Leading a team has never been simple, but todays challenges demand something extra. With deep divisions in America spilling over into our workplaces, simply carrying on business as usual wont cut it.Employees are craving authenticity, transparency, and leaders who genuinely care. So, how can you step up, even when the path forward seems uncertain? Through conversations with leaders at Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups, we discovered three actions that can help you navigate this moment with courage and empathy.Cultivate trust through transparency & curiosityIn an era marked by mass layoffs, arbitrary return-to-office mandates, and eroding faith in institutions, trust in leadership is waning.Our firm, The Courage Collective, held conversations with leaders that revealed two keys to restoring and sustaining trust: curiosity and transparency. Aisha Washington, global vice president and chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at HPE shared, Leaders who approach conversations with curiosity rather than judgment uncover deeper insights. Its about asking questions, being open to all perspectives, and using those insights to make informed decisions. A recent Gallup poll found that leaders who strongly exhibited clear communication, showcased an inspirational vision for the future, and supported change were trusted by 95% of their employees.Cultivating trust during precarious times demands acknowledging uncertainty and being honest about not having all the answers. Carolyn Moore, former CHRO and current managing director at Momentum People, explained, Its about honesty and vulnerabilityadmitting we dont know everything but creating trust by being open and realistic. Leaders should be ready to ask the difficult questions: Whos being left out of the conversation? How can I showcase that every employees feedback is valuable?Transparency without fear tactics fosters openness and empowers teams to navigate challenges together. Leaders who embrace open dialogue, share information honestly, and leverage insights to inform decisions create a strong foundation for trust.Generating an uplifting vision, rather than setting punitive standards, is the emerging core competency of successful leaders. Defining the organizations direction (the vision), while allowing the how to emerge through team collaboration is essential. Let go of the (impossible) burden of having all the answers and lead through curiosity, transparency, and trust.Invest in opportunities for connection & community careIf a return to office is necessary to foster a healthy work culture, leaders must communicate their intentions effectively. Positioning it as a faux productivity boost sends a message of mistrust. Employees will quickly poke holes in this rationale and absorb the implicit message, if I cant see you working, I dont trust that youre doing your best.Marc Berger, EVP at DH, observed that rigid [return to work] policies can lead to frustration and disengagement, particularly when there is a lack of intentionality with how the time is spent. The truth is, leaders from a variety of work structures have found employees willingand sometimes eagerto be in person if theyre given flexibility and purpose.Leaders should lean into a new normal by creating opportunities for meaningful connections. Below are a variety of tactics leaders are using to make in-person days feel more purposeful, connected, and collaborative. Purpose-Driven Office Days: Leverage in-office days to foster collaboration with all-hands meetings or cross-team working opportunities Meaningful All Company Retreats: Host at least and invest in one or two all-hands meetings annually with balanced agendas that blend structured discussions with team-building events. Invest in the Experience: Allocate resources for well-organized, engaging events to encourage alignment and connection. Encourage Feedback and Continuous Improvement: Gather employee input to refine future meetings and ensure they align with team needs.Prioritize the human experience through active listening & meaningful responseIn times of compounding crises, employees long to be seen, heard, nurtured, and encouraged.More than ever, employees are seeking workplaces where they can share feedback, experience deep listening, and see change enacted as a result. While many organizations have created systems to signal care about receiving feedback, failing to act on it often leaves employees feeling frustrated and micromanaged.Elaine Gibbons, chief impact officer at Panorama Global, shared, One of the biggest gaps in organizations is a lack of true listening. Leaders must go beyond collecting employee feedbackthey need to act on it consistently and authentically. When employees see their input driving real change, not only do they feel valued, their commitment to the organization strengthens.Simply put, if you ask for feedback, ensure that there is follow-through and follow-up. When employees see leaders actively listening and enacting real change, it builds connection, motivation, and trust.For many organizations, employee morale is at an all-time low. The simple act of deep listening and connecting to employees on a human level can drive meaningful change, especially in challenging times.As workplace dynamics evolve, leaders have a unique opportunity to rise to the occasion and demonstrate effective, human-centered leadership. The future of leadership demands courage, empathy, and a steadfast commitment to growth. While some challenges may seem daunting, they also present an opportunity for leaders to create workplaces where people feel empowered to do and be their best.The world of work is evolving. The way you lead should, too.

