RSnake Report 20260808

Russian cars start breaking down, Kimi 3 escapes sandbox, etc

August 8, 2026

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Geopolitics
Cybersecurity
Technology
Business

Hello, and thanks for reading! It was a long but productive week at Black Hat. I did two panels, one presentation, two book signings and about 30 meetings. I will do a more thorough writeup on some of the AI stuff, which was all anyone could talk about.

The most notable thing I learned while I was out there was that out of the seven insurance carriers I spoke to, there were literally zero claims for AI-enabled attacks. Not one. I am under Chatham House Rules, so I can't name them, but they represent about 30% of the total cyber insurance market and are in everything from small and mid markets to enterprise markets. Of course, the Infosec industry isn't a fan of this messaging because it doesn't include nation-states or non-loss-producing breaches. Nevertheless, the financial adversary has thus far been unable to produce any meaningful losses deemed AI-enabled by their DFIR partners.

There are lots of reasons this may be happening, which I will enumerate in a blog post at some point. All of this jives very closely with the theme of the book The End of Guessing as well, which was nice - and fits in with our general theme. We need to be a lot more data-driven as an industry, and less on feels and vibes, in my humble opinion. Fear, uncertainty, and doubt are not a good strategy. Okay, on with it!

In Russia/Ukraine News, Ukrainian Defense Forces struck the Syzran and Ilsky oil refineries overnight, with fires reported at both facilities. The Syzran refinery in the Samara region has now been hit three times since May, with the latest strike occurring after prior damage on August 4, July 12, and May 21, leaving key processing units such as AVT-6 inoperable. The facility processes nearly 9 million tons of crude oil annually and has remained largely offline through the summer due to repeated strikes and repair cycles that typically require 4-8 weeks. That's a pretty significant outage, and letting the repairs happen actually weakens Russia further, because the repairs cost a lot of money, and during that time the outage still occurs anyway. Smart. Inserted media

Ukrainian drone operators from the 414th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade, 20th Unmanned Systems Brigade, 413th Unmanned Systems Regiment struck 12 vessels from Russia’s shadow fleet in the Black and Azov Seas. A Pantsir-S air defense system attempted to intercept the attack but failed to stop the strikes, suggesting the Pantsir system is either not fully stocked in that region or has accuracy issues, as you can see it fly by in the video. Inserted media

A couple of other vessels were hit near Tuapse as well. So it still appears that the seas are largely unprotected, and the threat of arming the ships with air defenses has not materialized. At least not yet, or at scale. Inserted media

The Ukrainians also appear to have struck the city of Gelendzhik around the same time as the two tanker strikes.

In other strikes against oil/gas, Ukrainian forces struck the Taman marine terminal near Volna in Krasnodar Krai on July 30, destroying twelve 5,000-ton tanks and causing a fire that covered over 17,000 square meters. The terminal serves as a key hub for transshipment and export of oil, fuel oil, diesel, and LPG while directly supplying fuel to Russian troops. Inserted media

Ukrainian drones attacked the Russian-occupied Gvardeyskoye Airfield in Crimea, striking drone launch sites and causing multiple fires confirmed by NASAMS satellite detections. Explosions also occurred in Gelendzhik, where a tanker was hit during the strikes. This airfield was likely a staging point for a lot of the coastal air defense and glide bombing runs against eastern Ukraine. Inserted media

Russian farmers face bankruptcy risks with many operations on the brink due to record-low grain prices and increased fuel prices that make harvesting unprofitable. Grain is being dumped on the ground rather than collected, and analysts warn that tens of thousands of farms could disappear if conditions persist, leading to reduced production and higher food prices. I am seeing numbers ranging from 1 in 3 to 1 in 5 farmers facing a desperate financial situation. This translates to much higher food prices as well. To some extent, this should be self-correcting, though, because as food prices increase, so too should grain prices. Perhaps this is a short-term shock or government intervention, such as price capping, causing it. I'm not sure.

Wildberries is relocating logistics warehouse operations to Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan after repeated Ukrainian strikes on its Russian facilities. The company seeks to protect inventory from attacks that have disrupted its domestic operations. The idea is that they will move inventory around by truck rather than store it closer to the end user. That's not necessarily a bad idea, as Ukraine has been relatively careful not to let foreign governments drag it into the war.

