Openwashing and Microsoft's Awful Security
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Openwashing
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Wired ☛ Inside the Creation of DBRX, the World's Most Powerful Open Source AI Model
Databricks will release DBRX under an open source license, allowing others to build on top of its work. Frankle shared data showing that across about a dozen or so benchmarks measuring the AI model’s ability to answer general knowledge questions, perform reading comprehension, solve vexing logical puzzles, and generate high-quality code, DBRX was better than every other open source model available.
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Windows TCO
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The Register UK ☛ INC Ransom claims responsibility for attack on NHS Scotland
In typical fashion for modern-day ransomware and extortion groups, INC has published a snippet of the alleged total 3TB of data it stole from the healthcare group.
The data types that appear to be in the hands of cybercriminals include patients' medical test results (adults and young children), medication information, and their full names and home addresses. The full names and contact details of medical professionals are also visible.
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The Register UK ☛ Critical infrastructure cyberattack reporting rules proposed
President Joe Biden signed CIRCIA into law in March 2022, and that set a timer for the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), which had two years to propose a rule.
As proposed, the 447-page rule [PDF] would require organizations that fall under any of the United States' 16 critical infrastructure sectors to report "substantial cyber incidents" within 72 hours of discovering them. This essentially includes any digital intrusion that leads to substantial harm, poses a significant threat to the organization's ability to function, or threatens national security, public health, or safety.
It also would require these organizations to report ransom payments within 24 hours.
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The Record ☛ Russian researchers say espionage operation using WinRAR bug is linked to Ukraine
To deliver PhantomRAT into victims’ systems, the hackers used phishing emails containing a PDF file disguised as a contract, along with an attached RAR archive protected by a password sent within the email. PDF files are a common lure in cyberespionage campaigns.
An executable file in the archive only launched when the PDF file was opened by a user with a WinRAR version earlier than 6.23.
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The Record ☛ German cyber agency warns 17,000 Microsoft Exchange servers are vulnerable to critical bugs
According to a report by the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), at least 17,000 servers are vulnerable to one or more critical bugs, and cybercriminals and state actors are already actively exploiting several of these vulnerabilities to deliver malware and carry out cyberespionage or ransomware attacks.
The agency didn’t provide specific examples but said that local schools, universities, medical facilities, judicial services, local governments and medium-sized businesses are particularly under threat.
The BSI said that it has warned about the active exploitation of critical vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange several times since 2021 and temporarily declared the IT threat situation “red.”
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[Repeat] The Register UK ☛ Germany warns of 17,000 unpatched Microsoft Exchange servers
The German Federal Office for Information Security (BIS) has issued an urgent alert about the poor state of Microsoft Exchange Server patching in the country.
The government regulator says there are 17,000 or more Exchange Server instances in Germany vulnerable to at least one critical vulnerability, out of around 45,000 public-facing servers in the Euro nation running the software.
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BBC ☛ Payout for Uber Eats driver over face scan bias case [Ed: Typical Microsoft]
A black Uber Eats driver has received a payout after "racially discriminatory" facial-recognition checks prevented him accessing the app to secure work.
When Pa Edrissa Manjang began working for Uber Eats, in November 2019, its app did not regularly ask him to send selfies in order to register for jobs.
But the Microsoft-powered Uber Eats app increased these verification checks.
And in 2021, it said after "careful consideration" his account would be removed, due to "continued mismatches".
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Integrity/Availability/Authenticity
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404 Media ☛ Criminals Are Weaponizing Child Abuse Imagery to Ban Discord Servers
In an unusual weaponization of content moderation tools, members of hacking and fraud focused Discord servers are deliberately uploading child abuse imagery to have their rivals’ servers shut down, 404 Media has found.
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Krebs On Security ☛ Thread Hijacking: Phishes That Prey on Your Curiosity
Thread hijacking attacks. They happen when someone you know has their email account compromised, and you are suddenly dropped into an existing conversation between the sender and someone else. These missives draw on the recipient’s natural curiosity about being copied on a private discussion, which is modified to include a malicious link or attachment. Here’s the story of a recent thread hijacking attack in which a journalist was copied on a phishing email from the unwilling subject of a recent scoop.
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