The US Social Security Administration is launching digital access to Social Security numbers in the summer of 2025 through its ‘My Social Security’ portal. The initiative aims to improve convenience, reduce physical card replacement delays, and protect against identity theft.
The digital rollout responds to the challenges of outdated paper cards, rising fraud risks, and growing demand for remote access to US government services. Cybersecurity experts also recommend using VPNs, antivirus software, and identity monitoring services to guard against phishing scams and data breaches.
While it promises faster and more secure access, experts urge users to bolster account protection through strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and avoidance of public Wi-Fi when accessing sensitive data.
Users should regularly check their credit reports and SSA records and consider requesting an IRS PIN to prevent tax-related fraud. The SSA says this move will make Social Security more efficient without compromising safety.
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US President Donald J. Trump signed a new Executive Order (EO) aimed at amending existing federal cybersecurity policies. The EO modifies selected provisions of previous executive orders signed by former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, introducing updates to sanctions policy, digital identity initiatives, and secure technology practices.
One of the main changes involves narrowing the scope of sanctions related to malicious cyber activity. The new EO limits the applicability of such sanctions to foreign individuals or entities involved in cyberattacks against US critical infrastructure. It also states that sanctions do not apply to election-related activities, though this clarification is included in a White House fact sheet rather than the EO text itself.
The order revokes provisions from the Biden-era EO that proposed expanding the use of federal digital identity documents, including mobile driver’s licenses. According to the fact sheet, this revocation is based on concerns regarding implementation and potential for misuse. Some analysts have expressed concerns about the implications of this reversal on broader digital identity strategies.
In addition to these policy revisions, the EO outlines technical measures to strengthen cybersecurity capabilities across federal agencies. These include:
Developing new encryption standards to prepare for advances in quantum computing, with implementation targets set for 2030.
Directing the National Security Agency (NSA) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue updated federal encryption requirements.
Refocusing artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity initiatives on identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities.
Assigning the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) responsibility for updating and guiding secure software development practices. This includes the establishment of an industry consortium and a preliminary update to its secure software development framework.
The EO also includes provisions for improving vulnerability tracking and mitigation in AI systems, with coordination required among the Department of Defence, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
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Plans for a vast AI data hub in the UAE have raised security concerns in Washington due to the country’s close ties with China.
The $100 billion Stargate UAE campus, aims to deploy advanced US chips, but US officials are scrutinising potential technology leakage risks.
Although the Trump administration supports the project, bipartisan fears remain about whether the UAE can safeguard US-developed AI and chips from foreign adversaries.
A final agreement has not been reached as both sides negotiate export conditions, with possible restrictions on Nvidia’s hardware.
The initial phase of the Stargate project will activate 200 megawatts of capacity by 2026, but the deal’s future may depend on the UAE’s willingness to accept strict US oversight.
Talks over potential amendments continue, delaying approval of what could become a $500 billion venture.
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Oxford Quantum Circuits (OQC) has revealed plans to develop a 50,000 qubit fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2034, using its proprietary ‘Dimon’ superconducting transmon technology.
Achieving such scale would require millions of physical qubits but promises to outperform global rivals, including Google and IBM, with real-world applications ranging from cyber threat detection to drug discovery.
The roadmap includes a significant push to reduce error rates and optimise chip materials, with recent breakthroughs enabling error detection at the hardware level. OQC claims it achieves a 99.8% gate fidelity in just 25 nanoseconds and a tenfold improvement in qubit efficiency compared to competitors.
Interim CEO Gerald Mullally said the roadmap marks a turning point, calling on finance and national security organisations to prepare for a quantum-driven future.
Now seeking $100 million in Series B funding, the firm plans to install its first quantum system in New York, later this year.
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Anthropic has launched a new line of AI models, Claude Gov, explicitly tailored for US national security operations. Built with direct input from government clients, top-tier agencies already use the models.
These classified-use models were developed with enhanced safety testing and are optimised for handling sensitive material, including improved handling of classified data, rare language proficiency, and defence-specific document comprehension.
The Claude Gov models reflect Anthropic’s broader move into government partnerships, building on its collaboration with Palantir and AWS.
As competition in defence-focused AI intensifies, rivals including OpenAI, Meta, and Google are also adapting their models for secure environments.
The sector’s growing interest in custom, security-conscious AI tools marks a shift in how leading labs seek stable revenue streams and deeper ties with government agencies.
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Authorities in Guangzhou have placed a secret bounty on more than 20 individuals suspected of launching cyber attacks on Chinese targets, according to state news agency Xinhua.
One named suspect, Ning Enwei, is reportedly linked to Taiwan’s government. While the size of the reward remains undisclosed, officials claim the accused hackers targeted sectors including defence, aerospace, energy, and science—alongside agencies in Hong Kong and Macau.
Xinhua stated that Taiwan’s ‘information, communication and digital army’ has coordinated with US forces to carry out cyber and cognitive warfare against China.
