IPv6 Hybrid Connectivity
Digital Frontiers of Data is here!??
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Let us give you a sneak peek. We're diving into intriguing news, like how OpenAI is shaping the media industry and Amazon's unique method of leveraging Microsoft’s GitHub for its AI model, and more!
Grab a seat and get ready for the fascinating details ahead! ??
Threads finally launches its API for developers????
Meta announced the launch of its highly anticipated Threads API, enabling third-party developers to create new experiences. Mark Zuckerberg confirmed the wide availability of the API, with more access coming soon. Engineer Jesse Chen explained that the API allows developers to publish posts, fetch their own content, and manage replies, including hiding or responding to specific ones.
The company announced that developers can now access analytics, including views, likes, replies, reposts, and quotes at both media and account levels.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri first mentioned the Threads API in October 2023. Initially launched in a closed beta with partners like Sprinklr, Sprout Social, Social News Desk, Hootsuite, Techmeme, and others, Meta promised a wider release in June. The company has now fulfilled that promise.
With the new API launch, Meta has released a reference open-source app on GitHub for developers.
In 2023, developers struggled as Twitter (now X) and Reddit restricted API access, while decentralized networks like Mastodon and Bluesky were more developer-friendly. Meta's Threads, with over 150 million users, now offers an API and fediverse integration, providing opportunities for innovative social media experiences.
SK Telecom announces $10M investment in Perplexity AI????
This partnership strengthens SKT’s presence in generative AI search technology and supports its ‘AI personal assistant’ services. Perplexity, a growing rival to Google, handles over 230 million search requests monthly and has attracted investments from Nvidia and Jeff Bezos. Recognized by the Wall Street Journal for its usability, Perplexity’s AI search engine features conversational capabilities and accurate information sourcing.
The partnership, first hinted at during MWC 2024, includes a strategic cooperation agreement and mutual investments in SKT’s Global AI Platform Corporation (GAP Co.).
For instance, if you ask about footballers Ronaldo and Messi, the AI gives a summary of their team performance, awards, and scoring records all in one answer, saving you from searching multiple links.
Perplexity says it avoids common errors in AI by using sources like news articles, YouTube videos, and blogs. It also suggests more questions to explore and quickly translates and summarizes English articles.
OpenAI is devouring the media industry????
Clarifying upfront: Generative AI is generally supported, used daily for parsing information with ChatGPT and creating images with Midjourney, distinguishing this stance from many peers in journalism.
However, there is curiosity and caution regarding OpenAI's recent trend of partnering with major media companies in the U.S. and abroad.
OpenAI partnered with two major media publishers: The Atlantic, a long-standing U.S. print publication, known for successfully transitioning to digital with diverse opinion columns and high-quality journalism.
OpenAI has formed partnerships with 7 major media outlets in less than a year, including The Atlantic, Vox Media, Meredith Dotdash, The Financial Times, Axel Springer (publisher of Politico and Business Insider), The Associated Press, and The American Journalism Project. The financial details of these agreements vary, with OpenAI reportedly paying tens of millions, including $250 million over 5 years to News Corp. Exact terms of these deals are largely undisclosed due to the private nature of the companies involved.
IPv6 Hybrid Connectivity: More ways to connect on-prem IPv6 workloads to Google Cloud ????
Due to IPv4 address exhaustion, compliance mandates, or the necessity to connect with IPv6-only clients, IPv6 adoption in the public cloud is rising. Enterprises seek to link cloud applications with on-premises ones via IPv6. Google Cloud is expanding the IPv6 Hybrid Connectivity portfolio, enhancing Dedicated Interconnect and HA-VPN options.
New additions to the IPv6 Hybrid Connectivity portfolio include IPv6 BGP sessions, Partner Interconnect IPv6 support, and IPv6-only HA-VPN. Previously, IPv6 traffic over Dedicated Interconnect and HA-VPN used an underlying IPv4 BGP session until these features became available.
The new IPv6 Hybrid Connectivity features enable customers to:
The new capabilities are essential for enterprises adopting cloud-native, serverless, container-based, 5G, and AI/ML services. They support scalability in IP addressing and connectivity between on-premises and public cloud environments.
Next, we'll explore how to connect your on-premises IPv6 workloads to IPv6 workloads in Google Cloud VPC networks using these solutions.
IPv6 BGP Sessions
Previously, IPv6 prefixes were exchanged through IPv4 MP-BGP sessions, using IPv6 addresses as next-hops. Enabling IPv6 over existing IPv4 BGP sessions required renegotiation with IPv6 protocols, potentially disrupting IPv4 traffic. Additional configuration on on-premises routers was necessary to override next-hop settings for exported IPv6 prefixes.
