TECH

Operation Endgame neutralizes dangerous malware networks

Europol announced a global offensive that resulted in the dismantling of malware networks, involving the takedown of hundreds of servers dedicated to digital extortion campaigns and credential harvesting. The joint law enforcement action, dubbed Operation Endgame, neutralized the operational nodes of the SocGholish, Amadey, and StealC criminal infrastructures.

The intervention, coordinated directly from The Hague by Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre and Eurojust, took place over the last two weeks. Financial and cyber authorities identified and froze illicit digital assets valued at over €41 million.

In terms of pure technological infrastructure, the operation took down 326 active servers and seized administrative control of 142 internet domains. These computing resources directly supported the spread of malicious agents and the centralized management of compromised computer networks.

Operation Endgame: Strategy Targets the Digital Crime Assembly Line... The focus of this operation represents a methodological shift in the activities of international law enforcement agencies. Instead of directing efforts toward the isolated mitigation of incidents or specific virus variants, police forces focused on dismantling the distribution chains for shared cybercrime services.

This integrated approach caused severe operational disruption within the access-provision ecosystem. According to technical reports validated by Microsoft—a private-sector partner in the operation—the Amadey and StealC tools alone were directly linked to active infections on more than 140,000 personal computers worldwide during the first half of May 2026.

The chain of these threats followed a corporate model of task division. The Amadey agent secured initial access to victims' systems, while StealC carried out the systematic extraction of passwords, access keys, and stored identities for subsequent sale on underground forums.

WordPress under monitoring following the mitigation of malware networks...The impact of the campaign linked to the SocGholish vector necessitated the urgent cleanup of 14,971 legitimate websites that had been compromised. The malicious code affected pages belonging to everyday service businesses—such as auto repair shops and restaurants—by exploiting vulnerabilities in content management platforms.

The tactic involved distributing fake web browser updates. Cybercriminals compromised the code integrity of WordPress installations and forced the display of fraudulent pop-up alerts, which downloaded the harmful executable file as soon as the user agreed to the installation.

Technical analysis links the SocGholish network to the Russian-based collective Evil Corp. This criminal organization has a long-standing history of developing large-scale financial threats, having been directly responsible for creating the Zeus and Dridex malware, as well as maintaining ties to global money laundering schemes. Operation Endgame relied on the real-time sharing of tactical data via SIENA, Europol’s secure communication platform. The Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce ensured the alignment of national investigations to prevent the loss or scattering of evidence.

The effort combined operational expertise from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Danish Police, Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office, the Netherlands’ National High Tech Crime Unit, the UK’s National Crime Agency, and US federal agencies. The private sector contributed security experts from Microsoft, Proofpoint, IBM X-Force, Bitdefender, and the Shadowserver Foundation. In the context of information recovery, the operation enabled the retrieval of approximately 27 million sets of credentials that were in the attackers' possession. Europol began sharing this data with victim notification networks—including the NoMoreLeaks platform and the HaveIBeenPwned portal—to rapidly alert affected users.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

-What distinguishes Operation Endgame from other law enforcement actions?

This operation focused on the simultaneous neutralization of the entire technical supply chain of the cybercrime operation. By simultaneously disabling the servers supporting three malware variants, authorities cut off the supply of access and the harvesting of credentials that fueled subsequent digital extortion attacks.

-How did the SocGholish malware infect WordPress-based platforms?

SocGholish exploited vulnerabilities in WordPress-managed websites to inject malicious code. This code displayed fake web browser update alerts to visitors. Clicking the alert downloaded code that granted attackers remote control of the user's computer.

-How can users check if their credentials were recovered during this operation?

International authorities transferred the 27 million recovered records to trusted security databases, such as the HaveIBeenPwned service. Website owners and individual users can submit their addresses to these portals to confirm if they appear on the list of compromised accounts.

Key points:

-Seizure of over €41 million in crypto assets of criminal origin.

-Removal of 326 servers and administrative takeover of 142 domains used by the malware networks.

-Mitigation of the impact on 14,971 legitimate websites running on the WordPress content management system.

