US House extends FISA Section 702 for ten days.

Summary

By the N2K CyberWire staff

US House extends FISA Section 702 for ten days.

The US House voted unanimously this morning to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) until April 30th, NPR reports. The controversial surveillance program was set to expire this coming Monday. Lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on either a five-year renewal or the 18-month plan requested by President Trump. According to the New York Times, libertarian-leaning Republicans have demanded a vote on adding new privacy limits to any long-term extension.

FISA Section 702 allows the government to spy on foreign persons located outside the United States, but the law has been criticized for its incidental collection of American citizens' data. The intelligence community maintains that the broad scope is necessary for national security.

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CISA's acting director warns lawmakers of reduced capacity.

Nick Andersen, acting director of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), continues to warn of "detrimental capacity impacts" caused by a lapse in funding for the Department of Homeland Security, BankInfoSecurity reports. Andersen testified yesterday before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, defending the Trump administration's request for a reduced $2.5 billion budget for the agency. Andersen says the pared-down budget will support CISA's core statutory mission, with $1.4 billion going to the agency's cybersecurity division.

New malware strain targets Israeli water facilities.

Darktrace warns that an OT-focused strain of malware dubbed "ZionSiphon" is targeting Israeli water facilities. The malware "combines several familiar host-based capabilities, including privilege escalation, persistence, and removable-media propagation, with targeting logic themed around water treatment and desalination environments." The payload is designed to activate "only when both a geographic condition and an environment-specific condition related to desalination or water treatment are met."

The researchers don't attribute the malware to any particular threat actor, though some strings offer evidence that the hackers are seeking to cause harm. One Base64-encoded string embedded in the binary decodes to "Poisoning the population of Tel Aviv and Haifa."

Selected Reading

Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities

New ZionSiphon Malware Discovered Targeting Israeli Water Systems (Hackread) Researchers spot ZionSiphon malware targeting Israeli water systems, focusing on ICS protocols and plant configurations to enable real-world disruption.

CISA flags Apache ActiveMQ flaw as actively exploited in attacks (BleepingComputer) CISA warned that attackers are now exploiting a high-severity Apache ActiveMQ vulnerability, which was patched earlier this month after going undetected for 13 years.

30+ WordPress plugins bought on Flippa and backdoored in supply chain attack (TNW | Apps) An attacker purchased 30+ WordPress plugins on Flippa, planted backdoors that lay dormant for eight months, then activated cloaked SEO spam served only to Googlebot. WordPress has no ownership-transfer review.

Legislation, Policy, and Regulation

Lawmakers Gathered Quietly to Talk About AI. Angst and Fears of ‘Destruction’ Followed (SecurityWeek) Thursday’s discussion comes as leaders on Capitol Hill grapple with the dizzying pace of global developments in which technology plays a central role.

Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement

Europol-supported global operation targets over 75 000 users engaged in DDoS attacks – Operation PowerOFF is a global effort aimed at dismantling criminal DDoS-for-hire infrastructure (Europol) Operation PowerOFF is a global effort aimed at dismantling criminal DDoS-for-hire infrastructure

Industry Events

For a complete running list of events, please visit the Event Tracker.

Events

CyberArk IMPACT 2026 (Austin, Texas, USA, May 11 - 13, 2026) At CyberArk IMPACT, cybersecurity practitioners and leaders will come together to explore today’s #1 attack vector – identity. Attendees will acquire a deep understanding of the latest developments in identity-based cyberattacks, including sophisticated attacker techniques that leverage AI and other methods. And most importantly, they will learn how to shut out attackers and prevent unauthorized access by securing every identity across the organization with the right level of privilege controls.

KB4-CON 2026 (Orlando, Florida, USA, May 12 - 14, 2026) Since its inception in 2018, KB4-CON has evolved from a user-focused gathering to the must-attend event for anyone serious about staying ahead in the security landscape. It is the human risk management industry’s premier event, bringing together KnowBe4 customers, channel partners, prospects, plus security advocates and industry professionals. This is your exclusive opportunity to engage with and learn from the industry’s most influential players, all under one roof.

ASCEND 2026 (Washington, DC, USA, May 19 - 21, 2026) ASCEND connects the civil, commercial, and national security space sectors, along with adjacent industries, to embrace the opportunities and address the challenges that come with increased activity in space. Building our sustainable off-world future requires long-term thinking. Strategic planning, innovation, scientific exploration, and effective regulations and standards will help us preserve space for future generations. ASCEND will enable the technical exchanges, debates, and collaboration that will help forge a sustainable off-world future for all.

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Daily Briefing for 04.17.26

Top stories.

US House extends FISA Section 702 for ten days.

CISA's acting director warns lawmakers of reduced capacity.

New malware strain targets Israeli water facilities.

Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities

Legislation, Policy, and Regulation

Litigation, Investigation, and Law Enforcement

Events