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Read the ThreatSpike case study.

JAPAN'S FIRST RESIDENCY PROGRAM "AG1"

AG1 is Japan's first full-scale residency program for early-stage startup founders. Offering 10 weeks of free housing and workspace in Tokyo, the program aims to overcome structural barriers for global talent and domestic entrepreneurs. It will provide mentorship and support for product development and market strategy, targeting startups in the AI and consumer technology sectors. Applications are open worldwide.

MOCKE

Know your reply rate in 1 minute without launching.

WIREFRAMER AI

Wireframer AI generates clean, responsive website layouts from a simple prompt, prioritizing hierarchy and flow while leaving styling up to you.

MASS INTELLIGENCE

A billion people now use AI regularly, but until recently, only 7% of paying ChatGPT users even knew to choose the best models from the menu. The cost of running AI has collapsed - GPT-5 nano costs 14 cents per million tokens versus $50 for the original GPT-4. Every institution built for scarce, expensive intelligence now has to figure out what happens when a billion people have tools that outperform humans at intellectual tasks.

CHICKENS TALKING TO DUCKS

There's a Cantonese saying about chickens talking to ducks - both speaking their language, both making sense, neither understanding the other. When the author had breast cancer, her husband kept saying "you'll be fine" while working through the night closing his company sale, which felt like dismissal until she realized he wasn't reassuring her - he was reassuring himself. This same dynamic happens constantly between founders and investors, founders and employees, founders and spouses - each person speaking their own language of fear or control, thinking they're communicating when they're actually talking past each other. Her husband, watching both her parents die of cancer, needed to believe she'd be fine to function. She needed him to acknowledge her fear to feel heard. She finally said, "I know statistically I'll be fine, but right now I need you to hear that I'm scared" - and everything changed.

WHAT ARE THE TOP 10 THINGS TO PUT IN A SERIES A DECK?

A successful Series A pitch deck should include a compelling one-slide summary, clear problem-solution articulation, and key traction metrics. Highlight the market opportunity and explain why your team and product are uniquely positioned to succeed. Ensure the financial plan is realistic, make a clear funding ask, and present a polished, visually appealing deck sent to investors in advance.

EVERY INDUSTRY IS AN AIRPORT LOUNGE NOW

Airport lounges went from exclusive to overcrowded and mediocre, and that's what happened to customer service everywhere in tech - it's dead, except for the upsell.

OVERNIGHT SUCCESS

Behind every "instant" success is a decade of almost dying.

69% OF VC-BACKED STARTUPS HAVE A DEDICATED AI TEAM OR AI LEAD

69% of VC-backed startups have dedicated AI teams or leads, showing AI's importance in operations.

→ [4]Read the full report

→ [6]See the key stats

FREEPBX SERVERS HACKED VIA ZERO-DAY, EMERGENCY FIX RELEASED

There is an actively exploited zero-day vulnerability affecting systems with exposed Administrator Control Panel (ACP). Hackers have exploited it since August 21, compromising servers and affecting thousands of SIP extensions, allowing attackers to run commands as the Asterisk user. Sangoma has released emergency EDGE module fixes. It recommends blocking ACP access, restoring from pre-August 21 backups if compromised, and rotating all credentials.

TRANSUNION SAYS HACKERS STOLE 4.4 MILLION CUSTOMERS' PERSONAL INFORMATION

Hackers accessed the personal data of over 4.4 million TransUnion customers through a breach in a third-party application, although the credit data itself was not compromised. Stolen information included names, birth dates, and Social Security numbers. This incident is part of a recent wave of major corporate data breaches in the US. Companies like Google and Allianz Life were also affected.

SLIDING INTO YOUR DMS: ABUSING MICROSOFT TEAMS FOR MALWARE DELIVERY

Attackers are increasingly using Microsoft Teams for the delivery of malware. Impersonating IT support, they send direct messages or calls from fake or compromised accounts, tricking users into installing remote access tools or running malicious PowerShell payloads. These sophisticated campaigns leverage social engineering, exploit the trust in Teams' internal messaging, and use advanced techniques to steal credentials, maintain persistence, and evade detection. Defenders are advised to remain vigilant for unusual Teams activity and impersonation attempts and to recognize the signs of such malware attacks for improved response and mitigation.

AWS DETECTION ENGINEERING: MASTERING LOG SOURCES FOR THREAT DETECTION

This post provides an overview of how to utilize CloudTrail, VPC Flow Logs, GuardDuty, ALB Logs, and AWS Config for threat detection in AWS. It lists sample alerts for each data source, as well as cross-service alerts, and demonstrates how these alerts can inform automated enforcement actions. Continuous validation is important for ensuring that rules remain consistent with an organization's environment.

THE AGENTIC THREAT HUNTER

Threat hunting follows the scientific method in which analysts observe logs, develop hypotheses, test the hypotheses, and iterate, but this model is crumbling under the vast amount of logs present in modern environments. To augment security teams, AI agents can be used to monitor vast amounts of logs and develop initial hypotheses to augment security teams. SOCs can begin leveraging agentic AI by developing explicit hypotheses, pairing with AI for investigations, centralizing data in a SIEM or data lake, setting appropriate guardrails for the agents, and then automating repetitive tasks.

