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Home > OODA Analysis and Briefs
Earlier this month, Brian Krebs over at Krebs on Security captured the nuts and bolts of this “fairly stunning” course of events surrounding a zero-day vulnerability: “It’s not often that a zero-day vulnerability causes a network security vendor to urge customers to physically remove and decommission an entire line of affected hardware — as opposed…
Every once in a while a signal emerges from our tracking efforts which feels like finding a needle in a haystack. This development is one of those times.
In May 2023, the U.S. government pledged USD $25 million in assistance to Costa Rica to bolster its cybersecurity efforts and cyber posture. A year prior, Costa Rica suffered a debilitating series of ransomware attacks executed by the now defunct Conti ransomware gang that demanded USD $20 million or else the Costa Rican government would risk being “overthrown…
We pick up where we left them in the initial post of the transcript of the Keynote Conversation at OODAcon 2022: OODA CTO Bob Gourley and Internet Pioneer Vint Cerf. In this part of the conversation, Gourley and Cerf discuss the legacy of J.C.R. Licklider and the Information Processing Techniques Office of DARPA, Doug Englebart’s…
This month, The State Department “unveiled details of its plans to use $100 million of funding provided under the 2022 CHIPS Act to improve semiconductor supply chain security and international information and communications technology security. The law provides the agency with $100 million of funding per year for those purposes for the five-year period beginning…
The need for change in the US organizational infrastructure to improve our ability to integrate and implement emerging technology in support of national strategic objectives is well understood. Dr. Bray’s excellent article, about the 2015 X-Cell, cites among a number of excellent observations, the production of “daisies”; new teams and organizations (DIU, In-Q-Tel, etc.) set…
Opportunities for advantage will be created by the exponential disruption of the industrial base (including that of defense) coupled with exponential biotechnology innovation to build the bioeconomy of the future. The creation of this technology and business ecosystem of the future is already underway.
This post reviews some of our research into the future of technology, specifically the technology enabled shared reality known as the Metaverse. This site has been writing about the Metaverse since 2003. But the term goes back a decade before then. It was a construct articulated by Neal Stephenson in his SciFi masterpiece Snowcrash. In…
On Monday, June 12 at 2:35 p.m. PT, Falcon 9 launched Transporter-8, SpaceX’s eighth dedicated smallsat rideshare program mission, from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The long term impact of the historically unprecedented arraignment today (Tuesday, June 13, 2023) of a former U.S. President is unknown. We look at the event through the prism of the ongoing threat of domestic political extremism and violence in the U.S. In this epoch of poly-crisis – a cluster of interdependent global risks create…
After the murder by the Russian state of his company’s lead lawyer in Russia – Sergei Magnitsky – Bill Browder became a sworn enemy of Vladimir Putin. So, considering his experience and resources available to protect himself, his family, and his business and activist communications against the Russian threat directed at him, Browder’s recent appearances…
Google has introduced the Secure AI Framework (SAIF) to establish a secure ecosystem for the development, use, and protection of AI systems. SAIF emphasizes six core elements to enhance AI security, including expanding existing security foundations, extending detection and response capabilities, automating defenses, harmonizing platform-level controls, adapting controls for faster feedback loops, and contextualizing AI…
As we begin to ramp up for OODAcon 2023 (October 25th in Reston, VA), we return to the Keynote Conversation between Bob Gourley and Vint Cerf OODAcon 2022. Find the full transcript below, as well as a link to the audio file. There are numerous takeaways from the conversation. We encourage you to spend time with…
OODA Network Member Junaid Islam recently presented at the Department of Defense, Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) – with a demonstration and discussion of Zero Trust Data.
As part of a new program to bridge the “valley of death” for military technology, The Defense Department (DoD) recently announced 11 new projects: “The…projects range from commercial satellite communications terminals for the Marine Corps to integrated air defense cameras for the Defense Innovation Unit to network enhancements in contested environments for the Navy.”
