French President Emmanuel Macron has called for an accelerated legislative process to introduce a nationwide ban on social media for children under 15 by September.
Speaking in a televised address, Macron said the proposal would move rapidly through parliament so that explicit rules are in place before the new school year begins.
Macron framed the initiative as a matter of child protection and digital sovereignty, arguing that foreign platforms or algorithmic incentives should not shape young people’s cognitive and emotional development.
He linked excessive social media use to manipulation, commercial exploitation and growing psychological harm among teenagers.
Data from France’s health watchdog show that almost half of teenagers spend between two and five hours a day on their smartphones, with the vast majority accessing social networks daily.
Regulators have associated such patterns with reduced self-esteem and increased exposure to content linked to self-harm, drug use and suicide, prompting legal action by families against major platforms.
The proposal from France follows similar debates in the UK and Australia, where age-based access restrictions have already been introduced.
The French government argues that decisive national action is necessary instead of waiting for a slower Europe-wide consensus, although Macron has reiterated support for a broader EU approach.
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Generative phishing techniques are becoming harder to detect as attackers use subtle visual tricks in web addresses to impersonate trusted brands. A new campaign reported by Cybersecurity News shows how simple character swaps create fake websites that closely resemble real ones on mobile browsers.
The phishing attacks rely on a homoglyph technique where the letters ‘r’ and ‘n’ are placed together to mimic the appearance of an ‘m’ in a domain name. On smaller screens, the difference is difficult to spot, allowing phishing pages to appear almost identical to real Microsoft or Marriott login sites.
Cybersecurity researchers observed domains such as rnicrosoft.com being used to send fake security alerts and invoice notifications designed to lure victims into entering credentials. Once compromised, accounts can be hijacked for financial fraud, data theft, or wider access to corporate systems.
Experts warn that mobile browsing increases the risk, as users are less likely to inspect complete URLs before logging in. Directly accessing official apps or typing website addresses manually remains the safest way to avoid falling into these traps.
Security specialists also continue to recommend passkeys, strong, unique passwords, and multi-factor authentication across all major accounts, as well as heightened awareness of domains that visually resemble familiar brands through character substitution.
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Microsoft confirmed a service disruption affecting Outlook and Microsoft 365 users in the US, with problems first reported on Wednesday afternoon. The outage primarily affected business and enterprise customers nationwide.
In the US, users reported difficulties sending and receiving email, alongside problems accessing services such as Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive. Microsoft said part of its North America infrastructure was failing to process traffic correctly.
Engineers in the US began rebalancing traffic and restoring affected systems to stabilise services. Microsoft said recovery was under way, though full resolution would take additional time.
The incident highlights the reliance of organisations in the US on cloud-based productivity tools. Businesses across the country experienced disruptions extending into the evening as work and communication systems remained unstable.
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A multi-faceted phishing campaign is abusing LinkedIn private messages to deliver weaponised malware using DLL sideloading, security researchers have warned. The activity relies on PDFs and archive files that appear trustworthy to bypass conventional security controls.
Attackers contact targets on LinkedIn and send self-extracting archives disguised as legitimate documents. When opened, a malicious DLL is sideloaded into a trusted PDF reader, triggering memory-resident malware that establishes encrypted command-and-control channels.
Using LinkedIn messages increases engagement by exploiting professional trust and bypassing email-focused defences. DLL sideloading allows malicious code to run inside legitimate applications, complicating detection.
The campaign enables credential theft, data exfiltration and lateral movement through in-memory backdoors. Encrypted command-and-control traffic makes containment more difficult.
Organisations using common PDF software or Python tooling face elevated risk. Defenders are advised to strengthen social media phishing awareness, monitor DLL loading behaviour and rotate credentials where compromise is suspected.
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Burkina Faso has launched work on a Digital Infrastructure Supervision Centre as part of a broader effort to strengthen national oversight of digital public infrastructure and reduce exposure to external digital risks.
The project forms a core pillar of the government’s digital sovereignty strategy amid rising cybersecurity threats across public systems.
Authorities state that the centre will centralise oversight of the national backbone network, secure cyberspace operations and supervise the functioning of domestic data centres instead of relying on external monitoring mechanisms.
Government officials argue that the supervision centre will enable resilient and sovereign management of critical digital systems while supporting a policy requiring sensitive national data to remain within domestic infrastructure.
The initiative also complements recent investments in biometric identity systems and regional digital identity frameworks.
Beyond infrastructure security, the project is positioned as groundwork for future AI adoption by strengthening sovereign data and connectivity systems.
