Latest updates from the AI industry
Microsoft has officially expanded the capabilities of its Copilot Studio by adding xAI’s Grok 4.1 Fast model. The company shared a blog post stating that the roll out has started in the United States, where organisations can choose to enable the model within the ecosystem. The company aims to give businesses more flexibility in selecting [...]
With Germany set to lose 15-20% of its workforce, Siemens AG is strategically shifting focus to India. The firm aims to export capabilities from India to meet global talent demands, emphasizing skill-based hiring and AI integration.
(MENAFN - PR Newswire)With 95% of AI projects failing to reach production*, TQA launches a new identity and multi-platform strategy to deliver solutions that achieve real-world results.AUSTIN, ...
(MENAFN - GlobeNewsWire - Nasdaq) 6 Wins in Last 8 Vegas MLB Exhibition Contests – A Record That Surpasses Even Bill Belichick's DynastyWAUCHULA, Fla., Feb. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the 2026 ...
Microsoft has acknowledged a technical error that caused its artificial intelligence work assistant, Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, to access and summarise some users’ confidential emails by mistake.Microsoft has promoted Copilot Chat as a secure AI tool for workplaces. However, the company said a recent issue allowed the tool to surface content from some enterprise users’ Outlook...Details
Microsoft has demonstrated new AI capabilities in Windows 11, including integrating its Copilot AI tool into File Explorer and the taskbar. In the taskbar, you’ll be able to press the “@” key within the Windows 11 search bar to bring up a selection of AI agents you can prompt directly. In one example, Jeremy Chapman, [...]
India AI Impact Summit 2026: Alongside education, Craig also provided insights on how Microsoft is tackling upskilling within the workforce.
Check Point Research has identified a potential new abuse pattern: AI assistants with web-browsing capabilities could, in the future, be repurposed as covert command-and-control (C2) relays. While we have not observed threat actors exploiting this technique in active campaigns, the growing adoption of AI services expands the attack surface available to adversaries. In effect, AI services could be used as a proxy layer that hides malicious communication inside legitimate-looking AI traffic. More broadly, this research points to a growing shift toward AI-driven malware, where AI is no longer just a development aid but an active component of malware operations.From AI-Assisted Attacks to AI-Driven MalwareAI has already lowered the barrier to entry for cyber crime. Attackers routinely use it to generate malware code, craft phishing messages, translate lures, write scripts, and summarize stolen data. These uses reduce cost and speed up operations, allowing even low skill actors to execute more sophisticated campaigns.The Change: Where AI is UsedDecision making in AI-driven malware is no longer fully hardcoded. Instead of following a fixed sequence of instructions, malware can collect information about its environment and rely on AI output to decide what to do next. This may include determining whether a system is worth targeting, which actions to prioritize, how aggressively to operate, or when to remain dormant.The result is malware that behaves less like a script and more like an adaptive operator. This makes campaigns harder to predict, harder to model, and less reliant on repeatable patterns that defenders typically detect.AI Assistants as a Covert C2 ChannelAbusing legitimate cloud services for command and control is not new. Attackers have long hidden communications inside platforms such as email, cloud storage, and collaboration tools. The weakness of those approaches is also well known: accounts can be blocked, API keys revoked, and tenants suspended.AI assistants accessed through web interfaces change that equation.Check Point Research demonstrated that AI platforms offering web-browsing or URL-fetch capabilities could be abused as intermediaries between malware and attacker-controlled infrastructure. By prompting an AI assistant to fetch and summarize content from a specific URL, malware can send data out and receive commands back, without ever directly contacting a traditional C2 server.This technique was demonstrated in a controlled research setting against Grok and Microsoft Copilot, both of which allow web access through their interfaces. Crucially, the interaction can occur without API keys or authenticated user accounts, reducing the effectiveness of common takedown mechanisms.From a network perspective, the traffic appears similar to normal AI usage. From an attacker’s perspective, the AI service becomes a stealthy relay that blends into allowed enterprise communications.Why This Matters Beyond One TechniqueOn its own, using AI assistants as a C2 proxy is a service-abuse technique. Its real significance lies in what it enables next.Once AI services can be used as a transport layer, they can also carry instructions, prompts, and decisions, not just raw commands. This opens the door to malware that relies on AI for operational guidance rather than static logic.Instead of embedding complex decision trees, malware could send a short description of the infected system, such as user context, environment indicators, or software profile, and receive guidance on how to proceed. Over time, this allows campaigns to adapt dynamically across victims without changing code.This shift mirrors trends already seen in legitimate IT operations, where automation and AI-driven decision systems increasingly guide workflows. In malicious operations, the same ideas translate into AIOps-style command and control, where AI helps manage infections, prioritize targets, and optimize outcomes.The Near-Future Impact of AI-Driven AttacksWhile today’s AI-driven malware remains largely experimental, there is one area where AI is likely to have a decisive impact: targeting and prioritization.Instead of encrypting everything, stealing everything, or spreading indiscriminately, future attacks could use AI to identify what actually matters. This may include determining whether a system belongs to a high-value user or organization, prioritizing sensitive files or databases, avoiding sandboxes and analysis environments, or reducing noisy activity that typically triggers detection.For ransomware and data-theft operations, this is particularly important. Many defensive tools rely on volume-based indicators, such as how fast files are encrypted or how much data is accessed. AI-driven targeting allows attackers to achieve impact with far fewer observable events, shrinking the window for detection.A Shift Defenders Can’t IgnoreThis is not a traditional software vulnerability. It is a service-abuse problem rooted in how trusted AI platforms are integrated into enterprise environments.Any AI service that can fetch external content or browse the web inherits a degree of abuse potential. As AI becomes more embedded in daily workflows, defenders can no longer treat AI traffic as inherently benign.Mitigations will require action on both sides. AI providers need stronger controls around web-fetch capabilities, clearer guardrails for anonymous usage, and better enterprise visibility. Defenders need to treat AI domains as high-value egress points, monitor for automated or abnormal usage patterns, and incorporate AI traffic into threat hunting and incident response.
