Daily Digest on AI and Emerging Technologies (26 November 2024)

TOP OF THE DAY

 

What Donald Trump’s Victory Means for AI Policy, Chips, and AI Development

 

(Alex Friedland – Center for Security and Emerging Technology – 21 November 2024) Donald Trump’s victory in this month’s presidential election has many in the AI world wondering: what will the next four years look like for AI policy? Trump’s first term as president coincided with the start of the current boom in AI research and development. In 2017 — his first year in office — Google researchers published “Attention Is All You Need,” the hugely influential research paper that introduced the transformer architecture underlying today’s most powerful generative AI systems. In 2020, near the end of his first term, OpenAI released GPT-3, the company’s first model to make serious mainstream waves (a later version of GPT-3 powered ChatGPT when it launched in 2022). – https://cset.georgetown.edu/article/what-donald-trumps-victory-means-for-ai-policy-chips-and-ai-development/

 

Artificial Intelligence and the health workforce

 

(OECD.AI – 20 November 2024) Healthcare has progressed through advancements in medicine, leading to improved global life expectancy. Nevertheless, the sector grapples with increasing challenges such as heightened demand, soaring costs, and an overburdened workforce. Factors contributing to health workforce strain include ageing populations, increasing burden from non-communicable and chronic diseases, healthcare providers’ burnout, and evolving patient expectations. Artificial Intelligence (AI) could potentially transform healthcare by alleviating some of these pressures. – https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/science-and-technology/artificial-intelligence-and-the-health-workforce_9a31d8af-en

COUNTER-TERRORISM

Labor stands up new terrorist and extremist content monitoring capability

(David Hollingworth – cyberdaily.au – 18 November 2024) The Albanese government has announced a new around-the-clock monitoring capacity to track and report extremist- and terrorist-related content online. Working with the Australian arm of Tech Against Terrorism, the Online Harms Foundation, the government’s new capability is a first-of-its-kind initiative that will provide Australia and the entire Indo-Pacific region with dedicated, global online monitoring capacity of “terrorists and violent extremists who use the internet to glorify and instruct in acts of terror”. This new monitoring capability will allow for urgent referrals of terrorist and extremist content to the eSafety Commissioner. – https://www.cyberdaily.au/government/11366-labor-stands-up-new-terrorist-and-extremist-content-monitoring-capability

 

SECURITY

 

IoT Device Traffic Up 18% as Malware Attacks Surge 400%

 

(Alessandro Mascellino – Infosecurity Magazine – 25 November 2024) An 18% rise in IoT device traffic and a substantial 400% increase in malware attacks targeting IoT devices have been revealed by security researchers. The findings by Zscaler highlight significant challenges and vulnerabilities accompanying the growing adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) and Operational Technology (OT) systems. The study, published today, examined 300,000 blocked IoT attacks and found that botnet malware families like Mirai and Gafgyt accounted for 66% of attack payloads. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/iot-device-traffic-malware-attacks/

 

New York fines Geico, Travelers $11 million for exposed driver’s license numbers

 

(Jonathan Greig – The Record – 25 November 2024) Insurance giants Geico and Travelers have been fined more than $11 million by New York state regulators over a data leak in 2020 that exposed the driver’s license numbers of about 120,000 New Yorkers. Hackers used the stolen driver’s license numbers to file fraudulent unemployment benefit claims in New York state, pilfering thousands of dollars at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. – https://therecord.media/new-york-fines-auto-insurers-11-million-leaked-data

 

South Asian hackers target Pakistani entities in new espionage campaign

 

(Daryna Antoniuk – The Record – 25 November 2024) A threat actor known as Mysterious Elephant has been observed targeting Pakistani entities in a new espionage campaign. The group, also tracked as APT-K-47, has been active since 2022 and likely originates in South Asia, according to a new report from China-based cybersecurity firm Knownsec. The group’s goals and techniques are similar to those used by India-linked state-sponsored cyberespionage groups, including SideWinder, Confucius and Bitter, the researchers said. – https://therecord.media/south-asian-hackers-target-pakistan-entities-in-espionage-campaign

 

Flying Under the Radar – Security Evasion Techniques

(The Hacker News – 25 November 2024) “I really like the saying that ‘This is out of scope’ said no hacker ever. Whether it’s tricks, techniques or technologies, hackers will do anything to evade detection and make sure their attack is successful,” says Etay Maor, Chief Security Strategist at Cato Networks and member of Cato CTRL. Phishing attacks have transformed significantly over the years. 15-20 years ago, simple phishing sites were sufficient for capturing the crown jewels of the time – credit card details. Today, attacks and defense methods have become much more sophisticated. “This is also the time where the “cat-and-mouse” attack-defense game began,” says Tal Darsan, Security Manager and member of Cato CTRL. At the time, a major defense technique against credit card phishing sites involved flooding them with large volumes of numbers, in hopes of overwhelming them so they couldn’t identify the real credit card details. But threat actors adapted by validating data using methods like the Luhn algorithm to verify real credit cards, checking issuer information via Bank Identification Numbers (BIN), and performing micro-donations to test if the card was active. – https://thehackernews.com/2024/11/flying-under-radar-security-evasion.html

