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Archive for the ‘finance’ category: Page 10

Oct 17, 2023

Silent Predator Unveiled: Decoding WebWyrm Stealthy Malware affecting 50 countries

Posted by in categories: cryptocurrencies, cybercrime/malcode, employment, evolution, finance, military

In the intricate landscape of global cybersecurity, Webwyrm malware has surfaced as a formidable adversary, casting its ominous shadow across 50 nations and leaving in its wake over 100,000 compromised victims. This insidious digital menace successfully emulates in excess of 1,000 reputable companies globally, with the ensuing potential financial fallout estimated to surpass a staggering $100 million. It is imperative for cybersecurity professionals and organizations alike to comprehend the multifaceted nature of this threat to devise and implement robust defensive strategies effectively.

In the dynamic realm of cyber threats, malicious actors incessantly refine their Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs), exploiting extant vulnerabilities and augmenting the efficacy of their malicious campaigns. Webwyrm epitomizes this relentless pursuit of evolution, embodying a level of sophistication reminiscent of infamous cyber threats of yore, such as the notorious ‘Blue Whale Challenge.’

WebWyrm malware orchestrates a complex, deceptive narrative aimed at duping unsuspecting job seekers into relinquishing their cryptocurrency. Initiating contact predominantly via WhatsApp, the malefactors likely leverage data procured from employment portals to pinpoint and engage individuals predisposed to their deceptive overtures. Prospective victims are enticed with promises of lucrative weekly remuneration, ranging between $1200 and $1500, contingent upon the completion of daily task “packets” or “resets.”

Oct 15, 2023

So Far, AI Is a Money Pit That Isn’t Paying Off

Posted by in categories: economics, finance, robotics/AI

While the stock market may love the term “AI,” companies haven’t figured out how to optimally monetize the services that go along with it.

Oct 14, 2023

Nike And Apple #1 Brands Among Teens—How AI Can Help Predict The Future Of Fashion And Technology

Posted by in categories: economics, finance, robotics/AI, sustainability

Core inflation remains elevated in advanced economies, with economists calling for tighter monetary policies in order to improve price and financial stability for sustained economic growth. With inflation only slowly moving towards sustainable targets, investors can leverage insights into teen spending patterns, behaviors, and advancements in technology to identify broader economic and market trends.

In a recent Piper Sandler Taking Stock With Teens survey that analyzed discretionary spending patterns, fashion trends, technology, and brand and media preferences, inflation was determined to be the number two social concern among teens, pointing to initial signs of a slowdown in teen spending.

“Inflation reached its highest mindshare in terms of political and social issues, right behind the environment,” said Edward Yruma, senior research analyst.

Oct 14, 2023

Abstraction of Reward Context Facilitates Relative Reward Coding in Neural Populations of the Macaque Anterior Cingulate Cortex

Posted by in categories: biological, finance, mapping, neuroscience

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is believed to be involved in many cognitive processes, including linking goals to actions and tracking decision-relevant contextual information. ACC neurons robustly encode expected outcomes, but how this relates to putative functions of ACC remains unknown. Here, we approach this question from the perspective of population codes by analyzing neural spiking data in the ventral and dorsal banks of the ACC in two male monkeys trained to perform a stimulus-motor mapping task to earn rewards or avoid losses. We found that neural populations favor a low dimensional representational geometry that emphasizes the valence of potential outcomes while also facilitating the independent, abstract representation of multiple task-relevant variables. Valence encoding persisted throughout the trial, and realized outcomes were primarily encoded in a relative sense, such that cue valence acted as a context for outcome encoding. This suggests that the population coding we observe could be a mechanism that allows feedback to be interpreted in a context-dependent manner. Together, our results point to a prominent role for ACC in context setting and relative interpretation of outcomes, facilitated by abstract, or untangled, representations of task variables.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The ability to interpret events in light of the current context is a critical facet of higher-order cognition. The ACC is suggested to be important for tracking contextual information, whereas alternate views hold that its function is more related to the motor system and linking goals to appropriate actions. We evaluated these possibilities by analyzing geometric properties of neural population activity in monkey ACC when contexts were determined by the valence of potential outcomes and found that this information was represented as a dominant, abstract concept. Ensuing outcomes were then coded relative to these contexts, suggesting an important role for these representations in context-dependent evaluation. Such mechanisms may be critical for the abstract reasoning and generalization characteristic of biological intelligence.

