The Blacklynx Brief - Vol.3

Welcome to the Blacklynx Brief for the week of August 21st, 2023.

Just as a master sommelier pairs the perfect wine with a delectable meal, we've meticulously selected the most tantalizing news from the ever-evolving fields of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

We're not merely observers of these domains; we're passionate advocates. We believe they are not only shaping our present but will dominate the future landscape of our world. Their intersection is a dance of innovation and intrigue, a synergy that you'll explore within these weekly briefs.

So, fasten your seat belts, and let's dive into a world where technology meets creativity, where risks are combated with intelligence, and where the future is happening now!

Cybersecurity News

DDOS attacks on Japan's Nuclear Sites

Anonymous Italy's collective of hackers launched targeted “denial-of-service”-attacks on Japanese nuclear power organizations. This is in response of the decision of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency to release nuclear water waste from the Fukushima plan into the ocean.

India's Independence Day Cyberattacks

Over 1,000 websites fell victim to DDoS attacks during India's Independence Day celebrations, most targeting government agencies, banks, and financial services. Orchestrated by hacktivist groups from Pakistan and other Muslim nations, this move is clearly politically motivated

Tesla Notifies Employees of Breach

American EV automaker Tesla revealed that personal data of over 75,000 employees was stolen. This incident, linked to confidential data leaked by a whistleblower, exposes a failure in handling complaints about Tesla's cars.
Looks like Tesla followed up promptly and professionally. According to Tesla, this was an “inside job”

YouTube Children's Privacy Concerns 

Despite YouTube's 2019 promise to stop delivering personalized ads on children's videos, an Adalytics report found continued tracking of children viewers. Senators now seek an inquiry into potential COPPA law breaches. What happened to the “DO NO EVIL” moniker that Google started off with ?

Ecuador's Election Disrupted by Cyberattack

Ecuador's presidential election was hindered by a cyberattack on its online voting system. A few weeks ago a presidential candidate was assassinated.
As if that was not enough - on the very day of the presidential election an earthquake shook the area of Machala in the country.

Baghdad's LED Advertising Screens Closed After Hack

In Baghdad a hacker was able to ..euhm … “penetrate” an LED advertising screen to broadcast an “adult-themed film”.

Excel Adds Python Support

Microsoft's integration of Python code into Excel spreadsheets marks a significant step towards enhancing Excel's functionality. Now this is going to supercharge data analysis in Excel. Now we’re waiting for someone to build an AI engine on top of this.

I also see quite a few problem regarding embedded malware but we’ll see where this one goes.

AI News

Is OpenAI going bankrupt ?

OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, is facing significant financial challenges, reportedly running at a $700,000 daily deficit. The company's reliance on Microsoft's $10 billion investment has raised concerns about its long-term sustainability. If nothing changes quickly they will run out of money in 2024.
User engagement with ChatGPT has dropped. Other Large Language Models like Google Bard are slowly chipping away at the market dominance of ChatGPT.

Affordable Humanoid Robots by Unitary

Unitary has released a new humanoid robot that rivals Boston Dynamics' models but at a fraction of the cost - $1,600 compared to $75,000. This development could democratize access to advanced robotics, making them available to smaller businesses and individual consumers.

AI Surpasses Humans in Solving Captchas

Did you know that CAPTCHA stands for “Completely Automated Public Turing Test”. Captchas are those annoying puzzles that websites use to verify that a user is human and not a bot. AI technology has now advanced to the point where it can solve captchas better than humans. Bad news for security - excellent news if you’re like me and hate doing captcha’s.

LK-99 Superconductor Controversy

A potentially groundbreaking discovery of a superconductive material at room temperatures has been met with skepticism and controversy. Superconductors can conduct electricity without resistance, and room-temperature superconductors could have wide-ranging applications. According to Nature Magazine - LK-99 is not the holy grail we were looking for.

AI Music and Major Labels Collaboration

Google and Universal Music are exploring licensing voices for AI-generated songs. This collaboration could open up new creative avenues in the music industry, allowing fans to create their own AI-generated music. While there may be challenges, such as potential infringement issues, the prospects for creativity and the democratization of music production are immense. This is bad news for music producers though because you will now need to possess zero talent to score a potential worldwide hit.

Microsoft's Azure ChatGPT was released. Now this is where large companies can run their own version of ChatGPT within their enterprise cloud and where the AI can look for answers inside the network. It also guarantees that all questions asked remain within the enterprises. This will no doubt help with OpenAI financial troubles. ChatGPT was not yet widely adopted in large corporations because of privacy concerns. It IS gobbling up everything you give it.

That’s it for us this week.

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Warm regards, and see you next week !