Digital identities Archives | Page 25 of 169

Cloudflare outage causes global internet disruption after an internal error

A major outage on 20 February disrupted global internet traffic after an internal configuration failure at Cloudflare caused the unintended withdrawal of customer BGP routes.

The incident lasted just over six hours and left numerous services unreachable, despite early fears of a cyberattack. An internal update led to the systematic deletion of more than a thousand Bring Your Own IP prefixes, which pushed many connections into BGP path hunting instead of stable routing.

Engineers traced the disruption to an error in the company’s Addressing API, introduced during an automated cleanup task under the Code Orange resilience programme.

A flawed query interpreted an empty value as an instruction to delete all returned prefixes, removing essential bindings for hundreds of customers. Some users restored connectivity through the dashboard, while others required manual reconstruction carried out across the edge network.

An outage that affected a series of core offerings, including content delivery, security layers, dedicated egress and network protection services. Restoration took several hours because the withdrawn prefixes varied in severity, demanding different recovery methods instead of a uniform reinstatement process.

The error triggered widespread timeouts on dependent websites and applications, along with 403 responses on the 1.1.1.1 DNS resolver.

Cloudflare plans to introduce stricter API validation, circuit breakers for abnormal deletion patterns, and improved configuration separation. It has also issued a public apology for a failure that undermined its assurances of network resilience.

An event that reaffirmed the risks posed by internal automation faults when they interact with critical internet infrastructure.

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Phishing messages target IndiaAI and Impact Summit 2026 participants

IndiaAI has issued an urgent advisory warning of a phishing campaign targeting attendees of the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Fraudulent SMS and WhatsApp messages claim refunds are pending and request sensitive financial details.

Organisers said the messages are not official and have not been authorised. Recipients are being urged to click links and provide full card numbers, WhatsApp numbers, and other contact information to ‘process’ refunds.

IndiaAI advised participants not to click suspicious links or share personal or banking information with unverified sources. Attendees in India are encouraged to delete such messages immediately and block the sender’s number.

Anyone who may have submitted details through a suspicious link should contact their bank without delay to secure their accounts. Organisers stressed that event-related communication will only be shared through official channels.

The advisory was issued under the AI Impact Summit 2026 banner, themed ‘Welfare for All | Happiness of All’, as authorities seek to prevent financial fraud linked to the high-profile gathering.

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Saudi Arabia steps into global AI leadership to shape AI future

The Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), a multilateral initiative hosted by the OECD and launched by the G7, has officially welcomed Saudi Arabia as a new member. The move reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to shaping global AI governance and ethical technology use.

Accession is led by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority and supported by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Joining GPAI aligns with Vision 2030, which aims to localise advanced technologies and boost the digital economy’s contribution to GDP.

Through membership in GPAI, which unites over 40 countries, Saudi Arabia will help establish international AI standards, promote human-centric and responsible AI development, and strengthen global cooperation in the sector.

Officials also anticipate that the move will attract high-quality international investment, leveraging the Kingdom’s expanding regulatory framework and growing AI and data ecosystem.

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Deutsche Bank expands digital asset plans

The German banking giant has applied for a digital asset custody licence from BaFin, marking a significant step in its expansion into cryptocurrency services. The move positions Deutsche Bank to offer safekeeping solutions for clients seeking exposure to digital assets.

Plans form part of a broader strategy to build a dedicated digital assets division, according to David Lynne, a commercial banking executive. DWS Group’s initiatives highlight rising institutional interest in crypto partnerships in Germany.

Previous experimentation includes a tokenised investment platform developed in Singapore with Memento Blockchain, enabling access to digital asset funds through fiat on-ramps.

Activity mirrors wider domestic momentum, as Deutsche WertpapierService Bank has already launched crypto infrastructure linking traditional and digital accounts.

Regulatory clarity and growing client demand appear to be key drivers, with Deutsche Bank signalling a cautious yet deliberate approach to integrating cryptocurrencies into its mainstream banking services.

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Secure quantum-safe optical transport strengthens Japan’s AI data center infrastructure

Nokia and KDDI Corporation demonstrated quantum-safe optical transport at Sakai Data Center, supporting advanced AI workloads. The network aims to deliver secure, uninterrupted data transfer while protecting sensitive AI operations.

The demonstration showcases KDDI’s scalable AI-ready infrastructure for real-time training, inference, and analytics. Quantum-safe encryption and resilient transport protect customer data and critical infrastructure across Japan’s distributed data centres.

Using Nokia’s 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) and 1830 Security Management Server (SMS), the partners validated high-capacity, secure optical connectivity. The solution delivers privacy, reliability, and fast quantum-safe encryption for modern AI workloads.

