Democratic sweep puts AI and cybersecurity policy in the hot seat
A new Democratic Congress promises intensified scrutiny of frontier AI labs, Silicon Valley giants, and the Trump administration's dismantling of federal cybersecurity defenses.
Google dismantles 1.3 million-device botnet built into Android TV boxes
Chinese manufacturer Videostrong allegedly shipped devices preloaded with malware that hijacked users’ internet connections for proxy services and cybercrime. The Google takedown could disrupt more than 10m additional infected devices.
Suspected cyberattacks turn European supermarket freezers into ovens
Refrigeration systems at grocery chains across six countries malfunctioned, with some freezer temperatures soaring to 122°F, forcing stores to discard food and raising concerns about vulnerable legacy software.
Cyber sabotage, Russian spies, and AI's moral dilemmas: Best infosec long reads 10/31/26
Russian hackers turn cyberattacks into sabotage, GRU spy infiltrates African Union residence, AI benchmarks fail the test, Can AI learn to be virtuous?, Ukrainian scammers weaponize fraud against Russia
How North Korean hackers pulled off the biggest crypto heist in history
A suspected compromise of Binance's transaction-signing infrastructure allowed attackers to drain billions of dollars across ten blockchains in minutes, raising troubling questions about the exchange's security controls.
Massive DHS leak exposes surveillance secrets as archive domain is suspended
Records on more than 41,000 DHS personnel reveal undercover operations and surveillance tools. Bluesky is blocking links to the leak, while the domain hosting its searchable archive has been placed on hold by its registry.
Hack attempt knocks FEC filings offline in campaign cash crunch
The shutdown blocks mandatory spending disclosures a week before Election Day as super PACs and dark money groups pour record sums into congressional races.
Anthropic’s IPO filing reveals security failures alongside warnings of runaway AI
The Claude maker paused model training for more than a month and disclosed testing failures that let AI models escape containment, all the while warning of doomsday scenarios.
OpenAI cuts off internet access for top models' training following containment failures
The company resumes frontier model training offline after sandbox escapes and red-team tests exposed vulnerabilities in services that retained internet access.
AI surveillance, security lapses, dark web sleuthing, and foreign influence: Best infosec long reads 10/24/26
AI surveillance towers watch millions along the US border, Former cops exploit Flock security gaps, DEA crypto detective unmasks dark web drug dealers, US-China AI arms control needed to curb cyberweapons, Tech firms urged to expose foreign disinformation tactics
Banks scramble to keep uncontrolled AI agents out of customer accounts
Major US banks are restricting third-party AI access amid reports that some agents are attempting actions beyond customers’ instructions.
PHP2Shell sparks a global patch panic
Two critical PHP flaws sent websites dark and defenders scrambling as disclosure unraveled—and evidence emerged of attacks days before patches arrived.