Louvre’s $20M “open window” moment: In case you missed it, thieves broke into Paris’ Louvre on Sunday and swiped eight high-value jewels. You might be disappointed if you were thinking of an Ocean’s 11 heist. Police say the crooks climbed temporary scaffolding as a free ladder to the loot and slipped in through a side façade window that, unbelievably, wasn’t covered by CCTV.
The day the cloud caught a cold
Bing Image Creator
If Zoom wouldn’t connect, YouTube froze or your smart home went dumb yesterday morning, it wasn’t just you. Over 11 million people reported issues with more than 2,500 big name apps and services.
The reason? A huge outage at Amazon Web Services, better known as AWS. Let me explain what all this means in plain English.
📦 So what is AWS?
Think of AWS like the engine under the hood of your favorite apps. You don’t see it, but it’s running everything.
When a company like Netflix, Zoom, Snapchat, Fortnite, Coinbase, Ring, Signal, your smart fridge or even Alexa herself needs a place to store data or run software, they don’t build a bunch of servers in their basement. That’s expensive and complicated.
Instead, they rent computing power from AWS, Amazon’s cloud. It’s kind of like how we don’t all own water wells anymore. We simply turn on the tap, and water flows. AWS is the tap for the internet.
💥 What went wrong?
One of Amazon Web Services’ major data centers on the East Coast had a meltdown. Because AWS is the backbone of so much of the internet with $80 billion in annual revenue and 23 million big-name customers, that one failure set off a domino effect.
The root cause? It came down to a glitch in the system that checks whether AWS’s internal tools are running smoothly. Major hiccup.
On top of that, add a DNS problem. DNS is the internet’s phone book. It translates web addresses into the behind-the-scenes numbers that tell your browser where to go. When that breaks, your device can’t find anything, even if it’s still there.
So with AWS’s tools out of sync and DNS stumbling, thousands of apps and websites went down or slowed to a crawl. Talk about a full-on cloud migraine.
🧺 Why this matters
How to freeze your credit and protect your identity
ChatGPT
First, look at the handy AI photo. If only, I’d be so good at multitasking. (lol)
“Hey, Kim, I just was notified that my personal data was part of the recent SimonMed data breach. My data’s already out there from another breach. Does it even matter anymore?” — Sara in Newport Beach, CA
Your password is too short. Let’s fix that
ChatGPT
I hate passwords. They are a total pain in the butt. Now don’t kill the messenger…
Hackers have amped up their game and are using powerful AI software that can rip through millions of password combinations in seconds. Brace yourself, your password really needs to be at least 20 characters, and there should be a completely different one for each account.
Your email’s probably in there: Uh-oh. News of 183 million new stolen logins has hit the digital grapevine, making it a total 15.3 billion accounts. The leaks came from “infostealer” malware, which is fancy talk for hackers rifling through your digital junk drawer. Plug your email into this site. You might not like the results, but at least you’ll know. If it does show up: Change the password everywhere, enable multifactor authentication, use a password manager and go on high-alert for phishing emails. If your info’s floating around after a breach, Incogni can help you get it removed, and you can grab 60% off right now.
🚔 Porchlight confidential: It’s gotten easier for over 5,000 police departments to request your Amazon Ring doorbell footage. It’s “voluntary,” but yeah, expect more “Hey, neighbor, mind if we peek at your porch?” alerts. Btw, your Ring doorbell isn’t limited to recording a little area. Depending on the model, it can capture about 155° to 160° horizontally and up to 90° vertically. That means the camera sees a big chunk of your porch, sidewalk and part of the street. Welcome to suburbia, surveillance edition.
Prosper got popped: Your identity might be someone else’s new side hustle. If you ever applied for a loan with Prosper, your name, SSN and income are probably on the dark web. They say no money was touched, but that’s not the part thieves want … yet. You know the drill, watch out for phishing scams. I’d be remiss if I did not remind you of the affordable identity theft protection offered by my radio sponsor, NordProtect. Hit this link to save up to 71%.
🕵️ Legal stalking: Well, this is creepy. A Nebraska woman thought she’d lost her AirPods, but it turns out, she found four tracking devices hidden under her car. Four! Investigators say her ex used them to stalk her. Get this, it’s not technically illegal in Nebraska to plant trackers. What? Lawmakers are now pushing to close that terrifying loophole.
