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theitnerd.ca
The IT Nerd
@theitnerd.ca
I am a computer nerd that speaks English. I run a computer consulting company and I have a blog that speaks to and reviews everything from smartphones to cars. Plus I cover computer security and give tips to help others to leverage the tech that they have.
Hypori Releases First-Ever 2025 VMI Report, Exposing Massive Mobile Security Gaps  

Hypori today announced the release of its inaugural 2025 Virtual Mobile Infrastructure Report: Trends in Secure Mobile Access & BYOD, a first-of-its-kind survey of 1,000 global security, risk, mobility, and BYOD…
Hypori Releases First-Ever 2025 VMI Report, Exposing Massive Mobile Security Gaps  
Hypori today announced the release of its inaugural 2025 Virtual Mobile Infrastructure Report: Trends in Secure Mobile Access & BYOD, a first-of-its-kind survey of 1,000 global security, risk, mobility, and BYOD decision-makers. The findings paint a stark picture: Organizations face massive mobile security vulnerabilities as they increasingly embrace BYOD strategies. Traditional mobile security tools are failing to mitigate these risks while also compromising employee privacy.
itnerd.blog
December 5, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Infected North Korean APT Machine Linked to Historic $1.4B ByBit Heist 

Researchers have confirmed that the LummaC2 infostealer log has infected a North Korean threat actor operating as a sophisticated malware development rig. The machine is directly linked to the broader North Korean threat…
Infected North Korean APT Machine Linked to Historic $1.4B ByBit Heist 
Researchers have confirmed that the LummaC2 infostealer log has infected a North Korean threat actor operating as a sophisticated malware development rig. The machine is directly linked to the broader North Korean threat ecosystem and infrastructure associated with the historic $1.5 Billion ByBit Heist. BBC news has more details on the heist. And you can find more details about the North Korean Malware here: …
itnerd.blog
December 5, 2025 at 6:35 PM
CISA Warns of Chinese “BrickStorm” Malware Attacks on VMware Servers

The CISA, the NSA, and Canadian Centre for Cyber Security are warning that the People's Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored cyber actors are using BRICKSTORM malware for long-term persistence on victim systems.   You can get…
CISA Warns of Chinese “BrickStorm” Malware Attacks on VMware Servers
The CISA, the NSA, and Canadian Centre for Cyber Security are warning that the People's Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored cyber actors are using BRICKSTORM malware for long-term persistence on victim systems.   You can get more details here: Ensar Seker, CISO at threat intel company SOCRadar, provided the following comments: "The recent advisory from CISA, NSA and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre) confirms that a China‑linked actor is using BRICKSTORM to compromise virtual‑infrastructure environments, creating hidden virtual machines, harvesting credentials via cloned VM snapshots, and maintaining long dwell times of up to 393 days.
itnerd.blog
December 5, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Data breach affecting AI image generator, exposing sensitive images 

Cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler recently discovered a non-password-protected database containing over one million sensitive records belonging to Magic Edit, a popular AI image generator tool developed by BoostInsider…
Data breach affecting AI image generator, exposing sensitive images 
Cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler recently discovered a non-password-protected database containing over one million sensitive records belonging to Magic Edit, a popular AI image generator tool developed by BoostInsider Inc. In a few words, the publicly accessible database: exposed 1,099,985 images and video files; included face-swapped images on AI-generated bodies converted into sexually explicit images; contained unaltered images of real individuals, possibly uploaded as references and presumably without those individuals' knowledge or consent. Jeremiah published his detailed findings on the ExpressVPN blog which can be found here: 
itnerd.blog
December 5, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Cloudflare Took A Dirt Nap And Tanks The Internet AGAIN

