Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

In brief The Bitcoin Red Team is using Chinese AI models to search Bitcoin projects for security flaws. Calle said developers have confirmed numerous critical and high-severity vulnerabilities. They warned that unmaintained projects should not be trusted. The Bitcoin Red Team is using Chinese AI models to search nearly the entire Bitcoin open-source ecosystem for security flaws, according to pseudonymous developer and Red Team lead Calle.The volunteer group combines AI tools with human review to examine wallets, Lightning applications, software libraries, and other Bitcoin projects. Researchers privately report credible findings to developers so the flaws can be fixed before details…

A new study warns the Timor green pigeon is on the brink of extinction after decades of neglect, despite being listed as endangered since 2000.Researchers estimate just 100-500 birds remain, with Timor-Leste now the species’ last viable stronghold after it has all but disappeared from Indonesia.Scientists say hunting has been the biggest driver of the bird’s collapse, while the absence of a recovery program, regular monitoring and sustained funding have allowed its decline to continue.Conservationists argue the species can still be saved, but only through urgent action that combines stronger enforcement with community-led protection rooted in Timorese customary conservation.See…

Several months into his tenure as supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei is beginning to put his own stamp on Iran’s military and national security establishment. In a sweeping series of appointments, he has effectively recreated Iran’s senior command, reorganizing the institutions responsible for managing both war and diplomacy. Many of the appointments were necessitated by the extraordinary attrition that Iran’s military leadership has suffered across successive rounds of war since June 2025. But Khamenei’s choices also reveal how Tehran is rebuilding its security establishment around the lessons of these conflicts and preparing for a prolonged confrontation with the United States and…

Earlier, videos shared from Qusra overnight into Thursday showed a dozen Israeli security vehicles – including a bulldozer. In later footage – filmed in the daylight – there was a long line of Israeli security forces on the road to the Palestinian village.The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they had “dismantled two illegal outposts”.It added that it had detained one Israeli and confiscated equipment on the outskirts of the Qusra and Jalud areas, near Nablus.One of those asked to leave their home was Qaher Odeh, who said more than 20 soldiers had entered his house on Thursday morning. “I was…

OpenAI’s leaders are rallying workers to respond to one of the largest crises in the company’s history—which spans across its AI safety, cybersecurity, and alignment divisions. The ChatGPT-maker says it has slowed down research, spent millions of dollars, and told several teams to drop everything to focus on investigating a set of rogue AI agents that breached the platform Hugging Face in a quest to complete an internal security test.OpenAI is expected to release a comprehensive postmortem detailing the incident in the coming days. However, the Hugging Face incident has inspired OpenAI leaders and employees to examine how the AI…

Swati KhandelwalAug 11, 2026Insider Threat / Cyber Espionage Security researchers invented a cryptocurrency startup, advertised developer jobs, and hired three people they believe were North Korean operatives. Every virtual machine the company issued was recording. The onboarding paperwork is the part hiring teams can use. The first hire claimed to live in Pasadena, Texas, then sent a California driver’s license and a New York bank account. The researchers said the image metadata showed it had been processed with Google Gemini. They also reported a SynthID watermark, the invisible marker Google embeds in images its AI tools create or edit. The…

Bit Digital funded the majority-owned AI infrastructure company WhiteFiber without selling Ethereum or issuing new shares, but the route added a new dependency to its crypto treasury.Galaxy Digital lent Bit Digital $50 million in a borrowing associated with 49,000 pledged LsETH, and Bit Digital separately became a lender to WhiteFiber.The company said in its second-quarter results that it converted 73,235 ETH into 66,192 LsETH, the liquid-staking token it received in the exchange. It reported the pledged 49,000 LsETH as a $105.6 million digital-asset collateral receivable and retained 17,192 LsETH, worth $27.6 million, as a buffer against margin requirements. Related ReadingBit…

In a contrast of fire and ice, smoke from wildland fires mingled with several of the Cascade Range’s prominent, glaciated volcanoes in summer 2026. Astronauts on the International Space Station photographed the scene while orbiting over the U.S. West in late July and early August. Mount Hood, Oregon’s tallest peak at 11,249 feet (3,429 meters), is pictured above, near a thick plume of smoke pouring from the Grasshopper fire. Thunderstorms passed over the forest in the preceding weeks, and a lightning strike on July 23 ignited the blaze pictured in this July 31 photo. The fire, burning east of the…

A popular bald eagle from California’s Big Bear Valley, watched by millions around the world through a livestream nest camera, has died.Jackie, as the bird was known, was admitted to the Ojai Raptor Center after rescuers found her grounded and fighting with two juvenile bald eagles in the Big Bear Valley.Dehydrated and anemic when she was found, Jackie developed blood clots in her wing and kidney, leading to her declining health and eventual death despite three weeks of intensive veterinary care.Jackie’s and her mate Shadow’s popularity spurred a $10 million donation for a land trust to purchase parts of…

I am sorry that the parkrun spoils Janet Knowlson’s experience of her local park (Letters, 7 August). I wonder if she has ever spoken to a parkrunner or a volunteer? Many would tell of the camaraderie and their improved physical and mental health. Strangers become friends and even partners. We do not take over the park, as she alleges, rather we recognise that we share the space with other park users and are respectful of their rights and needs. Parkrun is for everyone and anyone, from children upwards, and not only runners. It is only competitive if you want it…