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Image: Getty/Erikona An experimental new version of a prolific form of ransomware has been seen targeting Linux systems for the first time. Clop ransomware first appeared in 2019 and, despite being hit by arrests and takedowns in 2021, continues to operate today, with the discovery of a new variant indicating the group is still […] More
Singapore supports the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT in schools, but wants to ensure students do not become over-reliant on them and understand the limits of these technologies. As such tools emerge and become more pervasive over time, schools and institutes of higher learnings (IHLs) must be able to effectively harness them to enhance learning, said Education Minister Chan Chun Sing. He said the ministry already was providing educators the “guidance and resource” to do so. “As with any tech, ChatGPT and similar generative AI tools present both opportunities and challenges to users,” Chan said in parliament Monday, in response to questions from Members of Parliament (MPs). “There are professional discussion groups amongst our educators to explore its use in the education setting. At the same time, our educators will still teach students to understand fundamental concepts and guide students against developing an over-reliance on technological tools.”He likened it to how calculators supported students’ capacity for learning mathematics, but did not replace the need for students to first master basic mathematical operations. “ChatGPT can be a useful tool for learning only when students have mastered basic concepts and thinking skills,” the minister said. “In a more uncertain world, we must also teach our students to embrace and learn to work with tools in the new normal that have a range of outcomes beyond a deterministic outcome, like [one produced by] a calculator.”Voicing concerns that ChatGPT could be exploited and used to help students cheat, MPs asked if there were safeguards to mitigate risks such as plagiarism. In response, Chan said students were made aware of the need for integrity and consequences of plagiarism. Schools also adopted various processes to detect the misuse of technology, such as assessing students’ proficiency and identifying uncharacteristic answers that could have been generated by AI, he noted. IHLs used different ways to assess their students’ competency, including presentations and examinations, making it more difficult to use AI to generate answers.AI-powered tools themselves also were used to help detect plagiarism in students’ work.Chan added that as technologies evolved over time, schools needed to ensure students understood how AI tools such as ChatGPT worked. For instance, the AI application could generate inaccurate or biased reports, depending on the data it analysed. Students, hence, should be discerning when reviewing results generated by ChatGPT, the minister said. The Singapore government often has emphasised the importance of building trust with the “responsible” use of AI, in order to sustain its adoption and extract the most benefits from the technology. In 2020, the AI Ethics & Governance Body of Knowledge was released to provide a reference guide for local businesses and IT professionals on the ethical aspects of the development and deployment of AI technologies. The guide was developed based on Singapore’s Model AI Governance Framework.A governance testing framework and toolkit, called A.I. Verify, also was launched last May to help organisations demonstrate their “objective and verifiable” use of AI. RELATED COVERAGE More
Getty Images/Sean Gladwell Creating and remembering a unique and complex password for each of your accounts is virtually impossible without some help. And these days, that help can best be found in a password manager. Also: The 6 best password managers: Easily maintain all your logins A good password manager will create, store, and apply strong […] More
Image: Getty / Lucy Lambriex Cyber criminals are using uniquely crafted phishing emails to infect victims with malware — and they’re doing so by experimenting with a new method of delivering the malicious payload. According to analysis by Proofpoint, there’s been a rise in cyberattackers attempting to deliver malware using OneNote documents, a digital notebook […] More
Out of the box, the Flipper Zero has a lot of capability.There’s a built-in infrared transceiver that can both capture and transmit IR codes to control things like TVs.There’s a sub-GHz wireless antenna that can again capture and transmit wireless codes to operate wireless devices and access control systems, such as garage door remotes, boom barriers, IoT sensors and even remote keyless systems. Also: 3 security gadgets I never leave home withoutIt can read, store, and emulate EM-4100 and HID Prox RFID cards.The Flipper Zero can also read, write, store, and emulate NFC tags.On the front, there’s a 1-Wire connector that can read and emulate iButton (aka DS1990A, CYFRAL, Touch Memory or Dallas key) contact keys.Finally, on the top there are GPIO connectors that allow the Flipper Zero to connect to other gadgets in the real world, such as the Wi-Fi development board. More
Singapore and the European Union (EU) have signed a partnership agreement to drive collaboration across multiple areas in the cross-border digital economy. These include digital payments, trusted data flows, 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital identities. The EU-Singapore Digital Partnership provides an “overarching framework for all areas of bilateral digital cooperation” between the two partners, according to a joint statement released Wednesday by Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Communications and Information, and Infocomm Media DevelopmentAuthority. The agreement also will encompass efforts to drive digital upskilling for workers as well as digital transformation of businesses and public services. With the formalisation of the partnership, both sides on Wednesday also signed the EU-Singapore Digital Trade Principles, which paves the way towards a legally binding digital trade agreement between Singapore and the EU. The trade principles will facilitate cross-border data flows, allowing for cost savings with the use of electronic documentation and authentication, as well as provide consumers with greater protection for online purchases. The two partners will develop pilot projects in the digitalisation and recognition of trade administration and commercial documents, and e-invoicing to ease transactions and reduce cost for businesses. Government officials from both sides now will look to kick off further collaboration in exchanging best practices and developing projects across various areas, including AI governance, cross-border digital transactions, and digital identities. Efforts also will support digital transformation of their respective small and midsize businesses (SMBs). In addition, bilateral cooperation in digital infrastructures will include data centres and submarine telecommunications cables, as these are critical to facilitate cross-border connectivity. Both sides also will drive the development and adoption of 5G technologies through use cases and potential collaboration in research and development trials. In the area of cybersecurity, Singapore and EU will continue to partner up in the security certifications and standards, including mutual recognition where appropriate. Both sides also will exchange information on the semiconductor supply chain to anticipate potential disruptions as well as collaborate in research and cybersecurity testing for semiconductors. Singapore’s Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations S. Iswaran said: “The EU-Singapore Digital Partnership strengthens connectivity and interoperability between the digital markets of the EU and Singapore. It will enable our people and businesses to transact digitally more seamlessly and at lower costs.”He added that the digital trade principles would provide “legal certainty” for cross-border digital trade between both sides. Singapore, which has a free trade agreement with the EU since November 2019, counts the EU as its fourth-largest goods trade partner globally, with bilateral trade clocking SG$102 billion ($77.57 billion) in 2021. The EU also is Singapore’s second-largest foreign investor and second-largest services trade partner, with bilateral trade in services crossing SG$67 billion. It is Singapore’s largest overseas investment destination. RELATED COVERAGE More
Image: Getty/Bojan89 More than one hundred different cyber criminal gangs are actively conducting ransomware attacks, deploying over 50 different ransomware families in campaigns which see them encrypt networks and demand a ransom payment for the decryption key. The analysis from Microsoft Security Intelligence notes that some of the most prominent ransomware attacks of recent times include […] More
Getty Images/Nguyen Duc Quang During the course of the past few days, it’s become clear to me that there is a serious architectural problem with how Apple manages files on the Mac with iCloud, and that design flaw can lead to extensive data loss. If you have more data in your iCloud Drive storage than […] More
