Good Morning! Chinese hackers have discovered a clever exploit using VS Code's Remote Tunnels, marking a creative evolution in cybersecurity threats. Google's Willow quantum chip is shattering computing limits by performing calculations that would take traditional computers billions of years. In a major shift for autonomous vehicles, GM is shutting down its Cruise robotaxi venture to focus on practical driver assistance tech.

— Forrest Knight & Meghanadh Vasireddy

Chinese Hackers Exploit Visual Studio Code

Chinese APT operators have found a creative new way to maintain persistent access to compromised systems - by hijacking Visual Studio Code's Remote Tunnels feature. The campaign, dubbed "Operation Digital Eye," targeted B2B IT service providers in Southern Europe between June and July 2024.

What's New: The attackers leveraged VS Code's Remote Tunnels in what researchers call the "first instance" of Chinese APT groups using this technique. By running VS Code as a Windows service, they established backdoor connections through Microsoft's legitimate Azure infrastructure - pretty clever, right? The best part (or worst, depending on which side you're on): since the executables are Microsoft-signed and the tunneling uses Azure servers, it's incredibly difficult to detect.

Key components of the attack chain:

• Initial Access: SQL injection via SQLmap

• Persistence: PHPsert webshell deployment

• Lateral Movement: Custom Mimikatz variant (bK2o.exe)

• Command & Control: VS Code tunnels connecting to *.devtunnels.ms domains

For the dev-ops folks out there: this is a wake-up call to monitor VS Code launches and remote tunnel usage. Consider implementing allowlists to block unauthorized portable VS Code executions and keep an eye on Windows services for suspicious 'code.exe' processes. The attackers' workday pattern (9 AM - 9 PM China time) suggests state-sponsored activity, making this a significant addition to the threat intelligence landscape.

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Google Says Its New Quantum Chip Indicates That Multiple Universes Exist

Context: Google just dropped a quantum computing bombshell with their new Willow chip. The headline-grabber? A computation that would take today's fastest supercomputer 10 septillion years (that's 10^25 years!) was completed in under five minutes. For perspective, that's longer than the universe has existed.

The real breakthrough isn't just speed - it's error handling. Quantum computers typically become more error-prone as you add qubits (quantum bits), but Willow flips this script. The chip shows exponential error reduction as it scales up, tested across various qubit grid configurations (3x3, 5x5, 7x7).

Core improvements:

• "Below threshold" quantum system achievement

• Real-time error correction capability

• Extended quantum coherence time

• 105-qubit architecture

• Beyond-breakeven error correction status

Here's where it gets wild - Google Quantum AI's lead, Hartmut Neven, suggests this performance might indicate computation happening across parallel universes. While this aligns with David Deutsch's quantum computation theories, it's worth noting that this interpretation remains contentious among physicists.

Reality Check: The benchmark test (Random Circuit Sampling) was specifically designed for quantum systems. While impressive, we're still waiting for practical, real-world applications. Google's currently running a $5M competition to find commercial use cases for this technology.

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GM Pulls the Plug on Cruise: What's Next for Autonomous Driving?

In a seismic shift for the autonomous vehicle industry, General Motors has announced it's ending funding for Cruise, its robotaxi subsidiary. After pouring over $10 billion into the venture since 2016 and weathering a challenging year marked by safety concerns, GM is now pivoting to focus on consumer-facing driver assistance technology.

What's New: GM plans to fold Cruise's technical expertise into its existing automotive operations, focusing on enhancing systems like Super Cruise - their hands-off, eyes-on driving feature. The restructuring aims to cut spending by more than $1 billion annually, with changes expected to complete by mid-2025.

The autonomous vehicle landscape is experiencing significant reshuffling:

• Waymo (Alphabet): Expanding to Miami, fully public in LA

• Tesla: Planning autonomous Model Y/3 deployment in 2024

• Ford: Previously exited via Argo AI shutdown in 2022

• Cruise: Operations suspended after October 2023 incident

Technical Shift: GM's strategic pivot suggests a more pragmatic approach to autonomous technology. Rather than pursuing full autonomy through robotaxis, they're doubling down on advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) - a move that could accelerate the development of consumer-ready autonomous features while potentially lowering technical barriers to market entry.

This shift marks a significant moment in the autonomous vehicle industry, highlighting the challenges of scaling full autonomy while suggesting a more incremental approach to self-driving technology might be the immediate future.

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🔥 More Notes

• Google's biggest bet is AI for search, investment chief says

• Yelp Gets New AI Features

• Adobe’s AI Video Rollout Lags Behind While OpenAI Launches Sora

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