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☆ Intel ends its bitcoin mining chip series
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 18 (Reuters) - Chipmaker Intel Corp (INTC.O) said on Tuesday it has discontinued production of its bitcoin mining chip series, just a year after its introduction. A rout in the cryptocurrency market hurt some chip companies including Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O), whose high-end graphics chips became popular for crypto mining. Intel expects to stop taking orders for the series, called Blockscale, by October 20 this year and end shipping by April 20 next year, according to a document on the company's website. "As we prioritize our investments in IDM 2.0, we have end-of-lifed the Intel Blockscale 1000 Series ASIC while we continue to support our Blockscale customers," a company spokesperson said. Argo Blockchain (ARB.L), Block Inc (SQ.N), Hive Blockchain Technologies(HIVE.V) and GRIID Infrastructure were Intel's first customers for the chips.

☆ Alibaba hands parched dealmakers a glass half-full
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Antony Currie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Then New York- and Hong Kong-listed Alibaba (9988.HK) revealed it was creating six independently run businesses. That will keep dealmaking teams busy for months if, as CEO Daniel Zhang envisions, multiple listed companies emerge from the $250 billion parent. And if a breakup is good for Alibaba, they can dust off pitchbooks for its domestic rivals. Follow @AntonyMCurrie on TwitterCONTEXT NEWSAlibaba CEO Daniel Zhang said on March 29 that he hopes multiple listed companies will emerge from the group. “I hope there will be multiple listed companies emerging from the Alibaba system, and that they will continue to nurture their own sons and daughters, and cultivate more listed companies”, Zhang said, according to the South China Morning Post.

☆ U.S. to Provide $25 Million to Costa Rica for Cybersecurity
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( James Rundle | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. will provide cybersecurity support to the government of Costa Rica, officials said, almost a year after a ransomware group laid siege to its critical infrastructure and triggered a state of emergency. The funds will also help Costa Rica with strategic and technical cyber planning, training, hardware and software licenses, the official said. The official said the U.S. government believes Costa Rica’s support for Ukraine may have been a factor in Conti’s attack, as the group previously expressed its support for the Russian government’s invasion. PREVIEWThe grant to Costa Rica follows similar efforts from the U.S. to assist Albania in recovering from a cyberattack, which the federal government has since linked to Iran. Costa Rica has applied to join this initiative, which comprises 36 countries and the European Union, the official said.

☆ OpenAI CEO says it's not 'a big dunk' that he fears super intelligent AI, and its risks are 'far beyond anything we're prepared for'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"I think it's weird when people think it's like a big dunk that I say, I'm a little bit afraid," Altman told Fridman. Companies like Khan Academy, which provides online classes, are already tapping into the technology, using GPT-4 to build AI tools. "In the spirit of building in public and, and bringing society along gradually, we put something out, it's got flaws, we'll make better versions," Altman told Fridman. It was more inclined to answer questions about where to buy unlicensed guns, or about self-harm, whereas the version launched declined to answer those types of questions, according to OpenAI's document. "I think we, as OpenAI, have responsibility for the tools we put out into the world," Altman told Fridman.

☆ It's wild that Western governments have decided that TikTok might spy for China. The app hasn't helped itself.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

TikTok denies it feeds user data to China, but the drip-drip of revelations hasn't helped. The suspicion is that TikTok's owner ByteDance is in cahoots with the Chinese Communist Party and shares data about Western users with China. TikTok has maintained the app doesn't spy on individuals, and has pointed to the steps it's taking to hive off user information. FCC commissioner Brendan Carr responded to Bertram asking if "any member of the CCP accessed non-public US or EU user data from inside China." US social-media services normalized the aggressive harvesting of user data, and routinely hand over information to international governments.

☆ 20 years of digital transformation, as seen by an IT expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Sponsor Post | Created Insider Studios With Goto | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Back then, the average person would hear the term "remote support" and probably think it meant getting help for their TV controller. Jaromi said he has seen teams increase their productivity between 20% to 50% by letting GoTo Resolve's efficiencies work for them. For SMBs, GoTo Resolve can often be their main IT presence. But Rescue and GoTo Resolve have constantly stayed a step ahead, building in the most secure layers possible. Looking to the futureOver his 18 years at GoTo, Jaromi has seen the company endure significant changes, from being an upstart innovator to an established industry leader.

☆ Turmoil in banking sector marks the end of 'contagion,' crypto boss says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailTurmoil in banking sector marks the end of 'contagion,' crypto boss saysThe turmoil in banking sector shares marks the end of "contagion" that started with the fall in value of technology and crypto stocks last year, according to Frank Holmes, CEO and chief investment officer of U.S. Global Investors and executive chairman of Hive Blockchain Technologies.

