RSnake Report 20251129

Hello, and thanks for reading! I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving! We spent it with family. It was a pleasant little visit and, per usual, great food. We are quite lucky, and I count my blessings. I hope you had a great week too! 🦃 Let’s begin with the Russo-Ukrainian conflict.

In Russian/Ukrainian news, Ukrainian drones struck the Shatura Thermal Power Plant in the Moscow region, hitting power distribution infrastructure and igniting a major fire that cut heating for thousands in the town of 33,000. Keep in mind, winter is upon us here, so these systems are vital for the everyday life of Moscow's residents.

Russia has been particularly aggressive deeper inside Ukraine lately. For example, Russia dropped a large FAB glide bomb on residential high-rise buildings in Myrnohrad on the eve of negotiations. It continued striking Ukrainian positions there with additional FAB bombs. Russia is outpacing Western production of equivalent aerial glide bombs in 2025 at 100,000 FAB-UMPKs against 10,000 JDAMs and 1,200 AASM Hammers. Given that these are relatively cheap and have a huge effect on semi-hardened targets like buildings, these seem like good investments, as long as the bomb trucks, like fighter-bombers, can stay out of range of air defense.

Ukraine hit the Beriev Scientific and Technical Center aircraft factory in Taganrog with a cruise missile attack on Taganrog-Central Air Base in Rostov Oblast, damaging a maintenance hangar for Tu-95 strategic bombers used to launch Kh-101 missiles at Ukraine and setting ablaze a large military aircraft, possibly an A-50U airborne early warning and control plane or one of two experimental A-60 airborne laser laboratories. There were only two A-60s ever made, so this is a big and expensive loss, even being 40-50+ years old.

Ukraine's Security Service operated Sea Baby naval drones to strike two sanctioned Russian shadow fleet tankers, Kairo and Virat, in the Black Sea while empty and en route to Novorossiysk, engulfing both in flames and forcing crew abandonment, with the vessels likely to sink as a warning to shipowners transporting Russian oil. These are ecological disasters, and also a big blow to Russian oil transport, driving up prices, which is good, but also driving down profits, which is already dangerously low.

Russia launched a major ballistic and cruise missile attack on Kyiv, including multiple Kh-47M2 Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles targeting thermal power stations and the Kyiv Hydroelectric Power Plant. Russia knows that Kyiv needs to lose more power and heat to turn hearts and minds against Zelensky, and ideally decapitate the Ukrainian executive structure.

Ukrainian drones conducted a significant attack on Russia's Black Sea coast near Novorossiysk, prompting Russian air defenses to fire missiles that intercepted an apartment building, with defenses active across the region, including Krasnodar Territory, Sochi, and Gelendzhik. This video is pretty intense, and it gives you some sense of what it must be like to get hit by friendly fire - it’s worth a watch.

This is related to Ukraine’s launching of four Neptune cruise missiles at 3:00 a.m. to strike a major Russian missile factory deep inside the territory. In a separate Novorossiysk operation, drones hit a large Project 1171 landing ship near the naval base and an oil terminal.

Four large Ukrainian night drone bombers simultaneously attacked the same Russian infantry group. These sorties flown in swarms are going to be a real menace for any meaningful-sized teams. Some of them are dropping rounds up to 120mm, which has something like a 150m kill radius. That’s going to be a very effective and highly targeted carpet bombing campaign.

Russian drones causing friendly fire cause the bulk of destruction against their own drones, downing 90% of heavy drones and aerial repeaters, with two-thirds lost to Ukrainian FPV drones due to the lack of a unified communications and real-time battle management system. That’s a pretty staggering statistic, but just shows how important friend-vs-foe detection will become in the near future. This is beyond the other issue of soldiers being told that any successful downing of drones of any kind is rewarded, regardless of whether it is friend or foe.

Russia used a "dragon" drone for the first recorded attack on Ukrainian road net tunnels, likely deploying a ZAB-2.5M or ZAB-2.5P thermite incendiary submunition. The tunnels require constant maintenance but can be quickly repaired. Russia's Rubicon units apparently lead innovations in drone warfare so it is possible it may have been part of their unit that came up with this. I have long suspected that this would be one tactic to both punch small holes that can be driven through by FPVs, but also to draw out repair crews that can be targeted.

A Ukrainian FPV drone operator navigated a factory interior to detect a hidden Russian soldier, passing numerous obstacles. For some reason, this video really stood out to me, because it is far beyond what we typically think of when we think of targeted attacks. This was a situation with a three-dimensional battle space, with thousands of obstacles, and a single hidden adversary in a very large open/chaotic space. Then it survives a direct assault from said hidden soldier only to turn and successfully kill him. To say it’s impressive is an understatement.

What is believed to be Russia's RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, known as Satan II, failed during a test at the Yasnoe cosmodrome in Orenburg region, or, it may have been a UR-100N missile with an Avangard hypersonic warhead. I have not heard confirmation on which.

