• Reddit porte plainte contre Anthropic, opérateur de l’IA Claude

    Reddit a porté plainte contre Anthropic devant un tribunal de San Francisco, mercredi 4 juin. DADO RUVIC / REUTERS La plateforme Reddit a porté plainte contre Anthropic, start-up californienne d’intelligence artificielle. Reddit accuse l’entreprise d’avoir utilisé sans autorisation des conversations publiques de ses utilisateurs pour entraîner ses modèles d’IA générative – parmi lesquels figure Claude, un modèle de langage et chatbot concurrent de ChatGPT. D’après la plainte, déposée mercredi 4 juin à San Francisco, Reddit reproche à Anthropic d’avoir entraîné ses modèles de langage à partir de messages « humains » postés sur Reddit. L’action en justice se base notamment sur un document de recherche publié en décembre 2021 par les équipes d’Anthropic et cosignés par le chef de l’entreprise, Dario Amodei. Le texte mentionne certaines conversations spécifiques de Reddit pouvant servir à l’entraînement de tels modèles. Celles tenues sur Wikipédia sont aussi mentionnées. La plainte allègue que malgré les déclarations publiques d’Anthropic, qui a assuré avoir bloqué l’accès à Reddit à ses systèmes automatisés de récolte des données, les robots de l’entreprise ont malgré tout continué « à se connecter aux serveurs de Reddit, et ce plus de cent mille fois » depuis juillet 2024, indique le texte. Lire aussi | Le gouvernement retire une vidéo générée par IA sur la Résistance, à la suite d’une erreur historique Anthropic conteste « Nous ne sommes pas d’accord avec les affirmations de Reddit et nous nous défendrons vigoureusement », a réagi un porte-parole d’Anthropic auprès de l’Agence France-Presse. Fondée à San Francisco par d’anciens ingénieurs d’OpenAI, Anthropic promeut de manière ostensible un développement responsable de l’IA générative. « Cette affaire porte sur les deux personnalités d’Anthropic : la personnalité publique qui tente de faire croire aux consommateurs qu’elle est une entreprise juste qui respecte les limites et la loi, et la personnalité privée qui se moque de toutes les règles qui gênent ses tentatives de s’en mettre plein les poches », accuse Reddit dans la plainte. Reddit demande désormais des dommages et intérêts, et une injonction pour obliger Anthropic à respecter les termes de son contrat d’utilisation. Ce dernier interdit depuis 2024, date d’entrée en Bourse de Reddit, l’utilisation de données issues des discussions Reddit sans qu’un accord, ou un contrat, ne soit signé avec la plateforme. Reddit, qui déclarait en octobre 2024 compter sur 97,2 millions d’utilisateurs actifs chaque jour, a déjà conclu des accords de licence avec d’autres géants de l’IA générative, dont Google et OpenAI. Ces accords permettent à ces firmes d’utiliser les contenus de Reddit suivant des conditions qui protègent les informations confidentielles des utilisateurs, et offrent une compensation financière à la plateforme. Lire aussi | Article réservé à nos abonnés Un pionnier de l’IA veut construire des systèmes non nuisibles à l’humanité Le Monde avec AFP
    #reddit #porte #plainte #contre #anthropic
    Reddit porte plainte contre Anthropic, opérateur de l’IA Claude
    Reddit a porté plainte contre Anthropic devant un tribunal de San Francisco, mercredi 4 juin. DADO RUVIC / REUTERS La plateforme Reddit a porté plainte contre Anthropic, start-up californienne d’intelligence artificielle. Reddit accuse l’entreprise d’avoir utilisé sans autorisation des conversations publiques de ses utilisateurs pour entraîner ses modèles d’IA générative – parmi lesquels figure Claude, un modèle de langage et chatbot concurrent de ChatGPT. D’après la plainte, déposée mercredi 4 juin à San Francisco, Reddit reproche à Anthropic d’avoir entraîné ses modèles de langage à partir de messages « humains » postés sur Reddit. L’action en justice se base notamment sur un document de recherche publié en décembre 2021 par les équipes d’Anthropic et cosignés par le chef de l’entreprise, Dario Amodei. Le texte mentionne certaines conversations spécifiques de Reddit pouvant servir à l’entraînement de tels modèles. Celles tenues sur Wikipédia sont aussi mentionnées. La plainte allègue que malgré les déclarations publiques d’Anthropic, qui a assuré avoir bloqué l’accès à Reddit à ses systèmes automatisés de récolte des données, les robots de l’entreprise ont malgré tout continué « à se connecter aux serveurs de Reddit, et ce plus de cent mille fois » depuis juillet 2024, indique le texte. Lire aussi | Le gouvernement retire une vidéo générée par IA sur la Résistance, à la suite d’une erreur historique Anthropic conteste « Nous ne sommes pas d’accord avec les affirmations de Reddit et nous nous défendrons vigoureusement », a réagi un porte-parole d’Anthropic auprès de l’Agence France-Presse. Fondée à San Francisco par d’anciens ingénieurs d’OpenAI, Anthropic promeut de manière ostensible un développement responsable de l’IA générative. « Cette affaire porte sur les deux personnalités d’Anthropic : la personnalité publique qui tente de faire croire aux consommateurs qu’elle est une entreprise juste qui respecte les limites et la loi, et la personnalité privée qui se moque de toutes les règles qui gênent ses tentatives de s’en mettre plein les poches », accuse Reddit dans la plainte. Reddit demande désormais des dommages et intérêts, et une injonction pour obliger Anthropic à respecter les termes de son contrat d’utilisation. Ce dernier interdit depuis 2024, date d’entrée en Bourse de Reddit, l’utilisation de données issues des discussions Reddit sans qu’un accord, ou un contrat, ne soit signé avec la plateforme. Reddit, qui déclarait en octobre 2024 compter sur 97,2 millions d’utilisateurs actifs chaque jour, a déjà conclu des accords de licence avec d’autres géants de l’IA générative, dont Google et OpenAI. Ces accords permettent à ces firmes d’utiliser les contenus de Reddit suivant des conditions qui protègent les informations confidentielles des utilisateurs, et offrent une compensation financière à la plateforme. Lire aussi | Article réservé à nos abonnés Un pionnier de l’IA veut construire des systèmes non nuisibles à l’humanité Le Monde avec AFP #reddit #porte #plainte #contre #anthropic
    WWW.LEMONDE.FR
    Reddit porte plainte contre Anthropic, opérateur de l’IA Claude
    Reddit a porté plainte contre Anthropic devant un tribunal de San Francisco, mercredi 4 juin. DADO RUVIC / REUTERS La plateforme Reddit a porté plainte contre Anthropic, start-up californienne d’intelligence artificielle (IA). Reddit accuse l’entreprise d’avoir utilisé sans autorisation des conversations publiques de ses utilisateurs pour entraîner ses modèles d’IA générative – parmi lesquels figure Claude, un modèle de langage et chatbot concurrent de ChatGPT. D’après la plainte, déposée mercredi 4 juin à San Francisco, Reddit reproche à Anthropic d’avoir entraîné ses modèles de langage à partir de messages « humains » postés sur Reddit. L’action en justice se base notamment sur un document de recherche publié en décembre 2021 par les équipes d’Anthropic et cosignés par le chef de l’entreprise, Dario Amodei. Le texte mentionne certaines conversations spécifiques de Reddit pouvant servir à l’entraînement de tels modèles. Celles tenues sur Wikipédia sont aussi mentionnées. La plainte allègue que malgré les déclarations publiques d’Anthropic, qui a assuré avoir bloqué l’accès à Reddit à ses systèmes automatisés de récolte des données, les robots de l’entreprise ont malgré tout continué « à se connecter aux serveurs de Reddit, et ce plus de cent mille fois » depuis juillet 2024, indique le texte. Lire aussi | Le gouvernement retire une vidéo générée par IA sur la Résistance, à la suite d’une erreur historique Anthropic conteste « Nous ne sommes pas d’accord avec les affirmations de Reddit et nous nous défendrons vigoureusement », a réagi un porte-parole d’Anthropic auprès de l’Agence France-Presse. Fondée à San Francisco par d’anciens ingénieurs d’OpenAI, Anthropic promeut de manière ostensible un développement responsable de l’IA générative. « Cette affaire porte sur les deux personnalités d’Anthropic : la personnalité publique qui tente de faire croire aux consommateurs qu’elle est une entreprise juste qui respecte les limites et la loi, et la personnalité privée qui se moque de toutes les règles qui gênent ses tentatives de s’en mettre plein les poches », accuse Reddit dans la plainte. Reddit demande désormais des dommages et intérêts, et une injonction pour obliger Anthropic à respecter les termes de son contrat d’utilisation. Ce dernier interdit depuis 2024, date d’entrée en Bourse de Reddit, l’utilisation de données issues des discussions Reddit sans qu’un accord, ou un contrat, ne soit signé avec la plateforme. Reddit, qui déclarait en octobre 2024 compter sur 97,2 millions d’utilisateurs actifs chaque jour, a déjà conclu des accords de licence avec d’autres géants de l’IA générative, dont Google et OpenAI. Ces accords permettent à ces firmes d’utiliser les contenus de Reddit suivant des conditions qui protègent les informations confidentielles des utilisateurs, et offrent une compensation financière à la plateforme. Lire aussi | Article réservé à nos abonnés Un pionnier de l’IA veut construire des systèmes non nuisibles à l’humanité Le Monde avec AFP
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  • Popular Chrome Extensions Leak API Keys, User Data via HTTP and Hard-Coded Credentials

    Cybersecurity researchers have flagged several popular Google Chrome extensions that have been found to transmit data in HTTP and hard-code secrets in their code, exposing users to privacy and security risks.
    "Several widely used extensionsunintentionally transmit sensitive data over simple HTTP," Yuanjing Guo, a security researcher in the Symantec's Security Technology and Response team, said. "By doing so, they expose browsing domains, machine IDs, operating system details, usage analytics, and even uninstall information, in plaintext."
    The fact that the network traffic is unencrypted also means that they are susceptible to adversary-in-the-middleattacks, allowing malicious actors on the same network such as a public Wi-Fi to intercept and, even worse, modify this data, which could lead to far more serious consequences.

    The list of identified extensions are below -

    SEMRush Rankand PI Rank, which call the URL "rank.trelliancom" over plain HTTP
    Browsec VPN, which uses HTTP to call an uninstall URL at "browsec-uninstall.s3-website.eu-central-1.amazonawscom" when a user attempts to uninstall the extension
    MSN New Taband MSN Homepage, Bing Search & News, which transmit a unique machine identifier and other details over HTTP to "g.ceipmsncom"
    DualSafe Password Manager & Digital Vault, which constructs an HTTP-based URL request to "stats.itopupdatecom" along with information about the extension version, user's browser language, and usage "type"

    "Although credentials or passwords do not appear to be leaked, the fact that a password manager uses unencrypted requests for telemetry erodes trust in its overall security posture," Guo said.
    Symantec said it also identified another set of extensions with API keys, secrets, and tokens directly embedded in the JavaScript code, which an attacker could weaponize to craft malicious requests and carry out various malicious actions -

    Online Security & Privacy extension, AVG Online Security, Speed Dial- New Tab Page, 3D, Sync, and SellerSprite - Amazon Research Tool, which expose a hard-coded Google Analytics 4API secret that an attacker could use to bombard the GA4 endpoint and corrupt metrics
    Equatio – Math Made Digital, which embeds a Microsoft Azure API key used for speech recognition that an attacker could use to inflate the developer's costs or exhaust their usage limits
    Awesome Screen Recorder & Screenshotand Scrolling Screenshot Tool & Screen Capture, which expose the developer's Amazon Web Servicesaccess key used to upload screenshots to the developer's S3 bucket
    Microsoft Editor – Spelling & Grammar Checker, which exposes a telemetry key named "StatsApiKey" to log user data for analytics
    Antidote Connector, which incorporates a third-party library called InboxSDK that contains hard-coded credentials, including API keys.
    Watch2Gether, which exposes a Tenor GIF search API key
    Trust Wallet, which exposes an API key associated with the Ramp Network, a Web3 platform that offers wallet developers a way to let users buy or sell crypto directly from the app
    TravelArrow – Your Virtual Travel Agent, which exposes a geolocation API key when making queries to "ip-apicom"

    Attackers who end up finding these keys could weaponize them to drive up API costs, host illegal content, send spoofed telemetry data, and mimic cryptocurrency transaction orders, some of which could see the developer's ban getting banned.
    Adding to the concern, Antidote Connector is just one of over 90 extensions that use InboxSDK, meaning the other extensions are susceptible to the same problem. The names of the other extensions were not disclosed by Symantec.

    "From GA4 analytics secrets to Azure speech keys, and from AWS S3 credentials to Google-specific tokens, each of these snippets demonstrates how a few lines of code can jeopardize an entire service," Guo said. "The solution: never store sensitive credentials on the client side."
    Developers are recommended to switch to HTTPS whenever they send or receive data, store credentials securely in a backend server using a credentials management service, and regularly rotate secrets to further minimize risk.
    The findings show how even popular extensions with hundreds of thousands of installations can suffer from trivial misconfigurations and security blunders like hard-coded credentials, leaving users' data at risk.
    "Users of these extensions should consider removing them until the developers address the insecurecalls," the company said. "The risk is not just theoretical; unencrypted traffic is simple to capture, and the data can be used for profiling, phishing, or other targeted attacks."
    "The overarching lesson is that a large install base or a well-known brand does not necessarily ensure best practices around encryption. Extensions should be scrutinized for the protocols they use and the data they share, to ensure users' information remains truly safe."

    Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter  and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.
    #popular #chrome #extensions #leak #api
    Popular Chrome Extensions Leak API Keys, User Data via HTTP and Hard-Coded Credentials
    Cybersecurity researchers have flagged several popular Google Chrome extensions that have been found to transmit data in HTTP and hard-code secrets in their code, exposing users to privacy and security risks. "Several widely used extensionsunintentionally transmit sensitive data over simple HTTP," Yuanjing Guo, a security researcher in the Symantec's Security Technology and Response team, said. "By doing so, they expose browsing domains, machine IDs, operating system details, usage analytics, and even uninstall information, in plaintext." The fact that the network traffic is unencrypted also means that they are susceptible to adversary-in-the-middleattacks, allowing malicious actors on the same network such as a public Wi-Fi to intercept and, even worse, modify this data, which could lead to far more serious consequences. The list of identified extensions are below - SEMRush Rankand PI Rank, which call the URL "rank.trelliancom" over plain HTTP Browsec VPN, which uses HTTP to call an uninstall URL at "browsec-uninstall.s3-website.eu-central-1.amazonawscom" when a user attempts to uninstall the extension MSN New Taband MSN Homepage, Bing Search & News, which transmit a unique machine identifier and other details over HTTP to "g.ceipmsncom" DualSafe Password Manager & Digital Vault, which constructs an HTTP-based URL request to "stats.itopupdatecom" along with information about the extension version, user's browser language, and usage "type" "Although credentials or passwords do not appear to be leaked, the fact that a password manager uses unencrypted requests for telemetry erodes trust in its overall security posture," Guo said. Symantec said it also identified another set of extensions with API keys, secrets, and tokens directly embedded in the JavaScript code, which an attacker could weaponize to craft malicious requests and carry out various malicious actions - Online Security & Privacy extension, AVG Online Security, Speed Dial- New Tab Page, 3D, Sync, and SellerSprite - Amazon Research Tool, which expose a hard-coded Google Analytics 4API secret that an attacker could use to bombard the GA4 endpoint and corrupt metrics Equatio – Math Made Digital, which embeds a Microsoft Azure API key used for speech recognition that an attacker could use to inflate the developer's costs or exhaust their usage limits Awesome Screen Recorder & Screenshotand Scrolling Screenshot Tool & Screen Capture, which expose the developer's Amazon Web Servicesaccess key used to upload screenshots to the developer's S3 bucket Microsoft Editor – Spelling & Grammar Checker, which exposes a telemetry key named "StatsApiKey" to log user data for analytics Antidote Connector, which incorporates a third-party library called InboxSDK that contains hard-coded credentials, including API keys. Watch2Gether, which exposes a Tenor GIF search API key Trust Wallet, which exposes an API key associated with the Ramp Network, a Web3 platform that offers wallet developers a way to let users buy or sell crypto directly from the app TravelArrow – Your Virtual Travel Agent, which exposes a geolocation API key when making queries to "ip-apicom" Attackers who end up finding these keys could weaponize them to drive up API costs, host illegal content, send spoofed telemetry data, and mimic cryptocurrency transaction orders, some of which could see the developer's ban getting banned. Adding to the concern, Antidote Connector is just one of over 90 extensions that use InboxSDK, meaning the other extensions are susceptible to the same problem. The names of the other extensions were not disclosed by Symantec. "From GA4 analytics secrets to Azure speech keys, and from AWS S3 credentials to Google-specific tokens, each of these snippets demonstrates how a few lines of code can jeopardize an entire service," Guo said. "The solution: never store sensitive credentials on the client side." Developers are recommended to switch to HTTPS whenever they send or receive data, store credentials securely in a backend server using a credentials management service, and regularly rotate secrets to further minimize risk. The findings show how even popular extensions with hundreds of thousands of installations can suffer from trivial misconfigurations and security blunders like hard-coded credentials, leaving users' data at risk. "Users of these extensions should consider removing them until the developers address the insecurecalls," the company said. "The risk is not just theoretical; unencrypted traffic is simple to capture, and the data can be used for profiling, phishing, or other targeted attacks." "The overarching lesson is that a large install base or a well-known brand does not necessarily ensure best practices around encryption. Extensions should be scrutinized for the protocols they use and the data they share, to ensure users' information remains truly safe." Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter  and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post. #popular #chrome #extensions #leak #api
    THEHACKERNEWS.COM
    Popular Chrome Extensions Leak API Keys, User Data via HTTP and Hard-Coded Credentials
    Cybersecurity researchers have flagged several popular Google Chrome extensions that have been found to transmit data in HTTP and hard-code secrets in their code, exposing users to privacy and security risks. "Several widely used extensions [...] unintentionally transmit sensitive data over simple HTTP," Yuanjing Guo, a security researcher in the Symantec's Security Technology and Response team, said. "By doing so, they expose browsing domains, machine IDs, operating system details, usage analytics, and even uninstall information, in plaintext." The fact that the network traffic is unencrypted also means that they are susceptible to adversary-in-the-middle (AitM) attacks, allowing malicious actors on the same network such as a public Wi-Fi to intercept and, even worse, modify this data, which could lead to far more serious consequences. The list of identified extensions are below - SEMRush Rank (extension ID: idbhoeaiokcojcgappfigpifhpkjgmab) and PI Rank (ID: ccgdboldgdlngcgfdolahmiilojmfndl), which call the URL "rank.trellian[.]com" over plain HTTP Browsec VPN (ID: omghfjlpggmjjaagoclmmobgdodcjboh), which uses HTTP to call an uninstall URL at "browsec-uninstall.s3-website.eu-central-1.amazonaws[.]com" when a user attempts to uninstall the extension MSN New Tab (ID: lklfbkdigihjaaeamncibechhgalldgl) and MSN Homepage, Bing Search & News (ID: midiombanaceofjhodpdibeppmnamfcj), which transmit a unique machine identifier and other details over HTTP to "g.ceipmsn[.]com" DualSafe Password Manager & Digital Vault (ID: lgbjhdkjmpgjgcbcdlhkokkckpjmedgc), which constructs an HTTP-based URL request to "stats.itopupdate[.]com" along with information about the extension version, user's browser language, and usage "type" "Although credentials or passwords do not appear to be leaked, the fact that a password manager uses unencrypted requests for telemetry erodes trust in its overall security posture," Guo said. Symantec said it also identified another set of extensions with API keys, secrets, and tokens directly embedded in the JavaScript code, which an attacker could weaponize to craft malicious requests and carry out various malicious actions - Online Security & Privacy extension (ID: gomekmidlodglbbmalcneegieacbdmki), AVG Online Security (ID: nbmoafcmbajniiapeidgficgifbfmjfo), Speed Dial [FVD] - New Tab Page, 3D, Sync (ID: llaficoajjainaijghjlofdfmbjpebpa), and SellerSprite - Amazon Research Tool (ID: lnbmbgocenenhhhdojdielgnmeflbnfb), which expose a hard-coded Google Analytics 4 (GA4) API secret that an attacker could use to bombard the GA4 endpoint and corrupt metrics Equatio – Math Made Digital (ID: hjngolefdpdnooamgdldlkjgmdcmcjnc), which embeds a Microsoft Azure API key used for speech recognition that an attacker could use to inflate the developer's costs or exhaust their usage limits Awesome Screen Recorder & Screenshot (ID: nlipoenfbbikpbjkfpfillcgkoblgpmj) and Scrolling Screenshot Tool & Screen Capture (ID: mfpiaehgjbbfednooihadalhehabhcjo), which expose the developer's Amazon Web Services (AWS) access key used to upload screenshots to the developer's S3 bucket Microsoft Editor – Spelling & Grammar Checker (ID: gpaiobkfhnonedkhhfjpmhdalgeoebfa), which exposes a telemetry key named "StatsApiKey" to log user data for analytics Antidote Connector (ID: lmbopdiikkamfphhgcckcjhojnokgfeo), which incorporates a third-party library called InboxSDK that contains hard-coded credentials, including API keys. Watch2Gether (ID: cimpffimgeipdhnhjohpbehjkcdpjolg), which exposes a Tenor GIF search API key Trust Wallet (ID: egjidjbpglichdcondbcbdnbeeppgdph), which exposes an API key associated with the Ramp Network, a Web3 platform that offers wallet developers a way to let users buy or sell crypto directly from the app TravelArrow – Your Virtual Travel Agent (ID: coplmfnphahpcknbchcehdikbdieognn), which exposes a geolocation API key when making queries to "ip-api[.]com" Attackers who end up finding these keys could weaponize them to drive up API costs, host illegal content, send spoofed telemetry data, and mimic cryptocurrency transaction orders, some of which could see the developer's ban getting banned. Adding to the concern, Antidote Connector is just one of over 90 extensions that use InboxSDK, meaning the other extensions are susceptible to the same problem. The names of the other extensions were not disclosed by Symantec. "From GA4 analytics secrets to Azure speech keys, and from AWS S3 credentials to Google-specific tokens, each of these snippets demonstrates how a few lines of code can jeopardize an entire service," Guo said. "The solution: never store sensitive credentials on the client side." Developers are recommended to switch to HTTPS whenever they send or receive data, store credentials securely in a backend server using a credentials management service, and regularly rotate secrets to further minimize risk. The findings show how even popular extensions with hundreds of thousands of installations can suffer from trivial misconfigurations and security blunders like hard-coded credentials, leaving users' data at risk. "Users of these extensions should consider removing them until the developers address the insecure [HTTP] calls," the company said. "The risk is not just theoretical; unencrypted traffic is simple to capture, and the data can be used for profiling, phishing, or other targeted attacks." "The overarching lesson is that a large install base or a well-known brand does not necessarily ensure best practices around encryption. Extensions should be scrutinized for the protocols they use and the data they share, to ensure users' information remains truly safe." Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter  and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.
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  • Manus has kick-started an AI agent boom in China

    Last year, China saw a boom in foundation models, the do-everything large language models that underpin the AI revolution. This year, the focus has shifted to AI agents—systems that are less about responding to users’ queries and more about autonomously accomplishing things for them. 

