Tech & Business
Big Tech, startups, cybersecurity and the business decisions behind your devices.
ConnectWise breach: Microsoft says Chinese hackers used ARTEX AI on 2,250 tenants
Microsoft says a China aligned group hijacked ConnectWise cloud apps and used an open source AI agent called ARTEX to try to break into more than 2,250 Microsoft 365 tenants.
All stories
Meta Ordered to Pay $25 Billion in New Mexico Facebook Privacy Case
A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion after a jury found Facebook misled users about data privacy. Meta says it will appeal.
Meta Pauses Muse Chat Sharing After 6,800 Shared Conversations Surface in DNS Records
Researchers found more than 6,800 Muse shared chats through public DNS records, some holding financial and business details. Meta has paused the sharing feature.
PHP2Shell: Critical PHP Flaws Let Attackers Take Over Web Servers, Patch Now
PHP shipped emergency fixes on October 21 for two critical PHP2Shell flaws that allow unauthenticated remote code execution. Here is who is at risk and what to do.
California student data breach at testing vendor ETS started with one stolen login
A compromised login let an intruder copy California student testing records from an ETS file server for nearly four months. Here is what was exposed and how families can get free identity protection.
Musk promises one SpaceX share to every kid in America next year
Elon Musk says he will give one of his SpaceX shares to every American child in 2027, a gift worth about $10.5 billion at current prices. Here is what is known, and what is not.
Apple's New App Store Guidelines Target AI Nudify Apps and Hidden Features
Apple has updated its App Review Guidelines to crack down on AI generated nonconsensual imagery and bait and switch apps that hide features from reviewers.
WhatsApp guest calls let people without an account join from a browser link
WhatsApp is rolling out guest calling, so people who have never installed the app can join encrypted voice and video calls from a link. Here is how it works and what guests can and cannot do.
Meta and Apple team up to run Muse Spark Open, an 816 billion parameter model, on Mac Studios
Meta released Muse Spark Open, a giant open weight AI model tuned with Apple to run on two linked Mac Studios. It is the rivals' first public partnership in years.
PostgreSQL 19 slips to November after AI code review forces 8 to 10 features out
PostgreSQL 19 now targets around November 19 after developers pulled up to 10 features, partly because AI assisted review found bugs faster than they could be fixed.
Zero-Click Spyware Hid in Online Ads to Hack Al Jazeera, Citizen Lab Says
Citizen Lab says an Israeli ad firm helped deliver Candiru zero-click spyware through targeted online ads, infecting at least 45 Al Jazeera computers. Here is how it worked and how to protect yourself.
BAE Systems cyber incident knocks out federal Bankruptcy Noticing Center nationwide
A cybersecurity incident at contractor BAE Systems has taken the federal Bankruptcy Noticing Center offline, halting court notices for debtors, creditors and lawyers across the US.
CoreWeave stock plunges 15% as bond yields near 15% and dilution fears grow
CoreWeave shares fell 15.46% on Oct. 14 and slid again Thursday as yields on its unsecured bonds jumped toward 15%, reviving doubts about debt funded AI infrastructure.
Netflix layoffs cut about 1,000 jobs, 6% of staff, days before earnings
Netflix is laying off roughly 1,000 employees, about 6% of its workforce, in its biggest cuts since 2022. Here is who is affected, why it is happening and what to watch when the company reports on Oct. 20.
FBI arrests OpenAI engineer accused of hiding a recorder in an executive conference room
Federal prosecutors say OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan hid an audio recording device behind a TV in an executive meeting room. OpenAI says it sees no sign model weights or customer data were taken.
North Korean IT workers infiltrated 70 US companies through laptop farms, DOJ says
The Justice Department charged a group accused of helping North Korean IT workers land remote jobs at more than 70 US firms, as the FBI raided 40 laptop farms in Texas.
Ahold Delhaize cyberattack takes Stop & Shop, Food Lion and Giant websites offline
A cybersecurity incident at Ahold Delhaize has shut down online ordering at Stop & Shop, Food Lion, Hannaford and Giant. Stores remain open, but the company has not said whether data was taken.
Character.AI Files for Bankruptcy as Disney Bids $20 Million for Its Tech
Character.AI has filed for Chapter 11 and will sell assets at auction, with Disney opening at $20 million. Here is what it means for users of the chatbot app.
Hackers heat French supermarket fridges to 50°C in cyberattack on Danfoss controllers
Attackers hijacked Danfoss refrigeration controllers at hundreds of French grocery stores overnight and forced defrost cycles that spoiled food. Paris prosecutors have opened an investigation.