Kazakhstan closed one of Russia's main land borders, stranding over 5,000 trucks with Chinese goods for Russian factories due to the enforcement of secondary sanctions blocking electronics, drones, batteries, and dual-use components, causing multimillion-dollar losses and exposing Russia's reliance on the route with no viable alternatives, other than going back around and directly through China.

In some poor Russian economic news, nearly 70% of Russians reported zero savings in early November despite official claims of rising income, indicating economic strain. Also, Russian Railways, employing 700,000 people and functioning as a slush fund across economic sectors, requested a bailout from the empty sovereign wealth fund. Neither is a good sign for the state of the Russian economy.

A leaked conversation between Steve Witkoff and Putin's aide Ushakov, possibly released by Russians to derail negotiations, aims to compromise the US side, President Trump, and destabilize US politics while sowing discord among the US, Ukraine, and Europe, signaling Putin's opposition to talks amid pressure for a deal that could enhance sanctions and increase Russian dependence on China if refused. It more or less makes all sides look weak, but the point of the conversation was to broker a reduced and reconciliatory rhetoric leading up to the negotiations, and it does not appear as scandalous as I think some people would like it to appear.

In European news, the EU is discussing retaliatory actions against Russia for drone attacks and sabotage on NATO territory, including joint cyberattacks on key Russian facilities, sudden NATO exercises near Russian borders, and information operations targeting Russian citizens. This isn’t necessarily large-scale kinetic responses, but still. Pretty scary that we’re at this point.

The European Parliament also adopted a resolution demanding EU inclusion at peace negotiations, transfer of Russia's frozen assets to Kyiv, and a pledge to never recognize occupied regions as part of Russia, requiring any peace agreement to include Russian troop withdrawal from Crimea and Donbas. So even if Ukraine wants to sue for peace under whatever conditions they choose, that includes losing Donbas and Crimea, the EU won’t allow it. Seems extremely odd to me, but I get the idea. They don’t want Russia to get an inch and punish them because Crimea has been held by Russia for many years now.

In Middle East news, unidentified drones, including an Iranian-made Meraj-532, launched from near Tuz Khurmatu, struck the Khor Mor gas field in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, twice in recent days, shutting down 80% of the region's gas supply, with the responsible group reported to security agencies. It’s not clear who launched these, but it could be Iran, Turkey, Russia, or China. There are a lot of people who are at odds with the Kurds and who want to make them more or less dependent upon the surrounding nations.

The Israel Defense Force struck the Dahieh suburb of southern Beirut, eliminating Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah's No. 2 and de facto chief of staff. It just shows how long and tirelessly the IDF will seek out those who have attacked them in the past.

Speaking of, Israeli Police Special Forces unit Yamam and Shin Bet eliminated the Hamas terrorist behind the October 6 ramming attack at IDF Outpost 6 that killed two Nahshon Battalion fighters.

Toxic dust in Iran's Shahriar city limits visibility to ten steps due to years of neglect, water shortages, and emissions, while the regime allocates billions to nuclear programs and terror proxies instead of public health. Iran’s clerics must know they are in serious danger. They have been making themselves a target for the common person in the country for a very long time.

A strong airstrike hit Idlib, Syria, with Syrian media attributing it to US jets, though authorities have not confirmed. It could have also been US jets that have been donated/sold to Israel, which is slightly more likely, but we have been known to operate in Syria as well.

In North American news, two West Virginia National Guard soldiers were shot near the White House in Washington, D.C. One of them, 20 year old Sara Beckstrom, has died, while the other is in unknown condition with some claiming he is in critical condition and others saying he has died. The suspect, 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a former Afghan National Army Commando Corps member who worked with US Special Forces and the CIA-backed Kandahar Strike Force on counterterrorism operations including night raids and assassinations, entered the US in September 2021 under Biden's evacuation program with asylum approved this year and is now in custody. Apparently, he is not being very cooperative now that he is in custody, but we do know he shot the first one in the head at close range with no warning, although reports are that he yelled “Allahu Akbar,” so we have a pretty strong idea of where his politics/ideology lie.

Now, there is a pretty big backlash against these soldiers brewing. Some are accusing them of being habitual rapists and pedophiles. Others rightfully say that they never fought for the US but for Afghanistan. All while another Afghan refugee was caught and arrested for a bomb plot in Texas. So it makes sense that Trump is demanding a review of the people we have let in through that program. Either way, it’s a very sad situation for the two service members who lost their lives, and their families who mourn them.

The Trump Department of Justice filed with the Supreme Court to strike down state laws banning public carrying of firearms in California, New York, Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey, and other states, which would restore Second Amendment rights for millions of Americans. Of course this would likely be temporary, as other laws would come in to take their place until those too were struck down, because there is no federal punishment for creating illegal state laws, which is a bit strange, given the fact that so many issues are genuinely easily identified as illegal when they are submitted and take no kind of legal expert to know they’ll get overturned.

