Hackers are now using AI to develop and execute attacks on corporate data.
No big ideas about technology and business this month, just a bunch of things which I think are worthy of attention.
Real-time translation: Apple has announced the availability of real-time language translation using its AirPod Pro 3 ($249) and Airpod 4 ($179) earbuds. This is a pretty cool thing, IMHO, and something that will be a boon for travelers or those who work in a multi-lingual environment.
When enabled, the microphone listens for speech and translates it into the listener’s AirPods. When you speak, it translates your words into text on your iPhone, which can be read by the speaker, or read aloud to them. The ideal setup is where both speakers have iPhones and AirPods, which should allow seamless conversation (video of feature in use at tinyurl.com/242haqo4).
The new feature requires an iPhone 15 or newer as it requires phones with Apple Intelligence hardware. It appears in the newly released iOS 26 (Apple is now using the year to identify new iOS releases). I hope it works as well as it needs to.
AI Cybercrime: Hackers are now using AI to develop and execute attacks on corporate data. According to Anthropic—the developers of the Claude Code assistant used—in at least one instance “the actor targeted at least 17 distinct organizations, including in healthcare, the emergency services, and government and religious institutions. Rather than encrypt the stolen information with traditional ransomware, the actor threatened to expose the data publicly in order to attempt to extort victims into paying ransoms that sometimes exceeded $500,000.” As always, technology can be used in ways both beneficial and destructive. The full report from Anthropic is available at tinyurl.com/3u37v72s.
123456: Of course, sometimes a sophisticated hack isn’t required. Wired magazine reported that by guessing the username of a privileged account, e.g. “admin,” and using the password “123456,” hackers could access McDonald’s databases that held every McHire.com user’s chats with the AI system that handles job applications for the hamburger giant. The data appears to include as many as 64 million records, including applicants’ names, email addresses and phone numbers. The lesson here is that your systems probably aren’t as secure as you might think. Good password hygiene and limiting database access to the smallest possible set of users are the best defense.
Google: The search giant got off easy. A judge barred Google from making exclusive contracts that block competitors and ordered it to share search data with rivals. However, the judge did not force Google to sell its popular Chrome browser, which was a win for the company. I am a big fan of Chrome, which has a 70% share of the browser market. Its widespread use is probably good for consumers, but much less so for Microsoft’s Edge and Apple’s Safari as competing products.
Zoox: I mentioned this company when writing about Waymo robotaxis, as you see them on the streets of San Francisco, accumulating test mileage and mapping data. Unlike the modified Jaguar SUVs used by Waymo, Zoox has developed a box-like vehicle which doesn’t expose any driver controls. CNN calls it “a toaster on wheels.” Zoox has now started actually carrying passengers in Las Vegas. Something to try if you happen to be traveling to Sin City. You can watch a brief video at tinyurl.com/zoox123 that gives an idea of what it’s like to ride in one.
Data Centers: There is a huge amount of capital investment going on to develop data centers for use by AI models. And along with that is investment to build and expand the power generation facilities needed to support those centers. The MIT Technology Review writes that “OpenAI and President Donald Trump announced the Stargate initiative, which aims to spend $500 billion—more than the Apollo space program—to build as many as 10 data centers (each of which could require five gigawatts, more than the total power demand from the state of New Hampshire).”
This has the concurrent effect of raising interest in SMRs: small modular (nuclear) reactors. And Microsoft has signed a deal with Constellation Energy to restart the ill-fated Three Mile Island reactor to power new data centers. AI is energy-hungry: Cheyenne will see the construction of a massive AI data center that uses more electricity than all Wyoming homes combined, alas powered by natural gas. Related cartoon: tinyurl.com/electric4321
SpaceX: SpaceX succeeded with the 10th launch of its SuperHeavy booster and Starship spacecraft, after a number of RUDs: Rapid Unscheduled Disassemblies. Both booster and spacecraft made successful ocean touchdowns, as well as demonstrating the ability to deliver Starlink satellites to orbit, and to restart the Starship’s engines while in orbit. SpaceX is a huge competitive advantage for the U.S., despite the sometimes unhinged behavior of its CEO, Elon Musk. SpaceX has made a huge difference in the cost to place something in orbit, and I really want to see them succeed with their plans for the Artemis moon landing project, as well as sending rocket ships to Mars.
That’s it for this month. As always, I’d love to hear from you at mike@mikeduffy.com.
