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Category: Global Security News

Perplexity has reportedly closed a $500M funding round

AI-powered search engine Perplexity has reportedly closed a $500 million funding round, valuing the startup at $9 billion. Bloomberg, citing sources familiar, reports that the round was led by Institutional Venture Partners, and that it closed earlier in December. In an email to TechCrunch, a Perplexity spokesperson declined to comment. The mammoth tranche comes as…

Boon raises $20.5M to build agentic AI tools for fleets

Logistics is the name of the game during the holiday season: Companies that can seal the deal and get people and things to the places they need to be, on time, rake it in this time of year.  But behind that demand lies a huge amount of inefficiency and fragmentation. Are logistics businesses ready for…

A bad experience with an accounting firm spurred this founder to start Aiwyn

Accounting firms are struggling to adopt high-tech solutions. That’s according to a survey earlier this year from Rightsworks, which found that, while 88% of firms believe tech has had a positive impact on their efficiency, 60% are suffering from disconnected systems, inconsistent processes, and a lack of standardized workflows. Startups like Aiwyn are trying to…

TuSimple pivot from self-driving to AI animation is complete with CreateAI rebrand

TuSimple has completed its pivot away from autonomous trucking to AI animation and gaming with a rebrand. The company shall henceforth be known as CreateAI.  The rebrand comes as TuSimple is embroiled in controversy over the company’s plans to move its remaining U.S. assets to China to fund the new business, which it initially announced…

Israeli court to hear U.S. extradition request for alleged LockBit developer

An Israeli Court is set to deliberate a significant extradition case involving Rostislav Panev, an Israeli citizen alleged to be involved with the notorious LockBit ransomware gang. According to Israeli news outlet Ynet, a U.S. extradition request was made public Thursday claiming that between 2019 and 2024, Panev served as a software developer for LockBit.…

Ex-Twitch CEO Emmett Shear is founding an AI startup backed by a16z

Emmett Shear, the former CEO of Twitch, is launching a new AI startup, TechCrunch has learned. The startup, called Stem AI, is currently in stealth. But public documents show it was incorporated in June 2023, and filed for a trademark in August 2023. Shear is listed as CEO on an incorporation document filed with the…

Vectra AI, Lumifi Partner to Enhance XDR Security and SOC Operations

Vectra AI, a vendor of AI-driven extended detection and response (XDR) has partnered with managed detection and response (MDR) provider Lumifi to bring Vectra AI’s platform to Lumifi customers. Randy Schirman, channel chief of Vectra AI, and David Norlin, CTO at Lumifi spoke with Channel Insider to share more about why and how their partnership…

CISO Challenges for 2025: Overcoming Cybersecurity Complexities

As organizations recognize the immense value and criticality of your data and systems, cybersecurity has become intrinsically linked to business strategy. Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) are increasingly expected to play a central role in shaping business decisions, assessing and mitigating risks, and ensuring that security strategies align with overall business objectives. This requires a…

DEF CON 32 – Exploiting Cloud Provider Vulnerabilities for Initial Access

Author/Presenter: Nick Frichette 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 – Exploiting Cloud Provider Vulnerabilities for Initial Access appeared first on…

Protecting Your Heart and Wallet: A Guide to Safe Charitable Giving

The holiday season brings out the best in people, with many feeling inspired to support worthy causes. Unfortunately, it also attracts scammers who prey on this generosity. Here’s how to ensure your donations reach legitimate charities while protecting your personal and financial information. Verify Before You Give Before opening your wallet, take these essential steps…

In just 4 months AI coding assistant Cursor raised another $100M at a $2.5B valuation led by Thrive, sources say

Anysphere, the developer of AI-powered coding assistant Cursor, raised $100 million Series B at a post-money valuation of $2.6 billion, according to sources with knowledge of the deal. The round is being led by returning investor Thrive Capital, the person said.  This new funding comes just four months after Anysphere raised its $60 million Series…

What Is Privilege Escalation? Types, Examples, and Prevention

Privilege escalation is a critical cybersecurity threat in which a user—usually a malicious actor—gains access to data beyond what their account permissions allow. Attackers can gain this access through human error, stolen credentials, or social engineering.  The post What Is Privilege Escalation? Types, Examples, and Prevention appeared first on Security Boulevard.

