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Submission + - Microsoft's X Account Hacked in Crypto Scam with Clippy (theverge.com)

Submitted by joshuark
joshuark writes: Unknown attackers hijacked the official Microsoft account on X, which has over 13 million followers, in what appeared to be a pump-and-dump scheme promoting a crypto token.

The attack began when the Microsoft account (@Microsoft) followed and reposted a tweet from another now-suspended X account (@clippymsftcto) impersonating Microsoft's Clippy virtual assistant.

Another deleted tweet (that Microsoft says it didn't post) noted that Microsoft doesn't support any cryptocurrency or crypto-related tokens.

"We are aware of a cryptocurrency token being promoted in connection with $MSFT stock, including the unauthorized use of the Clippy brand and Microsoft-related intellectual property. Microsoft has not authorized, sponsored, endorsed, or granted permission for the creation, promotion, or use of any cryptocurrency token associated with Clippy, Microsoft, or $MSFT," the deleted tweet read.

Microsoft has since removed the attackers' posts and confirmed the incident, saying it's investigating the circumstances.

"We have confirmed unauthorized access to our account on X including posts that did not come from Microsoft," said a Microsoft spokesperson. "The account has been secured and the unauthorized posts have been removed, and we are continuing to investigate the circumstances."

Submission + - Virus Stole a Human Gene and Won't Let Go of It (nytimes.com)

Submitted by joshuark
joshuark writes: In a new twist on the phrase "going viral" or stealing code, the NYT reports a virus has "stolen" a human gene, and will not let it go. In the article "This Virus Stole a Human Gene and Won’t Let Go of It" reports that scientists have found a human gene lurking in a virus that causes skin infections. Thus using our own DNA to infect us.

The molluscum contagiosum virus, which causes sores on skin, swiped a gene from humans about 100,000 years ago according to a new study.

The way that viruses replicate makes them particularly good at thieving DNA. The viruses infect a cell, then co-opt its machinery by injecting their own genes. Sometimes this process goes awry, and a stretch of the host’s DNA gets bundled into the new viral genes. This molecular error can pose a threat to human health.

Submission + - People Training OpenAI's AI Fired for Using AI to Train the AI (404media.co)

Submitted by joshuark
joshuark writes: 404 Media has found multiple contractors hired to improve OpenAI’s models have been fired for using AI to train the AI. That’s not great for the models themselves, but there is also obviously a great irony in AI training companies working for OpenAI firing people for using AI when OpenAI’s whole thing is to make people use AI at work.

“I did feel guilty about doing this kind of work at the start,” they said. “I either pay zero attention to the results and choose randomly or purposely choose the [worst] output. I’m not sure how much of a difference it actually makes since there are hundreds of other people also rating prompt results, but it does feel like I’m getting paid to make AI worse.”

OpenAI declined to comment on its contractors being fired for using AI.

“I’m not a bad person or worker. I just needed a little boost and turned to AI to help me which eventually led to my downfall,” the contractor told 404 Media. “I felt no joy in the work or that I was contributing to society in any way.”

Submission + - NFL implements stricter rules for images displayed on stadium video boards (yahoo.com)

Submitted by joshuark
joshuark writes: NFL teams are now restricted on what can be shown on stadium video boards during field-goal and extra-point attempts, per a directive from the league issued prior to the beginning of the 2026-27 season.

Teams must display a static image or a standard wide-angle, All-22 view on the jumbo-sized screens behind the end zone as kicks are taking place, the NFL mandated in a memo sent to each organization, according to ESPN.

NFL rules have always mandated that moving, flashing, blinking images and texts could not be shown on video boards during field-goal and extra-point tries. To prevent undue distractions or unfair advantages to home teams, only static images could be displayed on video boards.

However, those rules have been modified to more closely restrict even images that aren't moving on the screen, ESPN's Mike Reiss and Adam Schefter reported. The stricter regulations were implemented in response to a social-media post by a former NFL analytics coach that pointed out images displayed by the New England Patriots on the Gillette Stadium video board that presented an optical illusion to opposing place-kickers.

Submission + - Lawsuit challenges intimidation of DHS observers across the country (npr.org)

Submitted by joshuark
joshuark writes: NPR reports that a new lawsuit follows a handful of other cases brought by observers arguing First Amendment violations, but it is the most sweeping to date, as it includes incidents from multiple states and seeks national relief. It is asking a judge in Washington, D.C. to bar federal agencies from intimidating or retaliating against observers.

