RSnake Report 20260221

Hello, and thanks for reading! Been under the weather this week, but prepping for conference season, and I have three speaking slots coming up this month. Seems like there is a lot going on in the conference world, but in my opinion, it all seems to be missing the mark because it’s all about what you can do with AI, and not about the nuance of how to make it work well or operationalizing it. “AI-enabled” is just about as sloppy a beginning of a sentence as I can imagine, and yet, it seems to be all anyone can talk about. I’m bullish on AI, but for very specific applications, until someone solves the memory issue.

Until I can load every conversation I have ever had into memory, and not overfit it, but use the memory selectively as the human brain does, it’s not going to be as good at decision-making as the experts will be. There is work being done in this space and around thinking that vectors are a bad solution for memory (and here is the Chinese version) to be fair. But there was some research done recently that pointed out that of the billions put into AI in biology tech, it hasn’t netted new drugs, because while some things seem possible, they do not survive contact with the real world. I think we will find that to be more and more true of AI. Which is to say, more is not better. Anyway, let’s jump in, shall we?

Let’s start with Russia/Ukraine. Once more, we started seeing Ukrainian forces use FP-5 Flamingo missiles to strike the Votkinsk plant in Russia's Udmurtia region, 1,400 km from the Ukrainian border. Like I have been saying, we’re going to start seeing a lot more of these being used and at a very long range. 1,400km (869 miles) is no joke. The facility produces Iskander-M, Yars, Topol, and Oreshnik missiles, along with intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, Iskander missiles, and Kinzhal missiles. The plant faces sanctions from the US, EU, Japan, Switzerland, and Ukraine. They also used those same Flamingo cruise missiles at a GRAU ammunition depot in Kotluban, destroying it.

Ukrainian drones also struck the Lukoil-Ukhtaneftepererabotka refinery in Russia, 1,750 km northeast of the Ukrainian border. So these attacks on oil and gas continue to mount. I have noticed a drop-off in these strikes, but I think it’s mostly to do with the fact that they has such a successful campaign over the last couple of months, that they need to wait a bit for the depots and refineries to come back online.

Deep-strike drones attacked an oil depot in Velikiye Luki, Pskov Oblast. There has been an attack on Moscow as well, which shut down airports and hit a number of buildings. Russia claims to have downed 11 drones so far, which means there were quite a few being used.

After Starlink went offline, Ukrainian forces regained control of over 300 square kilometers in southern areas, including Huliaipole. Operations continue with counterattacks along the Zaporizhzhia-Dnipropetrovsk border, clearing enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups from several settlements. I expect the losses to continue for a bit while Russia reassesses its situation and deploys new tech, if it can. It looks like they may use those clunky satellite dishes I talked about in a previous newsletter, but they are also starting to experiment with fiber optics. Since fiber optic drones are already flying all over the place, can they create ad-hoc networks using the leftover spools that are already there? It turns out, yes, though they are brittle and easily broken if the enemy knows where to find them. Pretty ingenious though.

One of the more impressive strikes went almost unnoticed by the press, but one hit nailed 10,000 Russian drones, along with a handful of vehicles. These strikes are cataclysmic for the front-line defenses, because Russia relies heavily on those drones to saturate the front and make transiting through the territory impermissible. Maybe some of the drones were salvageable, sure, but hitting these kinds of supplies is a big win because I am sure those 10k drones would have killed a lot of soldiers.

Ukrainian defense forces used strike drones to hit two Be-12 anti-submarine aircraft at an aviation repair plant in occupied Crimea. That will have big operational impacts in and around Crimea, because those subs are a bit dangerous to launch with these things in the air. No more!

Russian artillery, pressured by Ukrainian counter-battery fire, adopted guerrilla tactics resembling WWI and Vietnam-era systems. They deployed the Kozerog-1 mount, similar to the 9P132 Grad-P. More or less a tube on a stand, with a way to change the elevation. These are cheap, but reasonably effective for a small team to move around.

As one commenter pointed out, this is only vaguely more sophisticated than the Viet Cong, which is both funny and a bit scary. Those tactics did and do work against a much more advanced army. It’s funny, but also seems to be marking a new regression to a bygone era to a large degree. The sticks weren’t accurate, but neither are these things the Russians are using. If anything, the Viet Cong were onto something by not needing to bring anything extra with them, just the rockets, and a few lightweight sticks, or finding them wherever they were.

On the opposite end of the technical spectrum, we have Ukrainian drone complexes. This feel like they are still fairly early in the development phase to me, but they are starting to see these pop up more and more. I think frankly, this is the way of things. Big heavy vehicles with people in them are nice, but costly, and not very stealthy. These little drone complexes are pretty darned versatile, and if they get destroyed, who cares?

I also saw a second video of the Russian hand-held drone interceptors, and again, it recorded a hit on a Ukrainian drone. These look a little clunky to operate, but clearly, they are combat effective. In the video, there are two people holding them, so these are getting more available to the front-line troops, it appears.

