Coinbase x402 enables instant stablecoin payments over HTTP

Person sat on a pile of coins as Coinbase has just pulled the wraps off x402—an open standard that dusts off and gives new purpose to the long-dormant HTTP "402 Payment Required" status code. The big idea is to let developers, and even AI agents, slot stablecoin payments right into the back-and-forth of web interactions.

Coinbase has just pulled the wraps off x402—an open standard that dusts off and gives new purpose to the long-dormant HTTP "402 Payment Required" status code. The big idea is to let developers, and even AI agents, slot stablecoin payments right into the back-and-forth of web interactions.

Traditional payment systems were bolted onto the digital world rather than being born from it. They're often slow, can sting with unexpected costs, are fenced in by geography, and frequently...

7 May 2025 | Blockchain

Endor Labs deploys AI agents to counter vibe coding risks

Bright text as Endor Labs expands its application security (AppSec) platform with agents to address development risks posed by AI and vibe coding, including what the company claims is the industry’s most comprehensive security dataset.

Endor Labs is expanding its application security (AppSec) platform with agents to address development risks posed by AI and vibe coding.

Bolstered by agentic AI and what the company claims is the industry’s most comprehensive security dataset, the platform moves beyond mere risk identification to prioritise threats, propose solutions, and even implement fixes automatically.

The move comes amid a dramatic shift in software development practices. The rise of AI coding...

23 April 2025 | Approaches

Mozilla open-source tools help developers build ethical AI datasets

Smiling cookies as Mozilla and EleutherAI unveil open-source tools to help developers build ethical AI datasets and avoid training models on copyrighted material.

Mozilla has unveiled open-source tools to help developers build ethical AI datasets and avoid training models on copyrighted material.

The reliance of many popular large language models (LLMs) on vast datasets scraped from the internet, often encompassing copyrighted works used without permission, presents a significant ethical and legal challenge.

A growing contingent within the developer community believes creating high-quality, ethically sound alternatives is not only...

22 April 2025 | Artificial Intelligence

JetBrains debuts free AI tier and Junie coding agent in IDEs

A digital being helping a human developer as JetBrains announces the integration of its AI tools – including the upgraded AI Assistant and new coding agent Junie – into its IDEs under a single subscription model, complete with a free tier.

JetBrains has announced the integration of its AI tools – including the upgraded AI Assistant and new coding agent Junie – into its IDEs under a single subscription model, complete with a free tier.

Love it or loathe it, there’s no denying that AI is disrupting the software development industry. JetBrains, for its part, views it as an opportunity to redefine developers’ roles.

“AI is taking care of basic coding tasks,” JetBrains states, enabling developers to...

16 April 2025 | Artificial Intelligence

Masquerading payment npm package installs backdoor

Mannequin wearing a masquerade mask as cybersecurity researchers at Socket uncover a malicious npm module disguised as a legitimate package for payments integration that hijacks server control during payment transactions.

Cybersecurity researchers at Socket have uncovered a malicious npm package that hijacks server control during payment transactions.

The package, @naderabdi/merchant-advcash, masquerades as a legitimate integration for the digital payment platform Advcash (now rebranded as Volet). The package embeds a reverse shell activated after successful payments that enables attackers to remotely commandeer systems.

Advcash, though niche compared to mainstream services like PayPal,...

15 April 2025 | Blockchain

Microsoft Research teaches AI tools how to debug code

A digital being holding a magnifying glass up to a computer as Microsoft Research introduces debug-gym, a novel environment designed to train AI coding tools in the complex art of debugging code.

Microsoft Research has introduced debug-gym, a novel environment designed to train AI coding tools in the complex art of debugging code.

As AI's role in software development expands, debug-gym aims to address a critical bottleneck: while AI can generate code efficiently, debugging remains a major time sink for developers.

The proliferation of AI coding assistants is enhancing developer productivity. GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke predicted in 2023 that "sooner than later, 80%...

11 April 2025 | Artificial Intelligence

Google enhances Android Studio with enterprise Gemini AI tools

Google logo as the company unveils new enterprise Gemini AI tools in Android Studio, tailored to meet their privacy, security, and management demands.

Google has unveiled new enterprise Gemini AI tools in Android Studio, tailored to meet their privacy, security, and management demands.

The update aims to empower organisations by integrating AI-powered coding assistance while addressing concerns around data protection and intellectual property (IP).

Sandhya Mohan, Product Manager for Android at Google, explained: “We’ve heard that some people at businesses have additional needs that require more sensitive data...

9 April 2025 | Analytics

Python package ‘set-utils’ targets Ethereum wallets

Photo of an Ethereum coin as researchers from Socket uncover a malicious package designed to steal private keys for Ethereum wallets to steal crypto within the Python Package Index (PyPI).

A malicious package designed to steal private keys for Ethereum wallets has been uncovered within the Python Package Index (PyPI).

According to Socket, this package – named 'set-utils' – masquerades as a utility for Python sets and has been actively targeting developers.

"The Socket Research Team has discovered a malicious PyPI package, set-utils, designed to steal Ethereum private keys by exploiting commonly used account creation functions," the team...

6 March 2025 | Blockchain

Metaplay: Game development is entering a ‘Renaissance’

Depiction of people playing a game during the Renaissance illustrating a Metaplay report suggesting the gaming industry is entering a period of advancements and success following recent challenges,

Metaplay is proclaiming the beginning of a "Game Development Renaissance," heralding a new era of growth, innovation, and operational excellence driven by advances in technology, fresh approaches to creativity, and better tools and strategies.

Like the Renaissance centuries ago – which propelled leaps in art, science, and productivity – this modern iteration is creating limitless potential for game developers. Key findings from Metaplay's report bolster this vision, painting a...

17 January 2025 | Android

NPM supply chain attack uses Ethereum blockchain

Photo of a chain illustrating the discovery of a malware campaign that takes advantage of the npm packages ecosystem for a software supply chain attack and uses the Ethereum blockchain for resilience against cyber security detection and mitigation strategies.

Checkmarx researchers have detected a unique supply chain attack within the NPM ecosystem that uses the Ethereum blockchain.

The malicious package, dubbed "jest-fet-mock," targets developers with a multi-platform malware employing Ethereum smart contracts for command-and-control (C2) operations. This marks a convergence of blockchain technology with traditional attack vectors—a method not yet observed in NPM packages. 

Attack mechanics and distribution

The...

4 November 2024 | Blockchain