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In this tech insight, we look at what ‘zero-day’ attacks are, then look at some recent high-profile examples and ultimately at what businesses can do to protect themselves from zero-day attacks. Sophisticated Attacks That Highlight Vulnerabilities In the ever-evolving landscape of digital threats and cyber warfare, one term often sends chills down the spines of…
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Following thousands of moderators making their subreddit communities private for 48 hours as a protest, we look at the reasons why, together with the implications for Reddit, its users, and other stakeholders. What Is Reddit? Reddit is a social media platform where users can join communities called ‘subreddits’ to share content, participate in discussions, and…
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An Observer investigation has reported uncovering evidence that 20 NHS Trusts have been collecting data about patients’ medical conditions and sharing it with Facebook. Using A Covert Tracking Tool The newspaper’s investigation found that over several years, the trusts have been using the Meta Pixel analytics tool to collect patient browsing data on their websites.…
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With phishing attacks being favoured for their effectiveness by attackers and most ransomware attacks now targeting backup storage, we look at what businesses can do to protect themselves. Spear Phishing Accounted For Two-Thirds Of All Attacks Last Year A recent report from security provider Barracuda has revealed that although spear phishing attacks make up just…
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The Shap-E AI system from OpenAI (creators of ChatGPT) and available for open-source download, can create 3D models from text. What Is It? According to the Cornell University researchers behind the system, Shap-E is “a conditional generative model for 3D assets” which, unlike other 3D generative models “generates the parameters of implicit functions that can be rendered as…
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Amazon has announced the launch of ‘Amazon Bedrock,’ a new service which it says is the easiest way for customers to build and scale generative AI-based applications using foundation models (FMs). What Is A Foundation Model (FM)? A foundation model is an “ultra-large” machine learning model that generative AI uses. FMs, which are machine learning…
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With deepfake images recently making the news by fooling many people, we look at the issues around fake images and how to spot them. Recent Examples The emergence of AI has led to an increasing output of highly convincing fake images/manipulated images/deepfake images (and deepfake videos). Motivations for making these images vary, e.g. entertainment (fun…
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Microsoft has announced that it is to help users save time and increase productivity by embedding its AI chatbot ‘Copilot’ into popular Microsoft 365 apps. Embedded In Popular Apps Microsoft says that the Copilot chatbot has been embedded in the popular Microsoft 365 apps – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams. Like Chat GPT, Copilot is…
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A recent US research paper entitled “Opted Out, Yet Tracked: Are Regulations Enough to Protect Your Privacy?” highlights how, in many cases, user data is still being collected, processed, and shared, even when users opt out through a Consent Management Platform (CMP). The Issue The research was based around developing a framework to measure how well Consent…
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Meta has announced it’s launching its own version of Twitter’s Blue Tick called ‘Meta Verified’ for Facebook and Instagram where users pay a monthly subscription to be verified on the platforms. Announcement On February 19, Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, announced that Meta is starting the rollout of its new ‘Meta Verified’ subscription service for Facebook…
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Blockchain data platform Chainanalysis has reported that cybercriminals have seen a 40 per cent fall in their earnings as more people have refused to pay the ransom following ransomware attacks. More Strains With Shorter Lifespans However, the number of unique ransomware strains being used in attacks increased dramatically in 2022 (Fortinet). Also, Chainanalysis reports that…
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Consumer champion Which? says that high-end smart products may lose features and functionality, or become a hacking risk, after as little as two years because manufacturers may stop tech updates. Stopping The Smart Updates Limits Lifespan Which? says it discovered the risk after analysing smart appliances in six key household product areas – washing machines,…
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