US warns hackers exploiting F5 vulnerabilities pose imminent threat to federal networks

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U.S. officials have warned that government networks are being targeted by a nation-state cyber threat actor exploiting vulnerabilities in products made by F5, a major cybersecurity and networking firm. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued an emergency directive ordering federal agencies to locate and patch affected systems immediately.

According to CISA, hackers compromised F5’s internal systems, stealing files that included portions of its source code and information about undisclosed vulnerabilities. Officials said the stolen data could serve as a blueprint for future intrusions, enabling attackers to breach F5 devices and potentially gain full control over government or corporate networks.

“The cyber threat actor presents an imminent threat to federal networks,” said Nick Andersen, CISA’s Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity. He urged all organizations using F5 products to apply updates urgently, warning that the risk extends “to every organization and sector.”

F5 said it discovered unauthorized access on August 9 and quickly took “extensive actions” to contain the breach, engaging outside experts including CrowdStrike, Mandiant, and NCC Group. The company said there was no evidence its software development processes were tampered with, and operations remain unaffected. However, information from a few customers was accessed, and those affected have been contacted.

The U.S. Department of Justice delayed public disclosure of the breach until September 12 for national security reasons. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre also issued a parallel warning urging users to install security updates.

Microsoft likely to avoid French antitrust probe as regulator set to dismiss Qwant complaint

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Microsoft appears poised to escape a French antitrust investigation into its search operations after the French search engine Qwant said regulators plan to dismiss its complaint. The company said it may appeal the decision in court or bring the case before other authorities.

Qwant, which has long used Microsoft’s Bing platform to power its search and news results, filed a grievance earlier this year alleging that Microsoft imposed exclusivity clauses and unfair conditions that restricted Qwant’s ability to develop its own search engine and advertising services. It also accused Microsoft of favoring its own products in search advertising allocation.

The French Competition Authority is expected to formally announce its decision within two weeks, according to people familiar with the matter. During a closed-door hearing in June, investigators reportedly recommended rejecting Qwant’s request for an injunction and broader investigation.

In response, Qwant CEO Olivier Abecassis said the company would “pursue all available legal avenues” to defend its business, accusing Microsoft of “egregious abuse” of market power.

Microsoft, for its part, dismissed the allegations, noting that the complaint “lacks merit” and that the search market is “dominated by Google.” Microsoft is a key provider of syndicated search results for smaller European rivals, including Ecosia, DuckDuckGo, and Lilo, which rely on its technology to compete.

Core Scientific urges shareholders to approve $9 billion CoreWeave merger

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Core Scientific’s board has called on shareholders to vote in favor of its proposed $9 billion all-stock sale to CoreWeave, saying the merger would deliver long-term growth and risk reduction benefits for the crypto miner.

In an investor presentation released Wednesday, the board said it had “unanimously determined” that the deal represented the best outcome for all shareholders. The merger, announced in July, values Core Scientific at $20.40 per share and would combine its energy-intensive mining infrastructure with CoreWeave’s AI-focused data center network.

The deal promises significant cost savings, operational synergies, and improved access to capital, according to the company. CoreWeave, a fast-growing cloud provider powered by Nvidia AI chips, would integrate Core Scientific’s facilities to support large-scale AI model training — an increasingly valuable use case as demand for compute power surges.

However, the proposal faces pushback from Two Seas Capital, Core Scientific’s largest shareholder with a 6.3% stake, which said it plans to vote against the deal, arguing it “materially undervalues” the company and poses “substantial economic risk” to investors.

Core Scientific said the transaction would help it diversify beyond cryptocurrency mining and strengthen its position in the fast-growing AI infrastructure market.