People have begun to flee Haiti’s capital as gang violence has increased. Gang violence has flared up across Haiti capital. Residents were reported to be fleeing from several neighborhoods as government forces failed to respond to the violence. United Nation’s forces have also failed to reduce the level of violence. The interim government has released…
French designed weapons system have been identified in Sudan. According to a report from Amnesty International, french designed weapons systems have been identified as being used by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The Sudanese Army has previously claimed that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been supplying the RSF with weapons, and this report adds…
Israel has carried out the demolition of a Bedouin village in the Negev region. Israeli police have carried out the demolition of a Bedouin village. The village had become the center of a years long battle between the government and Bedouin residents of the Negev region. The government maintained that the settlement was illegally constructed…
French prosecutors seek prison time and ineligibility to seek office for Marine Le Pen. French prosecutors requested that a judge sentence Marine Le Pen to 2 years in prison and bar her from seeking office for 5 years. Prosecutors requested prison time and fines for other party members as well. The sentencing requests are made…
A researcher has found potential vulnerabilities in Microsoft Power Pages. A security researcher has found that Microsoft Power Pages can be misconfigured by users in ways that expose organizations to attack. The misconfiguration is not an inherent vulnerability, but the result of improper use by users. The researcher said that the underlying issue is the…
A newly patched Windows exploit can be easily triggered by unsuspecting users. A newly patched Windows exploit can be still be triggered without opening a suspicious file. The exploit allows a threat actor to steal a users NTLMv2 hash. The exploit has been used in the wild by a Russian threat actor. The threat actor…
Hungary’s defense procurement agency has been hacked. Hungarian officials disclosed that the nation’s defense procurement agency has been hacked. They stressed that nothing critical was compromised. Hungarian news outlets reported that a group called INC Ransomware was responsible for the hack, and had stolen an unknown number of files. Read more: https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/hungarys-defence-procurement-agency-hacked-government-says-2024-11-14/
The EU has begun to consider a proposal to tighten rules for defective product liability. The EU has begun to consider a proposal to tighten rules for defective product liability. Member states have 2 years to adopt the new rules into national law. The new rules would hold vendors liable for failures to ensure the…
When it comes to generative AI, Apple’s efforts have seemed largely concentrated on mobile — namely Apple Intelligence running on iOS 18, the latest operating system for the iPhone. But as it turns out, the new Apple M4 computer chip — available in the new Mac Mini and Macbook Pro models announced at the end…
The convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technologies represents a groundbreaking shift in how AI is developed, accessed, and monetized. Traditionally, the development of powerful AI models has been controlled by large corporations and elite research institutions with vast resources. Building these models requires immense computational power, enormous datasets, and significant funding—barriers that often…
A first draft of a Code of Practice that will apply to providers of general-purpose AI models under the European Union’s AI Act has been published, alongside an invitation for feedback — open until November 28 — as the drafting process continues into next year, ahead of formal compliance deadlines kicking in over the coming…
There’s a general consensus that we won’t be able to consistently perform sophisticated quantum calculations without the development of error-corrected quantum computing, which is unlikely to arrive until the end of the decade. It’s still an open question, however, whether we could perform limited but useful calculations at an earlier point. IBM is one of…
There’s a new Muse in town. Sanofi, Formation Bio and OpenAI have joined forces to build an AI-powered tool designed to improve drug development by speeding up clinical trial recruitment. Dubbed Muse, the tool aims to cut the time it takes for recruitment strategy and content creation to just minutes, according to a Nov. 12…
Crouched around a whirring machine on the upper floor of Zongwei’s factory in Suzhou, a group of engineers puts China’s next generation of manufacturing equipment through its paces. The research and development team is one of many across China racing to solve one of the biggest challenges facing its 6mn manufacturers: how to remain competitive…
OpenAI is preparing to release an autonomous AI agent that can control computers and perform tasks independently, code-named “Operator.” The company plans to debut it as a research preview and developer tool in January, according to Bloomberg. This move intensifies the competition among tech giants developing AI agents: Anthropic recently introduced its “computer use” capability,…