A video from Russian junior sergeant Denis Kolesnikov of the 1435th regiment describes widespread crimes in the "SMO zone." Commanders executed about 50% of his squad, seized weapons for trafficking, and extorted 1 to 3 million rubles per soldier to avoid frontline duty. Non-payers were sent to the front or killed. Kolesnikov escaped execution in Rostov after paying at an ATM. He witnessed multiple killings and noted constant weapon confiscations from frontlines. With commanders like this, who needs the enemy? 👎️ It would partly explain why there has been an approximate 8-fold increase in signup bonuses for soldiers in St. Petersburg, though. 📈 

In European news, Rheinmetall unveiled the FV-014 kamikaze drone with a 100 km range, 70 minutes of flight time, and a 5 kg warhead that penetrates 6 cm of armor.

Rheinmetall's Mission Master SP unmanned ground vehicle demonstrated live-fire capability, hitting a target at 4 km with 70 mm laser-guided rockets. The laser guidance is both a bit old-school and also going to be extremely effective once it’s paired to drones instead of slow-moving and costly ground troops.

Along the same lines but even weirder was this little semi-autonomous ground complex that I saw, which looks like an ammo box for rockets, stacked on top of another one with a tiny ground complex at the bottom driving it around. This thing looks janky and top-heavy but armed to the teeth with 8 anti-tank missiles. Bizarre looking, but hey, maybe it’ll work, though I would want to keep it on pretty even ground by the looks of it.

Now for the big boy - this RCH 155 is an enormous 40 ton self-propelled howitzer that is remote-controlled, with a 700km range, and 30 self-loading rounds. Dear lord! It makes a ton of sense to make these things self-propelled, but it’s somehow silly to see such massive machines moving around with no humans in sight. That said, it doesn’t need nearly as much armor as a typical tank would need because there are no humans to save. It just has to be tough enough to shoot and scoot.

Rheinmetall's Keiler armored breaching vehicle creates a 160 m long and 9 m wide explosive line to clear large-scale mine barriers. It also has an explosive line charge that it can fire off to clear a swath for armor and troops to move through minefields or drones that are lying in wait. I think heavily mined battle fields is going to be the norm.

NATO has begun investing in some sort of low-cost €100k long-range kamikaze drone that it can split the cost with. Details are thin at the moment, but Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Poland, and Sweden are splitting the costs, and likely will end up with something that they can all benefit from. That said, the F-35 was a joint country project and suffered a lot of cost overruns and complexity. Doing things by committee may not be the best choice!

During NATO exercises, Turkey's TB3 drone achieved autonomous landing on the TCG Anadolu carrier in sub-zero temperatures and strong winds, supported by a virtual corridor system developed by Turkish engineers.

Turkey is starting to get into the robotic dog game, like China. They came out with a concept called the SARBOT, which is a robotic dog with a sensor atop that allows it to do LiDAR tracking of targets, and, of course, comes equipped with a gun. Imagine spending a year or two in training only to surrender to this thing.

Turkey unveiled its fifth-generation KAAN fighter jets. I don’t know much about these, but they appear to be rip-offs of the F-35 design, and are likely low-observability. Some of this may be copying the design, some of it may be fitting into the only shapes that both fly and bounce radar signals, but it feels mostly like the former to me.

Turkey's Bayraktar AKINCI UCAV conducted its first air-to-air strike using Roketsan's EREN high-speed loitering munition, destroying a target drone over the Black Sea and expanding AKINCI's role into aerial combat. The missiles that it is using are dirt cheap, compared to the $2M+ missiles that have been used on fighters for the same purpose.

I saw an interesting video, and far from the first of its kind, but it was demonstrating how thermal umbrellas effectively counter thermal-enabled drones when users know they are monitored. That’s the big trick, though, isn’t it? You have to know you’re being monitored. Also, this feels like when hybrid sensors start becoming extremely useful. Look at the color difference in the visible light spectrum, and it starts being a lot less stealthy.

Dutch Defense Minister Gijs Tuinman stated the Netherlands could "jailbreak" the F-35 fighter jet for independence from the US, likening it to iPhone modifications allowing them unfettered access without having to worry about what Washington says/wants. People were getting pretty upset about this and wanted to put him in jail or withdraw our support to allow them access to the F-35. But his comment was more of a warning that it is possible, not that he had any intention of doing it. That may be true, and it also may be true that we have other ways of cutting it off or destroying them in-flight, so that would probably be an unwise move.

The CCP was caught red-handed, with three of their citizens attempting to buy Uranium in Tbilisi, Georgia. Not only were they spies, but they were also in Georgia illegally. I am sure China will deny everything, but they were willing to pay $400k for 2kg of Uranium. I’d say it is safe to say that they had no positive intentions. The CCP cannot keep doing this without galvanizing the European Union against them. Seems like an unforced error to me. ☢️ 

In South East China news, the CCP allegedly hacked an Italian police database, revealing details of operations during meetings between the countries. A similar incident occurred in the US when a Chinese ambassador referenced an unsent email. Another enemy made right there. See what I mean?

