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The 2020 OODA Cybersecurity Watch List

Every year during the RSA season OODA provides an updated list of what we see as the tech firms with the greatest potential to disrupt the cybersecurity market and improve an organization’s ability to manage cyber risk. We base the firms we track in this list off of our own continuous market research and then…
Russia Exploits Global Pandemic for Economic Attacks

The COVID-19 market disruption presents an attractive opportunity for Russia to have a disproportionate impact on U.S. economic strength by engaging in policies that amply existing conditions to further drive panic and algorithmic disfunction.
Sea Services showcase new capabilities at AFCEA WEST

This week, OODA’s Chris Ward attended the annual AFCEA and US Naval Institute Sea Service Conference in San Diego (WEST 2020). The central theme of the conference was around Navy, Marine and Coast Guard readiness for great power competition. In this article she compiles her observations and take-aways from the event.
OODA Network Interview: Mike Steinmetz

Mike’s story is pretty unique: from budding musician to Navy Fighter Jet Pilot to Information Operations and Cyber. “The CISO must understand the lens with which the Board sees risk! Many CISO’s are focused down-and-in, when they should be delegating those efforts to their qualified operations managers and architecture teams. The CISO’s job is to…
Living in the Future

I don’t consider myself a futurist, but thinking about the future has been an essential component of my career and supports a broad range of strategic thinking in the domains of cyber and geopolitical risk, threat intelligence, and business planning. I’ve taken to calling these future brainstorming mental models “living in the future” and the…
OODA Network Interview: Paul Kurtz

While at the White House, Paul witnessed first hand the tragic consequences of poor intelligence sharing: the attacks on September 11th. He’s convinced that this is MUCH harder in the Cyber arena. He created TruSTAR to help enterprises attain a comprehensive view of what’s going on. Read about how he built up to these solutions…
Is Organized Crime Using Ransomware to Take Real World Competitors Offline?

What does the ransomware incidents at GWK Travelex and Gedia Automotive tell us about the evolution of ransomware trends, and the players behind the attacks? Viewed from their individual incident cases it may appear that the only characteristics the businesses share was that they were both vulnerable and both hit by the same group. But…
OODA Special Report: How the Coronavirus will impact your mid to long range strategic planning

We see no reliable sources providing insights that can help organizations plan strategically for how to react to the Coronavirus outbreak. This special report is provided as an aid to kickstarting your corporate efforts in strategic planning around the coronavirus specifically and other potential pandemics more generally.
OODA Network Interview: Brian Dolan

Brian’s AI Startup Studio, Verdant AI, is forging new ground! He vets problems, finds solutions and spins off companies tailor-made for success as he goes. Instead of talking about AI, he’s making AI work in a lot of different capacities! In this OODA Network Expert interview, Brian discusses his career progression and how to realize…
Mexican Cartel Adaptation and Innovation

Adaptation and innovation is a core component of successful organization competition among states and their militaries, businesses and corporations—and as argued here, organized crime groups—especially transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). In order to gain supremacy organizations often introduce new technologies to foster this innovation, yet not all innovation is technological. Indeed, non-state actors are often incubators…
Flaws in the U.S. Vulnerabilities Equities Process

Last week, the security community was in a flurry around the disclosure of a severe vulnerability (known as CVE-2020-0601) in Microsoft’s Windows operating system. Notably, it was because the National Security Agency (NSA) tipped off Microsoft, helping the tech giant patch the flaw instead of exploiting it for national security missions. NSA was praised for…
OODA Network Interview: Nitin Pradhan

When Nitin came to America in the 1980’s, he quickly felt the power of a supportive Government. He has spent his career using technology to create teams to make our Country better including an appointment as the CIO for the Department of Transportation. Read about how Nitin’s passion for digital education has helped him give…
OODA Special Report: Digital Transformation in the Health Care Sector

This OODA special report focuses on the Health Care Sector. It is written both for firms that are in the sector who are seeking competitive advantage and for firms in other sectors that can use this awareness for strategic planning (all our market based special reports are available on our OODA network resources page). With…
Vulnerabilities, the Search for Buried Treasure, and the US Government

Most weeks, it is far outside the normal job responsibilities for cybersecurity professionals to understand what the United States (or other governments) do to find or use computer vulnerabilities. Just stay patched and keep the board of directors happy. This is not one of those weeks. This week we learned that the National Security Agency…
OODA Special Report: Digital Transformation in the Financial Sector

