Month: November 2023

This Cryptomining Tool Is Stealing Secrets

Posted on by esimantiras

This Cryptomining Tool Is Stealing Secrets

 

source: wired.com  |  image: pexels.com

 

As the Israel-Hamas war raged on this week and Israel expanded its ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, the territory’s compromised internet infrastructure and access to connectivity went fully dark on Friday, leaving Palestinians without access to ground or mobile data connections. Meanwhile, researchers are bracing for the fallout if Hamas makes good on its threats to distribute hostage execution videos online. And TikTokkers are using a niche livestreaming feature and exploiting the Israeli-Hamas conflict to collect virtual gifts from viewers, a portion of which goes to the social media company as a fee.

As the worst mass shooting in Maine’s history unfolded this week and the gunman remained at large, disinformation about the situation and the suspect flooded social media, adding to the already chaotic and horrific situation. Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter) posted remarks earlier this month mocking Ukrainian president Vlodymr Zelensky that were met with a flood of support and enthusiasm from Russian trolls and accounts distributing pro-Russia propaganda.

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Surgeons in New York announce world’s first eye transplant

Posted on by esimantiras

Surgeons in New York announce world’s first eye transplant

source: reuters.com  |  image: pexels.com

 

Nov 9 (Reuters) – Surgeons in New York have performed the first-ever whole-eye transplant in a human, they announced on Thursday, an accomplishment being hailed as a breakthrough even though the patient has not regained sight in the eye.

In the six months since the surgery, performed during a partial face transplant, the grafted eye has shown important signs of health, including well-functioning blood vessels and a promising-looking retina, according to the surgical team at NYU Langone Health.

“The mere fact that we transplanted an eye is a huge step forward, something that for centuries has been thought about, but it’s never been performed,” said Dr. Eduardo Rodriguez, who led the team.

Until now, doctors have only been able to transplant the cornea, the clear front layer of the eye.

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Casino Breaches Expose Why Identity Management Is at a Crossroads

Posted on by esimantiras

Casino Breaches Expose Why Identity Management Is at a Crossroads

 

source: technewsworld.com  |  image: pexels.com

 

As cyberthreats become more prevalent, the tangible losses from identity access management-related breaches underline the critical need to reform this cornerstone of digital security.

By now, many have heard about the massive cyberattacks that affected casino giants MGM Resorts and Caesars, leaving everything from room keys to slot machines on the fritz. Like many recent breaches, it’s a warning to improve security around digital identities — because that’s where it all started.

The origin story of this breach is similar to many we have seen lately: social engineering and impersonation attacks.

Hackers called MGM’s IT department and tricked the help desk into resetting legitimate logins, which they then used to launch a ransomware attack. The same group allegedly staged a rash of similar attacks across various other sectors, including a breach at casino rival Caesars Entertainment, which reportedly paid $15 million to get its data back days before the MGM attack.

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A New AI Arms Race

Posted on by esimantiras

A New AI Arms Race

 

source: cyberdefensemagazine.com  |  image: pixels.com

 

The internet has seen its share of arms races in recent decades. The advent of viruses resulted in an ongoing battle between those who make viruses and those who make antiviruses. The increase in spam made our email accounts unusable without spam filters. The proliferation of annoying ads made ad blockers necessary to maintain any semblance of sanity while browsing the web.\

What is the most likely scenario, then, with regards to the recent breakthroughs in AI technology – namely the large language models (LLMs) that most people know as ChatGPT or Bard?

Predictions vary from the catastrophic to the utopian. And to be sure, both scenarios are possible. But I would suggest that the most predictable outcome is substantially more mundane than either of these options.

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