Business
Notepad++ Hack Reveals Six-Month Backdoor Breach Targeting Millions of Users
Notepad++, one of Windows’ most widely used text editors, has confirmed a major security breach after its update infrastructure was compromised for nearly six months.
Developers say suspected China state–linked actors hijacked update traffic, delivering backdoored versions of the app to carefully selected targets.
How the Breach Happened
The compromise began in June 2025 at the infrastructure level. Attackers intercepted and redirected update requests intended for official Notepad++ servers, routing some users to rogue servers.
Full control over the compromised systems was only restored in December 2025, allowing malicious activity to go unnoticed for months.
Sophisticated Espionage Tool in the Form of Chrysalis Backdoor
Security researchers uncovered a previously unknown payload named Chrysalis, described by Rapid7 as a feature-rich, custom backdoor.
Its capabilities suggest a tool designed for long-term espionage, not simple malware. In several cases, attackers gained “hands-on keyboard” access, enabling real-time control of infected systems.
Updater Exploited Through Weak Verification
According to Ars Technica, the attackers exploited older versions of Notepad++’s updater, GUP/WinGUP, which relied on less robust verification methods.
By intercepting traffic, they altered download URLs and served malicious files. Without any question, it exposed the risks of under-secured update mechanisms at the ISP level.
Immediate Steps for Users and Organizations
Developers and security experts urge users to manually install Notepad++ version 8.9.1 or later from the official website.
For organizations, it’s recommended to restrict updater internet access and monitor installed extensions carefully.
Originally published on Tech Times
Pinterest has dismissed two engineers after they created and shared a software tool that identified colleagues who had been made redundant during a recent round of job cuts, according to reports.
The digital pinboard company announced earlier this month that it would cut about 15 per cent of its workforce, roughly 700 roles, as chief executive Bill Ready said the business was “doubling down on an AI-forward approach”. Pinterest did not disclose which teams would be affected by the reductions.
Following the announcement, two engineers wrote custom scripts that accessed internal systems to flag when employee accounts were deactivated, effectively revealing the names and locations of staff who had lost their jobs. The information was then shared more widely, prompting the company to take disciplinary action.
A Pinterest spokesperson said the engineers had “improperly accessed confidential company information” and described the actions as a clear breach of company policy and a violation of affected employees’ privacy. It remains unclear whether the data was shared solely with colleagues inside the business or beyond the company.
The scripts targeted internal communication and access tools, according to the BBC, citing a source familiar with the incident. The code reportedly triggered alerts when employee names were removed from internal systems.
Pinterest has been ramping up investment in artificial intelligence to improve personalisation for users and automate tools for advertisers. However, investor confidence has been shaken, with shares down more than 20 per cent this year as markets weigh the competitive threat posed by newer and more advanced AI platforms.
Ready told staff in an internal meeting that while debate and dissent were healthy, employees who fundamentally disagreed with the company’s direction should consider their future elsewhere, according to CNBC, which first reported the firings.
The incident comes amid a broader wave of job losses across the tech sector as companies restructure around AI. Last week, Amazon announced a further 16,000 redundancies worldwide, while Meta said it would cut more than 1,000 roles from its Reality Labs division. Design software maker Autodesk has also confirmed plans to shed around 1,000 jobs this month.
Jamie Young
Jamie is Senior Reporter at Business Matters, bringing over a decade of experience in UK SME business reporting.
Jamie holds a degree in Business Administration and regularly participates in industry conferences and workshops.
When not reporting on the latest business developments, Jamie is passionate about mentoring up-and-coming journalists and entrepreneurs to inspire the next generation of business leaders.
Lawmakers urge Trump to drop proposal to slash vehicle fuel economy rules
Millions could be entitled to compensation as a result of commission arrangements between lenders and dealers.
Global advisor to CEOs and corporate boards Ram Charan joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to discuss the growth of AI in American businesses and the impact of technology on jobs.
Companies in the private sector added just 22,000 jobs in January, payroll processing firm ADP said Wednesday.
The figure is well below economists’ estimates of a gain of 48,000 jobs. The prior month’s payrolls number was revised lower to a gain of 37,000 from an initially reported gain of 41,000.
“Job creation took a step back in 2025, with private employers adding 398,000 jobs, down from 771,000 in 2024,” said ADP chief economist Nela Richardson. “While we’ve seen a continuous and dramatic slowdown in job creation for the past three years, wage growth has remained stable.”
