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Symantec revealed that the Jewelbug group, also known as Earth Alux and REF7707, conducted an espionage campaign targeting government email accounts in the Middle East, alongside extensive activity defrauding cryptocurrency users. The attacks relied on compromising a shared email-hosting platform, planting malware, and stealing cookies and sensitive data.
A total of 195 companies joined Crunchbase’s list of private startups valued at $1 billion or more during the first half of 2026, surpassing the total number of new companies that achieved this classification throughout 2025. Robotics and artificial intelligence companies led the surge, with a notable presence from China and successive funding rounds that rapidly increased some companies’ valuations.