-Recovery and protection of 27 million access credentials stolen from users worldwide.

mundophone

TECH

AI-powered holographic display could bring Star Trek-style 3D images closer

Sci-fi holodecks and floating 3D projections just took a meaningful step closer to reality. In a study published earlier this month, researchers at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) unveiled a method for projecting complex 3D scenes in a single shot, using a blend of artificial intelligence and physical light-programming optics.

Led by Dr. Aydogan Ozcan, the UCLA team took aim at one of the most stubborn bottlenecks in holographic display development, a problem the researchers call dense depth multiplexing.

To build a convincing three-dimensional image out of light, engineers typically slice a 3D object into layers and project those layers at different depths at once. As the depth layers pack closer together to create a solid, fluid illusion, the light waves bleed into one another. This phenomenon, known as diffraction-induced cross-talk, blurs the images and erodes depth selectivity, working against the natural focus cues that make a 3D display comfortable to look at in the first place.

Conventional fixes leaned on heavy computation or on time-sequential scanning that assembles the volume one slice after another, an approach that makes real-time 3D projection slow and power-hungry.

The UCLA solution is a hybrid digital-optical design that splits the workload between code and physical optics. At the front end sits a digital encoder, a neural network that does much of its work in the frequency domain. It reads the target scene across depth, pulls out features at several scales, tags each layer with its axial position, and compresses the whole stack into one phase pattern that the optics can later unpack.

That pattern then feeds a diffractive decoder, a passive stack of optical surfaces whose structure was shaped by machine learning. As light travels through the custom surfaces, the structure itself steers each image to its assigned depth and damps the bleed between planes. Notably, the team found that simply throwing more resolution at the encoder was not enough on its own. The learned optical decoder did the decisive work of pulling adjacent depths apart.

Schematic and numerical simulation results of the diffractive snapshot 3D display architecture(image above)

The results are striking. In numerical simulations, the system scaled up to volumetric scenes built from 28 distinct depth slices, holding separation between layers at distances on the order of a single wavelength of light, though fidelity softened slightly for slices buried in the middle of the stack. The researchers also showed the projection planes could be repositioned on demand rather than locked to fixed depths.

To prove the concept was more than a digital exercise, the team built a physical prototype that runs in visible red light at 650 nanometers. That setup paired the encoder with a single-layer decoder to project two depth planes, and the captured intensity patterns closely tracked the simulations while clearly beating a free-space setup with no decoder at all.

What makes the approach attractive for consumer electronics is its efficiency. Because the diffractive decoder is entirely passive, it bends and filters light without drawing any power of its own, moving work that would otherwise hammer a processor into the optics themselves. The team did flag a trade-off worth watching, since pushing for brighter output raised the diffraction efficiency but reintroduced speckle and cross-talk, leaving a balance to strike between brightness and clarity.

By easing the computational and energy demands tied to depth-resolved 3D projection, this light-programming framework could help pave the way for compact near-eye AR/VR optics, volumetric microscopy, and real-time 3D visualization. For now the researchers frame the work as a proof of concept, with multi-layer fabrication, full-color operation, and viewer-facing systems still on the road ahead.

mundophone

 

TECH

Forza Horizon 6 too arcadey? Steam's most popular racing sim is on sale for $5 until tomorrow

According to SteamDB, Assetto Corsa is the most popular racing simulation on Steam and should be a welcome alternative for anyone looking for a change from the arcade-heavy driving feel in FH6. The game is currently available on Steam at a 75% discount for around $5 – but only until tomorrow.

If the arcade-heavy driving feel in Forza Horizon 6 is starting to wear thin, Steam currently has an interesting alternative: Assetto Corsa is once again available with a 75% discount, dropping the price to around $5 instead of $20. According to SteamDB, the racing sim regularly attracts more than 10,000 concurrent players, making it the most popular racing simulation on Steam ahead of titles such as Automobilista 2 and rFactor 2. Anyone looking for a more authentic driving experience with realistic vehicle physics, laser-scanned tracks and extensive modding support should find plenty to like here. The offer is only available until tomorrow, June 25, at 7 p.m CEST / 10 a.m. PDT.