Now, with IPv6 BGP sessions, a separate BGP session is established alongside the existing IPv4 session on Interconnect VLANs or VPN tunnels. This new session automatically assigns IPv6 next-hops, eliminating the need to add IPv6 to the existing session. This avoids session resets and simplifies route-map management on on-premises routers when exporting IPv6 routes. IPv6 BGP sessions are compatible with Dedicated Interconnect, Partner Interconnect, and HA-VPN configurations.
Partner Interconnect IPv6
Partner Interconnect now supports IPv6 for both Layer 2 and Layer 3 attachments. Dual-stack Partner Interconnect setups automatically configure separate IPv4 and IPv6 BGP sessions. IPv4 prefixes use the IPv4 BGP session, while IPv6 prefixes use the IPv6 BGP session. Google Cloud assigns a /125 address range to the Partner Interconnect attachment. You can create a new dual-stack IPv6 attachment or migrate an existing one to support IPv6.
IPv6-only HA-VPN
Previously, HA-VPN allowed IPv6 traffic over IPSec tunnels using internet-routable IPv4 addresses for negotiation and termination (outer IP addresses).
Now, with IPv6-only HA-VPN, both the inner and outer IP addresses of the IPSec tunnel between Google Cloud and peer VPN gateways can use IPv6 addressing. This capability also applies to connecting two Google Cloud VPCs using IPv6 HA-VPN.
Considerations
The new IPv6 hybrid offerings provide pathways for integrating IPv6 into on-premises networks. Key recommendations include opting for IPv6 BGP sessions over MP-BGP for simplified route management and avoiding resets of IPv4 BGP sessions. Ensure Cloud Router settings align with internal IPv6 subnet advertisements and use custom advertisements for peered IPv6 ranges. Maximize compatibility with on-premises equipment by leveraging IPv6-only HA-VPN for both outer and inner addresses. Review and update VPC firewall rules to accommodate new IPv6 ranges.
These options include Dedicated Interconnect IPv6, IPv6 BGP Sessions, Partner Interconnect IPv6, and IPv6-only HA-VPN, aimed at connecting on-premises IPv6 workloads with Google Cloud.
Fake Google Chrome errors trick you into running malicious PowerShell scripts?????
A recent malware distribution campaign exploits fake Google Chrome, Word, and OneDrive errors to deceive users into running malicious PowerShell "fixes" that install malware.
This campaign involves multiple threat actors, including ClearFake, ClickFix, and TA571. ClearFake previously used website overlays to trick users into installing fake browser updates that distribute malware.
In recent attacks, threat actors use JavaScript in HTML attachments and compromised websites to display fake errors from Google Chrome, Microsoft Word, and OneDrive. These errors prompt users to execute a PowerShell "fix" by copying and running it, exploiting social engineering to deceive users into taking action. Payloads observed include DarkGate, Matanbuchus, NetSupport, Amadey Loader, XMRig, a clipboard hijacker, and Lumma Stealer, according to ProofPoint.
Proofpoint analysts identified three attack chains, each starting differently, with only the first not definitively linked to TA571.
In the initial scenario, attributed to threat actors connected to ClearFake, users encounter a compromised website that loads a malicious script hosted on the blockchain via Binance's Smart Chain contracts. This script triggers a fake Google Chrome warning, prompting users to install a "root certificate" by executing a PowerShell script in a Windows PowerShell (Admin) console.
Hackers Attacking ERP Server To Deploy Proxy And VPN Services????
Hackers frequently target ERP servers due to their critical role in storing information on a company's activities, customers, and business processes.
Breaching an ERP server grants attackers access to sensitive data, facilitates fraud, and disrupts operations, making it a prime target.
A recent incident uncovered by AhnLab Security Intelligence Center (ASEC) involved a hacker compromising a Korean company's ERP server to establish a Soft.
Initially, the attacker focused on the MS-SQL service, gaining control and installing a web shell for future access. Eventually, they installed the SoftEther VPN service to convert the compromised host into a VPN server.
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Threat actors frequently use proxy tools like HTran and FRP alongside malware such as SystemBC or Bunitu to breach internal networks. They sometimes install VPN services, but proxies and malware are more common. Some threat actors, like GALLIUM, ToddyCat, and UNC3500, exploit SoftEther VPN to infiltrate systems through its VPN servers due to its open-source nature.
Notorious cyber gang UNC3944 attacks vSphere and Azure to run VMs inside victims' infrastructure???♂???
The infamous cyber gang UNC3944, implicated in recent attacks on Snowflake and MGM Entertainment, among others, has shifted tactics to target SaaS applications. According to Google Cloud's Mandiant threat intelligence team, UNC3944 shares similarities with groups known as "0ktapus," "Octo Tempest," "Scatter Swine," and "Scattered Spider." Initially focusing on credential harvesting and SIM swapping, they later employed ransomware and data theft extortion. Now, their primary focus is data theft extortion, moving away from ransomware.
Mandiant reported listening to recordings of UNC3944's calls to corporate help desks, where they engaged in social engineering attacks.