Detection as Code: Key Components, Tools, and More

As software development accelerates, the need to identify threats and respond in real time is greater than ever. Detection as Code (DaC) allows you to write, maintain, and automate your threat detection logic as if it were software code, making security a built-in part of the development pipeline. The post Detection as Code: Key Components,…

Kubernetes Secrets: How to Create and Use Them

Kubernetes, also known as K8s, is a powerful platform for orchestrating containers in complex, distributed environments. Among its many features, Kubernetes has Secrets, which safeguard sensitive information like API keys, passwords, and tokens in a cluster. By separating confidential data from application code, Kubernetes Secrets reduce the risk of exposure during workflows and deployments.  The…

Tapestry, a new app for tracking social media, news, blogs, and more, will launch in ‘early 2025’

A new app called Tapestry promising to unify social media, news, and RSS in one place, is nearing completion. Designed by Iconfactory, the same team that created the third-party Twitter client Twitterific back in the day, Tapestry was unveiled at the beginning of the year as a tool that could better organize today’s fragmented online…

Waymo fills the Cruise void overseas and a salute to icon Jean Jennings

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. This will be the last newsletter of 2024! But don’t worry, we’ll be back in 2025 — sign up here to get it in your inbox every week. Thank you for reading and your emails. I love…

Instagram teases AI tools for editing appearances, backgrounds in videos using prompts

Instagram head Adam Mosseri is teasing upcoming generative AI features for the social app that will allow creators to “change nearly any aspect” of their videos using text prompts. The editing tools will be powered by Meta’s Movie Gen AI model, and are expected to launch on the social network sometime next year, Mosseri said…

Top 5 No-Code and Low-Code Tools of 2025

No-code and low-code tools have revolutionized software development by enabling all kinds of users to create powerful applications without requiring extensive coding expertise. These tools empower developers and non-developers alike to automate workflows, build websites, and create mobile apps using intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces, pre-built templates, and seamless integrations. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a small…

Over 20 venture firms pledge to not take money from China, Russia 

Founders now have a way to ensure that their investors haven’t taken money from countries like China, Russia, Iran or Cuba.  Over 20 venture firms have signed the Clean Capital Certification, attesting that they have not and will not take money from foreign adversaries. Some of the firms that have signed include Marlinspike Partners, Humba…

Web Hacking Service ‘Araneida’ Tied to Turkish IT Firm

Cybercriminals are selling hundreds of thousands of credential sets stolen with the help of a cracked version of Acunetix, a powerful commercial web app vulnerability scanner, new research finds. The cracked software is being resold as a cloud-based attack tool by at least two different services, one of which KrebsOnSecurity traced to an information technology…

World(coin) must let Europeans comprehensively delete their data, under privacy order

It took a lot more than the initially slated few weeks to arrive, but a pivotal privacy decision that’s been hanging over Sam Altman’s World (aka Worldcoin) for months has finally landed, via a late December decision from the Bavarian data protection authority enforcing the bloc’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a comprehensive privacy framework…

Chinese cyber center points finger at U.S. over alleged cyberattacks to steal trade secrets

China’s national cyber incident response center accused the U.S. government of launching cyberattacks against two Chinese tech companies in a bid to steal trade secrets. In a notice Wednesday, the National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team/Coordination Center of China (CNCERT) said a suspected U.S. intelligence agency was behind the attacks, and that CNCERT had…

Kindo Unveils New Channel Partner Program for AI-Powered DevSecOps Solutions

Cybersecurity company, Kindo, is launching a new channel partner program aimed at empowering value-added resellers (VARs), MSPs, and other partners to deliver their AI-augmented security operations to DevSecOps teams on a global scale to accelerate growth and expand market reach. Program signals Kindo’s desire for mutual success According to the company, its channel partner program…

Smashing Security podcast #398: Fake CAPTCHAs, Harmageddon, and Krispy Kreme

This week, we delve into the dark world of fake CAPTCHAs designed to hijack your computer. Plus, the AI safety clock is ticking down – is doomsday closer than we think? And to top it off, we uncover the sticky situation of Krispy Kreme facing a ransomware attack. All this and more is discussed in…

Data Security in 2025: Five Steps to Strategic Success in 2025

As 2024 comes to a close, IT security and business leaders will be braced for another challenging year ahead. In the long-term, economic uncertainty and geopolitical instability seem set to continue, creating the conditions in which threat actors thrive. They will increasingly have the tools at their disposal to launch more impactful cyber-attacks in greater…