Unlike Forza Horizon 6, Assetto Corsa aims to be as realistic as possible. Vehicles react noticeably to weight, tire pressure, road surface and load transfer. Brake too late, accelerate too early or take the wrong line through a corner, and you will quickly lose valuable seconds – or end up in the gravel trap. The vehicle roster includes more than 170 licensed cars across multiple classes, from road cars and GT racers to Formula cars and historic classics. Races take place on numerous officially licensed tracks, including Monza, Imola and the Nürburgring. Thanks to a very active modding community, many additional cars and tracks have been added over the years.

The Steam reviews speak for themselves: Assetto Corsa has more than 170,000 reviews with a very positive average rating of 92%. Players should not expect an elaborate campaign, but many fans still regard it as a thoroughly successful racing simulation. Alongside the excellent driving feel, the realistic force-feedback effects are frequently praised. To make full use of that added immersion, however, a compatible sim-racing wheel such as the Logitech G G29 SE (currently around $370 on Amazon) is recommended. Alternatively, Assetto Corsa can also be played with a controller or, thanks to its “Verified” status, on the Steam Deck.

Steam's most popular racing simulation, Assetto Corsa, is on sale for 75% off (dropping to roughly $5 from $20). This massive discount is only valid until tomorrow, June 25.

The base game offers an incredibly realistic, physics-based driving experience that's widely celebrated for its modding community. If you are jumping into this deal, here are the essential next steps:

Get the Ultimate Edition: It is highly recommended to pick up the Assetto Corsa Ultimate Edition, as most of the game's best mods require the included DLC tracks and cars.

Essential Mods: The community strongly agrees that installing Content Manager, Custom Shaders Patch (CSP), and Pure will totally overhaul the game's graphics, physics, and UI.

Online Racing: Once you are comfortable behind the wheel, you can join online racing platforms like Low Fuel Motorsports to participate in structured races, practice sessions, and qualifying.

 

SAMSUNG

Samsung officially details new M series phone before launch

Samsung has revealed new details about its upcoming Galaxy M47 5G ahead of launch. The official details highlight the phone’s design, display, and camera setup.

Samsung previously confirmed that it will launch the Galaxy M47 5G in India. Now the company has revealed additional details about the upcoming phone.

Design-wise, the new Galaxy M47 5G features a pill-shaped rear camera housing. The phone will be available in Rogue Red and Blaze Blue color options.

The Galaxy M47 5G is confirmed to feature a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. The display is protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+. The M47 5G will be powered by a Snapdragon processor, paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 3.1 storage.

Samsung has not confirmed the exact chipset name yet. However, a Geekbench listing of the alleged Galaxy M47 5G with model number "SM-M476B" suggests that it will feature the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, the same processor found in the Galaxy A36 5G (curr. $319 on Amazon).

The rear camera setup is confirmed to include a 50MP main sensor with OIS, a 5MP ultra-wide lens, and a 2MP macro sensor. For selfies, the Galaxy M47 5G will feature a 12MP camera. Samsung claims a "long-lasting battery," along with 45W fast charging and bypass charging support.

The device will run One UI 8.5 based on Android 16. Notably, Samsung promises six generations of OS upgrades and six years of security updates. The phone is set to launch in India on June 29.

mundophone

TECH

Samsung reveals its first UFS 5.0 storage solution, could debut with the Galaxy S27

Samsung has announced the industry's first UFS 5.0 storage chip, achieving sequential read speeds of up to 10.8 GB/s and write speeds of up to 9.5 GB/s — more than double the ceiling on the current UFS 4.1 standard. The chip is also 40% more power-efficient than UFS 4.1 and measures 7.5mm x 13mm x 0.9mm. Mass production is scheduled to begin in Q4 2026 at capacities up to 1TB.

Samsung has today announced what it claims is the world’s first UFS 5.0 storage chip. It promises sequential read speeds of up to 10.8GB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 9.5GB/s, up from 4.3GB/s and 4.1GB/s for the current UFS 4.1 storage. which happens to be the fastest storage grade currently used in production smartphones.