RITA

Real Intelligence Threat Analytics (RITA) is a framework for detecting command and control communication through network traffic analysis.

ATEAM

The Azure Tenant Enumeration and Attribution Module (ATEAM) is a reconnaissance tool that discovers Azure services and attributes tenant ownership based on their responses.

PYGHIDRA-MCP: HEADLESS GHIDRA MCP SERVER FOR PROJECT-WIDE, MULTI-BINARY ANALYSIS

pyghidra-mcp is a headless Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Ghidra that enables LLMs to perform project-wide analysis across multiple interconnected binaries in a single session, moving beyond traditional single-file reverse engineering. The tool demonstrates ecosystem-aware analysis by tracing function calls across entire application stacks, such as following a file creation operation from notepad.exe through kernel32.dll to ntdll.dll and the Windows kernel. Built for automation and CI/CD integration, pyghidra-mcp leverages Ghidra's project management capabilities to expose entire software ecosystems for AI-powered reverse engineering workflows.

STORM-0501 DEBUTS A BRUTAL HYBRID RANSOMWARE ATTACK CHAIN

Storm-0501 has developed a sophisticated hybrid ransomware attack that exploits privileged accounts to move between on-premises and cloud environments, utilizing techniques such as DCSync attacks to gain domain control and leveraging federated domains as backdoors. The threat actor not only encrypts data, but also mass-deletes cloud resources, including backups, creating a "no-win situation" where organizations cannot recover without paying ransom. CISOs should implement least privilege access, audit on-premises environments for cloud migration opportunities, and regularly practice ransomware response playbooks to defend against this brutal attack chain.

MICROSOFT WORD WILL SAVE YOUR FILES TO THE CLOUD BY DEFAULT

Microsoft will start automatically saving any Word documents in OneDrive. Users will be able to change how new files are created in the Save page in the Word options. The feature was included in the latest Microsoft 365 Insiders Beta Channel update.

SKT HIT WITH $97M PENALTY FOR SECURITY LAPSES

South Korea fined SK Telecom 134.8 billion won ($97.2 million) after a SIM data breach exposed the personal data of all customers due to poor security and delayed reporting. The breach affected 23 million users, causing significant financial losses and a decline in SKT's profit and customer base. Authorities ordered audits and improvements as SKT invests heavily in new security systems.

RANSOMWARE CROOKS KNOCK SWEDISH MUNICIPALITIES OFFLINE FOR MEASLY SUM OF $168K

An attack on Miljödata, a key IT provider for most Swedish municipalities, disrupted HR and reporting systems for over 200 councils.

PASSWORDSTATE DEV URGES USERS TO PATCH AUTH BYPASS VULNERABILITY

There is a high-severity auth bypass in Passwordstate, used by 390K IT professionals, that allows attackers to exploit a malicious URL to access the admin area via the Emergency Access page.

GOOGLE PREVIEWS CYBER 'DISRUPTION UNIT' AS U.S. GOVERNMENT, INDUSTRY WEIGH GOING HEAVIER ON OFFENSE

Google plans to create a new cyber "disruption unit" focused on "legal and ethical disruption" of threat campaigns.

MARKETERS SEE THEMSELVES AS ‘BOLD', BUT THEY AREN'T

A survey by DMEXCO found that 75% of marketers view a bold brand presence as critical to success and 81% expect its importance to grow in the next five years. While 64% considered themselves bold, only 8% said they had communicated in a strikingly bold way, 6.6% had launched a risky campaign, and 5% had taken a controversial stance. The boldest actions reported were entering new markets (17.4%), targeting untapped groups (10.7%), and publicly supporting a cause (8.8%). Fear of social media backlash (47%), concern for brand image (45.6%), and legal uncertainty (45%) were the main barriers holding marketers back.

THE 12TH ANNUAL BLOGGER SURVEY: WHAT CONTENT WORKS IN 2025?

Long-form, highly visual content, influencer collaborations, and original research drove the strongest results. Publishing 2,000+ word articles led to 39% reporting strong results, while frequent influencer collaborations reached 37%, both above the 21% benchmark. Consistently using analytics improved outcomes, with 32% reporting strong results. Paid promotion and guest blogging also correlated with success, with 30% reporting strong results. Shortcuts like fully AI-written articles or ignoring analytics correlated with weaker performance.

STUCK IN NEUTRAL: REGAINING MOMENTUM AFTER REACTIVATION MISSES

Buffer tested reactivation using timing, content, and personalization, but most efforts had little impact. Nudges at day 7 or 13, feature highlights, and repurposed weekly report emails produced minimal results. Personalizing emails and adding posting prompts for Facebook, LinkedIn, and Bluesky drove a modest +16% lift. Meanwhile, activation experiments like onboarding improvements, streak-at-risk emails, and goal-based nudges achieved better results. Reactivation requires high effort for low return, whereas activation builds habits early and shows scalable impact.

