Tech News

1. Data Breaches:

   • Harrods, the luxury department store, warned customers of a data breach. 👉 cybernews.com
   • Volvo confirmed that personal data was exposed due to a ransomware attack on its HR software provider, Miljödata. 👉 cybernews.com
   • A labour union data breach exposed over 55,000 individuals' details. 👉 cybernews.com
   • A profile of Justin Sun, who was facing an SEC fraud lawsuit before investing $90M in Trump family cryptocurrencies and becoming a business associate of Trump. 👉 bloomberg.com^$
   • iRobot co-founder Rodney Brooks details why humanoid robots won't learn human-level dexterity from current methods, how to make them safe for humans, and more. 👉 rodneybrooks.com

2. AI and Cybersecurity:

   • Wiz chief technologist, Ami Luttwak, discussed how AI is transforming cyberattacks. 👉 techcrunch.com
   • Microsoft warned of a new XCSSET macOS malware variant targeting Xcode devs with a clipper and persistence module. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com 👉 thehackernews.com
   • Researchers uncover GPT-4-Powered MalTerminal Malware Creating Ransomware, Reverse Shell. 👉 thehackernews.com
   • Experts weigh in on AI's potential to reshape the workforce, with one CEO predicting it will replace half of all white-collar jobs. 👉 msn.com
   • The US rejected calls for collaborative efforts around AI governance at the UN, even as many leaders endorsed a need for urgent international collaboration. 👉 nbcnews.com

3. Malware and Exploits:

   • CISA orders agencies to patch Cisco flaws exploited in zero-day attacks. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • Microsoft Edge to block malicious sideloaded extensions. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • Microsoft shares a temporary fix for Outlook encrypted email errors. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • The security researchers at Arctic Wolf Labs, has written an article about an aggressive Akira campaign targeting SonicWall VPNs. 👉 arcticwolf.com
   • A new EDR-Freeze tool uses Windows WER to suspend security software. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • China-Linked PlugX and Bookworm Malware Attacks Target Asian Telecom and ASEAN Networks. 👉 thehackernews.com
   • Researchers expose phishing threats distributing CountLoader and PureRAT. 👉 thehackernews.com
   • New COLDRIVER Malware Campaign Joins BO Team and Bearlyfy in Russia-Focused Cyberattacks. 👉 thehackernews.com
   • The UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has revealed that threat actors have exploited the recently disclosed security flaws impacting Cisco firewalls as part of zero-day attacks to deliver previously undocumented malware families like RayInitiator and LINE VIPER. 👉 thehackernews.com
   • Microsoft warns of new XCSSET macOS malware variant targeting Xcode devs with Clipper and Persistence Module. 👉 thehackernews.com
   • North Korean Hackers Use New AkdoorTea Backdoor to Target Global Crypto Developers. 👉 thehackernews.com

4. SonicWall Vulnerabilities:

   • Akira ransomware breaching MFA-protected SonicWall VPN accounts. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • SonicWall releases SMA100 firmware update to wipe rootkit malware. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com

5. Cybercrime and Legal Issues:

   • A 20-year-old Florida man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for being a member of Scattered Spider. 👉 krebsonsecurity.com
   • Two Dutch teens were arrested for trying to spy on Europol for Russia. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • The US ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder says the EU must either prove that its digital rules, such as the DMA, do not punish US tech companies or change them. 👉 ft.com^$
   • How JD Vance played a key role in the TikTok US deal, amid concerns about the VP acting as a corporate dealmaker in the forced spin-off of a private company. 👉 washingtonpost.com

6. Government and Policy:

   • US investors to take over TikTok operations in the country. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • (2 days ago) A fire at South Korea's National Information Resources Service's data center shut down 647 government IT systems, disrupting services such as postal banking. 👉 koreaherald.com

7. Cloud Security and Infrastructure:

   • Google agrees to guarantee $1.4B of a $3B contract between AI computing startup Fluidstack and Cipher Mining, and gets the right to buy a 5.4% stake in Cipher. 👉 bloomberg.com^$
   • A look at the implosion of CaaStle, a clothing inventory monetization startup whose ex-CEO Christine Hunsicker is accused of swindling investors out of $300M. (4 days ago) 👉 bloomberg.com^$

