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Month: February 2025

New Golang-Based Backdoor Uses Telegram Bot API for Evasive C2 Operations

Cybersecurity researchers have shed light on a new Golang-based backdoor that uses Telegram as a mechanism for command-and-control (C2) communications. Netskope Threat Labs, which detailed the functions of the malware, described it as possibly of Russian origin. “The malware is compiled in Golang and once executed it acts like a backdoor,” security researcher Leandro Fróes…

South Korea blocks downloads of DeepSeek from local app stores

South Korean officials on Saturday temporarily restricted Chinese AI Lab DeepSeek’s app from being downloaded from app stores in the country pending an assessment of how the Chinese company handles user data. The Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) said the Chinese app would be available to be downloaded once it complies with Korean privacy laws…

How to evaluate and mitigate risks to the global supply chain

Enterprise security leaders face mounting pressure to protect their global IT supply chains against threat actors and an increasingly complex regulatory and geopolitical landscape. Recent events — from trade disputes to regional conflicts — have shown how quickly geopolitical tensions can disrupt access to critical technologies and expose organizations to breaches via attacks on trusted…

UK’s Secret Apple Backdoor Request, AI Chatbots Used For Stalking

In this episode, we discuss the UK government’s demand for Apple to create a secret backdoor for accessing encrypted iCloud backups under the Investigatory Powers Act and its potential global implications on privacy. We also discuss the first known case where AI chatbots were used in a stalking indictment, highlighting the dangers of technology misuse…

Software Bill of Material umsetzen: Die besten SBOM-Tools

Nur wenn Sie wissen, was drinsteckt, können Sie sich sicher sein, dass alles mit rechten Dingen zugeht. Das gilt für Fast Food wie für Software. Foto: Geka – shutterstock.com Um Software abzusichern, muss man wissen, was in ihrem Code steckt. Aus diesem Grund ist eine Software Bill of Material, SBOM oder Software-Stückliste heute unerlässlich. Der…

4 Wege aus der Security-Akronymhölle

Gefangen im Buchstabensud? mikeledray | shutterstock.com Bevor Elon Musk zum Trump-Sidekick mutierte, wurde er in erster Linie als visionärer Entrepreneur wahrgenommen. Damals, im Jahr 2010, ließ er den Mitarbeitern seines Raumfahrtunternehmens SpaceX ein Memo zukommen. Darin kritisierte er den übermäßigen, internen Gebrauch von Abkürzungen in gewohnt ausdrucksstarkem Stil: „Bei SpaceX gibt es eine schleichende Tendenz,…

These researchers used NPR Sunday Puzzle questions to benchmark AI ‘reasoning’ models

Every Sunday, NPR host Will Shortz, The New York Times’ crossword puzzle guru, gets to quiz thousands of listeners in a long-running segment called the Sunday Puzzle. While written to be solvable without too much foreknowledge, the brainteasers are usually challenging even for skilled contestants. That’s why some experts think they’re a promising way to…

Researchers are training AI to interpret animal emotions

Artificial intelligence could eventually help us understand when animals are in pain or showing other emotions — at least according to researchers recently profiled in Science. For example, there’s the Intellipig system being developed by scientists at the University of the West of England Bristol and Scotland’s Rural College, which examines photos of pigs’ faces…

Broadcom, TSMC reportedly exploring deals that would split up Intel

Broadcom and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) are separately exploring deals to take over parts of Intel, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. Broadcom is reportedly considering an acquisition of Intel’s chip-design and marketing business, and would want a partner for the company’s manufacturing business, while TSMC is reportedly looking at controlling…

YouTube TV reaches new deal to keep Paramount content

After warnings that Paramount content was about to disappear from Google’s pay TV service YouTube TV, the companies announced late Saturday that the’d reached a deal that averting any disruption to channel availability. Those announcements didn’t include many specifics about the agreement, but a statement from a Paramount spokesperson said it includes “an expanded streaming…

DEF CON 32 – I Am Still The Captain Now!