Going global has been good business for Max. Since the video streamers debut in 39 Latin American and Caribbean countries a year ago, it has expanded to more than 70 markets globally, including Europe and Asia. These new audiences have helped grow its user base. In its most recently reported quarter, Max added 7.2 million global subscribers, bringing its total subscriber count to 110 million.As its audience grows, Max is also focusing on premium content and cracking down on password-sharing. JB Perrette, president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery global streaming and games, appeared on Fast Companys Most Innovative Companies podcast to talk Maxs international expansion, how it leverages existing IP, and how the company is using AI to improve the streaming experience.Youve said that globalization is the biggest aspect of Maxs growth efforts. Why is that?The media business has always been a global business, but its been global as a collection of local or regional players. The advent of streaming has enabled an ability to program and entertain a global audience. We have franchises and intellectual propertylike DC characters or Harry Potterthat has global fan bases. Our original content like House of Dragon and Euphoria also has global fan bases. We used to only be able to tap into portions of that base and then wed sell those content rights to players in local markets. With the advent of streaming, were able to do it all ourselves. Long term were very bullish on what this means from the consumer standpoint and from a business perspective. Having a business that has all the advantages and the cost leverage of a global scale is an attractive and long-term lucrative business.Given the opportunity for global expansion, why did it take you so long to launch outside the U.S.?This company was born out of a legacy Warner media business and a legacy Discovery company that came together about two and a half years ago. Both companies have been very active globally, but they had been pursuing different strategies. We spent the first 12 to 18 months rebuilding the technology platform and the product itself to deliver [a better] experience, and support live events, high concurrency entertainment, and more features.We started it in May 2023 in the U S. At the beginning of 2024, Max was only available in one market with that new platform and new product. At the end of 2024, we [were] in 74 markets. Were in Latin America, key markets in Europe, in Asia, and obviously the U.S.Has your international expansion changed your programming?We already have a history of producing great local content around the world in Europe and Latin America in particular. We then have augmented it over these last few years by producing more local originals just for Max. Youre starting to see the fruits of that and youre starting to see that content do great numbers in its regional market. We just did a series based on the book and movie Like Water for Chocolate that came out in Mexico. Were leveraging franchises around the world that we may not necessarily own and were starting to see those stories travel better, because while they may be in different languages, theyre universal in themes.What are some of the product improvements youre trying to make over the next couple of years?Our head of product likes to say that the product journey is a game of inches. So literally the product road map and the feature improvements are hundreds of different small things. Weve rolled out this back half of this year what we call whole page optimization, which uses algorithms to recommend content based on what youve watched. The key art that shows up should also be personalized based on what we think is most appealing to you.You recently rolled out an ad-supported tier. How does that fit in with your strategy?If you exclude markets that we cant get into like China, Russia, and India, theres about 650 million broadband households [that could subscribe to Max]. We still have over close to half the world to get after. With our ad-supported offering, we can attract different customer bases that have different profiles. There are customers around the world who are more price sensitive and are willing to pay, you know, 30, 40, 50% less and still get [access to] our content. As you roll out in more markets around the world that have lower income or GDP per capita, [having an ad-supported tier] is a way to tap into more customers.Netflix was focused on subscriber growth for a long time. Now the company is focused on turning a profit. How do you balance those two factors at Max?As the leader in the space, they have the great advantage of already having reached a lot of scale around the world. Not surprisingly, at some point, you cant keep growing forever in terms of that scale. I think what theyve said about no longer reporting subscribers starting in next year is an acknowledgement of the fact that theyre becoming slightly more mature as a business.Were in a very different position. Were late to the party. The good news is we still have a lot of growth ahead of us over these next two years. We have opportunities [to acquire] tens of millions of subscribers as we finish our global rollout and demonstrate a better content lineup. That growth continues to be really important for us to report. Nobody has done profit and growth at the same time. I would argue that Max and WBD are the pioneers of that. We need to be able to show that this is a legitimate business and that we can grow it.We talk about streaming consolidation a lot at the office. Ten years from now, are we just going to see one or two dominant services?Were an IP and storytelling company. If youre a fan of Batman, youre not going to get it anywhere