Anti-trust: OpenAI And Microsoft – The Latest

Following the recent boardroom power struggle that led to the sacking and reinstatement of OpenAI boss Sam Altman, Microsoft’s relationship with OpenAI is now under US and UK antitrust scrutiny.  What Happened?  A recent boardroom battle at OpenAI (ChatGPT’s creator and working partner of Microsoft), led to the rapid ousting of OpenAI’s boss Sam Altman […]

Safety Considerations Around ChatGPT Image Uploads

With one of ChatGPT’s latest features being the ability to upload images to help get answers to queries, here we look at why there have been security concerns about releasing the feature.  Update To ChatGPT  The new ‘Image input’ which will soon be generally available to Plus users on all platforms, has just been announced […]

Navigating the Cybersecurity Landscape: A Guide for Insurance Companies

Introduction The insurance sector is built on the foundation of trust and the secure handling of sensitive data. However, the increasing frequency of cyberattacks poses a significant threat to these foundations. In this blog, Astec aims to identify the critical cybersecurity pain points specific to insurance companies and offer actionable solutions. Data Privacy and Protection […]

The Imperative of Cybersecurity in the Financial Sector: Addressing Key Pain Points

Introduction In an era where data is the new gold, the financial sector remains a prime target for cybercriminals. With the increasing digitisation of financial services, cybersecurity is not just an IT issue but a core business concern for financial institutions. In this blog, we at Astec aim to shed light on the key pain […]

Zoom Data Concerns

In this article, we look at why Zoom found itself as the subject of a backlash over an online update to its terms related to AI, what its response has been, plus what this says about how businesses feel about AI. What Happened? Communications app Zoom updated its terms of service in March but following […]

New Chatbot Attack : “Unstoppable”

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have reported finding a simple way to exploit a weakness and disrupt major chatbots like ChatGPT, Bard, and others.  Incantation  The researchers discovered that if they add specifically chosen sequences of characters (an incantation) to a user query, it causes the Large Language Model (LLM) system to obey user commands, […]

UK Gov Pushing To Spy On WhatsApp (& Others)

The recent amendment to the Online Safety Bill which means a compulsory report must be written for Ofcom by a “skilled person” before encrypted app companies are forced to scan messages has led to even more criticism of this rather controversial bill to bypass security in apps and give the government (and therefore any number of people) […]

What’s Involved In a ‘Pen-Test’?

If you’d like to know what a ‘Pen Test’ is and the sorts of things you can expect from one, this article will give you a helpful overview. Pen Tests  Put simply, pen testing is short for “penetration testing” and in a virtual situation (we’ll concentrate mostly on virtual in this article) acts like a […]

Police Facial Recognition

With the Metropolitan Police Services’ (MPS) director of intelligence recently defending and pushing for a wider rollout of facial recognition technology, we look the current situation, the likely way forward, and its implications.  What Is Facial Recognition Technology?  The kind of facial recognition technology called Live Facial Recognition (LFR) that police have used at special […]

Protecting passwords made easy

In today’s digital age, protecting our personal information has become more crucial than ever. Whether you’re working on your laptop in a coffee shop or accessing sensitive accounts on your smartphone while commuting, the risk of prying eyes is always present. Safeguarding your passwords in public spaces is essential to maintain your online security and […]