Category: Biz Tech

Microsoft has revealed Visual Studio 2026 Insiders, a major update to its flagship integrated development environment that weaves artificial intelligence into core workflows, boosts performance, and delivers a modernised user interface. The rollout introduces new features and channels aimed at enhancing developer productivity and addressing long-standing feedback. Visual Studio 2026 integrates GitHub Copilot across the IDE to understand the coding context, make suggestions, and automate repetitive tasks. Notable among the AI features are adaptive paste, which adjusts pasted code to match

Anthropic has launched a file-creation and editing feature for its AI assistant Claude, enabling users to generate Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, Word documents, and PDFs via Claude. ai and its desktop application. The capability is now in preview for users on the Max, Team, and Enterprise plans; Pro-plan access will follow in the coming weeks. Claude now supports crafting working spreadsheets with formulas, project trackers with automated dashboards, and budget templates with variance calculations. Users can upload existing data, request

Senator Ron Wyden is pressing the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Microsoft over what he terms its "gross cybersecurity negligence," asserting that inherent weaknesses in Microsoft’s security framework enabled a damaging ransomware attack on a hospital system. Wyden’s letter, dated 10 September 2025, identifies how default encryption settings and flawed user-interface design played pivotal roles in the infiltration of Ascension, one of the largest non-profit health systems in the United States. Wyden’s analysis traces the breach to a contractor who unwittingly

A newly revealed flaw in Apple’s CarPlay ecosystem enables attackers to achieve remote code execution with root privileges, raising serious cybersecurity concerns for connected vehicles. Tracked as CVE-2025-24132 and identified by the Oligo Security Research team, the weakness stems from a stack-based buffer-overflow flaw in AirPlay protocol implementations used by CarPlay systems. It remains exploitable over Wi-Fi via a wormable, zero-click exploit—allowing attackers to take full control of vehicle infotainment systems without user interaction. The stack-based buffer overflow allows root

Signal users can now protect their chat history through a new secure backup system, available in the Android beta and set for wider release. The platform’s secure backup enables daily, end-to-end encrypted snapshots of text messages and media, complemented by both free and paid storage tiers. Central to the system’s security is a device-generated, 64-character recovery key—the only way to unlock the backup—which Signal cannot recover if lost.

The cybersecurity community is confronting a highly evolved phishing campaign that exploits Google’s no-code AppSheet platform to harvest credentials and two-factor authentication codes. Attackers are sending authentic-looking emails from the legitimate domain noreply@appsheet. com—circumventing common defences such as SPF, DKIM and DMARC—and impersonating Meta to pressure users into submitting sensitive data. On 20 April 2025, AppSheet-originated emails made up 10.88 percent of all phishing attempts intercepted by KnowBe4 Defend, with 98 percent mimicking Meta and the remainder posing as PayPal. These

Plex has warned its users about a serious security lapse following unauthorised access to a database containing scrambled passwords and authentication details, urging swift action to protect accounts. A database breach exposed a confined set of user data, including email addresses, usernames, and securely hashed passwords, along with authentication information. Plex assures that no credit card or payment data were compromised, as such information is not stored on its systems. The company stated that it has already addressed the vulnerability used

Alphabet Inc.’s Google faces a fresh lawsuit from advertising exchange PubMatic Inc., which claims the company illegally monopolised the ad-technology market and seeks billions in damages. The complaint, filed on 8 September 2025 in a federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia, builds upon a pivotal April ruling that found Google unlawfully controlled both ad servers and ad exchanges, harming competition. PubMatic asserts that Google’s dominance has distorted the digital advertising ecosystem, creating systemic barriers that suppressed innovation across the

Security investigators uncovered a sweeping campaign named GhostAction supply chain campaign that compromised 327 GitHub user accounts across 817 repositories on 5 September 2025. Attackers inserted deceptive workflow files, disguised as security enhancements, into projects—including the open-source FastUUID library—extracting and exfiltrating 3,325 secrets such as PyPI, npm and DockerHub tokens to an external server. The campaign began when GitGuardian noted a suspicious commit on 2 September by the GitHub user Grommash9. The change, titled “Add Github Actions Security workflow”, embedded a

