Welcome to the daily tech roundup! Here are the most important stories across technology, cybersecurity, and software development for December 23, 2025.
Tech Industry Highlights
ChatGPT Launches Your Year with ChatGPT
OpenAI is rolling out its own version of Spotify Wrapped! The annual review feature called Your Year with ChatGPT is now available to eligible consumers in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand.
SoftBank Racing to Complete $22.5B OpenAI Investment
SoftBank is pushing to finalize a massive $22.5 billion funding commitment to OpenAI by year-end. The company is exploring multiple financing options, including selling public-market holdings and tapping additional credit capacity.
NIST Invests $20M in AI Centers
NIST has expanded collaboration with MITRE Corporation, investing $20 million to establish two centers focused on:
- AI-based solutions for U.S. manufacturing
- Cybersecurity for critical infrastructure
Major Startup Funding Rounds
- Lovable (Swedish AI startup): $330M Series B at $6.6B valuation, led by Google CapitalG
- Erebor Bank: $350M for crypto-native banking infrastructure
- ZeroAvia: $150M Series D for zero-emission commercial flight
Cybersecurity News
Government Advisories
BRICKSTORM Backdoor Update: CISA, NSA, and Canadian Cyber Security Centre released updated IOCs and detection signatures for Rust-based samples with advanced persistence mechanisms and encrypted WebSocket C2 capabilities.
Major Law Enforcement Action
The DOJ charged 54 individuals in an ATM jackpotting scheme using Ploutus malware, linked to the Tren de Aragua gang. The attacks caused $40.73 million in U.S. losses since 2021.
Nation-State Threats
- North Korean hackers stole at least $2.02 billion in cryptocurrency in 2025 (51% increase YoY)
- Russia blamed for destructive cyber attacks against Denmark, including water utility attacks and DDoS campaigns
- Iranian Infy APT resurfaces targeting victims across multiple countries with updated Foudre and Tonnerre malware
Critical Vulnerabilities
- CVE-2025-37164 (CVSS 10.0): HPE OneView Software - unauthenticated RCE
- Active exploits reported in Fortinet, SonicWall, Cisco, and WatchGuard products
Major Data Breaches
| Organization | Impact |
|---|---|
| 700Credit | 5.6M+ auto dealership customers |
| PornHub via Mixpanel | 200M+ Premium user records |
| University of Sydney | 27,000+ individuals |
Software Development Updates
AI Tools and Model Releases
- Anthropic made Skills an open standard
- GPT-5.2-Codex was released
- Google Gemini 3 Flash announced - optimized for speed and iterative development
Key Industry Trends
Agents Are Production-Ready: By the end of 2025, AI agents are doing operational work - updating infrastructure, resolving customer issues, moving money, and managing SaaS tools.
Docker Makes Security Accessible: Docker Hardened Images (DHI) are now available at no cost, providing secure-by-default, minimal, production-ready foundations for all developers.
Observability Evolution: Dynatrace announced support for Google Cloud agentic AI tools via Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol, now under Linux Foundation governance.
Apple Developer Updates
- iOS 18.4, macOS 15.4, and other betas now available
- New Australian law (effective Dec 10): Social media platforms must prevent users under 16 from having accounts
Looking Ahead to 2026
- Space Data Centers: Conversation around data centers in space is heating up
- Energy Infrastructure: Critical importance for AI and tech growth
- AI Environmental Impact: Growing concerns about data center water consumption in drought-prone regions
Sources
Stay informed, stay secure, and keep building!
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