VolkLocker ransomware exposed with hardcoded master key, allowing free decryption
December 15, 2025Ravi LakshmananRansomware/Cybercrime A pro-Russian hacktivist group known as CyberVolk (also known as GLORIAMIST) has resurfaced with a new ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) product called VolkLocker, which allows users to decrypt files without paying extortion fees, plagued by a testing artifact implementation error. According to SentinelOne, VolkLocker (also known as CyberVolk 2.x) will appear in August […]
How iRobot got lost on his way home
There’s something painfully American about the story of iRobot, the company that taught vacuum cleaners to get around furniture. The company, founded in 1990 in Bedford, Mass., by MIT roboticist Rodney Brooks and his former students Colin Angle and Helen Greiner, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sunday, ending a 35-year run that took it […]
Mesa closes credit card that rewards cardholders for mortgage payments
Fintech startup Mesa has shut down its Home Owner’s Card, which gave cardholders points for mortgage payments. A message on Mesa’s website states that as of Dec. 12, “all Mesa Homeowners Card accounts have been closed,” adding, “All credit cards have been deactivated and are no longer eligible for new purchases or the ability to […]
Understanding the risky Netflix and Warner Bros. deal
Whether Netflix’s $82.6 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. goes through or not, the deal represents a difficult moment for Hollywood as the entertainment business is increasingly overshadowed by the tech giant. On the latest episode of the Equity Podcast, Kirsten Kolosek and I discussed the deal’s implications for both Netflix and the larger Hollywood ecosystem. […]
TechCrunch Mobility: Rivian’s survival plan involves more than just cars
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. Senior reporter Sean O’Kane stopped by Palo Alto to check out Rivian’s Autonomy and AI Day. According to some insiders, this will be […]
‘This has rewritten our understanding of Roman concrete production’: Abandoned Pompeii workshops reveal how to make self-healing concrete
Roman concrete is pretty amazing. That is one of the main reasons why we know so much about Roman architecture today. So many structures built by the Romans still survive in some form thanks to their ingenious concrete and construction techniques. But there’s still much we don’t know about how the Romans made concrete so […]
Scientists have finally decoded the vampire squid’s giant genome, revealing the secret of its ‘living fossil’
There has long been a missing chapter in the story of cephalopod evolution. That’s how a squid-like ancestor gave rise to today’s octopus. It turns out that the answer has been floating in the deep ocean all along. The elusive vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis), with its ghostly glowing eyes, eight arms resembling its octopus cousin, […]
Strange bursts of energy traveling at 99% of the speed of light are unlike anything scientists have seen before — Space Photo of the Week
simple facts What is it: Gamma ray burst GRB 250702B Location: 8 billion light years away, in the constellation Scutum. Share date: December 8, 2025 Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most energetic type of explosion in the universe since the Big Bang, and are detected on average once every day. But what happened on July […]
Can turtles push their heads completely inside their shells?
It is a long-held belief that turtles can tuck their heads into their shells when threatened. But is it true? And is it this defense that turtles around the world have shells today? The answer, experts told Live Science, is that some types of turtles can, and some cannot. And while shells may be protective […]
History of Science: Norwegian explorer wins perilous race to the South Pole while British rival dies along with his crew — December 14, 1911
Milestone: Humanity reaches the South Pole Date: December 14, 1911 Location: Geographical South Pole, Antarctica People: Roald Amundsen and his crew In 1910, a fierce competition began between Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and British sea captain Robert Falcon Scott. Each explorer wanted to be the first to reach the geographic South Pole and thereby conquer […]