Tech News

1. Cybersecurity / Threats:

   • React2Shell Vulnerability Exploitation: A critical React vulnerability (👉 cve.org) is being actively exploited by Chinese, Iranian, North Korean, and criminal groups to gain remote code execution, deploy backdoors, and mine crypto. Over 50 organizations across multiple sectors have been impacted, with attackers including state-sponsored spy groups and criminals using the flaw to deploy XMRig for illicit cryptocurrency mining. 👉 theregister.com 👉 cloud.google.com (1 day ago)

   • ShinyHunters Ransomware: The ShinyHunters extortion gang, linked to Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters, is extorting PornHub after hackers stole Premium member activity data from a Mixpanel breach. The group is also using a new ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) called ShinySp1d3r, which exploits vulnerabilities in Salesforce and other platforms. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com (1 day ago)

   • VolkLocker Ransomware: A new ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) called VolkLocker, developed by the pro-Russian hacktivist group CyberVolk, contains a hard-coded master key allowing potential decryption without paying the ransom. The ransomware targets both Windows and Linux systems. 👉 sentinelone.com (1 day ago)

   • React RSC Vulnerabilities: New React Server Components (RSC) vulnerabilities have been discovered that could lead to denial-of-service (DoS) or source code exposure if exploited. These flaws were identified while attempting to exploit patches for the critical React2Shell vulnerability (CVE-2025-55182). 👉 thehackernews.com (1 day ago)

   • Zero-Day Exploitation: Apple and Google have released emergency updates to address two zero-day vulnerabilities (CVE-2025-14174 and CVE-2025-43529) that were exploited in highly targeted attacks. These flaws, located in WebKit, can lead to arbitrary code execution when processing maliciously crafted web content. 👉 thehackernews.com (3 days ago)

2. Technology / Software:

   • LG Smart TV Update: LG smart TV owners discovered that a recent webOS software update installed Microsoft Copilot on their devices, and the app cannot be uninstalled. LG's support documentation confirms that certain preinstalled or system apps can only be hidden, not deleted. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com (1 day ago)

   • Kindle Vulnerabilities: Amazon's Kindle has two critical vulnerabilities that allow attackers to access personal data, credit card information, and pivot to other devices registered with an Amazon account. The vulnerabilities were discovered by Valentino Ricotta, who received a bug bounty of $20,000. 👉 thehackernews.com (3 days ago)

3. Business / Finance:

   • JPMorgan Chase Tokenized Fund: JPMorgan Chase is launching its first tokenized money-market fund on the Ethereum blockchain, called "My OnChain Net Yield Fund" (MONY). The fund will be open to qualified investors and will use JPMorgan's tokenization platform, Kinexys Digital Assets. 👉 slashdot.org (3 days ago)

   • iRobot Bankruptcy: iRobot, the company behind the Roomba robot vacuum, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will be acquired by its primary Chinese supplier, Shenzhen Picea. The company's financial struggles are attributed to competition, tariffs, and a failed acquisition attempt by Amazon. 👉 bloomberg.com^$ (1 day ago)

4. Geopolitics / Diplomacy:

   • Russia's Roblox Ban Protests: Several dozen people protested in Tomsk, Russia, against the government's ban on the U.S. children's gaming platform Roblox, which is seen as a rare show of public dissent. The ban was justified by claims of inappropriate content affecting children's spiritual and moral development. 👉 reuters.com (3 days ago)

5. Economy / Markets:

   • US Tech Force: The Trump administration launched the US Tech Force, a program to recruit around 1,000 technologists for two-year government stints, starting as soon as March 2026. The initiative follows the dismantling of several federal technology teams and aims to modernize government IT infrastructure. 👉 nextgov.com 👉 techcrunch.com (1 day ago)

6. Environment / Climate:

   • Oman Flooding: Oman, one of the most water-scarce regions on Earth, is experiencing dramatic atmospheric shifts that are pushing moisture onto its northern coast at rates more than 1.5 times the global average, leading to recurrent catastrophic flooding. This change has increased the frequency of hurricane-strength storms. 👉 washingtonpost.com (3 days ago)

7. Health:

   • Parkinson's Disease Research: A landmark study suggests that contaminated drinking water, particularly exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE), may be a primary culprit in Parkinson's disease, rather than genetics. Marines exposed to TCE at Camp Lejeune were 70% more likely to develop Parkinson's. 👉 wired.com (3 days ago)

8. Historical / Investigative:

   • Nanda Devi Plutonium Generator: The U.S. government still refuses to acknowledge a 1965 CIA mission to place a plutonium-powered generator on the slopes of Nanda Devi, one of the world's most forbidding Himalayan peaks. The device, containing plutonium isotopes, remains buried in the glaciers feeding tributaries of the Ganges River. 👉 nytimes.com^$ (3 days ago)

