20261102 - Claude Code official Cursor extension gets malware back door

'management started quietly asking us to write more of it ourselves again'  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/davidgerard Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/A1529D5 Buy us nice useful things (if not in the UK, set your own delivery postcode to SW1A 0AA): https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/3Q8VZW46J6DM6 Get an extremely cool Pivot to AI shirt or mug: https://pivot-to-ai.redbubble.com Send in your story tips and non-slop sponsorship offers: [email protected] Social media: https://circumstances.run/@davidgerard https://bsky.app/profile/davidgerard.circumstances.run.ap.brid.gy Sources: Cisco chief found a 27-year-old ex-founder 'buried away in the organization doing something unstrategic'—now he's upgrading 98% of its code https://fortune.com/2026/10/30/cisco-president-jeetu-patel-gen-z-27-year-old-unlimited-ai-tokens-rewrite-legacy-code-entry-level-jobs/ When Modernization Breaks Working Code: A Single-File Study of LLMs on Legacy PHP (PDF) https://arxiv.org/pdf/2610.40269 So far in the zed (now gram) codebase https://goto.liten.app/@krig/statuses/01M1DSY8D9RC5VSDB6N9376B88 A year after the 100% AI mandate nobody understands our code https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1xq2n3t/a_year_after_the_100_ai_mandate_nobody/ Full Pivot to AI playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA  

and everyone's known it since 2025  https://pivot-to-ai.com/2026/11/10/jensen-huang-the-spy-who-shagged-me-allegedly/ - blog post  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/davidgerard Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/A1529D5 Buy us nice useful things (if not in the UK, set your own delivery postcode to SW1A 0AA): https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/3Q8VZW46J6DM6 Get an extremely cool Pivot to AI shirt or mug: https://pivot-to-ai.redbubble.com Send in your story tips and non-slop sponsorship offers: [email protected] Social media: https://circumstances.run/@davidgerard https://bsky.app/profile/davidgerard.circumstances.run.ap.brid.gy Sources: A Message to Our Company https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/a-message-to-our-company China's Top Spy Agency Recruited Woman Who Targeted Jensen Huang https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/06/us/politics/chinese-spy-agency-nvidia-jensen-huang.html Nvidia Chief Seen as Target of Chinese Spy Plot https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/29/us/politics/nvidia-china-jensen-huang-trump.html Singapore probes suspected fraud in sales of US-controlled Nvidia chips https://www.ft.com/content/d940249a-29a8-4d0e-b324-a5e65c1ed1a9 Nvidia's Biggest Southeast Asian Partner Dogged by China Chip Smuggling Questions https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-12-22/nvidia-partner-megaspeed-draws-china-chip-smuggling-concerns-in-us Alleged Chinese spy linked to Nvidia chief pitched AI chip deals to investors https://www.ft.com/content/5d8c1e1d-6ce0-4eb4-9f5c-722fa5c4841d Commerce Dept. Chip Inquiry Was Halted After Nvidia Intervention https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/09/business/economy/nvidia-megaspeed-investigation-huang.html Chairmen Mast, Moolenaar, and Crawford Request Jensen Huang Brief Congress on Link to Chinese Intelligence Asset https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/news/press-releases/chairmen-mast-moolenaar-and-crawford-request-jensen-huang-brief-congress-on-link-to-chinese-intelligence-asset Mark Zuckerberg's engagement in combat sports is investment risk, Meta says https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/02/meta-says-zuckerbergs-engagement-in-combat-sports-is-risk.html Full Pivot to AI playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA  

