Peter Griffin: This virtual research assistant is actually useful

Earlier this month, I received an email with half a dozen attached documents, all outlining information on a property I was considering buying.
Pressed for time, I fed the documents straight into Google's NotebookLM application, which is designed to be a virtual research assistant and is based on Google's powerful

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Jamf report finds phishing & infostealers surge on Apple devices

Techday NZ

14 hours ago

Techday NZ

Jamf report finds phishing & infostealers surge on Apple devices

Jamf has released its Security 360 Report, highlighting significant security trends and risks for mobile and Mac devices within organisational environments worldwide. The report, which examines both mobile and macOS platforms, identifies phishing, infostealers, and operating system vulnerabilities as major concerns and areas where enterprises need to focus their cybersecurity efforts. According to Josh Stein, Vice President of Product Strategy at Jamf, the aim of the research is to help security professionals understand and manage the challenges posed by both longstanding and emerging threats. "Our goal with this research is to inform security leaders about the risks impacting their organizations – whether those risks impact Mac or mobile – and provide tangible recommendations for safeguarding their organizations against increasingly sophisticated attacks," said Josh Stein, VP of Product Strategy at Jamf. "Age-old threats like phishing remain extremely prevalent and cannot be overlooked…nor can threats skyrocketing in popularity like infostealers. Jamf remains deeply committed to continuous threat research to not only protect our customers but also contribute valuable insights to the broader security community." Mobile threats The report notes that mobile devices are frequently the sole tools used by employees to access work resources, emphasising the need for robust defences across a variety of threat vectors. Jamf segmented its analysis of mobile device threats into four key areas: phishing, vulnerability management, application risk and malware, and spyware. Phishing attacks remain especially prevalent, with Jamf identifying approximately 10 million such attacks in the past year. The company reported that 25% of organisations experienced a social engineering incident and that one in ten users clicked on a malicious phishing link. The report suggests security training programmes and the adoption of layered, zero-trust security models can help mitigate these risks. In terms of vulnerability management, Jamf found that 32% of organisations had at least one device with critical vulnerabilities, and that 55.1% of mobile devices in use within workplaces were running on a vulnerable operating system. The company highlighted the importance of timely updates to patch known vulnerabilities, as provided by both Apple and Google. The research further discussed application risk, referencing Jamf's previous identification of a Transparency, Consent and Control (TCC) bypass flaw on iOS. The company demonstrated how side-loaded apps can compromise user privacy and emphasised the need for security controls that extend beyond just keeping operating systems up to date. Spyware and advanced malware were identified as threats that, though less frequent than on some platforms, are extremely sophisticated when they do emerge. High-profile individuals, including journalists, politicians, and diplomats, are at particular risk, with Apple sending compromise notifications to users in around 100 countries last year. The report recommends treating mobile devices with the same level of security as other endpoints in the enterprise environment. Threats to macOS Mac devices, which were once principally used by executives and creatives, have become common fixtures in enterprises across a range of sectors. According to the report, this proliferation has broadened the attack surface and increased the diversity of threats targeting the platform. Jamf outlined three principal areas of concern for macOS: application risk and malware, vulnerability management, and social engineering. Infostealers have become the dominant form of malware on Macs, accounting for 28.36% of all Mac malware analysed by Jamf, compared to just 0.25% in the previous year's findings. The report singles out employees in industries such as cryptocurrency as needing to be particularly alert, advocating for both ongoing training and adequate technological defences. The report also addresses myths about macOS security, noting that vulnerabilities persist despite perceptions of invulnerability. Jamf highlighted a recently discovered flaw in Gatekeeper, a mechanism intended to stop unverified apps from being run. The report notes the requirement for both effective technical controls and regular employee training to counter risks posed by software vulnerabilities. Social engineering threats, including phishing, exploit the widespread adoption of Macs in the workplace. Jamf cited campaigns that use professional social media platforms such as LinkedIn as initial attack vectors, rather than the email channels typically associated with phishing. The company recommends comprehensive employee training on all forms of phishing relevant to Mac users. Methodology The findings in the Security 360 Report are based on the analysis of 1.4 million devices protected by Jamf, conducted in the first quarter of 2025. The scope of analysis covered the previous year, included users in 90 countries, and spanned multiple mobile and desktop platforms, including iOS, iPadOS, Android, and macOS devices. The report draws on Jamf's proprietary Threat Intelligence, incorporating data from original research, device usage metrics, and analysis of news and external data feeds.