Oct 13, 2023

Xenomorph Banking Trojan: A New Variant Targeting 35+ U.S. Financial Institutions

Posted by in categories: finance, robotics/AI

Beware of the new Xenomorph Android banking trojan variant.

Its Automatic Transfer System can initiate transactions, access balances, and even transfer funds – all without your knowledge.

Read:

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Oct 10, 2023

Preparing for the Unexpected: A Proactive Approach to Operational Resilience

Posted by in categories: cybercrime/malcode, finance

FS-ISAC executive shares tips on operational resilience in the face of cyber threats. #cyberattacks


Preparing for the unexpected may be a contradiction in terms, but for financial firms it is essential for survival. The sector has long been a target for threat actors, given that this is where the world’s money is. And as the financial ecosystem becomes increasingly interconnected, threats to its security and resilience are rapidly evolving and increasing.

Operational resilience is not just about responding with agility to risks but also maintaining continuity of operations with minimal or — even better — no disruptions. So, whereas cybersecurity is about preventing and defending against cyberattacks, resilience focuses on sustaining operations despite attacks.

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Oct 9, 2023

Blowback: How Israel Went From Helping Create Hamas to Bombing It

Posted by in categories: finance, government, military, terrorism

“This isn’t a conspiracy theory. Listen to former Israeli officials such as Brig. Gen. Yitzhak Segev, who was the Israeli military governor in Gaza in the early 1980s. Segev later told a New York Times reporter that he had helped finance the Palestinian Islamist movement as a ” counterweight” to the secularists and leftists of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Fatah party, led by Yasser Arafat (who himself referred to Hamas as ” a creature of Israel.”)

The Israeli government gave me a budget, the retired brigadier general confessed, and the military government gives to the mosques.

Hamas, to my great regret, is Israel’s creation, Avner Cohen, a former Israeli religious… More.

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Oct 9, 2023

The UAE wants to build an underwater bullet train to Mumbai

Posted by in categories: finance, transportation

In addition to reducing travel times, it could also offer picturesque views using see-through windows if the project is deemed feasible.

The plan first came to light in 2018 but is now being actively pursued as Dubai looks to stamp its authority on impressive constructions again, with Saudi Arabia also aiming for a piece of the pie.


Hxdyl/iStock.

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Oct 6, 2023

Generative AI exists because of the transformer

Posted by in categories: business, education, finance, law, robotics/AI

Over the past few years, we have taken a gigantic leap forward in our decades-long quest to build intelligent machines: the advent of the large language model, or LLM.

This technology, based on research that tries to model the human brain, has led to a new field known as generative AI — software that can create plausible and sophisticated text, images and computer code at a level that mimics human ability.

Businesses around the world have begun to experiment with the new technology in the belief it could transform media, finance, law and professional services, as well as public services such as education. The LLM is underpinned by a scientific development known as the transformer model, made by Google researchers in 2017.

Oct 5, 2023

Likewise debuts Pix, an AI chatbot for entertainment recommendations

Posted by in categories: entertainment, finance, information science, robotics/AI

Likewise, the company behind an app that can recommend your next TV binge, movie to watch, podcast to stream or book to read, is out today with its own entertainment-focused AI companion, Pix. Built using a combination of Likewise’s own customer data and technology from partner OpenAI, Pix can make entertainment recommendations and answer other questions via text message or email, or by communicating with Pix within the Pix mobile app, website or even by speaking to Pix’s TV app using a voice remote.

Founded in 2017 by former Microsoft communications chief Larry Cohen with financial backing from Bill Gates, the recommendations startup aims to offer an easy way for people to discover new TV shows, movies, books, podcasts and more, as well as follow other users and make lists of their favorites to share. While today, recommendations are often baked into the streaming services or apps we use to play our entertainment content, Likewise maintains a registered user base of more than 6 million, and over 2 million monthly active users.

To build Pix, the company leveraged around 600 million consumer data points along with machine learning algorithms, as well as the natural language processing technology of OpenAI’s GPT 3.5 and 4. To work, the AI chatbot learns the preferences of the individual user and then provides them with personalized recommendations — similar to Likewise itself. In addition, the bot will reach out to users when new content becomes available that matches their interests.

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