#supply-chain-risk

#supply-chain-risk

As the calendar turns the final pages on 2025, the information technology sector stands at a critical juncture regarding its environmental commitments. This year was not marked by technological breakthroughs solving decarbonisation, but by the decisive maturation of sustainability from a strategic differentiator into an operational and regulatory imperative. This transition involved a painful reckoning with data complexity, supply chain reality, and the sheer energy appetite of modern computing, driven primarily by the rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI).

Shares of Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) gained 6.13% over the past month after gaining 9.65% the month prior. The legacy automaker's stock has gained more than 57% since its YTD low on April 8. So far this year, Ford is up 41.66%. It continues to pay patient shareholders with a dividend currently yielding 4.39%, or 15 cents per share quarterly.

Lee opened the conversation by pointing to the timing of the cargo-plane crisis. Just as peak shipping season begins, both FedEx and UPS have had to pull aging aircraft from service following a tragic explosion. I told him this type of shock is exactly what investors overlook until it hits the tape. These older planes are workhorses of global distribution networks. When they suddenly disappear from circulation, the financial damage can be immediate.

The inquiry, dubbed "Operation Red Sunset," led by the Department of Homeland Security, reportedly examined whether the company's machines could be remotely manipulated for espionage or sabotage of critical US infrastructure. Bitmain denies these capabilities, but investigators have reportedly tested its equipment at ports and dissected chips and code to assess potential threats. The company's hardware has long attracted scrutiny. A 2017 Bitcoin Magazine report suggested Antminer devices contained code allowing remote shutdown, which Bitmain said was a theft-prevention feature later patched.

In a World War II bunker east of Frankfurt, a steel door weighing over four tonnes protects Germany's largest reserve of rare earths, a treasure at the heart of rising geopolitical tensions. The exact location of the bunker is confidential and the site is under close video surveillance. This is where Tradium, a German company specialised in trading rare earths, keeps thousands of barrels of the precious materials - almost all from China, the world's biggest producer.

Luxury car-maker Jaguar Land Rover will not resume production at its factories for yet another week as it continues to grapple with fallout from a cyberattack. In early September, the Jaguar Land Rover stopped production at its factories in the U.K. after it was impacted by a cyberattack in which hackers stole company data. Jaguar Land Rover has not said what data was stolen.

Villager, a new penetration-testing tool linked to a suspicious China-based company and described by researchers as "Cobalt Strike's AI successor," has been downloaded about 10,000 times since its release in July. The package, published on Python Package Index, operates as a Model Context Protocol (MCP) client and integrates multiple security tools. It includes Kali Linux, which legitimate defenders use to automate penetration testing, and it contains hundreds of tools that can also be used to launch cyber attacks at scale.

Satellite networks are integral to myriad aspects of modern society, providing essential services that support both civilian and military operations. As our dependency on satellite networks has increased, so has the risk of cyber threats targeting these critical infrastructures. Any disruption of satellite services can negatively impact everything from emergency response systems to financial transactions to navigation. That makes ensuring the cybersecurity of satellite networks essential to maintaining global stability and security.

In the recent M&S breach, only £100 million of cyber insurance was in place, far short of the £300 million in damages incurred, leaving the retail giant significantly underinsured. With more retailers relying heavily on online operations and third-party platforms, the financial impact of operational downtime from data breaches can be severe and widespread. Yet many businesses still lack adequate-or any-cyber insurance.

Ten vulnerabilities in Copeland controllers, which are found in thousands of devices used by the world's largest supermarket chains and cold storage companies, could have allowed miscreants to manipulate temperatures and spoil food and medicine, leading to massive supply-chain disruptions. The flaws, collectively called Frostbyte10, affect Copeland E2 and E3 controllers, used to manage critical building and refrigeration systems, such as compressor groups, condensers, walk-in units, HVAC, and lighting systems. Three received critical-severity ratings.