North Korea Targeting Cryptocurrency Startups!

On June 30, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a series of actions to disrupt schemes involving remote information technology (IT) workers from North Korea.

2024 has seen alarming developments in the world of financial fraud, with North Korean hackers stealing a record $1.3 billion in cryptocurrency this year alone.

Researchers have identified a new wave of cybersecurity attacks against European drone makers by the Lazarus Group, a well-known and sophisticated threat actor group, allegedly sponsored by the North Korean government.

The theft of at least $35 million from a popular cryptocurrency service is being blamed on North Korean hackers. A number of crypto-tracking experts have pointed an accusing finger...

On 12 September, OFSI issued an advisory note, which emphasises threats to the compliance with UK and UN sanctions relating to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ("DPRK").

A new malvertising campaign has been identified disguising as the legitimate Windows news portal "WindowsReport[.]com" to distribute a malicious installer for the "CPU-Z"...

North Korean hackers have allegedly targeted freelance software developers to craft refined malware. Meanwhile, an Android malware called SpyLend has successfully infiltrated Google Play...

Governor Greg Abbott has ordered the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to immediately halt all environmental permits for data center projects, expanding a statewide regulatory freeze that now encompasses power, water, and environmental approvals. This directive establishes strict operational mandates requiring data centers to fully fund infrastructure costs, report all resource consumption...

The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) intensified its sanctions enforcement in September 2026, with sweeping actions targeting Iran's aviation and financial sectors, new Cuba sanctions regulations, and a comprehensive overhaul of its enforcement architecture. How will these expanded restrictions and the new presumption of denial for Iran-related licenses reshape compliance strategies for multinational companies and financial institutions?

California Governor Newsom signed seven data center bills into law on September 21, 2026, establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework that takes effect January 1, 2027. These bills create new tariff regimes administered by the California Public Utilities Commission, impose extensive reporting requirements on data center operators, and establish water disclosure mandates and CEQA treatment protocols.

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed two new AI in employment bills that will go into effect as of January 1, 2027. These bills will limit and regulate the use of artificial intelligence decision making in the employer-employee relationship.

As U.S. utilities commit record capital to grid expansion, equipment procurement has emerged as a critical constraint. Lead times for transformers now stretch beyond two years, while material scarcity, inflation, and labor shortages compound delays across conductor, switchgear, and substation components.

Expect hearings, document requests, and executive testimony on AI safety incidents, model testing, competition, and data practices beginning in early 2027. House Democratic committee leaders have already asked five frontier AI companies to report misalignment and safety incidents to Congress within 48 hours of detection.

Proposed IRS regulations would significantly simplify dependent care assistance program (DCAP) nondiscrimination testing by excluding employees who receive no benefits from the 55% average benefits test. This participant-only approach should reduce testing failures and the need for employers to cap highly compensated employees’ elections.

Texas has launched a sweeping investigation into hundreds of data center developments that failed to comply with mandatory water use surveys, marking the latest escalation in a seven-week regulatory crackdown. The state's actions have frozen permits, paused interconnection studies, and exposed projects to criminal and civil enforcement, all while the industry faces mounting scrutiny over its rapidly growing demands on electricity and water infrastructure. With multiple state agencies now coordinating enforc

Oilfield service firms responding to the Dallas Fed Energy Survey for the third quarter of 2026 reported substantially broader increases in input costs than in the prices they received. The input-cost index was 60.4, compared with a prices-received index of 16.3. Each index represents the percentage of respondents reporting an increase minus the percentage reporting a decrease.

California employers face new decisions about compensation arrangements following Governor Newsom's signing of Assembly Bill 1697, which postpones restrictions on employment-related repayment obligations and expands statutory exceptions. The legislation raises practical questions about whether changes already made to sign-on bonuses, retention agreements, and other compensation structures should remain in place or be reconsidered under the amended law.