Catch up quick

@ D.C.

👀 Newly unsealed court documents help answer some of the lingering questions about then-President Trump's 2020 pardon of cybersecurity executive Chris Wade — including what crimes Wade actually committed. (Business Insider)

😬 The State Department's disinformation office closed on Christmas Eve after lawmakers failed to renew its funding and authorization. (CyberScoop)

🤖 OpenAI is tripling the size of its D.C. policy team as it continues to urge political leaders to give AI companies an edge in the economic and security race against China. (Politico)

@ Industry

💰 Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging that Siri violated users' privacy. (Reuters)

💸 Investors and bankers say the cybersecurity industry is primed for more mergers and acquisitions in 2025. (Wall Street Journal)

@ Hackers and hacks

💪🏻 Lumen is the latest U.S. telco to say it has removed the Salt Typhoon cyberespionage group from its networks. Verizon and AT&T made similar announcements during the holidays. (TechCrunch)

🎣 Corporate executives have received an influx of highly personalized phishing emails that security experts believe were created using AI tools. (Financial Times)

⚠️ Rhode Island officials said yesterday that hackers have started leaking data stolen last month from a state social services database. (Cybersecurity Dive)