Cyber

• Dropzone AI, a Seattle-based startup, secured $16.8 million in funding to develop autonomous AI agents for cybersecurity operations. • The company is a finalist for GeekWire Awards' AI Innovation of the Year, competing with firms transforming HR, retail, biotech, and more. • Investors back the platform amid surging demand for AI-driven threat detection and response in US enterprises.

• Iranian cyberattacks target critical U.S. infrastructure as President Trump threatens strikes on Iran's bridges and power plants. • The cyber activity escalates frictions during the fraying ceasefire, with unclear U.S. peace terms. • U.S. officials report the attacks follow Trump's profanity-laden threats, prompting Democratic backlash.

• A pro-Iranian cybercrime group claimed responsibility for cyberattacks that knocked the websites of Chime and Pinterest offline in April, marking a significant coordinated breach affecting major U.S. tech platforms. • The attacks demonstrate the evolving threat landscape where state-affiliated or state-aligned cyber actors target critical infrastructure and consumer-facing platforms with increased sophistication. • The incidents underscore the vulnerability of major technology companies to coordinated cyberattacks and highlight ongoing concerns about foreign threat actors targeting U.S. digital infrastructure.

Security agencies say municipalities should watch out for unusual activity, especially in water and energy sectorsMiddle East crisis – live updatesTop government security agencies issued a warning of Iran-affiliated cyberattacks on critical infrastructure across the US on Tuesday. In a joint statement, the agencies say that municipalities, especially in the water and energy sectors, should be on the lookout for unusual activity.“Cyberattacks on drinking water and wastewater systems directly threaten public health and community resilience,” Jeffrey Hall, an assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said in a statement. “A single breach can disrupt treatment or introduce contaminants, damage equipment, and erode public trust.” Continue reading...

• METR released a new application of its time-horizon methodology to offensive cybersecurity, based on a study with 10 professional security experts. • The research evaluates AI capabilities in security tasks, accelerating evaluations every 5.7 months on 2024+ trendlines. • Opus 4.6 and GPT-5.3 Codex exceed benchmarks, solving tasks taking humans ~3 hours.

• Circadence, a U.S.-based cybersecurity firm, secured $16.4 million in funding on April 4, 2026, to enhance its AI-powered platforms. • The investment supports launches of RangeGPT, an AI training tool, and Project Ares GEN3 for advanced threat simulation. • This funding arrives amid rising AI-enhanced cyber threats, positioning Circadence to innovate in enterprise defense.

• A benchmark report surveying over 200 CISOs ranks AI as the top cybersecurity concern at 71%. • Security budgets in retail and hospitality sectors increased modestly from 0.57% to 0.75% of revenue. • AI-driven threats are ushering a new era of risk, prompting heightened investment in defenses.