North Korean hackers exploit JSON storage services to deploy malware in Contagious Interview attacks.
Get the latest international news and world events from around the world.
Google backpedals on new Android developer registration rules
Google is backpedaling on its decision to introduce new identity verification rules for all developers, stating that it will also introduce accounts for limited app distribution and will allow users to install apps from unverified devs.
As announced in August, Google was planning to introduce what it called “Developer Verification” starting in 2026 to block malware spreading via sideloaded apps sourced from outside the official Google Play app store.
The new rules require that all apps must originate from developers with verified identities to be installed on certified Android devices; otherwise, their installation will be blocked.
ASUS warns of critical auth bypass flaw in DSL series routers
ASUS has released new firmware to patch a critical authentication bypass security flaw impacting several DSL series router models.
Tracked as CVE-2025–59367, this vulnerability allows remote, unauthenticated attackers to log into unpatched devices exposed online in low-complexity attacks that don’t require user interaction.
ASUS has released firmware version 1.1.2.3_1010 to address this vulnerability for DSL-AC51, DSL-N16, and DSL-AC750 router models.
Anthropic claims of Claude AI-automated cyberattacks met with doubt
Anthropic reports that a Chinese state-sponsored threat group, tracked as GTG-1002, carried out a cyber-espionage operation that was largely automated through the abuse of the company’s Claude Code AI model.
However, Anthropic’s claims immediately sparked widespread skepticism, with security researchers and AI practitioners calling the report “made up” or the company of overstating the incident.
“I agree with Jeremy Kirk’s assessment of the Anthropic’s GenAI report. It’s odd. Their prior one was, too,” cybersecurity expert Kevin Beaumont posted on Mastodon.
Logitech confirms data breach after Clop extortion attack
Hardware accessory giant Logitech has confirmed it suffered a data breach in a cyberattack claimed by the Clop extortion gang, which conducted Oracle E-Business Suite data theft attacks in July.
Logitech International S.A. is a Swiss multinational electronics company that sells hardware and software solutions, including computer peripherals, gaming, video collaboration, music, and smart home products.
Today, Logitech filed a Form 8-K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, confirming that data was stolen in a breach.
Catalyst turns methane into bioactive compounds for the first time
Natural gas—one of the planet’s most abundant energy sources—is primarily composed of methane, ethane, and propane. While it is widely burned for energy, producing greenhouse gas emissions, scientists and industries have long sought ways to directly convert these hydrocarbons into valuable chemicals. However, their extreme stability and low reactivity have posed a formidable challenge, limiting their use as sustainable feedstocks for the chemical industry.
Now, a team led by Martín Fañanás at the Center for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CiQUS) at the University of Santiago de Compostela has developed a groundbreaking method to transform methane and other natural gas components into versatile “building blocks” for synthesizing high-demand products, such as pharmaceuticals. Published in Science Advances, this advance represents a critical leap toward a more sustainable and circular chemical economy.
For the first time, the CiQUS team successfully synthesized a bioactive compound—dimestrol, a non-steroidal estrogen used in hormone therapy—directly from methane. This achievement demonstrates the potential of their methodology to create complex, high-value molecules from a simple, abundant, and low-cost raw material.
How weakness in cell structure affects the host–microbiome relationship
Cells have an internal skeleton that maintains their structure and also drives their movement. Known as the cytoskeleton, this scaffold is composed of a network of dynamic filaments made of a protein called actin.
Given how important these structures are, alterations in the proteins that work together to build and control the actin cytoskeleton are often lethal or cause severe effects. For example, children born with mutations in the ARPC5 protein, which is part of the Arp2/3 complex, experience immunodeficiency and a high risk of fatal sepsis in early life.
“This is a rare and devastating condition, and until recently, it wasn’t clear how these mutations lead to such severe illness,” says Michael Way, who runs the Cellular Signaling and Cytoskeletal Function Laboratory at the Crick. “The only known effective treatment would involve early bone marrow transplantation to replace the faulty immune cells with ones which have a healthy actin cytoskeleton.”