Independent – Page 21 – Computer Security Articles

Biden lays down the law on AI

October 30, 2023 admin Artificial Intelligence, Data Privacy, Emerging Technology, generative ai, Government, healthcare industry, privacy, Regulation, Security, software development

In a sweeping executive order, US President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Monday set up a comprehensive series of standards, safety and privacy protections, and oversight measures for the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI).

Among more than two dozen initiatives, Biden’s “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence” order was a long time coming, according to many observers who’ve been watching the AI space — especially with the rise of generative AI (genAI) in the past year.

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ComputerWorld Independent

‘Data poisoning’ anti-AI theft tools emerge — but are they ethical?

October 30, 2023 admin Artificial Intelligence, Emerging Technology, generative ai, Intel, Legal, microsoft, natural language processing, Regulation, Security

Technologists are helping artists fight back against what they see as intellectual property (IP) theft by generative artificial intelligence (genAI) tools whose training algorithms automatically scrape the internet and other places for content.

The fight over what constitutes fair use of content found online is at the heart of what has been an ongoing court battle. The fight goes beyond artwork to whether genAi companies like Microsoft and its partner, OpenAI, can incorporate software code and other published content into their models.

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ComputerWorld Independent

White House to issue AI rules for federal employees

October 30, 2023 admin Artificial Intelligence, chatbots, Emerging Technology, generative ai, Government, Government IT, Regulation, Security

After earlier efforts to reign in generative artificial intelligence (genAI) were criticized as too vague and ineffective, the Biden Administration is now expected to announce new, more restrictive rules for use of the technology by federal employees.

The executive order, expected to be unveiled Monday, would also change immigration standards to allow a greater influx of technology workers to help accelerate US development efforts.

On Tuesday night, the White House sent invitations for a “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence” event Monday hosted by President Joseph R. Biden Jr., according to The Washington Post.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Android’s new biometric spec for 'strong security' is anything but

October 30, 2023 admin Android, google, Mobile, Security, small and medium business

Credit to Author: eschuman@thecontentfirm.com| Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2023 12:00:00 -0700

Google has released new biometrics specs for Android devices, with the top-level “strong security” option requiring only “a spoof and imposter acceptance rate not higher than 7%.” But most biometrics specialists say that for something to be considered “high security,” that imposter and acceptance rate should be closer to 1%.

That prompted me to ask Google for comment. Google replied by emailing an anonymous statement to be attributed to nobody that doesn’t directly defend the levels it chose — but did say security decisions are ultimately up to each handset manufacturer.

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Independent Krebs

NJ Man Hired Online to Firebomb, Shoot at Homes Gets 13 Years in Prison

October 23, 2023 admin A Little Sunshine, Ne'er-Do-Well News, patrick mcgovern-allen, violence-as-a-service

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2023 13:08:27 +0000

A 22-year-old New Jersey man has been sentenced to more than 13 years in prison for participating in a firebombing and a shooting at homes in Pennsylvania last year. Patrick McGovern-Allen was the subject of a Sept. 4, 2022 story here about the emergence of “violence-as-a-service” offerings, where random people from the Internet hire themselves out to perform a variety of local, physical attacks, including firebombing a home, “bricking” windows, slashing tires, or performing a drive-by shooting at someone’s residence.

Independent Krebs

Hackers Stole Access Tokens from Okta’s Support Unit

October 23, 2023 admin A Little Sunshine, beyondtrust, charlotte wylie, data breaches, marc maiffret, Okta, okta breach

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2023 18:39:23 +0000

Okta, a company that provides identity tools like multi-factor authentication and single sign-on to thousands of businesses, has suffered a security breach involving a compromise of its customer support unit, KrebsOnSecurity has learned. Okta says the incident affected a “very small number” of customers, however it appears the hackers responsible had access to Okta’s support platform for at least two weeks before the company fully contained the intrusion.

ComputerWorld Independent

Apple’s latest China App Store problem is a warning for us all

October 19, 2023 admin apple, Data Privacy, iOS, iPhone, Mobile, Mobile Apps, Security, small and medium business

Ask anyone who knows, and they’ll tell you that when it comes to security, the weakest point is always people. Yet, as pressure grows for Apple to allow app purchases from outside the App Store, the fact the company fired App Store staff for “business misconduct” is cause for alarm.

As first reported by The Information, the Apple story is pretty simple.

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Independent Krebs

The Fake Browser Update Scam Gets a Makeover

October 18, 2023 admin A Little Sunshine, binance smart chain, bnb smart chain, clearfake, dusty miller, guardio labs, Latest Warnings, nati tal, oleg zaytsev, randy mceoin, Web Fraud 2.0

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2023 14:03:28 +0000

One of the oldest malware tricks in the book — hacked websites claiming visitors need to update their Web browser before they can view any content — has roared back to life in the past few months. New research shows the attackers behind one such scheme have developed an ingenious way of keeping their malware from being taken down by security experts or law enforcement: By hosting the malicious files on a decentralized, anonymous cryptocurrency blockchain.