Tech World in Turmoil: AI Lawsuit Bombshells & Cyber Attack Mayhem!

NY Times copyright suit wants OpenAI to delete all GPT instances.

One of the sources used is a large collection of online material called "Common Crawl," which the suit alleges contains information from 16 million unique records from sites published by The Times. Advertisement OpenAI no longer discloses as many details of the data used for training of recent GPT versions. However, all indications are that full-text NY Times articles are still part of that process (Much more on that in a moment.) "Defendants’ GenAI tools can generate output that recites Times content verbatim, closely summarizes it, and mimics its expressive style, as demonstrated by scores of examples," the suit alleges. "Publicly, Defendants insist that their conduct is protected as 'fair use' because their unlicensed use of copyrighted content to train GenAI models serves a new 'transformative' purpose," the suit notes. "A GPT model completely fabricated that “The New York Times published an article on January 10, 2020, titled ‘Study Finds Possible Link between Orange Juice and Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma,’” the suit alleges.

National Amusements Reveals Data Breach Amid Backlash Affecting 82,000+

Paramount and CBS’s parent company, National Amusements, took months to reveal the data breach that impacted more than 82,000 people, including customers and potentially employees. National Amusements, the parent company holding a controlling stake in entertainment giants Paramount, CBS, and numerous theatres across the United States, has been scrutinized for delaying the disclosure of a major data breach late last year. Despite attempts from the media to seek clarification from National Amusements, the company has maintained near-radio silence, leaving questions about the delayed disclosure unanswered. Nevertheless, National Amusements has proactively taken measures to mitigate the aftermath, providing those affected with complimentary credit monitoring services through Experian for varying durations. Cybercriminals might impersonate the company to discuss the recent data breach, but their real intention could be to gather additional information, including your financial details.

How Cybercriminals Will Sway 2024 US Elections Or Try To

Each site appeared set up to promote what Recorded Future described as "malign narratives" to undermine public confidence and stir up domestic animosity on key issues. ]press, for instance, tended to portray LGBTQ+ activism, the US military's inclusivity efforts, and education programs in schools as a net negative and source of social discord. "One key takeaway for US audiences is that Doppelganger is likely in a foundation-setting stage regarding the US election," says Brian Liston, senior threat intelligence analyst at Recorded Future. "Foreign threat actors are attempting to reach audiences ahead of next year’s various elections, including in the US and Europe, and we need to remain alert to their evolving tactics and targeting across the Internet," Meta said in its report. Despite such efforts, Doppelganger has elicited little engagement from legitimate social media users and viewership on its websites, and other metrics have been minimal, Recorded Future found.

Binance may have settled with DOJ, but a lawsuit with the SEC is still pending.

Despite Binance Holdings Ltd.’s recent $4.3 billion settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is persisting with its case against the company and its founder, Changpeng Zhao. The SEC filed a lawsuit in June, claiming that Binance and Zhao were involved in deception, conflicts of interest, lack of disclosure, and evading the law. On Nov. 8, the SEC contended that despite not being part of the agreement, the federal court in Washington overseeing its case should consider admissions made by Binance and Zhao, who has since resigned as CEO. This legal clash follows the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) lawsuit against Binance three months earlier for non-registration and guideline violations, reflecting the cryptocurrency industry’s escalating scrutiny by regulators. The SEC’s lawsuit against Binance and its affiliates carries significant implications, as the regulator contends that most cryptocurrencies, akin to stocks, are securities, thereby subjecting them to its regulatory oversight.

Daily Malicious Files Soar 3% in 2023, Kaspersky Finds

“The growth may be linked to a rise in attacks utilizing phishing PDF files, designed to pilfer data from potential victims,” the report reads. Source: Kaspersky Microsoft Windows remained the primary target for cyber-attacks, accounting for 88% of all malware-filled data detected daily. “Backdoors stand out as one of the most hazardous types of Trojans, providing attackers with remote control over a victim’s system to carry out tasks such as sending, receiving, executing, and deleting files, as well as harvesting confidential data and logging computer activity,” Kaspersky researchers wrote. Source: KasperskyVladimir Kuskov, Head of Anti-Malware Research at Kaspersky, commented: “Adversaries continue to develop new malware, techniques, and methods to attack organizations and individuals. All figures in the report, which covers November 2022 through October 2023, come from the Kaspersky Security Network (KSN) global cloud service.

Healthcare Provider ESO Hit in Ransomware Attack, 2.7 Million Impacted

ESO Solutions, a data and software provider for emergency responders and healthcare entities, has commenced the notification process for 2.7 million individuals affected by a ransomware attack. In an incident notice published earlier today, the firm stated that an unauthorized third party may have obtained personal data and is actively collaborating with federal law enforcement investigations. “The fact is that HIPAA compliance does include allowances for health care providers to store ePHI in SaaS applications and in the cloud,” commented Colin Little, security engineer at Centripetal. While the ransomware gang responsible remains unidentified, ESO’s statement suggests that the company may have paid to secure the deletion of impacted data. “Affected patients should immediately take steps to protect themselves from identity theft and health benefits fraud,” commented Paul Bischoff, consumer privacy advocate at Comparitech.

Ransomware Attacks in November Rise 67% From 2022Ransomware Attacks in November Rise 67% From 2022

Data from across this year shows that LockBit has maintained its position as the most prominent threat actor, except in March, June, and July, when CLOP’s mass exploitation of GoAnywhere and MOVEit vulnerabilities put them in the top spot. First emerging in 2014, Carbanak malware has been used by ransomware gangs to infiltrate financial systems by deploying advanced phishing techniques to compromise bank employees. The malware allows threat groups to access networks through human entry points and criminals to take control of payment processing services. Imposters in November included the CRM platform HubSpot, data management software Veeam, and account tool Xero. In the lead-up to Christmas, ransomware groups are typically active in pushing profits before taking a somewhat break over the festive period.

Citations:

NY Times copyright suit wants OpenAI to delete all GPT instances (2023-12-27T19:05:36+00:00). Retrieved from https://arstechnica.com/?p=1992911.   

National Amusements Reveals Data Breach Amid Backlash Affecting 82,000+ (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.hackread.com/national-amusements-data-breach-82000-users/ 

How Cybercriminals Will Sway 2024 US Elections, Or Try To (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.darkreading.com/threat-intelligence/foreign-influence-operations-gearing-up-for-us-election 

Binance may have settled with DOJ, but a lawsuit with the SEC is still pending (2023-12-09T17:45:32+00:00). Retrieved from https://crypto.news/binance-settles-doj-sec-lawsuit-continues/ 

Daily Malicious Files Soar 3% in 2023, Kaspersky Finds (2023-12-26T10:00:00). Retrieved from https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/daily-malicious-files-soar-3-2023/

Healthcare Provider ESO Hit in Ransomware Attack, 2.7 Million Impacted (2023-12-21T17:00:00). Retrieved from https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/eso-hit-ransomware-27m-impacted/ 

Ransomware Attacks in November Rise 67% From 2022 (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.darkreading.com/cyberattacks-data-breaches/ransomware-attacks-in-november-rise-67-from-2022