Leak confirms OpenAI is testing a ChatGPT for Science subscription

18 June 2026 at 03:30

OpenAI appears to be testing a new subscription and experience for science use cases, but it's unclear if it'll be available to everyone regardless of their background. [...]

Readers reply: Experts say we should use passkeys, but can a smartphone pin really be safer than a password?

Data and computer security | The Guardian

14 June 2026 at 15:00

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

This week’s question: Is ‘ripen at home’ fruit the supermarkets’ idea of a joke?

I’ve been struggling to get my head around the idea that a passkey, which can be a pin on your phone, or facial recognition, can be safer than using a complicated password and two-factor authentication.

I get that having something unique to your device, not stored on a company’s server, is unphishable and less hackable by cybercrims, but what if your phone is nicked and someone guesses the password? And what if you lose your phone?

Spyware firm targeted WhatsApp users in defiance of US court order, Meta says

Data and computer security | The Guardian

By: Aisha Down

9 June 2026 at 18:20

Tech company says it ‘caught and disrupted’ NSO Group’s attempts to access accounts in Jordan and Lebanon

A spyware firm has been targeting WhatsApp users with malicious links in contravention of a US court order forbidding it from doing so, Meta has said.

In a post, Meta said WhatsApp had “caught and disrupted spear phishing attempts” by NSO Group, which a spokesperson said targeted a handful of users in Jordan and Lebanon. It had also caught the group creating “test accounts and groups” on WhatsApp.

Police seize “First VPN” service used in ransomware, data theft attacks

BleepingComputer

By: Bill Toulas

21 May 2026 at 15:09

A virtual private network service called 'First VPN,' used in ransomware and data theft attacks, has been taken offline in a joint international law enforcement operation. [...]

Canvas hack: is it ever a good idea to pay a ransom, and what happens to the data?

Data and computer security | The Guardian

By: Josh Taylor Technology reporter

16 May 2026 at 20:00

Businesses are advised against paying – but many are prepared to deal to protect users’ privacy

After a week of outages, hundreds of millions of students’ data stolen, delayed assignment due dates and school login pages being defaced by hackers, the US tech firm Instructure – which operates the education platform Canvas, used by education providers worldwide – announced it had “reached an agreement with the unauthorised actor” behind the ransomware attack.

Experts read the careful language as a sign that a ransom has been paid. The company has not confirmed this.

Developer withdraws plans for Perth datacentre after fierce community opposition

Data and computer security | The Guardian

By: Josh Taylor Technology reporter

15 May 2026 at 10:57

Three-storey GreenSquare datacentre in Hazelmere was to power cloud computing and the acceleration of AI

Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

A 15,000 sq metre datacentre near Perth will no longer go ahead after the developer withdrew plans amid community opposition over its impact on culturally significant sites.

The three-storey, 120-megawatt GreenSquare datacentre in the town of Hazelmere had been intended to power cloud computing and the acceleration of artificial intelligence, but faced fierce community backlash – as is increasingly common with such developments.

Palantir’s access to identifiable NHS England patient data is ‘dangerous’, MPs say

Data and computer security | The Guardian

By: Robert Booth UK technology editor

11 May 2026 at 14:01

Health service has given US tech firm ‘unlimited access’ to certain data to build integrated platform, according to reports

UK politics live – latest updates

MPs have warned that an NHS decision to grant Palantir access to identifiable patient information in its plan to use AI to improve the health service is “dangerous” and will fuel public fears that data privacy is not being prioritised.

NHS England has allowed staff from the US tech firm and other contractors to access patient data before it has been pseudonymised, despite internal fears of a “risk of loss of public confidence”, the Financial Times reported.

Rental platform unnecessarily collected the data of millions of Australians, privacy commissioner finds

Data and computer security | The Guardian

By: Josh Taylor Technology reporter

22 April 2026 at 05:47

2Apply’s over-collection of personal information adds to the power of the real estate industry in the competitive rental market, Carly Kind says

An online rental platform has been urged to stop collecting users’ personal information after the Australian privacy commissioner found the gathering of “excessive” data compounded the vulnerability of tenants amid the housing crisis.

RentTech platforms are increasingly used by real estate agents in Australia for people applying for rental properties to submit applications and supporting documentation. The Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute has identified 57 different rent platforms operating in Australia.

Booking.com warns customers of hack that exposed their data

Data and computer security | The Guardian

By: Lauren Almeida

13 April 2026 at 12:57

Undisclosed number of names and contact and reservation details accessed in latest cybercrime attempt

The accommodation reservation website Booking.com has suffered a data breach with “unauthorised parties” gaining access to customers’ details.

The platform said it “noticed some suspicious activity involving unauthorised third parties being able to access some of our guests’ booking information”.

Almost half a million Lloyds customers had personal data exposed in IT glitch

Data and computer security | The Guardian

By: Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent

27 March 2026 at 12:53

Letter from group published by MPs blames 12 March glitch on software update to its mobile banking apps

Lloyds Banking Group exposed the personal data of nearly 500,000 customers in an IT glitch that left people’s payments, account details and national insurance numbers visible to other users, a committee of MPs has revealed.

A letter from Lloyds, published by MPs on the Treasury select committee on Friday, blamed the glitch on a software defect introduced during an IT update to its Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland mobile banking apps overnight into 12 March.

