Tech News

1. Data Breaches:

   • A student loan breach exposed 2.5 million records. 👉 threatpost.com
   • A cyberattack on Colt Telecom resulted in a ransomware attack and data being put up for sale. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • The Canadian House of Commons is investigating a data breach following a cyberattack that exploited a Microsoft vulnerability. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com 👉 cybernews.com
   • WestJet confirmed a cyber breach exposed sensitive customer details. 👉 cybernews.com
   • $300 million in cybercrime-related cryptocurrency was seized in an anti-fraud effort. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • A Booking.com phishing campaign used a sneaky 'ん' character to trick users. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • A phishing campaign is targeting Facebook login information through fake Netflix promotions aimed at marketing and social media job seekers. 👉 cybernews.com
   • A new Android malware, PhantomCard, is conducting NFC relay fraud, call hijacking, and root exploits targeting banking customers in Brazil. 👉 thehackernews.com
   • Researchers used generative AI algorithms to design novel antibiotics targeting drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae and MRSA. 👉 news.mit.edu

2. Ransomware and Extortion:

   • LockBit is the most prolific ransomware group this summer, followed by Conti offshoots. 👉 threatpost.com
   • US sanctions Grinex crypto-exchange, successor to Garantex. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • Crypto24 ransomware hits large organizations with a custom EDR evasion tool. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • A Blue Report indicates that most data exfiltration attempts succeed due to stealth over encryption. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • The Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) has blamed pro-Russian hackers for the water dam sabotage in Norway. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com

3. Vulnerabilities and Exploits:

   • Fortinet warned of a FortiSIEM pre-auth RCE flaw with an exploit in the wild. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • Cisco warns of a maximum severity flaw in Firewall Management Center. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com 👉 thehackernews.com
   • CISA warns of N-able N-central flaws exploited in zero-day attacks. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com 👉 thehackernews.com
   • Microsoft fixes Windows 11 24H2 updates failing with 0x80240069 error. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • Palo Alto Networks’ PAN-OS is under active attack, prompting a CISA warning to patch ASAP. 👉 threatpost.com
   • Apple rolled out a software update for its Watch Series 9, 10, and Ultra 2, which enables a redesigned blood oxygen monitoring feature. 👉 theverge.com
   • A new downgrade attack can bypass FIDO auth in Microsoft Entra ID. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • US secretly embeds trackers in AI chip shipments to curb China diversions. (1 day ago). 👉 cybernews.com
   • Multiple HTTP/2 implementations are vulnerable to a new attack called MadeYouReset, potentially enabling large-scale DoS attacks. (2 days ago). 👉 thehackernews.com
   • Palo Alto Networks’ PAN-OS is under active attack, prompting a CISA warning to patch ASAP. (3 days ago). 👉 threatpost.com

4. Microsoft Patch Tuesday:

   • Microsoft's August 2025 Patch Tuesday addresses 107 flaws, including one zero-day vulnerability. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • Microsoft released updates to fix more than 100 security flaws in Windows and other software. (1 day ago). 👉 krebsonsecurity.com
   • Microsoft is reminding users that Windows 10 support ends in October. (1 day ago). 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • Microsoft fixes Windows Server bug causing cluster, VM issues. (2 days ago). 👉 bleepingcomputer.com

5. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Security:

   • OpenAI is relaxing GPT-5 rate limits and promises to improve personality. (3 days ago). 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • Leak: OpenAI's browser will use ChatGPT Agent to control the browser. (3 days ago). 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • Some developers say GPT-5 excels at technical reasoning and planning coding tasks and is cost-effective, but Claude Opus and Sonnet still produce better code. (1 day ago). 👉 wired.com
   • Google Gemini's Deep Research is finally coming to API. (3 days ago). 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • Sam Altman says ‘yes,’ AI is in a bubble. (1 day ago). 👉 theverge.com
   • Over bread rolls, Sam Altman explores life after GPT-5. (1 day ago). 👉 techcrunch.com
   • Meta plans fourth restructuring of AI efforts in six months. (1 day ago). 👉 theinformation.com
   • The US government is reportedly in discussions to take stake in Intel. (1 day ago). 👉 techcrunch.com
   • New report finds that Meta's AI rules permitted ‘sensual’ chats with kids and racist comments. (1 day ago). 👉 pcworld.com
   • There is a leaked Meta AI rule show chatbots were allowed to have romantic chats with kids. (1 day ago). 👉 techcrunch.com