Speaking of which, Ukraine agreed to a U.S.-brokered deal to refrain from attacking non-Russian tankers in the Black Sea and Caspian Pipeline Consortium infrastructure unless vessels are under Ukrainian sanctions or carrying Russian cargo. The agreement clarifies the legitimate targets for shippers using the routes. That would allow other shipping to continue unmolested and stabilize the markets that rely on that shipping to some degree. Inserted media

I'd like to briefly talk about the drone situation, which has decidedly been a contested conversation online. For instance, there is some analysis by the Russians that only 1-2% of drones have been hitting their targets due to Russian interceptions. Of course, the Russians are pretty bad at statistics that look bad. But in return, Russians have been firing ballistic missiles against Kyiv that have virtually zero interceptions. Granted, a lot of that has to do with a lack of interceptors, but not entirely. Unlike the slow-moving counterparts, which can and do get intercepted by a variety of air defenses, ballistic missiles have a far easier time penetrating deeper and hitting something - and maybe even the target! Of course, yes, guidance is another issue. But if those numbers are relatively accurate, the drone swarm requires around 50-100 for every one successful hit against a defended target. That should give us a sense for how big drone swarms of the future will have to be. Of course, there is no reason to believe Russia's numbers. Why? Because the losses don't quite add up. Inserted media

For example, Russian authorities reported 42,860 troops lost in July, marking a 2026 record, along with all-war records in destroyed vehicles and fuel trucks totaling 13,998. Losses in air defense systems, artillery, and MLRS also approached records. I think if we are to believe Russia's numbers, we have to squint and consider only the attacks against oil and gas, or attacks against Russian civilian buildings or something, because otherwise, Ukraine would have launched around 5,000,000 drones in a month, and that doesn't sound correct. I would believe hundreds of thousands, but not multi-millions. Not yet, anyway. Granted, I think that is the intention though, so even if Russia is right, this doesn't improve the situation much for Russia. Inserted media

Trent Telenko spotted a video where he was able to calculate that the Fire Point drones are indeed below 100 feet as they fly, which means that the operating range of interceptors is going to be very short, because they will be flying right above the treetops. That means that you need just that many more interceptors and detection points to handle these drones, even if they are huge and slow-flying. Inserted media

I saw an interesting short video showing a few random Russian strikes against various Ukrainian targets. The most important part was at the end of the video where Russians hit two different ambush drones that were waiting along a roadside. This strikes me as a great reason to containerize drones and disguise them as cardboard boxes. That way, actual cardboard boxes could be used as decoys and waste tons of time dealing with benign cardboard, while never knowing which one may be a drone. Russian drones have also started using 50 km-long FPV optical cables, which is a pretty big jump from where it was last year. Inserted media

Rosatom issued permits for seven Chinese transit vessels to sail to Europe via the Northern Sea Route, establishing regular service through the navigation season. The route is positioned as an alternative transport artery amid deteriorating conditions in the Persian Gulf and logistical uncertainty elsewhere. I think Russia is desperate for new sources of income. Inserted media

There has been a slight fall-off in the amount of fuel shortages that have been reported in Russia, and the theory is that some of that initial shock was due to panic buying but the shortages are continuing nonetheless. But it also could be due to another factor as well. Russia has authorized the production and sale of Euro-2 grade through July 2027 which has a number of bad implications. The first is that jet fuel can freeze at -50C instead of -60C. That may not sound like a huge difference, but -50 is a regular low in Siberia, and it can get quite colder. In summertime that's not a huge deal, but winter is only a few months away. Inserted media

But worst of all, modern engines designed to Euro-5 standards are experiencing injector, fuel pump, and spark plug failures when using the lower-quality surrogate, which contains sulfur levels exceeding the norm by 50 times. Most modern Chinese engines are not rated for it, so they have already begun to break down. Russian media reports widespread vehicle breakdowns due to refueling with degraded gasoline. That could have a massive negative impact on the population who have fuel that is slowly rotting their cars' injectors and catalytic converters.