US ECONOMY EXPECTED TO GROW FASTER IN 2026 DESPITE STAGNANT JOB MARKET: GOLDMAN SACHS
The figure is well below economists’ estimates of a gain of 48,000 jobs. (Angus Mordant/Bloomberg)
Education and health services added 74,000 positions, leading job creation in December. Financial activities added 14,000 positions, while construction added 9,000.
CONSUMER SENTIMENT RISES ABOVE EXPECTATIONS IN JANUARY BUT REMAINS BELOW LAST YEAR’S LEVEL
Education and health services added 74,000 positions in January. (iStock)
Leisure and hospitality and trade, transportation and utilities each added 4,000 jobs. Hiring in natural resources and mining was flat for the month.
On the negative side, professional and business services lost 57,000 jobs. Other services and manufacturing lost 13,000 and 8,000, respectively. Hiring fell by 5,000 positions in information.
Professional and business services lost 57,000 jobs in January. (iStock)
Large businesses – those with 500 or more employees – lost 18,000 jobs in January. Businesses with 50 to 499 employees added 41,000 workers. Establishments with fewer than 20 employees added 30,000 positions, while those that have 20 to 49 workers lost 30,000 jobs.
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Wage growth in December was little changed from last month. People staying in their roles saw their pay climb 4.5% from the prior year, while pay gains for those changing their jobs fell slightly to 6.4% from 6.6% in December.
The ADP data is typically released before the Labor Department’s nonfarm payrolls report and can differ notably. However, due to the partial shutdown of the federal government that has since ended, the Labor Department said its report would be delayed. The government data was expected to show an increase of 64,000 positions, below the 50,000 reported in December. The unemployment rate was expected to remain at 4.4%.
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A Super Bowl LX sign is seen at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.
Stephen Lam | San Francisco Chronicle | Hearst Newspapers | Getty Images
The Super Bowl is prime real estate every year for advertisers eager to get their brands in front of millions of consumers at once. It’s also costly.
That’s why a small subset of ad space for streaming-only commercials is gaining traction and granting smaller brands time during TV’s biggest night of the year.
Comcast’s NBC broadcast network will air Super Bowl 60 this year, with the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots facing off from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. NBC’s streaming service, Peacock, will simulcast the event. While streaming has generally become the overwhelmingly popular way to consume content, the Super Bowl is still primarily watched via the broadcast network.
The streaming simulcast — gaining viewers each year — features certain ad spots earmarked only for that audience.
Streaming-only spots make up about 10% of the full ad inventory during the Super Bowl and cost about half of what a traditional TV commercial goes for, said Mark Marshall, NBC’s chairman of global advertising and partnerships.
“So cheaper, but still not cheap,” said Marshall. “And part of it is also you don’t have many of these spots, right? So I think people caught on to this trick over the past couple years, and it’s done really well in streaming. And as a result, a lot of people are lining up and wanting to do that.”
Each year the cost of the national ads for the Super Bowl breaks a record. NBC sold out of ad inventory for the Super Bowl, averaging $8 million per 30-second commercial, with between five and 10 ads selling for more than $10 million each, CNBC previously reported.
The streaming-only ads, which still appear nationally, fill the slots that would host regional commercials during the traditional TV broadcast.
These spots bring in new advertisers outside of the mainstays like Budweiser and Lay’s. All of the Peacock-only commercials this year are new advertisers to NBC’s Super Bowl slate, Marshall said. For example, cowboy boots brand Tecovas and family location safety app Life360 both bought streaming-only ad spots this year.
The chief marketing officers for both brands noted the impact of the Super Bowl — as well as steep cost — in explaining their decision to go all in on Peacock.
Tecovas CMO Krista Dalton in an email called the company’s debut via streaming “a deliberate choice,” allowing the brand to get the impact of the Super Bowl with “a highly engaged environment while staying disciplined with our investment.”
Life360 CMO Mike Zeman said via email, “Streaming is a great way for us to test what being integrated into such a monumental cultural moment can deliver to our brand and business. It allows us to reach a massive, highly engaged audience of modern, connected families with an ‘out of pocket’ investment that doesn’t break the bank or occupy too large a percentage of our overall marketing budget.”
Last year nearly 128 million viewers watched the Super Bowl on TV and via streaming, according to Nielsen.
While NBC has had a digital offering for its last four Super Bowl telecasts, Marshall said more advertisers have been vying for streaming space as the platform reached 44 million subscribers.
And fittingly, that growth has been driven largely by NBC’s push into live sports. This month NBC will air the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics — which begin on Friday — along with the NBA All-Star game. It’s a live sports slate the company is billing as “Legendary February.”