6. Cybercrime and Threat Actors:

   • The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Thursday renewed sanctions against Russian cryptocurrency exchange platform Garantex. 👉 thehackernews.com
   • A team of researchers at Columbia University, funded in part by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, have developed "machines that can grow by consuming other machines". (1 day ago). 👉 slashdot.org
   • UAT-7237 is targeting web infrastructure entities in Taiwan using customized versions of open-sourced tools. (1 day ago). 👉 thehackernews.com
   • Scattered Spider is a loosely-affiliated cybercrime group whose recent victims include multiple airlines. (1 month ago). 👉 krebsonsecurity.com
   • European police arrest administrator of XSS, a Russian-language cybercrime forum, triggering panic among members. (1 month ago). 👉 krebsonsecurity.com
   • A new PS1Bot malware campaign uses malvertising to deploy multi-stage in-memory attacks. (3 days ago). 👉 thehackernews.com

7. Google and the App Store:

   • Google requires crypto app licenses in 15 regions as FBI warns of $9.9M scam losses. (2 days ago). 👉 thehackernews.com
   • An Australian court finds that Apple and Google abused their control over app distribution and in-app payments. (1 day ago). 👉 cybernews.com

8. OpenAI and Sam Altman:

   • Sam Altman says ‘yes,’ AI is in a bubble. (1 day ago). 👉 theverge.com
   • Sam Altman, over bread rolls, explores life after GPT-5. (1 day ago). 👉 techcrunch.com
   • OpenAI has a new policy that lets bots hold ‘sensual’ chats with kids, offer false medical info. (1 day ago). 👉 simonwillison.net
   • OpenAI staff looking to sell $6 billion in stock to SoftBank, others, source says. (1 day ago). 👉 reuters.com

9. Meta's AI and Data Handling:

   • Leaked Meta AI rules show chatbots were allowed to have romantic chats with kids. (1 day ago). 👉 techcrunch.com
   • Meta's standalone Meta AI app, launched in April 2025, offers an uneven experience, hallucinating and not personalizing replies despite access to Meta accounts. (1 day ago). 👉 bloomberg.com^$
   • Senator Begins Child Safety Investigation Into Meta's A.I. Bot. (1 day ago). 👉 nytimes.com^$

10. Roblox Child Safety Lawsuit:

    • Louisiana sues Roblox over child safety concerns: 'It's basically open season for sex predators on this platform'. (1 day ago). 👉 pcgamer.com
    • Roblox shares closed down 6.34% on Friday after the company was accused in two lawsuits of failing to sufficiently protect youngsters on its platform. (1 day ago). 👉 bloomberg.com^$

11. Telecom Sector and Cyberattacks:

    • UK telecom firm Colt suffers massive ransomware attack. (1 day ago). 👉 cybernews.com
    • UK telecom firm Colt suffers massive ransomware attack, data up for sale. (1 day ago). 👉 bleepingcomputer.com

12. Google Calendar Update:

    • Google CEO adds a new calendar feature at Stripe co-founder’s request. (3 days ago). 👉 techcrunch.com

13. Former Marine Sues Roblox for Alleged Sexual Abuse:

• A Texas man sues Roblox over alleged sexual abuse (1 day ago). 👉 cbs19.tv

14. Space Industry Growth Amidst Political Influence:

• Trump wants to clean up the space industry’s red tape: Here’s who wins. (1 day ago). 👉 techcrunch.com

15. AI's Role in Political Polling:

• How Google's Jigsaw and pollster Scott Rasmussen plan to use AI to survey Americans on political views to find common ground ahead of the US' 250th anniversary (1 day ago). 👉 forbes.com^$

16. Sam Altman on OpenAI and AI Investments:

• Sam Altman says ‘yes,’ AI is in a bubble. (1 day ago). 👉 theverge.com
• OpenAI staff looking to sell $6 billion in stock to SoftBank, others, source says. (1 day ago). 👉 reuters.com
• Over bread rolls, Sam Altman explores life after GPT-5. (1 day ago). 👉 techcrunch.com

17. Federal Reserve Ends Oversight of Crypto Banking Activities:

• The Federal Reserve continues its relaxation of crypto oversight by ending a program created in 2023 to scrutinize fintech and crypto activities by banks. (1 day ago). 👉 coindesk.com