In European news, Bulgaria reported an unidentified drone entering its borders from Romania and exploding near Kardam. This happened approximately a few hundred meters from a gas compressor station on the Trans-Balkan pipeline. The Bulgarian minister stated the drone carried a significant amount of explosives, though no casualties or damage occurred. If it had hit that compressor, would it have been an act of war? I am certain meetings will be had over this, and nothing of consequence will happen. Why aren't these being intercepted? I have a few ideas, and none of them speak nicely about NATO's capabilities to protect Europe. Inserted media

That said, Reform UK is apparently planning to launch a massive military operation to stop small-boat crossings, and ramp up its anti-immigration policies. We shall see. I'm tempted to think that the UK is lost to foreign nationals who are crossing its borders unchallenged, but maybe they still have some fight in them. It is not that immigration is bad, but many of these people have no interest in assimilating themselves with the culture and ideals of the country they are moving to. That's not immigration; that is invasion. Inserted media

There was a fairly cool-looking Czech company that invested in a Canadian North Vector Dynamics to gain access to a new type of hypersonic interceptor. This looks like a small magazine size, but fast, and likely meant to take out rogue ballistic missiles rather than drone swarms. Different tool for a different job. The CM-70 missile is capable of speeds exceeding 1 km/h. Inserted media

German authorities are investigating an attempted explosive drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport after discovering a device near Ukrainian cargo aircraft. The drone carried a package that failed to detonate, and investigators later examined a DHL aircraft that struck an unidentified object six kilometers from the airport after operations were suspended. It was stopped by a bus driver who stepped on it while it hovered in place. This isn't terrorism; this is an attack on NATO territory, and the culprit is almost certainly Russia. But, again... I am sure nothing will come of this. In some ways, Russia is lucky that the mission failed.

There was a very cool little experimental drone that I spotted out of Zurich that used ducted fans to hover in any orientation. It's hard to explain without watching the video, but it gives it really unique hovering capabilities, without necessarily worrying about fans hitting walls or ceilings, etc. Smart concept for inside buildings. Inserted media

In Middle East News, Saudi Arabia consumed approximately 86% of 2,800 PAC-3 interceptors in the first 38 days of combat, leaving 400 missiles remaining by April. Other Gulf nations reported similar depletion of interceptor inventories. This may be one of the main reasons they were so quick to call for de-escalation, and it also points to the need for greater domestic protection of interceptor tech and broader anti-air defenses.

More than 20 Houthi missiles and drones targeted Marib, with one missile striking an internally displaced persons camp and injuring several people. Inserted media

An ADNOC carrier was struck by a missile in the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE put out a pretty terse statement about it for obvious reasons. Meanwhile there are something like 56 other vessels that are operating back and forth in the straight with all electronic tracking disabled to move oil between the gulf coast regions, doing ship to ship transfers. Inserted media

Iran's foreign minister stated that negotiations with Oman are ongoing for a temporary route through the Strait of Hormuz, though reopening the strait remains contingent on U.S. actions. Basically, Iran is saying we need to pay some reparations for the destruction related to breaking previous agreements. Iranian officials denied any direct negotiations with the United States, contradicting earlier claims that talks would begin after planned military strikes were called off. However, Trump has said that a peace deal is in the works at the same time that they had an open email for ideas on how to punish Iran. Meanwhile, Iran weirdly decided to re-enable the Internet, which is only going to make it harder for the regime to manage the population. So who knows where things stand today. Inserted media

In North America News, the Pentagon’s research agency is seeking development of a new missile capable of speeds exceeding Mach 5 while evading advanced enemy air defenses. So, I think the Pentagon is seriously considering increasing air defense capabilities for its next major conflicts. Previously, we were okay with Tomahawks, but apparently, we need something more capable.

The U.S. Army awarded Rheinmetall an 18-month contract to deliver autonomous hybrid-powered uncrewed ground vehicles for supply between rear logistics areas and forward positions. Weird-looking little autonomous flatbed truck. I used to ask what you would need a vehicle for if you didn't have to worry about passenger safety, and now I have my answer!

