At this point, it’s becoming easier to say which AI startups Mark Zuckerberg hasn’t looked at acquiring.
Technology
The most dangerous encounter to avoid in social media

They are dangerous, tricky scams designed to tug at your better judgment, draining bank accounts, creating havoc with your friends, and manipulating your reputation. Social engineering scams – the type of scams used by criminals to exploit a person’s trust to obtain money or sensitive information or both – have become much more sophisticated with the rise of artificial intelligence.
I’m passionate about protecting your privacy and security. I often hear from people saying, “Why should I care? I’d never fall for one of these scams.” Guess again.
Until now, popular phishing scams typically involved scammers calling innocent people, claiming to be from a company, and convincing them they owe money on an invoice or something. To combat this, brands have tried to protect their customers by saying, “They’ll never call.” But with OpenAI’s recent announcement of its voice-mimicking tool, we’re heading into a new era of social engineering scams.
We spoke to Tom Tovar, CEO of Appdome, a cybersecurity company dedicated to protecting mobile apps. He unveils the unsettling truth about social engineering scams and warns that it’s not just about being aware – it’s about being prepared. The time to change our mindset is now or risk becoming the next victim in the ever-evolving game of digital deception.
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Illustration of artificial intelligence (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
How to spot a social engineering scam
In the intricate world of cybersecurity threats, social engineering scams really make their mark by cleverly manipulating our human instincts and emotions. According to Tovar, “Social engineering scams exploit the everyday fear, uncertainty, and doubt in humans to gain access to protected accounts, information, resources, payments, and more. These attacks can also abuse commercial expectations, business processes, and psychological tactics to trick humans into interacting with the scam.”
WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?

Illustration of artificial intelligence over data (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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What are some of the most recent social engineering scams?
In these scams, fraudsters masquerade as employees from banks, financial institutions or government agencies to gain the trust of their targets. Another social engineering scam could look like a vacation giveaway from a familiar friend but is instead a trick to get you to engage. By leveraging this trust, they manipulate individuals into divulging sensitive information or making financial transactions that benefit the scammer.
“In these attacks, the attacker has to get the user to interact,” Tovar explains.”So, they may send a very convincing text message to the victim purporting to be the fraud department of the bank.” This text message will say something like, “Did you make this purchase?” showcasing a supposedly fraudulent amount, usually concerning enough to panic the victim into replying “no” as quickly as possible. When they do this, they may receive a response saying, “Thank you. Someone from our fraud team will be in touch with you shortly.”
From there, the attacker and the victim are now in direct communication, where they can be tricked into handing over their sensitive information. In other scenarios, they may be told they need to download specific software to mitigate whichever situation the scammer convinced them of. With this software, the scammer can control the entire device.
Though there are other variations of this new social engineering style, they all involve taking advantage of the victim’s emotions and vulnerability to commit their deceptive act. When we asked Tovar how we can expect social engineering scams to change with this current wave of AI-supported, AI-generated scams, he said, “It’s just the wind before the storm.”

Illustration of AI aimed at you (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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How should you adjust your outlook to recognize better and combat social engineering scams?
Many brands have told their customers, “We’ll never call you,” to fight these impersonation scams. It makes sense but only leads scammers to devise new ways to trick their victims. Not only this, but according to Tovar, there’s another issue with telling your users that you won’t call them. “As brand loyalists, enthusiasts and supporters, that’s not really what we want our favorite brands to say.” He’s right. After all, one of the reasons customers may choose one brand over the competition is the ease with which they can talk to somebody if they have a question or concern.

Scammer using AI to trick you (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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Beyond gut feelings: Navigating the blurred lines of AI-driven scams
Tovar says, “Of course, if someone calls you, you want to be aware of what you’re being asked to do, and if it sounds fishy, don’t do it.” But because of AI’s sophistication and the clever, innovative tricks that scammers have up their sleeves, asking you to go with your “gut feeling” is simply not enough. “The line between what feels fishy and what feels real is gone.”

