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The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and CISA have published a joint public service announcement that: Describes methods that foreign actors use to spread and amplify false information—including reports of alleged malicious cyber activity—in attempts to undermine trust in election infrastructure; and confirms “the FBI and CISA have no information suggesting any cyber activity against U.S. election infrastructure has…
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and CISA have published a joint public service announcement that: Assesses malicious cyber activity aiming to compromise election infrastructure is unlikely to result in large-scale disruptions or prevent voting; and confirms “the FBI and CISA have no reporting to suggest cyber activity has ever prevented a registered voter from casting a ballot,…
Available on Demand: OODA CTO Bob Gourley Chats with Simply Cyber on “Cracking the Original APT”.
As OODA CEO Matt Devost mentioned at OODAcon 2022, Razor’s Edge Ventures recently made a commitment to national security investment to enhance American competitiveness by closing on a fund dedicated to “current technology areas of interest for the firm, which are informed by strategic U.S. national security priorities, [such as] autonomous systems, space technologies, cybersecurity,…
The Biden Administration recently published its National Security Strategy (NSS), a document that defines the government’s overall strategic priorities, and thereby serving as a guidelines for all U.S. government agencies. As such, it is the underpinning for agency-specific and other strategic documents like the Department of Defense’s National Defense Strategy and the forthcoming U.S. Government’s…
We continue with our survey of crypto and digital currency initiatives from around the globe, all of which are officially sanctioned to enhance national competitive advantage (in the event crypto overtakes the US dollar as the global reserve currency). It is the cumulative adoption rate of state-sanctioned crypto and digital currency legalization and regulation that…
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…
Game theory, the study of competition and conflict, tells us there are two types of games: Finite Games and Infinite Games. Knowing which one you are playing is key to making optimal decisions. Finite games are those that have a beginning and an end. The objective of a finite game is to win. The game…
On a plant-by-plant basis, additive and advanced manufacturing will create many high-skilled, high-wage jobs, but it is not a cure-all for the decades of job losses induced by decades of offshoring and outsourcing of the U.S. manufacturing and industrial base – with nowhere near the job creation that factories used to create in the U.S. …
In a series of posts entitled Autonomous Everything, we are exploring automation in all its technological forms, including legacy working assumptions about the term itself. Autonomous Everything includes a broad autonomous future in areas such as Security Automation, Automation and the Workforce, Automation – or Augmentation – of the workforce, and Automation of AI/Machine Learning Training Models and Industry Standardization. …
China has purposefully committed to competing in the advanced technology realm and views its dominance as integral to becoming a complete cyber power, and one that counterbalances the United States in what it views are key technologies that will shape the future. China has jumped on every opportunity it can, becoming a global leader in…
Traditional threat detection (e.g., rule-based intrusion detection, anti-virus systems, and threat intelligence feeds) has been reactive and not a reliable way of preventing threats. While a database full of past events is better than an empty one, threat detection tools matter only insofar as they relate to threats your organization faces. Since there is no…
Additive manufacturing is an exponential technology that will disrupt many industry verticals, including the future of the commercial space industry. Many of the component parts used to build additive manufacturing systems are examples of the convergence of a variety of technologies that are experiencing exponential growth curves which then contribute to the overall exponential speed…
CISA usually puts out an official Shields Up! advisory on long U.S. holiday weekends (based on the historical pattern of increased cyber activities directed at the U.S. during those weekends). Although this weekend was not a holiday weekend, based on the recent cyber incidents and strategic threat vector activity itemized in this post, we put…
While the United States has traditionally leaned on public relations to promote its messaging via public diplomacy and overt public social media channels, this new activity is more surreptitious in nature. Per the data collected by the researchers, there were several accounts (in their words) without “U.S. military disclosures,” a tactic that U.S. adversaries have…
The first legally binding international AI treaty will be open for signing on Thursday by the countries that negotiated it, including European Union members, the United States and Britain, the Council of Europe human rights organisation said. The AI Convention, which has been in the works for years and was adopted in May after discussions…
