Category: News You Can Use

The US Is Considering a TP-Link Router Ban—Should You Worry?

Posted on by esimantiras

The US Is Considering a TP-Link Router Ban—Should You Worry?

source: wired.com  |  image: pexels.com

 

Several government departments are investigating TP-Link routers over Chinese cyberattack fears, but the company denies links.

TP-Link is one of the most popular routermanufacturers in the US, but the company is facing a potential ban due to security concerns about its links to China. A December report from The Wall Street Journal revealed that the US Commerce, Defense, and Justice Departments are investigating TP-Link, though no evidence of deliberate wrongdoing has yet emerged.

“We are a US company,” Jeff Barney, president of TP-Link told WIRED, “We have no affiliation with TP-Link Tech, which focuses on mainland China, and we can prove our separateness.” Continue reading “The US Is Considering a TP-Link Router Ban—Should You Worry?” →

ChatGPT’s Deep Research just identified 20 jobs…

Posted on by esimantiras

ChatGPT’s Deep Research just identified 20 jobs it will replace. Is yours on the list?

source: zdnet.com (contributed by Artemus founder, Bob Wallace)  |  image: pexels.com

 

After researching 24 sources in seven minutes, ChatGPT came up with the top jobs that might be on the chopping block.

This week, OpenAI launched its Deep Research feature which can synthesize content from across the web into one detailed report in minutes leveraging a version of the company’s latest model, o3. 

This feature is a powerful tool for workers, as it can save them hours by completing research autonomously. But can the technology’s underlying model replace workers? Yes, suggests Deep Research. Continue reading “ChatGPT’s Deep Research just identified 20 jobs…” →

X is blocking links to Signal

Posted on by esimantiras

X is blocking links to Signal

source: theverge.com (contributed by FAN, Steve Page)  |  image: pexels.com

Users attempting to add their Signal.me URL to posts, DMs, and bio descriptions are being met with error messages.

X users are currently unable to post links to Signal.me, which are used to quickly and securely send direct messages to Signal users. A variety of failure notifications are being reported when X users attempt to post Signal links on the platform, some of which identify the blocked message as containing spam, harmful content, or malicious activity. Continue reading “X is blocking links to Signal” →

We’re In for a Rude Awakening on Cybersecurity

Posted on by esimantiras

We’re In for a Rude Awakening on Cybersecurity

source: city-journal.org (contributed by FAN, Steve Page)  |  image: pexels.com

America remains ill-prepared for Chinese hackers targeting critical infrastructure.

It’s a crisis that almost no one is talking about. The Chinese Communist Party is now the world’s preeminent practitioner of cyber warfare. Once notoriously loud and clumsy, the CCP’s hackers have become stealthy and sophisticated. They’re intercepting the calls and texts of our leaders and infiltrating servers at our ports, power plants, and water-treatment facilities. Yet hardly anyone seems to care. When Congress held hearings on cybersecurity late last year, only a handful of journalists bothered to cover them. Continue reading “We’re In for a Rude Awakening on Cybersecurity” →

FBI Sounds Alarm Over AT&T Hackers…

Posted on by esimantiras

FBI Sounds Alarm Over AT&T Hackers Stealing Agent Call Logs That Man Expose Informants

source: ibtimes.com (contributed by Steve Page)  |  image: fbi.gov

 

Hackers who breached AT&T’s systems may have handed criminals a roadmap to FBI informants

 

Hackerswho breached AT&T‘s systems may have handed criminals a roadmap to FBIinformants, stealing call logs that could unravel investigations and jeopardize lives, according to alarming new details revealed Thursday.

FBI officials have warned that last year’s AT&T system breach likely led to the theft of months’ worth of call and text records tied to federal agents, raising concerns about the safety of confidential informants, Bloomberg News reported. Continue reading “FBI Sounds Alarm Over AT&T Hackers…” →

Chinese hackers infiltrated US Treasury Secretary’s PC — attackers had access to over 400 PCs

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Chinese hackers infiltrated US Treasury Secretary’s PC — attackers had access to over 400 PCs

source: tomshardware.com (contributed by Steve Page)  |  image: pexels.com 

 

As reported last week, Chinese hackers infiltrated the U.S. Department of Treasury and gained access to several users’ workstations. However, according to Bloomberg, the infiltration was more severe than initially reported, as hackers managed to access systems belonging to Secretary Janet Yellen and other top officials.

