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SolarWinds, the enterprise technology company made famous after suffering a nation state directed cyber attack in 2020, has been served notice by the SEC that further action is coming. Not only did they receive their own Wells Notice in October, but now two individuals, their CFO and CISO, have as well. This is the first…
Editor’s note: This post by Dr. Bilyana Lilly provides insights into an aspect of Russia’s information warfare activities. Dr. Lilly, part of the OODA Network, is the author of the book Russian Information Warfare: Assault on Democracies in the Cyber Wild West and a frequent contributor to our network membership meetings (see this summary). Hakan…
The time has come for the United States to mount a major effort to address the finding in last week’s OODA Loop: a new analysis from the FTC showed that bogus bank fraud warnings were the most common form of text message scam reported to the agency and that many of the most common text…
A quick, anecdotal thumbnail sketch on the cybersecurity threat vectors for 2023: the APT and zero-day activity feel particularly ferocious right now. As a result, on June 1, 2023, we generated a quick, general update on Federal Deadlines for Updates to Known Exploited Vulnerabilities and Zero-days Patches in an effort to wrap our brains around…
Will the New DoJ’s New National Security Cyber Section Bite or Just Bark? On June 20, 2023, the Department of Justice (DoJ) announced a new National Security Cyber Section within its National Security Division. According to the U.S. assistant attorney general, the purpose of the section is to “increase the scale and speed” of DoJ’s disruption and prosecution of…
As recently as a couple of weeks ago, we described recent statements by an official in the DoD Chief Information Office (CIO) – about the potential for a “faster, secure pipeline” for commercial SMBs trying to innovate on behalf of the DoD – as the rare DoD signal of an awareness of the challenges faced…
Join this webinar to learn about the five (5) pillars surrounding the implementation of this vital new initiative, what is really important, and how to get started. This is a must-attend for anyone who is working toward a more secure operating environment for government agencies and the constituents they serve.
The release and success of ChatGPT have thrown policymakers into a frenzy of AI regulatory activity. Meanwhile, as with privacy and crypto regulation, the EU is setting the global standard with the recent passage of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act. Over the course of 2021 – as we reviewed a variety of research efforts concerned…
Our current update on the events in Russia is lean and mean – and two-fold over two standalone posts: Cutting straight to the chase on the what and why of the Wagner Group Retreat; and putting President Vladimir Putin’s Address to the Russian People officially into our record here in the OODA Loop database. So…
Our current update on the events in Russia is lean and mean – and two-fold: 1) Cutting straight to the chase on the What and Why of the Wagner Group Retreat ; and 2) Putting President Vladimir Putin’s Address to the Russian People into the record here in our database. So far, It is one of…
Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has accused Vladimir Putin of of misleading people on Russia’s progress in the war. Prigozhin’s statements have been growing more and more angry over the last few weeks, and he is now promising revenge for attacks on Wagner he says were ordered by Russia’s ministry of defense. The Russian Defense Ministry…
OODA hosts a monthly video call to help members optimize opportunities and reduce risk to discuss items of common interest to our membership. These highly collaborative sessions are always a great way for our members to meet and interact with each other while talking about topics like global risks, emerging technologies, cybersecurity, and current or…
The CISA Cybersecurity Advisory Committee Quarterly Meeting is meeting today. Included here are summaries of the 5th and 6th meetings of the Committee, held in December 2022 and March 2023, respectively.