The Taiwanese arrested all of the crew members aboard a Chinese-owned and state-sponsored vessel that was accused of cutting undersea cables. I know it would be a pain to do, but all of the countries in that region should be arresting any boats that cross into their territory or threaten their shipping. That they continue to allow the CCP to use these vessels in this way is inviting worse behavior. Good for Taiwan, though I doubt it will do enough to thwart further attacks against their infrastructure.

Chinese satellites released images of US air defense batteries in the Middle East, aligning themselves with Iran. It’s not actually clear if their intention in using MizarVision is to warn the US or if it’s just trying to get more customers. But it is specifically showing the troop buildup via their social media accounts on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform. Either way, the fact that the CCP hasn’t stepped in to shut them up about what they are posting is proof enough that they are siding with Iran.

Speaking of troop build-ups, over in the Middle East news, the US deployed over two-thirds of its E-3 command and control aircraft, which amounts to six of 16 total. But only about nine are mission-capable, which means that the bulk of these aircraft are now deployed to Europe and the Middle East. These aircraft manage airspace, direct fighters, and guide missile interceptors against Iranian missiles and drones. With low readiness rates, this represents nearly all available E-3s. That’s a big operation right there. The US also deployed a large number of tankers. That is a major operational buildup.

In fact, it has been estimated that approximately one-third of the US Navy fleet is deployed toward Iran. I doubt they’re there to have a polite diplomatic discussion, given how much of a pain Iran has been in the region towards US interests, like shipping via support to the Houthis. Either shipping continues to flow, or the End of the World is Just the Beginning prophecy of contested shipping comes true.

There were also 12, F22 raptors. These are the tippy top of our fighters in terms of capabilities. They aren’t wheeled out to do recon missions, these things are designed to evade any modern military defenses. So the fact that we have 12 of them within striking range should be a clear indication that we mean business.

At Prince Sultan Air Base, the second-largest USAF buildup includes 20 tankers (six KC-46A Pegasus and 14 KC-135), six E-3 Sentry AWACS, and three E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node aircraft. This will be pretty important for refueling of air missions, and the US did use air assets the last time we entered Iranian airspace to destroy the nuclear facilities. There were also 9 C-17 transports sent over as well.

US AFCENT assets broadcast ADS-B data publicly, allowing tracking via flight apps, which Maj. Claire Randolph cited as an OPSEC challenge from "Twitter randos" during the June 2025 strikes on Iran. Analysts monitor these movements without hacking classified systems, since there are tons of signals being produced that are caught by civilian monitoring systems, but it’s clear that it’s causing operational challenges. Frankly, there is no good answer here. These things omit frequencies, and signals bounce off of them. So sorry to say, I am one of those Twitter randos, I believe. 😆 

Iran isn’t sitting still, though; they are pre-positioning. Israel detected increased Hezbollah rocket and missile unit activity. The IRGC shifted forces to its Iraq border for coordination with militias. Pro-Iranian groups, including Houthis in Yemen and Shiite militias in Iraq, prepare to engage Israel. But it’s not like the Iranians are sitting around doing nothing. They are back on the streets protesting. Pretty impressive, and brave, given what happened last time.

So when is this all going to happen? Well, we have a few clues, beyond the troop build-up. First, if you listen to Steve Witkoff, he said that there are red lines. Those lines were zero enrichment. Then they said that very shortly they will get a detailed written proposal from Tehran. Okay, so when? Well, they are supposed to meet Iranian officials on Feb 27th - five days from now if they get the proposal. But they also said that they believe the Iranians are only a week away from having the material necessary to make nuclear weapons. So… a week? Seems about right, based on those signals. Put me down for a week from now, or less if that proposal doesn’t arrive.

In the end, though, Iran has a very serious problem that I have discussed before. They are nearly out of water. And keep in mind, Tehran is about as far north of the equator as Dallas is, so there are seasons, and right now it is winter. During the summer, the drought will no doubt be worse for their water situation due to evaporation and less rainfall, unless they find a new way to import water.

In North American news, Eileen Wang, the Democratic mayor of Arcadia, California, faces scrutiny after her former fiancé and campaign advisor, Yaoning Sun, was convicted as a Chinese spy and sentenced to four years for acting as an illegal foreign agent. Wang is not under investigation, but it really doesn’t look good for her, or for the CCP. I am sure she is mortified, and who wouldn’t be?

