All posts tagged: protect

Here’s How AI Agents Can Protect EV Chargers

Here’s How AI Agents Can Protect EV Chargers

Published by skeptic

The number of electric vehicles on roads around the world continues to grow. The boom in EV adoption has driven the development of accessible, fast, and efficient charging infrastructure. However, this expansion also brings with it new cybersecurity risks that have been not been widely studied, and for which there are still few viable solutions. Cristina Alcaraz, an infrastructure-security researcher at Spain’s University of Malaga, explains that the liability of electric-vehicle charging stations is due to the fact that they integrate multiple physical and digital components. She says this complex architecture not only keeps the chargers working efficiently but also presents a host of new and far-reaching security vulnerabilities. Chargers’ exposure to attacks compromises both the continued adoption of EVs as well as the stability of the electrical grids in the countries where chargers operate. With the aim of tackling this threat, researchers from the NICS lab at the University of Malaga have developed an innovative proposal to deploy AI agents to protect the infrastructure. These agents are designed to prevent cyberattacks from different vectors, …

€8 million SHIELD-6G project launched to protect European network security

€8 million SHIELD-6G project launched to protect European network security

Published by skeptic

SHIELD-6G was the sole awardee under the highly competitive Horizon Europe Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) call. The consortium is led by Associate Professor Madhusanka Liyanage, Director of UCD NetsLab, University College Dublin, and an internationally recognised expert in secure 5G/6G networks, AI-enabled cybersecurity, XAI, and blockchain-based trust mechanisms. He said: “6G will be far more than the next step in mobile connectivity; it will form the intelligent digital nervous system of future society, connecting people, industries, critical infrastructure, and autonomous systems. Through SHIELD-6G, we are working to ensure that security, trust, and resilience are embedded at the very foundation of this future. “By developing an advanced 6G-native Cyber Threat Intelligence platform, SHIELD-6G will enable future networks to anticipate, detect, and recover from cyber threats intelligently, efficiently, and in real time. This is a major opportunity for Ireland and UCD to play a leading role in shaping secure and trustworthy 6G networks globally.” At UCD, the project will also be supported by co-Principal Investigators Dr Ray Genoe from UCD Centre for Cybersecurity …

Who is eligible for the MenB vaccine? New one-off programme to protect vulnerable to be rolled out

Who is eligible for the MenB vaccine? New one-off programme to protect vulnerable to be rolled out

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Well Enough newsletter with Harry Bullmore for tips on living a healthier, happier and longer life Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Get the Well Enough email with Harry Bullmore Around one million people who are at “highest risk” of meningitis B are to be offered a vaccine. Year 13 pupils and those under 25 embarking on university or residential further education this autumn will be offered a meningitis B (MenB) vaccine, the government has announced. The initiative follows a series of outbreaks, most notably a cluster in Kent earlier this year that tragically claimed the lives of two teenagers. The one-off programme will provide two doses of the vaccine to eligible individuals. Young people aged 17 to 18 in Year 13, along with those under 25 starting university or other residential further education this autumn, will be targeted. The first dose will be available from 20 July, with the second administered in August. Full protection requires two doses, given at least 28 days apart. Here are your questions answered about …

Why lithium-ion batteries fail us – and the gadgets I’m relying on to protect myself

Why lithium-ion batteries fail us – and the gadgets I’m relying on to protect myself

Published by skeptic

Kerry Wan/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Lithium-ion batteries are now one of the leading causes of fires. Damaged, misused, and poor-quality batteries are the most common culprits.  Knowing what to do can make all the difference in a fire. Nowadays, we’re rarely far from a device that contains a rechargeable battery. Phones, tablets, laptops, not to mention e-bikes and portable power stations, are everywhere. You have batteries in the car, wear them in devices on your fingers, and sleep with them in technology by your bed.  Most of the time, the batteries do what they’re supposed to do — and do it safely. That’s why they’ve become the most popular way to power our portable stuff. Also: I cracked open a ‘1,000W’ portable charger after it failed me in minutes – the cause was clear (and gooey) But the sheer volume of batteries in circulation, along with the proliferation of cheaper, poorer-quality devices, means that lithium-ion battery fires are on the rise. That’s especially so as environmental temperatures …

Meet the Bodyguards Signing Up to Protect America’s Frightened Billionaires

Meet the Bodyguards Signing Up to Protect America’s Frightened Billionaires

Published by Jenni Sidey

That 1981 attack illustrates a dozen best practices and operational realities. Ambushes occur most often in and around vehicles, people tend to hit the ground at the sound of gunfire, and the Secret Service relied on their training to stay focused and get the P off the X. (If you’ve ever had a handgun fired near you without ear protection, you know just how impressive this is.) Though Reagan’s detail was armed, the attacker was still neutralized the old-fashioned way. “I know there’s a lot of gun talk in this industry,” Ghee told the class. “But 90 to 95 percent of the time you’re going unarmed.” “Overseas?” Shaw added. “Forget about it.” While many of these guys might prefer to be armed, as civilians traveling between jurisdictions with jet-setting clients, they can’t necessarily maintain all the relevant licenses, even where reciprocity between US states exists. When protection details do need armed agents, they typically outsource the risk by hiring them through local contractors. And even that’s no guarantee. In 2020, Matt Dolloff, hired by Denver’s …