A wave of ransomware incidents has incapacitated over 300 co-operative banks across India, exposing deep vulnerabilities tied to outdated VPN-based security. These attacks underline the urgent need for a shift towards modern access frameworks such as Zero Trust Network Access. Operational disruptions began when C-Edge Technologies—a key IT provider to numerous co-operative banks—was targeted by ransomware on 31 July 2024. NPCI responded swiftly by isolating C-Edge from the retail payments network, causing near-total outage across nearly 300 local banks. While the

Medium’s decision to address AI-generated content on its platform has stirred a lively discussion among users and industry stakeholders alike. As artificial intelligence continues to gain ground in content creation, the platform is outlining its approach to ensure transparency while preserving its core commitment to human storytelling. Earlier this year, Medium reached out to its community for feedback regarding the rise of AI-generated writing. In response, users voiced concerns ranging from the potential dilution of human-authored content to the financial implications

China’s AI sector is accelerating beyond reliance on imported semiconductors, leaning into algorithmic ingenuity and open-source collaboration to offset hardware constraints and project growing soft power abroad. Chinese firms face significant barriers in securing the most advanced GPUs, due to U. S. export restrictions. Rather than compete on sheer processing capacity, companies such as DeepSeek have turned to architectural innovation. Its R1 large language model, released under an openly shared licence, delivers performance comparable to Western counterparts such as GPT-4 and

Anthropic has agreed to pay US $1.5 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by several authors who alleged the company illegally downloaded and stored pirated copies of their books to train its AI chatbot Claude. A federal court filing has been submitted to U. S. District Judge William Alsup in San Francisco, who is scheduled to review the agreement. If approved, the payout will likely represent the largest copyright recovery in U. S. history. Payment to authors is estimated

OpenAI is launching a platform to connect workers fluent in artificial intelligence with employers, using AI to match skills and opportunities OpenAI builds AI-Powered Jobs Hub, positioning itself against LinkedIn. Set to debut by mid-2026, the service aims to streamline recruitment by ensuring candidates’ AI competencies align closely with employer requirements. In a blog post, Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s chief executive of Applications, said the OpenAI Jobs Platform, as it is known, will feature tracks tailored for both large firms and local

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. reported August sales of NT$606.5 billion, marking a 10.6 per cent increase year-on-year. The Taiwanese manufacturer, a key production partner for Nvidia’s AI-enabled servers, anticipates both sequential and year-on-year growth in third-quarter revenue, underpinned by a sharp rise in cloud and networking product shipments. Hon Hai’s August sales climb 10.6 per cent amid AI demand reflects continued strength in AI infrastructure spending. Growth in August follows a slower expansion in July, when sales rose only

A Chinese state-sponsored cyber-espionage group known as Salt Typhoon almost surely infiltrated Canadian telecommunications systems during the campaign that exfiltrated data belonging to millions of Americans. The intrusion, part of the broader Chinese-backed hackers almost certainly breached Canadian networks operation, raises alarm over the growing reach and sophistication of cross-border cyber-threats. The FBI and Canada’s Centre for Cyber Security have attributed the breach in Canada to Salt Typhoon, which covertly embedded itself into the infrastructure of at least one telecom provider.

Dream Security and other cybersecurity analysts have identified a widely distributed, Iran-linked spear-phishing campaign that exploited a compromised Ministry of Foreign Affairs mailbox in Paris. The operation impersonated legitimate Omani diplomatic communication to deliver malware-laden Word documents to government, diplomatic, and multilateral institutions across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas, and international organisations such as the UN and World Bank. The campaign’s scale, timing, and technical sophistication reflect a clear espionage agenda. The operation, attributed to the “Homeland Justice” group aligned with