Now with Nazis!  by Amy Castor and David Gerard  https://davidgerard.co.uk/blockchain/2026/11/10/the-ethereum-foundation-is-officially-a-corporate-suicide-cult/ - blog post  CONTENT WARNING: this episode discusses corporate inducements to suicide.  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/davidgerard Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/A1529D5 Buy us nice useful things (if not in the UK, set your own delivery postcode to SW1A 0AA): https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/3Q8VZW46J6DM6 Get an extremely cool Pivot to AI shirt or mug: https://pivot-to-ai.redbubble.com Send in your story tips and non-slop sponsorship offers: [email protected] Social media: https://circumstances.run/@davidgerard https://bsky.app/profile/davidgerard.circumstances.run.ap.brid.gy  Sources: The Ethereum Foundation Mandate (PDF) https://ethereum.foundation/ef-mandate.pdf The Ethereum Foundation Mandate, v1.4, as distributed to all staff on February 25, 2026 (PDF) https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cod.261399/gov.uscourts.cod.261399.1.3_3.pdf Complaint (PDF) https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cod.261399/gov.uscourts.cod.261399.1.0.pdf Milady NFTs Plummet As Founder Comes Clean https://thedefiant.io/news/nfts-and-web3/milady-nfts-plummet March 20, 2026 all-staff email from Bastian Aue (PDF) https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cod.261399/gov.uscourts.cod.261399.1.5_3.pdf I know this is a predictable opinion from me https://x.com/VitalikButerin/status/2119377918875079163 Full Pivot to AI playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA  

Magic still doesn't happen  written by Amy Castor and David Gerard  https://pivot-to-ai.com/2026/11/06/tech-stocks-crash-and-so-do-data-centre-loans/  - blog post  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/davidgerard Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/A1529D5 Buy us nice useful things (if not in the UK, set your own delivery postcode to SW1A 0AA): https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/3Q8VZW46J6DM6 Get an extremely cool Pivot to AI shirt or mug: https://pivot-to-ai.redbubble.com Send in your story tips and non-slop sponsorship offers: [email protected] Social media: https://circumstances.run/@davidgerard https://bsky.app/profile/davidgerard.circumstances.run.ap.brid.gy Sources: S&P 500 Sinks 4% as AI Washout Rattles Wall Street: Markets Wrap https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-11-04/stock-market-today-dow-s-p-live-updates US midterms 2026 reaction as it happened: Global stocks tumble as Democratic midterm sweep sparks AI rout https://www.ft.com/content/7c6ceb4f-d7b1-49ec-9047-0e2e4cd2615c Wall Street sheds $3.2tn as Democratic midterm sweep triggers brutal AI rout https://www.ft.com/content/3d079b3d-580d-400b-bf9c-56af6a08f60f Crypto and AI's $250 million election goes sideways https://www.citationneeded.news/2026-election-results/ The AI 'credit card' is getting costlier as CoreWeave bond yield tops 16% https://www.cnbc.com/2026/11/06/coreweave-bond-yield-tops-16percent-as-ai-credit-stress-rises.html Goldman, Apollo in Talks to Sell SpaceX's $40 Billion AI Deal https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-11-04/goldman-apollo-in-talks-to-sell-spacex-s-40-billion-ai-deal ING Said to Be Seller of $500 Million Data Center Loans https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-11-05/mystery-seller-puts-up-500-million-data-center-loans-backing-stargate-cyrusone Bank of England Questions Lenders About Risky Data Center Loans https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-11-05/bank-of-england-questions-lenders-about-risky-data-center-loans ECB Considers Review of Bank Data Center Lending on AI Risk https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-11-06/ecb-considers-review-of-banks-data-center-lending-as-fears-rise?srnd=homepage-americas AI backlash threatens trillion-dollar data centre boom, say tech leaders https://www.ft.com/content/32fd4450-5880-437d-9bd9-df13289ada24 OpenAI, ready to IPO in 2027, now counts majority of sales from enterprises, Brockman says https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/openai-ready-ipo-2027-now-counts-majority-sales-enterprises-brockman-says-2026-11-05/ Major Investors Are Skeptical Anthropic IPO Can Achieve $1.5 Trillion Valuation https://www.wsj.com/finance/major-investors-are-skeptical-anthropic-ipo-can-achieve-1-5-trillion-valuation-ca965d8b AI Has Taken Over Every Corner of the Market https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2026-ai-bubble-financial-markets/?srnd=homepage-americas Bring out your dead https://ftav.substack.com/p/bring-out-your-dead Previously on Pivot to AI: Molly White: following the AI and crypto money in US politics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikfAfRUNSCs&list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA Kat Jones: How Scotland is winning against data centres https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDXbDrzKoWY&list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA Oracle invokes 'force majeure' on OpenAI data centre contract https://pivot-to-ai.com/2026/09/25/oracle-invokes-force-majeure-on-openai-data-centre-contract/ video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj3MYXaR4nA&list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA SpaceX to send Nvidia chips 'somewhere in the universe' https://pivot-to-ai.com/2026/10/08/spacex-to-send-nvidia-chips-somewhere-in-the-universe/ video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_TlfIKgL5w&list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA Full Pivot to AI playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA  

