Dutch government blocks US company from acquisition, citing ‘risk to public interest’
The move to block the acquisition of the cloud company that hosts the Dutch digital ID service comes as Europe continues to reduce its reliance on U.S. technology.
Security
Ghost hackers: the cybersecurity mystery that nobody has solved
A shadowy group that stole and dumped the NSA’s most powerful hacking tools still has implications for how companies think about digital risk today.
Iranian hackers blamed for breach of Los Angeles transit system that took weeks to recover
An Israeli cybersecurity firm said Iran’s government is behind Ababil of Minab, a fake hacktivist persona that has claimed a series of data breaches after the start of the war in Iran.
7-Eleven data breach affects over 185,000 people’s personal data
The data breach included names, dates-of-birth, postal addresses, and Social Security numbers, according to a state government listing.
Hackers are learning to exploit chatbot ‘personalities’
This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on AI mischief, follow Robert Hart. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started Hacking the first generation of AI chatbots was a laughably simple affair. […]
These special phone and app features can help protect you from spyware
Apple, Meta, and Google offer special security modes that provide your devices more secure against targeted spyware attacks. Here are how those modes work, what they do, and how to switch them on.
Kash Patel’s clothing brand website shut down after reports it was hacked
According to users on X, the website was hijacked by hackers in an attempt to trick visitors into installing malware.
Trump Mobile confirms it exposed customers’ personal data, including phone numbers and home addresses
President Trump’s branded cell phone maker and cell provider said the exposure was linked to a third-party platform, and was evaluating whether it needs to notify customers.
Law enforcement shuts down VPN service used by two dozen ransomware gangs
First VPN promised hackers complete anonymity for their cyberattacks. But Europol said it was able to notify the service’s users that they have now been identified.
GitHub faces a fight for its survival at Microsoft
When Microsoft announced it was acquiring GitHub in a $7.5 billion deal in 2018, developers were nervous. Some were concerned about Microsoft controlling GitHub, and others were taking a wait-and-see approach. Nearly eight years later, GitHub is now fighting for its survival, amid a surge of outages, security issues, and pressure from competitors. In the […]