This OODA special report focuses on the Financial Sector. It is written both for firms that are in the sector who are seeking competitive advantage and for firms in other sectors that can use this awareness for strategic planning (all our market based special reports are available on our OODA network resources page). As a…

Briefs

Hackers hit Australian state’s recording database

An Australian official announced on Tuesday that hackers recently accessed the court recordings database of the Victoria state. The hackers also reportedly disrupted the judiciary’s audio-visual technology network. According to Court Services CEO Louise Anderson, the hackers likely accessed some recordings of court hearings between Nov. 1 and Dec. 21 but did not exfiltrate any…
Albanian Parliament and One Albania Telecom Hit By Cyber Attacks

The Albanian National Authority for Electronic Certification and Cyber Security (AKCESK) announced that a threat actor attacked the Assembly of the Republic of Albania and an Albanian telecom company, One Albania, last week. The Iranian hacker group Homeland Justice claimed responsibility for the attacks on its telegram channel. Read More: https://thehackernews.com/2023/12/albanian-parliament-and-one-albania.html
UAE Banks on AI to Boost Cybersecurity

The UAE’s digitized economy and cybersecurity goals have attracted significant investment, but its aging systems and developing cybersecurity industry currently leave the nation vulnerable to cyberattacks. The country reportedly fends off 50,000 cyberattacks per day, a large portion of which aim at the UAE’s financial sector. The head of cybersecurity for the UAE, Dr. Mohamed…
Google Settles $5 Billion Privacy Lawsuit Over Tracking People Using ‘Incognito Mode’

Google agreed to settle a $5 billion privacy lawsuit that accused the company of spying on users who used the Chrome browser’s “incognito” mode. The class-action lawsuit, first filed in 2020, also accused Google of misleading users into thinking that the company would not track their site visits and internet activities while in private browsing…
Crypto Users Lost $2B to Hacks, Scams and Exploits in 2023, De.Fi Says

Cryptocurrency users lost nearly $2 billion to scams, rug pulls and hacks in 2023, roughly half the amount of last year, but a sign that the industry remains susceptible to security risks, researchers at security app De.Fi said in their annual report on Wednesday. The reduction, largely attributed to the implementation of improved security protocols,…
How Some Experts See The Future Of AI In 2024

With a rash of artificial intelligence (AI) news making the rounds in the last month of 2023, opinions widely differ on how governments, companies and consumers will use the technology. After months of deliberation, the New York Times officially filed suit against Microsoft and OpenAI saying their copyright was infringed to train ChatGPT. Michael Cohen,…
Humanoid Robots Are Getting to Work

Ten years ago, at the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) Trial event near Miami, I watched the most advanced humanoid robots ever built struggle their way through a scenario inspired by the Fukushima nuclear disaster. A team of experienced engineers controlled each robot, and overhead safety tethers kept them from falling over. The robots had to…
US Supreme Court’s Roberts urges ‘caution’ as AI reshapes legal field

Artificial intelligence represents a mixed blessing for the legal field, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said in a year-end report published on Sunday, urging “caution and humility” as the evolving technology transforms how judges and lawyers go about their work. Roberts struck an ambivalent tone in his 13-page report. He said AI had…
OpenAI annualized revenue tops $1.6 billion

OpenAI raked in $1.6 billion in annualized income in 2023 according to The Information, which cited people with knowledge of the figure. The figure, up from $1.3 billion in October, comes amid the dramatic ouster and then return of the company’s CEO, Sam Altman. The company credits much of its revenue to its massively popular…
Operations, Trading of Eagers Automotive Disrupted by Cyberattack

Eagers Automotive, an Australian and New Zealand vehicle dealer, temporarily ceased trading on the Australian Securities Exchange due to a cyberattack impacting IT systems at various locations. While most dealerships remain operational, the incident has affected finalizing transactions for sold new vehicles and has somewhat disrupted service and parts operations. The cyber incident’s financial impact…
Europe’s Largest Parking App Provider Informs Customers of Data Breach

