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Apache OpenOffice disputes data breach claims by ransomware gang

The Apache Software Foundation disputes claims that its OpenOffice project suffered an Akira ransomware attack, after the threat actors claimed to have stolen 23 GB of corporate documents.

Apache OpenOffice is a free, open-source office suite that includes word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, and database tools. It’s compatible with major file formats, such as Word and Excel, and runs on multiple operating systems.

On October 30th, the Akira ransomware gang claimed it had breached Apache OpenOffice and stolen 23 GB of data, including employee and financial information, as well as internal files.

Malicious Android apps on Google Play downloaded 42 million times

Hundreds of malicious Android apps on Google Play were downloaded more than 40 million times between June 2024 and May 2025, notes a report from cloud security company Zscaler.

During the same period, the company observed a 67% year-over-year growth in malware targeting mobile devices, with spyware and banking trojans being a prevalent risk.

Telemetry data shows that threat actors are shifting from traditional card fraud to exploiting mobile payments using phishing, smishing, SIM-swapping, and payment scams.

Russian hackers abuse Hyper-V to hide malware in Linux VMs

The Russian hacker group Curly COMrades is abusing Microsoft Hyper-V in Windows to bypass endpoint detection and response solutions by creating a hidden Alpine Linux-based virtual machine to run malware.

Inside the virtual environment, the threat actor hosted its custom tools, the CurlyShell reverse shell and the CurlCat reverse proxy, which enabled operational stealth and communication.

Curly COMrades is a cyber-espionage threat group believed to be active since mid-2024. Its activities are closely aligned with Russian geopolitical interests.

Data breach at major Swedish software supplier impacts 1.5 million

The Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (IMY) is investigating a cyberattack on IT systems supplier Miljödata that exposed data belonging to 1.5 million people.

Miljödata is an IT systems supplier for roughly 80% of Sweden’s municipalities. The company disclosed the incident on August 25, saying that the attackers stole data and demanded 1.5 Bitcoin to not leak it.

The attack caused operational disruptions that affected citizens in multiple regions in the country, including Halland, Gotland, Skellefteå, Kalmar, Karlstad, and Mönsterås.

PEGATRON Chooses Georgetown, Texas for First U.S. Manufacturing Facility

PEGATRON’s arrival marks a turning point not only for Georgetown, but for the broader Central Texas innovation corridor. The Taiwan-based technology giant, known for designing and manufacturing everything from laptops to automotive electronics, already plays a quiet but massive role in powering many of the world’s best-known tech brands.

According to PEGATRON Corporation, their focus on smart manufacturing and artificial intelligence solutions has made them one of the world’s top players in electronics and computing systems.

When Hello Georgetown first reported PEGATRON’s interest in a U.S. facility earlier this year, the discussion centered on shifting global supply chains and the growing desire to bring advanced production closer to U.S. customers. That conversation has now become reality.

Intelligence Exists in Platonic Space — We Just Download It

Full episode with Michael Levin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8iFtaltX-s.

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LLM-Based Multi-Agent System for Simulating and Analyzing Marketing and Consumer Behavior

Simulating consumer decision-making is vital for designing and evaluating marketing strategies before costly real-world deployment. However, post-event analyses and rule-based agent-based models (ABMs) struggle to capture the complexity of human behavior and social interaction. We introduce an LLM-powered multi-agent simulation framework that models consumer decisions and social dynamics. Building on recent advances in large language model simulation in a sandbox environment, our framework enables generative agents to interact, express internal reasoning, form habits, and make purchasing decisions without predefined rules. In a price-discount marketing scenario, the system delivers actionable strategy-testing outcomes and reveals emergent social patterns beyond the reach of conventional methods.

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