9. AI / Technology:

   • Nvidia Acquires SchedMD: Nvidia has acquired SchedMD, the developer of Slurm, an open-source AI workload management system, to bolster its open-source AI push. Slurm is widely used for managing AI training workloads across thousands of GPUs. 👉 reuters.com 👉 techcrunch.com (1 day ago)

   • Nemotron 3: Nvidia launched Nemotron 3, a family of AI models using a hybrid mixture-of-experts architecture and the Mamba-Transformer design, in 30B, 100B, and ~500B sizes. Nemotron 3 is designed to enable multi-agent systems and features an efficient hybrid architecture. 👉 venturebeat.com (1 day ago)

   • Meta Ad Fraud: Meta earned $18B+ in annual ad sales from China in 2024, with $3B+ linked to fraudulent ads, such as scams. The company reportedly tolerated this ad fraud to safeguard profits. 👉 reuters.com (1 day ago)

10. Legal / Regulatory:

    • Google Dark Web Report Shutdown: Google is shutting down its dark web monitoring tool, which scanned for leaked user data, citing that it wasn't as helpful as the company hoped. The feature will be discontinued on February 16, 2026. 👉 pcmag.com 👉 techcrunch.com (1 day ago)

    • FTC vs. Uber: The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and 21 states have filed an amended complaint against Uber, alleging deceptive billing and cancellation practices related to Uber One. The lawsuit aims to address concerns over the company's subscription service. 👉 reuters.com (1 day ago)

11. Automotive / Transportation:

    • Ford Battery Storage Business: Ford is pivoting away from large electric vehicles (EVs) and launching a battery energy storage business for data centers and the grid. The company plans to repurpose its US battery manufacturing capacity for this new venture. 👉 techcrunch.com (1 day ago)

    • Tesla Robotaxis: Tesla is testing driverless vehicles in Austin, Texas, without a human safety operator. This move follows the company's limited Robotaxi service in Austin with safety drivers in the car. 👉 cnbc.com 👉 techcrunch.com (1 day ago)

12. Healthcare / Biotech:

    • Chai Discovery Funding: Chai Discovery, an AI drug discovery company backed by OpenAI, has raised $130M in Series B funding at a $1.3B valuation. The company aims to build a "computer-aided design suite" for molecules. 👉 bloomberg.com^$ 👉 techcrunch.com (1 day ago)

13. Energy / Infrastructure:

    • Grid Constraints: Grid constraints, once a hallmark of developing economies, are now plaguing the world's richest nations. Rising electricity system stress is directly hurting investment, with a one-standard-deviation increase in grid stress reducing investment share of GDP by around 0.33 percentage points. 👉 bloomberg.com^$ (3 days ago)

14. Legal / Regulatory (AI):

    • Disney's Sora Deal: Disney's Sora deal with OpenAI is entirely in OpenAI stock rather than a cash licensing fee. Disney has the option to buy additional stock beyond the $1B stake. 👉 bloomberg.com^$ (1 day ago)

15. AI / Venture Capital:

    • Lightspeed Raises $9B: Lightspeed Venture Partners has raised over $9B in fresh capital for a new family of funds, aiming to back category-defining companies worldwide. The firm has backed 165 AI startups, including Anthropic, xAI, and Mistral. 👉 techcrunch.com 👉 forbes.com^$ (1 day ago)

16. Internet / Connectivity:

    • Cloudflare Year in Review: Cloudflare's 2025 report highlights an internet increasingly shaped by automated traffic and government intervention. Google's web crawler now dominates automated traffic, and post-quantum encryption is protecting 52% of human internet traffic. 👉 radar.cloudflare.com 👉 theregister.com (1 day ago)

17. AI Infrastructure:

    • AI Infrastructure Selloff: Shares of Broadcom, CoreWeave, and Oracle, companies tied to the AI infrastructure buildout, have declined significantly. Oracle's stock is down 46%+ since September 10, reflecting concerns about AI spending and debt. 👉 cnbc.com (1 day ago)

18. Media / Entertainment:

    • Netflix vs. Warner Bros: Netflix CEOs Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos have outlined the company's case for acquiring Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), addressing concerns about job losses and the end of theater releases. 👉 bloomberg.com^$ 👉 techcrunch.com (1 day ago)

19. Cryptocurrency:

    • Trump Family Memecoins: An investigation reveals that the Trump family's memecoins, $TRUMP and $MELANIA, have plummeted more than 90% from their peak values. The memecoins were launched with the help of crypto entrepreneur Bill Zanker. 👉 bloomberg.com^$ (1 day ago)

20. AI / Healthcare:

    • AI Drug Discovery: Chai Discovery, an AI drug discovery startup, has raised $130M in Series B funding to build a "computer-aided design suite" for molecules. The company aims to tackle undruggable targets with generative AI. 👉 bloomberg.com^$ (1 day ago)

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