The RedNote App’s Boom in the US, FBI Hacked Computers to Uninstall Malware, and Gaia Sky Scan Completed

The Gaia Space Telescope has completed its survey of the Milky Way, marking a significant advancement in our understanding of the cosmos. Over 11 years, Gaia made more than 3 trillion observations of 2 billion celestial objects, including detailed orbits of over 150,000 asteroids and the identification of a new type of black hole. Its final observation focused on the binary star system 61 Cygni. Although the sky-scanning phase ended in January 2020, Gaia continues to contribute scientifically, with two major data releases anticipated, including one with 500 terabytes of data that will deepen our knowledge of binary stars and exoplanets.

In the realm of digital technology, the Chinese app Red Note, or Xiaohongshu, is witnessing a significant increase in US users, with over 700,000 new accounts created recently and a year-over-year download increase of over 200%. This surge is occurring amid discussions of a potential TikTok ban in the US. Red Note, which merges social media and e-commerce, primarily attracts female users, who make up 79% of its user base. However, the app currently lacks English support, although translation tools are in development. Analysts caution that this growth may be fleeting, as users could migrate to other platforms like Lemon 8 or Instagram.

In cybersecurity, the FBI, in partnership with French law enforcement and Sequoia.io, has successfully removed the PlugX malware from over 4,000 US systems. This operation targeted malware linked to the Chinese state-sponsored group Mustang Panda, which had spread through USB ports. The FBI is notifying affected users through their internet service providers.