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A UK cybersecurity firm worries AI will make bogus emails appear real

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A UK cybersecurity firm worries AI will make bogus emails appear real

As the UK’s cybersecurity agency has warned, artificial intelligence will make it harder to distinguish between emails that are sent by scammers and bad actors and those that are legitimate. This includes messages that request that computer users reset their passwords.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) claimed that because AI technologies are becoming more sophisticated, consumers will find it difficult to recognize phishing mails, which deceive users into sending over passwords or personal information.

With chatbots like ChatGPT and free versions known as open source models, generative AI—a technology that can generate convincing text, speech, and graphics from simple hand-typed prompts—has become broadly accessible to the general public.

In its most recent evaluation of AI’s effects on the cyberthreats that the UK faces, the NCSC, a division of GCHQ, predicted that over the following two years, AI would “almost certainly” increase the amount of cyberattacks and intensify their impact.

It stated that the technology supporting chatbots, generative AI and big language models, will make it more difficult to recognize several attack vectors, including spoof communications and social engineering—a term used to trick people into disclosing sensitive information.

“To 2025, generative AI and large language models will make it difficult for everyone, regardless of their level of cybersecurity understanding, to assess whether an email or password reset request is genuine, or to identify phishing, spoofing or social engineering attempts.”

According to the NCSC, ransomware attacks, which had affected organizations like the British Library and Royal Mail in the previous year, were also anticipated to rise.

It issued a warning, claiming that amateur hackers and cybercriminals now have an easier time accessing systems and gathering information about their targets thanks to the sophistication of AI, which makes it possible for them to paralyze a victim’s computer systems, extract sensitive data, and demand a cryptocurrency ransom.

According to the NCSC, generative AI tools have already contributed to more convincing approaches to potential victims by producing fictitious “lure documents” with contents that were created or edited by chatbots and lacked the translation, spelling, or grammar errors that often identify phishing attacks.

It did state, however, that generative AI—which has shown to be a capable coding tool—would assist in sorting through and identifying targets rather than increasing the efficacy of ransomware code.

The UK’s data watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office, reports that there were 706 ransomware instances in the country in 2022 as opposed to 694 in 2021.

The government cautioned that state actors most likely possessed enough malware, short for malicious software, to train an artificial intelligence model designed specifically to produce new code that might evade security safeguards. According to the NCSC, training such a model would require using data that was taken from the target.

“Highly capable state actors are almost certainly best placed among cyber threat actors to harness the potential of AI in advanced cyber operations,” the NCSC report says.

According to the NCSC, AI will also be used defensively, with the technology able to identify threats and create safer systems.

The research was released concurrently with new advice from the UK government encouraging businesses to better prepare for and recover from ransomware attacks. According to the NCSC, the “Cyber Governance Code of Practice” attempts to put information security on par with financial and legal management.

Experts in cybersecurity, however, have demanded more aggressive action. According to Ciaran Martin, the former head of the NCSC, “an incident of the severity of the British Library attack is likely in each of the next five years” unless public and private groups radically modify how they tackle the issue of ransomware. Martin stated in a newsletter that the UK should review its response to ransomware, putting more restrictions on the payment of ransoms and abandoning “fantasies” of “striking back” against criminals operating in unfriendly countries.

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Apple has revealed a revamped Mac Mini with an M4 chip

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A smaller but no less powerful Mac Mini was recently unveiled by Apple as part of the company’s week of Mac-focused announcements. It now has Apple’s most recent M4 silicon, enables ray tracing for the first time, and comes pre-installed with 16GB of RAM, which seems to be the new standard in the age of Apple Intelligence. While the more potent M4 Pro model starts at $1,399, the machine still starts at $599 with the standard M4 CPU. The Mac Mini is available for preorder right now and will be in stores on November 8th, just like the updated iMac that was revealed yesterday.

The new design will be the first thing you notice. The Mini has reportedly been significantly reduced in size, although it was already a comparatively small desktop computer. It is now incredibly small, with dimensions of five inches for both length and width. Apple claims that “an innovative thermal architecture, which guides air to different levels of the system, while all venting is done through the foot” and the M4’s efficiency are the reasons it keeps things cool.

Nevertheless, Apple has packed this device with a ton of input/output, including a 3.5mm audio jack and two USB-C connections on the front. Three USB-C/Thunderbolt ports, Ethernet, and HDMI are located around the back. Although the USB-A ports are outdated, it’s important to remember that the base M2 Mini only featured two USB-A connectors and two Thunderbolt 4 ports. You get a total of five ports with the M4. You get an additional Thunderbolt port but lose native USB-A.

