RSnake Report 20260201

Hello, and thanks for reading! Sorry for being a bit late here. Apparently, the fans are restless, so here is the meme I got, which I feel is likely a viable threat to get my ass in gear.

On the personal side, it’s been a quiet week on the home front, other than the youngest one getting a medal in his first BJJ tournament. 🥈 My own history with BJJ is a little weird, as I taught the advanced class in college but didn’t stick with it after a few broken bones, but with the help of his instructors, I managed to impart enough knowledge on him that he was able to hold his own with the other white belts. It was a small bracket of just four kids, which meant he only needed one win to place, but it was a meaningful win for the family. So a big congrats to him. I really recommend BJJ for kids who need/crave heavy work. Okay, on with the news, it was a weird week…

In Russian/Ukrainian news, Ukraine has destroyed over 9,000 Russian armored vehicles in three years, and Russia replaced them by drawing down Soviet-era storage from 10,400 to 1,800 vehicles. Russia's annual production adds only 900 vehicles, while losses exceed 2,300 per year, making the replacements possible only through reserves that are now nearly depleted. Other sources have warned of this eventuality for almost two years, and it appears to be finally happening. This is viable storage, not be confused with rotting hulks of metal, which Russia has plenty of. So there could still be some interesting things that can be done with those ancient and poorly protected pieces in reserve, many of which date back to WWII.

Ukraine's Flamingo missiles struck the SKIF-M facility in Belgorod on September 23, a precision tool maker for Su-34, Su-35, and Su-57 jets. Satellite imagery shows all four targeted buildings hit, despite Russian claims of one impact. The site imported $7.6 million in German equipment yearly, and recovery will take time.

Ukrainian forces detonated pre-mined buildings in Donetsk Oblast after about twenty Russian troops entered, killing more than thirty soldiers in total. This is at least the second time that I have seen this trick, which has got to make the Russians more wary of taking over previously held positions.

Four power line supports in the Murmansk region collapsed on January 23, causing a blackout at Russia's Northern Fleet base in Severomorsk and in Murmansk. The supports, installed between 1966 and 1988, exceeded their 40-year maximum operating period without the required five-year inspections. The Investigative Committee found no external interference and opened a criminal case on negligence against Rosseti, the maintenance company. Military ships switched to emergency generators, street lighting was cut off, and residents reduced electricity use. Most homes remained without power as well.

A fire engulfed 4,000 square meters of the former Volkswagen factory in Kaluga, Russia, now used by the Russian brand Tenet (Cherry), starting in the body shop. There is a lot of rumors and conjecture that this blaze was set intentionally, not to harm the vehicles due to a wartime effort, but because companies in Russia are looking for ways out of their investments other than divestiture. Unexplained fires could trigger insurance payouts, which would recover at least some of the capital. At least in theory. I have no idea if that is accurate, but it is an interesting theory.

Russian drones struck a passenger train in the Kharkiv region, carrying 291 people, with three drones involved in what Ukrainian reports describe as deliberate terrorism. It’s unclear why they’d choose a passenger train, unless they felt it contained people of interest, such as politicians or military personnel.

New footage shows Ukraine's 148th Artillery Brigade using 155mm M712 Copperhead laser-guided rounds for precision strikes on Russian targets, guided by loitering drones that lase the sites. This is interesting mostly because it brings a new life back to the “old” laser-guided munitions, which had gotten a back seat with the advent of drones. But drone-lazed targets can be at a stand-off of appreciable distance without getting RF interference from jamming, and still be highly effective at putting rounds on target.

A Ukrainian company developed a lithium battery that nearly doubles drone flight range or payload capacity for the same weight, extending operational reach against Russian forces. I am a bit skeptical of the reporting because this seems like it would be applicable for and very profitable for Ukraine for all kinds of applications beyond the war effort, and patenting it and creating overseas factors to manufacture them would net the country billions or trillions if they really can double battery capacity. We shall see on this one.

In a very cyberpunk way, there was video evidence of Russian soldiers surrendering to Ukrainian ground drones. We have heard of this happening a number of times to date, but this is the first time we actually get to see it happening. It’s not that remarkable a video in and of itself, but the implications of humans giving into machines are somewhat prophetic.

In European news, Poland began installing concrete hedgehogs along its border with Belarus to block heavy vehicles, tanks, and equipment as part of the East Shield defenses. These are relatively cheap and provide a serious obstacle for blitzkrieg-style tank attacks.

You can get a better sense of how they will stack up and be used on the border from this infographic:

The French SME ALM Meca developed Fury, a drone interceptor reaching 700 km/h, enduring 20G forces, and powered by a unique kerosene micro-reactor. What that means, I am not quite sure. Maybe it is a very small jet engine of a kind? It targets Shahed/Geran suicide drones and was built in under a year with private funding without any French government support. Experts believe that no European equivalent exists until now. You can see it in this video, and how insanely fast it is, making a very capable interceptor due to its main target being the Shahed-136, which is closer to 185 km/h, or the Shahed-238, which is still only hitting 500 km/h. The question is how it will detect and intercept - that’s not been explained yet.

