13-Aug-2026 AI Cyberattacks, Salesforce Data Theft and Akira Ransomware

Hacked dAily, the first AI-driven cybersecurity podcast from Cytadel Cyber, delivers a daily briefing for CISOs, security leaders, and decision-makers on the threats shaping business and national security. 1. **AI-enabled attack on Taiwan:** Suspected Chinese hackers reportedly used open-source AI to compromise Taiwanese government systems and steal more than 2,500 personnel records. The near-autonomous operation expanded into vendors, energy, email, and nuclear safety networks, highlighting the growing risk to governments and critical infrastructure. 2. **Cloud portals targeted worldwide:** The City-Forum campaign is abusing permissive guest access—not software flaws—to enumerate and steal exposed data from Salesforce and ServiceNow portals. Organizations across multiple sectors should review guest permissions, sharing rules, and portal controls before quiet data exposure becomes a major breach. 3. **Ransomware disrupts Canadian hospitals:** An attack disabled door access and HVAC systems, forcing hospital staff to operate manually. The incident shows how ransomware can threaten physical safety and service continuity, not just patient data. 4. **Android malware enables contactless fraud:** SpyNote and WindRelay are being used with social engineering to steal card data, relay payments, and potentially take out loans in victims’ names. The campaign demonstrates how trusted phone scams and malicious apps are turning mobile devices into tools for real-time financial theft. 5. **Akira tests Safe Mode evasion:** A ransomware affiliate accessed a SonicWall VPN without MFA, moved laterally, stole data, and used AnyDesk for persistence before attempting encryption from Safe Mode. The case reinforces the need for MFA, VPN hardening, and monitoring for Safe Mode and boot changes. Listen daily to Hacked dAily for clear, actionable cybersecurity intelligence from Cytadel Cyber. Hacked Daily is sponsored by Cytadel, an offensive cyber assurance company specialising in AI-powered attacks. Cytadel’s expert-led Red Team Assessments follow real attack chains across people, identity and technology to verify whether they can become AI fraud or ransomware disruption. We verify your defences before attackers do. Learn more at cytadel.co.uk.