Tech News

1. Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities and Exploits:

   • Cybersecurity researchers are warning of a spike in suspicious login scanning activity targeting Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS GlobalProtect gateways, with nearly 24,000 unique IP addresses attempting to access these portals. 👉 thehackernews.com
   • A critical authentication bypass vulnerability in CrushFTP file transfer software is now being actively exploited in attacks. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • A new Android malware, dubbed Crocodilus, tricks users into providing the seed phrase for their cryptocurrency wallets. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • A sophisticated phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) platform called Lucid has targeted 169 entities in 88 countries using smishing messages propagated via Apple iMessage and Rich Communication Services (RCS) for Android. 👉 thehackernews.com

2. AI and Security:

   • Microsoft used its AI-powered Security Copilot to discover 20 previously unknown vulnerabilities in the GRUB2, U-Boot, and Barebox open-source bootloaders. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • Microsoft says it used its AI-powered Security Copilot to discover previously unknown vulnerabilities in the GRUB2, U-Boot, and Barebox open-source bootloaders. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • Microsoft says it used its AI-powered Security Copilot to discover previously unknown vulnerabilities in the GRUB2, U-Boot, and Barebox open-source bootloaders. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com

3. Data Breaches and Privacy:

   • A student loan breach exposed 2.5 million records, potentially causing further issues. 👉 threatpost.com
   • The genetic sharing site openSNP is shutting down, citing data privacy concerns and the rise of authoritarian governments. 👉 techcrunch.com
   • The USPTO suspends xAI's Grok trademark application, saying the name could be confused with companies Groq and Grokstream; startup Bizly claims it owns “Grok”. 👉 wired.com

4. Government and Legal Actions:

   • A federal judge blocked Arkansas' Social Media Safety Act, deeming it unconstitutional. 👉 engadget.com
   • A professional YouTuber in Queensland has been ordered to pay $350,000 plus interest and costs to the former world record score holder for Donkey Kong, after the Brisbane district court found the YouTuber had defamed him "recklessly" with false claims of a link between a lawsuit and another YouTuber's suicide. 👉 theguardian.com

5. Google News:

   • Google is rolling out a new encryption model for Gmail that allows enterprise users to send encrypted messages without requiring recipients to use custom software or exchange encryption certificates. 👉 theverge.com
   • Enterprise Gmail users can now send end-to-end encrypted emails to any platform. 👉 thehackernews.com
   • Google rolls out easy end-to-end encryption for Gmail business users. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • Google marks Gmail's 21st anniversary with launch of client-side end-to-end email encryption. 👉 siliconangle.com

6. OpenAI Developments:

   • OpenAI's new GPT-4o-powered image generator is now available to all users; Sam Altman last week mentioned a limit of three images per day for free-tier users. 👉 techcrunch.com
   • Researchers suggest OpenAI trained AI models on paywalled O’Reilly books. 👉 techcrunch.com
   • Sam Altman says that OpenAI’s capacity issues will cause product delays. 👉 techcrunch.com
   • OpenAI says Deep Research is coming to ChatGPT free "very soon". 👉 bleepingcomputer.com

7. Meta Initiatives:

   • Meta's head of AI research plans to leave the company in May 2025 after eight years; she has led the FAIR group since early 2023 and reports to Chris Cox. 👉 bloomberg.com^$
   • Meta is ramping up work on its first glasses with a display, codenamed Hypernova, which it could debut as early as the end of 2025 for $1,000 to $1,400. 👉 bloomberg.com^$

8. Financial News:

   • CoreWeave's stock closed up 41.77% at $52.57 in its third trading day, bouncing back above its $40 IPO price and bringing the company's market cap to ~$24.89B. 👉 cnbc.com
   • Circle files for a US IPO, with plans to list on the NYSE under CRCL; Circle, which issues the USDC stablecoin, is reportedly seeking a $4B to $5B valuation. 👉 cnbc.com
   • Visa offered Apple ~$100M to become the Apple Card's payment network; Amex is also competing while Mastercard is trying to keep its role as the network. 👉 wsj.com^$

