Author: Vidya Saras

The targeted portals were geographically distributed, primarily in the United States, Pakistan, and Mexico, with the traffic almost exclusively originating from IP space linked to a single German hosting provider, 3xk GmbH. The login attempts followed a highly uniform pattern, reusing common usernames and passwords and even adopting a browser-like Firefox user agent string. This is a telltale sign of scripted credential probes rather than opportunistic scanning, the researchers noted. “This consistency of the user agent, request structure, and timing suggests scripted credential probing designed to identify exposed or weakly protected GlobalProtect portals, rather than interactive access attempts or vulnerability…

Tokenization will transform the financial industry faster than digital technology disrupted legacy media, such as print newspapers, physical copies of music and other analog formats, according to Keith Grossman, president of crypto payments company MoonPay.“While many feared digitization would destroy media, what it actually did was force its evolution,” Grossman said, adding that real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, the process of representing traditional assets onchain, will force traditional institutions to adapt. He added:“This is no longer hypothetical. BlackRock is offering tokenized funds. Franklin Templeton is running tokenized money market funds on public blockchains. Major global banks are piloting onchain settlement, tokenized…

AlamyOrkney’s Maeshowe tomb is a burial cairn created around 2800BC that conceals a stone-clad sepulchre (Credit: Alamy)We will probably never know the specific beliefs and rituals that inspired Maeshowe tomb. But it’s nonetheless possible to understand the enormous significance of the winter solstice as the “year’s midnight”, both as the darkest moment in the calendar and the pivot to six future months of greater illumination. It was a moment of death and rebirth, and a reminder of the cyclical nature of time.In the deep past, understanding the markers of nature’s clockwork – including solstices – was a matter of survival.…

James Gunn has found his Brainiac. The filmmaker behind the rebooted DC Universe has tapped German actor Lars Eidinger to play the iconic Superman villain in Man of Tomorrow, the upcoming DC Studios epic that brings together the Man of Steel and his most famous foe. The casting marks the first time Brainiac will appear in a live action Superman feature, a long overdue milestone for one of the character’s most formidable antagonists. Best known for his daring, cerebral performances in European cinema and theater, Eidinger brings an unsettling intelligence that feels tailor made for Brainiac. In the comics, the…

By Katherine K. Chan THE Philippines’ balance of payments (BoP) deficit sharply narrowed in November amid higher remittance inflows during the holidays, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported late Friday. Preliminary central bank data showed the BoP deficit stood at $225 million in November, sharply narrowing from the $2.276-billion gap seen in the same month last year. “The Philippines’ balance of payments registered a modest deficit of $225 million in November 2025,” the central bank said in a statement. Month on month, the BoP position swung to a deficit from the $706-million surplus posted in October. November marked the…

For the millions of Americans who buy Affordable Care Act insurance, there’s still time left to enroll for 2026. But premium increases and the expiration of enhanced tax subsidies have led to larger-than-expected costs. Concerned shoppers, wondering if there’s anything they can do, are consulting insurance brokers or talking to representatives at ACA marketplace call centers. “We’re hearing from people with complex medical conditions who don’t think they can survive if they don’t have access to medical care,” said Audrey Morse Gasteier, executive director of the Massachusetts Health Connector, that state’s insurance marketplace. And some are considering going outside the…

One of the hero designs we came up with for Formula 1 driver Lando Norris’s new website had an interesting challenge: animating an element along a smooth curved path between multiple fixed positions, one that would work across any device size. While GSAP’s MotionPath plugin makes path-based animation straightforward, we needed something more dynamic. We needed a system that could recalculate its curves responsively, adapt to different layouts, and give us precise control over the path’s shape during development. In this tutorial, we’ll walk through building a scroll-triggered curved path animation with a visual configurator tool that lets you dial…

Amateurs discovered an arc of gas near Andromeda Galaxy in the sky. The origin of this gas, which glows from the mission of oxygen atoms, has remained mysterious.Patrick Ogle et al. / astrobin In 2023, a trio of amateur astronomers discovered a mysterious arc of glowing gas near the Andromeda Galaxy (M31). The glow comes from oxygen atoms that are missing two electrons, but where those atoms are — whether near Andromeda or in our own Milky Way — wasn’t clear. Now, a team of astronomers suggests that the arc might mark lingering aftershocks from an ancient dying star, whose…

Rory McIlroy has been named BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2025 following a season that delivered golfing immortality and Ryder Cup success. The 36-year-old from Northern Ireland completed the career Grand Slam in April by winning the Masters at Augusta National, becoming just the sixth man, and the first European, to lift all four major championships. McIlroy joined Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Gary Player in the sport’s most exclusive club, having already captured the US Open, The Open and the US PGA Championship by 2014. His long wait to add the Green Jacket finally…

The US has seized an oil tanker that had recently departed from Venezuela, according to the US Department of Homeland Security.It is the second time this month that an oil-carrying ship has been seized off the country’s coast. The move comes after President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he was ordering a “blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.Venezuela has described the latest US move as “theft and kidnapping”. It has previously accused the Trump administration of trying to steal its resources. “These acts will not go unpunished,” a statement from the Venezuelan government said, adding that…