Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

2 Peter 1:4

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Six Android Malware Families Target Pix Payments, Banking Apps, and Crypto Wallets


Cybersecurity researchers have discovered half-a-dozen new Android malware families that come with capabilities to steal data from compromised devices and conduct financial fraud. The Android malware range from traditional banking trojans like PixRevolution, TaxiSpy RAT, BeatBanker, Mirax, and Oblivion RAT to full-fledged remote administration tools such as SURXRAT. PixRevolution, according to

Hackers join U.S. and Israel's fight with Iran


U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran are playing out in the air and at sea, while a parallel fight is unfolding online.

Why it matters: Iranian actors — both state-linked and loosely affiliated — have a history of cyberattacks against the U.S., but the U.S. and Israeli governments are now using similar tactics.


Driving the news: A Wednesday cyberattack allegedly linked to Iran‑aligned hackers disrupted operations at Stryker, a major U.S. medical technology company, The Wall Street Journal reported.

  • Stryker confirmed in a statement that it is "experiencing a global network disruption to our Microsoft environment," but that it hasn't seen any signs of "ransomware or malware" and now believes the incident is "contained."
  • Microsoft declined to comment.
  • The same group claimed on X that it hacked U.S.-based payments firm Verifone. The company said it found no evidence of a breach and no service disruption.

Here's what to know about the state of cyberwarfare tactics:

Israel says it's targeting cyber infrastructure

Catch up quick: Israel last week carried out a "wide-scale strike" targeting a collection of military sites in Tehran that allegedly housed the headquarters of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IDF said on X.

  • The IDF claims that the headquarters of the IRGC's "cyber and electronic headquarters" and its "Intelligence Directorate" were among the military outposts hit in the strike.

Yes, but: Iran has been under a near-total internet blackout since the first U.S. and Israeli strikes began, limiting the flow of information coming out of Iran, Politico noted last week.

Cyberattacks from Iran

By the numbers: Iran-aligned hackers and self-described "hacktivist" groups have increased activity against entities in the Middle East, the U.S. and parts of Asia following the Feb. 28 airstrikes, according to CrowdStrike.

  • Hydro Kitten, a group that operates on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has indicated plans to target the financial sector, Adam Meyers, senior vice president of counter adversary operations at CrowdStrike, said in a statement earlier this month.

Researchers from cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 reported that dozens of pro-Iran hacktivist groups say they have launched several cyberattacks since Feb. 28, mostly targeting critical infrastructure.

Pro-Russian political hackers, called NoName057(16), teamed up with Iranian hacktivists on March 2 to target Israeli defense and municipal organizations, including defense contractor Elbit Systems, according to researchers at Flashpoint.

  • The same Russian hacktivists also claimed they broke into an Israeli water management system and other industrial control systems, but researchers could not verify the claim.

How it works: Iran "lacks symmetric conventional response options against the United States and Israel," which is why the regime "has historically relied on cyber operations and a dispersed array of proxy actors as its instruments of response," the Center for Strategic & International Studies notes.

Cyberattacks from U.S., Israel

Zoom in: Israel hacked a popular Iranian prayer app to send notifications to potentially millions of phones last month, urging the country's military personnel to defect from the regime, The Wall Street Journal reported.

  • Iranian state media had also reported that news sites, including state news agency IRNA, were hijacked to display articles about the cyberattacks and discredit the regime.

The Israeli military had access to "nearly all" of the traffic cameras in Tehran, the Financial Times reported.

  • In partnership with the CIA, Israel used the cameras to target the air strike that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader.
  • "Israel used, or very likely used, very cutting-edge kind of data processing or big data fusion techniques that from a kind of layman or citizen perspective you would call AI," Omer Benjakob, a cybersecurity reporter for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, told NPR.

Zoom out: Israel is likely much further along than the U.S. is in developing its own AI systems for military use, Benjakob said.