A new analysis from the Federal Trade Commission shows that bogus bank fraud warnings were the most common form of text message scam reported to the agency, and that many of the most common text scams impersonate well-known businesses. In a newly issued data spotlight, the FTC ranks the top five types of text message…
In this post, We resume our efforts to understand the risks and opportunities in the exponential Biotech, Medical and Healthcare sector by taking a look at a seminal case study by the Blockchain Research Institute on the future of patients owning and controlling their medical data – all on the blockchain. This research is also…
The U.S. conducted an airstrike against Islamic State militants in Somalia, the first such military operation since President Trump returned to the White House. The strike targeted an Islamic State Operative. A senior U.S. official said it could take some time to determine if the main target survived the airstrike. The official said the man…
The United States has imposed stiff tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada and China, prompting swift retaliatory measures from the country’s North American neighbors. Trump said the tariffs were necessary to “protect Americans” and promised to keep the duties in place until what he called a national emergency in the US over the drug fentanyl…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on his way to the United States to discuss the second phase of the ceasefire agreed with Palestinian group Hamas. The first phase of the ceasefire is set to free 33 Israeli captives in return for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. The second phase is expected to cover the release…
While AI assistants like Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT offer incredible benefits, they are also being exploited by cybercriminals. Google’s latest report reveals that advanced persistent threat (APT) groups from multiple nations, including Iran, China, North Korea, and Russia, have been experimenting with Gemini to streamline their cyber operations. This trend is a major concern…
On Thursday, authorities in the US and Netherlands announced the disruption of a Pakistan-based network of illicit online marketplaces selling hacking and fraud-enabling tools. For roughly five years, these websites had been operated by a threat actor known as Saim Raza and HeartSender, and advertised as facilitating fraud. Since 2020, Saim Raza has been selling…
Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued a ban on Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek for government-issued devices. “Texas will not allow the Chinese Communist Party to infiltrate our state’s critical infrastructure through data-harvesting AI and social media apps,” Abbott said in a statement. The governor also prohibited popular Chinese-owned social media apps Xiaohongshu and Lemon8…
OpenAI on Thursday said the U.S. National Laboratories will be using its latest artificial intelligence models for scientific research and nuclear weapons security. Under the agreement, up to 15,000 scientists working at the National Laboratories may be able to access OpenAI’s reasoning-focused o1 series. OpenAI will also work with Microsoft , its lead investor, to…
SoftBank Corp. and Quantinuum announced a partnership to advance quantum computing into practical applications, including plans for a quantum data center. According to a joint statement, the collaboration will address AI’s current limitations and enable next-generation solutions to complex problems. The initiative, timed with the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology in 2025, aims…
Mistral AI, the rapidly ascending European artificial intelligence startup, unveiled a new language model today that it claims matches the performance of models three times its size while dramatically reducing computing costs — a development that could reshape the economics of advanced AI deployment. The new model, called Mistral Small 3, has 24 billion parameters…
As blockchain technology seeps slowly into the traditional financial services ecosystem, it is offering new opportunities through tokenization and decentralized finance (DeFi). Today’s episode of the Tearsheet podcast hosts Paul Brody, EY’s Global Blockchain Leader who shares his expertise on these developments. Paul is focusing on the promise of public blockchain and the challenges surrounding…
Japan expanded its export controls to include cutting-edge chips and quantum computer-related technology, a move China warned could have a negative impact on trade between the two countries. The Japanese government is expanding its list of export-controlled items to include advanced chips, lithography equipment and cryocoolers needed for the manufacture of quantum computers, according to…
DeepSeek took the world by storm. For the last week, DeepSeek has been the only topic that anyone in the world wants to talk about. As it currently stands, DeepSeek daily traffic is now much higher than Claude, Perplexity, and even Gemini. But to close watchers of the space, this is not exactly “new” news.…
Large language models like those developed by Microsoft-backed firm OpenAI are set to become commoditized this year amid rapid advances toward next-generation artificial intelligence agents and more nimble, open-source rivals, according to top tech executives. Last week, Chinese AI firm DeepSeek released R1, an open-source reasoning model that claims to rival OpenAI’s o1 model on…