Over 50 African nations gathered in Beijing this week for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. At the forum, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised to create over one million jobs for Africa. Additionally, Xi is pledging $51 billion in financing and his support for 30 infrastructure projects on the continent. The financial assistance will be given…
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, is refusing the current ceasefire proposal. Netanyahu believes that his military should be able to maintain control over the Philadelphi Corridor. This is Gaza’s southern border area with Egypt. Israeli forces have controlled the area since May. Netanyahu’s stance on this issue has become the main obstacle in the current…
Mexico’s lower house of Congress has approved the president’s proposal to redesign the entire judiciary. This is the start of a new system where almost every judge will be elected to office. Currently, judges are appointed based on their training and qualifications. The bill will now move to the Senate for voting. The bill is…
Russia has launched a major attack on Ukraine’s western city of Lviv, close to Ukraine’s border with Poland. This attack caused NATO-member Poland to quickly get aircraft in the air in response to the drone and missile strike near Polish territory. This is the third time in the past eight days that the NATO member…
Researchers have discovered a disturbingly simple method with which attackers can distribute malicious payloads through the PyPI package repository. The attacker only has to re-register a malicious package on PyPI with the same name as a legitimate package that was previously registered but is now removed. Then, the hacker just has to wait for organizations…
Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) announced that they were seizing 32 internet domains. The domains are part of Doppelganger, a pro-Russian propaganda operation. The DoJ is accusing the Russian government of directing the operation and violating U.S. criminal trademark and money laundering laws. The Russian influence campaign aims to disperse Russian government propaganda…
Researchers have discovered that YubiKey security keys can be cloned through a side-channel attack. The attack uses a vulnerability in a third-party cryptographic library, Infineon, to make a clone of a YubiKey security key. The clone can then be used to gain access to a victim’s account. However, the attack is difficult to pull off.…
North Korean hackers are using a fake FreeConference App to target job seekers. The actors are using a Windows video conferencing application to impersonate FreeConference.com. This is allowing them to backdoor developer systems. The financially-driven campaign is called “Contagious Interview,” and CrowdStrike is tracking the North Korean threat group under the name “Famous Chollima.” The…
Shares of AI heavyweight Nvidia tumbled 9.5% on Tuesday in the deepest ever single-day decline in market value for a U.S. company, as investors softened their optimism about artificial intelligence in a broad market selloff following tepid economic data. Nvidia lost $279 billion in market capitalization, a major indication that investors are becoming more cautious…
A long-awaited search engine being developed by the maker of ChatGPT is far from ready to replace Google, according to interviews with people who got access to the tool, videos shared online and analysis by a search marketing firm. OpenAI’s SearchGPT uses artificial intelligence to provide slick answers with clearly marked sources, by summarizing information drawn…
Anthropic is launching a new subscription plan for its AI chatbot, Claude, catered towards enterprise customers that want more administrative controls and increased security. Claude Enterprise will compete with OpenAI’s business-specific solution, ChatGPT Enterprise, released roughly a year ago. Claude Enterprise allows businesses to upload proprietary company knowledge into Anthropic’s AI chatbot. Then Claude can…
Back in February, Norway’s 1X showed off the progress it had made with its pick-and-place workplace humanoid, Eve. Now the OpenAI-backed company has released video footage of its latest prototype, a bipedal butlerbot named Neo Beta. Eve doesn’t walk on two legs but wheels along at up to 9 mph (14.5 km/h). It lacks human-like hands,…
Safe Superintelligence (SSI), newly co-founded by OpenAI’s former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, has raised $1 billion in cash to help develop safe artificial intelligence systems that far surpass human capabilities, company executives told Reuters. SSI, which currently has 10 employees, plans to use the funds to acquire computing power and hire top talent. It will…
In an attempted escape from the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s biggest prison, at least 129 people were killed. Interior Minister Shabani Lukoo stated that the attempted breakout happened amidst a fire in the prison’s administrative buildings. Of the 129 dead, 24 were killed by gunfire. Around 59 were injured. Makala prison is the largest…