A chilling, “catastrophic” warning

Posted on by esimantiras

A chilling, “catastrophic” warning

source: axios.com (contributed by Bill Amshey)  |  image: pixabay.com

 

Jake Sullivan — with three days left as White House national security adviser, with wide access to the world’s secrets — called us to deliver a chilling, “catastrophic” warning for America and the incoming administration:

  • The next few years will determine whether artificial intelligence leads to catastrophe — and whether China or America prevails in the AI arms race.

Why it matters: Sullivan said in our phone interview that unlike previous dramatic technology advancements (atomic weapons, space, the internet), AI development sits outside of government and security clearances, and in the hands of private companies with the power of nation-states, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write in a “Behind the Curtain” column.

  • Underscoring the gravity of his message, Sullivan spoke with an urgency and directness that were rarely heard during his decade-plus in public life.

Continue reading “A chilling, “catastrophic” warning” →

Malicious Ads in Search Results Are Driving New Generations of Scams

Posted on by esimantiras
Malicious Ads in Search Results Are Driving New Generations of Scams
source: wired.com  |  image: pixabay.com
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The scourge of “malvertising” is nothing new, but the tactic is still so effective that it’s contributing to the rise of investment scams and the spread of new strains of malware.

Malicious digital advertisements and “SEO poisoning” that gets those ads to prime spots in search results have been mainstays of the digital scamming ecosystem for years. But as online crime evolves and malicious trends like “pig butchering” investment scams and infostealing malware proliferate, researchers say that so-called “malvertising” is still a key technique for scammers—and still a growing problem.

Instances of malvertising in the US were up 42 percent month-over-month in fall 2023 and increased another 41 percent from July to September of this year, according to data from the security firm Malwarebytes. The company says that scammers typically cycle through the advertising accounts used for malvertising quickly, and 77 percent of the accounts are only used once. The bulk of the activity, though, traces back to South Asia and Southeast Asia, Malwarebytes says, with 90 percent of the ad fraud coming from Pakistan and Vietnam, according to the researchers’ telemetry. But as with many components of the digital crime ecosystem, malvertising is often offered as a service where cybercriminals from around the world can purchase ads that distribute their malware or lead potential victims to a malicious website of their choosing. Continue reading “Malicious Ads in Search Results Are Driving New Generations of Scams” →

US government says companies are no longer allowed to send bulk data to these nations

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US government says companies are no longer allowed to send bulk data to these nations

source: techradar.com (contributed by Steve Page)  |  image: pixabay.com

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US data is off the table for China, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and more

The US Department of Justice has issued a final rule on Executive Order 14117, which President Joe Biden signed in February 2024, preventing the movement of US citizens’ data to a number of “countries of concern”.

The list of countries consists of China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela, all of which the DoJ says have “engaged in a long-term pattern or serious instances of conduct significantly adverse to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of U.S. persons.” Continue reading “US government says companies are no longer allowed to send bulk data to these nations” →

FBI Warns Smartphone Users…

Posted on by esimantiras

FBI Warns Smartphone Users—Hang Up And Create A Secret Word Now

source: forbes.com (contributed by Artemus founder, Bob Wallace)  |  image: fbi.gov

 

Update, Dec. 07, 2024: This story, originally published Dec. 05, now includes details of innovative technological solutions for smartphone users looking to protect themselves from the kinds of AI-generated scams the FBI has warned about. An update on Dec. 06 added details on reporting smartphone crime to the FBI along with additional input from security experts.

The use of AI in smartphone cyber attacks is increasing as recent reports have revealed; from tech support scams targeting Gmail users to fraudulent gambling apps and sophisticated biometric protection-busting banking fraud to name but a few. Now the Federal Bureau of Investigations has issued a public service announcement warning of how generative AI is being used to facilitate such fraud and advising smartphone users to hang up and create a secret word to help mitigate these cyber attacks. Here’s what the FBI warned you must do.

FBI Warns Of Generative AI Attacks Against Smartphone Users

In public service alert number I-120324-PSA, the FBI has warned of cyber attackers increasingly looking to generative AI to commit fraud on a large scale and increase the believability of their schemes. “These tools assist with content creation and can correct for human errors that might otherwise serve as warning signs of fraud,” the FBI said. Given that, as the FBI admits, it can be difficult to tell what is real and what is AI-generated today, the public service announcement serves as a warning for everyone when it comes to what to look out for and how to respond to mitigate the risk. Although not all the advice is aimed directly at smartphone users, given that this remains a primary delivery mechanism for many AI deepfake attacks, especially those using both facial and vocal cloning, it is this advice that I am focusing on.

Continue reading “FBI Warns Smartphone Users…” →