The Department of War revoked former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall’s access to classified information following his unauthorized disclosure of Air Force One capabilities to media outlets. That's not punitive in an unjust sense; it's operational security, and he should know better. A few people do need to be made examples of to make sure the rest of the troops realize the seriousness of jeopardizing the safety of the sitting President of the United States. You wouldn't think that would require much explaining, but here we are!

A new tungsten deposit containing nearly 1.8 million tons was discovered in the Nevada desert. This follows a sanction by China where tungsten, which is very useful for deep penetrators and certain types of munitions where weight/inertia matters. Inserted media

There was a very cool DARPA challenge that has been pretty well covered in various places, but I thought it would be fun to point you over to it if you haven't been following it. Basically, they have a course that the drone must follow, and it must carry a weight of at least four times its own mass for a certain duration. That's much harder than it sounds, clearly, as many of them crash, and even the first place in the challenge is only at 3.8:1 instead of 4+:1. But still, very impressive. My favorite one was two kids in a trench coat, er... I mean, the two drones that spun around one another attached by some cabling that acted as a lifter. You just have to watch the video to see what I mean. 🤣

In Tech News, Thermo Fisher Scientific patched five software products containing a vulnerability that could enable undetectable alterations to forensic DNA files. This could have massive implications for a variety of cases that could now be contested based on the fact that the DNA evidence used may need to be re-scanned. Ouch. 👎

Frontier Security reported that Kimi K3 escaped its sandbox during defensive cybersecurity testing and accessed the internet without permission due to a misconfiguration. The model did not conduct further attacks after gaining access, as the required information was available on GitHub. Nevertheless, this is what we should expect with frontier models. They will continue to misbehave, because that is how they function. They can't function in any other way with their current design, actually. They are so eager to complete the task that even the best researchers on the planet cannot make them stay on the rails. And yet, innovation in this space is nowhere near done. How many times do you have to put your fork into the electrical socket before you realize maybe that's not such a smart idea after all? This would be funny if it didn't have such dire consequences for going wrong. Inserted media

Meta confirmed that an AI model hacked into another company’s systems during cybersecurity testing. OpenAI models created message boards and exhibited misalignment during testing, prompting 15 attorneys general to demand preservation of all records related to the Hugging Face incident. Meanwhile, multiple attorneys general in various states have asked that OpenAI retain all the information regarding their recent breach of Hugging Face. It's not clear what they plan to do with this, but they're clearly unhappy and planning litigation. Inserted media

Hedge funds, including Point72, Two Sigma, and Citadel, faced AI-powered voice phishing attacks in which attackers used voice cloning to impersonate executives and obtain access credentials. The technique requires only seconds of audio to replicate voice patterns and can scale attacks from dozens to thousands of targets. This was demonstrated in the hallways at Black Hat. The human element is going to be a profitable place to attack in the future for sure.

Russian state-sponsored cyberattacks targeted travelers through hotel, airport, and event Wi-Fi networks by compromising captive portals and manipulating DNS traffic to deliver malware and steal credentials. This attack is called CaptiveCrunch, and often the symptom will be that it asks you to type in various keyboard commands or download something before you can connect to the active portal - in either case installing something nasty on your computer. Smart, effective, and probably works often enough to be worth it.

AMD acquired Taalas, whose hardware allegedly runs Llama 3.1 8B at 17,000 tokens per second. If that is indeed the case, even if Llama 3.1 is kinda stupid, it would be capable of enormous amounts of workload. I use Llama 3.2 quite regularly, and it's also quite dumb but suitable for a lot of workloads where I just need some content digested as a first pass and it doesn't need to be perfect. If I could do that at 17k/t/s, I would finish my current workloads approximately 170 times faster than my current laptop can go. That's blazing fast. Of course I'd need a separate computer, and one of the advantages of the way I run things is that is all runs local to me instead of needing additional resources in the cloud or at home or whatever. Inserted media

Okay, onto the articles!

Geopolitics

Lockheed Martin has successfully conducted a burst test of the second-stage motor for the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI), a key step towards its critical design review and eventual production. This advancement supports the development of an upgraded anti-ballistic missile capability for the United States, aimed at enhancing defense against intercontinental ballistic missiles. The company is leveraging advanced manufacturing techniques and significant capital investments to expedite the deployment of the NGI by 2030.