The intrigue: Gen. Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs, said the U.S. Cyber Command and Space Command were among the "first movers" during the initial strike against Iran last month.

Flashback: In February 2024, the chief technology officer of U.S. Central Command, gave the first public confirmation that the U.S. military was using AI to support strikes.

  • Central Command's CTO told Bloomberg that the military had used AI to help narrow down targets for more than 85 strikes in Syria and Iraq that month, as well as to identify rocket launchers in Yemen and surface vessels in the Red Sea.

Citizen Lab, a digital rights group, said in October that evidence suggests Israel is "linked" to an "AI-enabled" disinformation campaign to instigate Iranian unrest.

Iran's previous cyber attacks

Last year, an Iranian national pleaded guilty to participating in a ransomware scheme that targeted several U.S. cities and organizations.

  • During the 2024 election cycle, Iranian actors hacked Trump's presidential campaign via spear-phishing.
  • In 2022, Iranian state-sponsored hackers used file-encrypting ransomware and wiper malware against the Albanian government, knocking websites and services offline.

Trump takes anti-Massie crusade to Kentucky in stark escalation


President Trump called GOP Rep. Thomas Massie "disloyal" and a "nut job" during a visit to Massie's district Wednesday that marks a striking escalation in his long-running feud with the Kentucky Republican.

Why it matters: Trump has gone after select GOP incumbents from afar for years. But now, the president is doing it on their own turf.


  • "He is the worst person. His name is...What the hell? How did he ever end up in Kentucky, his name is Thomas Massie," Trump said Wednesday afternoon, drawing boos from the audience at the mention of Massie's name.
  • Trump brought Massie's primary challenger, Ed Gallrein, up on stage to speak next to him, calling Gallrein "a real hero."
  • "You deserve an authentic, true Republican conservative that stands shoulder to shoulder with our president," said Gallerin, who Trump recruited and has endorsed.

Driving the news: Massie is the first Republican incumbent that Trump's political organization targeted for defeat this cycle — and the intensity of the president's anti-Massie efforts means the primary outcome will be scored as a test of Trump's influence.

  • "Give me somebody with a warm body to beat Massie, and I got somebody with a warm body, but a big, beautiful brain, and a great patriot. He's unbelievable," Trump said of Gallrein on Wednesday.
  • Trump noted that he won Kentucky handily and cast Massie as out of step with the state's voters.
  • At a national prayer breakfast last month, Trump called Massie a "moron," adding, "He's an automatic 'no,' no matter what."

Catch up quick: Massie's willingness to buck the party line has become so routine that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) doesn't even factor him into the equation for tough votes.

  • The Kentucky Republican was one of just two GOP lawmakers to oppose Trump's signature "big, beautiful bill."
  • He also led the push to release the Epstein files, defying Trump and party leadership.

Flashback: Trump has long actively supported challengers to incumbent Republicans whom he views as disloyal with campaign funds and social media posts.

  • But Wednesday's trip is a notable step further.

Between the lines: The speaker has neither endorsed Massie nor offered much public support, despite his self-described role as head of an "incumbent protection program."

  • "I have the back of every House Republican," Johnson told Axios in an interview at the Capitol last month, while adding that "It would be helpful if Thomas would play with the team more."
  • Asked about whether he planned to endorse Massie, Johnson replied, "If he continues to vote with the Democrats, it makes it very difficult for me."

The other side: Massie did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump's remarks.

  • But in an interview with ABC News on Wednesday, he said his constituents are raising questions about Trump's war on Iran and its impact on the U.S. economy.
  • Last week, Massie was one of just two House Republicans to support Democrats' War Powers Resolution.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.

Go deeper: Mike Johnson can't count on Thomas Massie


More Americans hold dim view of allies Trump antagonizes


Data: Gallup World Affairs poll; Chart: Axios Visuals

Americans' positive views of Canada and Great Britain, historically two of Washington's closest friends, hit their lowest level since the 1980s in new Gallup polling.

