Squire1039

Summary

Skip the dubious memory pills, says a leading scientist. Instead, focus on plant protein from nuts, beans, and whole grains to keep your aging brain healthy. The Nurses' Health Study shows women who eat more plant protein have sharper minds and better overall health. Snack on nuts, swap meat for lentils, and add berries like blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries to your diet. They're packed with antioxidants and beneficial compounds that support brain function. Regular berry consumption is linked to better performance on memory tests.

Key points:

• Researchers analyzed data on thousands of people in Netherlands to determine maximum lifespan.
• Focus was on individuals who lived long, healthy lives, not average life expectancy.
• Study suggests a plateau in maximum lifespan, with women potentially reaching 115.7 years and men 114.1 years.
• This limit hasn't changed in recent decades, despite rising average life expectancy.
• However, exceptions like the recently deceased 118-year-old French nun show some people might exceed this limit.

Overall:

This study suggests a potential limit to how long humans can live. However, individual cases show the possibility of exceeding this limit, leaving room for further research and debate.

This means:

• Downloading or updating the Assistant app now gives you Gemini instead.
• You can switch back to Assistant in the Gemini app settings.
• This might be Google's first step towards replacing Assistant completely with Gemini.
• Some users are unaware of the switch and see two Gemini apps on their phones.

Overall, this may suggest Google is phasing out Assistant and transitioning users to the newer Gemini AI technology.

Key Takeaways

• Intelligence and "street smarts" don't prevent scams, they just make you less likely to fall victim.
• Anyone can be scammed or phished given the right circumstances.
• Examples of sophisticated scams are given, including fake customer support, fake conference invites, and social engineering tactics.
• Believing you're unscammable can make you more vulnerable.
• Stay vigilant, educated, and skeptical to protect yourself.

Summary of Examples Given:

1. Fake Customer Support: After a frustrating experience and posting on the vendor's Facebook, the author received a seemingly legitimate email from "customer service" offering a replacement refrigerator. Only after calling the real vendor did he discover it was a scam.

2. Phony Conference Invite: An all-expenses-paid trip to speak at a foreign conference seemed too good to be true. Clicking the provided link revealed a fake website attempting to steal login credentials.

3. Bad Water Main Ploy: The author sends fake text messages posing as a local water or sanitation service, tricking victims into revealing personal information and potentially compromising accounts.

4. "New Highway Coming Through": A convincing phone call claims the county needs to survey the victim's property for road widening. The call aims to gain personal details or lure them into opening malicious documents.

5. Credit Card Fraud: A professional-sounding caller impersonates a credit card company, claiming fraudulent activity and requesting confirmation details. This allows them to steal money and make unauthorized purchases.

6. Email Password Hash Hijacking: An email containing a malicious link can capture your password hash, even if you don't click on it. This vulnerability targets integrated Windows Authentication across various platforms.

7. Hobby Friend Hacker: Attackers befriend victims in online communities, gaining trust over months before sending malicious links disguised as harmless content.

8. Fake Job Offers: Dream job offers with unrealistic benefits and remote work options often hide malicious intentions like stealing data or installing malware on your work device.

9. Fake Hardware Replacement: Victims using specific hardware (e.g., crypto wallets) receive seemingly legitimate replacement devices containing malware to steal their assets.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is urging people to take action against the renewal of Section 702, a law that allows the NSA to conduct mass surveillance on US citizens.

Key points:

• Section 702, originally intended for targeted overseas surveillance, is seen as enabling mass domestic spying.
• EFF wants reforms and increased transparency before renewal.
• They are selling "NSA Spying" shirts to raise awareness and funds for their fight.
• You can also contact your representatives to oppose the renewal.

Call to action:

• Buy a shirt to show support.
• Contact your representatives.
• Donate to EFF.

Vulnerabilities:

CVE-2023-52160 (wpa_supplicant) and CVE-2023-52161 (Intel's iNet Wireless Daemon) allow attackers to:

• Trick users into joining fake Wi-Fi networks: Attackers can create malicious clones of legitimate networks and steal user data.
• Gain unauthorized access to secure Wi-Fi networks: Attackers can join password-protected networks without needing the password, putting devices and data at risk.

Affected devices:

• CVE-2023-52160: Android devices using wpa_supplicant versions 2.10 and prior (requires specific configuration).
• CVE-2023-52161: Linux devices using iNet Wireless Daemon versions 2.12 and lower (any network using a Linux access point).

Mitigation:

• Update your Linux distribution and ChromeOS (version 118 or later).
• Android fix not yet available, but manually configure CA certificate for any saved enterprise networks as a temporary workaround.

Exploitation:

• Attacker needs SSID and physical proximity for CVE-2023-52160.
• CVE-2023-52161 requires no special knowledge, affecting any vulnerable network.

