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LB Studios/Connect Images/Getty ImagesFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeawaysComcast has introduced a new opt-in motion-detection feature in its routers.Xfinity Gateway devices detect movement and alert users via a mobile app.A footnote advisory indicates law enforcement could access your motion data.Comcast has announced a new Xfinity router feature designed to improve home security — but it may come with privacy caveats.Comcast’s new featureAs first reported by The Verge, a new motion-detection feature has been introduced in Xfinity home routers. An August 18 update to the Xfinity app enables millions of routers to monitor movement in the home.In…

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Tuesday called for the immediate patching of four vulnerabilities in Microsoft, VMware, and Apple products that have been exploited in the wild. CISA’s fresh warning refers to two Microsoft flaws, namely CVE-2026-33824 (CVSS score of 9.8), a double free issue in the Windows Internet Key Exchange (IKE) Service Extension, and CVE-2026-55040 (CVSS score of 9.1), a weak authentication flaw in SharePoint. Patched in April, the Windows IKE Extension defect allows remote, unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code via specially crafted packets. At the end of July, Palo Alto Networks flagged the…

Solana’s 350ms Mainnet target is set to take effect in epoch 1020, down from the current 400-millisecond target slot time. The feature activated at the start of epoch 1019, but a one-epoch delay means the network keeps its existing parameters until the next epoch. In practical terms, blocks get a shorter target production interval without receiving a larger compute allowance per second.The rollout is already further ahead elsewhere. Testnet is at an effective 200ms target, while Devnet is at 300ms and has activated its 250ms gate without making it effective yet. Solana’s Aug. 6 changelog had listed only the 350ms…

NASA has awarded approximately $10.5 million to seven institutions to help strengthen and streamline state-based pathways for students into skilled technical jobs in the aerospace industry. The awards were made through the new NASA Aerospace Skilled Technical Workforce Hubs initiative, or NASA State Hubs. This investment in state ecosystems is designed to accelerate the development of technical roles to meet the talent demands of the space industry. “The need for technical talent is already urgent and will only continue to grow as we return humanity to the Moon and set our sights on Mars and beyond,” said Elaine Ho, associate…

Reading Time: 3 minutes The U.S. Department of Education is investigating whether Milwaukee Public Schools uses race as a factor when considering disciplining students. The investigation comes as the department on Tuesday issued new guidance to educational institutions. The department argues that using race as a factor when disciplining is a violation of Title VI. Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin in programs that receive federal financial assistance. MPS media relations manager Stephen Davis said the district received notice from the department’s Office for Civil Rights on Tuesday morning. A statement released Tuesday…

Welcome to Foreign Policy’s Africa Brief. The highlights this week: African countries respond to climate change-driven wildfires, drought, and flooding; Gabon ends a 19-year fishing agreement with the European Union, and Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema secures a second five-year term. In recent weeks, deadly wildfires have ravaged forests across Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, while seasonal floods have displaced thousands of people across West Africa. These climate extremes compound a severe food crisis that has been growing over the past year, driven by prolonged droughts and erratic weather patterns that heavily damaged regional crop yields. In Nigeria, where roads have been…

Cyber hackers have stolen detailed financial information on hundreds of thousands of individuals and companies from tax and land registry computers, French authorities admitted on August 14. France’s Public Finance agency (DGFiP), which oversees the tax system, said there were two separate cyber attacks on its computers. Details from more than 678,000 individual and professional accounts were taken in the first hack in June, with names, “income reference data” and tax rates paid among the details taken. The second theft in July concerned details on 200,000 land registry accounts.  The agency’s head, Amélie Verdier, ​said Tuesday that another data breach was…

As Andy Burnham set out his plan to end rough sleeping on Tuesday night, volunteers from homelessness charity Under One Sky were offering hot drinks, sandwiches, socks, underwear and soap to dozens of rough sleepers around Tottenham Court Road in central London.Among those sleeping on the streets, the prime minister’s plan was met with widespread scepticism born from long familiarity with similar political declarations.“You can never end rough sleeping. I think he is taking on a monumental task,” said a former construction worker in his 50s, who did not want to be named.He was living in a hostel after struggling…

Today, Nielsen announced “a number of key enhancements” that are being added to its data capturing process ahead of the upcoming fall TV season. As of August 31st, Nielsen’s co-viewing data will now include information obtained from smart-watch like gadgets that Neilsen’s research panelists wear in their homes. The Portable People Meter (PPM) Wearables — which Nielsen first began deploying nationally in 2016 to bolster its audio, local TV, and national audience measurements — are meant to be worn on the wrist while listening for audio from TV scenes, series, and films. The company says that users wearing the devices…

U.S. healthcare IT company CareCloud disclosed that the data breach incident it suffered earlier this year has impacted more than 3.7 million individuals. The healthcare technology organization is publicly traded and provides electronic health records, medical billing, practice management, and revenue-cycle services. The company disclosed the incident in March via a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), noting that the attack caused an 8-hour network disruption on its platform and cut access to one of its databases. At the time, the firm said the compromised environment contained patient data, indicating the risk of sensitive medical information being…