8. Accenture Layoffs:

   • Accenture, which laid off 11K+ employees in the past three months, warns of more cuts if workers cannot be retrained to have the skills needed for the age of AI. (3 days ago) 👉 ft.com^$

9. Financial:

   • A profile of digital microlender Tala, which has an annualized revenue of $340M but remains unprofitable 11 years in, as it plans to double its lending in 2027. (3 days ago) 👉 forbes.com^$
   • Turning compute into a tradable commodity could fuel the next stage of the AI boom, just like oil futures and spectrum auctions unlocked waves of investment. (3 days ago) 👉 bloomberg.com^$

10. AI Chatbots:

    • A therapist details treating ChatGPT as a “patient”, describing its programmed self-critique as “a brilliant means of seducing a techno-skeptical therapist”. 👉 newyorker.com
    • Mark Gurman reports that Apple should release its internal ChatGPT-like app publicly to give its revamped AI system more credibility. 👉 bloomberg.com^$

11. Security Products:

    • Fivetran is in talks to acquire data management company dbt Labs in a deal valuing the combined entity at between $5B and $10B (2 days ago). 👉 theinformation.com
    • Fortra Releases Critical Patch for CVSS 10.0 GoAnywhere MFT Vulnerability. (3 days ago) 👉 thehackernews.com

12. European Union:

    • (1 week ago) The US ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder says the EU must either prove that its digital rules, such as the DMA, do not punish US tech companies or change them. 👉 ft.com^$

13. Financial:

    • Manas AI, the AI drug discovery startup founded by Reid Hoffman and researcher Siddhartha Mukherjee, raised a $26M seed extension after a $24.6M seed in January. (6 days ago) 👉 finsmes.com
    • Sources: AI image generation startup Black Forest Labs is exploring raising $200M-$300M at a $4B valuation, after a prior undisclosed round at a $1B valuation. (1 day ago) 👉 ft.com^$

14. Cyber Security:

    • A look at AI-powered “nudify” tools, which make it fast and easy to make nonconsensual, deepfake porn, and the limited legal options available to their victims. 👉 cnbc.com
    • (1 day ago) A therapist details treating ChatGPT as a “patient”, describing its programmed self-critique as “a brilliant means of seducing a techno-skeptical therapist”. 👉 newyorker.com

15. Robotics:

    • Famed roboticist says humanoid robot bubble is doomed to burst. (2 days ago) 👉 techcrunch.com

16. Google:

    • Google Agrees to Guarantee $1.4B of a $3B Data Center Contract with Bitcoin Miner Cipher Mining. (3 days ago) 👉 bloomberg.com^$
    • Google-Linked TeraWulf Seeks $3 Billion Debt for Data Center. (3 days ago) 👉 bloomberg.com^$

17. TikTok

    • (2 days ago) Emily Baker-White / Forbes: A book excerpt details how a small team of content curators hired by ByteDance in Mexico City in 2018 shaped TikTok's For You algorithm in Latin America. 👉 forbes.com^$

18. AI Investments and Impacts:

    • (3 days ago) Nvidia's large investments in AI startups and data centers act like a form of financial stimulus, potentially artificially inflating demand for its GPUs. 👉 theinformation.com
    • Turning compute into a tradable commodity could fuel the next stage of the AI boom, just like oil futures and spectrum auctions unlocked waves of investment. (3 days ago) 👉 bloomberg.com^$

19. Web Browsers:

    • Microsoft warns of new XCSSET macOS malware variant targeting Xcode devs. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com

20. Telecoms:

    • (1 day ago) An investigation reveals how the Russian military spy ship Yantar is being used to map and potentially intercept undersea telecommunication cables across Europe. 👉 ft.com^$

21. Google's Strategy:

    • Google agrees to guarantee $1.4B of a $3B contract between AI computing startup Fluidstack and Cipher Mining, and gets the right to buy a 5.4% stake in Cipher. (3 days ago) 👉 bloomberg.com^$
    • Google-Linked TeraWulf Seeks $3 Billion Debt for Data Center. (3 days ago) 👉 bloomberg.com^$

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