Sci-Tech news

• Malicious cloud customers can bring down the power grid

  20-07-2026 21:15 via theregister.com
  
  AI datacenters wreak havoc on the power grid under normal circumstances, so what happens if a bad actor controls all the GPUs and wants to cause harm? Cybersecurity researchers in China have devised a way for malicious tenants to attack their infrastructure provider, potentially causing blackouts or damaging equipment. The attack, dubbed Bit2Watt, imagines an adversary masquerading as a legitimate cloud tenant to launch GPU workloads that have the potential to damage datacenters and supporting e
  
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• AMD and Cerebras join forces against Nvidia’s Groq LPUs

  23-07-2026 23:33 via theregister.com
  
  GPUs are great for training, but for inference, you need a heavy dose of speedy memory to churn out the tokens. AMD has tapped Cerebras Systems to develop a disaggregated compute platform combining Instinct GPUs with the chip startup's SRAM-powered AI accelerators. The goal: to deliver ultra-low-latency inference for agentic workloads. The collaboration, announced on stage during AMD CEO Lisa Su's Advancing AI keynote Thursday, closes a gap in AMD's portfolio that cost Nvidia $20 billion to acqu
  
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• Horrifying video shows Bertha destroying coastal houses as dangerous storm will make second landfall TODAY

  23-07-2026 22:56 via dailymail.com
  
  Tropical storm Bertha is wreaking havoc across the US Gulf coast after it made landfall in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana on Wednesday afternoon.
  
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• OpenAI won't let some customers export their chats, but this tool will

  23-07-2026 22:48 via theregister.com
  
  ChatGPT Business and Enterprise users cannot export workspace chats through OpenAI's standard data export option, but a new free tool offers an unofficial way to retrieve their accessible chat records. Scrapemychats, from freelance journalist Conrad Quilty-Harper, makes it possible for those ChatGPT subscribers to retain a copy of their chat sessions before leaving for other AI pastures. Quilty-Harper just published it this week on GitHub. “I made the stupid decision to upgrade from a pers
  
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• Stay indoors warnings issued in five US states TODAY as blood-penetrating toxins fill the air

  23-07-2026 22:15 via dailymail.com
  
  Officials are urging Americans in five states to stay indoors on Thursday as harmful toxins fill the air. These particles penetrate deep in the lungs and bloodstream.
  
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• Codeberg gives vibe-coded projects the toss, promotes human FLOSS

  23-07-2026 21:26 via theregister.com
  
  You can take your vibe-coded project elsewhere. Codeberg, a volunteer-run code hosting community, has decided that AI-authored software is no longer welcome. On Thursday, Codeberg announced that the members of Codeberg e.V., the Berlin-based non-profit overseeing the code hosting service, had voted to ban "vibe-coded projects" and declared that Codeberg would not use users’ code or data for AI training due to its impact on Free, Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS). The vote follows ongo
  
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• AMD attacks the rack with Helios systems that rival Nvidia's

  23-07-2026 19:26 via theregister.com
  
  Could Nvidia's days of datacenter dominance be threatened? With the launch of Helios, AMD’s first true rack-scale AI platform, the House of Zen is done playing catch up. The company claims the rack system is powered by the fastest AI accelerators on the market. And, at least on paper, the 72-GPU system is not only bigger and faster by nearly every metric than Nvidia’s existing Blackwell-based rack systems but Vera Rubin as well, and that includes the rack. Measuring in at 1.2 meters
  
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• Car-sized great white shark weighing over 1,000lbs resurfaces off North American coast after vanishing for months

  23-07-2026 18:55 via dailymail.com
  
  A massive car-sized great white shark, weighing over 1,000 pounds, has resurfaced months after disappearing from researchers' trackers.
  
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• Horrifying video shows Bertha destroying coastal houses as dangerous storm will make second landfall TODAY: Live updates

  23-07-2026 18:51 via dailymail.com
  
  Tropical storm Bertha is wreaking havoc across the US Gulf coast after it made landfall in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana on Wednesday afternoon.
  
