The Citizen Lab researchers say that Discover-Tech operates an advertising platform, Controlium, that can allow its users to “de-anonymize, fingerprint, and automatically infect devices” once an ad appears. Overall, the researchers estimate that millions of devices were directed to Candiru’s… Read More "‘Nightmare Scenario’: Zero-Click Spyware Is Infecting Phones via Targeted Ads"
An OpenAI Agent Hacked Australia’s Health Service. Their Government Found Out Months Later
OpenAI’s agent had been conducting internet based research into health statistics in a development project by an internal OpenAI research team. When it could not access certain information, the agent attempted alternative ways until it found a work around and… Read More "An OpenAI Agent Hacked Australia’s Health Service. Their Government Found Out Months Later"
Meta’s Muse AI Assistant Rolled Out With a Serious Security Flaw
Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has gone to great lengths to hype the security of its new AI assistant, Muse, claiming it is “built from the ground up for privacy and security.” A zero-day vulnerability that gives locally run… Read More "Meta’s Muse AI Assistant Rolled Out With a Serious Security Flaw"
An Undercover Google Analyst Infiltrated a Notorious Supply-Chain Hacking Gang
Before two of its alleged members were arrested and charged in Australia last month, the hacker group known as TeamPCP carried out a hacking spree unlike any other in history. It tainted hundreds of open-source programs with its malware, stole… Read More "An Undercover Google Analyst Infiltrated a Notorious Supply-Chain Hacking Gang"
A New Tool Found Malware That’s Guided by an AI Hive Mind—No Humans in Sight
For years, cybersecurity practitioners have tracked different types of malware and detected potential infections using digital fingerprints to identify different hacking tools and follow their use over time. As attackers are increasingly incorporating agentic AI components into their hacking tools,… Read More "A New Tool Found Malware That’s Guided by an AI Hive Mind—No Humans in Sight"
Shaq Got Hacked. Now He’s Pitching for a VPN
At a promotional event in Times Square on Wednesday for the security company NordVPN, brand ambassador Shaquille O’Neal said he is eager to raise awareness among regular people about the importance of digital security and personal privacy. “I have a… Read More "Shaq Got Hacked. Now He’s Pitching for a VPN"
Forget the AI Slowdown—the Vulnerability Explosion Is Already Happening
Welcome to the inaugural edition of Kernel Panic! A weekly newsletter by Lily Hay Newman and Matt Burgess from inside the new world of privacy and digital security. To receive this newsletter in your inbox each week, sign up here.… Read More "Forget the AI Slowdown—the Vulnerability Explosion Is Already Happening"
The Secrets of the US Spyware King
Rather than see Paragon’s lack of access to logs as an accountability problem, however, Boyd describes it as a selling point: No one would buy their products if the company could see a customer’s sensitive targeting information or logs that… Read More "The Secrets of the US Spyware King"