Lockheed Martin completed a successful burst test of the NGI's second-stage motor, validating its design and materials.
The NGI program aims to upgrade the U.S. missile defense capabilities against intercontinental ballistic missiles, with a goal for deployment by 2030.

[RSnake: I am glad to see these programs are getting further along, and it can't happen soon enough with our highly degraded interceptor count. That said 2030 is a very long ways of given the fact we are in current operations.]

Lockheed Martin Announces Successful Burst Test of the Next Generation Interceptor’s Second-Stage Motor

Source: https://militaryleak.com/?p=256806

A 14-year-old student opened fire at a school in Nonthaburi, Thailand, killing five teachers and injuring over 30 others before turning the weapon on himself. The shooter had previously killed his grandparents and was described as a good student facing academic pressures. This incident marks one of the deadliest school shootings in Thailand's history and has reignited discussions about gun control in the country, where gun ownership is high and regulations are perceived as lax.

A school shooting in Thailand resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries.
The shooter was a well-performing student who may have faced academic stress.
The event has prompted renewed calls for stricter gun control measures in Thailand.

[RSnake: Oof, that's awful. Poor kid seems to have just snapped. It's understandable to some degree when he was under deep academic and likely home pressures, but wow, awful.]

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c07rxz03034o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

The U.S. Senate has approved a comprehensive sanctions bill targeting Russia, which imposes significant tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil and gas, such as China and India. The legislation, backed by bipartisan support and championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, includes extended sanctions on Iran and new tariff authorities that could allow for punitive measures against key trading partners if invoked by the President. This bill now awaits approval from the House of Representatives.

The new sanctions bill includes potential 100% tariffs on top buyers of Russian energy.
Bipartisan support indicates a strong political consensus on sanctions against Russia.

[RSnake: We do need to be a bit careful here, because India is a pretty important ally in the region and is helping a lot in other areas, such as against China and the Taliban in Pakistan.]

Source: https://www.supplychainbrain.com/articles/44620-us-senate-passes-russia-sanctions-bill-championed-by-graham

Russia has formed a new combat brigade composed of Ukrainian prisoners of war, labeling them as 'volunteers' despite their forced participation. This development escalates a practice that has been ongoing since late 2022, which is likely in violation of the Geneva Convention prohibiting the use of POWs in military operations. Multiple units have been absorbed into this brigade, reflecting a broader trend of Russia deploying captured Ukrainian soldiers to the front lines.

Russia has created a new combat brigade using Ukrainian prisoners of war.
This practice challenges international humanitarian law, specifically the Geneva Convention.

[RSnake: I can't imagine their morale would be high enough to make them even vaguely combat effective. Using them as one-time-use mine sweepers is probably the only use for a POW after interrogation is over. So perhaps that is the intention for them - go ahead of the main force, see where the traps are, and clear the way for the regular troops.]

Source: https://euromaidanpress.com/?p=419114

MI6 of the UK has been ranked as Europe's top foreign intelligence agency, scoring significantly higher than its closest competitor, France's DGSE. The review noted MI6's strengths in human intelligence operations, particularly its ability to recruit informants and penetrate adversaries' elites. This recognition reflects MI6's enduring prominence in espionage despite the UK's reduced military and economic standing since the mid-20th century.

MI6 has been recognized as the most powerful foreign intelligence service in Europe based on a peer review.
The UK intelligence agency is praised for its long-term human intelligence work and operational capabilities.

[RSnake: That doesn't surprise me very much. They have had a deep culture of espionage operations stemming back to before World War I. It doesn't hurt that they own lots of the fiber all over the world via Cable & Wireless - a UK company that bought a US data center company that I used to work for.]

Source: https://www.eurasiantimes.com/?p=298428

Cybersecurity

Recent research indicates that AI-generated patches for software vulnerabilities are only effective about 46% of the time, often introducing new bugs or failing to resolve issues altogether. This study highlights significant concerns regarding the reliability of AI in cybersecurity, as attackers increasingly leverage AI capabilities to exploit vulnerabilities at scale.

