The British Treasury has linked state-backed North Korean hackers to a significant theft of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies from the Swiss platform Lykke. The hack forced Lykke to suspend trading and enter liquidation, leaving founder Richard Olsen bankrupt and under legal scrutiny.
The Lazarus Group, Pyongyang’s cyber unit, has reportedly carried out a series of global cryptocurrency heists to fund weapons programmes and bypass international sanctions. Although evidence remains inconclusive, Stolen Lykke funds may have been laundered through crypto firms.
Regulators had previously warned that Lykke was not authorised to offer financial services in the UK. Over 70 customers have filed claims totalling £5.7 million in UK courts, while Olsen’s Swiss parent company entered liquidation last year.
He was declared bankrupt in January and faces ongoing criminal investigations in Switzerland.
The Lazarus Group continues to be implicated in high-profile cryptocurrency attacks worldwide, highlighting vulnerabilities in digital asset exchanges and the challenges authorities face in recovering stolen funds.
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The US government is reportedly considering acquiring a stake in Intel to support its domestic chip manufacturing plans. Talks began after Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan met with Trump administration officials on 11 August, following calls for his resignation over alleged China ties.
President Trump has pushed for greater control over the semiconductor sector and recently criticised Tan, prompting political pressure on Intel’s board.
While Intel declined to comment on a possible deal, it stated its commitment to supporting US technology and manufacturing leadership.
The proposed stake would aid Intel’s delayed Ohio chip factory project and expand its US production capacity.
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Zoom has patched a critical Windows vulnerability that could let attackers fully take control of devices without needing credentials. The flaw, CVE-2025-49457, stems from the app failing to use explicit paths when loading DLLs, allowing malicious files to be executed.
Attackers could exploit this to install malware or extract sensitive data such as recordings or user credentials, even pivoting deeper into networks. The issue affects several Zoom products, including Workplace, VDI, Rooms, and Meeting SDK, all before version 6.3.10.
Zoom urges users to update their app immediately, as the flaw requires no advanced skill and can be triggered with minimal access. However, this highlights the increasing cybersecurity concerns associated with the digital world.
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Enterprise employees are increasingly building their own AI tools, sparking a surge in shadow AI that raises security concerns.
Netskope reports a 50% rise in generative AI platform use, with over half of current adoption estimated to be unsanctioned by IT.
Platforms like Azure OpenAI, Amazon Bedrock, and Vertex AI lead this trend, allowing users to connect enterprise data to custom AI agents.
The growth of shadow AI has prompted calls for better oversight, real-time user training, and updated data loss prevention strategies.
On-premises deployment is also increasing, with 34% of firms using local LLM interfaces like Ollama and LM Studio. Security risks grow as AI agents retrieve data using API calls beyond browsers, particularly from OpenAI and Anthropic endpoints.
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Google has rolled out Flight Deals, a new AI‑powered tool for flexible, budget‑conscious travellers within Google Flights. It allows users to type natural‑language descriptions of their ideal trip, such as favourite activities or timeframe, and receive bargain flight suggestions in return.
Powered by Gemini, the feature parses conversational inputs and taps real‑time flight data from multiple airlines and agencies.
The tool identifies low fares and even proposes destinations users might not have considered, ranking options by percentage savings or lowest price.
Currently in beta, Flight Deals is available in the US, Canada, and India without special opt‑in. It is also accessible via the Google Flights menu.
Traditional Google Flights remains available, with a new option to exclude basic economy fares in the US and Canada.
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The deal, still at an early stage, would push the company’s valuation to $500 billion, up from its current $300 billion.
SoftBank, Thrive and Dragoneer Investment Group are already among OpenAI’s backers, and their participation in the secondary share sale would further strengthen ties with the Microsoft-supported AI company.
Reports suggest the size of the sale could still change as discussions continue.
The planned deal follows SoftBank’s leadership role in OpenAI’s $40 billion primary funding round earlier this year. Employee share sales often reflect strong investor demand and highlight the rapid growth of companies in competitive markets.
OpenAI has seen user numbers and revenues soar in 2025, with weekly active ChatGPT users climbing to about 700 million, up from 400 million in February.
The company doubled its revenue in the first seven months of the year, hitting an annualised run rate of $12 billion, and is expected to reach $20 billion by the end of the year.
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Bas van Opheusden, who joined OpenAI as a technical staff member in July, has published a comprehensive eight-page guide for aspiring applicants, offering strategic advice spanning recruiter calls, coding interviews, compensation discussions and more.
He suggests treating recruiter conversations as strategic briefings, which are key for understanding the hiring manager’s priorities, team dynamics, role expectations, and organisational goals.
Van Opheusden recommends taking notes during calls, ideally using a dual-screen setup, and arranging windows so it appears you’re maintaining eye contact.
UK property agents are increasingly leveraging AI and automation to tackle a growing skills shortage in the sector, according to an analysis by PropTech provider Reapit.
Reapit’s Property Outlook Report 2025 shows that although agencies continue hiring, most face recruitment difficulties: more than half receive fewer than five qualified applicants per vacancy. Growth in payrolled employees is minimal, and the slowest year-on-year rise since May 2021 reflects wider labour market tightness.
In response, agencies are turning to time-saving technologies. A majority report that automation is more cost-effective than expanding headcount, with nearly 80 percent citing increased productivity from these tools.
This shift towards PropTech and AI reflects deeper structural pressures in the UK real estate sector: high employment costs, slower workforce growth, and increasing demands for efficiency are reshaping the role of technology in agency operations.
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AI can assist with refining cover letters, improving structure, and articulating motivations. It can also support interview preparation through mock question practice and help candidates deepen their understanding of legal issues.
However, authenticity is paramount. Taylor Wessing encourages applicants to ensure their work reflects their voice. Using AI to complete online assessments is explicitly discouraged, as these are designed to evaluate natural ability and personal fit.
According to the firm, while AI can bolster readiness for training schemes, over-reliance or misuse may backfire. They advise transparency about any AI assistance and underscore the importance of integrity throughout the process.
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The cybersecurity market is consolidating as AI reshapes defence strategies. Platform-based solutions replace point tools to cut complexity, counter AI threats, and ease skill shortages. IDC predicts that security spending will rise 12% in 2025 to $377 billion by 2028.
Vendors embed AI agents, automation, and analytics into unified platforms. Palo Alto Networks’ Cortex XSIAM reached $1 billion in bookings, and its $25 billion CyberArk acquisition expands into identity management. Microsoft blends Azure, OpenAI, and Security Copilot to safeguard workloads and data.
Cisco integrates AI across networking, security, and observability, bolstered by its acquisition of Splunk. CrowdStrike rebounds from its 2024 outage with Charlotte AI, while Cloudflare shifts its focus from delivery to AI-powered threat prediction and optimisation.
Fortinet’s platform spans networking and security, strengthened by Suridata’s SaaS posture tools. Zscaler boosts its Zero Trust Exchange with Red Canary’s MDR tech. Broadcom merges Symantec and Carbon Black, while Check Point pushes its AI-driven Infinity Platform.
Identity stays central, with Okta leading access management and teaming with Palo Alto on integrated defences. The companies aim to platformise, integrate AI, and automate their operations to dominate an increasingly complex cyberthreat landscape.
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