The Philippines has offered to make a deal with China regarding their maritime border dispute. The Philippine President has offered to remove a controversial US missile system from the nation if China stops its maritime aggression. China has not responded to this offer. The US deployed the Typhoon missile system to the Philippines in response…
Rwandan back rebels in the Congo have announced their intention to march on the capital. The Rwandan backed group, M23, have announced their intention to march on the capital of the DRC. This comes after the group successfully captured the city of Goma which is the largest city in eastern Congo. The government of the…
The exchange of prisoners by Israel and Hamas has continued despite several tense moments. Israel and Hamas have continued to release prisoners and hostages despite several tense moments. Hamas released another 8 hostages while Israel released 110 Palestinian prisoners. Unrest has continued with some protesters attacking Israeli forces as the prisoners were being exchanged. Hamas…
The EU has extended sanctions against Russia for another 6 months. The EU has agreed to extended sanctions against Russia for another 6 months. This was agreed to after Hungary agreed to drop its opposition to the extension. Part of the agreement to extend sanctions included the EU agreeing to take a tougher stance on…
Hackers were able to make use of official looking Google phone numbers and emails to attack individuals. It has been reported that a group of hackers made use of official looking Google phone numbers and emails to attack individuals. The hackers attempted to have individuals grant remote access to their accounts by calling from a…
The New York Blood Center has disclosed that its operations have been impacted by a ransomware attack. The New York Blood Center has disclosed that it’s system have been attacked with ransomware. They say the attack has been mitigated but that several systems remain shutdown. The ransomware attack has worsened an already on going blood…
GitHub on Thursday said it was investigating reports that its systems are down. GitHub has said it was investigating reports that users were experiencing outages. Nearly 3,000 users in the United States reported that the platform was down. The users reported that pull requests were not functioning. GitHub has said that the issue was related…
A major US broadcaster has exposed over 1 million sensitive files. US broadcaster, Valley News Live, exposed over 1 million files containing the personnel information of job applicants. Researchers found that the company’s job portal was not secured enough and allowed outside actors to gain access to sensitive personnel data. The researchers have contacted the…
Dr. Amr Awadallah, founder and CEO of Vectara, presented a compelling session on the future of AI innovation. Amr explored how AI systems empower individuals to operate like experts in specialized fields, much like Neo’s instant mastery of Kung Fu in the film. He emphasized the widespread reliance on AI for expertise, using examples like…
In his thought-provoking presentation at OODAcon, Gil Verdon, physicist and CEO of Extropic, outlined his vision for a future where technological innovation drives humanity toward extraordinary achievements. Introduced by Bob Gourley as a critical voice in the high-tech sector and founder/leader of the techno-optimist movement of e/acc, Verdon emphasized the importance of accelerating innovation despite…
Waymo is preparing to test its self-driving taxis in more than 10 new cities across the U.S. The self-driving-technology company owned by Google parent Alphabet on Wednesday said that Las Vegas and San Diego will be the first additional cities where it will be testing its services in 2025. The company is currently conducting tests…
In an essay on Wednesday, Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, weighed in on the debate over whether Chinese AI company DeepSeek’s success implies that U.S. export controls on AI chips aren’t working. Amodei, who recently made the case for stronger export controls in an op-ed co-written with former U.S. deputy national security adviser Matt…
Facebook’s parent company Meta has expanded its clean energy partnership with renewable energy developer Zelestra by signing four new Environmental Attribute Purchase Agreements (EAPAs) to develop four solar projects in Texas with a total capacity of 720 MW. Under the EAPAs, the projects will deliver electricity into the ERCOT grid which also connects to several…
Microsoft is bringing OpenAI’s o1 reasoning model to all Copilot users this week. You won’t need to subscribe to a $20 monthly Copilot Pro or ChatGPT Plus plan to get it either, as Microsoft is making it free for all users of Copilot. Think Deeper, as Microsoft calls its integration of o1, works by allowing…
The appearance of DeepSeek-R1, a Chinese AI model that seems to rival OpenAI’s latest offerings far more cheaply, shocked markets this week and erased $1 trillion from U.S. stock values. This event underscored the stakes of America’s technology race with China—and how close that race is. But as well as competing over AI models such…
Hackers hiding in plain sight, avatars being used in novel attacks, and even perpetual 2FA-bypass threats against Google users have been reported. What a time to be alive if you are a criminal hacker, although calling this latest scary hacker alive is a stretch: be warned, this malicious AI wants your Gmail credentials. Imagine getting…
