The Top CISO Stories from around The Web : October 2025

October brought no shortage of chills for CISOs and security leaders across the globe. From a massive telecom threat lurking near the U.N., to ransomware prowling the dark web, to the rising specters of AI, quantum, and supply chain risks, this month’s headlines read like a cybersecurity haunted house. In honor of Halloween, here are the spookiest cyber stories this month.

A Massive Telecom Threat Was Stopped Right As World Leaders Gathered at UN Headquarters in New York

Source:  Security Week

Just as 150 world leaders gathered in New York for the U.N. General Assembly, the U.S. Secret Service quietly dismantled a massive underground telecom network capable of crippling the city’s cell service. Hidden within 35 miles of the U.N., over 300 SIM servers and 100,000 active SIM cards could have jammed 911 lines and paralyzed communications during a global security event. Investigators suspect nation-state actors built the system to send encrypted messages to criminal and terrorist groups. Officials warn this may be only one of several such networks lurking across the U.S. A chilling reminder of how fragile our digital infrastructure really is.

Cybersecurity’s Next Test: AI, Quantum, and Geopolitics

Source: Help Net Security

Cybersecurity’s next big battle is being shaped by AI, quantum computing, and global instability, according to PwC’s latest report. While 60% of executives now rank cyber risk among their top three strategic priorities, only a tiny 6% feel truly prepared across all vulnerabilities: a gap fueled by legacy systems and reactive spending. AI-driven defense is taking center stage, with organizations racing to deploy autonomous systems even as weak data foundations threaten their success. Meanwhile, quantum readiness and talent shortages remain glaring blind spots, leaving many enterprises scrambling to modernize before the next geopolitical or technological shock hits.

Supply Chain Security Risks are Becoming Unmanageable

Source: Beta News

A new IO survey reveals that 60% of cybersecurity leaders now see supply chain risks as “innumerable and unmanageable”, even as attacks surge. Despite 97% expressing confidence in their breach response, over six in ten organizations suffered a third-party incident in the past year  often leading to data loss, financial damage, or customer distrust. Smaller firms are proving prime targets, serving as weak links for attackers aiming at larger enterprises. While most companies are finally strengthening vendor risk management, experts warn that confidence without continuous action could turn supply chains into ticking time bombs.

Searching for the Digital Elixir: Why Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) Must Become a Security Priority

Source : Tech Times

Quantum computing is no longer a far-off threat, it’s a ticking clock counting down to the collapse of today’s encryption. Attackers are already harvesting encrypted data, waiting for quantum machines to decrypt it in seconds. The U.S. is moving fast with new NIST standards (FIPS 203–205), urging organizations to embrace Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) like Kyber and Dilithium to rebuild digital trust from the ground up. The message is clear: readiness is the real elixir, those who start migrating now will define the secure digital era, while those who wait may watch their secrets unravel.

Threat Actors Allegedly Selling Monolock Ransomware on Dark Web Forums

Source: Cybersecurity News

A new ransomware strain dubbed Monolock is making waves on dark web forums, where threat actors are selling version 1.0 alongside stolen corporate credentials. Spread through phishing emails with malicious Word docs, it uses AES-256 and RSA-2048 encryption to lock files and offers victims a 10% discount for paying the ransom within 48 hours. Monolock is no amateur, it kills backup and security processes, disguises itself as a DLL, and injects into explorer.exe to evade detection. With its stealthy API hashing tricks and persistence mechanisms, researchers warn it’s a sign of increasingly professional ransomware operations targeting smaller, less-defended organizations.