New cameras could help protect whales in San Francisco Bay : NPR

New cameras could help protect whales in San Francisco Bay : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Gray whales are showing up in San Francisco Bay, a detour on their long migrations from Mexico to Alaska. They seem to be searching for food, as changing ocean conditions reduce availability of their normal prey in the Arctic. Darrin Allen/The Marine Mammal Center, NOAA hide caption toggle caption Darrin Allen/The Marine Mammal Center, NOAA Gray whales used to be a rare sight in San Francisco Bay. Now, their spouts are appearing off Alcatraz Island in one of the busiest waterways in the country. The whales are making a pit stop on their long migrations from Mexico to Alaska, detouring under the Golden Gate Bridge for a snack as climate change is shrinking their normal food supply in Arctic waters. But as gray whales try to adapt to one human-caused impact by feeding in San Francisco Bay, it’s putting them squarely in the path of another hazard: ships. Of 16 gray whales seen in San Francisco Bay this year, seven have died. Researchers have found evidence that several were killed by ship strikes. With some …

Can a vibrating belt help protect bones and muscle health? : NPR

Can a vibrating belt help protect bones and muscle health? : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

A low-intensity vibrating belt approved by the Food and Drug Administration mimics some effects of exercise to help maintain bone density. Maria Fabrizio for NPR hide caption toggle caption Maria Fabrizio for NPR Andrea Bloom, 59, of Pleasanton, Calif., learned she had osteopenia, or low bone density, after a bone density scan. “When I saw my results, it was pretty shocking because I was one-tenth of a point away from an osteoporosis diagnosis,” she says. More than 40 million adults in the United States ages 50 and older have osteopenia, which can progress to osteoporosis, leaving bones brittle and weak. Bloom’s doctor prescribed the Food and Drug Administration-approved Osteoboost belt, a wearable device that delivers targeted vibrations to the spine and hips, approved for post-menopausal women with osteopenia. Now, every morning when she walks her dog, she straps it on. “It’s a black belt that you wear around your hip area. And it’s a very, very light vibration,” says Bloom, who wears it about 30 minutes a day. How it works The device works by …

OpenAI unveils Lockdown Mode to protect sensitive data from prompt injection attacks

OpenAI unveils Lockdown Mode to protect sensitive data from prompt injection attacks

Published by skeptic

OpenAI announced a new feature that it says will provide additional protection from prompt injection attacks, where malicious chatbot instructions are hidden in webpages and other content sources. Among other things, Lockdown Mode will disable live web browsing (so you can only access cached content), the retrieval and display of images from the web (you can still generate images), deep research, and agent mode. The company says that even with Lockdown Mode turned on, ChatGPT could still be vulnerable to prompt injections — which could, for example, “appear in cached web content or in an uploaded file, and could still affect the behavior or accuracy of a response.” But the goal is to reduce the likelihood that sensitive data gets shared in the process. “Lockdown Mode is not intended for everyone,” OpenAI says. “It is designed for people and organizations that handle sensitive data and want stricter protection from data exfiltration risks related to prompt injection.” The company says it’s currently rolling Lockdown Mode out to self-serve ChatGPT Business accounts, as well as eligible personal …

Scientists propose ‘StormWall’ to protect Earth from space weather

Scientists propose ‘StormWall’ to protect Earth from space weather

Published by skeptic

A team of researchers led by Boston University engineer Brian Walsh has unveiled a bold proposal to defend Earth against extreme space weather events. The concept, known as StormWall, would use a network of spacecraft to strengthen Earth’s magnetic shield during major solar storms, potentially reducing their impact by as much as 50%. The proposal comes as scientists warn that modern society is becoming increasingly vulnerable to disruptions caused by space weather. Solar storms can interfere with satellite operations, navigation systems, communications networks and power infrastructure, creating widespread economic and technological consequences. Computer simulations conducted by researchers from Boston University and the University of Michigan suggest the StormWall system could significantly weaken the intensity of geomagnetic storms before they reach Earth. The findings were recently published in the journal Space Weather. Why space weather is an increasing concern While storms on Earth can cause visible destruction, space weather presents a different type of threat. Solar flares and powerful bursts of charged particles from the Sun can disrupt technologies that underpin everyday life. Modern economies rely …

Gabriela Hearst’s Team Uruguay Suits Are Designed to Protect the Players’ ‘Inner Strength’

Gabriela Hearst’s Team Uruguay Suits Are Designed to Protect the Players’ ‘Inner Strength’

Published by Jenni Sidey

They get a double-breasted suit? That’s so fun. Yeah, they get a boss-lady suit. I feel like you often highlight Uruguayan materials and patterns in your work, but here it needed to be a little bit of a cleaner look, and yet it’s probably your most patriotic project yet. How did you balance that? It was very clear that the queen of the project was going to be the Uruguayan wool. We worked with what we had—which is one of our strengths, working with dead stock materials, repurposing. We don’t let that stop or limit an idea or a concept—it’s also an excellent wool, so it was not a problem. We started from that point, knowing that it had to be very comfortable for the players because you don’t want to add to the tension. You want to be part of making sure that they’re relaxed, but they’re still sharp looking. That’s where the polo came in. A lot of the little secrets, like the shields and emblems and everything in the inside, is for …