9. TikTok Developments:

   • Andreessen Horowitz is trying to nab a piece of TikTok with Oracle. 👉 techcrunch.com
   • TikTok is shutting down its Instagram rival TikTok Notes on May 8, 2025, directing users to Lemon8, a similar ByteDance app with 12.5M MAUs as of December 2024. 👉 techcrunch.com

10. Apple Security Updates and Issues:

    • Apple backports zero-day patches to older iPhones and Macs. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
    • Apple has been hit with a fine of €150 million ($162 million) by France's competition watchdog over the implementation of its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) privacy framework. 👉 thehackernews.com

11. Podcast Highlights:

    • Fortinet’s Derek Manky discusses the exponential increase in the speed that attackers weaponize fresh vulnerabilities, where botnets and offensive automation fit in, and the ramifications for security teams. 👉 threatpost.com
    • Huntress Labs R&D Director Jamie Levy busts the old “Macs don’t get viruses” myth and offers tips on how MacOS malware differs and how to protect against it. 👉 threatpost.com
    • Mystified? Now’s the time to learn about cryptocurrency-associated risks: Listen to KnowBe4’s Dr. Lydia Kostopoulos explain blockchain, NFTs and how to stay safe. 👉 threatpost.com
    • Bots & automated attacks have exploded, with attackers and developers alike in love with APIs, according to a new Cequence Security report. Hacker-in-residence Jason Kent explains the latest. 👉 threatpost.com
    • AttackIQ’s Jonathan Reiber said about 24H/72H report deadlines mandated in the new spending bill. 👉 threatpost.com
    • BreachQuest’s Marco Figueroa discusses how The ransomware group’s benefits – bonuses, employee of the month, performance reviews & top-notch training – might be better than yours. 👉 threatpost.com

12. Xiaomi EV Investigation:

    • Xiaomi is cooperating with a Chinese police investigation into a fatal crash involving its EV while the driver was using its autonomous driving features. 👉 nytimes.com^$

13. Malware and Hacking Techniques:

    • Cybercriminals are selling access to Chinese surveillance cameras. 👉 threatpost.com
    • A new sophisticated phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) platform called Lucid has targeted 169 entities in 88 countries using smishing messages propagated via Apple iMessage and Rich Communication Services (RCS) for Android. 👉 thehackernews.com
    • Hackers are utilizing the WordPress mu-plugins ("Must-Use Plugins") directory to stealthily run malicious code on every page while evading detection. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
    • The threat actors behind the zero-day exploitation of a recently-patched security vulnerability in Microsoft Windows have been found to deliver two new backdoors called SilentPrism and DarkWisp. 👉 thehackernews.com
    • North Korean hackers adopt ClickFix attacks to target crypto firms. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
    • Cybercriminals are Selling Access to Chinese Surveillance Cameras, failing to patch a critical CVE. 👉 threatpost.com

14. UK's Alan Turing Institute Revamp:

    • The Alan Turing Institute, the UK's flagship AI agency, plans to focus on defense, environment, and health, after staff criticized its leadership in December. 👉 ft.com^$

15. Other News:

    • VMware Workstation auto-updates broken after Broadcom URL redirect. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
    • The Washington Post reports that Trump's national security adviser Michael Waltz and other National Security Council members have conducted government affairs over personal Gmail accounts. 👉 washingtonpost.com
    • Roblox users can now watch Google's immersive ads in exchange for in-game perks. 👉 adweek.com^$
    • Leaked renders of the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold show a design similar to its predecessor's; sources: it will feature a TSMC-made Tensor G5 chip and 16GB of RAM. 👉 androidheadlines.com
    • With the Switch 2, Nintendo must do what it has rarely done before: follow one hit console with another; Nintendo sold 150M+ Switch units since its 2017 launch. 👉 bloomberg.com^$

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