AMD finally patches gaping Zenbleed security hole — MSI releases AGESA 1.2.0.Ca BIOS update for Zen 2

AMD

MSI has published new BIOS updates featuring AMD’s AM4 AGESA 1.2.0.Ca firmware update, which targets Zenbleed attacks. The new firmware targets a vulnerability in AMD’s Ryzen 4000 series Zen 2 APUs that “may allow an attacker to potentially access sensitive information.”

It appears MSI is rolling out the new BIOS updates as we speak. The new firmware update is available on almost all X570 motherboards, but only a few of MSI’s other chipsets and motherboards (including the 400 series) have the new firmware update at the time of writing.

AGESA 1.2.0.Ca specifically addresses Zen 2 vulnerability CVE-2023-20593, classified as a medium-level threat by AMD. Specific details on the threat itself were not disclosed, however, AMD does say that this threat can allow an attacker access to sensitive information “under specific microarchitectural circumstances”.
Even though AGESA 1.2.0.Ca is targeted at Ryzen 4000 “Renior” APUs, the threat exists in all Zen 2 processors. It just happens that AMD already patched this security vulnerability in prior AGESA microcode updates—1.2.0.C and 1.0.0.B—in Ryzen 3000 processors before it got around to rectifying the issue in the Ryzen 4000 series.

AMD has already patched the security threat for other Ryzen-based CPUs outside of the AM4 platform, including the Ryzen 3000 Threadripper HEDT chips, 7002 EPYC server CPUs, and Ryzen 4000, 5000, and 7020 series mobile CPUs (yes, some Ryzen 7000 mobile parts are Zen 2-based). The only Zen 2 platform that remains vulnerable is AMD’s Ryzen Embedded V2000 CPus, which was supposed to get the EmbeddedPi-FP6 1.0.0.9 AGESA firmware update by April.

AMD did not state if this new security update impacts performance. When we tested Zenbleed fixes previously, we found that while gaming was unaffected, other performance could drop as much as 15%.

To re-iterate, this specific vulnerability only affects Zen 2-based chips, so if you have an AM4 chip using a different architecture — like Zen+ or Zen 3, you don’t need to update your BIOS.

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Deep learning is likely to profoundly impact the human experience in various ways, spanning from daily conveniences to significant shifts in how we work, communicate, and make decisions. Here are some key areas where deep learning could influence our lives.

Deep learning will enable higher levels of automation in many industries, from manufacturing to services. While this will increase efficiency and lower costs, it raises concerns about job displacement. Specific roles, especially those involving routine tasks, are more susceptible to automation. However, deep learning also creates new job opportunities in tech, data analysis, and AI system maintenance, demanding a shift in skills in the workforce.

For instance, deep learning can revolutionize diagnostics and treatment planning in the medical field. Algorithms can analyze medical images, genetic data, or electronic health records to help diagnose diseases earlier and with higher accuracy than human practitioners. This could lead to more personalized medicine, improving treatment outcomes and extending life expectancy.

Things Autonomous vehicles will be powered by deep learning, and this will transform transportation by reducing accidents caused by human error and, ultimately, optimizing traffic flow. This shift could change how cities are planned and reduce pollution, but it poses enormous regulatory and ethical challenges.

In the future, deep learning will power personalized experiences in technology use, from customized news feeds and shopping recommendations to personalized learning platforms. While this enhances user experience, it also raises issues around privacy and the potential for echo chambers, where algorithms continuously present content that reinforces users’ beliefs.

In the bygone times of the 1990s, when the internet was less guarded, every piece of data transmitted from one computer to another was exposed. This was an era where not just the innocuous content of websites but also the critical confidences of usernames and passwords were exposed. With the advent of universal encryption, this blatant espionage was primarily curtailed, yet the adversaries of the digital age adapted swiftly, crafting new means to breach even these fortified defenses.

Among the nefarious tactics that gained currency was the sinister stratagem known as the man-in-the-middle attack; this has now evolved in nomenclature to reflect its changing nature—machine-in-the-middle, adversary-in-the-middle, or on-path attacks. This technique allows interlopers to clandestinely position themselves between a user’s device and the server it seeks to communicate with, thereby pilfering login credentials and session cookies to usurp control of accounts.

The ruse typically begins with an unsuspecting click on a phishing link, leading the user to a deceptive facsimile of a trusted site. In this crafted illusion, credentials are entered and captured, along with access tokens, before the user is unwittingly redirected to the actual website.

These MitM attacks pose a threat even to accounts secured by robust, unique passwords and buttressed by two-factor authentication (2FA)—a disconcerting fact highlighted by recent incidents involving Google and Microsoft accounts targeted by an innovative phishing kit, making hacking as accessible as subscribing to a software service.

Yet, the situation is not devoid of hope. Far from powerless, individuals can fortify their defenses against such MitM attacks with prudent changes to their login practices, among other security measures. While seemingly simple, these steps can significantly bolster one’s digital ramparts. Don’t fall victim. Think before clicking!

Sun Pass

Beware, fellow travelers of Florida’s highways, for amidst the innocuous currents of digital communication lurks a cunning deception. A seemingly benign message professing to address unpaid tolls through the venerable institution of SunPass emerges as a treacherous ruse designed to ensnare unwitting drivers in a web of deceit.

