Driven

• Stock futures declined as Treasury yields surged, effectively erasing the market gains previously triggered by comments from Scott Bessent. • The market volatility was primarily driven by a spike in oil prices, which fueled inflation concerns and pushed bond yields higher. • This shift suggests that short-term interventions may be insufficient to alter a structural upward trajectory in bond yields.

• Rapid7 warns that the surge in AI-driven vulnerability disclosures and accelerated exploitation speeds are overwhelming traditional patching cycles. • Security defenders are being forced to shift their strategy, prioritizing actual exposure and risk over standard CVSS severity scores. • This shift matters because the traditional model of patching based on severity is no longer sustainable against the volume and speed of modern AI-enhanced threats.

• Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs announced on August 13 that government agencies were targeted by AI-driven cyberattacks originating from overseas last month. • The ministry stated that the affected government bodies successfully "handled" the incident, preventing significant damage or data breaches. • This event highlights the growing threat of artificial intelligence being weaponized to enhance the sophistication and scale of hacking campaigns against state infrastructure.

• Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs reported that government agencies were targeted by AI-assisted cyberattacks originating from overseas last month. • The ministry confirmed that the affected government bodies successfully "handled" the incident, preventing significant damage or data breaches. • This event highlights the growing threat of AI-driven hacking tools and aligns with Taiwan's ongoing concerns regarding China's "hybrid warfare" tactics.

• Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs reported being targeted last month by a sophisticated hacking campaign originating from an "overseas source." • The attackers utilized a hybrid methodology, combining traditional manual operations with AI agent-assisted attacks to steal credentials and sensitive data. • The announcement follows a report from Israeli cybersecurity firm Dream, which uncovered an AI-driven campaign targeting an unnamed Asian government.

• Economists have upgraded Singapore's economic growth forecasts following a strong performance in the second quarter. • The positive outlook is driven by robust AI-related demand across the region, with supporting data from Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea. • Major US tech companies have signaled continued investment in AI infrastructure, providing a "bullish signal" for long-term expansion.

• South Korea's KOSPI surged over 16% on Friday, hitting a record high and rebounding sharply after three days of declines. • The rally was driven by significant gains of over 25% for SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, bolstered by SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won increasing his shareholdings in SK Hynix. • Market momentum was further accelerated by the South Korean government's announcement of a new 20 trillion won investment initiative focused on AI.