Author: Frank Salvato

The FBI has issued a flash security alert revealing a sharp increase in automated teller machine (ATM) “jackpotting” attacks across the United States, with more than 700 such incidents occurring in 2025 that collectively netted cybercriminals over $20 million. These crimes involve physical and digital breaches of ATM hardware, often using generic keys to gain access and installing malware like Ploutus that manipulates the machine to dispense cash on demand without any legitimate transaction or bank authorization. Since 2020, roughly 1,900 ATM jackpotting cases have been reported, illustrating a concerning trend in cyber-physical attacks that exploit software vulnerabilities and weak…

Meta announced that it will shut down its standalone messenger.com website in April 2026, folding web-based Messenger functionality back into Facebook’s main platform and continuing mobile support through the Messenger app, with web visitors automatically redirected to facebook.com/messages for chatting. This move follows the company’s earlier retirement of Messenger’s standalone desktop apps for Windows and Mac, and represents another step in consolidating the messaging experience under Facebook’s ecosystem while reducing support for independent Messenger access points. Users can still send and receive messages on the web through Facebook’s interface or via the mobile app, though those who previously used messenger.com…

Microsoft acknowledged that a software bug within its Office suite allowed certain customers’ confidential emails to be inadvertently exposed to its Copilot artificial intelligence system, raising fresh concerns about enterprise data security and the aggressive integration of AI into workplace tools. The issue reportedly stemmed from a configuration flaw that caused some email content, which should have remained siloed, to become accessible for processing by Copilot’s AI features. While Microsoft stated there is no evidence of widespread misuse or external breach, the admission underscores mounting scrutiny over how major technology firms are embedding generative AI into core productivity platforms. The…

Audible has rolled out a major update to its audiobook app with a new “Read & Listen” immersion reading feature that lets users follow along with text while hearing the professional narration in real time as long as they own both the Kindle e-book and audiobook versions of a title; the feature highlights text in sync with the audio and is designed to improve focus and comprehension, initially launching in the United States with hundreds of thousands of supported titles and plans to expand to the UK, Australia, and Germany in the coming months. Sources https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/880719/audible-immersion-reading-read-and-listenhttps://www.audible.com/about/newsroom/audible-launches-immersion-reading-for-deeper-engagement-with-bookshttps://9to5mac.com/2026/02/18/amazon-adds-read-and-listen-mode-to-audible-app-for-immersion-reading-feature Key Takeaways • Audible’s…

Elbit Systems reported that in 2025 it more than doubled its annual sales of Laser Target Designator (LTD) systems, driven by rising global military demand for precision-guided targeting tools that meet NATO laser-coding standards and integrate with networked battlefield systems; the company highlighted that its plug-and-play LTD solutions are increasingly used both on land and airborne platforms to improve sensor-to-shooter cycles and coordinate real-time targeting data across forces, reflecting broader trends in modern warfare marked by drone proliferation and rapid engagement requirements. Full-path URLs for referenced information are provided below. Sources https://www.jpost.com/defense-and-tech/article-886677https://defence-blog.com/elbit-reports-record-demand-for-laser-targeting-systems/https://www.linkedin.com/posts/elbitsystems_elbit-systems-is-seeing-a-sharp-rise-in-global-activity-7429089751875493888-zx5V Key Takeaways • Elbit Systems more than doubled…

A leaked internal email from Ring founder Jamie Siminoff shows that the company’s new AI-driven “Search Party” feature, initially marketed as a tool to help find lost dogs through a Super Bowl advertisement, was always intended to evolve into a broader neighborhood surveillance capability that could help “zero out crime” and potentially assist with other public safety objectives, raising significant privacy and civil liberties concerns as critics warn the technology’s networked camera searches may be repurposed for law enforcement use and other surveillance beyond its heroic pet-finding premise. Sources https://www.theverge.com/tech/880906/ring-siminoff-email-leak-search-party-expansionhttps://www.404media.co/leaked-email-suggests-ring-plans-to-expand-search-party-surveillance-beyond-dogs/https://www.techbuzz.ai/articles/ring-s-search-party-ai-targets-crime-zero-out-plan Key Takeaways • Internal communications from Ring indicate “Search Party”…

Meta is dramatically increasing its political activity by committing $65 million toward the 2026 midterm elections through pro-AI super political action committees (PACs) that will support both Republican and Democratic candidates deemed friendly to artificial intelligence development and opposed to stricter legislative limits on AI technology growth. The funds will help back a Republican-focused group called “Forge the Future Project” and a Democrat-focused group called “Making Our Tomorrow” as part of a broader effort to push back against AI regulatory proposals that could curb Meta’s AI ambitions and competitiveness, marking a significant escalation from its historically cautious approach to political…

WordPress has introduced a built-in AI Assistant that lets site owners use natural language to edit content, adjust layouts, generate and refine images, rewrite text, translate copy, and manage design elements without switching between tools or learning code, with the assistant integrated into the editor and Media Library and available as an opt-in feature on paid plans or enabled by default for sites built with WordPress’s AI website builder. Sources below offer additional context on how this new tool operates and what users can expect from its capabilities. Sources https://www.techeblog.com/wordpress-ai-assistant-features-price/https://wordpress.com/blog/2026/02/17/wordpress-ai-assistant/https://www.theverge.com/tech/880223/wordpress-launches-ai-assistant Key Takeaways • The AI Assistant is embedded inside the…

A recent hands-on look at pairing a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 with a lightweight travel keyboard highlights how some users are seriously experimenting with leaving traditional laptops at home for short-trip productivity, turning their foldable phones into minimalist “mobile workstations” that handle email, document editing, and light office tasks when paired with physical input accessories, though limitations in software multitasking and ergonomics still keep it from fully replacing a conventional laptop for many professionals. Sources https://www.theverge.com/tech/878485/samsung-galaxy-z-fold-7-travel-keyboard-logitech-laptop-replacementhttps://www.theverge.com/podcast/879965/foldable-phone-laptop-keyboard-sports-streaming-vergecasthttps://mezha.net/eng/bukvy/purse-computer-concept-transforms-foldable-phones-into-mobile-workstations/amp/ Key Takeaways • Combining a Galaxy Z Fold 7 with a compact travel keyboard can turn the foldable phone into a more laptop-like…

Former public radio anchor David Greene, best known for his years on Morning Edition and his current role on Left, Right & Center, has filed a lawsuit against Google claiming that the company’s NotebookLM artificial-intelligence product replicates his distinctive voice without his permission or compensation. Greene alleges the AI-generated male podcast voice used in NotebookLM’s Audio Overviews feature closely mimics his cadence, intonation and habitual speech patterns — to the point where friends and colleagues repeatedly asked if he had licensed it to Google. He described hearing the synthetic voice as “completely freaky” and “eerie,” and argues that the technology…