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ColdplayGate: We Don't Need AI for a Dystopian Surveillance State

2025-07-19

ColdplayGate: We Don't Need AI for a Dystopian Surveillance State

A tech executive's alleged affair, caught on a stadium jumbotron during a Coldplay concert, went viral. This isn't just gossip; it highlights our capacity for self-surveillance. From mistaken accusations in the Boston Marathon bombing to countless examples of individuals losing jobs due to online shaming, we readily use technology to publicly punish perceived social contract violations. Our smartphones are the tools, the internet the judgment hall. Before fearing big tech surveillance, consider our own gleeful participation in online witch hunts. We've already created our own dystopia.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech online surveillance social media shaming

Ukrainian Hackers Take Down Major Russian Drone Supplier, Wipe 47TB of Data

2025-07-18

Ukrainian Hackers Take Down Major Russian Drone Supplier, Wipe 47TB of Data

Ukrainian hacking collective BO Team claims to have successfully infiltrated the IT infrastructure of Gaskar Integration, one of Russia's largest drone suppliers, destroying 47TB of technical data related to drone production, along with 10TB of backups. The operation, they say, was carried out with the assistance of the Ukrainian Cyber Alliance and another unnamed prominent organization. The hackers also revealed that China is assisting Gaskar Group in production and specialist training. The attack reportedly crippled Gaskar's network, even affecting physical building access.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech

Symbian: The Forgotten Million-Device OS Source Code is Now Open Source

2025-07-17

Symbian: The Forgotten Million-Device OS Source Code is Now Open Source

The once-popular Symbian operating system's source code is now open-source on GitHub. Despite Nokia's massive investment and multiple UI iterations, Symbian ultimately failed to compete with Android and iOS. This article explores Symbian's rise and fall, its current neglected state, and the possibility of porting it to ARM devices like the Raspberry Pi. Symbian's open source nature offers developers a chance to learn, explore, and potentially spark new applications and innovation.

(www.theregister.com)

Development

VMware's Partner Purge: Broadcom Shakes Up the Cloud Again

2025-07-17

VMware's Partner Purge: Broadcom Shakes Up the Cloud Again

Broadcom, VMware's parent company, is once again drastically reshaping its partner program, leaving many smaller players out in the cold. The changes, effective October 31st, 2025, will sunset the white label program and prevent uninvited partners from signing new contracts. This has sparked outrage among partners and customers who face challenges renewing licenses, potential service quality drops, and increased migration costs. This isn't Broadcom's first major partner shakeup; a previous cull caused significant instability. While Broadcom claims these moves optimize its private cloud strategy, its erratic approach has eroded trust.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech Partner Program

Oracle Java's High Costs Drive Businesses to Open Source

2025-07-16

Oracle Java's High Costs Drive Businesses to Open Source

A survey of 500 IT asset managers using Oracle Java reveals that 73% have been audited in the past three years, and nearly 80% have migrated or plan to migrate to open-source Java to avoid high costs and risks. Oracle's repeated pricing model changes since 2018 have led to significant price hikes, with many users facing yearly costs exceeding $500,000. The survey shows only 14% intend to stick with Oracle's subscription model, highlighting the challenges and high costs of software licensing compliance for businesses.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech

S&P 500 Firms Quietly Worry About AI Risks

2025-07-16

S&P 500 Firms Quietly Worry About AI Risks

Despite public pronouncements of AI's business opportunities, a growing number of S&P 500 companies are listing AI among their major risks in official financial filings. Research from The Autonomy Institute reveals that three-quarters of S&P 500 firms have updated their risk disclosures to detail AI-related concerns, including cybersecurity threats (like deepfakes and malicious code generation), data privacy, intellectual property issues, and reliance on third-party AI vendors. Some even warn of potential losses on AI investments. While public discourse focuses on job displacement, corporate concerns center on AI harming business interests and exposing sensitive data. This shift highlights a growing corporate awareness of AI risks.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech corporate risk disclosure