If you wanted proof of how reliant the Internet is on content delivery network Cloudflare, this should provide you proof of that. For the second time in a few weeks, Clouldflare takes down the Internet due to an issue that they have resolved…
Cloudflare Took A Dirt Nap And Tanks The Internet AGAIN
If you wanted proof of how reliant the Internet is on content delivery network Cloudflare, this should provide you proof of that. For the second time in a few weeks, Clouldflare takes down the Internet due to an issue that they have resolved as I type this according to their status page. The incident began around 09:00 UTC, and affected much of the web with X, Substack, Canva, LinkedIn, Deliveroo, Spotify, and ironically Downdetector which reports on outages on the Internet, among others going down.
itnerd.blog
December 5, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Elon Musk’s Twitter/X Hit With $140 Million Fine

Elon Musk is likely less of a fan of the European Union today versus yesterday. I say that because he's or more accurately Twitter/X has been fined $140 million by them. Here's why:  Elon Musk's social media company X was fined 120 million euros…
Elon Musk’s Twitter/X Hit With $140 Million Fine
Elon Musk is likely less of a fan of the European Union today versus yesterday. I say that because he's or more accurately Twitter/X has been fined $140 million by them. Here's why:  Elon Musk's social media company X was fined 120 million euros ($140 million) by EU tech regulators on Friday for breaching EU online content rules, the first sanction under landmark legislation which will likely draw the U.S.
itnerd.blog
December 5, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Guest Post: From AI-powered social engineering to more dangerous ransomware: Key cybersecurity threats to businesses in 2026

In 2025, the corporate world witnessed a significant rise in artificial intelligence adoption, leading to a boom in AI-powered browsers, co-pilots, and personal assistants.…
Guest Post: From AI-powered social engineering to more dangerous ransomware: Key cybersecurity threats to businesses in 2026
In 2025, the corporate world witnessed a significant rise in artificial intelligence adoption, leading to a boom in AI-powered browsers, co-pilots, and personal assistants. However, Andrius Buinovskis, cybersecurity expert at NordLayer, a toggle-ready network security platform for business, emphasizes that cybercriminals were quick to adopt AI as well, automating and scaling their attacks, and this trend is projected to continue into the next year.
itnerd.blog
December 5, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Approov Opens New Headquarters in Edinburgh’s New Town Following Year of Rapid Growth, Investment

Approov today announced the official opening of its new headquarters in Edinburgh's New Town. The move marks a significant milestone for the company following a defining year characterised by major…
Approov Opens New Headquarters in Edinburgh’s New Town Following Year of Rapid Growth, Investment
Approov today announced the official opening of its new headquarters in Edinburgh's New Town. The move marks a significant milestone for the company following a defining year characterised by major investment, strategic partnerships, and a rapidly expanding global customer base. The relocation to one of Edinburgh's most iconic areas is a direct response to the company's accelerated growth trajectory in 2025.
itnerd.blog
December 4, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Forward Edge-AI wins MDA SHIELD contract, ships first PQC hardware, enters center of DoD’s quantum-security race

Forward Edge-AI announced today that it has been selected as one of the Prime Contractor awardees under the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise…
Forward Edge-AI wins MDA SHIELD contract, ships first PQC hardware, enters center of DoD’s quantum-security race
Forward Edge-AI announced today that it has been selected as one of the Prime Contractor awardees under the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) Multiple Award Agreement (MAA) contract vehicle. Forward Edge-AI is the company behind Isidore Quantum®, the FIPS 140-3–certified hardware platform delivering the world's first drop-in post-quantum cybersecurity solution successfully tested across air, land, sea, and space by the U.S.
itnerd.blog
December 4, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Flashpoint Analysis: Critical React RCE Vulnerability Puts Digital Supply Chains at Risk 

Here is a new Flashpoint post that breaks down a rapidly developing security story: a critical Remote Code Execution vulnerability in React that is already drawing significant attention across the threat…
Flashpoint Analysis: Critical React RCE Vulnerability Puts Digital Supply Chains at Risk 
Here is a new Flashpoint post that breaks down a rapidly developing security story: a critical Remote Code Execution vulnerability in React that is already drawing significant attention across the threat landscape. The post offers Flashpoint's expert perspective on the scope of exposure and the implications for digital supply-chain security. What Flashpoint is Seeing The flaw (CVE-2025-55182) is a critical RCE vulnerability in React Server Components that allows 
itnerd.blog
December 4, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Flex raises $60M Series B equity round to scale its AI native “private bank” for high net worth business owners