Depending on the M4 processor you select, those Thunderbolt connectors will have varying speeds. While the M4 Pro offers the most recent Thunderbolt 5 throughput, the standard M4 processor comes with Thunderbolt 4.

With its 14 CPU and 20 GPU cores, the M4 Pro Mac Mini also offers better overall performance. The standard M4 can have up to 32GB of RAM, while the M4 Pro can have up to 64GB. The maximum storage capacity is an astounding 8TB. Therefore, even though the Mini is rather little, if you have the money, you can make it really powerful. For those who desire it, 10 gigabit Ethernet is still an optional upgrade.

Apple has a big week ahead of it. On Monday, the company released the M4 iMac and its first Apple Intelligence software features for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. (More AI functionality will be available in December, such as ChatGPT integration and image production.) As Apple completes its new hardware, those updated MacBook Pros might make their appearance tomorrow. The business will undoubtedly highlight its newest fleet of Macs when it releases its quarterly profits on Thursday.

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Apple Intelligence may face competition from a new Qualcomm processor

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The new chip from Qualcomm (QCOM) may increase competition between Apple’s (AAPL) iOS and Android.

During its Snapdragon Summit on Monday, the firm unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform, which includes a new, second-generation Oryon CPU that it claims is the “fastest mobile CPU in the world.” According to Qualcomm, multimodal generative artificial intelligence characteristics can be supported by the upcoming Snapdragon platform.

Qualcomm, which primarily creates chips for mobile devices running Android, claims that the new Oryon CPU is 44% more power efficient and 45% faster. As the iPhone manufacturer releases its Apple Intelligence capabilities, the new Snapdragon 8 platform may allow smartphone firms compete with Apple on the AI frontier. Additionally, Apple has an agreement with OpenAI, the company that makes ChatGPT, to incorporate ChatGPT-4o into the upcoming iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia.

According to a September Wall Street Journal (NWSA) story, Qualcomm is apparently interested in purchasing Intel (INTC) in a deal that could be valued up to $90 billion. According to Bloomberg, Apollo Global Management (APO), an alternative asset manager, had also proposed an equity-like investment in Intel with a potential value of up to $5 billion.

According to reports, which cited anonymous sources familiar with the situation, Qualcomm may postpone its decision to acquire Intel until after the U.S. presidential election next month. According to the persons who spoke with Bloomberg, Qualcomm is waiting to make a decision on the transaction because of the possible effects on antitrust laws and tensions with China after the election results.

According to a report from analysts at Bank of America Global Research (BAC), Qualcomm could expand, take the lead in the market for core processor units, or CPUs, for servers, PCs, and mobile devices, and get access to Intel’s extensive chip fabrication facilities by acquiring Intel. They went on to say that Qualcomm would become the world’s largest semiconductor company if its $33 billion in chip revenue were combined with Intel’s $52 billion.

The experts claimed that those advantages would be outweighed by the financial and regulatory obstacles posed by a possible transaction. They are dubious about a prospective takeover and think that Intel’s competitors may gain from the ambiguity surrounding the agreement.

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iPhone 16 Pro Users Report Screen Responsiveness Issues, Hope for Software Fix

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Many iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max users are experiencing significant touchscreen responsiveness problems. Complaints about lagging screens and unresponsive taps and swipes are particularly frustrating for customers who have invested $999 and up in these devices.

The good news is that initial assessments suggest the issue may be software-related rather than a hardware defect. This means that Apple likely won’t need to issue recalls or replacement units; instead, a simple software update could resolve the problem.

The root of the issue might lie in the iOS touch rejection algorithm, which is designed to prevent accidental touches. If this feature is overly sensitive, it could ignore intentional inputs, especially when users’ fingers are near the new Camera Control on the right side of the display. Some users have reported that their intended touches are being dismissed, particularly when their fingers are close to this area.

Additionally, the new, thinner bezels on the iPhone 16 Pro compared to the iPhone 15 Pro could contribute to the problem. With less protection against accidental touches, the device may misinterpret valid taps as mistakes, leading to ignored inputs.

This isn’t the first time Apple has faced challenges with new iPhone models. For instance, the iPhone 4 experienced “Antennagate,” where signal loss occurred depending on how the device was held, prompting Steve Jobs to famously suggest users hold their phones differently. Apple eventually provided free rubber bumpers to mitigate the issue.

To alleviate the touchscreen problem, using a case might help by covering parts of the display and reducing the chances of accidental touches triggering the rejection algorithm. The issue appears on devices running iOS 18 and the iOS 18.1 beta and does not occur when the phone is locked. Users may notice difficulties when swiping through home screens and apps.

Many are hopeful that an upcoming iOS 18 update will address these issues, restoring responsiveness to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max displays.

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