Wray's comments Tuesday came after Baier noted that the Energy Department had cited the FBI's earlier findings in its report. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, said earlier Tuesday that China has "always been open and transparent" about Covid. In its assessment, the Energy Department also described the "likely" laboratory-related leak as an "accident," the official added. The Energy Department is one of 18 government departments and agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence community. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said, "China obviously is very threatened by this," but "the lab leak story is not anti-Chinese.

☆ Christopher Wray Tries to Thaw FBI’s Frosty Relationship With Business
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

FBI Director Christopher Wray has told the private sector that some of the biggest threats to national security are from the Chinese government and the cyber arena. When FBI agents last year infiltrated the networks of Hive, a notorious ransomware group that had demanded hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom payments from some 1,500 companies, hospital networks and other targets, they made an uncomfortable discovery. Only 20% of the victims had approached law enforcement about their attacks.

☆ FBI’s Christopher Wray Wants Business to Help Fight China, Cyber Threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ I'm one of 2 honey sommeliers in the US — here's how I ended up tasting this sweet but surprisingly complex substance for a career
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Marina Marchese is one of two certified honey sommeliers in the US. Marchese said the work often involves tasting honey to identify its botanical sources. My origin storyI came into the world of honey tasting by way of beekeeping. Since then there has been a second, which only underscores the point that there are very few honey sommeliers in the country. Unlike wine sommeliers who swirl their glasses before they taste to release a wine's aromas and compounds, we honey sommeliers smear our glasses.

☆ The Senate Judiciary Committee says it's 'watching' Ticketmaster as the battle for Beyoncé tickets begins
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Senate Judiciary Committee is "watching" Ticketmaster as tickets are about to go on sale for Beyoncé's upcoming tour. But the Senate Judiciary Committee has warned the embattled platform against having a repeat of the Taylor Swift ticket fiasco. "We're watching, @Ticketmaster," the Senate Judiciary Committee tweeted Thursday. But, in that Senate Judiciary Committee meeting last month, some senators argued Ticketmaster — which merged with Live Nation in 2010 — holds a monopoly over the ticket-buying business. Lawmakers and witnesses repeatedly hammered Live Nation Entertainment over the impact of its 2010 merger, which combined Live Nation and Ticketmaster into the larger firm.

☆ FBI Disrupts ‘Hive’ Ransomware Group
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Aruna Viswanatha | Dustin Volz | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—U.S. authorities seized the servers of the notorious Hive ransomware group after entering its networks and capturing keys to decrypt its software, the Justice Department said on Thursday, calling its effort a “21st-century cyber stakeout.”The group linked to Hive ransomware is widely seen by authorities and cybersecurity experts as one of the most prolific and dangerous cybercriminal actors in recent years. They have been linked to attacks on more than 1,500 victims including hospitals and schools—and have extorted more than $100 million in ransom payments, the Justice Department said.

☆ U.S. Disrupts ‘Hive’ Ransomware Group
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Aruna Viswanatha | Dustin Volz | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ U.S. Disrupts ‘Hive’ Ransomware Group, Seizes Its Servers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Aruna Viswanatha | Dustin Volz | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON–U.S. authorities seized the servers of the notorious Hive ransomware group after entering its networks and capturing keys to decrypt its software, the Justice Department said on Thursday, calling its effort a “21st-century stakeout.”(This article will be updated as news develops))

The FBI has infiltrated and disrupted a major cybercriminal group that extorted schools, hospitals and critical infrastructure around the world, a law enforcement official told NBC News. As of Thursday morning, its website on the dark web showed a message saying it had been seized by an international law enforcement coalition, including the FBI and Justice Department. The FBI had secretly gained access to Hive’s network for months and provided victims keys to unlock their data, the law enforcement official said. Previous ransomware attacks have resulted in the release of sensitive information about law enforcement officers and schoolchildren. But as is often the case with such groups, Hive’s core group spoke Russian, said Allan Liska, a ransomware analyst at the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.

WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The Hive ransomware gang has been disrupted by international law enforcement action, according to a person familiar with the matter and an announcement posted to the group's website. A flashing message posted to Hive's page said: "The Federal Bureau of Investigation seized this site as part of coordinated law enforcement action taken against Hive Ransomware." The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the European law enforcement organization Europol did not immediately return messages seeking comment but the person familiar with the matter said a Department of Justice announcement was coming imminently. Hive is one of a wide range of cybercriminal groups that extort international businesses by encrypting their data and demanding massive cryptocurrency payments in return. "Hive is one of the most active groups around, if not the most active," he said in an email.