the chatbot will alter physics  by Amy Castor and David Gerard  https://pivot-to-ai.com/2026/11/05/sam-altman-wants-your-ram-there-are-compute-campuses-to-build/ - blog post  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/davidgerard Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/A1529D5 Buy us nice useful things (if not in the UK, set your own delivery postcode to SW1A 0AA): https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/3Q8VZW46J6DM6 Get an extremely cool Pivot to AI shirt or mug: https://pivot-to-ai.redbubble.com Send in your story tips and non-slop sponsorship offers: [email protected] Social media: https://circumstances.run/@davidgerard https://bsky.app/profile/davidgerard.circumstances.run.ap.brid.gy Sources: Why Sam Altman is against a single superintelligence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMsUcCYNKqY&list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA Why Sam Altman is against a single superintelligence https://cheekypint.substack.com/p/why-sam-altman-is-against-a-single but only because https://x.com/sama/status/2117846298472886419 can u rename your x to ram altman! https://x.com/jestermolecule/status/2117844478702608437 Voters Rejected A.I. in the Midterms. Now Comes an Era of Scrutiny https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/04/technology/midterm-elections-ai-data-centers.html OpenAI wants everyone to call AI data centers 'compute campuses' https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-ai-data-centers-rebrand-compute-campuses-midterms-2026-11 OpenAI, ready to IPO in 2027, now counts majority of sales from enterprises, Brockman says https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/openai-ready-ipo-2027-now-counts-majority-sales-enterprises-brockman-says-2026-11-05/ Previously on Pivot to AI: AI screws us over again: memory shortages, Crucial shutting down https://pivot-to-ai.com/2025/12/04/ai-screws-us-over-again-memory-shortages-crucial-shutting-down/ video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWNSPL6BRuY&list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA Memory prices are up 500% in the past year — because of AI https://pivot-to-ai.com/2026/08/19/memory-prices-are-up-500-in-the-past-year-because-of-ai/ video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Un7g_vyePI&list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA 'Some bad things' may happen to you, but that's a sacrifice Sam Altman is willing to make https://pivot-to-ai.com/2026/10/06/some-bad-things-may-happen-to-you-but-thats-a-sacrifice-sam-altman-is-willing-to-make/ video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfLoCXTSRJc&list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA Full Pivot to AI playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA  

saying the costs part out loud  written by Amy Castor and David Gerard  https://pivot-to-ai.com/2026/11/04/elon-musk-admits-grok-bot-costs-too-much-to-serve/ - blog post  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/davidgerard Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/A1529D5 Buy us nice useful things (if not in the UK, set your own delivery postcode to SW1A 0AA): https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/3Q8VZW46J6DM6 Get an extremely cool Pivot to AI shirt or mug: https://pivot-to-ai.redbubble.com Send in your story tips and non-slop sponsorship offers: [email protected] Social media: https://circumstances.run/@davidgerard https://bsky.app/profile/davidgerard.circumstances.run.ap.brid.gy Sources: Saving money for the distant future is pointless with the advent of super intelligent abundance https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2115686311134744736 Introducing Grok Bot https://x.ai/news/introducing-grok-bot Space Exploration Technologies Corp. NasdaqGS:SPCX FQ3 2026 Earnings Call Transcripts (PDF) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mUYkp_2DHbI1pTS5iSSzc-DMzFqXS1iw/view Any chance for a Grok Bot reset, @elonmusk? https://x.com/DogecoinNorway/status/2116986414110007446 The cost of serving Grok Bot was unsustainably high relative to revenue https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2116992258520064397 Grok Bot weekly usage meter flips between 77% and 100% in real time https://forum.cursor.com/t/grok-bot-weekly-usage-meter-flips-between-77-and-100-in-real-time/176909 AI firms ration usage as losses mount https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/11/02/ai-firms-ration-usage-as-losses-mount/ Upgrade to higher usage plan cost increase is too high? https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2117008189195800814 AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO FORM S-1 REGISTRATION STATEMENT https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2130357/000162828026068676/anthropicpbc-sx1ax1.htm Pricing https://x.ai/pricing An update from Amazon engineering leadership on the role of the developer in the age of AI https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/company-news/amazon-software-engineer-role-guideline-ai Previously on Pivot to AI: Tokenmaxxing: 'How much did you spend in tokens?' — CEO of tokens https://pivot-to-ai.com/2026/04/28/tokenmaxxing-how-much-did-you-spend-in-tokens-ceo-of-tokens/ video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ny6HnGZInBg&list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA Anthropic files its 'IPO' — but all the key numbers are missing https://pivot-to-ai.com/2026/10/27/anthropic-files-its-ipo-but-all-the-key-numbers-are-missing/ video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFG2_uKlinw&list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA Full Pivot to AI playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA  