A woman answering phone call while on her laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Proactive steps against sophisticated social engineering scams
Protecting yourself from social engineering scams, especially in the age of AI, requires a multifaceted approach. Here are some steps to help you safeguard against such threats.
1. Stay informed: Keep up to date with the latest scam tactics and cybersecurity news. Awareness is the first line of defense.
2. Verify independently: If contacted by someone claiming to be from a company, verify the claim by contacting the company directly through official channels.
3. Guard personal information: Be cautious about sharing personal information, especially in response to unsolicited communications.
4. Use two-factor authentication: Enable two-factor authentication wherever possible to add an extra layer of security.
5. Be skeptical: Approach too-good-to-be-true offers and urgent requests for action with skepticism.
6. Secure communications: Use encrypted communication channels and avoid discussing sensitive information over unsecured networks.
7. Regularly update systems: Keep operating systems and cybersecurity software up to date to protect against known vulnerabilities.
8. Avoid unknown links and downloads: Do not click on links or download attachments from unknown sources, as they may contain malware. The best way to protect yourself from clicking malicious links that install malware that may get access to your private information is to have antivirus protection installed on all your devices. This can also alert you of any phishing emails or ransomware scams. Get my picks for the best 2024 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices.
9. Report suspicious activity: If you suspect a social engineering attempt, report it to the appropriate authorities.
By implementing these steps, individuals and organizations can build a stronger defense against the evolving landscape of social engineering scams. It’s important to remember that as technology advances, so do the tactics of scammers. Continuous education and vigilance are key to staying protected.
Kurt’s key takeaways
Sadly, dodging sneaky social engineering scams is part of our everyday life in the world of connecting online. It’s like a game of digital cat-and-mouse, and we’ve got to stay one step ahead. So, what’s the game plan? First, let’s keep our eyes peeled for the latest scammer tricks – it’s all about staying in the know. However, it’s also about prevention, not just detection. If you get a call or message that smells fishy, trust your gut and double-check with the official sources. Remember, sharing is not always caring, especially regarding your personal information. Oh, and those too-good-to-be-true offers? That’s a big red flag. Let’s not make it easy for the scammers.
Have you ever encountered a social engineering scam? What red flags helped you recognize it? 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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Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.

Technology
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 7 has returned to its lowest-ever price

I jumped on the smartwatch bandwagon a bit late, but now I can’t go a day without mine. Beyond delivering helpful notifications, it’s perfect for setting timers, tracking workouts, and monitoring my sleeping habits (which are terrible). If you haven’t yet joined the smartwatch party or you’re looking to upgrade, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 7 is down to $199.99 ($100 off) in the 40mm / Bluetooth configuration at Amazon and Walmart. If you prefer a larger display, the 44mm model is on sale at Amazon starting at $229.99 ($100 off).
While the Galaxy Watch 7 isn’t as flashy as other Samsung wearables, its more simplistic approach is part of its charm. It retains the signature circular design and slim profile of prior models, which remains a stark contrast to the adventure-ready Galaxy Watch Ultra. It’s comfortable to wear while sleeping and working out — as our own Victoria Song noted in her review last year — and it comes with a selection of welcome features, including heart rate tracking, an Energy Score for gauging recovery, and FDA-approved sleep apnea detection.
One of the new marquee tools of the Watch 7 is its AI-powered wellness insights, which provide personalized suggestions to help you hit your health and fitness goals. There’s also a 3-in-1 BioActive Sensor that can measure metabolic health thanks to an experimental advanced glycation end products (AGEs) metric, though both features were rather hit or miss in our testing. Of course, the wearable also offers a range of basic smartwatch features, such as the ability to stream music, send texts, and take calls when your phone is nearby.
Despite its slimmer design, the Watch 7 offers around 24 hours of battery life with the always-on display enabled, though if you upgrade to the 44mm Watch 7, you can eke out a few additional hours. Samsung’s wearable also runs Wear OS 5, as of now, though we’re expecting the Gemini-powered Wear OS 6 to arrive via an update later this year. All that being said, the timing of these deals could indicate that a Galaxy Watch 8 is on the horizon. Samsung typically holds an Unpacked event in mid-July, and this year it may introduce a refreshed lineup of foldable and wearable devices.
Technology
Chaos ransomware hits Optima Tax Relief, leaks 69GB of data

