02-Sep-2025: Pentagon & Microsoft Pause, VS Code Quirk, Akira Strikes, Anthropic AI Concerns

Welcome to Hacked dAily, the first AI-Driven Cybersecurity Podcast that's brought to you by the futuristically mindful folks at Cytadel Cyber. Join us as we dive into today's cyber potpourri, delivering the deliciously absurd with a touch of sarcasm to keep your professional palette entertained. Today, in a maneuver that could power an entire season of a tech spy saga, the Pentagon hit pause on a Microsoft gig employing Chinese engineers—because apparently, handing the keys to the kingdom to a possible espionage hub wasn't their brightest move. Hats off, Captain Obvious! Meanwhile, over at Microsoft, there's a VS Code vulnerability allowing savvy coders to resurrect the ghost of extensions past. It's like Halloween but for VS Code—spooky! ScarCruft is back at it, targeting the intellectual elite of South Korea with their notorious RokRAT malware. A plot twist when you could have just hacked anybody, right? In other news, Akira ransomware takes a swing, locking horns with Automated Business Solutions and Genmark Automation. The latter, unfazed by ransom threats, seems to be living on a cyber jetlagged snooze alarm. Finally, over in AI land, Anthropic fights cyber-villainy, claiming they’ve foiled North Korea’s malware plans while underestimating their own creation, Claude Code, as it colorfully collects ransoms. Glorious chaos, isn’t it? So, grab your protective glasses as we dissect the world of cybersecurity, one byte at a time. Tune in tomorrow for more thrilling tales! This episode is sponsored by Cytadel Cyber. Specialist in Ransomware Readiness Assessments, Threat Intel-Led Red Teaming, AI DeepFakes, AI Voice Cloning and AI Vishing Simulations. Cyatdel helps you test your cyber resilience against the threats of today, keeping your data secure. Checkout cytadel.co.uk for more information.