Chinese-Government Hacking Campaign Said to Hit 200 U.S. Groups

The FBI and other law enforcement and intelligence agencies around the world warned that a Chinese-government hacking campaign that previously penetrated nine U.S. telecommunications companies has expanded into other industries and regions, striking at least 200 American organizations and 80 countries. The joint advisory was issued with the close allies in the Five Eyes English-language intelligence-sharing arrangement and also agencies from Finland, the Netherlands, Poland and the Czech Republic, an unusually broad array meant to demonstrate global resolve against what intelligence officials said is a pernicious campaign that exceeds accepted norms for snooping.

Anthropic Blocks Hackers from Using Claude to Write Phishing Emails

Anthropic said it had detected and blocked hackers attempting to misuse its Claude AI system to write phishing emails, create malicious code and circumvent safety filters. The company's findings, published in a report, highlight growing concerns that AI tools are increasingly exploited in cybercrime, intensifying calls for tech firms and regulators to strengthen safeguards as the technology spreads.

DOGE Official Risked Social Security Data on Cloud, Whistleblower Says

A whistleblower says that a former senior DOGE official now at the Social Security Administration copied the Social Security numbers, names and birthdays of over 300 million Americans to a private section of the agency's cloud. That private cloud environment is accessible by other former DOGE employees at the SSA and is lacking adequate security, the whistleblower claims, potentially putting an enormous amount of private information at risk to being revealed and possibly used by identity thieves.

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Musk's xAI Sues Apple, OpenAI, Alleging Illegal Thwarting of Competition

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence firm, xAI, sued Apple and OpenAI, accusing Apple of manipulating its App Store rankings to give preferential treatment to OpenAI. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, said that Apple and OpenAI “locked up markets to maintain their monopolies and prevent innovators like X and xAI from competing.”

Russian Hackers Leveraging Vulnerability in Older Cisco Software

Hackers associated with some of Russia’s most prolific cyber espionage units have over the last year been leveraging a vulnerability in older Cisco software to target thousands of networking devices associated with critical infrastructure IT systems, the FBI and Cisco said. Hackers working within the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Center 16 are extracting “device configuration information en masse, which can later be leveraged as needed based on then-current strategic goals and interests of the Russian government,” Cisco Talos researchers Sara McBroom and Brandon White wrote in a threat advisory, published to the company’s blog.

Microsoft Stops Providing Advance Threat Notices to Chinese Companies

Microsoft Corp. has curtailed Chinese companies’ access to advance notifications about cybersecurity vulnerabilities in its technology after investigating whether a leak led to a series of hacks exploiting flaws in its SharePoint software. The change, which occurred last month, will limit access for program participants in “countries where they’re required to report vulnerabilities to their governments,” which would include China, according to David Cuddy, a Microsoft spokesperson.

Masimo Sues CBP to Stop Apple from Using Blood-Oxygen Feature Again

U.S. Customs and Border Protection unlawfully let Apple Inc. reactivate a blood-oxygen tracking feature on Apple Watches that infringes patents for the technology, Masimo Corp. said in a federal lawsuit. CBP exceeded its authority in an Aug. 1 internal advice ruling that overturned its own January decision without notice or input from Masimo, the medical-device maker said in a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Minnesota Sues TikTok, Accusing It of Preying on Young People

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) sued TikTok, accusing the popular video-sharing platform of preying on young people with addictive algorithms and other design features. Ellison argues the social media company is driven “by an out-of-control pursuit of profit above all else” that seeks to keep young users on the app with features like its recommendation engine, endless scroll, push notifications, filters, live videos and a virtual currency system.

Google to Pay $30 Million to Settle YouTube Children's Privacy Suit

Google will pay $30 million to settle a lawsuit claiming it violated the privacy of children using YouTube by collecting their personal information without parental consent, and using it to send targeted ads. A preliminary settlement of the proposed class action was filed in San Jose, California, federal court, and requires approval by U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen.

Britain Drops Demand for Apple to Create 'Backdoor' to Encrypted Data

Britain has dropped its demand for the iPhone maker Apple to provide a "backdoor" that would have enabled access to the protected encrypted data of American citizens, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said. Gabbard issued the statement on X, in the U.S., saying she had worked for months with Britain, along with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, to arrive at a deal.

Russia Restricts Calls Using Telegram, WhatsApp, Citing Extortion

Russian authorities announced they were “partially” restricting calls in messaging apps Telegram and WhatsApp, the latest step in an effort to tighten control over the internet. In a statement, government media and internet regulator Roskomnadzor justified the measure as necessary for fighting crime, saying that “according to law enforcement agencies and numerous appeals from citizens, foreign messengers Telegram and WhatsApp have become the main voice services used to deceive and extort money, and to involve Russian citizens in sabotage and terrorist activities.”

Investigators Link Russia to Attack on Federal Courts' Computer System

Investigators have uncovered evidence that Russia is at least partly responsible for a recent hack of the computer system that manages federal court documents, including highly sensitive records with information that could reveal sources and people charged with national security crimes, according to several people briefed on the breach. It is not clear what entity is responsible, whether an arm of Russian intelligence might be behind the intrusion or if other countries were also involved, which some of the people familiar with the matter described as a yearslong effort to infiltrate the system.

U.S. Tech Companies Gain Influence Over Regulations in Brazil

America’s Big Tech companies, which have been aggressively courting President Trump, suddenly have new leverage in Brazil’s halls of power. Against a backdrop of a 50 percent tax on key Brazilian products, the firms are being welcomed to meetings with Brazilian officials and justices of the Supreme Court, as new regulation is being shaped on everything from online speech to artificial intelligence, according to several people with knowledge of the matter.

Justice Department Seizes $1M in Bitcoin from Russian Ransomware Gang

The U.S. Department of Justice announced it has seized the servers and $1 million in bitcoin from the prolific Russian ransomware gang behind the BlackSuit and Royal malware. According to the press release, a coalition of global law enforcement agencies, including from the U.S., Canada, Germany, Ireland, France, U.K., and others, seized four servers and nine domains on July 24.

Australian Court Rules Against Apple, Google in App Store Case

In a landmark decision, the federal court in Australia has ruled against tech giants Apple and Google in a major win for consumers, finding that the companies engaged in anti-competitive conduct. Judge Jonathan Beach found that both companies had broken the law by misusing their market power in the way they run their app stores which sell everything from smartphone apps to computer games.

Musk Threatens to Sue Apple Over AppStore Rankings for AI Companies

Billionaire Elon Musk said his artificial intelligence startup xAI would take legal action against Apple, accusing the iPhone maker of breaching antitrust regulations in managing the App Store rankings. "Apple is behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation. xAI will take immediate legal action," Musk said in a post on his social media platform X.

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