Telefónica Germany Ditches VMware After 5x Price Hike, Switches to Spinnaker

2025-07-14

Telefónica Germany Ditches VMware After 5x Price Hike, Switches to Spinnaker

Telefónica Germany, facing a fivefold increase in VMware renewal costs from Broadcom, has switched its support to Spinnaker. The telecom company was using vSphere with perpetual licenses but Broadcom's shift to subscription-based packages for VMware Cloud Foundation proved too expensive. Telefónica only uses vSphere, finding the full VCF suite unnecessary. While initially happy with VMware, the dramatic price increase prompted the move to Spinnaker, a platform already used for Oracle support. The migration is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. This follows similar decisions by other companies facing steep price increases from Broadcom's new licensing model.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech

North Korean Fake IT Workers Flood Job Applications: A New Cybersecurity Threat

2025-07-13

North Korean Fake IT Workers Flood Job Applications: A New Cybersecurity Threat

A surge of fraudulent job applications from suspected North Korean operatives is targeting US and European tech companies. These sophisticated scams, costing American businesses at least $88 million over six years, involve fabricated resumes and often leverage deepfakes and AI-generated responses to deceive recruiters. Companies are fighting back with enhanced background checks, AI-powered applicant screening, and collaboration with law enforcement. However, the evolving nature of these scams and the adaptation of criminal tactics present an ongoing challenge.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech recruitment fraud

AI Coding Tools: Productivity Killers?

2025-07-13

AI Coding Tools: Productivity Killers?

A randomized controlled trial involving 16 experienced developers revealed that AI coding tools, contrary to expectations, decreased software development speed by 19%. The study attributed this slowdown to factors such as over-optimism about AI's usefulness, high developer familiarity with the codebase, the complexity of large repositories, and low AI reliability. While AI tools can expedite testing and automate tasks, the need for manual code validation and the lack of learning capabilities negate overall time savings. The researchers emphasize that these findings don't dismiss the future potential of AI tools but highlight the current limitations.

(www.theregister.com)

Development

Mozilla's Mismanagement: A Case Study in Strategic Failure

2025-07-13

Mozilla's Mismanagement: A Case Study in Strategic Failure

Mozilla, once a browser behemoth, is now adrift in a sea of strategic miscalculations. The author argues that Mozilla's problems aren't technical—Firefox is faster than ever—but stem from a management layer that fails to understand its product's strengths and user needs. Years of missed opportunities, including abandoning promising projects like Rust and Servo, and ill-advised forays into VPNs and advertising, have left the company floundering. The core issue, the author contends, isn't a lack of funds, but an abundance leading to misguided investments in AI and a neglect of core competencies. The proposed solution: a return to Mozilla's non-profit roots, focusing on an independent browser engine rather than chasing profit.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech Strategic Mismanagement

AFRINIC Election Annulment Sparks Internet Governance Crisis

2025-07-12

AFRINIC Election Annulment Sparks Internet Governance Crisis

The annulment of the recent African Network Information Center (AFRINIC) election by the court-appointed receiver, without explanation, has prompted warnings from ICANN and calls for AFRINIC's dissolution. Concerns over potential irregularities, including forged powers of attorney, led to the cancellation. ISPA alleges fraudulent use of powers of attorney during in-person voting. AFRINIC's silence fuels the crisis, with ICANN threatening intervention and Cloud Innovation filing for liquidation. This highlights AFRINIC's long-standing governance issues and concerns about the stability of the African internet.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech Election Fraud

SpaceX, Boeing, and Others Fight Proposed Cuts to Space Collision Prevention Funding

2025-07-12

SpaceX, Boeing, and Others Fight Proposed Cuts to Space Collision Prevention Funding

A proposed FY2026 budget cut would slash funding for the Office of Space Commerce's (OSC) Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS) program from $65 million to $10 million. SpaceX, Boeing, Blue Origin, and other major space companies have written to Congress urging them to reverse the decision. They argue that TraCSS is critical for ensuring the safety of increasingly congested orbital space, impacting essential services like broadband internet and national security. The companies warn that without this funding, increased risks, higher costs, and potential relocation of US space industry operations overseas are likely.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech Space Safety Space Industry