Monopoly abuse? No such thing for us  https://pivot-to-ai.com/2026/11/03/google-cuts-off-search-if-schools-block-ai/ - blog post  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/davidgerard Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/A1529D5 Buy us nice useful things (if not in the UK, set your own delivery postcode to SW1A 0AA): https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/3Q8VZW46J6DM6 Get an extremely cool Pivot to AI shirt or mug: https://pivot-to-ai.redbubble.com Send in your story tips and non-slop sponsorship offers: [email protected] Social media: https://circumstances.run/@davidgerard https://bsky.app/profile/davidgerard.circumstances.run.ap.brid.gy Sources: Google Turns On Gemini A.I. for Students Using Its Classroom App https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/14/business/google-gemini-ai-schools.html New York City Bans A.I. in Elementary and Middle Schools https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/01/nyregion/ai-ban-schools-nyc.html Google Will Turn Off Search for Schools That Reject A.I. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/11/03/us/google-search-schools-restrict-ai.html Designing responsible AI for learning https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/education/ai-learning-era-updates-2026/ Schools Gain Direct Control Over Google AI Search Tools https://campussecuritytoday.com/articles/2026/11/03/schools-gain-direct-control-over-google-ai-search-tools.aspx Full Pivot to AI playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA  

Signing official extensions is not fast moving enough  https://pivot-to-ai.com/2026/11/02/claude-code-official-cursor-extension-gets-malware-back-door/ - blog post  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/davidgerard Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/A1529D5 Buy us nice useful things (if not in the UK, set your own delivery postcode to SW1A 0AA): https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/3Q8VZW46J6DM6 Get an extremely cool Pivot to AI shirt or mug: https://pivot-to-ai.redbubble.com Send in your story tips and non-slop sponsorship offers: [email protected] Social media: https://circumstances.run/@davidgerard https://bsky.app/profile/davidgerard.circumstances.run.ap.brid.gy Sources: Security notice — malicious version of Anthropic.claude-code (2.1.312 and 2.1.313) identified in the Cursor VS Code Extension Marketplace https://cursor.com/blog/claude-code-extension-security-notice Just to be clear: This did not involve a compromise of any Anthropic systems https://x.com/ddworken/status/2116178850032066572 Binance's initial investigation suggests that the security incident may involve a compromised DevOps engineer's laptop https://x.com/binance/status/2115993361517891592 Binance Accelerator Program: Full Stack Engineer (APAC Remote) https://www.binance.com/en-TR/careers/job?id=5002449101 I've confirmed Binance use Claude Code on Cursor with this extension https://cyberplace.social/@GossiTheDog/11752944007566218 Previously on Pivot to AI: Vibe-coded build system NX gets hacked, steals vibe-coders' crypto https://pivot-to-ai.com/2025/08/29/vibe-coded-build-system-nx-gets-hacked-steals-vibe-coders-crypto/ video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnFKkBBzpVg&list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA Full Pivot to AI playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA  