Cash App Data Breach Settlement Payments Expected in October: What to Know
Approved claimants in the $15 million Cash App Investing settlement should see payments this month. Here is who qualifies, how much to expect and how to avoid scams.
Meta Bans TikTok Ads on Facebook and Instagram in the US and Six Other Countries
Meta has blocked ByteDance and any TikTok linked campaigns from advertising on Facebook and Instagram in seven countries. Here is why, and who feels it.
Cloudflare Buys Deno: Runtime Winds Down as Ryan Dahl's Team Joins Workers
Cloudflare is acquiring Deno and its team. The Deno runtime gets one more year of security updates, Deno Deploy closes in six months, and JSR stays.
Tesla renames Full Self-Driving to Tesla Assisted Driving in Europe after German pressure
Tesla dropped the Full Self-Driving name in Europe after Germany called it misleading, as it chases an EU wide approval that has slipped to December at the earliest.
Flock Safety cuts 18% of staff through buyouts as cities drop its license plate cameras
Flock Safety is shedding about 270 employees through voluntary buyouts, Reuters reports, as privacy concerns and police misuse cases push cities to drop its license plate cameras.
Xbox launches XP division to take its games into film, TV, merch and theme parks
Xbox has created XP, a new division led by former Mojang president Kayleen Walters, to turn franchises like Minecraft into movies, products and live experiences.
Waymo closes $5 billion loan led by PIMCO, Blackstone and Sixth Street, its first debt deal
Waymo has borrowed $5 billion from a lender group led by PIMCO, Blackstone and Sixth Street, its first debt financing, to fund robotaxi expansion in the US, Europe and Japan.
TikTok gave users a placebo Algo Refresh safety tool, New York lawsuit alleges
An unsealed New York complaint says TikTok handed thousands of users, including teens, a version of its feed reset tool that did not work. TikTok disputes the claims.
Galaxy S26, Sonos and smart home hubs hacked as Pwn2Own Ireland 2026 tops 77 zero days
Researchers at Pwn2Own Ireland 2026 exploited 77 zero days in two days, hacking the Samsung Galaxy S26 repeatedly along with smart home hubs, printers and AI tools. Here is what it means for owners.
SpaceX seeks $40 billion in Apollo led debt to buy Nvidia AI chips
SpaceX is in talks to raise about $40 billion in loans and bonds to buy Nvidia chips for xAI, according to the Financial Times. Apollo is expected to lead the deal.
How to spot fake social media accounts and impersonation scams
Fake profiles copy real people, brands and support teams to steal money and logins. Here are the warning signs and what to do when you find one.
Social media privacy checkup: the settings to change on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X
A short privacy checkup on each app limits who can see your posts, find your profile and use your data. Here are the settings worth changing first.
How to find and cancel forgotten subscriptions on Apple, Google and Amazon
Small monthly charges add up. Here is how to find every subscription billed through your phone, app store or Amazon account and cancel the ones you no longer use.
How to download your data from Google, Apple, Meta and Amazon
Big Tech companies let you request a copy of what they hold about you. Here is where to find each tool, what you get back and how to keep the file safe.
Satellite internet explained: how it works and what to check before you buy
Satellite internet reaches places cables do not, but orbit, latency and weather shape how it feels. Here is how it works and what to check before signing up.
Google pauses its open source bug bounty after a flood of AI generated reports
Google paused its Open Source Software Vulnerability Rewards Program on Oct. 1, saying most of a surge in automated submissions were not valid. An update is promised for early 2027.
Reddit will switch off RSS feeds on Nov. 13 and close its public API by March
Reddit says RSS has become a route for large scale scraping. Developers have until Jan. 12 to register apps, and there is no replacement for most RSS readers.
Bain says AI needs $6 trillion a year in new revenue by 2031 to pay for itself
Bain's seventh Global Technology Report argues that cost savings alone will not cover the data center boom. Most of the money has to come from products that do not exist yet.
Paramount Skydance expects to close its Warner Bros. Discovery deal on Oct. 6
The combined company will be called Skydance. Here is what Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders get and what is still unknown about HBO Max and Paramount+.
Pentagon personnel data breach exposed records of more than 3 million people
Hackers had access to a Defense Department HR system for months. Affected people are being offered a year of credit monitoring. Here is what was taken and what to do.
Citrix NetScaler zero days are under attack. Patch and check for webshells
Two critical flaws in NetScaler ADC and Gateway were exploited before patches arrived. CISA gave federal agencies three days to fix them.