The big picture: President Trump has aggravated those allies, blasting their leaders, starting a global trade war, tossing around annexation threats and straining security alliances.


By the numbers: In the previous 12 months through February, Americans' positive ratings for Britain dropped by eight points and for Canada by nine.

  • Americans' view of both is still overwhelmingly positive with the largest declines coming from Republicans.
  • Canada's favorability among Republicans plummeted from 85% to 62%. Republicans' favorable rating for Great Britain fell to 64%, which is 18 points lower than the previous record low.
  • Independents' views of Britain also hit a new low of 72% from 77% last year. Their warm feelings for Canada fell to 80% from 89% the prior year.

Yes, but: Canada remains popular with Democrats, 95% of whom view America's northern neighbor positively. Since 2011, at least nine in ten Democrats have viewed Canada favorably.

  • Democrat's 89% favorability for Britain is down slightly from 93% but largely consistent with the last decade of data.

Worth noting: Americans rated Japan and Italy the highest, while Canada tied with Denmark for third.

Friction point: Gallup notes a number of factors strained Washington's diplomatic ties with Canada and Britain, including differences over major global conflicts.

  • Amid a tariff-driven rift with the U.S., Canada took steps to improve trade with China.
  • After their tension at the World Economic Forum, Trump revoked Prime Minister Mark Carney's invite to join his "Board of Peace."

The latest: Trump recently told The Telegraph that he was "very disappointed" in Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who reportedly blocked the U.S. from using UK bases to strike Iran before deciding to authorize them specific uses.

  • The president took to Truth Social to call the UK "our once Great Ally," adding, "We don't need people that join Wars after we've already won!"

The other side: The chill is mutual.

  • A February Politico-Public First poll found more than half of Canadians do not believe the U.S. is a reliable ally, and nearly seven in ten (69%) say Trump is actively seeking international conflict unprovoked.
  • Ipsos polling from January found that 35% of Britons said there was "a special relationship" between Britain and the U.S. — an improvement from 30% in April 2025 but a sharp drop from 47% in 2024.

Methodology: Gallup results are based on telephone interviews conducted February 2-16, 2026, with a random sample of –1,001— adults living in all 50 U.S. states and D.C. For results based on this sample of national adults, the margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level

Go deeper: Europe answers Trump's call on Ukraine


Asia’s biggest bitcoin buyer now wants to build the BTC ecosystem


Tokyo-listed Metaplanet is expanding beyond holding BTC into funding, incubating, and granting to companies building bitcoin financial infrastructure.

Meet LITRO: The tokenized crude project to start pilot testing soon for 2027 debut


LITRO aims to modernize the $6 trillion oil market by replacing slow, paper-based settlement with 24/7, on-chain trading and redemption.

NVIDIA- and Uber-backed Nuro is testing autonomous vehicles in Tokyo


US self-driving startup Nuro, which is backed by the likes of NVIDIA, Toyota and Uber, has started testing its autonomous vehicles on Tokyo's challenging streets, Bloomberg reported. The company, which plans to launch a robotaxi service with Uber and Lucid in San Francisco this year, will be testing a "handful" of vehicles in the city. Human safety drivers will be at the wheel, as is required by Japanese law. 

Tokyo presents a challenge for autonomous vehicles, given its narrow, crowded streets and left side of the road driving. "Testing the capability of the autonomy system in such an interesting market with some international complexity really is a good pressure test of what the system is capable of," said CEO Andrew Chapin. The company's ultimate goal is to achieve Level 4 autonomy, which allows full self-driving under limited conditions. 

Waymo is the other major robotaxi operator testing vehicles in Tokyo in collaboration with Japanese taxi operators Nihon Kotsu and the country's leading taxi app, Go. It has been operating in the nation since April 2025 in collaboration with Toyota.

