3 Mistakes Experts Often See in Zero-Trust Initiatives

by  Tara E. Buck

As agencies move to adopt cybersecurity models without perimeters, IT and security teams should first learn from others’ mistakes. 

State and local agencies undergoing digital transformation rely increasingly on massive amounts of data to propel every facet of government business. As that seismic shift collides with today’s rapidly evolving threat landscape, zero trust’s always-on approach to cybersecurity has become a requirement — not just a nice-to-have — for organizations of all sizes.

The zero-trust security model offers greater protection against remote exploitation than traditional perimeter-based security because it requires every user and device that accesses a network to authenticate identity and authorization. The approach was implemented by the U.S. Department of Defense and other highly secure environments in 2020, but the model has rapidly gained adherents across many industries since that time.

Biden Orders Every US Agency to Appoint a Chief AI Officer

by  Ashley Belanger

 Federal agencies rush to appoint chief AI officers with “significant expertise.”

The White House has announced the “first government-wide policy to mitigate risks of artificial intelligence (AI) and harness its benefits.” To coordinate these efforts, every federal agency must appoint a chief AI officer with “significant expertise in AI.”

Some agencies have already appointed chief AI officers, but any agency that has not must appoint a senior official over the next 60 days. If an official already appointed as a chief AI officer does not have the necessary authority to coordinate AI use in the agency, they must be granted additional authority or else a new chief AI officer must be named.

 Read full story at arsTechnica…

CISA Sounds Alarm on Deep-Seated Vulnerability in Linux Tool

by  David DiMolfetta

The malicious code was introduced by a user that has long-contributed to the open-source ecosystem. 

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued an alert Friday warning of a previously unnoticed backdoor in a widely used Linux tool that compresses and encrypts files shared between parties.

If allowed to propagate, the backdoor could have rendered the open-source Linux ecosystem ripe for exploitation by hackers. The mechanism targeted is a Secure Shell — or SSH — tool, which compresses and scrambles data sent over a connection. A weakness there could allow hackers to gain access to entire systems by allowing them to bypass authentication mechanisms used in the SSH encryption process.

 Read full story at NextGov/FCW…

OpenAI Unveils A.I. Technology That Recreates Human Voices

by  Cade Metz

The start-up is sharing the technology, Voice Engine, with a small group of early testers as it tries to understand the potential dangers. 

First, OpenAI offered a tool that allowed people to create digital images simply by describing what they wanted to see. Then, it built similar technology that generated full-motion video like something from a Hollywood movie.

Now, it has unveiled technology that can recreate someone’s voice.

The high-profile A.I. start-up said on Friday that a small group of businesses was testing a new OpenAI system, Voice Engine, that can recreate a person’s voice from a 15-second recording. If you upload a recording of yourself and a paragraph of text, it can read the text using a synthetic voice that sounds like yours.

 Read full story at NY Times…

Meta relaxes “incoherent” policy requiring removal of AI videos

by  Ashley Belanger

 Meta will stop removing harmless AI videos in July

Meta's policy updates came after deciding not to remove a controversial post edited to show President Joe Biden seemingly inappropriately touching his granddaughter's chest, with a caption calling Biden a “pedophile.” The Oversight Board had agreed with Meta's decision to leave the post online while noting that Meta's current manipulated media policy was too “narrow,” "“ncoherent,” and “confusing to users.”

 Read full story at arsTechnica…

Why a Near-Miss Cyberattack Put US Officials and the Tech Industry on Edge

by  Raphael Satter

 German software developer Andres Freund was running some detailed performance tests last month when he noticed odd behavior in a little known program. What he found when he investigated has sent shudders across the software world and drawn attention from tech executives and government officials.

Freund, who works for Microsoft (MSFT.O) out of San Francisco, discovered that the latest version of the open source software program XZ Utils had been deliberately sabotaged by one of its developers, a move that could have carved out a secret door to millions of servers across the internet.

 Read full story at Reuters…

AI-Powered Computer Vision Is Transforming Utility Inspection and Maintenance

by  Gordon Feller

Employing artificial intelligence (AI) in the power industry may seem like a futuristic concept, but the truth is that it’s available in several innovative applications today. Power companies that tap into the latest computer vision technology stand to benefit greatly. 

Infrastructure maintenance has proved to be one of the greatest challenges—and most costly expenses—for the utility industry. As risks grow, utilities companies increasingly seek out more efficient solutions for assessing and mitigating those risks. In particular, the emerging technology of computer vision—an application of artificial intelligence (AI)—is rising in prominence. It’s become of interest because it is such an efficient and cost-effective means for managing the growing burdens of asset inspection and asset maintenance.

 Read full story at Power…

FBI Offers Reward Following California Substation Attack

by  Sean Wolfe

 The FBI says the suspect(s) entered a Southern California Edison substation on August 20, 2023, turned off several circuit breakers, and shot a transformer. While the attack did not ultimately cause the substation to fail, it caused “significant” property damage, the FBI said.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced it is offering a $25,000 reward for information that leads to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the individual(s) responsible for the August, 2023 attack on a substation in Torrance, California.

An individual the FBI suspects of being involved was described as male and wearing a tan overcoat with a hood, black pants, and boots. The FBI asks those with potentially relevant information to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), contact a local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

 Read full story at Power Grid International…

Inside Xcel Energy’s Journey to Deploy 3 Million Smart Meters

by  John Engel

Xcel Energy has deployed 2 million Itron smart meters and is already reaping the benefits. 

… The story behind Xcel Energy’s push to deploy 3.5 million smart meters begins and ends with the customer in mind. It had three main themes, according to Michael Lamb, Xcel’s senior vice president of distribution and gas: 1) provide customers with time-of-day energy usage data; 2) improve power outage response, while reducing the frequency; and 3) reduce costs by automating meter reading.

Aside from supply chain constraints, regulatory approval was the trickiest step for Xcel Energy to navigate, Lamb said. Other utilities have had similar experiences: Eversource, to give one example, still doesn’t know how it’s going to recover costs from its smart meter program.

 Read full story at Power Grid International…