business analyst

A major security flaw in Dell’s firmware updating and operating recovery software, BIOSConnect, potentially exposes tens of millions of devices that Dell preinstalled it on.

BleepingComputer reported on Thursday that researchers with security firm Eclypsium discovered a flaw in BIOSConnect, which is part of Dell’s standard SupportAssist software and updates the firmware on a computer’s system board, that could allow attackers to remotely execute malicious code. In a report, the researchers wrote that the vulnerability was so severe it could “enable adversaries to control the device’s boot process and subvert the operating system and higher-layer security controls,” which would give them control “over the most privileged code on the device.”

There are four separate vulnerabilities, one of which involves insecure connections between a BIOS being updated and Dell’s servers that allow an attacker to redirect the machine to a maliciously modified update package. The remaining three are classified as overflow vulnerabilities. Eclypsium rated the bugs as severe security threats.

 

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https://www.scoop.it/topic/securite-pc-et-internet

 

 

Via Gust MEES

Microsoft is buying AI speech tech firm Nuance for $19.7 billion, bolstering the Redmond, Washington-based tech giant’s prowess in voice recognition and giving it further leverage in the health care market, where Nuance sells many products. Microsoft will pay $56 per share for Nuance, a 23 percent premium over the company’s closing price last Friday.

Nuance is best known for its Dragon software, which uses deep learning to transcribe speech and improves its accuracy over time by adapting to a user’s voice. Nuance has licensed this tech for many services and applications, including, most famously, Apple’s digital assistant Siri. (Though to what degree Siri currently relies on Dragon to answer users’ queries is unclear.) Dragon is an industry leader in terms of transcription accuracy.

The $19.7 billion acquisition of Nuance is Microsoft’s second-largest behind its purchase of LinkedIn in 2016 for $26 billion. It comes at a time when speech tech is improving rapidly, thanks to the deep learning boom in AI, and there are simultaneously more opportunities for its use.

 

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https://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-innovative-technologies-and-developments/?&tag=Acquisitions

 

Via Gust MEES