🔓 DeepSeek Data Leak, WordPress Malware, Vodafone’s Satellite Call
Good morning. It’s Thursday, January 30. Today we are covering:
Exposed DeepSeek Database Revealed Chat Prompts and Internal Data
Hackers are hijacking WordPress sites to push Windows and Mac malware
Vodafone makes 'world's first' satellite video call from a regular phone ahead of 2025 rollout
Trump Media launches FinTech services brand amid crypto boom
Aurora supercomputer is now fully operational, available to researchers
Let’s dive in
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Exposed DeepSeek Database Revealed Chat Prompts and Internal Data
By Lily Hay Newman via WIRED
DeepSeek, a rapidly growing Chinese AI platform, accidentally exposed over 1 million user records, including chat prompts, API keys, and system logs, due to an unprotected ClickHouse database, raising severe security concerns.
Wiz researchers discovered the vulnerability with minimal effort and struggled to alert DeepSeek, which only secured the database after their mass-contact attempt, leaving uncertainty over whether malicious actors accessed the data.
The breach adds to mounting scrutiny of DeepSeek, as its similarity to OpenAI, potential data privacy risks, and Chinese ownership have triggered global regulatory concerns, with Italy restricting access and the U.S. Navy warning personnel against using it.
𝕏: This is why you don't store user data. If you want to use DeepSeek without this happening, try http://Venice.ai. No user convos are stored ever anywhere. - Erik Voorhees (@ErikVoorhees)
Hackers are hijacking WordPress sites to push Windows and Mac malware
By Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai via TechCrunch
Hackers are exploiting outdated WordPress sites and plugins to inject malicious scripts, tricking visitors into downloading password-stealing malware targeting both Windows (SocGholish) and Mac (Amos Atomic Stealer) users.
The attack, discovered by web security firm c/side, affects over 10,000 websites, including some highly ranked ones, and deploys fake Chrome update pages to lure victims into downloading malware.
The campaign, described as "widespread and highly commercialized," underscores the ongoing threat of infostealer malware, which has been linked to major breaches, including the 2024 Snowflake data theft.
𝕏: NEW: Hackers are hijacking several WordPress sites to "spray and pray" Windows and MacOS malware, according to a cybersecurity firm. Company says there are thousands of compromised websites and as of yesterday the hacking campaign was “very much live.” - Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai (@lorenzofb)
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Vodafone makes 'world's first' satellite video call from a regular phone ahead of 2025 rollout
By Dominic Preston via The Verge
Vodafone, in partnership with AST SpaceMobile, completed the world’s first satellite video call from a standard smartphone in a remote area with no prior mobile coverage, ahead of a planned European rollout in late 2025.
The direct-to-smartphone satellite service will provide 4G and 5G broadband without dedicated satellite hardware, aiming to close coverage gaps in remote areas, with speeds up to 120 Mbps—surpassing existing satellite-based text-only services.
Competitors like AT&T, Verizon, and SpaceX’s Starlink are also developing similar satellite-to-smartphone networks, but Vodafone’s test highlights its capability to provide full broadband services, rather than just text messaging or emergency features.
Trump Media launches FinTech services brand amid crypto boom
Reuters
Trump Media & Technology Group announced the launch of Truth.Fi, a new FinTech and financial services brand, driving its stock up over 15% in premarket trading.
The company’s board authorized a $250 million investment through Charles Schwab, aiming to diversify its cash holdings, which exceeded $700 million at the end of last year.
Funds will be allocated across exchange-traded funds (ETFs), separately managed accounts, Bitcoin, and other cryptocurrencies, signaling a broader push into digital assets and investment services.
Aurora supercomputer is now fully operational, available to researchers
By Anton Shilov via Tom's Hardware
Aurora, the long-delayed exascale supercomputer at Argonne National Laboratory, is now fully operational and available for open scientific research, offering 1+ FP64 ExaFLOPS for simulations and 11.6 mixed precision ExaFLOPS for AI and machine learning.
The system will support large-scale scientific projects, including detailed simulations of the human circulatory system, nuclear reactors, and supernova explosions, as well as AI-driven research like AuroraGPT, a science-focused large language model.
Built with Intel Xeon Max processors and Ponte Vecchio GPUs, Aurora consists of 21,248 CPUs, 63,744 GPUs, 220 PB of storage, and 8.16 PB of HBM2E memory, making it the world’s most powerful AI-focused supercomputer.
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