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced plans to completely restructure his cabinet in a major shake-up. Now, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has offered to resign. At least six other senior leaders are offering to resign as well, and more are expected to follow suit. A new list of ministers is expected to be presented…
ISIL is claiming that they were behind a deadly suicide bombing in Kabul on Monday. The bombing killed at least six people and wounded thirteen. The group posted to Telegram on Tuesday, stating that one of its members had detonated an explosive vest in Kabul in the Monday attack. The bombing was targeting the Taliban…
Yesterday, Russian forces carried out one of its deadliest strikes against Ukraine since the war began in 2022. Over 41 people were killed and 180 injured when two Russian missiles hit a hospital and military facility in Poltava. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says many people are believed to still be trapped under the rubble. Russia…
Halliburton, a U.S. oil service giant, has confirmed that corporate data was stolen during a cyberattack last month. The company has not officially confirmed that the cyberattack was part of a ransomware extortion scheme. However, the attack resulted in significant disruptions for the company including limited access to some IT systems. Halliburton stated that the…
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (Dutch DPA) is fining Clearview AI 30.5 million euros, equivalent to $33.7 million. The Dutch DPA is imposing the fine against the facial recognition firm for violating the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). They stated that Clearview AI had built an illegal database holding photographs of faces which included…
Head Mare, a hacktivist group, is being connected to cyber attacks solely targeting Russian and Belarusian organizations. The group recently exploited a WinRAR vulnerability to execute code via a prepared archive, disguising its payload. The hacktivist group began attacking Russian organizations in 2023 in response to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Head Mare frequently leaks sensitive information…
“Cicada3301” is a recently created ransomware tool on the market. The ransomware is named after the infamous 4chan puzzle project from the early 2010s. Cicada3301 emerged over two months ago on June 18, and has since been used to compromise 21 companies. The ransomware is similar to the BlackCat ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operation. Cicada3301 is being…
Imagine a customer-service center that speaks your language, no matter what it is. Alorica, a company in Irvine, California, that runs customer-service centers around the world, has introduced an artificial intelligence translation tool that lets its representatives talk with customers who speak 200 different languages and 75 dialects. So an Alorica representative who speaks, say, only Spanish…
China’s efforts to match US computing power in artificial intelligence are being hampered by bug-ridden software, with customers of leading AI chipmaker Huawei complaining about performance issues and the difficulty of switching from Nvidia products. The Chinese technology giant has emerged as the frontrunner in the race to develop a domestic alternative to industry leader…
Embodied AI—the integration of artificial intelligence with physical systems to perform complex tasks in real-world environments—is transforming how we interact with the world around us. By coupling AI-driven algorithms with robotics, especially in industries that require real-world solutions, we can enhance the human experience. Various industries have already embraced embodied AI systems. Seeking to solve…
Say what you will about Elon Musk, but when the technological disruptor sets his mind to something, he plays to win. Founded only in July of last year, his latest artificial intelligence startup, xAI, just brought a new supercomputer dubbed “Colossus” online during the Labor Day weekend designed to train its large language model (LLM)…
U.S. facial recognition company Clearview AI has been fined 30.5 million euros ($33.7 million) for building what Dutch data protection watchdog DPA said on Tuesday was an illegal database. DPA also issued an additional order, imposing a penalty of up to 5 million euros on Clearview for non-compliance. “Clearview AI does not have a place…
US researchers have potentially identified the launch site for the new SSC-X-9 Skyfall nuclear powered cruise missile. Civilian researchers using commercially available satellite images have potentially identified the launch site for the new SSC-X-9 Skyfall nuclear powered cruise missile. The Skyfall has been in development and testing for several years and has had a troubled…
The President of Honduras has moved to end the extradition treaty with the US. Following new inquires into the family of current President Xiomara Castro, an announcement has been made that the US-Honduras extradition treaty will be ended. This move has reignited fears that the President and her administration have fallen to the cycle of…
An arrest warrant has been issued for the Venezuelan opposition’s presidential candidate. Venezuelan authorities have obtained an arrest warrant for the opposition’s presidential candidate. Following the summer election, the opposition with broad international support has decried the election results as falsified, and has refused to cooperate with investigations into their campaign. The warrant was obtained…
A North Korean group has used a zero-day Chrome exploit to defraud crypto users. A North Korean hacker group has used a zero-day Chrome exploit to run remote code in the Chromium rendering process. The group, known as Citrine Sleet, tricks users into accessing a fake website which then allows the group to deploy the…
Transport for London has fallen victim to a cyber attack. The agency responsible for public transportation in London has fallen victim to a cyber attack. The agency said that no consumer data has been comprised and no operations have been disrupted. It said that its back room systems have been compromised. There is currently no…
Researchers have uncovered a widespread malware campaign against entities in several countries. Researchers have uncovered a new malware campaign that makes use of several complex techniques to infiltrate victim’s systems. The novel malware has been named “Voldemort” and has been found in systems at insurance and aerospace companies as well as universities. The malware has…
Hackers have manipulated Google’s search results to trick victims into downloading malware. Malicious actors have spoofed GlobalProtect VPN software and manipulated Google’s search engage process to trick users into downloading malware. Researchers discovered the fraudulent landing pages and found they are capable of delivering several different types of malware. They also believe that malicious actors…
OpenAI quietly improved the controls in its Assistants API, making it easier for developers to work with files when building AI assistants. The enhanced controls for File Search within the Assistants aim to help people building AI agents improve responses. The improvements let developers adjust how agents choose information from which to generate responses. They…
From its convoluted non-profit-for-profit structure to the brief ouster and return of its CEO, there is not much about OpenAI that’s typical. The startup’s latest funding round, which would reportedly value OpenAI at a whopping $103 billion, is a case in point. According to The Wall Street Journal, OpenAI is in talks to raise several billion…
At the DataGrail Summit 2024 this week, industry leaders delivered a stark warning about the rapidly advancing risks associated with artificial intelligence. Dave Zhou, CISO of Instacart, and Jason Clinton, CISO of Anthropic, highlighted the urgent need for robust security measures to keep pace with the exponential growth of AI capabilities during a panel titled…
“The Jetsons” debuted September 23, 1962. The first episode, titled “Rosey the Robot,” was an origin story of sorts for the titular character, describing how an overworked Jane hired the housekeeper. Sixty-two years after her debut, Rosey remains an important pop cultural touchstone for the unfulfilled promise of home robots. The home of 2024 isn’t necessarily…
Canadian startup Cohere announced significant improvements to its Command R series of large language models (LLMs) on Friday, aiming to enhance performance in coding, math, reasoning, and latency for its enterprise clients. The upgrades come as the company seeks to solidify its position in the competitive AI market. Founded in 2019 by former Google Brain…
The highly anticipated launch of the new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro takes place on September 9, but new details on next year’s iPhone 17 ask some difficult questions of Apple’s AI strategy. Multiple sources, including supply chain analyst Jeff Pu and reliable Weibo leaker “Phone Chip Expert” have highlighted that next year’s iPhone…
The US government announced agreements with leading artificial intelligence startups OpenAI and Anthropic to help test and evaluate their upcoming technologies for safety. Under the agreements, announced on Thursday, the US AI Safety Institute will receive early access to major new AI models from the companies to evaluate capabilities and risks as well as collaborate…
Apple is in talks to invest in OpenAI, a move that would cement ties to a partner integral to its efforts to gain ground in the artificial-intelligence race. The investment would be part of a new OpenAI fundraising round that would value the ChatGPT maker above $100 billion, people familiar with the situation said. The…
Eighteen months after restricting employee use of generative artificial intelligence solutions like ChatGPT, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon rolled out an AI assistant of the company’s own making. In an almost full-circle fashion, the solution is built on the technology of ChatGPT’s maker, OpenAI. Dubbed LLM Suite, the banking giant has already released the service…
The improved version of Alexa that Amazon’s expected to release this year will primarily be powered by Anthropic’s Claude artificial intelligence model, according to Reuters. The publication reports that initial versions of Amazon’s smarter, subscription-based voice assistant that used the company’s own AI proved insufficient, often struggling with words and responding to user prompts. Amazon’s…
Israel has agreed to temporarily pause fighting in areas of Gaza to allow the distribution of polio vaccines. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it received a preliminary commitment for these temporary “humanitarian pauses.” The distribution of polio vaccines in Gaza is crucial. Deteriorating conditions from the war are enabling the spread of disease…
