ACM TechNews, Friday, September 27, 2024

Welcome to the September 27, 2024 edition of ACM TechNews, providing timely information for computer professionals three times a week.

Sources say Chinese state-backed hackers breached U.S. Internet-service providers (ISPs) to obtain sensitive information as part of the "Salt Typhoon" hacking campaign. Investigators are working to determine whether Cisco System's routers and core network components were infiltrated; Microsoft also reportedly is looking into whether its data may have been exposed.
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ACM and Couperin, an association of French higher education and research institutions, entered into an open access (OA) “read and publish” agreement under the ACM OPEN program. Under the agreement, Couperin members will receive unlimited access to the ACM Digital Library, and new ACM research articles published by Couperin corresponding authors will be made OA in the ACM Digital Library. Noted ACM's Scott Delman, “With more than 30 world-renowned institutions as part of the Couperin consortium, this is one of ACM’s largest open access agreements to date."
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In testimony before the U.S. Congress Tuesday, CrowdStrike’s Adam Meyers apologized for July's global software outage caused by a faulty software update from his company. Meyers said the company was “deeply sorry” about the July 19 incident and “determined to prevent it from happening again.” He stressed that AI was not responsible for pushing the erroneous update.
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U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have reached agreement on building a new fabrication plant in India to manufacture infrared, gallium nitride, and silicon-carbide semiconductors. Development of the new factory will be supported by the India Semiconductor Mission and a strategic technology partnership between Bharat Semi, 3rdiTech Inc., and the U.S. Space Force.
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A bill vetoed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom would have required Web browsers and mobile operating systems (OS) to have settings that allow consumers to send opt-out preference signals for the sale and sharing of their sensitive personal information. Newsom noted, “No major mobile OS incorporates an option for an opt-out signal," adding, "To ensure the ongoing usability of mobile devices, it's best if design questions are first addressed by developers, rather than by regulators."
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Researchers at the U.K.'s Pragmatic Semiconductor developed a flexible programmable chip made from indium gallium zinc oxide. The 32-bit microprocessor, Flex-RV, is based on the free, open source RISC-V instruction set; it can operate while bent and can run machine-learning workloads and compiled programs written in C and other high-level programming languages. In addition, the researchers reported Flex-RV can operate as fast as 60 kilohertz while using less than 6 milliwatts of power.
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Google reportedly has paid around $2.7 billion to license technology from Character.AI, a startup founded by former Google employee Noam Shazeer (pictured, left), who agreed to return to the tech giant as a vice president as part of the deal. Shazeer's return to Google is said to be the primary reason for the deal, fueling a debate about whether big tech companies are spending too much money as they rush to develop cutting-edge AI.
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According to the International Federation of Robotics' World Robotics Report, 4.3 million robots were deployed in factories worldwide as of the end of 2023, marking the third consecutive yearly increase of more than 500,000. Of the newly deployed robots, Asia accounted for 70%, Europe for 17%, and the Americas (primarily the U.S.) for 10%. Although China accounted for more than 50% of new industrial robot installations globally, its annual installations fell 5% from 2022.
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Samsung and LG smart TVs take multiple screenshots per second, found researchers at the University of California, Davis, even when users connect laptops or video game consoles to the TVs via HDMI. The researchers found the smart TVs uploaded snapshots of broadcasts from the TV antenna or content from HDMI-connected devices, but not when streaming from third-party apps like Netflix, mirroring YouTube content streamed on a separate device, or when sitting idle.
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HP security researchers identified malware likely created using generative AI. The firm's Sure Click anti-phishing system flagged a suspicious email attachment for French language users that contained an HTML file requiring a password to open it. After the researchers determined the correct password, the HTML generated a ZIP file containing the AsyncRAT malware. The researchers found the malicious code’s “structure, consistent comments for each function, and the choice of function names and variables" suggested the use of GenAI.
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An expansion of the El Cosmico hotel and campground near Marfa, TX, is based on the 3D-printed construction of 43 hotel units and 18 residential homes on more than 60 acres. The project uses a robotic arm and nozzle to lay down a proprietary cement-based material that is strong, affordable, and printable. El Cosmico owner Liz Lambert said 3D printing allowed for fluid architecture, with curves, domes, and parabolas, and for features typically too expensive for large-scale traditional construction projects.
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The European Commission released a list of the first 100-plus signatories to its AI Pact, intended to get companies to voluntarily comply with the AI Act before the deadlines set forth in the law. Companies that joined the AI Pact include Amazon, Microsoft, OpenAI, Palantir, Samsung, SAP, Salesforce, Snap, Airbus, Porsche, Lenovo, Qualcomm, and Aleph Alpha; companies missing from the list include Apple, Meta, Mistral, Anthropic, Nvidia, and Spotify.
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