TaxOff threat actors exploited a Google Chrome zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2025-2783) in March to deploy the Trinper backdoor through phishing emails disguised as forum invitations. The backdoor, written in C++, uses multithreading to steal files, capture keystrokes, and maintain command-and-control communications with remote servers. Google patched the vulnerability after Kaspersky reported the exploitation. Researchers suspect TaxOff may be connected to another hacking group called Team46 based on similar attack patterns.
This post provides a roadmap for growing a new or existing program through four phases of maturity. The first phase focuses on establishing the basics by appointing a Head of Security, establishing a governance process, conducting a breach assessment, and acting on the most critical results. The second phase focuses on comparing the organization's current state with established frameworks, developing a plan to close gaps, hiring MSSPs, and building a team. Phases 3 and 4 focus on furthering organizational maturity by establishing program management and aligning with business objectives, establishing continuous monitoring and guardrails, increasing resiliency, and training the team.
This post demonstrates how to exploit vulnerable Windows Secure Enclaves (VBS) by leveraging read-write primitives to achieve VTL1 code execution through ROP chaining and function table manipulation. It shows how CVE-2023-36880 and CVE-2024-21423 can be exploited in Microsoft Edge's preferences enclave to patch the VertValidTargetTable, enabling arbitrary function calls within the secure environment. The research resulted in practical sleep masking techniques for malware that hide implant memory from EDR detection by storing code in VTL1 while the implant sleeps, which has been integrated into the Outflank C2 and Beacon Booster tools.
CRADLE is a powerful tool for Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) analysts that combines collaborative note-taking, automated data linking, and dynamic visualizations for easy capture, analysis, and sharing of threat intelligence. It centralizes everything securely for incident investigation and report generation.
MICROSANDBOX is a self-hosted platform that securely runs untrusted user or AI-generated code using microVMs. It provides fast startup times (200ms) and strong isolation. It supports MCP and works with standard container images and OCI format containers.
Meta is adding targeted ads to WhatsApp's Updates feature. Despite the company reassuring users that the ads will only use data such as location and language and that messages remain end-to-end encrypted, many privacy experts expressed concern due to previous privacy issues with Meta's apps.
Cyberattacks often target community groups like hospitals and schools that lack the resources to defend themselves. Experts say stronger support from the government, private companies, and volunteers is needed to protect them. A new report calls for expanding cyber volunteer networks and creating shared security services.
Mobile wallets like Apple Pay are safer than cards, but they can still be hacked. Thieves can use features like Express Transit mode to steal money, even from locked phones. Users should turn off risky features and use strong security settings to stay safe.
2025.06.18·
paymentvillage.substack.com·2 min read·TLDR InfoSec
Hackers exploit a black market known as Hacklink to embed deceptive links in reputable websites, manipulating Google to elevate malicious or fraudulent sites in search rankings.
Delve ran 4 ads across 2 TLDR newsletters and brought in 66 leads, with a meaningful chunk from enterprise. The result: $1M in attributed pipeline and a 52x ROI.
Since 2013, social media as a news source in the US has doubled from 27% to 54%. It is now ahead of TV and online news sites. Weekly video consumption is high, with 72% watching online news content. The shift is most rapid among 18- to 24-year-olds, marking a fundamental change in how information is consumed. The trend is more pronounced in regions like Latin America and Southeast Asia, but not as much in Europe and Japan.
AI tools often collect behavioral data (i.e. clicks, scrolls, and hovers) to power recommendations, ads, and automations. However, the way they gather and interpret this information isn't always obvious. A lot of this data is inferred rather than explicitly given, which can lead to flawed assumptions. Brands should be cautious about relying too heavily on AI outputs without understanding where the data comes from and how it's labeled. Decisions based on shallow engagement data can create feedback loops, where mediocre content gets reinforced simply because it aligns with past low-effort interactions. Those using AI in content or customer experience should push for more transparency, ask what signals are being collected, and recognize that true intent isn't always reflected in surface-level behavior.
Focus on creating a seamless experience from registration to post-event content when hosting virtual events. Use a simple signup form and a landing page that clearly shows the value, speaker lineup, and agenda. Treat the event like a show, not a meeting. Add branded visuals, music, giveaways, and interactive features like live chat and Q&As to keep energy high. Plan your sessions with repurposing in mind so they become podcast episodes, social clips, and follow-up emails. Track campaign performance, drop-off points, and audience engagement to refine future events.
Interactive content formats including image sliders, assessments, and interactive videos help marketers increase content effectiveness by creating immersive experiences that invite user action. These formats not only enhance storytelling but also simplify complex decisions, such as selecting a product or understanding cost implications. As tools for building interactive content become more accessible, brands of all sizes are integrating these tactics into their strategy to elevate engagement, collect valuable first-party data, and strengthen their digital presence.
Consumer perception shifts with text tilt. Upward angles evoke energy and movement, while downward angles suggest calm and ease. Researchers found shoppers were significantly more likely to buy products when the text direction matched the product's intended emotional outcome, influencing both purchase intent and post-purchase satisfaction. The visual orientation triggered subconscious associations that impacted performance across ads, packaging, and landing pages.
Reddit is launching a new feature for advertisers that slots positive posts from Reddit users right under their ads. The new feature, called Conversation Summary Add-ons, dynamically integrates positive content from Reddit users directly below an advertiser's creative.
Facebook is merging all videos into the Reels format, removing the need to choose between posting a video or a reel. Audience controls remain intact, so users can still decide who sees their content. The Video tab will now be called the Reels tab, but content variety and recommendations won't change. Past videos will stay where they are, while all future video posts will automatically be shared as reels. These updates will roll out gradually across profiles and Pages.
