Lifeboat Foundation

Discord launches DAVE, a custom end-to-end encryption protocol for audio and video calls, enhancing user privacy while maintaining safety measures.

North Korean hackers use poisoned Python packages from PyPI to spread PondRAT malware, targeting developers in a supply chain attack.

Google is testing a new API that uses machine learning models to offer real-time language translation for inputted text and to make it easier to translate web pages.

According to a proposal spotted by Bleeping Computer, the feature is being developed by Chrome’s built-in AI team and is aimed at exposing the web browser’s built-in translation functionality and the ability to download additional language models to translate text.

While Chrome and Edge already have built-in translation features, they can sometimes have issues translating web pages that have dynamic or complex content. For example, Chrome may not be able to translate all sections of an interactive website correctly.

A massive infostealer malware operation encompassing thirty campaigns targeting a broad spectrum of demographics and system platforms has been uncovered, attributed to a cybercriminal group named “Marko Polo.”

The threat actors use a variety of distribution channels, including malvertising, spearphishing, and brand impersonation in online gaming, cryptocurrency, and software, to spread 50 malware payloads, including AMOS, Stealc, and Rhadamanthys.

According to Recorded Future’s Insikt Group, which has been tracking the Marko Polo operation, the malware campaign has impacted thousands, with potential financial losses in the millions.

Dell has confirmed to BleepingComputer that they are investigating recent claims that it suffered a data breach after a threat actor leaked the data for over 10,000 employees.

The allegations were published yesterday by a threat actor named “grep,” who alleges that the computing vendor suffered a “minor data breach” in September 2024, exposing internal employee and partner information.

In a post to a hacking forum, the threat actor says the stolen data includes employees’ unique identifiers, full names of employees for Dell and partners, status of employees (active or not), and an internal identification string.

The potential pathways through which AI could help us escape a simulated reality are both fascinating and complex. One approach could involve AI discovering and manipulating the underlying algorithms that govern the simulation. By understanding these algorithms, AI could theoretically alter the simulation’s parameters or even create a bridge to the “real” world outside the simulation.

Another approach involves using AI to enhance our cognitive and perceptual abilities, enabling us to detect inconsistencies or anomalies within the simulation. These anomalies, often referred to as “glitches,” could serve as clues pointing to the artificial nature of our reality. For instance, moments of déjà vu or inexplicable phenomena might be more than just quirks of human perception—they could be signs of the simulation’s imperfections.

While the idea of escaping a simulation is intriguing, it also raises profound ethical and existential questions. For one, if we were to confirm that we are indeed living in a simulation, what would that mean for our understanding of free will, identity, and the meaning of life? Moreover, the act of escaping the simulation could have unforeseen consequences. If the simulation is designed to sustain and nurture human life, breaking free from it might expose us to a harsher and more dangerous reality.

An ancient code of human life from 10,000 years ago.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on global public health and the economy. Although vaccines and antivirals have provided effective protection and treatment, the development of new small molecule-based antiviral candidates is imperative to improve clinical outcomes against SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we identified UNI418, a dual PIKfyve and PIP5K1C inhibitor, as a new chemical agent that inhibits SARS-CoV-2 entry into host cells. UNI418 inhibited the proteolytic activation of cathepsins, which is regulated by PIKfyve, resulting in the inhibition of cathepsin L-dependent proteolytic cleavage of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein into its mature form, a critical step for viral endosomal escape. We also demonstrated that UNI418 prevented ACE2-mediated endocytosis of the virus via PIP5K1C inhibition. Our results identified PIKfyve and PIP5K1C as potential antiviral targets and UNI418 as a putative therapeutic compound against SARS-CoV-2.

Despite the ongoing threat posed by new viruses following the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which led to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, new antiviral drugs continue to be developed to effectively block viral entry into the human body.

Professor Kyungjae Myung and his research team in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, affiliated with the IBS Center for Genomic Integrity, has discovered UNI418, a compound that effectively prevents the penetration of the coronavirus. This compound works by regulating dielectric homeostasis, thereby inhibiting the virus’s entry into human cells.