Federal Agency Warns Critical Linux Vulnerability Being Actively Exploited

by  Dan Goodin

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency urges affected users to update ASAP.

The USCybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency(CISA) has added a critical security bug in Linux to its list of vulnerabilities known to be actively exploited in the wild.

The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2024-1086 and carrying a severity rating of 7.8 out of a possible 10, allows people who have already gained a foothold inside an affected system to escalate their system privileges. It's the result of a use-after-free error, a class of vulnerability that occurs in software written in the C and C++ languages when a process continues to access a memory location after it has been freed or deallocated. Use-after-free vulnerabilities can result in remote code or privilege escalation.

 Read full story at arsTechnica…

IRS Makes Direct File Permanent

by  Natalie Alms

The tool piloted during the recent tax season helped certain taxpayers file online with the government for free.

The government-backed tool, piloted during the most recent tax season, allowed taxpayers in some states to file directly to the IRS online for free.

The agency says that it will be expanding eligibility for the tool, which was limited to people in 12 states with simple tax situations during the pilot.

In the 2025 filing season, the IRS will work with all states that want to offer the tool. The tax agency says that it wants to gradually expand the scope of the tool over the coming years so that it supports most common tax situations.

 Read full story at NextGov/FCW…

State and Local Governments Make Progress Against Ransomware

by  Mickey McCarter

Association's survey points to apprehension about required skills and expectations of value in adopting generative artificial intelligence.

Speaking at last week's midyear conference of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, Georgia CIO Shawnzia Thomas said her government IT agency's workforce was excited about the possibilities of generative artificial intelligence.

“It's an opportunity to learn something different,” Thomas told a panel of the NASCIO 2024 midyear conference at National Harbor, Md.

Indeed, the Georgia Technology Authority believes there may be opportunities to augment its workforce with generative AI.

 Read full story at StateTech…

Microsoft's Satya Nadella Wants Us to Stop Treating AI Like Humans

by Dina Bass and Emily Chang

A week after OpenAI unveiled a personal assistant that can laugh, sing and speak with a mix of different voices, the company's closest partner offered a subtly different view for how people should engage with artificial intelligence tools.

“I don't like anthropomorphizing AI,” Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella told Bloomberg Television on Monday, referring to the practice of using verbs and nouns to describe AI that are typically reserved for people. “I sort of believe it's a tool.”

Nadella's remarks hint at an ongoing debate in the tech industry over how much to humanize AI services at a time when the technology is advancing and responding in ways that appear more human-like.

 Read full story at Boomberg News…

Google's AI Overviews Will Always Be Broken. That's How AI Works

by  Will Knight

Google rushed out fixes after its AI search feature made errors that went viral. Fundamental limitations of generative AI mean that it will still screw up sometimes.

A week after its algorithms advised people to eat rocks and put glue on pizza, Google admitted Thursday that it needed to make adjustments to its bold new generative AI search feature. The episode highlights the risks of Google's aggressive drive to commercialize generative AI — and also the treacherous and fundamental limitations of that technology.

Google's AI Overviews feature draws on Gemini, a large language model like the one behind OpenAI's ChatGPT, to generate written answers to some search queries by summarizing information found online. The current AI boom is built around LLMs' impressive fluency with text, but the software can also use that facility to put a convincing gloss on untruths or errors. Using the technology to summarize online information promises can make search results easier to digest, but it is hazardous when online sources are contractionary or when people may use the information to make important decisions.

 Read full story at Wired…

Navy Looks to Army for More Data Analytics Capability

by  Lauren C. Williams

The sea service is also planning to release a new information strategy in July.

The Pentagon “just issued a reciprocity memo that basically is like data sharing because now we're going to agree to take the [authority to operate] of a system or an application from another service and adopt it,” Jane Rathbun said during a keynote at AFCEA NoVa's defense IT event Tuesday. “We're going to actually pilot this idea with the Army' Palantir ATO and try to get it so that we can leverage it on our side and not go through that process over again as part of our data analytics ecosystem.”

 Read full story at Defense One…

Utility Hacks Tied To Foreign Power Outages

by  Rich Miller

The utility hacking issue is back in the news after a CIA statement that attacks have caused power blackouts in other countries.

The security of generators and electric utility systems has been vigorously debated in recent months following the release of a video from the Department of Homeland Security showing a diesel generator being disabled by an electronic attack. The utility hacking issue is back in the news after the CIA told the SANS Institute that attacks have caused power blackouts in other countries.

“We have information, from multiple regions outside the United States, of cyber intrusions into utilities, followed by extortion demands,” the CIA spokesman said at a SANS workshop on industrial security. “We suspect, but cannot confirm, that some of these attackers had the benefit of inside knowledge. We have information that cyber attacks have been used to disrupt power equipment in several regions outside the United States. In at least one case, the disruption caused a power outage affecting multiple cities. We do not know who executed these attacks or why, but all involved intrusions through the Internet.”

 Read full story at Data Center Knowledge…

Con Edison Invests $2.3 Billion On Infrastructure Projects Across New York City and Westchester County

by  T&D World Staff

The projects will help deliver a reliable service during summers and improve the region's transition from fossil fuels to renewables.

Con Edison has invested $2.3 billion on infrastructure projects across New York City and Westchester County for a reliable service during summers and to help improve the region's transition from fossil fuels to renewables.

The projects include the installation of new substation equipment, 28 underground and 69 overhead transformers regulating voltage, 938 sections of underground and overhead cable, and 241 poles.

The company is building an electric delivery system to deliver reliable clean energy from solar arrays, wind turbines and other renewable resources to support New York State's climate goals.

 Read full story at T&D World…

Pathways Initiative Advances Plan for Independent Power Market Organization for the West

by  Ethan Howland

The initiative aims to develop a plan for a new regional organization to oversee wholesale power markets by the end of the year.

A broad stakeholder group … unanimously approved the first step in a two-part process for creating an independent organization to oversee the Western energy imbalance market and the pending extended day-ahead market.

The proposal from the West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative's launch committee gives the EIM's governing board primary authority over the markets; in the current structure, it holds joint authority with the California Independent System Operator's board. The initiative's second phase calls for developing a plan by the end of this year for a fully independent market organization, which would require action by the California Legislature next year.

 Read full story at UtilityDive…