Microsoft knew SharePoint security flaw but failed to patch; Alibaba launches new AI coding model; Amazon to buy AI wearable startup
A new report has revealed that a security patch released by Microsoft earlier in the month failed to fully fix a critical flaw in their SharePoint server software. The bug had been identified at a hacking contest organised by a cybersecurity firm called Trend Micro in May. A cybersecurity researcher who was participating in the competition located a SharePoint bug at the event termed it 'ToolShell' and won the $100,000 prize. A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed this and said they released patches to fix it. Although it's still not known who orchestrated the attack, Microsoft has said in a blog post that two Chinese hacking groups dubbed 'Linen Typhoon' and 'Violet Typhoon' were some of the parties exploiting the vulnerabilities which affected around 100 organisations over the weekend is expected to grow. According to reports more than 8,000 servers online have been potentially compromised by hackers which include industrial firms, banks, auditors, healthcare companies and several U.S. state-level and global government entities.
Alibaba launches new AI coding model
Chinese tech giant Alibaba has announced the launch of their most advanced open-source AI coding model, Qwen3-Coder. The tool will be able to assist developers with generating code and managing complicated coding workflows, the company said. Alibaba Group has claimed that the AI model especially excels at 'agentic AI coding tasks' meaning the AI systems can function on their own at different coding tasks. The company also said that the Qwen3-Coder surpassed local rivals including models from DeepSeek and Moonshot AI's K2 at coding. The company also said that the model met the coding capabilities of their Western counterparts like Anthropic's Claude which is widely known as the best at AI coding and OpenAI's GPT-4. AI coding tools have become a rage with new AI startups touching sky high valuations for their easy usage.
Amazon to buy AI wearable startup
Amazon has formed a deal to acquire an AI wearable startup called Bee that listens in on conversations and transcribes them using a bracelet. The wristband priced at $50 is able to analyse and distil conversations for summaries, to-do lists and other tasks. An Amazon spokesperson has said that they will work with the firm to give users more control over their devices which can automatically transcribe audio but can also be muted. This isn't the first time Amazon has moved into wearables. Earlier, the company marketed a line of wrist health trackers called Halo that was eventually killed the project in 2023. There is also a line of smart glasses embedded with Amazon's virtual assistant Alexa under their Echo brand. Other AI firms like OpenAI have also shifted towards AI gadgets after a partnership with former Apple designer Jony Ive's io startup for about $6.5 billion. There are also other startups that are moving towards AI wearables but with varied results.
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