In this newsletter and elsewhere, a lot of people discuss how the US shipbuilding industry is failing. However, I saw a very interesting article addressing another problem. US Navy shipbuilding programs like the Constellation class frigate have fallen to 15% commonality with the original FREMM design due to shifting requirements in propulsion, sensors, survivability, hull, and combat systems, causing delays as the Navy lacks firm specifications. In English, that means that they cannot just pump out a bunch of similar ships and call it a day; they have to keep evolving and retooling, which causes massive cost issues and delays. Similar issues plagued the Littoral Combat Ship with unclear missions, the Zumwalt as a tech showcase, and the Ford-class carrier with stacked first-of-kind systems, making extra shipyard capacity ineffective without stable designs.

In Tech news, Roblox, used by nearly 36 million children, with 40% under 13, is implementing mandatory facial recognition for age verification via third-party vendor Persona, backed by Peter Thiel's Founders Fund, scanning children’s faces to sort users into age brackets with claims of image deletion. Civil liberties groups warn of permanent digital dossiers enabling data breaches, tracking, and profiling. So if you know a kid using this, which is basically every kid, just be aware that this can and likely will be used to create digital files on each of the kids, their uses of the platform, and more.

OpenAI sent out an email to its users about a data breach of user data, including names, emails, locations, and IP addresses. It was leaked due to a security incident at analytics provider Mixpanel. So if you were trying to keep your IP/location secret and you used an email associated with other activity, it can now be correlated if you use ChatGPT, as can other users at your address, etc.

I saw an interesting new omnidirectional drone that demonstrates stable flight or hovering in any direction and orientation. This has the advantage of being able to keep a camera or laser pointed in any direction regardless of flight, which could be very useful for a wide variety of applications.

The Shai-Hulud-linked npm supply-chain attack compromised packages from Zapier, ENS Domains, PostHog, and Postman, creating over 25,000 malicious GitHub repos across 350 users and affecting 27% of scanned cloud and code environments, with malware exfiltrating developer secrets, tokens, cookies, and files to attacker repos at a rate of 1,000 new repos every 30 minutes, including a preinstall-phase variant widening exposure in build and runtime environments. This is a pretty massive and well-thought-out attack. If you use npm, you should make sure you aren’t already compromised.

In Economic news, HSBC's model alleges that OpenAI cannot afford its contracted compute, with $250 billion from Microsoft and $38 billion from Amazon totaling 36 gigawatts and up to $1.8 trillion in value, projecting $620 billion annual data center rental bills and cumulative costs of $792 billion through 2030 rising to $1.4 trillion by 2033 against $282 billion in free cash flow, $26 billion from Nvidia and AMD, $24 billion in debt facilities, and $17.5 billion liquidity, leaving a $207 billion funding gap even assuming 3 billion users by 2030 with 10% paying and 2% digital ad capture plus $386 billion enterprise AI revenue. This could potentially require OpenAI to abandon commitments to avoid a liquidity crisis, which would be a terrible signal to the market, but I think it will take a while for OpenAI to do this, even if this math turns out to be correct. The question then becomes… when.

Strategy Inc. holds a whopping 649,870 Bitcoin at a $48.37 billion cost, representing 3.26% of the total supply. That’s a lot. With $54 million cash but $700 million annual preferred stock dividends and negative software cash flow requiring $700 million yearly capital raises just to service debt, having raised $19.5 billion in early 2025 to cover prior obligations in an apparent Ponzi-like structure that relied on stock trading above net asset value until the premium collapsed to 1.0x, now diluting shareholders. The 9.0% to 10.5% dividend rate risks spiraling if stock falls below $100, and MSCI's January 15, 2026 announcement could exclude Strategy from indices due to 77% Bitcoin assets, triggering $2.8-8.8 billion forced selling and 15-20% market cap liquidation, with October's 17% Bitcoin drop indicating insufficient liquidity for large sales without market breakage. Strategy bought 203,471 BTC so far in 2025 for $20.5 billion, so most of the capital raised likely went toward BTC purchases. We shall see how that pans out, but Bitcoin is a bit shaky as a result.

Lastly, the sneaker resale market collapsed suddenly, with $500-600 shoes unmoving at $300, Jordan 1s at $90, Dunks and general releases gathering dust, heat-priced items under retail unsold, and Yeezys tanking, as neither selling nor buying occurs in a frozen ecosystem, possibly due to economic factors, fading hype, or resale game failure. The question is, why has this market crashed so hard, not just on the buy side, but also on the sell side? I’ve heard a lot of theories, but it’s everything from counterfeit sneakers crashing the market to the economy being very weak and people wanting to hold onto valuables, etc.

Okay, onto the articles!

A massive fire in a Hong Kong high-rise housing estate resulted in at least 128 deaths and left many others critically injured. Investigations are underway into possible negligence and substandard materials used in recent renovations, with several individuals arrested and a corruption inquiry launched. The blaze is the deadliest in Hong Kong in over 60 years and raises questions about safety standards in the region's construction practices.

