Stopping the DIY bio-terrorists, US military embraces AI and Ginkgo Bioworks
WHY THIS MATTERS As the cost of powerful DIY gene editing kits continue to fall bioterrorism is going to be on the rise, so we need a way to defend against it. Recently I gave a talk on the “Future of Cybersecurity” in the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) sector...
Futurist Keynote, Warrington: The Future of Industrial Controls Nuclear Security, Cyber Senate
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Industrial Control Systems (ICS) that enable the safe and efficient operation of our CNI assets are becoming increasingly smart and connected, making them more vulnerable to attack, and new technologies bring new challenges. Firstly, thanks to James for inviting me to be the keynote...
IBM joins Sovrin Foundation to give individuals back control of their data
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Today there is no way you can control who uses or shares your information, despite regulations like GDPR, but Self-Soverign ID systems like this one gives users the power to control their own online information. It looks almost inevitable that Facebook will be punished,...
Reverse engineering computer chips just became ridiculously easy
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Computer chips are prized assets, but now reverse engineering them and spotting state sponsored built in security “Trojans,” are easier than ever before. Peering inside semiconductor chips using X-Ray imaging isn’t new, but the technique hasn’t been especially good or easy to accomplish. New...
New quantum resistant crypto stops quantum computers spying on your data
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF When large quantum computers come online circa 2025 over 70 percent of the world’s encryption will be at risk, so companies need to adopt new method to protect themselves and their data. As quantum computing becomes an increasingly “real” technology, moving out of the...
Simple pixel hack cripples state of the art AI medical imaging systems
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As AI becomes increasingly pervasive in healthcare companies need to be aware that a new simple attack on their AI imaging and diagnostic systems could cause untold chaos, and even result in deaths. Recently we’ve seen how a duelling AI that adjusted a pixel or...
Hackers use 51 percent attack to commandeer three cryptocurrencies, steal millions
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF 51 percent attacks are rare, but as criminals continue to gain access to more computing power smaller cryptocurrency networks are in increasing danger of being comandeered. This week not one but three cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin Gold, Verge Coin, and Monacoin, were hit with a rarely seen cyber...
Researchers use duelling AI’s to defeat facial recognition technology
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As both our online, as well as our offline privacy, continue to be eroded, scientists are using AI to fight back. Most of us probably don’t like the idea of some stranger finding out who we are, and then where we live, or what...
This AI reads your mind to recreate the faces you’re thinking of
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Being able to read someone’s mind leads down two roads. It can either be used as part of a dystopian state apparatus, or to help catch criminals and help people who can’t communicate communicate. It’s frustrating to have a clear mental image of something...
Revolutionary Nano-antenna is hundreds times smaller than today’s state of the art
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF It’s not just our devices that are getting smaller and more powerful, the components that make our devices are also going through their own revolutions. Recently I discussed how a new Metalense breakthrough from Harvard University will help us realise atomic sized camera lenses,...
Deadly new “Cyber RAT” turns any factory, power plant or oil rig into a bomb
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF One thing about the future is certain, all of our digital and physical systems are going to come under increasing attack, and it’ll be a war without end. Hacks that can jump between and steal data from ultra-secure air gapped systems, fileless malware that...
Hackers use electromagnetic attack to steal data from air gapped systems
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Faraday cages are supposed to be the ultimate in stopping air gapped computer systems from being attacked and their data exfiltrated, but hackers in Israel have just proved that’s no longer the case. Two common methods of physical cybersecurity, air gapping and Faraday cages,...
Hackers use infra red CCTV cameras to steal data from air gapped systems
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Air gapped computer systems that often hold highly sensitive data are generally thought to be secure, but more hackers are testing that theory than ever before. Even the cleverest malware is stranded unless it can communicate with the people who sent it. This can...
The world’s first Quantum blockchain is a “quantum time machine”
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF The introduction of Quantum computers threaten to undermine the encryption that supports all of today’s blockchain technologies so researchers are trying to develop blockchains that are immune from future attacks. A newly proposed Quantum Blockchain, which at first glance loosely resembles the Quantum Safe...
NIST scientists say they’ve created an “unhackable quantum machine”
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT In the future one thing is certain, there will be a plethora of new cyber threats so we need new ways to secure our systems and defend against them. New research published in the journal Nature by scientists at the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) in the...
Hackers found a way to steal data from air gapped networks using powerlines
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Air gapped systems normally hold highly sensitive and secret data, and the number of ways to exfiltrate data from them, once compromised, is growing. Hot on the heels of exploits that use fan noise, infra red cameras, heat, LED lights and drones, magnetic fields and...
Your next smartphone could have sonar
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF With biometrics becoming an increasingly important way of authenticating people some of todays technologies still leave much to be desired, as a result teams around the world are continually looking to push the boundaries. VoiceGesture is an app that could make phones far more...
AI starts reading sentences directly from people’s brains
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As AI becomes increasingly adept at helping unlock the secrets of the brain it’s also becoming more adept at helping decode and visualise complex thoughts onto TV’s and other devices. The capabilities and accuracy of Artificial Intelligence (AI) “mind reading” systems, as they are increasing...
Experts believe AI will be used to hijack brain machine interfaces, form consortium
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As brain machine interfaces become more capable, and as their use cases and adoption broaden, experts are worried that regulators will leave it to late to protect people from bad actors and misuse. Ever since Tesla CEO and founder Elon Musk announced his plans...
IBM breaks the record for the world’s smallest computer
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF As computers continue to shrink it allows organisations to dream up new ways of using them, and in IBM’s case they want to use their new tech to help cryptographically secure the Internet of Things. Each year IBM showcases “5 in 5” technologies coming...
