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Model Appears to Be a Way Station on the Road to Something Greater
OpenAI on Thursday released its latest generative AI model, but don't call it the next big thing just yet. More thoughtful, persuasive and emotionally intelligent, GPT-4.5 aims to feel less like an algorithm and more like a conversation partner.

Current and Former Officials Express Optimism, Concerns Over Cyber Leadership Picks
Top leadership at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency may be coming into view as the Trump administration has begun attaching names to senior positions. Karen Evans will be executive assistant director for cybersecurity.

Gartner MQ for Cyber-Physical Security Details Pros, Cons of Pure-Play Approach
Pure-play OT specialists Claroty, Nozomi and Dragos were joined by asset management expert Armis and behemoth Microsoft atop Gartner's first-ever ranking of cyber-physical systems vendors. Historically, a wide range of vendors were grouped together under the broad umbrella of OT security.

Health Industry Associations Complain That Proposed Cyber Mandates Are 'Staggering'
Seven major healthcare industry groups are urging the Trump administration to rescind a proposed update to the HIPAA Security Rule issued at the end of the Biden administration. The costs and regulatory burden to comply would be "staggering" to the healthcare sector, they said.

Trump's Procurement Tracking Directive Could Expose Vast Government Data to Threats
The White House is mandating federal agencies to track and justify every procurement, a move aimed at transparency but one that experts warn could expose troves of sensitive financial data to hacking, nation-state cyberthreats and potential supply chain vulnerabilities across government systems.

Approach Aims to Scale AI Models by Making Them Smarter Instead of Bigger
Scaling AI models in size has hit a plateau. One possible solution is test-time compute, which dynamically allocates extra computational resources during inference - or the thinking phase - to refine answers. Test-time compute lets AI models allocate resources based on the problem's complexity.

Series A Investment Expands AI-Driven Cybersecurity and Threat Detection
Mimic got $50 million in Series A funding to expand its ransomware defense solutions. Backed by Google Ventures and Menlo Ventures, the company will enhance AI-driven threat detection, automate security for proprietary apps and grow internationally to protect enterprises from ransomware attacks.

Vendor Providing Employee Screenings Across Multiple Sectors Reports Cyber Incident
DISA Global Solutions, a third-party administrator of background checks and drug and alcohol testing for employers in multiple industries, said 3.3 million individuals are affected by a data theft incident that happened a year ago. The firm is already facing several lawsuits involving the breach.

Swedish Prime Minister Proposed Fast-Tracking Bill to Surveil Minors
A proposal by the Swedish prime minister to fast track legislation allowing police to surveil minors could cause end-to-end encrypted chat app Signal to leave the country. The government in effect is asking for backdoor access, said Signal President Meredith Whittaker.

CEO Raymond Brancato: Ex-Skybox Customers Get Express Onboarding, Flexible Pricing
Tufin has purchased select Skybox assets and business information, focusing on migrating affected customers to its platform. CEO Raymond Brancato outlines the company's transition strategy, including special pricing, dedicated support and plans to hire former Skybox Security employees.

Republicans Block Probe into Cyber Workforce Cuts, DOGE Access to Federal Systems
Republican lawmakers on the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee blocked a Democratic effort to investigate Elon Musk’s access to sensitive federal networks and the impact of President Donald Trump’s hiring freeze on an already strained cyber workforce.

Recent Upheavals in Job Market Underscore the Need for a Security-Minded Culture
Technology and training are key components of a strong insider risk program, but in times like these, the real key to success lies in your organization's culture. Do your employees feel valued? If the answer is no, your insider threat level could be off the charts.

'Have I Been Pwned' Flags Emails Found in Infostealer Malware Logs It Obtains
How bad has the information stealing malware problem become? Here's a metric: The free breach-notification service Have I Been Pwned found a single infostealer service provided "284 million unique email addresses alongside the websites they were entered into and the passwords used."

Claude 3.7 Sonnet Can Give Rapid or Deliberate, Complex Answers to Prompts
Anthropic introduced a new artificial intelligence model designed to adapt its reasoning time based on user preferences. Marketed as the industry's first "hybrid AI reasoning model," Claude 3.7 Sonnet aims to deliver rapid responses and more deliberate, complex answers to prompts.

Javelin's Jennifer Pitt on AI-Powered Detection of Authorized Payment Fraud
Machine learning helps banks detect APP fraud by analyzing large transaction datasets faster. These AI models operate in near real-time and can distinguish legitimate transactions from fraudulent ones by spotting anomalies, said Jennifer Pitt, senior analyst at Javelin Strategy & Research.

Max-Severity Bug in Caldera Enables Attackers to Take Full Control of Systems
Real-life hackers could hack a platform used in red team exercises to simulate hacking, said a security researcher who warned users that he'll soon drop a Metasploit module for the flaw, which merits a rare 10 out of 10 for the severity of the CVSS scale.

Experts Say First Class Action Claim Under State's Privacy Law Won't Be the Last
A proposed class action lawsuit alleges that Amazon is unlawfully collecting and tracking mobile users' data - including sensitive geolocation - in violation of Washington's My Health My Data Act. It's the first such lawsuit filed since the data privacy law went into effect last year.

Experts Say First Class Action Claim Under State's Privacy Law Won't Be the Last
A proposed class action lawsuit alleges that Amazon is unlawfully collecting and tracking mobile users' data - including sensitive geolocation - in violation of Washington State's My Health My Data Act. It's the first such lawsuit filed since the data privacy law went into effect last year.

Some Lawmakers Fear Regulation Could Stymie Innovation
The British Labour Government has reportedly delayed plans to put forward a draft bill on artificial intelligence over concerns that binding AI regulation could stifle the country's AI growth potential. A spokesperson said the government remains "committed to bringing forward a legislation."

Federal Agencies and Experts Alike Say Musk's Email Request Poses Security Threat
The Department of Government Efficiency-led effort to assess whether millions of federal jobs are necessary through a bulleted list of weekly activities is causing a major security threat, in addition to mass confusion across the federal government, experts told Information Security Media Group.