Author: Carter

A group of organizations focused on privacy and internet freedom, spearheaded by the Tor Project, has launched a new cryptocurrency fundraising initiative to bolster digital infrastructure that resists censorship.This pioneering Web3 crowdfunding effort for internet freedom tools will back 10 nonprofit initiatives working in areas like privacy, bypassing censorship, secure communications, and public-interest digital infrastructure, according to the campaign organizers, Tor Project and Funding the Commons.The initiative, starting May 19, welcomes cryptocurrency donations in Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Zcash (ZEC), Monero (XMR), and Golem (GLM).Tor Project communications director, Pavel Zoneff, told Cointelegraph that the collaboration with privacy-focused cryptocurrencies is a…

Microsoft has taken down a malware-signing-as-a-service (MSaaS) scheme that exploited the company’s Artifact Signing platform to produce fake code-signing certificates. These certificates were then used by ransomware groups and other cybercriminals to make their malicious software appear trustworthy. A report released today by Microsoft Threat Intelligence reveals that a threat group known as Fox Tempest leveraged the Microsoft Artifact Signing service to generate short-lived certificates. These certificates enabled malware to be digitally signed, causing both users and operating systems to treat it as legitimate software. Azure Artifact Signing (formerly called Trusted Signing) is a cloud-based tool introduced by Microsoft in…

We are excited to announce the general availability (GA) of Entra-Only identities for Azure Files SMB. With native Microsoft Entra ID authentication, organizations can now grant secure, identity-based access to SMB file shares using cloud-native-only identities. We’re thrilled to share that Entra-Only identities for Azure Files SMB are now generally available (GA). Thanks to built-in Microsoft Entra ID authentication, businesses can now provide secure, identity-driven access to SMB file shares using purely cloud-based identities. This eliminates the need for Active Directory, hybrid synchronization, or managed domain controllers—dramatically streamlining your architecture while cutting down on ongoing management and maintenance expenses. Entra-Only…

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways OpenAI now uses C2PA metadata and SynthID watermarks.Hidden pixel signals can help identify AI-generated images.A public OpenAI verification tool is also rolling out.Today, OpenAI announced what it calls content provenance signals across its image ecosystem. In other words, it’s tagging its AI-generated images as AI-generated.This is not new. OpenAI and other AI tools have been embedding metadata in AI-generated images since 2024. The problem was that the metadata tagging was pretty easy to defeat. What is new is that OpenAI is upping its…

Anker Solix F3800 Plus + 410W Solar Panels pros and cons Pros Works well as an expandable, small-scale solar setup.Helps you save between $12-$25 a month, depending on local rates.Flexible scalability means a smaller initial investment. Cons Savings depend on your location, panel angle, and rates.The F3800 Plus isn’t as portable as other batteries.While cheaper than whole-home backup systems, it’s still expensive. Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.As temperatures climb, so do electricity bills. I’ve been testing ways to reduce my energy costs using solar power, and I’ve found a practical solution. The Anker Solix F3800…

Building a multimodal recommender system is no simple task, particularly when it must scale effectively, adapt almost instantly, and operate reliably in a cloud environment. In this article, I share my firsthand experience creating and launching such a system from start to finish, covering everything from preparing data and training models to deploying them in a live production setting. We will examine the complete pipeline, including retrieval, filtering, scoring, and ranking, along with the infrastructure and critical decisions that make it all function. This includes feature stores, Bloom filters, Kubeflow, near real-time preference adaptation, and a significant performance boost achieved…

Digital-asset neobanking has evolved well past simple cryptocurrency access. Today, the sector includes companies that blend traditional banking-style features—such as checking accounts, direct deposits, debit cards, savings options, and formal banking partnerships or charters—with native crypto offerings embedded directly into their main financial application. Best Digital Assets Neobank is a category within the BeInCrypto Institutional 100, under Pillar 1: Retail to Crypto Bridge. The eight firms listed below appear in alphabetical order and are not ranked. A shortlist will be revealed in May 2026, with the winner announced at Proof of Talk in Paris on June 2–3, 2026. Key Facts…

When Matt Schlicht created Moltbook—a social network designed for AI agents to communicate—he didn’t write the code himself. Instead, he relied on vibe coding, guided purely by his vision. The platform launched on January 28, 2026, and within days, security researchers began uncovering significant vulnerabilities. Experts from cloud security firm Wiz, along with independent researcher Jameson O’Reilly, found that Moltbook’s backend database—hosted on Supabase—was misconfigured. This flaw allowed unrestricted read and write access to sensitive platform data. According to a blog post by Wiz researchers, the exposed data included 1.5 million API authentication tokens, 35,000 email addresses, and private messages…

As the Trump administration works to reshape how federal workers can challenge unfavorable job actions, former officials from the Merit Systems Protection Board are sounding the alarm about serious risks to the civil service. In recent months, the Office of Personnel Management has put forward several new rules aimed at altering the appeals process for federal employees who feel they were unfairly fired by their agencies. While these rules haven’t been finalized yet, three separate proposals would shift decision-making power to OPM. Since it was established in 1978 through the Civil Service Reform Act, MSPB has been responsible for handling…

Jack Wallen/ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeawaysBoth Kubuntu and Fedora KDE feature the KDE Plasma desktop environment.Each distro handles the desktop experience differently.One option might be better suited for beginners.I’ve become a big fan of KDE Plasma. It’s visually stunning, responsive, quick, and as reliable as any desktop available today. Beyond that, it includes capabilities other desktops can only aspire to, such as KDE Activities, KRunner, Window Rules, and KDE Connect.However, when you decide to give KDE Plasma a try, you’ll discover multiple distributions offering this open-source desktop. So which one should you pick?Also:…