Another AI test gone awry, U.K. edition.

"An agent tried to insert malicious code into an open-source project. In an attempt to get the code approved, the agent engaged in social engineering — creating fake online identities and using them to pressure the project's maintainer to approve the code."

More: https://www.aisi.gov.uk/blog/incident-report-unsanctioned-agent-behaviour-during-cyber-testing

By me: A major online ads company that claims to serve 1.5 billion ads a day was hacked and began serving malware designed to steal a person's crypto. This is the latest perfect example why you should use an ad-blocker.

More: https://this.weekinsecurity.com/online-advertising-giant-adform-was-hacked-proving-once-again-why-ad-blockers-are-necessary/

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If there's one thing I've learned from publishing this story is that there is a very, very, very wide chasm between what the law says about all this... and what people *think* the law says and/or *should* say.

After Anthropic and OpenAI both admitted to their AI models hacking other companies, @nprofile1q... and I wanted to find out: Who is legally to blame when an autonomous AI agent hacks something? Lawyers say it's really complicated; one called it "uncharted territory."

Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/03/whos-legally-to-blame-for-anthropic-and-openais-autonomous-ai-hacks-its-complicated/

Bypass for ad-blockers: https://web.archive.org/web/20260803194912/https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/03/whos-legally-to-blame-for-anthropic-and-openais-autonomous-ai-hacks-its-complicated/

New, by me: Samsung has banned smart TV apps that enlist owners' internet connections into residential proxy networks, which are increasingly linked to cybercrime. Samsung told me it's also removing apps containing resproxy code.

This comes as new research by Mnemonic found Samsung promoted barebone apps as "editor's choice," which allowed outsieders to rent access to a Samsung smart TV's internet connection.

Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/03/samsung-bans-smart-tv-apps-that-share-users-internet-connections-with-strangers/

Bypass for ad-blockers: https://web.archive.org/web/20260803121659/https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/03/samsung-bans-smart-tv-apps-that-share-users-internet-connections-with-strangers/

I'd be interested to see if any of the companies that were hacked by OpenAI or Anthropic will sue them. Someone has to take responsibility for this, and the blame is almost entirely on the leaders of these AI companies. Alternatively, hacking is just legal now until a court says otherwise? What a fucking mess.

https://www.wired.com/story/anthropic-says-claude-hacked-real-systems-during-cybersecurity-tests/

CareCloud, which stores patients' medical records for 45,000+ hospitals & healthcare providers across the U.S., has begun notifying hundreds of thousands of people that their data was stolen in a March breach. The notices reveal new details, and the number of affected people is expected to rise.

More, by me: https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/30/carecloud-begins-to-notify-hundreds-of-thousands-after-hackers-stole-medical-records/

Bypass for ad-blockers: https://web.archive.org/web/20260730203017/https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/30/carecloud-begins-to-notify-hundreds-of-thousands-after-hackers-stole-medical-records/

The U.S. FTC has sued Hims & Hers, which prescribes for sexual wellness and mental health conditions, alleging the company shared customers' sensitive medical data with advertising giants Meta and Snap through hidden website pixels.

More: https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/30/ftc-sues-hims-hers-for-allegedly-sharing-patients-medical-data-with-advertisers-meta-and-snap/

Bypass for ad-blockers: https://web.archive.org/web/20260730133200/https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/30/ftc-sues-hims-hers-for-allegedly-sharing-patients-medical-data-with-advertisers-meta-and-snap/

In my latest weekly cyber newsletter: OpenAI admits to hacking Hugging Face, millions of cars with hidden alarms vulnerable to hacking, Iran's hacking water and energy systems, Russia's targeting nuclear scientists with an email zero-day, a healthcare hack sparks data theft fears, and much more.

Read online: https://this.weekinsecurity.com/this-week-in-security-july-26-2026-edition/

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