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US lost record $16.6 billion to cybercrime in 2024
The FBI says cybercriminals have stolen a record $16,6 billion in 2024, marking an increase in losses of over 33% compared to the previous year. According to the bureau’s annual Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) report, IC3 recorded 859,532 complaints last year (256,256 with actual loss), amounting to an average loss of $19,372. The most impacted group is older Americans,…
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WordPress ad-fraud plugins generated 1.4 billion ad requests per day
A large-scale ad fraud operation called ‘Scallywag’ is monetizing pirating and URL shortening sites through specially crafted WordPress plugins that generate billions of daily fraudulent requests. Scallywag was uncovered by bot and fraud detection firm HUMAN, which mapped a network of 407 domains supporting the operation that peaked at 1.4 billion fraudulent ad requests per day. HUMAN’s efforts to block…
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Google blocked over 5 billion ads in 2024 amid rise in AI-powered scams
Google blocked 5.1 billion ads and suspended more than 39.2 million advertiser accounts in 2024, according to its 2024 Ads Safety Report released this week. The company says the increasing enforcement activity is caused by the growing threat of AI-generated content, impersonation scams, and abuse of its ad platform. In particular, Google highlighted the use of generative AI tools to create deepfake…
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Nvidia braces for a $5.5 billion hit as tariffs reach the semiconductor industry
Nvidia said it will incur a $5.5bn cost due to the US government’s tightened export rules imposed on China. The chip manufacturer is one of the key providers behind the boom in artificial intelligence technologies, but it will now require a license to export its H20 AI processors to China. An escalating trade war between the US and China has…
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Poor cybersecurity practices cost SMBs £3.4 billion a year – and 28% risk going out of business after a single attack
Small businesses across the UK are losing £3.4 billion a year thanks to inadequate cybersecurity measures, according to new research. Cyber attacks against SMBs have surged in recent years, analysis from Vodafone Business shows, with more than a third experiencing a cyber incident last year alone. Meanwhile, 28% had between one and five attempted attacks, and 6% were targeted up…
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Google shakes off tariff concerns to push on with $75 billion AI spending plans – but analysts warn rising infrastructure costs will send cloud prices sky high
Google CEO Sundar Pichai has confirmed the company will still spend $75 billion on building out data centers despite economic concerns in the wake of US tariffs. While many were paused or reduced yesterday, heavy tariffs still remain on China, potentially raising the cost of infrastructure projects deemed necessary to enable the development and rollout of AI. Speaking at the…
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EU Invests €1.3 Billion to Boost AI Adoption & Improve ‘Digital Competencies’
Image: seventyfourimages/Envato Elements The EU is pouring €1.3 billion ($1.4 billion) over the next two years to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies. The funding will support the development and testing of “immersive environments” to apply in healthcare for purposes like training and virtual patient assessments. The investment will also support the implementation of the AI Act, which ensures…
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OpenAI just raised another $40 billion funding round
OpenAI is set to receive $10 billion up front (SoftBank will invest $7.5 billion along with $2.5 billion “from an investor syndicate,“ according to Bloomberg). The remaining $30 billion is slated to arrive by year’s end, CNBC reported — but only if it officially converts into a for-profit company by then. If not, it reportedly stands to lose a quarter…
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Elon Musk’s xAI buys Elon Musk’s X for $33 billion on paper
A few years after buying Twitter for $44 billion, Elon Musk announced that his AI business xAI has acquired the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. In a tweet, he described it as an all-stock transaction, valuing xAI at $80 billion and X at $33 billion, including $12 billion in debt it had as part of his takeover.…
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Google confirms Wiz acquisition in record-breaking $32 billion deal
Google has confirmed plans to acquire cloud security firm Wiz in a deal worth $32 billion. The deal marks the biggest acquisition yet for the tech giant, more than double its $12.5 billion buyout of Motorola in 2012, before selling it off again two years later for a fraction of that price. The tech giant said the acquisition represents an…
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