Archives — July 2026

The artificial intelligence boom has created a new marketplace in China where people can rent out their faces. A growing number of online platforms are paying people anywhere between $15 and $700 to license their likeness for AI-generated content. The platforms have created catalogs of images — either uploaded by users or taken at designated studios — where producers can browse faces by gender, age, or category such as “girl-next-door,” “rugged,” or “supermodel.” They can also filter candidates based on the genre they are casting, whether it’s a thriller, comedy, or romance.

In Quebec, past kidney transplant donors and recipients volunteer their stories to support others Every transplant journey is unique, but no one should have to navigate it alone. At the Montreal General Hospital, the Kidney Transplant Ambassador Program connects patients and families with trained volunteers who have experienced kidney donation or transplantation firsthand. By sharing their lived experiences, these ambassadors provide encouragement, practical advice and hope to people preparing for or recovering from a transplant. Among the ambassadors are Serge Pisapia, who received a kidney from his younger sister, Christine. Today, they volunteer together and help make the transplant journey more personal, compassionate and connected, one conversation at a time. The program also complements the work of healthcare professionals such as Vicki Tan, an advanced nurse practitioner at the Montreal General Hospital. Read more in The Globe and Mail.

Exploitation of compromised VPN credentials lacking multi-factor authentication through Valid Accounts (T1078), representing most common attack vector observed across World Leaks incidents. Targeting of internet-facing VPN infrastructure, RDP, and public-facing applications via External Remote Services (T1133). SonicWall SMA 100 exploitation through Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190) deploying OVERSTEP rootkit in UNC6148 campaign, with CVE-2024-38475, CVE-2021-20038, and CVE-2021-20035 associated with campaign activity; targeted phishing campaigns via Phishing (T1566). Automated system enumeration through System Information Discovery (T1082) executing net.exe and whoami commands. Comprehensive file system scanning via File and Directory Discovery (T1083) identifying high-value data targets. Network Share Discovery (T1135) for identifying network shares supporting lateral movement and data exfiltration. Limited public documentation of specific RAT deployment in World Leaks operations; affiliate operators may deploy varied remote access tooling. Obfuscation techniques in exfiltration tooling via Obfuscated Files or Information (T1027).

The greatest barrier to climate-resilient, economically viable agriculture is no longer scientific discovery. It is the lack of mission-driven public infrastructure needed to translate biological innovation into products farmers can actually use. Gabe Youtsey is the chief innovation officer at the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.