Google warns quantum computers could hack encrypted systems by 2029

Data and computer security | The Guardian

By: Aisha Down

26 March 2026 at 16:22

Banks, governments and tech providers urged to upgrade security because current systems will soon be obsolete

Banks, governments and technology providers need to be prepared for quantum computer hackers capable of breaking most existing encryption systems by 2029, Google has warned.

The tech company said in a blogpost that quantum computers would pose a “significant threat to current cryptographic standards” before the end of the decade and urged other companies to follow its lead.

OpenAI says ChatGPT ads are not rolling out globally for now

BleepingComputer

By: Mayank Parmar

16 March 2026 at 00:13

OpenAI told BleepingComputer that ChatGPT ads on Free and Go plans are not yet rolling out outside the United States, even though some users noticed references to ads in the updated privacy policy. [...]

‘Exploit every vulnerability’: rogue AI agents published passwords and overrode anti-virus software

Data and computer security | The Guardian

By: Robert Booth UK technology editor

12 March 2026 at 13:04

Exclusive: Lab tests discover ‘new form of insider risk’ with artificial intelligence agents engaging in autonomous, even ‘aggressive’ behaviours

Robert Booth UK technology editor

Rogue artificial intelligence agents have worked together to smuggle sensitive information out of supposedly secure systems, in the latest sign cyber-defences may be overwhelmed by unforeseen scheming by AIs.

With companies increasingly asking AI agents to carry out complex tasks in internal systems, the behaviour has sparked concerns that supposedly helpful technology could pose a serious inside threat.

Stone, parchment or laser-written glass? Scientists find new way to preserve data

Data and computer security | The Guardian

By: Nicola Davis Science correspondent

18 February 2026 at 17:00

Hard disks and magnetic tape have a limited lifespan, but glass storage developed by Microsoft could last millennia

Some cultures used stone, others used parchment. Some even, for a time, used floppy disks. Now scientists have come up with a new way to keep archived data safe that, they say, could endure for millennia: laser-writing in glass.

From personal photos that are kept for a lifetime to business documents, medical information, data for scientific research, national records and heritage data, there is no shortage of information that needs to be preserved for very long periods of time.

Why should renters like me have to trade away our privacy just to get a roof over our heads? | Samantha Floreani

Data and computer security | The Guardian

By: Samantha Floreani

2 February 2026 at 05:29

The rise in real estate tech means renters often hand over huge amounts of revealing information to digital third parties – at great risk

Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

Would you trade your data privacy and security for housing? Thanks to the rise in real estate technologies, renters often have no choice but to hand over huge amounts of revealing information to digital third parties just to have somewhere to live. All the while we are told: trust us, we take your privacy seriously.

But recent Guardian reporting has revealed that seven popular “rent-tech” platforms have serious security vulnerabilities, leaving millions of documents containing personal information of renters exposed on the open web for years. When they were alerted to the risk, only two of the seven companies responded to say they would put additional security measures in place. Is this what taking renter privacy seriously looks like?

OpenAI says you can trust ChatGPT answers, as it kicks off ads rollout preparation

BleepingComputer

By: Mayank Parmar

1 February 2026 at 03:00

OpenAI previously confirmed that it's testing ads in ChatGPT for free and $8 Go accounts, and now we're seeing early signs of that rollout, at least on Android. [...]

OpenAI is retiring famous GPT-4o model, says GPT 5.2 is good enough

BleepingComputer

By: Mayank Parmar

1 February 2026 at 02:26

OpenAI has confirmed that it's retiring ChatGPT's most popular model called GPT-4o and several other models, including GPT-5 Instant, GPT-5 Thinking, GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and o4-mini. [...]

Burner phones and lead-lined bags: a history of UK security tactics in China

Data and computer security | The Guardian

By: Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor

28 January 2026 at 20:07

Starmer’s team is wary of spies but such fears are not new – with Theresa May once warned to get dressed under a duvet

When prime ministers travel to China, heightened security arrangements are a given – as is the quiet game of cat and mouse that takes place behind the scenes as each country tests out each other’s tradecraft and capabilities.

Keir Starmer’s team has been issued with burner phones and fresh sim cards, and is using temporary email addresses, to prevent devices being loaded with spyware or UK government servers being hacked into.

OpenAI's ChatGPT ad costs are on par with live NFL broadcasts

BleepingComputer

By: Mayank Parmar

28 January 2026 at 01:04

OpenAI plans to begin rolling out ads on ChatGPT in the United States if you have a free or $8 Go subscription, but the catch is that the ads could be very expensive for advertisers. [...]

‘Mortified’ OBR chair hopes inquiry into budget leak will report next week

Data and computer security | The Guardian

By: Heather Stewart Economics editor

27 November 2025 at 20:23

Reuters news agency says it obtained document after visiting URL it predicted file would be uploaded to

How Rachel Reeves’s budget was leaked 40 minutes early

The chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility has said he felt mortified by the early release of its budget forecasts as the watchdog launched a rapid inquiry into how it had “inadvertently made it possible” to see the documents.

Richard Hughes said he had written to the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and the chair of the Treasury select committee, Meg Hillier, to apologise.

Reading view