As unhinged marketing becomes more common across social platforms, its ability to differentiate brands has weakened, with only 23% of consumers viewing it as genuinely bold. Brands that succeed are those that reflect a clear and consistent identity across all customer touchpoints, focusing on transparency and authenticity rather than manufactured chaos and short-term virality.
Ryan Hashemi, founder of Snowball, helps brands build strong internal YouTube teams by bridging the gap between corporate marketing and creator-driven content. Many brands rely on agencies or in-house teams that lack a clear YouTube strategy. Snowball focuses first on making content people love before tying it to business goals. It hires storytellers rather than traditional YouTube experts. It also applies creator economy principles to shift brands from costly ads toward building loyal audiences through organic content. The vision is for brands to become content studios that tell stories and own their audiences.
A waitlist isn't just a sign-up form—it's your first growth engine. With Clerk's drop-in <Waitlist /> component, you can validate your product idea, attract early adopters, and build momentum before launch. Plus, it connects directly with Loops so you can:
Claude was tasked with creating a chatbot app from scratch with an emphasis on testing, CI/CD, and observability. It was great at bootstrapping the project and setting up infrastructure, but weak in code migration and generating working code in one attempt.
A productive monorepo needs custom tooling to address challenges that arise as the repository grows. Instead of blindly copying solutions from large tech companies like Google and Meta, it's important to prioritize an organization's specific needs and values. A key principle is to make sure that operations on the repository are O(change) rather than O(repo) for the best performance.
While AI is great at menial tasks, its tendency to offer a single, seemingly perfect solution for complex problems can lead to technical debt and downplay problem-solving skills. Devs need to review AI-generated code critically and think about alternative solutions too.
Google Translate is a good analogy to use when discussing the impact of LLMs on computer programming. While some predict the end of programming due to AI tools, LLMs are more like advanced translation tools that augment, rather than replace, human expertise. Translators and interpreters still thrive by providing context and navigating ambiguity.
Google is expanding its Gemini 2.5 model family with the general availability of 2.5 Flash and Pro, as well as the introduction of 2.5 Flash-Lite, a faster and more cost-efficient model.
Genkit is an open-source framework from Firebase that makes the development, integration, testing, and deployment of AI-powered apps across multiple languages and platforms easier. It provides a unified interface to various AI models and streamlines AI development workflows.
Firebase Studio is a full-stack AI workspace that speeds up app development by using AI agents for backend, frontend, and mobile apps. It allows devs to quickly build by importing existing repositories or using AI tools like App Prototyping and Gemini Code Assist. It also has easy deployment to Firebase App Hosting.
For three decades, JPEG has been the dominant image format on the internet. Unlike the GIF, the JPEG document standard was built collaboratively, leading to its widespread adoption. Its compression method, Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT), is what allows it to be so efficient.
o3-Pro is a new, slower, and slightly better version of o3 that uses much more compute for complex problems. While it often delivers improved results, its slowness can disrupt workflows, making it comparable to Deep Research in terms of waiting time.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy sees a reduction in the company's corporate workforce in the future due to the increasing adoption of generative AI tools. Employees will adapt by learning how to utilize AI to improve efficiency and work with smaller teams.
After noticing many torrent trackers were dead, this developer resurrected the open.demonii.si tracker domain and, with minimal effort, found it was immediately servicing over 3 million peers across nearly 2 million torrents.
MCP, a standard protocol for connecting tools to large language models, has some vulnerabilities that need protecting against, such as composability chaining and tool poisoning.
Manual testing on personal devices is TOO SLOW AND TOO LIMITED. It forces teams to CUT RELEASES A WEEK EARLY just to test before submitting them to app stores. And without broad device coverage, issues slip through.
OpenAI wants to loosen Microsoft's grip on its products and computing resources and secure approval for its conversion into a for-profit company, but negotiations have been difficult. The company's executives have discussed the option of accusing Microsoft of anticompetitive behavior during their partnership - this could result in a regulatory review of the terms of the contract for potential violations of antitrust law. OpenAI must complete its conversion to a public-benefit corporation by the end of the year or it risks losing $20 billion in funding.
WhatsApp will now show ads from businesses through its Stories-like status feature. Ads will be tailored to users using limited information, like location, language, and followed channels. Users can change their ad preferences from Meta's Accounts Center. WhatsApp will now also start showing promoted channels when users click on the Explore button and it is rolling out the ability to subscribe to channels to receive exclusive updates.
Denmark's armed forces are trialing uncrewed robotic sailboats known as Voyagers. The 10-meter-long vessels carry no crew and are designed for surveillance. Powered by wind and solar energy, they can operate autonomously for months at sea. The vessels carry advanced sensors, including radar, infrared and optical cameras, and sonar. They are aimed at identifying maritime threats like damage to undersea cables, illegal fishing, and smuggling.
A small town in Finland recently started using the world's largest sand-based battery. Sand batteries are a type of thermal storage system that uses sand or crushed rock to store heat, which can be later used for various things like warming buildings. They are typically 'charged' by using electricity to heat the sand. The battery will help slash carbon emissions and help the town eliminate the costly oil that currently helps power its district heating network. The cost of the project has not been revealed, but the raw materials were cheap and the structure itself isn't particularly complex.
Delve ran 4 ads across 2 TLDR newsletters and brought in 66 leads, with a meaningful chunk from enterprise. The result: $1M in attributed pipeline and a 52x ROI.