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Cyberattacks on financial service providers are no longer isolated events. In recent years, tax preparation companies, accounting software vendors and data brokers have all found themselves in the crosshairs of increasingly aggressive ransomware gangs. These attacks don’t just disrupt operations but also expose deeply personal financial information that can fuel identity theft, fraud and long-term reputational damage.
Now, Optima Tax Relief, one of the most prominent tax resolution firms in the U.S., has joined that growing list. A ransomware group called Chaos claims to have breached Optima’s systems, stealing 69 GB of data before encrypting internal servers.
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A woman working on a laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Customer case files and personal information exposed
The data stolen in the attack includes what appears to be corporate documents and sensitive customer case files. Tax documents are especially valuable to cybercriminals. They often contain Social Security numbers, home addresses, phone numbers and other identifiers that can be used to commit financial fraud or impersonation.
Sources familiar with the incident told BleepingComputer this was a double-extortion attack. That means Chaos not only stole the data but also encrypted Optima’s systems, presumably demanding a ransom in exchange for access and non-disclosure. The firm has not yet commented publicly on whether it plans to pay the ransom or notify affected individuals.
TESLA DOXXING ATTACKS WRONGLY TARGET NONOWNERS ACROSS AMERICA
The attackers listed Optima on their leak site earlier this week. While the full dataset has not been published, the leak already raises concerns over regulatory compliance and consumer protection, especially given the sensitive nature of the firm’s work.
Optima Tax Relief has not released an official statement regarding the breach. There has been no confirmation about whether law enforcement or federal agencies are involved in the investigation. If you’ve ever used its services, assume your data could be at risk.
We reached out to Optima Tax Relief for a comment but did not hear back before our deadline.

Optima Tax Relief entry on Chaos data leak site (BleepingComputer)
DOUBLECLICKJACKING HACK TURNS DOUBLE-CLICKS INTO ACCOUNT TAKEOVERS
A new ransomware group with high-value targets
Chaos ransomware first emerged in March 2025, when it claimed responsibility for five separate breaches. The group is not connected to the “Chaos ransomware builder,” a DIY toolkit that’s been in circulation since 2021. Instead, this version of Chaos is believed to be run by a coordinated team that is strategically targeting organizations with access to large amounts of personally identifiable information.
Optima is not the only high-profile victim. In May, Chaos claimed to have breached the Salvation Army, though the organization has not publicly confirmed the attack or responded to media inquiries.

A person scrolling on their smartphone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
MALWARE EXPOSES 3.9 BILLION PASSWORDS IN HUGE CYBERSECURITY THREAT
6 ways you can stay safe from Optima data breach
If your information was part of the Optima breach or any similar one, it’s worth taking a few steps to protect yourself.
1. Consider identity theft protection services: Since the Optima data breach exposed personal and financial information, it’s crucial to stay proactive against identity theft. Identity theft protection services offer continuous monitoring of your credit reports, Social Security number and even the dark web to detect if your information is being misused. See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft.
2. Monitor your accounts and transactions: The Optima data breach might have revealed bank details to attackers, which means they can misuse those details to steal your money. You should check your online accounts and transactions regularly for any suspicious or unauthorized activity. If you notice anything unusual, immediately report it to the service provider or authorities. You should also review your credit reports and scores to see if there are any signs of identity theft or fraud. To report identity theft, visit the FTC’s IdentityTheft.gov.
3. Contact your bank and credit card companies: Since Optima hackers might have obtained bank and credit card information, they could use it to make purchases or withdrawals without your consent. You should inform your bank and credit card companies of the situation. They can help you freeze or cancel your cards, dispute any fraudulent charges and issue new cards for you. You should also contact one of the three major credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian or TransUnion — and request a fraud alert to be placed on your credit file. This will make it more difficult for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name without verification.
4. Use personal data removal services: The data breach leaks loads of information about you, and all this could end up in the public domain, which essentially gives anyone an opportunity to scam you. One proactive step is to consider personal data removal services, which specialize in continuously monitoring and removing your information from various online databases and websites. Check out my top picks for data removal services here.
Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web.
5. Have strong antivirus software: Optima hackers most likely have people’s email addresses and full names, which makes it easy for them to send you a phishing link that installs malware and steals all your data. These messages are socially engineered to catch them, and catching them is nearly impossible if you’re not careful. However, you’re not without defenses.
The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links is to have 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.
6. Enable two-factor authentication: While passwords weren’t part of the data breach, you still need to enable two-factor authentication (2FA). It gives you an extra layer of security on all your important accounts, including email, banking and social media. Two-factor authentication requires you to provide a second piece of information, such as a code sent to your phone, in addition to your password when logging in. This makes it significantly harder for hackers to access your accounts, even if they have your password. Enabling 2FA can greatly reduce the risk of unauthorized access and protect your sensitive data.
Kurt’s key takeaway
The Optima breach is not an isolated event, but part of a larger failure to adapt to the sophistication of modern ransomware groups. When companies with access to tax and identity data are compromised, it’s not just an internal issue; it becomes a national one. For an industry built on trust, breaches like this erode public confidence in systems that are already strained. Attacks like these raise fresh concerns about the cybersecurity preparedness of companies that handle tax and financial data. Unlike login credentials or email addresses, stolen tax information cannot be easily reset. For victims, the consequences of such a breach could stretch across years.
Do you think finance companies are investing enough in their cybersecurity infrastructure? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.
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Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Technology
Meta held talks to buy Thinking Machines, Perplexity, and Safe Superintelligence

