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Jotbus introduces a new tool that provides end-to-end encrypted shared scratchpads for coding agents like Claude Code and Codex. Users can create a secure, temporary workspace instantly without signing up, enabling seamless collaboration and handoffs among agents. The service is initiated via a simple command that sets up the environment for an hour with selected agents.
Security researchers at SafeDep discovered that a malicious npm package called mathmain, disguised as a copy of the popular mathjs library, contains a hidden remote access implant. The malicious code stays encrypted and dormant until a specific equation is solved using the library's lusolve() solver function, which acts as a decryption key to unlock and execute the payload.
A kill switch is a VPN feature that watches the encrypted tunnel between a device and a VPN server, cutting internet access the moment that connection weakens or fails. This stops a device's real IP address or DNS requests from leaking during outages or server switches, restoring access automatically once the secure tunnel resumes. The feature comes in two forms: app-level, which blocks only chosen programs, and system-level, which halts all network traffic on the device.
Google's Android 17 release becomes the first mobile OS to support Encrypted Client Hello (ECH), a TLS feature that hides the destination website names during connection setup, preventing ISPs and network snoopers from seeing which sites users visit. The update also lets carriers disable 2G connections on devices, cutting off a common vector for malicious SMS-blaster attacks, alongside stricter local-network permissions and default Certificate Transparency.
The State Department and Treasury designated Italy's Autistici/Inventati as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224 on August 26, accusing it of running encrypted communications, hosting and anonymity infrastructure used by far-left and Antifa-linked groups, including alleged links to the PKK. Analyst Beniamino Irdi argues the move is notable not for another extremism crackdown, but for applying 'material support' sanctions directly to technological infrastructure providers rather than individuals who commit acts.
Google detailed further network security changes coming with Android 17, including support for the Encrypted Client Hello protocol that encrypts DNS server lookups, a feature letting carriers automatically block low-security 2G connections used in SMS Blaster spam attacks, and restrictions preventing apps from scanning home networks for vulnerable devices. The update also builds on previously announced Certificate Transparency enforcement to ensure phones connect using legitimate SSL certificates.
Google has built Encrypted Client Hello (ECH) directly into Android 17, making it the first major mobile operating system to support the standard at the platform level and turning it on by default. ECH hides the specific website or domain a device is connecting to, so internet providers can only see the content delivery network being used, not the actual destination. Alphabet's Jigsaw division, which developed the feature, says it addresses a long-standing gap in HTTPS privacy protections.
Google's next Android release will support Encrypted Client Hello, a TLS extension that encrypts the hostname portion of the connection handshake so it can no longer be read in plain text. Paired with private DNS, this stops internet providers and Wi-Fi operators from easily seeing which sites or apps a device is contacting. The feature will be on by default for apps targeting Android 17 that use updated networking libraries like OkHttp, WebView, or HttpEngine.