    There are now a host of Chinese startups building these general-purpose digital tools, which can answer emails, browse the internet to plan vacations, and even design an interactive website. Many of these have emerged in just the last two months, following in the footsteps of Manus—a general AI agent that sparked weeks of social media frenzy for invite codes after its limited-release launch in early March. 

    These emerging AI agents aren’t large language models themselves. Instead, they’re built on top of them, using a workflow-based structure designed to get things done. A lot of these systems also introduce a different way of interacting with AI. Rather than just chatting back and forth with users, they are optimized for managing and executing multistep tasks—booking flights, managing schedules, conducting research—by using external tools and remembering instructions. 

    China could take the lead on building these kinds of agents. The country’s tightly integrated app ecosystems, rapid product cycles, and digitally fluent user base could provide a favorable environment for embedding AI into daily life. 

    For now, its leading AI agent startups are focusing their attention on the global market, because the best Western models don’t operate inside China’s firewalls. But that could change soon: Tech giants like ByteDance and Tencent are preparing their own AI agents that could bake automation directly into their native super-apps, pulling data from their vast ecosystem of programs that dominate many aspects of daily life in the country. 

    As the race to define what a useful AI agent looks like unfolds, a mix of ambitious startups and entrenched tech giants are now testing how these tools might actually work in practice—and for whom.

    Set the standard

    It’s been a whirlwind few months for Manus, which was developed by the Wuhan-based startup Butterfly Effect. The company raised million in a funding round led by the US venture capital firm Benchmark, took the product on an ambitious global roadshow, and hired dozens of new employees. 

    Even before registration opened to the public in May, Manus had become a reference point for what a broad, consumer‑oriented AI agent should accomplish. Rather than handling narrow chores for businesses, this “general” agent is designed to be able to help with everyday tasks like trip planning, stock comparison, or your kid’s school project. 

    Unlike previous AI agents, Manus uses a browser-based sandbox that lets users supervise the agent like an intern, watching in real time as it scrolls through web pages, reads articles, or codes actions. It also proactively asks clarifying questions, supports long-term memory that would serve as context for future tasks.

    “Manus represents a promising product experience for AI agents,” says Ang Li, cofounder and CEO of Simular, a startup based in Palo Alto, California, that’s building computer use agents, AI agents that control a virtual computer. “I believe Chinese startups have a huge advantage when it comes to designing consumer products, thanks to cutthroat domestic competition that leads to fast execution and greater attention to product details.”

    In the case of Manus, the competition is moving fast. Two of the most buzzy follow‑ups, Genspark and Flowith, for example, are already boasting benchmark scores that match or edge past Manus’s. 

    Genspark, led by former Baidu executives Eric Jing and Kay Zhu, links many small “super agents” through what it calls multi‑component prompting. The agent can switch among several large language models, accepts both images and text, and carries out tasks from making slide decks to placing phone calls. Whereas Manus relies heavily on Browser Use, a popular open-source product that lets agents operate a web browser in a virtual window like a human, Genspark directly integrates with a wide array of tools and APIs. Launched in April, the company says that it already has over 5 million users and over million in yearly revenue.

    Flowith, the work of a young team that first grabbed public attention in April 2025 at a developer event hosted by the popular social media app Xiaohongshu, takes a different tack. Marketed as an “infinite agent,” it opens on a blank canvas where each question becomes a node on a branching map. Users can backtrack, take new branches, and store results in personal or sharable “knowledge gardens”—a design that feels more like project management softwarethan a typical chat interface. Every inquiry or task builds its own mind-map-like graph, encouraging a more nonlinear and creative interaction with AI. Flowith’s core agent, NEO, runs in the cloud and can perform scheduled tasks like sending emails and compiling files. The founders want the app to be a “knowledge marketbase”, and aims to tap into the social aspect of AI with the aspiration of becoming “the OnlyFans of AI knowledge creators”.

    What they also share with Manus is the global ambition. Both Genspark and Flowith have stated that their primary focus is the international market.

    A global address

    Startups like Manus, Genspark, and Flowith—though founded by Chinese entrepreneurs—could blend seamlessly into the global tech scene and compete effectively abroad. Founders, investors, and analysts that MIT Technology Review has spoken to believe Chinese companies are moving fast, executing well, and quickly coming up with new products. 

    Money reinforces the pull to launch overseas. Customers there pay more, and there are plenty to go around. “You can price in USD, and with the exchange rate that’s a sevenfold multiplier,” Manus cofounder Xiao Hong quipped on a podcast. “Even if we’re only operating at 10% power because of cultural differences overseas, we’ll still make more than in China.”

    But creating the same functionality in China is a challenge. Major US AI companies including OpenAI and Anthropic have opted out of mainland China because of geopolitical risks and challenges with regulatory compliance. Their absence initially created a black market as users resorted to VPNs and third-party mirrors to access tools like ChatGPT and Claude. That vacuum has since been filled by a new wave of Chinese chatbots—DeepSeek, Doubao, Kimi—but the appetite for foreign models hasn’t gone away. 

    Manus, for example, uses Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet—widely considered the top model for agentic tasks. Manus cofounder Zhang Tao has repeatedly praised Claude’s ability to juggle tools, remember contexts, and hold multi‑round conversations—all crucial for turning chatty software into an effective executive assistant.

    But the company’s use of Sonnet has made its agent functionally unusable inside China without a VPN. If you open Manus from a mainland IP address, you’ll see a notice explaining that the team is “working on integrating Qwen’s model,” a special local version that is built on top of Alibaba’s open-source model. 

    An engineer overseeing ByteDance’s work on developing an agent, who spoke to MIT Technology Review anonymously to avoid sanction, said that the absence of Claude Sonnet models “limits everything we do in China.” DeepSeek’s open models, he added, still hallucinate too often and lack training on real‑world workflows. Developers we spoke with rank Alibaba’s Qwen series as the best domestic alternative, yet most say that switching to Qwen knocks performance down a notch.

    Jiaxin Pei, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford’s Institute for Human‑Centered AI, thinks that gap will close: “Building agentic capabilities in base LLMs has become a key focus for many LLM builders, and once people realize the value of this, it will only be a matter of time.”

    For now, Manus is doubling down on audiences it can already serve. In a written response, the company said its “primary focus is overseas expansion,” noting that new offices in San Francisco, Singapore, and Tokyo have opened in the past month.

    A super‑app approach

    Although the concept of AI agents is still relatively new, the consumer-facing AI app market in China is already crowded with major tech players. DeepSeek remains the most widely used, while ByteDance’s Doubao and Moonshot’s Kimi have also become household names. However, most of these apps are still optimized for chat and entertainment rather than task execution. This gap in the local market has pushed China’s big tech firms to roll out their own user-facing agents, though early versions remain uneven in quality and rough around the edges. 

    ByteDance is testing Coze Space, an AI agent based on its own Doubao model family that lets users toggle between “plan” and “execute” modes, so they can either directly guide the agent’s actions or step back and watch it work autonomously. It connects up to 14 popular apps, including GitHub, Notion, and the company’s own Lark office suite. Early reviews say the tool can feel clunky and has a high failure rate, but it clearly aims to match what Manus offers.

    Meanwhile, Zhipu AI has released a free agent called AutoGLM Rumination, built on its proprietary ChatGLM models. Shanghai‑based Minimax has launched Minimax Agent. Both products look almost identical to Manus and demo basic tasks such as building a simple website, planning a trip, making a small Flash game, or running quick data analysis.

    Despite the limited usability of most general AI agents launched within China, big companies have plans to change that. During a May 15 earnings call, Tencent president Liu Zhiping teased an agent that would weave automation directly into China’s most ubiquitous app, WeChat. 

    Considered the original super-app, WeChat already handles messaging, mobile payments, news, and millions of mini‑programs that act like embedded apps. These programs give Tencent, its developer, access to data from millions of services that pervade everyday life in China, an advantage most competitors can only envy.

    Historically, China’s consumer internet has splintered into competing walled gardens—share a Taobao link in WeChat and it resolves as plaintext, not a preview card. Unlike the more interoperable Western internet, China’s tech giants have long resisted integration with one another, choosing to wage platform war at the expense of a seamless user experience.

    But the use of mini‑programs has given WeChat unprecedented reach across services that once resisted interoperability, from gym bookings to grocery orders. An agent able to roam that ecosystem could bypass the integration headaches dogging independent startups.

    Alibaba, the e-commerce giant behind the Qwen model series, has been a front-runner in China’s AI race but has been slower to release consumer-facing products. Even though Qwen was the most downloaded open-source model on Hugging Face in 2024, it didn’t power a dedicated chatbot app until early 2025. In March, Alibaba rebranded its cloud storage and search app Quark into an all-in-one AI search tool. By June, Quark had introduced DeepResearch—a new mode that marks its most agent-like effort to date. 

    ByteDance and Alibaba did not reply to MIT Technology Review’s request for comments.

    “Historically, Chinese tech products tend to pursue the all-in-one, super-app approach, and the latest Chinese AI agents reflect just that,” says Li of Simular, who previously worked at Google DeepMind on AI-enabled work automation. “In contrast, AI agents in the US are more focused on serving specific verticals.”

    Pei, the researcher at Stanford, says that existing tech giants could have a huge advantage in bringing the vision of general AI agents to life—especially those with built-in integration across services. “The customer-facing AI agent market is still very early, with tons of problems like authentication and liability,” he says. “But companies that already operate across a wide range of services have a natural advantage in deploying agents at scale.”
    #manus #has #kickstarted #agent #boom
    Manus has kick-started an AI agent boom in China
    Last year, China saw a boom in foundation models, the do-everything large language models that underpin the AI revolution. This year, the focus has shifted to AI agents—systems that are less about responding to users’ queries and more about autonomously accomplishing things for them.  There are now a host of Chinese startups building these general-purpose digital tools, which can answer emails, browse the internet to plan vacations, and even design an interactive website. Many of these have emerged in just the last two months, following in the footsteps of Manus—a general AI agent that sparked weeks of social media frenzy for invite codes after its limited-release launch in early March.  These emerging AI agents aren’t large language models themselves. Instead, they’re built on top of them, using a workflow-based structure designed to get things done. A lot of these systems also introduce a different way of interacting with AI. Rather than just chatting back and forth with users, they are optimized for managing and executing multistep tasks—booking flights, managing schedules, conducting research—by using external tools and remembering instructions.  China could take the lead on building these kinds of agents. The country’s tightly integrated app ecosystems, rapid product cycles, and digitally fluent user base could provide a favorable environment for embedding AI into daily life.  For now, its leading AI agent startups are focusing their attention on the global market, because the best Western models don’t operate inside China’s firewalls. But that could change soon: Tech giants like ByteDance and Tencent are preparing their own AI agents that could bake automation directly into their native super-apps, pulling data from their vast ecosystem of programs that dominate many aspects of daily life in the country.  As the race to define what a useful AI agent looks like unfolds, a mix of ambitious startups and entrenched tech giants are now testing how these tools might actually work in practice—and for whom. Set the standard It’s been a whirlwind few months for Manus, which was developed by the Wuhan-based startup Butterfly Effect. The company raised million in a funding round led by the US venture capital firm Benchmark, took the product on an ambitious global roadshow, and hired dozens of new employees.  Even before registration opened to the public in May, Manus had become a reference point for what a broad, consumer‑oriented AI agent should accomplish. Rather than handling narrow chores for businesses, this “general” agent is designed to be able to help with everyday tasks like trip planning, stock comparison, or your kid’s school project.  Unlike previous AI agents, Manus uses a browser-based sandbox that lets users supervise the agent like an intern, watching in real time as it scrolls through web pages, reads articles, or codes actions. It also proactively asks clarifying questions, supports long-term memory that would serve as context for future tasks. “Manus represents a promising product experience for AI agents,” says Ang Li, cofounder and CEO of Simular, a startup based in Palo Alto, California, that’s building computer use agents, AI agents that control a virtual computer. “I believe Chinese startups have a huge advantage when it comes to designing consumer products, thanks to cutthroat domestic competition that leads to fast execution and greater attention to product details.” In the case of Manus, the competition is moving fast. Two of the most buzzy follow‑ups, Genspark and Flowith, for example, are already boasting benchmark scores that match or edge past Manus’s.  Genspark, led by former Baidu executives Eric Jing and Kay Zhu, links many small “super agents” through what it calls multi‑component prompting. The agent can switch among several large language models, accepts both images and text, and carries out tasks from making slide decks to placing phone calls. Whereas Manus relies heavily on Browser Use, a popular open-source product that lets agents operate a web browser in a virtual window like a human, Genspark directly integrates with a wide array of tools and APIs. Launched in April, the company says that it already has over 5 million users and over million in yearly revenue. Flowith, the work of a young team that first grabbed public attention in April 2025 at a developer event hosted by the popular social media app Xiaohongshu, takes a different tack. Marketed as an “infinite agent,” it opens on a blank canvas where each question becomes a node on a branching map. Users can backtrack, take new branches, and store results in personal or sharable “knowledge gardens”—a design that feels more like project management softwarethan a typical chat interface. Every inquiry or task builds its own mind-map-like graph, encouraging a more nonlinear and creative interaction with AI. Flowith’s core agent, NEO, runs in the cloud and can perform scheduled tasks like sending emails and compiling files. The founders want the app to be a “knowledge marketbase”, and aims to tap into the social aspect of AI with the aspiration of becoming “the OnlyFans of AI knowledge creators”. What they also share with Manus is the global ambition. Both Genspark and Flowith have stated that their primary focus is the international market. A global address Startups like Manus, Genspark, and Flowith—though founded by Chinese entrepreneurs—could blend seamlessly into the global tech scene and compete effectively abroad. Founders, investors, and analysts that MIT Technology Review has spoken to believe Chinese companies are moving fast, executing well, and quickly coming up with new products.  Money reinforces the pull to launch overseas. Customers there pay more, and there are plenty to go around. “You can price in USD, and with the exchange rate that’s a sevenfold multiplier,” Manus cofounder Xiao Hong quipped on a podcast. “Even if we’re only operating at 10% power because of cultural differences overseas, we’ll still make more than in China.” But creating the same functionality in China is a challenge. Major US AI companies including OpenAI and Anthropic have opted out of mainland China because of geopolitical risks and challenges with regulatory compliance. Their absence initially created a black market as users resorted to VPNs and third-party mirrors to access tools like ChatGPT and Claude. That vacuum has since been filled by a new wave of Chinese chatbots—DeepSeek, Doubao, Kimi—but the appetite for foreign models hasn’t gone away.  Manus, for example, uses Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet—widely considered the top model for agentic tasks. Manus cofounder Zhang Tao has repeatedly praised Claude’s ability to juggle tools, remember contexts, and hold multi‑round conversations—all crucial for turning chatty software into an effective executive assistant. But the company’s use of Sonnet has made its agent functionally unusable inside China without a VPN. If you open Manus from a mainland IP address, you’ll see a notice explaining that the team is “working on integrating Qwen’s model,” a special local version that is built on top of Alibaba’s open-source model.  An engineer overseeing ByteDance’s work on developing an agent, who spoke to MIT Technology Review anonymously to avoid sanction, said that the absence of Claude Sonnet models “limits everything we do in China.” DeepSeek’s open models, he added, still hallucinate too often and lack training on real‑world workflows. Developers we spoke with rank Alibaba’s Qwen series as the best domestic alternative, yet most say that switching to Qwen knocks performance down a notch. Jiaxin Pei, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford’s Institute for Human‑Centered AI, thinks that gap will close: “Building agentic capabilities in base LLMs has become a key focus for many LLM builders, and once people realize the value of this, it will only be a matter of time.” For now, Manus is doubling down on audiences it can already serve. In a written response, the company said its “primary focus is overseas expansion,” noting that new offices in San Francisco, Singapore, and Tokyo have opened in the past month. A super‑app approach Although the concept of AI agents is still relatively new, the consumer-facing AI app market in China is already crowded with major tech players. DeepSeek remains the most widely used, while ByteDance’s Doubao and Moonshot’s Kimi have also become household names. However, most of these apps are still optimized for chat and entertainment rather than task execution. This gap in the local market has pushed China’s big tech firms to roll out their own user-facing agents, though early versions remain uneven in quality and rough around the edges.  ByteDance is testing Coze Space, an AI agent based on its own Doubao model family that lets users toggle between “plan” and “execute” modes, so they can either directly guide the agent’s actions or step back and watch it work autonomously. It connects up to 14 popular apps, including GitHub, Notion, and the company’s own Lark office suite. Early reviews say the tool can feel clunky and has a high failure rate, but it clearly aims to match what Manus offers. Meanwhile, Zhipu AI has released a free agent called AutoGLM Rumination, built on its proprietary ChatGLM models. Shanghai‑based Minimax has launched Minimax Agent. Both products look almost identical to Manus and demo basic tasks such as building a simple website, planning a trip, making a small Flash game, or running quick data analysis. Despite the limited usability of most general AI agents launched within China, big companies have plans to change that. During a May 15 earnings call, Tencent president Liu Zhiping teased an agent that would weave automation directly into China’s most ubiquitous app, WeChat.  Considered the original super-app, WeChat already handles messaging, mobile payments, news, and millions of mini‑programs that act like embedded apps. These programs give Tencent, its developer, access to data from millions of services that pervade everyday life in China, an advantage most competitors can only envy. Historically, China’s consumer internet has splintered into competing walled gardens—share a Taobao link in WeChat and it resolves as plaintext, not a preview card. Unlike the more interoperable Western internet, China’s tech giants have long resisted integration with one another, choosing to wage platform war at the expense of a seamless user experience. But the use of mini‑programs has given WeChat unprecedented reach across services that once resisted interoperability, from gym bookings to grocery orders. An agent able to roam that ecosystem could bypass the integration headaches dogging independent startups. Alibaba, the e-commerce giant behind the Qwen model series, has been a front-runner in China’s AI race but has been slower to release consumer-facing products. Even though Qwen was the most downloaded open-source model on Hugging Face in 2024, it didn’t power a dedicated chatbot app until early 2025. In March, Alibaba rebranded its cloud storage and search app Quark into an all-in-one AI search tool. By June, Quark had introduced DeepResearch—a new mode that marks its most agent-like effort to date.  ByteDance and Alibaba did not reply to MIT Technology Review’s request for comments. “Historically, Chinese tech products tend to pursue the all-in-one, super-app approach, and the latest Chinese AI agents reflect just that,” says Li of Simular, who previously worked at Google DeepMind on AI-enabled work automation. “In contrast, AI agents in the US are more focused on serving specific verticals.” Pei, the researcher at Stanford, says that existing tech giants could have a huge advantage in bringing the vision of general AI agents to life—especially those with built-in integration across services. “The customer-facing AI agent market is still very early, with tons of problems like authentication and liability,” he says. “But companies that already operate across a wide range of services have a natural advantage in deploying agents at scale.” #manus #has #kickstarted #agent #boom
    WWW.TECHNOLOGYREVIEW.COM
    Manus has kick-started an AI agent boom in China
    Last year, China saw a boom in foundation models, the do-everything large language models that underpin the AI revolution. This year, the focus has shifted to AI agents—systems that are less about responding to users’ queries and more about autonomously accomplishing things for them.  There are now a host of Chinese startups building these general-purpose digital tools, which can answer emails, browse the internet to plan vacations, and even design an interactive website. Many of these have emerged in just the last two months, following in the footsteps of Manus—a general AI agent that sparked weeks of social media frenzy for invite codes after its limited-release launch in early March.  These emerging AI agents aren’t large language models themselves. Instead, they’re built on top of them, using a workflow-based structure designed to get things done. A lot of these systems also introduce a different way of interacting with AI. Rather than just chatting back and forth with users, they are optimized for managing and executing multistep tasks—booking flights, managing schedules, conducting research—by using external tools and remembering instructions.  China could take the lead on building these kinds of agents. The country’s tightly integrated app ecosystems, rapid product cycles, and digitally fluent user base could provide a favorable environment for embedding AI into daily life.  For now, its leading AI agent startups are focusing their attention on the global market, because the best Western models don’t operate inside China’s firewalls. But that could change soon: Tech giants like ByteDance and Tencent are preparing their own AI agents that could bake automation directly into their native super-apps, pulling data from their vast ecosystem of programs that dominate many aspects of daily life in the country.  As the race to define what a useful AI agent looks like unfolds, a mix of ambitious startups and entrenched tech giants are now testing how these tools might actually work in practice—and for whom. Set the standard It’s been a whirlwind few months for Manus, which was developed by the Wuhan-based startup Butterfly Effect. The company raised $75 million in a funding round led by the US venture capital firm Benchmark, took the product on an ambitious global roadshow, and hired dozens of new employees.  Even before registration opened to the public in May, Manus had become a reference point for what a broad, consumer‑oriented AI agent should accomplish. Rather than handling narrow chores for businesses, this “general” agent is designed to be able to help with everyday tasks like trip planning, stock comparison, or your kid’s school project.  Unlike previous AI agents, Manus uses a browser-based sandbox that lets users supervise the agent like an intern, watching in real time as it scrolls through web pages, reads articles, or codes actions. It also proactively asks clarifying questions, supports long-term memory that would serve as context for future tasks. “Manus represents a promising product experience for AI agents,” says Ang Li, cofounder and CEO of Simular, a startup based in Palo Alto, California, that’s building computer use agents, AI agents that control a virtual computer. “I believe Chinese startups have a huge advantage when it comes to designing consumer products, thanks to cutthroat domestic competition that leads to fast execution and greater attention to product details.” In the case of Manus, the competition is moving fast. Two of the most buzzy follow‑ups, Genspark and Flowith, for example, are already boasting benchmark scores that match or edge past Manus’s.  Genspark, led by former Baidu executives Eric Jing and Kay Zhu, links many small “super agents” through what it calls multi‑component prompting. The agent can switch among several large language models, accepts both images and text, and carries out tasks from making slide decks to placing phone calls. Whereas Manus relies heavily on Browser Use, a popular open-source product that lets agents operate a web browser in a virtual window like a human, Genspark directly integrates with a wide array of tools and APIs. Launched in April, the company says that it already has over 5 million users and over $36 million in yearly revenue. Flowith, the work of a young team that first grabbed public attention in April 2025 at a developer event hosted by the popular social media app Xiaohongshu, takes a different tack. Marketed as an “infinite agent,” it opens on a blank canvas where each question becomes a node on a branching map. Users can backtrack, take new branches, and store results in personal or sharable “knowledge gardens”—a design that feels more like project management software (think Notion) than a typical chat interface. Every inquiry or task builds its own mind-map-like graph, encouraging a more nonlinear and creative interaction with AI. Flowith’s core agent, NEO, runs in the cloud and can perform scheduled tasks like sending emails and compiling files. The founders want the app to be a “knowledge marketbase”, and aims to tap into the social aspect of AI with the aspiration of becoming “the OnlyFans of AI knowledge creators”. What they also share with Manus is the global ambition. Both Genspark and Flowith have stated that their primary focus is the international market. A global address Startups like Manus, Genspark, and Flowith—though founded by Chinese entrepreneurs—could blend seamlessly into the global tech scene and compete effectively abroad. Founders, investors, and analysts that MIT Technology Review has spoken to believe Chinese companies are moving fast, executing well, and quickly coming up with new products.  Money reinforces the pull to launch overseas. Customers there pay more, and there are plenty to go around. “You can price in USD, and with the exchange rate that’s a sevenfold multiplier,” Manus cofounder Xiao Hong quipped on a podcast. “Even if we’re only operating at 10% power because of cultural differences overseas, we’ll still make more than in China.” But creating the same functionality in China is a challenge. Major US AI companies including OpenAI and Anthropic have opted out of mainland China because of geopolitical risks and challenges with regulatory compliance. Their absence initially created a black market as users resorted to VPNs and third-party mirrors to access tools like ChatGPT and Claude. That vacuum has since been filled by a new wave of Chinese chatbots—DeepSeek, Doubao, Kimi—but the appetite for foreign models hasn’t gone away.  Manus, for example, uses Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet—widely considered the top model for agentic tasks. Manus cofounder Zhang Tao has repeatedly praised Claude’s ability to juggle tools, remember contexts, and hold multi‑round conversations—all crucial for turning chatty software into an effective executive assistant. But the company’s use of Sonnet has made its agent functionally unusable inside China without a VPN. If you open Manus from a mainland IP address, you’ll see a notice explaining that the team is “working on integrating Qwen’s model,” a special local version that is built on top of Alibaba’s open-source model.  An engineer overseeing ByteDance’s work on developing an agent, who spoke to MIT Technology Review anonymously to avoid sanction, said that the absence of Claude Sonnet models “limits everything we do in China.” DeepSeek’s open models, he added, still hallucinate too often and lack training on real‑world workflows. Developers we spoke with rank Alibaba’s Qwen series as the best domestic alternative, yet most say that switching to Qwen knocks performance down a notch. Jiaxin Pei, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford’s Institute for Human‑Centered AI, thinks that gap will close: “Building agentic capabilities in base LLMs has become a key focus for many LLM builders, and once people realize the value of this, it will only be a matter of time.” For now, Manus is doubling down on audiences it can already serve. In a written response, the company said its “primary focus is overseas expansion,” noting that new offices in San Francisco, Singapore, and Tokyo have opened in the past month. A super‑app approach Although the concept of AI agents is still relatively new, the consumer-facing AI app market in China is already crowded with major tech players. DeepSeek remains the most widely used, while ByteDance’s Doubao and Moonshot’s Kimi have also become household names. However, most of these apps are still optimized for chat and entertainment rather than task execution. This gap in the local market has pushed China’s big tech firms to roll out their own user-facing agents, though early versions remain uneven in quality and rough around the edges.  ByteDance is testing Coze Space, an AI agent based on its own Doubao model family that lets users toggle between “plan” and “execute” modes, so they can either directly guide the agent’s actions or step back and watch it work autonomously. It connects up to 14 popular apps, including GitHub, Notion, and the company’s own Lark office suite. Early reviews say the tool can feel clunky and has a high failure rate, but it clearly aims to match what Manus offers. Meanwhile, Zhipu AI has released a free agent called AutoGLM Rumination, built on its proprietary ChatGLM models. Shanghai‑based Minimax has launched Minimax Agent. Both products look almost identical to Manus and demo basic tasks such as building a simple website, planning a trip, making a small Flash game, or running quick data analysis. Despite the limited usability of most general AI agents launched within China, big companies have plans to change that. During a May 15 earnings call, Tencent president Liu Zhiping teased an agent that would weave automation directly into China’s most ubiquitous app, WeChat.  Considered the original super-app, WeChat already handles messaging, mobile payments, news, and millions of mini‑programs that act like embedded apps. These programs give Tencent, its developer, access to data from millions of services that pervade everyday life in China, an advantage most competitors can only envy. Historically, China’s consumer internet has splintered into competing walled gardens—share a Taobao link in WeChat and it resolves as plaintext, not a preview card. Unlike the more interoperable Western internet, China’s tech giants have long resisted integration with one another, choosing to wage platform war at the expense of a seamless user experience. But the use of mini‑programs has given WeChat unprecedented reach across services that once resisted interoperability, from gym bookings to grocery orders. An agent able to roam that ecosystem could bypass the integration headaches dogging independent startups. Alibaba, the e-commerce giant behind the Qwen model series, has been a front-runner in China’s AI race but has been slower to release consumer-facing products. Even though Qwen was the most downloaded open-source model on Hugging Face in 2024, it didn’t power a dedicated chatbot app until early 2025. In March, Alibaba rebranded its cloud storage and search app Quark into an all-in-one AI search tool. By June, Quark had introduced DeepResearch—a new mode that marks its most agent-like effort to date.  ByteDance and Alibaba did not reply to MIT Technology Review’s request for comments. “Historically, Chinese tech products tend to pursue the all-in-one, super-app approach, and the latest Chinese AI agents reflect just that,” says Li of Simular, who previously worked at Google DeepMind on AI-enabled work automation. “In contrast, AI agents in the US are more focused on serving specific verticals.” Pei, the researcher at Stanford, says that existing tech giants could have a huge advantage in bringing the vision of general AI agents to life—especially those with built-in integration across services. “The customer-facing AI agent market is still very early, with tons of problems like authentication and liability,” he says. “But companies that already operate across a wide range of services have a natural advantage in deploying agents at scale.”
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  • Weekly Recap: APT Campaigns, Browser Hijacks, AI Malware, Cloud Breaches and Critical CVEs

