Tenable's Cloud Security Research team has unearthed a series of attacks by the Kinsing malware family, particularly targeting Linux-based cloud infrastructures. In a new development, these malicious programmes are now exploiting Apache Tomcat servers, adopting new advanced stealth techniques for file system penetration and persistence.

Kinsing, a malware family operational for numerous years, primarily attacks Linux-based cloud infrastructure. Known for exploiting a range of vulnerabilities to gain unauthorised access, the hostile actors behind the Kinsing malware frequently install backdoors and illicitly deploy cryptocurrency miners on compromised systems. Once the infection has taken hold, Kinsing co-opts system resources, employing these for cryptomining. This redirection of system resources inhibits server performance and increases operational costs.

The new information disclosed by Tenable today adds another level of complexity to these malicious endeavours exploiting Apache Tomcat servers while adopting fresh tactics for evasion on the file system. A noteworthy aspect of these new methods is Kinsing's use of seemingly innocent and non-suspicious file locations to maintain its presence on the system.

Speaking on this security concern, Ari Eitan, Manager - Research at Tenable, highlighted the growing trend of cloud cryptomining in recent times. This has been largely facilitated by the scalability and flexibility of cloud platforms. Eitan posits that, "Unlike traditional on-premises infrastructure, cloud infrastructure allows attackers to quickly deploy resources for cryptomining, making it easier to exploit." The research team previously discovered multiple servers infected with Kinsing in a single environment, including an Apache Tomcat server with critical vulnerabilities.

Thus, the emergence of the Kinsing malware and its evolution to exploit Apache Tomcat servers with new advanced stealth techniques adds an insidious threat to Linux-based cloud infrastructures. These developments signify how malicious actors are continually devising new strategies to exploit system vulnerabilities for their gain. As Ari Eitan underscores, the extensive capability of cloud infrastructure that allows swift deployment of resources for cryptomining can now equally be exploited by threat actors with relative ease.

This disclosure underscores the exponentially growing cybersecurity threat landscape. As malicious actors become more innovative in their tactics, robust and up-to-date security measures are of the utmost importance. Therefore, the essential role of cyber defense teams such as Tenable's Cloud Security Research team becomes increasingly vital as they enhance their efforts to identify, expose and mitigate such threats.

Read more:
Kinsing malware exploits Apache Tomcat on Linux clouds - SecurityBrief Australia

A new Bloomberg report details a project code-named ACDC, for Apple Chips in Data Centers, in which Apple will use its own silicon to provide cloud AI services. Apple is going big on AI with iOS 18 and macOS 15, and while on-device processing will be a big differentiator for the company, more advanced tasks will require the resources of big server infrastructure.

According to the report, the plan to use Apples own chips for cloud infrastructure began three years ago but has been accelerated due to the need to quickly bring to market advanced AI features. The first AI server chips will be M2 Ultra processors, it says, but there are already plans to upgrade to chips based on the M4 series in the future.

Apple is expected to perform relatively simple generative AI tasks (like summarizing your missed text messages) on-device, especially those that use your private data which Apple will surely want to ensure stays on your iPhone. The cloud would be used for more intensive gen-AI tasks like image generation or composing lengthier emails. According to the report, the upgraded version of the Siri voice assistant would use cloud processing as well, though we expect simple answers and tasks that use the information contained on your iPhone to still be processed and executed entirely on-device as they are now.

The company is expected to use its own data centers at first, but just as it does with iCloud, will augment that with third-party data centers from Google or other partners.

Well hear more about Apples AI plans and products in about one month at WWDC.

See the original post here:
Apple to employ AI cloud servers using its own processors - Macworld

Apple plans to start its foray into generative AI by offloading complex queries to M2 Ultra chips running in data centers before moving to its more advanced M4 chips.

Bloombergreportsthat Apple plans to put its M2 Ultra on cloud servers to run more complex AI queries, while simple tasks are processed on devices. The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Apple wanted to make custom chips to bring to data centers to ensure security and privacy in aproject the publicationsaysis called Project ACDC, or Apple Chips in Data Center.But the company now believes its existing processors already have sufficient security and privacy components.

The chips will be deployed to Apples data centers and eventually to servers run by third parties. Apple runs its own servers across the United States and has been working on anew center in Waukee, Iowa,which it first announced in 2017.

While Apple has not moved as fast on generative AI as competitors like Google, Meta, and Microsoft, the company has been putting out research on the technology. In December, Apples machine learning research teamreleased MLX, a machine learning framework that can make AI models run efficiently on Apple silicon. The company has also been releasing other research around AI models that hint atwhat AI could look like on its devicesand how existing products, like Siri,may get an upgrade.

Apple put a big emphasis on AI performance in itsannouncement of the new M4 chip, saying its new neural engine is an outrageously powerful chip for AI.

Read more here:
Apple plans to use M2 Ultra chips in the cloud for AI - The Verge

May 7, 2024 IBM announced today the expansion of its portfolio of servers with the introduction of IBM Power S1012. This 1-socket, half-wide Power10 processor-based system delivers up to 3X more performance per core versus Power S812, extending AI workloads from core to cloud to edge for added business value across industries. In this recent blog post, Steve Sibley, vice president of IBM Power Product Management, takes a look at the new offering.

