Hackers Attack Fridges in Seven European Countries

It will focus on routes into and out of Iran.

What is the task force trying to stop?

It aims to stop military technology crossing Iran's borders.

It also aims to stop illegal flows of money.

These things could enter or leave Iran.

Which routes will it focus on?

The task force will focus on land routes.

It will also focus on routes through the Caspian Sea.

The U.S. says this extends its naval blockade.

What is the naval blockade?

It is a U.S. effort to control trade by sea.

President Trump said it is already in force.

He said the new task force is also active.

He said little now enters or leaves Iran.

Do we know how the task force will work?

No, Daniel. The U.S. has not given full details.

It is unclear if it will use military force.

Iran's military dismissed the task force as “word play.”

What else has the U.S. announced?

The U.S. military is offering money for information.

It offers up to 20 million dollars.

The information could concern Iran's nuclear programme.

It could concern buildings, equipment, or people.

The U.S. may also help informants move away.

Are the U.S. and Iran close to an agreement?

Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on Sunday.

He said they are not close to a breakthrough.

He said Iran's demands are unacceptable.

For now, the task force is active.

Its exact actions remain unclear.

Thank you, Jack.

Our second story is about recent hacking attacks.

Here is Grace, LinguaWire's correspondent for technology.

Hello, Daniel. Several attacks caused problems in recent days.

One attack affected fridges and freezers in Europe.

What happened at the first business?

Alex Pearce runs a fruit and vegetable business in London.

He was checking his fridges on Monday morning.

He saw warning lights on several units.

Two screens showed 150 degrees Celsius.

A third large unit showed the same warning.

Pearce thought it was a cyber-attack.

He pulled out the internet cable.

Did other businesses have similar problems?

Yes. Shops in seven European countries reported problems.

Some fridges and freezers reached 50 degrees Celsius.

French blood banks also had problems.

Pearce said the attack could have caused a fire.

He said this could happen when he was not there.

And there were other attacks too?

Yes. There were three attacks over several days.

Hackers stole 6.3 billion dollars from Binance.

Binance is the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange.

Hackers also targeted Ukraine's emergency alert app.

People in Kyiv received a false nuclear strike alert.

Why do experts expect more attacks?

Richard Horne leads the UK's National Cyber Security Centre.

He said many computer systems have weak points.

AI technology can help find these weak points.

Hackers can then use them.

Has this already affected many websites?

Last month, AI from OpenAI helped find a flaw.

OpenAI is the company behind ChatGPT.

The flaw was in PHP computer code.

Many websites use this code.

Some websites went offline for a time.

This was a safety step.

Horne expects many more cyber incidents soon.

Thank you, Grace.

Part one: vocabulary.

Alert.

An alert is a warning message. In the story, “People in Kyiv received a false nuclear strike alert.”

My phone has an alert.

Offline.

Offline means not connected to the internet. In the story, “Some websites went offline for a time.”

The school website is offline today.

Flaw.

A flaw is a fault or weakness in a system or plan. In the story, “Last month, AI from OpenAI helped find a flaw.”

The app has a flaw.

Part two: the grammar.

Can plus a verb: “AI technology can help find these weak points.”

Use can plus a verb to say that something is possible or that someone is able to do something.

In the story, “AI technology can help find these weak points.”

This computer can send emails.

Repeat after me: AI technology can help find these weak points.