Russia Rejects Bill to Legalize Ethical Hacking

2025-07-11

Russia Rejects Bill to Legalize Ethical Hacking

Russia's State Duma rejected a bill to legalize ethical hacking, citing concerns over national security and the potential for sharing vulnerabilities with hostile nations. While established cybersecurity firms can still conduct vulnerability research, individual researchers face legal risks under existing laws prohibiting unauthorized access to computer systems. The rejection highlights the challenges Russia faces in balancing national security with the development of its cybersecurity sector.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech ethical hacking

AI Agent Automates the Exploitation of Smart Contract Vulnerabilities

2025-07-10

AI Agent Automates the Exploitation of Smart Contract Vulnerabilities

Researchers from University College London and the University of Sydney have developed an AI agent, A1, capable of autonomously discovering and exploiting vulnerabilities in smart contracts. A1 uses AI models from OpenAI, Google, DeepSeek, and Alibaba to generate exploitable Solidity contracts. Tested on 36 real-world vulnerable contracts, A1 achieved a 62.96% success rate on the VERITE benchmark and discovered additional vulnerabilities. The researchers highlight a 10x reward asymmetry between attack and defense, emphasizing the need for proactive security. While A1 shows significant profit potential, its open-source release is currently on hold due to concerns about its powerful capabilities.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech exploit generation

AMD Warns of Critical Side-Channel Attack Affecting Wide Range of Chips

2025-07-10

AMD Warns of Critical Side-Channel Attack Affecting Wide Range of Chips

AMD is warning users about a newly discovered side-channel attack, Transient Scheduler Attack (TSA), impacting a broad range of its chips and potentially leading to information disclosure. TSA comprises four vulnerabilities, rated from low to medium severity, yet security firms assess the threat as critical. Exploitation requires high complexity, needing an attacker with arbitrary code execution on the target machine and multiple executions for reliable data exfiltration. Worst-case scenarios could lead to OS kernel data leaks. AMD has released patches, but some mitigations may impact performance.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech

UK Police to Spend $102M Digitizing VHS Archives

2025-07-09

UK Police to Spend $102M Digitizing VHS Archives

The UK police service is undertaking a massive project to digitize its VHS archives, with a budget of up to £75 million ($102 million). This involves procuring either in-house technology or outsourcing the conversion of these outdated tapes to digital format. The initiative covers a range of media, including VHS, microfiche, CDs, and DVDs, highlighting the ongoing efforts (and occasional reluctance) of the UK public sector to modernize its aging technologies.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech digitization UK Police

Windows 11 Finally Overtakes Windows 10

2025-07-05

Windows 11 Finally Overtakes Windows 10

With just three months until Microsoft ends support for Windows 10, Windows 11 has finally surpassed its predecessor in market share. July's StatCounter data shows Windows 11 at 50.24% and Windows 10 at 46.84%. This surge is largely attributed to enterprise migrations driven by the approaching end-of-support date, rather than a consumer-led boom. While sales of high-end devices like AI PCs remain sluggish, businesses are upgrading to Windows 11 or Windows 365 to avoid security risks.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech

Right to Repair One Year Later: A Mixed Bag for Consumers

2025-07-04

Right to Repair One Year Later: A Mixed Bag for Consumers

A year after Right to Repair laws passed in California and Minnesota, a new report reveals a mixed bag of compliance from product manufacturers. The report graded 25 products across various categories, finding that 40% received failing grades, while only a few achieved top marks. While Apple showed improvement in the repairability of its latest iPad and M3 MacBook Pro, many manufacturers continue to withhold repair manuals and spare parts. The report urges consumers and independent repair shops to leverage state attorneys general to enforce compliance and improve access to repairs.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech Product Repairability Consumer Rights