As more organizations embrace the promise of artificial intelligence to further drive business value, we are seeing clients in industries such as retail, manufacturing, healthcare, and transportation are deploying workloads at the edge to capitalize on data where it originates.

In their March 2024 Market Guide for Edge Computing, Gartner noted, By placing data, data management capabilities and analytic workloads at optimal points, ranging all the way to endpoint devices, enterprises can enable more real-time use cases. In addition, the flexibility to move data management workloads up and down the continuum from centralized data centers or from the cloud-to-edge devices will enable greater optimization of resources.

To aid in that effort, today IBM announced the expansion of its portfolio of servers with the introduction of IBM Power S1012. This 1-socket, half-wide Power10 processor-based system delivers up to 3X more performance per core versus Power S812. 2 It is available in a 2U rack-mounted or tower deskside form factor and is optimized for edge-level computing and also delivers the lowest entry price point in the Power portolio to run core workloads for small and medium-sized organizations. IBM Power S1012 provides clients the flexibility to run AI inferencing workloads in remote office and back office (ROBO) locations outside mainstream datacenter facilities, and in direct connection to cloud services such as IBM Power Virtual Server for backup and disaster recovery.

Achieving More in Less Space at the Edge

IBM Power S1012 is designed to enhance remote management capabilities for clients looking to expand applications such as AI inferencing from core to cloud and at the edge. Edge computing can also provide a competitive advantage with real-time insights across industries, with examples that include analyzing customer behavior in retail; monitoring and optimizing production processes in manufacturing; and many others.

IBM and enhanced analytics ecosystem partner Equitus joint clients use IBM Power to run AI models at the edge to provide object classification for defense purposes. Equitus Corp. needed mission-critical hardware platforms for deep edge, forward operations, air-gapped, and traditional cloud environments. We found that IBM Power10 and its Matrix Math Accelerator (MMA) delivered the best tech for inferencing on the edge as easily as in the data center, said Matt Niessen, President, Equitus Federal Corp. Today, clients can deploy our Equitus Video Sentinel (EVS) and Knowledge Graph Neural Network (KGNN) AI systems on IBM Power10 servers and Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform for many use cases, including the most crucial ones like helping protect national security. IBM Power S1012 will provide the latest capabilities to support AI inferencing where the data itself is generated.

IBM Power S1012 is engineered to:

Support and Availability

Maintaining high availability throughout the life of systems like IBM Power S1012 is critical. IBM Power Expert Care offers a way of attaching services and support through a tiered approach right away. Clients can receive an optimum level of support for the mission-critical requirements of their IT infrastructure with options ranging from 3 to 5 years of coverage depending on the support tier. Additionally, there are optional committed service levels available, depending on client needs, which can provide further customization and support.

IBM Power S1012 will be generally available from IBM and certified Business Partners on June 14, 2024.

Source: Steve Sibley, Vice President IBM Power Product Management

Read more:
IBM's New Power Server Extends AI Workloads from Core to Cloud to Edge - HPCwire

There have been a lot of rumors and reports of late that claim Apple is going to bring some big much-needed AI-powered features to the iPhone when iOS 18 is released later this year and while we've heard that those features will run on-device, others will require a server. Those cloud servers will allow Apple to handle more complex tasks, including generative AI workflows, and a new report now suggests that the servers will run Apple's own custom chips.

We've been hearing more and more about Apple's plans to put its own chips into servers of late, and it's a plan that makes sense. Apple's Macs, iPhones, and iPads all use custom-designed chips that are built by TSMC and it's proven to be a real boon for the company. More control means that Apple has a better lock on power usage and performance, and it can tailor chips to specific needs as well. In the case of servers, it's suggested Apple will produce chips that can run AI-related workflows particularly well.

VIEW GALLERY - 2 IMAGES

There was previously no timeline for when the Apple-designed chips would be used, but a new Bloomberg report by Mark Gurman suggests that Apple will have its in-house server chips ready soon enough to power the cloud component for the iOS 18 AI push.

Gurman says that the company will put new high-end chips into cloud computing servers and then use those servers to handle more complex AI tasks that would not be practical to run on iPhones locally. However, the report notes that simpler AI-related features will still be processed directly on iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

The benefits to running some AI tasks on-device include speed and privacy. By not having to process AI tasks in the cloud Apple can remove a performance bottleneck associated with wireless data connections, for example. Privacy is a key aspect for Apple as well, and removing the need to send data to a cloud-based server has obvious benefits here.

In terms of performance, Gurman believes that the first chips to be used in Apple's data centers will be the M2 Ultra, a chip that customers can already buy in the Mac Pro and Mac Studio. However, Apple recently announced the M4 as part of the iPad Pro refresh so it's surely only a matter of time before an Ultra version of that chip is being used as well. Apple is yet to confirm when Macs with M4-series chips will be announced, however.

Originally posted here:
The iPhone's big new iOS 18 AI features will be powered by data centers running Apple silicon - TweakTown