Monday☕️

Earth Intelligence

13 May 2024 — 4 min read

Trending:

Apple’s New M4 Chip
Cybercrime

Apple’s New M4 Chip:

Apple is advancing its technology in the realm of artificial intelligence by announcing the M4 chip, characterized by its potent neural engine designed specifically for AI applications. This new chip represents Apple's commitment to integrating more powerful AI capabilities directly into its devices. As part of its strategy to handle complex AI queries effectively, Apple plans to utilize M2 Ultra chips in its cloud servers initially before transitioning to these advanced M4 chips.
To support this technology, Apple is leveraging its server infrastructure, deploying these chips across its own data centers and those managed by third parties. Notably, the company is expanding its server capabilities, including the ongoing development of a new data center in Waukee, Iowa, which was first announced in 2017. This expansion underscores Apple’s effort to ensure that its AI operations are managed securely and efficiently across the United States. The move to enhance AI processing power in data centers, coupled with the introduction of the M4 chip, signifies Apple's broader strategic push into generative AI.
While Apple has not progressed as swiftly as some competitors like Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft in generative AI, it has been steadily laying the groundwork through research and development. Last December, Apple’s machine learning research team released MLX, a learning framework designed to optimize AI models running on Apple silicon. These initiatives illustrate Apple’s vision for AI, aiming to seamlessly integrate advanced AI functions into its products, potentially refining services such as Siri and setting new benchmarks for AI performance within its ecosystem.

Cybercrime:

As businesses enhance their cybersecurity measures, ransomware attackers are adopting more invasive and personal strategies to penetrate these defenses. One emerging method involves targeting the children of corporate executives. At the RSA Conference in San Francisco, Charles Carmakal, CTO of Mandiant, a top cybersecurity firm and Google subsidiary, discussed how attackers are now using tactics like SIM swapping on executives' children’s phones.
This tactic allows hackers to control the phone number and impersonate the child, making deceptive calls and messages to manipulate the targeted executive. Such methods not only aim to breach data security but also create a significant psychological burden on the executive, potentially forcing them to make decisions under distress. Traditionally, ransomware attacks involve locking organizations out of their systems or stealing sensitive data and demanding a ransom for its return.
However, as technological defenses become more robust, attackers are increasingly turning to social engineering—exploiting human vulnerabilities through manipulation or coercion to gain access to networks or achieve specific goals. This trend highlights the evolving nature of cyber threats, which now blend technical attacks with psychological manipulation, emphasizing the need for security strategies that not only strengthen technological defenses but also educate and prepare personnel against social engineering tactics.
Social engineering tactics, ranging from phishing to more deceptive strategies like pretexting, baiting, and even blackmail, exploit the natural inclination to trust, allowing cybercriminals to manipulate individuals into divulging sensitive information or accessing secure systems. These methods underscore the effectiveness of social engineering as a potent threat against both individual and organizational security, necessitating comprehensive training programs that educate on recognizing and resisting such tactics.

Statistic: