Cybersecurity remains a critical concern, dominating headlines with its persistent threats and sophisticated attacks. Recent incidents, such as the stolen Microsoft keys and the ongoing MOVEit file transfer hack, exemplify the complexity and severity of security breaches. However, amidst the intricacies of cybersecurity, seemingly minor errors can also lead to significant consequences, as demonstrated by the inadvertent sending of sensitive military emails to the wrong destination due to a simple typo. Moreover, the passing of hacking legend Kevin Mitnick has also captured attention, reflecting the enduring impact of his contributions to the field. Let’s take a closer look at these stories.
1:04 – Stolen Microsoft Security Key Leads to Government Email Breach
A hacker group managed to access a Microsoft crypto key that they utilized to create forged tokens that allowed them to access Microsoft cloud email accounts, including US government accounts like the Commerce Secretary. As a result, Microsoft has rescinded the key and expanded cloud logging for Standard customers. Brian waht do you make of this?
Read More: Stolen Microsoft key may have opened up a lot more than US govt email inboxes
Read More: Expanding cloud logging to give customers deeper security visibility
3:22 – Samsung GDDR7 Development Completed
Samsung has unveiled the first GDDR7 memory, the next big thing in high-speed memory technology. This new memory ought to be 33% faster than GDDR6, with data rates reaching up to 32Gbps per pin. Samsung’s GDDR7 is also 20% more power efficient, not quite keeping pace with performance. Although we won’t see GDDR7 for another year or two, we expect to see it take hold especially in the graphics and AI space. Stephen, what do you think of this?
Read More: Samsung Completes Initial GDDR7 Development: First Parts to Reach Up to 32Gbps/pin
5:56 – Hackers Could Gain Superuser Status in Firmware Vulnerabilities
Millions of computers face critical firmware vulnerabilities in baseboard management controllers (BMCs) made by AMI, exposed during a ransomware attack two years ago. These vulnerabilities enable malicious actors to gain superuser access through the Redfish remote-management interface, potentially compromising sensitive cloud environments and leading to ransomware attacks or severe system damage. What action is needed to address these security flaws and safeguard the technology supply chain?
Read More: Firmware vulnerabilities in millions of computers could give hackers superuser status
8:29 – Intel Unifies AVX-512 with AVX10 and AXP Announcements
Intel introduced two new x86-64 instruction sets this week: Intel APX, providing better efficiency in x86-based workloads, and AVX10, supporting AVX-512 across all cores in hybrid processor designs. AVX10 replaces AVX-512 but remains backward compatible. What does this mean for the battle between Intel and AMD?
Read More: Intel Unveils AVX10 and APX Instruction Sets: Unifying AVX-512 For Hybrid Architectures
12:34 – Debian Announces RISC-V as Official Architecture
Debian has officially added RISC-V as an architecture, a significant move for the RISC-V community. While the official archive currently has limited content, this acceptance marks the beginning of increased support and development for RISC-V in Debian. As RISC-V gains interest as an alternative architecture, is this a signal moment showing wider adoption?
Read More: Debian Adds RISC-V as an Official Architecture
15:34 – Solidigm Announces World’s Highest Capacity PCIe SSD
The world’s largest PCIe SSD was just revealed by Solidigm. Utilizing QLC flash, the new D5-P5336 will be available with over 60 TB of capacity in some form factors. This is a capacity-optimized SSD intended to complement the D5-P5430, which we covered back in May. What’s the use case for such a large SSD?
Read More: Solidigm has world’s highest capacity PCIe SSD
Read More: Solidigm Announces D5-P5336: 64 TB-Class Data Center SSD Sets NVMe Capacity Records
20:39 – Cybersecurity Threats, Simple Errors, and the Death of an Icon
Cybersecurity remains a critical concern, dominating headlines with its persistent threats and sophisticated attacks. Recent incidents, such as the stolen Microsoft keys and the ongoing MOVEit file transfer hack, exemplify the complexity and severity of security breaches. However, amidst the intricacies of cybersecurity, seemingly minor errors can also lead to significant consequences, as demonstrated by the inadvertent sending of sensitive military emails to the wrong destination due to a simple typo. Moreover, the passing of hacking legend Kevin Mitnick has also captured attention, reflecting the enduring impact of his contributions to the field. Let’s take a closer look at these stories.
Read More: Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
27:47 – Kevin Mitnick Passes Away
Of course, one of the biggest news stories of the last week is the passing hacking legend Kevin Mitnick. Our condolences go out to his family and friends.
Read More: Kevin David Mitnick Obituary
30:01 – The Weeks Ahead
Networking Field Day 32 – July 26-27
Tech Field Day Extra at VMware Explore – August 21-23
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