Tech News Roundup: Major Deals, AI Safety, and Cybersecurity Threats
Today’s technology news spans a major semiconductor acquisition, hidden deepfake features, an ambitious AI funding round, and cyberattacks affecting consumer devices and supermarket infrastructure.
Marvell Reaches $115 Billion Deal for Lumentum Holdings - Bloomberg
Marvell Technology has agreed to acquire Lumentum in a $115 billion transaction, one of the largest deals in technology history. Nvidia is a strategic investor in both companies. Read more: Marvell Reaches $115 Billion Deal for Lumentum Holdings - Bloomberg
One of Google’s Android Partners Turned 1.3 Million Set-Top Boxes Into a Botnet
Google says an Android device manufacturer secretly installed and operated a backdoor that turned 1.3 million set-top boxes into a botnet, prompting Google to remove the backdoor and ban the manufacturer from the certified Android program. Read more: One of Google’s Android Partners Turned 1.3 Million Set-Top Boxes Into a Botnet
Hundreds of Mundane AI Apps Are Hiding Sexually Abusive Deepfake Features
WIRED found about 400 apps and websites linked to Chinese-language developers that presented themselves as ordinary AI tools while secretly offering features for generating violent AI-generated images and video. Read more: Hundreds of Mundane AI Apps Are Hiding Sexually Abusive Deepfake Features
More European Supermarkets Are Getting Their Freezers Hacked
Supermarkets across Belgium, Sweden, Luxembourg, and Estonia reported unauthorized changes to freezer and refrigerator temperatures, with some Swedish stores reaching 50°C overnight and resulting in food being discarded. Read more: More European Supermarkets Are Getting Their Freezers Hacked
A Fresh Wave of Cyberattacks Has Hit Europe’s Supermarket Refrigerators
A second wave of cyberattacks in one month has affected supermarket refrigeration systems across several European countries, spoiling food and disrupting supply chains while revealing few details about the attackers or technical causes. Read more: A Fresh Wave of Cyberattacks Has Hit Europe’s Supermarket Refrigerators
42AI Comes Out of Stealth With $62.5M and a World Model That Can ‘Predict Human Behavior’
42AI has emerged from stealth with $62.5 million in funding, and the company says its world model can anticipate human behavior, including in previously unseen situations. Read more: 42AI Comes Out of Stealth With $62.5M and a World Model That Can ‘Predict Human Behavior’