Source: Cord Cutters News
https://cordcuttersnews.com/comcast-may-owe-you-up-to-10000-after-agreeing-to-settle-a-lawsuit-over-a-data-breach/
Comcast has reached a substantial $117.5 million settlement to address multiple class-action lawsuits connected to a significant data breach that occurred in 2023. The incident potentially compromised sensitive personal information belonging to more than 30 million current and former customers of the telecommunications giant, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.The breach stemmed from a known security vulnerability in software provided by Citrix Systems, a company specializing in remote access and virtualization tools. Comcast utilized this software as part of its internal systems. Citrix publicly disclosed the vulnerability and released a patch on October 10, 2023. However, Comcast did not apply the fix promptly enough, which allowed malicious actors to exploit the flaw. Between October 16 and October 19, 2023, unauthorized access occurred, exposing a range of customer data.
Information that may have been obtained by the attackers included usernames, passwords, full names, contact details such as email addresses and phone numbers, security questions and answers used for account recovery, and the last four digits of Social Security numbers. This combination of details raised serious concerns about the potential for identity theft, fraudulent account access, and other forms of cybercrime targeting affected individuals. … see also https://www.inquirer.com/business/comcast/comcast-citrix-data-breach-settlement-20260123.html
Subject: Coinbase Makes Preparations to Face Crypto’s Quantum Computing Threat
Source: Gizmodo
https://gizmodo.com/coinbase-makes-preparations-to-face-cryptos-quantum-computing-threat-2000713591
U.S.-based crypto exchange giant Coinbase has established an independent advisory board to evaluate and provide guidance on the threat quantum computing may pose to the cryptography used in blockchain networks. This issue has become increasingly discussed among notable financial leaders, such as Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio and VanEck CEO Jan van Eck, as it is thought to be preventing further institutional investment in crypto.
In terms of specific activities, the new advisory board, officially known as the Coinbase Independent Advisory Board on Quantum Computing and Blockchain, will publish papers assessing threat levels, issue recommendations to institutions and developers, and respond to new breakthroughs in the quantum computing field as they arise. Board members include Director of the Quantum Information Center at the University of Texas at Austin, Scott Aaronson, and Co-Director of the Stanford Center for Blockchain Research, Dan Boneh.
Of course, it’s also true that crypto has become increasingly indistinguishable from traditional, centralized fintech. Blockchain networks are now being centrally operated by traditional fintech firms like Stripe and stablecoin issuers like Circle, as it has become clearer over time that mainstream userbases are more interested in dollar-compatible tokens than more volatile, crypto-native assets like bitcoin and ether. So, from this perspective, the vast majority of the crypto market would likely be able to upgrade to deal with the quantum threat in a timely manner.
Tagged:
- Coinbase
- Cryptocurrency
Subject: Ring Launches Video Verification Tool to Combat Fakes
Source: Gizmodo
https://gizmodo.com/ring-launches-video-verification-tool-to-combat-fakes-2000713587
It’s not perfect, but it’s one tool to help users spot AI manipulation.Security camera company Ring has launched a new public tool to help people determine if a given video has been edited in some way, including with generative AI technology. And while the tool has some limitations, it’s a step in the right direction that all video platforms should be working on to help us determine what’s real in the AI age. Users can visit the Ring Verify landing page and upload any Ring video that they’re wondering about. The company describes its system like a “security seal on a package.” If even a second has been edited out or it’s been cropped, the “seal breaks,” as it were….Google has a digital watermark program called SynthID that recently became accessible to all users on Gemini. Uploading an image to Gemini, it will be able to tell you whether the image was created using Google’s AI generator tools. But, again, the capabilities there are limited. Just because it’s missing the invisible watermark doesn’t mean that it’s “real.” It just means Google didn’t help create it…
Filed: https://gizmodo.com/tech/artificial-intelligence
Subject: Fintech has outpaced the guardrails meant to protect it
Source: The Hill
https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/5703242-fintech-payment-platforms-risk/
Earlier this month, Taiwanese prosecutors indicted 35 individuals in a sprawling, $1 billion money laundering operation tied to online gambling. But the most important part of the case wasn’t the gambling. It was the infrastructure behind it.
The laundering didn’t rely on crypto mixers or sophisticated channels. It wasn’t some dark web scheme patched together by cybercriminals. It was built on fast, lightly governed payment platforms; custom processors that handled deposits and withdrawals with enough scale and sophistication to move illicit capital across borders, undetected, for nearly four years.
That detail should give U.S. policymakers pause. Because if a billion-dollar laundering operation can operate quietly through bespoke payment rails in Taiwan, what makes us think it isn’t already happening here?