“It’s obviously a huge year for NBC, and Peacock is more sold-out than usual. We’re seeing a lot of brands leaning in with Peacock,” said Doug Paladino of ad agency PMG.
Paladino noted brands have seen good results advertising during Sunday Night Football games that are simulcast on Peacock, particularly due to the audience targeting capabilities on streaming.
The streaming-only commercials can also be something of an on-ramp for burgeoning brands that want to get their foot in the door of the big game.
Last year, direct-to-consumer health startup Ro bought its first ad during the Super Bowl — on Fox’s streaming service Tubi.
“The results that they got out of the Super Bowl for what they paid were an order of magnitude above what the traditional spot is,” said Philip Inghelbrecht, CEO and co-founder of tech firm Tatari, which works with brands and advertisers and helped Ro land the 2025 streaming-only ad slot.
This year, Ro, which offers access to GLP-1 medications and telehealth appointments, ramped up its commitment to the Super Bowl and bought a spot in the traditional game broadcast on NBC. Tennis superstar Serena Williams will anchor the ad.
“Last year we dipped our toes into advertising in the Super Bowl through a buy on Tubi. It was a really attractive chance for us to really understand how our brand and our creative performed in that environment,” said Will Flaherty, senior vice president of growth at Ro.
Smaller brands have other more-affordable options to test the waters, too.
Manscaped, the men’s grooming company, decided to buy a spot before kickoff — a time slot less coveted than during the game itself, but still pricy — to push the next chapter of its business.
Manscaped Super Bowl LX campaign.
Courtesy: Manscaped
“Manscaped is a brand that has been around for a few years now, but we’re at this very important moment in our trajectory, which is a big push for products beyond the groin, which is our first claim to fame,” said Chief Marketing Officer Marcelo Kertesz. “We have something new to communicate to the world.”
“We know the spot itself is
just one piece of it, a very important and very expensive piece of it, but it does make sense for us to do that in this moment,” said Kertesz. “It’s a desire I would guess all brands, at some point, have to be on that stage.”
The Tourism Authority of Thailand will host the “Amazing Muay Thai Festival 2026” from February 4-7 in Hua Hin, promoting sports tourism and honoring Muay Thai’s cultural heritage with various events and activities.
Key Points
- The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will host the “Amazing Muay Thai Festival 2026” from February 4-7 at Rajabhakti Park, Hua Hin, aiming to promote sports tourism and celebrate Muay Thai as cultural heritage.
- Activities will include professional matches, traditional rituals, demonstrations, and training in four Muay Thai styles, along with local cuisine, shopping, and concerts. The festival is expected to attract over 18,000 visitors and generate approximately 214 million baht.
- A highlight on February 6, National Muay Thai Day, will feature a traditional worship ceremony and a large performance honoring King Suriyenthrathibodi, recognized as the Father of Muay Thai.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will organize the “Amazing Muay Thai Festival 2026” to promote sports tourism and elevate Muay Thai as a cultural heritage on the international stage.
TAT’s Deputy Governor for Tourism Products and Business Nat Kruthasoot announced that TAT, together with Prachuap Khiri Khan Province and partner agencies, will host the festival under the theme “Ultimate Muay Thai Experience” from February 4 to 7, 2026, at Rajabhakti Park in Hua Hin District, Prachuap Khiri Khan.
The event will highlight Muay Thai as Thailand’s cultural heritage and support sports tourism. Activities include professional bouts, exhibitions on traditional ranking rituals, demonstrations and training in the four traditional Muay Thai schools: Muay Chaiya, Muay Korat, Muay Tha Sao, and Muay Lopburi, as well as Muay Thai training courses. Visitors can enjoy local cuisine, shopping, leisure activities, and concerts by renowned Thai artists.
TAT expects the festival to attract over 18,000 visitors and generate at least 214 million baht in economic activity.
A key highlight is scheduled for February 6, 2026, National Muay Thai Day. The program will feature a traditional worship ceremony and the Muay Thai Wai Khru ritual, led by master instructors, followed by a large-scale performance with over 1,500 participants to honor King Suriyenthrathibodi, also known as Phra Chao Sue, who is revered as the Father of Muay Thai.
Source : TAT Hosts Amazing Muay Thai Festival 2026 to Elevate Muay Thai to Global Stage
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Alexis Bonte
Group Chief Executive Officer, President & Interim EVP of BA MENA/APAC
Good morning, and welcome to the Stillfront Q4 Presentation. I am Alexis Bonte, the CEO of Stillfront. I’m joined today by our CFO, Emily Villatte, who joined us in December. I would like also to take the opportunity to thank Tim Holland for his work as interim CFO during 2025.
