https://techxplore.com/rss-feed/security-news/ en-us The latest news on cyber security, network security, software vulnerabilities, data leaks, malware, and viruses Small artificial intelligence models may be only months away from being able to behave like a computer worm, copying themselves from one internet-connected gadget to the next without human help, Anthropic said. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-anthropic-ai-worms-smart-gadgets.html Security Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:50:01 EDT news711113802 Watermarks are increasingly being used to make AI-generated images recognizable and to ensure their origin can be traced. Previous research has focused on whether watermarks can withstand image manipulation. CISPA researcher Michel Meintz from the SprintML Lab has investigated whether watermarks can withstand the training of a new generative model. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-ai-image-watermarks-survive-durability.html Security Fri, 09 Oct 2026 14:20:02 EDT news710773562 Driver-assistance systems are now installed in nearly all modern cars. As a result, safety depends on whether computer systems can reliably process sensor data. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are therefore investigating how these systems can be specifically manipulated—with the goal of better protecting vehicles from such attacks in the future. Even a film discreetly placed over the sensors can cause serious accidents. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-autonomous-vehicles-lanes-tampered-sensors.html Security Thu, 08 Oct 2026 14:00:01 EDT news710686382 Fatigue can be just as dangerous as drunken driving. That is why both researchers and companies are increasingly investing in technologies that can monitor and improve our sleep. But what happens if sleep is no longer regarded as a private necessity but as something that can be measured, documented and optimized? https://techxplore.com/news/2026-10-employer-demand-proof-youve-slept.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 08 Oct 2026 10:00:01 EDT news710671648 A quick search of humanoid robot videos will deliver demonstrations of two-legged robots playing soccer, dancing, jumping several feet in the air, even competing in kickboxing matches. It is all dazzling, certainly. But roboticist Aaron Ames, the Booth-Kresa Leadership Chair and director of Caltech's Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies (CAST) and a leader in the field of robotic safety, has deep concerns. What is crucially missing before humanoids can play a larger role in our lives and society, Ames says, is safety. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-roboticist-safety-humanoid-robots.html Robotics Wed, 30 Sep 2026 09:00:05 EDT news709976821 OpenAI will not release its newest artificial intelligence model, known as Astra 6.1, after internal testing showed it did not meet safety standards, the company confirmed Monday. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-openai-cancels-astra-due-safety.html Security Tue, 29 Sep 2026 11:10:05 EDT news709897421 Researchers at the Institute of Information Security at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) have uncovered security risks in the file notification systems of the widely used operating systems Windows, Linux, Android and macOS. Through side-channel attacks, attackers can track system-wide changes to files, keystrokes and visited websites, and spoof password prompts to intercept entries. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-notification-windows-linux-android-macos.html Computer Sciences Mon, 28 Sep 2026 12:00:01 EDT news709811307 Nvidia on Monday unveiled a new security platform designed to stop artificial intelligence agents from going rogue, saying it sets "boundaries" that could have stopped previous breaches. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-nvidia-unveils-platform-ai-agents.html Security Mon, 28 Sep 2026 09:07:06 EDT news709805133 Some advances in AI technology are undoubtedly positive, like helping write code faster or discovering new medicines. But others can give us pause for thought. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-ai-willingness-humans-relieve-internal.html Security Sun, 27 Sep 2026 10:20:01 EDT news709561669 You may recall the scene in the comedy Raising Arizona in which Nicolas Cage pulls a pair of pantyhose over his head before attempting, with limited success, to rob a convenience store of a pack of diapers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-stocking-masks-criminal-comeback.html Security Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:20:01 EDT news709372322 Imagine a neighbor who persistently claims you make noise at night. Others initially disagree, but the neighbor keeps trying to convince them. Their success depends not only on their stubbornness but also on how well connected they are and how willing others are to change their minds. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-stubbornness-problem-ai-agents.html Security Mon, 21 Sep 2026 08:40:03 EDT news709198321 Virginia Tech researchers are developing virtual tools to help teens protect themselves against cybergrooming. Using survey data from parents and teens and leveraging artificial intelligence, the research team created a chatbot that gradually advances interactions from innocent to predatory, giving teens firsthand experience of cybergrooming tactics without the risk of actual harm. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-chatbot-teens-cybergrooming-tactics.html Hi Tech & Innovation Thu, 17 Sep 2026 15:00:13 EDT news708874981 When a phone is lost or stolen, reporting it to a cellular carrier is supposed to prevent unauthorized use. Michigan State University researchers have found that weaknesses in the reporting system itself could potentially be exploited to block legitimate devices from cellular networks. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-stolen-safeguard-disrupt-home-alarms.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 09 Sep 2026 17:20:07 EDT news708192001 Researchers at the University of Southampton have come up with a way to help people spot AI-generated faces. They've developed a short training program that improves people's ability to distinguish between real, human faces and those generated by AI software. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-09-minute-people-ai-generated.html Consumer & Gadgets Thu, 03 Sep 2026 15:10:01 EDT news707665247 If you wanted to take down a power grid or a network of drones, which part of the system should you attack? Researchers at The University of New Mexico School of Engineering posed the question in hopes of developing better network security mechanisms. