Patchstack Launches Vulnerability Disclosure Program Platform

• Patchstack’s new VDP Platform for plugin developers aims to streamline vulnerability management.
• The platform offers developers a central dashboard for an overview of all current and past issues.
• Each plugin has its own dedicated VDP page where issues can be securely reported then validated by Patchstack.
• The VDP will also help developers comply with the EU’s new Cyber Resilience Act.
• Patchstack is now the leading WordPress vulnerability intelligence provider and the #1 most active CVE naming authority in the world.
  • Last year, 73% of all WP plugin vulnerabilities were first reported by Patchstack.
  • Patchstack just paid the highest ever bounty for a WordPress vulnerability ($14,400).

Google’s AI Overviews Have Significantly Improved

• Google’s AI Overviews now cite sources that match the top 10 organic search results 99.5% of the time (up from 6.2% in January).
• This significant improvement suggests Google may be incorporating traditional search ranking signals into its Gemini AI model for Overviews.
• The top 3 ranking results are cited in AI Overviews almost 80% of the time, with the top position featured 50% of the time.
• This addresses previous concerns about Overviews citing less authoritative or trustworthy sources.
• This may mean that optimizing for AI Overviews now largely rests on the same strategies used for traditional rankings.
• Read more in this article from Search Engine Journal.

California Mandates AI Content Watermarking

• On August 29, the California legislature passed a bill that mandates watermarks on AI-generated content to fight misinformation.
• The bill is supported by major AI companies like OpenAI, Adobe, and Microsoft.
• The bill is currently awaiting the California Governor’s signature.
• If passed, it could set a national legal precedent for AI content regulation.
• However, permanently watermarking AI content is a technical feat that has not yet been reliably accomplished
• Read more in this TechCrunch article (and hat tip to the featured image on this article from The Verge)

Worth a Look

• Patchstack has announced $5M in funding and the addition of Joost de Valk to its board.
• SolidWP has released Solid Mail, a re-imagining of the venerable WP-SMTP plugin with a significantly streamlined design and settings panel. The plugin is still free.
• Google has rolled out guidance for dealing with the August Core Update. They recommend to avoid “quick fix” changes, improving low-performing content in meaningful ways, and deleting content as a last resort.