"The right of citizens to criticize and hold our government accountable is the backbone of American democracy – and it is under attack," Common Cause's vice president for litigation, Maryam Jazini Dorcheh, told NPR. "We want to make sure we're promoting participation in the political process. And obviously, if government officials are criminalizing peaceful observation, that hinders our mission," Jazini Dorcheh said.

The lawsuit describes disturbing encounters seven Common Cause members had with federal officers in Maryland, Minnesota and New Jersey after trying to observe immigration enforcement. They include being photographed, followed, reported to police, pepper-sprayed or threatened with a visit to their home by federal officers. Federal officers did show up at one Common Cause member's Minnesota home.

NPR did not receive an immediate response from DHS or DOJ about the lawsuit's allegations. The FBI declined to comment.

Submission + - Hackers Use Phishing Lures using Invisible Unicode Characters (cybersecuritynews.com)

Submitted by joshuark
joshuark writes: Hackers are using invisible Unicode characters to make phishing emails appear harmless while disrupting the security systems built to spot suspicious language.

Researchers found the activity while examining protections for hidden prompt-injection content in email. The discovery shows that techniques first discussed around AI systems can quickly be repurposed for routine inbox attacks.

The campaign pushed finance-themed messages at massive scale, showing how a tiny change inside a word can weaken standard filtering. Recipients saw ordinary offers for funding, loans, or credit, but the underlying text was altered.

This is not malware delivered through an attachment. It is a phishing evasion method that changes how malicious text is encoded. The emails were sent in huge weekday bursts from disposable, finance-branded domains and passed through shared marketing infrastructure.

That combination gave criminals both reach and a more credible appearance, raising the risk of fraud, credential theft, and costly business mistakes. The attack works because the inserted characters do not normally appear on screen. A recipient sees a familiar financial term, while a filter looking for the exact text may see separate fragments instead.

The key defensive step is to normalize email text before applying keyword, signature, or regular-expression checks. Security teams should remove or standardize invisible and non-rendering characters in message subjects and bodies.

Submission + - Musk wins court order to block use of "Twitter," but not "tweet" and bird logo (arstechnica.com)

Submitted by joshuark
joshuark writes: Elon Musk’s X won a court order blocking Operation Bluebird from launching a new app taking over the Twitter name. Chief Judge Colm Connolly explained that Operation Bluebird was unlikely to prove that X had entirely abandoned the Twitter name. Therefore, X was likely to succeed on trademark infringement and dilution claims tied to the platform’s former name.

Most compellingly, X argued that it still uses the Twitter name in the current listing for the X app in Apple’s App Store. In the first sentence of that listing, written in the same size font as the rest of the text, a single clause clinched the early court win for X by stating, “Welcome to X (formerly known as Twitter).”

X was not as successful in its claims that it had not abandoned other Twitter marks, including uses of the term “tweet” and the bird logo.

Musk’s public claims that “soon we shall bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds” and “we’re cutting the Twitter logo off the building with blow torches” provided “compelling evidence that X Corp. harbors an intent not to resume use of the Tweet mark and Bird logo,” the judge found. Therefore, Operation Bluebird is likely to prove that X abandoned those trademarks.

For Operation Bluebird, the goal is to launch a service to rival Musk’s that is member-owned, rather than billionaire-owned and controlled. For $20, users can join and get rid of X’s “trust problem,” the tweet.app site said.

Submission + - Microsoft Blames Windows Gaming Issues on RGB Lighting Devices (bleepingcomputer.com)

Submitted by joshuark
joshuark writes: Microsoft says ongoing issues causing games to crash or fail to launch after installing the August 2026 Windows updates may be caused by peripherals with RGB lighting. Microsoft explained when it confirmed it's investigating on Wednesday, this known issue affects games like ARC Raiders, MARVEL Tkon: Fighting Souls, and The Finals on systems running Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2.

"Following the release of Windows updates on August 11, 2026 (KB5121003) and later, Microsoft received reports of issues involving inability to run games as expected," Microsoft said on the Windows release health dashboard.

On impacted PCs, users are also experiencing gaming freezes, "EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION" errors, and even unexpected system restarts.

Embark Studios, the Swedish video game developer behind ARC Raiders and The Finals, also said these issues are caused by inpoutx64.sys, but added that they stem from changes made to the Windows kernel driver.