The Taiwan case is a warning, but not just about enforcement gaps in East Asia. It is a preview of what happens when the pace of financial innovation decisively outruns the safeguards meant to constrain it. And in the U.S. fintech sector, particularly in paytech and iGaming, that gap is widening by the day.
In Taiwan, the group responsible for the laundering built two payment platforms, HeroPay and MatchPay, to serve as intermediaries for illegal gambling traffic. By routing funds through their own processors, they were able to mask source and destination, sidestep traditional detection systems and scale to nearly a billion dollars in illicit volume. When they eventually launched their own gambling portal, they didn’t need to find a bank to work with. They already had the rails.
Here in the U.S., we have embraced financial technology as a catalyst for inclusion, convenience and competition. And in many ways, it has delivered. Americans now move trillions annually through digital payment apps, embedded finance platforms and fintech-enabled lending services. But in that surge of innovation, we’ve also introduced an entirely new category of exposure: systemic financial infrastructure operated by firms that were never built to carry systemic risk.
It’s already happening. In just the last year, U.S. enforcement agencies have charged fintech executives with laundering illicit funds, more often through structural negligence.
This is not the next generation of financial crime risk. This is the present generation, hiding in plain sight. And the longer we treat fintech platforms as tools instead of infrastructure, the more likely we are to see Taiwan’s billion dollar laundering operation not as a cautionary tale, but as a blueprint.
Tags
Subject: Gmail Is Having Issues & Is Incorrectly marking Mail as Spam Or Letting Spam Through
Source: Cord Cutters News
https://cordcuttersnews.com/gmail-is-having-issues-is-incorrectly-marking-mail-as-spam-or-letting-spam-through/
Google has confirmed a widespread technical glitch affecting its Gmail service, which began early on Saturday, January 24, 2026. The problem emerged around 5:02 a.m. Pacific Time and has disrupted the platform’s core email organization features for a significant number of users across the globe.
At the heart of the disruption lies a failure in Gmail’s automatic classification system. This long-standing feature sorts incoming messages into distinct categories such as Primary, Social, Promotions, Updates, and Forums, helping people manage high volumes of email efficiently. With the malfunction, promotional content, newsletters, and automated notifications that would normally appear in dedicated tabs have instead poured directly into the main inbox. Users have described their inboxes becoming overwhelmed with marketing messages, receipts, and social media alerts that previously stayed neatly separated.
Compounding the frustration, the service has begun displaying heightened spam warnings on messages that would ordinarily pass through without issue.
https://www.google.com/appsstatus/dashboard/incidents/NNnDkY9CJ36annsfytjQ
Subject: ICE Asks Companies About ‘Ad Tech and Big Data’ Tools It Could Use in Investigations
Source: WIRED
https://www.wired.com/story/ice-asks-companies-about-ad-tech-and-big-data-tools/
In addition, the entry says “the Government is seeking to understand the current state of Ad Tech compliant and location data services available to federal investigative and operational entities, considering regulatory constraints and privacy expectations of support investigations activities.” The filing offers little detail beyond that broad description: It does not spell out which regulations or privacy standards would apply, nor does it name any specific “Big Data and Ad Tech” services or vendors ICE is interested in.
The entry appears to be the first time that the term “ad tech” has appeared in a request for information, contract solicitation, or contract justification posted by ICE in the Federal Registry, according to searches by WIRED. The request underscores how tools originally developed for digital advertising and other commercial purposes are increasingly being considered for use by the government for law enforcement and surveillance.
In an unsigned statement emailed to WIRED, ICE stressed that the filing was solely for information and planning purposes.
Subject: Activists Say Ring Cameras Are Being Used by ICE
Source: Futurism
https://www.bespacific.com/activists-say-ring-cameras-are-being-used-by-ice/
A Ring spokesperson pushed back sharply against the rhetoric, saying that the collaboration with Flock isn’t yet live, and that even when it does get deployed, ICE won’t be able to access it. However, they stopped short of saying that video collected by Ring devices couldn’t be obtained by ICE or other federal agencies through legal means. “Ring has no partnership with ICE, does not give ICE videos, feeds, or back-end access, and does not share video with them,” a spokesperson said. “Like all companies, Ring may receive legally valid and binding demands for information from law enforcement, such as search warrants, subpoenas, or court orders. We do not disclose customer information unless required to do so by law, or in rare emergency situations when there is an imminent danger of death or serious physical injury. Outside of that legal process, customers control which videos are shared with law enforcement.”
Abstracted from beSpacific
Copyright © 2025 beSpacific, All rights reserved.