In South East Asian news, rumors of Xi Jinping's partial power loss seem to be proving to be real, but a soft coup by CCP elders, including Hu Jintao, Wen Jiabao, and Zhang Youxia, failed to oust him fully while preserving the party. The plotters aimed to revert to Deng Xiaoping-era stability but acted too slowly, allowing Xi's counterattack. Reports claim Xi used a fake illness rumor as a smokescreen. Zhang attended a meeting with only four guards and was captured by over a hundred ambushers, and/or betrayed by an informant. Unlike prior cases, Zhang's downfall was announced days later to stabilize the party. This eliminates reform fantasies within the CCP, as Xi has eliminated virtually all of his senior cabinet. Peace, it seems, is not in the cards.

A Heritage Foundation report states the U.S. would “culminate” in under half the time of China in an Indo-Pacific conflict, leading to defeat from shortages of platforms, ammunition, and fuel. In its wargames, the Heritage Foundation found that U.S. critical munitions become unavailable in 5-7 days and completely exhausted in 35-40 days, while China's stockpiles deplete after 20-30 days, but substitutes extend sustainment for months. The U.S. lacks equipment to protect joint forces in the region. That should be a pretty huge wakeup call for anyone in the Pentagon still thinking Taiwan ends up ours at the end of a Chinese conflict without a much more destabilizing tactic, like biological or nuclear. That is, unless we really re-think our tech and strategy.

Meanwhile, there is no reason to make it easy or inexpensive for China. Taiwan plans to deploy its new HIMARS launchers to Penghu and Dongyin islands, placing Chinese coastal facilities and airfields in Fujian and Zhejiang within missile range. Taiwan intends to expand its M142 HIMARS inventory to 111 units through U.S. purchases.

X Head of Product Nikita Bier stated the Chinese government floods X search results with pornography during political unrest to block Chinese citizens from accessing real-time information. This is in part because pornography is illegal in China. No, honey, I swear, it’s just Chinese civil unrest!

Linwei Ding, a former Google engineer, was convicted on all 14 counts of stealing 2,000 pages of Google TPU architecture for China, using an intern to badge-swipe him into work remotely. He faces up to 175 years in prison. The stolen blueprints cover clustering thousands of custom TPU chips into supercomputers, valued at $900 billion standalone, with Anthropic committing $42 billion for access. Ding claimed to investors he was one of ten globally able to replicate it. The theft targeted 15 years of Google's institutional knowledge on chip communication, thermal management, and orchestration, which export controls cannot fully block, unlike physical chips.

In Middle East news, Britain, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan plan to assist Israel in intercepting Iranian missiles and drones following any U.S. attack on Iran. This is coinciding with the mostly quelled protests in Tehran, according to Israel Hayom. So it feels like this will be a repeat of True Promise II if it happens again, but Israel needs to rearm first if it plans to keep its losses low like last time.

A strong explosion hit a residential building in Bandar Abbas, Iran, targeting the apartment of a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps official. It was almost certainly Israeli or US special forces operations, but given the huge number of disgruntled citizens, it is also possible that their own population is starting to assassinate key IGRC personnel.

Israel's Iron Fist active protection system counters kamikaze drones, rocket-propelled grenades, anti-tank guided missiles, high-explosive anti-tank rounds, and kinetic energy penetrators. What I really like about this design is it’s tiny! It’s around the size of an extra-long 40MM grenade, and it can be easily added onto existing armored or unarmored vehicles. I believe it was last week that I said this is exactly the type of interceptor I think has the highest chance of a kill amongst most of the existing solutions, but it was a little expensive. I still agree with that statement, but it’s cool to see that the Israelis already built it. The video is worth watching.

Israeli strikes in Gaza eliminated at least four Hamas commanders. This clearly took place near one of the huge tent cities. It’s a bit surprising that there are still Hamas commanders left, but their forces must keep getting fresh recruits from the civilian population who are upset and blame Israel.

In North American news, in the Minneapolis Border Patrol shooting, suspect Alex Pretti wielded a SIG Sauer P320 AXG Combat, a $1,500-$2,000 9mm pistol with a 20-21 round magazine, threaded barrel, and optic. Officers shouted "gun" during a struggle, justifying lethal force under self-defense law without verified personal threat confirmation. Video analysis shows an officer's sidearm discharged negligently after removal, and that was likely the first shot we heard. That ultimately and sadly prompted agents to neutralize the perceived shooter, resulting in Pretti's death as an unfortunate accident. He was resisting arrest at the time and had prior violent encounters with the police.

Not even journalists in Minneapolis were spared, as some reported being followed for over an hour by vehicles after appearing in an ICE Watch group's database, despite confirming they were not ICE. Unintentionally ironically, protesters demanded their IDs. 🤡 

Governor Tim Walz activated and deployed the Minnesota National Guard to Minneapolis after federal agents from Border Patrol and ICE shot the 37-year-old Pretti. But then, in an about-face, the Minnesota State Patrol was activated after a call between Governor Walz and President Trump, following the discovery of Signal groups involving state officials. That quickly quelled the protesters once they were arrested.