Authors/Presenters: Paul Brownridge Our sincere appreciation to DEF CON, and the Authors/Presenters for publishing their erudite DEF CON 32 content. Originating from the conference’s events located at the Las Vegas Convention Center; and via the organizations YouTube channel. Permalink The post DEF CON 32 – I Am Still The Captain Now! appeared first on Security…

Open source LLMs hit Europe’s digital sovereignty roadmap

Large language models (LLMs) landed on Europe’s digital sovereignty agenda with a bang last week, as news emerged of a new program to develop a series of “truly” open source LLMs covering all European Union languages. This includes the current 24 official EU languages, as well as languages for countries currently negotiating for entry to…

Ransomware rises fourfold in a year of complex threats – Barracuda’s XDR roundup 2024

Ransomware threats increased fourfold during 2024, likely driven by prolific Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) activity, according to Barracuda’s annual review of XDR detection and incident data. Email threats that made it through to user inboxes were the fifth most detected threat overall, highlighting the growing risk of sophisticated and evasive attacks enabled by Phishing-as-a-Service (PhaaS) platforms.

McDonald’s ‘China triumph’: Harnessing Tencent Cloud’s partnership in digital transformation and consumer engagement

Enhancing McDonald’s China digital ordering system to efficiently manage both regular peak times and promotional surges COMPANY NEWS: Tencent Cloud, the cloud business of global technology company Tencent, has been a trusted partner of McDonald’s China since 2017 – a partnership that has helped McDonald’s China bolster its operational efficiency and be at the leading…

Newgen Optimises Critical Business Processes for Movigo Group

COMPANY NEWS:   Newgen Software, a leading provider of AI-enabled Digital Transformation Platform, NewgenONE, has announced that Movigo Group has selected Newgen to automate their critical business processes, including claims management, repairer/partner, inspection and service contract management, invoice processing, recoveries management, and their customer portal. Movigo Group, a leader in the automotive service industry, offers solutions…

Adobe Expands Generative AI Offerings Delivering New Firefly App with Industry’s First Commercially Safe Video Model

COMPANY NEWS: New Firefly plan offerings unlock full power of the new Firefly app — the most comprehensive destination to generate images, vectors and now videos with unmatched creative control and direct integration with Adobe Creative Cloud apps to seamlessly move from ideation to production  Adobe Firefly Video Model, available in public beta, is the…

Weekly Update 439

We’re now eyeball-deep into the HIBP rebrand and UX work, totally overhauling the image of the service as we know it. That said, a guiding principle has been to ensure the new looks is immediately recognisable and over months of work, I think we’ve achieved that. I’m holding off sharing anything until we’re far enough…

North Carolina Amazon workers vote against unionizing

Workers at an Amazon warehouse in Garner, North Carolina voted against unionizing in election results announced today. According to Carolina Amazonians United for Solidarity and Empowerment (CAUSE), the worker group seeking to form the union, 3,276 ballots were cast in the election, with 25.3% of votes in favor of unionizing and 74.7% against. The results…

Keeping Your Cloud Data Safe: What You Need to Know

Why is Cloud Data Safety a Paramount Concern? With the increasing movement of organizations to the cloud, ensuring data security has become a top priority. It’s a well-known fact that organizations thrive on data. But what if this data falls into the wrong hands due to weak cloud security? The results can be catastrophic, leading…

xAI’s “Colossus” supercomputer raises health questions in Memphis

Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI plans to continue using 15 gas turbines to power its “Colossus” supercomputer in Memphis, Tennessee, according to an operating permit with the Shelby County Health Department for non-stop turbine use from June 2025 to June 2030. Why does it matter? The Commercial Appeal, a news outlet that obtained the documents,…

Perplexity launches its own freemium ‘deep research’ product

Perplexity has become the latest AI company to release an in-depth research tool, with a new feature announced Friday. Google unveiled a similar feature for its Gemini AI platform in December. Then OpenAI launched its own research agent earlier this month. All three companies even have given the feature the same name: Deep Research. The…