Running a profitable middle-market business has become one of the most complex financial jobs in America, with owners often juggling more than ten disconnected systems to manage their…
Flex raises $60M Series B equity round to scale its AI native “private bank” for high net worth business owners
Running a profitable middle-market business has become one of the most complex financial jobs in America, with owners often juggling more than ten disconnected systems to manage their money. Flex was created to give these high net worth owners a single place to run both their business and personal finances.  Today, the company announced its $60 million Series B funding round led by Portage with participation from CrossLink Capital, Spice Expedition, Titanium Ventures, Wellington, Companyon Ventures, Florida Funders, FirstLook Partners, Tusk Venture Partners and others, bringing its total equity funding to $105 million.
itnerd.blog
December 4, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Contrast Security and Datadog Partner to Deliver Verified Application Runtime Threat Detection in Datadog Cloud SIEM

Contrast Security has announced a new integration that brings verified application runtime intelligence directly into Datadog Cloud SIEM. The integration enables Security Operations…
Contrast Security and Datadog Partner to Deliver Verified Application Runtime Threat Detection in Datadog Cloud SIEM
Contrast Security has announced a new integration that brings verified application runtime intelligence directly into Datadog Cloud SIEM. The integration enables Security Operations Centers (SOCs) to distinguish real application-layer exploits from background noise and then stop those attacks.   Closing the Application Security Context Gap Datadog’s State of Application Security report further highlights the scale of the problem, finding that although organizations face thousands of vulnerabilities, only 3% of critical vulnerabilities represent truly high-priority risks.
itnerd.blog
December 4, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Stranger Things And TELUS Immersive In-Store Experience 

Stranger Things has begun to drop its highly anticipated final season and TELUS is transforming select stores in Toronto, Calgary, Quebec & Kelowna into immersive Upside Down experiences. Fans will step into the world of Hawkins, Indiana and…
Stranger Things And TELUS Immersive In-Store Experience 
Stranger Things has begun to drop its highly anticipated final season and TELUS is transforming select stores in Toronto, Calgary, Quebec & Kelowna into immersive Upside Down experiences. Fans will step into the world of Hawkins, Indiana and discover why Stream+ is the ultimate way to watch the epic conclusion. What awaits you in the Upside Down: Netflix prize pack…
itnerd.blog
December 4, 2025 at 3:58 PM
India Backs Down From Forcing A “Cybersecurity” Apps Onto Phones After Backlash

India over the last few days has been pushing tech companies like Apple and Google to install a state developed app that is meant to be enhancing security onto phones in the country and make sure that the app could not…
India Backs Down From Forcing A “Cybersecurity” Apps Onto Phones After Backlash
India over the last few days has been pushing tech companies like Apple and Google to install a state developed app that is meant to be enhancing security onto phones in the country and make sure that the app could not be removed. After pushback from pretty much everyone, India yesterday backed away from that effort. If you want to go down the rabbit hole on this, here's a…
itnerd.blog
December 4, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Guest Post – AI Rent Algorithms: Hacking Personal Data and Privacy in the RealPage vs. New York Fight

By Stefanie Schappert While most Americans were focused on family and Turkey dinners last week, the online property management platform RealPage was filing a major lawsuit against New York over…
Guest Post – AI Rent Algorithms: Hacking Personal Data and Privacy in the RealPage vs. New York Fight
By Stefanie Schappert While most Americans were focused on family and Turkey dinners last week, the online property management platform RealPage was filing a major lawsuit against New York over the state's upcoming ban on the company's AI price-fixing software (set to take effect December 15th). From apartment rentals, luxury goods, concert tickets, and even your Uber ride, the first-of-its-kind lawsuit is expected to upend how the average consumer pays for goods and services in their everyday life – and determine whether AI pricing algorithms are here to stay.
itnerd.blog
December 4, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Freedom Mobile Pwned By Hackers…. Customer Data Leaked