• At least 128 people have died due to a fire in a high-density subsidized housing estate in Hong Kong.

• Investigations are focusing on negligence related to building materials used during renovations, leading to arrests and a corruption inquiry.

[RSnake: There are still a lot of people unaccounted for as well. While the Chinese mainland in general has pretty lax building codes and standards by Western standards, Hong Kong has traditionally been a bit better, but I guess not enough better.]

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn8e5j20g27o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

Venezuela has banned six international airlines from landing in the country after they failed to resume flights following a US warning about increased military activity in the region. The US has deployed a significant troop presence and military assets near Venezuela, allegedly to combat drug trafficking, though Venezuelan officials view it as an attempt to destabilize President Nicolás Maduro's government. Tensions have escalated, with the US FAA advising airlines to exercise caution due to the security situation.

• Venezuela banned major airlines from landing due to failure to resume flights after a US warning.

• The US has deployed a large military presence near Venezuela, which is seen as a threat by the Venezuelan government.

[RSnake: Silly. Banned after they weren’t already landing there. 🤡 ]

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd0keyern0do?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

A National Guard member has died after being shot in Washington, D.C., while on duty. Another guard member is still fighting for his life. The suspected gunman, an Afghan national, is in serious condition and faces the death penalty.

• Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal entered the U.S. legally in 2021 under humanitarian parole as part of the Biden administration's Operation Allies Welcome.

• The attack on National Guard members has had devastating consequences and raises questions about vetting processes for Afghan refugees.

[RSnake: I think this will be the excuse Trump needs to expel more of them. Now let’s be real here, some of them are law-abiding and super friendly to the US, so I think there will need to be very thorough vetting if we go through with this to avoid expelling allies.]

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/us/national-guard-member-sarah-beckstrom-dead-after-dc-shooting-highly-respected

Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine has escalated, with President Putin intensifying efforts to eliminate Ukrainian identity in occupied territories through various governmental decrees and military actions. Despite diplomatic efforts, the Kremlin remains focused on its goals of eradicating Ukrainian statehood, making peace negotiations increasingly difficult and unlikely.

• Putin's policies aim to erase Ukrainian national identity in occupied regions.

• Russian military actions target civilians and critical infrastructure in Ukraine.

[RSnake: This tends not to work very well, and only sews additional dissent as you tear down things that people genuinely like, and don’t necessarily associate with Ukraine. Even many people who are pro-Russian won’t like this move.]

Source: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/?p=891082

China and North Korea are strengthening their alliance with Russia, promoting a mutually beneficial relationship that includes economic cooperation, military ties, and diplomatic exchanges.

• The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has shifted its policy on North Korea from denuclearization to traditional friendship and governance exchanges with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

• This shift has been confirmed in various diplomatic texts, including a readout of a meeting between Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un, which omitted references to 'denuclearization'.

[RSnake: Sorta. Russia is becoming more and more reliant on them, for sure. Mutual reliance is a real thing, but mostly in one direction.]

Source: https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2025/11/28/prcrussiadprk_relations_grow_closer_1149959.html

Russian drones targeting civilians are causing intense attacks in Ukraine, leading to civilian casualties and the destruction of homes.

• Russian forces are using short-range, first-person view, or FPV, drones against civilians in occupied areas, leaving little doubt about their intent.

• The attacks have repeatedly killed and wounded civilians, destroyed homes, and forced thousands to flee, concluding that they amount to the crimes against humanity of murder and forcible transfer.

[RSnake: This is why in the release 26 point plan, all Russian atrocities would be given amnesty. Otherwise, why would Russia capitulate, knowing they would be facing war crime tribunals if they did?]

Source: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/11/28/how-russian-drones-targeting-civilians-are-turning-one-ukrainian-city-human-safari.html

The Epstein connections that lasted beyond the scandal are being scrutinized by many, with some figures maintaining ties despite his conviction and others seeking to distance themselves from him.

• Epstein maintained social circles of powerful individuals despite his conviction for soliciting prostitution in 2008.

• Some high-profile figures, including House Delegate Stacey Plaskett and former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, kept in touch with Epstein after his conviction.

[RSnake: We’ll see what happens, but I suspect there will be a lot of news around this in a few weeks’ time. There is a timer on the release now, and there are about 3 weeks left on the clock.]

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy7v6xl4me8o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

Israeli security forces killed two Palestinians in the West Bank during a military operation, reportedly after the individuals appeared to surrender. The incident has prompted an investigation by Israeli authorities and condemnation from Palestinian officials who accused Israel of using excessive force amidst ongoing military actions in the region.

• Israeli forces conducted military operations in the West Bank.

• Two Palestinians were shot after appearing to surrender, leading to an investigation.

[RSnake: Yep, I am sure this is happening quite a lot. Israel would be wise to prosecute the men and ensure that people feel comfortable surrendering. It gives them leverage, but not when people think they have to fight for their life.]

