The Visio Shift

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As we navigate the opening weeks of 2026, the global cybersecurity landscape is being redefined by a collision of critical zero-day vulnerabilities, unmanaged AI infrastructure, and a significant shift toward digital sovereignty. The latest Weekly Cyber Security Bulletin for January 26th to February 1st, 2026, highlights a period of intense activity that cyber security leaders must address to maintain operational resilience.

1. Critical Vulnerabilities: Ivanti Fortinet and Microsoft Office Under Fire

The most pressing technical threats this week involve critical-rated vulnerabilities in major enterprise infrastructure.

On January 29, 2026, Ivanti disclosed two critical, actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities (CVE-2026-1281 and CVE-2026-1340) in its Endpoint Manager Mobile (EPMM) platform, carrying a CVSS score of 9.8. These unauthenticated code injection flaws allow remote attackers to gain full administrative control over mobile device management infrastructure with low complexity and no user interaction. Affected versions include EPMM 12.5.0.x through 12.7.0.x, and while Ivanti has released interim RPM patches, security-sensitive environments are urged to treat exposed instances as potentially compromised and consider rebuilding systems as a precaution.

Ref: https://forums.ivanti.com/s/article/Security-Advisory-Ivanti-Endpoint-Manager-Mobile-EPMM-CVE-2026-1281-CVE-2026-1340?language=en_US

On January 27, 2026, Fortinet confirmed the active exploitation of CVE-2026-24858, a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in the FortiCloud Single Sign-On (SSO) feature affecting FortiOS, FortiManager, FortiAnalyzer, and FortiProxy. With a CVSS score of 9.4, this flaw allows an attacker with a valid FortiCloud account and registered device to gain administrative access to other customer devices where FortiCloud SSO is enabled, potentially leading to configuration exfiltration and the creation of persistent local administrator accounts. Organizations are strongly urged to immediately upgrade to fixed versions, review administrative accounts for unauthorized additions (such as "audit" or "support" accounts), and disable FortiCloud SSO locally if it is not explicitly required.

Ref: https://www.fortiguard.com/psirt/FG-IR-26-060

On January 26, 2026, Microsoft issued emergency out-of-band updates to address CVE-2026-21509, a security feature bypass zero-day vulnerability in Microsoft Office with a CVSS score of 7.8. This flaw, which is actively exploited in the wild, allows attackers to circumvent Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) protections to execute unsafe COM/OLE controls through specially crafted documents. Impacting versions from Office 2016 through Microsoft 365 Apps, the vulnerability is primarily used in phishing and ransomware campaigns to gain initial access. Organizations are strongly advised to immediately apply the latest updates, enable auto-update functionality, and implement registry-based mitigations for legacy systems while increasing monitoring for suspicious Office attachments.

Ref: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-21509

2. Attack on Ollama Hosts & SoundCloud

The Rise of Shadow AI: 175,000 Exposed Ollama Hosts

A startling new trend in 2026 is the emergence of unmanaged AI compute networks. Recent reports indicate that 175,000 Ollama AI hosts are currently exposed to the public internet. These hosts form a massive, unintentional global compute network that threat actors can exploit for unauthorized model training, data exfiltration, or distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. This highlights the growing risk of "Shadow AI"—where employees or departments deploy powerful AI tools without IT oversight.

Ref: https://www.sentinelone.com/labs/silent-brothers-ollama-hosts-form-anonymous-ai-network-beyond-platform-guardrails/

Data Breaches: SoundCloud and Human Error

The threat is not limited to infrastructure; user data remains a high-value target. This week, 29.8 million SoundCloud user records were exposed following a sophisticated extortion attempt. Beyond external attacks, internal actions continue to pose risks. In a high-profile incident, the CISA Chief reportedly uploaded sensitive government files to a public instance of ChatGPT, underscoring the ongoing challenge of securing government communications in the age of generative AI.

Ref: https://haveibeenpwned.com/Breach/SoundCloud

3. Security News: Sovereign Solutions Transforming the 2026 Digital Landscape

CISA Chief Uploaded Sensitive Government Files to Public ChatGPT

On January 27, 2026, reports surfaced that CISA’s acting director, Madhu Gottumukkala, had uploaded multiple "for official use only" (FOUO) government documents to the public version of ChatGPT in mid-2025. Although the documents were not classified, they contained sensitive procurement and contracting information that, once uploaded, could be retained outside federal systems, creating significant risks for data control and secondary exposure. This activity triggered internal DHS cybersecurity alerts, as it bypassed standard restrictions on public AI tools that were in place for most employees. Experts have labeled the incident a governance failure, emphasizing that while technical controls functioned correctly, policy enforcement failed at the leadership level, potentially undermining the agency's compliance culture and public trust.

Ref: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/27/cisa-madhu-gottumukkala-chatgpt-00749361

Google Bolsters Mobile Security with Advanced Android Theft Protection

On January 27, 2026, Google enhanced Android's theft protection for Android 16+ with a refined Failed Authentication Lock (toggle-enabled, ignores repeat identical attempts) and expanded Identity Check requiring biometrics for sensitive apps like banking outside trusted locations. Android 10+ gains secure Remote Lock with owner verification, while Brazil defaults Theft Detection Lock—an AI feature auto-locking during snatch-and-run thefts—to cut post-theft fraud and data risks.

Ref: https://security.googleblog.com/2026/01/android-theft-protection-feature-updates.html

Geopolitical Shifts: France’s Move to "Visio"

In a significant move toward digital autonomy, the French government has announced the replacement of non-European collaboration tools—Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet—with a domestically developed platform called Visio. Minister David Amiel emphasized that reliance on foreign platforms poses "unacceptable risks" to strategic innovation and sensitive communications. This reflects a broader 2026 trend where nations seek to reduce "strategic dependencies" on external technology providers to enhance national security.

Conclusion: Building a Proactive Defense & Key Action Items for Q1 2026:

• Patch Management: Prioritize CVE-2026-1281 (Ivanti) and CVE-2026-24858 (Fortinet) immediately.
• AI Governance: Conduct an audit of "Shadow AI" instances, specifically focusing on Ollama deployments.
• Sovereignty Review: Assess your organization's reliance on foreign SaaS providers in light of shifting geopolitical data protection trends.