    Cyber threats don't show up one at a time anymore. They're layered, planned, and often stay hidden until it's too late.
    For cybersecurity teams, the key isn't just reacting to alerts—it's spotting early signs of trouble before they become real threats. This update is designed to deliver clear, accurate insights based on real patterns and changes we can verify. With today's complex systems, we need focused analysis—not noise.
    What you'll see here isn't just a list of incidents, but a clear look at where control is being gained, lost, or quietly tested.
    Threat of the Week
    Lumma Stealer, DanaBot Operations Disrupted — A coalition of private sector companies and law enforcement agencies have taken down the infrastructure associated with Lumma Stealer and DanaBot. Charges have also been unsealed against 16 individuals for their alleged involvement in the development and deployment of DanaBot. The malware is equipped to siphon data from victim computers, hijack banking sessions, and steal device information. More uniquely, though, DanaBot has also been used for hacking campaigns that appear to be linked to Russian state-sponsored interests. All of that makes DanaBot a particularly clear example of how commodity malware has been repurposed by Russian state hackers for their own goals. In tandem, about 2,300 domains that acted as the command-and-controlbackbone for the Lumma information stealer have been seized, alongside taking down 300 servers and neutralizing 650 domains that were used to launch ransomware attacks. The actions against international cybercrime in the past few days constituted the latest phase of Operation Endgame.

    Get the Guide ➝

    Top News

    Threat Actors Use TikTok Videos to Distribute Stealers — While ClickFix has become a popular social engineering tactic to deliver malware, threat actors have been observed using artificial intelligence-generated videos uploaded to TikTok to deceive users into running malicious commands on their systems and deploy malware like Vidar and StealC under the guise of activating pirated version of Windows, Microsoft Office, CapCut, and Spotify. "This campaign highlights how attackers are ready to weaponize whichever social media platforms are currently popular to distribute malware," Trend Micro said.
    APT28 Hackers Target Western Logistics and Tech Firms — Several cybersecurity and intelligence agencies from Australia, Europe, and the United States issued a joint alert warning of a state-sponsored campaign orchestrated by the Russian state-sponsored threat actor APT28 targeting Western logistics entities and technology companies since 2022. "This cyber espionage-oriented campaign targeting logistics entities and technology companies uses a mix of previously disclosed TTPs and is likely connected to these actors' wide scale targeting of IP cameras in Ukraine and bordering NATO nations," the agencies said. The attacks are designed to steal sensitive information and maintain long-term persistence on compromised hosts.
    Chinese Threat Actors Exploit Ivanti EPMM Flaws — The China-nexus cyber espionage group tracked as UNC5221 has been attributed to the exploitation of a pair of security flaws affecting Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobilesoftwareto target a wide range of sectors across Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region. The intrusions leverage the vulnerabilities to obtain a reverse shell and drop malicious payloads like KrustyLoader, which is known to deliver the Sliver command-and-controlframework. "UNC5221 demonstrates a deep understanding of EPMM's internal architecture, repurposing legitimate system components for covert data exfiltration," EclecticIQ said. "Given EPMM's role in managing and pushing configurations to enterprise mobile devices, a successful exploitation could allow threat actors to remotely access, manipulate, or compromise thousands of managed devices across an organization."
    Over 100 Google Chrome Extensions Mimic Popular Tools — An unknown threat actor has been attributed to creating several malicious Chrome Browser extensions since February 2024 that masquerade as seemingly benign utilities such as DeepSeek, Manus, DeBank, FortiVPN, and Site Stats but incorporate covert functionality to exfiltrate data, receive commands, and execute arbitrary code. Links to these browser add-ons are hosted on specially crafted sites to which users are likely redirected to via phishing and social media posts. While the extensions appear to offer the advertised features, they also stealthily facilitate credential and cookie theft, session hijacking, ad injection, malicious redirects, traffic manipulation, and phishing via DOM manipulation. Several of these extensions have been taken down by Google.
    CISA Warns of SaaS Providers of Attacks Targeting Cloud Environments — The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agencywarned that SaaS companies are under threat from bad actors who are on the prowl for cloud applications with default configurations and elevated permissions. While the agency did not attribute the activity to a specific group, the advisory said enterprise backup platform Commvault is monitoring cyber threat activity targeting applications hosted in their Microsoft Azure cloud environment. "Threat actors may have accessed client secrets for Commvault'sMicrosoft 365backup software-as-a-servicesolution, hosted in Azure," CISA said. "This provided the threat actors with unauthorized access to Commvault's customers' M365 environments that have application secrets stored by Commvault."
    GitLab AI Coding Assistant Flaws Could Be Used to Inject Malicious Code — Cybersecurity researchers have discovered an indirect prompt injection flaw in GitLab's artificial intelligenceassistant Duo that could have allowed attackers to steal source code and inject untrusted HTML into its responses, which could then be used to direct victims to malicious websites. The attack could also leak confidential issue data, such as zero-day vulnerability details. All that's required is for the attacker to instruct the chatbot to interact with a merge requestby taking advantage of the fact that GitLab Duo has extensive access to the platform. "By embedding hidden instructions in seemingly harmless project content, we were able to manipulate Duo's behavior, exfiltrate private source code, and demonstrate how AI responses can be leveraged for unintended and harmful outcomes," Legit Security said. One variation of the attack involved hiding a malicious instruction in an otherwise legitimate piece of source code, while another exploited Duo's parsing of markdown responses in real-time asynchronously. An attacker could leverage this behavior – that Duo begins rendering the output line by line rather than waiting until the entire response is generated and sending it all at once – to introduce malicious HTML code that can access sensitive data and exfiltrate the information to a remote server. The issues have been patched by GitLab following responsible disclosure.

    ‎️‍ Trending CVEs
    Software vulnerabilities remain one of the simplest—and most effective—entry points for attackers. Each week uncovers new flaws, and even small delays in patching can escalate into serious security incidents. Staying ahead means acting fast. Below is this week's list of high-risk vulnerabilities that demand attention. Review them carefully, apply updates without delay, and close the doors before they're forced open.
    This week's list includes — CVE-2025-34025, CVE-2025-34026, CVE-2025-34027, CVE-2025-30911, CVE-2024-57273, CVE-2024-54780, and CVE-2024-54779, CVE-2025-41229, CVE-2025-4322, CVE-2025-47934, CVE-2025-30193, CVE-2025-0993, CVE-2025-36535, CVE-2025-47949, CVE-2025-40775, CVE-2025-20152, CVE-2025-4123, CVE-2025-5063, CVE-2025-37899, CVE-2025-26817, CVE-2025-47947, CVE-2025-3078, CVE-2025-3079, and CVE-2025-4978.
    Around the Cyber World

    Sandworm Drops New Wiper in Ukraine — The Russia-aligned Sandworm group intensified destructive operations against Ukrainian energy companies, deploying a new wiper named ZEROLOT. "The infamous Sandworm group concentrated heavily on compromising Ukrainian energy infrastructure. In recent cases, it deployed the ZEROLOT wiper in Ukraine. For this, the attackers abused Active Directory Group Policy in the affected organizations," ESET Director of Threat Research, Jean-Ian Boutin, said. Another Russian hacking group, Gamaredon, remained the most prolific actor targeting the East European nation, enhancing malware obfuscation and introducing PteroBox, a file stealer leveraging Dropbox.
    Signal Says No to Recall — Signal has released a new version of its messaging app for Windows that, by default, blocks the ability of Windows to use Recall to periodically take screenshots of the app. "Although Microsoft made several adjustments over the past twelve months in response to critical feedback, the revamped version of Recall still places any content that's displayed within privacy-preserving apps like Signal at risk," Signal said. "As a result, we are enabling an extra layer of protection by default on Windows 11 in order to help maintain the security of Signal Desktop on that platform even though it introduces some usability trade-offs. Microsoft has simply given us no other option." Microsoft began officially rolling out Recall last month.
    Russia Introduces New Law to Track Foreigners Using Their Smartphones — The Russian government has introduced a new law that makes installing a tracking app mandatory for all foreign nationals in the Moscow region. This includes gathering their real-time locations, fingerprint, face photograph, and residential information. "The adopted mechanism will allow, using modern technologies, to strengthen control in the field of migration and will also contribute to reducing the number of violations and crimes in this area," Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the State Duma, said. "If migrants change their actual place of residence, they will be required to inform the Ministry of Internal Affairswithin three working days." A proposed four-year trial period begins on September 1, 2025, and runs until September 1, 2029.
    Dutch Government Passes Law to Criminalize Cyber Espionage — The Dutch government has approved a law criminalizing a wide range of espionage activities, including digital espionage, in an effort to protect national security, critical infrastructure, and high-quality technologies. Under the amended law, leaking sensitive information that is not classified as a state secret or engaging in activities on behalf of a foreign government that harm Dutch interests can also result in criminal charges. "Foreign governments are also interested in non-state-secret, sensitive information about a particular economic sector or about political decision-making," the government said. "Such information can be used to influence political processes, weaken the Dutch economy or play allies against each other. Espionage can also involve actions other than sharing information."
    Microsoft Announces Availability of Quantum-Resistant Algorithms to SymCrypt — Microsoft has revealed that it's making post-quantum cryptographycapabilities, including ML-KEM and ML-DSA, available for Windows Insiders, Canary Channel Build 27852 and higher, and Linux, SymCrypt-OpenSSL version 1.9.0. "This advancement will enable customers to commence their exploration and experimentation of PQC within their operational environments," Microsoft said. "By obtaining early access to PQC capabilities, organizations can proactively assess the compatibility, performance, and integration of these novel algorithms alongside their existing security infrastructure."
    New Malware DOUBLELOADER Uses ALCATRAZ for Obfuscation — The open-source obfuscator ALCATRAZ has been seen within a new generic loader dubbed DOUBLELOADER, which has been deployed alongside Rhadamanthys Stealer infections starting December 2024. The malware collects host information, requests an updated version of itself, and starts beaconing to a hardcoded IP addressstored within the binary. "Obfuscators such as ALCATRAZ end up increasing the complexity when triaging malware," Elastic Security Labs said. "Its main goal is to hinder binary analysis tools and increase the time of the reverse engineering process through different techniques; such as hiding the control flow or making decompilation hard to follow."
    New Formjacking Campaign Targets WooCommerce Sites — Cybersecurity researchers have detected a sophisticated formjacking campaign targeting WooCommerce sites. The malware, per Wordfence, injects a fake but professional-looking payment form into legitimate checkout processes and exfiltrates sensitive customer data to an external server. Further analysis has revealed that the infection likely originated from a compromised WordPress admin account, which was used to inject malicious JavaScript via a Simple Custom CSS and JS pluginthat allows administrators to add custom code. "Unlike traditional card skimmers that simply overlay existing forms, this variant carefully integrates with the WooCommerce site's design and payment workflow, making it particularly difficult for site owners and users to detect," the WordPress security company said. "The malware author repurposed the browser's localStorage mechanism – typically used by websites to remember user preferences – to silently store stolen data and maintain access even after page reloads or when navigating away from the checkout page."

    E.U. Sanctions Stark Industries — The European Unionhas announced sanctions against 21 individuals and six entities in Russia over its "destabilising actions" in the region. One of the sanctioned entities is Stark Industries, a bulletproof hosting provider that has been accused of acting as "enablers of various Russian state-sponsored and affiliated actors to conduct destabilising activities including, information manipulation interference and cyber attacks against the Union and third countries." The sanctions also target its CEO Iurie Neculiti and owner Ivan Neculiti. Stark Industries was previously spotlighted by independent cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs, detailing its use in DDoS attacks in Ukraine and across Europe. In August 2024, Team Cymru said it discovered 25 Stark-assigned IP addresses used to host domains associated with FIN7 activities and that it had been working with Stark Industries for several months to identify and reduce abuse of their systems. The sanctions have also targeted Kremlin-backed manufacturers of drones and radio communication equipment used by the Russian military, as well as those involved in GPS signal jamming in Baltic states and disrupting civil aviation.
    The Mask APT Unmasked as Tied to the Spanish Government — The mysterious threat actor known as The Maskhas been identified as run by the Spanish government, according to a report published by TechCrunch, citing people who worked at Kaspersky at the time and had knowledge of the investigation. The Russian cybersecurity company first exposed the hacking group in 2014, linking it to highly sophisticated attacks since at least 2007 targeting high-profile organizations, such as governments, diplomatic entities, and research institutions. A majority of the group's attacks have targeted Cuba, followed by hundreds of victims in Brazil, Morocco, Spain, and Gibraltar. While Kaspersky has not publicly attributed it to a specific country, the latest revelation makes The Mask one of the few Western government hacking groups that has ever been discussed in public. This includes the Equation Group, the Lamberts, and Animal Farm.
    Social Engineering Scams Target Coinbase Users — Earlier this month, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase revealed that it was the victim of a malicious attack perpetrated by unknown threat actors to breach its systems by bribing customer support agents in India and siphon funds from nearly 70,000 customers. According to Blockchain security firm SlowMist, Coinbase users have been the target of social engineering scams since the start of the year, bombarding with SMS messages claiming to be fake withdrawal requests and seeking their confirmation as part of a "sustained and organized scam campaign." The goal is to induce a false sense of urgency and trick them into calling a number, eventually convincing them to transfer the funds to a secure wallet with a seed phrase pre-generated by the attackers and ultimately drain the assets. It's assessed that the activities are primarily carried out by two groups: low-level skid attackers from the Com community and organized cybercrime groups based in India. "Using spoofed PBX phone systems, scammers impersonate Coinbase support and claim there's been 'unauthorized access' or 'suspicious withdrawals' on the user's account," SlowMist said. "They create a sense of urgency, then follow up with phishing emails or texts containing fake ticket numbers or 'recovery links.'"
    Delta Can Sue CrowdStrike Over July 2024 Mega Outage — Delta Air Lines, which had its systems crippled and almost 7,000 flights canceled in the wake of a massive outage caused by a faulty update issued by CrowdStrike in mid-July 2024, has been given the green light to pursue to its lawsuit against the cybersecurity company. A judge in the U.S. state of Georgia stating Delta can try to prove that CrowdStrike was grossly negligent by pushing a defective update to its Falcon software to customers. The update crashed 8.5 million Windows devices across the world. Crowdstrike previously claimed that the airline had rejected technical support offers both from itself and Microsoft. In a statement shared with Reuters, lawyers representing CrowdStrike said they were "confident the judge will find Delta's case has no merit, or will limit damages to the 'single-digit millions of dollars' under Georgia law." The development comes months after MGM Resorts International agreed to pay million to settle multiple class-action lawsuits related to a data breach in 2019 and a ransomware attack the company experienced in 2023.
    Storm-1516 Uses AI-Generated Media to Spread Disinformation — The Russian influence operation known as Storm-1516sought to spread narratives that undermined the European support for Ukraine by amplifying fabricated stories on X about European leaders using drugs while traveling by train to Kyiv for peace talks. One of the posts was subsequently shared by Russian state media and Maria Zakharova, a senior official in Russia's foreign ministry, as part of what has been described as a coordinated disinformation campaign by EclecticIQ. The activity is also notable for the use of synthetic content depicting French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, and German chancellor Friedrich Merz of drug possession during their return from Ukraine. "By attacking the reputation of these leaders, the campaign likely aimed to turn their own voters against them, using influence operationsto reduce public support for Ukraine by discrediting the politicians who back it," the Dutch threat intelligence firm said.
    Turkish Users Targeted by DBatLoader — AhnLab has disclosed details of a malware campaign that's distributing a malware loader called DBatLoadervia banking-themed banking emails, which then acts as a conduit to deliver SnakeKeylogger, an information stealer developed in .NET. "The DBatLoader malware distributed through phishing emails has the cunning behavior of exploiting normal processesthrough techniques such as DLL side-loading and injection for most of its behaviors, and it also utilizes normal processesfor behaviors such as file copying and changing policies," the company said.
    SEC SIM-Swapper Sentenced to 14 Months for SEC X Account Hack — A 26-year-old Alabama man, Eric Council Jr., has been sentenced to 14 months in prison and three years of supervised release for using SIM swapping attacks to breach the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission'sofficial X account in January 2024 and falsely announced that the SEC approved BitcoinExchange Traded Funds. Council Jr.was arrested in October 2024 and pleaded guilty to the crime earlier this February. He has also been ordered to forfeit According to court documents, Council used his personal computer to search incriminating phrases such as "SECGOV hack," "telegram sim swap," "how can I know for sure if I am being investigated by the FBI," "What are the signs that you are under investigation by law enforcement or the FBI even if you have not been contacted by them," "what are some signs that the FBI is after you," "Verizon store list," "federal identity theft statute," and "how long does it take to delete telegram account."
    FBI Warns of Malicious Campaign Impersonating Government Officials — The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigationis warning of a new campaign that involves malicious actors impersonating senior U.S. federal or state government officials and their contacts to target individuals since April 2025. "The malicious actors have sent text messages and AI-generated voice messages — techniques known as smishing and vishing, respectively — that claim to come from a senior US official in an effort to establish rapport before gaining access to personal accounts," the FBI said. "One way the actors gain such access is by sending targeted individuals a malicious link under the guise of transitioning to a separate messaging platform." From there, the actor may present malware or introduce hyperlinks that lead intended targets to an actor-controlled site that steals login information.
    DICOM Flaw Enables Attackers to Embed Malicious Code Within Medical Image Files — Praetorian has released a proof-of-conceptfor a high-severity security flaw in Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine, predominant file format for medical images, that enables attackers to embed malicious code within legitimate medical image files. CVE-2019-11687, originally disclosed in 2019 by Markel Picado Ortiz, stems from a design decision that allows arbitrary content at the start of the file, otherwise called the Preamble, which enables the creation of malicious polyglots. Codenamed ELFDICOM, the PoC extends the attack surface to Linux environments, making it a much more potent threat. As mitigations, it's advised to implement a DICOM preamble whitelist. "DICOM's file structure inherently allows arbitrary bytes at the beginning of the file, where Linux and most operating systems will look for magic bytes," Praetorian researcher Ryan Hennessee said. "would check a DICOM file's preamble before it is imported into the system. This would allow known good patterns, such as 'TIFF' magic bytes, or '\x00' null bytes, while files with the ELF magic bytes would be blocked."
    Cookie-Bite Attack Uses Chrome Extension to Steal Session Tokens — Cybersecurity researchers have demonstrated a new attack technique called Cookie-Bite that employs custom-made malicious browser extensions to steal "ESTAUTH" and "ESTSAUTHPERSISTNT" cookies in Microsoft Azure Entra ID and bypass multi-factor authentication. The attack has multiple moving parts to it: A custom Chrome extension that monitors authentication events and captures cookies; a PowerShell script that automates the extension deployment and ensures persistence; an exfiltration mechanism to send the cookies to a remote collection point; and a complementary extension to inject the captured cookies into the attacker's browser. "Threat actors often use infostealers to extract authentication tokens directly from a victim's machine or buy them directly through darkness markets, allowing adversaries to hijack active cloud sessions without triggering MFA," Varonis said. "By injecting these cookies while mimicking the victim's OS, browser, and network, attackers can evade Conditional Access Policiesand maintain persistent access." Authentication cookies can also be stolen using adversary-in-the-middlephishing kits in real-time, or using rogue browser extensions that request excessive permissions to interact with web sessions, modify page content, and extract stored authentication data. Once installed, the extension can access the browser's storage API, intercept network requests, or inject malicious JavaScript into active sessions to harvest real-time session cookies. "By leveraging stolen session cookies, an adversary can bypass authentication mechanisms, gaining seamless entry into cloud environments without requiring user credentials," Varonis said. "Beyond initial access, session hijacking can facilitate lateral movement across the tenant, allowing attackers to explore additional resources, access sensitive data, and escalate privileges by abusing existing permissions or misconfigured roles."

