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Meta is pushing for the government to use its AI

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Meta is pushing for the government to use its AI

Meta is “working with the public sector to adopt Llama across the US government,” according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The comment, made during his opening remarks for Meta’s Q3 earnings call on Wednesday, raises a lot of important questions: Exactly which parts of the government will use Meta’s AI models? What will the AI be used for? Will there be any kind of military-specific applications of Llama? Is Meta getting paid for any of this?

When I asked Meta to elaborate, spokesperson Faith Eischen told me via email that “we’ve partnered with the US State Department to see how Llama could help address different challenges — from expanding access to safe water and reliable electricity, to helping support small businesses.” She also said the company has “been in touch with the Department of Education to learn how Llama could help make the financial aid process more user friendly for students and are in discussions with others about how Llama could be utilized to benefit the government.”

She added that there was “no payment involved” in these partnerships.

There’s also the cozying up to the government that Meta’s AI rivals are doing. OpenAI and Anthropic recently said they would share their models with the US AI Safety Institute ahead of time for safety screening. Google’s on-and-off-again relationship as an AI vendor for the Pentagon is well documented. In a recent blog post, OpenAI said its models were being used by DARPA⁠, the U.S. Agency for International Development⁠, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

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While we wait to learn about Meta’s AI work with the government, Zuckerberg teased a bit more about the next Llama model on the Q3 earnings call. He said version four is training on “a cluster bigger than I’ve seen reported for anything else others are doing” and that he expects “new modalities,” “stronger reasoning,” and “much faster” performance when it debuts next year.

He acknowledged that Meta plans to continue spending more on AI in 2025, which is “maybe not want investors want to hear in the near term.” But he sees the upside as being worth it.

“I’m pretty amped about all the work we’re doing right now,” he said. “This may be the most dynamic moment I’ve seen in our industry, and I’m focused on making sure that we build some awesome things and make the most of the opportunities ahead.”

As a business, Meta is still continuing to grow. The company reported revenue of $40.5 billion for Q3, a 19-percent increase from a year ago, and $17.3 billion in profit. And it claims that 3.29 billion people use at least one of its apps each day, an increase of 5 percent from a year ago.

Update, October 30th: Added more details from Meta spokesperson.

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Trump reduces tax on cheap imports from China

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Trump reduces tax on cheap imports from China

From May 14th, packages from Hong Kong and China valued below $800 will be subject to either a 54 percent tariff — down from 120 percent — or a flat $100 per-parcel fee, which hasn’t changed. Export companies retain the ability to decide whether they want their goods to be taxed at a flat rate or by percentage. Previous plans for a doubling of the flat rate to $200 from June 1st have been scrapped.

The tax on goods below $800 is an effort to counter the effects of the previous “de minimis” exemption, which allowed cheaper parcels to avoid import taxes and duties. Donald Trump first announced plans for a 30 percent rate on de minimis goods, with a $25 flat fee, which was later tripled and then increased again. The latest rates remain substantially higher than those included in his first tariffs package.

Companies like Temu and Shein thrived thanks to the ability to ship goods directly to consumers tax-free, and even the lowered rates will remain a threat to their business models. Both companies recently raised their prices for US consumers in response to elevated tariffs.

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Over 2,800 websites used to spread AMOS malware

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Over 2,800 websites used to spread AMOS malware

Ransomware gangs once thrived on infected email attachments and bogus invoices, but security-savvy users and hardened mail gateways have weakened those tactics. Attackers are now focusing on a subtler trick that targets the small checkbox labeled “I’m not a robot” that most people click without thinking. 

A widespread campaign known as MacReaper has compromised more than 2,800 legitimate websites and redirects visitors to an infection process designed specifically for Apple computers. The operation relies on visual trust signals, including a convincing fake of Google’s reCAPTCHA, along with hidden clipboard code that ends with the installation of Atomic macOS Stealer malware, a data-harvesting infostealer distributed through Telegram.

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A woman working on her laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

How does the attack unfold?

When a Mac user visits one of the compromised websites, they don’t see the page they were expecting. Instead, the site displays a full-screen imitation of Google’s familiar reCAPTCHA box.

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This fake reCAPTCHA appears harmless, simply asking the user to click “I’m not a robot.” However, when the user clicks the box, a hidden command is silently copied to their clipboard. Immediately afterward, the page displays a friendly message, complete with familiar macOS keyboard shortcut visuals, explicitly instructing the user to open Terminal and paste what they’ve just copied. If the user follows these instructions, the command downloads and runs the malicious file known as Atomic macOS Stealer (AMOS).

This trick is specifically targeted at Mac users. The website checks the visitor’s operating system and only activates the attack if it detects macOS. For Windows or Linux users, the site behaves normally. Researchers have dubbed this infection method “ClickFix,” referencing the single click that initiates the attack chain.

