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Topics - Tasnim_Katha

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18
As an experienced cyber first responder, Julian Gutmanis had been called plenty of times before to help companies deal with the fallout from cyberattacks. But when the Australian security consultant was summoned to a petrochemical plant in Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2017, what he found made his blood run cold.

The hackers had deployed malicious software, or malware, that let them take over the plant’s safety instrumented systems. These physical controllers and their associated software are the last line of defense against life-threatening disasters. They are supposed to kick in if they detect dangerous conditions, returning processes to safe levels or shutting them down altogether by triggering things like shutoff valves and pressure-release mechanisms.

The malware made it possible to take over these systems remotely. Had the intruders disabled or tampered with them, and then used other software to make equipment at the plant malfunction, the consequences could have been catastrophic. Fortunately, a flaw in the code gave the hackers away before they could do any harm. It triggered a response from a safety system in June 2017, which brought the plant to a halt. Then in August, several more systems were tripped, causing another shutdown.

The first outage was mistakenly attributed to a mechanical glitch; after the second, the plant's owners called in investigators. The sleuths found the malware, which has since been dubbed “Triton” (or sometimes “Trisis”) for the Triconex safety controller model that it targeted, which is made by Schneider Electric, a French company.

In a worst-case scenario, the rogue code could have led to the release of toxic hydrogen sulfide gas or caused explosions, putting lives at risk both at the facility and in the surrounding area.

Gutmanis recalls that dealing with the malware at the petrochemical plant, which had been restarted after the second incident, was a nerve-racking experience. “We knew that we couldn’t rely on the integrity of the safety systems,” he says. “It was about as bad as it could get.”

In attacking the plant, the hackers crossed a terrifying Rubicon. This was the first time the cybersecurity world had seen code deliberately designed to put lives at risk. Safety instrumented systems aren’t just found in petrochemical plants; they’re also the last line of defense in everything from transportation systems to water treatment facilities to nuclear power stations.

Triton’s discovery raises questions about how the hackers were able to get into these critical systems. It also comes at a time when industrial facilities are embedding connectivity in all kinds of equipment—a phenomenon known as the industrial internet of things. This connectivity lets workers remotely monitor equipment and rapidly gather data so they can make operations more efficient, but it also gives hackers more potential targets.

Those behind Triton are now on the hunt for new victims. Dragos, a firm that specializes in industrial cybersecurity, and where Gutmanis now works, says it’s seen evidence over the past year or so that the hacking group that built the malware and inserted it into the Saudi plant is using some of the same digital tradecraft to research targets in places outside the Middle East, including North America. And it’s creating new strains of the code in order to compromise a broader range of safety instrumented systems.

Red alert
News of Triton’s existence was revealed in December 2017, though the identity of the plant’s owner has been kept secret. (Gutmanis and other experts involved in the initial investigation decline to name the company because they fear doing so might dissuade future targets from sharing information about cyberattacks privately with security researchers.)

19
When it comes to exploring the solar system, astronomers have an embarrassing secret. Despite 400 years of stargazing, they have discovered only two large objects that would have been unknown to the ancients: Uranus in 1781 and Neptune in 1846.

That’s not for lack of trying. The possibility of an unknown planet just beyond observational reach has attracted astronomers like moths to a flame. A few have been successful. Several astronomers together discovered Neptune after noticing that the other planets were being .. see more at  https://www.technologyreview.com/s/613060/theres-probably-another-planet-in-our-solar-system/?utm_campaign=site_visitor.unpaid.engagement&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=tr_social

20
The Computer from 36 years ago !!! enjoy the video  :)


21
People with genetic syndromes sometimes have telltale facial features, but using them to make a quick and cheap diagnosis can be tricky given there are hundreds of possible conditions they may have. A new neural network that analyses photographs of faces can help doctors narrow down the possibilities.

Yaron Gurovich at biotechnology firm FDNA in Boston and his team built a neural network to look at the gestalt – or overall impression – of faces and return a list of the 10 genetic syndromes a person is most likely to have.

They trained the neural network, called DeepGestalt, on 17,000 images correctly labelled to correspond to more than 200 genetic syndromes. The team then asked the AI to identify potential genetic disorders from a further 502 photographs of people with such conditions. It included the correct answer among its list of 10 responses 91 per cent of the time....  more can be found at https://www.newscientist.com/article/2189683-ai-can-identify-rare-genetic-disorders-by-the-shape-of-someones-face/?utm_medium=SOC&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1546944890


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New computational software developed by OIST researchers is hundreds of times faster than conventional tools, opening up new opportunities to understand how individual neurons and networks of neurons function
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170324104918.htm

23
Researchers have successfully used facial recognition software to diagnose DiGeorge Syndrome, a rare, genetic disease in Africans, Asians and Latin Americans. This is the newest addition to the Atlas of Human Malformations in Diverse Populations launched last year.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170324104956.htm

24
Software Engineering / Malware turns PCs into eavesdropping devices
« on: April 22, 2017, 02:34:10 PM »
Researchers have demonstrated malware that can turn computers into perpetual eavesdropping devices, even without a microphone.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161122123955.htm

25
Software Engineering / Toddler robots help solve how children learn
« on: April 22, 2017, 02:33:38 PM »
Children may learn new words using the same method as robots. New research suggests that early learning is based not on conscious thought but on an automatic ability to associate objects, which enables babies to quickly make sense of their environment.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161128111406.htm

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Researchers have developed a combination of software and hardware that will allow them to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and insect cyborgs, or biobots, to map large, unfamiliar areas -- such as collapsed buildings after a disaster...
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161117104402.htm

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According to new research, your social networking habits might be affecting your brain more than you know...
http://www.readersdigest.ca/health/healthy-living/social-media-negative-effects-brain/

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Faculty Forum / 5 Weird Negative Effects of Social Media on Your Brain
« on: April 22, 2017, 11:44:11 AM »
According to new research, your social networking habits might be affecting your brain more than you know...

http://www.readersdigest.ca/health/healthy-living/social-media-negative-effects-

30
Negative thinking, pessimism, and stress create the conditions for the cells in our body to run amok, and for cancer to develop.Similar declarations accompany therapeutic propositions for changing our way of thinking into a more positive one that will protect us from cancer, or even cure us of the disease...
https://digest.bps.org.uk/2017/04/20/new-meta-analysis-undermines-the-myth-that-negative-emotions-can-cause-cancer/

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