“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain
Happy Cybersecurity Awareness Month! October is here, and with the Information Warfare Summit 2025 now behind us, there’s no better time to launch something new.
Welcome to the first edition of The Pinpoint Protocol — a weekly newsletter from Pinpoint Security focused on all things cybersecurity, with a special spotlight on the communities we serve.
What to Expect
Each week, you’ll receive:
• A short editorial from one of our team members on a timely security topic.
• A practical security tip you can apply immediately.
• A curated roundup of the top cybersecurity stories of the week.
Our goal? To deliver the best cybersecurity insights you can read in five minutes or less — straight to your inbox, once a week.
Enjoy what you read? Share it with a colleague, comment or subscribe. We’d love your feedback.
-Stephen
🔒 Security Tip of the Week: Support Your Friends
Windows 10 support officially ends today.
Help friends, family, and coworkers upgrade to Windows 11 if possible. If not, discuss options for replacing unsupported devices — or the risks of staying on them.
Friends don’t let friends run unsupported operating systems. – Anonymous
📰 Weekly News Roundup:
Here are the top cybersecurity stories from the past 7 days, including major events, new vulnerabilities, and significant data breaches:
🚨 Harvard University Confirmed as Victim of Oracle EBS Zero-Day Campaign
Harvard University has confirmed it was compromised in an ongoing cybercrime campaign that exploited a zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2025-61882, CVSS 9.8) in Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) software. The Cl0p ransomware-linked group has listed Harvard on its data leak site, publishing a link to what is allegedly over 1.3TB of stolen data. The university states the breach impacts a limited number of parties associated with a small administrative unit and has patched the flaw.
https://www.securityweek.com/harvard-is-first-confirmed-victim-of-oracle-ebs-zero-day-hack/
✈️ Major Law Firms Targeted in Cyber Intrusions Under FBI Investigation
The FBI has launched an investigation into a series of sophisticated cyber intrusions targeting major U.S. law firms, including Williams & Connolly. While details are limited, initial reports suggest the attacks were linked to state-sponsored actors, with some reports specifically mentioning China-nexus hackers exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities to gain access to sensitive legal and client data.
https://www.brightdefense.com/resources/recent-data-breaches/
(Referenced under Williams & Connolly Breach section)
🦠 RondoDox Botnet Weaponizes Over 50 Flaws Across 30+ Vendors
Security researchers have warned that the RondoDox botnet campaign has drastically expanded its targeting, now exploiting more than 50 vulnerabilities across over 30 different vendors. The widespread campaign focuses on weaknesses in internet-exposed infrastructure such as routers, DVRs, and NVRs, aiming to grow its botnet army for future distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and other malicious activities.
📦 NPM and Other Packages Found Leaking Developer Data to Discord
A wave of malicious packages has been discovered across popular package ecosystems, including npm (Node Package Manager), Python’s PyPI, and RubyGems. These packages are employing a novel command-and-control (C2) mechanism, using Discord webhooks to exfiltrate stolen developer data, credentials, and sensitive files to the attackers.
https://thehackernews.com/2025/10/npm-pypi-and-rubygems-packages-found.html
🔒 Qantas Customer Data Leaked After Ransom Deadline Expires
Hackers from the group “Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters” have reportedly leaked the personal information of 5.7 million Qantas customers on the dark web after the airline failed to meet a ransom deadline. The breach, which occurred earlier in the month, involved the theft of various customer records, highlighting the severe consequences of failing to meet extortion demands in a data breach scenario.
https://www.brightdefense.com/resources/recent-data-breaches/