As we summarize the first quarter of 2025, I am pleased to report that Stillfront is delivering margin expansion despite revenue decline. We successfully expanded our adjusted EBITDAC margin to 27%, up from 25% in Q4 last year despite an organic revenue decline of 9%. This follows our cost savings efforts during the year, disciplined deployment of UAC alongside the continued rollout of our direct-to-consumer channel.
Looking at our business areas. In Europe, we delivered a big franchise new game launch with early positive signs, and we divested our noncore narrative portfolio, which has been impacting our organic growth. In North America, the continued revenue decline reflects a deliberate strategy of prioritizing cash flow and efficiency over short-term volume. MENA and APAC delivered strong results with 7% organic growth.
Now let’s dive into the details. So first, turning to Europe. Net revenue in BA Europe landed at SEK 622 million for the quarter. That represents an organic decline of 6%. The revenue performance in Europe has been heavily impacted by the narrative games portfolio. And in late December, we concluded the divestment of the narrative franchise for a
WA’s Tourism Minister Reece Whitby has added a Seven West Media executive, a former Fremantle mayor and an east coast rugby league expert to the Tourism WA board.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos argued it was inaccurate information that nearly half of the platform’s content for children promotes transgenderism, after he was pressed about the matter during a Senate hearing Tuesday by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.).
During a heated Senate hearing Tuesday on Netflix’s proposed deal with Warner Bros. Entertainment, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., pressed the streaming platform’s CEO on a recent statistic from a conservative women’s policy organization arguing nearly half of Netflix’s content for kids “promotes transgender ideology.”
Hawley cited his own experience as a parent of young kids, pointing out he does not let them “watch anything” on Netflix unless he previews it first because he does not “have confidence of what is on [Netflix’s] platform,” the GOP senator told Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos.
But Sarandos clapped back at Halwey’s claim, arguing that data point that “almost half” of Netflix’s children’s programming promotes trangenderism was “inaccurate.”
NETFLIX SET TO AIR TRANSGENDER COAL MINER FILM ‘QUEEN OF COAL’ IN DECEMBER
“Senator, Netflix has no political agenda of any kind,” Sarados told the GOP senator Tuesday.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos provides testimony to U.S. Senators on Capitol Hill Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2025. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
“Well, then why is your children’s programming so full of this highly sexualized, highly controversial – highly controversial – agenda? I don’t understand it. It seems strange to me,” Hawley shot back before Srandos could finish.
“Respectfully, sir, it’s because it’s inaccurate. We have millions of hours of children’s programming. I –,” the Netflix CEO continued saying before the GOP senator cut him off again.
“You don’t have a trans – you don’t feature trans characters, trans storylines, trans themes? It’s not in your programming?” Hawley shot back.
“I’m saying we feature a wide variety of stories and programs that meet a wide variety of people’s tastes,” Sarandos clarified.
But Hawley kept drilling in that nearly half of Netflix’s content for kids promotes transgender ideology, a statistic first shared by the conservative women’s public policy group known as Concerned Women for America (CWA).
CWA released a report in December, claiming they found that 41% of G-rated series on Netflix and 41% of TV-Y7 rated shows on Netflix contain content that can be construed as pro-LGBTQ+.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos seen shaking hands with Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., at a Tuesday hearing on Capitol Hill amid the streaming platform’s attempt to buy out Warner Bros. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
In defense of Hawley’s accusations, Sarandos highlighted that the platform has built out “state-of-the-art tools” for parents to manage their video streaming choices for their children. He added that folks at Netflix were parents too, and shared the “same concerns about raising kids” that Hawley has.
The research released by CWA on Netflix’s pro-trans content came just a few days after Netflix announced an agreement to acquire Warner Bros. film and television studios, as well as HBO and HBO Max, which would make the streaming platform one of the most dominant in the world.
President Donald Trump has raised antitrust concerns over the proposed Netflix takeover of Warner Bros. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters / Reuters)
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While the deal has been announced, it still must undergo regulatory scrutiny. Other companies have also submitted rival offers aimed at undercutting Netflix’s ambitions.
“You want the United States government to allow you to become one of the largest – if not the largest – streaming monopolist in the world,” Hawley highlighted to Sarandos during the Tuesday hearing. “I think we ought to be concerned about what content you’re promoting.”
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