I've been a customer of Freedom Mobile for a while now. And I've been critical of their security for a while as well. Today it seems that I might have been right. Bleeping Computer is reporting that they were pwned via what seems like a third…
Freedom Mobile Pwned By Hackers…. Customer Data Leaked
I've been a customer of Freedom Mobile for a while now. And I've been critical of their security for a while as well. Today it seems that I might have been right. Bleeping Computer is reporting that they were pwned via what seems like a third party hack: In a data breach notification published today, Freedom said it detected a breach of its customer account management platform on October 23.
itnerd.blog
December 4, 2025 at 3:12 PM
SandboxAQ Achieves FedRAMP Ready Status, Powering Enterprise Readiness Across the Defense and Public Sector

 SandboxAQ, a pioneer in AI-driven cybersecurity, today announced it has achieved Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Ready status. Reflecting an independent…
SandboxAQ Achieves FedRAMP Ready Status, Powering Enterprise Readiness Across the Defense and Public Sector
 SandboxAQ, a pioneer in AI-driven cybersecurity, today announced it has achieved Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Ready status. Reflecting an independent third-party assessment and eligibility for FedRAMP Marketplace listing, the FedRAMP Ready designation underscores SandboxAQ's standardized security controls consistent with the FedRAMP framework and readiness for government use. As agencies confront the accelerating risk of AI, the 
itnerd.blog
December 4, 2025 at 2:00 PM
2026 DevOps predictions from OpenText

Tal Levi Joseph, a VP of Product & Engineering, Application Development & Maintenance (ADM) at OpenText has shared a number of predictions for 2026. For context: There's little doubt that AI has completely transformed the developer experience in the last few…
2026 DevOps predictions from OpenText
Tal Levi Joseph, a VP of Product & Engineering, Application Development & Maintenance (ADM) at OpenText has shared a number of predictions for 2026. For context: There's little doubt that AI has completely transformed the developer experience in the last few years. According to OpenText research, 89% of organizations are piloting or deploying GenAI–augmented workflows, but half (50%) report a lack AI/ML expertise (unchanged from 2024).
itnerd.blog
December 4, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Unlimited Industries raises $12M to build the AI construction company that will power America’s future

Across the United States, a new industrial age is taking shape. Trillions of dollars in infrastructure, from energy projects and advanced manufacturing to data centers and critical mineral…
Unlimited Industries raises $12M to build the AI construction company that will power America’s future
Across the United States, a new industrial age is taking shape. Trillions of dollars in infrastructure, from energy projects and advanced manufacturing to data centers and critical mineral facilities, must be built in the next decade. But large construction projects are slower and more expensive today than they were half a century ago. Unlimited Industries, a California-based company using AI to rethink how infrastructure gets built, has raised $12 million in seed funding to change that.
itnerd.blog
December 3, 2025 at 7:08 PM
University of Phoenix and Penn Disclose Breaches from Oracle Hack

The Oracle E-Business Suite hack is just getting worse and worse. The University of Pennsylvania and the University of Phoenix have confirmed they are victims of a cybersecurity incident involving the Oracle E-Business Suite…
University of Phoenix and Penn Disclose Breaches from Oracle Hack
The Oracle E-Business Suite hack is just getting worse and worse. The University of Pennsylvania and the University of Phoenix have confirmed they are victims of a cybersecurity incident involving the Oracle E-Business Suite software platform. They join Logitech, The Washington Post and Harvard  among others who have been pwned via this exploit. Ensar Seker, CISO at threat intelligence company…
itnerd.blog
December 3, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Aisuru, “the apex of botnets”, 29.7 Tbps DDoS attack highlighted by Cloudflare