💾 Nuclear files and chill: Get this. A Department of Energy employee lost his security clearance after uploading 187,000 porn images to a federal network. He said it was for an “AI project,” not pleasure, and compared his interrogation to the “Spanish Inquisition.” The collection reportedly spanned 30 years. That’s not what “data backup” means, champ.
🏗️ North Korea’s new side hustle: North Korean operatives aren’t just scamming crypto, they’ve graduated to architecture. Researchers found fake résumés, stolen seals and CAD files for U.S. homes and businesses. Scammers made plans for restaurants, pools and homes, then sent the cash straight back to Kim Jong Un’s nuclear fund. Now that’s one HGTV episode I’d love to see.
🏕️ From campfires to code fires: Scouting America (yep, the rebranded Boy Scouts) launched AI and cybersecurity badges. Scouts learn about deepfakes, algorithmic bias and how to train (not just talk to) chatbots. The cybersecurity badge teaches password safety, phishing defense and digital citizenship. Forget tying knots. “Be prepared” now means knowing how to spot fake news and fake faces.
🩻 Ransomware meets radiology: Hackers hit one of the largest U.S. radiology chains, SimonMed Imaging, exposing data from 1.2 million patients. The Medusa ransomware gang claims it stole 212 GB, including scans, IDs and payment info. SimonMed says no fraud yet, which feels about as comforting as “it’s just a sprain” before you see the X-ray bill.
Fake refund frenzy: Get ready for scammers pretending to be the state tax department texting promises of “Inflation Refunds.” The messages link to a fake site that steals personal info like Social Security numbers. Real refunds are automatic, so no links, no forms, no “enter your bank info or else” vibes.
🚨 Webcam’s worst nightmare: Remember those scam emails claiming someone caught you on camera during some “private” browsing? Stealerium makes that threat real. This dangerous malware spies on your screen and webcam while you browse, especially on adult sites, capturing what you’re watching and your reactions, then packages it all for blackmail. It’s spreading through fake “Payment Due” or “Court Summons” emails and can also steal passwords, cookies and browser history. Rule of thumb: Use a webcam cover, keep your software updated, and never click attachments or links unless you’re absolutely sure they’re legit.
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💍 Ohio says “nope”: An Ohio bill wants to legally block AI from ever being considered a person. That means no marriage, no property, no corporate board seats. Rep. Thaddeus Claggett says it’s about keeping “humans in charge.” Probably also to avoid getting more “Save the Dates” as Zoom call invites.
🐭 Mouse wiretap: A UC research team discovered hackers can eavesdrop using gaming mice. Those ultrasensitive sensors that help with fast aiming? They also detect minute desk vibrations from your voice. Feed that into an AI model, and voilà, a rough transcript of your conversations. Finally, I feel heard, but not in a good way.
🕳️ End times, LLC: Zuckerberg, Altman and other tech billionaires aren’t only building empires. They’re quietly buying up land, digging bunkers and whispering about AGI like it’s Voldemort. Sam Altman has an “escape ranch” in Hawaii with backup power, a stocked pantry and weapons, just in case. OpenAI’s chief scientist even said they’ll build a shelter for their engineers before unleashing AGI on the world. Is this AI doom planning or just tax shelter cosplay? Either way, it makes you wonder: What do they know that they’re not saying? You really should read the whole story. It’s wild.
🚨 There’s a new Y2K bug: Meet Y2K38. It’s what happens when older tech hits a digital wall in January 2038 and thinks it’s 1901. (Talk about a throwback.) Hackers aren’t waiting around, either. They can mess with systems right now using fake GPS signals and bogus time stamps. We’re talking cars, printers, even nuclear subs going haywire. What can you do? The usual smart stuff: Keep your devices updated, turn off auto time-sync if it seems sketchy, and don’t let old gear connect to weird networks.
Protect your equity: In Phoenix, scammers forged ownership papers and sold a home for $200K, all without the real owners knowing. They only found out when the fake deed hit public records. This isn’t a movie plot, and it could happen to you. Home Title Lock’s signature TripleLock™ protection safeguards your home from fraud. Start with 14 days FREE and a free Title History Report.
🧯 Firewall files exposed: You might not know what SonicWall is, but if your company backs up firewall settings to the cloud, they’re in a massive breach. SonicWall says every single cloud backup got exposed. Yikes. Forward this to your IT lead and check the alert list. It’s one of those “better safe than hacked” situations.