Weekly Cybersecurity Newsletter

With help from Maggie Miller, Katherine Long and Cheyanne M. Daniels — A new White House memo calls for the rapid adoption of AI across intelligence and defense agencies, while ensuring frontier models are protected from foreign efforts to co-opt them. HAPPY MONDAY, and welcome to MORNING CYBERSECURITY! And good morning from Atlanta, where I’m visiting my family and battling summertime allergies with a cocktail of Emergen-C and DayQuil.

With help from Maggie Miller — Two weeks out from the World Cup, federal agencies and private threat hunters are in the final stretch of preparations to fend off cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns from foreign adversaries and cybercriminals. HAPPY MONDAY, and welcome to MORNING CYBERSECURITY! I’d like to introduce you all to James, one of this year’s POLITICO Journalism Institute students. He’s working with your friendly neighborhood cyber team for the week.

With help from Dasha Burns, Gabby Miller, Cheyenne Haslett, Maggie Miller, Aaron Mak, Eliza Gkritsi and Hannah Roberts — Security experts say advanced AI tools are evolving at a breakneck pace, but policymakers remain divided over how to regulate them without ceding ground to China. HAPPY TUESDAY, and welcome to MORNING CYBERSECURITY! I hope everyone was able to enjoy the weekend, despite the nasty weather.

With help from John Sakellariadis, Cheyenne Haslett, Sam Sutton and Maggie Miller — From claims of crisis actors on cruise ships to pushing a horse dewormer as a cure-all, influencers and conspiracy theorists are using the hantavirus outbreak to recycle Covid-era misinformation online. HAPPY MONDAY, and welcome to MORNING CYBERSECURITY! Am I the only one who totally missed that “Rivals” returned to Hulu last week? You can bet I spent the weekend catching up on new episodes. Any reviews so far?

With help from Maggie Miller — The upcoming Trump-Xi summit arrives at a fraught moment in the U.S.-China cyber relations, though it’s unclear whether cyber issues will take center stage at the talks. HAPPY MONDAY, and welcome to MORNING CYBERSECURITY! And happy belated Mother’s Day to all the moms out there, especially mine. ❤️ Follow POLITICO’s cybersecurity team on X at @RosiePerper, @johnnysaks130, @delizanickel and @magmill95, or reach out via email or text for tips.

— The FBI is zeroing in on North Korea, Iran and Russia as it steps up its efforts to tackle global cybercrime, with the agency's top cyber official promising the agency is not letting up. HAPPY MONDAY , and welcome to MORNING CYBERSECURITY! I'm your host, Maggie Miller, stepping in for Dana today. As a half-Brit and confessed royalty nerd, I'm still coming down from the high of King Charles' visit last week, and I'm already chomping at the bit for more royal visits.

— Congress is agonizing (again) over a soon-expiring controversial federal surveillance program, but its true deadline may not be as imminent as advertised. HAPPY MONDAY, and welcome to MORNING CYBERSECURITY! John here, subbing in for the day. I don’t care what the naysayers say, I love the NBA and I am stoked for the playoffs. Let’s go Knicks. Follow POLITICO’s cybersecurity team on X at @RosiePerper, @johnnysaks130, @delizanickel and @magmill95, or reach out via email or text for tips.

With help from Maggie Miller and John Sakellariadis — Scammers are using AI tools to craft hyper-realistic phishing emails and deepfake impersonations, targeting both filers and the accountants who hold their data. HAPPY MONDAY, and welcome to MORNING CYBERSECURITY! And happy International Plant Appreciation Day! I’m extra grateful for my giant Monstera, which I’ve named Ben and takes up about one-third of my living room.

With help from Maggie Miller, Sam Clark and John Sakellariadis — The White House’s proposed cybersecurity budget cuts put one of CISA’s core divisions on the chopping block. Your host breaks down what the cuts could mean for the top cyber defense agency below. HAPPY MONDAY, and welcome to MORNING CYBERSECURITY! I hope everybody had a fun Easter weekend. Did anyone host an egg hunt? Drop me a line at .

With help from Maggie Miller, John Sakellariadis and Sam Clark — From Iranian-linked cyber risks to dismantling cybercriminal networks, security leaders convened in San Francisco last week to map the rapidly evolving threat landscape. HAPPY MONDAY, and welcome to MORNING CYBERSECURITY! Is everybody caught up on sleep after RSAC? Me neither. Follow POLITICO’s cybersecurity team on X at @RosiePerper, @johnnysaks130, @delizanickel and @magmill95, or reach out via email or text for tips.