Tech News

1. Cybercrime:

   • Police have seized servers and domains of VerifTools, a fake ID marketplace with $6.4M in transactions. 👉 thehackernews.com
   • The operators have relaunched the service on a new domain. 👉 thehackernews.com

2. Vulnerability Exploits:

   • An actively exploited FreePBX zero-day vulnerability allows unauthorized access and remote code execution. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com 👉 thehackernews.com
   • A patch is now available. 👉 thehackernews.com
   • Click Studios has released a security update to address a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Passwordstate. 👉 thehackernews.com

3. AI and Security:

   • Malware developers are abusing Anthropic’s Claude AI to build ransomware. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • A self-proclaimed leader of Purgatory, a group linked to The Com, claims responsibility for swatting attacks. 👉 wired.com
   • Meta is updating AI chatbot rules to avoid inappropriate topics with teen users. 👉 techcrunch.com
   • A study found that LLMs can be persuaded to comply with objectionable requests using tactics that persuade humans. 👉 bloomberg.com^$
   • Google is warning that the Salesloft Drift breach impacts all Drift integrations, not just Salesforce. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com 👉 thehackernews.com
   • The price per token for AI models has fallen, but costs for developers are rising as newer reasoning models require more tokens to complete tasks. 👉 wsj.com^$
   • A study shows that AI-exposed fields have seen a 13% decline in entry-level jobs in the U.S. since 2022. 👉 derekthompson.org

4. Data Breaches and Leaks:

   • TransUnion is warning about a data breach that exposed the personal information of over 4.4 million people in the United States. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com 👉 thehackernews.com
   • MathWorks, a MATLAB developer, says a ransomware gang stole data of over 10,000 people. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • Meta is facing accusations of creating flirty AI chatbots of celebrities without permission. 👉 cybernews.com

5. Microsoft Security Updates:

   • Microsoft is enforcing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all Azure resource management actions starting in October. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • Microsoft Word will save files to the cloud by default. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • Microsoft is releasing updates to fix over 100 security flaws, including a critical Exchange Server vulnerability. 👉 krebsonsecurity.com
   • Microsoft has released the KB5064081 preview cumulative update for Windows 11, with thirty-six new features or changes. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • Microsoft fixed a bug behind Windows certificate enrollment errors. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • Microsoft says a recent Windows update didn't kill SSDs. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com

6. Emerging Malware and Threat Actors:

   • A new infostealer called TamperedChef is being delivered through a fraudulent PDF editor. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • Attackers are abusing the Velociraptor forensic tool to deploy Visual Studio Code for C2 tunneling. 👉 thehackernews.com
   • A watering hole attack likely carried out by APT TA423, attempts to plant the ScanBox JavaScript-based reconnaissance tool. 👉 threatpost.com

7. VPN and Censorship:

   • Turkmenistan is turning censorship into a lucrative extortion scheme by selling its own VPNs. (3 days ago) 👉 blog.torproject.org
   • Valve now requires UK users to verify their age with a credit card to access mature content games on Steam. (3 days ago) 👉 theverge.com

8. Ransomware Attacks:

   • Storm-0501 hackers shift to ransomware attacks in the cloud. (3 days ago) 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • An anonymous reader notes Purgatory, a group tied to online community The Com, claims responsibility for swatting attacks on US universities, airports, and more, charging $20 to $95 per incident. (3 days ago) 👉 wired.com

9. China Tech:

   • Alibaba has developed a domestically manufactured, versatile inference chip to fill the gap left by U.S. restrictions on Nvidia's sales in China. (3 days ago) 👉 msn.com
   • China says it will prevent excess competition in the AI sector. (3 days ago) 👉 bloomberg.com^$
   • The US is making it harder for Samsung, SK Hynix, and Intel to produce chips in China by revoking waivers. (3 days ago) 👉 reuters.com

10. Financial News:

    • Super Micro cautions that its financial control weaknesses, if not fixed, could hurt its ability to report results "in a timely and accurate manner". (3 days ago) 👉 bloomberg.com^$
    • Intel says its funding deal with the US loosens its requirements under the CHIPS Act. (3 days ago) 👉 wsj.com^$
    • NPCI, which runs India's digital payments network UPI, has started making its infrastructure available to banks to deliver short-term loans to small businesses. (3 days ago) 👉 ft.com^$

11. Nvidia's Top Customers:

    • Nvidia reveals its top two customers accounted for 39% of its Q2 revenue, up from 25% in Q2 2024. 👉 cnbc.com

12. Netherlands Beaver Problem:

    • Beavers in the Netherlands, reintroduced in 1988, are now digging burrows and tunnels under roads and dikes, causing alarm. (3 days ago) 👉 theguardian.com

13. China's Neutrino Detector:

    • China has turned on the world's most sensitive neutrino detector, the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Experiment (JUNO). (3 days ago) 👉 reuters.com

14. Indonesia TikTok:

    • TikTok suspends its live feature in Indonesia due to increasing violence in protests over lawmakers' pay. (3 days ago) 👉 reuters.com

15. Climate Crisis:

    • A study concludes that the collapse of a critical Atlantic current can no longer be considered a low-likelihood event. (3 days ago) 👉 theguardian.com

16. Smart Glasses Backlash:

    • Millions are viewing critical videos about Meta's smart glasses, with Gen Z leading a backlash against their intrusion into everyday life. (3 days ago) 👉 msn.com
    • Always-on AI smart glasses that record every conversation spark privacy concerns. (3 days ago) 👉 futurism.com

17. Netflix Algorithm Films:

    • Netflix's use of data led to generic “algorithm films” intended for broad appeal, with AI set to further entrench the production style. (3 days ago) 👉 theguardian.com

18. FEMA Firings:

    • DHS Secretary Kristi Noem fires 24 FEMA IT staffers for failing to address cyber vulnerabilities. (3 days ago) 👉 nextgov.com

19. Python Documentary:

    • A new 84-minute documentary traces Python all the way back to its origins in Amsterdam back in 1991. (3 days ago) 👉 youtu.be

20. London Underground Etiquette:

    • London's public transport authority is scolding noisy passengers who subject everyone to music and calls blasting out of their phones. (3 days ago) 👉 theverge.com

21. New Wave Energy:

    • A review highlights triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) as a self-sustaining power solution for marine regions. (3 days ago) 👉 eurekalert.org
    • Eco Wave Power lowers floaters into the water in US pilot project. (3 days ago) 👉 renewableenergyworld.com

22. Nuclear Fusion Funding:

    • Commonwealth Fusion Systems raised $863 million from Nvidia, Google, and Bill Gates for nuclear fusion energy. (3 days ago) 👉 techcrunch.com

23. Two-Color Beams:

    • Researchers can generate ordered chains and lattices using two-color beams, potentially revolutionizing data storage, communications, and photonic processing. (4 days ago) 👉 sciencedaily.com

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