    Cybersecurity Webinars

    Non-Human Identities: The AI Backdoor You're Not Watching → AI agents rely on Non-Human Identitiesto function—but these are often left untracked and unsecured. As attackers shift focus to this hidden layer, the risk is growing fast. In this session, you'll learn how to find, secure, and monitor these identities before they're exploited. Join the webinar to understand the real risks behind AI adoption—and how to stay ahead.
    Inside the LOTS Playbook: How Hackers Stay Undetected → Attackers are using trusted sites to stay hidden. In this webinar, Zscaler experts share how they detect these stealthy LOTS attacks using insights from the world's largest security cloud. Join to learn how to spot hidden threats and improve your defense.

    Cybersecurity Tools

    ScriptSentry → It is a free tool that scans your environment for dangerous logon script misconfigurations—like plaintext credentials, insecure file/share permissions, and references to non-existent servers. These overlooked issues can enable lateral movement, privilege escalation, or even credential theft. ScriptSentry helps you quickly identify and fix them across large Active Directory environments.
    Aftermath → It is a Swift-based, open-source tool for macOS incident response. It collects forensic data—like logs, browser activity, and process info—from compromised systems, then analyzes it to build timelines and track infection paths. Deploy via MDM or run manually. Fast, lightweight, and ideal for post-incident investigation.
    AI Red Teaming Playground Labs → It is an open-source training suite with hands-on challenges designed to teach security professionals how to red team AI systems. Originally developed for Black Hat USA 2024, the labs cover prompt injections, safety bypasses, indirect attacks, and Responsible AI failures. Built on Chat Copilot and deployable via Docker, it's a practical resource for testing and understanding real-world AI vulnerabilities.

    Tip of the Week
    Review and Revoke Old OAuth App Permissions — They're Silent Backdoor → You've likely logged into apps using "Continue with Google," "Sign in with Microsoft," or GitHub/Twitter/Facebook logins. That's OAuth. But did you know many of those apps still have access to your data long after you stop using them?
    Why it matters:
    Even if you delete the app or forget it existed, it might still have ongoing access to your calendar, email, cloud files, or contact list — no password needed. If that third-party gets breached, your data is at risk.
    What to do:

    Go through your connected apps here:
    Google: myaccount.google.com/permissions
    Microsoft: account.live.com/consent/Manage
    GitHub: github.com/settings/applications
    Facebook: facebook.com/settings?tab=applications

    Revoke anything you don't actively use. It's a fast, silent cleanup — and it closes doors you didn't know were open.
    Conclusion
    Looking ahead, it's not just about tracking threats—it's about understanding what they reveal. Every tactic used, every system tested, points to deeper issues in how trust, access, and visibility are managed. As attackers adapt quickly, defenders need sharper awareness and faster response loops.
    The takeaways from this week aren't just technical—they speak to how teams prioritize risk, design safeguards, and make choices under pressure. Use these insights not just to react, but to rethink what "secure" really needs to mean in today's environment.

    Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter  and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.
    #weekly #recap #apt #campaigns #browser
    ⚡ Weekly Recap: APT Campaigns, Browser Hijacks, AI Malware, Cloud Breaches and Critical CVEs
    Cyber threats don't show up one at a time anymore. They're layered, planned, and often stay hidden until it's too late. For cybersecurity teams, the key isn't just reacting to alerts—it's spotting early signs of trouble before they become real threats. This update is designed to deliver clear, accurate insights based on real patterns and changes we can verify. With today's complex systems, we need focused analysis—not noise. What you'll see here isn't just a list of incidents, but a clear look at where control is being gained, lost, or quietly tested. ⚡ Threat of the Week Lumma Stealer, DanaBot Operations Disrupted — A coalition of private sector companies and law enforcement agencies have taken down the infrastructure associated with Lumma Stealer and DanaBot. Charges have also been unsealed against 16 individuals for their alleged involvement in the development and deployment of DanaBot. The malware is equipped to siphon data from victim computers, hijack banking sessions, and steal device information. More uniquely, though, DanaBot has also been used for hacking campaigns that appear to be linked to Russian state-sponsored interests. All of that makes DanaBot a particularly clear example of how commodity malware has been repurposed by Russian state hackers for their own goals. In tandem, about 2,300 domains that acted as the command-and-controlbackbone for the Lumma information stealer have been seized, alongside taking down 300 servers and neutralizing 650 domains that were used to launch ransomware attacks. The actions against international cybercrime in the past few days constituted the latest phase of Operation Endgame. Get the Guide ➝ 🔔 Top News Threat Actors Use TikTok Videos to Distribute Stealers — While ClickFix has become a popular social engineering tactic to deliver malware, threat actors have been observed using artificial intelligence-generated videos uploaded to TikTok to deceive users into running malicious commands on their systems and deploy malware like Vidar and StealC under the guise of activating pirated version of Windows, Microsoft Office, CapCut, and Spotify. "This campaign highlights how attackers are ready to weaponize whichever social media platforms are currently popular to distribute malware," Trend Micro said. APT28 Hackers Target Western Logistics and Tech Firms — Several cybersecurity and intelligence agencies from Australia, Europe, and the United States issued a joint alert warning of a state-sponsored campaign orchestrated by the Russian state-sponsored threat actor APT28 targeting Western logistics entities and technology companies since 2022. "This cyber espionage-oriented campaign targeting logistics entities and technology companies uses a mix of previously disclosed TTPs and is likely connected to these actors' wide scale targeting of IP cameras in Ukraine and bordering NATO nations," the agencies said. The attacks are designed to steal sensitive information and maintain long-term persistence on compromised hosts. Chinese Threat Actors Exploit Ivanti EPMM Flaws — The China-nexus cyber espionage group tracked as UNC5221 has been attributed to the exploitation of a pair of security flaws affecting Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobilesoftwareto target a wide range of sectors across Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region. The intrusions leverage the vulnerabilities to obtain a reverse shell and drop malicious payloads like KrustyLoader, which is known to deliver the Sliver command-and-controlframework. "UNC5221 demonstrates a deep understanding of EPMM's internal architecture, repurposing legitimate system components for covert data exfiltration," EclecticIQ said. "Given EPMM's role in managing and pushing configurations to enterprise mobile devices, a successful exploitation could allow threat actors to remotely access, manipulate, or compromise thousands of managed devices across an organization." Over 100 Google Chrome Extensions Mimic Popular Tools — An unknown threat actor has been attributed to creating several malicious Chrome Browser extensions since February 2024 that masquerade as seemingly benign utilities such as DeepSeek, Manus, DeBank, FortiVPN, and Site Stats but incorporate covert functionality to exfiltrate data, receive commands, and execute arbitrary code. Links to these browser add-ons are hosted on specially crafted sites to which users are likely redirected to via phishing and social media posts. While the extensions appear to offer the advertised features, they also stealthily facilitate credential and cookie theft, session hijacking, ad injection, malicious redirects, traffic manipulation, and phishing via DOM manipulation. Several of these extensions have been taken down by Google. CISA Warns of SaaS Providers of Attacks Targeting Cloud Environments — The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agencywarned that SaaS companies are under threat from bad actors who are on the prowl for cloud applications with default configurations and elevated permissions. While the agency did not attribute the activity to a specific group, the advisory said enterprise backup platform Commvault is monitoring cyber threat activity targeting applications hosted in their Microsoft Azure cloud environment. "Threat actors may have accessed client secrets for Commvault'sMicrosoft 365backup software-as-a-servicesolution, hosted in Azure," CISA said. "This provided the threat actors with unauthorized access to Commvault's customers' M365 environments that have application secrets stored by Commvault." GitLab AI Coding Assistant Flaws Could Be Used to Inject Malicious Code — Cybersecurity researchers have discovered an indirect prompt injection flaw in GitLab's artificial intelligenceassistant Duo that could have allowed attackers to steal source code and inject untrusted HTML into its responses, which could then be used to direct victims to malicious websites. The attack could also leak confidential issue data, such as zero-day vulnerability details. All that's required is for the attacker to instruct the chatbot to interact with a merge requestby taking advantage of the fact that GitLab Duo has extensive access to the platform. "By embedding hidden instructions in seemingly harmless project content, we were able to manipulate Duo's behavior, exfiltrate private source code, and demonstrate how AI responses can be leveraged for unintended and harmful outcomes," Legit Security said. One variation of the attack involved hiding a malicious instruction in an otherwise legitimate piece of source code, while another exploited Duo's parsing of markdown responses in real-time asynchronously. An attacker could leverage this behavior – that Duo begins rendering the output line by line rather than waiting until the entire response is generated and sending it all at once – to introduce malicious HTML code that can access sensitive data and exfiltrate the information to a remote server. The issues have been patched by GitLab following responsible disclosure. ‎️‍🔥 Trending CVEs Software vulnerabilities remain one of the simplest—and most effective—entry points for attackers. Each week uncovers new flaws, and even small delays in patching can escalate into serious security incidents. Staying ahead means acting fast. Below is this week's list of high-risk vulnerabilities that demand attention. Review them carefully, apply updates without delay, and close the doors before they're forced open. This week's list includes — CVE-2025-34025, CVE-2025-34026, CVE-2025-34027, CVE-2025-30911, CVE-2024-57273, CVE-2024-54780, and CVE-2024-54779, CVE-2025-41229, CVE-2025-4322, CVE-2025-47934, CVE-2025-30193, CVE-2025-0993, CVE-2025-36535, CVE-2025-47949, CVE-2025-40775, CVE-2025-20152, CVE-2025-4123, CVE-2025-5063, CVE-2025-37899, CVE-2025-26817, CVE-2025-47947, CVE-2025-3078, CVE-2025-3079, and CVE-2025-4978. 📰 Around the Cyber World Sandworm Drops New Wiper in Ukraine — The Russia-aligned Sandworm group intensified destructive operations against Ukrainian energy companies, deploying a new wiper named ZEROLOT. "The infamous Sandworm group concentrated heavily on compromising Ukrainian energy infrastructure. In recent cases, it deployed the ZEROLOT wiper in Ukraine. For this, the attackers abused Active Directory Group Policy in the affected organizations," ESET Director of Threat Research, Jean-Ian Boutin, said. Another Russian hacking group, Gamaredon, remained the most prolific actor targeting the East European nation, enhancing malware obfuscation and introducing PteroBox, a file stealer leveraging Dropbox. Signal Says No to Recall — Signal has released a new version of its messaging app for Windows that, by default, blocks the ability of Windows to use Recall to periodically take screenshots of the app. "Although Microsoft made several adjustments over the past twelve months in response to critical feedback, the revamped version of Recall still places any content that's displayed within privacy-preserving apps like Signal at risk," Signal said. "As a result, we are enabling an extra layer of protection by default on Windows 11 in order to help maintain the security of Signal Desktop on that platform even though it introduces some usability trade-offs. Microsoft has simply given us no other option." Microsoft began officially rolling out Recall last month. Russia Introduces New Law to Track Foreigners Using Their Smartphones — The Russian government has introduced a new law that makes installing a tracking app mandatory for all foreign nationals in the Moscow region. This includes gathering their real-time locations, fingerprint, face photograph, and residential information. "The adopted mechanism will allow, using modern technologies, to strengthen control in the field of migration and will also contribute to reducing the number of violations and crimes in this area," Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the State Duma, said. "If migrants change their actual place of residence, they will be required to inform the Ministry of Internal Affairswithin three working days." A proposed four-year trial period begins on September 1, 2025, and runs until September 1, 2029. Dutch Government Passes Law to Criminalize Cyber Espionage — The Dutch government has approved a law criminalizing a wide range of espionage activities, including digital espionage, in an effort to protect national security, critical infrastructure, and high-quality technologies. Under the amended law, leaking sensitive information that is not classified as a state secret or engaging in activities on behalf of a foreign government that harm Dutch interests can also result in criminal charges. "Foreign governments are also interested in non-state-secret, sensitive information about a particular economic sector or about political decision-making," the government said. "Such information can be used to influence political processes, weaken the Dutch economy or play allies against each other. Espionage can also involve actions other than sharing information." Microsoft Announces Availability of Quantum-Resistant Algorithms to SymCrypt — Microsoft has revealed that it's making post-quantum cryptographycapabilities, including ML-KEM and ML-DSA, available for Windows Insiders, Canary Channel Build 27852 and higher, and Linux, SymCrypt-OpenSSL version 1.9.0. "This advancement will enable customers to commence their exploration and experimentation of PQC within their operational environments," Microsoft said. "By obtaining early access to PQC capabilities, organizations can proactively assess the compatibility, performance, and integration of these novel algorithms alongside their existing security infrastructure." New Malware DOUBLELOADER Uses ALCATRAZ for Obfuscation — The open-source obfuscator ALCATRAZ has been seen within a new generic loader dubbed DOUBLELOADER, which has been deployed alongside Rhadamanthys Stealer infections starting December 2024. The malware collects host information, requests an updated version of itself, and starts beaconing to a hardcoded IP addressstored within the binary. "Obfuscators such as ALCATRAZ end up increasing the complexity when triaging malware," Elastic Security Labs said. "Its main goal is to hinder binary analysis tools and increase the time of the reverse engineering process through different techniques; such as hiding the control flow or making decompilation hard to follow." New Formjacking Campaign Targets WooCommerce Sites — Cybersecurity researchers have detected a sophisticated formjacking campaign targeting WooCommerce sites. The malware, per Wordfence, injects a fake but professional-looking payment form into legitimate checkout processes and exfiltrates sensitive customer data to an external server. Further analysis has revealed that the infection likely originated from a compromised WordPress admin account, which was used to inject malicious JavaScript via a Simple Custom CSS and JS pluginthat allows administrators to add custom code. "Unlike traditional card skimmers that simply overlay existing forms, this variant carefully integrates with the WooCommerce site's design and payment workflow, making it particularly difficult for site owners and users to detect," the WordPress security company said. "The malware author repurposed the browser's localStorage mechanism – typically used by websites to remember user preferences – to silently store stolen data and maintain access even after page reloads or when navigating away from the checkout page." E.U. Sanctions Stark Industries — The European Unionhas announced sanctions against 21 individuals and six entities in Russia over its "destabilising actions" in the region. One of the sanctioned entities is Stark Industries, a bulletproof hosting provider that has been accused of acting as "enablers of various Russian state-sponsored and affiliated actors to conduct destabilising activities including, information manipulation interference and cyber attacks against the Union and third countries." The sanctions also target its CEO Iurie Neculiti and owner Ivan Neculiti. Stark Industries was previously spotlighted by independent cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs, detailing its use in DDoS attacks in Ukraine and across Europe. In August 2024, Team Cymru said it discovered 25 Stark-assigned IP addresses used to host domains associated with FIN7 activities and that it had been working with Stark Industries for several months to identify and reduce abuse of their systems. The sanctions have also targeted Kremlin-backed manufacturers of drones and radio communication equipment used by the Russian military, as well as those involved in GPS signal jamming in Baltic states and disrupting civil aviation. The Mask APT Unmasked as Tied to the Spanish Government — The mysterious threat actor known as The Maskhas been identified as run by the Spanish government, according to a report published by TechCrunch, citing people who worked at Kaspersky at the time and had knowledge of the investigation. The Russian cybersecurity company first exposed the hacking group in 2014, linking it to highly sophisticated attacks since at least 2007 targeting high-profile organizations, such as governments, diplomatic entities, and research institutions. A majority of the group's attacks have targeted Cuba, followed by hundreds of victims in Brazil, Morocco, Spain, and Gibraltar. While Kaspersky has not publicly attributed it to a specific country, the latest revelation makes The Mask one of the few Western government hacking groups that has ever been discussed in public. This includes the Equation Group, the Lamberts, and Animal Farm. Social Engineering Scams Target Coinbase Users — Earlier this month, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase revealed that it was the victim of a malicious attack perpetrated by unknown threat actors to breach its systems by bribing customer support agents in India and siphon funds from nearly 70,000 customers. According to Blockchain security firm SlowMist, Coinbase users have been the target of social engineering scams since the start of the year, bombarding with SMS messages claiming to be fake withdrawal requests and seeking their confirmation as part of a "sustained and organized scam campaign." The goal is to induce a false sense of urgency and trick them into calling a number, eventually convincing them to transfer the funds to a secure wallet with a seed phrase pre-generated by the attackers and ultimately drain the assets. It's assessed that the activities are primarily carried out by two groups: low-level skid attackers from the Com community and organized cybercrime groups based in India. "Using spoofed PBX phone systems, scammers impersonate Coinbase support and claim there's been 'unauthorized access' or 'suspicious withdrawals' on the user's account," SlowMist said. "They create a sense of urgency, then follow up with phishing emails or texts containing fake ticket numbers or 'recovery links.'" Delta Can Sue CrowdStrike Over July 2024 Mega Outage — Delta Air Lines, which had its systems crippled and almost 7,000 flights canceled in the wake of a massive outage caused by a faulty update issued by CrowdStrike in mid-July 2024, has been given the green light to pursue to its lawsuit against the cybersecurity company. A judge in the U.S. state of Georgia stating Delta can try to prove that CrowdStrike was grossly negligent by pushing a defective update to its Falcon software to customers. The update crashed 8.5 million Windows devices across the world. Crowdstrike previously claimed that the airline had rejected technical support offers both from itself and Microsoft. In a statement shared with Reuters, lawyers representing CrowdStrike said they were "confident the judge will find Delta's case has no merit, or will limit damages to the 'single-digit millions of dollars' under Georgia law." The development comes months after MGM Resorts International agreed to pay million to settle multiple class-action lawsuits related to a data breach in 2019 and a ransomware attack the company experienced in 2023. Storm-1516 Uses AI-Generated Media to Spread Disinformation — The Russian influence operation known as Storm-1516sought to spread narratives that undermined the European support for Ukraine by amplifying fabricated stories on X about European leaders using drugs while traveling by train to Kyiv for peace talks. One of the posts was subsequently shared by Russian state media and Maria Zakharova, a senior official in Russia's foreign ministry, as part of what has been described as a coordinated disinformation campaign by EclecticIQ. The activity is also notable for the use of synthetic content depicting French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, and German chancellor Friedrich Merz of drug possession during their return from Ukraine. "By attacking the reputation of these leaders, the campaign likely aimed to turn their own voters against them, using influence operationsto reduce public support for Ukraine by discrediting the politicians who back it," the Dutch threat intelligence firm said. Turkish Users Targeted by DBatLoader — AhnLab has disclosed details of a malware campaign that's distributing a malware loader called DBatLoadervia banking-themed banking emails, which then acts as a conduit to deliver SnakeKeylogger, an information stealer developed in .NET. "The DBatLoader malware distributed through phishing emails has the cunning behavior of exploiting normal processesthrough techniques such as DLL side-loading and injection for most of its behaviors, and it also utilizes normal processesfor behaviors such as file copying and changing policies," the company said. SEC SIM-Swapper Sentenced to 14 Months for SEC X Account Hack — A 26-year-old Alabama man, Eric Council Jr., has been sentenced to 14 months in prison and three years of supervised release for using SIM swapping attacks to breach the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission'sofficial X account in January 2024 and falsely announced that the SEC approved BitcoinExchange Traded Funds. Council Jr.was arrested in October 2024 and pleaded guilty to the crime earlier this February. He has also been ordered to forfeit According to court documents, Council used his personal computer to search incriminating phrases such as "SECGOV hack," "telegram sim swap," "how can I know for sure if I am being investigated by the FBI," "What are the signs that you are under investigation by law enforcement or the FBI even if you have not been contacted by them," "what are some signs that the FBI is after you," "Verizon store list," "federal identity theft statute," and "how long does it take to delete telegram account." FBI Warns of Malicious Campaign Impersonating Government Officials — The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigationis warning of a new campaign that involves malicious actors impersonating senior U.S. federal or state government officials and their contacts to target individuals since April 2025. "The malicious actors have sent text messages and AI-generated voice messages — techniques known as smishing and vishing, respectively — that claim to come from a senior US official in an effort to establish rapport before gaining access to personal accounts," the FBI said. "One way the actors gain such access is by sending targeted individuals a malicious link under the guise of transitioning to a separate messaging platform." From there, the actor may present malware or introduce hyperlinks that lead intended targets to an actor-controlled site that steals login information. DICOM Flaw Enables Attackers to Embed Malicious Code Within Medical Image Files — Praetorian has released a proof-of-conceptfor a high-severity security flaw in Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine, predominant file format for medical images, that enables attackers to embed malicious code within legitimate medical image files. CVE-2019-11687, originally disclosed in 2019 by Markel Picado Ortiz, stems from a design decision that allows arbitrary content at the start of the file, otherwise called the Preamble, which enables the creation of malicious polyglots. Codenamed ELFDICOM, the PoC extends the attack surface to Linux environments, making it a much more potent threat. As mitigations, it's advised to implement a DICOM preamble whitelist. "DICOM's file structure inherently allows arbitrary bytes at the beginning of the file, where Linux and most operating systems will look for magic bytes," Praetorian researcher Ryan Hennessee said. "would check a DICOM file's preamble before it is imported into the system. This would allow known good patterns, such as 'TIFF' magic bytes, or '\x00' null bytes, while files with the ELF magic bytes would be blocked." Cookie-Bite Attack Uses Chrome Extension to Steal Session Tokens — Cybersecurity researchers have demonstrated a new attack technique called Cookie-Bite that employs custom-made malicious browser extensions to steal "ESTAUTH" and "ESTSAUTHPERSISTNT" cookies in Microsoft Azure Entra ID and bypass multi-factor authentication. The attack has multiple moving parts to it: A custom Chrome extension that monitors authentication events and captures cookies; a PowerShell script that automates the extension deployment and ensures persistence; an exfiltration mechanism to send the cookies to a remote collection point; and a complementary extension to inject the captured cookies into the attacker's browser. "Threat actors often use infostealers to extract authentication tokens directly from a victim's machine or buy them directly through darkness markets, allowing adversaries to hijack active cloud sessions without triggering MFA," Varonis said. "By injecting these cookies while mimicking the victim's OS, browser, and network, attackers can evade Conditional Access Policiesand maintain persistent access." Authentication cookies can also be stolen using adversary-in-the-middlephishing kits in real-time, or using rogue browser extensions that request excessive permissions to interact with web sessions, modify page content, and extract stored authentication data. Once installed, the extension can access the browser's storage API, intercept network requests, or inject malicious JavaScript into active sessions to harvest real-time session cookies. "By leveraging stolen session cookies, an adversary can bypass authentication mechanisms, gaining seamless entry into cloud environments without requiring user credentials," Varonis said. "Beyond initial access, session hijacking can facilitate lateral movement across the tenant, allowing attackers to explore additional resources, access sensitive data, and escalate privileges by abusing existing permissions or misconfigured roles." 🎥 Cybersecurity Webinars Non-Human Identities: The AI Backdoor You're Not Watching → AI agents rely on Non-Human Identitiesto function—but these are often left untracked and unsecured. As attackers shift focus to this hidden layer, the risk is growing fast. In this session, you'll learn how to find, secure, and monitor these identities before they're exploited. Join the webinar to understand the real risks behind AI adoption—and how to stay ahead. Inside the LOTS Playbook: How Hackers Stay Undetected → Attackers are using trusted sites to stay hidden. In this webinar, Zscaler experts share how they detect these stealthy LOTS attacks using insights from the world's largest security cloud. Join to learn how to spot hidden threats and improve your defense. 🔧 Cybersecurity Tools ScriptSentry → It is a free tool that scans your environment for dangerous logon script misconfigurations—like plaintext credentials, insecure file/share permissions, and references to non-existent servers. These overlooked issues can enable lateral movement, privilege escalation, or even credential theft. ScriptSentry helps you quickly identify and fix them across large Active Directory environments. Aftermath → It is a Swift-based, open-source tool for macOS incident response. It collects forensic data—like logs, browser activity, and process info—from compromised systems, then analyzes it to build timelines and track infection paths. Deploy via MDM or run manually. Fast, lightweight, and ideal for post-incident investigation. AI Red Teaming Playground Labs → It is an open-source training suite with hands-on challenges designed to teach security professionals how to red team AI systems. Originally developed for Black Hat USA 2024, the labs cover prompt injections, safety bypasses, indirect attacks, and Responsible AI failures. Built on Chat Copilot and deployable via Docker, it's a practical resource for testing and understanding real-world AI vulnerabilities. 🔒 Tip of the Week Review and Revoke Old OAuth App Permissions — They're Silent Backdoor → You've likely logged into apps using "Continue with Google," "Sign in with Microsoft," or GitHub/Twitter/Facebook logins. That's OAuth. But did you know many of those apps still have access to your data long after you stop using them? Why it matters: Even if you delete the app or forget it existed, it might still have ongoing access to your calendar, email, cloud files, or contact list — no password needed. If that third-party gets breached, your data is at risk. What to do: Go through your connected apps here: Google: myaccount.google.com/permissions Microsoft: account.live.com/consent/Manage GitHub: github.com/settings/applications Facebook: facebook.com/settings?tab=applications Revoke anything you don't actively use. It's a fast, silent cleanup — and it closes doors you didn't know were open. Conclusion Looking ahead, it's not just about tracking threats—it's about understanding what they reveal. Every tactic used, every system tested, points to deeper issues in how trust, access, and visibility are managed. As attackers adapt quickly, defenders need sharper awareness and faster response loops. The takeaways from this week aren't just technical—they speak to how teams prioritize risk, design safeguards, and make choices under pressure. Use these insights not just to react, but to rethink what "secure" really needs to mean in today's environment. Found this article interesting? 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    THEHACKERNEWS.COM
    ⚡ Weekly Recap: APT Campaigns, Browser Hijacks, AI Malware, Cloud Breaches and Critical CVEs
    Cyber threats don't show up one at a time anymore. They're layered, planned, and often stay hidden until it's too late. For cybersecurity teams, the key isn't just reacting to alerts—it's spotting early signs of trouble before they become real threats. This update is designed to deliver clear, accurate insights based on real patterns and changes we can verify. With today's complex systems, we need focused analysis—not noise. What you'll see here isn't just a list of incidents, but a clear look at where control is being gained, lost, or quietly tested. ⚡ Threat of the Week Lumma Stealer, DanaBot Operations Disrupted — A coalition of private sector companies and law enforcement agencies have taken down the infrastructure associated with Lumma Stealer and DanaBot. Charges have also been unsealed against 16 individuals for their alleged involvement in the development and deployment of DanaBot. The malware is equipped to siphon data from victim computers, hijack banking sessions, and steal device information. More uniquely, though, DanaBot has also been used for hacking campaigns that appear to be linked to Russian state-sponsored interests. All of that makes DanaBot a particularly clear example of how commodity malware has been repurposed by Russian state hackers for their own goals. In tandem, about 2,300 domains that acted as the command-and-control (C2) backbone for the Lumma information stealer have been seized, alongside taking down 300 servers and neutralizing 650 domains that were used to launch ransomware attacks. The actions against international cybercrime in the past few days constituted the latest phase of Operation Endgame. Get the Guide ➝ 🔔 Top News Threat Actors Use TikTok Videos to Distribute Stealers — While ClickFix has become a popular social engineering tactic to deliver malware, threat actors have been observed using artificial intelligence (AI)-generated videos uploaded to TikTok to deceive users into running malicious commands on their systems and deploy malware like Vidar and StealC under the guise of activating pirated version of Windows, Microsoft Office, CapCut, and Spotify. "This campaign highlights how attackers are ready to weaponize whichever social media platforms are currently popular to distribute malware," Trend Micro said. APT28 Hackers Target Western Logistics and Tech Firms — Several cybersecurity and intelligence agencies from Australia, Europe, and the United States issued a joint alert warning of a state-sponsored campaign orchestrated by the Russian state-sponsored threat actor APT28 targeting Western logistics entities and technology companies since 2022. "This cyber espionage-oriented campaign targeting logistics entities and technology companies uses a mix of previously disclosed TTPs and is likely connected to these actors' wide scale targeting of IP cameras in Ukraine and bordering NATO nations," the agencies said. The attacks are designed to steal sensitive information and maintain long-term persistence on compromised hosts. Chinese Threat Actors Exploit Ivanti EPMM Flaws — The China-nexus cyber espionage group tracked as UNC5221 has been attributed to the exploitation of a pair of security flaws affecting Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobile (EPMM) software (CVE-2025-4427 and CVE-2025-4428) to target a wide range of sectors across Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region. The intrusions leverage the vulnerabilities to obtain a reverse shell and drop malicious payloads like KrustyLoader, which is known to deliver the Sliver command-and-control (C2) framework. "UNC5221 demonstrates a deep understanding of EPMM's internal architecture, repurposing legitimate system components for covert data exfiltration," EclecticIQ said. "Given EPMM's role in managing and pushing configurations to enterprise mobile devices, a successful exploitation could allow threat actors to remotely access, manipulate, or compromise thousands of managed devices across an organization." Over 100 Google Chrome Extensions Mimic Popular Tools — An unknown threat actor has been attributed to creating several malicious Chrome Browser extensions since February 2024 that masquerade as seemingly benign utilities such as DeepSeek, Manus, DeBank, FortiVPN, and Site Stats but incorporate covert functionality to exfiltrate data, receive commands, and execute arbitrary code. Links to these browser add-ons are hosted on specially crafted sites to which users are likely redirected to via phishing and social media posts. While the extensions appear to offer the advertised features, they also stealthily facilitate credential and cookie theft, session hijacking, ad injection, malicious redirects, traffic manipulation, and phishing via DOM manipulation. Several of these extensions have been taken down by Google. CISA Warns of SaaS Providers of Attacks Targeting Cloud Environments — The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned that SaaS companies are under threat from bad actors who are on the prowl for cloud applications with default configurations and elevated permissions. While the agency did not attribute the activity to a specific group, the advisory said enterprise backup platform Commvault is monitoring cyber threat activity targeting applications hosted in their Microsoft Azure cloud environment. "Threat actors may have accessed client secrets for Commvault's (Metallic) Microsoft 365 (M365) backup software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution, hosted in Azure," CISA said. "This provided the threat actors with unauthorized access to Commvault's customers' M365 environments that have application secrets stored by Commvault." GitLab AI Coding Assistant Flaws Could Be Used to Inject Malicious Code — Cybersecurity researchers have discovered an indirect prompt injection flaw in GitLab's artificial intelligence (AI) assistant Duo that could have allowed attackers to steal source code and inject untrusted HTML into its responses, which could then be used to direct victims to malicious websites. The attack could also leak confidential issue data, such as zero-day vulnerability details. All that's required is for the attacker to instruct the chatbot to interact with a merge request (or commit, issue, or source code) by taking advantage of the fact that GitLab Duo has extensive access to the platform. "By embedding hidden instructions in seemingly harmless project content, we were able to manipulate Duo's behavior, exfiltrate private source code, and demonstrate how AI responses can be leveraged for unintended and harmful outcomes," Legit Security said. One variation of the attack involved hiding a malicious instruction in an otherwise legitimate piece of source code, while another exploited Duo's parsing of markdown responses in real-time asynchronously. An attacker could leverage this behavior – that Duo begins rendering the output line by line rather than waiting until the entire response is generated and sending it all at once – to introduce malicious HTML code that can access sensitive data and exfiltrate the information to a remote server. The issues have been patched by GitLab following responsible disclosure. ‎️‍🔥 Trending CVEs Software vulnerabilities remain one of the simplest—and most effective—entry points for attackers. Each week uncovers new flaws, and even small delays in patching can escalate into serious security incidents. Staying ahead means acting fast. Below is this week's list of high-risk vulnerabilities that demand attention. Review them carefully, apply updates without delay, and close the doors before they're forced open. This week's list includes — CVE-2025-34025, CVE-2025-34026, CVE-2025-34027 (Versa Concerto), CVE-2025-30911 (RomethemeKit For Elementor WordPress plugin), CVE-2024-57273, CVE-2024-54780, and CVE-2024-54779 (pfSense), CVE-2025-41229 (VMware Cloud Foundation), CVE-2025-4322 (Motors WordPress theme), CVE-2025-47934 (OpenPGP.js), CVE-2025-30193 (PowerDNS), CVE-2025-0993 (GitLab), CVE-2025-36535 (AutomationDirect MB-Gateway), CVE-2025-47949 (Samlify), CVE-2025-40775 (BIND DNS), CVE-2025-20152 (Cisco Identity Services Engine), CVE-2025-4123 (Grafana), CVE-2025-5063 (Google Chrome), CVE-2025-37899 (Linux Kernel), CVE-2025-26817 (Netwrix Password Secure), CVE-2025-47947 (ModSecurity), CVE-2025-3078, CVE-2025-3079 (Canon Printers), and CVE-2025-4978 (NETGEAR). 📰 Around the Cyber World Sandworm Drops New Wiper in Ukraine — The Russia-aligned Sandworm group intensified destructive operations against Ukrainian energy companies, deploying a new wiper named ZEROLOT. "The infamous Sandworm group concentrated heavily on compromising Ukrainian energy infrastructure. In recent cases, it deployed the ZEROLOT wiper in Ukraine. For this, the attackers abused Active Directory Group Policy in the affected organizations," ESET Director of Threat Research, Jean-Ian Boutin, said. Another Russian hacking group, Gamaredon, remained the most prolific actor targeting the East European nation, enhancing malware obfuscation and introducing PteroBox, a file stealer leveraging Dropbox. Signal Says No to Recall — Signal has released a new version of its messaging app for Windows that, by default, blocks the ability of Windows to use Recall to periodically take screenshots of the app. "Although Microsoft made several adjustments over the past twelve months in response to critical feedback, the revamped version of Recall still places any content that's displayed within privacy-preserving apps like Signal at risk," Signal said. "As a result, we are enabling an extra layer of protection by default on Windows 11 in order to help maintain the security of Signal Desktop on that platform even though it introduces some usability trade-offs. Microsoft has simply given us no other option." Microsoft began officially rolling out Recall last month. Russia Introduces New Law to Track Foreigners Using Their Smartphones — The Russian government has introduced a new law that makes installing a tracking app mandatory for all foreign nationals in the Moscow region. This includes gathering their real-time locations, fingerprint, face photograph, and residential information. "The adopted mechanism will allow, using modern technologies, to strengthen control in the field of migration and will also contribute to reducing the number of violations and crimes in this area," Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the State Duma, said. "If migrants change their actual place of residence, they will be required to inform the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) within three working days." A proposed four-year trial period begins on September 1, 2025, and runs until September 1, 2029. Dutch Government Passes Law to Criminalize Cyber Espionage — The Dutch government has approved a law criminalizing a wide range of espionage activities, including digital espionage, in an effort to protect national security, critical infrastructure, and high-quality technologies. Under the amended law, leaking sensitive information that is not classified as a state secret or engaging in activities on behalf of a foreign government that harm Dutch interests can also result in criminal charges. "Foreign governments are also interested in non-state-secret, sensitive information about a particular economic sector or about political decision-making," the government said. "Such information can be used to influence political processes, weaken the Dutch economy or play allies against each other. Espionage can also involve actions other than sharing information." Microsoft Announces Availability of Quantum-Resistant Algorithms to SymCrypt — Microsoft has revealed that it's making post-quantum cryptography (PQC) capabilities, including ML-KEM and ML-DSA, available for Windows Insiders, Canary Channel Build 27852 and higher, and Linux, SymCrypt-OpenSSL version 1.9.0. "This advancement will enable customers to commence their exploration and experimentation of PQC within their operational environments," Microsoft said. "By obtaining early access to PQC capabilities, organizations can proactively assess the compatibility, performance, and integration of these novel algorithms alongside their existing security infrastructure." New Malware DOUBLELOADER Uses ALCATRAZ for Obfuscation — The open-source obfuscator ALCATRAZ has been seen within a new generic loader dubbed DOUBLELOADER, which has been deployed alongside Rhadamanthys Stealer infections starting December 2024. The malware collects host information, requests an updated version of itself, and starts beaconing to a hardcoded IP address (185.147.125[.]81) stored within the binary. "Obfuscators such as ALCATRAZ end up increasing the complexity when triaging malware," Elastic Security Labs said. "Its main goal is to hinder binary analysis tools and increase the time of the reverse engineering process through different techniques; such as hiding the control flow or making decompilation hard to follow." New Formjacking Campaign Targets WooCommerce Sites — Cybersecurity researchers have detected a sophisticated formjacking campaign targeting WooCommerce sites. The malware, per Wordfence, injects a fake but professional-looking payment form into legitimate checkout processes and exfiltrates sensitive customer data to an external server. Further analysis has revealed that the infection likely originated from a compromised WordPress admin account, which was used to inject malicious JavaScript via a Simple Custom CSS and JS plugin (or something similar) that allows administrators to add custom code. "Unlike traditional card skimmers that simply overlay existing forms, this variant carefully integrates with the WooCommerce site's design and payment workflow, making it particularly difficult for site owners and users to detect," the WordPress security company said. "The malware author repurposed the browser's localStorage mechanism – typically used by websites to remember user preferences – to silently store stolen data and maintain access even after page reloads or when navigating away from the checkout page." E.U. Sanctions Stark Industries — The European Union (E.U.) has announced sanctions against 21 individuals and six entities in Russia over its "destabilising actions" in the region. One of the sanctioned entities is Stark Industries, a bulletproof hosting provider that has been accused of acting as "enablers of various Russian state-sponsored and affiliated actors to conduct destabilising activities including, information manipulation interference and cyber attacks against the Union and third countries." The sanctions also target its CEO Iurie Neculiti and owner Ivan Neculiti. Stark Industries was previously spotlighted by independent cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs, detailing its use in DDoS attacks in Ukraine and across Europe. In August 2024, Team Cymru said it discovered 25 Stark-assigned IP addresses used to host domains associated with FIN7 activities and that it had been working with Stark Industries for several months to identify and reduce abuse of their systems. The sanctions have also targeted Kremlin-backed manufacturers of drones and radio communication equipment used by the Russian military, as well as those involved in GPS signal jamming in Baltic states and disrupting civil aviation. The Mask APT Unmasked as Tied to the Spanish Government — The mysterious threat actor known as The Mask (aka Careto) has been identified as run by the Spanish government, according to a report published by TechCrunch, citing people who worked at Kaspersky at the time and had knowledge of the investigation. The Russian cybersecurity company first exposed the hacking group in 2014, linking it to highly sophisticated attacks since at least 2007 targeting high-profile organizations, such as governments, diplomatic entities, and research institutions. A majority of the group's attacks have targeted Cuba, followed by hundreds of victims in Brazil, Morocco, Spain, and Gibraltar. While Kaspersky has not publicly attributed it to a specific country, the latest revelation makes The Mask one of the few Western government hacking groups that has ever been discussed in public. This includes the Equation Group, the Lamberts (the U.S.), and Animal Farm (France). Social Engineering Scams Target Coinbase Users — Earlier this month, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase revealed that it was the victim of a malicious attack perpetrated by unknown threat actors to breach its systems by bribing customer support agents in India and siphon funds from nearly 70,000 customers. According to Blockchain security firm SlowMist, Coinbase users have been the target of social engineering scams since the start of the year, bombarding with SMS messages claiming to be fake withdrawal requests and seeking their confirmation as part of a "sustained and organized scam campaign." The goal is to induce a false sense of urgency and trick them into calling a number, eventually convincing them to transfer the funds to a secure wallet with a seed phrase pre-generated by the attackers and ultimately drain the assets. It's assessed that the activities are primarily carried out by two groups: low-level skid attackers from the Com community and organized cybercrime groups based in India. "Using spoofed PBX phone systems, scammers impersonate Coinbase support and claim there's been 'unauthorized access' or 'suspicious withdrawals' on the user's account," SlowMist said. "They create a sense of urgency, then follow up with phishing emails or texts containing fake ticket numbers or 'recovery links.'" Delta Can Sue CrowdStrike Over July 2024 Mega Outage — Delta Air Lines, which had its systems crippled and almost 7,000 flights canceled in the wake of a massive outage caused by a faulty update issued by CrowdStrike in mid-July 2024, has been given the green light to pursue to its lawsuit against the cybersecurity company. A judge in the U.S. state of Georgia stating Delta can try to prove that CrowdStrike was grossly negligent by pushing a defective update to its Falcon software to customers. The update crashed 8.5 million Windows devices across the world. Crowdstrike previously claimed that the airline had rejected technical support offers both from itself and Microsoft. In a statement shared with Reuters, lawyers representing CrowdStrike said they were "confident the judge will find Delta's case has no merit, or will limit damages to the 'single-digit millions of dollars' under Georgia law." The development comes months after MGM Resorts International agreed to pay $45 million to settle multiple class-action lawsuits related to a data breach in 2019 and a ransomware attack the company experienced in 2023. Storm-1516 Uses AI-Generated Media to Spread Disinformation — The Russian influence operation known as Storm-1516 (aka CopyCop) sought to spread narratives that undermined the European support for Ukraine by amplifying fabricated stories on X about European leaders using drugs while traveling by train to Kyiv for peace talks. One of the posts was subsequently shared by Russian state media and Maria Zakharova, a senior official in Russia's foreign ministry, as part of what has been described as a coordinated disinformation campaign by EclecticIQ. The activity is also notable for the use of synthetic content depicting French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, and German chancellor Friedrich Merz of drug possession during their return from Ukraine. "By attacking the reputation of these leaders, the campaign likely aimed to turn their own voters against them, using influence operations (IO) to reduce public support for Ukraine by discrediting the politicians who back it," the Dutch threat intelligence firm said. Turkish Users Targeted by DBatLoader — AhnLab has disclosed details of a malware campaign that's distributing a malware loader called DBatLoader (aka ModiLoader) via banking-themed banking emails, which then acts as a conduit to deliver SnakeKeylogger, an information stealer developed in .NET. "The DBatLoader malware distributed through phishing emails has the cunning behavior of exploiting normal processes (easinvoker.exe, loader.exe) through techniques such as DLL side-loading and injection for most of its behaviors, and it also utilizes normal processes (cmd.exe, powershell.exe, esentutl.exe, extrac32.exe) for behaviors such as file copying and changing policies," the company said. SEC SIM-Swapper Sentenced to 14 Months for SEC X Account Hack — A 26-year-old Alabama man, Eric Council Jr., has been sentenced to 14 months in prison and three years of supervised release for using SIM swapping attacks to breach the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) official X account in January 2024 and falsely announced that the SEC approved Bitcoin (BTC) Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). Council Jr. (aka Ronin, Agiantschnauzer, and @EasyMunny) was arrested in October 2024 and pleaded guilty to the crime earlier this February. He has also been ordered to forfeit $50,000. According to court documents, Council used his personal computer to search incriminating phrases such as "SECGOV hack," "telegram sim swap," "how can I know for sure if I am being investigated by the FBI," "What are the signs that you are under investigation by law enforcement or the FBI even if you have not been contacted by them," "what are some signs that the FBI is after you," "Verizon store list," "federal identity theft statute," and "how long does it take to delete telegram account." FBI Warns of Malicious Campaign Impersonating Government Officials — The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is warning of a new campaign that involves malicious actors impersonating senior U.S. federal or state government officials and their contacts to target individuals since April 2025. "The malicious actors have sent text messages and AI-generated voice messages — techniques known as smishing and vishing, respectively — that claim to come from a senior US official in an effort to establish rapport before gaining access to personal accounts," the FBI said. "One way the actors gain such access is by sending targeted individuals a malicious link under the guise of transitioning to a separate messaging platform." From there, the actor may present malware or introduce hyperlinks that lead intended targets to an actor-controlled site that steals login information. DICOM Flaw Enables Attackers to Embed Malicious Code Within Medical Image Files — Praetorian has released a proof-of-concept (PoC) for a high-severity security flaw in Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM), predominant file format for medical images, that enables attackers to embed malicious code within legitimate medical image files. CVE-2019-11687 (CVSS score: 7.8), originally disclosed in 2019 by Markel Picado Ortiz, stems from a design decision that allows arbitrary content at the start of the file, otherwise called the Preamble, which enables the creation of malicious polyglots. Codenamed ELFDICOM, the PoC extends the attack surface to Linux environments, making it a much more potent threat. As mitigations, it's advised to implement a DICOM preamble whitelist. "DICOM's file structure inherently allows arbitrary bytes at the beginning of the file, where Linux and most operating systems will look for magic bytes," Praetorian researcher Ryan Hennessee said. "[The whitelist] would check a DICOM file's preamble before it is imported into the system. This would allow known good patterns, such as 'TIFF' magic bytes, or '\x00' null bytes, while files with the ELF magic bytes would be blocked." Cookie-Bite Attack Uses Chrome Extension to Steal Session Tokens — Cybersecurity researchers have demonstrated a new attack technique called Cookie-Bite that employs custom-made malicious browser extensions to steal "ESTAUTH" and "ESTSAUTHPERSISTNT" cookies in Microsoft Azure Entra ID and bypass multi-factor authentication (MFA). The attack has multiple moving parts to it: A custom Chrome extension that monitors authentication events and captures cookies; a PowerShell script that automates the extension deployment and ensures persistence; an exfiltration mechanism to send the cookies to a remote collection point; and a complementary extension to inject the captured cookies into the attacker's browser. "Threat actors often use infostealers to extract authentication tokens directly from a victim's machine or buy them directly through darkness markets, allowing adversaries to hijack active cloud sessions without triggering MFA," Varonis said. "By injecting these cookies while mimicking the victim's OS, browser, and network, attackers can evade Conditional Access Policies (CAPs) and maintain persistent access." Authentication cookies can also be stolen using adversary-in-the-middle (AitM) phishing kits in real-time, or using rogue browser extensions that request excessive permissions to interact with web sessions, modify page content, and extract stored authentication data. Once installed, the extension can access the browser's storage API, intercept network requests, or inject malicious JavaScript into active sessions to harvest real-time session cookies. "By leveraging stolen session cookies, an adversary can bypass authentication mechanisms, gaining seamless entry into cloud environments without requiring user credentials," Varonis said. "Beyond initial access, session hijacking can facilitate lateral movement across the tenant, allowing attackers to explore additional resources, access sensitive data, and escalate privileges by abusing existing permissions or misconfigured roles." 🎥 Cybersecurity Webinars Non-Human Identities: The AI Backdoor You're Not Watching → AI agents rely on Non-Human Identities (like service accounts and API keys) to function—but these are often left untracked and unsecured. As attackers shift focus to this hidden layer, the risk is growing fast. In this session, you'll learn how to find, secure, and monitor these identities before they're exploited. Join the webinar to understand the real risks behind AI adoption—and how to stay ahead. Inside the LOTS Playbook: How Hackers Stay Undetected → Attackers are using trusted sites to stay hidden. In this webinar, Zscaler experts share how they detect these stealthy LOTS attacks using insights from the world's largest security cloud. Join to learn how to spot hidden threats and improve your defense. 🔧 Cybersecurity Tools ScriptSentry → It is a free tool that scans your environment for dangerous logon script misconfigurations—like plaintext credentials, insecure file/share permissions, and references to non-existent servers. These overlooked issues can enable lateral movement, privilege escalation, or even credential theft. ScriptSentry helps you quickly identify and fix them across large Active Directory environments. Aftermath → It is a Swift-based, open-source tool for macOS incident response. It collects forensic data—like logs, browser activity, and process info—from compromised systems, then analyzes it to build timelines and track infection paths. Deploy via MDM or run manually. Fast, lightweight, and ideal for post-incident investigation. AI Red Teaming Playground Labs → It is an open-source training suite with hands-on challenges designed to teach security professionals how to red team AI systems. Originally developed for Black Hat USA 2024, the labs cover prompt injections, safety bypasses, indirect attacks, and Responsible AI failures. Built on Chat Copilot and deployable via Docker, it's a practical resource for testing and understanding real-world AI vulnerabilities. 🔒 Tip of the Week Review and Revoke Old OAuth App Permissions — They're Silent Backdoor → You've likely logged into apps using "Continue with Google," "Sign in with Microsoft," or GitHub/Twitter/Facebook logins. That's OAuth. But did you know many of those apps still have access to your data long after you stop using them? Why it matters: Even if you delete the app or forget it existed, it might still have ongoing access to your calendar, email, cloud files, or contact list — no password needed. If that third-party gets breached, your data is at risk. What to do: Go through your connected apps here: Google: myaccount.google.com/permissions Microsoft: account.live.com/consent/Manage GitHub: github.com/settings/applications Facebook: facebook.com/settings?tab=applications Revoke anything you don't actively use. It's a fast, silent cleanup — and it closes doors you didn't know were open. Conclusion Looking ahead, it's not just about tracking threats—it's about understanding what they reveal. Every tactic used, every system tested, points to deeper issues in how trust, access, and visibility are managed. As attackers adapt quickly, defenders need sharper awareness and faster response loops. The takeaways from this week aren't just technical—they speak to how teams prioritize risk, design safeguards, and make choices under pressure. Use these insights not just to react, but to rethink what "secure" really needs to mean in today's environment. Found this article interesting? 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  • From Spreadsheet Zero to Hero: How I Use ChatGPT to Unlock Excel and Google Sheet Mastery