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-analysis-reveals-unexpected-vulnerabilities-power.html Engineering Mon, 31 Aug 2026 15:00:16 EDT news707406241 In computer vision and robotics, ensuring that AI systems remain reliable under real-world conditions is a growing challenge. Deep neural network (DNN)-based vision systems are increasingly used in safety-critical applications such as autonomous driving, where misinterpreting a traffic sign could lead to unsafe decisions. Everyday wear and tear can subtly alter traffic signs, raising questions about whether naturally occurring damage could also expose vulnerabilities in AI-based recognition systems. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-worn-traffic-ai-vision-exposing.html Security Mon, 31 Aug 2026 10:40:12 EDT news707390761 Before you prompt AI to answer another question or perform another task, a Wake Forest computer scientist wants you to know it could expose your sensitive data. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ai-agents-rage-leak-private.html Security Wed, 26 Aug 2026 12:44:43 EDT news706966987 Shine a light, and the real can be distinguished from the fake. KAIST researchers have developed a security technology that uses unique artificial fingerprints created by the random assembly of nanoparticles. Although extremely difficult to replicate, these fingerprints can be conveniently authenticated using only a smartphone flashlight and a laser pointer, opening up potential applications in anti-counterfeiting and electronic device authentication. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-distinguish-real-fake-hard-replicate.html Engineering Wed, 26 Aug 2026 10:20:08 EDT news706957741 Safety protections built into some of the world's most widely used artificial intelligence (AI) models can be stripped away with alarming ease, according to a new international study. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-major-weaknesses-weight-llms.html Security Tue, 25 Aug 2026 11:20:07 EDT news706875362 Consumer detectors sold to help people find hidden surveillance devices are often too difficult for typical users to interpret, potentially giving a false sense of security to those most at risk such as domestic abuse survivors, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-spy-device-detector-users-hidden.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 24 Aug 2026 16:20:05 EDT news706804201 Experts have shown that the most powerful security defenses in Windows 11 can be dismantled by an attacker who never touches the target computer. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-bypass-windows-physical-access.html Computer Sciences Mon, 24 Aug 2026 12:40:04 EDT news706793101 The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way many people approached their work across the globe. For Carnegie Mellon University Africa's Jema Ndibwile, it changed the way he viewed a completely different type of virus: a computer virus. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-genetic-algorithms-cybersecurity-defenses-malware.html Computer Sciences Fri, 21 Aug 2026 12:00:07 EDT news706531802 An AI model inspired by ants, bees and birds could be key to cracking down on blockchain-based money laundering, new research led by Charles Darwin University (CDU) has found. The study is published in the journal Communications in Computer and Information Science. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-swarm-ai-expose-suspicious-blockchain.html Security Thu, 20 Aug 2026 09:40:09 EDT news706436521 Today, most of us interact with AI assistants—reactive bots that wait for human instructions. Yet AI assistants are rapidly being replaced by agentic AI agents that can interact with external tools, browse the web, generate images, send emails and perform increasingly complex workflows on behalf of users. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-ai-agents.html Security Wed, 19 Aug 2026 09:00:03 EDT news706348622 A new security loophole discovered by researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst can bring some expired credit cards back to life. If stolen, these "zombie credit cards" could leave cardholders vulnerable to fraudulent charges, according to the new study, presented at the conference USENIX Security 2026. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-zombie-credit-cards-loophole-reanimate.html Consumer & Gadgets Mon, 17 Aug 2026 17:20:06 EDT news706205101 Physical access to an aircraft has not typically been considered a cybersecurity risk—but it should be, according to a team of computer scientists at the University of California San Diego. In a paper presented Aug. 13 at the USENIX Security Symposium in Baltimore, Maryland, former UC San Diego Ph.D. student Sam Crow showed that physical access to an aircraft, even for a brief period, would allow an attacker equipped with a custom-made hardware device to take over communications between two key onboard computers. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-physical-access-boeing-flight.html Security Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:06:25 EDT news705841556 Large language models (LLMs), the models that underpin platforms such as ChatGPT and Gemini, are now used daily by more than a billion people worldwide. Some computer scientists have also been combining several of these models to create multi-agent systems (MAS), in which many LLM-based agents work together to tackle complex problems. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-peering-llm-based-multi-agent.html Security Mon, 10 Aug 2026 13:20:02 EDT news705585057 Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), secure elements used to connect devices to a mobile network, can pose severe security risks when compromised. A malicious SIM could allow attackers to gather information about a device, interfere with its connectivity and serve as an entry point for further cyberattacks. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-malicious-sim-cards-hijack-smartphones.html Hardware Mon, 10 Aug 2026 03:00:02 EDT news705321541 URL scanning services are now a common component of modern security workflows. They help detect phishing websites or malware early and warn users before they visit a URL. However, the practice of some of these services—publishing scanned URLs—can inadvertently expose sensitive user data. CISPA researcher Ali Mustafa, together with colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy and Ca' Foscari University of Venice, conducted the first systematic investigation of the risks arising from this practice. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-08-factor-privacy-url-scanning.html Software Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:40:09 EDT news705323885 In a nondescript Idaho Falls warehouse, a nuclear nonproliferation researcher at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) picks up a small plastic bottle and pours tiny bits of rounded black glass across a worktable. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-vacuum-nuclear-fallout.html Engineering Thu, 30 Jul 2026 17:00:03 EDT news704648401