Iranian hackers launch espionage operation ‘Spear Specter’ targeting national defense and government
An Iranian state-sponsored threat actor known as APT42 has been observed targeting individuals and organizations of interest to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as part of a new espionage-focused campaign. This activity was detected in early September 2025, is assessed to be ongoing, and has been codenamed “SpearSpecter” by the Israel National Digital Agency […]
Oceanic volcanic eruptions may be echoes of ancient continental breakup
Eruptions of some mid-ocean volcanoes may be echoes of the breakup of supercontinents that lasted tens of millions of years after the Earth’s surface was rearranged, a new study suggests. A new study suggests that long after the continents broke apart, mantle instability caused by the breakup continues to erode the bases of the continents, […]
Chinese astronaut returns to Earth after being stranded in space due to suspicion of being ‘space junk’
Three Chinese astronauts stranded on China’s Tiangong Space Station due to debris believed to be space debris have returned to Earth, officials announced. The crew members of China’s Shenzhou 20 mission, Chen Dong, Wang Jie and Chen Zhongrui, left the space station in a return capsule on Friday (November 14) and landed in northern China’s […]
Inside Harvey: How a first-year legal associate built one of Silicon Valley’s hottest startups
Legal AI might not sound like the sexiest category in Silicon Valley, yet Harvey‘s CEO Winston Weinberg has captured the attention of virtually every top-tier investor in the Valley. The company’s backers read like a who’s who of venture capital: the OpenAI Startup Fund (its first institutional investor), Sequoia Capital, Kleiner Perkins, Elad Gil, Google […]
LockBit is back, but ransomware fragmentation reaches breaking point
Important points: We observed 85 active ransomware and extortion groups in Q3 2025, reflecting the most decentralized ransomware ecosystem ever. 1,590 victims were exposed across 85 breached sites, indicating high levels of continued activity despite law enforcement pressure. This quarter saw the launch of 14 new ransomware brands, proving how quickly affiliates can rebuild after […]
Chinese hackers use Anthropic’s AI to launch automated cyber espionage operations
In mid-September 2025, Chinese state-sponsored attackers used artificial intelligence (AI) technology developed by Anthropic to orchestrate an automated cyberattack as part of a “highly sophisticated espionage campaign.” “The attackers exploited AI’s ‘agent’ capabilities to an unprecedented degree, using AI not only as an advisor but also to carry out the cyberattack itself,” the AI startup […]
Patched Fortinet FortiWeb flaw exploited in attack to create administrator account
November 14, 2025Ravi LakshmananThreat Intelligence/Vulnerability Cybersecurity researchers have warned that the Fortinet Fortiweb WAF has an authentication bypass vulnerability that could allow an attacker to take over the administrator account and fully compromise the device. “The watchTowr team has observed active and indiscriminate field exploitation of vulnerabilities that appear to have been silently patched in […]
History of Science: Chemists Discover Buckyball – The Most Perfect Molecule in Existence – November 14, 1985
simple facts Milestone: ‘Buckyball’ discovered and described Date: November 14, 1985 Location: Rice University, Houston, Texas People: Harry Croteau, Richard Smalley, Robert Carle In 1985, scientists spent 10 frenetic days devising a new molecule with perfect symmetry, which they named after one of the 20th century’s most famous inventors and futurists. The search began in […]
Blue Origin sticks to first landing of New Glenn rocket, launches NASA spacecraft
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin landed the booster of its New Glenn giant rocket on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean on just its second attempt. It is the second company to accomplish such a feat, after Elon Musk’s SpaceX. This is an achievement that will help new rocket systems become an option for sending […]
Build mode starts from the beginning: How Forethought AI finds product-market fit
In the debut episode of the Build Mode podcast, host Isabel Johannessen speaks with Deon Nicholas, co-founder of Forethought AI, to uncover what it really takes to build a company that lasts, with and for your customers, from day one. Build Mode is TechCrunch’s new podcast, a messy, tactical, real-talk version that pulls back the […]