    There's no escaping spreadsheets. Tools like Excel and Google Sheets are ubiquitous these days, and learning how to use them more effectively will quickly enhance your daily work. But spreadsheets aren't always the easiest thing to work with. Grids of numbers, obscure menus, arcane formula syntax—it can leave you feeling lost and overwhelmed. That's the bad news.The good news? I've figured out how to harness AI to make Excel and Google Sheets much easier to work with. And I'm not talking about specialized plug-ins or spreadsheet-specific apps. StandardAI tools can give you a major leg up. I've been using my newfound spreadsheet superpowers to do everything from planning birthday dinners to automating work tasks and diving deeper into advanced features in Google Sheets.Here are my three favorite basic ways to level up your spreadsheet game with ChatGPT. You can use basic chatbots to effortlessly get structured data from almost any source, use AI as your personal formula generator, and even get personalized tutorials and guidance for mastering advanced features.Choosing Your AI Spreadsheet AssistantFor this project I'm using Google Sheets for my spreadsheet work and ChatGPT for AI assistance. But I regularly use other tools, like Google Gemini, and the same techniques apply. In fact, these tips will also work with other Anthropic's Claude, DeepSeek, Perplexity, and others.This guide also isn't limited to Google Sheets, since the same general approach works for Microsoft Excel and even more specialized tools like Microsoft Access.While sophisticated, purpose-built AI tools and even integrated AI features within Excel and Google Sheets exist, it's impressive how even these free chatbots can really elevate your everyday spreadsheet use. Right now, I'm using ChatGPT because it's the most popular AI tool out there, but you can get even more out of your spreadsheets when used synergistically with the right chatbot: If you're an Excel user, Microsoft Copilot delivers even more capability, while Google's Gemini is the best tool for enhancing Google Sheets. We'll address those specific tools in future articles but know that what we're looking at here is just scratching the surface.Stepping Up My Spreadsheet Game With Google Sheets and ChatGPTWhile I do not do financial analysis or data science as a writer for PCMag, I do deal with a fair amount of data. From test results to traffic reports—not to mention researching new stories and staying up to date on academic studies around AI and other tech topics—it's not unusual for me to have to dig through some numbers now and then.I've also found ways to speed up my data entry with a couple of handy automations that pull specific bits of information from a website or parse extra-long URLs to let me quickly grab product photos from an article when I need to reuse them elsewhere. But all of those tools require complex functions that, in all honesty, I don't want to figure out from scratch.AI has enhanced all of that, so let's explore the three most basic ways ChatGPT can help you do more with spreadsheets.1. Get Structured Data From Any SourceOne of my favorite uses for tools like ChatGPT is to take data from one source and turn it into a structured table or list. That sort of data manipulation can be grueling when done manually, but AI can do it quickly and accurately, letting you automate data entry and skip that step entirely.For example, I recently planned a birthday dinner for someone who loves sushi. But as anyone who knows their sashimi from their wasabi can tell you, bites of fish and rice get pricey. Putting the sushi selection and pricing details into a spreadsheet could make it easier to track who wanted what, how much, and what it would all cost. But first, I'd need to get all of that delicious data into spreadsheet format. I don't love sushienough to do all of that manually. Thankfully, ChatGPT is pretty great at taking data from one formatand outputting it as another. In this example, all I had to do was download the menu from the restaurant's website, upload it to ChatGPT, and specifically ask for a table that included all of the items on the sushi menu, with price information.It took a little tweaking to get things just how I wanted them, including details like whether it was priced per roll or per piece, but in short order, I had a nicely formatted table of menu items and prices. Copying and pasting into Google Sheets was a cinch. And here's a bonus tip: Pasting with CTRL+V might result in some funky data formatting. Instead, use CTRL+Shift+V to get tables to paste cleanly.This works for more than just semi-structured restaurant menus and PDF files. You can do the same thing for plaintext lists, photos of whiteboards, scans of old book pages, almost anything. The output format can be as simple or complex as you want. You can output as a table or CSV or use structured formats like JSON or XML. In this case, while copy and paste would do the job just fine, I also wanted to demonstrate how easy it is to output something to a CSV file. If you're unfamiliar, CSV stands for "Comma-separated values" and is a plaintext file format for storing tabular data—literally tables of text and numbers. II's a file format that's supported by both Excel and Google Sheets, so even huge reports can be opened as a clean spreadsheet.As for the data in CSV format, just copy and paste the resulting text into a text file and change the file extension from .txt to .csv. Now, it can be easily opened in Excel or Google Sheets with proper table formatting, ready to be used however you need.2. The Three Fs: Formulas, Formatting, and FeaturesOnce you have your data, AI can also help you wrangle it. While you can use AI to do some data analysis, I find it's much better to just let AI assist me with building out my spreadsheets the way I want, using ChatGPT as an AI Excel formula generator.Recommended by Our EditorsExcel and Google Sheets formulas hit a sweet spot for tools like ChatGPT, where there's a ton of consistent and helpful instructional material on the topic in their training data. It's a mix of language and straightforward logic, making it easy for the AI to understand the tools and the syntax that often leaves human users scratching their heads. The result is even better: instant, copy-and-paste solutions.There are a ton of different ways to leverage this faculty with formulas. Here are just a few examples of the prompts I've found useful in my own work, starting with simple formulas.As you can see, these formulas work for handling math and logic, but also extracting information, whether it's grabbing domain names from email addresses or sifting through text for numbers.That same formula-writing capability is great for setting up more sophisticated conditional formatting rules:All you need to do is explain what you want the rule to do, and ChatGPT can figure out the formatting rule formulas for you, and even walk you through how to set up your custom formatting.And it goes the other direction, too. Not only can ChatGPT write formulas based on your plain English explanation of what you want it to do, but it can also break down what a complex formula does and walk you through the individual functions and variables. It's a great resource for learning formula syntax, but also for troubleshooting a formula that isn't working.Whether you need it for writing formulas, crafting rules for conditional formatting, explaining a formula you might not understand, or debugging a formula that's causing trouble, ChatGPT becomes your AI spreadsheet wingman.3. Learn Excel With AI: Your Personal VLOOKUP Tutorial and MoreChatGPT is also super-effective as a tutor for learning advanced features in Google Sheets and Excel. For all the same reasons that an AI chatbot is great at writing formulas, they're also well-equipped to teach you how to do things in your favorite spreadsheet app.What's the feature you've always thought would be useful but never really understood? Maybe it's Excel Macros or Google Sheets App Script. Maybe you feel intimidated by Regex, pivot tables, or VLOOKUP. Whatever it is, your AI tool of choice can probably help you learn it, and quickly.Now, you always have the option of looking up tutorial videos or digging through FAQs and help forums. There are even Excel tutors and courses that offer premium instruction on any aspect of the app you want to learn.But ChatGPT is also pretty great, and can do it for free. And it will do more than just regurgitate information; you can ask questions, get clarifications, and ask for step-by-step instructions when needed. You can also use it to create custom learning plans, make tutorials that solve your real-world problems and projects, and answer your questions over and over and over again. Unlike a human, AI won't grow impatient when you get stuck.Honestly, the best feature of using AI for learning is that it's endlessly patient and flexible. You can ask it anything, no matter how simple, complex, or specific to your exact use.For example, I needed to brush up on Google Sheets' ImportXML function to update several tools I use to grab product data as part of my work. So I used an extremely simple prompt to go over the basics:In response, ChatGPT walked me through the essential information about how ImportXML functions work, the nuances of Xpath usage, and the syntax of the formula structure used.And this isn't limited to any one function or feature. You can rinse and repeat to learn any aspect of Google Sheets or Excel, or all of them. You can even ask ChatGPT to put together a learning plan to boost your spreadsheet knowledge across the board.Smarter Spreadsheets for Your Daily LifeThese same uses can help you level up your own daily work in all sorts of ways. Whether you're assembling data for a weekly report, analyzing information to find actionable insights, or mining old content for new data, your use of spreadsheet tools can be simpler, faster, and more insightful.And we've only scratched the surface. Consider experimenting with using AI to go beyond basic formulas. The ability to use natural, conversational language to write complex formulas and fine-tune the more advanced features of modern spreadsheets is powerful. Even casually including your preferred chatbot in your daily work leverages AI productivity to make you faster and more efficient and unlock new ways to explore data for unexpected insights.But that doesn't mean that these lessons need to stay office-bound. AI can make Excel and Google Sheets so much more accessible, and you can leverage that in your daily life in creative ways:Grocery inventory and needs tracker to automate making grocery listsSchoolwork project and assignment tracker to keep you on course all semester longDIY Project materials calculator to keep your next project under budgetFantasy football draft and league tracking, so you can enjoy the gameAnd the broader lessons from these tips apply elsewhere. The same AI that can explain Excel formulas and teach you advanced features can be used to troubleshoot a Python script or quickly master the shortcuts in Adobe Photoshop.Personalized tutoring on things like Pivot Tables and ImportXML functions can also be applied to other subjects and skills. AI like ChatGPT is a hugely powerful learning tool and one that can be tailored to you, your projects, and your needs in any combination.Disclosure: Ziff Davis, PCMag's parent company, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April 2025, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.
    #spreadsheet #zero #hero #how #use
    From Spreadsheet Zero to Hero: How I Use ChatGPT to Unlock Excel and Google Sheet Mastery
    There's no escaping spreadsheets. Tools like Excel and Google Sheets are ubiquitous these days, and learning how to use them more effectively will quickly enhance your daily work. But spreadsheets aren't always the easiest thing to work with. Grids of numbers, obscure menus, arcane formula syntax—it can leave you feeling lost and overwhelmed. That's the bad news.The good news? I've figured out how to harness AI to make Excel and Google Sheets much easier to work with. And I'm not talking about specialized plug-ins or spreadsheet-specific apps. StandardAI tools can give you a major leg up. I've been using my newfound spreadsheet superpowers to do everything from planning birthday dinners to automating work tasks and diving deeper into advanced features in Google Sheets.Here are my three favorite basic ways to level up your spreadsheet game with ChatGPT. You can use basic chatbots to effortlessly get structured data from almost any source, use AI as your personal formula generator, and even get personalized tutorials and guidance for mastering advanced features.Choosing Your AI Spreadsheet AssistantFor this project I'm using Google Sheets for my spreadsheet work and ChatGPT for AI assistance. But I regularly use other tools, like Google Gemini, and the same techniques apply. In fact, these tips will also work with other Anthropic's Claude, DeepSeek, Perplexity, and others.This guide also isn't limited to Google Sheets, since the same general approach works for Microsoft Excel and even more specialized tools like Microsoft Access.While sophisticated, purpose-built AI tools and even integrated AI features within Excel and Google Sheets exist, it's impressive how even these free chatbots can really elevate your everyday spreadsheet use. Right now, I'm using ChatGPT because it's the most popular AI tool out there, but you can get even more out of your spreadsheets when used synergistically with the right chatbot: If you're an Excel user, Microsoft Copilot delivers even more capability, while Google's Gemini is the best tool for enhancing Google Sheets. We'll address those specific tools in future articles but know that what we're looking at here is just scratching the surface.Stepping Up My Spreadsheet Game With Google Sheets and ChatGPTWhile I do not do financial analysis or data science as a writer for PCMag, I do deal with a fair amount of data. From test results to traffic reports—not to mention researching new stories and staying up to date on academic studies around AI and other tech topics—it's not unusual for me to have to dig through some numbers now and then.I've also found ways to speed up my data entry with a couple of handy automations that pull specific bits of information from a website or parse extra-long URLs to let me quickly grab product photos from an article when I need to reuse them elsewhere. But all of those tools require complex functions that, in all honesty, I don't want to figure out from scratch.AI has enhanced all of that, so let's explore the three most basic ways ChatGPT can help you do more with spreadsheets.1. Get Structured Data From Any SourceOne of my favorite uses for tools like ChatGPT is to take data from one source and turn it into a structured table or list. That sort of data manipulation can be grueling when done manually, but AI can do it quickly and accurately, letting you automate data entry and skip that step entirely.For example, I recently planned a birthday dinner for someone who loves sushi. But as anyone who knows their sashimi from their wasabi can tell you, bites of fish and rice get pricey. Putting the sushi selection and pricing details into a spreadsheet could make it easier to track who wanted what, how much, and what it would all cost. But first, I'd need to get all of that delicious data into spreadsheet format. I don't love sushienough to do all of that manually. Thankfully, ChatGPT is pretty great at taking data from one formatand outputting it as another. In this example, all I had to do was download the menu from the restaurant's website, upload it to ChatGPT, and specifically ask for a table that included all of the items on the sushi menu, with price information.It took a little tweaking to get things just how I wanted them, including details like whether it was priced per roll or per piece, but in short order, I had a nicely formatted table of menu items and prices. Copying and pasting into Google Sheets was a cinch. And here's a bonus tip: Pasting with CTRL+V might result in some funky data formatting. Instead, use CTRL+Shift+V to get tables to paste cleanly.This works for more than just semi-structured restaurant menus and PDF files. You can do the same thing for plaintext lists, photos of whiteboards, scans of old book pages, almost anything. The output format can be as simple or complex as you want. You can output as a table or CSV or use structured formats like JSON or XML. In this case, while copy and paste would do the job just fine, I also wanted to demonstrate how easy it is to output something to a CSV file. If you're unfamiliar, CSV stands for "Comma-separated values" and is a plaintext file format for storing tabular data—literally tables of text and numbers. II's a file format that's supported by both Excel and Google Sheets, so even huge reports can be opened as a clean spreadsheet.As for the data in CSV format, just copy and paste the resulting text into a text file and change the file extension from .txt to .csv. Now, it can be easily opened in Excel or Google Sheets with proper table formatting, ready to be used however you need.2. The Three Fs: Formulas, Formatting, and FeaturesOnce you have your data, AI can also help you wrangle it. While you can use AI to do some data analysis, I find it's much better to just let AI assist me with building out my spreadsheets the way I want, using ChatGPT as an AI Excel formula generator.Recommended by Our EditorsExcel and Google Sheets formulas hit a sweet spot for tools like ChatGPT, where there's a ton of consistent and helpful instructional material on the topic in their training data. It's a mix of language and straightforward logic, making it easy for the AI to understand the tools and the syntax that often leaves human users scratching their heads. The result is even better: instant, copy-and-paste solutions.There are a ton of different ways to leverage this faculty with formulas. Here are just a few examples of the prompts I've found useful in my own work, starting with simple formulas.As you can see, these formulas work for handling math and logic, but also extracting information, whether it's grabbing domain names from email addresses or sifting through text for numbers.That same formula-writing capability is great for setting up more sophisticated conditional formatting rules:All you need to do is explain what you want the rule to do, and ChatGPT can figure out the formatting rule formulas for you, and even walk you through how to set up your custom formatting.And it goes the other direction, too. Not only can ChatGPT write formulas based on your plain English explanation of what you want it to do, but it can also break down what a complex formula does and walk you through the individual functions and variables. It's a great resource for learning formula syntax, but also for troubleshooting a formula that isn't working.Whether you need it for writing formulas, crafting rules for conditional formatting, explaining a formula you might not understand, or debugging a formula that's causing trouble, ChatGPT becomes your AI spreadsheet wingman.3. Learn Excel With AI: Your Personal VLOOKUP Tutorial and MoreChatGPT is also super-effective as a tutor for learning advanced features in Google Sheets and Excel. For all the same reasons that an AI chatbot is great at writing formulas, they're also well-equipped to teach you how to do things in your favorite spreadsheet app.What's the feature you've always thought would be useful but never really understood? Maybe it's Excel Macros or Google Sheets App Script. Maybe you feel intimidated by Regex, pivot tables, or VLOOKUP. Whatever it is, your AI tool of choice can probably help you learn it, and quickly.Now, you always have the option of looking up tutorial videos or digging through FAQs and help forums. There are even Excel tutors and courses that offer premium instruction on any aspect of the app you want to learn.But ChatGPT is also pretty great, and can do it for free. And it will do more than just regurgitate information; you can ask questions, get clarifications, and ask for step-by-step instructions when needed. You can also use it to create custom learning plans, make tutorials that solve your real-world problems and projects, and answer your questions over and over and over again. Unlike a human, AI won't grow impatient when you get stuck.Honestly, the best feature of using AI for learning is that it's endlessly patient and flexible. You can ask it anything, no matter how simple, complex, or specific to your exact use.For example, I needed to brush up on Google Sheets' ImportXML function to update several tools I use to grab product data as part of my work. So I used an extremely simple prompt to go over the basics:In response, ChatGPT walked me through the essential information about how ImportXML functions work, the nuances of Xpath usage, and the syntax of the formula structure used.And this isn't limited to any one function or feature. You can rinse and repeat to learn any aspect of Google Sheets or Excel, or all of them. You can even ask ChatGPT to put together a learning plan to boost your spreadsheet knowledge across the board.Smarter Spreadsheets for Your Daily LifeThese same uses can help you level up your own daily work in all sorts of ways. Whether you're assembling data for a weekly report, analyzing information to find actionable insights, or mining old content for new data, your use of spreadsheet tools can be simpler, faster, and more insightful.And we've only scratched the surface. Consider experimenting with using AI to go beyond basic formulas. The ability to use natural, conversational language to write complex formulas and fine-tune the more advanced features of modern spreadsheets is powerful. Even casually including your preferred chatbot in your daily work leverages AI productivity to make you faster and more efficient and unlock new ways to explore data for unexpected insights.But that doesn't mean that these lessons need to stay office-bound. AI can make Excel and Google Sheets so much more accessible, and you can leverage that in your daily life in creative ways:Grocery inventory and needs tracker to automate making grocery listsSchoolwork project and assignment tracker to keep you on course all semester longDIY Project materials calculator to keep your next project under budgetFantasy football draft and league tracking, so you can enjoy the gameAnd the broader lessons from these tips apply elsewhere. The same AI that can explain Excel formulas and teach you advanced features can be used to troubleshoot a Python script or quickly master the shortcuts in Adobe Photoshop.Personalized tutoring on things like Pivot Tables and ImportXML functions can also be applied to other subjects and skills. AI like ChatGPT is a hugely powerful learning tool and one that can be tailored to you, your projects, and your needs in any combination.Disclosure: Ziff Davis, PCMag's parent company, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April 2025, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems. #spreadsheet #zero #hero #how #use
    ME.PCMAG.COM
    From Spreadsheet Zero to Hero: How I Use ChatGPT to Unlock Excel and Google Sheet Mastery
    There's no escaping spreadsheets. Tools like Excel and Google Sheets are ubiquitous these days, and learning how to use them more effectively will quickly enhance your daily work. But spreadsheets aren't always the easiest thing to work with. Grids of numbers, obscure menus, arcane formula syntax—it can leave you feeling lost and overwhelmed. That's the bad news.The good news? I've figured out how to harness AI to make Excel and Google Sheets much easier to work with. And I'm not talking about specialized plug-ins or spreadsheet-specific apps. Standard (and free) AI tools can give you a major leg up. I've been using my newfound spreadsheet superpowers to do everything from planning birthday dinners to automating work tasks and diving deeper into advanced features in Google Sheets.Here are my three favorite basic ways to level up your spreadsheet game with ChatGPT. You can use basic chatbots to effortlessly get structured data from almost any source, use AI as your personal formula generator, and even get personalized tutorials and guidance for mastering advanced features.Choosing Your AI Spreadsheet AssistantFor this project I'm using Google Sheets for my spreadsheet work and ChatGPT for AI assistance. But I regularly use other tools, like Google Gemini, and the same techniques apply. In fact, these tips will also work with other Anthropic's Claude, DeepSeek, Perplexity, and others.This guide also isn't limited to Google Sheets, since the same general approach works for Microsoft Excel and even more specialized tools like Microsoft Access.While sophisticated, purpose-built AI tools and even integrated AI features within Excel and Google Sheets exist (topics for another time), it's impressive how even these free chatbots can really elevate your everyday spreadsheet use. Right now, I'm using ChatGPT because it's the most popular AI tool out there, but you can get even more out of your spreadsheets when used synergistically with the right chatbot: If you're an Excel user, Microsoft Copilot delivers even more capability, while Google's Gemini is the best tool for enhancing Google Sheets. We'll address those specific tools in future articles but know that what we're looking at here is just scratching the surface.Stepping Up My Spreadsheet Game With Google Sheets and ChatGPTWhile I do not do financial analysis or data science as a writer for PCMag, I do deal with a fair amount of data. From test results to traffic reports—not to mention researching new stories and staying up to date on academic studies around AI and other tech topics—it's not unusual for me to have to dig through some numbers now and then.I've also found ways to speed up my data entry with a couple of handy automations that pull specific bits of information from a website or parse extra-long URLs to let me quickly grab product photos from an article when I need to reuse them elsewhere. But all of those tools require complex functions that, in all honesty, I don't want to figure out from scratch.AI has enhanced all of that, so let's explore the three most basic ways ChatGPT can help you do more with spreadsheets.1. Get Structured Data From Any SourceOne of my favorite uses for tools like ChatGPT is to take data from one source and turn it into a structured table or list. That sort of data manipulation can be grueling when done manually, but AI can do it quickly and accurately, letting you automate data entry and skip that step entirely.For example, I recently planned a birthday dinner for someone who loves sushi. But as anyone who knows their sashimi from their wasabi can tell you, bites of fish and rice get pricey. Putting the sushi selection and pricing details into a spreadsheet could make it easier to track who wanted what, how much, and what it would all cost. But first, I'd need to get all of that delicious data into spreadsheet format. I don't love sushi (or spreadsheets) enough to do all of that manually. Thankfully, ChatGPT is pretty great at taking data from one format (be it plaintext or a PDF) and outputting it as another. In this example, all I had to do was download the menu from the restaurant's website, upload it to ChatGPT, and specifically ask for a table that included all of the items on the sushi menu, with price information.(Credit: OpenAI / Brian Westover)It took a little tweaking to get things just how I wanted them, including details like whether it was priced per roll or per piece, but in short order, I had a nicely formatted table of menu items and prices. (Credit: OpenAI / Brian Westover)Copying and pasting into Google Sheets was a cinch. And here's a bonus tip: Pasting with CTRL+V might result in some funky data formatting. Instead, use CTRL+Shift+V to get tables to paste cleanly. (And for a real upgrade, you can do all of this with Google Gemini, and then output the resulting table directly to your Drive as a Google Sheet.)This works for more than just semi-structured restaurant menus and PDF files. You can do the same thing for plaintext lists, photos of whiteboards, scans of old book pages, almost anything. The output format can be as simple or complex as you want. You can output as a table or CSV or use structured formats like JSON or XML. In this case, while copy and paste would do the job just fine, I also wanted to demonstrate how easy it is to output something to a CSV file. (Credit: OpenAI / Brian Westover)If you're unfamiliar, CSV stands for "Comma-separated values" and is a plaintext file format for storing tabular data—literally tables of text and numbers. II's a file format that's supported by both Excel and Google Sheets, so even huge reports can be opened as a clean spreadsheet.(Credit: OpenAI / Brian Westover)As for the data in CSV format, just copy and paste the resulting text into a text file and change the file extension from .txt to .csv. Now, it can be easily opened in Excel or Google Sheets with proper table formatting, ready to be used however you need.2. The Three Fs: Formulas, Formatting, and FeaturesOnce you have your data, AI can also help you wrangle it. While you can use AI to do some data analysis, I find it's much better to just let AI assist me with building out my spreadsheets the way I want, using ChatGPT as an AI Excel formula generator.Recommended by Our EditorsExcel and Google Sheets formulas hit a sweet spot for tools like ChatGPT, where there's a ton of consistent and helpful instructional material on the topic in their training data. It's a mix of language and straightforward logic, making it easy for the AI to understand the tools and the syntax that often leaves human users scratching their heads. The result is even better: instant, copy-and-paste solutions.There are a ton of different ways to leverage this faculty with formulas. Here are just a few examples of the prompts I've found useful in my own work, starting with simple formulas.(Credit: OpenAI / Brian Westover)As you can see, these formulas work for handling math and logic, but also extracting information, whether it's grabbing domain names from email addresses or sifting through text for numbers.That same formula-writing capability is great for setting up more sophisticated conditional formatting rules:(Credit: OpenAI / Brian Westover)All you need to do is explain what you want the rule to do, and ChatGPT can figure out the formatting rule formulas for you, and even walk you through how to set up your custom formatting.And it goes the other direction, too. Not only can ChatGPT write formulas based on your plain English explanation of what you want it to do, but it can also break down what a complex formula does and walk you through the individual functions and variables. It's a great resource for learning formula syntax, but also for troubleshooting a formula that isn't working.(Credit: OpenAI / Brian Westover)Whether you need it for writing formulas, crafting rules for conditional formatting, explaining a formula you might not understand, or debugging a formula that's causing trouble, ChatGPT becomes your AI spreadsheet wingman.3. Learn Excel With AI: Your Personal VLOOKUP Tutorial and MoreChatGPT is also super-effective as a tutor for learning advanced features in Google Sheets and Excel. For all the same reasons that an AI chatbot is great at writing formulas, they're also well-equipped to teach you how to do things in your favorite spreadsheet app.What's the feature you've always thought would be useful but never really understood? Maybe it's Excel Macros or Google Sheets App Script. Maybe you feel intimidated by Regex, pivot tables, or VLOOKUP. Whatever it is, your AI tool of choice can probably help you learn it, and quickly.Now, you always have the option of looking up tutorial videos or digging through FAQs and help forums. There are even Excel tutors and courses that offer premium instruction on any aspect of the app you want to learn.But ChatGPT is also pretty great, and can do it for free. And it will do more than just regurgitate information; you can ask questions, get clarifications, and ask for step-by-step instructions when needed. You can also use it to create custom learning plans, make tutorials that solve your real-world problems and projects, and answer your questions over and over and over again. Unlike a human, AI won't grow impatient when you get stuck.Honestly, the best feature of using AI for learning is that it's endlessly patient and flexible. You can ask it anything, no matter how simple, complex, or specific to your exact use.For example, I needed to brush up on Google Sheets' ImportXML function to update several tools I use to grab product data as part of my work. So I used an extremely simple prompt to go over the basics:(Credit: OpenAI / Brian Westover)In response, ChatGPT walked me through the essential information about how ImportXML functions work, the nuances of Xpath usage, and the syntax of the formula structure used.(Credit: OpenAI / Brian Westover)And this isn't limited to any one function or feature. You can rinse and repeat to learn any aspect of Google Sheets or Excel, or all of them. You can even ask ChatGPT to put together a learning plan to boost your spreadsheet knowledge across the board.Smarter Spreadsheets for Your Daily LifeThese same uses can help you level up your own daily work in all sorts of ways. Whether you're assembling data for a weekly report, analyzing information to find actionable insights, or mining old content for new data, your use of spreadsheet tools can be simpler, faster, and more insightful.And we've only scratched the surface. Consider experimenting with using AI to go beyond basic formulas. The ability to use natural, conversational language to write complex formulas and fine-tune the more advanced features of modern spreadsheets is powerful. Even casually including your preferred chatbot in your daily work leverages AI productivity to make you faster and more efficient and unlock new ways to explore data for unexpected insights.But that doesn't mean that these lessons need to stay office-bound. AI can make Excel and Google Sheets so much more accessible, and you can leverage that in your daily life in creative ways:Grocery inventory and needs tracker to automate making grocery listsSchoolwork project and assignment tracker to keep you on course all semester longDIY Project materials calculator to keep your next project under budgetFantasy football draft and league tracking, so you can enjoy the gameAnd the broader lessons from these tips apply elsewhere. The same AI that can explain Excel formulas and teach you advanced features can be used to troubleshoot a Python script or quickly master the shortcuts in Adobe Photoshop.Personalized tutoring on things like Pivot Tables and ImportXML functions can also be applied to other subjects and skills. AI like ChatGPT is a hugely powerful learning tool and one that can be tailored to you, your projects, and your needs in any combination.Disclosure: Ziff Davis, PCMag's parent company, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April 2025, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.
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  • Your information was probably stolen again: Researcher discovers 184 million stolen logins

