Tech News

1. Cybersecurity Incidents:

   • A supply chain attack briefly compromised CPUID's backend, swapping legitimate download links for malware-laced ones, affecting tools like HWMonitor and CPU-Z. CPUID confirmed the breach affected a backend component for approximately six hours, but stated their signed software builds were not compromised. 👉 theregister.com 👉 x.com
   • The FBI was able to forensically extract deleted Signal messages from a defendant's iPhone by accessing copies saved in the device's push notification database, even after the app was deleted. This occurred in a case involving property vandalism and an assault on a police officer, highlighting how forensic extraction can yield sensitive data from secure messaging apps in unexpected locations. 👉 404media.co 👉 prairielanddefendants.com 👉 yro.slashdot.org
   • OpenAI reported that a GitHub workflow used to sign its macOS apps downloaded a malicious Axios library on March 31, but confirmed no user data or internal systems were compromised. 👉 openai.com 👉 economictimes.indiatimes.com 👉 9to5mac.com
   • A 13-year-old bug in Apache ActiveMQ allows for remote code execution, and it has been observed being exploited in the wild. The vulnerability affects the ActiveMQ Broker and can be triggered through specially crafted network packets, enabling attackers to compromise systems. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • Hackers are exploiting a zero-day vulnerability in Adobe Reader, using malicious PDF documents to execute code since at least December 2025. The sophisticated exploit, first observed on VirusTotal in November 2025, contains Russian language lures related to the oil and gas industry. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • The GlassWorm campaign has evolved, now using a new Zig dropper designed to infect integrated development environments (IDEs) via a malicious VS Code extension that masquerades as the popular WakaTime tool. 👉 thehackernews.com
   • A new VENOM phishing-as-a-service platform is being used to target senior executives by stealing their Microsoft login credentials and session cookies, effectively bypassing MFA protections by relaying authentication flows through attacker-controlled infrastructure. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • The Canadian government is investigating a ransomware attack on ChipSoft, a healthcare IT solutions provider, which forced the company to take its website and patient services offline. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • The U.S. government has moved to block Arizona from pursuing criminal charges against the prediction market Kalshi, with a federal judge granting the CFTC's request for a temporary restraining order. This action prevents Arizona from enforcing its gambling laws against federally regulated exchanges like Kalshi. 👉 reuters.com 👉 cftc.gov

2. Artificial Intelligence & Technology:

   • Anthropic temporarily banned the creator of OpenClaw, an open-source AI agent, from accessing its Claude AI due to concerns about the agent's powerful capabilities and potential risks. 👉 techcrunch.com
   • A stalking victim has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that ChatGPT fueled her abuser's delusions and that the company ignored her warnings about the AI's potential for harm. 👉 techcrunch.com
   • France plans to transition government computers from Windows to Linux to reduce its reliance on U.S. technology, aiming to regain digital sovereignty without providing a specific timeline for the switch. 👉 techcrunch.com
   • Google is rolling out Device Bound Session Credentials (DBSC) in Chrome 146 for Windows to combat session theft by preventing info-stealing malware from harvesting session cookies, with macOS support planned for a future release. 👉 thehackernews.com
   • Anthropic has made Claude Cowork, previously a research preview, generally available to all paid users, and has added several new features for enterprise clients, including role-based access controls and usage analytics. 👉 9to5mac.com 👉 claude.com
   • YouTube is increasing the prices for its Premium and YouTube Music subscriptions in the U.S., with individual plans rising by $2 to $15.99 per month and family plans increasing by $4 to $26.99 per month. 👉 theverge.com
   • Google News is now surfacing Polymarket betting pages alongside traditional news sources in its "For You" section and search results, effectively treating the prediction market as a selectable source similar to news outlets. 👉 futurism.com
   • Google has made end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for Gmail available on all Android and iOS devices for enterprise users, allowing them to send and read encrypted emails directly within the Gmail app without needing additional tools. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com 👉 workspaceupdates.googleblog.com
   • Apple has surpassed Samsung to become the leading global smartphone vendor for the first time in Q1 2026, capturing a 21% market share despite an overall decline in smartphone shipments due to memory chip shortages. 👉 counterpointresearch.com
   • The CIA has successfully used AI to create its first autonomous intelligence report and plans to integrate AI "co-workers" into all of its analytical platforms to enhance intelligence gathering and processing. 👉 politico.com
   • Hong Kong has issued its first stablecoin issuer licenses to HSBC and a joint venture including Standard Chartered and Animoca Brands, with these entities expected to launch stablecoins in the second half of 2026. 👉 bloomberg.com^$ 👉 hkma.gov.hk
   • Snap is partnering with Qualcomm to power its upcoming AI glasses, "Specs," with Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR platform, marking a significant step for Snap's augmented reality hardware ambitions. 👉 techcrunch.com
   • Amazon is developing "Project Houdini" to pre-assemble core server rooms into modules, aiming to significantly reduce the construction time for its data centers. 👉 businessinsider.com^$