Ukrainian sentenced to five years in jail for work on Raccoon Stealer

Ukrainian national Mark Sokolovsky was sentenced Wednesday to five years in federal prison for his role in operating Raccoon Infostealer malware, which infiltrated millions of computers worldwide to steal personal data. According to court documents, Sokolovsky, 28, was integral to operations that allowed the leasing of Raccoon Infostealer for $200 per month, payable via cryptocurrency.…

Radware expands AI-driven application and network protection for a top 5 bank in Italy

Addresses rising Web DDoS attacks and DORA compliance deadline COMPANY NEWS: Radware, a global leader in application security and delivery solutions for multi-cloud environments, announced it expanded its agreement with one of Italy’s top 5 banks. Based on the agreement, the financial institution will use Radware’s end-to-end suite of network and application security and application…

Tesla is courting Texas cities to test its promised robotaxi service

Tesla is evaluating multiple Texas cities where it wants to test a long-promised robotaxi service, including Austin, according to emails obtained by Bloomberg News. An employee has apparently been in touch with Austin officials since May, and recently held an event in December to “train first responders on how to best work with Tesla’s autonomous…

Hotel booking platform Safara raises $14M, acquires rival Skipper

Doug Schuessler has always been a founder. This passion, which has been with him since childhood, saw him launch two startups, move to San Francisco, and take a job at Square to see what a “real rocket shop looked like.” He later became chief revenue officer at restaurant booking platform Resy, before becoming a founder once…

Machine Identity Was the Focus at Gartner’s IAM Summit

Last week’s Gartner IAM Summit in Grapevine, Texas, was a whirlwind of insights, particularly around machine identity management (MIM). The event underscored the transformative trends and challenges shaping the domain, providing both thought leadership and actionable strategies for businesses navigating these complexities. Expanding IAM to Embrace Machine and Non-Human Identities Human identity management and machine…

Culina Health nabs $7.9M to provide virtual access to registered dietitians

As a dietitian, Vanessa Rissetto’s main goal is to help people stay healthy. She also knew that there were some roadblocks to achieving that. For example, the Black community deals with pressing health concerns, in addition to a disproportionate lack of access to care. More than 80% of registered dietitians in the U.S. are white,…

Decart adds another $32M at a $500M+ valuation

A young startup that emerged from stealth less than two months ago with big-name backers and bigger ambitions to make a splash in the world of AI is returning to the spotlight.  Decart is building what its CEO and co-founder Dean Leitersdorf describes as “a fully vertically integrated AI research lab,” alongside enterprise and consumer…

From reactive to proactive: Redefining incident response with unified, cloud-native XDR

In today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape, cybersecurity is a constant game of cat and mouse. The average security operations center (SOC) team receives 4,484 alerts every day and can spend up to 3 hours manually triaging to understand which signals represent a genuine threat and which are just noise. However, this model traps SOCs in…

Oura closes $200M round, bringing its valuation to $5.2B

Smart ring maker Oura announced on Thursday that it has closed a $200 million Series D funding round, bringing the company’s valuation to $5.2 billion. The round included participation from Fidelity Management and glucose device maker Dexcom. Oura says the new capital will allow it to expand its product offerings and further invest in product, science,…

Thousands Download Malicious npm Libraries Impersonating Legitimate Tools

Threat actors have been observed uploading malicious typosquats of legitimate npm packages such as typescript-eslint and @types/node that have racked up thousands of downloads on the package registry. The counterfeit versions, named @typescript_eslinter/eslint and types-node, are engineered to download a trojan and retrieve second-stage payloads, respectively. “While typosquatting attacks are

Juniper Warns of Mirai Botnet Targeting SSR Devices with Default Passwords

Juniper Networks is warning that Session Smart Router (SSR) products with default passwords are being targeted as part of a malicious campaign that deploys the Mirai botnet malware. The company said it’s issuing the advisory after “several customers” reported anomalous behavior on their Session Smart Network (SSN) platforms on December 11, 2024. “These systems have…

With Neverless, former Revolut execs want to make meme coins easy to buy

There’s an ocean of meme coins beyond Dogecoin, and a new startup called Neverless wants to make it easier to get started with trading crypto, with a particular focus on providing access to small-cap tokens. This is an interesting new crypto startup, founded by three former executives at Revolut, the London-based fintech juggernaut. Phuc To…

Veeam, the world’s #1 leader in data resilience, welcomes new investors with a $15 billion valuation

Insight Partners owned Veeam expands investor base in a $2 billion secondary equity offering led by TPG with participation from Temasek, Neuberger Berman Capital Solutions, and others COMPANY NEWS: – Veeam® Software, the #1 global leader in Data Resilience by market share, announced an expansion of its shareholder base in a $2 billion secondary offering,…