else. If youre a fan of Harry Potter, youre not going to get it anywhere else. Same for Superman, or 90 Day Fianc. Thats what makes us unique. So I dont believe its a winner-takes-all situation. I dont think theres a monopoly on ideas or great stories. The number of streamers will shrink down, but it wont just be due to M&A activity. Therell be some of that, but youre also going to see creative partnerships, like our Disney bundle.How is AI factoring into your business?Right now AI is used on the operating side, or the process side. Its helping distill and speed up processes. We were talking earlier about creating more video, interstitials or, trailers or break-in moments to be able to show you clips from the series in the streaming product. For some of the content, we have trailers, but trailers arent necessarily always the best selling proposition. Were leveraging different AI tools to help us take a first cut. A person can prompt AI with Pick up all the chatter that exists in the internet space about peoples favorite moments from the show, digest that, and give us five different 30-second edits of this series or movie that have the high likelihood of hitting the mark with customers. Then a human looks at those five cuts and makes a judgment as to the best one. Prior to those AI-enabled tools coming out, we would have had to spend a lot of time and a lot of money and a lot of effort just trying to get to those cuts. Were also using AI to figure out where to insert ad breaks on our ad-supported tier. We may be able to come up with an ad break methodology that is dynamic rather than one size fits all. Were also using it for closed-captioning.A lot of great material on Max comes from existing IP. The White Lotus sort of came out of nowhere during the pandemic. Do you think theres still a future for that kind of non-IP based hit?One hundred percent. Nobody is better in the business when it comes to creating new breakouts. If you think of the track record of HBO, the vast majority of stories theyve told are not coming from generally known media.The top four series right now for HBO are The Last of Us, Euphoria, The White Lotus, and House of Dragon. Euphoria is a true original, so is The White Lotus. Were doing more with existing franchises, but were not doing that instead of coming up with original ideas. Its a complement rather than a substitution.

Architecture studios HOK and CF Mller Architects have completed the overhaul of the spherical Avicii Arena in Stockholm to "ensure its relevance for decades to come".The giant steel, concrete and glass globe, which is the world's second-largest spherical building after the MSG Sphere Las Vegas, has been updated to improve its function as a contemporary multipurpose arena.HOK and CF Mller Architects carried out the overhaul of the 16,000-seat sphere in collaboration with engineering firm Schlaich Bergermann Partner (SBP) and local construction company NCC.Avicii Arena has reopened in Stockholm following a renovation. Photo by Mrten LindquistTheir goal was to celebrate the existing architecture of the heritage-protected building, which was inaugurated in 1989, while bringing it up to the standards of a modern-day venue for sports, entertainment and gaming events."This project celebrates the past while embracing the future," said HOK senior project manager Kirsty Mitchell. "Our design solutions honour the arena's iconic architecture while introducing innovative and forward-thinking features that ensure its relevance for decades to come.""By blending technical innovation with intelligent design, we have ensured that the arena continues to be a cultural and architectural landmark," added CF Mller Architects partner Mrten Leringe.HOK and CF Mller Architects updated the arena's seatingPreviously known as Stockholm Globe Arena and Ericsson Globe, the landmark Avicii Arena was the world's largest spherical building before the completion of the MSG Sphere Las Vegas in 2023. It was originally designed by Berg Arkitektkontor.With a diameter of 110 metres and an inner height of 85 metres, it represents the Sun in the Sweden Solar System the largest permanent scale model of the Solar System in the world.The building was renamed the Avicii Arena in 2021 to commemorate the late Swedish DJ Avicii.Its redesign forms part of wider regeneration in Stockholm and was carried out by HOK and CF Mller Architects for the client Stockholm Globe Arena Fastigheter (SGAF).Read: Ten spherical buildings from around the globeAlterations to the building include the introduction of a retractable roof, as well as improved acoustic and rigging systems. The seating has also been updated.Meanwhile, SBP has upgraded the arena's original structure while honouring its heritage-listed status."Updating a structure as unique as the Avicii Arena requires a careful balance of preservation and innovation," SBP managing director Knut Stockhusen."This project showcases how engineering excellence contributes to architectural heritage and modern performance."A new acoustic system was introducedAnother notable spherical building that recently made the headlines was the MSG Sphere Las Vegas. Designed by Populous, the building is wrapped in a 54,000-square-metre LED screen the largest of its kind. It is now the world's largest spherical building.Populous also designed a sphere-shaped venue for Stratford in east London. However, the venue was highly contentious and ultimately led to its creators, US company Madison Square Garden Entertainment, withdrawing the plans.It has since been revealed that the second version will be built in the UAE.The photography is by HOK unless stated otherwise.The post Giant spherical arena reopens in Stockholm following revamp appeared first on Dezeen.

