Our gifting experts are obsessively searching for holiday gifts that are unique, thoughtful and suitable for any budget. This authentic-looking scam starts with a sponsored Google link - and it's catching people off-guard. Artie Beaty is a freelance writer, based just outside Charlotte, with a passion for smart home tech and tech news. The scam starts with a sponsored Google link. The link leads to a custom GPT that gives malicious information.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset . Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions . Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG . How the'Squatter Hunter' is fighting home takeovers with tech AI robot may stop your dog from barking while you're gone His home changed hands for $5. Could it happen to your family?

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset . Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions . Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG . His home changed hands for $5. Could it happen to your family? Flying taxis are taking off in Texas. Can tech really get you off your phone and into real life? Trump has laid'formidable' groundwork against China ahead of meeting: Katie Zacharia'Gutfeld!':

A New Tool Found Malware That's Guided by an AI Hive Mind--No Humans in Sight Cisco Talos researchers created a new framework for identifying malware and hacking tools that rely on AI chatbots--and quickly discovered something unusual. For years, cybersecurity practitioners have tracked different types of malware and detected potential infections using digital fingerprints to identify different hacking tools and follow their use over time. As attackers are increasingly incorporating agentic AI components into their hacking tools, researchers from Cisco Talos shared an open-source framework on Monday that they hope will be used widely to classify and analyze AI-integrated malware . They also have proof that it's already working. They're calling the framework Cognitive Artifact Intelligence Research Network, or CAIRN, named after the stacks of stones that hikers set up on trails to mark the path or emphasize something about a certain spot.

Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Look Up Versus Say More Mashable Selects Creator Playbook In My Bag Trending Now Back to School Good Connection: Uplifting stories for a digital age Switch Off Mashable Voices All Series Matt Binder joined Mashable's tech vertical in 2018, where he covers social media, tech policy, cybersecurity, online scams, cryptocurrency, AI, creator news, weird tech, and other related tech beats. New malware called RatHat is targeting Android devices. Beware: There's a new malware making the rounds and it's targeting your Android device. Cybersecurity researchers at Zimperium recently discovered a new strain of Android malware, called RatHat, and have linked it to threat actors based out of China. RatHat incorporates novel techniques for persistence and leverages generative AI for operational control, Zimperium's zLabs researchers said in a report .

PCWorld warns that 19 Chrome and Edge extensions were found secretly stealing user data, including login details and crypto tokens, through hidden malware. The malicious campaign reportedly evaded detection for around two years, with attackers injecting harmful code into already popular extensions after they gained user trust. Google and Microsoft have removed these add-ons from their stores, but affected users must manually uninstall them to fully protect their devices. Security experts at Socket are warning about browser extensions for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge that contain malware. The accompanying report mentions a total of 19 add-ons that were deliberately infected with malicious code in order to intercept user data and steal access details to digital wallets.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. Windows malware numbers look awful next to macOS. A recent numbers dump from Surfshark suggests a massive danger to PCs--but I'm not sweating it after digging into the numbers. And a recent blog post just made arguing with them more annoying. Back in mid-August, security software maker Surfshark released its look at its threat detection numbers from January through July 2026.

PCWorld reports that Geekom mini PCs, including the A7, A8, AE7, and AE8 series, were compromised after attackers injected backdoors into drivers hosted on an outdated support page, enabling spying and password theft. Only users who downloaded drivers through unofficial search engine results are affected, while the current official Geekom website remains safe. Affected users should disconnect from the network, run antivirus scans, change passwords, and consider a factory reset. Detailed instructions are provided below. A few days ago, Tom's Hardware and Videocardz reported on a Geekom incident affecting several of the manufacturer's mini PCs. Attackers were able to inject malware onto several devices via a tampered driver--one that was hosted on an official Geekom support page, which, according to the company, had already been taken offline. Geekom confirmed the incident and explained that, although the outdated website had been replaced by a new one, it could still be found via search engines. The attackers exploited this to insert a backdoor into the driver package, enabling them to install malware on Geekom mini PCs.

A Sneaky Hacking Tool Targeting AI Infrastructure Is Lurking in Victims' Blind Spots A new type of malware can worm deep into AI coding systems to steal data and logins--and can flip a "death switch" to destroy files and keep out real users. As AI tools proliferate and become deeply ingrained in software development around the world, new research from the cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike shows how attackers are actively targeting the AI toolchain to steal access credentials, gain deeper access to a target environment, exfiltrate sensitive data, and even destroy target files and systems--all while finding new ways to cover their tracks. Researchers discovered a worm in the wild while investigating AI software supply chain attacks. Adam Meyers, CrowdStrike's senior vice president of counter adversary work, says that the company has not yet attributed the activity to a specific actor, but that it fits into larger evolutions in how attackers like TeamPCP (which Crowdstrike tracks as "Altered Spider") and North Korean groups are targeting the AI software supply chain. "This is one of the campaigns that we've seen showing that this is an emerging attack class," Meyers tells WIRED.

CrashStealer Mac malware bypasses Gatekeeper via Apple notarization to steal keychain data, browser credentials, password manager vaults and cryptocurrency wallet keys.