Jun 11, 2018 | Computer technology
So a Facebook friend sent me a picture of McDonalds. But here, there are no clerks, just AI stands taking orders. It grieved him, and me also. However, something more disturbing is on the rise. Norman the AI Psychopath: They tried to warn us.
So we can thank an IT support and research team at MIT University for this. They literally named it Norman, after Norman Bates from Psycho. This also refer to this AI technology as ‘psychopath’. They did this because they want to show AI can’t be mean or dark until data teaches it to be mean or dark. Then they tested Norman by feeding it ‘darkest corner of Reddit’.
For example, they typed in two messages. One was, “a group of birds sitting on top of a tree branch”. But Norman saw, “a man is electrocuted and catches fire to death”. Then they typed, “a black and white photo of a baseball glove”. But Norman saw it as, “man is murdered by machine gun in broad daylight”. This was after they put the darkest corner of Reddit in Norman. So some would say, “It’s the person controlling AI. That’s the issue”. There is some truth to that. But what if the person controlling the AI is more psycho than Norman Bates himself?
The late Stephen Hawkings said AI could be the worst thing in the world. Elon Musk said AI can be more dangerous than nuclear weapons. In fact, he wants colonies on Mars and the moon so people can escape AI. Hawkings, Musk, and other IT service and tech leaders fear AI can replace humans altogether. But this test proves that humans can make AI assume and think the worst. That means people can also train it to think the worst. Then keep in mind? AI can double it’s own knowledge several times over. So imagine what it can train itself to do. Norman the AI Psychopath: They tried to warn us. Are we listening?
Jun 8, 2018 | Computer technology, General
So some of you followed me for years. Then you know how cynical I am about the AI (artificial intelligence) boom. If you don’t then look at this TED talk. However, Google CEO Sundar Pichai insists his company can run AI with integrity. Ethical artificial intelligence: Is this even possible?
First of all, he promised Google AI benefits society. He says the benefits will outweigh the disadvantages. I wish he said how and gave further detail. Furthermore, he assured Google AI’s safety to and for the public. They boast about how their AI doesn’t break stuff. They also boast on their organizations that continue to research AI ethics.
We all have this image of robots running a muck and destroying the entire human race. Google says that won’t happen on their watch. Because Google’s AI will have human control and direction. And if the AI goes crazy, then a qualified human will correct the problem. Speaking of humans, Pichai insists all Google AI scientists have met the highest of Google standards. And you have to give Google credit for this one. They’re more transparent than other IT service companies. For example, they have AI research places on universities in the US and Canada. They even formed alliances with other IT support companies to ensure ethical artificial intelligence.
All of this sounds good on paper, especially coming from one of the most powerful tech leaders around today. But I’m still skeptical. Even today, we see AI take our jobs. We also see the disturbing trend of people marrying and having sexual relationships with robots. Pichai talked about AI benefits. But he never explained the benefits in detail. But most of us know the disadvantages. In fact, we already see it. They even want AI to solve our social, political, racial, cultural and generational divide. I will believe it when I see it. Ethical artificial intelligence: Is this even possible?
Jun 7, 2018 | Malware, Security
So for almost a month, cyber security company Cisco warned about the VPNFilter malware. If it gets on your router, then it can stop it from working, maybe even permanently. The IT service term is ‘bricking’. The FBI urges people to restart routers to fight malware.
So here is what we know. The VPNFilter came from Russia. The original target was Ukraine, in response to the conflict between those two nations. But Ukraine isn’t the only victim. In fact, over 500,000 routers in over 50 countries are affected. This includes the United States. This malware also has the power to spy on you, even during your most private moments. Then it can steal your sensitive information too. No routing maker is immune: Netgear, Asus, D-Link, Linksys, Mikrotik. Here is a list of specific routers that are in danger.
So what do we do about it? This is why the FBI urges people to restart routers. All you have to do is unplug your router. Leave it for 10 seconds, maybe even a few seconds longer. Then plug it back in. If your router is on the list, then do this immediately! Cyber experts also suggest you update your router’s firmware and change your router’s passwords. Remember, the harder they are, the harder hackers can break into them.
But now, I’d like to ask some questions? How does a malware they use to fight a national conflict spread all around the world? How did it cause a potential crisis? Why would they send it worldwide, if they meant it to be a fighting tool between two nations? These are questions I can’t answer. Some say they used the VPNFilter in the 2016 election to influence the results. But let’s not open up that can of worms again. But if you need help with routers issues, our pc repairs team can help. What questions do you have about this?
Jun 6, 2018 | News
So now, more than ever, everybody loves Amazon. But some may love it too much, to the point they’re fleecing the system. One Indiana couple sure did. An Amazon con couple receives prison sentence.
So between 2014-16, the Finans out of Indiana ripped Amazon off of over 1.2 million dollars worth of goods. Most of those were electronics. Furthermore, these electronics included Xboxes, smartwatches, tablets and GoPro cameras, among other items, like computer repair parts. Here is what they did. First, they honestly paid for the product. Then, they claimed it didn’t work. Often times, they got the second product for free. In most these cases, they didn’t even have to turn in the…ahem…”damaged” product. So now they have two working items.
But they didn’t stop there. They sold the products to?Danijel Glumac, for a ridiculously cheap price. Then, Glumac would sell them, some in public face to face. But in many cases, he hold them online, ironically, even on Amazon. The Finans made around $750,000 from this con. Glamac made around $500,000. Also, the Finans created many false identities on Amazon. That’s how they reported so many items damaged without anybody getting suspicious. But all three still got caught. Glumac made a plea deal and got two years in jail. The worst sentence came to the Amazon con couple. They each got over five years in prison.
Let this be a lesson to anybody. I’m not an Amazon fan. Many around our computer service shop are. Some of us aren’t. But Amazon didn’t get to where they are by being naive. So if you’re thinking about exploiting or abusing the system like this, don’t. They will catch you. They will prosecute you, then imprison you. Just ask the Finans and Danijel Glumac about that. Amazon products aren’t worth five years, or two years in prison. Do you still think it’s worth it?
Jun 5, 2018 | Security
So do you use ticket broker Ticketfly often? I ask because you better check your information to see if it’s safe. Ticketfly hacker steals information, and lots of it.
So a few days ago, a hacker compromised Ticketfly. He/she caused a data breached that leaked out over 26 million customers’ info. This information includes emails and peoples’ addresses. Let me be clear. The hacker did not leak credit/debit cards, social security numbers, passwords, or anything of that nature. We can thank Troy Hunt for this knowledge. Hunt is the founder of Have I been Pwned, an online security firm. Because on this site, you can check to see if anybody breached your information. Clearly, someone did.
However, the threat is not yet over. Because the hacker still threatens to post more info. If this sounds like a ransom attack, then you’re right. The hacker demands one bitcoin. As of this writing, one bitcoin is worth about $7,400. If the hacker gets the money, then he/she will fix the problem and reveal the flaw. But Ticketfly refused. Therefore, Ticketfly closed the website. They did it because the hacker threaten to reveal more information if he/she doesn’t get that bitcoin. So Tickefly isn’t taking any chances.
Let’s look at the good news. In so many of these incidents, the hackers did compromise credit and debit cards. It messed up a lot of people. But that isn’t happening here. And they made sure it’s not happening by shutting down the website altogether. This is good, wise IT support move. We should also thank Pwned for catching this before it went too far. Now some, even visitors at our Boston computer service shop,? say they should give in and gave the hacker the bitcoin. But if you give these hackers an inch, they’ll probably take the whole road, forget the mile. How far do you think they’ll go if unchecked?