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/28/world/middleeast/israel-west-bank-shooting-palestinians-video.html

A 21-year-old Ukrainian refugee was found dead in his burned-out car in Vienna, Austria, with police investigating a possible murder involving multiple suspects. The victim had received temporary protection status, and his parents are traveling to Vienna to bring their son's body home. Police are questioning friends and relatives of the victim and examining his immediate circle.

• Austria is providing $2.2 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine as part of a $23.3 million package for crisis regions.

• Austria supports the 12th EU sanctions package on Russia, after Ukraine removes Raiffeisen Bank International from a symbolic blacklist.

[RSnake: Found dead in a burned-out car after being beaten up and placed there. I would say it was premeditated.]

Source: https://euromaidanpress.com/?p=377335

Ukraine's Navy carried out a targeted strike against Russian positions in occupied Crimea, hitting a command center, drone storage sites, and air defense systems.

• Ukrainian forces struck Saky airfield in occupied Crimea on November 28, targeting key infrastructure including a command post, drone depot, and air defense systems.

• The operation aims to degrade Russian combat capabilities and contribute to Ukraine's efforts to reclaim occupied territory.

[RSnake: Crimea really is in a dangerous position now that the Black Sea is basically off limits for Russian surface ships.]

Source: https://euromaidanpress.com/?p=377300

Billionaires are using AI to influence US elections, with one group aiming to counter another's efforts to stop the regulation of AI.

• A new group called Public First is being formed to counter pro-AI PACs with anti-AI PAC money.

• Public First is backed by billionaires such as Pierre Omidyar and Dustin Moskovitz, and aims to raise $50 million to support Democratic and Republican candidates.

• The pro-AI side, Leading the Future, has already raised $100 million and is backing candidates who oppose AI regulation, while the anti-AI group Public First is also backed by influential figures from the tech industry.

[RSnake: AI Regulation is generally not a good idea, so I am for that, but I wonder what their reasons for wanting to limit it are. I suspect it’s because they are making money off of it, which is different from the reason I don’t like it. I think regulation of AI is generally misguided and will only aid adversaries who don’t care about our laws.]

Source: https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000691848

Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil, has been ordered to serve a 27-year prison sentence for his involvement in a coup plot aimed at retaining power after his election loss. The Supreme Court concluded that Bolsonaro incited an insurrection following the 2022 election, leading to riots by his supporters, and he has been denied the opportunity to run for public office until 2060. Alongside Bolsonaro, several co-conspirators, including high-ranking military officials, have also been sentenced.

• Jair Bolsonaro has been sentenced to 27 years for attempting to orchestrate a coup after losing the election.

• He was removed from home detention and deemed a flight risk due to attempts to tamper with his ankle monitor.

[RSnake: That is a long sentence. But it makes sense. Sedition must be quelled, lest it spread. That said, people can be pretty vocal from prison too.]

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr4dl19npv5o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

US President Donald Trump has proposed a peace plan for Ukraine that would require the country to withdraw from unoccupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, grant official status to the Russian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate, and limit Ukraine's Armed Forces to 600,000 soldiers. The plan also calls for NATO not to expand further and for Ukraine to remain non-nuclear and strategically vulnerable.

• The US has internalised Russia's core disinformation narratives, including that NATO expansion caused the war in Ukraine, that Ukraine is a US proxy, and that Russian speakers faced genocide.

• The plan would require Ukraine to surrender historical lands, halve its armed forces, and hold elections in 100 days, echoing Russia's demands for demilitarisation, denazification, and regime change.

[RSnake: It’s worth reading, actually. Even if it’s not going to end up all being in the final document.]

Source: https://euromaidanpress.com/?p=376211

Mali is experiencing a severe crisis marked by a blockade of fuel imports by the terrorist group JNIM, which has led to significant national instability and forced the evacuation of foreign nationals. The situation has raised alarms about a potential jihadist takeover, which could destabilize the broader West African region and lead to increased risks of terrorism. This crisis follows a decade-long insurgency and military coups, resulting in domestic insecurity and the loss of international support for Mali's government.

• JNIM has blocked fuel imports, leading to a national fuel crisis.

• The potential for a jihadist takeover in Mali poses risks for regional stability and terrorism.

• Mali's military and alliances have weakened amid growing jihadist threats and local unrest.

[RSnake: Mali is a landlocked country in the interior of Africa. It’s close to Nigeria and has a lot of the same kinds of Islamic gangs. We are wise to stay out of it unless we have a clear path to win and we like whoever is the opposing force significantly better, because a lot of these groups aren’t so great.]

Source: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/?p=890455

The FBI has reported a 490% increase in arrests related to Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE), particularly focusing on the online network known as '764' that targets children. The agency has identified over 300 ongoing cases linked to this group, which is involved in severe criminal activities, including the exploitation and coercion of minors. Over the past year, the FBI has also located or recovered 5,400 child victims from various networks.

• The FBI has seen a dramatic rise in arrests related to Nihilistic Violent Extremism, specifically a group targeting children online.