Subject: Google ties AI Search to Gmail and Photos, raising new privacy questions
Source: Help Net Security
https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2026/01/26/google-ai-mode-personal-intelligence/
Google is expanding Personal Intelligence into AI Mode in Google Search to deliver more personalized search results. AI Mode can securely connect to your Gmail and Google Photos to provide tailored recommendations without requiring you to repeatedly explain your preferences or ongoing plans.
Personal Intelligence – “Personal Intelligence transforms Search into an experience that feels uniquely yours by connecting the dots across your Google apps. Starting today, Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers can opt-in to securely connect Gmail and Google Photos to AI Mode. With this new experience, you can tap into your own personal context and insights to unlock even more helpful Search responses that are tailored to you,” Robby Stein, VP of Product, Google Search, explained.
More about
Subject: Virginia to consider joining states creating volunteer cyber civilian corps
Source: Route Fifty
https://www.route-fifty.com/cybersecurity/2026/01/virginia-consider-joining-states-creating-volunteer-cyber-civilian-corps/410928/
A proposal to create a volunteer cybersecurity incident response team, investigating and troubleshooting threats targeting digital systems around the commonwealth, will be considered again in this year’s General Assembly session.
The legislation, carried by Del. Michael Feggans, D-Virginia Beach, would authorize the Virginia Information Technologies Agency to select people to serve as Virginia Cyber Civilian Corps volunteers and corps advisors, and to deploy such volunteers across the commonwealth to provide rapid-response assistance under the direction of VITA upon request from a client, or government agency, affected by a cybersecurity incident.
The proposal would also create an advisory board within VITA to review and make recommendations regarding the creation and administration of the corps.
In December, Campbell County was targeted by a cyberattack on its emergency notification system, OnSolve CodeRed, for weather and emergency alerts.
Subject: Fake extension crashes browsers to trick users into infecting themselves
Source: Malwarebytes blog
https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2026/01/fake-extension-crashes-browsers-to-trick-users-into-infecting-themselves
Researchers have found another method used in the spirit of ClickFix: CrashFix.
ClickFix campaigns use convincing lures—historically “Human Verification” screens—to trick the user into pasting a command from the clipboard. After fake Windows update screens, video tutorials for Mac users, and many other variants, attackers have now introduced a browser extension that crashes your browser on purpose.
Researchers found a rip-off of a well-known ad blocker and managed to get it into the official Chrome Web Store under the name “NexShield – Advanced Web Protection.” Strictly speaking, crashing the browser does provide some level of protection, but it’s not what users are typically looking for.
If users install the browser extension, it phones home to nexsnield[.]com (note the misspelling) to track installs, updates, and uninstalls. The extension uses Chrome’s built-in Alarms API (application programming interface) to wait 60 minutes before starting its malicious behavior. This delay makes it less likely that users will immediately connect the dots between the installation and the following crash.
[…]
Subject: US Version of TikTok off to Bumpy Start; Competitors Surge
Source: Phone Scoop
https://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=23670&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon
The US version of the TikTok app is now officially controlled by a US-based joint venture instead of Chinese company ByteDance. This completes a long-delayed deal that was required by a US law passed in 2024. Users must agree to new legal terms to continue using the app, and those terms allow TikTok to collect and use more personal data than before, including precise location data. The service has also seen an uptick in glitches and errors, although TikTok blames a power outage at a data center. The deal brings US control over the service amid concerns of Chinese influence. However, some users have complained of being unable to upload anti-ICE content, sparking accusations of new censorship. The company denies this, saying the glitches are random.
Subject: Clawdbot Is the Hot New AI Agent, But Its Creator Warns of ‘Spicy’ Security Risks
Source: PCMag
https://www.pcmag.com/news/clawdbot-moltbot-hot-new-ai-agent-creator-warns-of-spicy-security-risks
It also reached Anthropic, which asked Clawdbot developers to change the tool’s name due to its similarity to the Claude AI chatbot. It complied, so Clawdbot has now been renamed Moltbot. “Honestly? ‘Molt’ fits perfectly—it’s what lobsters do to grow,” the team says.Whatever you call it, Clawdbot/Moltbot is free to download, but it’ll cost about $3–$5 per month to run on a basic Virtual Private Server (VPS)
The defining features of Clawdbot/Moltbot are that it can (1) proactively take actions without you needing to prompt it, and (2) make those decisions by accessing large swaths of your digital life, including your external accounts and all the files on your computer, sort of like Claude Cowork. It might clear out your inbox, send a morning news briefing, or check in for your flight. When it’s done, it’ll message you through your app of choice, such as WhatsApp, iMessage, or Discord.The important thing is to make sure you limit “who can talk to your bot, where the bot is allowed to act, [and] what the bot can touch” on your device, the bot’s support documentation says. Developers have begun sharing steps they’ve taken to shore up security. “Start with the smallest access that still works, then widen it as you gain confidence,” Clawdbot/Moltbot recommends.
