Meta Partners With Midjourney To License Images And Videos - 1

Photo by Becky Phan on Unsplash

Meta Partners With Midjourney To License Images And Videos

  • Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

Meta’s Chief AI Officer, Alexandr Wang, announced on Saturday that the tech giant is partnering with the AI lab Midjourney. The alliance will allow Meta to license the startup’s popular video and image generation technology.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

  • Meta partnered with the AI lab Midjourney to license image and video generation tech.
  • Alexandr Wang highlighted Midjourney’s “aesthetic technology” and accomplishments.
  • The deal aims to boost Meta’s competitiveness against Google’s Veo and OpenAI’s Sora.

In several posts on the social media platform Threads , Wang—who leads Meta’s new Superintelligence AI Lab —explained that the new collaboration will help Meta deliver more visually appealing products, leveraging the aesthetic expertise developed by Midjourney.

“Today we’re proud to announce a partnership with Midjourney to license their aesthetic technology for our future models and products, bringing beauty to billions,” wrote Wang. “We are incredibly impressed by Midjourney. They have accomplished true feats of technical and aesthetic excellence, and we are thrilled to be working more closely with them.”

Wang also noted Meta’s commitment to building alliances with talented developers in the AI industry that align with the company’s ambitious vision.

Midjourney, founded in 2022, specializes in transforming text prompts into AI-generated images and videos, and licenses its products through a subscription model—with monthly rates starting at $10. The startup’s latest model, V7 , launched in June, offers higher image quality and more features than previous versions.

While Meta has its own image generation models, they haven’t matched the performance of leading competitors. Partnering with Midjourney—one of the leading companies in AI image creation—could give the tech giant an edge when competing with advanced technologies such as Google’s Veo and OpenAI’s Sora .

“To ensure Meta is able to deliver the best possible products for people, it will require taking an all-of-the-above approach,” wrote Wang. “This means world-class talent, an ambitious compute roadmap, and working with the best players across the industry.”

Wang also promised to share more updates and products created through the partnership soon. The deal comes after Meta pauses hiring for its AI division , amid speculation about a potential AI market bubble.

Fake Meeting Files Used In Cyber Espionage Campaign Against India - 2

Image by Li Zhang, from Unsplash

Fake Meeting Files Used In Cyber Espionage Campaign Against India

  • Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
  • Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager

APT36 hackers from Pakistan have been found using weaponized shortcut files, phishing, malware, and 2FA theft to attack BOSS Linux systems in India.

In a rush? Here are the quick facts:

  • APT36 is targeting India’s BOSS Linux systems with fake .desktop files.
  • The malware downloads hidden payloads while showing a decoy PDF in Firefox.
  • Researchers linked the attack to Poseidon backdoor for spying and credential theft.

The Pakistan-based hacker group APT36 also known as Transparent Tribe has started a new cyber-espionage operation against Indian government systems , according to research by CYFIRMA .

The group has created malware designed for India’s BOSS Linux operating system, demonstrating their growing capability to adapt to different environments.

The attack begins with spear phishing emails containing a file named “Meeting_Notice_Ltr_ID1543ops.pdf_.zip.” Once opened, it reveals a fake shortcut file called “Meeting_Ltr_ID1543ops.pdf.desktop.” Though it looks like a harmless PDF, the file is programmed to secretly download malicious software.

“The ‘.desktop’ file shown is crafted to masquerade as an ordinary PDF shortcut but contains a chain of commands embedded in its Exec= line that are executed automatically and sequentially as soon as the file is launched. This enables the attacker to perform covert actions while keeping the victim unaware,” the researchers explained.

The malware employs deceiving methods to remain undetected by opening a genuine PDF in Firefox which makes users believe nothing suspicious occurred.

The hidden program operates in stealth mode stealing data, and sets itself to restart every time the computer is turned on.

The malicious files discovered by CYFIRMA connect to two newly registered domains “securestore[.]cv” and “modgovindia[.]space” which serve as command-and-control servers for the attackers. Through these servers hackers can transmit commands and obtain stolen data while maintaining their access to government networks.

Hacker News reports that this campaign shows APT36’s growing sophistication. In addition to targeting Linux BOSS, the group has also developed Windows malware in the same campaign, demonstrating a dual-platform approach.

The malicious code performs system reconnaissance while executing fake anti-debugging and anti-sandbox checks to avoid detection, according to CloudSEK . The attacks led to the deployment of the Transparent Tribe backdoor Poseidon, which allows attackers to steal credentials, and conduct long-term surveillance, as well as network lateral movement inside government networks, as reported by Hunt.io researchers.

Hacker News notes that activity comes shortly after Transparent Tribe was caught targeting Indian defense organizations through spoofed login portals designed to steal credentials and even Kavach, the Indian government’s two-factor authentication (2FA) system.

Victims entering their email and Kavach codes on the phishing sites unknowingly handed over login data directly to attackers.

CYFIRMA noted: “APT36’s capability to customize its delivery mechanisms according to the victim’s operating environment thereby increases its chances of success while maintaining persistent access to critical government infrastructure and evading traditional security controls.

CYFIRMA warned that “the analysis indicates a coordinated cyber-espionage campaign attributed to APT36, leveraging weaponized .desktop files to target BOSS Linux environments within Indian Government entities.”