Tech/Gear

Some Social Security number requests are not optional. Federal reporting systems rely on the SSN as a primary identifier.Employment offers the clearest example. Employers collect your SSN to report wages and file taxes, including Form W-2 submissions. The Social Security Administration credits your earnings record with it. The IRS uses it to match payroll taxes with reported income. Federal agencies also require your SSN when you apply for certain benefits […]

Scroll your social media feed for five minutes. You will likely see something that looks real but feels slightly off.Maybe it is a viral protest image that turns out to be altered. Maybe it is a slick video pushing a political narrative. Or maybe it is an artificial intelligence voice clip that spreads before anyone stops to question it.AI-enabled deception now permeates everyday life. And Microsoft says it has a […]

Every year during National Consumer Protection Week, you hear warnings about phishing emails, fake IRS calls and identity theft. Those threats are real, but there is another risk that gets far less attention, and it is completely legal.Right now, hundreds of companies collect, package and sell personal information, including your home address, phone number, family members, income estimates and even your daily habits. They are not targeting you because you […]

There was a time when you could not turn on the TV without seeing Susan Powter. Platinum buzz cut. Barefoot. Fierce. Unfiltered. And that battle cry that still lives in pop culture: "Stop the Insanity!"In the 1990s, Powter built a massive wellness brand by pushing back on diet culture and talking about real life. Then the spotlight went dark. The part most people missed was brutal: financial collapse, isolation and […]

If you have applied for a loan online, you probably shared more than you realized. Your name. Your email. Your date of birth. Maybe even your home address and phone number. Now imagine all of that sitting on a dark web forum.That is the reality for nearly 1 million people after hackers breached Figure Technology Solutions, a blockchain-focused fintech lender.Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy ReportGet my best tech tips, […]

Humanoid robotics companies have already shown their machines can run at 22 mph, land backflips and even pull off front flips. So the new proving ground is not raw speed or acrobatics. It is control when something unexpected happens. That is where the EngineAI PM01 humanoid robot comes in.In newly released footage, the compact humanoid keeps dancing after being deliberately pushed off balance. It performs a controlled forward slip, absorbs […]

You trust your email security settings for a reason. So when an AI assistant quietly reads and summarizes messages marked confidential, that trust takes a hit.Microsoft says a bug in Microsoft 365 Copilot allowed its AI chat feature to process sensitive emails since late January.The issue bypassed Data Loss Prevention policies that organizations rely on to protect private information. Put simply, emails that were supposed to stay locked down were […]

When you hear "brain-computer interface," you probably picture surgery, wires and a chip in your head. Now picture something quieter. No implant. No incision. Just sound waves directed at the brain.That is the approach behind a new wave of ultrasound brain-computer interface companies in China. One of the newest is Gestala, founded in Chengdu with offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong. The company says it is developing technology that can […]

When missiles fly, we expect explosions. We expect smoke, sirens and satellite images. What we do not expect is silence. On February 28, 2026, as fighter jets and cruise missiles struck Iranian Revolutionary Guard command centers during Operation Roar of the Lion, a parallel assault reportedly unfolded in cyberspace. Official news sites and key media platforms went offline, government digital services and local apps failed across major cities, and security communications systems […]