Security news

Security

Rush is on to patch a software vulnerability that could impact 70% of websites worldwide

Governments and corporations worked throughout the night on urgent security updates after the AI-assisted discovery of vulnerabilities in a programming language vital to 70% of websites globally.

Security

What to know about the AI-detected security bug impacting wide swaths of the internet

The language that's known as the backbone of the internet is now subject to what experts describe as one of the most notable vulnerabilities in recent memory.

Security

OpenAI says its AI agents disabled their own safety monitors

OpenAI has revealed that two of its artificial intelligence agents disabled or weakened systems built to catch them misbehaving, with one later denying it had done so.

Internet

Websites down: What is PHP and how has it raised AI hacking fears?

Artificial intelligence has found critical security flaws in a major programming language called PHP, with many websites taken offline Thursday as organizations worldwide scramble to fend off would-be hackers.

Security

Why the most dangerous AI may be the one we trust too much

Machines don't have to become superintelligent to cause catastrophic harm. As artificial intelligence spreads through military decision-making, they just have to be wrong—and trusted by the humans in charge.

Robotics

Secret trigger words could make AI-powered robots dangerous

Large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude and Google Gemini are increasingly being used to help robots perform tasks, but what if LLMs could be exploited to turn helpful robots into harmful robots?

Security

When a ship's systems lie, cybersecurity gets complicated

Sailors at sea rely on electronic equipment to keep ships on course and out of danger, but what happens when hackers get involved? Are the mariners equipped to handle modern cybersecurity threats like GPS spoofing?

Software

Your car's weakest spot may not be in the car

A car is a computer on wheels. It communicates with the car manufacturer's cloud services, the driver's phone and charging stations, and when children stream movies in the back seat, data travels over the internet. All these ...

Security

New cyber threat to water systems exposes limits of encryption

University of British Columbia researchers have uncovered a vulnerability that could allow hackers to target and disrupt critical infrastructure such as water treatment plants and energy grids without needing to break into ...

Security

How do we make sure AI is fair, safe, and secure?

AI is ubiquitous now—from interpreting medical results to driving cars, not to mention answering every question under the sun as we search for information online. But how do we know it is safe to use, and that it's not generating ...

Internet

Cyberattacks can trigger societal crises, scientists warn

Cyberattacks can wreak havoc on the systems they target, yet their impact often spreads far beyond technical failures, potentially triggering crises that engulf entire communities, a new study argues.

Security

Ransomware: What it is and why it's your problem

Ransomware is a type of malicious software that makes a victim's data, system or device inaccessible. It locks the target or encrypts it (converting text into an unreadable form) until the victim pays a ransom to the attacker.

Security

Forensic system cuts IoT attack analysis time by three-quarters

A new forensic framework designed specifically for the Internet of Things (IoT) is discussed in the International Journal of Electronic Security and Digital Forensics. This deep learning-driven system offers benefits over ...

Computer Sciences

'Rosetta stone' for database inputs reveals serious security issue

The data inputs that enable modern search and recommendation systems were thought to be secure, but an algorithm developed by Cornell Tech researchers successfully teased out names, medical diagnoses and financial information ...

Security

What can technology do to stop AI-generated sexualized images?

The global outcry over the sexualization and nudification of photographs—including of children—by Grok, the chatbot developed by Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI, has led to urgent discussions about how such ...

Security

What does cybersecurity look like in the quantum age?

Quantum computers promise unprecedented computing speed and power that will advance both business and science. These same qualities also make them a prime target for malicious hackers, according to Swaroop Ghosh, professor ...