3. Aerospace & Astronomy:

   • NASA's Artemis II crew successfully splashed down off the California coast after completing a 10-day mission around the moon, marking a historic return to lunar exploration with plans for more frequent missions leading up to a lunar landing in 2028. 👉 cnn.com 👉 science.slashdot.org 👉 youtube.com

4. Societal & Legal Issues:

   • The European Parliament voted against extending a law that allowed big tech firms to scan for child sexual exploitation material on their platforms, creating a legal gap that child safety experts fear will lead to undetected crimes, though companies like Google, Meta, and Microsoft have pledged to continue voluntary scanning. 👉 theguardian.com 👉 blog.google
   • Meta has begun removing ads from law firms seeking clients for social media addiction lawsuits, following a recent jury finding Meta and YouTube negligent in a case involving harm to a young user. 👉 axios.com 👉 meta.slashdot.org
   • The FBI is reportedly able to forensically extract deleted Signal messages from iPhones by accessing copies saved in the push notification database, even after the app is deleted, highlighting the importance of enabling Signal's notification preview blocking feature. 👉 404media.co 👉 prairielanddefendants.com
   • US birth rates have continued their decline, with women giving birth to approximately 710,000 fewer children last year compared to the 2007 peak, a trend attributed to factors like economic conditions, cultural influences, and improved access to education and contraception. 👉 cdc.gov 👉 npr.org

5. Business & Markets:

   • TSMC's Q1 revenue beat expectations, reaching $7.63 billion, a 9.7% year-over-year increase, with net profit up 12.2% to $1.48 billion, and the company stated that new AI models are not negatively impacting its services demand. 👉 reuters.com 👉 tcs.com
   • Blackstone has filed for an IPO of a new data center acquisition vehicle, aiming to raise approximately $2 billion by acquiring built and leased properties, indicating a strong focus on AI infrastructure. 👉 bloomberg.com^$
   • CoreWeave has signed a multiyear deal with Anthropic to power Claude AI models, further solidifying its position as a key provider of AI infrastructure, with nine of the top ten AI model providers now utilizing its platform. 👉 bloomberg.com^$ 👉 coreweave.com
   • Ascend Elements, a battery recycler, has filed for bankruptcy, signaling challenges in the growing electric vehicle battery supply chain. 👉 techcrunch.com
   • The Biden administration is reportedly considering a ban on Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab's software due to national security concerns, following a similar move by Germany. 👉 reuters.com 👉 bloomberg.com^$
   • Canadian AI company Cohere is reportedly in advanced merger talks with German AI firm Aleph Alpha, with the German government expressing willingness to become a key customer of a combined entity to bolster European AI capabilities. 👉 reuters.com 👉 thelogic.co

6. Government & Policy:

   • The FAA is launching a recruiting initiative targeting video gamers, aiming to attract individuals with strong hand-eye coordination and quick decision-making skills for air traffic controller positions, as part of an effort to fill thousands of vacancies. 👉 nytimes.com^$ 👉 youtube.com
   • The U.S. government is reportedly seeking to unmask an anonymous Reddit user who criticized ICE by subpoenaing Reddit to appear before a grand jury, raising concerns among privacy advocates about the escalation of actions against online dissent. 👉 theintercept.com 👉 arstechnica.com
   • The CIA has utilized AI to produce its first autonomous intelligence report and intends to integrate AI assistants across all its analytical platforms to improve intelligence operations. 👉 politico.com