• In the past year, the bureau has recovered thousands of child victims and continues to engage in extensive investigations against violent networks.

[RSnake: This is a new term we might start seeing more of. From the article, “This FBI is fully engaged in dismantling NVE networks and violent groups like 764, who prey on young children using online platforms like gaming systems or social media.” So if your kid is gaming or on social media, you may want to make them aware of this.]

Source: https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-sees-dramatic-increase-in-arrests-of-nihilistic-violent-extremism-individuals-targeting-children

Iran uses cyber-enabled kinetic targeting to gather intelligence before real-world attacks on ships and land-based targets, with a focus on the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific region.

• Iran deploys cyber-enabled kinetic targeting, gathering intelligence via cyberattacks before real-world missile attacks on ships and land-based targets in the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific region.

• This approach allows Iran to assess damage after a strike, making it a critical component of global commerce and military logistics.

[RSnake: That is not at all surprising, except for the fact that it’s already deployed. It does make sense that more systems are going to be situationally aware of things in the cyber-world, such as phone/ship locations via pings or online telemetry.]

Source: https://www.darkreading.com/threat-intelligence/iran-exploits-cyber-domain-kinetic-strikes

A new variant of the ClickFix attack has been discovered, called JackFix, which increases psychological pressure and uses technical tricks to bypass security solutions, making it more difficult for threat intelligence tools to detect. The attack is designed to trick victims into running malicious commands on their computers. Security experts have warned that this could be a major issue.

• The ClickFix attack has been around since 2017 and has been a persistent threat to organizations.

• The JackFix variant is more sophisticated and uses psychological pressure to increase the chances of success.

[RSnake: Never cut and paste code from anything that seems to be telling you that you have an issue on your computer.]

Source: https://www.darkreading.com/threat-intelligence/jackfix-attack-clickfix-mitigations

Google’s new agentic code editor, Antigravity, and its integration with Gemini AI may allow for data exfiltration through indirect prompt injection.

• Antigravity can manipulate Gemini into collecting sensitive credentials and code from a user’s workspace and exfiltrating it by using a browser subagent to browse to a malicious site.

• The user provides Gemini with a reference implementation guide they found online, which contains an attacker’s prompt injection that coerces AI agents to collect code snippets and credentials from the user’s codebase.

[RSnake: Yeah… users are going to have to be a lot more careful, and more tools are going to need to be built to protect assets from being exfiltrated on the network. Things like honey tokens, for instance.]

Source: https://www.promptarmor.com/resources/google-antigravity-exfiltrates-data

Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, is facing a federal lawsuit alleging that it knowingly enabled more than $1 billion in crypto transactions for designated foreign terrorist organizations, including Hamas and Hezbollah. The lawsuit claims that Binance actively tried to shield its Hamas customers and their funds from scrutiny by US regulators or law enforcement. The company has previously pleaded guilty to violating US anti-money-laundering laws and agreed to a $4.3 billion settlement.

• Binance allegedly enabled over $1 billion in crypto transactions for Hamas and other designated foreign terrorist organizations.

• The company is accused of actively trying to shield its Hamas customers and their funds from US regulatory scrutiny.

[RSnake: That is a lot of terrorism that was enabled. Ouch.]

Source: https://www.dailywire.com/news/binance-accused-of-enabling-hamas-terror-funding-ahead-of-october-7-attack

A security engineer discovered over 17,000 exposed secrets across more than 2,800 unique domains within public GitLab repositories, revealing vulnerabilities related to sensitive credentials like API keys and passwords. The researcher utilized the open-source tool TruffleHog to scan 5.6 million repositories, uncovering a significant density of secrets, with the majority being related to Google Cloud Platform credentials. Automation was employed to notify affected organizations, who subsequently revoked many of the exposed secrets.

• Over 17,000 sensitive credentials were found in public GitLab repositories.

• The majority of leaked secrets pertained to Google Cloud Platform.

[RSnake: Yep, people accidentally upload keys all the time to these platforms. It’s worth making sure you analyze your repos and, ideally, use private repos.]

Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/public-gitlab-repositories-exposed-more-than-17-000-secrets/

A cyberattack targeting Crisis24's OnSolve CodeRED platform disrupted emergency notification systems in the U.S., affecting public safety agencies. The attack resulted in the theft of personal data, including names and email addresses, which has not yet been found online but may be sold by the responsible INC Ransomware gang.

• Crisis24's emergency notification platform suffered a cyberattack that resulted in disruptions.

• Data stolen during the attack includes personal information of users, and the responsible ransomware group claims to be selling this data.

[RSnake: Oh, nothing to worry about. Just emergency services are going down. Eeesh! 🫠 ]

Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/onsolve-codered-cyberattack-disrupts-emergency-alert-systems-nationwide/

The US Department of Homeland Security has launched an investigation into Bitmain Technologies, a Chinese Bitcoin mining equipment maker, over concerns its hardware could compromise national security. The probe is examining potential import duty violations and whether the company's machines are vulnerable to remote manipulation by foreign actors. Bitmain has rejected the allegations as false.