AI-generated software patches are often ineffective, failing to resolve vulnerabilities or introducing new ones.
The research shows a dangerous asymmetry where AI systems are more effective at exploiting vulnerabilities than fixing them.
The cybersecurity community is urged to enhance human validation of AI-generated patches to ensure security.

[RSnake: My very attractive editor found this one, and the thing that find strange is this number is it is almost the exact same number as the number of new vulns produced by vibe coded apps. Weirded me out a little.]

Source: https://www.darkreading.com/application-security/ai-generated-patches-fail-half-time

A zero-day SQL injection vulnerability in the Metabase platform has been exploited, leading to data theft incidents affecting multiple companies. Hackers gained administrator access to customer instances through this critical flaw, impacting millions of users' sensitive information.

A critical SQL injection vulnerability in Metabase has been exploited, allowing unauthorized access to customer data.
Companies using the Metabase platform, including Framework and Tally, confirmed breaches that resulted in the theft of customer information.

[RSnake: I have reached out to their team and am hoping to understand if this is an example that defies what the cyber insurance says that there are no losses related to webappsec or if they confirm that they didn't file a claim.]

Source: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/framework-tally-disclose-metabase-data-theft-attacks/

Research has revealed a hardware backdoor in certain x86 CPUs, specifically the VIA C3 processors, which may allow unprivileged code to gain kernel-level access. This backdoor can circumvent processor protections and is thought to be enabled by default on some affected systems, raising potential security vulnerabilities for desktop, laptop, and embedded devices.

A backdoor in VIA C3 CPUs allows unprivileged code to access kernel data.
The research provides tools to check for this vulnerability and methods to mitigate it.

[RSnake: Not great. It's not trivial to replace hardware, and hardware updates in code aren't nearly as straightforward as OS updates.]

Source: https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/rosenbridge

At least 12 US states have experienced hacks of water system controllers, likely attributed to Iranian cyber actors. Retired General Paul Nakasone emphasized the need for improved cybersecurity measures for these systems, which are vulnerable due to underfunding and limited technical resources.

12 US states' water systems have been hacked, possibly by Iranian agents.
Nakasone calls for higher cybersecurity standards to protect these critical infrastructures.

[RSnake: This is nasty. I do know that Texas is beefing its systems up enough to at least make it difficult enough that they will focus on other states. Not that that should be good news to any other state, or even Texas if you really think about what I just said, but... that's the current state of things.]

Source: https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/08/07/water-system-controllers-dont-belong-on-the-internet-says-ex-nsa-chief-after-suspected-iran-attacks/5285070

OpenAI is pausing work on its upcoming AI model, Astra, after strong test results suggest it may have critical cybersecurity capabilities that could autonomously exploit hardened systems. The company is implementing stricter controls and safeguards due to concerns about the model's potential dangers and its ability to escape containment. OpenAI aims to ensure safe use of such advanced AI technology while collaborating with government agencies for thorough testing.

OpenAI's Astra model may autonomously exploit cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
The company is halting further development to implement stricter safety controls.

[RSnake: 🙄 this is just embarrassing. It's definitely a huge profit center for them, but seriously. Embarrassing. And they want you to believe they should be entrusted with creating AGI.]

Source: https://thenextweb.com/news/openai-astra-critical-cyber-capabilities-pause-preparedness

Technology

NASA has successfully implemented power management strategies to keep its Voyager 2 probe operational for an additional year. The spacecraft, which relies on a diminishing plutonium power source, has undergone modifications to reduce power consumption, allowing it to maintain its scientific instruments while situated far from the Sun. Similar adjustments are planned for Voyager 1, ensuring ongoing data collection from both probes in interstellar space.

NASA made power adjustments to extend the operational life of Voyager 2.
The agency plans to apply similar strategies to Voyager 1 in the near future.

[RSnake: How cool. I thought this thing was going to expire about 20 years ago and it is still out there providing useful science! The only issue is that we haven't launched anything other than the Pluto probe, New Horizons, that is only expected to last a couple more years as well, despite using a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (nuclear battery).]

Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/voyager/nasa-figured-out-how-to-keep-its-48-year-old-voyager-2-probe-running-for-yet-another-year

The production capacity of memory manufacturers for 2027 has reportedly been fully allocated to AI companies, indicating potential shortages and rising prices for consumers. NAND storage is also experiencing increased demand, with prices for SSDs already on the rise as supply constrains. Without new manufacturing capacity, it is anticipated that the affordability and availability of RAM and SSDs may worsen in the near future.