Subject: YouTubers Hit Snap With Lawsuit Over AI Training Of Copyrighted Videos
Source: Android Headlines
https://www.androidheadlines.com/2026/01/youtubers-hit-snap-with-lawsuit-over-ai-training-of-copyrighted-videos.html
A group of YouTubers has filed a lawsuit against Snap in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, accusing the company of using their videos to train AI models without consent. The creators claim their content was scraped to power Snapchat’s “Imagine Lens” feature. The creators are seeking damages and a permanent injunction to prevent further copyright violations. The outcome of the lawsuit could influence how AI companies use copyrighted content going forward.
Ever since AI came into the picture, content creators, media conglomerates, and professional authors have been complaining about AI companies using their copyrighted materials to train their AI models. Speaking of which, you’re likely aware that The New York Times sued OpenAI for allegedly training its AI model using the publication’s articles. Honestly, there are numerous cases as such, but a recent one involves Snapchat. A group of YouTubers who previously sued multiple companies for scraping their videos to train AI models have now filed a lawsuit against Snap for the same reason.
YouTubers’ lawsuit accuses Snap of training AI models that power one of Snapchat’s features – Per the lawsuit, Snap used large-scale video and language datasets such as HD-VILA-100M. The YouTubers’ group argues that those datasets are strictly available for academic or research use. In the lawsuit, YouTubers further added that Snap bypassed YouTube’s technical safeguards, terms of service, and licensing rules. For those unaware, all those policies explicitly restrict commercial exploitation.
There are reportedly 70 copyright infringement lawsuits filed against AI companies, according to data from the nonprofit Copyright Alliance. Worth noting that the same YouTubers has filed lawsuits against big AI giants like NVIDIA and Meta for similar reasons. Given that in many cases courts have ruled in favor of tech companies, it’ll be interesting to see the outcome of this lawsuit.
Filed: https://www.androidheadlines.com/category/apps
Subject: How ICE is using facial recognition in Minnesota
Source: The Guardian
https://www.bespacific.com/how-ice-is-using-facial-recognition-in-minnesota/
The Guardian: “Immigration enforcement agents across the US are increasingly relying on a new smartphone app with facial recognition technology. The app is named Mobile Fortify. Simply pointing a phone’s camera at their intended target and scanning the person’s face allows Mobile Fortify to pull data on an individual from multiple federal and state databases, some of which federal courts have deemed too inaccurate for arrest warrants.“Here we have ICE using this technology in exactly the confluence of conditions that lead to the highest false match rates,” says Nathan Freed Wessler, deputy director of the ACLU’s speech, privacy and technology project. “A false result from this technology can turn somebody’s life totally upside down.”
Underpinning resistance to ICE’s use of facial recognition are doubts about the technology’s efficacy. Research has uncovered higher error rates in identifying women and people of color than for scans of white faces. ICE’s use of the technology is often occurring in intense and fast-moving situations, which makes misidentification more likely. Those being scanned may be people of color. They could be turning away from officers because they don’t want to be identified. The lighting could be poor…’
Abstracted from beSpacific
Copyright © 2025 beSpacific, All rights reserved.
Subject: French government abandons Zoom and Microsoft Teams over security concerns
Source: Help Net Security
https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2026/01/28/france-zoom-teams-visio-public-administration/
France intends to phase out non-European videoconferencing platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams from its public administration, opting instead for a nationally developed solution due to security considerations.
The government confirmed that the French-made platform Visio will replace existing videoconferencing tools.
The platform was developed under the supervision of the Interministerial Directorate for Digital Affairs (DINUM) to support secure online meetings for civil servants. Officials said the rollout will continue through 2027, with access extended from tens of thousands of users to several hundred thousand government employees.
Visio runs on cloud infrastructure certified under France’s SecNumCloud framework, which defines security requirements for sensitive public sector data. The solution also includes AI-based meeting transcription using speaker separation technology. Additional automated captioning tools are scheduled for release later in 2026.
Subject: Google Is Accused of Burying $700M Settlement Emails — They’re Landing in Spam Folders
Source: Android Headlines
https://www.androidheadlines.com/2026/01/google-is-accused-of-burying-700m-settlement-emails-theyre-landing-in-spam-folders.html