"We're aware of a crash that has been impacting some players since the most recent Windows update (KB5121003). This is a crash related to the file inpoutx64.sys, which changed with the Windows update," Embark said on Monday.

Until Microsoft ships an official fix, Embark shared a multi-step temporary workaround that requires users to delete the service and remove the inpoutx64 file from the Windows drivers folder.

Comment A long-winded... (Score 0) 33

A long-winded statement by the CEO, saying "Flock you." or "Go Flock yourself."

I'm waiting for the derivative video of "Whip It Good" https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3F... where the song is "Flock it good" with actors dressed as Flock cameras like: https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theurbanist.org%2Fse...

JoshK.

Submission + - Vulnerability giving attackers full control on Mac is under active exploitation (arstechnica.com)

Submitted by joshuark
joshuark writes: Dutch officials have warned that a high-severity macOS vulnerability that allows attackers to execute malicious code is under active exploitation.

“The NCSC has received a notification indicating that active abuse of this vulnerability has been observed on multiple systems on which port 5900 was accessible from the Internet,” the Netherlands National Cyber Security Centrum warned earlier this week. “In all these cases, root had been accessed on the affected system and a Monero crypto miner had been placed.”

The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-65400, received a patch from Apple last week for macOS Tahoe, Sequoia, and Sonoma. The vulnerability, with a severity rating of 7.1 out of 10, stems from a bug in the macOS screen sharing capability, which allows a remote party to view the screen and control the keyboard and mouse while a machine is turned on. A flaw in the “state management,” which keeps track of preceding events, user interactions, variables, and other system states, is the underlying cause.

A video of the exploit in action can be found here. Details of CVE-2026-65400 became public at last week’s Black Hat security conference. Apple said last week that CVE-2026-65400 “may” allow an attacker without credentials to gain access to a Mac. It’s unclear why Apple hedged, but softening language is common among most tech developers when disclosing vulnerabilities.

As noted by the NCSC, the vulnerability is being exploited when port 5900 is exposed to the Internet. When screen sharing is turned on, the macOS firewall opens the port. Routers and dedicated firewalls generally block the port unless configured to override that setting. Security practitioners generally advise Mac users to keep the port closed even when using screen sharing and to instead connect over a VPN or through SSH tunneling. The alternatives require actions that aren’t within the capabilities of most users.

The safest practice is to block screen sharing, enable it only when screen sharing is needed, and to turn the feature off once a session has ended. Screen sharing can be turned on or off by accessing System Settings > General > Sharing and toggling the switch for Screen Sharing. Of course, installing last week’s security update is also a must. Sharing is not caring.

Submission + - It's Not Just RAM: Windows Licenses Are Also Pushing Up PC Prices (cnet.com) 1

Submitted by joshuark
joshuark writes: Several sites that closely follow Microsoft news, including Windows Central and Windows Latest, have published articles citing a report from Taiwan’s Economic Daily News that claims some PC manufacturers are seeing a 7% to 10% increase in the cost of Windows 11 licenses.

PC makers pay for Windows as part of their OEM, or original equipment manufacturer, costs. Because they buy licenses in bulk, they get a sizeable discount over what a consumer would pay for a new copy of Windows 11. But given the existing cost pressures from other components, a big Windows 11 price hike could lead them to pass on some of the added cost to PC buyers. According to the EDN story, PC makers could raise prices by about 5% over the next quarter due to the reported Windows price hike.

OEM pricing for Windows varies by company and even by the type of processor being used in the computer. Two of the largest PC makers in the region, Asus and Acer, already confirmed PC price increases earlier this year. In the case of Asus, the PC price increase was 30% for Taiwan.

While Windows 10 users were given Windows 11 as a free upgrade, for consumers who aren’t OEM manufacturers, the cost of the operating system is $139 for the Home version and $200 for the Pro version.

A representative for Microsoft declined to comment on the report.

Submission + - The Loss of Situational Awareness (theverge.com)

Submitted by joshuark
joshuark writes: Situational Awareness, the hedge fund started by a 24-year-old former OpenAI employee that focuses on artificial intelligence bets, has sold most or all, depending on who’s reporting, of its entire public stock portfolio to Ken Griffin’s Citadel after several bad weeks for AI stocks, and that’s the situation we are all now aware of. You may recall earlier this week I noted the market had gotten particularly nervous about AI risk; as it turns out, we have discovered one firm that was swimming without a bathing suit.

