In today’s 2-Minute Tech Briefing, Homeland Security’s reassignment of CISA staff sparks cybersecurity concerns, AMD partners with OpenAI to build next-generation AI infrastructure, and three ransomware groups — LockBit, DragonForce, and Qilin — unite to form a criminal cartel. These developments reveal shifting priorities, strategic alliances, and rising cyber risks worldwide.
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Hello, and welcome to your 2-Minute Tech Briefing, from Computerworld. I’m your host, Arnold Davick, and here are the top IT news stories you need to know for Tuesday, October 14th. Let’s dive in.
From CSO Online — experts are warning that Homeland Security’s reassignment of CISA staff could leave U.S. networks exposed. The Department of Homeland Security is shifting hundreds of CISA cybersecurity personnel into non-cyber roles tied to immigration and border enforcement.
Those employees were responsible for detecting threats and issuing emergency advisories across federal and enterprise systems. CISA’s Capacity Building team, which helps protect the government’s most critical digital assets, has been hit especially hard. And according to reports, refusing reassignment could mean termination.
With more than 130 staff fired since the start of the Trump administration, experts say the move could slow threat detection and increase cyber risk for both government and private sectors. From Network World — AMD and OpenAI have struck a new partnership that could reshape enterprise IT hardware options.
The deal — described as a 6-gigawatt agreement — will power OpenAI’s next-generation AI infrastructure using AMD Instinct GPUs. The first one-gigawatt deployment begins in late 2026, translating to as many as five million chips.
For IT leaders struggling to secure Nvidia GPUs, this offers a much-needed second source for high-performance AI hardware. Analysts say the partnership will help AMD seed the enterprise market and give OpenAI new flexibility as demand for AI computing explodes.
And back to CSO Online for our final story today — three major ransomware-as-a-service groups are forming a criminal cartel. LockBit, DragonForce, and Qilin say they’re coordinating attacks and sharing resources to “dictate market conditions” in the ransomware underground.
The alliance, announced on dark-web forums, comes as law enforcement pressure mounts. Analysts say this kind of cooperation could make ransomware operations more resilient — and harder to disrupt. That’s today’s 2-Minute Tech Briefing.
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