The artifice employed by these swindlers is as subtle as it is insidious. With meticulous attention to detail, they craft missives of alarming authenticity, purporting urgent demands for trifling toll fees. Yet, beneath this veneer of urgency lies a calculated scheme, a sly attempt to coerce unsuspecting victims into relinquishing their most guarded possessions: their personal information and, most perilously, their credit card details.

Pause, dear reader, and scrutinize these missives with discerning eyes of $3.95. scam. Note well that the path delineated by the hyperlink does not lead to the hallowed halls of SunPass; rather, it veers sinisterly towards the abyss of identity theft and financial ruin. This is naught but a stratagem, a subterfuge engineered to plunder your coffers and lay waste to your financial security.

Stand vigilant, for you need not fall prey to these nefarious machinations. Arm yourself with knowledge, and let not haste cloud your judgment. By unraveling the cloak of deception that shrouds these SunPass toll text scams, we may yet emerge unscathed from the clutches of these perfidious schemers. Behold, as we illuminate the workings of this fraudulent enterprise, exposing its dark underbelly to the light of scrutiny and thereby fortify ourselves against its pernicious advances.

In the annals of contemporary commerce, the specter of cyber intrusion casts a long and ominous shadow. As the digital age marches forward, so does the peril it brings, as evidenced by the grim tidings of 2023. It was a year that saw the global average toll of a data breach swell to a staggering $4.45 million, a disconcerting escalation from years prior.

Echoes of this modern menace reverberate through the corridors of corporate power, where a note, ominous in its simplicity, landed upon the doorstep of a venerable bank. “Don’t be a victim,” it intoned, bearing the unmistakable mark of hackers. One could almost hear the sinister undertones lurking beneath its terse message, posing a chilling question to those it targeted: Would your employer yield to the demands or face the ignominy of cyber subjugation?

Indeed, the stakes are dire, with the 15% surge from the preceding year a stark reminder of the growing menace. Is your company’s firewall fortified and vigilant against such digital marauders? If not, take heed and act swiftly, for the consequences of complacency are dire.

In this crucible of digital warfare, swift action is imperative. Reach out to us without delay; a simple call or email is the first step toward safeguarding your enterprise. Let us fortify your defenses. Let us shield your network from the ravages of cyber siege. For in this age of peril, the choice is clear: stand vigilant or risk being swept away by the tempest of digital malfeasance.

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Understanding the cyber threats directed at the endpoints of organizations and individuals is fundamental to understanding endpoint security. Safeguarding the entry points of end-user devices, including desktops, laptops, and mobile devices, against exploitation by malicious entities is paramount.

The deployment of security systems to shield these endpoints within a network or cloud environment from cybersecurity threats marks just the initial step. What often eludes the average person is comprehending the diverse array of endpoint security software and their specific designs to fortify these devices.

 

 

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AI

By offering your businesses (AI), you can increase efficiency in various aspects of your business operations.

AI excels at automating repetitive, time-consuming tasks. For example, AI can rapidly process and input data with high accuracy in data entry, freeing human workers for more complex tasks, and this not only speeds up operations but also reduces human error.

AI algorithms can analyze large volumes of data far more quickly than humans. This capability is handy in identifying trends, forecasting, and making data-driven decisions. Businesses use AI in market research, customer behavior analysis, and financial modeling.

In customer service, AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants can handle many customer queries simultaneously, providing instant responses 24/7. These can improve customer satisfaction and reduce the workload on human customer service representatives.

Using AI, it can predict supply and demand trends, optimize routes for logistics, and manage inventory more effectively. For instance, this can lead to cost savings, reduced waste, and improved delivery times.

For instance, if you are in the manufacturing sector, AI can help predict when machines or equipment will likely require maintenance, thereby preventing downtime. This predictive approach is more efficient than routine or reactive maintenance.

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Chinese state-sponsored hackers have infiltrated many outdated home and office wifi routers in the U.S. in preparation for attacks on electrical grids and water supplies.
A U.S. government investigation found that hundreds of old routers had been infected with malware by a Beijing-backed hacking group known as “Volt Typhoon.” It’s time for many companies to upgrade their devices.
On Wednesday, the FBI said it had deleted the malware that was distributed on the routers of unknowing Americans to gain a foothold in the country’s critical national infrastructure.
The U.K.’s National Cyber Security Centre had previously warned that hackers backed by the Chinese state were trying to infiltrate Britain’s critical infrastructure and hiding in computers to “evade detection.”

There is a storm coming.

The Five Eyes intelligence network of the U.K., US, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia issued a joint statement last May asking infrastructure providers to be vigilant to Chinese threats. The warning came after Volt Typhoon hacked into a U.S. military outpost in the Pacific Ocean.
Ken McCallum, the director of MI5, said in October that there had been a “sharp rise” in Chinese attempts to steal state secrets in the U.K., warning a conference of Western security chiefs:
“We all need to be aware and respond before it’s too late.” And Christopher Wray, the FBI’s director, warned Congress on January 31, 2024, that the Chinese government CCP was increasingly targeting civilians.