These accusations form part of a broader Chinese narrative suggesting Taiwan is seeking independence through foreign alliances, particularly with US intelligence agencies. State media also claimed the US has trained Taiwanese personnel and helped orchestrate cyber attacks on the mainland.
In response, a senior Taiwanese security official, speaking anonymously, dismissed the claims as fabricated. The official argued that Beijing is attempting to deflect criticism following allegations of Chinese cyber activities in Europe, especially in the Czech Republic.
‘It is typical of the Chinese Communist Party’s efforts to change the narrative,’ the official said, branding Beijing an international cyber threat instead of a victim.
Taiwan’s government has yet to issue an official statement.
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Thousands of current and former employees at Lee Enterprises have had their data exposed following a cyberattack earlier this year.
Hackers accessed to the company’s systems in early February, compromising sensitive information such as names and Social Security numbers before the breach was contained the same day.
Although the media firm, which operates over 70 newspapers across 26 US states, swiftly secured its networks, a three-month investigation involving external cybersecurity experts revealed that attackers accessed databases containing employee details.
The breach potentially affects around 40,000 individuals — far more than the company’s 4,500 current staff — indicating that past employees were also impacted.
The stolen data could be used for identity theft, fraud or phishing attempts. Criminals may even impersonate affected employees to infiltrate deeper into company systems and extract more valuable information.
Lee Enterprises has notified those impacted and filed relevant disclosures with authorities, including the Maine Attorney General’s Office.
Headquartered in Iowa, Lee Enterprises draws over 200 million monthly online page views and generated over $611 million in revenue in 2024. The incident underscores the ongoing vulnerability of media organisations to cyber threats, especially when personal employee data is involved.
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OpenAI plans to reinvent ChatGPT as an all-in-one ‘super assistant’ that knows its users and becomes their primary gateway to the internet.
Details emerged from a partly redacted internal strategy document shared during the US government’s antitrust case against Google.
Rather than limiting ChatGPT to existing apps and websites, OpenAI envisions a future where the assistant supports everyday life—from suggesting recipes at home to taking notes at work or guiding users while travelling.
The company says the AI should evolve into a reliable, emotionally intelligent helper capable of handling a various personal and professional tasks.
OpenAI also believes hardware will be key to this transformation. It recently acquired io, a start-up founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive, for $6.4 billion to develop AI-powered devices.
The company’s strategy outlines how upcoming models like o2 and o3, alongside tools like multimodality and generative user interfaces, could make ChatGPT capable of taking meaningful action instead of simply offering responses.
The document also reveals OpenAI’s intention to back a regulation requiring tech platforms to allow users to set ChatGPT as their default assistant. Confident in its fast growth, research lead, and independence from ads, the company aims to maintain its advantage through bold decisions, speed, and self-disruption.
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Israeli spyware company NSO Group has requested a new trial after a US jury ordered it to pay $168 million in damages to WhatsApp.
The company, which has faced mounting legal and financial troubles, filed a motion in a California federal court last week seeking to reduce the verdict or secure a retrial.
The May verdict awarded WhatsApp $444,719 in compensatory damages and $167.25 million in punitive damages. Jurors found that NSO exploited vulnerabilities in the encrypted platform and sold the exploit to clients who allegedly used it to target journalists, activists and political rivals.
WhatsApp, owned by Meta, filed the lawsuit in 2019.
NSO claims the punitive award is unconstitutional, arguing it is over 376 times greater than the compensatory damages and far exceeds the US Supreme Court’s general guidance of a 4:1 ratio.
The firm also said it cannot afford the penalty, citing losses of $9 million in 2023 and $12 million in 2024. Its CEO testified that the company is ‘struggling to keep our heads above water’.
WhatsApp, responding to TechCrunch in a statement, said NSO was once again trying to evade accountability. The company vowed to continue its legal campaign, including efforts to secure a permanent injunction that would prevent NSO from ever targeting WhatsApp or its users again.
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A newly proposed rule by the Federal Judicial Conference could reshape how AI-generated evidence is treated in court. Dubbed Rule 707, it would allow such machine-generated evidence to be admitted only if it meets the same reliability standards required of expert testimony under Rule 702.
However, it would not apply to outputs from simple scientific instruments or widely used commercial software. The rule aims to address concerns about the reliability and transparency of AI-driven analysis, especially when used without a supporting expert witness.
Critics argue that the limitation to non-expert presentation renders the rule overly narrow, as the underlying risks of bias and interpretability persist regardless of whether an expert is involved. They suggest that all machine-generated evidence in US courts should be subject to robust scrutiny.
The Advisory Committee is also considering the scope of terminology such as ‘machine learning’ to prevent Rule 707 from encompassing more than intended. Meanwhile, a separate proposed rule regarding deepfakes has been shelved because courts already have tools to address the forgery.
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