It's been that way since October, apparently.

The long-awaitedGrand Theft Auto 6is due out this Fall, but that doesnt seem to be doing much to dampen the demand forGrand Theft Auto 5.Twelve years old this year, the open world title has hit yet another major sales milestone.Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two Interactive has revealed in its latest quarterly earnings report that as of December 31, 2024,Grand Theft Auto 5has sold over 210 million units worldwide, up from 205 million units as of the end of the preceding quarter. Meanwhile, theGTAseries cumulative sales now stand at over 440 million units.Meanwhile, fellow widely acclaimed Rockstar open world epicRed Dead Redemption 2is also continuing to sell at an incredible pace. It has now sold over 70 million units worldwide, up from 67 million, which means it sold an additional three million units over the course of the October-December quarter. The Red Dead Redemptionseries total sales have crossed 95 million units.

NN#2 Neural Networks Decoded: Concepts Over Code 0 like February 6, 2025Share this postLast Updated on February 7, 2025 by Editorial TeamAuthor(s): RSD Studio.ai Originally published on Towards AI. This member-only story is on us. Upgrade to access all of Medium.Source: Machine Learning GeekIn our first article, From Neurons to Networks: A Conceptual Birth of Artificial Intelligence, we explored the fundamental building block of neural networks the perceptron. We saw how this simple, neuron-inspired model could make decisions by weighing inputs, summing them, and then firing or not, based on a threshold. We introduced the perceptron as a digital mimic of a biological neuron, capable of learning basic patterns and classifications.But the story doesnt end with a single perceptron. While remarkably insightful as a starting point, a lone perceptron possesses a fundamental limitation: it operates in a linear world. To truly unlock the power of neural networks and tackle the complexities of real-world data, we need to venture beyond linearity and embrace the world of non-linear functions. This is where the concept of stacking perceptrons comes into play, giving birth to the field of deep learning.No, Not by a Long Shot!medium.comThe Perceptron: A Straight Line in a Complex World (A Quick Recap)Lets briefly revisit the perceptrons nature. At its core, a perceptron performs a simple calculation: it takes inputs, multiplies them by weights, adds a bias, and then Read the full blog for free on Medium.Join thousands of data leaders on the AI newsletter. Join over 80,000 subscribers and keep up to date with the latest developments in AI. From research to projects and ideas. If you are building an AI startup, an AI-related product, or a service, we invite you to consider becoming asponsor. Published via Towards AITowards AI - Medium Share this post

Full spoilers follow for Severance Season 2, Episode 4.The Apple TV+ hit series Severance is focused around such a high concept office workers personalities being severed into innies and outies that the viewer will be excused for sometimes forgetting some of the nuances of the world in which these characters live. Thats why this weeks big episode, Woe's Hollow, is noteworthy for its setting alone, as the Lumon Macrodata Refinement team of Mark (Adam Scott), Helly (Britt Lower), Irving (John Turturro), and Dylan (Zach Cherry) finally get the chance to spend some time outside the office. Like, out in the wilderness. Where there are trees and snow and, you know, sky, which is something most of them have never seen. Its a big deal for them! (But no goats.)Also a big deal is several revelations in the episode, including the climactic moment when we learn that outie Helena has actually been posing as innie Helly all season, presumably spying on the rest of the group. And then theres Irvings innie being wiped out of existence apparently?I spoke to the cast as well as creator/showrunner Dan Erickson about Episode 4, so read on for highlights from our chat, or watch the full video at the top of this page.Helena the ImposterWhile weve known that outie Helena Eagan is a fairly awful person (or at least seems to be), the revelation that she has been posing as innie Helly R. comes as a pretty big shock even if some warning signs were there for the most eagle-eyed of fans. Britt Lower explains that while she knew since Episode 1 of the second season that she was actually playing Helena and not Helly, it was still a tricky situation to play as an actor, since the two halves of the severed character are usually depicted as being so different from one another.It was a delicate balance that we all tried to navigate, says the actress. So it was a relief to kind of come