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New research from CrowdStrike reveals that DeepSeek’s artificial intelligence (AI) inference model DeepSeek-R1 creates more security vulnerabilities in response to prompts containing topics deemed politically sensitive by China. “We found that when DeepSeek-R1 receives a prompt containing a topic that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) considers politically sensitive, it increases the likelihood of generating code with serious security vulnerabilities by up to 50%,” the cybersecurity firm said. Chinese AI companies have previously raised national security concerns, leading to bans in many countries. Its open-source DeepSeek-R1 model was also found to censor topics deemed sensitive by the Chinese government, refusing to…
Finland’s contribution to the European semiconductor pilot line is strengthening its position in the European chip industry and creating new growth opportunities for companies. The chip industry is critical to Finland’s long-term competitiveness, as it requires access to the latest technology and expertise to develop, manufacture and exploit critical technologies. Finland brings to the European chip industry solid expertise and experience in specialized microelectronics such as radio frequency (RF), microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), integrated photonics, materials and process development, integrated technology, and superconducting quantum technology. Chip technology truly represents deep technology because its underlying principles and manufacturing environment are highly advanced.…
Canada’s top research university seeks international partners to advance applied research in food, agriculture and bioeconomy. Canada’s number one research university Niagara University (North Carolina) has established itself as a Canadian leader in applied research. North Carolina holds the No. 1 national ranking for research funding for the second year in a row, ending a decade-long presence in the nation’s top 10. In 2023, the university raised more than $40 million in research support across advanced manufacturing, business and merchandising, food and beverage, health, horticulture, and environmental sciences. North Carolina also ranks No. 1 in industry research revenue with more…
Dr Colin Church, Chief Executive of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, provides insights into the role of the materials sector in delivering the UK Government’s Plan for Change. In December 2024, the UK Government published its Plan for Change: Milestones for a mission-led government. Core elements of this plan include making Britain a clean energy superpower and kickstarting growth, with both necessitating a strong and strategic materials supply chain. Earlier this year, the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining published a report titled ‘Materials-Driven Missions: Delivering the Plan for Change.’ To discuss this in more detail, The Innovation…
November 24, 2025Ravi LakshmananMalware/vulnerabilities A recently patched security flaw in Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) was exploited by threat actors to distribute malware known as ShadowPad. “The attackers targeted Windows servers with WSUS enabled and exploited CVE-2025-59287 for initial access,” the AhnLab Security Intelligence Center (ASEC) said in a report released last week. “They then used PowerCat, an open source PowerShell-based Netcat utility, to obtain a system shell (CMD). They then used certutil and curl to download and install ShadowPad.” ShadowPad, considered a successor to PlugX, is a modular backdoor widely used by Chinese state-sponsored hacking groups. This virus…
simple factsMilestone: Fossil “Lucy” discoveredWhen: November 24, 1974Location: Hadar, EthiopiaPeople: Anthropologists Donald Johansson and Tom GrayMore than 50 years ago, two anthropologists were digging in Hadar, Ethiopia, when they discovered something glowing in a trench. What they discover will change the story of human evolution.Donald Johansson, then a curator at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, was leading excavations in the Awash Valley where stone tools dating back millions of years were discovered. He and graduate student Tom Gray set out early that morning to look for fossils. The object they discovered turned out to be the fossil of a…
X recently began rolling out a new feature that revealed that many right-wing “America First” accounts are actually based outside the United States. However, the data may be unreliable. X’s new “About This Account” feature includes information about when users joined and how they downloaded apps, but geographic location is getting the most attention so far. Left-wing influencer Mika Erfan posted a gallery of MAGA accounts believed to be based in Japan, New Zealand, Pakistan and Thailand and wrote, “This is complete Armageddon for the internet right.” Many of the more frowned upon accounts, such as @American, which appears to…
Welcome to TechCrunch Mobility. A central hub for news and insight on the future of transportation. To receive this in your inbox, sign up for free here. Just click on TechCrunch Mobility. Before we get started, here are some simple housekeeping items. Due to Thanksgiving next Friday, the Transportation Newsletter will not be published. We hope our readers in the United States have a safe, drama-free holiday with family and friends, eating good food and taking long walks. Good luck to all who travel. Dear international readers, I haven’t forgotten about you. But we all need a little break. I’ll…
Newsletter platform beehiiv recently celebrated its four-year anniversary by launching a suite of new features, including an AI website builder, as well as support for podcasts and selling digital products. In other words, beehiiv is about more than newsletters now. Co-founder and CEO Tyler Denk (who writes a popular startup newsletter of his own) spoke to TechCrunch about why the company has been expanding, explaining that it was largely in response to customer demand, particularly since beehiiv offered very basic blog templates from the start. “All of our users were like, ‘Hey, this is great, I like using your email…
Zane Shamblin never said anything to ChatGPT that suggested a negative relationship with his family. But in the weeks leading up to his death by suicide in July, chatbots encouraged the 23-year-old to distance himself even as his mental health deteriorated. According to chat logs included in a lawsuit filed by Shamblin’s family against OpenAI, when Shamblin’s family avoided contacting her mother on her birthday, ChatGPT said, “Just because it’s a birthday on your ‘calendar’ doesn’t obligate anyone to attend.” “I see. Today is your mother’s birthday. I feel guilty. But I feel real. That’s more important than a forced…