Author: Carter

The past year in federal cybersecurity policy was full of uncertainty, as a change in administration, expiring authorities and the emergence of artificial intelligence converged and led to plenty of questions about the future of the cybersecurity landscape. Going into 2026, cyber policymakers and experts are expecting some clarity, especially around the interplay of AI and cyber. Here are five things to watch when it comes to federal cyber issues as the new year gets underway: New national cyber strategy The White House is expected to issue a new national cyber strategy early in the new year. During an appearance…

Government officials in Hangzhou have grand ambitions to make their city in eastern China a global center for artificial intelligence—and the funds to try to make it happen. In June, they pledged $140 million to subsidize AI firms that operate in town. Not to be outdone, Shanghai promptly followed in July with its own $140 million subsidy program, and inaugurated an “AI innovation town” two months later with low-cost office space for start-ups in the sector. In the south, Shenzhen was already doling out $70 million a year to support local AI firms and research, while Chengdu, in the west,…

This AI giant has been soaring nicely of late, and investors can expect it to step on the gas in the new year.Palantir Technologies (PLTR 5.68%) stock is coming off another remarkable year. Shares of the artificial intelligence (AI) software specialist shot up by 143% in 2025, outperforming the broader market by a huge margin. It is worth noting that Palantir stock has jumped by 2,800% over the past three years. However, the broader sentiment on Wall Street suggests that the stock may have gotten ahead of itself. Though the company’s growth is accelerating at a solid pace and it…

SPRING CITY, Pa. — Tech companies and developers looking to plunge billions of dollars into ever-bigger data centers to power artificial intelligence and cloud computing are increasingly losing fights in communities where people don’t want to live next to them, or even near them.Communities across the United States are reading about — and learning from — each other’s battles against data center proposals that are fast multiplying in number and size to meet steep demand as developers branch out in search of faster connections to power sources.In many cases, municipal boards are trying to figure out whether energy- and water-hungry…

Twenty-five years of the new millennium have passed and we’re still waiting for the futuristic world we were promised: Living in space, hover-cars, jet packs and extraterrestrial encounters. However, one technology straight out of “The Jetsons” is tantalizingly close: humanoid robots. Even better, the field is being led by forward-thinking US companies, such as Agility Robotics and Tesla. The new breed of bots resemble humans, stand upright and can fold shirts, answer doors, get you coffee and take over back-breaking and monotonous factory work. The Neo Gamma is robot that will take care of all your domestic needs. Courtesy of…

The artificial intelligence boom looks poised to roll on in 2026.During 2025, artificial intelligence (AI) stocks like Nvidia and Palantir Technologies comfortably outperformed the broader market. But a new year can bring new opportunities, and some of the best returns in 2026 might come from the less-obvious areas of the AI industry. SentinelOne (S 2.40%) built a cybersecurity platform that uses AI to automate everything from threat detection to incident response. Datadog (DDOG 1.76%), on the other hand, designed a series of tools to help accelerate the pace of AI development, and they are going to be in high demand…

SPRING CITY, Pa. (AP) — Tech companies and developers looking to plunge billions of dollars into ever-bigger data centers to power artificial intelligence and cloud computing are increasingly losing fights in communities where people don’t want to live next to them, or even near them. Communities across the United States are reading about — and learning from — each other’s battles against data center proposals that are fast multiplying in number and size to meet steep demand as developers branch out in search of faster connections to power sources. In many cases, municipal boards are trying to figure out whether…

Why the Matters for Blockchain InvestorsAs the new year begins, the stock market shows early strength. The by a small margin, signaling positive vibes for investors. This modest gain sets a good tone. When big indexes like the S&P 500 rise, it often lifts riskier assets too. Think crypto and blockchain stocks. These areas thrive in bullish times.Blockchain stocks mix traditional finance with digital innovation. They include crypto exchanges, bitcoin miners, and firms holding digital assets. High trading volume means lots of buyer interest. It shows real demand. With the S&P 500 up, money flows into these high-volume blockchain stocks.…

Over 10,000 Fortinet firewalls worldwide remain vulnerable to a multi-factor authentication (MFA) bypass flaw first disclosed in mid-2020, even as active exploitation in the wild continues, security researchers and vendor advisories confirm. The persistence of this vulnerability — CVE-2020-12812, also tracked as FG-IR-19-283 — highlights ongoing challenges in patch adoption and hardened configuration among enterprises dependent on perimeter defence infrastructure. Old Bug, New Abuse Originally disclosed in July 2020, the vulnerability resides in the SSL VPN component of FortiOS, the operating system that powers Fortinet’s flagship FortiGate firewalls and secure gateway appliances. The bug enables an attacker to bypass secondary…

Maria Diaz/ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.Remember The Clapper? The plug-in staple may have made for a catchy jingle in the 1980s, but it could also be considered as a primitive ancestor of today’s smart plug — that is, if you can say anything from a few decades ago is primitive. Smart plugs offer greater convenience than The Clapper ever did, letting you control your devices from an app on your phone, your voice, or a schedule.Also: Unplugging these 7 common household devices greatly reduced my electricity billThere are many ways to use smart plugs to automate your…