USE REDDIT TO EXTRACT CHATS FOR YOUR CONTENT FUNNELS

Search Reddit using ‘site:reddit.com' plus your target keywords and filter posts from the past month. Identify relevant feeds, export the conversations, and use AI to extract key motives, pain points, and topics. Segment the insights into your content plan and create targeted assets such as landing pages, FAQs, videos, and blog posts that address real customer needs. This process finds relevant content ideas to “help” our audiences.

Read the ThreatSpike case study.

10 LOCAL SEO STRATEGIES THAT WORK IN THE AI ERA (26 MINUTE VIDEO)

Ross Simmonds breaks down 10 local SEO strategies for businesses to capture more local customers. He covers Google Business Profile optimization, local keyword research, and content creation tactics. The video also explains technical SEO for mobile-first indexing, AI-powered efficiency tools, and community engagement to boost rankings. Key stats show 92% of searchers pick businesses on page one, “open now near me” searches rose 400%, and voice search dominates 71% of local queries.

LINKEDIN GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

Growth on LinkedIn requires treating the platform as both a networking hub and a conversion tool. Focus your efforts on commenting meaningfully, messaging peers, and nurturing your niche. Post only when the message is strong, and structure your content around four key pillars: educational to establish credibility, broad themes to drive reach, sales content to activate opportunities, and personal stories to build trust. Before launching into any content strategy, refine your profile. It should speak directly to your target audience, highlight your offer clearly, and include a strong call to action above the fold.

POSTED IS BETTER THAN PERFECT

Wimbledon's social strategy proves that speed, structure, and storytelling can drive massive impact. With nearly 6,000 posts in six weeks and over 2.7 billion video views, the team operated like a digital newsroom. Their guiding principles of ‘posted is better than perfect' and ‘emotion over production' enabled a high-volume output without sacrificing audience connection. Their content framework (campfire, bonfire, and firework) helped allocate resources efficiently across evergreen, mid-level, and high-impact content.

BRAND VS. DEMAND IN THE AGE OF AI: THE BALANCING ACT FOR CMOS

Brand investment is regaining importance as AI-native companies shift focus from pure demand generation to building strong identities that differentiate them in crowded markets. Firms like OpenAI, Anthropic, Cursor, and Lovable emphasize brand, communications, and community over heavily paid campaigns, using mission, voice, and customer experience as growth drivers. Lovable's growth highlights how brand identity and experience can accelerate demand, with customers and influencers drawn to its approachable and human positioning. For CMOs, the challenge now is balancing demand with brand, as companies that lean only on demand risk blending into the noise, while the strongest growth comes from orchestrating both.

HOW SOFTWARE COMPANIES BECOME CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS

Companies rooted in digital products are turning to physical publishing to create permanence, scarcity, and cultural weight. 37signals used books like Rework to turn company philosophies into both profit and marketing, generating customers and employees aligned with its values. Google launched Chrome with a printed comic that made the abstract browser feel tangible and collectible. Airbnb created Airbnbmag to position itself as a lifestyle brand, Stripe built Stripe Press to associate itself with intellectual authority, and Midjourney launched a magazine to give AI art legitimacy and scarcity. This strategy transforms digital brands into institutions with influence that extends beyond software.

TOP 100 GEN AI CONSUMER APPS

A ranked list of the top gen AI web products and mobile apps people are using.

DO NOT HIDE DISCOUNT CODES IN EMAILS

Show discount codes immediately on pop-up success pages and then include them in follow-up emails.

Read the full whitepaper (ungated) ↗️

YOUR NEXT JOB WILL REQUIRE AI SKILLS

AI fluency has become a key hiring factor, with roles requiring skills that range from basic tool use to advanced workflow automation. This post presents a six-step framework that helps evaluate curiosity, creativity, problem-solving, and the ability to apply AI in real-world scenarios.

WHY PRODUCT PEOPLE CAN'T COAST THROUGH THE AI TRANSITION

Most GenAI pilots fail to deliver returns, but success comes from small, practical automations. Product professionals who bridge AI capabilities with business realities will be vital in turning experiments into measurable results.

PRODUCT LEADERSHIP ARCHETYPES

Product leaders fall into three archetypes: craftsperson, operator, and visionary. The most effective leaders combine deep product craft with coaching to scale teams, rather than relying on process alone.

MINIMALLY VIABLE CONSISTENCY

Minimally viable consistency means using only the essential shared language and structures needed to coordinate effectively, balancing clarity with flexibility based on organizational context.

KEEPING YOURSELF MOVING AS A PRODUCT MANAGER

PMs often face silence and doubt after big wins, lacking quick validation. The MOVE Model helps create momentum and signals of progress when clarity is scarce.

ROADMAP: DEVELOPER TOOLING FOR SOFTWARE 3.0

Software 3.0 is here: natural language is becoming the new programming interface, and AI agents are evolving from helpers to autonomous developers. This transformation is reshaping productivity, democratizing who can build, and creating new infrastructure and standards for the next generation of software.