Police also declared an unlawful assembly and arrested anti-ICE protesters outside the Springhill Suites Hotel in Maple Grove, Minnesota. They had previously been destroying property and harassing people going into and out of the hotel, due to their belief that ICE was housed at the hotel.

For those of you who remember the CHAZ fiasco in Portland, protesters in Minneapolis established a similar autonomous zone, barring local and federal law enforcement and lighting bonfires inside. And once again, protesters required ID checks at a dumpster gate to verify entrants and ensure their safety. It’s like they have zero self-awareness. Get autonomy, build walls, keep people out that you don’t think should be there. 😆 

This was a very coordinated protest. More so than we have seen previously. Even amongst channels, I spotted things flying by between protesters. For a brief rundown, if you want to do your own homework, there is a training manual, a protester guide for opsec, a guide to encrypted messaging apps, and I am sure others are being passed around. One infiltrator accessed Signal groups organizing Minneapolis protests against ICE and Border Patrol, identifying members in south side groups to track and obstruct federal agents, with plans to reveal details.

Many of these individuals are quite dangerous. Self-identified Antifa activist Kyle, in tactical gear, urged followers in Portland to arm with guns and confront federal ICE agents labeled as "Nazi gunmen", dismissing peaceful protests for his preferred… direct action.

A healthcare worker employed at VCUHealth posted videos encouraging the injection of ICE agents with succinylcholine for paralysis, poisoning them, or drugging their food on dates. These are not mentally stable people, and they seem to be getting angrier and angrier.

It seems that the right is turning towards doxxing as a method of keeping order. Border Czar Tom Homan announced a database to identify anti-ICE insurrectionists by name and face, notifying their employers, neighborhoods, and schools to expose their actions. The website StopICE.net, a major platform doxxing ICE personnel, was compromised, and whoever did it threatened to dox each of the people operating/using the site.

However, that does not seem to have deterred thousands of protesters who are still out in freezing temps, literally battering piñatas that looked like Kristi Noem. You can’t make this stuff up.

In a rather odd moment, a rather deranged man with a syringe sprayed an unknown yellow liquid on Representative Ilhan Omar during a presentation she was giving. It’s still not clear what it was, but it “strongly smelled of vinegar”. She was unharmed and even approached the man from behind the podium as if she was going to strike him, but he was quickly detained. The suspect, Anthony Kazmierczak, was medicated from a prior spine injury and Parkinson's diagnosis at age 55, per neighbor Brian Kelley. Before the incident, he asked Kelley to watch his dog while attending Omar's town hall, warning that he might get arrested. Clearly a bit off his rocker to say the least. Anthony Kazmierczak shifted from minimal political posts to attacking Congress members within a few years, ostensibly influenced by online algorithms and possible mental illness.

A newly released tranche of Epstein files reveals he used hackers to control online narratives and scrub sex crime details from Wikipedia. But before I get to that part of it and how it affects my world, let me start with the popular culture stuff. First, it does appear to be a much more comprehensive set of emails than the last time. DOJ Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Epstein files containing snuff videos of torture and murder, with supporting documents, yet no arrests or identifications followed.

Epstein files show that he emailed himself about a fight with Bill Gates, claiming Gates contracted STDs from Russian hookers and sought antibiotics to secretly dose Melinda Gates. If true, I am not at all surprised that she divorced him.

There is also new information supporting the idea that Epstein was, in fact, a government asset of some country. The Epstein files include Venture Capitalist Joi Ito asking Epstein about contacts influencing Assad, with Epstein replying, "not for email." That might imply that the answer is yes, but it cannot be stated over email. It is known that he traveled often with Ehud Barak, the former premier of Israel, though.

Epstein messaged former Israeli PM Ehud Barak to ask Barak to clarify that Epstein did not work for Mossad. So clearly, as of 2018, there were already rumors that were interfering with Epstein’s work. An FBI report in the Epstein files corroborates that U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta gave Epstein a lenient plea deal due to his intelligence ties, including U.S. and Mossad, as told to Acosta by Epstein's attorney Alan Dershowitz. There are unsubstantiated claims that "Epstein would call Dershowitz and then the Mossad would call Dershowitz to debrief." If true, and to be clear, there’s no confirmation of that, it would mean Israel was running Epstein, but I don’t think it’s conclusive as it is a summary of investigative notes of an eyewitness. Far from something you can reliably hang your hat on.

In what could easily be considered the beginning of a more complex operation, it does appear that the Epstein files indicated that he sold weapons to Iran's Khomeini regime. Were the weapons backdoored? Was their route monitored to understand and map out the locations of stockpiles? It’s not clear.

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway looks to have emailed Epstein in 2012 about suggesting naked women wallpaper for her 15-year-old son, Marius Borg Høiby, then a convicted sex offender. Epstein advised her. Her son Høiby now faces 38 charges, including four rapes, in Norway's biggest royal scandal. The files show Mette-Marit visited Epstein, and her name appeared over 1,000 times in his emails.

