Google Chrome has issued emergency updates for two zero-day flaws that attackers are exploiting, the second pair for the browser in a month. It’s been a record year for such flaws, which previously unknown to the vendor. Chrome itself has caught 12 zero-days to date in 2021 compared to eight in all of 2020, according to Google’s Project Zero “0day in the Wild” database, which tracks zero-days. Chrome is the world’s most popular browser, with one report putting its user count at nearly 3.3 billion. That makes it a lucrative target for hackers. There doesn’t appear to be just one answer for the rise in zero-days in 2021, even as more people seem to invest in hacking techniques. Defenders are also improving their own detection skills. Tim Starks unpacks the numbers.

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Suspected ransomware scammers arrested in Ukraine

Europol and Ukrainian police say they've arrested two suspects as part of a law enforcement operation against a ransomware outfit in Kiev. Exactly which gang the defendants are accused of running remains unclear, though authorities say one suspect was responsible for $150 million in damages against 100 companies around the world. Police also seized more than $1 million in cryptocurrency, some $375,000 in cash, two cars and a range of devices, leading to speculation that REvil was the focus of the raid. Here's the news.

British officials tell it like it is

A new offensive cyber force in the U.K. "will confront aggressive behavior" in cyberspace by launching offensive attacks, the country's Foreign Secretary said. The National Cyber Force, a joint venture between the military and intelligence services, will work to counter national security threats in a "legal, ethical and proportionate way," the government said. The direct nod to offensive cyberattacks is a rarity. While a host of nations have signaled they will invest in a more aggressive online posture, few, if any, say as much. Read more about it.

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