Cyber Briefing: 2026.06.29
Nation-state espionage, ruthless RaaS groups, and critical blockchain consensus failures: The new pressure points threatening global networks.
Welcome to Cyber Briefing, your daily source for all things cybersecurity. We bring you the latest advisories, alerts, incidents, and news every weekday.
The emerging Gentlemen ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) group has rapidly climbed into the top 10 global ransomware actors by utilizing custom Go-based backdoors and obfuscated binaries to target large corporations and critical infrastructure via exploited VPNs and firewalls. In response to persistent nation-state threats, the US State Department has issued a $10 million bounty for information on Russian hacking groups UNC5792 and UNC4221, which are actively targeting the messaging applications of government and military personnel. Meanwhile, Malaysia is considering the establishment of a National Internet Registry to manage its own IP addresses, a controversial move that challenges the regional governance model established by APNIC and could reshape national internet resource allocation.
In infrastructure and corporate developments, Coinbase’s Base blockchain successfully restored operations following a two-hour network outage triggered by a consensus error and an invalid sequenced block. On the corporate side, telecom giants BT and Verizon have announced a massive merger of their international operations into a £3 billion joint venture, allowing BT to pivot toward its domestic UK market while both companies push forward with aggressive global cost-cutting strategies.
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⚡THREAT LANDSCAPE
The Gentlemen RaaS group uses custom backdoors
The Gentlemen ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) group has been deploying custom-built backdoors and sophisticated attack tools since early 2026, ranking among the top 10 ransomware actors by victim count in the first half of the year. Kaspersky researchers discovered the group uses custom Go-based malware, including a backdoor deployed before ransomware attacks and an obfuscated ransomware binary that spreads via Group Policy and PsExec. The group targets large corporations and critical infrastructure worldwide, gaining initial access through exploited vulnerabilities in internet-facing devices like VPNs and firewalls, often using stolen credentials or collaborating with initial access brokers. Read More
🚨INCIDENTS & REAL-WORLD IMPACT
Coinbase Base blockchain suffers 2-hour outage
Coinbase’s Base blockchain experienced a two-hour outage on Thursday after a consensus problem caused an invalid block to be sequenced, halting all new block production. The network began investigating the issue at 4:03 PM UTC and identified the root cause by 5:21 PM UTC before restoring normal operations. Base confirmed that blocks are now being produced normally and verified widespread recovery across the ecosystem. Read More
🔓 EXECUTIVE RISK & CYBERNOMICS
Five Eyes Warns of AI-Powered Cyberattacks
The Five Eyes intelligence alliance (US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) issued a warning about artificial intelligence enhancing offensive hacking capabilities. The three-page statement calls for urgent action to address threats from advanced AI models that can accelerate cyberattacks. Security teams should prepare for AI-augmented threats by strengthening detection capabilities and monitoring for automated attack patterns. Read More
🛡️ POLICY, REGULATION & LEGAL SIGNALS
BT and Verizon merge international operations
BT and Verizon are merging their international operations into a joint venture with approximately £3 billion annual revenue, serving over 3,000 customers across 180+ countries. Verizon will pay BT £473 million to equalize ownership stakes, with both companies holding equal shares in the new entity expected to complete in 2027. The deal supports BT’s strategy to focus on the UK domestic market while both telecoms giants pursue aggressive cost-cutting programs that have already resulted in tens of thousands of job cuts globally. Read More
💻 CAREER ENABLEMENT
Malaysia considers National Internet Registry
Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Commission is consulting on creating a National Internet Registry to manage IP addresses and autonomous system numbers within its borders, despite opposition from the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC). APNIC stopped accepting new NIR applications in 2012 and made the moratorium permanent in 2024, arguing that regional registries provide better governance than country-level organizations. If Malaysia proceeds, it would challenge the established multi-stakeholder internet governance model and potentially reignite debates about whether national governments should control internet resource allocation. Read More
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