Situational Awareness had a staff of eight, of whom four were investment professionals. “The fund’s largest holdings at the end of the first quarter included Nebius Group, Sandisk, Micron and CoreWeave, according to filings,” CNBC wrote. “All four of those stocks are down more than 35 percent this month.” I expect we will hear more in the coming days, especially from the Wall Street professionals who were on the other side of these jokers’ trades.

How did we get here? Situational Awareness LP was named for a series of facile essays about machine intelligence published by the improbably named Leopold Aschenbrenner, the 24-year-old mastermind of the hedge fund. “We are building machines that can think and reason,” he writes, betraying that he has no idea what thinking could possibly mean. “By 2025/26, these machines will outpace many college graduates. By the end of the decade, they will be smarter than you or I; we will have superintelligence, in the true sense of the word. Along the way, national security forces not seen in half a century will be unleashed, and before long, The Project will be on. If we’re lucky, we’ll be in an all-out race with the CCP; if we’re unlucky, an all-out war.”

Situational Awareness’ backers included Patrick and John Collison, who cofounded Stripe, and two Meta AI leaders, Daniel Gross and Nat Friedman. The fund’s director of research was Carl Shulman, who’d worked at Peter Thiel’s Clarium Capital. Eventually, Jane Street — the Wall Street firm budding young Effective Altruists, including Sam Bankman-Fried, join — bought in too. “Jane Street’s investment in Situational Awareness is particularly notable because the firm rarely allocates capital to outside money managers,” The Wall Street Journal wrote in June.

Why would these purportedly serious people buy in on a 24-year-old’s very first hedge fund? My best guess is that Aschenbrenner’s investors were relying on the social bona fides he had cultivated. Social proof is the laziest and most disastrous way to vet people — ask any Theranos investor, or for that matter, anyone who had Bernie Madoff managing their money — but I suppose it’s good enough for Silicon Valley.

“Basically, this investment firm will be kind of like a brain trust on AI,” Aschenbrenner told Dwarkesh Patel in a four-hour podcast interview, the preferred intellectual medium of the Silicon Valley elite. “We’re going to have way more situational awareness than any of the people who manage money in New York. We’re definitely going to do great on investing, but it’s the same sort of situational awareness that is going to be important for understanding what’s happening, being a voice of reason publicly, and being able to be in a position to advise.”

At age 17, Aschenbrenner was called “an economics prodigy” by Tyler Cowen, a libertarian economist famous in certain Silicon Valley circles. Cowen’s Emergent Ventures even gave him a grant, according to Fortune. Aschenbrenner published essays in Works in Progress, a publication funded by Stripe. During his time at Columbia University, Aschenbrenner cofounded the college’s Effective Altruism chapter. After graduating in 2021 as Columbia University’s valedictorian at age 19, Aschenbrenner went on to work at the FTX Future Fund, the philanthropic arm of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, which collapsed after Sam Bankman-Fried’s fraud was revealed. Among his coworkers at the fund were William MacAskill, the philosopher-king of the Effective Altruism movement, and Avital Balwit, who would later become the chief of staff at Anthropic.

Here’s how Aschenbrenner described the fund’s strategy back in the halcyon days of 2024: “Obviously, not blowing up is task number one and two,” he told Patel. “You have to get the timing right. The sequence of bets on the way to AGI is actually pretty critical. People underrate it.”

We’ll get a more complete picture of how Situational Awareness crashed and burned in the coming days, but right now it looks like this. Hedge funds often borrow money to maximize their bets. So if you really believe AI is the future, “you won’t put 100% of your money (and your investors’ money) into the AI boom,” writes Bloomberg’s Matt Levine. “You’ll put, like, 300% of your money into the AI boom.” At one point, the hedge fund claimed to be up 439 percent.

“You’ve got to be really, really careful about your overall risk positioning,” Aschenbrenner said in 2024. “If you expect these crazy events to play out, there’s going to be crazy things you didn’t foresee.” One of those things, perhaps, is that artificial general intelligence isn’t coming — or at least, not by 2027. “A friend joked that the investment firm is perfectly hedged for me,” Aschenbrenner said. “Either AGI happens this decade and my human capital depreciates, but I turn it into financial capital, or no AGI happens and the firm doesn’t do well, but I’m still in my twenties and smart.”

Perhaps Aschenbrenner should have quoted The Simpson's character, Professor Frink:

https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3F...

"I forgot to carry the one."

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