Protect your online accounts in 10 minutes
Four quick changes block most account takeovers. Start with your email, then your bank and phone carrier.
Do you need a password manager? Yes, and here is how to choose one
A password manager is the easiest way to use a unique password everywhere. Here is how they work, what to look for and how to get started.
Reddit ending RSS is another sign the open web is closing
Fighting AI scraping is a fair goal. Shutting simple tools that readers rely on is a costly way to do it.
Big Tech
- Meta Ordered to Pay $25 Billion in New Mexico Facebook Privacy CaseAnalysis · 8 min read
- Musk promises one SpaceX share to every kid in America next yearNews · 6 min read
- Apple's New App Store Guidelines Target AI Nudify Apps and Hidden FeaturesNews · 6 min read
- Meta and Apple team up to run Muse Spark Open, an 816 billion parameter model, on Mac StudiosNews · 6 min read
- CoreWeave stock plunges 15% as bond yields near 15% and dilution fears growNews · 7 min read
- Netflix layoffs cut about 1,000 jobs, 6% of staff, days before earningsNews · 6 min read
- FBI arrests OpenAI engineer accused of hiding a recorder in an executive conference roomNews · 7 min read
- Cloudflare Buys Deno: Runtime Winds Down as Ryan Dahl's Team Joins WorkersNews · 6 min read
- Tesla renames Full Self-Driving to Tesla Assisted Driving in Europe after German pressureNews · 6 min read
- Xbox launches XP division to take its games into film, TV, merch and theme parksNews · 6 min read
- SpaceX seeks $40 billion in Apollo led debt to buy Nvidia AI chipsNews · 5 min read
- How to find and cancel forgotten subscriptions on Apple, Google and AmazonGuide · 4 min read
- How to download your data from Google, Apple, Meta and AmazonGuide · 5 min read
- Bain says AI needs $6 trillion a year in new revenue by 2031 to pay for itselfAnalysis · 6 min read
- Paramount Skydance expects to close its Warner Bros. Discovery deal on Oct. 6News · 5 min read
Cybersecurity
- ConnectWise breach: Microsoft says Chinese hackers used ARTEX AI on 2,250 tenantsNews · 7 min read
- Meta Pauses Muse Chat Sharing After 6,800 Shared Conversations Surface in DNS RecordsNews · 6 min read
- PHP2Shell: Critical PHP Flaws Let Attackers Take Over Web Servers, Patch NowNews · 7 min read
- California student data breach at testing vendor ETS started with one stolen loginNews · 7 min read
- Zero-Click Spyware Hid in Online Ads to Hack Al Jazeera, Citizen Lab SaysAnalysis · 7 min read
- BAE Systems cyber incident knocks out federal Bankruptcy Noticing Center nationwideNews · 6 min read
- North Korean IT workers infiltrated 70 US companies through laptop farms, DOJ saysNews · 6 min read
- Ahold Delhaize cyberattack takes Stop & Shop, Food Lion and Giant websites offlineNews · 6 min read
- Hackers heat French supermarket fridges to 50°C in cyberattack on Danfoss controllersNews · 6 min read
- Cash App Data Breach Settlement Payments Expected in October: What to KnowNews · 6 min read
- Galaxy S26, Sonos and smart home hubs hacked as Pwn2Own Ireland 2026 tops 77 zero daysNews · 6 min read
- Google pauses its open source bug bounty after a flood of AI generated reportsNews · 5 min read
- Pentagon personnel data breach exposed records of more than 3 million peopleNews · 6 min read
- Citrix NetScaler zero days are under attack. Patch and check for webshellsNews · 6 min read
- Protect your online accounts in 10 minutesGuide · 6 min read
- Do you need a password manager? Yes, and here is how to choose oneGuide · 7 min read
internet
Startups
- Character.AI Files for Bankruptcy as Disney Bids $20 Million for Its TechNews · 6 min read
- Flock Safety cuts 18% of staff through buyouts as cities drop its license plate camerasNews · 6 min read
- Waymo closes $5 billion loan led by PIMCO, Blackstone and Sixth Street, its first debt dealNews · 6 min read
Opinion
Tech basics
What is a passkey?
A passkey replaces a password with a secure key stored on your device, unlocked with your fingerprint, face or PIN. It cannot be phished or reused on another site, which makes it much safer than a password.
What is a zero day vulnerability?
A zero day is a software flaw that attackers exploit before the maker has released a fix. When a patch arrives, install it quickly, because attackers often move faster once the flaw is public.
Get smarter about tech in five minutes a day.
One clear email with the stories that matter across AI, crypto, gadgets and tech.
Social Media