December 25, 2025

📰 The Consumer Cyber Sentinel: Your Digital Defense Report 🛡️

Date: Monday, December 25, 2025

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all our readers. While most of the country is unwrapping gifts and sitting down to dinner, the digital world doesn’t take a holiday. In fact, today is one of the busiest days of the year for "Cyber Grinches" looking to exploit the influx of new gadgets and holiday distractions.

🚨 The Latest Hits: What’s Happening Now

1. The "University of Phoenix" Fallout Earlier this week, the University of Phoenix confirmed a massive breach affecting 3.5 million students and staff. The data stolen includes names, birth dates, and Social Security numbers. If you’ve ever attended or worked there, you are now at high risk for identity theft.  Cybersecurity News

Be aware of "follow-up" scams where criminals call victims pretending to be university "security agents" offering to help—only to ask for your bank details to "process a settlement."

2. The "LangGrinch" AI Vulnerability A critical security flaw (CVE-2025-68664), nicknamed "LangGrinch," was disclosed just hours ago. It targets the AI assistants and "chatbots" that many companies use. Hackers can use this flaw to trick an AI into "leaking" the secret passwords it uses to talk to other apps. CYATA

The Impact for You: If you use AI-powered shopping or travel assistants, be extra cautious about the personal info you share in those chats today.

3. Nissan Customer Exposure Nissan just confirmed that approximately 21,000 customers had their personal details exposed through a third-party vendor (Red Hat). While financial data wasn't taken, your contact info likely was. Expect an increase in highly personalized "Your car's warranty/service is due" phone scams in the coming weeks.  Bit Defender

🛡️ Today’s Defense Kit: Protecting Your New Toys

If you just unwrapped a new phone, laptop, or smart home device, take 10 minutes to do these three things before you start using it:

The "Out-of-the-Box" Update: New devices often sit in a warehouse for months. The software is almost certainly out of date. Before you sign into any accounts, go to Settings > Software Update and install the latest patches. This fixes the "zero-day" flaws hackers are currently targeting.

Rename Your Router: If you got a new Wi-Fi router, don't keep the default name (like "Linksys_1234"). Change it to something generic and ensure you aren't using the default admin password printed on the sticker.

Audit Your App Permissions: When setting up a new device, many apps ask for "Always On" location or access to your contacts. Say "No" unless it's strictly necessary for the app to function.

📊 Data Point of the Day

On Christmas Day, ransomware attacks traditionally spike by 52% compared to a normal weekday. Attackers know that IT staff are home with their families, leaving "the front door" less guarded.

FBI Chicago Warns Public About Growing Frauds and Scams Throughout the Holiday Season