There is also weird, unsubstantiated talk about things like Macron’s “boyfriend,” which isn’t clear if they mean his masculine wife or… an actual boyfriend in off-the-cuff conversations with Steve Bannon after Trump fired Bannon. Then there’s the NBA commissioner and on and on… What a weird email collection! I could spend months going through it all.

Okay, now onto where this starts encroaching on my world. Epstein files show he attended DEF CON with 8 tickets at least once and more likely two or even three times. The first time, he was accompanied by his Belarusian girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak, as a gift from investor Leon Black. If that were it, this wouldn’t be much of a story, but it’s a lot more complicated.

Through Investor Joi Ito, he began to look for extremely talented hackers, and Joi obliged. Through Joi, he met Italian-born Vincent Iozzo (LinkedIn), a 0-day developer who established Saudi surveillance programs, sold his company to CrowdStrike in 2017, and served as its VP, and was most well known for his iPhone iOS hacking. Iozzo also serves on the Black Hat Conference Review Board, which I also served on for years until I moved onto the Black Hat CISO Advisory Board. Either way, I know Iozzo, though not well. The Epstein files include Iozzo reaching out to Black Hat founder Jeff Moss to get tickets. Jeff Moss told me, “Epstein wanted to come to DEF CON and wanted free passes. Or maybe it was Vincenzo trying to get free passes for him - but either way, I said no and pointed Vincenzo to the Epstein Wikipedia page.”

Did Vincenzo know anything about what was going on with Epstein’s unsavory practices? Well, there is no way to know for sure. He may have visited Epstein on multiple occasions, and his name appears in over 1000 references in the files. He appears to have done cybersecurity training for “the girls” on how to stay safe in 2016. He had Epstein help with public policy. And he introduced other security people to Jeffrey, apparently including Kelly Shortridge (LinkedIn). Epstein appears to have sent them cupcakes after meeting them. What a weirdo.

But there were more. Somewhere along the lines, he met up with Frank Heidt (LinkedIn), who is the CEO of a security firm. I have actually done business with his company before on a contract with Microsoft long ago. Apparently, he may have met with Epstein and taken an interest in who wanted to “fuck him” over, but it’s very unclear why he would want to help.

And then there was John Markoff (LinkedIn), who may have had some kind of relationship with him related to cybersecurity introductions due to working in the field as a journalist. And then there was Zubair Khan (LinkedIn), who appears to have met at least once in person in Paris and met at least one of the girls, and was using some sort of prediction algo to try to identify who was going to win the election - apparently doing a good job of predicting Trump would win, to Jeffrey’s dismay.

Then there was Pablo Holmon (LinkedIn), who had met him at least once and helped get the tickets for Epstein to DefCon. And Jeffrey apparently even tried to get famed hacker Kevin Mitnick (RIP) to work for him at one point, to no avail, it appears.

There seems to have been a trend of Epstein trying to get friendly with hackers and even lying to them as to why they should be talking to him, saying that it was about learning about cryptography in biological processes, which makes sense if you both need to hide data, and potentially buy exploits. 

I am not surprised by any of this, I guess. I always tell people that Black Hat and DefCon are “spook central” and just throw a rock and you’ll hit a spy. It’s a really dangerous business for all sorts of reasons, and kompromat abounds. Now you know why I say that. To some degree, it’s a bit amazing that so FEW of our world ended up in these documents, given that he clearly had an interest in the field and the people in it.

Okay, now for a palate cleanser. The Barrett MARS 30mm precision grenadier weighs 6.3 kg with a 5-round magazine, fires programmable air burst ammunition via smart optic for mid-flight detonation, targeting drones and effects behind cover. 5 rounds isn’t a lot, unless they are smart rounds, and then it’s a lot.

In Tech news, Clawdbot, a new AI agent platform, faces exploitation due to a bad backdoored skill. So much for intelligence! Then I saw an article about Moltroad, which enables AI agents to trade black market items like stolen identities, API credentials, prompt injections, and memory wipe services. Here’s the skill it uses.

Okay, onto the articles!

A US envoy has arrived in Venezuela to reopen a diplomatic mission after seven years, as Venezuela prepares to privatize its oil sector under US pressure. The diplomatic visit aims to establish a bilateral roadmap and address existing differences, coinciding with a deal to export up to $2 billion worth of Venezuelan crude to the US, in exchange for the loosening of sanctions on the country's oil sector.

• US envoy Laura Dogu's visit marks the reopening of diplomatic relations with Venezuela after a seven-year hiatus.

• Venezuela is moving to privatize its oil sector in response to US pressure, thereby allowing significant foreign investment in the industry.

[RSnake: I am glad to see some progress here. Excellent news. Venezuela's acting President has signed a new law allowing for the privatization of the oil industry, seeking to attract foreign investment after years of state control. This coincides with the easing of U.S. sanctions on Venezuelan oil and permits private companies to manage oil operations while the state retains ownership of the resources.]

