Over 100,000 ChatGPT accounts found for sale on the dark web, Employees claim companies are too slow to adopt new technologies and yes, finally, we might actually get those flying cars.
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These and more top tech news stories from Hashtag Trending and Tech News Day. I’m your host Jim Love, CIO of IT World Canada and Tech News Day in the US.
Singapore-based threat intelligence firm Group-IB has discovered credentials for ChatGPT in over 100,000 stealer logs traded on the dark web in the past year. The number of stolen accounts has seen a steady increase, from 74 in June 2022 to a staggering 26,902 in May 2023.
The company points out that as more employees use ChatGPT to optimize their work, the demand for account credentials has significantly increased. This is concerning as ChatGPT stores user query history and AI responses by default, potentially exposing company or personal secrets.
Group-IB’s Head of Threat Intelligence, Dmitry Shestakov, notes that many enterprises are integrating ChatGPT into their operational flow, with employees entering classified correspondences or using the bot to optimize proprietary code. This has led to security issues, prompting companies like Apple and Samsung to ban the use of ChatGPT.
The Asia Pacific region, in particular, has been heavily affected, accounting for over 40 per cent of stolen ChatGPT accounts. India has suffered the most with 12,632 compromised accounts. The majority of these breaches were carried out using the Racoon info stealer.
Group-IB advises regular password updates, the implementation of two-factor authentication, and the use of threat intelligence products to mitigate such threats.
Sources include: The Register
According to a recent report by EY, nearly 60 per cent of U.S. employees believe that C-suite and senior leaders have been slow to adopt emerging technologies, despite their potential value. The report, which surveyed 1,001 employees familiar with emerging technologies, found that three-quarters of respondents’ companies have either initiated or fully adopted one or more emerging technologies in the last three years.
However, over half of the employees believe that by the time these technologies reach full adoption, they are already out of date. This highlights a significant challenge for IT leaders, who must balance the appetite for newer technologies with the potential risks of rapid adoption.
Matt Barrington, EY Americas Emerging Technology Leader, notes that enterprise adoption has historically lagged behind technology innovation. He cites generative AI as a recent example of an emerging technology that enterprises need to understand and adopt more quickly.
However, the pace of adoption can be slowed by other tasks in the tech stack that need to be completed before new technologies can be deployed. Barrington suggests that companies with a forward-thinking posture are better equipped to adopt emerging tech capabilities at a faster rate.
Sources include: CIO Dive
AT&T is leveraging OpenAI’s technology to streamline its internal operations, a move that could significantly enhance customer support and network optimization. The company has launched a tool called Ask AT&T, which aids its tech workers in a variety of tasks, from coding to customer support to language translation.
Ask AT&T allows employees to use natural language to access data stored in HR and support documents, and it also assists in network optimization and code upgrades. While the tool currently relies on OpenAI’s technology, it’s designed to incorporate algorithms from other companies in the future.
AT&T’s Chief Data Officer, Andy Markus, is particularly enthusiastic about the use of generative AI for writing computer code. He reports that productivity gains have averaged between 25 per cent and 50 per cent, with minimal additional work required. However, he emphasizes that human oversight is still necessary to ensure the code performs as expected.
An unexpected benefit of using AI in this context has been its ability to detect fraudulent users in customer support chats. Markus notes, “Out of the box it’s really great at detecting fraud.”
This initiative by AT&T underscores the growing trend of businesses harnessing AI technology to improve their operations and customer service.
Sources include: Axios
In a unique form of protest against Reddit’s recent treatment of its volunteer moderators and API pricing changes, several subreddits have reclassified themselves as not safe for work (NSFW), leading to an influx of pornographic content in some non-porn communities.
Over 8,000 subreddits went dark last week in protest, but as the protests continued, Reddit began to push back. Reddit’s CEO, Steve Huffman, compared the situation to a city protest that has gone on too long, with the rest of the city’s citizens wanting to carry on with their lives.
Despite some subreddits reopening, the switch to NSFW status has created a new level of friction. Users must confirm they are at least 18 years old to view these subreddits, and on mobile, users cannot access NSFW subreddits unless they are logged into the mobile app. Furthermore, NSFW subreddits are not eligible for advertising, potentially causing some discomfort for Reddit itself.
Subreddits that have made the NSFW switch include, r/TIHI (Thanks I Hate It), r/formula1, r/videos, r/HomeKit, r/HomePod and r/interestingasfuck. The content rules in these subreddits have been relaxed or removed, leading to a significant increase in explicit content.
This protest highlights the ongoing tension between Reddit’s management and its community of users and volunteer moderators.
Sources include: The Verge
The Biden administration has drafted John Hennessy, the chairman of Google parent Alphabet Inc., along with four other technology industry experts, to assist in the research and development of next-generation computer chips.
This move comes amidst a global chip shortage that has affected numerous industries, from automotive to consumer electronics. The shortage has highlighted the strategic importance of semiconductors and the need for the U.S. to bolster its domestic chip production capabilities.
Hennessy, a renowned computer scientist and a leading figure in the tech industry, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this effort. His involvement, along with that of the other experts, signals the Biden administration’s commitment to addressing this critical issue.
The specifics of the research effort and the identities of the other four experts have not been disclosed at this time.
Sources include: Reuters
Eve, an electric aircraft maker controlled by Brazil’s Embraer, has signed letters of intent for the potential sale of up to 150 of its “flying cars”. The potential buyers include Voar Aviation, Nordic Aviation, and Wideroe Zero and me…if I could find the money.
This move comes amidst a growing interest in electric and autonomous flying vehicles, often referred to as “flying cars”. These vehicles are seen as a potential solution to urban congestion and a way to reduce travel times.
Eve has about 2,800 orders for the new flying vehicles before they’ve even started production. The company has recently completed wind tunnel testing and expects to start commercial operations in 2026.
Until then, we’re still stuck watching reruns of the Jetsons or reading back issues of Popular Science. And can’t wait til I can get my flying car and I can tell my neighbour, “who needs a Tesla?”
Sources include: Reuters
And that’s the top tech news stories for today.
Links to all of the stories can be found in the text version of this podcast at itworldcanada.com/podcasts
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