Nuro has yet to announce which operators or vehicle manufacturers it will be partnering with, but Chapin said it may not limit itself to autonomous rides. "A universal autonomy platform that can be extended to a lot of different applications and form factors is a bit different than the approach Waymo is taking," he told Bloomberg. The company previously teamed with 7-Eleven on autonomous deliveries in Mountain View, California. 

Uber plans to have up to 100,000 autonomous vehicles including 20,000 robotaxis powered by Lucid and Nuro, with a rollout starting in 2027. It introduced its new vehicle design recently at CES 2026. Uber is also collaborating with Nissan and Wayve with the aim to introduce pilot cars in Tokyo by late 2026.  

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/nvidia--and-uber-backed-nuro-is-testing-autonomous-vehicles-in-tokyo-081200366.html?src=rss

1 in 5 Gen Z job seekers are bringing mom or dad to interviews—and some are even letting them negotiate their salary with the boss


Facing a brutal job market, some Gen Z candidates are bringing mom or dad to job interviews—or even letting them negotiate their pay. Employers say it’s a major red flag.

Exclusive: Oro Labs, which uses AI to streamline corporate procurement, raises $100 million


Goldman Sachs Equity Growth and Brighton Park Capital lead the funding round for the company, which says it can reduce procurement process times from weeks to days or hours

Volcanic fragments rain down as Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupts


This eruption episode sent fragments made of ash, pumice, and pieces of volcanic glass into communities, forcing highway closures and the evacuation of tourists.

War in Ukraine spills into Hungarian election campaign


Hungary is going to the polls soon and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has one public enemy in his sights - Ukraine's president.

Crypto code commits fall 75% as developers move to AI projects


Developers are shifting toward artificial intelligence infrastructure as blockchain ecosystems lose contributors across major networks, from Ethereum to Solana.

Across's acx rockets 80%, massively beating bitcoin, on plans to dump its DAO structure


The bridging protocol's team wants to exchange ACX tokens for equity in a new U.S. C-corp or buy holders out at a 25% premium, in what would be one of the first major reversals from token to traditional corporate structure.

2026 Big 12 Tournament bracket, scores, schedule as second-round action headlines in Kansas City


Find the latest on the 2026 Big 12 Tournament, including the bracket, scores, schedule and more

Bam Adebayo's 83-point night was one to remember. But not everyone was pleased


Detractors point to Adebayo's one-of-a-kind stat line — 43 field goal attempts, 22 3-point attempts and, most of all, NBA records of 36 free throws and 43 attempts — as proof of stat-padding.

Crosby commits after nixed trade: 'I'm a Raider'


Maxx Crosby made his first public comments since the Ravens backed out of a trade that would've sent him to Baltimore, writing on X on Wednesday night, "I'm a Raider. I'm back."

Bonk.fun hacked: Domain hijacked, crypto drainer planted


The operator, known as Tom, said only users who signed a fake terms-of-service message on the compromised site after the breach were affected.

Bitcoin slips below $69,500 as tanker attacks send oil back above $100


Brent crude surged 10% after attacks on two oil tankers in Iraqi waters, with the prompt spread hitting levels not seen in years and MSCI Asia Pacific stocks falling 1.8%.

XRP steadies near $1.38 as Bollinger squeeze hints at breakout before CPI


nvestors are closely watching the upcoming U.S. Consumer Price Index release, which could influence Federal Reserve policy expectations and risk appetite.

Expedia Coupons and Deals: Up to 75% Off Select Trips


Book your next getaway with Expedia and get up to 75%off your stay, with or without a promo code.

Birdfy Discount Code: Save Up to 40% on Smart Bird Feeders


Use these verified Birdfy discount codes to score up to 40% off smart feeders, camera kits, and accessories.

Booking.com Promo Codes and Deals: Up to 20% Off


Enjoy big savings on your next adventure with our Booking.com coupons and handpicked travel deals.