In addition to Ilya Sutskever’s Safe Superintelligence (SSI), sources tell me the Meta CEO recently discussed buying ex-OpenAI CTO Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines Lab and Perplexity, the AI-native Google rival. None of these talks progressed to the formal offer stage for various reasons, including disagreements over deal prices and strategy, but together they illustrate how aggressively Zuckerberg has been canvassing the industry to reboot his AI efforts.
Now, details about the team Zuckerberg is assembling are starting to come into view: SSI co-founder and CEO Daniel Gross, along with ex-Github CEO Nat Friedman, are poised to co-lead the Meta AI assistant. Both men will report to Alexandr Wang, the former Scale CEO Zuckerberg just paid over $14 billion to quickly hire. Wang told his Scale team goodbye last Friday and was in the Meta office on Monday. This week, he has been meeting with top Meta leaders (more on that below) and continuing to recruit for the new AI team Zuckerberg has tasked him with building. I expect the team to be unveiled as soon as next week.
Rather than join Meta, Sutskever, Murati, and Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas have all gone on to raise more money at higher valuations. Sutskever, a titan of the AI research community who co-founded OpenAI, recently raised a couple of billion dollars for SSI. Both Meta and Google are investors in his company, I’m told. Murati also just raised a couple of billion dollars. Neither she nor Sutskever is close to releasing a product. Srinivas, meanwhile, is in the process of raising around $500 million for Perplexity.
Spokespeople for all the companies involved either declined to comment or didn’t respond in time for publication. The Information and CNBC first reported Zuckerberg’s talks with Safe Superintelligence, while Bloomberg first reported the Perplexity talks.
While Zuckerberg’s recruiting drive is motivated by the urgency he feels to fix Meta’s AI strategy, the situation also highlights the fierce competition for top AI talent these days. In my conversations this week, those on the inside of the industry aren’t surprised by Zuckerberg making nine-figure — or even, yes, 10-figure — compensation offers for the best AI talent. There are certain senior people at OpenAI, for example, who are already compensated in that ballpark, thanks to the company’s meteoric increase in valuation over the last few years.
Speaking of OpenAI, it’s clear that CEO Sam Altman is at least a bit rattled by Zuckerberg’s hiring spree. His decision to appear on his brother’s podcast this week and say that “none of our best people” are leaving for Meta was probably meant to convey a position of strength, but in reality, it looks like he is throwing his former colleagues under the bus. I was confused by Altman’s suggestion that Meta paying a lot upfront for talent won’t “set up a great culture.” After all, didn’t OpenAI just pay $6.5 billion to hire Jony Ive and his small hardware team?
“We think that glasses are the best form factor for AI”
When I joined a Zoom call with Alex Himel, Meta’s VP of wearables, this week, he had just gotten off a call with Zuckerberg’s new AI chief, Alexandr Wang.
“There’s an increasing number of Alexes that I talk to on a regular basis,” Himel joked as we started our conversation about Meta’s new glasses release with Oakley. “I was just in my first meeting with him. There were like three people in a room with the camera real far away, and I was like, ‘Who is talking right now?’ And then I was like, ‘Oh, hey, it’s Alex.’”
The following Q&A has been edited for length and clarity:
How did your meeting with Alex just now go?
The meeting was about how to make AI as awesome as it can be for glasses. Obviously, there are some unique use cases in the glasses that aren’t stuff you do on a phone. The thing we’re trying to figure out is how to balance it all, because AI can be everything to everyone or it could be amazing for more specific use cases.
We’re trying to figure out how to strike the right balance because there’s a ton of stuff in the underlying Llama models and that whole pipeline that we don’t care about on glasses. Then there’s stuff we really, really care about, like egocentric view and trying to feed video into the models to help with some of the really aspirational use cases that we wouldn’t build otherwise.
You are referring to this new lineup with Oakley as “AI glasses.” Is that the new branding for this category? They are AI glasses, not smart glasses?
We refer to the category as AI glasses. You saw Orion. You used it for longer than anyone else in the demo, which I commend you for. We used to think that’s what you needed to hit scale for this new category. You needed the big field of view and display to overlay virtual content. Our opinion of that has definitely changed. We think we can hit scale faster, and AI is the reason we think that’s possible.
