Senior Cyber Safety Briefing – September 7, 2025

🚨ALERT – Salesloft Drift breach exposes multiple major cybersecurity companies
A breach at Salesloft’s Drift chatbot has led to compromised OAuth tokens, affecting over 700 companies—including names like Zscaler, Palo Alto Networks, SpyCloud, and PagerDuty

👉Why it matters – If your bank, healthcare provider, or service uses any of these platforms now or soon, attackers may be able to access data via those infected systems. Seniors could indirectly be in the line of fire.
📣Call to Action – Ask your trusted providers about their security posture post-breach. Keep an eye on any unfamiliar account activity or emails claiming to be from those services.

🧠MUST-READ – AI-enhanced swatting spree targeting U.S. universities
Between August 21–25, a group called “Purgatory” used AI to mimic gunfire and screaming during fake 911 calls, triggering mass panic at over 10 campuses

👉Why it matters – Even if seniors aren’t directly at risk, these AI-powered threats are expanding—meaning criminals are experimenting with tech that could eventually be used in phone scams or voice-clone fraud.
📣Call to Action – Treat unknown audio or video calls with extreme skepticism—especially ones that sound urgent or unfamiliar.

📈ECONOMY & SECURITY – Federal cybersecurity funding cuts may weaken local defenses
The Department of Homeland Security is ending its $27 million support for MS‑ISAC at the end of the month, potentially stripping nearly 19,000 local governments of key cyber threat intel and support.

👉Why it matters – Seniors rely on local services (like utilities, clinics, and emergency systems); less funding may mean those systems become easier targets for cyberattacks.
📣Call to Action – Reach out to local community centers or senior groups to see if they’re updating their cybersecurity awareness or defenses.

🔥PRIVACY & BIG TECH – Illegal streaming site takedowns highlight growing surveillance—and vulnerability
International authorities shut down Streameast—the largest illegal sports streaming site (1.6B visits/year)—and revealed ICE is now using Paragon spyware for domestic surveillance.

👉Why it matters – The crackdown on illegal streaming comes with greater surveillance in everyday digital spaces. For seniors, it’s a reminder that apps and services often collect more data than we'd like.
📣Call to Action – Only use trusted, legal streaming services; regularly check the permissions on your apps—especially those that access your camera, microphone, or location.

💡OPPORTUNITY – Local senior cybersecurity training launched in Georgia
Fulton County has rolled out a free online cybersecurity training program for seniors, as part of a broader push recognizing seniors lost nearly $5 billion to internet crime in 2024

👉Why it matters – This kind of proactive education is exactly the kind of defense we need—real, actionable protection designed for seniors.
📣Call to Action – If you're in or near Fulton County—or know someone who is—check out the free training. Community groups elsewhere could seek similar programs too.

✅Quick Safety Tip of the Day
Double‑check any urgent‑sounding phone or video call—even if it’s from someone you think you know—before you act on it or share personal info.

(AI was used to creation of this article.)

🙋Closing Note
Stay safe, stay secure, stay curious, and remember my friends—you’re never too old to outsmart a scammer👋