Musk’s ‘Priority #1’ Disaster: CSAM Problem Worsens While ExTwitter Stiffs Detection Provider

from the not-such-a-priority-apparently dept One of Elon Musk’s first “promises” upon taking over Twitter was that fighting child exploitation was “priority #1.” He falsely implied that the former management didn’t take the issue seriously (they did) and insisted that he would make sure it was a solved problem on the platform he now owned. Of […]

7 mins read

The Download: how to clean up AI data centers, and weight-loss drugs’ side effects

In a sandy industrial lot outside Reno, Nevada, rows of battery packs that once propelled electric vehicles are now powering a small AI data center. Redwood Materials, one of the US’s largest battery recycling companies, showed off this array of energy storage modules, sitting on cinder blocks and wrapped in waterproof plastic, during a press […]

2 mins read

FBI Warns of Scattered Spider’s Expanding Attacks on Airlines Using Social Engineering

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has revealed that it has observed the notorious cybercrime group Scattered Spider broadening its targeting footprint to strike the airline sector. To that end, the agency said it’s actively working with aviation and industry partners to combat the activity and help victims. “These actors rely on social engineering […]

8 mins read

GitHub Advisory Database by the numbers: Known security vulnerabilities and what you can do about them

The GitHub Advisory Database (Advisory DB) is a vital resource for developers, providing a comprehensive list of known security vulnerabilities and malware affecting open source packages. This post analyzes trends in the Advisory DB, highlighting the growth in reviewed advisories, ecosystem coverage, and source contributions in 2024. We’ll delve into how GitHub provides actionable data […]

11 mins read

The Paths Perspective on Value Learning

Introduction In the last few years, reinforcement learning (RL) has made remarkable progress, including beating world-champion Go players, controlling robotic hands, and even painting pictures. One of the key sub-problems of RL is value estimation – learning the long-term consequences of being in a state. This can be tricky because future returns are generally noisy, […]

22 mins read

689 different Brother printer models all use the serial number to create default password — ridiculous security flaw baked in from manufacturing, can’t be fully remediated with firmware

Another reminder to change your devices’ default passwords has arrived, thanks to a new critical vulnerability found in Brother printers. 689 different models of Brother printers, plus a handful of other printers from Fujifilm, Toshiba, and Konica Minolta, are susceptible to eight new security vulnerabilities, some of which cannot be patched with firmware updates. Security […]

3 mins read