All major memory manufacturers have sold out their production capacity for 2027 to AI companies.
The prices of RAM and SSDs are expected to continue rising due to the scarcity of supply.

[RSnake: Wow. Hold onto your laptops! You're not going to see a lot of good options for computers in 2027 and beyond if that ends up being true.]

Source: https://www.ign.com/articles/ramageddon-continues-another-year-as-2027-memory-capacity-is-reportedly-sold-out

A new version of pgrust, an implementation of PostgreSQL in Rust, has been released, achieving performance improvements that reportedly make it 300 times faster than PostgreSQL for analytical queries. This is accomplished through various optimizations including batching, operator fusion, and SIMD processes, which enhance CPU and memory throughput.

Pgrust version 0.2 is 10 times faster for OLTP benchmarks and significantly surpasses PostgreSQL's analytics performance.
Enhancements in query processing using batching, operator fusion, and SIMD contribute to the dramatic improvements in performance.

[RSnake: Wow. Granted this is a fairly heavy lift for engineers to start using it, but for special applications or for green-field apps, this shows some real promise.]

Source: https://malisper.me/how-we-made-postgres-hundreds-of-times-faster-the-query-engine/

Cloudflare has developed Kitesurf, a new browser designed specifically for AI agents, enabling efficient web interaction for automation tasks. This browser runs in Cloudflare Workers, utilizing WebAssembly to enhance performance and reduce resource consumption, making it well-suited for a variety of AI-driven applications.

Kitesurf is built to optimize the browsing experience for AI agents, eliminating unnecessary features meant for human users.
The browser utilizes advanced technologies and isolation principles to enhance security and performance while interacting with the web.

[RSnake: This is a nice way to sandbox otherwise pretty dangerous code and only get the results back out. Not useful for normies, but great for engineers who plan to do a lot of scraping, or want to pull in otherwise suspicious code without risking their own computing environment. Of course that means they have to be careful to still not execute the code that returns or read it into an LLM due to prompt injection, but still.]

Source: https://blog.cloudflare.com/kitesurf/

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works has successfully demonstrated AI-driven air combat capabilities through its X-62 Variable In-flight Simulation Test Aircraft, which executed autonomous air intercepts using real-time sensor data. This significant advancement in airborne autonomy aims to enhance pilot effectiveness and survivability in complex combat environments, contributing to the U.S. Air Force's strategic air dominance initiatives.

Lockheed Martin's AI can autonomously pilot fighter jets into tactical intercept positions using real sensor data.
The advancement in AI and sensor integration represents a strategic move towards improved air combat capabilities for the U.S. military.

[RSnake: It looks like they will likely enable this on all modern fighters to allow the AI to take over and remove the human from the cockpit all together. I'm not sure if that's meant to get rid of pilots or take over if the pilot is injured, unconscious or killed or what.]

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works Advances Sensor-Powered AI Fighter Intercept

Source: https://militaryleak.com/?p=256819

Business

Harvey, a legal AI startup, is raising $500 million at a $15.5 billion valuation, reflecting a 40% increase over five months driven by significant revenue growth. The company has experienced an annual revenue surge to over $350 million, driven by its specialized AI tools for legal professionals. Despite challenges in the public software market, Harvey's investment and partnerships indicate strong investor confidence in its future prospects.

Harvey is valued at $15.5 billion following an increase in revenue and annualized revenue exceeding $350 million.
The company has gained interest from major investors, including Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, and formed partnerships with Microsoft.
Investors are currently favoring private AI companies like Harvey amid a downturn in public software markets.

[RSnake: The major competitor in this space is Thomson Reuters. I suspect this area is heating up a lot. One of the conversations I had with a CISO the other day at a big law firm was that they were very worried about 3rd-party disclosures, after their legal staff leveraged OpenAI and Claude without realizing they were inadvertently disclosing a lot of information that could be subpoenaed. Doing this right is very important to their clients and could expose the law firm to litigation for mishandling client data. Ouch.]