North Korea-linked hackers accounted for 61% of all crypto stolen in 2024

With the rising adoption and value of crypto assets, the potential for theft is also on the rise. This year, the total value of cryptocurrency stolen surged 21%, reaching a substantial $2.2 billion. And according to a Chainalysis report released on Thursday, more than half of this amount was stolen by North Korea-affiliated hacking groups.…

The year in ransomware: Security lessons to help you stay one step ahead

Operation Cronos, a Europol-led coalition of law enforcement agencies from 10 countries, announced in February that it had disrupted LockBit — one of the most prolific ransomware gangs in the world — at “every level” of its operations. Being responsible for 25% to 33% of all ransomware attacks in 2023, LockBit had become target No.…

The promise and warning of Truth Terminal, the AI bot that secured $50,000 in Bitcoin from Marc Andreessen

“I think the most ironic way the world could end would be if someone makes a memecoin about a man’s stretched anus and it brings about the singularity.” That’s Andy Ayrey, the founder of decentralized AI alignment research lab Upward Spiral, who is also behind the viral AI bot Truth Terminal. You might have heard…

AI-powered networks and Wi-Fi 7

GUEST OPINION:  “Data growth is driving network infrastructure modernisation in Australia, fuelled by AI-powered applications and IoT devices. With increasing demands from businesses and consumers, the network is more crucial than ever. By 2025, Australian networks are expected to be more scalable, agile, AI-ready, flexible, intelligent and secure, with Wi-Fi 7 leading the charge. 

EU asks for views on plan to force Apple to open up iOS

The European Commission has published draft proposals for how Apple must meet interoperability requirements flowing from the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) — inviting feedback on proposed measures targeted at areas like iOS notifications, data transfer, and device set-up by January 9, 2025. European Union regulators then have until around mid March to adopt final…

US eyes ban on TP-Link routers amid cybersecurity concerns

The US government is investigating TP-Link, a Chinese company that supplies about 65% of routers for American homes and small businesses, amid concerns about national security risks. Reports suggest these routers have vulnerabilities that cybercriminals exploit to compromise sensitive enterprise data. Investigations by the Commerce, Defense, and Justice Departments indicate that the routers may have…

Balancing security and customer experience: 4 tips for fraud prevention during peak seasons

GUEST OPINION:  Consumers spend billions during the end-of-year shopping season, with businesses on Stripe processing over AUD 47 billion globally over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend. Pre-Christmas sales in Australia are expected to grow by 2.7% from last year. With increased activity meaning the potential for more fraud, one important way retailers can make the most…

Fortinet Warns of Critical FortiWLM Flaw That Could Lead to Admin Access Exploits

Fortinet has issued an advisory for a now-patched critical security flaw impacting Wireless LAN Manager (FortiWLM) that could lead to disclosure of sensitive information. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2023-34990, carries a CVSS score of 9.6 out of a maximum of 10.0. “A relative path traversal [CWE-23] in FortiWLM may allow a remote unauthenticated attacker to…

Anatomy of a 6-day Credential Stuffing Attack From 2.2M Residential IPs

In this article, we cover the details of a heavily distributed credential-stuffing attack that targeted a major US financial service company (spoiler: there were some pretty clear signs of device spoofing, as you’ll see below). By the end of the bot attack, which lasted 6 days, Castle blocked The post Anatomy of a 6-day Credential…

Apple and Meta go to war over interoperability vs. privacy

Apple and Meta are warring in Europe over the balance between interoperability and privacy, Reuters reports. The fight focuses on the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), a competition regulation that requires designated gatekeepers (including Apple and Meta) not to restrict rivals’ access to so-called core platform services. In Apple’s case, this means: iOS, iPadOS,…

After raising $26M, Hyme Energy signs global deal to scale thermal storage

With lithium battery storage too weak for many industries, companies are desperately looking elsewhere for energy storage. Molten-salt batteries offer high energy and power density, and can work for long periods. Now, Denmark’s Hyme Energy — which has raised $26 million to date — has signed a deal which could see its technology scale to…

CISA Mandates Cloud Security for Federal Agencies by 2025 Under Binding Directive 25-01

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 25-01, ordering federal civilian agencies to secure their cloud environments and abide by Secure Cloud Business Applications (SCuBA) secure configuration baselines. “Recent cybersecurity incidents highlight the significant risks posed by misconfigurations and weak security controls,

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