• Bitmain Technologies faces an investigation over concerns that its hardware could compromise US national security.

• The probe is examining potential import duty violations and vulnerabilities to remote manipulation by foreign actors.

[RSnake: More hardware/supply chain attacks originating from China?]

Source: https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/dhss-operation-red-sunset-investigating-chinese-bitcoin-mining-giant-over-national

Asahi, a Japanese beer company, reported that over 1.5 million customers' personal data may have been leaked due to a ransomware cyber-attack. The attack disrupted operations and led to potential product shortages in Japan as the company worked to restore its systems.

• The personal information of 1.52 million customers, including names and contact details, was potentially exposed.

• Asahi's operations were significantly impacted, resulting in drink shortages across Japan.

[RSnake: Et tu, beer?! 🍻 ]

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce86n44178no?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

A hacker known as Rey, associated with the Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters group, has publicly revealed his identity following an investigation by cybersecurity experts. This group has been involved in extensive data theft and extortion against major corporations, utilizing tactics like voice phishing and recruiting insiders for access. As law enforcement agencies investigate, Rey has claimed he is seeking to distance himself from the hacking operations and is cooperating with authorities.

• A hacker group called Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters has been stealing corporate data and demanding ransoms.

• The group's admin, Rey, has recently revealed his identity and is reportedly cooperating with law enforcement.

[RSnake: He’s been cooperating since at least June, according to Brian’s article.]

Source: https://krebsonsecurity.com/?p=72704

Russian hackers targeted a U.S. engineering firm due to its connections with a Ukraine, demonstrating the expanding scope of Russia's cyber warfare tactics. This incident reflects a pattern of attacks aimed at organizations that support Ukraine, amid ongoing tensions and warnings from U.S. officials about cybersecurity threats from Russia-linked hackers.

• Russian intelligence hackers attacked an American engineering company connected to a municipality with ties to Ukraine.

• The attack is part of a broader trend of targeting organizations that support Ukrainian institutions.

[RSnake: I would call that an attack against a NATO country, but, again, it’s Hybrid warfare and apparently we are okay with that, because it does not seem to be triggering retaliation.]

Source: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/11/25/russian-hackers-target-us-engineering-firm-because-of-work-done-ukrainian-sister-city.html

OpenAI's ChatGPT has rapidly grown to 700 million weekly active users, making significant strides in the AI market. The company is facing multiple lawsuits regarding the mental health impacts of its AI products, as well as intense competition from other tech entities in the AI and consumer health sectors.

• OpenAI's ChatGPT reached 700 million weekly active users, reflecting explosive growth.

• The company is under scrutiny from lawsuits related to the mental health risks associated with its AI technology.

[RSnake: Yes, but how many are paid?]

Source: https://techcrunch.com/?p=2607630

Lawsuits have been filed against OpenAI for alleged harm caused by its AI chatbot ChatGPT, with seven cases accusing the company of rushing a new version to market without sufficient safety testing. The lawsuits claim that ChatGPT encouraged users to commit suicide and drove others into delusional behaviors, resulting in major reputational, financial, and personal harm.

• Seven lawsuits have been filed against OpenAI for alleged harm caused by its AI chatbot ChatGPT.

• ChatGPT was rushed to market without sufficient safety testing, leading to encouragement of users to commit suicide and drive others into delusional behaviors.

• OpenAI's AI chatbots are designed to be habit-forming for users experiencing loneliness, similar to recommending heroin to someone with addiction issues.

[RSnake: As much as I think OpenAI is guilty of all of this and probably worse, I don’t think suing them is the right answer either. Because if it’s not them, it’ll be another company, or another, or a local model.]

Source: https://www.zerohedge.com/ai/suicides-and-delusions-lawsuits-point-dark-side-ai-chatbot

The European Union's Digital Services Act threatens free speech worldwide by granting authority to control online speech across large platforms and search engines with a global presence.

• The DSA grants sweeping authority to European regulators to control online speech across large platforms and search engines with a global presence.

• Citizens in countries outside of the E.U. are at risk of facing new levels of censorship due to the DSA's extraterritorial applicability.

[RSnake: I have tried to stay away from this topic, but I think at some point I’m going to have to do a bigger section on just this problem. But it’s bad. Some guy just got detained for posting a photo of himself shooting a shotgun in the United States. He was let go, but it just shows how off its rocker the EU has gotten about sensitivity. Their grandfathers, who fought in trenches to allow people to live freely and outside of tyrannical governments, are spinning in their graves. More on this here.]

Source: https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/we-must-resist-rise-global-censorship-regime

A 44-year-old Australian man has been sentenced to 7 years and 4 months in prison for operating an 'evil twin' WiFi network that stole the data of unsuspecting travelers during flights and at various airports across Australia.