Chess.com has confirmed that cyber-attackers exploited a third-party file-transfer application, exposing personal details of 4,541 users—including at least one individual in Maine. The breach occurred on 5 June 2025, with a second intrusion on 18 June 2025, but came to light only on 19 June, when an internal investigation began. Chess.com breach exposes personal data of 4,541 users remained unnoticed until that date. Chess.com operates from Orem, Utah, and has assured users that its own infrastructure and account systems were not

Apple shares rallied following a pivotal ruling from U. S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who allowed the technology giant to continue receiving payments—estimated at around $20 billion annually—for default search placement in Safari, while imposing targeted restrictions on exclusivity and data practices. The verdict, delivered on 2 September 2025, represents a significant reprieve for Apple amid ongoing antitrust scrutiny. The ruling bars Google from enforcing exclusive distribution agreements but permits continued revenue-sharing with browser developers such as Apple. Judge Mehta emphasised

DuckDuckGo has expanded its subscription offering to give users access to some of the most advanced AI models now available—without compromising on its core commitment to privacy. For US $9.99 per month, subscribers gain entry to the newly upgraded Duck. ai platform, unlocking the power of OpenAI’s GPT‑4o and GPT‑5, Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4, and Meta’s Llama Maverick—all integrated into one seamless, privacy‑oriented interface. This enhancement builds on DuckDuckGo’s identity-protecting ecosystem, which already includes a VPN, personal information removal, and identity theft restoration tools. By

Alona Shevtsova, CEO of the British fintech company Sends, will moderate a panel discussion at the Middle East Banking Innovation Summit (MEBIS) 2025 in Dubai. The session will focus on strategies for banking technology innovation and scale-up. Alona Shevtsova is a moderator of a panel discussion titled "Navigating the digital frontier: Strategies for banking technology leaders in a rapidly evolving landscape" at the Middle East Banking Innovation Summit (MEBIS) 2025, taking place on 17–18 September 2025 at Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai. The panel

Abu Dhabi’s Hub71 has just onboarded its most AI‑centric cohort yet, inviting 26 startups that have collectively raised more than USD 223 million—marking the highest funding milestone in the initiative’s history, a testament to growing investor confidence and Abu Dhabi’s elevated position in the global AI landscape. The majority of this intake—over eighty per cent—are AI‑driven ventures focused on tackling high‑impact challenges across HealthTech, FinTech, and ClimateTech. Their arrival not only aligns with the emirate’s drive for economic diversification but also underscores its ambition

OpenAI has struck an all‑stock agreement to acquire Statsig for about $1.1 billion, appointing the startup’s founder, Vijaye Raji, as chief technology officer of applications, a move poised to accelerate the firm’s product engineering efforts for ChatGPT, Codex, and future AI tools. The acquisition and leadership reshuffle reflect OpenAI’s intensified push into building scalable, safe, and intuitive AI-powered applications amid mounting competition. The acquisition, pending regulatory approval, brings Statsig’s entire Seattle‑based team under OpenAI’s umbrella, while allowing the experimentation platform to continue

Google sealed its acquisition of DeepMind in January 2014 for between $400 million and $500 million, securing a standout team of AI researchers and laying the foundation for its leadership in artificial intelligence. Right from the outset, Google’s purchase endowed it with access to DeepMind’s exceptional talent pool and pioneering work in reinforcement learning—especially its neural Turing machines and early breakthroughs in gameplay AI. This strategic move positioned Google at the vanguard of AI innovation. DeepMind would go on to deliver some

BruteForceAI accelerates credential testing by automating form discovery and attack workflows with human‑like finesse. Security teams and penetration testers now gain a powerful tool that merges AI‑driven analysis and ethical safeguards, promising deeper insights into authentication weaknesses across web applications. BruteForceAI enables swift parsing of HTML to pinpoint login fields with near‑precise CSS selector generation— reportedly accurate in approximately 95 per cent of real‑world scenarios. Once fields are mapped, its “Smart Attack” phase delivers either exhaustive brute‑force or password‑spray modes, featuring multi‑threaded execution,

