Author: precious

A series of cyberattacks against South Korean financial institutions has revealed how AI tools are making it easier for a single attacker to carry out complex hacking operations. Cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike says a likely Chinese-speaking, financially motivated hacker used an AI-powered penetration testing tool developed in China alongside several large language models, including Anthropic’s Claude Code, during attacks on South Korean banks between late September and early October. The investigation has linked the activity to attacks involving institutions including Shinhan Bank, KB Kookmin Bank, and Hana Bank. South Korean authorities have launched investigations into the incidents, while reports indicate that…

Apple has reportedly instructed some suppliers to reduce component orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max by at least 15% in October, less than a month after both phones went on sale. The move, reported by Nikkei Asia in early October, follows signs of weaker demand for Apple’s latest premium smartphones as rising chip costs push prices higher. What the Reported Order Cuts Cover Nikkei cited people familiar with Apple’s supply chain, including a senior executive who said October component orders for both Pro models had fallen by between 15% and 20% compared with the original…

Online fashion retailer ASOS has confirmed that hackers accessed customer information after gaining entry to an employee’s account, with the attackers also using the company’s mobile app to send a threatening notification to shoppers. The breach came to light on October 6, when customers received a notification titled “ASOS HACKED,” demanding that the company’s data protection and IT teams make contact or risk having customer information leaked. The alert contained a link to a Telegram channel and claimed the attackers had compromised a Snowflake data system. ASOS initially warned that customers’ names and contact details might have been accessed. However,…

Denmark has confirmed that unauthorised users accessed names, addresses, and personal identification numbers belonging to approximately 8.8 million people in its national population register after misusing a private company’s legal access to the database. The incident involved Denmark’s Central Person Register (CPR), which holds identity records used by public services and businesses. Authorities discovered suspicious activity on October 2, even though the unauthorised searches had taken place in September. Then, a government statement issued on October 5 confirmed that the company’s access had been blocked and police were investigating. But further reporting has since linked the incident to an IT…

When the European Union first proposed its AI Act in April 2021, the AI industry looked considerably different from what it does today. ChatGPT had yet to launch, and the autonomous AI agents now being developed by major technology companies were still far from becoming mainstream products. Five years later, AI has advanced beyond generating text and answering questions. Companies are developing agents that can browse websites, operate software, write code, and complete several tasks with limited human supervision. These capabilities have also raised questions about what happens when AI systems take actions their developers never intended. This question is…

Three former OpenAI safety employees have warned that their sudden dismissals could discourage remaining staff from raising concerns about artificial intelligence (AI), as the ChatGPT-developer maintains that it fired them for breaking rules on handling sensitive company information. Tomek Korbak, Jasmine Wang, and Mikita Balesni made the warning in an open letter published on October 8 and addressed to OpenAI’s Safety and Security Committee, Safety Advisory Group, and Mission Advisory Council. The four-page letter challenges the reasons given for their dismissal and calls for clearer rules governing how employees work with independent AI safety experts. Why the Researchers Say Their…

Many of the most powerful artificial intelligence (AI) models remain under the control of the companies that developed them, limiting how freely other businesses can run or customise the technology. But French AI startup Mistral is looking to challenge that arrangement with Mistral Large 4, a powerful new model it plans to make available for others to operate independently. Announced on October 6 and nicknamed “Le Chonk,” the model has roughly one trillion parameters, making it Mistral’s largest and most capable model yet. It is currently available through a public preview of the company’s API, with its downloadable model weights…

As artificial intelligence (AI) systems are increasingly being given the ability to browse websites, complete forms, and carry out tasks with limited human supervision, one of Anthropic’s Claude models has raised concerns about that independence after it submitted a fabricated homicide tip to Philadelphia police during an internal test. The incident occurred on July 18, 2026, when Claude Haiku 4.5 submitted false information about an unsolved murder through PhillyUnsolvedMurders.com, a website used by the Philadelphia Police Department to receive public tips. Fortunately, the submission was flagged as spam and never reached investigators. However, the incident has drawn criticism from police…

Executives at OpenAI and Anthropic are preparing for the possibility of a serious AI-related incident that could disrupt banks, internet access, electricity or water supplies. According to an October 9 report by Axios, their preparations are focusing heavily on how the public and government might react if artificial intelligence causes or helps carry out a large-scale attack. The companies are reportedly examining worst-case scenarios and considering how to explain the situation to U.S. lawmakers if such an event happens. These discussions come as more powerful AI systems gain the ability to perform complex tasks and concerns grow over how criminals…

AI agents are increasingly being trusted with sensitive information, from personal finances to workplace communications. But where does the trust stop? A reported incident involving a startup CEO has raised concerns about what happens when these tools access information across different connected accounts. Shane Mac, co-founder and CEO of software company XMTP Labs, says an AI agent he created to monitor his personal finances mistakenly shared his bank balances and spending details in his company’s executive Slack channel. The incident reportedly occurred in early October, when the agent published a financial report meant for Mac’s private AI group chat, and…