Meta Shutters Two Million Scam Accounts in Two-Year Crackdown

(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine – 25 November 2024) Meta has shut down two million accounts linked to prolific digital scam campaigns emanating from South-East Asia and the Middle East. The social media giant claimed to be sharing for the first time details on its two-year initiative to crack down on pig butchering and other fraud types linked to scam centers in Asia. “In the past two years, we have stood up teams and systems to help identify and go after these scam hotspots globally under our DOI [Dangerous Organizations and Individuals] and safety policies,” the firm said in a blog post. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/meta-shutters-two-million-scam/

Faux ChatGPT, Claude API Packages Deliver JarkaStealer

(Nate Nelson – Dark Reading – 22 November 2024) Two Python packages claiming to integrate with popular chatbots actually transmit an infostealer to potentially thousands of victims. Publishing open source packages with malware hidden inside is a popular way to infect application developers, and the organizations they work for or serve as customers. In this latest case, the targets were engineers eager to make the most out of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthrophic’s Claude generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) platforms. The packages, claiming to offer application programming interface (API) access to the chatbot functionality, actually deliver an infostealer called “JarkaStealer.” – https://www.darkreading.com/application-security/faux-chatgpt-claude-api-packages-jarkastealer

Yakuza Victim Data Leaked in Japanese Agency Attack

(Dark Reading – 22 November 2024) Japan’s web of ruthless Yakuza organized crime syndicates continues to operate, threatening the country’s citizens with everything from extortion to gangland murders. Local agencies within communities are set up to help those who get involved with gangsters — but unfortunately, one of them has been hacked, potentially leading to physical safety consequences for the victims. The Kumamoto Prefecture Violence Prevention Movement Promotion Center said that 2,500 people who have used its counseling services (which aid with everything from evading extortion to disentangling romantically from Yakuza members) have been impacted by a data breach following a successful phishing effort. – https://www.darkreading.com/cyberattacks-data-breaches/yakuza-victim-data-leaked-japanese-attack

Crypto Money Laundering in Japan: Global Problem, Local Perspectives

(Chainalysis – 21 November 2024) 2024 has seen a number of positive developments for the cryptocurrency ecosystem. In many ways, crypto has continued to gain mainstream acceptance, following the approval of spot Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange-traded products (ETPs) in the United States and revisions to the U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)’s fair accounting rules. Furthermore, inflows to legitimate services year-to-date (YTD) are the highest they’ve been since 2021, the previous bull market peak. In fact, aggregate illicit activity YTD fell by 19.6%, dropping from $20.9B to $16.7B, demonstrating that legitimate activity is growing more quickly than illicit activity on-chain. This encouraging sign points to the continued adoption of crypto globally. These global trends are reflected in Japan’s crypto ecosystem, as well. In general, the exposure of Japanese services to global illicit entities such as sanctioned entities, darknet markets (DNMs), and ransomware services is generally low, as most Japanese services cater primarily to Japanese users. However, this doesn’t imply that Japan is totally immune from crypto-related crime. Public reports, including those from JAFIC, Japan’s financial intelligence unit (FIU), emphasize that crypto poses a significant money laundering risk. Although Japanese exposure to international illicit entities may be limited, the country is not devoid of its own local challenges. Off-chain criminal entities that leverage crypto are prevalent, yet often fly under the radar. – https://www.chainalysis.com/blog/crypto-money-laundering-japan/

FRONTIERS

New Reservoir Computing Device Mimics Human Synaptic Behavior For Efficient Edge AI Processing

(Matt Swayne – AI Insider – 25 November 2024) Researchers from the Tokyo University of Science have developed a self-powered dye-sensitized solar cell-based synaptic device that mimics human synaptic behavior, enabling efficient time-series data processing for edge AI applications. The device, inspired by the eye’s afterimage phenomenon, features light intensity-controllable time constants, allowing it to classify human motions like walking and running with over 90% accuracy while consuming just 1% of the power required by conventional systems. This innovation integrates optical input, computation, and power functions at the material level, paving the way for low-cost, energy-efficient edge AI sensors with applications in health monitoring, surveillance, and vehicle-mounted cameras. – https://theaiinsider.tech/2024/11/25/new-reservoir-computing-device-mimics-human-synaptic-behavior-for-efficient-edge-ai-processing/

Sony Ventures Looks to Quantum and Renewable Energy for Scalable Deep Tech Investments

(Matt Swayne – Quantum Insider – 25 November 2024) Sony Ventures is exploring investments in quantum technologies to accelerate breakthroughs in computation and sensing for scalable applications. The firm is targeting renewable energy innovations that promise sustainable, high-impact solutions for global energy challenges. By prioritizing scalable, transformative technologies, Sony Ventures aims to strengthen its position at the forefront of deep tech investment. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2024/11/25/sony-ventures-looks-to-quantum-and-renewable-energy-for-scalable-deep-tech-investments/

Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute Purchases 5-Qubit IQM Spark

(Matt Swayne – Quantum Insider – 25 November 2024) Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute (TSRI) has procured its first full-stack superconducting quantum computer, a 5-qubit IQM Spark, marking a significant milestone in Taiwan’s quantum computing development. The system, set for delivery and installation in Q2 2025, will support educational and research initiatives while advancing hardware integration for large-scale quantum processors. This collaboration reinforces IQM’s expansion in the APAC region and strengthens Taiwan’s position as a global semiconductor and quantum technology leader. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2024/11/25/taiwan-semiconductor-research-institute-purchases-5-qubit-iqm-spark/