TransBnk has raised $25 million in its Series B funding round, led by Bessemer Venture Partners with support from Arkam Ventures, Fundamentum Partnership as well as existing backers 8i Ventures, Accion Venture Lab, and GMO Venture Partners. The Mumbai‑based transaction banking platform will channel the funds into geographic expansion across Southeast Asia and the Middle East, while strengthening its technology and product development teams. Vaibhav Tambe, co‑founder and chief executive, highlighted a sevenfold increase in the company’s valuation following this round, bringing total funding raised to approximately $26 million. Launched in 2022 by Tambe, Lavin Kotian,

Speculative decoding accelerates large language model generation by allowing multiple tokens to be drafted swiftly by a lightweight model before being verified by a larger, more powerful one. This method markedly reduces inference latency while preserving the precision and output quality of traditional autoregressive decoding — a significant breakthrough for real-time applications like conversational agents and code assistants. At the heart of speculative decoding lies a two‑model dynamic: a smaller "draft" model generates several tokens ahead of time, and the

AI’s growing sophistication is pushing operational costs skywards, as developers and startups grapple with soaring token usage, escalating compute demands, and shifting business models. At the heart of the challenge lies a paradox: while the per‑token price of AI continues to decline, the number of tokens consumed for meaningful tasks has surged dramatically, especially where reasoning-intensive workflows dominate. Tasks once considered lightweight now demand tens or even hundreds of thousands of tokens—such as multi‑step agent workflows or deep document analysis—leading to

Nvidia has acknowledged that its AI models do not instinctively grasp common sense—such as knowing that birds cannot fly backwards or that ice melts into water—and has adopted an unusual remedy: assembling human “teachers” to devise pop‑quiz questions that train the AI to understand physical reality more reliably. At the forefront of this initiative is Cosmos Reason, Nvidia’s vision‑language model engineered to reason using physical common‑sense. Developed to improve models’ understanding of the tangible world, it excels in fields such as

A new digital platform, the Flight Operations Centralised Unified System, has been unveiled by the General Civil Aviation Authority to drastically streamline how both foreign and national air operators seek operational approvals across the UAE. The system consolidates key regulatory links and information into a single, user‑friendly gateway, promising faster processing, greater transparency, and reduced bureaucracy. Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director‑General of the GCAA, described F. O. C. U. S. as a “pivotal milestone” in the authority’s digital transformation roadmap, aimed at

Enterprise technology budgets are increasingly tilted towards AI, with artificial intelligence infrastructure and software commanding the lion’s share of growth while traditional hardware investment shows signs of stagnation. IDC projects global AI spending will surge to over US $632 billion by 2028, propelled by an almost 30 percent compound annual growth rate between 2024 and 2028. Generative AI alone is expected to capture roughly one‑third of this, driven by a stunning five‑year CAGR of approximately 59 percent. Spending on AI‑related software—including platforms, applications and system

Apple has moved three MacBooks—the MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Pro —to its obsolete products list. This change ends all hardware service support, including repairs and parts availability. Meanwhile, the iPhone 8 Plus has been reclassified as vintage, extending its limited repairability for up to two more years, depending on parts availability. Apple’s classification system allows only battery service for obsolete MacBooks up to ten years after discontinuation—subject to parts availability—but other repair services are discontinued. Vintage devices receive repair support

A client‑side remote code execution flaw in Google Web Designer for Windows poses a severe threat, allowing attackers to inject malicious CSS into configuration files to subvert internal APIs and seize full control of affected systems. The bug impacts every build prior to version 16.4.0.0711, and a fix has already been deployed in that release. Security researcher Bálint Magyar publicly disclosed the vulnerability, tracked as CVE‑2025‑4613, by demonstrating how an attacker could embed crafted CSS rules within a configuration file. These

A new AI-driven system developed by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder is screening open-access publications for signs of predatory behaviour, and has already flagged more than 1,000 questionable titles. The AI platform combs through metadata—such as website design, domain registration, editorial board listings, grammar quality and citation patterns—to identify red flags. From a sample of about 15,200 journals, the system initially marked over 1,400 as potentially problematic. Human experts then reviewed a subset, determining that around 1,000 truly raise