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/1/us-envoy-arrives-in-venezuela-to-reopen-mission-after-seven-years?traffic_source=rss

In Chicago's Little Village, a significant decline in business activity has been reported following increased ICE raids targeting undocumented immigrants. Local businesses have experienced up to a 60% drop in sales, leading to economic challenges for the predominantly Hispanic community, which is crucial for the city's tax revenue.

• Increased ICE raids in Chicago have created a climate of fear in the Little Village neighborhood.

• Local businesses in Little Village report significant declines in sales, with community members concerned about their economic future.

[RSnake: It’s not clear if people wanted to stay away from the protesters, ICE, or if they were illegal aliens. Either way, ICE is bad for retail in the short term at least.]

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cql4e439g4no?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

Kevin Warsh has been nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the US Federal Reserve, succeeding Jerome Powell. Warsh, a former Fed governor, is seen as likely to support lower interest rates, amid scrutiny over the Fed's independence and growing tensions regarding economic policies.

• President Trump nominated Kevin Warsh to be the new chairman of the Federal Reserve.

• Warsh's potential leadership comes at a time of tension surrounding the Fed's independence and economic policy.

[RSnake: Nominated but not yet in. We shall see.]

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2d7yddrl2xo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

The United Nations is facing a potential financial collapse due to unpaid dues from member states, with the Secretary-General calling for urgent changes to financial rules. As of now, only a small fraction of member states have met their financial obligations, and there's a significant amount of outstanding dues that could jeopardize the UN's operations by mid-year if not addressed.

• The UN Secretary-General warns of imminent financial collapse due to unpaid dues.

• Only 36 out of 193 member states have paid their regular contributions for 2026.

[RSnake: How bizarre. It’s amazing that they run at such a deficit. But if NATO countries are also failing to fulfill their obligations, it does make some sense.]

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/30/guterres-warns-un-faces-imminent-financial-collapse?traffic_source=rss

A former software engineer at Google, Linwei Ding, has been convicted of stealing trade secrets related to artificial intelligence and transferring them to China-linked firms. This case has been identified as part of broader U.S. efforts to combat economic espionage, particularly amid rising geopolitical tensions surrounding technology.

• Linwei Ding downloaded thousands of confidential files from Google related to AI infrastructure.

• His actions were part of a plan to benefit foreign entities and contribute to China's technology sector.

[RSnake: Oh, China. 🙄 It is very hard to protect from people leaving the country, though, so if the braintrust leaves, we’re not quite as screwed as a full withdrawal of source code, but still. It’s the braintrust that matters.]

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/who-is-linwei-ding-ex-google-engineer-convicted-of-stealing-us-ai-trade-secrets-for-china/articleshow/127812238.cms

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is releasing millions of documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, following the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Approximately 3 million pages are made public, while an equal number are withheld due to sensitive content, including information that could identify abuse victims. The materials include witness statements, details on Epstein's operations, and connections involving high-profile individuals.

• The DOJ's release of Epstein files involves extensive documentation on allegations of sexual exploitation linked to Epstein and associates.

• The release raises issues about the protection of victims' identities and the handling of sensitive material by government agencies.

[RSnake: I think this will take a long time to get through. Musk is mentioned wanting to party with Epstein as an example. Though presumably he knew that would be in the documents, so his vocal desire to make them public leads me to believe he knew there would be no evidence of any crimes committed, probably because there were none of note, other than some casual drug use.]

Source: https://abcnews.go.com/US/doj-releasing-additional-material-epstein-files/story?id=129680518

Chinese President Xi Jinping has removed top military general Zhang Youxia amid ongoing anti-corruption efforts within the People's Liberation Army (PLA). This move follows a series of purges aimed at reorganizing military command as China intensifies its military modernization and prepares for potential conflicts, notably regarding Taiwan, by 2027.

• Xi Jinping's removal of military leaders is part of a broader purge and reorganization within the PLA.

• China is ramping up military modernization in anticipation of a possible confrontation over Taiwan.

[RSnake: It has been a pretty thorough culling of his team. Back to business.]

Source: https://foreignpolicy.com/?p=1219075

The Doomsday Clock has been moved four seconds closer to midnight, indicating an increased risk of global catastrophe, influenced by tensions between nuclear powers and the rise of authoritarianism. The imminent expiration of a nuclear arms treaty between the U.S. and Russia and growing concerns about the influence of technology oligarchies and their relationship with state power contribute to the current climate of fear regarding existential threats.

• The Doomsday Clock has never been closer to midnight, signaling escalating risks associated with nuclear weapons.

• There is a growing alliance between authoritarian leadership and technology companies, impacting global stability.

[RSnake: Russia doesn’t want a nuclear war any more than we do. It’s quite possible that this will be signed. But both Trump and Putin are looking for leverage too…]

Source: https://www.404media.co/the-doomsday-clock-ticks-closer-to-midnight-does-anyone-care/

In Kyiv, a Holocaust survivor died from exposure due to a lack of heat and electricity caused by extensive Russian missile strikes, which left many buildings without power during extreme cold temperatures. Russian military actions have intensified in Ukraine, resulting in increased civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure, including a recent attack involving intercontinental ballistic missiles.