SoftBank is in talks to invest $15 billion to $25 billion in OpenAI, potentially deepening the relationship between the two companies that are already planning a significant artificial-intelligence infrastructure initiative. Some of that equity investment could be used for OpenAI’s commitment to Stargate, a joint venture with SoftBank and others it announced last week at…
Germany’s government projects little economic growth in 2025. Germany’s government has decreased the nation’s projected economic growth from 1.1% to 0.3%. Industry groups has released more negative projects with some suggestions slightly negative growth. Germany’s economy has struggled to deal with several challenges related to inflation and decreased international trade. Read more: https://apnews.com/article/germany-economy-2025-government-forecast-election-4c1397953441394ddb1aa057c6fffecd
Protests in Serbia continue after the resignation of the country’s Prime Minister. Protests continue across Serbia even after the country’s Prime Minister has resigned. Protests began after a partial building collapse of a railway station killed 15 people. Protesters are demanding the government take action to end corruption. The government has largely refused to back…
Japan has chosen to suspend funding to a UN women’s right panel after it called for the end of male-only imperial succession. Japan has given notice that it will suspend funding for a UN women’s rights panel after it called for the end of male-only imperial succession. The government asserted that the imperial succession policy…
El Salvador’s Congress has approved changes that make it easier to amend the Consitution. El Salvador’s Congress has approved a Constitutional amendment which makes it easier to amend the Constitution. Critics say the change will allow the current ruling party to further consolidate power. Propoents say that this is an important change to ensure that…
DeepSeek data was found to be unsecured. A cybersecurity firm reported that it was able to access sensitive DeepSeek data. DeepSeek is a new AI model that was released by a Chinese company which has sent shockwaves through the tech sector. The researchers said that the data was made inaccessible by the owner’s of DeepSeek,…
The FBI has seized several websites affiliated with cybercrimes. The FBI in cooperation with other agencies has shutdown several websites involved with cybercrimes. Many of these sites have been operating for several years. These sites were used by several different groups to conduct everything from basic scams to ransomware. Read more: https://cybernews.com/cybercrime/hacker-forums-cracked-nulled-mysellix-starkrdp-siezed-fbi-operation-talent/
H&M has been the victim of a data breach. Fashion retailer H&M has been the victim of a data breach. The breach mostly affects individuals in the United Arabs Emeritus. The breach exposed over 4 million customer’s personal data. Read more: https://cybernews.com/news/hm-online-shoppers-details-stolen-hackers-claim/
Researchers have found vulnerabilities in the Lightning AI platform. Researchers have found vulnerabilities in the Lightning AI platform. Attackers were able to run root commands on user’s computers if they clicked on malicious links. The developers of Lighting AI have said that the vulnerability has been patched and urges users to make sure they are…
While there are many ways to build a quantum computer, one popular platform that features superconducting qubits can leverage existing semiconductor fabrication processes and has demonstrated potential for scalability. Most commonly used is the transmon qubit, a micron-sized, nonlinear resonator made from superconducting films typically fabricated on silicon wafers. But because of defects in the…
OpenAI says it has found evidence that Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek used the US company’s proprietary models to train its own open-source competitor, as concerns grow over a potential breach of intellectual property. The San Francisco-based ChatGPT maker told the Financial Times it had seen some evidence of “distillation”, which it suspects to be…
Using RNA to interfere with a gene’s expression of disease-causing proteins is a validated therapeutic approach, but so far, the products in this drug class only address liver proteins. Reducing levels of certain proteins in the central nervous system (CNS) could offer a new way to treat neurological disorders. The challenge facing drug developers is…
Chinese tech company Alibaba on Wednesday released a new version of its Qwen 2.5 artificial intelligence model that it claimed surpassed the highly-acclaimed DeepSeek-V3. The unusual timing of the Qwen 2.5-Max’s release, on the first day of the Lunar New Year when most Chinese people are off work and with their families, points to the…
Robotics is becoming more advanced, and many companies—Tesla, Honda, Xiaomi, Boston Dynamics, Kawasaki and Apptronik, among others—are now starting to develop humanoid robots. The development of humanoid robots is a global affair with major development shifts coming from the U.S., China and Europe. Developing a humanoid robot is an interdisciplinary area that requires many skillsets,…
OpenAI safety researcher Steven Adler announced on Monday he had left OpenAI late last year after four years at the company. In a post shared on X, Adler criticized a race toward AGI that is taking shape between leading AI labs and global superpowers. “An AGI race is a very risky gamble, with huge downside,”…
U.S. officials are looking at the national security implications of the Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday, while President Donald Trump’s crypto czar said it was possible that intellectual property theft could have been at play. The National Security Council is reviewing the app’s implications, Leavitt said.…
Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have officially withdrawn from ECOWAS, the major West African regional alliance. The alliance provides its members with visa-free travel and favorable trade tariffs among other perks. The three nations had announced their intentions to leave the alliance last year, and negotiations then failed to reach an agreement that would incentivize…
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to halt foreign aid. Now, air groups across the world are panicking as they are directed to obey the almost universal order by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to stop work. Officials have directed groups to freeze almost all programs that received any part of…
Russian diplomats have arrived in Syria for the first time since Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad was toppled by opposition fighters. Al-Assad was a close ally of Moscow and sought refuge in Russia late last year. It is expected that the Russian delegation will meet with Syria’s current leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, and the foreign minister. Moscow…
Following the capture of a city in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday, hundreds of protestors have now attacked foreign embassies and a United Nations building in the country’s capital, Kinshasa. The rebel offensive, supported by Rwanda, is threatening to cause chaos in the region. Protestors burned tires and threw stones in front of…
A cyberattack has led to the theft of over $85 million in cryptocurrency assets from Phemex, a Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange. The incident occurred on January 23, and the initial estimate of losses was $29 million. Multiple suspicious transactions were identified across several blockchains. However, over the weekend fraudulent transactions were identified across 16 blockchains, increasing…
Cybersecurity researchers have revealed that a now-patched vulnerability had exposed millions using a popular online travel service to account hijacking. The flaw allowed attackers to gain access to any account within the system, which could lead to impersonation. If the vulnerability was exploited, millions of online airline users would have been at risk. While the…
The European Union has sanctioned three Russian individuals for their alleged role in carrying out cyber attacks against Estonia’s key ministries. Nikolay Alesandrovich Korchagin, Vitaly Shevchenko, and Yuriy Fedorovich Denisov work for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU). The E.U. said that the individuals were behind attacks against computer…
The upcoming Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans will be a prime target for cyberattacks. Sporting events of this size attract attackers due to their massive audiences and extensive digital infrastructure. Additionally, there is potential for large financial and reputational results. Securing events of this scale are difficult as ticketing systems, live streaming platforms, and…
In this engaging panel discussion, Bob Gourley facilitated a dialogue with Andrew Cote, founder of Hyperstition, William “Mac” Mchenry of the DIU, and Katrina McFarland a former DoD executive and commissioner of the AI committee for national security. All are leaders in deep tech, defense innovation, and government engineering—centered on the conference theme of “Convergence.”…
A Chinese company’s claim of a $5.6mn artificial intelligence breakthrough wiped almost $600bn from Nvidia’s market value on Monday, shattering Wall Street’s confidence that tech companies’ AI spending spree will continue and dealing an apparent blow to US tech leadership. Yet many in Silicon Valley believe the broad sell-off is an overreaction to DeepSeek’s latest…
Two months after launching Pep2Tango Therapeutics, VC firm Versant Ventures is unveiling another obesity-focused biotech in the form of Helicore Biopharma. Helicore has emerged from stealth equipped with $65 million from a series A funding round co-led by Versant and OrbiMed. The California-based biotech’s pipeline is headed up by HCR-188, a monoclonal antibody designed to…
Quantum computing remains something of a holy grail in the world of technology: it promises a huge leap in computing power, but only if someone can figure out how to square away the fault rates that prevent any scaling of the tech. Now, one of the more promising quantum startups in Europe is announcing a…
China appears to be building a large laser-ignited fusion research centre in the southwestern city of Mianyang, experts at two analytical organisations say, a development that could aid nuclear weapons design and work exploring power generation. Satellite photos show four outlying “arms” that will house laser bays, and a central experiment bay that will hold…
Updates to OpenAI’s world-conquering AI chatbot ChatGPT are coming thick and fast, but the latest might just be the most significant leap forward yet. When ChatGPT launched just a little over two years ago, it was quite “bare bones” compared to today. Since then, it’s evolved to browse the web, understand images, remember things, reason…
1X has acquired Kind Humanoid, the Norwegian robotics startup told TechCrunch on Monday. The deal marks a small but key consolidation for a humanoid robotics industry on the brink of a major moment in 2025. TechCrunch spoke with Kind Humanoid in October, when the then-three-person startup announced that it had enlisted famed designer Yves Béhar…
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