthcare Cybersecurity (read more)
• Attackers Exploited Citrix NetScaler Zero-Day for at Least Three Weeks Undetected (read more)
• Apple Zero-Day Vulnerability Weaponized in Targeted Attacks (read more)
• Alert: FortiBleed Remains Active Campaign, Can Lock Out Users or Lead to Ransomware Attacks (read more)
• ‘Sandworm’ Chains Cisco Flaws to Deploy Cyclops Blink (read more)
• Settra Ransomware Group Uses MeshAgent RMM in Recent Attacks (read more)
• Credential-Stealing GitHub Actions Workflows Planted in Tens of Thousands of Repositories (read more)
• Patched VMware vCenter Bug Targeted in Ransomware Campaigns (read more)

Insights for Small to Medium Businesses

• Post-Quantum Cryptography: 2026 Requirements for Federal Contractors, Defense Industrial Base Subcontractors, Technology Vendors and Regulated Industries (read more)
• Beyond Ransomware: The New Cyber Threat Playbook (Webinar) (read more)
• Governing AI in the Workplace (Webinar) (read more)
• How to Focus Vendor Security Reviews on the Risks That Matter (read more)
• Secure Your Business (read more)
• Cybersecurity Basics (read more)
• Use Logging on Business Systems (read more)
• Responding to a Cyber Incident (read more)
• Data Breach Response: A Guide for Business (read more)
• Strengthen Your Cybersecurity (read more)