Hacking Spree Hits UK Retail Giants
A cluster of vulnerabilities in Apple's wireless media streaming platform AirPlay has left millions of third-party devices vulnerable to takeover if an attacker is on the same Wi-Fi network as the victim gadget. These "AirBorne" vulnerabilities have all been patched, including some that potentially impacted Apple's Mac computers.
However, records reviewed by WIRED show that utilizing car subscription features can substantially raise your risk of being subjected to government surveillance. This is because such services generate troves of data that are valuable to law enforcement. Additionally, a deep dive on North Korea's yearslong campaign to place IT workers inside companies in North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe has revealed that scammers are incorporating AI into their workflows.
WhatsApp has designed a special cloud processing platform called Private Processing to allow new AI tools to work in the secure messenger without compromising its end-to-end encryption. However, experts warn that this could create enticing targets for hackers. Furthermore, WIRED has also released a guide for navigating the privacy risks of using ChatGPT's new image generator to do seemingly fun and innocuous projects.
Three British Retailers Hacked in Spate of Cyberattacks
Three separate retailers in the UK, including the supermarket Co-op and the department stores Marks & Spencer and Harrods, have all revealed they have recently been subject to cyberattacks. The intrusions and widespread impact seem to be ongoing.
Toward the end of April, Marks & Spencer revealed it had been the victim of a "cyber incident." Over the following two weeks, it was forced to pause online orders within its apps, some food has been missing from its shelves, and it paused recruitment and other "normal processes."
At Co-op, staff have been told to keep webcams turned on during remote meetings and check who is attending calls, after shutting down parts of its IT systems in response to its own hack. Harrods, meanwhile, told customers to "not do anything differently at this point."
Russia's Military Intelligence Agency Blamed for High-Profile Cyberattacks
French authorities have condemned Russia's military intelligence agency, accusing it of orchestrating a series of high-profile cyberattacks.
This includes the hacking of Emmanuel Macron's 2017 presidential campaign, a brazen 2015 assault on the TV channel TV5 Monde, and recent intrusion attempts targeting organizations involved in preparing the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
US Moves to Crack Down on 'Largest Illicit Marketplace'
The Trump administration has taken the first step toward blacklisting a Cambodian financial conglomerate at the center of a global money laundering network.
Huione Group, which is allegedly behind some of the world's largest illicit transactions, has been designated as a money-laundering operation by the Treasury Department. The company and its affiliates are accused of laundering over $4 billion for criminals, including North Korean hackers and online scammers.
New Microsoft Accounts Won’t Need Passwords Anymore
Big tech companies have worked for years to create an alternative to passwords, which is more secure than traditional passwords.
This week, Microsoft announced that people setting up new accounts with the company won't have to create passwords at all. "New Microsoft accounts will now be 'passwordless by default,'" the company wrote in a blog post.