EasyPark Group, Europe’s leading parking app operator, confirmed a recent cyberattack that compromised “non-sensitive” customer information, including names, phone numbers, addresses, emails, and partial IBAN or card numbers. The breach, reported on December 10, didn’t expose data used for parking transactions or vehicle details. Although some payment card digits were accessed, the incomplete information isn’t…
Vulnerabilities in Google Kubernetes Engine Could Allow Cluster Takeover

Palo Alto Networks discovered vulnerabilities in FluentBit and Anthos Service Mesh (ASM) within Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), which, when chained together, could lead to a complete takeover of a Kubernetes cluster by an attacker. FluentBit, the default logging agent in GKE, and ASM, an optional service for managing communication, were identified with exploitable flaws. An…
Pentagon Wants Feedback on Revised Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Program

The US Department of Defense proposed a new rule for the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program, seeking input from the public. This program aims to ensure that defense contractors have implemented necessary security measures to safeguard federal contract and controlled unclassified information. The CMMC builds upon existing requirements outlined in the NIST SP 800–171…
Inside the News Industry’s Uneasy Negotiations With OpenAI

For months, some of the biggest players in the U.S. media industry have been in confidential talks with OpenAI on a tricky issue: the price and terms of licensing their content to the artificial intelligence company. The curtain on those negotiations was pulled back this week when The New York Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft…
US military robot spaceplane blasts off on secret mission aboard Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket

A secret spaceplane has been launched by the US on a classified mission, just days after a similar Chinese spacecraft released mysterious objects into orbit. The unmanned US Defence Department shuttle, named X-37B, lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on board a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on Thursday evening. US Space Force, which is…
Microsoft’s next Surface laptops will reportedly be its first true ‘AI PCs’

Microsoft is getting ready to upgrade its Surface lineup with new AI-enabled features, according to a report from Windows Central. Unnamed sources told the outlet the upcoming Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 will come with a next-gen neural processing unit (NPU), along with Intel and Arm-based options. Microsoft’s Arm-based devices will be powered…
Generative AI And RPA: A New Age Of Automation

Generative AI has significantly influenced various industries. Its integration with robotic process automation (RPA) has the potential to introduce new levels of adaptability and advanced automation systems, marking the emergence of what we can refer to as the next generation of RPA—RPA 2.0. At its core, RPA is about automating repetitive and mundane tasks across…
Get Ready for a ‘Tsunami’ of AI at CES

If you’re waiting for the hubbub over generative AI to die down, maybe pull up a chair. The buzz around artificial intelligence shows no signs of quieting—a fact that will become all too obvious at this year’s CES. CES, the consumer electronics industry’s largest annual gathering in the US, is returning to Las Vegas on January…
US Military Launches Robot Spaceplane on Seventh Mission

The US military’s secretive X-37B robotic spaceplane has taken off from Florida on its seventh mission. The mission marks the first time the plane has been launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket capable of delivering it into a higher orbit than ever before. The US launch comes two weeks after China’s own robot spaceplane,…
UN Deplores Aid Barriers as Israel’s Gaza Onslaught Steps Up

The United Nations has warned that it is becoming increasingly difficult to get desperately needed aid into Gaza. Martin Griffiths listed 14 obstructions to getting humanitarian relief into the enclave, including: constant bombardments and aid convoys coming under fire; three layers of inspections before an aid truck can enter the Palestinian territory; a constant list…
Ukraine Urges Increased Support as Russia Unleashes Huge Air Assault

Russia has unleashed a huge air assault against Ukraine. The wave of Russian strikes used drones and missiles and battered Ukrainian cities in one of the largest and fiercest bombardments in recent months. At least 16 people are reported to have been killed and nearly 100 injured as Russia targeted the capital, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro,…
OpenAI Publishes GPT Prompt Engineering Guide

OpenAI recently published a guide to Prompt Engineering. The guide lists six strategies for eliciting better responses from their GPT models, with a particular focus on examples for their latest version, GPT-4. The guide’s six high-level strategies are: write clear instructions, provide reference text, split complex tasks into simpler subtasks, give the model time to “think”,…
AI threats pose great cyber risks to smaller companies, experts tell House panel

Attacks by malicious hackers using artificial intelligence could swamp smaller companies that are already overwhelmed by cybercrime, experts warned lawmakers during a congressional hearing Tuesday. Testifying before the House Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee on cybersecurity and infrastructure protection, experts from the private sector discussed AI-related threats, including increased efficiency for malicious hackers to develop…
Unitree B2 quadruped robot is better, stronger and faster

