Network security Archives | Page 16 of 206

EU reviews X compliance proposal under Digital Services Act

X has submitted a compliance proposal to the European Commission outlining how it intends to modify its blue check verification system following regulatory concerns under the Digital Services Act.

The EU regulators concluded that the platform’s system allowed users to obtain verification simply by paying for a subscription without meaningful identity checks, potentially misleading users about the authenticity of accounts.

The Commission imposed a €120 million fine in December and gave the company 60 working days to propose corrective measures. Officials confirmed that X met the deadline for submitting a plan, which regulators will now assess.

The platform, owned by Elon Musk, must also pay the penalty while the Commission evaluates the proposed changes. The company has challenged the enforcement decision before the EU’s General Court.

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France pushes EU AI gigafactories to support European technology

In the EU, France is calling for planned European AI ‘gigafactories’ to focus on testing and scaling European technologies rather than primarily increasing demand for hardware from companies such as Nvidia.

The large computing facilities are intended to provide the infrastructure needed to train advanced AI systems. However, officials in France argue that the projects should strengthen Europe’s technological capabilities rather than reinforce reliance on foreign suppliers.

Several EU countries, including Poland, Austria and Lithuania, support using the infrastructure to improve Europe’s digital resilience.

The initiative forms part of the European Commission’s wider plans to expand computing capacity and support the development of a stronger European AI ecosystem.

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Major tech firms pledge to fight online fraud

Major technology and consumer-facing companies, including Google, Amazon, and OpenAI, have signed the ‘Industry Accord Against Online Scams and Fraud’ to share threat intelligence and strengthen defences against online fraud.

The voluntary pact brings together 11 signatories: Amazon, Adobe, Google, Levi Strauss & Co., LinkedIn, Match Group, Microsoft, Meta, OpenAI, Pinterest, and Target. It aims to improve coordination among companies and strengthen cooperation with governments, law enforcement, and NGOs.

The accord commits to sharing intelligence on criminal networks, using AI to detect fraud, and strengthening verification for financial transactions. Participating companies will also provide clearer reporting channels for users and encourage governments to prioritise scam prevention.

Executives emphasised that tackling scams requires collective effort. Meta’s Nathaniel Gleicher said the accord enables companies to share insights beyond individual cases, while Microsoft’s Steven Masada highlighted the need for faster collaboration to disrupt scams and track perpetrators globally.

The move comes as online scams grow in scale and sophistication, aided by AI-generated content and cross-platform operations. Consumers lost over $16 billion to online scams in 2024, prompting firms to boost safety features and push for stronger regulations and law enforcement.

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Europe aims to tighten AI rules and personal data standards

The European Council has proposed AI Act amendments, banning nudification tools and tightening rules for processing sensitive personal data. The move represents a key step in streamlining the continent’s digital legislation and improving safeguards for citizens.

Council officials highlighted the prohibition of AI systems that generate non-consensual sexual content or child sexual abuse material. The measure matches a European Parliament ban, showing strong support for tighter AI controls amid misuse concerns.

The proposal follows incidents such as the Grok chatbot producing millions of non-consensual intimate images, which sparked a global backlash and prompted an EU probe into the social media platform X and its AI features.

Other amendments reinstate strict rules for processing sensitive data to detect bias and require providers to register high-risk AI systems, even if claiming exemptions. Negotiations between the Council and Parliament will finalise the AI Act’s updated measures.

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OpenAI plans to integrate Sora video generation into ChatGPT

According to reports, OpenAI is preparing to integrate its AI video generator Sora directly into ChatGPT, a move that could expand the platform’s capabilities beyond text and image generation.

Sora currently operates as a standalone application and web service. Integrating the tool into ChatGPT could dramatically increase its visibility and usage, particularly given the chatbot’s massive global user base.

The company released an updated version of the model in 2025 that allows users to create, remix and even appear inside AI-generated videos. Bringing those features into ChatGPT would represent a major step toward making video generation a mainstream function within conversational AI systems.

Competition in the generative video market is intensifying. Companies, including Google, are developing similar technologies, with the company’s Gemini platform offering video creation powered by the Veo system. Other developers are also launching text-to-video models as the field rapidly expands.

Despite the potential growth, integrating video generation into ChatGPT may significantly increase operating costs. Running large AI systems requires vast computing resources and energy, and the chatbot already costs billions of dollars annually to operate.

Although OpenAI earns revenue from subscriptions, the majority of ChatGPT users currently use the free version. The company is therefore exploring additional monetisation strategies, including advertising and new premium services.

Integrating Sora into ChatGPT could therefore serve both strategic and financial goals, strengthening the platform’s position in the competitive generative AI market while expanding the types of content users can create.

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Young investors warned on crypto and AI advice

Australia’s financial regulator has warned young investors to be cautious with social media influencers and AI chatbots. A survey by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission found one in four Gen Z Australians invest in crypto, often guided by online content.

The survey of 1,127 participants aged 18 to 28 showed 63% use social media for financial information, 18% rely on AI platforms, and 30% consult YouTube. AI was the most trusted source at 64%, but over half still trust influencers and social media despite possible misinformation.

ASIC previously issued warnings to 18 influencers suspected of promoting high-risk products without a licence. Commissioner Alan Kirkland said some social media marketing promotes crypto scams or risky super switches that threaten young people’s key assets.

The regulator is also watching AI financial guidance. Personalised advice from unlicensed sources is illegal, and young investors should carefully check sources, especially as crypto exchanges increasingly use AI bots for trading guidance.

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Phishing attack on Starbucks employee portal exposes nearly 900 workers

Starbucks has disclosed a data breach affecting 889 employees after attackers gained unauthorised access to Starbucks Partner Central accounts, the internal platform workers use to manage their employment details, payroll, and benefits information.

