Android may soon warn you about fake cell towers.

In recent years, North Korea has sent thousands of information technology workers to infiltrate Western companies, receive salaries, and send money back to support the regime. As these schemes have progressed, they have become more complex and adopted new tactics to avoid detection. However, this week, the U.S. Department of Justice conducted one of its most ambitious operations targeting these IT workers. Reports indicate that six Americans have been identified as allegedly facilitating such schemes, with one of them having been arrested. Authorities executed searches at 29 "laptop farms" in 16 states, confiscating more than 200 computers, along with web domains and financial accounts.

Simultaneously, a group of young cybercriminals has been causing global unease, leaving grocery stores empty and leading to the temporary suspension of flights due to their devastating cyberattacks. After a period of calm in 2024, hackers known as Scattered Spider have returned this year, ruthlessly attacking retailers, insurers, and airlines.

Another significant development this week includes the work of LGBTIQ+ organizations in El Salvador, which are helping activists document attacks against their community and better protect themselves against state surveillance.

Regarding security and privacy, it has been observed that cell tower simulators, also known as stingrays or IMSI catchers, are highly effective surveillance tools used by law enforcement and immigration officials. These devices mimic phone towers and can intercept communications, gathering call metadata and other data. As a result, it has been reported that Google is ramping up its efforts to counter possible surveillance following hardware advancements that will be available in Android 16. Compatible devices will alert users when connecting to unsecured cellular networks, notifying them that their calls and messages may be vulnerable to interception.

In relation to Iran-backed cybercrime, it was revealed this week that a group of hackers linked to this country threatened to release 100 GB of emails related to Donald Trump's campaign. Following a previous cyberattack, the criminals claimed to have stolen a significant amount of emails, including information from key members of the campaign. U.S. authorities believe this threat is part of a disinformation campaign orchestrated by a foreign power.

On another note, the Chinese hacker group Salt Typhoon has been active in U.S. telecommunications networks, having managed to access private data, although according to the new head of the FBI's cyber division, the group is "contained" and in a "dormant" state within the systems.

Finally, the operation of deepfake platforms that allow the creation of non-consensual images of women has come to light. Reports from a former whistleblower suggest that the application called Clothoff plans an aggressive expansion with a multimillion-dollar budget aimed at creating illicit content featuring celebrities, although representatives from the application have denied these allegations.