• A Holocaust survivor froze to death in Kyiv after Russian missile strikes knocked out power and heat.

• Russian attacks have escalated, resulting in significant civilian casualties and damage to critical infrastructure.

[RSnake: Clearly designed to stir up emotions, and sad, but no less sad than children getting hit in these strikes in my opinion.]

Source: https://euromaidanpress.com/?p=389142

The United States has deported three former members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), amidst rising tensions between Washington and Tehran linked to violent repression of protests in Iran. In related developments, Iran's judiciary has executed several individuals accused of espionage and repression against state dissent, while families of victims from recent protests are transforming funerals into celebrations of life, reflecting growing defiance against the regime.

• The U.S. deported former IRGC members as tensions with Iran escalated.

• Iran has executed individuals accused of collaborating with foreign intelligence, amidst widespread protests.

• Funerals of protest victims in Iran are becoming acts of defiance against the regime.

[RSnake: I’m surprised it was only three. The US could deport a lot more if they felt like it.]

Source: https://www.iranintl.com/en/202601287563

A U.S. District Judge has ordered the release of a five-year-old boy and his father from ICE detention, declaring their imprisonment illegal due to the government’s pursuit of deportation quotas. The case has sparked widespread protests and criticism of the immigration enforcement tactics used during a significant crackdown in Minnesota, where thousands of agents have been deployed, leading to daily clashes and the detention of multiple families.

• A judge condemned ICE's use of deportation quotas that resulted in the detention of children.

• The ongoing immigration crackdown in Minnesota has led to significant unrest and public outcry.

[RSnake: I haven’t followed this case, but quotas are always a weird way to do anything law-enforcement related. It creates crappy incentives.]

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/1/us-judge-orders-release-of-five-year-old-and-father-from-ice-detention?traffic_source=rss

Two AI coding extensions with 1.5 million installations are found to be sending user source code to Chinese servers, posing significant security risks.

• AI extensions are exfiltrating data to Chinese servers.

• Base64 encoded source code was exfiltrated.

[RSnake: I don’t use VScode extensions, but these were both widely used, so if you do, please make sure and delete them.]

Source: https://newsletter.danielmiessler.com/p/unsupervised-learning-no-514

The FBI has seized the RAMP cybercrime forum, which was used to promote malware and ransomware operations. This action gives law enforcement access to user data that could lead to the identification and arrest of individuals involved in cybercrime activities.

• The RAMP forum was a key platform for ransomware operators and hackers.

• Law enforcement's seizure of the forum could significantly impact ongoing cybercrime operations.

[RSnake: Ideally, they’ll find those that were accessing it too; it was a waste.]

Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fbi-seizes-ramp-cybercrime-forum-used-by-ransomware-gangs/

AI agents are being integrated into workflows that impact compliance with regulations such as SOX, GDPR, PCI DSS, and HIPAA, raising new challenges for organizations. This shift creates complexities in accountability and compliance as these agents operate with evolving behaviors and permissions that can affect sensitive data and regulatory controls.

• AI agents are now embedded in regulated workflows, creating new compliance risks.

• CISOs must adapt to manage non-human identities and ensure compliance in the age of AI.

[RSnake: Yep, unless the data and model are both sovereign, in your own datacenter, there really is no way to ensure what is happening with the inputs.]

Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ai-is-rewriting-compliance-controls-and-cisos-must-take-notice/

SolarWinds has released critical security updates to address authentication bypass and remote command execution vulnerabilities in its Web Help Desk software. These flaws can be exploited by unauthenticated attackers, potentially allowing unauthorized access and control over affected systems. Administrators are urged to promptly patch their systems to mitigate the risk of exploitation, as previous vulnerabilities in the software have been targeted in attacks.

• SolarWinds patched critical authentication bypass vulnerabilities in its Web Help Desk software.

• Unauthenticated attackers can exploit these flaws for remote command execution.

[RSnake: Time to patch up if you use SolarWinds.]

Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/solarwinds-warns-of-critical-web-help-desk-rce-auth-bypass-flaws/

A cybercrime campaign named 'Bizarre Bazaar' is actively targeting vulnerabilities in Large Language Model (LLM) service endpoints, leading to unauthorized access and exploitation for financial gain. Over 35,000 attack sessions have been recorded, with attackers seeking to exfiltrate data and pivot into internal systems through misconfigured AI infrastructures. The operation involves a criminal supply chain with multiple threat actors collaborating to monetize this unauthorized access.

• Unauthorized access to AI infrastructure is being monetized by cybercriminals.

• The campaign involves systematic scanning for vulnerabilities in LLM and MCP endpoints.

• Attackers are exploiting misconfigurations to access sensitive organizational data.

[RSnake: This is the first I have seen of an actual operation targeting LLMs outside of the research realm. So it’s no longer a theory; it happens. But it’s still very early days, because it requires adversaries to know where these chat endpoints are, and that isn’t necessarily an easy/cheap task to do at scale.]

Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/hackers-hijack-exposed-llm-endpoints-in-bizarre-bazaar-operation/

Ivanti has reported two critical vulnerabilities in its Endpoint Manager Mobile (EPMM) software, identified as CVE-2026-1281 and CVE-2026-1340, which have been actively exploited in zero-day attacks. These vulnerabilities allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code and potentially access sensitive information on affected devices. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has added one of these vulnerabilities to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, advising federal agencies to mitigate the risks by February 1, 2026.

• CVE-2026-1281 and CVE-2026-1340 are critical vulnerabilities in Ivanti's EPMM software, allowing remote code execution.

• Federal agencies must apply mitigations for these vulnerabilities by February 1, 2026, according to CISA guidelines.

[RSnake: Yep, stop using Ivanti and Fortinet firewalls, if you can.]

Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/ivanti-warns-of-two-epmm-flaws-exploited-in-zero-day-attacks/

The Aisuru botnet has launched a record-setting DDoS attack that peaked at 31.4 Tbps, targeting multiple companies, particularly in the telecommunications sector. Cloudflare reported a significant increase in DDoS attacks throughout 2025, with a 121% rise compared to the previous year, emphasizing a trend toward larger and more frequent attacks, primarily originating from compromised Internet of Things devices.

• Aisuru botnet launched a DDoS attack reaching 31.4 Tbps.

• Cloudflare reported a 121% increase in DDoS attacks throughout 2025.

[RSnake: Wow! That’s a lot of bandwidth. Pretty impressive.]

Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/aisuru-botnet-sets-new-record-with-314-tbps-ddos-attack/

An AI toy company inadvertently exposed confidential chat logs involving over 50,000 children, allowing anyone with a Gmail account to access sensitive information. The data included personal details and private conversations between children and their AI-enabled toys, raising serious safety and privacy issues.

• A web portal for an AI toy company was left unprotected, exposing private conversations of children.

• The incident raises significant privacy concerns regarding the security measures in place for AI-enabled toys.

[RSnake: Ooof, that’s a huge lawsuit in the making. It’s one of the reasons I never wanted to work on anything aimed at Children. The losses/fines are crazy.]

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/an-ai-toy-exposed-50000-logs-of-its-chats-with-kids-to-anyone-with-a-gmail-account/

In 2025, illegal cryptocurrency flows reached a historic high of $158 billion, driven by increased sanctions-related activity and the use of cryptocurrency by state-aligned actors. The year also saw significant losses from hacking incidents, reaching $2.87 billion, with scams continuing to proliferate due to enhanced organizational tactics and AI utilization.

• Illegal cryptocurrency transactions surged significantly in 2025, attributed mainly to networks linked to Russia and sanctions activities.

• Hacking incidents resulted in enormous financial losses, while cryptocurrency scams became increasingly sophisticated.

[RSnake: It’ll continue. It has to. It’s the way to do cybercrime, and unless someone makes a dent in their operations, it’ll just continue to grow.]

Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/crypto-wallets-received-a-record-158-billion-in-illicit-funds-last-year/

The prices of Nvidia's graphics cards have dramatically increased, with some models selling for thousands of dollars above their launch prices. Major supply chain issues and high demand for memory components have led to these price hikes, impacting both consumers and graphics card vendors.

• Nvidia's RTX 50-series graphics cards have seen significant price increases, affecting accessibility for PC gaming.

• Supply chain constraints and high demand for memory components are driving the soaring costs of Nvidia GPUs.

[RSnake: One of my friends said the cost of the RAM alone would cost more than his entire infrastructure cost him just one year ago.]

Source: https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000715184

A new framework called NEXUS has been developed, achieving bit-exact equivalence between Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) while ensuring high accuracy and significant energy efficiency. The framework employs innovative methods, including the use of pure integrate-and-fire neuron logic gates and hierarchical neuromorphic circuits, demonstrating energy reductions of up to 168,000 times on neuromorphic hardware.

• NEXUS provides mathematically identical outputs between ANNs and SNNs.

• The framework achieves significant energy efficiency while maintaining high accuracy in various models.

[RSnake: Pretty impressive, if correct, and could lead towards not just LLMs being better, but actual learning if they apply a feedback loop.]

Source: https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.21279

Apple has introduced a privacy feature in iOS 26.3 that limits the precise location data shared with cellular networks from its in-house modems. This feature aims to reduce the potential for mass surveillance through the collection of location data using cell towers and GNSS technologies employed by various governmental agencies. Concerns remain about the overall security and privacy of personal location data given the history of its usage and potential exploitation by state actors.

• Apple's new privacy feature restricts precise location data access by cellular networks.

• Government agencies have previously utilized location tracking for surveillance and contact tracing.

[RSnake: That’s awesome. A win for Apple users. There is no need to be that precise unless it is a very specific application that can ask for additional rights if necessary.]

Source: https://an.dywa.ng/carrier-gnss.html

Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, is raising $110 billion in funding to expand its autonomous mobility services, with significant investment from major venture capital firms. The company has completed over 20 million trips and is generating more than $350 million in annual recurring revenue, despite facing operational challenges such as robotaxi disruptions during blackouts.

