Digital standards

Researchers gain control of tesla charger Through firmware downgrade

Tesla’s popular Wall Connector home EV charger was compromised at the January 2025 Pwn2Own Automotive competition, revealing how attackers could gain full control via the charging cable.

The Tesla Wall Connector Gen 3, a widely deployed residential AC charger delivering up to 22 kW, was exploited through a novel attack that used the physical charging connector as the main entry point.

The vulnerability allowed researchers to execute arbitrary code, potentially giving access to private networks in homes, hotels, or businesses.

Researchers from Synacktiv discovered that Tesla vehicles can update the Wall Connector’s firmware via the charging cable using a proprietary, undocumented protocol.

By simulating a Tesla car and exploiting Single-Wire CAN (SWCAN) communications over the Control Pilot line, the team downgraded the firmware to an older version with exposed debug features.

Using a custom USB-CAN adapter and a Raspberry Pi to emulate vehicle behaviour, they accessed the device’s setup Wi-Fi credentials and triggered a buffer overflow in the debug shell, ultimately gaining remote code execution.

The demonstration ended with a visual cue — the charger’s LED blinking — but the broader implication is access to internal networks and potential lateral movement across connected systems.

Tesla has since addressed the vulnerability by introducing anti-downgrade measures in newer firmware versions. The Pwn2Own event remains instrumental in exposing critical flaws in automotive and EV infrastructure, pushing manufacturers toward stronger security.

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India’s Gen Z founders go viral with AI and robotics ‘Hacker House’ in Bengaluru

A viral video has captured the imagination of tech enthusiasts by offering a rare look inside a ‘Hacker House’ in Bengaluru’s HSR Layout, where a group of Gen Z Indian founders are quietly shaping the future of AI and robotics.

Spearheaded by Localhost, the initiative provides young developers aged 16 to 22 with funding, workspace, and a collaborative environment to rapidly build real-world tech products — no media hype, just raw innovation.

The video, shared by Canadian entrepreneur Caleb Friesen, shows teenage coders intensely focused on their projects. From AI-powered noise-cancelling systems and assistive robots to innovative real estate and podcasting tools, each room in the shared house hums with creativity.

The youngest, 16-year-old Harish, stands out for his deep focus, while Suhas Sumukh, who leads the Bengaluru chapter, acts as both a guide and mentor.

Rather than pitch decks and polished PR, what resonated online was the authenticity and dedication. Caleb’s walk-through showed residents too engrossed in their work to acknowledge his arrival.

Viewers responded with admiration, calling it a rare glimpse into ‘the real future of Indian tech’. The video has since crossed 1.4 million views, sparking global curiosity.

At the heart of the movement is Localhost, founded by Kei Hayashi, which helps young developers build fast and learn faster.

As demand grows for similar hacker houses in Mumbai, Delhi, and Hyderabad, the initiative may start a new chapter for India’s startup ecosystem — fuelled by focus, snacks, and a poster of Steve Jobs.

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Hidden privacy risk: Meta AI app may make sensitive chats public

Meta’s new AI app raises privacy concerns as users unknowingly expose sensitive personal information to the public.

The app includes a Discover feed where anyone can view AI chats — even those involving health, legal or financial data. Many users have accidentally shared full resumes, private conversations and medical queries without realising they’re visible to others.

Despite this, Meta’s privacy warnings are minimal. On iPhones, there’s no clear indication during setup that chats will be made public unless manually changed in settings.

Android users see a brief, easily missed message. Even the ‘Post to Feed’ button is ambiguous, often mistaken as referring to a user’s private chat history rather than public content.

Users must navigate deep into the app’s settings to make chats private. They can restrict who sees AI prompts there, stop sharing on Facebook and Instagram, and delete previous interactions.

Critics argue the app’s lack of clarity burdens users, leaving many at risk of oversharing without realising it.

While Meta describes the Discover feed as a way to explore creative AI usage, the result has been a chaotic mix of deeply personal content and bizarre prompts.

Privacy experts warn that the situation mirrors Meta’s longstanding issues with user data. Users are advised to avoid sharing personal details with the AI entirely and immediately turn off all public sharing options.

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EU AI Act challenges 68% of European businesses, AWS report finds

As AI becomes integral to digital transformation, European businesses struggle to adapt to new regulations like the EU AI Act.