Marc Andreessen dreams of making a16z a lasting company, beyond partnerships

Many venture industry observers have wondered whether Andreessen Horowitz, a firm that manages $45 billion, has its sights on eventually becoming a publicly traded company. Co-founder Marc Andreessen said he isn’t “chomping at the bit to take the firm public,” on this week’s Invest Like the Best podcast. But he discussed his goal of building…

DEF CON 32 – Fitness of Physical Red Teamers

Authors/Presenters: Lucas Rooyakkers & Billy Graydon Our sincere appreciation to DEF CON, and the Authors/Presenters for publishing their erudite DEF CON 32 content. Originating from the conference’s events located at the Las Vegas Convention Center; and via the organizations YouTube channel. Permalink The post DEF CON 32 – Fitness of Physical Red Teamers appeared first…

What is an encryption backdoor?

Talk of backdoors in encrypted services is once again doing the rounds after reports emerged that the U.K. government is seeking to force Apple to open up iCloud’s end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) device backup offering. Officials were said to be leaning on Apple to create a “backdoor” in the service that would allow state actors to…

These Google Photos alternatives offer tons of storage options at a reasonable price

Google Photos is a great service for storing images across devices. But Google Drive and Gmail only offer 15GB of storage for free. Google Photos used to offer free unlimited storage of images, but that is not the case anymore. If you are looking for a better photo storage plan, different features, or just want…

Android’s New Feature Blocks Fraudsters from Sideloading Apps During Calls

Google is working on a new security feature for Android that blocks device owners from changing sensitive settings when a phone call is in progress. Specifically, the in-call anti-scammer protections include preventing users from turning on settings to install apps from unknown sources and granting accessibility access. The development was first reported by Android Authority.…

Uber sues DoorDash, alleging anti-competitive tactics

Ride-share giant Uber filed a lawsuit Friday against DoorDash, accusing the delivery outfit of stifling competition by intimidating restaurant owners into exclusive deals. Uber alleges in the lawsuit, filed in Superior Court of California, that its chief rival bullied restaurants into only working with DoorDash. Uber claims that DoorDash, which holds the largest share of…

Court filings show Meta paused efforts to license books for AI training

New court filings in an AI copyright case against Meta add credence to earlier reports that the company “paused” discussions with book publishers on licensing deals to supply some of its generative AI models with training data. The filings are related to the case Kadrey v. Meta Platforms — one of many such cases winding through…

DOGE.gov Debacle: How a Government Website Went to the Dogs and What It Means for Cybersecurity

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) website was left vulnerable to unauthorized edits. This breach exposes critical flaws in government digital infrastructure and highlights the importance of robust security measures, even for seemingly innocuous websites. The post DOGE.gov Debacle: How a Government Website Went to the Dogs and What It Means for Cybersecurity appeared first…

CISO success story: How LA County trains (and retrains) workers to fight phishing

It cost neighboring San Bernardino County $1.1 million to resolve a ransomware attack on its sheriff’s department earlier this year. Jeff Aguilar, the chief information security officer for neighboring Los Angeles County, hopes to prevent a similar fate in any of the 38 county departments he’s charged with safeguarding. Aguilar, who has held high-level security…

SailPoint’s dull debut did little to loosen the stuck IPO window, expert says

SailPoint’s IPO on Thursday was a disappointment for anyone hoping it would indicate that tech IPOs are hot again. The first day’s trading ended below the $23 initial price. The stock fared a tad better Friday, closing at over $24. But that’s nothing close to the big bang companies and VCs hope for. For instance,…

Adaptable Security Measures for Dynamic Clouds

Is Adaptable Security the Future of Cybersecurity in Dynamic Cloud Environments? The need for adaptive and responsive measures in cybersecurity becomes increasingly paramount. Within these shifting terrains, Non-Human Identities (NHIs) are playing a pivotal role. But what exactly is the strategic importance of NHI in adaptable cloud security? And how can organizations leverage it to…

Achieving Independent Control Over Cloud Data

Why is Independent Control Over Cloud Data Necessary? Can organizations truly claim to have complete, independent control over their cloud data? Surprisingly, the answer is often ‘no’. It’s an undeniable fact that the digital transformation wave has changed the game, causing organizations to reassess their cybersecurity and data management strategies. Non-Human Identities: An Untapped Resource…