Speaking of the CCP, Attorney General Paxton, Texas’s head lawyer, sued TP-Link Inc. for enabling Chinese access to Americans' devices. I am pretty surprised by this, but in a good way. If this turns out in Paxton’s favor, I would not be surprised at all if there was a lonnnng list of additional lawsuits being readied, each of which will net billions to Texas, and start shaming these alleged CCP-backed companies. The product remains at the top of Amazon’s “Overall Pick”. 👎️ 

The US Air Force airlifted eight modules of Valar Atomics' 5 MWe Ward reactor via three C-17 Globemaster IIIs from March Air Reserve Base to Hill Air Force Base as part of Operation Windlord, a joint DoD-DOE initiative. The helium-cooled, graphite-moderated reactor powers 5,000 homes or a brigade forward operating base, with modules heading to Utah San Rafael Energy Lab for testing under President Trump's Executive Order 14301. These will be really interesting to have deployed all over the place, both for military autonomy, and to reduce the strain on the grid.

The US State Department is developing an online portal for people in Europe who are not allowed to discuss “hate speech” and elsewhere, like China, to access content banned by their governments, such as hate speech and terrorist propaganda. This is the new Radio Free Europe, as one commenter said, which is kind of funny/true. It is intended to secure the values of freedom of speech and expression. It’s just a VPN of a different kind, and I am sure it will be banned everywhere where censorship and the nanny-state reigns supreme, but still interesting.

On the opposite end of the spectrum for freedom of speech, the Department of Homeland Security requested user data from Google, Reddit, Meta, and Discord for accounts tracking and criticizing ICE. This could be totally benign investigative work for people doing illegal acts, such as planning attacks against ICE, but if not… that would be pretty bad constitutionally. I hope they’re staying on the right side of the very bright line here.

Ray Dalio analyzed the breakdown of the world order, incorporating cyber elements in modern conflicts, but generally said the US has broken free of the rest of the world. I think Ray is right. Something has fundamentally changed, but it didn’t start with the US. It started as the Western world started embracing a lot of communist ideals, and introducing hate speech legislation, etc. But the US is definitely reacting to what has been happening. For instance, President Trump announced an immediate global tariff increase from 10% to 15%. The question is how far we can bend these fragile alliances, or do we HAVE to bend them to get everyone working towards the same Western ideals that we used to hold dear?

That said, it seems like assassination attempts, which used to be quite rare, are happening regularly. This time, a guy showed up at Mar-a-lago with a shotgun and a can of gasoline. He was able to get into the property and was ordered to drop the gun, but he put the shotgun into a shooting position and was killed. The Secret Service fired upon and killed the guy.

No other details at the time, but something has shifted amongst the general population that they feel attempting to murder the commander-in-chief is the right call. Violence has become the answer for too many people, it seems. Anyway, the President was up in Washington, so it was not a real threat, but could have been had the situation been slightly different. It seems like a justified shooting, but we will know more as details come out about this person. Right now, all we know is that it was a white male and that he is now deceased.

Onto some weapons tech stuff. The Mojave combat drone, armed with twin Dillon Aero DAP-6 gun pods, destroyed multiple static targets in a live-fire demonstration. This looks a lot like a Predator drone, but with those gun pods, it seems like it’s more meant for close-air support, which is an interesting role for a large loitering drone to take. We’ve seen that before with hellfire-armed drones, but this seems like it really needs to get in close to use effectively.

The Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle with C-UAS system fired 30 mm proximity rounds against small drones in a BAE Systems and MOOG live firing test. These rounds are interesting because they just need to get close. The video of the shrapnel spread is interesting.

RTX released CGI mockups of the US Air Force's F-47 sixth-generation fighter under the NGAD program. Boeing secured the airframe contract in 2025, with RTX providing NGAP/XA103 adaptive engines via Pratt & Whitney. It features extreme stealth, long range, Mach 2+ speed, and drone wingman integration, with first flight targeted for 2028. It’s not clear exactly what problem this solves, but it's cool nonetheless.

In Tech news, an MRI study of 3- to 5-year-olds linked two hours of daily interactive screen time to white matter loss in the brain, particularly in areas for language and literacy development. White matter insulates neural connections like plastic on wires, and early deficits impair connectivity. Keep your young kiddos away from interactive screens, folks.

For those using Claude code, you may want to check out this new container. Trail of Bits released a devcontainer for Claude code development. It might help protect the rest of your machine if you get a bad skill or if it goes off the rails. These skills are getting more interesting. For instance, there is a skill graph that connects skill files via wikilinks in a network, enhancing memory and knowledge in projects using skill.md. Or how about this open-sourced browser login tool to handle authentication challenges for agents - basically taking the human out of the loop to allow authentication, which is often a nightmare.

NVIDIA launched the open-weight PersonaPlex 7B model under MIT license for commercial use, running on a single A100 GPU. It handles full voice AI pipelines, with 0.170-second turn-taking latency and 0.240-second interruption handling, outperforming even Gemini in dialog naturalness. Built on Kyutai's Moshi architecture with under 5,000 hours of data, it saw 330,000 downloads in the first month, driving GPU sales. This will fit on commodity hardware, which is kinda neat for those home-automation projects.