CISA Flags Actively Exploited n8n RCE Bug as 24,700 Instances Remain Exposed


The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Wednesday added a critical security flaw impacting n8n to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, based on evidence of active exploitation. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-68613 (CVSS score: 9.9), concerns a case of expression injection that leads to remote code execution. The security shortcoming was patched

Bodies of two Chinese backpackers found in Australian floodwaters


The pair had been reported missing on Tuesday after failing to reach their destination.

NCAA women's hockey tournament: Breaking down this year's field


Everything you need to know as the road to the women's Frozen Four has been set.

Google Play will let you try a game before you buy it


Google Play has introduced a new feature called Game Trials, which will let you play a portion of paid games for free before you commit to buying them. It’s now rolling out to select paid games on mobile, and it’s coming soon to Google Play Games on PC. Titles that offer Game Trials will show a button marked “Try” on their profile pages. When you click it, you’ll see how long you can play the game before you have to buy it. In Google’s example, the survival and horror game Dredge will give you 60 minutes of free play time, after which you’ll get the option to either buy the game or delete it from your device.

Google has also announced that it’s releasing more paid indie games over the coming months, including Moonlight Peaks, Sledding Game and Low-Budget Repairs. It has launched a new section in the Play store, as well, to feature games optimized for Windows PCs. You can wishlist the games from that section to get a notification when they’re on sale.

Finally, the company is rolling out Play Games Sidekick, the Gemini-powered Android overlay it announced last year, to select games downloaded from Play. Sidekick can show you relevant info and tools for whatever game you're playing without having to do a search query. But if you’d rather ask other people for gaming advice instead of an AI, you can also look at a game’s Community Posts, a feature now available in English for select titles on their Play pages.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/google-play-will-let-you-try-a-game-before-you-buy-it-051854016.html?src=rss

2026 World Baseball Classic scores, schedule: How to watch every game, including Team USA


Here's every score from pool play at the 2026 World Baseball Classic

2026 SEC Tournament bracket: Schedule, scores, results as second round set in Nashville


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2026 Big Ten Tournament bracket, scores, schedule as third-round matchups set in Chicago


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What Americans sacrifice due to high health costs


Data: West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare; Chart: Axios Visuals

Tens of millions of Americans have delayed surgeries, vacation plans, career moves and other big life decisions because of the cost of health care, a new West Health-Gallup survey found.

Why it matters: Affordability concerns are hanging over the midterm election cycle, with just over half of all Americans believing basic medical care is affordable and accessible.


  • As groceries, housing and utilities also become more costly, those pressures are forcing difficult tradeoffs in nearly every aspect of life — even for those who have insurance.

The survey of nearly 20,000 adults found that medical cost concerns didn't just force people to borrow money or stretch out prescriptions. They also led people to delay major events like having or adopting a child, retirement and going back to school.

  • One in three said they've made a financial trade-off like taking out a loan in the last 12 months to pay for health care or medicine.
  • About half of those in households earning between $48,000 and $180,000 a year reported putting off at least one major life decision in the past four years due to health costs.
  • Even higher earners were affected: One-third of adults (34%) in households earning $180,000 to less than $240,000 annually, and one-fourth (25%) in households earning at least $240,000, reported delaying life events.

Between the lines: West Health-Gallup estimated that almost 70 million Americans delayed surgery or another medical treatment over the period studied — a phenomenon that can worsen the inflationary spiral.

  • Forgoing care can make people sicker and require more procedures, tests, drugs and more.
  • The increased demand for services drives up insurance premiums or out-of-pocket spending to the point where some people conclude it's prohibitively expensive and go uninsured.
  • As costs rise, the trade-offs aren't limited to medical decisions, either. The survey estimates as many as 37 million people put off buying a home, 46 million delayed changing jobs, and 40 million scrapped plans to pursue additional education or job training.

What's ahead: The survey says if current trends hold, care will get even less affordable unless significant policy changes are enacted.

  • But as we've reported, health care industry groups continue to fight over who would pay the price while Congress largely ignores the underlying costs that make care increasingly unaffordable.

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