US lawmakers have extended the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 for another nine months, buying time to enact a replacement for the legislation.

A massive unsecured database exposed 149 million logins, raising concerns over infostealer malware and credential theft.

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Summary Bullets:

• SubCo will establish a trans-pacific submarine cable project dubbed ‘APX East’ that will directly connect Australia with mainland US.

• While Australia already has sovereign owned cables, it’s crucial that this type of infrastructure remains in domestic ownership to ensure data sovereignty is met.

Over the last few years, international connectivity strategies have largely been driven by scale – favoring bigger pipes, alternative routes, and the assumption that capacity would keep pace with demand. However, with the rise in data traffic contributed by AI, data-intensive workloads, and diminishing tolerance for outages, this is forcing carriers to rethink how international networks are designed and evaluated.

In that context, submarine network developer and operator SubCo, based in Australia, announced that it would build the APX East cable, directly linking Australia to the US by 2028. This can be viewed as a significant step forward in strengthening Australia’s national telecommunications resilience. As data continues to become a core and strategic national asset, a sovereign-owned international cable offers Australia greater control over how its critical information is transmitted, secured, and governed – reducing reliance on foreign-controlled infrastructure at a time of rising geopolitical and cyber risk. While this project is a commercial infrastructure, it will also be a nation-building digital backbone. Given cables are tied to national security and strategic importance, the Australian government should take steps to encourage local investments and ensure ownership for securing Australia’s digital future.

SubCo plans to establish a direct trans-pacific optical link connecting Sydney (Australia) to San Diego, California (US) using a 16 fiber-pair design with no intermediate landings. The system is expected to cost $500 million (AUD747 million). At an estimated length of 12,000 to 13,000 km (7,500 to 8,075 miles), the cable is expected to be the longest continuous subsea optical route in the world. The project is intended to support the rapid growth of AI infrastructure in Australia, where hyperscalers and emerging neocloud providers are expected to deploy up to 3GW of AI ”factories” in the coming years. This cable will complement the company’s existing Oman Australia Cable (OAC) connecting Perth (Australia) to Muscat (Oman), which was launched in late-2022. It is worth noting that both Vocus and Telstra (including Endeavour to Hawaii) have already built their own cables, which demonstrates that private businesses are ready to invest in the country’s digital backbone. As the importance of this infrastructure grows, ensuring continued domestic ownership of future investments is critical.

As highlighted in GlobalData’s recent subsea cable report (AI Growth Collides with Infrastructure Limits, December 19, 2025), governments are increasingly intervening in the development and operation of cable systems due to digital sovereignty concerns. These concerns directly affect government services, defense, healthcare, and other critical industries. As a result, it’s becoming increasingly important that Australia exercises greater control over how sensitive data is routed and protected, reducing exposure to foreign jurisdictions, commercial priorities, and strategic interests of foreign-owned hyperscalers. In an era of heightened cyber risk and geopolitical uncertainty, ownership and control of digital pathways are as important as capacity.

Governments already co-invest in critical infrastructure such as roads, power, ports, and defense assets. Subsea cables should now be recognized with the same category. The government could show support in various ways from co-investment, underwriting – it could even have long-term capacity commitments. The goal is not to remove private capital; rather, targeted public participation can help ensure that national security, resilience, and data sovereignty are met. As the window narrows for Australia to shape its digital future, projects like APX East will determine who controls the arteries of the nation’s digital economy.

Jan. 20–23 recap: Code went corporeal as Big Tech bet on bodies, and your weekend chores suddenly look negotiable.

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Many people from underrepresented groups find difficulties in entering the tech sector – experts attending the 2025 Computer Weekly diversity in tech event, in partnership with Harvey Nash, offered advice for dismantling these barriers

Black Hat Europe made clear that cyber security can no longer be separated from politics, economics and behaviour, as ransomware, AI and long-standing security failures combine

Technology companies churn out services for retail and hospitality businesses, but there are still problems to solve in these sectors, driving a trend for in-house software developments being ‘spun out’

AI data centers dominated PowerGen, revealing how inference-driven demand, grid limits, and self-built power are reshaping the energy industry.

The post PowerGen’s Shock Pivot: How AI Data Centers Hijacked an Energy Conference appeared first on TechRepublic.

Samsung appears to have leaked a built-in privacy display for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, hinting at a hardware-based feature designed to block side-angle viewing.

The post Galaxy S26 Ultra Leak Reveals Samsung’s Built-In Privacy Screen Feature appeared first on TechRepublic.

They can intercept user credentials while providing real-time context that helps attackers convince victims to approve MFA challenges during phone calls..

The post Okta Uncovers Custom Phishing Kits Built for Vishing Callers appeared first on TechRepublic.

The UK government confirms that its decision to grant planning permission for a hyperscale datacentre, which is at the centre of a legal challenge on environmental grounds, should be quashed

Learn to use AI safely, prep for CompTIA professional certifications, and more with lifetime access on sale now for only $29.99.

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Microsoft’s new winapp CLI simplifies Windows app development with one-command setup, faster testing, and easier packaging.

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The acquisition of the Israeli firm comes as major technology platforms race to embed shopping into AI experiences.

The post PayPal to Acquire Cymbio for AI-Driven Agentic Commerce appeared first on TechRepublic.

These tricks show how AI tools, new import formulas, and classic features improve productivity.

The post 10 Clever Microsoft Excel Tricks to Use in 2026 appeared first on TechRepublic.

AI company says its Stargate AI data centers will pay their own way on energy, aiming to scale US infrastructure without raising local electricity rates.

The post OpenAI Says Stargate Data Centers Won’t Raise Local Power Bills appeared first on TechRepublic.

Wave hello to TeraWave, a communications network of more than 5,400 satellites.

The post Bezos’ Blue Origin Reveals New Satellite Rival to Musk’s Starlink appeared first on TechRepublic.

Unlike traditional attacks that rely on exploits, this succeeds through social engineering combined with abuse of Windows' own security architecture.

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The incident left businesses across North America staring at error messages instead of their essential work tools.

The post Microsoft’s 8-Hour Outage Leaves Thousands Without Email appeared first on TechRepublic.

So you've finally made the jump to SD-WAN. Feels good, right? Your network architecture looks sleek and modern, WAN connections are spread across multiple data centers, and traffic routing happens dynamically without you lifting a finger. On paper, everything's perfect.