Using Gemini 3.1 and Claude 4.6, a developer built an OSINT tool resembling Palentir with real-time plane and satellite tracking, Austin traffic cams, and panoptic detection, skinned in EO, FLIR, and CRT styles. The open-source repo invites feature requests for more data sources and VLM integration. But Palantir execs responded that they have deep data connections that cannot be replicated by vibe coding. That jives - it’s intelligence that drives these projects, not UI.

The GDELT Project monitors global events via media analysis at gdeltproject.org. A GitHub tool called worldmonitor was released that turns screens into surveillance displays, deployed across 300 LED screens. Pretty cool, and don’t tell my editor that I am eying all this tech closely to see if it would help me write the RSnake Report.

As one example, Iranmonitor.org provides specialized monitoring of Iran-related situations. I mean, that looks pretty sexy, right?

On the security side, RedAmon, an AI red team tool, maps attack surfaces as knowledge graphs with 9,000 templates and 17 node types, autonomously exploiting vulnerabilities via Metasploit for root access. It performs six recon phases, stores findings in Neo4j, and reasons attack paths. This takes the multi-hundred-dollar-an-hour contractor world and compresses it into pennies. You still need a human, but a lot fewer of them.

A threat actor used commercial generative AI, including Claude, to compromise over 600 FortiGate devices in 55 countries, employing LLMs and a custom panel for attacks via weak credentials. This could have been done using Shodan and a lot less work, but still interesting to see.

A while back, I mentioned that there are new tools being created to jailbreak local LLMS. Welp, now one of them has been publicly released. Heretic tool removes LLM censorship in 45 minutes with a single command. Pretty impressive!

Anthropic launched Claude Code Security in limited preview, scanning codebases for vulnerabilities and suggesting patches for review, addressing issues missed by traditional tools. Claude Code Security automates vulnerability lifecycles from discovery to remediation, writing patches for tasks like input sanitization and SSRF detection, compressing weeks of consultant work. It caused the market to tank for a lot of security companies, which was odd because most of them have nothing to do with this area, and aren’t affected at all. 🤷‍♂️ 

OpenAI partnered with Persona.ai, using its tech since November 2023 for an identity surveillance system with the US government, processing biometrics, filing FinCEN reports, and running facial recognition on politically exposed persons. Drama ensued when researcher VMFUNC published private correspondence with Persona CEO Rick Song before full analysis, framing it as crisis communications. Song released emails and a statement emphasizing responsible disclosure, while vmfunc defended public access to exposed source maps on government endpoints. The full writeup is at vmfunc.re/blog/persona. What a mess.

OpenAI hired Peter Steinberger to develop personal agents. He built OpenClaw, now an open-source foundation project supported by OpenAI, focusing on multi-agent systems for user tasks. Something to expect is an openclaw-like integration with OpenAI and either remote agents that are containerized or local, or both. I think there is a way to limit what this can do in a smart way, and still give OpenClaw everything it needs, but it does require a client/server relationship.

Okay, onto the articles!

The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, brother of King Charles III, on allegations of sharing confidential government information with Jeffrey Epstein has caused a significant upheaval within the British royal family. This incident marks the first arrest of a British royal since the 17th century and poses a serious threat to the monarchy's moral authority and public perception during an already turbulent time for the institution.

• Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested amid serious allegations involving a convicted sex offender.

• The event has severe implications for the British royal family's reputation and its role in society.

[RSnake: Wow, this is a first. An actual arrest for something related to Epstein? We shall see how the courts handle this.]

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/20/world/europe/prince-andrew-arrest-epstein-royal-family-uk.html

Leaked communications from a Russian general reveal severe abuses and orders to kill Ukrainian prisoners of war, illustrating possible war crimes during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict. The documents suggest a systematic pattern of cruelty within the military unit, including torture and execution orders, indicating a broader military culture that normalizes violence against detainees.

• Leaked messages show Russian generals discussing the execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

• Evidence suggests systematic brutality and torture within certain Russian military units.

[RSnake: We knew this was happening. I am not surprised. Russians are not kind to their PoWs, which I think is very short-sighted. It just makes the enemy fight harder.]

Source: https://euromaidanpress.com/?p=393163

Iran is experiencing significant unrest characterized by protests against the government and widespread dissatisfaction with social and economic conditions. The authorities have responded with violent crackdowns, leading to numerous casualties and widespread detentions, further fueling public anger and dissent against the Islamic Republic's legitimacy.

• The death of a teenager during protests has sparked outrage and brought attention to the severity of the government's response to dissent.

• Increased pressure on women athletes highlights the regime's efforts to stifle dissent and control public expression.

[RSnake: Something has to change. One way or another.]

Source: https://www.iranintl.com/en/202602200320

Tensions between the United States and Iran are escalating, with President Trump warning of potential military action if a nuclear agreement is not reached within a specified timeframe. Concurrently, Iran is experiencing widespread civil unrest, driven by economic strains and a growing disconnect between the government and its citizens, further complicated by a crackdown on dissent and religious minorities within the country.

• The U.S. is considering limited military strikes on Iran if a nuclear deal is not achieved.