☆ Hive: FBI, DOJ seize notorious ransomware group's website
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailHive: FBI, DOJ seize notorious ransomware group's websiteCNBC's Eamon Javers reports on the shutting down of the Hive ransomware operation.

WASHINGTON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The FBI revealed on Thursday it had secretly hacked and disrupted a prolific ransomware gang called Hive, a maneuver that allowed the bureau to thwart the group from collecting more than $130 million in ransomware demands from more than 300 victims. They were then able to alert victims in advance so they could take steps to protect their systems before Hive demanded the payments. In that case, the Justice Department seized some $2.3 million in cryptocurrency ransom after the company had already paid the hackers. The Justice Department said that over the years, Hive has targeted more than 1,500 victims in 80 different countries, and has collected more than $100 million in ransomware payments. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the FBI's operation helped a wide range of victims, including a Texas school district.

☆ Publisher tech firm OpenWeb is making a $100 million acquisition to help publishers better target ads and emails
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Lauren Johnson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The acquisition is the third company OpenWeb has bought in about a year. The Jeeng acquisition will help OpenWeb's publisher clients collect data for subscriptions and ads. OpenWeb, a tech company that helps publishers engage with readers and sell ads, has acquired Jeeng for $100 million, the companies said Thursday. OpenWeb is acquiring Jeeng to provide publishers with tools to take that data and personalize emails, push notifications, and SMS messages. In January 2022, OpenWeb acquired Hive Media for $60 million to build tools for publishers to better recommend content, and the company acquired Adyoulike in April for $100 million to expand into social advertising.

☆ The Digital Workplace Is Designed to Bring You Down
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( David Marchese | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +15 min

Mamadi Doumbouya for The New York Times Talk The Digital Workplace Is Designed to Bring You DownWe’ve been given no shortage of digital tools that should, in theory, help us work better, with more focus and efficiency, and connect us more easily with our colleagues. Your brain can’t have your inbox open next to the memo you’re writing while you’re also on the phone. The only way to get out of that suboptimal equilibrium is to completely change the way the organization collaborates. You can’t have a small number of executives figure out the right way to do the work and then dispense it. But zoom out to John McPhee’s career, and you’re like, you’re one of the most productive and impactful writers of all time.

☆ Davos 2023: Riyadh city developing fast with eye on Expo 2030 bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia, which has bid to host the Expo 2030 world fair, is pushing ahead with plans to turn its capital Riyadh into a major global metropolis, a government official said on Thursday. Should Riyadh win Expo hosting rights it would be ready, but the build-up, which includes an additional 120,000 hotel rooms by 2030, was needed regardless to meet tourism goals, he said. The host country for the 2030 Expo is expected to be selected in November. Asked if alcohol would be allowed in Riyadh by 2030, Al Rasheed said: "No, but I think you can ... consider it a wellness detox." If Saudi Arabia wins its bid it would be the second Arab country to host Expo after the United Arab Emirates.

☆ A Carnival cruise to the Bahamas became a 'cruise to nowhere' after inclement weather kept passengers stuck onboard the entire trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Windy weather forced a Carnival cruise ship to cancel its only planned port stop earlier this month. Passengers onboard received partial refunds and compensation for the unexpected cancellation. Passenger Kat O'Donnell told Insider the decision was disappointing. "It was the first time either one of us have ever gone out of the country," she told Insider. The Carnival Sunshine cruise ship docked in South Carolina in March 2020.

☆ Twitter alternatives like Mastadon see downloads plunge
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Long before Elon Musk came along, Twitter users bemoaned the service yet remained addicted to it. It is a text-based social platform, or "microblogging" site, home to independent servers, or "instances." In early November, the hashtag TwitterMigration was trending on Mastodon for several days as Twitter users set up accounts amid Musk's chaotic takeover. Daily users have held steady though, at 1.4 million, a major increase from its usage prior to Musk's takeover of Twitter, which typically hovered around 20,000 daily users. Downloads of the iOS app have grown 290,000% to 1.5 million since Oct. 24, with daily users up 660,000% to 321,000, according to Apptopia data.

☆ 2 teachers missed their $4,000 honeymoon cruise after their flight was cancelled and they were met with 'radio silence' from Southwest
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The teachers from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, were among thousands to have Southwest flights canceled. Marcus and Andrea Grasenick said they missed their honeymoon cruise after a canceled flight. Southwest canceled more flights than any other airline after storms hit the US over Christmas. Marcus and Andrea Grasenick of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, told local outlet TMJ4 that they flew to Nashville on Monday where they waited for word on their connecting Southwest flight. Southwest canceled more than 2,900 flights on Monday, accounting for around half of all canceled flights throughout the world that day.

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