Links:

• Research article: https://www.top10vpn.com/research/wifi-vulnerabilities/
• https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=2023-52160
• https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=2023-52161

Target: Businesses using Email Service Providers (ESPs) like SendGrid to send email campaigns, and the receivers of the emails

Method:

• Gain access to an ESP account: This could be through hijacking a legitimate account or other means.
• Send phishing emails through the ESP: These emails pose as legitimate messages from the ESP, urging users to update security settings (e.g., enable 2FA).
• Use spoofed links: The links in the email appear to point to the ESP's domain, bypassing usual phishing red flags.
• Redirect to fake login page: Clicking the link leads to a website resembling the ESP's login page, designed to steal user credentials.

Why it's dangerous:

• Increased trust: Users are more likely to open emails appearing to come from a familiar ESP.
• Bypassing safeguards: Spoofed links and redirection make it harder to detect the scam.

Scientists at Princeton University have developed an AI model that can predict and prevent plasma instabilities, a major hurdle in achieving practical fusion energy.

Key points:

• Problem: Plasma escaping containment in donut-shaped tokamak reactors disrupts fusion reactions and damages equipment.
• Solution: AI model predicts instabilities 300 milliseconds before they happen, allowing for adjustments to keep plasma contained.
• Significance: This is the first time AI has been used to proactively prevent tearing instabilities in fusion experiments.
• Future: Researchers hope to refine the model for other reactors and optimize fusion reactions.

Key Points:

• 1Password, a password management software company, has acquired Kolide, an endpoint security platform.
• This move expands 1Password's security offerings beyond passwords, addressing the challenges of securing devices in a hybrid work environment.
• Kolide's platform uses real-time device health checks to grant or block access to company applications, preventing unauthorized access attempts.
• The acquisition strengthens 1Password's position in the growing endpoint security market
• This is 1Password's third acquisition in recent years

Additional Details:

• Kolide boasts customers like Databricks, Robinhood, and Discord.
• This acquisition follows 1Password's successful 2023, exceeding $250 million in annual recurring revenue and a multibillion-dollar valuation.
• 1Password plans to add 250 jobs this year

“1Password has focused on giving businesses the tools they need to make it easy for employees to keep their passwords secure,” Shiner added. “Kolide extends this ability further to make it easy for employees to keep their devices secure.

Summary

This research, conducted by Microsoft and OpenAI, focuses on how nation-state actors and cybercriminals are using large language models (LLMs) in their attacks.

Key findings:

• Threat actors are exploring LLMs for various tasks: gathering intelligence, developing tools, creating phishing emails, evading detection, and social engineering.
• No major attacks using LLMs were observed: However, early-stage attempts suggest potential future threats.
• Several nation-state actors were identified using LLMs: Including Russia, North Korea, Iran, and China.
• Microsoft and OpenAI are taking action: Disabling accounts associated with malicious activity and improving LLM safeguards.

Specific examples:

• Russia (Forest Blizzard): Used LLMs to research satellite and radar technologies, and for basic scripting tasks.
• North Korea (Emerald Sleet): Used LLMs for research on experts and think tanks related to North Korea, phishing email content, and understanding vulnerabilities.
• Iran (Crimson Sandstorm): Used LLMs for social engineering emails, code snippets, and evading detection techniques.
• China (Charcoal Typhoon): Used LLMs for tool development, scripting, social engineering, and understanding cybersecurity tools.
• China (Salmon Typhoon): Used LLMs for exploratory information gathering on various topics, including intelligence agencies, individuals, and cybersecurity matters.

Additional points:

• The research identified eight LLM-themed TTPs (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures) for the MITRE ATT&CK® framework to track malicious LLM use.

Highlights:

• Rakuten Drive offers free 10GB storage and unlimited file transfers, unlike competitors.
• Integrates with Microsoft 365 for document viewing and editing.
• Targets both individuals and businesses with separate plans.
• Paid "PRO" version increases storage to 1TB, allows bigger file uploads, and extends transfer link expiration.
• Future integration with Rakuten's loyalty program planned.

Key points:

• FTC has won numerous cases against deceptive practices, like fake apartment listings and online reviews.
• Fines levied against companies like Epic, Microsoft, and Amazon for privacy violations and exploiting children.
• Tackling anti-competitive mergers like Nvidia-ARM and private equity rollups.
• Pushing for Right to Repair, Click to Cancel, and combating deceptive UI ("dark patterns").
• Collaborating with DOJ on new merger guidelines and reviving dormant laws.
• Increased enforcement activity deters anti-competitive behavior across sectors.

Overall message:

• Contrary to negative portrayals, the FTC is actively pursuing and winning cases against corporate abuses.
• Their actions have broader positive impacts beyond individual wins, deterring harmful behavior and inspiring global action.