Today, Cloudflare posted its 2025 Q3 DDoS threat report highlighting Aisuru, "the apex of botnets".    "The third quarter of 2025 was overshadowed by the Aisuru botnet with a massive army of an estimated 1–4 million…
Aisuru, “the apex of botnets”, 29.7 Tbps DDoS attack highlighted by Cloudflare
Today, Cloudflare posted its 2025 Q3 DDoS threat report highlighting Aisuru, "the apex of botnets".    "The third quarter of 2025 was overshadowed by the Aisuru botnet with a massive army of an estimated 1–4 million infected hosts globally. Aisuru unleashed hyper-volumetric DDoS attacks routinely exceeding 1 terabit per second (Tbps) and 1 billion packets per second (Bpps).     "The number of these attacks surged 54% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ), averaging 14 hyper-volumetric attacks daily.
itnerd.blog
December 3, 2025 at 6:03 PM
CData Study Finds Only 6% of AI Leaders Believe Their Data Infrastructure Is Ready for AI

Only 6% of enterprise AI leaders say their data infrastructure is fully ready for AI: a readiness gap that has become one of the biggest constraints on AI progress. That's a central finding of CData…
CData Study Finds Only 6% of AI Leaders Believe Their Data Infrastructure Is Ready for AI
Only 6% of enterprise AI leaders say their data infrastructure is fully ready for AI: a readiness gap that has become one of the biggest constraints on AI progress. That's a central finding of CData Software's new report, The State of AI Data Connectivity: 2026 Outlook, which draws on independently collected survey data from more than 200 data and AI leaders at software providers and enterprise organizations.
itnerd.blog
December 3, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Arcitecta Serves Up Their 2026 Predictions

Here's a look at some of the top 2026 predictions from Arcitecta via Eric Polet, Director of Product Marketing at Arcitecta. These predictions cover how data architecture, storage strategy, security, and long-term scientific stewardship will transform in…
Arcitecta Serves Up Their 2026 Predictions
Here's a look at some of the top 2026 predictions from Arcitecta via Eric Polet, Director of Product Marketing at Arcitecta. These predictions cover how data architecture, storage strategy, security, and long-term scientific stewardship will transform in the year ahead.  An AI-ready data infrastructure will be essential to optimizing AI model training and inference.The real AI leaders won't be those with the biggest models, but those with the most unified, AI-ready data fabrics.
itnerd.blog
December 3, 2025 at 5:43 PM
SOCRadar Report “Holiday Shopping Cyber Threats 2025” Is Now Live

SOCRadar.io has published a new report that examines how the dark web economy shifts toward holiday shopper data, and how sectors are exposed through identity leaks, credential dumps, and access sales. The report also explores the…
SOCRadar Report “Holiday Shopping Cyber Threats 2025” Is Now Live
SOCRadar.io has published a new report that examines how the dark web economy shifts toward holiday shopper data, and how sectors are exposed through identity leaks, credential dumps, and access sales. The report also explores the industrialization of gift card fraud, the scale of holiday-themed phishing, and changes in threat actor behavior, including ransomware groups and access brokers. Key statistics include:
itnerd.blog
December 3, 2025 at 2:12 PM
From the First Laptop to High-End AI PCs, Intel’s 2025 Gifting Guide Has Something for Everyone

Holiday shopping is officially underway, and gifting a laptop is more than just a device – it’s giving someone the tools to work, learn, create, and play. To make things easier for shoppers this season,…
From the First Laptop to High-End AI PCs, Intel’s 2025 Gifting Guide Has Something for Everyone
Holiday shopping is officially underway, and gifting a laptop is more than just a device – it’s giving someone the tools to work, learn, create, and play. To make things easier for shoppers this season, Intel has put together a guide to the best laptops available in Canada right now, organized by everyday needs like studying, multitasking, creative projects, and gaming.
itnerd.blog
December 3, 2025 at 1:51 PM