While Boston Dynamics may have pioneered the field of quadruped “robot dogs,” Chinese company Unitree has definitely done a good job of jumping on board. Its latest industrial robot, the B2, offers some major improvements over its predecessor. Like the B1 that came before it (and which is still available), the B2 is designed for…
Bill Gates predicts a ‘massive technology boom’ from AI coming soon

The use of artificial intelligence by the general population in developed countries such as the US to a “significant” degree will start to take place in the next 18 to 24 months, according to Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates in his year-end letter released last week. The impact on things such as productivity and…
AI’s Dreadful December: Lawsuits, plagiarism and child abuse images show the perils of training on data taken without consent.

In recent years, consumers and the media have focused a lot of attention on how physical tech products are manufactured, who makes them and where the materials come from. Now that generative AI has taken the world by storm, we have to ask the companies behind the leading LLMs (Large Language Models) a similar question:…
In bid to counter China, US ramps up effort to boost military ties in Asia

The United States accused China of intercepting one of its spy planes in an aggressive maneuver over the South China Sea on May 30. Later, on June 5, the US accused China of carrying out an unsafe maneuver near a warship in the Taiwan Strait. The US said the near misses showed China’s growing aggressiveness,…
North Korea’s Kim calls on military to ‘accelerate’ war preparations

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered the military, including its nuclear program to accelerate war preparations after what he considers unprecedented confrontational moves by the United States. The speech was given at an ongoing meeting of the country’s ruling Workers Party and Kim set forth militant tasks for the People’s Army, munitions industry,…
US releases last military aid for Kyiv for now

The White House has approved another package of US military aid to Ukraine work $250 million. This package includes air defense, artillery, small arms ammunition and anti-tank weapons. This marks the last funding available without fresh approval from Congress, where talks have come to a standstill. Ukraine warned that the war efforts and the country’s…
African Organizations Aim to Fix Cybersecurity in 2024

African nations are hoping to develop their skills needed to defend against cybersecurity threats and challenges in 2024. The University of Lagos, the American Business Council in Nigeria, and private companies launched a Cyber Hub in December to strengthen the cybersecurity ecosystem in Nigeria and to train young workers. The long term goals of the…
Cyberattack Disrupts Operations of First American, Subsidiaries

First American Financial Corporation and several of its subsidiaries appear to have had their systems and operations disrupted by a cyber attack. First American provides title insurance and settlement services to real estate and mortgage industries. The company revealed on December 21 that it had taken certain systems offline due to a cybersecurity incident. Later,…
Police Warn Hundreds of Online Merchants of Skimmer Infections

Over 400 online merchants were notified of digital skimmer infections in a coordinated international operation according to Europe. Law enforcement agencies in 17 countries participated in the operation to identify infected e-commerce sites and alert businesses that their customers’ credit card information was compromised. The operation was led by Greece and resulted in two dozen…
Chinese Hackers Deliver Malware to Barracuda Email Security Appliances via New Zero-Day

A Barracude ESG zero-day tracked as CVE-2023-2868 came to light in May of 2023 and had been exploited since at least October of 2022 to deliver malware and steal data from a limited amount of organizations that had been using the email security product. In the attacks, hackers used the vulnerability to access the Barracuda…
Jony Ive Poaches Lead iPhone Designer to Work on OpenAI Hardware Device

Tang Tan, Apple’s lead designer for the iPhone and Apple Watch, is stepping down to join Jony Ive’s hardware firm LoveFrom, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman on Wednesday. Tan is the latest Apple designer to join Ive, which is assembling an Avengers-like team with Sam Altman to create the next era of hardware devices running…
Big Tech outspends venture capital firms in AI investment frenzy

Big tech companies have vastly outspent venture capital groups with investments in generative AI start ups this year, as established giants use their financial muscle to dominate the much-hyped sector. Microsoft, Google and Amazon last year struck a series of blockbuster deals, amounting to two-thirds of the $27bn raised by fledgling AI companies in 2023,…
Humanoid robots in space: the next frontier

Standing at 6 feet 2 inches (188 centimeters) tall and weighing 300 pounds (136 kilograms), NASA’s humanoid robot Valkyrie is an imposing figure. Valkyrie, named after a female figure in Norse mythology and being tested at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, is designed to operate in “degraded or damaged human-engineered environments,” like areas…
Tesla Robot Attacked Engineer With Its Claws

