JAPAN WEBSITE SECURITY
Govt mulls giving Cert-In enforceable powers to mandate patching
Last month, two critical flaws in the PHP programming language, discovered with the help of AI, created worldwide panic as hackers targeted the vulnerabilities millions of times, and led to governments including the US, UK, France, Germany and Japan taking down public websites. PHP powers 69.3% of websites worldwide.
World War III: US to introduce mandatory military service as Trump, Vance abruptly cancel campaign rallies amid Iran tensions?
Fears of World War III are growing amid rising tensions between the US and Iran, with President Donald Trump abruptly cancelling his scheduled campaign events over the weekend. The developments have raised questions about whether the conflict could escalate and whether American civilians could eventually be called up for military service.
Binance hit by $6.3 billion crypto hack: Here’s what you need to know
Binance has reported a substantial security breach resulting in estimated losses of $6.3 billion. The breach was linked to a compromised laptop of a DevOps engineer facilitating unauthorized transactions. Global cryptocurrency firms have responded by freezing assets totaling nearly $2.4 billion. Additionally, Binance stated that user funds remain safe due to its Secure Asset Fund for Users.
Who sent $2 bn military equipment to Iran past US blockade? More than 5,000 agencies
Iran has developed a clandestine network involving over 5,000 agencies to import military equipment and evade sanctions. This network functions despite ongoing US naval blockades and sanctions since the war began. Extensive investigations reveal significant transactions and military logistics supporting their activities. The secretive agencies have been linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and elite controlled businesses.
The code turns cold as AI scripts a black October
While some attacks highlight how AI is helping hackers look for security gaps and exploit them, others expose weaknesses in the digital infrastructure businesses and governments rely on every day. The financial toll of many of these incidents remains unknown, but the scale of exposure is raising concerns.
AI is finding software flaws faster, and so are hackers: Inside the PHP scramble
Governments and companies across Europe and Asia have taken services offline while they patch two vulnerabilities that researchers discovered with AI models, as exploitation attempts rise into the millions.
What to know about the AI-detected security bug impacting wide swaths of the internet
PHP is a widely used general-purpose scripting language that is geared toward web development, and thus, it powers the majority of websites around the world. When the organization behind the language and the FBI's cyber division warned Wednesday of significant vulnerabilities in the language, government agencies, corporations and other organizations were sent into a flurry.
More bugs out there: PHP2Shell is just the tip of the internet’s old-code iceberg
On Wednesday, critical vulnerabilities in PHP were publicly revealed, impacting a vast number of websites. The discovered flaws pose serious security risks, prompting urgent updates from website administrators. Many organizations swiftly shut down their services to mitigate potential breaches from the vulnerabilities. Experts emphasized the importance of identifying PHP versions and applying necessary patches immediately. They also recommended increased funding for PHP development to prevent future risks and ensure security.
Want to work in Japan? Skills, language tests and job routes Indians should know about
Indians can explore job opportunities in Japan through the Specified Skilled Worker (SSW) programme in sectors such as manufacturing, construction, agriculture, nursing care and food services. Applicants generally need to pass a Japanese language test and an occupation-specific skills examination. Here is how to understand the visa routes, find legitimate employers, estimate living costs and avoid recruitment scams.
How five Boeing 777s linked Madagascar's power elite to Iran
Mamy Ravatomanga, a former influential entrepreneur in Madagascar, is under scrutiny due to serious corruption charges surfacing during his trial. He faces allegations of money laundering and influence peddling tied to the irregular registration of Boeing 777 aircraft, suspected to be misregistered for transit to Iran. His lawyers challenge the accusations, pointing to discrepancies in witness statements, drawing global interest and involving agencies like the FBI.
Rush is on to patch a software vulnerability that could impact 70% of websites worldwide
Many government sites appeared to be functioning normally Thursday, but outages or limited service continued while security work was under way.
How an AI model discovered critical safety flaws in government websites
A significant number of websites, including those managed by the French government and Wikimedia, faced downtime due to identified vulnerabilities in PHP, a popular web development language. Cybersecurity experts from Wiz and Calif employed AI to pinpoint these urgent flaws. In response, PHP developers swiftly issued patches, urging users to promptly update their systems.
Global Market: Japan’s Nikkei falls as chip stocks retreat on AI spending concerns
Japan’s Nikkei slipped as semiconductor stocks retreated amid concerns over the sustainability of AI infrastructure spending into 2027. Tokyo Electron and Screen Holdings led losses, while gains in cybersecurity and IT services stocks limited the broader market’s decline.
Cloudflare sees millions of exploit attempts after PHP disclosure
Cloud services firm Cloudflare saw millions of exploitation attempts after the public disclosure of critical vulnerabilities in the widely used programming language PHP, CEO Matthew
How one hacker used AI agents and a few thousand dollars to break into scores of sites
A cybersecurity researcher observed a Chinese-speaking hacker employing AI to compromise various companies' websites. The hacker utilised an AI platform called Cairn, automating complex intrusion activities without human supervision. This hacking campaign targeted over 1,200 sites, with successful intrusions taking around 23 hours on average.
Online festive sales fizzle; Snowflake CEO on AI’s impact on software
Happy Monday! Festive ecommerce sales have slowed down this year, we tell you why. This and more in today’s ETtech Morning Dispatch.
Regulate the agents, not just the labs: Snowflake CEO on AI safety
Snowflake competes with Databricks to help large companies to store and analyse their data and, increasingly, build AI agents on its platform. In an interview, Sridhar Ramaswamy, chief executive of Snowflake, also said he has “a whole lot of paranoia” about staying relevant because the disruptor can itself be disrupted. Edited excerpts.
The US said China was priming a trade superweapon. Then it vanished
LOGINK, originally a project to improve cargo logistics, has seen its international efforts falter significantly. The platform lost key partnerships, withdrew from an international association, and is currently embroiled in legal disputes. Its operations hub in Wenzhou appears abandoned, indicating financial troubles that have emerged in recent years. Additionally, US pressure has contributed to its declining influence in global shipping.
Hidden cost of travel: Visa fees, card markups, optional tours and tips that can add 25-40% to budget; here's how to plan for them
Many travelers fail to account for hidden costs while planning international journeys, often only considering major expenses. These overlooked charges can hike trip costs by 25-40%, creating budget overruns. It's vital to include local transport, dining, and extra fees in your budget to avoid unexpected financial surprises. Employing effective budgeting techniques ensures a smoother and more enjoyable experience abroad.
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