7. Other Developments:

   • Researchers have observed quark-antiquark pairs emerging directly from the vacuum for the first time, providing experimental evidence for quantum chromodynamics predictions by detecting spin-correlated hyperons born from the vacuum's energy. 👉 newscientist.com 👉 nature.com
   • The world's largest known wild chimpanzee community in Uganda has fractured into rival factions and engaged in an eight-year "civil war," resulting in at least 24 killings, including 17 infants, with factors like group size, resource competition, and changes in alpha males potentially contributing to the conflict. 👉 bbc.com 👉 science.org
   • A South Korean auto dealer software company, Epikar, is developing AI-powered kiosks designed to replace human car salespeople on showroom floors, with initial tests already underway in South Korean dealerships and plans for U.S. expansion. 👉 thedrive.com 👉 autonews.com
   • Tesla has received approval from Dutch regulators for its full self-driving software, marking the first regulatory sign-off for the feature in Europe and a significant step towards broader European sales. 👉 reuters.com 👉 bloomberg.com^$
   • The French government plans to migrate some government computers from Windows to Linux as part of a broader initiative to enhance digital sovereignty and reduce dependence on U.S. technology, following a previous decision to abandon Microsoft Teams for a sovereign platform. 👉 techcrunch.com 👉 tech.slashdot.org
   • Microsoft is removing Copilot branding from Notepad in Windows 11, replacing it with "writing tools" while maintaining the AI functionality, and also removing AI references from the Settings area in Notepad. 👉 windowscentral.com 👉 theverge.com
   • Amazon Luna is discontinuing support for game purchases and third-party stores and subscriptions, with purchased games remaining accessible until June 10, marking a significant shift in the cloud gaming service's strategy. 👉 pcmag.com 👉 amazon.com
   • San Francisco police arrested a suspect in connection with a Molotov cocktail attack on Sam Altman's home and subsequent threats made outside OpenAI's headquarters. OpenAI stated no employees were harmed and is cooperating with law enforcement. 👉 wired.com 👉 blog.samaltman.com
   • Researchers have discovered that AI browser extensions pose significant security risks, being more prone to vulnerabilities, increased permission access, and the ability to bypass traditional security controls, thus creating a "shadow AI" problem for organizations. 👉 thehackernews.com
   • The U.S. CFTC has secured a temporary restraining order blocking Arizona from continuing its criminal case against prediction market Kalshi, asserting federal jurisdiction over such platforms and pausing the state's enforcement actions. 👉 reuters.com 👉 cftc.gov
   • Microsoft is streamlining the Windows Insider program by simplifying channel structures, allowing users to switch between channels without wiping their devices, and introducing new experimental and beta channels for feature testing. 👉 zdnet.com 👉 blogs.windows.com
   • The CIA has successfully created its first autonomous intelligence report using AI and plans to integrate AI "co-workers" into all of its analytical platforms to improve intelligence gathering and processing. 👉 politico.com
   • The cybersecurity firm Qualys analyzed one billion CISA KEV remediation records, revealing that most critical vulnerabilities are exploited before defenders can apply patches, highlighting the limitations of human-scale security efforts. 👉 bleepingcomputer.com
   • A new campaign using a Zig dropper has been identified in the GlassWorm attack, specifically targeting and infecting integrated development environments (IDEs) by disguising malicious code within a VS Code extension. 👉 thehackernews.com
   • CoreWeave has announced a multiyear agreement with Anthropic to power Claude AI models, expanding its client base of major AI providers and strengthening its position in the AI infrastructure market. 👉 bloomberg.com^$ 👉 coreweave.com
   • The U.S. government, through the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, has disrupted four major IoT botnets—Aisuru, Kimwolf, JackSkid, and Mossad—which infected over three million devices and were responsible for numerous large-scale DDoS attacks, also leading to extortion attempts. 👉 justice.gov
   • A financially motivated data theft group, TeamPCP, has launched a wiper attack targeting Iranian systems by exploiting exposed cloud infrastructure and executing a payload that destroys data on infected machines if specific Iranian timezone and language settings are detected. 👉 aikido.dev
   • Hacktivist group Handala, linked to Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), has claimed responsibility for a data-wiping attack against Stryker, a global medical technology firm, in retaliation for a missile strike that hit an Iranian school. 👉 krebsonsecurity.com 👉 unit42.paloaltonetworks.com
   • Microsoft has patched at least 77 vulnerabilities across its Windows operating systems and other software, including critical remote code execution flaws in SQL Server and Microsoft Office that could be triggered via the Preview Pane. 👉 msrc.microsoft.com^$ 👉 msrc.microsoft.com^$ 👉 msrc.microsoft.com^$ 👉 msrc.microsoft.com^$
   • The U.S. Justice Department, in coordination with Canadian and German authorities, has dismantled the online infrastructure of four major IoT botnets—Aisuru, Kimwolf, JackSkid, and Mossad—which collectively compromised over three million devices and were responsible for numerous large-scale distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and extortion schemes. 👉 justice.gov
   • The FAA is targeting gamers in its recruitment efforts for air traffic controller positions, recognizing their skills in hand-eye coordination and quick decision-making in complex environments. 👉 nytimes.com^$ 👉 youtube.com
   • The U.S. Justice Department has dismantled the online infrastructure of four major IoT botnets—Aisuru, Kimwolf, JackSkid, and Mossad—which infected over three million devices and were responsible for large-scale DDoS attacks and extortion, with actions taken in coordination with Canadian and German authorities. 👉 justice.gov

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