Researchers discover major vulnerabilities in open-source AI models, travel companies see surge in popularity of filters that let them choose which aircraft to avoid, and scientists set the doomsday clock to 90 seconds to midnight setting and cites AI as one of the causes.Professor demonstrates how easy it is to hack voting machines and we celebrate his 40th anniversaryth Macintosh's birthday.
Find out everything and more in this Nostalgia edition of Hashtag Trends. I'm your host, Jim Love. He is his CIO for IT World in Canada and TechNewsDay in the US.
A recent study by Protect AI researchers reveals a surprising reality. Since August, we have discovered 3,354 models containing malicious code on Hugging Face, a popular AI model repository.
More worryingly, Hugging Face's security scan reportedly failed to flag about a third of these as dangerous.
In response to these types of threats, Protect AI has launched a scanning tool designed to protect businesses from the growing threat of malware on open source AI models.
Open source AI models are growing in popularity, if only because few companies have the resources to develop and train AI models from scratch.
Platforms like Hugging Face are also becoming more popular as a way to share these models. However, these repositories may lack comprehensive security measures, leaving the shared model vulnerable to manipulation by hackers.
Founded in 2022, Protect AI's new tool scans for hidden malware before its AI models infiltrate a company's IT systems.
Protect AI plans to use Huntr, the AI-focused bug bounty program it acquired, to help identify potential vulnerabilities.
Ian Swanson, CEO and co-founder of Protect AI, said: “Companies are freely and blindly downloading these models, but they can perform some pretty nefarious functions to steal data or take over systems. It clearly states, “It may contain something that could be.''
Sources of information include: Axios
Online travel agency Kayak has seen a significant increase in the use of filters that allow travelers to filter by aircraft type. After an alarming accident in which part of the fuselage of an Alaska Airlines jet fell off.
When first launched in 2019, Kayak's aircraft filters were rarely used. However, after the recent Alaska Airlines incident, filter usage skyrocketed, increasing 15 times. This led Kayak to make filters more prominent on the platform and easier to use.
A revamped filter now allows users to differentiate between 737 Max 8 and Max 9 models. This is especially important now that the Max 9 has been grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration.
A Kayak spokesperson emphasized that the purpose of the filters is to provide travelers with information to make smart decisions and travel with confidence.
The ready availability of this information has led travelers to actively avoid certain aircraft models, but this trend is typically limited to experienced travelers with specific preferences. LIMITED.
How much of an impact will this have on carriers? United Airlines, which has significant investments in affected Boeing models, is aware of the significant financial and operational implications these safety concerns would have on the airline. issued a profit warning indicating the impact.
And as we were about to go on air, the Guardian published another article, which was attributed to the FAA. “The nose wheel of a Delta Air Lines Boeing 757 jetliner fell off and rolled off the plane as it prepared for takeoff from Atlanta International Airport over the weekend,” it said.
You'll notice that your filter usage spikes again.
Sources of information include: guardian
In a recent federal trial, a University of Michigan computer science professor demonstrated potential vulnerabilities in Georgia's voting system.
Everyone is well aware of the conspiracy theories floating around that there was massive fraud in the US election. None of these claims have been proven and, in fact, have been disproven in audits and in court.
But that doesn't mean the machine isn't vulnerable.
Professor Alex Halderman then showed the court how easily voting machines could be tampered with using simple tools such as pens, fake voter cards and USB devices. His demonstrations included altering the results of a hypothetical referendum and overturning the winner in a theoretical election.
The case, presided over by U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg, seeks to assess whether Georgia's voting system is susceptible to tampering or programming errors. Halderman's testimony highlighted the ease with which the machines could be tampered with and raised concerns about the security of the system.
But election officials maintain that Georgia elections have never been hacked and that security measures in place effectively prevent interference. They argue that the demonstrated vulnerabilities are speculative and do not represent real-world risks.
The case also delves into a January 2021 breach in Coffee County in which election software was copied and distributed, raising questions about the overall security of the voting system. Plaintiffs, including Georgia voters and activists, are asking Judge Totenberg to ban the use of these touchscreens in the upcoming 2024 election and instead favor hand-written paper ballots.
The case, which includes testimony from both sides, will be decided by Judge Totenberg, and the outcome could affect the future of voting systems in Georgia and possibly across the United States.
Sources of information include: A.J.C.
The Doomsday Clock, a symbol representing the potential for a man-made global catastrophe, remains set at 90 seconds to midnight, indicating a continued high risk of global crisis .
This year, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as one of the key threats contributing to this dire prediction.
The Doomsday Clock was created by scientists who participated in the Manhattan Project, the American group that developed the first atomic bomb, as seen in the movie Oppenheimer.
It was first announced on the cover of the magazine Bulletin of Atomic Scientists in 1947 and was originally set at seven minutes to midnight. Over the past 77 years, he has relocated 25 times, primarily due to the possibility of nuclear war. In recent years, the clock has been set at 90 seconds until midnight, but this time it's not just a global conflict, but also the possibility of nuclear war.
The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, responsible for the Clock, highlighted the risks posed by AI, including the potential for misinformation, military use, and exacerbating other threats.
Scientists have carefully pointed out the dual nature of AI. This poses significant risks, but also great potential benefits if managed properly.
The newspaper's chair, Rachel Bronson, highlighted the urgent need for global action, as demonstrated by the 90 seconds to midnight setting. Bill Nye, who most of us remember as “The Scientist,” also participated in the presentation. Perhaps in the hope that the same man who taught our children about science will teach us new lessons for the benefit of humanity.
Sources of information include: tom's guide
And I heard that yesterday was the 40th.th Happy birthday to Apple's Macintosh computer. Surprisingly, some of us were when these wonderful devices first entered our lives.
We all typed on command lines, but the Macintosh had a graphical user interface and a mouse. All we could say was, “Wow!”
Below are Steve Jobs' words from Apple's press release.
The Macintosh fits easily on your desk, both in terms of operating style and physical design. It takes up about the same amount of desk space as paper. With the Macintosh, the computer is an aid to spontaneity and creativity, not an obstacle. It allows you to see ideas and relationships in new ways. Macintosh not only increases productivity but also creativity.
Even back then, Jobs was selling ideas, never products.
These were beautiful devices, but they never really caught on in business. One reason? The original Macintosh was prohibitively expensive, costing about $2,500 (about $7,000 in today's dollars). But it cost a lot of money. It had a whopping 8 MHz processor, 128 kilobytes (yes, not megabytes, but kilobytes) of RAM and his 400 KB floppy drive for storage.
But the Macintosh didn't disappear. It has found a niche market among graphic artists and people who need that functionality.
It wasn't until Jobs returned to run Apple for a second time that he really understood that his “Think Different” vision was working in the marketplace.
Happy birthday, old friend.
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