When it comes to the environmental impacts of AI, should big tech firms or enterprises, and their IT departments, be expected to “do their bit” to limit the potential environmental fallout of the technology's growing usage?
Microsoft admits Copilot Chat wrongly pulled confidential emails for some users Storyboard18Microsoft error sees confidential emails exposed to AI tool Copilot BBCMicrosoft says bug causes Copilot to summarize confidential emails BleepingComputerMicrosoft confirms Copilot bug summarising confidential emails, says: The issue was with ... The Times of IndiaMicrosoft Copilot bug lets AI read you private emails NewsBytes
Malware can blend in with legitimate AI traffic using popular AI tools as C2 infrastructure.
Microsoft says Copilot was summarizing confidential emails without permission MashableMicrosoft says bug causes Copilot to summarize confidential emails BleepingComputerNew AI-Related Bug Does Not Dampen Microsoft Stock (NASDAQ:MSFT) TipRanksCopilot Chat bug bypasses DLP on 'Confidential' email theregister.comMicrosoft 365 Copilot Flaw Allows AI Assistant to Summarize Sensitive Emails CybersecurityNews
Microsoft is testing Copilot Tasks, but recent mobile changes are raising concerns. A new update shifts Microsoft 365 Copilot toward a Copilot-first experience instead of a traditional document viewer. According to Windows Latest, Microsoft has modified how Microsoft 365 Copilot works on Android and iOS devices. The app now routes opened files directly into Copilot [...]
Microsoft deployed a fix for the bug, which shows the hazards of using AI in the workplace.A bug in Microsoft 365 and Copilot has been causing the AI assistant to summarize emails that were explicitly labeled as confidential, according to a report from Bleeping Computer. The Copilot security bug reportedly bypassed organizations' data loss prevention (DLP) policies, which are used to protect sensitive ...
Microsoft deployed a fix for the bug, which shows the hazards of using AI in the workplace.A bug in Microsoft 365 and Copilot has been causing the AI assistant to summarize emails that were explicitly labeled as confidential, according to a report from Bleeping Computer. The Copilot security bug reportedly bypassed organizations' data loss prevention (DLP) policies, which are used to protect sensitive ...
Microsoft deployed a fix for the bug, which shows the hazards of using AI in the workplace.A bug in Microsoft 365 and Copilot has been causing the AI assistant to summarize emails that were explicitly labeled as confidential, according to a report from Bleeping Computer. The Copilot security bug reportedly bypassed organizations' data loss prevention (DLP) policies, which are used to protect sensitive ...
Canva has reached $4 billion in annualized revenue, driven by enterprise expansion, AI-powered design features, and a surprising new growth channel: referral traffic from large language model chatbots that increasingly recommend the platform to users seeking design tools.
AI assistants like Grok and Microsoft Copilot with web browsing and URL-fetching capabilities can be abused to intermediate command-and-control (C2) activity. [...]
Microsoft’s Stock (NASDAQ: MSFT) slowdown is raising fresh questions on Wall Street as shares slide 15% year-to-date and nearly 12% in the past month. Microsoft Stock Down 15% in 2026 Microsoft shares are trading around $401, roughly 25% below their 52-week high of $555.45. The pullback reflects mounting investor scrutiny over the company’s aggressive AI [...]
Microsoft is prioritizing bug fixes and stability improvements in its next major Windows 11 update, addressing longstanding complaints about the Start menu, taskbar, File Explorer, and Settings app as the Windows 10 end-of-support deadline approaches in October 2025.