ATR News Feed

A Chinese security conference may have turned a typical hacking contest into a covert espionage operation, using participants to gather intelligence from an unknown target, according to two Western researchers who reviewed the event's unusual competition structure. link

Alibaba CEO eyes greater AI research and development, as firm open sources 100 new LLMs link

India's UPI regulator, NPCI, is considering raising the proposed market share cap for operators like Google Pay, PhonePe, and Paytm from 30% to over 40%, as it faces challenges in enforcing the limit aimed at boosting competition. link

Indonesia's tax agency is investigating claims of a data leak affecting millions of taxpayers, including President Joko Widodo and top officials. Posts on X allege that 6 million tax ID numbers are being sold on BreachForums for 150 million rupiah ($10,000). link

The FBI has seized control of a botnet consisting of hundreds of thousands of internet-connected devices, including cameras and routers, operated by a Chinese government hacking group known as Flax Typhoon. The group had been targeting critical infrastructure in the U.S. and abroad, affecting corporations, media outlets, universities, and government agencies. link

Vahan.ai, an AI-driven recruiter for blue-collar workers, raised $10 million in a Series B round led by Khosla Ventures, with additional backing from Y Combinator and Gaingels. Vahan, which works with companies like Uber, Amazon, Swiggy, and Zomato, aims to address a segment expected to drive 70% of India’s job growth by 2030, traditionally handled by small local recruiters. link

Sea’s Shopee has struck a pact with YouTube in Indonesia, betting the video platform will help it attract more shoppers and stay ahead of rivals TikTok and Lazada in its biggest market. YouTube is expanding its shopping features to the nation of about 280 million, with Shopee as the first partner. Content creators can promote and tag products in their YouTube videos, and viewers can click on a link to complete a purchase on Shopee. link

China’s YMTC has made progress in replacing foreign chipmaking technology with homegrown alternatives and its latest storage products now rival global market leaders, according to new research from TechInsights. link

New data reveals exactly when the Chinese government blocked ChatGPT and other AI sites link

Amazon has named long-time executive Samir Kumar as the new head of its India consumer business, following an abrupt leadership change in one of its key markets last month. link