The U.S. military has carried out strikes against an Iranian-backed armed group in Syria. This is the military’s second operation in two days. The operations come in response to a recent rocket attack against U.S. forces at a base in Syria. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has not specified the targets of the airstrikes or how…
The Philippines is preparing for a fifth storm to hit the country in just three weeks. Officials have raised the country’s highest storm alert, evacuating thousands of people. Super Typhoon Usagi is set to make landfall on Thursday with sustained winds up to 115 miles per hour. The typhoon will first hit the main island…
On Wednesday, Russia launched missiles deep into Ukraine targeting the capital, Kyiv, and a northeastern border area. This ends an over two-month long pause in attacks on the country’s capital. The attacks were intended to support Russia’s presence on the eastern front, additionally targeting a Ukrainian captured area near the northern border. The 73-day pause…
Houthi fighters launched missile and drone attacks on U.S. warships off the coast of Yemen on Tuesday. The Iran-backed group fired missiles and drones at the warships in an attack that lasted hours. The Houthis have claimed that it attacked two U.S. destroyers and the U.S. aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces…
The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have confirmed that China was involved in a recent cyber espionage campaign. In the operation, Chinese threat actors breached U.S. telecommunications and internet service providers. These attacks were part of a broader cyber espionage campaign. The Chinese hackers compromised the networks of these companies, allowing…
A hacking group known as TAG-112 has compromised two Tibetan websites in a recent attack. The actor is believed to be affiliated with the Chinese government. The hackers attacked two websites, Tibet Post and Gyudmed Tantric University. The attack aimed to install malware on users’ computers who were visiting the sites. Visitors were prompted to…
Iranian hackers are following a similar tactic used by North Korea in a fake job campaign targeting the aerospace industry. The operation is being orchestrated by TA455, an Iranian threat actor, and has been in action since at least September 2023. The group is associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In the attacks,…
WIRTE, a malicious actor affiliated with Hamas, is carrying out cyberattacks against Israeli organizations. Previously, the group has also targeted the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. WIRTE is using the recent events in the Middle East in their espionage operations. Additionally, the actor has recently engaged in multiple waves of disruptive attacks…
AI startup Hugging Face envisions that small—not large—language models will be used for applications including “next stage robotics,” its Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer Thomas Wolf said. “We want to deploy models in robots that are smarter, so we can start having robots that are not only on assembly lines, but also in the wild,”…
Google DeepMind has unexpectedly released the source code and model weights of AlphaFold 3 for academic use, marking a significant advance that could accelerate scientific discovery and drug development. The surprise announcement comes just weeks after the system’s creators, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper, were awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work…
Hera Biotech is developing a new diagnostic test for endometriosis that is more accurate and less invasive than current methods. The company was founded by Somer Baburek, a former venture capitalist, who saw a need for better diagnostic tools for this condition. Hera Biotech is currently seeking funding to finalize product development and launch its…
Nuclear fusion as a source of electricity always seems to be just around the corner. As the old joke goes, “Thirty years ago, fusion was 30 years away from becoming a viable commercial reality”—a comment borne out in the Bulletin’s own pages, if not precisely on a 30-year timescale. In 1971, physicist Richard Post of…
Autonomous robotaxi developer Zoox has shared its latest progress update, which includes expansions into its second commercial market—San Francisco. The company has begun testing its proprietary robotaxis in the region and already has some specific neighborhoods in mind where it will want to begin offering driverless rides. Zoox is a decade-old robotaxi developer taking a…
Unbabel on Wednesday announced a translation service powered by artificial intelligence, adding another rival to a highly competitive space — with its CEO warning that humans may not be needed for translation at all in three years. Widn.AI is Unbabel’s new product and is based on the company’s proprietary large language model (LLM) called Tower.…
OpenAI is calling for the US and its allies to work together to support the infrastructure needed to develop artificial intelligence systems and compete with China. The AI startup said Wednesday that the US and neighboring countries should form a “North American Compact for AI” that can streamline access to talent, financing and supply chains…