A Tesla software engineer suffered serious injuries when he was attacked by a malfunctioning robot on the floor of the electric car maker’s factory in Austin, Texas. Witnesses told the Information last month that the robot, which was designed to move aluminum car parts, pinned the engineer and sank its metal claws into his back…
New York Times sues Microsoft, ChatGPT maker OpenAI over copyright infringement

The New York Times on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI, the company behind popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, accusing the pair of copyright infringement and abusing the newspaper’s intellectual property to train large language models. Microsoft both invests in and supplies OpenAI, providing it with access to the Redmond, Washington, giant’s Azure cloud…
‘Switch to defence’: Ukraine faces difficult 2024 amid aid, arms setbacks

As Ukraine approaches 2024, there is a sense of unease and disappointment among many Ukrainians. The long-awaited counteroffensive in eastern and southern regions stalled, leading to a renewed sense of danger and threat. The failure of the counteroffensive contrasts with the emotional rollercoaster of the previous year when Russian troops advanced and then withdrew from…
Russia accuses US of threatening global energy security

Russia has criticized the US sanctions imposed on the Arctic LNG 2 project, claiming that the measures undermine global energy security. The sanctions, announced last month by the United States, are part of efforts to limit Moscow’s financial capacity to engage in the conflict in Ukraine. Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, called the US…
Eiffel Tower staff strike on centenary of creator’s death

The Eiffel Tower in Paris closed to the public on December 27 due to a strike by staff protesting the management of the iconic landmark by tower operator SETE. The date of the strike was chosen to coincide with the centenary of the death of Gustave Eiffel, the tower’s creator. The CGT union, representing the…
Child among 10 killed after severe storms hit country’s east

Severe thunderstorms in eastern Australia over Christmas and Boxing Day have resulted in at least 10 fatalities, including a nine-year-old girl, with most deaths occurring in the state of Queensland. Widespread flooding and destructive winds affected Victoria and New South Wales, leaving tens of thousands without power. The powerful winds tore roofs off buildings, uprooted…
CBS Parent National Amusements Discloses Year-Old Data Breach

National Amusements, the corporation owning CBS and Paramount, has informed over 80,000 individuals that their personal information was compromised in a December 2022 data breach. The breach, identified on December 15, 2022, allowed attackers access to the network between December 13 and December 15, 2022, with files containing personal information being accessed or exfiltrated. The…
Ransomware Group Claims 100 Gb of Data Stolen From Nissan

A ransomware group named Akira has claimed responsibility for the cyberattack on Nissan, asserting that it has stolen 100 GB of data, including corporate files and personal information belonging to employees. Nissan disclosed in early December that internal systems of Nissan Motor Corporation and Nissan Financial Services in Australia and New Zealand had been targeted.…
Police Warn Hundreds of Online Merchants of Skimmer Infections

In a coordinated international effort led by Greece, law enforcement agencies from 17 countries have notified over 400 online merchants about digital skimmer infections. The operation, supported by Europol and Group-IB, identified two dozen new digital skimmers, also known as JavaScript-sniffers, which cybercriminals inject into legitimate websites to steal personal and credit card information. Group-IB,…
Cyberattack Disrupts Operations of First American, Subsidiaries

First American Financial Corporation and its subsidiaries experienced a significant disruption to their systems and operations due to a cyberattack, as revealed on December 21. The company, a major provider of title insurance and settlement services in the United States, took certain systems offline and later reported that email systems were also affected. First American…
Behold Orca: US Navy’s robotic sub built for drone swarms

Boeing has delivered a first giant robotic submarine to the US Navy, marking a sea change in how American underwater military missions will be conducted in the future, Defense One reported. The diesel-electric-powered Extra-Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV), based on Boeing’s Echo Voyager and known as Orca, was shipped after completing a series of sea…
Microsoft Copilot’s ChatGPT-like app lands on Android, with iOS version coming soon

Microsoft Copilot’s ChatGPT-like app has finally arrived on Android, nearly two weeks after the tech giant announced its web version (copilot.microsoft.com). Available via Play Store, Microsoft Copilot is just a new name for Bing Chat, but there are some noteworthy changes between the two apps. Bing offers search, rewards and chat functionalities. On the other…
OpenAI seeks funding that would push valuation to $100B