Samsung says the UFS 5.0 chip is 40 percent more power-efficient than UFS 4.1 thanks to clock gating and multi-voltage tech. The chip itself measures 7.5mm x 13mm x 0.9mm, which makes it smaller than its predecessor, too.

Higher throughput usually helps out two places on current smartphones: app launch times and on-device AI, which more and more depends on fast data retrieval over brute CPU power alone. Samsung announced mass production of UFS 5.0 chips will start in Q4 2026, with storage up to 1TB available at launch.

Samsung also just revealed that it’s working on the Exynos 2700 chip, which we expect to power (at least) some Galaxy S27 devices. Leaker Ice Universe tweeted from X that the Exynos 2700 will natively support UFS 5.0, making the Galaxy S27 one of the first phones to ship with the new storage standard. Samsung hasn’t confirmed UFS 5.0 for the Galaxy S27. The S27 isn’t expected to arrive until early 2027, the same time when the chips are expected to go into production in Q4 2026.

 

TECH

Next-generation battery potential unlocked with a novel electrolyte design

A research team has successfully designed a novel electrolyte for fluoride shuttle batteries based on a new concept. The research is published in the journal ACS Applied Energy Materials.

With global demand rapidly increasing for high-energy-density and low-cost energy storage technologies, the search for new systems to replace conventional lithium-ion batteries is accelerating. Fluoride shuttle batteries have garnered significant attention as a promising next-generation candidate. They boast an extremely high theoretical energy density and can be manufactured using inexpensive, abundant materials found in the Earth's crust. The key feature of these batteries is how they operate: They store and release energy by shuttling fluoride ions back and forth between the electrodes.

However, a major issue with this battery system is that the "fluorination reaction" is much harder to trigger than the opposing "defluorination reaction." During fluorination, unwanted side reactions and irreversible processes often occur, causing the battery's performance to decline. Therefore, a crucial challenge has been figuring out how to make this reaction proceed smoothly and what kind of electrolyte design is needed to achieve that.

A bottleneck in fluorination...To promote the fluorination reaction, one approach is to increase the concentration of fluoride ions in the electrolyte. However, stable inorganic fluoride salts generally do not dissolve well in organic solvents, making it difficult to achieve a high enough concentration. Researchers have tried adding specific organic molecules designed to bind to fluoride ions to help them dissolve. These molecules are often expensive, difficult to synthesize and can sometimes trap the fluoride ions too tightly, ironically hindering the very fluorination reaction they were meant to help.

To tackle this problem, the research team focused on a different fluorine-containing inorganic salt: potassium tetrafluoroborate (KBF4). Because KBF4 is chemically stable and is reported to act as a fluoride source in chemical reactions, the team hypothesized that it might effectively regulate the fluorination reaction at the boundary where the electrode meets the electrolyte.

The electrolyte for fluoride shuttle batteries using potassium tetrafluoroborate. Credit:Taketoshi Minato

KBF4 changes the electrolyte...First, the team discovered that by adding both cesium fluoride (CsF) and KBF4 to an organic solvent (tetraglyme), the amount of Cs ions successfully increased dramatically compared with when KBF4 was not used. This suggested that KBF4 boosts the solubility of fluoride salts and fundamentally changes the state of the fluoride ions in the electrolyte.

Next, the team tested the newly prepared electrolyte and confirmed that it possesses high electrochemical stability. Furthermore, using analytical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy on a bismuth metal electrode, they successfully observed reversible fluorination and defluorination reactions. These results proved that the KBF4-containing electrolyte is highly effective at driving the necessary electrode reactions for fluoride shuttle batteries.

Moreover, in practical charge-discharge measurements, this new electrolyte clearly supported reversible reactions in a bismuth fluoride-composite electrode. Notably, the potential at which the fluorination reaction occurred with this new electrolyte was significantly more negative than in previous systems that used organic additives. This indicates that the KBF4 electrolyte is controlling fluoride ion activity and electrode reactions in a fundamentally different and improved way.