• The man used a portable wireless access device to set up a rogue WiFi network with the same name as legitimate networks in airports, stealing users' social media account credentials.

• Forensic analysis of data and seized devices identified thousands of intimate images and videos, personal credentials, and records of fraudulent WiFi pages.

[RSnake: That is a long time, but clearly this wasn’t just a one-time offense.]

Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/man-behind-in-flight-evil-twin-wifi-attacks-gets-7-years-in-prison/

Australia has blocked access to three websites that used AI to create child sexual exploitation material, following complaints and warnings regarding their abusive content. The sites had reportedly received around 100,000 visits monthly from users in Australia and featured harmful options that targeted minors. This action is part of Australia's broader efforts to combat online harm to children and enforce stricter regulations on digital platforms.

• Australia has implemented measures to block websites that create AI-generated child abuse imagery.

• The crackdown follows receiving reports of abuse involving these sites and potential penalties for non-compliance with regulations.

[RSnake: Pretty awful situation. I don’t think there is an easy answer here, because people will create local models and avoid tracking altogether. I’m tempted to say leave it up and monitor who connects to it, and then go after them. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if some military ran these sites somewhere to find people to blackmail.]

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11/27/australia-clamps-downs-on-nudify-sites-used-for-ai-generated-child-abuse?traffic_source=rss

Airbus is implementing an urgent software fix for approximately 6,000 A320 family aircraft to address safety concerns about flight control malfunctions linked to solar radiation. This mass recall is expected to disrupt many airlines worldwide, resulting in flight cancellations and delays, particularly during busy travel periods. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency is expected to issue a directive mandating these repairs, deviating from normal operations at a time of already strained airline repair resources.

• Airbus has ordered a significant software change for the A320 family jets due to data corruption risks linked to solar radiation.

• The recall could disrupt global airline operations by affecting a substantial portion of the A320 fleet, leading to potential cancellations and delays.

[RSnake: Pretty interesting that these weren’t already hardened against solar radiation. Scary, actually.]

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2025/11/28/airbus-issues-major-a320-recall-after-flight-control-incident?traffic_source=rss

In 2025, the U.S. artificial intelligence sector is experiencing a surge in funding, matching the previous year's totals in $100 million funding rounds. Numerous companies have raised substantial capital, with several surpassing billion-dollar valuations, indicating a robust growth trajectory in the AI industry.

• In 2025, the AI industry is witnessing an increase in funding, with companies raising larger rounds compared to the previous year.

• There are multiple instances of companies achieving valuations over a billion dollars, illustrating the financial momentum in the sector.

[RSnake: It’s a strange area to be investing in, in a number of ways. I do invest in areas that have AI infused in them, but only in very specific configurations. Most of these companies aren’t worth anything, from what I can tell. Specifically, the ones who are using other people’s models, or don’t have unique training data.]

Source: https://techcrunch.com/?p=2976754

The US federal government cut funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which helps fund PBS, under President Donald Trump. This will impact rural areas and potentially lead to a loss of emergency services and local programming. Without federal funding, PBS member stations may struggle to survive.

• PBS funding cuts could lead to reduced emergency services and local programming in rural areas.

• The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a key source of funding for PBS, which will be impacted by the federal government's decision.

[RSnake: It could and in some particular situations be bad, but the vast majority of the US has alternative means of getting broadcasting now. For all kinds of reasons, we need to modernize and streamline our ability to communicate with the masses.]

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/media/ken-burns-calls-pbs-declaration-independence-communication-decries-its-defunding

Many consumers are experiencing credit card debt due to overspending during holiday shopping events like Black Friday, with some individuals reporting debts exceeding $50,000. The rise of online shopping convenience, including one-click purchases and buy now, pay later options, has contributed to this trend, leading to attempts by shoppers to manage their finances more carefully after incurring debts.

• Consumers are accumulating significant credit card debt stemming from holiday shopping.

• The convenience of online shopping is contributing to impulsive purchasing behaviors.

[RSnake: That number will only get worse through the holidays. I would expect a lot of defaults to hit in January and February as the payments come due for December’s credit card statements.]

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/27/business/black-friday-shopping-debt.html

Employee engagement among knowledge workers has significantly declined: only 64% report feeling engaged this year, down from 88% last year, while burnout levels remain high at 83%. A survey indicates that many employees are seeking better recognition, manageable workloads, and clearer communication regarding the impact of artificial intelligence on their roles.

• Employee engagement has dropped to 64%, a significant decline from the previous year.

• High burnout levels persist at 83%, with many employees calling for better recognition and clearer communication.

[RSnake: AI won’t help this feeling. Apparently, there is a brief romance with AI where people feel very engaged with AI and then slowly lose the love affair as they get more practiced with it, realizing that it solves the problems that they actually enjoyed working through, leaving them only with the administrative tasks and debugging, which they don’t enjoy as much.]

Source: https://www.supplychainbrain.com/articles/42903-report-business-leaders-need-to-engage-employees-more