Executives from both companies emphasised the importance of secure, scalable networks in enabling AI-driven services. Nokia and KDDI will continue advancing quantum-safe data centre connectivity, supporting Japan’s digital infrastructure and key enterprise applications.

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China sets new record in rare disease AI diagnosis

A Chinese research team has developed an AI-powered system, DeepRare, to diagnose rare diseases with unprecedented accuracy.

The project, led by Shenhua Hospital and the university’s School of Artificial Intelligence, has already attracted over 1,000 specialised users from more than 600 medical and research institutions worldwide.

Tests show DeepRare achieves 57.18 percent accuracy using only clinical data, marking a 24-point improvement over previous models. Including genetic data raises accuracy above 70 percent, showing potential to improve diagnosis in areas without advanced testing.

The system draws on an extensive knowledge base of medical literature and real-world cases. Its cycle of hypothesis, validation, and self-review boosts reliability and fills reasoning gaps, surpassing the limits of traditional AI models.

By enhancing transparency and precision, DeepRare offers a practical tool for clinicians facing the persistent challenge of identifying rare diseases, potentially setting a new global standard for AI-assisted diagnostics.

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Strict ban on crypto references introduced by OpenClaw

OpenClaw has introduced a firm community rule prohibiting any reference to Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies on its Discord server, according to its creator, Peter Steinberger.

Enforcement drew attention after a user was removed for mentioning Bitcoin block height as a timing method in a benchmark, with the developer later offering to restore access.

The policy follows a rebrand scare when scammers hijacked old accounts to promote a fake Solana token. Market value spiked then plunged after Steinberger denied involvement, warning that no official token would be issued.

Rapid growth of the open-source project, which has attracted a large developer base within weeks of launch, contrasts with wider industry momentum linking AI agents and digital assets.

Leaders such as Jeremy Allaire of Circle argue stablecoins could become default payment rails for autonomous software, while Coinbase is already rolling out infrastructure enabling agents to transact on-chain.

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Altman urges urgent AI regulation

OpenAI chief Sam Altman has called for urgent global regulation of AI, speaking at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi. Addressing leaders and executives in New Delhi, he said the rapid pace of development demands coordinated international oversight.

In New Delhi, Altman suggested creating a body similar to the International Atomic Energy Agency to oversee advanced AI systems. He warned that highly capable open source biomodels could pose serious biosecurity risks if misused.

Altman argued in New Delhi that democratising AI is essential to prevent power from being concentrated in a single company or country. He added that safeguards are urgently required, even as technology continues to disrupt labour markets.

During the summit in New Delhi, Altman said ChatGPT has 100 million weekly users in India, with more than a third being students. OpenAI also announced plans with Tata Consultancy Services to build data centre infrastructure in India.

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Digital addiction in Italy sparks debate over social media bans

Italy has warned that digital addiction among teenagers is rising sharply, as health authorities link excessive social media and gaming use to family and educational challenges. Officials say bans alone will not resolve the issue.

According to Italy’s National Institute of Health, about 100,000 young people aged 15 to 18 are at risk of social media addiction. A further 500,000 are estimated to suffer from gaming disorder, recognised by the World Health Organisation as a medical condition.

A survey by digital ethics group Social Warning found that 77 percent of Italian teenagers consider themselves addicted to their devices. However, many say they lack the tools or support to change their behaviour.

Research by ‘Con i Bambini’, which funds projects tackling educational poverty in Italy, links digital dependency to isolation and strained parental relationships. The organisation says legislative measures can protect minors but cannot replace structured education and family support.

The debate extends across the EU. The European Parliament has called for a minimum age of 16 for social media platforms, while France, Italy, and Spain are considering national restrictions. Experts argue that prevention and digital literacy must complement regulation.

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Fake Google Forms phishing campaign targets job seekers

A phishing campaign is targeting job seekers with fake Google Forms pages designed to harvest account credentials. Attackers are using a spoofed domain, forms.google.ss-o[.]com, to mimic the legitimate Google Forms service and trick victims into signing in.

The fraudulent pages advertise a Customer Support Executive role and prompt applicants to enter personal details before clicking a ‘Sign in’ button. Victims are then redirected to id-v4[.]com/generation.php, a domain previously linked to credential harvesting campaigns.

Researchers identified the operation as part of a broader wave of job-themed phishing attacks. The attackers used a script called generation_form.php to create personalised tracking links and implemented redirects to evade security analysis by sending suspicious visitors to local Google search pages.

Security experts warn that the campaign relies on domain impersonation techniques, including the use of ‘ss-o’ to resemble ‘single sign-on’. The fake site reproduces Google branding elements and standard disclaimers to increase credibility.

Users are advised to avoid clicking unsolicited job links, verify opportunities through official channels, and enable multi-factor authentication. Password managers and real-time anti-malware tools can also reduce exposure to credential theft.

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