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WordPress malware campaign hides payloads in Steam profiles

Nearly 2,000 WordPress websites were infected with malware that relies on Steam Community profile comments to hide command-and-control (C2) data.

The threat actor used invisible Unicode characters to encode a payload that builds a URL to a malicious script. By leveraging Valve’s platform, the attacker avoids maintaining a separate C2 infrastructure and evades traditional detection methods.

Since the campaign was first uncovered in July 2025, GoDaddy security engineers have found malware on approximately 1,980 WordPress websites.

Microsoft investigates Office Apps, Teams file access issues

Microsoft says an ongoing incident is preventing users of its Teams collaboration platform and Office for the web cloud-based productivity suite from opening files.

“We’re investigating reports that some users are unable to open files in Office for the web or Microsoft Teams,” the company’s Microsoft 365 Status tweeted earlier.

According to further information shared in the admin center under MO1329446, this issue impacts multiple Office Apps, including Microsoft Excel for the web.

Ceres’ Surface Is Much More Complex Than Previously Thought

The long, puzzling dwarf planet Ceres, in reality the first named asteroid, has surface features that are much more complex than previously thought. Or at least that’s the conclusion of a recent paper given at the recent European Geosciences Union 2026 General Assembly in Vienna.

New data analysis from NASA’s Dawn mission points to a surface with steep slopes, fractures, and albedo variations complicating crater identification.

In fact, Ceres has perplexed astronomers since its discovery in 1801 by Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi. Yet in 2006, it was controversially reclassified as a dwarf planet, primarily due to its large size and differentiated interior. That is, unlike most asteroids, Ceres has a core, a mantle, and a crust. Some astrobiologists posit that the dwarf planet may have even once developed primitive microorganisms.

Daraxonrasib or Chemotherapy in Previously Treated Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

Current therapies offer limited benefit for patients with previously treated metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (mPDAC). Aberrant activation of the RAS pathway is the key driver of PDAC, with oncogenic RAS mutations present in more than 90% of cases. Daraxonrasib is an oral RAS(ON) multiselective, tri-complex inhibitor of the active guanosine triphosphate–bound state of mutant and wild-type RAS.

Brain predicts next words in milliseconds, mirroring AI language models

Even while listening, the brain attempts to anticipate the next words. This is the conclusion reached by a current study conducted by an interdisciplinary team of researchers led by PD Dr. Patrick Krauss, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), and PD Dr. Achim Schilling, Heidelberg University. The researchers combined three methods: a natural listening situation, high resolution measurements of brain activity, and an AI language model as reference.

The higher the probability of a certain word occurring in the relevant context, the weaker the neural reaction during processing. At the same time, the data indicate a rise in pre-onset activity before the word begins, suggesting the brain works with predictions. The work is published in the journal NeuroImage.

Are humans born with innate grammatical scaffolding, or does language develop on the basis of use and experience? This is a question that is still debated by the various linguistic schools of thought. Recently, powerful AI language models (Large Language Models, LLMs), which process language by predicting subsequent words, have fueled this debate.

Light-activated gel could transform wearables, soft robotics, and more

Consider the chief difference between living systems and electronics: the first is generally soft and squishy, while the latter is hard and rigid. Now, in work that could impact human-machine interfaces, biocompatible devices, soft robotics, and more, MIT engineers and colleagues have developed a soft, flexible gel that dramatically changes its conductivity upon the application of light.

Enter the growing field of ionotronics, which involves transferring data through ions, or charged molecules. Electronics does the same with electrons. But while the latter is well established, ionotronics is still being developed, with one huge exception: living systems. The cells in our bodies communicate with a variety of ions, from potassium to sodium.

Ionotronics, in turn, can provide a bridge between electronics and biological tissues. Potential applications range from soft wearable technology to human-machine interfaces.

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