OpenAI is in early discussions to raise a fresh round of funding at a valuation at or above $100 billion, people with knowledge of the matter said, a deal that would cement the ChatGPT maker as one of the world’s most valuable startups. Investors potentially involved in the fundraising round have been included in preliminary…
AI expert warns against telling your secrets to chatbots such as ChatGPT

Confiding in ChatGPT about work gripes or political preferences could come back to bite users, according to an artificial intelligence expert. Mike Wooldridge, a professor of AI at Oxford University, says sharing private information or having heart-to-hearts with a chatbot would be “extremely unwise” as anything revealed helps train future versions. Users should also not expect a…
Indian navy to deploy guided missile destroyer ships after strike off its coast

On Monday, the Indian navy announced it will deploy guided missile destroyers to the Arabian Sea. The statement comes after an unidentified group struck the Israel-affiliated MV Chem Pluto merchant vessel off the Indian coast over the weekend. Read More: https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indian-navy-deploy-guided-missile-destroyer-ships-after-strike-off-its-coast-2023-12-26/
Israeli airstrike in Syria kills senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards member

On Monday, the Israeli Defense Forces carried out an airstrike near Damascus that killed senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps adviser Sayyed Razi Mousavi. The IRGC adviser was responsible for maintaining the military alliance between Syria and Iran. Read More: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-air-strike-syria-kills-senior-iranian-revolutionary-guards-member-2023-12-25/
US airstrikes hit Kataib Hezbollah sites in Iraq after attack on US troops

Following attacks that injured three US troops in Iraq, the US military conducted air strikes on multiple Kataib Hezbollah facilities in Iraq. US Central Command stated on Monday night that the operation killed a number of fighters associated with the militant group. Read More: https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/25/politics/us-strikes-iraq-kataib-hezbollah/index.html
Cloud Atlas’ Spear-Phishing Attacks Target Russian Agro and Research Companies

Cybersecurity firm F.A.C.C.T., previously known as Group-IB, reported that the threat actor Cloud Atlas targeted various Russian enterprises with spear-phishing attacks. Cloud Atlas has operated since 2014 and primarily conducts cyber espionage operations against target organizations in Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Slovenia. In this instance, the threat actor singled out Russian agro-industrial employees, as…
The next generation of Tesla’s humanoid robot makes its debut

Tesla, the company known for its electric cars, solar panels and batteries, has also been working hard on developing humanoid robots that can perform various tasks and interact with humans. The company has recently unveiled its latest version of its robot, called Optimus Gen 2, which is lighter, faster, smoother and more capable than its predecessor.…
The 5 biggest DeFi hacks of 2023

Ledger was recently exploited for an estimated $610,000 — a reminder that security and privacy remain important priorities for the crypto ecosystem. According to DeFiLlama, hackers have cost crypto startups and projects more than $1.3 billion in losses this year. Since June 2016, on-chain losses have amounted to an estimated $7.54 billion, with $5.69 billion…
Google to let go of 30,000 employees due to new AI innovation? Here’s what report suggests

Search giant Google is planning to reorganise a large part of its 30,000-strong ad sales unit as a result of the company’s recent advances in artificial intelligence, according to a report by The Information. Notably, Google laid off around 12,000 employees earlier this year, making it the biggest job cut in the company’s history. According…
These are the top 10 most popular AI tools of 2023

Many have dubbed 2023 the year of AI, as the pace of artificial intelligence breakthroughs this year has been fast — and for some, concerning. However, fear didn’t stop people from jumping on the AI bandwagon, a new study confirms. With more than 14 billion visits between September 2022 and August 2023, ChatGPT is the most…
Apple quietly released an open source multimodal LLM in October

With little fanfare, researchers from Apple and Columbia University released an open source multimodal LLM, called Ferret, in October 2023. At the time, the release — which included the code and weights, but for research use only, not a commercial license — did not receive much attention. But now that may be changing: With open…
AI’s efficacy is constrained in cybersecurity, but limitless in cybercrime

Bringing artificial intelligence into the cybersecurity field has created a vicious cycle. Cyber professionals now employ AI to enhance their tools and boost their detection and protection capabilities, but cybercriminals are also harnessing AI for their attacks. Security teams then use more AI in response to the AI-driven threats, and threat actors augment their AI…