The Weekly Tech Decanter - September 24th, 2025

Welcome to this week's edition of The Weekly Tech Decanter, where I carefully pour out refined technology knowledge that distills complex tech concepts into digestible insights. Like a fine Bordeaux, today's tech news offers a complex bouquet of developments worth savoring.

But before I dive into this week's tech news:

💭Today’s Thoughts 💭

Happy Wednesday, friends!

Next week marks the start of Q4, the final sprint for many. But let’s be honest… doesn’t it feel like we’re sprinting all the time? You’ve probably heard me talk about the “HOW clock” in my office before. It’s a gift from my team, and instead of numbers, every hour is labeled “HOW.” So yes, it’s HOW o’clock all day long.

As the days, weeks, and months fly by, it feels like we’re constantly accelerating. Which makes me pause and reflect: why do we always feel like we’re in this rat race? Is it the fear of being left behind if we slow down? The pressure to keep up, to stay relevant, to do more?

Sometimes, I miss being French. I mean I am still French! but you have to hand it to the French: they know how to slow down. They take hour-and-a-half lunches, month-long vacations, and they genuinely savor life’s simple pleasures. They stop to smell the roses, literally.

Funny enough, I posted pictures of the flowers in my garden not too long ago. And as we all race toward… well, who knows what… I still make time to enjoy those roses when I can. Gardening season is winding down as the weather cools, but thankfully, I still have my art studio. And recently, I treated myself to a keyboard, because I’m determined to teach myself jazz improv.

So here’s to finding balance in the sprint. To carving out moments of joy. To remembering that sometimes, the best way to move forward is to slow down.

Let's uncork the latest!

🔒 Cybersecurity Insights 🔒

🚀The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) confirmed a cybersecurity breach compromised rider data and disrupted systems, particularly affecting Mobility paratransit services for disabled riders. While core transit operations remain functional, scheduling systems and real-time tracking experienced outages. Officials activated the statewide emergency operations center and are investigating with cybersecurity experts and law enforcement, urging users to update passwords and enable multi-factor authentication.

🚀NIST awarded over $3.3 million through 17 cooperative agreements to educational and community organizations across 13 states to address the cybersecurity workforce shortage. The funding supports Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate (RAMPS) initiatives, bringing the total to 47 RAMPS communities nationwide. With over 514,000 unfilled cybersecurity positions and only 74 qualified workers per 100 openings, the program focuses on developing curricula, internships, and training programs to build local cybersecurity talent pipelines.

🚀 Former NSA cybersecurity chief Rob Joyce warns that AI-powered vulnerability detection will worsen cybersecurity problems, as organizations struggle to patch flaws faster than AI can find them. AI systems like XBOW have already topped hacking leaderboards, but legacy and unsupported systems can't be quickly patched. Joyce also highlights "agentic AI hijacking," where attackers use companies' own AI agents to locate sensitive data for ransomware attacks.

🚀FinWise Bank disclosed that a former employee accessed customer data after termination, affecting 689,000 American First Finance customers. The insider attack occurred on May 31, 2024, but wasn't discovered until June 18, 2025. Exposed data included names, Social Security numbers, and financial account details. The bank is offering 12 months of free credit monitoring and faces multiple class-action lawsuits over the delayed disclosure.

📐Compliance Updates 📐

🚀The current administration is overhauling BSA/AML compliance by simplifying Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) filing processes and shifting from process-based to outcome-based regulatory oversight. At ACAMS 2025, officials emphasized embracing AI for improved fraud detection while recognizing that advanced technologies also enable more sophisticated financial crimes. Compliance professionals expressed cautious optimism about AI adoption but stressed the need for better guardrails and standardized best practices.

🚀CMMC audits are revealing previously undetected International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR) compliance risks at defense contractors. As third-party assessments increase under the new CMMC framework, auditors are discovering export control violations during cybersecurity evaluations, highlighting the need for integrated compliance strategies addressing both cybersecurity and export control requirements simultaneously.

💡Tech Innovations💡

🚀 Microsoft will open a quantum research center at the University of Maryland's Discovery District, featuring early access to the company's experimental Majorana 1 quantum chip. The facility is part of Maryland's $52.5 million Capital of Quantum Initiative and will support collaboration between government agencies, academic institutions, and private companies. The center will benefit from Maryland's partnership with DARPA, which could unlock up to $100 million in matching federal quantum research funding.

🚀Gartner analysts recommend embracing shadow AI to drive innovation while implementing proper controls. Rather than blocking unauthorized AI tools, security teams should use discovery processes to assess their business value and manageable risks. Organizations should establish protection level agreements (PLAs) for board discussions and create AI champions to guide responsible adoption, as 53% of companies are building custom AI tools and only 23% have implemented AI runtime controls.

I hope you've enjoyed this distilled selection of technology news.

Until next week!

Cheers! (or À votre santé!)

Aida Keehner

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