AutomotiveBusiness

Luminar Founder Bids to Reacquire Lidar Firm in Potential Board-Backed Deal

Luminar Technologies founder Austin Russell has launched a bid to acquire the lidar company he previously led, in what sources indicate may be a board-encouraged move rather than a hostile takeover. The transportation technology sector also saw significant developments in electric aviation funding and autonomous vehicle partnerships this week.

Luminar Founder Seeks Company Acquisition

In a surprising twist, Austin Russell, the billionaire founder who previously stepped down as CEO of Luminar Technologies, has made a bid to acquire the lidar company, according to reports from TechCrunch. Sources indicate this potential takeover might not be hostile despite initial appearances, with board members reportedly having approached Russell about the idea last month.

Cybersecurity

F5 Systems Breached by Nation-State Actor, Customer Data and Source Code Accessed

A nation-state affiliated threat actor gained persistent access to F5’s development environment, exfiltrating source code and customer configuration files. Federal agencies have been directed to take immediate emergency actions regarding F5 BIG-IP products following the security breach disclosure.

Security Breach at F5 Networks

A nation-state-affiliated threat actor gained unauthorized access to systems at F5, Inc., exfiltrating source code for its BIG-IP application delivery and security products along with files containing customer configuration or implementation information, according to regulatory filings and company statements. The Seattle-based security vendor disclosed Wednesday that the threat actor had “long-term, persistent access” to both the BIG-IP development environment and engineering knowledge management platform.