Welcome to Tech Beat, your daily look at the stories shaping our digital world.
The International Space Station is dealing with a serious situation tonight. A persistent air leak in the Russian segment forced NASA crew members to take shelter inside a docked SpaceX Dragon capsule. Roscosmos has since taken steps to address the issue, and NASA confirmed crew have returned to normal operations — but the leak itself remains unresolved, and that is not a small asterisk to put on a Friday.
Closer to home, security researchers have uncovered a credit card theft campaign that weaponized two tools most online retailers trust completely. Hackers abused both Stripe and Google Tag Manager to skim payment details from unsuspecting shoppers, then used those same platforms to store the stolen data. It is a reminder that supply chain trust cuts both ways, and the most dangerous attacks often hide inside legitimate infrastructure.
And in a story that feels almost philosophical right now, a wave of founders are building technology designed to pull you away from screens rather than deeper into them. Mirror founder Brynn Putnam just raised funding for Board, a startup centered on in-person games and social connection. Meanwhile, DIY cyberdeck computers are going viral for encouraging people to simply step outside. In an era of infinite scroll, analog is becoming the countercultural move.
Keep surfing. Tech Beat out.
