Welcome to the inaugural edition of Kernel Panic! A weekly newsletter by Lily Hay Newman and Matt Burgess from inside the new world of privacy and digital security.

A tidal wave of software flaws has hit the tech world, with a recent surge in known vulnerabilities due to the use of advanced AI tools. Microsoft, Oracle, Google and Mozilla are just some of the companies struggling to keep up with the sheer volume of patching required.

Since last September, the number of known vulnerabilities has nearly doubled, reaching 66,401 as of this week. This rapid increase in the discovery of known vulnerabilities highlights the ongoing challenges in cybersecurity, despite advancements in AI.

Experts are divided on whether this spike will lead to catastrophic outcomes or simply exacerbate existing issues. While the number of identified vulnerabilities has increased, it is important to note that this does not necessarily mean an increase in actual threats. Rather, it indicates a better and more thorough security landscape.

The fear, however, is that the rapid discovery of new vulnerabilities may outpace the ability of developers to patch them, leaving users at risk of increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks. The National Cyber Security Center warns that merely discovering vulnerabilities is insufficient for improving security.