• Iran is facing significant internal unrest fueled by economic issues and a legitimacy crisis.

[RSnake: I think the civil unrest has got to be making the situation on the ground much more tense for the regime. Attacked from both directions is never going to feel like a winning move. But if they do want to suffer the maximum amount of damage possible and just hold on, not win, but just draw, they will win a moral victory and weaken the US in the process. So the US really needs to kill the heads of the country immediately.]

Source: https://www.iranintl.com/en/202602203607

Countries have contributed over $7 billion towards a Gaza relief package amid ongoing discussions about disarming Hamas and reconstructing Gaza, following the conflict triggered by Hamas's attack on Israel in October 2023. Despite these efforts, there is skepticism regarding Hamas's willingness to disarm, and the reconstruction plans remain contingent on establishing a new security force in Gaza. The situation remains critical as both Israeli and US officials emphasize the need for secure governance to ensure stability.

• Several countries have contributed more than $7 billion for a Gaza relief package.

• Ongoing discussions are focused on disarming Hamas and reconstructing Gaza under a new security force.

[RSnake: That is a lot of relief, and yet, I bet most of it went straight to Hamas itself, sadly. No great answers there.]

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8rke05kv4o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

DC Water is facing a major sewage crisis after over 243 million gallons of wastewater spilled into the Potomac River due to the collapse of the Potomac Interceptor sewer line, prompting health warnings for residents in the area. The Environmental Protection Agency has stated that this is a historic environmental disaster, and water testing has revealed dangerously high E. coli levels, although the drinking water supply remains unaffected.

• A historic sewage disaster caused by the collapse of a sewer line has resulted in millions of gallons of wastewater being released into the Potomac River.

• Despite the crisis, DC Water officials previously prioritized diversity, equity, and inclusion goals over infrastructure maintenance.

[RSnake: Sounds like a shitty situation. 💩 ]

Source: https://www.dailywire.com/news/d-c-utility-responsible-for-disastrous-potomac-sewage-spill-is-steeped-in-dei-and-environmentalism

The U.S. and China are each planning lunar missions to the Moon's Shackleton crater this year, aiming to access its valuable water ice resources. Blue Origin is preparing its Blue Moon MK1 lander for a demonstration flight, while China is set to launch a multi-payload mission in August 2026, potentially gaining a strategic advantage in lunar exploration and resource extraction.

• The U.S. and China are racing to secure water ice resources from the Moon's Shackleton crater.

• Blue Origin is testing its MK1 lander, while China's plan includes an orbiter, lander, and rover set to launch soon.

[RSnake: There is a lot of Helium 3 on the moon, which could be useful in Fusion reactors, but it’s also a great staging place to get to the outer solar system.]

Source: https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000723719

South Korea is considering acquiring Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines due to strategic challenges posed by North Korea and China. The nation faces significant legal, political, and technical hurdles in developing its own nuclear submarine capability, making collaboration with the U.S. the most feasible option for enhancing its naval strength.

• South Korea is exploring options for acquiring nuclear submarines amid regional security concerns.

• Legal and political hurdles complicate South Korea's ability to develop its own nuclear propulsion technology.

[RSnake: That seems like a great partner, but man, we had better hope that we maintain relations with South Korea, because these things are a nightmare if they’re on the other side and we have to find them.]

Source: https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2026/02/20/south_koreas_most_realistic_nuclear_sub_option_1166013.html

A data breach at the French Ministry of Finance has compromised 1.2 million bank accounts, following hackers gaining unauthorized access to the national bank account registry (FICOBA) using stolen credentials from a civil servant. The ministry has acted to limit the threat and is collaborating with cybersecurity agencies to enhance system security, while users impacted by the breach are being individually notified.

• A data breach has affected the French national bank account registry, exposing sensitive information.

• The French government is working with cybersecurity agencies to reclaim system integrity and notify affected individuals.

[RSnake: That is a big data breach. About the same as if a small city had every resident compromised. Oof. Though the chances of monetizing it at scale are small.]

Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/data-breach-at-french-bank-registry-impacts-12-million-accounts/

The University of Mississippi Medical Center has closed all clinic locations statewide following a significant ransomware attack that disrupted its IT systems. This cyberattack is currently being investigated by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the FBI, and there are concerns about potential data theft as negotiations with the attackers are ongoing.

• A ransomware attack has led to the closure of all clinic locations at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

• The hospital continues to provide emergency services while working with federal authorities to assess the situation and negotiate with the attackers.

[RSnake: Healthcare is the worst for ransomware. Literal lives are at stake. This is where backups and warm/cold spares are an absolute must.]

Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/university-of-mississippi-medical-center-closes-clinics-after-ransomware-attack/

In 2025, over $20 million was stolen in a surge of ATM malware attacks, particularly through techniques known as 'jackpotting,' which allows criminals to manipulate cash machines to dispense money without authorization. The FBI has reported over 700 incidents of such attacks, with significant involvement from the Tren de Aragua gang, leading to the charging of 87 members associated with this scheme. The agency has urged financial institutions to enhance their security measures to prevent further incidents.