back to full Helly R. in Episode [5] because it'd been many months of doing something that was an uncanny valley, I guess, version. But yeah, they just sound slightly different in my head, like different music. Almost like the same musician, but different albums.They just sound slightly different in my head, like different music. Almost like the same musician, but different albums. -Britt LowerLowers costars also had to navigate knowing that eventually this character would be revealed to be Helena, but playing it as if their innies thought it was Helly.I played it as if it was just Helly and kind of reacting to Helly and how she's behaving, explains Adam Scott. I think if we reacted, we were very careful not to tip it in any way possible. I mean, it was really fun to be able to watch Britt play Helly through Helena throughout those episodes and see what she was doing, because it was extraordinary. But in the scenes, just doing whatever I could not to tip it in any way was the most important thing.The Britt part of me felt very bad for tricking my friends, laughs Lower, and Zach Cherry points out that sometimes theyd forget that they were playing opposite Helena rather than Helly. There would be this like, Oh, why did she react that way to that? he says. But it was kind of fascinating to experience, honestly, to watch [her] do that.Woes Hollow: Taking the Innies on a Field TripDan Erickson has wanted to take the innies out of the office pretty much since the beginning of the show, and he finally got his chance with Woes Hollow.It's one of those things you can only do on this show, he says. Oftentimes in TV, you throw the audience in and they don't know the context of something, they don't know what happened, but on this show, the characters can be just as disoriented and confused as the audience and have to figure out how they got there along with the viewer. And so I always had had this idea of a character waking up and suddenly they're out in the middle of... I had always seen it as like an Arctic tundra kind of situation, and they're like, What the hell happened?The showrunner also laughs that while the cast and crew were shooting in freezing temperatures for four weeks, he was in sunny Los Angeles. I was literally out on my deck in the sun, he tells me while the actors growl in his general direction. Just watching the [video] feed and being like, They look cold. They look really cold. I hope they're O.K.PlayIt was cold, confirms Scott.Simply getting to the location for the episode was a challenge that involved taking a van to a parking lot followed by a ride in a four-wheeler up the mountain. Then came the guide ropes and the walk up the mountain.There weren't even roads going up there, recalls Scott. And we'd get up and there's this base camp at the top of this mountain, and we were there for 12 [hours] until the sun went down, shooting. And it was freezing! It was really fun, but really challenging and hard, but in a good, fun way.Lower says it was a month where the actors had a really different relationship to light. Since most of the series is spent under fluorescent lights and lights that can be controlled at all times for this episode it was often a race against the sun.We also got to get out of office attire and wear really incredible costumes that Sarah Edwards designed, laughs the actress. And for me personally, it was nice to not be in pantyhose and heels for once.What to Watch on Apple TV+How Will Severance End?Were not even halfway through Season 2, and surely Severance has a lot more story left to tell, but at the same time, Erickson says that he does have a good sense of how the show will eventually end.I have an end point that I've kind of always had in mind. -Dan EricksonI have an end point that I've kind of always had in mind, says the showrunner. I have a scene that I think of as sort of the end point for a particular character, and then sort of on a story level in terms of what Lumon is doing. A lot of that is stuff that I've pretty well had in place. Some of it's changed, and I think that that's part of the process because you have to be able to be flexible enough to fall in love with certain elements of the show that you didn't expect and weave those into the greater story.He points to Breaking Bads Jesse Pinkman character, who was originally supposed to die in Season 1. Obviously things didnt work out that way, and its hard to imagine the show being what it became without the continued involvement of Jesse.They just realized like, no, we need this guy. This guy is integral to the DNA of the show, says Erickson. So stuff like that has happened, but I know where [the end] is and there are certain dots along the way that I know we want to connect, but definitely leaving a lot of flexibility in terms of how we get there because that's part of the fun.PlayHow do you think Severance will end? What is your craziest Lumon theory? Lets discuss in the comments