A report commissioned by AWS and Strand Partners revealed that 68% of surveyed companies find the EU AI Act difficult to interpret, with compliance absorbing around 40% of IT budgets.

Businesses unsure of regulatory obligations are expected to invest nearly 30% less in AI over the coming year, risking a slowdown in innovation across the continent.

The EU AI Act, effective since August 2024, introduces a phased risk-based framework to regulate AI in the EU. Some key provisions, including banned practices and AI literacy rules, are already enforceable.

Over the next year, further requirements will roll out, affecting AI system providers, users, distributors, and non-EU companies operating within the EU. The law prohibits exploitative AI applications and imposes strict rules on high-risk systems while promoting transparency in low-risk deployments.

AWS has reaffirmed its commitment to responsible AI, which is aligned with the EU AI Act. The company supports customers through initiatives like AI Service Cards, its Responsible AI Guide, and Bedrock Guardrails.

AWS was the first primary cloud provider to receive ISO/IEC 42001 certification for its AI offerings and continues to engage with the EU institutions to align on best practices. Amazon’s AI Ready Commitment also offers free education on responsible AI development.

Despite the regulatory complexity, AWS encourages its customers to assess how their AI usage fits within the EU AI Act and adopt safeguards accordingly.

As compliance remains a shared responsibility, AWS provides tools and guidance, but customers must ensure their applications meet the legal requirements. The company updates customers as enforcement advances and new guidance is issued.

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North Korea’s BlueNoroff uses deepfakes in Zoom calls to hack crypto workers

The North Korea-linked threat group BlueNoroff has been caught deploying deepfake Zoom meetings to target an employee at a cryptocurrency foundation, aiming to install malware on macOS systems.

According to cybersecurity firm Huntress, the attack began through a Telegram message that redirected the victim to a fake Zoom site. Over several weeks, the employee was lured into a group video call featuring AI-generated replicas of company executives.

When the employee encountered microphone issues during the meeting, the fake participants instructed them to download a Zoom extension, which instead executed a malicious AppleScript.

The script covertly fetched multiple payloads, installed Rosetta 2, and prompted for the system password while wiping command histories to hide forensic traces. Eight malicious binaries were uncovered on the compromised machine, including keyloggers, information stealers, and remote access tools.

BlueNoroff, also known as APT38 and part of the Lazarus Group, has a track record of targeting financial and blockchain organisations for monetary gain. The group’s past operations include the Bybit and Axie Infinity breaches.

Their campaigns often combine deep social engineering with sophisticated multi-stage malware tailored for macOS, with new tactics now mimicking audio and camera malfunctions to trick remote workers.

Cybersecurity analysts have noted that BlueNoroff has fractured into subgroups like TraderTraitor and CryptoCore, specialising in cryptocurrency theft.

Recent offshoot campaigns involve fake job interview portals and dual-platform malware, such as the Python-based PylangGhost and GolangGhost trojans, which harvest sensitive data from victims across operating systems.

The attackers have impersonated firms like Coinbase and Uniswap, mainly targeting users in India.

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AI-generated photo falsely claims to show a downed Israeli jet

Following Iranian state media claims that its forces shot down two Israeli fighter jets, an image circulated online falsely purporting to show the wreckage of an F-35.

The photo, which shows a large jet crash-landing in a desert, quickly spread across platforms like Threads and South Korean forums, including Aagag and Ruliweb. An Israeli official dismissed the shootdown claim as ‘fake news’.

The image’s caption in Korean read: ‘The F-35 shot down by Iran. Much bigger than I thought.’ However, a detailed AFP analysis found the photo contained several hallmarks of AI generation.

People near the aircraft appear the same size as buses, and one vehicle appears to merge with the road — visual anomalies common in synthetic images.

In addition to size distortions, the aircraft’s markings did not match those used on actual Israeli F-35s. Lockheed Martin specifications confirm the F-35 is just under 16 metres long, unlike the oversized version shown in the image.

Furthermore, the wing insignia in the image differed from the Israeli Air Force’s authentic emblem.

Amid escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, such misinformation continues to spread rapidly. Although AI-generated content is becoming more sophisticated, inconsistencies in scale, symbols, and composition remain key indicators of digital fabrication.

