The security & privacy stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
Pembrokeshire County Council says fake emails, texts and websites claim you are owed a council tax refund, and aim to get your bank card details.
Read more: Fake council tax refund messages are targeting Welsh residentsThe Better Business Bureau is sharing advice on avoiding scam phone calls, and its main message is simple: slow down before you answer questions or send money.
Read more: Better Business Bureau shares ways to avoid scam phone callsA researcher found a database password inside Applebee's Android app, exposing customer details. The flaw is fixed, but scam risk remains for account holders.
Read more: Applebee's app left a database password open to anyoneA China-linked hacking group used an AI tool called ARTEX to go after more than 200 organizations at once, showing how AI lets small teams attack at scale.
Read more: Chinese hackers use AI tool to go after 200+ organizations at onceAmerican Express now lets certain Blue Cash and business cardholders move cash-back rewards into an Amex savings or checking account, with no minimum.
Read more: Amex lets you send card cash back straight into savingsProsecutors say eight people ran a fake-deli scheme that drained more than $7 million from food aid cards. Here is what happened and what SNAP users can do.
Read more: Eight charged in $7 million scheme to steal food aid from New YorkersPolice say 110 people reported fake Amazon calls in nine days, losing £86,837 in total. The scam works by making a call about your account feel urgent.
Read more: Fake Amazon callers stole £86,837 from shoppers in nine daysSocial Security released simple tips to spot scams, since crooks often pose as the agency to get your money or your private details.
Read more: Social Security Offers Simple Tips to Spot and Avoid ScamsCUTimes asks whether AI could take over credit union work. Members may notice it first in chat help, loan decisions and fraud checks.
Read more: Credit unions weigh how far AI could take over their workHarker Heights, Texas, says a scam tied to city permits and planning is circulating. Anyone who files for permits should confirm a bill before paying it.
Read more: Harker Heights warns of scam targeting permit and planning requestsAn AI writer says his bet that free-to-download AI models would not cripple the internet looks shaky, as a wave of serious software flaws lands.
Read more: AI writer revisits his bet that open AI models won't wreck the internetReported healthcare data breaches dropped 34% in August, but 2026 is still running ahead of last year, which was the worst on record.
Read more: Healthcare data breaches fell in August, but 2026 is still on a bad paceAllstate says impersonation scams led the scam cases it saw in 2026. A fake call, text or email from a trusted name can cost you money.
Read more: Allstate Says Impersonation Scams Top Its 2026 Scam CasesPolice in Uzbekistan say fake voting links sent by hacked friends are taking over Telegram accounts, then used to ask contacts for money.
Read more: Fake voting links are stealing Telegram accounts from friends' chatsScammers pose as Social Security by call, text, letter and social media, and can fake caller ID. Knowing how the agency really reaches you is the best defense.
Read more: Fake Social Security calls and texts target retirees. One rule helps.Toronto police say scammers use AI to sound like your bank or carrier, and more than $50 million was stolen in the city by mid-October.
Read more: Toronto police say scam callers now use AI to pose as your bankA ransomware group used AI coding agents to take over company networks, which means break-ins may now be faster and need less skill.
Read more: Ransomware gang uses AI coding tools to break into company networksNetgear has patched several medium-severity flaws in some routers and range extenders, but a few older models will never get a fix.
Read more: Some Netgear routers have a security flaw. Patches are out for mostAttackers began targeting a serious WordPress flaw within a day of the fix. Security firm Wordfence blocked 62,969 attempts, so site owners should update.
Read more: Hackers rush to attack WordPress sites right after a new fixTeamViewer fixed a flaw that lets a computer you are controlling crash, and possibly take over, your own. Version 15.83 has the fix, and last month's update does not.
Read more: TeamViewer bug lets the computer you control attack yoursTrezor says a Safe 5 wallet sold through a Southeast Asian reseller may hide a cellular chip that could send out a user's secret recovery phrase.
Read more: Trezor warns a crypto wallet sold in Asia may hold a hidden spy chipCheckout.com will let shoppers at its partner stores pay with a face or fingerprint scan instead of a texted code, starting in the UK and Europe.
Read more: Checkout.com adds passkeys so shoppers can skip texted codesEntersekt says it has upgraded 3-D Secure, the bank check at checkout, to cut failed online payments. Fewer failures could help shoppers and online stores.
Read more: Entersekt upgrades card checks to cut failed online paymentsA Honda Civic owner used AI to inspect a cheap Amazon car stereo and found a call recorder and location tracking software already installed.
Read more: Cheap car stereo from Amazon came loaded with hidden extras