The U.S. will continue to send arms to Israel although Israel has not improved humanitarian aid access in Gaza. The Biden administration had set a 30-day deadline for Israel to meet its aid criteria, which Israel failed to do. However, the State Department said that it will not decrease weapons aid. On October 13, U.S.…
Moldova is officially protesting against alleged Russian interference in recent elections. The country handed a note of protest to the Russian ambassador to Chisinau, who then turned it over to envoy Oleg Ozerov. Moldova believes that Russia attempted to influence its recent presidential election, as well as a referendum on joining the European Union. The…
Last week, clashes broke out in Amsterdam between Israeli football fans and pro-Palestinians. The city’s council is holding an emergency debate over the recent violence, which was branded as anti-Semitic. However, reports have also noted provocation and violence by visiting Israeli fans. Additional arrests are continuing to be made over the clashes. Unrest is continuing…
On Tuesday, a man drove a vehicle into a crowd in Zhuhai in Southern China, killing at least 35 people. Another 43 were injured in the incident. This is a rare case of deadly violence in the country, as police surveillance is constant. The incident seems to be intentional, and is sparking questions about the…
Malicious actors tied to North Korea have been discovered embedding malware into Flutter applications. This is the first time an adversary has used this tactic to infect Apple macOS devices. These Flutter applications are part of a larger trend of activity which includes Golang and Python-written malware. Researchers do not yet know if this new…
A recent cybersecurity incident is impacting multiple U.S. pharmacy and supermarket chains owned by Dutch food giant Ahold Delhaize. Giant Food, Hannaford, and other pharmacy and e-commerce services are being affected by the incident. Many of these chains are reporting network issues, and Hannaford’s e-commerce portal still remains unavailable. After Ahold Delhaize detected the incident,…
Hot Topic is the victim of a recent data breach, and millions of customers are being impacted. In the breach, around 57 million unique email addresses were stolen. The personal information of roughly 25 million individuals was also compromised. This leaked information includes dates of birth and partial credit card data. The data breach occurred…
Researchers have discovered a new tool which is being used to target GitHub users. The “GoIssue” cybercrime tool costs around $700 and is distributed via a cybercrime forum. It enables cyberattackers to conduct credential theft, deliver malware, and attack supply chains among other things. GoIssue has been linked to a previous GitHub repository extortion campaign…
Chinese researchers have released a video demonstrating the latest innovation in drone control – where a user can command a drone by simply swiping their fingers across a wearable touchpad. Swipe patterns are instantly recognised by the advanced touchpad, which then sends the signals to a drone control platform via an external Bluetooth transmitter. Seamless…
President Joe Biden’s administration is setting out plans for the US to triple nuclear power capacity by 2050, with demand climbing for the technology as a round-the-clock source of carbon-free power. Under a road map being unveiled Tuesday, the US would deploy an additional 200 gigawatts of nuclear energy capacity by mid-century through the construction…
Amazon is reportedly developing smart glasses for its delivery drivers, according to sources who spoke to Reuters. These glasses are intended to cut “seconds” from each delivery because, well, productivity or whatever. Sources say that they are an extension of the pre-existing Echo Frames smart glasses and are known by the internal code Amelia. These…
A joint research group including Akira Furusawa, team leader of the Optical Quantum Computing Research Team at the RIKEN Quantum Computing Center (Vice Director of the Quantum Computing Center and Professor at the Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo), Hidehiro Yonezawa, team leader of the Optical Quantum Control Research Team, Nippon Telegraph and…
The crypto market hit pause on its rocket rally that began a week ago following the U.S. election, though investors should expect it to pick up again. On Tuesday bitcoin edged lower by 1% to $87,440.88, according to Coin Metrics. On Monday, it rose more than 10%, to as high as $89,623.00 at night. Its…
DNA-testing company 23andMe said on Monday that it was firing roughly 40% of its workforce, more than 200 people, as Chief Executive Anne Wojcicki seeks to stabilize her money-losing business. As part of the restructuring, the company said it was closing its drug development arm, which had been conducting human trials for two of the…
Amazon is poised to roll out its newest artificial intelligence chips as the Big Tech group seeks returns on its multibillion-dollar semiconductor investments and reduce its reliance on market leader Nvidia. Executives at Amazon’s cloud computing division are spending big on custom chips in the hopes of boosting the efficiency inside its dozens of data…
A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Cuba on Monday. The latest crisis to hit Cuba was a 6.8 magnitude earthquake. The earthquake caused widespread destruction across the island, and left the 2nd largest city in ruins. The earthquake is latest in a series of crises to rock the island. Hurricane Rafael, a category 3 storm, hit…
