Risk Management
Over the past 10 days, employees at ABC, MSNBC, The Washington Post, and several hospitals, airlines, and universities have been successively fired or suspended for commenting on the fatal shooting of conservative figure Charlie Kirk. Experts say this series of events reminds employers of the need to prioritize the development and enforcement of social media policies, while carefully addressing state laws protecting employees' off-duty conduct, collective activity rights under the National Labor Relations Act, and the clarity and consistency of policy language.
The FBI issued an alert on Friday, warning that two hacker groups, UNC6040 and UNC6395, are attacking Salesforce instances. UNC6040 has been using vishing to obtain employee credentials since October 2024, while UNC6395 conducts supply chain attacks through compromised OAuth tokens from Salesloft Drift. Some victims have received ransom demands claiming to be from ShinyHunters.
Resilience's latest report indicates that the average cost of ransomware attacks in the first half of 2025 rose 17% year-over-year, accounting for 76% of incurred losses in its insurance portfolio, despite a 53% drop in claim numbers. Attackers using tactics such as AI and double extortion have driven single losses to exceed $1.18 million.
A study released by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) shows that companies offering remote work flexibility can significantly alleviate the 'motherhood penalty' women suffer in 'family-unfriendly' industries (such as finance and business) due to childbirth. The remote work trend expands the range of family-friendly occupations, promising to reduce gender inequality in the labor market.
A report released by Trustmi on Wednesday shows that over the past year, one in four companies lost over $1 million to a single fraud incident, and over 80% of companies experienced at least one fraud. Generative AI makes attacks more sophisticated, and the disconnect between finance and security teams exacerbates risks.
Workday's latest global survey shows that AI agents evoke complex emotions in the workplace: 27% of business leaders believe they are overhyped, only 30% of respondents accept being managed by them, but 82% of organizations plan to expand their use. Gartner predicts that over 40% of agentic AI projects will be canceled by the end of 2027.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit on Monday accusing AI startup Air AI Technologies and its operators of defrauding customers of approximately $19 million through false claims about business growth, earning potential, and refund guarantees. The FTC seeks monetary compensation and a permanent injunction.
Horizon3.ai appoints Holly Grey as CFO to accelerate global expansion. Grey has over 30 years of financial experience and previously led Exabeam's acquisition by Thoma Bravo. The company recently completed a $100 million Series D funding round led by NEA.
Francois Motte, CFO of Canadian rare earth miner Aclara Resources, is seeking contracts with customers such as automakers to secure over $1 billion in financing to complete the development of South American mines and a U.S. processing plant. The company has not yet signed any offtake agreements and needs a major customer or commitments covering about 50% of production to advance its plans. Motte stated that rare earth pricing is highly volatile, and banks will not lend without commercial contracts. The company may benefit from supply chain restructuring driven by China's export controls and has partnered with Virginia Tech to operate a separation pilot plant.
U.S. retail sales rose 0.5% month-over-month in July, with June's data revised up to 0.9%, and auto sales hitting a three-month high. Despite persistent inflationary pressures from tariffs and some softening in the job market, consumer spending continues to show resilience. However, a University of Michigan survey shows consumer confidence fell for the first time in four months in August, with both short-term and long-term inflation expectations rising notably. Federal Reserve officials say more data is needed to confirm the path of declining inflation.