The hype surrounding emerging technologies like generative AI creates a wild west, of sorts, for bad actors seeking to capitalize on consumer confusion. To that end, Google is suing some scammers who allegedly tricked people into downloading an “unpublished” version of its Bard AI software. Instead of a helpful chatbot, this Bard was reportedly stuffed with malware.

The lawsuit was filed today in California and it alleges that individuals based in Vietnam have been setting up social media pages and running ads encouraging users to download a version of Bard, but this version doesn’t deliver helpful answers on how to cook risotto or whatever. This Bard, once downloaded by some rube, worms its way into the system and steals passwords and social media credentials. The lawsuit notes that these scammers have specifically used Facebook as their preferred distribution method.

Google’s official blog post on the matter notes that it sent over 300 takedown requests before opting for the lawsuit. The suit doesn’t seek financial compensation, but rather an order to stop the alleged fraudsters from setting up similar domains, particularly with US-based domain registrars. The company says that this outcome will “serve as a deterrent and provide a clear mechanism for preventing similar scams in the future.”

The lawsuit goes on to highlight how emerging technologies are ripe for this kind of anti-consumer weaponization. In this case, the alleged scammers said that Bard is a paid service that required a download. In reality, it’s a free web service.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-sues-scammers-that-allegedly-released-a-malware-filled-bard-knockoff-162222150.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Google sues scammers that allegedly released a malware-filled Bard knockoff

Michigan-based healthcare nonprofit McLaren Health Care notified more than 2 million people about a data breach exposing personal information on Thursday, according to a data breach notification report. Unauthorized access to McLaren systems began on July 28 and lasted through August, but the individual impact varies from person to person. 

According to a notice on the McLaren website, the company learned of the breach on August 31. An investigation into the impacted files concluded on October 10, and if you’ll take a look at today’s date, it took an additional month for the company to let the public know about the incident.

“Potentially affected current and former patients of McLaren are encouraged to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft by reviewing account statements and explanations of benefits for unusual activity and to report any suspicious activity promptly to your insurance company, health care provider, or financial institution,” the nonprofit said in a statement.

While McLaren hasn’t released any details about the attack, such as who is behind it or possible motivations, the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware group claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Bleeping Computer. Ransomware groups are known to do this for publicity, but the actor behind an attack usually can’t be confirmed until a third-party security researcher independently verifies it.

McLaren encompasses 13 hospitals and employs 490 physicians across Michigan and Indiana, with an annual revenue of $6.6 billion. Its offering identity protection services to affected people that enroll by February 9. There’s currently no evidence that data leaked in the breach has been misused, according to McLaren. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/data-breach-of-michigan-healthcare-giant-exposes-millions-of-records-153450209.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Data breach of Michigan healthcare giant exposes millions of records