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Massive data leak exposes 16 billion login credentials from Google, Facebook, and more

One of the largest-ever leaks of stolen login data has come to light, exposing more than 16 billion records across widely used services, including Facebook, Google, Telegram, and GitHub. The breach, uncovered by researchers at Cybernews, highlights a growing threat to individuals and organisations.

The exposed data reportedly originated from info stealer malware, previous leaks, and credential-stuffing tools. A total of 30 separate datasets were identified, some containing over 3.5 billion entries.

These were briefly available online due to unsecured cloud storage before being removed. Despite the swift takedown, the data had already been collected and analysed.

Experts have warned that the breach could lead to identity theft, phishing, and account takeovers. Smaller websites and users with poor cybersecurity practices are especially vulnerable. Many users continue to reuse passwords or minor variations of them, increasing the risk of exploitation.

While the leak is severe, users employing two-factor authentication (2FA), password managers, or passkeys are less likely to be affected.

Passkeys, increasingly adopted by companies like Google and Apple, offer a phishing-resistant login method that bypasses the need for passwords altogether.

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Episource data breach impacts patients at Sharp Healthcare

Episource, a UnitedHealth Group-owned health analytics firm, has confirmed that patient data was compromised during a ransomware attack earlier this year.

The breach affected customers, including Sharp Healthcare and Sharp Community Medical Group, who have started notifying impacted patients. Although electronic health records and patient portals remained untouched, sensitive data such as health plan details, diagnoses and test results were exposed.

The cyberattack, which occurred between 27 January and 6 February, involved unauthorised access to Episource’s internal systems.

A forensic investigation verified that cybercriminals viewed and copied files containing personal information, including insurance plan data, treatment plans, and medical imaging. Financial details and payment card data, however, were mostly unaffected.

Sharp Healthcare confirmed that it was informed of the breach on 24 April and has since worked closely with Episource to identify which patients were impacted.

Compromised information may include names, addresses, insurance ID numbers, doctors’ names, prescribed medications, and other protected health data.

The breach follows a troubling trend of ransomware attacks targeting healthcare-related businesses, including Change Healthcare in 2024, which disrupted services for months. Comparitech reports at least three confirmed ransomware attacks on healthcare firms already in 2025, with 24 more suspected.

Given the scale of patient data involved, experts warn of growing risks tied to third-party healthcare service providers.

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UBS employee data leaked after Chain IQ ransomware attack

UBS Group AG has confirmed a serious data breach affecting around 130,000 of its employees, following a cyberattack on its third-party supplier, Chain IQ Group AG.

The exposed information included employee names, emails, phone numbers, roles, office locations, and preferred languages. No client data has been impacted, according to UBS.

Chain IQ, a procurement services firm spun off from UBS in 2013, was reportedly targeted by the cybercrime group World Leaks, previously known as Hunters International.

Unlike traditional ransomware operators, World Leaks avoids encryption and instead steals data, threatening public release if ransoms are not paid.

While Chain IQ has acknowledged the breach, it has not disclosed the extent of the stolen data or named all affected clients. Notably, companies such as Swiss Life, AXA, FedEx, IBM, KPMG, Swisscom, and Pictet are among its clients—only Pictet has confirmed it was impacted.

Cybersecurity experts warn that the breach may have long-term implications for the Swiss banking sector. Leaked employee data could be exploited for impersonation, fraud, phishing scams, or even blackmail.

The increasing availability of generative AI may further amplify the risks through voice and video impersonation, potentially aiding in money laundering and social engineering attacks.

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Amazon restructures around AI, cuts expected

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has signalled that more job cuts are likely as the company embraces AI to streamline its operations. In a letter to staff, he said the adoption of generative AI is driving major shifts in roles, especially within corporate functions.

Jassy described generative AI as a once-in-a-lifetime technology and highlighted its growing role across Amazon services, including Alexa+, shopping tools and logistics. He pointed to smarter assistants and improved fulfilment systems as early benefits of AI investments.

While praising the efficiency gains AI delivers, Jassy admitted some roles will no longer be needed, and others will be redefined. The long-term outcome remains uncertain, but fewer corporate roles are expected as AI adoption continues.

He encouraged staff to embrace the technology by learning, experimenting and contributing to AI-related innovations. Workshops and team brainstorming were recommended as Amazon looks to reinvent itself with leaner, more agile teams.

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