"The threat actors spoke fluently in English and targeted accounts with significant privileges," Mandiant's researchers noted recently. Some callers already had victims' personal information, enabling them to circumvent identity verification checks.
UNC3944 employs deceptive tactics by claiming they need a multi-factor authentication (MFA) reset due to receiving a new phone. If successful, they reset passwords and bypass MFA. If social engineering fails, they resort to threats, including doxxing, physical harm, and the distribution of compromising material to coerce victims into giving up credentials, according to Mandiant.
Amazon has a secret way to scrape Microsoft’s GitHub and feed its AI model????
Amazon requires large volumes of high-quality data to develop robust AI models. They've identified GitHub as a rich source of coding metadata and devised a strategy to overcome data collection challenges despite platform limitations.
According to an internal memo obtained by Business Insider, Amazon's Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) Group emphasized the importance of acquiring both quantitative and qualitative metadata from GitHub to enhance AI training. GitHub's scraping restrictions, which allow only 5,000 requests per hour per account, presented a major hurdle. Given GitHub's vast repository base of over 150 million public projects, conventional approaches would have taken years to gather the necessary data.
Amazon’s workaround
In response, Amazon suggested a solution: urging its employees to create multiple GitHub accounts and share access credentials. By using multiple accounts concurrently, Amazon plans to compress what would have taken years into a matter of weeks. While Amazon's approach may not technically breach laws regarding theft, it raises ethical questions about data privacy, permissions, and the responsible use of platform resources.
The memo outlines detailed procedures for employees to create and manage these accounts, ensuring adherence to legal and security protocols. This includes using Amazon work emails, specific types of GitHub tokens, and setting appropriate data access permissions.
Amazon asserts that its method has been vetted and approved by its legal and security teams, indicating an effort to operate within internal policies. However, the legality of these actions may still be subject to scrutiny, particularly if GitHub or affected users view them as breaches.
Ethically, the implications are significant. By encouraging employees to share personal GitHub accounts, Amazon risks accessing data without explicit consent from GitHub or repository owners.
Why does Amazon do this?
Amazon relies heavily on data from Microsoft's GitHub to enhance its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. AI models, crucial for tasks such as natural language processing and predictive analytics, depend on extensive and varied datasets to improve their learning processes. GitHub's extensive collection of open-source software projects offers a wealth of code and information essential for training these AI algorithms effectively.
Accessing GitHub data provides Amazon crucial insights into project dynamics and collaboration, essential for enhancing AI models' accuracy and innovation. This data advantage helps Amazon innovate rapidly across various services, though ethical concerns arise regarding privacy, data ownership, and platform rules.
How to Download Files With cURL????
cURL (Client URL) is essential for data exchange over various protocols like HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP. One of its key functions is downloading files, making it valuable for fetching information from the web. This guide explores different methods and best practices for downloading files using cURL.
Managing file names
When using cURL to download a file, managing file names is crucial for organization and automation. By default, cURL displays the output in the terminal. To save the output to a file, you need to specify the -o (output) option followed by the desired file name.
To download a file from a URL and save it, specify the filename.ext. If you want the saved file to have the same name as the original file on the server, choose the -O (remote name) option.
Handling redirects
When you use the -L (location) option with cURL, it directs the program to follow redirects until it reaches the final destination URL, ensuring you can successfully download the file.
cURL vs. Wget
Downloading files from the internet involves using two widely-used command-line tools: cURL and Wget. Although both are efficient and popular, they excel in different areas and are tailored for specific purposes. In this segment, we will compare cURL and Wget, exploring their characteristics, applications, and benefits to help you choose the most suitable tool for your needs.
Overview of cURL
cURL is a versatile command-line tool designed for transferring data between servers using various protocols like HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP. It offers precise control over network requests, supports multiple authentication methods, and enables data manipulation such as URL encoding and form submission. cURL's flexibility makes it ideal for scripting and automation tasks, facilitating efficient data transfers and interaction with APIs and online services.
Overview of Wget
Wget is a command-line tool designed for straightforward file fetching from the internet. Known for its reliability, Wget excels at recursive downloads, retrying failed downloads, and resuming interrupted downloads. It's ideal for tasks like website duplication, web scraping, and mirroring sites while preserving folder structures and timestamps. Wget's user-friendly commands make it accessible for basic downloading needs.
Common Mistakes and Best Practices
Not Following Redirects
Incorrect File Naming
Ignoring Rate Limits
Silent Failures
Ignoring SSL/TLS Verification
Welcome to "Three Truths and a Lie"! We'll serve you up with four headlines, but only one is fibbing. Can you spot the rogue headline among the truth-tellers? Let the guessing games begin!
Answer: ???? Breaking news: Satellite captures astonishing image of a colossal piece of space junk... that turned out to be just a really big ?? cheeseburger wrapper left by ?? aliens!
Until next time, stay curious, stay tech-savvy, and we'll catch you in the next edition! ????
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