    Sora Shimazaki / Pexels
    In another stark reminder of the constant threats online, cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler recently uncovered a massive, unsecured database containing over 184 million login credentials from Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Discord, Google, PayPal and others. The trove amounted to approximately 47.42 GB of data, was discovered on a misconfigured cloud server and is believed to have been amassed using infostealer malware – malicious software designed to extract sensitive information from compromised devices.

    Recommended Videos

    A global breach with far-Reaching implications
    According to Jeremiah, the database also contained over 220 email addresses associated with government domains from at least 29 countries, such as the United Stated, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. The breadth underscores the potential national security risks posed by such breaches.
    Fowlers analysis of a 10,000-record sample revealed that the data included plaintext usernames and passwords, with some entries linked to financial terms like “bank” and “wallet,” indicating a heightened risk of financial fraud. The presence of such sensitive information in an unprotected database amplifies concerns about identity theft, unauthorized access and other malicious activities. Hackread.com has some images from the database provided by Jeremiah.
    The role of infostealer malware
    Infostealer malware operates by infiltrating devices through phishing emails, malicious websites, or comes bundled with pirated software. Once installed, it can harvest a variety of data, including login credentials, cookies, autofill information and even cryptocurrency wallet details. The data is then transmitted to command-and-control servers operated by cybercriminals.
    The discovery of this database suggests a coordinated effort to collect and potentially exploit vast amounts of personal and institutional data. The lack of identifiable ownership or metadata within the database further complicates efforts to trace its origins or intended use. Hosting companies likely do not know that they are fostering these databases to begin with.
    Immediate actions and recommendations
    Upon discovering the database, Fowler promptly notified the hosting provider, World Host Group, which subsequently took the server offline. However, the duration for which the data remained exposed and wither it was accessed by unauthorized parties before its removal remains uncertain.
    I would advise users to:

    Change your passwords, yet again: Immediately update your passwords for all online accounts, especially if the same passwords are being re-used across multiple platforms
    Enable two-factor authentication: This generally requires a text verification code to your phone, or a secondary email address
    Monitor your accounts: Regularly check your financial accounts and other sensitive accounts for suspicious activity
    Use reputable security software: Anti-virus and malware software from reputable companies usually help, make sure they are updated. You can check out our antivirus and malware reviews
    Be cautious with emails and downloads: Avoid clicking on suspicious links or downloading attachments from unknown sources
    #your #information #was #probably #stolen
    Your information was probably stolen again: Researcher discovers 184 million stolen logins
    Sora Shimazaki / Pexels In another stark reminder of the constant threats online, cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler recently uncovered a massive, unsecured database containing over 184 million login credentials from Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Discord, Google, PayPal and others. The trove amounted to approximately 47.42 GB of data, was discovered on a misconfigured cloud server and is believed to have been amassed using infostealer malware – malicious software designed to extract sensitive information from compromised devices. Recommended Videos A global breach with far-Reaching implications According to Jeremiah, the database also contained over 220 email addresses associated with government domains from at least 29 countries, such as the United Stated, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. The breadth underscores the potential national security risks posed by such breaches. Fowlers analysis of a 10,000-record sample revealed that the data included plaintext usernames and passwords, with some entries linked to financial terms like “bank” and “wallet,” indicating a heightened risk of financial fraud. The presence of such sensitive information in an unprotected database amplifies concerns about identity theft, unauthorized access and other malicious activities. Hackread.com has some images from the database provided by Jeremiah. The role of infostealer malware Infostealer malware operates by infiltrating devices through phishing emails, malicious websites, or comes bundled with pirated software. Once installed, it can harvest a variety of data, including login credentials, cookies, autofill information and even cryptocurrency wallet details. The data is then transmitted to command-and-control servers operated by cybercriminals. The discovery of this database suggests a coordinated effort to collect and potentially exploit vast amounts of personal and institutional data. The lack of identifiable ownership or metadata within the database further complicates efforts to trace its origins or intended use. Hosting companies likely do not know that they are fostering these databases to begin with. Immediate actions and recommendations Upon discovering the database, Fowler promptly notified the hosting provider, World Host Group, which subsequently took the server offline. However, the duration for which the data remained exposed and wither it was accessed by unauthorized parties before its removal remains uncertain. I would advise users to: Change your passwords, yet again: Immediately update your passwords for all online accounts, especially if the same passwords are being re-used across multiple platforms Enable two-factor authentication: This generally requires a text verification code to your phone, or a secondary email address Monitor your accounts: Regularly check your financial accounts and other sensitive accounts for suspicious activity Use reputable security software: Anti-virus and malware software from reputable companies usually help, make sure they are updated. You can check out our antivirus and malware reviews Be cautious with emails and downloads: Avoid clicking on suspicious links or downloading attachments from unknown sources #your #information #was #probably #stolen
    WWW.DIGITALTRENDS.COM
    Your information was probably stolen again: Researcher discovers 184 million stolen logins
    Sora Shimazaki / Pexels In another stark reminder of the constant threats online, cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler recently uncovered a massive, unsecured database containing over 184 million login credentials from Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Discord, Google, PayPal and others. The trove amounted to approximately 47.42 GB of data, was discovered on a misconfigured cloud server and is believed to have been amassed using infostealer malware – malicious software designed to extract sensitive information from compromised devices. Recommended Videos A global breach with far-Reaching implications According to Jeremiah, the database also contained over 220 email addresses associated with government domains from at least 29 countries, such as the United Stated, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. The breadth underscores the potential national security risks posed by such breaches. Fowlers analysis of a 10,000-record sample revealed that the data included plaintext usernames and passwords, with some entries linked to financial terms like “bank” and “wallet,” indicating a heightened risk of financial fraud. The presence of such sensitive information in an unprotected database amplifies concerns about identity theft, unauthorized access and other malicious activities. Hackread.com has some images from the database provided by Jeremiah. The role of infostealer malware Infostealer malware operates by infiltrating devices through phishing emails, malicious websites, or comes bundled with pirated software. Once installed, it can harvest a variety of data, including login credentials, cookies, autofill information and even cryptocurrency wallet details. The data is then transmitted to command-and-control servers operated by cybercriminals. The discovery of this database suggests a coordinated effort to collect and potentially exploit vast amounts of personal and institutional data. The lack of identifiable ownership or metadata within the database further complicates efforts to trace its origins or intended use. Hosting companies likely do not know that they are fostering these databases to begin with. Immediate actions and recommendations Upon discovering the database, Fowler promptly notified the hosting provider, World Host Group, which subsequently took the server offline. However, the duration for which the data remained exposed and wither it was accessed by unauthorized parties before its removal remains uncertain. I would advise users to: Change your passwords, yet again: Immediately update your passwords for all online accounts, especially if the same passwords are being re-used across multiple platforms Enable two-factor authentication (2FA): This generally requires a text verification code to your phone, or a secondary email address Monitor your accounts: Regularly check your financial accounts and other sensitive accounts for suspicious activity Use reputable security software: Anti-virus and malware software from reputable companies usually help, make sure they are updated. You can check out our antivirus and malware reviews Be cautious with emails and downloads: Avoid clicking on suspicious links or downloading attachments from unknown sources
    0 Commentaires 0 Parts
  • “Microsoft has simply given us no other option,” Signal says as it blocks Windows Recall

    "altar of AI aspirations"

    “Microsoft has simply given us no other option,” Signal says as it blocks Windows Recall

    Even after its refurbishing, Recall provides few ways to exclude specific apps.

    Dan Goodin



    May 21, 2025 4:21 pm

    |

    25

    The Signal messaging app on a mobile phone.

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    The Signal messaging app on a mobile phone.