Honduras has announced that it plans to end its extradition treaty with the United States. The announcement comes in response to criticism from the American ambassador to Honduras about a meeting between Honduras and Venezuela. Honduran officials became angry with the U.S. when Laura Dogu, the U.S. ambassador to the country, commented on her surprise…
The World Food Programme (WFP) is pausing the movement of its employees in the Gaza Strip after gunfire hit a WFP vehicle. The vehicle was near an Israeli-controlled checkpoint. This is the first time over the course of the war that a WFP vehicle has been directly shot at while located near a checkpoint. The…
Last week, Houthi rebels attacked a Greek vessel in the Red Sea. Now, the ship appears to be leaking oil in what could possibly be an environmental catastrophe. The Houthis, an Iran-backed group, have been targeting ships traveling through the Red Sea for months. The attacks are in response to the Israeli offensive against Palestinians…
The Play ransomware group published data which was allegedly stolen from Microchip Technology. Last week, Microchip revealed that it had been hit by a cyberattack. The company is still experiencing disruptions in its ability to fulfill orders. The Play ransomware group listed Microchip on its website on August 27. Two days later, the group began…
The U.S. government has issued an advisory on the RansomHub ransomware group. RansomHub is believed to have been behind the attack on Halliburton last week. Halliburton is the world’s second largest oil company. Although details have not yet been shared with the public, it is believed the company was targeted in a ransomware attack. Several…
Researchers at Google have found signs that a Russian threat actor is reusing iOS and Chrome exploits. These researchers have observed Russia’s APT29 using exploits very similar to one’s used by NSO Group and Intellexa. This suggests that the tools may have been acquired between state-backed actors. APT29 has been connected to multiple high-profile attacks,…
U.S. agencies discovered that an Iranian hacking group, Pioneer Kitten, has breached multiple organizations around the country. Pioneer Kitten is also coordinating with affiliate groups to launch ransomware attacks. The group is also known as Fox Kitten, Lemon Sandstorm, Parasite, and UNC757. The threat actor is connected to the government of Iran and likely uses…
Meta’s Llama artificial intelligence models are being used by companies including Goldman Sachs and AT&T for business functions like customer service, document review and computer code generation, the social media giant said in a statement on Thursday. The mostly free-of-charge Llama models have been downloaded almost 350 million times since Meta began releasing them publicly…
The OpenAI rival startup Anthropic yesterday released system prompts for its Claude family of AI models and committed to doing so going forward, setting what appears to be a new standard of transparency for the fast-moving gen AI industry, according to observers. System prompts act much like the operating instructions of large language models (LLMs),…
Intel has found its first cloud customer for its Gaudi 3 AI accelerator chip: IBM Cloud. IBM and Intel on Thursday said IBM Cloud will begin offering Gaudi 3 to customers early next year. The chip’s accelerators will be available for both hybrid and on-premise environments, and IBM says it plans to enable support for Gaudi…
Shortly after the release of Alien: Romulus – the new film in a science fiction series that has often depicted artificial intelligence as ruthlessly calculating – a decidedly more optimistic mood filled the halls at the World Robot Conference in the southeast of Beijing. There, the models on display prompted more academic conversations in lieu…
Nvidia has made life at the top look easy. But staying there is going to be anything but. The chip maker, which has gone from a niche videogame component supplier to a $3 trillion enterprise in just a few years, put up another round of strong results Wednesday. Its now-dominant data center segment increased revenue…
Maduro has named a long time ally as Interior Minister in a move that many say foreshadows further crackdowns. Maduro has named a long time ally as Interior Minister. Diosdado Cabello has served in a number of positions in the government and was early support Hugo Chavez. The Interior Minister has board authority of the…
China has adopted a new approach in its lending of money to African nations. For the first time in several years, China’s lending to African states has increased. Researchers believe that this increase in lending represents a shift in Chinese strategy. They believe that China is attempting to move away from risky deals with heavily…
Iranian linked groups were found to be behind a campaign to identify potential western collaborators. Researchers have uncovered a number of fake companies that were used by Iranian linked groups to identify potential moles. The operation has been linked to APT 42 and has been in operation since 2017. The operation used accounts across multiple…
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