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Described as the worst U.S. security breach in a generation, the leak is an unprecedented failure for the White House. For several days, a journalist from The Atlantic had unrestricted access to a private Signal group chat involving the highest levels of governmentdiscussing, in real time, an imminent U.S. military strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen. And no one in the administration had a clue. Investigations are already underway to determine how such a blunder could happen. But the core issue requires no deep forensic analysis: the failure was human. According to reports, The Atlantics Jeffrey Goldberg was mistakenly added to a Signal chat that included the presidents national security adviser and the secretary of defenseapparently because National Security Adviser Michael Waltz misidentified Goldberg (whose display name was simply J.G.) as a government official. Its a pretty egregious failing, says Robert Pritchard, a former deputy head of the U.K.s Cyber Security Operations Center. While apps like Signal or WhatsApp offer strong encryption and are widely used for coordination, Pritchard notes that such tools are not appropriate for sensitive or classified communicationnot because the apps themselves are insecure, but because the devices and, crucially, the users are. Or, to put it more bluntly: the problem is the people using them. Signal is no substitute for good operational security, says Alan Woodward, a cybersecurity professor at the University of Surrey. Invite someone to your chat group, and of course they can read everything. The potential fallout is enormous. It may sound extreme, but this is the sort of failure that could get people killed, warns Woodward. Its fortunate the journalist chose not to share all the information and waited until after the relevant events unfolded.” Beyond the immediate security risks, the episode reveals a deeper institutional problem: the lack of transparency and proper recordkeeping when government business is conducted on third-party messaging apps with disappearing messages. Even more troubling to some experts is the likelihood of it happening again. Human mistakes happenand they will continue to happen, says Lukasz Olejnik, an independent cybersecurity consultant and visiting senior research fellow at Kings College London. And policies will be violated. What comes next is unclear. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has publicly claimed no war or attack plans were shared in the chatsomething The Atlantic‘s Goldberg disputes, calling the statement a lie. I would imagine there is a big clean-up operation ongoing right now, says Pritchard, the former Cyber Security Operations Center deputy. “All those devices need to be wiped, including any secondary devices that have the same Signal account accessible on them, and there need to be investigations into what else has gone on on Signal.” But cleanup may be to little, too late. After all, the leaked chats are a goldmine for adversaries. Among the damage is a leak of fragments of information potentially allowing people to compose a psychological profile of U.S. leaders, says Kings College London’s Olejnikfrom their emoji use to the vice presidents candid feelings about Donald Trump. In the end, this wasnt a failure of technologyit was a failure of judgment. And it may take more than a wiped device to repair the damage.
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E-Commerce
South Korea’s Hyundai Steel will invest $5.8 billion along with Hyundai Motor Group to build a steel plant in the U.S. state of Louisiana with an annual capacity of 2.7 million tonnes, the company said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday. Hyundai Steel shares initially jumped more than 5% on the news but reversed early gains to end 7% lower as U.S. President Donald Trump praised the company’s plan. Hyundai Steel’s proposed new U.S. steel plant is part of Hyundai Motor Group’s plan to invest $21 billion in the United States, which was announced by the South Korean company’s chairman with Trump at the White House on Monday. The move is seen as an effort by Hyundai to shield itself from U.S. tariffs on steel and cars, but it is not clear whether this will help secure exemptions for Hyundai and South Korea. Trump has threatened to impose reciprocal tariffs on numerous countries on April 2, potentially targeting South Korea that has a large trade surplus with the United States. Shares of Hyundai Motor and affiliate Kia Corp, which are expected to source steel from the proposed factory, rallied. Hyundai Motor shares ended up 3.3% after rising as much as 7.5% to their highest since October 2024. Kia closed up 2.1%. Analysts have, however, expressed concerns about how Hyundai Steel, which has billions of dollars in debt, would fund the construction of the factory. There are also execution risks associated with the new technology of using electric furnaces to produce automotive steel, they said. “It is not clear whether the investment will benefit Hyundai Steel in the future,” said Lee Tae-hwan, an analyst at Daishin Securities. Hyundai Steel said it will cover half the costs, with the remainder invested by its parent company and other investors. The factory, which will make automotive steel, will be constructed from 2026 to 2029, the company said. Hyundai Steel is an affiliate of automakers Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors which have factories in the United States. Hyunjoo Jin and Jihoon Lee, Reuters
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E-Commerce
Tesla’s market share in Europe continued to shrink in February as sales of the all-electric car maker dropped for a second month even as EV registrations overall on the continent grew. As competition grows and a slowdown in European economies hampers total car sales, Elon Musk’s battery-electric (BEV) brand has sold 42.6% fewer cars in Europe so far this year, data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) showed on Tuesday. Tesla commanded 1.8% of the total market and 10.3% of the BEV market in February, down from 2.8% and 21.6% respectively last year. It sold fewer than 17,000 cars in the European Union, Britain, and European Free Trade Association countries, compared to over 28,000 in the same month in 2024. Tesla currently faces a number of challenges in Europe, ahead of the launch of its new Model Y midsize SUV this month. The EV maker has a smaller, aging lineup while traditional automaker rivals and new Chinese entrants alike continue to launch new, often cheaper electric models. Musk, the company’s CEO, has also stirred controversy by courting far-right parties in Europe, which has added to Tesla’s sales slump. “It will be interesting to see to what extent demand rebounds once the new Model Y hits markets across the region,” Felipe Munoz, Global Analyst at JATO Dynamics, said in a report on Monday. Overall, BEV sales in the same markets last month were up 26.1% versus February 2024, even as total car sales fell 3.1%, according to the ACEA. A growing interest in electric cars in the world’s second-biggest EV market is largely due to new EU emission targets and the launch of cheaper electric models, market experts say, but it is not enough to compensate for shrinking demand for petrol and diesel cars. “We continue to expect global auto volume essentially flat” this year, Citi analysts said in a note. An EU filing showed last week that Tesla had formed a pool to sell carbon credits to more than half a dozen automakers as they try to meet European CO2 emission targets which came into effect in January. While based on 2024 figures, analysts estimate that Tesla’s sales can more than compensate for those companies’ emissions, the situation might change if its sales continue to drop. The EU introduced the targets to help EV pickup in the bloc, but it is expected to approve on Tuesday a relaxation of those measures, to allow a three-year averaging of fleet emissions. While total new car registrations in the EU fell 3.4% in February, BEV sales jumped 23.7%, a second consecutive increase, while hybrid car (HEV) sales rose 19%. Electrified vehicles – either BEV, HEV or plug-in hybrids (PHEV)sold in the bloc accounted for 58.4% of all passenger car registrations in February, up from 48.2% a year earlier. “2025 has started really brightly for Europe’s electric car market,” E-Mobility Europe’s Secretary General Chris Heron told Reuters. “We are seeing the early impacts from manufacturer plans to meet the EU’s scheduled CO2 limits”. Among Europe’s top-selling brands, Volkswagen and Renault’s sales rose 4% and 10.8%, respectively, from a year earlier in the EU, Britain and European Free Trade Association countries in February, while Stellantis’ sales fell 16.2%. Sales at SAIC Motor rose by 26.1% from a year earlier despite the impact of EU tariffs on Chinese-made EVs, while they were down 15% at Geely-owned Volvo. The market share of brands not accounted for by the ACEA, including BYD and other Chinese carmakers, rose to 2.5% from 1.5% a year earlier. Total car sales in Spain rose 11% year-on-year in the month, while they declined in other major markets, with registrations falling 6.4% in Germany, 6.2% in Italy, and 0.7% in France. Alessandro Parodi and Greta Rosen Fondahn, Reuters
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E-Commerce
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