• Waymo is valued at $110 billion following a new funding round.

• The company is focused on expanding its autonomous mobility services despite facing operational challenges.

[RSnake: It’s early days, but this is the future. I’m pretty convinced that they are both safer, even with the glitches. The real problem is how they will survive contact with the enemy if they choose to target them?]

Source: https://techcrunch.com/?p=3088510

SpaceX is reportedly planning a mid-June IPO, potentially valuing the company at $1.5 trillion, which would make it the largest IPO in history. The timing is said to coincide with a planetary alignment of Jupiter and Venus, along with Elon Musk's birthday later that month. SpaceX, recognized as a leader in the aerospace industry, aims to utilize funds from the IPO for further innovations, including expanding its Starlink satellite network and supporting the AI sector.

• SpaceX is targeting a mid-June IPO that could value the company at $1.5 trillion.

• The IPO plans are linked to both a celestial event and Musk's birthday.

• Funding from the IPO will support SpaceX's innovations in space travel and AI.

[RSnake: It may actually be worth it. I was trying to explain this to someone the other day. The one Sci-Fi universe that seems to be most accurately portraying the direction we are heading is the Alien universe, with a handful of huge companies controlling virtually everything.]

Source: https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000715151

Vietnamese authorities are selling assets of tycoon Truong My Lan, including two Hermès Birkin bags and a luxury yacht, to recover funds embezzled from a major bank. Truong My Lan, sentenced to life in prison for her role in one of the largest financial crimes in history, is implicated in fraud totaling around $44 billion, with significant sums misappropriated. More than 1,200 of her assets have been seized, and recent auction attempts include various items with starting prices set to recover losses for victims.

• Vietnam is auctioning high-value assets to compensate for massive embezzlement by tycoon Truong My Lan.

• Truong My Lan was sentenced to life in prison for a financial crime resulting in billions of dollars in losses.

[RSnake: Pretty sure those Birkin bags aren’t going to cut it. 😆 ]

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1evy17dlvzo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

OpenAI is negotiating with major tech companies and Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds to raise up to $100 billion, potentially valuing the company at over $750 billion. The company is heavily investing in computing power to develop its AI technologies, while planning an initial public offering and facing ongoing unprofitability despite significant revenue from its AI products.

• OpenAI is seeking $100 billion in new funding discussions.

• The company aims for a valuation exceeding $750 billion.

• OpenAI is planning an initial public offering amid significant investments in AI development.

[RSnake: Geez, this graph of growth just doesn’t compute. If anything, I see people using ChatGPT less, not more, in favor of Gemini and Anthropic, with a little X.ai thrown in. That said, Office Copilot is a winner application from the people I hear discuss it, and that is ChatGPT under the hood.]

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/technology/openai-in-talks-to-raise-as-much-as-100-billion.html

The United Arab Emirates has achieved a significant milestone, with its non-oil foreign trade surpassing $1 trillion for the first time in history, reaching approximately AED3.8 trillion in 2025. This remarkable growth, driven by robust exports and imports, reflects a well-developed investment ecosystem and an increase in global confidence in the UAE's economy, having met 95 percent of its 2031 trade targets five years ahead of schedule.

• UAE non-oil foreign trade exceeded $1 trillion in 2025.

• Exports grew by over 45.5% compared to the previous year.

• Re-exports and imports showed significant growth, indicating a strong trading environment.

[RSnake: That’s really interesting. I assumed they’d be limited to Oil exports for a very long time, but it appears their investments have started to pay off.]

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/for-the-first-time-in-its-history-uae-non-oil-foreign-trade-crosses-1-trillion/articleshow/127834638.cms

The Republican National Committee (R.N.C.) is starting the 2026 election cycle with nearly $100 million more in funds than the Democratic National Committee (D.N.C.), which is facing financial difficulties. The D.N.C. has reported $14 million in cash but is in debt by approximately $3.5 million, indicating significant challenges for fundraising as they enter an election year.

• The R.N.C. has $95.1 million in funds with no debt.

• The D.N.C. has $14 million in cash but is in debt by $17.5 million.

[RSnake: Well, you know, it would help if the DNC had a candidate who could speak for them and rally the base.]

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/us/politics/republican-national-committee-dnc-money.html

A documentary titled 'Melania' has generated approximately $8 million in opening-weekend ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada, significantly surpassing expectations. Amazon's substantial investment in the film has raised questions about its motives, especially as ticket sales are notably driven by rural and Republican audiences, with a majority of viewers being female and over 55 years old.

• The documentary 'Melania' is projected to earn $8 million in ticket sales over its opening weekend.

• Amazon invested heavily in securing distribution rights for the film, paying $40 million, which raises questions about its strategic intentions.

[RSnake: Apparently, the director has ties to Epstein. It is currently sitting at 1.2 on IMDb, with quotes like, “If this were playing on an airplane, people would walk out.” But even if the movie is bad (not saying it is - I haven’t seen it), clearly these are spammed ratings. So use your own judgement.]

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/business/melania-documentary-box-office.html