AI Chatbots' Inaccurate URLs: A New Opportunity for Criminals

2025-07-04

AI Chatbots' Inaccurate URLs: A New Opportunity for Criminals

Netcraft's research reveals that AI chatbots like GPT-4.1 frequently provide incorrect website addresses for major companies, achieving only 66% accuracy. This creates an opportunity for cybercriminals to leverage these inaccuracies for phishing attacks by creating fake websites. Researchers found that scammers are even exploiting AI-generated results, creating fake code repositories, tutorials, and social media accounts on GitHub to boost the ranking of malicious sites in chatbot results, enabling supply-chain attacks such as the one targeting the Solana blockchain API. This highlights the risk of solely relying on AI chatbots for information, particularly sensitive data like login URLs, emphasizing the need for careful verification.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech

Copilot vs. Atari 2600: AI's Overconfidence Exposed

2025-07-04

Copilot vs. Atari 2600: AI's Overconfidence Exposed

Robert Caruso pitted Microsoft's Copilot against Atari 2600's Video Chess, a rematch of sorts after ChatGPT's humiliating defeat. Despite Copilot's boastful claims of strategic prowess and foresight, it ultimately fell to the vintage game. Like ChatGPT before it, Copilot struggled with maintaining an accurate representation of the game board, leading to flawed strategies and a decisive loss. The experiment serves as a reminder of the limitations of Large Language Models (LLMs) and the dangers of overconfidence in AI.

(www.theregister.com)

Game

UK Law Lagging Behind: Undersea Cable Sabotage Exposes Legal Gaps

2025-07-02

UK Law Lagging Behind: Undersea Cable Sabotage Exposes Legal Gaps

A UK government minister has warned that cyberattacks and undersea cable sabotage are blurring the lines between war and peace, highlighting flaws in UK law. The outdated 1885 Submarine Telegraph Act, with its paltry £1,000 fine, is woefully inadequate for modern threats. Recent incidents, such as suspected Russian attacks on underwater cables in Sweden, underscore the urgency. The government is considering a new Defence Readiness Bill to address state-sponsored cybercrime and undersea cable attacks, but faces challenges in defining 'acts of war' and balancing civil and military responses.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech

China's Hypersonic Feitian-2 Achieves Mach 12 Flight, Defying US Sanctions

2025-07-02

China's Hypersonic Feitian-2 Achieves Mach 12 Flight, Defying US Sanctions

Northwestern Polytechnical University in China successfully test-flew its hypersonic vehicle, Feitian-2, reaching Mach 12. The feat involved autonomously transitioning between rocket and ramjet propulsion, a significant technological hurdle. This achievement underscores China's advancements in hypersonic technology, directly challenging US dominance in the field. The US has been actively monitoring and attempting to restrict China's access to technologies related to hypersonic weapons. Feitian-2's success demonstrates China's ability to overcome technological sanctions and potentially reshape the global military landscape.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech Hypersonic

Suspended IT Worker Jailed for Network Sabotage

2025-07-02

Suspended IT Worker Jailed for Network Sabotage

A disgruntled IT worker, Mohammed Umar Taj, was sentenced to over seven months in prison for sabotaging his employer's network after being suspended. He altered login credentials and multi-factor authentication settings, locking out the company and its clients in Germany and Bahrain, causing an estimated £200,000 in damages. Police stated Taj sought revenge, causing international disruption. Ironically, he's currently listed as director of an electrical company. The case highlights the need for companies to swiftly revoke network access for suspended employees with privileged access.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech IT crime

Apple Sues Ex-Employee for Stealing Vision Pro Secrets

2025-07-02

Apple Sues Ex-Employee for Stealing Vision Pro Secrets

Apple is suing former Vision Pro product design engineer Di Liu for allegedly stealing confidential files related to Apple's augmented reality headset and giving them to Snap. Liu claimed he left Apple for family and health reasons, but had already accepted a job at Snap two weeks prior. Apple discovered Liu copied thousands of files, including confidential product code names, to his personal cloud storage and deleted files to cover his tracks. Apple is seeking the return of the stolen data and damages.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech Trade Secret Theft

Thousands Mistakenly Believe They Won the Lottery Due to Coding Error

2025-07-01

Thousands Mistakenly Believe They Won the Lottery Due to Coding Error

Thousands of Norwegians mistakenly thought they'd won life-changing sums in the Eurojackpot lottery due to a manual coding error by Norsk Tipping, the state-owned operator. A conversion error multiplied winnings by 100 instead of dividing, briefly displaying vastly inflated jackpots on their website. While no incorrect payouts were made, the mistake led to the CEO's resignation and sparked concerns about the company's internal controls. This isn't Norsk Tipping's first recent blunder; previous technical issues and regulatory breaches have also been reported. The new acting CEO aims to restore public trust.