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• Year-long Russian attacks infect users as soon as they look at an email

  23-07-2026 18:47 via theregister.com
  
  Kremlin cyber goons have been breaking into government and commercial networks for at least a year by exploiting a Zimbra bug with a novel twist on Russia’s usual phishing expeditions: this attack occurs as soon as the victim looks at an email, with no need to even click on a link or open a file. These attacks have been ongoing since July 2025, according to a whopping 27 US, UK, and other international government agencies, which attribute the intrusions to a group they track as Laundry Bea
  
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• Model Context Protocol prepares to break with its stateful past

  23-07-2026 18:15 via theregister.com
  
  AI seemed simpler in 2024 when Anthropic released the first version of the Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard for connecting AI applications to external systems. Back then, developers primarily used the protocol on their personal computers. As those laptop-bound demos were adapted for multi-client enterprise use, MCP servers moved into the cloud, where the original design quickly created scalability problems. On July 28, MCP's maintainers plan to finalize the protocol's 2026-07-28 re
  
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• Millions of California-bought cars can be hijacked via Bluetooth

  23-07-2026 18:12 via theregister.com
  
  At least 2.2 million vehicles fitted with dealer-installed KARR and SWDS security systems are vulnerable to nearby Bluetooth attacks that can unlock doors or prevent a stopped vehicle from starting, according to researchers at the University of California San Diego. An advance look at the research published by UCSD this week (the full writeup won’t be available until August 12) reveals that KARR and SWDS security devices manufactured by Acrisure contain a serious flaw: They “all &hel
  
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• Public Horrified As OpenAI Pushes “Child After Child Into The Grave”

  23-07-2026 18:02 via technocracy.news
  
  I reported on the death of a teenager last year, but a trend has emerged that underscores Sam Altman’s inaction to stop OpenAI from coaching kids to kill themselves. But Google’s Gemini and Meta are almost as bad. Notably, however, Anthropic has not faced any accusations, which means its competitors could end the behavior if they wanted to. That is the bottom line. If you value your kids’ mental health, keep them away from ChatGPT, Meta, and Gemini. ⁃ Patrick Wood, E
  
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• Oracle drops 1,449 security patches like it's the new normal

  23-07-2026 17:31 via theregister.com
  
  It's a bad day to be an Oracle admin: Big Red has just released 1,449 security patches ready to be applied. The patches were released as part of the company's quarterly security fixes, and the record number may partly reflect Oracle's internal push to harness AI for vulnerability detection, which it announced in April. Oracle also manages a huge product portfolio, and the patches span numerous products, so the total shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. Instead, experts speaking to The Regis
  
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• Space Datacenters Proposed By Musk And Bezos ‘Catastrophic’ For Planet, Experts Warn

  23-07-2026 17:18 via technocracy.news
  
  Arch-Technocrat Elon Musk is obsessed with “humanity’s multi-planetary future amongst the stars,” even as he is wrecking our planet here. Jeff Bezos is right behind him. Why do they want to put data centers in space? Because they can. Both have a twisted notion that we can escape the “big blue marble” to fulfill our destiny in outer space. This is insanity, and insane people never ask permission to do insane things. ⁃ Patrick Wood, Editor.Space datacenters pro
  
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• GitHub slashes public bug bounty payouts as AI report flood buries its security team

  23-07-2026 17:15 via theregister.com
  
  GitHub has decided that, if everyone with an AI chatbot can file a bug bounty report, it may as well stop paying them like seasoned security researchers. Starting July 27, the Microsoft-owned code forge is overhauling its bug bounty program with a two-tier system that cuts rewards for public submissions while dangling much fatter payouts to a new invite-only group of researchers with proven track records. At the same time, newcomers will find themselves capped on how many reports they can submit
  
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• How you could live to 190: Scientists discover the ultimate limit of the human lifespan

  23-07-2026 16:45 via dailymail.com
  
  Scientists have uncovered the ultimate limit of the human lifespan, and it means that you could live to be 190 years old.
  
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• Iran-linked crews are probing more flavors of US industrial kit

  23-07-2026 16:30 via theregister.com
  
  The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has expanded the scope of its alert on Iranian-affiliated hackers attacking critical infrastructure, including water and energy facilities. The original advisory focused on programmable logic controllers (PLCs) manufactured by Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley. The update warns that the activity may also target devices from Schneider Electric, Siemens, "and potentially other branded/manufactured PLCs." The conflict between the US and
  
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• Moment terrified bear clings to top of 35ft telephone pole before suffering gruesome fate

  23-07-2026 16:16 via dailymail.com
  
  Onlookers shared footage of the stranded bear as it balanced on the pole's crossarm, panting in fear and struggling to keep its footing 35 feet in the air.
  
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• Living up to their 'killer' reputation: The moment orcas smash a two-ton fish into bite-sized baby food

  23-07-2026 16:08 via dailymail.com
  
  Orcas have once again proven they deserve their 'killer' reputation, as scientists capture a brutal never-before-seen behaviour.
  