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    Signal Messenger is warning the users of its Windows Desktop version that the privacy of their messages is under threat by Recall, the AI tool rolling out in Windows 11 that will screenshot, index, and store almost everything a user does every three seconds.
    Effective immediately, Signal for Windows will by default block the ability of Windows to screenshot the app. Signal users who want to disable the block—for instance to preserve a conversation for their records or make use of accessibility features for sight-impaired users—will have to change settings inside their desktop version to enable screenshots.
    My kingdom for an API
    “Although Microsoft made several adjustments over the past twelve months in response to critical feedback, the revamped version of Recall still places any content that’s displayed within privacy-preserving apps like Signal at risk,” Signal officials wrote Wednesday. “As a result, we are enabling an extra layer of protection by default on Windows 11 in order to help maintain the security of Signal Desktop on that platform even though it introduces some usability trade-offs. Microsoft has simply given us no other option.”
    When Recall was first introduced in May 2024, security and privacy practitioners quickly warned it created undue risks for both Windows users and those using other platforms who interact with Windows users. Many of the criticisms were based on specific designs. Recall was turned on by default. Screenshots and OCR data were stored in plaintext, where it could be accessed by any app with user system rights. It provided few granular tools to limit the type of content that was sucked into its massive vacuum bag of data.
    After facing one of its worst PR disasters in recent memory, Microsoft pulled Recall out of Windows 11 previews a few months after adding it. Then, last month, Microsoft reintroduced a significantly overhauled version of the tool.
    As Ars Senior Technology Reporter Andrew Cunningham painstakingly documented a few weeks later, the refurbished Recall went to great lengths to correct some of the poorly thought-through designs in the first iteration. Recall was now opt-in, rather than on by default. The database storing Recall data was now encrypted, with the keys secured in a secure enclave separate from Windows. And the tool now provided some level of user control to limit the type of content it indexed.

    But the changes go only so far in limiting the risks Recall poses. As I pointed out, when Recall is turned on, it indexes Zoom meetings, emails, photos, medical conditions, and—yes—Signal conversations, not just with the user, but anyone interacting with that user, without their knowledge or consent.
    Researcher Kevin Beaumont performed his own deep-dive analysis that also found that some of the new controls were lacking. For instance, Recall continued to screenshot his payment card details. It also decrypted the database with a simple fingerprint scan or PIN. And its unclear whether the type of sophisticated malware that routinely infects both consumer and enterprise Windows users will be able to decrypt encrypted database contents.
    And as my Ars colleague Cunningham also noted, Beaumont found that Microsoft still provided no means for developers to prevent content displayed in their apps from being indexed. That left Signal developers at a disadvantage, so they had to get creative.
    With no API for blocking Recall in the Windows Desktop version, Signal is instead invoking an API Microsoft provides for protecting copyrighted material. App developers can turn on the DRM setting to prevent Windows from taking screenshots of copyrighted content displayed in the app. Signal is now repurposing the API to add an extra layer of privacy.
    “We hope that the AI teams building systems like Recall will think through these implications more carefully in the future,” Signal wrote Wednesday. “Apps like Signal shouldn’t have to implement ‘one weird trick’ in order to maintain the privacy and integrity of their services without proper developer tools. People who care about privacy shouldn’t be forced to sacrifice accessibility upon the altar of AI aspirations either.”
    Signal's move will lessen the chances of Recall permanently indexing private messages, but it also has its limits. The measure only provides protection when all parties to a chat—at least those using the Windows Desktop version—haven't changed the default settings.
    Microsoft officials didn’t immediately respond to an email asking why Windows provides developers with no granular control over Recall and whether the company has plans to add any.

    Dan Goodin
    Senior Security Editor

    Dan Goodin
    Senior Security Editor

    Dan Goodin is Senior Security Editor at Ars Technica, where he oversees coverage of malware, computer espionage, botnets, hardware hacking, encryption, and passwords. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening, cooking, and following the independent music scene. Dan is based in San Francisco. Follow him at here on Mastodon and here on Bluesky. Contact him on Signal at DanArs.82.

    25 Comments
    #microsoft #has #simply #given #other
    “Microsoft has simply given us no other option,” Signal says as it blocks Windows Recall
    "altar of AI aspirations" “Microsoft has simply given us no other option,” Signal says as it blocks Windows Recall Even after its refurbishing, Recall provides few ways to exclude specific apps. Dan Goodin – May 21, 2025 4:21 pm | 25 The Signal messaging app on a mobile phone. Credit: Getty Images The Signal messaging app on a mobile phone. Credit: Getty Images Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more Signal Messenger is warning the users of its Windows Desktop version that the privacy of their messages is under threat by Recall, the AI tool rolling out in Windows 11 that will screenshot, index, and store almost everything a user does every three seconds. Effective immediately, Signal for Windows will by default block the ability of Windows to screenshot the app. Signal users who want to disable the block—for instance to preserve a conversation for their records or make use of accessibility features for sight-impaired users—will have to change settings inside their desktop version to enable screenshots. My kingdom for an API “Although Microsoft made several adjustments over the past twelve months in response to critical feedback, the revamped version of Recall still places any content that’s displayed within privacy-preserving apps like Signal at risk,” Signal officials wrote Wednesday. “As a result, we are enabling an extra layer of protection by default on Windows 11 in order to help maintain the security of Signal Desktop on that platform even though it introduces some usability trade-offs. Microsoft has simply given us no other option.” When Recall was first introduced in May 2024, security and privacy practitioners quickly warned it created undue risks for both Windows users and those using other platforms who interact with Windows users. Many of the criticisms were based on specific designs. Recall was turned on by default. Screenshots and OCR data were stored in plaintext, where it could be accessed by any app with user system rights. It provided few granular tools to limit the type of content that was sucked into its massive vacuum bag of data. After facing one of its worst PR disasters in recent memory, Microsoft pulled Recall out of Windows 11 previews a few months after adding it. Then, last month, Microsoft reintroduced a significantly overhauled version of the tool. As Ars Senior Technology Reporter Andrew Cunningham painstakingly documented a few weeks later, the refurbished Recall went to great lengths to correct some of the poorly thought-through designs in the first iteration. Recall was now opt-in, rather than on by default. The database storing Recall data was now encrypted, with the keys secured in a secure enclave separate from Windows. And the tool now provided some level of user control to limit the type of content it indexed. But the changes go only so far in limiting the risks Recall poses. As I pointed out, when Recall is turned on, it indexes Zoom meetings, emails, photos, medical conditions, and—yes—Signal conversations, not just with the user, but anyone interacting with that user, without their knowledge or consent. Researcher Kevin Beaumont performed his own deep-dive analysis that also found that some of the new controls were lacking. For instance, Recall continued to screenshot his payment card details. It also decrypted the database with a simple fingerprint scan or PIN. And its unclear whether the type of sophisticated malware that routinely infects both consumer and enterprise Windows users will be able to decrypt encrypted database contents. And as my Ars colleague Cunningham also noted, Beaumont found that Microsoft still provided no means for developers to prevent content displayed in their apps from being indexed. That left Signal developers at a disadvantage, so they had to get creative. With no API for blocking Recall in the Windows Desktop version, Signal is instead invoking an API Microsoft provides for protecting copyrighted material. App developers can turn on the DRM setting to prevent Windows from taking screenshots of copyrighted content displayed in the app. Signal is now repurposing the API to add an extra layer of privacy. “We hope that the AI teams building systems like Recall will think through these implications more carefully in the future,” Signal wrote Wednesday. “Apps like Signal shouldn’t have to implement ‘one weird trick’ in order to maintain the privacy and integrity of their services without proper developer tools. People who care about privacy shouldn’t be forced to sacrifice accessibility upon the altar of AI aspirations either.” Signal's move will lessen the chances of Recall permanently indexing private messages, but it also has its limits. The measure only provides protection when all parties to a chat—at least those using the Windows Desktop version—haven't changed the default settings. Microsoft officials didn’t immediately respond to an email asking why Windows provides developers with no granular control over Recall and whether the company has plans to add any. Dan Goodin Senior Security Editor Dan Goodin Senior Security Editor Dan Goodin is Senior Security Editor at Ars Technica, where he oversees coverage of malware, computer espionage, botnets, hardware hacking, encryption, and passwords. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening, cooking, and following the independent music scene. Dan is based in San Francisco. Follow him at here on Mastodon and here on Bluesky. Contact him on Signal at DanArs.82. 25 Comments #microsoft #has #simply #given #other
    ARSTECHNICA.COM
    “Microsoft has simply given us no other option,” Signal says as it blocks Windows Recall
    "altar of AI aspirations" “Microsoft has simply given us no other option,” Signal says as it blocks Windows Recall Even after its refurbishing, Recall provides few ways to exclude specific apps. Dan Goodin – May 21, 2025 4:21 pm | 25 The Signal messaging app on a mobile phone. Credit: Getty Images The Signal messaging app on a mobile phone. Credit: Getty Images Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only   Learn more Signal Messenger is warning the users of its Windows Desktop version that the privacy of their messages is under threat by Recall, the AI tool rolling out in Windows 11 that will screenshot, index, and store almost everything a user does every three seconds. Effective immediately, Signal for Windows will by default block the ability of Windows to screenshot the app. Signal users who want to disable the block—for instance to preserve a conversation for their records or make use of accessibility features for sight-impaired users—will have to change settings inside their desktop version to enable screenshots. My kingdom for an API “Although Microsoft made several adjustments over the past twelve months in response to critical feedback, the revamped version of Recall still places any content that’s displayed within privacy-preserving apps like Signal at risk,” Signal officials wrote Wednesday. “As a result, we are enabling an extra layer of protection by default on Windows 11 in order to help maintain the security of Signal Desktop on that platform even though it introduces some usability trade-offs. Microsoft has simply given us no other option.” When Recall was first introduced in May 2024, security and privacy practitioners quickly warned it created undue risks for both Windows users and those using other platforms who interact with Windows users. Many of the criticisms were based on specific designs. Recall was turned on by default. Screenshots and OCR data were stored in plaintext, where it could be accessed by any app with user system rights. It provided few granular tools to limit the type of content that was sucked into its massive vacuum bag of data. After facing one of its worst PR disasters in recent memory, Microsoft pulled Recall out of Windows 11 previews a few months after adding it. Then, last month, Microsoft reintroduced a significantly overhauled version of the tool. As Ars Senior Technology Reporter Andrew Cunningham painstakingly documented a few weeks later, the refurbished Recall went to great lengths to correct some of the poorly thought-through designs in the first iteration. Recall was now opt-in, rather than on by default. The database storing Recall data was now encrypted, with the keys secured in a secure enclave separate from Windows. And the tool now provided some level of user control to limit the type of content it indexed. But the changes go only so far in limiting the risks Recall poses. As I pointed out, when Recall is turned on, it indexes Zoom meetings, emails, photos, medical conditions, and—yes—Signal conversations, not just with the user, but anyone interacting with that user, without their knowledge or consent. Researcher Kevin Beaumont performed his own deep-dive analysis that also found that some of the new controls were lacking. For instance, Recall continued to screenshot his payment card details. It also decrypted the database with a simple fingerprint scan or PIN. And its unclear whether the type of sophisticated malware that routinely infects both consumer and enterprise Windows users will be able to decrypt encrypted database contents. And as my Ars colleague Cunningham also noted, Beaumont found that Microsoft still provided no means for developers to prevent content displayed in their apps from being indexed. That left Signal developers at a disadvantage, so they had to get creative. With no API for blocking Recall in the Windows Desktop version, Signal is instead invoking an API Microsoft provides for protecting copyrighted material. App developers can turn on the DRM setting to prevent Windows from taking screenshots of copyrighted content displayed in the app. Signal is now repurposing the API to add an extra layer of privacy. “We hope that the AI teams building systems like Recall will think through these implications more carefully in the future,” Signal wrote Wednesday. “Apps like Signal shouldn’t have to implement ‘one weird trick’ in order to maintain the privacy and integrity of their services without proper developer tools. People who care about privacy shouldn’t be forced to sacrifice accessibility upon the altar of AI aspirations either.” Signal's move will lessen the chances of Recall permanently indexing private messages, but it also has its limits. The measure only provides protection when all parties to a chat—at least those using the Windows Desktop version—haven't changed the default settings. Microsoft officials didn’t immediately respond to an email asking why Windows provides developers with no granular control over Recall and whether the company has plans to add any. Dan Goodin Senior Security Editor Dan Goodin Senior Security Editor Dan Goodin is Senior Security Editor at Ars Technica, where he oversees coverage of malware, computer espionage, botnets, hardware hacking, encryption, and passwords. In his spare time, he enjoys gardening, cooking, and following the independent music scene. Dan is based in San Francisco. Follow him at here on Mastodon and here on Bluesky. Contact him on Signal at DanArs.82. 25 Comments
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  • How the Signal Knockoff App TeleMessage Got Hacked in 20 Minutes | The company behind the Signal clone used by at least one Trump administration official was breached earlier this month. The hacker says they got in thanks to a basic misconfiguration.

    They tried logging into secure.telemessage.com using a pair of these credentials and discovered that they had just hacked a user with an email address associated with US Customs and Border Protection, one of the agencies implementing Trump’s draconian immigration policy. CBP has since confirmed that it was a TeleMessage customer.After spending a few more minutes digging through the heap dump, the hacker also discovered plaintext chat logs. “I can read Coinbase internal chats, this is incredible,” the hacker said.At this point, the hacker says they had spent 15 to 20 minutes poking at TeleMessage’s servers, and had already compromised one of their federal government customers, along with one of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchanges.As I discovered from analyzing TM SGNL’s source code, TeleMessage apps—like the one running on Mike Waltz’s phone—uploaded unencrypted messages to archive.telemessage.com, which then forwards the messages to the customer’s final destination. This contradicts TeleMessage’s public marketing material, where they claimed TM SNGL uses “end-to-end encryption from the mobile phone through to the corporate archive.”The archive server is programmed in Java and is built using Spring Boot, an open source framework for creating Java applications. Spring Boot includes a set of features called Actuator that helps developers monitor and debug their applications. One of these features is the heap dump endpoint, which is the URL the hacker used to download heap dumps.According to Spring Boot Actuator’s documentation: “Since Endpoints may contain sensitive information, careful consideration should be given about when to expose them.” In the case of TeleMessage’s archive server, the heap dumps contained usernames, passwords, unencrypted chat logs, encryption keys, and other sensitive information.If anyone on the internet had loaded the heap dump URL right as Mike Waltz was texting using the TM SGNL app, the heap dump file would have contained his unencrypted Signal messages, too.A 2024 post on the cloud security company Wiz’s blog lists “Exposed HeapDump file” as the number one common misconfiguration in Spring Boot Actuator. “Up until version 1.5, the /heapdump endpoint was configured as publicly exposed and accessible without authentication by default. Since then, in later versions Spring Boot Actuator has changed its default configuration to expose only the /health and /info endpoints without authentication,” the author wrote. “Despite this improvement, developers often disable these security measures for diagnostic purposes when deploying applications to test environments, and this seemingly small configuration change may remain unnoticed and thereby persist when an application is pushed to production, inadvertently allowing attackers to obtain unauthorized access to critical data.”In a 2020 post on Walmart’s Global Tech Blog, another developer gave a similar warning. “Apart from /health and /info, all actuator endpoints are risky to open to end users because they can expose application dumps, logs, configuration data and controls,” the author wrote. “The actuator endpoints have security implications and SHOULD NEVER EVER be exposed in production environment.”The hacker’s quick exploit of TeleMessage indicates that the archive server was badly misconfigured. It was either running an eight-year-old version of Spring Boot, or someone had manually configured it to expose the heap dump endpoint to the public internet.This is why it took a hacker about 20 minutes of prodding before it cracked open, with sensitive data spilling out.Despite this critical vulnerability and other security issues with TeleMessage’s products—most notably, that the Israeli firm that builds the products can access all its customer’s chat logs in plaintext—someone in the Trump administration deployed it to Mike Waltz’s phone while he was serving as national security adviser.
    #how #signal #knockoff #app #telemessage
    How the Signal Knockoff App TeleMessage Got Hacked in 20 Minutes | The company behind the Signal clone used by at least one Trump administration official was breached earlier this month. The hacker says they got in thanks to a basic misconfiguration.
    They tried logging into secure.telemessage.com using a pair of these credentials and discovered that they had just hacked a user with an email address associated with US Customs and Border Protection, one of the agencies implementing Trump’s draconian immigration policy. CBP has since confirmed that it was a TeleMessage customer.After spending a few more minutes digging through the heap dump, the hacker also discovered plaintext chat logs. “I can read Coinbase internal chats, this is incredible,” the hacker said.At this point, the hacker says they had spent 15 to 20 minutes poking at TeleMessage’s servers, and had already compromised one of their federal government customers, along with one of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchanges.As I discovered from analyzing TM SGNL’s source code, TeleMessage apps—like the one running on Mike Waltz’s phone—uploaded unencrypted messages to archive.telemessage.com, which then forwards the messages to the customer’s final destination. This contradicts TeleMessage’s public marketing material, where they claimed TM SNGL uses “end-to-end encryption from the mobile phone through to the corporate archive.”The archive server is programmed in Java and is built using Spring Boot, an open source framework for creating Java applications. Spring Boot includes a set of features called Actuator that helps developers monitor and debug their applications. One of these features is the heap dump endpoint, which is the URL the hacker used to download heap dumps.According to Spring Boot Actuator’s documentation: “Since Endpoints may contain sensitive information, careful consideration should be given about when to expose them.” In the case of TeleMessage’s archive server, the heap dumps contained usernames, passwords, unencrypted chat logs, encryption keys, and other sensitive information.If anyone on the internet had loaded the heap dump URL right as Mike Waltz was texting using the TM SGNL app, the heap dump file would have contained his unencrypted Signal messages, too.A 2024 post on the cloud security company Wiz’s blog lists “Exposed HeapDump file” as the number one common misconfiguration in Spring Boot Actuator. “Up until version 1.5, the /heapdump endpoint was configured as publicly exposed and accessible without authentication by default. Since then, in later versions Spring Boot Actuator has changed its default configuration to expose only the /health and /info endpoints without authentication,” the author wrote. “Despite this improvement, developers often disable these security measures for diagnostic purposes when deploying applications to test environments, and this seemingly small configuration change may remain unnoticed and thereby persist when an application is pushed to production, inadvertently allowing attackers to obtain unauthorized access to critical data.”In a 2020 post on Walmart’s Global Tech Blog, another developer gave a similar warning. “Apart from /health and /info, all actuator endpoints are risky to open to end users because they can expose application dumps, logs, configuration data and controls,” the author wrote. “The actuator endpoints have security implications and SHOULD NEVER EVER be exposed in production environment.”The hacker’s quick exploit of TeleMessage indicates that the archive server was badly misconfigured. It was either running an eight-year-old version of Spring Boot, or someone had manually configured it to expose the heap dump endpoint to the public internet.This is why it took a hacker about 20 minutes of prodding before it cracked open, with sensitive data spilling out.Despite this critical vulnerability and other security issues with TeleMessage’s products—most notably, that the Israeli firm that builds the products can access all its customer’s chat logs in plaintext—someone in the Trump administration deployed it to Mike Waltz’s phone while he was serving as national security adviser. #how #signal #knockoff #app #telemessage
    WWW.WIRED.COM
    How the Signal Knockoff App TeleMessage Got Hacked in 20 Minutes | The company behind the Signal clone used by at least one Trump administration official was breached earlier this month. The hacker says they got in thanks to a basic misconfiguration.
    They tried logging into secure.telemessage.com using a pair of these credentials and discovered that they had just hacked a user with an email address associated with US Customs and Border Protection, one of the agencies implementing Trump’s draconian immigration policy. CBP has since confirmed that it was a TeleMessage customer.After spending a few more minutes digging through the heap dump, the hacker also discovered plaintext chat logs. “I can read Coinbase internal chats, this is incredible,” the hacker said. (Coinbase did not respond to WIRED's request for comment, but did tell 404 Media that “there is no evidence any sensitive Coinbase customer information was accessed or that any customer accounts are at risk, since Coinbase does not use this tool to share passwords, seed phrases, or other data needed to access accounts.”)At this point, the hacker says they had spent 15 to 20 minutes poking at TeleMessage’s servers, and had already compromised one of their federal government customers, along with one of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchanges.As I discovered from analyzing TM SGNL’s source code, TeleMessage apps—like the one running on Mike Waltz’s phone—uploaded unencrypted messages to archive.telemessage.com (I call this the archive server), which then forwards the messages to the customer’s final destination. This contradicts TeleMessage’s public marketing material, where they claimed TM SNGL uses “end-to-end encryption from the mobile phone through to the corporate archive.”The archive server is programmed in Java and is built using Spring Boot, an open source framework for creating Java applications. Spring Boot includes a set of features called Actuator that helps developers monitor and debug their applications. One of these features is the heap dump endpoint, which is the URL the hacker used to download heap dumps.According to Spring Boot Actuator’s documentation: “Since Endpoints may contain sensitive information, careful consideration should be given about when to expose them.” In the case of TeleMessage’s archive server, the heap dumps contained usernames, passwords, unencrypted chat logs, encryption keys, and other sensitive information.If anyone on the internet had loaded the heap dump URL right as Mike Waltz was texting using the TM SGNL app, the heap dump file would have contained his unencrypted Signal messages, too.A 2024 post on the cloud security company Wiz’s blog lists “Exposed HeapDump file” as the number one common misconfiguration in Spring Boot Actuator. “Up until version 1.5 (released in 2017), the /heapdump endpoint was configured as publicly exposed and accessible without authentication by default. Since then, in later versions Spring Boot Actuator has changed its default configuration to expose only the /health and /info endpoints without authentication (these are less interesting for attackers),” the author wrote. “Despite this improvement, developers often disable these security measures for diagnostic purposes when deploying applications to test environments, and this seemingly small configuration change may remain unnoticed and thereby persist when an application is pushed to production, inadvertently allowing attackers to obtain unauthorized access to critical data.”In a 2020 post on Walmart’s Global Tech Blog, another developer gave a similar warning. “Apart from /health and /info, all actuator endpoints are risky to open to end users because they can expose application dumps, logs, configuration data and controls,” the author wrote. “The actuator endpoints have security implications and SHOULD NEVER EVER be exposed in production environment.”The hacker’s quick exploit of TeleMessage indicates that the archive server was badly misconfigured. It was either running an eight-year-old version of Spring Boot, or someone had manually configured it to expose the heap dump endpoint to the public internet.This is why it took a hacker about 20 minutes of prodding before it cracked open, with sensitive data spilling out.Despite this critical vulnerability and other security issues with TeleMessage’s products—most notably, that the Israeli firm that builds the products can access all its customer’s chat logs in plaintext—someone in the Trump administration deployed it to Mike Waltz’s phone while he was serving as national security adviser.
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