A ransomware attack on Perth-based Scope Systems’ Pronto Xi ERP cloud stack disrupted dozens of mining customers, including Northern Star Resources and Evolution Mining, in what MM‑ISAC’s Rob Labbe calls the broadest single third‑party cyber event the sector has seen. Scope says client servers were restored from backups and not directly accessed, but admits internal data was exfiltrated and has not disclosed the attack vector, raising questions about visibility at hypervisor, storage and backup layers. The incident spotlights how multi‑tenant vCenter/ESXi environments, VM cloning and snapshot abuse—already used by groups like Akira—could expose integrated exploration, production and maintenance data across more than 400 Pronto Xi‑reliant mining operations.

Newmont’s Red Chris mine in British Columbia has secured an amended Environmental Assessment Certificate and Mines Act permit, allowing a shift from open-pit to underground block caving and extending operations into the mid-2040s. The copper-gold porphyry deposit in the Golden Triangle hosts an estimated 20 million oz of gold and 13 billion lb of copper, with the block cave expected to lift Canada’s copper output by about 15%. The project entails several billion dollars in capital, around 1,800 construction jobs and roughly 1,500 operating roles at peak.

Goldman Sachs has cut its end‑2026 gold price forecast by US$500/oz to US$4,900/oz after the US Federal Reserve, under new chair Kevin Warsh, signalled a hawkish shift that has pushed market-implied December rate hike odds to 87%. Spot gold has already fallen to about US$4,100/oz, down 27% from its near‑US$5,600/oz January peak, with three consecutive monthly losses between March and May and a 4% year‑to‑date decline. Goldman warns a 2026 year‑end target as low as US$4,400/oz is possible if rates rise, partly offset by ongoing central‑bank buying of roughly 50 tonnes/month this year and 40 tonnes/month next year.