The killing of US healthcare CEO. Wrong number scams. Apple Intelligence.
Quantum computing. And wicked robots.
Watershed
Several stories vied for the position of most important this week. Not least Romania’s decision to annul the results of a presidential election because of (alleged) Russian meddling. But we think the killing of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson outpaces everything else.
On a purely practical level, the killing has already prompted health insurers to remove details of their senior staff from their websites. As many of our clients know, we have long advised that it’s essential to assess what information about key individuals is available online. Not because someone might blame them for the frailties of US healthcare, but because they may be involved in sensitive projects or might be a target for cybercrime because of their position in an organisation.
What makes the alleged actions of Luigi Mangione so important is the reaction to them. His actions, his manifesto, his looks and United Healthcare’s questionable record in rejecting its clients’ claims have created a perfect storm in which he has become a latter day Robin Hood. We don’t doubt his example will be studied and emulated. No wonder organisations are pruning their websites. None of this is to minimise the impact of the killing on Brian Thompson’s family, but it’s something that could come straight from the pages of a dystopian novel.
Threats
Wrong number: There’s been a rise in text scams which begin with a message from someone who seems to know you. The aim is to get you to reply and engage you in a conversation that culminates in some sort of financial scam. Merrimack
Encrypted: Attackers are taking advantage of the FBI’s advice to use encrypted messaging apps. US lawmakers are the target of phishing messages urging them to install a booby-trapped messaging app. NextGov
Video: A new campaign uses fake videoconferencing apps to install information stealing software on target devices. The attackers begin by requesting a business meeting, and create fake companies to make the ruse look more realistic. Cado Security
Jobs: The recruitment process is a seething mass of fraud and fakery. 44% of HR professionals surveyed by KnowBe4 said they had seen job applications that turned out to be scams or fraudulent. But attackers are also posing as recruiters and tricking victims into downloading malicious software. Robust processes are essential to protect against these sorts of threats.
Lies: Cybercrime is real, but cybercriminals have figured out that sometimes they don’t need to actually commit a crime, just say they have. For example, a little known ransomware group said it had breached consultancy giant Deloitte. In fact, it turned out that the incident involved a single client. InfoSecurity
Gifts: It’s that time of year when organisations are buying gifts for clients. No surprise that phishing emails are doing the rounds, often purporting to come from senior management asking someone to buy something, for example a gift card. Amazingly, this tactic continues to work.
AI
Apple: Apple Intelligence is now available in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand - though only for the latest high end devices. There’s a host of new features, mainly focussing on writing and image manipulation. Competition rules mean Apple Intelligence isn’t officially available in the EU, although seemingly it’s possible to access the features by selecting one of the supported languages. MacRumors
Google: Not to be outdone, Google has released its newest AI; Gemini 2.0. It says it can generate images and audio as well as text, and is a model for the “agentic” era. Translated, that means it understands more about the context in which it’s working and can act on behalf of the user without supervision.
Test yourself: How serious is your organisation about AI? Ethan Mollick asks whether you have a defined process for testing the capabilities of new models – and for assessing their potential impact on a business.
Training: Many users of AI chatbots are concerned about whether the apps are going to use interactions as further grist to their training mill. The Verge explains how the various bots exploit user data and what controls are available to manage their appetites.
Russia: Hardly surprising, but it seems “very likely” that Russia used AI-powered technology from ElevenLabs to make videos in a recent influence campaign look more legitimate. Recorded Future
Robots: Frankly, this isn’t very reassuring. University of Pennsylvania researchers discovered they could trick AI-powered robots to do things like drive off bridges and plan explosions. WIRED
China
It would be easy to fill this entire newsletter with China-related stories, but let’s not do that. It is worth noting this week that;
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Lookout found a new surveillance tool used by provincial security forces in China to target Android devices.
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A US court charged a Chinese national with involvement in hacking tens of thousands of firewall devices.
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Symantec linked a series of cyber attacks in South-East Asia to a China-linked group and detailed its wide range of tactics.
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Recorded Future says China has expanded its foreign propaganda operations by establishing over 100 ‘international communication centres’ across the country.
In brief
Willow: Much breathless reporting about Google’s latest quantum computing chip which took five minutes to complete a computation that the most powerful supercomputer could not manage even it were given 10 septillion years (i.e. longer than the estimated age of the universe). More sober assessments grant that the chip is a step forward, and a huge marketing win, but perhaps not quite as significant as Google suggested. This thread has a good overview and the clearest explanation of quantum computing that we have seen.
Trump: The US Justice Department failed to follow its own procedures when it sought journalists’ phone and email records as part of investigations into leaks during Donald Trump’s first presidential term. The finding is part of a report by the Department’s inspector general. It came as Republicans blocked an attempt by Democrats to protect reporters from having to reveal their sources.
Youth: The Five Eyes security alliance has warned about the radicalisation of minors, saying a “whole-of-society” response is needed to identify and deal with the threat from “terrorist activities.”
TV: Smart TVs continue to collect viewing data even when they’re used solely as external monitors, according to a study by university researchers. “Automatic Content Recognition works like a kind of visual Shazam, taking screenshots or audio to create a viewer profile based on their content consumption habits,” one of the authors said. Tech Xplore
Tracking: A US company appears to be using addresses and coordinates of doctors’ and lawyers’ offices as well as other types of locations to help police compile lists of places visited by suspects. 404 Media
Airbnb: Police in Holland and Belgium arrested eight members of a criminal gang that rented Airbnb properties and turned them into phishing call centres. Europol
Shut: Two dating websites ceased operations this month after they leaked user data through a misconfigured server. The data revealed by Ladies.com and the Senior Dating app included real names, email addresses, profile pictures, and locations. haveibeenpwned
Brave: The Wall Street Journal profiles veteran cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs who continues to breaks stories despite the considerable risk to him and his family. Krebs’ latest story exposes a Canadian-registered company that enables Russian cybercrime outfits to convert cryptocurrency into cash.
Personal: A UK insurance worker has received a suspended prison sentence after being found guilty of stealing details about claims and handing them to a third party. Insurance Times
Updates
Apple: As well as all the AI fireworks, there are some important security updates in Apple’s latest releases. In fact, we would be inclined to wait a couple of days before installing the latest versions because they include major changes. But don’t delay too long. The security updates are important and they apply to older iOS and macOS versions as well. AppleInsider
Firefox: For more than a decade, Mozilla’s web browser has included a feature called Do Not Track. As you might imagine, it’s supposed to stop websites tracking visitors. Unsurprisingly, since it’s voluntary, it’s of sod all use, so Mozilla is getting rid of it. Firefox is a good browser and it includes plenty of other features that help to protect its users privacy. Incidentally, if proof were needed of companies’ enthusiasm for tracking users then we need look no further than mobile giant Orange. It’s facing fines of €50 million for multiple breaches of French privacy laws, including tracking users even when they had told it not to.
Asus: Security update for some RT-AX routers.
Cleo: It appears that attackers have been exploiting a failed update for several of Cleo’s file transfer products. Cleo told customers to apply the new fix immediately. Huntress
Microsoft: A new feature will allow users to share files between an iPhone and a PC. It’s intended to work like Apple’s AirDrop. We’ll be watching…
Android: Google is updating the feature that alerts users if an unknown Bluetooth tracking device is nearby. Previously, it just provided a warning. Now, it will help locate the tracker and if necessary advise on disabling it.
Patch Tuesday: December’s monthly update bonanza brought a huge number of fixes from Adobe, Microsoft, SAP, Ivanti, Atlassian, Intel, AMD, Kubernetes, Splunk, and Cobalt Strike.