Oracle warned its corporate customers that there is a critical-rated vulnerability in its PeopleSoft software, which is used by large companies to manage payroll and human resources, a day after a cybercrime group took credit for abusing the flaw as part of a mass-hacking campaign. Mandiant, the Google-owned security unit that investigates cyberattacks, warned in a blog post that the new Oracle flaw is the same bug that the ShinyHunters group is abusing in its hacking campaign targeting PeopleSoft customers. Oracle, which has not released a patch for the vulnerability at the time of writing, said in the advisory that the bug can be exploited over the internet without needing any authentication, such as a password. On Wednesday, a ShinyHunters member told TechCrunch that the gang compromised the companies by abusing an unpatched flaw in PeopleSoft servers. The bug is known as a zero-day because the company affected, in this case Oracle, had no time to fix it before it was discovered and exploited....

Over the months, many countries have announced plans to restrict social media access for children and teens. Australia became the first to implement such measures at the end of last year, setting a precedent that other countries are now closely watching. Australia's regulations, along with other countries' proposals, aim to reduce the pressures and risks that young users may face on social media, which include cyberbullying, addiction, mental health issues, and exposure to predators. Of course, there are concerns about privacy regarding invasive age verification and excessive government intervention. Critics, including Amnesty Tech, have said such bans are ineffective and that they ignore the realities of younger generations. Despite this, many nations are moving ahead with proposed legislation. Australia became the world's first country to ban social media for children under 16 in December 2025. The ban blocks children from using Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, Reddit, Twitch, and Kick. It notably doesn't include WhatsApp or YouTube Kids....

A new report by cybersecurity giant CrowdStrike found North Korean hackers posing as remote IT workers and online recruiters made up about half of all documented 'hands-on-keyboard' intrusions at U.S. tech companies over the past year. The company's latest annual report on the cybersecurity landscape highlights the growing threat from North Korean operatives, which have become a significant source of cyber intrusions across the tech industry. Hackers associated with the Kim Jong Un regime continuously target companies and developers with schemes aimed at stealing information and cryptocurrency to fund Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program, which is banned under international law. CrowdStrike said that during the period covered by the report ' April 2025 to May 2026 ' the North Korean hacking group that the company calls 'Famous Chollima' accounted for 47% of all state-backed activity targeting the tech sector. The security giant keeps track of hands-on-keyboard intrusions because they typically represent real human hackers conducting malicious and evasive cyber activity, rather than automated malware that traditional security tools can catch. These attacks generally begin with stolen passwords or credentials, followed by the abuse of legitimate tools already present in the target's systems to maintain persistent access over time....

For years, our social media experiences have been dominated by Big Tech players like Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), Google (YouTube), Snapchat, TikTok, and X. But a growing number of startups are taking aim at these giants by building new, often smaller and more personal social networking experiences to connect people with friends, interests, and tighter-knit communities. If you're looking for a way to extricate yourself from the grip of traditional social media and Big Tech products in general, there are a number of interesting alternatives available. Many of them cater to Gen Z and younger, a group that's often more willing to build their social networks within new spaces compared to people with well-established networks that sit on aging platforms. Retro is a thoughtfully designed photo-sharing app focused on building connections with friends in a more private format. Created by two former Instagram team members, Nathan Sharp and Ryan Olson, the app offers simple ways to share photos with the people in your life who matter, as well as others that help you reconnect with your own memories. You can select certain photos to highlight every week, dump photos into albums, and find and follow others via search features. You also have your own user profile that includes privacy controls that allow you to choose which of your friends can see more than your most recent month's worth of photos....