• ATM jackpotting attacks have surged, resulting in over $20 million in losses.

• The FBI has charged 87 members of the Tren de Aragua gang linked to these schemes.

[RSnake: Somewhere, I have a list of dozens of different ways to do this for various ATM types. It turns out it’s just not that hard, if you know how. The banks have a high incentive to fix this, but the smaller ATM franchise owners don’t have a great way to solve this.]

Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/fbi-over-20-million-stolen-in-surge-of-atm-malware-attacks-in-2025/

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has mandated that federal agencies patch a critical vulnerability in Dell's RecoverPoint software, which has been exploited since mid-2024. This vulnerability, linked to the suspected state-sponsored threat group UNC6201, has allowed attackers to deploy sophisticated malware, including a new backdoor called Grimbolt, which complicates analysis and response efforts.

• CISA has ordered federal agencies to patch a Dell software vulnerability linked to active exploitation.

• The vulnerability has been utilized by a suspected Chinese state-sponsored hacking group to deploy advanced malware.

[RSnake: This is an interesting datapoint. It gives you some sense of how long it takes to get on the CISA KEV. It’s now early 2026, and it was found in mid 2024. That’s around 18 months that people were vulnerable and being breached before it was added.]

Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/cisa-orders-feds-to-patch-actively-exploited-dell-flaw-within-3-days/

An FBI informant was allegedly involved in the operation of a dark web marketplace that sold fentanyl-laced drugs. This informant had the ability to manage vendors and made decisions that allowed the sale of dangerous substances, raising questions about the extent of government oversight in the investigation.

• An FBI informant played a significant role in managing a dark web drug marketplace and controlling vendor activities.

• The involvement of the informant has sparked debate about the FBI's responsibility in preventing drug-related consequences.

[RSnake: Sadly, this is just how it works. You need informants to do the work so you can get the larger fish. And yes, it has awful consequences.]

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/an-fbi-asset-helped-run-a-dark-web-site-that-sold-fentanyl-laced-drugs-for-years/

A critical security vulnerability has been identified in VoIP phones from Grandstream Networks, affecting businesses globally. The flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to gain control, which can lead to call interception and the extraction of sensitive information.

• A vulnerability (CVE-2026-2329) in Grandstream's VoIP phones allows remote code execution and unauthorized access.

• Attackers can intercept calls and gain access to user credentials, posing significant risks to communications in organizations.

[RSnake: Time to patch up those desk phones? I mean, talk about a nightmare of a patch cycle if you have hundreds or thousands of these things.]

Source: https://www.darkreading.com/threat-intelligence/grandstream-bug-voip-security-blind-spot

Recent vulnerabilities in SmarterMail have been rapidly exploited by cybercriminals, enabling remote code execution and authentication bypass on email servers. This has resulted in confirmed attacks, including ransomware campaigns, with threat actors sharing exploit codes soon after the vulnerabilities were disclosed.

• Critical vulnerabilities in SmarterMail allow attackers to execute remote code and bypass authentication.

• Cybercriminals are quickly weaponizing these vulnerabilities, leading to accelerated timelines for attacks.

• Email servers are being targeted as a critical point of entry into corporate networks for lateral movement and data compromise.

[RSnake: If you have SmarterMail, time to patch it up!]

Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/telegram-channels-expose-rapid-weaponization-of-smartermail-flaws/

The Chrome browser has released updates for its Stable channel version for Windows, Mac, and Linux, which address critical security vulnerabilities. A particular high-severity vulnerability, CVE-2026-2441, is known to be exploited in the wild, prompting the urgent update rollout. Access to certain bug details is restricted until a majority of users have been updated with fixes.

• Chrome updated to address critical security vulnerabilities.

• CVE-2026-2441 is actively being exploited.

[RSnake: Chrome auto-updates, but make sure you actually do it. Don’t let it stay un-updated.]

Source: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2026/02/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_13.html

Cybercrime is rapidly becoming a major global economic force, with predicted costs reaching $12.2 trillion annually by 2031. Organized cybercriminals are exploiting legitimate tools and everyday behaviors, leading to increasingly sophisticated attacks on individuals and businesses worldwide.

• Cybercrime has become the world's third-largest economy.

• Organized cybercriminals are using advanced tactics and exploiting everyday tools to increase their effectiveness.

[RSnake: Geez… we spend billions a year and still lose trillions. What a mess.]

Source: https://cybersecurityventures.com/?p=36204

A mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, Canada, resulted in eight deaths and many injuries. The suspect, Jesse Van Rootselaar, had previously been identified by OpenAI for account misuse, but no alert was issued to authorities due to their evaluation of risk.

• A suspect in a mass shooting was previously flagged by OpenAI for account abuse.

• The shooting is one of the deadliest in Canada, resulting in multiple fatalities and injuries.