At the center of this campaign is AMOS, a sophisticated piece of malware that has become notorious in cybercrime circles. AMOS is available for rent on Telegram, with some versions costing attackers up to $3,000 per month. Once installed, AMOS can steal a wide array of sensitive data: it can extract Wi-Fi and app passwords stored in Keychain, collect browser cookies and autofill data, list system information and scan through personal folders such as Desktop and Documents. It is also capable of identifying and targeting more than 50 types of cryptocurrency wallets.

Over 2,800 websites used to spread AMOS malware

Fake reCAPTCHA (Cyber Security News) (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

THE HIDDEN COSTS OF FREE APPS: YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

Macs aren’t as secure as Apple wants you to believe

MacReaper challenges two widely held beliefs. The first is that everyday CAPTCHA checks are just harmless speed bumps. The second is that macOS provides a level of built-in security that keeps most attackers at bay. In reality, a single click can expose Keychain credentials, active browser sessions and cryptocurrency wallets.

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These are exactly the kinds of targets that attract credential-stuffing groups and profit-driven cybercriminals. Because the attack is triggered by the user, many network monitoring tools treat the traffic as normal, leaving security teams with little to investigate. In environments where Macs and Windows machines share identity systems, one compromised Mac can open access to single sign-on portals, cloud storage and even production codebases.

Over 2,800 websites used to spread AMOS malware

A woman working on her laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS ARE BEING HIJACKED TO PROMOTE PIRATED SOFTWARE AND SCAMS

6 ways you can stay safe from MacReaper attack

To protect yourself from the evolving threat of the MacReaper attack, which continues to target users through sophisticated social engineering tactics, consider implementing these six essential security measures.

1) Be skeptical of CAPTCHA prompts: Legitimate CAPTCHA tests never require you to copy commands or paste anything into Terminal. If a website instructs you to do this, it’s likely a scam. Close the page immediately and avoid interacting with it.

2) Don’t click links from unverified emails and use strong antivirus software: Many MacReaper attacks start with phishing emails that impersonate trusted services. Always verify the sender before clicking on links. If an email seems urgent or unexpected, go directly to the company’s official website instead of clicking any links inside the email.

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The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe. Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.

3) Enable two-factor authentication: Enable two-factor authentication whenever possible. This adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of verification, such as a code sent to your phone, in addition to your password.

4) Keep devices updated: Regularly updating your operating system, browser and security software ensures you have the latest patches against known vulnerabilities. Cybercriminals exploit outdated systems, so enabling automatic updates is a simple but effective way to stay protected.

5) Monitor your accounts for suspicious activity and change your passwords: If you’ve interacted with a suspicious website, phishing email or fake login page, check your online accounts for any unusual activity. Look for unexpected login attempts, unauthorized password resets or financial transactions that you don’t recognize. If anything seems off, change your passwords immediately and report the activity to the relevant service provider. Also, consider using a password manager to generate and store complex passwords. Get more details about my best expert-reviewed password managers of 2025 here.

6) Invest in a personal data removal service: Consider using a service that monitors your personal information and alerts you to potential breaches or unauthorized use of your data. These services can provide early warning signs of identity theft or other malicious activities resulting from MacReaper or similar attacks. While no service promises to remove all your data from the internet, having a removal service is great if you want to constantly monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a longer period of time. Check out my top picks for data removal services here.

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MASSIVE SECURITY FLAW PUTS MOST POPULAR BROWSERS AT RISK ON MAC

Kurt’s key takeaway

MacReaper makes it clear that the most durable exploits aren’t zero-days but borrowed moments of trust, an authentic-looking CAPTCHA, a helpful-sounding fix, a clipboard that does what it’s told. As Apple tightens the technical screws with Rapid Security Responses and notarization, expect adversaries to double down on such psychological levers. The counter-strategy is to hard-bake healthy skepticism into user behavior and to instrument Macs with the same telemetry layers enterprises already expect from Windows. Security, in other words, has finally become a platform-agnostic muscle, and complacency is the riskiest operating system of all.

Do you think tech companies are doing enough to stop malware like MacReaper? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.

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Google just changed its ‘G’ logo

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Google just changed its ‘G’ logo

Google has updated its colorful “G” logo for the first time in almost a decade. An update to the Google app on iOS shows a new logo that blends the logo’s red, yellow, green, and blue colors into a gradient, as reported by 9to5Google.

Google last made a major change to its logo in September 2015, when the company updated its font to a sans-serif typeface. At the time, Google also revealed a new “G” logo that incorporates all of the brand’s colors.

Though this change may be a bit more subtle, the newly blended logo brings it in line with the gradient it uses for the Gemini logo’s design.

So far, it appears Google has only updated its logo on its iOS app. The “G” still appears with distinct borders between colors on Android and the web. Google didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment from The Verge.

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