Author: InfoForTech

OpenAI is preparing to roll out Astra, its first model to hit a “Critical” cyber threat tier. Here is what its autonomous hacking skills mean for security teams. OpenAI has a powerful new model waiting in the wings, and it comes with serious hacking capabilities. Meet Astra. This is the company’s first model to officially reach the “Critical” cybersecurity threshold under its internal Preparedness Framework. Astra didn’t merely solve routine code puzzles during internal benchmarks. It independently uncovered unknown zero-day vulnerabilities, escaped sandbox environments, and built full exploit chains across hardened operating systems- all with minimal human guidance and surprisingly…

The experience of transitioning from research based in theory to focusing on real-world application can vary significantly for different researchers. However, for two former MIT graduate students and a former postdoc, all now at IBM, working with the MIT-IBM Computing Research Lab (formerly the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab) during their formative years enabled them to not only close the gap between education and employment, but also to generate ideas promising to business impact. Despite pursuing varied careers in quantum machine learning, reinforcement learning and artificial intelligence agents,and trustworthy and fair AI, respectively, Srinivasan Arunachalam, Zhang-Wei Hong PhD ’25, and Irene Ko…

For years, parents across the country have been calling on Congress to do something about social media’s harmful effects on children. And typically, when something does happen, it follows a familiar pattern.The billionaire tech CEOs are summoned to Congress. The grieving parents of children who have self-harmed bring old photos of their children, some of whom are now deceased, and relive their experiences. Lawmakers confront the tech company leaders with horrific stories of exploitation, eating disorders, drug overdoses, and suicide. The CEOs apologize. They promise to do better and point to their latest parental controls. Congress introduces child-safety bills. And…

Google on Wednesday announced Gemini 3.8 Flash Cyber, which it described as its most capable cybersecurity model, and has made it available to a set of trusted defenders via a new initiative called the Fairwind Program. “The Fairwind Program gives high-priority defenders (like governments, healthcare providers, and telecommunications services) early access to advanced models that help them build better defenses, before new threats arrive,” Google said. “So defenders have an early advantage, to help them protect vital infrastructure – which in turn protects people who rely on those systems.” The tech giant said it’s currently working with over 650 partners…

Creating a marketing graphic or editing a PDF is now as easy as sending a Slack message. Starting today, Adobe for Slack lets you turn everyday conversations, shared files, and project briefs into polished images, videos, and documents, without leaving your Slack workspace. Slack can now create Adobe content with simple prompts Everything runs through Slackbot, Slack’s built-in AI assistant. Tell it what you’re after, like turning a marketing thread into a poster, and it figures out which Adobe tool needs to handle the job. That could be Firefly, Photoshop, Premiere, Acrobat, Illustrator, InDesign, or any of the other 70-plus…

You’ve got a great idea for a blog or LinkedIn article, if only your internal subject matter expert can find time for an interview.

The password notebook is making an unlikely comeback, and this time security professionals have more reason to take the idea seriously. The trigger is simple: Australia Post is selling paper notebooks designed specifically for usernames and passwords, reviving a surprisingly serious debate over whether offline credential storage still has a place in modern cybersecurity. The use of such small paper books has long been discouraged in favor of digital password managers. Yet the product, posted by a Reddit user and currently selling for $4.90 or $5.90 depending on size, has prompted security veterans and online users to revisit whether that…

The company is also asking almost all remote employees to move to an office. Erik Mclean/Unsplash Uber is restructuring its organization, which includes laying off around 10 percent of its employees. As CNBC notes, it had a headcount of about 34,000 as of the end of 2025. The company has already notified affected workers, except those in locations where it has to follow other processes. In a memo to staff, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said Uber is simplifying its teams and removing management layers in service of becoming “simpler and faster” while giving it more bandwidth to…

Matte gold, sloped, and steering-wheel-free, the Tesla Cybercab seems designed to catch the eyes of looky-loos. Now rubberneckers may have more opportunities: Tesla is set to host an event on Thursday at its Austin, Texas, headquarters to debut the Cybercab.Tesla first rolled out a prototype Cybercab at a flashy event on the Warner Bros. lot in 2024. This week’s unveiling will likely mark the vehicle’s official introduction to the electric-auto maker’s small ride-hail service. It has operated a pilot program in Austin since last summer, and has since expanded to a handful of other cities in Texas and Florida, with…

YouTube is one of the most influential platforms in modern media, but its origin story is surprisingly simple: a small team wanted an easier way to share video online. In the early 2000s, uploading and sending video files was slow, formats were inconsistent, and most websites weren’t built for smooth playback. YouTube’s founders focused on removing those barriers—making video sharing as easy as sending a link. Who Founded YouTube? YouTube was founded by three former PayPal employees: Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim. They combined product thinking, engineering skills, and a clear user goal: create a website where anyone could…