A simpler route to reversibility...These findings demonstrate that KBF4 effectively controls fluoride ion activity within a battery and is a chemically robust, low-cost additive. It is likely that this new electrolyte activates the fluorination reaction by uniquely altering the state of the fluoride ions and the electrode. The team is conducting further research to deepen understanding of exactly how this mechanism works.

Ultimately, this study presents a fresh, simple and scalable approach to designing electrolytes for fluoride shuttle batteries, using materials quite different from previous methods. By proving that a KBF4-based electrolyte enables reversible electrode reactions, this research marks a vital step forward. As scientists continue to improve the electrolyte, optimize electrode structures and stabilize the internal environment of the battery, even greater improvements in capacity, lifespan and practicality can be expected—bringing us closer to a future powered by sustainable, next-generation energy storage.

by: Institute for Molecular Science, Core for Spin Life Sciences, Khon Kaen University and The Graduate University for Advanced Studies

DOSSIER

DIGITAL LIFE

The relentless and invisible cost of AI data centers

The heartbeat of the artificial intelligence economy sounds like the low-frequency hum of a neighbor's central air conditioning unit, a plane flying at high altitude, or a truck engine idling on the highway.

But it feels more like the vibrant, rhythmic pulse of a subwoofer from a never-ending party. Yes, the cloud has a sound, and some of the people living closest to the data centers emitting this noise have reached the limit of their patience trying to block it out.

Last month, residents of three small towns filed lawsuits against data centers specifically because of the noise.

The United States has more than 3,000 data centers in operation and another 1,500 under development, according to an analysis by the Pew Research Center. They have been the backbone of the information economy for decades, operating largely behind the scenes of everyday life.

The demands of artificial intelligence (AI), much greater amounts of computing power, and cooling infrastructure have triggered an explosion in the construction of new data centers.

Today, nearly 40% of homes are located less than 8 kilometers from at least one operational data center, according to Pew, and more and more are moving closer to residential areas.

The hum of cooling systems, the roar of generators, and the noise of fans can be heard—and felt—hundreds of meters away and even more than a kilometer.

"The acoustic footprint is simply different by orders of magnitude," said Les Blomberg, executive director of the nonprofit Noise Pollution Clearinghouse.

"Body-shaking thumping"... Part of this noise consists of infrasound, extremely low-frequency sound waves that fall below the threshold of human hearing.

Instead of hearing these very low frequencies, people physically feel them with pressure fluctuations, similar to the deep vibration of a beat shaking the body during a concert, explained Scott Hamilton, a member of the Acoustical Society of America and a consultant on data center projects.

This can make traditional noise indicators and solutions for attenuating it inadequate to meet modern needs.

Residents living near infrasound sources frequently report chronic sleep deprivation and insomnia, headaches, internal ear pressure, and anxiety. Often, legislation doesn't help.

Legislation geared towards parties...Noise pollution is regulated at the local level by a complex network of zoning laws, originally designed to deal with noisy parties, barking dogs, or construction noise, and not the constant industrial hum of a data center operating 24 hours a day.

There is also not much support at the federal level, because the Reagan administration defunded the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Noise Control and Reduction in the early 1980s.

Although regulations exist, "there is no one at the EPA effectively in charge of enforcing them," said Richard Neitzel, a professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Michigan.

"They used that office as an example of over-regulation, as if the government didn't have the right to tell me how noisy my lawnmower can be," he stated.

Now, residents are trying to fill this regulatory gap.

Compensation for damages...The three lawsuits argue that, although data centers generally comply with basic zoning codes, the constant hum and vibrations cause significant property devaluation and loss of the right to peace and quiet for neighboring homeowners.

The plaintiffs seek damages and also want the companies to improve noise control measures.

In Vineland, New Jersey, a group of homeowners filed a lawsuit in federal court motivated, in part, by fears that even more noise is yet to come.

"There's a constant noise from machines running, which is most noticeable at night when we're trying to sleep," said Stefanie Bartiromo, a local resident, referring to the three server rooms already in operation, according to the lawsuit. "It sounds like a helicopter that never leaves the ground and sometimes a heavy truck running non-stop."