(www.theregister.com)

Misc Lottery error Coding mistake CEO resignation

NSA and CISA Push for Memory-Safe Programming Languages

2025-06-30

NSA and CISA Push for Memory-Safe Programming Languages

The US National Security Agency (NSA) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have jointly issued guidance urging software developers to adopt memory-safe programming languages like Rust and Go. The report highlights memory safety vulnerabilities as a leading cause of software security issues, citing C and C++ as particularly vulnerable due to their memory management mechanisms. While projects aim to improve C/C++ security, a long-term shift to memory-safe languages is presented as the best risk mitigation strategy. Government initiatives, such as DARPA's TRACTOR program (which aims to automatically translate C code to Rust), are actively promoting this transition.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech

Agentic AI: Hype vs. Reality – Gartner Predicts 40% of Projects Will Be Cancelled

2025-06-29

Agentic AI: Hype vs. Reality – Gartner Predicts 40% of Projects Will Be Cancelled

Gartner predicts that over 40% of agentic AI projects will be cancelled by the end of 2027 due to rising costs, unclear business value, and insufficient risk controls. Research from Carnegie Mellon University and Salesforce reveals that AI agents achieve only 30-35% success rates on multi-step tasks. Many vendors are overselling their capabilities, rebranding existing products as agentic AI. While the concept is common in science fiction, real-world applications face challenges including security, privacy, copyright, and ethical concerns. CMU and Salesforce studies show even cutting-edge models struggle with common workplace tasks, highlighting that agentic AI is in its early stages and far from truly useful.

(www.theregister.com)

AI

Europe's Shift Away From Microsoft: Data Sovereignty Takes Center Stage

2025-06-28

Europe's Shift Away From Microsoft: Data Sovereignty Takes Center Stage

Amidst Microsoft's push to migrate Windows 10 users to Windows 11 and concerns about data security and sovereignty, several European governments and organizations are switching to Linux. The article highlights US government interference with data and the potential influence of political pressure on Microsoft services, driving Europe's pursuit of technological independence. Examples include France's Gendarmerie successfully migrating to Ubuntu Linux and Denmark's plan to abandon Windows and Office. This trend reflects Europe's emphasis on data security and sovereignty, and its concerns about reliance on American tech companies.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech De-Microsoft

UK's F-35A Purchase: Nuclear Deterrent, Logistical Headache

2025-06-27

UK's F-35A Purchase: Nuclear Deterrent, Logistical Headache

The UK government announced the purchase of 12 nuclear-capable F-35A fighter jets to bolster NATO's deterrent. However, these new jets are incompatible with the RAF's refueling tankers, creating a logistical challenge. The F-35A offers extended range and payload but lacks the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) capability of the F-35B, meaning it can't operate from aircraft carriers. This purchase reinstates a nuclear role for the RAF, but faces integration and logistical hurdles. Some experts see it as a stopgap measure until the next-generation Tempest fighter enters service.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech

Psylo: A New Browser That Fights Browser Fingerprinting

2025-06-26

Psylo: A New Browser That Fights Browser Fingerprinting

Mysk, a Canadian company, launched Psylo, an iOS browser designed to combat browser fingerprinting, a technique used for ad tracking and targeting. Psylo isolates tabs into 'silos,' applying unique anti-fingerprinting measures like canvas randomization. It uses the Mysk Private Proxy Network to mask each silo's IP address and encrypts network traffic. Unlike VPNs, Psylo adjusts timezone and language to match each proxy's geolocation for enhanced privacy. The company emphasizes no logging of personally identifiable information or browsing data, only aggregated bandwidth usage for abuse prevention. Psylo offers robust privacy protection at $9.99/month.

(www.theregister.com)

Tech anti-fingerprinting

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