Tag: apple
Tough Times ahead for Apple
These are troubled times for Silicon Valley tech giant, Apple. Hard on the heels of the US Justice Department suing Apple for monopolizing the smartphone market comes news of a major security flaw in Apple M-series chips (M1, M2, and M3). The US Justice Department appears determined to call time on Apple’s long-standing domination of the smartphone market. It holds that “Apple’s broad-based, exclusionary conduct” makes it harder for Americans to switch smartphones. Apple also stands accused of undermining innovation for apps, products, and services, and imposing extraordinary costs on developers, businesses, as well as on consumers.
UN drafts US-led AI resolution
The United Nations has drafted a resolution aimed at bringing the rest of the world in line with existing US artificial intelligence (AI) security guidelines. These follow those already developed by the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Both emphasize the importance of “secure-by-design” and “secure-by-default” principles for AI systems. The UN Assembly called on all Member States and stakeholders “to refrain from or cease the use of artificial intelligence systems that are impossible to operate in compliance with international human rights law.” The Assembly added that the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online throughout the life cycle of artificial intelligence systems.
Gen Z’ers ditch smartphone services
Silicon Valley has a new problem - a generation that is turning off its digital lifestyle and ditching its smartphones. Gen Z, young people born between 1997 and 2012, have given Silicon Valley’s meticulously planned digital future for humanity a firm thumbs down. Fifty percent of Gen Z’ers are interested in taking a break from their smartphones, while only 20 percent of Boomers, people born from 1946 to 1964, want a break, according to a survey from web-hosting company Squarespace. Last year, smartphone sales shipments dipped by around 70 million units, hitting the lowest shipment level in a decade, driven by falling sales in North America and China. At the same time, the new generation is buying old-school flip phones, nicknamed ‘dumbphones’, in preference to the latest Apple smartphones. According to market researcher Counterpoint Research: “Feature phones in the US market have made a resurgence as Gen Z and millennials are advocating for digital detoxes due to the mental health concerns brought on by smartphones and social media…Given the relatively cheap price point of feature phones ($20-$50 with a prepaid carrier and $50-$100 unlocked), more people are trying out these devices and sharing their experiences on social media.”.
Exfiltrated Info Automatically Spread on Discord Bot Channel – January 23rd
On an analysis published by Trellix security researcher Gurumoorthi Ramanathan, the "NS-STEALER" malware distributed via a hidden ZIP file could lead to captured data automatically displayed on the Discord bot channel "EventListener". The hidden malware "NS-STEALER" when deployed onto a user's system, can automatically collect screenshots, cookies, credentials, autofill data, and system information from web browsers.
SEC X Account Hacked to Push Bitcoin ETFs – January 10th
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) confirmed through a spokesperson and social media announcements that the agency's X (formerly Twitter) account was compromised to promote Bitcoin ETFs. Bitcoin's value spiked to nearly $48k as a result of the false Tweet, despite being taken down just 30 minutes after being published.
North Korea Continues Crypto Theft Campaign – December 4th
A joint advisory by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency (CISA) announced the Iranian-based threat actor group “Cyber Av3ngers” compromised over 200 internet-connected devices in the US. Suspected to be anti-Israeli by motive, the “Cyber Av3ngers” group was behind the Pennsylvania Water Authority hacks, disrupting an industrial control device that was made in Israel.