Author: TechBrunch

Few cybersecurity risks facing the United States today loom as large as the potential sabotage by Chinese-backed hackers, which senior U.S. national security officials have dubbed the “defining threat of our time.” It is expressed as. The United States said hackers backed by the Chinese government had penetrated deep into networks of critical U.S. infrastructure, including water, energy and transportation systems, in some cases for years. Officials say the goal is to lay the groundwork for a potentially devastating cyberattack in the event of a future conflict between China and the United States, including over a possible Chinese invasion of…

Welcome to Startups Weekly — a weekly roundup of must-sees from the world of startups. Want it delivered to your inbox every Friday? Sign up here. The second week of the year is usually a busy week for startup news, and 2025 is no exception. From CES product announcements to M&A and funding rounds, here's what you need to know. This week's most interesting startup stories Image credit: May Mobility Several startups announced new products at CES 2025, including Full Nature Farms and its farm irrigation system, Soliddd and its smart glasses for macular degeneration patients, and May Mobility and…

Companies that rely on physical supply chains (the networks of facilities and transportation systems used to move materials from one place to another) face many challenges, from staff shortages to rising customer expectations. facing. The pressure doesn't ease. According to a survey by real estate investment trust company Prologis, two-thirds of executives say they are losing sleep over supply chain-related issues. Barry Conlon and David Broe encountered some of these stressors themselves when founding FreightWatch, a startup that provides “freight visibility” and supply chain security solutions to commercial customers. After selling FreightWatch in 2012, Conlon and Broe saw an opportunity…

TikTok's lawyers argued in front of the Supreme Court on Friday that the social network's ban violates the First Amendment rights of TikTok and the American people. The Supreme Court this morning heard arguments on whether to overturn or delay a law that could effectively ban TikTok in the United States. The bill, officially called the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Control Applications Act, would give TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, until January 19, 2025, to sell its U.S. operations or sell it domestically. The law imposes a penalty of facing a business ban. Friday's trade comes just nine days before…

On Friday, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Russian nationals Roman Vitalievich Ostapenko, Aleksandr Evgenievich Oleinik, and Anton Vyaklavovich with running a service that helped criminals launder cryptocurrencies.・Announcing the indictment of Mr. Tarasov. The three were allegedly involved in operating two crypto mixers, Bender.io and Sinbad.io, which were used as “safe havens for the laundering of criminally derived money, including the proceeds of ransomware and wire fraud. It was working,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brent Wible. The statement was made in a press release by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation at the Ministry of Justice. Bender.io and Sinbad.io…

“We put AI into this. Does it work? Let's see.” That seemed to be the theme for some companies attending CES 2025, but beyond the experimental hype. Looking back, there were some (I think) important developments and cool new products. Today on TechCrunch's Equity Podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Margaux MacColl, Anthony Ha, and Max Zeff return to the mic to discuss the week's top news and hottest technologies. Listen to the full episode and hear what's next. Stocks will be back next week, so stay tuned! Equity is TechCrunch's flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo and posted every Wednesday and…

Chinese hackers have reportedly broken into key offices within the U.S. Treasury Department tasked with reviewing foreign investments and transactions that could threaten U.S. national security. CNN cited a U.S. official familiar with the incident as saying that the Chinese hackers were using the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which can approve or deny transactions with the United States, as well as transactions that pose national security risks, such as mergers and acquisitions. CFIUS) was targeted. Contains U.S. classified information. Treasury officials confirmed to TechCrunch last week that the company is investigating a “major cybersecurity incident” following…

Popular Los Angeles-based cannabis brand Stiiizy has admitted that hackers accessed a range of sensitive customer data during a cyberattack in November, including government-issued documents and medical marijuana cards. In a data breach notification filed this week with the California Attorney General's Office, Stiizy said it was informed by its POS processing vendor that an “organized cybercriminal group” had compromised the data of some of its retail stores. Ta. In a letter sent to affected customers, Stiizy acknowledged that hackers obtained processed customer data from an anonymous vendor between October 10, 2024 and November 10, 2024. Stiizy said the stolen…

Developers Max Brodeur-Urbas and Rahul Behal say AI has the potential to automate many business-related tasks, but many AI-powered automation tools on the market today are unreliable and expensive. We believe that this is the case. Brodeur-Urbas told TechCrunch that part of the problem is that users expect too much from AI. For example, users assume that they can handle highly specialized and niche workloads where accuracy is important. “If users want to use AI for enterprise purposes, the technology needs to have no margin for error,” Brodeur-Urbas said. “It is not realistic to completely delegate certain workflows to AI.…

CES 2025, the annual consumer technology conference in Las Vegas, is fast approaching. You can find all live updates here. Over the next few days, TechCrunch reporters will be on the ground bringing you the latest announcements and product announcements from Samsung, Nvidia, Toyota, Sony, and more. AI will likely be the focus of most companies' presentations, and we can expect it to be covered extensively throughout the event, from smart home upgrades to details on the hardware that powers AI in consumer devices. Beyond AI, robotics and transportation remain at the core of CES, and we may see some…