Right now, the top two use cases for the glasses are audio — phone calls, music, podcasts — and taking photos and videos. We look at participation rates of our active users, and those have been one and two since launch. Audio is one. A very close second is photos and videos.
AI has been number three from the start. As we’ve been launching more markets — we’re now in 18 — and we’ve been adding more features, AI is creeping up. Our biggest investment by a mile on the software side is AI functionality, because we think that glasses are the best form factor for AI. They are something you’re already wearing all the time. They can see what you see. They can hear what you hear. They’re super accessible.
Is your goal to have AI supersede audio and photo to be the most used feature for glasses, or is that not how you think about it?
From a math standpoint, at best, you could tie. We do want AI to be something that’s increasingly used by more people more frequently. We think there’s definitely room for the audio to get better. There’s definitely room for image quality to get better. The AI stuff has much more headroom.
How much of the AI is onboard the glasses versus the cloud? I imagine you have lots of physical constraints with this kind of device.
We’ve now got one billion-parameter models that can run on the frame. So, increasingly, there’s stuff there. Then we have stuff running on the phone.
If you were watching WWDC, Apple made a couple of announcements that we haven’t had a chance to test yet, but we’re excited about. One is the Wi-Fi Aware APIs. We should be able to transfer photos and videos without having people tap that annoying dialogue box every time. That’d be great. The second one was processor background access, which should allow us to do image processing when you transfer the media over. Syncing would work just like it does on Android.
Do you think the market for these new Oakley glasses will be as big as the Ray-Bans? Or is it more niche because they are more outdoors and athlete-focused?
We work with EssilorLuxottica, which is a great partner. Ray-Ban is their largest brand. Within that, the most popular style is Wayfair. When we launched the original Ray-Ban Meta glasses, we went with the most popular style for the most popular brand.
Their second biggest brand is Oakley. A lot of people wear them. The Holbrook is really popular. The HSTN, which is what we’re launching, is a really popular analog frame. We increasingly see people using the Ray-Ban Meta glasses for active use cases. This is our first step into the performance category. There’s more to come.
What’s your reaction to Google’s announcements at I/O for their XR glasses platform and eyewear partnerships?
We’ve been working with EssilorLuxottica for like five years now. That’s a long time for a partnership. It takes a while to get really in sync. I feel very good about the state of our partnership. We’re able to work quickly. The Oakley Meta glasses are the fastest program we’ve had by quite a bit. It took less than nine months.
I thought the demos they [Google] did were pretty good. I thought some of those were pretty compelling. They didn’t announce a product, so I can’t react specifically to what they’re doing. It’s flattering that people see the traction we’re getting and want to jump in as well.
On the AR glasses front, what have you been learning from Orion now that you’ve been showing it to the outside world?
We’ve been going full speed on that. We’ve actually hit some pretty good internal milestones for the next version of it, which is the one we plan to sell. The biggest learning from using them is that we feel increasingly good about the input and interaction model with eye tracking and the neural band. I wore mine during March Madness in the office. I was literally watching the games. Picture yourself sitting at a table with a virtual TV just above people’s heads. It was amazing.
- TikTok gets to keep operating illegally. As expected, President Trump extended his enforcement deadline for the law that has banned a China-owned TikTok in the US. It’s essential to understand what is really happening here: Trump is instructing his Attorney General not to enforce earth-shattering fines on Apple, Google, and every other American company that helps operate TikTok. The idea that he wouldn’t use this immense leverage to extract whatever he wants from these companies is naive, and this whole process makes a mockery of everyone involved, not to mention the US legal system.
- Amazon will hire fewer people because of AI. When you make an employee memo a press release, you’re trying to tell the whole world what’s coming. In this case, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy wants to make clear that he’s going to fully embrace AI to cut costs. Roughly 30 percent of Amazon’s code is already written by AI, and I’m sure Jassy is looking at human-intensive areas, such as sales and customer service, to further automate.
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