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• Urgent evacuation warnings as Tropical Storm Bertha makes second landfall on US coast TODAY

  23-07-2026 16:00 via dailymail.com
  
  Millions more Americans are expected to be in the path of Tropical Storm Bertha as it makes its second landfall in as many days.
  
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• Tesla burns through a billion as Musk bets the farm on chips and bots

  23-07-2026 15:45 via theregister.com
  
  Tesla's investment bill ballooned in calendar Q2 as Elon Musk's biz entered what it calls its "largest and most exciting period of investment. The company has poured resources into AI silicon and robotics, with capex [PDF] more than doubling from $2.5 billion in the previous quarter to $5.8 billion. That left Tesla with negative free cash flow of $1.1 billion, down 848 percent year-on-year. It expects spending to keep rising and exceed $25 billion for the year. During the earnings call, Musk tal
  
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• One ChatGPT link could smuggle a rogue AI agent into your company

  23-07-2026 15:02 via theregister.com
  
  One click on what looked like an ordinary ChatGPT link could plant an attacker-controlled AI agent inside a company's ChatGPT workspace, according to researchers who uncovered a flaw in OpenAI's workspace agents. Security firm Zenity Labs has dubbed the bug "AgentForger," saying its proof-of-concept showed it was possible to silently create, configure, publish, and schedule a malicious workspace agent inside a victim's ChatGPT account. The technique depended on the victim belonging to a workspac
  
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• Once-in-a-century earthquake strikes Texas with shockwaves felt across multiple states

  23-07-2026 14:50 via dailymail.com
  
  A region in Texas has experienced its strongest earthquake in more than 100 years. Locals reported homes shaking, and shockwaves were felt across multiple states.
  
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• If you get knocked on the head and get all your devices stolen and have amnesia, Google will let you back in with a selfie

  23-07-2026 14:30 via theregister.com
  
  Tired of worrying about how you might recover all the precious data stored in your Google account if you somehow lose your devices and forget your email address and phone number? Just give Google a video of your face and AI will recognize you to restore access. Selfie sign-ins are now available for Google accounts, the Chocolate Factory announced on Thursday. This option is restricted to regaining access after email or phone recovery options fail. Going through the process of adding a verificati
  
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• What could go wrong? Watch as two humanoid robots perform SURGERY on pigs - as scientists say humans could be next

  23-07-2026 14:13 via dailymail.com
  
  Humanoid robots have performed surgery on live animals for the very first time in an astonishing new breakthrough.
  
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• Swiss train maker tells ransomware crooks to get off at the next stop

  23-07-2026 13:58 via theregister.com
  
  Swiss rail manufacturer Stadler Rail says it refused a CHF 10 million ($12.3 million) ransom demand after the Everest ransomware gang compromised one of its suppliers. Stadler will not pay, and based on its account of events, the company appears to have got off lightly. It stated that "no security-relevant data [was] affected" in the breach, which was limited to "technical information from a supplier." According to its announcement, "no relevant personal data was stolen," and the incident had no
  
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• IBM insists AI didn't kill software deals, just delayed them

  23-07-2026 13:34 via theregister.com
  
  IBM is asking investors to view calendar Q2's software wobble as merely a temporary AI-induced panic attack, insisting the delayed deals that triggered one of its steepest stock slides in years are already starting to return. Just over a week after its preliminary results sent stock tumbling, Big Blue devoted much of its earnings call to arguing that nothing fundamental had changed. Customers hadn't abandoned software, executives insisted; they'd simply emptied their wallets on servers, storage,
  
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• Firefox 153 contains itself while Thunderbird 153 fixes almost everything

  23-07-2026 13:14 via theregister.com
  
  Mozilla released Firefox 153 on Tuesday, closely followed by MZLA with Thunderbird 153 – codenamed "Meadow" for reasons that remain obscure for now. Firefox 153 is Mozilla's new Extended Support Release (ESR), so it will receive security updates until some time after the next ESR in mid-2027. We covered the highlights of what's new in this version last week. Firefox 153 will be good news if you used the Multi-Account Containers extension: a preview version of the functionality is now built
  
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• Stats watchdog prescribes stronger caveats for NHS Palantir claims

  23-07-2026 12:34 via theregister.com
  
  The UK's statistical regulator has told NHS England to ensure ministers are briefed accurately following a row over data used to promote the purported benefits of a Palantir-run platform. The Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) said the health quango had accepted that it needed to communicate more clearly about data purporting to measure the benefits of the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP), which is based on the US spy-tech firm's technology under a £330 million contract. "We expect NH
  
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