Key player unmasked in global ransomware takedown.

Western authorities have identified a key member of the Evil Corp cybercrime group, Aleksandr Ryzhenkov, who is also affiliated with the LockBit ransomware gang. A major US water utility, American Water, has suffered a cyberattack, although the extent of the damage is not yet clear. The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence has warned of foreign influence campaigns targeting presidential and congressional races. A California law aimed at curbing the use of deepfakes in elections has been blocked by a US judge. Europol has led a global effort to combat human trafficking, resulting in numerous arrests and the disruption of trafficking networks. In other cybersecurity news, the Trinity ransomware has been targeting the healthcare industry, prompting a federal warning to healthcare providers. Qualcomm has patched a critical zero-day vulnerability in its DSP service that was being exploited in attacks. ADT has disclosed a breach of encrypted employee data, which was stolen by a hacker who compromised a business partner. North Korean hackers have been using stealthy PowerShell exploits to evade detection. Machine learning pioneers have been awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for their work on the technology.