An attack on Iranian border forces has left 5 dead. An attack on Iranian border forces along the Pakistani border has left 5 IRGC members dead. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Violence along the Iranian-Pakistani border has been increasing with the Jaish al-Adl militant group claiming responsibility for most of the…
An attack against a Chadian military base has left dozens of rebels dead. An attack against a Chadian military base has left 17 soldiers dead and 96 rebels killed. The attack occurred in the Lake Chad region of the country. Boko Haram was blamed for the attack. Violence in the region has been growing in…
Satellite images suggest China is developing nuclear reactors for large warships. New satellite images of Chinese facilities in Sichuan province suggest that China is developing nuclear reactors for large warships. Furthermore, documents related to the facility refer to the facility’s work as the Nuclear Power Development Project. Documents also suggest that the China Ship Research…
Halliburton has disclosed that an earlier cyberattack cost the company $35 million. In updated financial disclosures, Halliburton disclosed that a cyber attack that occurred in August cost the company $35 million. The $35 million figure include expenses related to the attack. They also reported a $.02 decrease in adjusted earnings per share. Read more: https://www.securityweek.com/cyberattack-cost-oil-giant-halliburton-35-million/
Forth has disclosed a data breach impacting 1.5 million people. Forth, a debt relief firm, has disclosed that a data breach has exposed the data of 1.5 million people. The data breach occurred in May and the company began notifying customers in November. The exposed data included information such as addresses and social security numbers.…
The breach of a law firm’s files has exposed 300,000 individual’s healthcare records. The Thompson Coburn law firm has disclosed that its systems were breached which has exposed the healthcare records of 300,000 people. Data such as medical records and social security numbers have been stolen. The firm has not disclosed any other information about…
A group has leaked online the data of thousands of employees likely stolen has part of the MOVEit breach. A group calling itself Nam3L3ss has leaked online the data of thousands of employees at major companies around the world. The data included detailed information such as employee personal information and sensitive information about company operations.…
Artificial intelligence companies like OpenAI are seeking to overcome unexpected delays and challenges in the pursuit of ever-bigger large language models by developing training techniques that use more human-like ways for algorithms to “think”. A dozen AI scientists, researchers and investors told Reuters they believe that these techniques, which are behind OpenAI’s recently released o1…
AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and other applications powered by large language models (LLMs) have exploded in popularity, leading a number of companies to explore LLM-driven robots. However, a new study now reveals an automated way to hack into such machines with 100 percent success. By circumventing safety guardrails, researchers could manipulate self-driving systems into…
Dennis Crowley has built his career at the intersection of emerging technologies and human behavior. Twenty years ago, as a 25-year-old inspired by Harry Potter’s Marauder’s Map, he created Dodgeball—turning text messaging into a way for friends to find each other in the city. When the iPhone emerged, he launched Foursquare, riding the convergence of…
After a major spike during the COVID-19 pandemic years, cell and gene therapy investment has since slowed down considerably. The figures now look pale in comparison to the $19.9 billion made in 2020 and the $22.7 billion made in 2021, with levels falling to $12.6 billion in 2022 and $11.7 billion in 2023. This has…
Artificial intelligence has been infiltrating our daily workflows and routine tasks for while now. It may be AI working in the background, as with Gemini’s integration across Google products, or you may be engaging more directly with popular content generators such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Dall-E. Looming in the not-too-distant future are amped-up virtual assistants.…
Amid a rising tide of low-cost weaponized adversary drones menacing American troops abroad, the US military is pulling out all the stops to protect its forces from the ever-present threat of death from above. But between expensive munitions, futuristic but complicated directed energy weapons, and its own growing drone arsenal, the Pentagon is increasingly eyeing…
The United States has ordered Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) to cease shipments of certain advanced microchips to its Chinese clients, a move aimed at curtailing China’s access to high-performance technology crucial for artificial intelligence (AI) development. The new restriction, which went into effect on Monday, applies specifically to TSMC’s most sophisticated chip designs, particularly…
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