1.3M Social Security Numbers Exposed, Microsoft Sounds the Alarm, Walmart Dragged Into a Breach
One click on one email exposed 1.3 million Social Security numbers. If it can happen to a state Supreme Court, it can happen to the business you run. This week, the stories involve the Arizona courts, Microsoft, Walmart, Baxter, and Cardinal Health.
*Your biggest cyber risk is the people and vendors you already trust.*
Bryan Hornung, Randy Bryan, and Reginald Andre break down the cyber news executives, owners, and operators can’t afford to miss.
First, the Arizona Supreme Court. Attackers copied names and Social Security numbers for roughly 1.3 million people from debt records going back 30 years. It started when one employee opened a phishing email. IT shut the intrusion down in under two hours, but the attackers had already reached a backup server instead of the live system. An earlier wave of the disclosure was even worse: more than 150,000 reports on children in foster care. Your backups may be the least-watched copy of your most sensitive data. That’s where these attackers went.
Next, Microsoft’s brand-new 2026 Digital Defense Report, built on more than 165 trillion security signals a day. One number should stop every owner: 97 percent of identity attacks still come down to a stolen password. AI has made phishing emails four to five times more effective. The “spot the typo” advice you’ve been giving your team is dead. And ransomware isn’t just about locked files anymore. Almost two-thirds of break-ins now involve stolen data. Paying to unlock your systems does nothing about the copy that’s already out the door.
Finally, a vendor breach that should worry every company with suppliers. A Jacksonville freight company called TrailerBridge landed on the BrainCipher ransomware gang’s leak site. The gang claims 76,200 files that name Walmart, Baxter, and Cardinal Health. Those giants did nothing wrong on their own systems. Their data was exposed because a mid-size partner holds their shipping and customs paperwork. One caution: the listing is unverified. A name on a leak site is an accusation, not proof. Verify the claim before you panic or dismiss it.
• The Arizona Supreme Court breach that exposed 1.3 million Social Security numbers from one phishing email
• Microsoft’s 2026 report and why 97 percent of attacks still ride on a stolen password
• The TrailerBridge leak that pulled Walmart, Baxter, and Cardinal Health into a ransomware gang’s claims
• Why your biggest risk is the people and vendors you already trust
• How to protect your backups the way you protect your live systems
• What to actually do when a vendor shows up on a leak site
Security Squawk is a weekly podcast and live stream for business owners and executives.
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