President-elect Trump could be TikTok's saving grace years after threatening to ban the appduring his first term.
Why it matters: The future of the popular short-form video app looked grim earlier this year becauseof elected officials' national security concerns about its ties to China. Not so much anymore.
Notorious China-linked hackers known for burrowing deep into U.S. infrastructure are back, according to a report out Tuesday.
Why it matters: The resurgence shows that the Chinese government isn't backing down from its quest to infiltrate American utilities in preparation for a potential destructive cyberattack.
The lack of headline-grabbing, violence-inciting foreign disinformation in this year's elections is in equal parts a testament to election security officials' efforts and the evolving nature of adversaries' influence operations.
Why it matters: Disinformation is now endemic and no longer just focused on discrete events like elections.
The lack of headline-grabbing, violence-inciting foreign disinformation in this year's elections is in equal parts a testament to election security officials' efforts and the evolving nature of adversaries' influence operations.
Why it matters: Disinformation is now endemic and no longer just focused on discrete events like elections.
The big picture: Foreign actors are constantly pushing false narratives in the United States, even if there isn't a specific timeline to pin it to.
The day after the election last week, Russian operatives were still online and pushing lies, Mark Montgomery, senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Axios.
Notorious China-linked hackers known for burrowing deep into U.S. infrastructure are back, according to a report out today.
Why it matters: The resurgence shows that the Chinese government isn't backing down from its quest to infiltrate American utilities in preparation for a potential destructive cyberattack.
Zoom in: The research team at SecurityScorecard, a cyber risk assessment company, says it has noticed Volt Typhoon moving traffic through a set of compromised routers in New Caledonia, an island nation off the coast of Australia, as recently as September.
Global law enforcement disrupted a significant portion of Volt Typhoon's botnet in January, but the group quickly set up new servers.
🗳️ Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is one of a handful of people vying to run CISA during President-elect Trump's second administration. (Politico)
🏛️ Trump plans to name South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as his homeland security secretary. (CNN)
🌐 The Biden administration plans to vote in favor of the United Nations' cybercrime convention. (Bloomberg)
@ Industry
💰 Halliburton reported $35 million in costs tied to its August cyberattack. (Cybersecurity Dive)
😵💫 Threads is now "overrun" with liberal users spreading election conspiracy theories. (User Mag)
📞 Encrypted messaging service Signal is rolling out improvements to voice calls on the app, including the ability to share a link to calls similar to a Zoom meeting. (The Verge)
The U.S. announced a plan to dramatically expand nuclear power during the next few decades, as electricity demands escalate.
Why it matters: The U.S. faces an increasing electricity demand amid the expansion of data centers used for artificial intelligence, growing use of electric vehicles, building of new manufacturing centers and other trends.
Meta said on Tuesday it will offer cheaper ad-free subscriptions to Facebook and Instagram users in Europe and a new free access option with less personalized advertising.
Why it matters: The shift is a response to "demands from EU regulators," even though the changes "go beyond what is required in the law," the company said in a statement.
The percentage of workers in the U.S. who say they are using AI at work has remained largely flat over the last three months, according to a new study commissioned by Slack.
Why it matters: If AI's rapid adoption curve slows or flattens, a lot of very rosy assumptions about the technology — and very high market valuations tied to them — could change.
Elon Musk leadsFortune's first list of the 100 most powerful people in business, out Tuesday morning.
Why it matters: Leaders on the list "share one defining trait: their actions and words influence what others think and do,"Fortune executive editor Lee Clifford said.
The courtship between insurance giants Cigna and Humana is just not meant to be, Cigna officials said Monday.
Why it matters: The statementmarks the likely end to on-and-off discussions about combining the companies into what would have been the nation's second-largest insurer — and potentially drawing antitrust scrutiny.
A research team usedvideos of surgeries and the machine learning architecture behind ChatGPT to successfully train a robot to do basic tasks like manipulate a needle, lift body tissue and suture.
Why it matters: Showing a robot can perform with the skill of a doctor opens up new possibilities for devices like the widely used da Vinci surgical system and reduce the risk of medical errors, the Johns Hopkins-led scientists said.
President-elect Trump and Elon Musk, two billionaires with strikingly similar DNAs, are fusing into a new, powerful governing-media paradigm.
Why it matters: This Trump-Musk fusion seems to grow stronger by the day. The two are working together to shape the new White House, the new Senate and the new Cabinet, plus future foreign relations and governing blueprints.