Your meal is 99% not sewage!  https://pivot-to-ai.com/2026/10/30/proton-mail-goes-full-ai-slop-tuta-starts-going-slop/ - blog post  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/davidgerard Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/A1529D5 Buy us nice useful things (if not in the UK, set your own delivery postcode to SW1A 0AA): https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/3Q8VZW46J6DM6 Get an extremely cool Pivot to AI shirt or mug: https://pivot-to-ai.redbubble.com Send in your story tips and non-slop sponsorship offers: [email protected] Social media: https://circumstances.run/@davidgerard https://bsky.app/profile/davidgerard.circumstances.run.ap.brid.gy Sources: Manifestos, Fear, and 'Loser Thinking': Inside Proton's AI Reckoning https://www.404media.co/manifestos-fear-and-loser-thinking-inside-protons-ai-reckoning/ We're not interested in diving into the AI or crypto hype https://mastodon.social/@Tutanota/112886048788603064 Tuta User Survey 2025 https://tuta.com/blog/tuta-survey-2025 Are you joining QuitGPT? https://mastodon.social/@Tutanota/116187908158060508 Google's Gemini AI invasion continues https://mastodon.social/@Tutanota/117228920764701690 Muse is Meta's latest attempt to get as much of your data as possible https://tuta.com/blog/dont-trust-meta-muse-ai Check out this cool open source tool that removes or disables unwanted AI components like Copilot https://mastodon.social/@Tutanota/117415699615961618 Contribution policy https://github.com/tutao/tutanota#contribution-policy LLM/AI contributions seemingly being accepted now? https://github.com/tutao/tutanota/discussions/11601 This is because we are in the exploring phase https://mastodon.social/@Tutanota/117529137025831727 Hi there, thanks for your question. Hanna here from the Tuta Team https://www.reddit.com/r/tutanota/comments/1ximsy2/dear_ceo_of_tuta/19ru7p9lepl34/ The current Tuta apps are built more than 99% without AI https://mastodon.social/@Tutanota/117518311002072172 Connecting AI tools via Fastmail's MCP server https://www.fastmail.help/hc/en-us/articles/15869557281295-Connecting-AI-tools-via-Fastmail-s-MCP-server Hello everyone! We have some unfortunate news https://union.place/@fastmailunited/112672408714595554 Previously on Pivot to AI: Proton Mail goes AI, security-focused userbase goes 'what on earth' https://pivot-to-ai.com/2024/07/18/proton-mail-goes-ai-security-focused-userbase-goes-what-on-earth/ Proton's Lumo AI chatbot: not end-to-end encrypted, not open source https://pivot-to-ai.com/2025/08/02/protons-lumo-ai-chatbot-not-end-to-end-encrypted-not-open-source/ video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDPZbUPUFyk&list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA Full Pivot to AI playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA  

AI search may be worse, but it also makes less money  https://pivot-to-ai.com/2026/10/29/ai-overview-damages-google-ad-revenue-stock-crashes-12/ - blog post  Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/davidgerard Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/A1529D5 Buy us nice useful things (if not in the UK, set your own delivery postcode to SW1A 0AA): https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/3Q8VZW46J6DM6 Get an extremely cool Pivot to AI shirt or mug: https://pivot-to-ai.redbubble.com Send in your story tips and non-slop sponsorship offers: [email protected] Social media: https://circumstances.run/@davidgerard https://bsky.app/profile/davidgerard.circumstances.run.ap.brid.gy Sources: 2026 Q3 Earnings Call https://abc.xyz/investor/events/event-details/2026/2026-Q3-Earnings-Call-2026-Ujou16CTw9/default.aspx Alphabet Announces Third Quarter 2026 Results (PDF) https://s206.q4cdn.com/479360582/files/doc_financials/2026/q3/2026q3-alphabet-earnings-release.pdf Google upsizes historic equity raising to $85bn to back AI spending spree https://www.ft.com/content/85299cdd-d9b3-4b40-8d10-73fc9ddb4573 Extras: October supporter read (Patreon) https://www.patreon.com/davidgerard/posts/october-read-get-173439617 Previously on Pivot to AI: Google is replacing search results with only the AI https://pivot-to-ai.com/2026/05/20/google-is-replacing-search-results-with-only-the-ai/ video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aji8lhaV3XM&list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA Full Pivot to AI playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UU9rJrMVgcXTfa8xuMnbhAEA