The leadership of Burkina Faso continues to emphasise digital autonomy as a strategic priority across governance, identity management and emerging technologies.
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The European Union has proposed new cybersecurity rules aimed at reducing reliance on high-risk technology suppliers, particularly from China. In the European Union, policymakers argue existing voluntary measures failed to curb dependence on vendors such as Huawei and ZTE.
The proposal would introduce binding obligations for telecom operators across the European Union to phase out Chinese equipment. At the same time, officials have warned that reliance on US cloud and satellite services also poses security risks for Europe.
Despite increased funding and expanded certification plans, divisions remain within the European Union. Countries including Germany and France support stricter sovereignty rules, while others favour continued partnerships with US technology firms.
Analysts say the lack of consensus in the European Union could weaken the impact of the reforms. Without clear enforcement and investment in European alternatives, Europe may struggle to reduce dependence on both China and the US.
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The AI firm, OpenAI, plans to introduce advertising within ChatGPT for logged-in adult users, marking a structural shift in how brands engage audiences through conversational interfaces.
Ads would be clearly labelled and positioned alongside responses, aiming to replace interruption-driven formats with context-aware brand suggestions delivered during moments of active user intent.
Industry executives describe conversational AI advertising as a shift from exposure to earned presence, in which brands must provide clarity or utility to justify inclusion.
Experts warn that trust remains fragile, as AI recommendations carry the weight of personal consultation, and undisclosed commercial influence could prompt rapid user disengagement instead of passive ad avoidance.
Regulators and marketers alike highlight risks linked to dark patterns, algorithmic framing and subtle manipulation within AI-mediated conversations.
As conversational systems begin to shape discovery and decision-making, media planning is expected to shift toward intent-led engagement, authority-building, and transparency, reshaping digital advertising economics beyond search rankings and impression-based buying.
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Under Armour is facing growing scrutiny following the publication of customer data linked to a ransomware attack disclosed in late 2025.
According to breach verification platform Have I Been Pwned, a dataset associated with the incident appeared on a hacking forum in January, exposing information tied to tens of millions of customers.
The leaked material reportedly includes 72 million email addresses alongside names, dates of birth, location details and purchase histories. Security analysts warn that such datasets pose risks that extend far beyond immediate exposure, particularly when personal identifiers and behavioural data are combined.
Experts note that verified customer information linked to a recognised brand can enable compelling phishing and fraud campaigns powered by AI tools.
Messages referencing real transactions or purchase behaviour can blur the boundary between legitimate communication and malicious activity, increasing the likelihood of delayed victimisation.
The incident has also led to legal action against Under Armour, with plaintiffs alleging failures in safeguarding sensitive customer information. The case highlights how modern data breaches increasingly generate long-term consequences rather than immediate technical disruption.
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Online scams are expected to surge in 2026, overtaking ransomware as the top cyber-risk, the World Economic Forum warned, driven by the growing use of generative AI.
Executives are increasingly concerned about AI-driven scams that are easier to launch and harder to detect than traditional cybercrime. WEF managing director Jeremy Jurgens said leaders now face the challenge of acting collectively to protect trust and stability in an AI-driven digital environment.
Consumers are also feeling the impact. An Experian report found 68% of people now see identity theft as their main concern, while US Federal Trade Commission data shows consumer fraud losses reached $12.5 billion in 2024, up 25% year on year.
Generative AI is enabling more convincing phishing, voice cloning, and impersonation attempts. The WEF reported that 62% of executives experienced phishing attacks, 37% encountered invoice fraud, and 32% reported identity theft, with vulnerable groups increasingly targeted through synthetic content abuse.
Experts warn that many organisations still lack the skills and resources to defend against evolving threats. Consumer groups advise slowing down, questioning urgent messages, avoiding unsolicited requests for information, and verifying contacts independently to reduce the risk of generative AI-powered scams.
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The UK government has launched the Software Security Ambassadors Scheme to promote stronger software security practices nationwide. The initiative is led by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the National Cyber Security Centre.
In the UK, participating organisations commit to championing the new Software Security Code of Practice within their industries. Signatories agree to lead by example through secure development, procurement and advisory practices, while sharing lessons learned to strengthen national cyber resilience.
The scheme aims to improve transparency and risk management across UK digital supply chains. Software developers are encouraged to embed security throughout the whole lifecycle, while buyers are expected to incorporate security standards into procurement processes.
Officials say the approach supports the UK’s broader economic and security goals by reducing cyber risks and increasing trust in digital technologies. The government believes that better security practices will help UK businesses innovate safely and withstand cyber incidents.
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