[RSnake: This shooter was an 18-year-old trans male who allegedly identified as female and had started transitioning at 12. But Canada tends to have a lot of guns for hunting and protection, so it’s not crazy that this trans-identifying person would have guns. Those hormones used in transitioning really are dangerous. He was part of a group called TCC that had a number of people involved in various shootings. He shot and killed 9 people, including his own mother. The RCMP knew too. Very sad.]

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn4gq352w89o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is currently involved in a significant court case that examines whether social media platforms harm children and whether these companies should be held accountable for their design. The trial could have substantial financial implications for Meta and potentially reshape the landscape of social media regulation and accountability.

• Meta is facing a landmark trial regarding the effects of its platforms on children.

• The outcome of the trial could redefine accountability for social media companies.

[RSnake: They do. It’s a fact that keeps appearing time after time across tons of studies. Kids should not be on social media. They should be hanging out in person and learning how to be social using in-person social cues.]

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/media/guest-conservative-view-co-host-reveals-hateful-messages-appearing-show

India is hosting a four-day AI Impact Summit to attract investments in artificial intelligence, featuring major industry leaders and heads of state. The summit includes significant announcements regarding funding for AI startups, new office openings by major tech companies, and discussions about the potential impact of AI on various sectors in India.

• India is hosting a major AI summit aimed at increasing investment in the technology sector.

• Major tech companies are announcing new ventures and partnerships during the summit.

[RSnake: That’s a wise choice. India has tons of devs just itching for this sort of work closer to home.]

Source: https://techcrunch.com/?p=3093283

Microsoft has developed a new optical data storage technology called Silica, which encodes terabytes of data onto glass that can potentially last for 10,000 years. This innovation aims to address challenges in data preservation, offering a durable option for organizations that require long-term storage of critical information.

• Microsoft's Silica technology can store up to 4.8 terabytes of data on a piece of glass.

• The material is designed to survive benign neglect and offers a solution to the declining durability of current storage methods.

[RSnake: I keep hearing of things like this, but this seems like it might have more promise. Did MS re-invent the CD/DVD, though? Lol]

Source: https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000723455

Meta is shifting the focus of its virtual world, Horizon Worlds, from the metaverse to a mobile-first strategy, indicating a major change in its VR ambitions. The company plans to compete with platforms like Roblox and Fortnite while scaling back on other VR projects and investing in AI wearables and technology.

• Meta is abandoning its metaverse strategy and moving towards a mobile-focused platform.

• The company is reallocating resources towards AI technology and wearables, suggesting a significant shift in its product development priorities.

[RSnake: Great, this is only meant for attracting more kids. It’s going to work if it’s fun too.]

Source: https://techcrunch.com/?p=3094929

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not grant the president the authority to impose tariffs, potentially obligating the U.S. government to refund over $175 billion in tariffs collected under the Trump administration's policy. This decision marks a significant limitation on presidential powers regarding trade and tariffs, as it contradicts previous actions taken under the administration's economic policies.

• The Supreme Court ruling may lead to substantial tariff refunds for American companies.

• The decision limits presidential authority in imposing tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

[RSnake: Yep, this will likely have to shift and shift again. But that uncertainty in the market actually makes things worse for countries unsure on how to work wit the US. More on it here.]

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/supreme-court-trump-tariffs-ruling/

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has implemented a new rule tightening the requirements for obtaining non-domiciled commercial driver's licenses (CDLs), which is expected to lead to a significant reduction in the number of non-domiciled truck drivers. This rule will likely cause labor shortages, increased freight costs, and operational disruptions in supply chains, particularly affecting services that depend on non-domiciled CDL holders across various states, especially those near the southern border.

• The FMCSA's new rule is set to significantly reduce the number of non-domiciled truck drivers in the U.S.

• Operational disruptions and increased freight costs are expected as a result of labor shortages in the trucking industry.

[RSnake: This really feels like common sense to me.]

Source: https://www.supplychainbrain.com/blogs/1-think-tank/post/43408-how-the-fmcsas-non-domiciled-cdl-rule-affects-logistics

Asha Sharma has been appointed as the CEO of Microsoft Gaming, succeeding Phil Spencer amid challenges the company is facing, including declining gaming revenue and increased competition. The leadership change comes during a pivotal time for Microsoft's gaming division, which is undergoing a strategy reassessment as it integrates its recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard.

• Asha Sharma replaces Phil Spencer as CEO of Microsoft Gaming.

• Microsoft Gaming is currently experiencing revenue declines and increased competition in the market.

• Sharma's leadership is expected to focus on the changing landscape of subscriptions and cloud gaming.

[RSnake: I think the whole industry needs a bit of an overhaul. Many of the payment schemes for games are really pretty gross, gamers hate them, etc. It’s also time to reinvent good storytelling. It’s really fallen off a cliff in the last decade with more and more re-hashes of the same tired tales.]

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/meet-asha-sharma-indian-origin-executive-named-ceo-of-microsoft-gaming/articleshow/128628891.cms