OpenAI says its board of directors ‘unanimously’ rejects Elon Musk’s bid

OpenAI’s board of directors has “unanimously” rejected billionaire Elon Musk’s offer to buy the nonprofit that effectively governs OpenAI, the company said on Friday. In a statement shared via OpenAI’s press account on X, Bret Taylor, board chair, called Musk’s bid “an attempt to disrupt his competition.” “OpenAI is not for sale, and the board…

Bluesky gets growth and analytics tools with BlueSkyHunter launch

A new startup is addressing the need for an all-in-one toolset built for people who want to grow, manage, and track their Bluesky presence and following. The subscription service BlueSkyHunter, which launched Friday, introduces an online dashboard that combines access to analytics and other tools to schedule posts and automate DMs (direct messages), alongside other…

How this weekend’s ‘Tesla Takeover’ protests against Elon Musk came together on Bluesky

As Elon Musk and his acolytes rip through the federal government looking for agencies to throw into the “wood chipper,” a grassroots effort to hit the world’s richest man where it hurts is picking up steam. The courts are busy contesting the actions of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, but the judicial system is slow…

Threat researchers spot ‘device code’ phishing attacks targeting Microsoft accounts

Microsoft threat researchers discovered a series of what they are calling “device code” phishing attacks that allowed a suspected Russia-aligned threat group to gain access to and steal data from critical infrastructure organizations, the company said in research released Thursday. The group, which Microsoft tracks as Storm-2372, has targeted governments, IT services and organizations operating…

DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng is reportedly set to meet with China’s Xi Jinping

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng is reportedly set to meet with China’s top politicians, including Chinese leader Xi Jinping, during a summit that Alibaba founder Jack Ma is also expected to attend. The summit, which could happen as soon as next week, may be intended as a signal by China’s Communist Party that…

Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, said to be in talks to raise $10B

Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, is said to be in talks to raise $10 billion in a round that would value xAI at $75 billion. Bloomberg reported Friday that xAI is canvassing existing investors, including Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and Valor Equity Partners for the round, which would bring xAI’s total raised to $22.4 billion,…

Palo Alto Networks firewall bug being exploited by threat actors: Report

Admins with firewalls from Palo Alto Networks should make sure the devices are fully patched and the management interface blocked from open internet access after the discovery this week of a zero-day login authentication bypass in the PAN-OS operating system. The discovery of the vulnerability (CVE-2025-0108) was made by researchers at Assetnote and, according to…

Meta’s next big bet may be humanoid robotics

Meta is forming a new team within its Reality Labs hardware division to build robots that can assist with physical tasks, Bloomberg reported. The team will be responsible for developing humanoid robotics hardware, potentially including hardware that can perform household chores. Meta’s new robotics group, which will be led by Marc Whitten, driverless car startup…

The IRS Is Buying an AI Supercomputer From Nvidia

As the Trump administration and its cadre of Silicon Valley machine-learning evangelists attempt to restructure the administrative state, the IRS is preparing to purchase advanced artificial intelligence hardware, according to procurement materials reviewed by The Intercept. With Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency installing itself at the IRS amid a broader push to replace…

Lazarus Group Deploys Marstech1 JavaScript Implant in Targeted Developer Attacks

The North Korean threat actor known as the Lazarus Group has been linked to a previously undocumented JavaScript implant named Marstech1 as part of limited targeted attacks against developers. The active operation has been dubbed Marstech Mayhem by SecurityScorecard, with the malware delivered by means of an open-source repository hosted on GitHub that’s associated with…

AI and security startups blossom on cloudy days

Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Want it in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here. This week confirmed that even when current events cloud the outlook, some startups still manage to raise significant amounts of funding, with those tied to security and…

Mastodon is working to add the controversial ‘quote posts’ feature

Mastodon, the decentralized alternative to X, is going to adopt a controversial feature from the platform formerly known as Twitter: quote posts. The company on Friday shared the progress it’s making on the implementation of the feature, which has divided users over its potential to be used for online abuse and bullying. Critics have long…

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