The lawsuit was filed against DataOne USA, which is expanding its campus in Vineland. When completed, the company's complex will cover approximately 241,000 square meters and require 300 megawatts of power, enough to supply a medium-sized city.

DataOne stated that it has already taken steps to reduce the noise and will continue to do so as the expansion is completed.

Committed to dialogue..."We remain committed to constructive dialogue and to our role as a valuable and responsible member of the community in the long term," a company spokesperson said in a statement.

The company stated that it intends to generate jobs and boost the local economy. The same economic argument was presented by the other companies sued over noise, years after they repurposed former industrial land in Dowagiac, Michigan, and Lowell, Massachusetts.

Residents of Dowagiac had been complaining about a 30-megawatt data center installed in a building that was previously used primarily to store boats and recreational vehicles.

The data center's owner, Alliance Cloud Services, recently purchased an additional 50 acres of forested land as it plans to expand its energy consumption capacity from 30 to 300 megawatts. Part of this area will serve as a natural barrier against the impacts of the project, according to the company.

— We would offer to buy these properties at market value and provide a subsidy to help cover relocation costs — he stated, referring to residents living next to the data center.

24-hour noise...The core of the problem, according to Neitzel, is that many traditional sources of community noise — such as airports and highways — tend to decrease in intensity at night.

This is not the case with data centers. In Lowell, Diana Streete stated that the noise “regularly interferes with my family’s ability to sleep, rest, relax and comfortably enjoy our home.”

— My children’s bedrooms face the entrance area, where trucks circulate and facility activities take place, which makes the noise especially disruptive — she said.

Lowell, a city of 115,000 inhabitants, was founded as a textile hub in the 19th century, but its factories closed in the early 20th century. The site where the data center now operates previously housed the Lowell Bleachery and Dye Works and, later, for six decades, the Prince Spaghetti factory. The data center, spanning approximately 32,500 square meters, is located next to residences and recreational facilities, including a park and a baseball field.

Its owner, Markley, stated that the complex supports the digital infrastructure of public safety agencies, universities, local hospitals, and other regional institutions.

It is a colocation data center, a shared facility where multiple companies rent space to house their computing equipment. This is different from hyperscale data centers, built to meet the needs of large global technology companies.

A Markley spokesperson stated that the generators are tested weekly and that the sound produced remains within established limits.

Hamilton noted that there is a wide variety of sounds and, equally wide, is the way people perceive them. According to him, current standards are developed for the average person.

To combat noise, the industry is migrating to liquid cooling systems. Instead of using noisy fans to propel air, servers are submerged in special non-conductive fluids or equipped with liquid-cooled cold plates installed above the processors that generate heat.

This can reduce data center noise by more than 50%, but the installation cost is much higher.

Dowagiac, a town of 5,700 inhabitants, had a general noise law, like many communities, but recently established decibel limits for ambient noise in residential, commercial, and industrial zones.

Most communities set their standards using the A-weighted decibel scale, designed to mimic human hearing in quiet environments and which significantly reduces—or ignores—low-frequency sounds emitted by data centers, according to experts.

The C-weighted scale, on the other hand, was created to capture low-frequency noises.

This distinction is especially important when measuring data center noise, dominated by low-frequency hums produced by enormous cooling equipment fans, explained Neitzel. As a consequence, Blomberg stated, a sound source that clearly dominates a person's auditory perception may not be registered as a problem on a conventional decibel meter.

The CEO of Hyperscale Data, the parent company of Alliance, stated that its operations are within the decibel limits permitted by the city and that it uses systems that minimize energy consumption.

The executive, William B. Horne, said he would attend a city council meeting to speak with residents and emphasized his commitment to being a reliable partner.

"But when you work in this field long enough, you end up finding—or experiencing—highly sensitive people," Hamilton said. "These people really perceive sounds, vibrations, and intensities that the average human being considers irrelevant and thinks, 'That's not a problem, I don't know what you're talking about.' But they are genuinely tormented by it."

mundophone