For a limited time, Amazon has brought back one of its best power bank deals from Black Friday. The Anker Zolo 10,000mAh 30W USB Power Bank is back down to only $12.94 after you clip a 17% off coupon on the product page. This is an excellent deal for an Anker-branded 10,000mAh power bank that can fast charge a Nintendo Switch console at its maximum rate. The Zolo is compact, can completely recharge a Switch console more than once, and has a couple of unique nifty features, like a built-in USB cable and a discrete digital display. Plus, it's decked out in pleasant pastel blue, pink, and white color schemes.Anker Zolo 10,000mAh USB Power Bank for $12.94Clip the 17% Off CouponAnker Zolo 10,000mAh 30W USB Power BankThere are two reasons why this power bank is a great battery backup for your Nintendo Switch console: capacity and charging rate. A 10,000mAh (37Whr) power bank can charge a Nintendo Switch OLED from completely empty to full about 1.9 times. Provided you fully charge your Switch from the get-go, that nearly triples your total playtime. At the same time, a 10,000mAh power bank still maintains a pretty small footprint; for example, this particular model is about the size of an iPhone and weighs under 8oz. The Anker Zolo power bank also boasts a 30W charging output over USB Type-C. The Nintendo Switch console accepts a maximum charging rate of 18W. That means this power bank will be able to charge your Switch at the same rate as the official Nintendo charger.The Zolo has a built-in USB cable, however it's not retractable. Instead, you plug it into itself so that it forms a secure loop that's strong enough to be used like a lanyard. I have this power bank myself and I can tell you the loop is quite sturdy. There's also a separate USB Type-C port that be used for either input or output. Finally, there's a simple digital display that shows you the remaining battery charge as a percentage.TSA-ApprovedNote that the TSA requires all power banks to be brought in carry-on bags; power banks are not allowed in check-in regardless of capacity. The Anker power bank's 10,000mAh capacity is well below TSA's 27,000mAh carry-on limit, so it can be brought onto planes. It's also low-profile enough that no one will take notice in the first place. If a TSA official actually does take the initiative to test the wattage on your power bank, you're well in the clear.For more options, check out our picks for the best power banks of 2025. If you're looking for more Nintendo Switch accessories that might be on sales check out the best Nintendo Switch deals today.Why Should You Trust IGN's Deals Team?IGN's deals team has a combined 30+ years of experience finding the best discounts in gaming, tech, and just about every other category. We don't try to trick our readers into buying things they don't need at prices that aren't worth buying something at. Our ultimate goal is to surface the best possible deals from brands we trust and our editorial team has personal experience with. You can check out our deals standards here for more information on our process, or keep up with the latest deals we find on IGN's Deals account on Twitter.Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

Feb 07, 2025Ravie LakshmananVulnerability / Threat IntelligenceThreat actors have been observed exploiting recently disclosed security flaws in SimpleHelp's Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) software as a precursor for what appears to be a ransomware attack.The intrusion leveraged the now-patched vulnerabilities to gain initial access and maintain persistent remote access to an unspecified target network, cybersecurity company Field Effect said in a report shared with The Hacker News."The attack involved the quick and deliberate execution of several post-compromise tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) including network and system discovery, administrator account creation, and the establishment of persistence mechanisms, which could have led to the deployment of ransomware," security researchers Ryan Slaney and Daniel Albrecht said.The vulnerabilities in question, CVE-2024-57726, CVE-2024-57727, and CVE-2024-57728, were disclosed by Horizon3.ai last month. Successful exploitation of the security holes could allow for information disclosure, privilege escalation, and remote code execution.They have since been addressed in SimpleHelp versions 5.3.9, 5.4.10, and 5.5.8 released on January 8 and 13, 2025.Merely weeks later, Arctic Wolf said it observed a campaign that involved