NerdNews

A new attack called AirSnitch can break Wi-Fi encryption in homes, offices, and enterprises by exploiting weaknesses in the lowest levels of the network stack. The attack allows hackers to intercept and modify data, and can be used to steal sensitive information such as passwords and credit card details. The attack works by spoofing a victim's MAC address and then using a man-in-the-middle attack to intercept and modify data.

Jack Dorsey's fintech company Block is laying off 40% of its staff, around 4,000 people, due to the implementation of new 'intelligence tools' that can perform tasks better and more efficiently. The company's stock price jumped 23% after the announcement, despite the significant job cuts. Dorsey believes that most companies will reach the same conclusion and make similar structural changes to adapt to the AI moment.

Pinterest launched a next-generation database ingestion framework using Change Data Capture, Kafka, Flink, Spark, and Iceberg, reducing data latency from 24 hours to 15 minutes and processing only changed records, resulting in significant infrastructure cost savings.

IronCurtain is an open-source AI assistant that uses a unique method to secure and constrain AI agents, preventing them from going rogue. It runs in an isolated virtual machine and its actions are mediated by a policy written by the owner, which is then converted into an enforceable security policy using a large language model.

OpenAI has shared more details about its agreement with the Pentagon, including safeguards against mass domestic surveillance and autonomous weapon systems. The company's CEO, Sam Altman, admitted the deal was 'definitely rushed' but said it was done to de-escalate tensions between the DoW and the industry.

Block, led by Jack Dorsey, is laying off 40% of its workforce as it shifts focus to AI tools, citing their ability to replace human workers and increase efficiency. This move is seen as a significant sign of the impact of AI on employment, with Dorsey stating that most companies are late to realize the effects of AI on their operations.

Jack Dorsey's Block is laying off nearly half of its workforce, citing AI as the main reason. The company will reduce its organization from over 10,000 people to just under 6,000. Employees who are being laid off will receive 20 weeks of salary, six months of health care, and $5,000 in cash, among other benefits.

Microsoft's Copilot Tasks AI is a new system designed to take care of busywork for users in the background. It uses its own cloud-based computer and browser to handle jobs such as scheduling appointments, generating study plans, and organizing subscriptions. The AI assistant can be instructed using natural language and will provide a report once its work is complete.

Google is using Merkle Tree Certificates to provide quantum-resistant assurances for HTTPS certificates, reducing data size from 15kB to 700 bytes, and has already implemented this in Chrome, with plans for wider adoption

Investors are no longer interested in AI SaaS companies with thin workflow layers, generic horizontal tools, and surface-level analytics. They prefer companies with AI-native infrastructure, vertical SaaS with proprietary data, and systems of action. Investors also value depth and expertise, with tools embedded in critical workflows.

Sophia Space has raised $10 million to develop a new approach to passively cooling space computers. The company plans to demonstrate its technology on the ground and then in orbit by 2027 or 2028. Its modular server racks, called TILES, are designed to be thin and flexible, allowing for passive heat spreaders to cool the processors. Sophia Space aims to offer its TILES to satellite operators and eventually build larger space data centers.

ASP.NET Core in .NET 11 Preview 1 introduces new features such as EnvironmentBoundary component, improved Blazor forms, and enhanced navigation. It also brings support for IHostedService in Blazor WebAssembly and access to environment variables through IConfiguration.

Lenovo's ThinkBook Modular AI PC Concept features a 14-inch productivity machine with two plug-and-play interchangeable ports and a second 14-inch display magnetically attached to the rear of its lid. The laptop has a modular design, allowing users to swap out ports and add a second screen. It also features an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H Arrow Lake processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD.

Lenovo has unveiled two AI-based productivity companion concepts: the AI Workmate Concept, a robotic arm that can scan documents and project presentations, and the AI Work Companion Concept, a desktop hub that can manage schedules and prevent burnout. Both devices are designed to boost productivity and provide office workers with a bit of artificial companionship.

Anthropic's chatbot Claude has reached the top of the free app rankings in Apple's US App Store following a dispute with the Pentagon. The app's daily signups have broken records, with free users increasing by over 60% since January and paid subscribers more than doubling this year.

Firecell and CloudRAN.AI have partnered to reduce the cost and complexity of private 5G deployments. The collaboration combines Firecell's delivery model with CloudRAN.AI's modular radio architectures, aiming to make private 5G faster to deploy and more cost-competitive. The integrated portfolio covers outdoor and indoor deployment scenarios, supporting multi-region roll-outs with frequency band diversity.

A science fiction blog post by Citrini Research sparked a panic on Wall Street, shaving billions off the stock market. The post described a scenario where AI advancements lead to mass unemployment, economic collapse, and a decline in consumer demand. However, experts argue that the scenario is implausible and that AI's consequences could be destabilizing but not necessarily catastrophic.

Microsoft has expanded its Windows restore feature to more enterprise devices, allowing users to restore personal settings and Microsoft Store apps from a previous Windows 11 device. The feature is part of Windows Backup for Organizations and can be managed through existing policies using Microsoft Intune or Group Policy.

North Korea's APT37 has expanded its toolkit to breach air-gapped networks using removable media infection tools. The group uses six malicious tools, including Restleaf, SnakeDropper, and ThumbSBD, to infect and pass commands between air-gapped systems. The campaign, dubbed 'Ruby Jumper,' was discovered by Zscaler ThreatLabz and highlights the growing threat of APT37's capabilities.

Google is working with India's second-largest telecom operator, Bharti Airtel, to integrate the carrier's network-level spam filtering into the RCS ecosystem, aiming to reduce unwanted messages and fraud on the platform. The partnership will enable real-time checks on business messaging, including sender verification, spam detection, and enforcement of users' do-not-disturb preferences.