18. Opendoor CEO Steps Down:

    • Opendoor CEO Carrie Wheeler steps down, with Shrisha Radhakrishna named president and interim CEO; OPEN closed up 4.28% (1 day ago). 👉 bloomberg.com^$

19. AI Brain-Computer Startup:

    • Sam Altman confirms plans to fund a brain-computer interface startup to rival Neuralink. (1 day ago). 👉 cryptobriefing.com

20. Gemini Files for IPO:

    • Winklevoss twins' Gemini files for a US IPO and reports a $282.5M net loss on $67.9M revenue in H1 2025, vs. a $41.4M net loss on $73.5M revenue a year earlier (1 day ago). 👉 bloomberg.com^$

21. PayPay Files for US Listing:

    • SoftBank-owned PayPay files for a US listing; sources: it aims to raise $2B+ at a $10B+ valuation, and the listing could happen by the end of the year (1 day ago). 👉 ft.com^$

22. FTC Investigation of Media Matters:

    • A US district court judge temporarily blocks an FTC probe into Media Matters, part of an antitrust investigation into ad boycotts, calling the probe retaliatory (1 day ago). 👉 bloomberg.com^$

23. CoreWeave Share Sales:

    • CoreWeave investors sold more than $1B in shares as the IPO lockup ended; the stock held steady on Friday after dropping about 35% over the previous two days (1 day ago). 👉 t.co

24. AI Designs Antibiotics:

    • Researchers say they used generative AI algorithms to design novel antibiotics targeting drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae and MRSA (1 day ago). 👉 news.mit.edu

25. Meta AI Chatbots and Child Safety:

    • Sen. Hawley says he'll investigate Meta's ‘sensual’ child chatbot policies (1 day ago). 👉 engadget.com

26. New Zealand's Population Exodus:

    • New Zealand citizens leaving the country have hit the highest levels in 13 years, with more than a third of those emigrating aged under 30 years as unemployment rises and economic growth remains soft. (1 day ago). 👉 yahoo.com

27. Mini SSD Development:

• A Chinese storage manufacturer has developed a solid-state drive smaller than a U.S. penny that delivers sequential read speeds of 3,700 megabytes per second (1 day ago). 👉 theverge.com

28. Linux Kernel Succession:

• The Linux kernel project lacks a formal succession plan for when Linus Torvalds steps down, Register columnist Rupert Goodwins writes (2 days ago). 👉 theregister.com

29. Forever Chemicals Affect Gene Activity:

• New research suggests exposure to some common Pfas or "forever chemical" compounds causes changes to gene activity, and those changes are linked to health problems including multiple cancers, neurological disorders and autoimmune disease (2 days ago). 👉 theguardian.com

30. Kaisen Linux Shutting Down:

• Kaisen Linux, a Debian-based distro packed with tools for sysadmins, system rescue, and network diagnostics, is shutting down (2 days ago). 👉 neowin.net

31. Transparency in Privacy Tech:

• VP.NET has released the source code for its Intel SGX enclave on GitHub, allowing anyone to build the enclave and verify its mrenclave hash matches what's running on the servers (2 days ago). 👉 github.com

32. AI Investments in Bubble Territory:

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told reporters that AI investments have entered bubble territory (2 days ago). 👉 theverge.com

33. Digital Nomad Visa Extended in Croatia:

• Croatia has extended its digital nomad visa from one year to up to three years, allowing non-EU residents and their close family members to live and work remotely in the country. (1 day ago). 👉 cnbc.com

34. AI-Generated Celebrity Videos on YouTube:

• WIRED identified 120 YouTube channels creating AI-generated celebrity confrontation/rage-baiting videos using still images and artificial voiceovers (3 days ago). 👉 wired.com

35. Google AI Overviews Impacting Publisher Traffic:

    • New data from Digital Content Next shows Google's AI Overviews are linked to notable drops in publisher referral traffic, with surveyed sites seeing year-over-year declines between 1% and 25% (2 days ago). 👉 digiday.com

36. EV Sales Increasing Globally:

    • Global EV sales are up 27% over last year, with China leading the pack by a wide margin (3 days ago). 👉 cleantechnica.com

37. China Criticizes US Chip Tracking:

    • The United States' practice of installing location trackers in chip shipments at risk of diversion to China reflects the "instincts of a surveillance empire," China's state-run media outlet Xinhua said (1 day ago). 👉 reuters.com

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