obtaining unauthorized access to devices running SimpleHelp remote desktop software as an initial access vector.While it was unclear at that time if these vulnerabilities were put to use, the latest findings from Field Effect all but confirm that they are being actively weaponized as part of ransomware attack chains.In the incident analyzed by the Canadian cybersecurity company, the initial access was gained to a targeted endpoint via a vulnerable SimpleHelp RMM instance ("194.76.227[.]171") located in Estonia.Upon establishing a remote connection, the threat actor has been observed performing a series of post-exploitation actions, including reconnaissance and discovery operations, as well as creating an administrator account named "sqladmin" to facilitate the deployment of the open-source Sliver framework.The persistence offered by Sliver was subsequently abused to move laterally across the network, establishing a connection between the domain controller (DC) and the vulnerable SimpleHelp RMM client and ultimately installing a Cloudflare tunnel to stealthily route traffic to servers under the attacker's control through the web infrastructure company's infrastructure.Field Effect said the attack was detected at this stage, preventing the attempted tunnel execution from taking place and isolating the system from the network to ensure further compromise.In the event the event was not flagged, the Cloudflare tunnel could have served as a conduit for retrieving additional payloads, including ransomware. The company said the tactics overlap with that of Akira ransomware attacks previously reported in May 2023, although it's also possible other threat actors have adopted the tradecraft."This campaign demonstrates just one example of how threat actors are actively exploiting SimpleHelp RMM vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized persistent access to networks of interest," the researchers said. "Organizations with exposure to these vulnerabilities must update their RMM clients as soon as possible and consider adopting a cybersecurity solution to defend against threats."The development comes as Silent Push revealed that it's seeing a rise in the use of the ScreenConnect RMM software on bulletproof hosts as a way for threat actors to gain access and control victim endpoints."Potential attackers have been using social engineering to lure victims into installing legitimate software copies configured to operate under the threat actor's control," the company said. "Once installed, the attackers use the altered installer to quickly gain access to the victim's files."Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.SHARE

Breedj.com is the 1st Social Bridging and we support businesses connecting them with Independent talent from all across the globe.One of our clients; an American multinational technology company, is in search of a M365 Technical Specialist for different supported shifts 24/7 In this role, you would provide technical support and advice to our customers and help them get the most out of their Microsoft 365 subscriptions.As well as being the ambassador for product development team acting as the funnel for collecting product feedback.You would receive technical support requests-tickets from customers who recently joined Microsoft 365 on trails subscription phase and you will utilize your troubleshooting knowledge and tools required to fix customer issues. Additionally you will be responsible for gathering relevant information from customers about their feedback, usage adoption, expectations and features requests for the product supported. Technical advisors are receiving chats, phone calls and support tickets with technical problem customers are facing with their M365 Subscriptions Non Typical Break & Fix environment, but rather mostly focused on product enhancement, feedback collection and features development. Flexible shifts covering 24/7 Job Description Candidates will be responsible for responding to technical advisory and technical questions as well as technical problems in the span of Microsoft365 Products span (Exchange, admin center, teams, office suite, SharePoint) The ticket needs will vary depending on the request; o they typically include questions surrounding the admins knowledge of the M365 web application o Registering and buying domains, downloading and installing Office, and using the M365 feature set. Any other language candidates must be bi-lingual with strong English skills. Strong soft skills and ability to lead conversations with customers (Preferable) Sales skills to be able to divert conversations from technical scope towards product feedback and increasing customer adoption.Apply NowLet's start your dream job Apply now