Source: https://thenextweb.com/news/harvey-legal-ai-15-5bn-valuation-500m-raise-vertical-ai

A nonprofit organization in Southern California, which operates domestic violence shelters and homelessness programs, has come under scrutiny for paying its CEO over $1.6 million in two years, with a significant portion attributed to unused vacation pay. The CEO has been based in Hawaii while managing the Los Angeles-based organization, raising questions about executive compensation practices amidst its reliance on government funding.

A Southern California nonprofit paid its CEO $1.6 million between 2023 and 2024, largely due to unused vacation payouts.
The CEO has maintained residence in Hawaii while overseeing operations in California, prompting concerns over compensation and governance.

[RSnake: Sounds like an upstanding person to me, what do you mean? Lol. As I said multiple times, as we approach November, we're going to see more and more of this fraud announced. And about time, actually. What the California voter needs to know is how much they likely paid to fund fraudulent programs. That'll be hard to calculate though.]

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/in-2023-and-2024-a-los-angeles-homeless-services-nonprofit-paid-its-hawaii-based-ceo-more-than-1-6-million-including-about-824000-in-unused-vacation-pay/articleshow/133030715.cms

Zach Dell's company Base Power, co-founded in 2023, is rapidly growing and has achieved a valuation of $13 billion after installing over 23,000 home batteries. The company secured a $1 billion funding round aimed at expanding its residential battery storage solutions, which are designed to stabilize the grid and provide backup power during outages. With its business models catering to deregulated and regulated energy markets, Base Power aims to significantly enhance energy accessibility and reliability across the U.S.

Base Power's valuation reached $13 billion after a $1 billion funding round.
The company focuses on enhancing battery storage solutions for residential customers.
Base Power operates models that support both deregulated markets and utility companies.

[RSnake: Good. We need a very distributed grid. I'm not a huge fan of solar on an industrial scale, unless you are going to do what China did and cover huge land masses. But either way, you need distributed batteries to level out the load and deal with outages, which are frankly inevitable.]

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/michael-dells-son-zach-co-founded-base-power-in-2023-it-is-now-valued-at-13-billion-and-has-installed-more-than-23000-home-batteries/articleshow/133030574.cms

Russia is facing a fuel crisis due to its inability to refine enough gasoline, leading the government to restrict trading on the open market and favor major state-linked oil companies over independent gas stations. Consequently, fuel availability has dropped significantly for independent vendors, while major companies benefit by controlling distribution and prices, resulting in increased costs for consumers in many regions. The shift in market control has created a less transparent fuel supply situation, leaving regulators and analysts with limited information on fuel distribution and stock levels.

Russia is transitioning its fuel market from independent gas stations to major state-linked oil companies due to a refining crisis.
The government has restricted open market trading, limiting fuel availability for smaller vendors and leading to higher consumer prices.

[RSnake: The cost may fluctuate a bit for a while as this new high-sulfur fuel gets into the market, and destroys a bunch of vehicles, opening up supply in the most crappy way possible, I might add. That's like saying we don't have enough food and shooting a bunch of people instead of making more food. It's the Russian way, I guess?]

Source: https://euromaidanpress.com/?p=419151

A New Mexico judge has ordered Meta to pay $567 million as part of legal repercussions for contributing to a public nuisance affecting the mental health of young users. This ruling requires Meta to implement new safety measures for minors on its platforms and adds to the growing legal challenges the company faces over its impact on youth and mental health. With potential liabilities totaling $1.4 trillion from other states, Meta is facing significant scrutiny both domestically and internationally, which could threaten its core business as it invests heavily in AI technology.

Meta is ordered to pay $567 million to address harms caused by its social media platforms.
The ruling mandates new safety features for underage users on Facebook and Instagram.
Meta faces additional legal pressures from multiple states potentially totaling $1.4 trillion.

[RSnake: I firmly believe they knew what they were doing and targeted kids. They knew the mental health effects and pushed forward anyway. I'm not sure what the grounds for the suit are, but hopefully this gets social media companies to think twice before targeting kiddos. Keep your kids off social media, folks. Seriously.]

Source: https://gizmodo.com/?p=2000795880

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