Lifeboat Foundation

We believe artificial intelligence has the power to save the world —and that a thriving open source ecosystem is essential to building this future.

Thankfully, the open source ecosystem is starting to develop, and we are now seeing open source models that rival closed-source alternatives. Hundreds of small teams and individuals are also working to make these models more useful, accessible, and performant.

These projects push the state of the art in open source AI and help provide a more robust and comprehensive understanding of the technology. They include: instruction-tuning base LLMs; removing censorship from LLM outputs; optimizing models for low-powered machines; building novel tooling for model inference; researching LLM security issues; and many others.

Hackers are able to grab a target’s IP address, potentially revealing their general physical location, by simply sending a link over the Skype mobile app. The target does not need to click the link or otherwise interact with the hacker beyond opening the message, according to a security researcher who demonstrated the issue and successfully discovered my IP address by using it.

Yossi, the independent security researcher who uncovered the vulnerability, reported the issue to Microsoft earlier this month, according to Yossi and a cache of emails and bug reports he shared with 404 Media. In those emails Microsoft said the issue does not require immediate servicing, and gave no indication that it plans to fix the security hole. Only after 404 Media contacted Microsoft for comment did the company say it would patch the issue in an upcoming update.

The attack could pose a serious risk to activists, political dissidents, journalists, those targeted by cybercriminals, and many more people. At minimum, an IP address can show what area of a city someone is in. An IP address can be even more revealing in a less densely populated area, because there are fewer people who could be associated with it.

CVE-2023–36874 is not just any vulnerability; rather, it is a zero-day that is being actively exploited. This indicates that the vulnerability was being exploited in the wild even before any remedy was provided, and in some cases, even before it was publicly acknowledged. Because they provide a window of opportunity before updates are sent out, vulnerabilities of this kind are often among the top targets for cybercriminals.

However, taking advantage of this vulnerability is not as simple as one may first believe it to be. According to the advisory notes published by Microsoft, “An attacker must have local access to the targeted machine and must be able to create folders and performance traces on the machine, with restricted privileges that normal users have by default.”

This significantly reduces the danger vector, but it does not remove it entirely. Because Windows is so prevalent throughout the world, even a very minor security flaw may put millions of machines at danger.

Accounts may be hijacked and data can be uploaded without authentication if a certain version of Jupiter X Core, a premium plugin for setting up WordPress and WooCommerce websites, is used. These vulnerabilities impact various versions of the plugin.

Jupiter X Core is a visual editor that is both simple and powerful, and it is a component of the Jupiter X theme. The Jupiter X theme is used in more than 172,000 websites.

The second flaw, identified as CVE-2023–38389, makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to gain control of any WordPress user account so long as they are in possession of the user’s email address. The vulnerability has been given a critical severity level of 9.8 and affects all versions of Jupiter X Core beginning with 3.3.8 and below.

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Enterprises have quickly recognized the power of generative AI to uncover new ideas and increase both developer and non-developer productivity. But pushing sensitive and proprietary data into publicly hosted large language models (LLMs) creates significant risks in security, privacy and governance. Businesses need to address these risks before they can start to see any benefit from these powerful new technologies.

As IDC notes, enterprises have legitimate concerns that LLMs may “learn” from their prompts and disclose proprietary information to other businesses that enter similar prompts. Businesses also worry that any sensitive data they share could be stored online and exposed to hackers or accidentally made public.

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Microsegmentation is table stakes for CISOs looking to gain the speed, scale and time-to-market advantages that multicloud tech stacks provide digital-first business initiatives.

Gartner predicts that through 2023, at least 99% of cloud security failures will be the user’s fault. Getting microsegmentation right in multicloud configurations can make or break any zero-trust initiative. Ninety percent of enterprises migrating to the cloud are adopting zero trust, but just 22% are confident their organization will capitalize on its many benefits and transform their business. Zscaler’s The State of Zero Trust Transformation 2023 Report says secure cloud transformation is impossible with legacy network security infrastructure such as firewalls and VPNs.

The prospect of a quantum internet, connecting quantum computers and capable of highly secure data transmission, is enticing, but making it poses a formidable challenge. Transporting quantum information requires working with individual photons rather than the light sources used in conventional fiber optic networks.

To produce and manipulate individual photons, scientists are turning to quantum light emitters, also known as color centers. These atomic-scale defects in semiconductor materials can emit single photons of fixed wavelength or color and allow photons to interact with electron spin properties in controlled ways.

A team of researchers has recently demonstrated a more effective technique for creating quantum emitters using pulsed ion beams, deepening our understanding of how quantum emitters are formed. The work was led by Department of Energy Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) researchers Thomas Schenkel, Liang Tan, and Boubacar Kanté who is also an associate professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at the University of California, Berkeley.

Another concern was the dissipation of electrical power on the Enchilada Trap, which could generate significant heat, leading to increased outgassing from surfaces, a higher risk of electrical breakdown and elevated levels of electrical field noise. To address this issue, production specialists designed new microscopic features to reduce the capacitance of certain electrodes.

“Our team is always looking ahead,” said Sandia’s Zach Meinelt, the lead integrator on the project. “We collaborate with scientists and engineers to learn about the kind of technology, features and performance improvements they will need in the coming years. We then design and fabricate traps to meet those requirements and constantly seek ways to further improve.”

Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration. Sandia Labs has major research and development responsibilities in nuclear deterrence, global security, defense, energy technologies and economic competitiveness, with main facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Livermore, California.

The Covid-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges to all industries, including humanoid robotics. Supply chain disruptions and labor shortages have affected development and production. However, the industry has shown resilience, finding ways to resume manufacturing and sustain revenue.

In the ever-evolving robotics industry, challenges like supply chain disruptions and labor shortages demand strategic solutions. Diversify suppliers, build strong relationships and adopt just-in-time manufacturing for resilience. Embrace remote work, upskill the workforce and leverage automation. Monitor risks, maintain buffer stock, foster innovation and network with peers. These strategies ensure the continued growth and success of robotics companies amidst adversity. By staying agile and proactive, the robotics industry can overcome obstacles and lead the way to a transformative future.

Looking ahead, the healthcare industry presents a promising avenue for the application of humanoid robots. From providing security to dispensing pharmaceuticals and assisting patients, humanoid robots could revolutionize healthcare delivery.