Adobe launches Firefly app, bringing AI image & video to mobile

Techday NZ

15 hours ago

Techday NZ

Adobe launches Firefly app, bringing AI image & video to mobile

Adobe has introduced Firefly image and video generation capabilities to mobile devices via a new application now available for iOS and Android. The rollout of the Firefly mobile app brings AI-powered tools directly to creators, granting the ability to generate, edit and iterate on images and videos from their phones. With both a standalone web and mobile experience, Firefly seamlessly synchronises with Adobe's suite of Creative Cloud applications, allowing users to maintain project continuity and create workflows that transition efficiently from concept to production. Mobile expansion The Firefly mobile app gives creators, from professionals to casual users, the option to generate images and videos using text prompts (Text to Image, Text to Video), convert images into videos (Image to Video), add or remove elements from visuals using Generative Fill, and extend image sizes with AI-generated backgrounds through Generative Expand. Integration with Adobe's Creative Cloud means assets developed on mobile can be continued seamlessly on desktop versions of Photoshop, Premiere Pro and other applications. Adobe states that the Firefly mobile application builds on its existing ecosystem of mobile products, which includes Photoshop, Lightroom and Adobe Express. Utilising AI models that also power desktop Adobe software, these mobile offerings allow for professional content creation suitable for social media, presentations, print and other formats. Firefly Boards for collaboration Firefly Boards, now in public beta, introduces an AI-first moodboarding platform aimed at transforming ideation and team collaboration. Incorporating both video and image generation and editing, Firefly Boards enables creative teams to work together on hundreds of ideas simultaneously, interact with various media types, and modify assets using conversational text prompts and AI-powered tooling from both Adobe and partnering companies. Teams can remix video clips, generate new footage using Adobe's commercially safe Firefly Video Model, or tap into partner models, including those offered by Google, Luma AI, and Pika. Additional image editing features rely on Black Forest Labs' Flux.1 Kontext and OpenAI's generative models, which allow for iterative changes based on user instructions. Expanded AI model ecosystem Adobe has broadened the Firefly ecosystem by incorporating generative AI models from new partners such as Ideogram, Luma AI, Pika, and Runway, supplementing its existing integrations with OpenAI, Google and Black Forest Labs. These models introduce different styles and media capabilities, giving creators the option to experiment with and combine model outputs for greater creative flexibility. The recently added models include Flux.1 Kontext by Black Forest Labs, Ideogram 3.0 by Ideogram, Ray2 by Luma AI, Pika 2.2 text-to-video, Gen-4 Image by Runway, as well as Google's Imagen 4 and Veo 3. The expanded model offering is available initially through Firefly Boards and will be rolled out to the broader Firefly app in future updates. Adobe also continues to maintain native support for its in-house image, video, audio, and vector models within the platform. Content credentials and creator rights In a move to support transparency and uphold creators' rights, Adobe attaches Content Credentials to all AI-generated content produced with Firefly. These credentials visibly specify which model—Adobe's or a partner's—was used in the generation process, aiming to empower creators and stakeholders to identify the provenance of creative assets. Adobe states, "At Adobe, we take the most creator-friendly approach to AI in the industry, driven by our roots in the creative community and our respect for creators." Ongoing updates across Creative Cloud Alongside the Firefly launch, Adobe announced enhancements to Creative Cloud products such as Lightroom, Photoshop and Illustrator, all geared towards enabling users to move from initial concepts to final outputs more efficiently through AI-driven workflow improvements. Updates include batch photo refinement, advanced vector resizing and new capabilities for typography fine-tuning. Firefly usage and growth According to Adobe, over 24 billion assets have been produced globally using Firefly's generative AI models. Creators are using Firefly Image Model 4 and its Ultra variant for highly detailed lifelike images, generating 1080p video from prompts, and producing vector artwork including logos via Text-to-Vector tools. The company also reports a 30 percent quarter-on-quarter increase in Firefly usage and a similar rise in first-time subscribers, while paid subscriptions nearly doubled in the same period. "Creators continue to impress us with the breadth and artistry of the images, videos, graphics and designs they're dreaming up in the Firefly app using models from both Adobe and our partners," said Ely Greenfield, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. "Our goal with Firefly is to deliver creators the most comprehensive destination on web and mobile to access the best generative models from across the industry, in a single integrated experience from ideation to generation and editing." The Firefly mobile app is available to download on iOS and Android. Firefly Boards is currently accessible in public beta through the Firefly web application, and all features are offered as part of Adobe's Creative Cloud Pro plan.

NZ Herald

a day ago

NZ Herald