Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

Check Point Research has disclosed a technique that uses Microsoft Defender’s own legitimately signed boot-time remediation driver to perform arbitrary kernel-level file and registry operations on Windows systems ranging from Windows 7 through Windows 11 25H2, with no software flaw exploited and no driver imported from outside the machine. The driver, BTR.sys (Boot Time Removal Tool), is a required Windows component, which means it cannot be added to Microsoft’s Vulnerable Driver Blocklist or blocked via Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) without disrupting Defender itself. Jiří Vinopal, a threat researcher and reverse engineer at Check Point Research, presented the findings as…

Digital Asset, the creator of the Canton Network, and former US House Speaker Paul Ryan’s American Idea Foundation plan to pilot a blockchain-based system for distributing state-administered benefits across three US states using the Canton Network.The RISE program is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2027 and would combine multiple benefits into monthly or twice-monthly payments, with spending rules applied to categories including food, child care and cash.According to Friday’s announcement, the system would automatically adjust benefit levels as household income changes and allow participating agencies to track payments, balances, spending and compliance data through Canton. Digital Asset…

People who participate in colorectal cancer screening may face as much as a 43 percent lower risk of dying from the disease, according to new estimates published in JAMA Network Open by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Umeå University in Sweden. The findings draw on as many as 14 years of follow-up data from the Stockholm-Gotland screening program. Colorectal cancer is among the most common cancers, but outcomes are generally favorable when the disease is found early. Sweden has introduced universal screening, with people aged 60-74 offered testing every two years. Participants receive a screening kit at home and are…

A recent report sheds light on Southeast Asia’s important oak tree diversity and underlines that many of these species are highly threatened.Many threatened oak species in the region have limited distribution data, lack protected area coverage and aren’t found in ex situ collections.The report authors are calling for surveys targeted at oaks, expansion of protected areas, and propagation of seedlings for restoration.See All Key Ideas Southeast and East Asia may be famous for towering dipterocarps or massive conifers, but a new report highlights that the region is also home to more threatened oak species than anywhere else in…

The claim that Natalie Harp wrote intimate letters to U.S. President Donald Trump in which she said she was “unworthy” and he was her “Guardian” among other things, is still under investigation.  The rumor stems from an Aug. 20, 2026, Daily Beast report that published two complete letters obtained by Trump biographer Michael Wolff. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle called the claims a “smear” and referred to Harp as a “dedicated public servant.” Wolff said the letters were discovered by anonymous members of Trump’s staff and were given to him as he reported on Trump’s second presidential campaign. Given that…

Israeli settlers shot dead a 17-year-old Palestinian boy and wounded an elderly man after Palestinians allegedly threw rocks on Friday in Sa’ir, north of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. The ministry identified the teenager as Karim Sanad Raja Shalaldeh. The teenager’s father told the Associated Press at the hospital that Israeli settlers had killed his son. The Israeli military said soldiers were dispatched to Sa’ir after Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli civilians who were in the area “without advanced authorisation”. Some Israelis were injured and a security official opened fire. The shooting also wounded…

With just over two months left in his race for re-election, Representative Thomas Kean Jr. had an important guest joining him at a fund-raising event in New Jersey: Mike Johnson, the House speaker.Mr. Johnson is trying to hang on to a Republican majority in the House after November’s midterm elections. Mr. Kean’s defense of his swing-district seat could help determine whether the speaker gets to keep his gavel.But details about the event, like all of Mr. Kean’s campaign stops, had been kept under wraps. The congressman, whose national profile reached new heights earlier this year when he disappeared from public…

Travel just two hours west of Beijing by train, and you’ll find yourself surrounded by the rolling grasslands and ancient cinder cones of Inner Mongolia. This vast, arid land has long been China’s capital of sheep farming and coal mining, but over the last few years, it has become the hottest place in the country to build an AI data center.In Ulanqab, a city in Inner Mongolia home to about 1.5 million people, nearly 100 data centers have been opened or begun construction since 2016. Chinese companies have pledged to build projects with a combined estimated capacity of 12.5 gigawatts…

The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) has disclosed that the personal information of some current and former employees, as well as job applicants, was exposed in a “cybersecurity incident.” The hospital says the breach stemmed from a flaw in third-party software. Clinical systems and patient records were untouched, according to the Toronto pediatric hospital, but its public-facing Careers website was temporarily pulled offline. Careers site restored, incident scope under review SickKids disclosed the incident this week, saying it resulted in unauthorized access to employee data. The hospital attributes the breach to a vulnerability in a third-party software application that it…

Bitcoin (BTC) consolidated above $77,000 after Friday’s Wall Street open as gold joined the crypto rally to hit 14-week highs.Key points:Bitcoin and gold both hit their highest levels since May 15 against the US dollar.Analysis ties the strong performance firmly to US government debt policy.Polymarket odds of Bitcoin reaching $90,000 before 2027 reach 48%.Analysis: Bitcoin and gold gains not “surprise”Data from TradingView showed BTC/USD cooling after reaching its highest levels since May 15, still up nearly 6% on the day.BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewGold echoed the move, reaching multi-month highs of $4,632 per ounce, up 2.2% on the day at…