Five Eyes warns of AI cyber threats; WhatsApp hotel scams affect Romania

The Five Eyes intelligence alliance – the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – has urged governments and corporate leaders to act now to protect against sophisticated cyber threats posed by advanced artificial‑intelligence models. The group warned that next‑generation AI tools could compromise government and private systems within months, citing a recent U.S. directive that ordered AI firm Anthropic to suspend its most advanced models for foreign users. Experts said the rapid evolution of AI could lower barriers for malicious actors and increase the speed and complexity of attacks, calling for accelerated investment in cyber‑defence and updated security frameworks.

Separately, cybersecurity firm Bitdefender reported a new phishing campaign that uses WhatsApp messages purporting to be from hotels to trick travelers into revealing banking details. The scams, observed in Romania and dozens of other countries, combine real reservation data with urgent language and counterfeit booking‑portal links. Victims are urged to verify their bookings within 24 hours, leading many to enter card information on fake sites. Experts advise users to avoid such links and contact hotels directly through official channels.