Apple Adds Rapid Security Response (plus IBM Chooses AI!) | May 4th, 2023

Today In Tech News:

  1. Geoffrey Hinton Leaves Google
  2. Apple Rapid Security Response
  3. IBM AI Jobs
  4. LOBSHOT

Geoffrey Hinton Leaves Google

One of the Godfathers of AI, Dr. Geoffery Hinton, left Google’s Google Brain team on Monday.  

The VP and Engineering Fellow is distancing himself from the organization to speak freely about the future of AI without impacting Google or their future AI endeavors. 

Dr. Hinton acquired his Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence from Edinburgh in 1978 and has been an incredible figurehead in the research and development of artificial neural networks, the technology behind modern AI like ChatGPT and Bard

Dr. Hinton has voiced concerns about deliberate misuse by malicious actors, technological unemployment, and the existential risk from artificial general intelligence.

According to the New York Times, Dr. Hinton now says a part of him regrets his life work.

The arms race between Microsoft and Google continues to rage on, even as more and more industry professionals are jumping ship.

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Apple Rapid Security Response

Apple has started to release a new Rapid Security Response feature, or RSR, that will allow fast and directed security updates to be installed quicker than typical software updates.

The updates are designed to be lightweight security patches that target vulnerabilities that are actively being exploited or put the user at high risk.

The minimum OS requirements to receive the patches are iOS 16.4.1, iPadOS 16.4.1, and macOS 13.3.1.

The deployment of the feature has started out rough as there have been a lot of users experiencing installation failures while trying to upgrade.

The failures seem to be server-side, but Apple has not publicly responded about solutions at this time.

Sources:

IBM AI Jobs

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna has predicted that 30% of back-office functions will be replaced by AI over the next 5 years as the organization is planning to slow and potentially suspend hiring specific departments in the near future

Krishna revealed plans to pause hiring for about 7,800 positions Monday and hopes to expand the initiative to affect roughly 26,000 non-customer-facing roles.

The plan does not include replacing current employees, but could include not replacing roles given up by individuals leaving the organization.

Currently this decision is the most aggressive public facing AI employment plan.

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LOBSHOT

And in security news, LOBSHOT, a new remote access trojan was found by researchers at th Elastic Security Labs.

Trojans are malware that appear to have a useful function but are performing hidden attacks without the target’s knowledge.

Once executed, LOBSHOT checks to see if Microsoft Defender is active, then tries to steal cryptocurrency wallet extensions from Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, then finally opens up a hVNC, or hidden virtual network for the attacker to gain secret remote access.

Once the hVNC is active, the attacker can take full control of the machine, including mouse and keyboard functionality.

The campaign is being run by TA505, the organization behind the Dridex and Locky attacks

To reduce your risk from LOBSHOT and other trojans, make sure to

  • Double-check your antivirus, such as Microsoft Defender, is updated and running
  • Only download software from trusted sources.
  • Remain cautious and avoid clicking on links or downloading files from advertising campaigns.
  • Ensure you are running the most up-to-date software and applications and apply security patches as soon as they are released.

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