The company discovered suspicious activity on 6 February 2026, with investigators finding that accounts had been compromised between 19 January and 11 February.

Attackers obtained valid login credentials by directing employees to fraudulent websites designed to impersonate the legitimate Partner Central login page, a phishing tactic that allowed them to authenticate into real accounts without ever directly breaching Starbucks’ core infrastructure.

The exposed data included full names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and financial account and banking routing numbers linked to direct deposit records.

Starbucks notified law enforcement, strengthened security controls on Partner Central, and confirmed the breach does not affect customers. The company is offering affected employees two years of free credit monitoring and identity protection through Experian IdentityWorks.

Cybersecurity experts have warned that the exposed data, including Social Security numbers and financial identifiers, retains value to criminal groups for years and cannot simply be reset like a password.

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Deepfake attacks push organisations to rethink cybersecurity strategies

Organisations are strengthening their cybersecurity strategies as deepfake attacks become more convincing and easier to produce using generative AI.

Security experts alert that enterprises must move beyond basic detection tools and adopt layered security strategies to defend against the growing threat of deepfake attacks targeting communications and digital identity.

Many existing tools for identifying manipulated media are still imperfect. Digital forensics expert Hany Farid estimates that some systems used to detect deepfake attacks are only about 80 percent effective and often fail to explain how they determine whether an image, video, or audio recording is authentic. The lack of explainability also raises challenges for legal investigations and public verification of suspicious media.

Cybersecurity companies are creating new technologies to improve the detection of deepfake attacks by analysing slight signals that are difficult for humans to notice. Firms such as GetReal Security, Reality Defender, Deep Media, and Sensity AI examine lighting consistency, shadow angles, voice patterns, and facial movements. Environmental indicators such as device location, metadata, and IP information can also help security teams spot potential deepfake attacks.

However, experts say detection alone cannot fully protect organisations from deepfake attacks. Companies are increasingly conducting internal red-team exercises that simulate impersonation scenarios to expose weaknesses in verification procedures. Multi-factor authentication techniques can reduce the risk of employees responding to fraudulent communications.

Another emerging defence involves digital provenance systems designed to track the origin and modification history of digital content. Initiatives such as the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) embed cryptographically signed metadata into media files, allowing organisations to verify whether content linked to suspected deepfake attacks has been altered.

Recent experiments highlight how testing these threats can be. In February, cybersecurity company Reality Defender conducted an exercise with NATO by introducing deepfake media into a simulated military scenario. The findings showed how easily even experienced officials can struggle to identify manipulated communications, reinforcing calls for automated systems capable to detecting deepfake attacks across critical infrastructure.

As generative AI tools continue to advance, organisations are expected to combine detection technologies, stronger verification procedures, and provenance tracking to reduce the risks posed by deepfake attacks.

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Hackers target WhatsApp and Signal in global encrypted messaging attacks

Foreign state-backed hackers are targeting accounts on WhatsApp and Signal used by government officials, diplomats, military personnel, and other high-value individuals, according to a security alert issued by the Portuguese Security Intelligence Service (SIS).

Portuguese authorities described the activity as part of a global cyber-espionage campaign aimed at gaining access to sensitive communications and extracting privileged information from Portugal and allied countries. The advisory did not identify the origin of the suspected attackers.

The warning follows similar alerts from other European intelligence agencies. Earlier this week, Dutch authorities reported that hackers linked to Russia were conducting a global campaign targeting the messaging accounts of officials, military personnel, and journalists.

Security agencies say the attackers are not exploiting vulnerabilities in the messaging platforms themselves. Both WhatsApp and Signal rely on end-to-end encryption designed to protect the content of messages from interception.

Instead, the campaign focuses on social engineering tactics that trick users into granting access to their accounts. According to the SIS report, attackers use phishing messages, malicious links, fake technical support requests, QR-code lures, and impersonation of trusted contacts.

The agency also warned that AI tools are increasingly being used to make such attacks more convincing. AI can help impersonate support staff, mimic familiar voices or identities, and conduct more realistic conversations through messages, phone calls, or video.

Once attackers gain access to an account, they may be able to read private messages, group chats, and shared files via WhatsApp and Signal. They can also impersonate the compromised user to launch additional phishing attacks targeting the victim’s contacts.

The alert echoes a previous warning issued by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which reported that encrypted messaging apps are increasingly being used as entry points for spyware and phishing campaigns targeting high-value individuals.

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Writer files lawsuit against Grammarly over AI feature using experts’ identities

A journalist has filed a class action lawsuit against Grammarly after the company introduced an AI feature that generated editorial feedback by imitating well-known writers and public figures without their permission.

The legal complaint was submitted by investigative journalist Julia Angwin, who argued that the tool unlawfully used the identities and reputations of authors and commentators.

The feature, known as ‘Expert Review’, produced automated critiques presented as if they came from figures such as Stephen King, Carl Sagan and technology journalist Kara Swisher.

Such a feature was available to subscribers paying an annual fee and was designed to simulate professional editorial guidance.

Critics quickly questioned both the quality of the generated feedback and the decision to associate the tool with real individuals who had not authorised the use of their names or expertise.

Technology writer Casey Newton tested the system by submitting one of his own articles and receiving automated feedback attributed to an AI version of Swisher. The response appeared generic, casting doubt on the value of linking such commentary to prominent personalities.

Following criticism from writers and researchers, the feature was disabled. Shishir Mehrotra, chief executive of Grammarly’s parent company Superhuman, issued a public apology while defending the broader concept behind the tool.

The lawsuit reflects growing tensions around AI systems that replicate creative styles or professional expertise.

As generative AI technologies expand across writing and publishing industries, questions surrounding consent, intellectual labour and identity rights are becoming increasingly prominent.

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