Latest news with #Antonov
Daily Maverick
15-05-2025
- Science
- Daily Maverick
Rocket Man meet Drone Man – the future of combat
The tradition of Ukrainian aerospace continues. Driven today less by prestige than necessity, it has become a global leader in 'kopters' – as drones are locally known. It's a longstanding tradition. On this highway to Kyiv is a Soviet-era missile, a memorial to Sergei Korolev, born in nearby Zhytomyr more than 118 years ago, considered the father of the USSR's rocket and space programme. Korolev oversaw the early successes of the Sputnik and Vostok projects, including the first human Earth orbit mission by Yuri Gagarin in April 1961. His was, however, not an easy ride. An apparently difficult child from a broken family and having failed to be accepted to the prestigious Zhukovsky Academy in Moscow on account of his poor marks (a lesson in not peaking too soon), he attended the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute to train as an aircraft designer. Arrested on a trumped-up charge during Stalin's 'Red Terror' (as a result of which at least 800,000 died between 1936-38) as a 'member of an anti-Soviet counter-revolutionary organisation', he was imprisoned for nearly six years, some of which was spent in a Siberian Gulag. Rehabilitated through his work in a penal design bureau producing aircraft under Tupolev and Petlyakov during World War 2, he was officially rehabilitated only in 1957. Korolev's greatest skill was to be in strategic planning and organisation, especially necessary when, after the war, the Soviets integrated about 2,000 German aerospace and rocket scientists. This jump-started the Soviet programme, just as the Americans had done with Werner von Braun and his group, who moved to America under Operation Paperclip. Despite his achievements being appropriated after his death in 1966 in the Soviet name, Korolev is today celebrated in his home town, with a small museum displaying the various achievements in the eponymous museum. Visitors to the museum on a cold May day include wounded Ukrainian soldiers recovering from the bruising front line at a local hospital. Aviation ingenuity The country's aviation sector continues to boom, this time out of necessity in Ukraine's struggle against its nemesis, Russia. The most famous name, Antonov, continues to produce, despite frequent missile interruptions, while its university centres of excellence churn out quality graduates in design and engineering. Sasha, 35, is also a graduate of Kyiv Polytechnic, a head of R&D with SkyRiper, one of the leading drone manufacturers in Ukraine. Driven by a shortage of artillery ammunition, Ukraine's survival instinct and 'horizontal interaction' between frontline units and the engineers back in Kyiv and other cities, Ukrainian production is now around 100,000 drones a month. About 10,000 are used by frontline forces each day, and seven of 10 battlefield Russian casualties are caused by drones, a shift in technology which helps to offset Russia's numerical population advantage. 'We all have friends and relatives at the frontline,' says Sasha, the leader of a youthful team (average age 22) of engineers. 'They tell us all the time what works and what they need.' Drones are now the great equaliser in Ukraine's defence, a cost-effective way of making up the deficit in manpower, materiel and financing compared with their Russian foe. Whereas 155mm artillery rounds cost between $2,000-$7,000 each, depending on their spec, and a Javelin anti-tank missile $250,000, Ukrainian FPV (first person view) kamikaze drones are less than $500 apiece. With a range of the smaller carbon and alloy drone of up to 30km with a 4kg payload, this has effectively shrunk the 1,200km frontline. Handled by a team of just three soldiers, and with mission times of around 15 minutes, drones can be continuously cycled. 'The frontline is now a 10km 'grey zone',' says the partner at SkyRiper, Anton, his 70-strong workforce delivering 10,000 drones a month from several sites around Kyiv. 'It's a no-go area over which drones dominate.' Most armoured vehicles – sometimes requiring as many as 10 drone hits – are knocked out usually on the way to this no-man's land. While it makes great headlines, there is less technological focus on drone 'swarming' than last-mile targeting, avoiding Russian efforts to jam signals (in part by increasingly employing fibre-optic technology), and focusing on improved lethality and manoeuvrability. 'The drones have to be capable of going into the forests, ducking under netting, looking for the weak spots in armoured vehicles,' he says. Anton cites Marx in keeping an eye on sophistication and cost: 'In drone warfare, quantity has a quality. It's better to have 100 drones than 10, which can swarm.' At a general aviation airfield 45 minutes outside Kyiv, Ivan talks enthusiastically about his Buntar B3 drone, designed at the National Aviation University at Kharkiv and built at an underground site in the capital. Battery powered, the Very Short Take Off and Landing (VTOL) multicopter is capable of 3.5 hours' endurance, with one operator capable of simultaneously controlling multiple reconnaissance drones using the Buntar Copilot system, operating safely from a position far behind the frontline. Drone capabilities have undergone a revolution since 2022, not least in terms of range, accuracy, cost, the networking of multiple feeds and survivability. 'There are hundreds of drone manufacturers in Ukraine now,' says Ivan, CEO of Buntar Aerospace and a serial entrepreneur, who joined the infantry after the 2022 Russian invasion and was wounded in the east. 'Most of them are assembling small drones from imported parts.' The B3 is a carbon fibre machine designed for ease of operation and survivability, including a minimal radar signature. They believe that eventually, with the pace of technological change, the drone industry will shake out to 'no more' than a dozen major manufacturers. 'We don't have the luxury of time,' says Sasha, who also serves as an officer in the Ukrainian reserves. 'We have 15,000 to 20,000 drones on the frontline at any time. But the Russians have perhaps three times this number, even though their effectiveness is about 40% of each mission, half as good as we manage.' Buffer for Europe The survival instinct of Ukraine has not only helped to change the current circumstances, but may also change the future of war and defence. It seems likely that international investment in Ukraine will be driven less by acts of charity in future and the defence of democracy, than self-interest, in particular in its role as what former president Viktor Yushchenko, who led the Orange Revolution in 2004, describes as 'Europe's body armour'. While it undergoes its own domestic arms revolution, Ukraine will simultaneously have to learn to splice itself into the practical defence of Europe: air and maritime, especially, as these domains disdain borders. Ukraine will need to get itself on to the accounting book, even if it isn't formally part of Nato, as Finland and Sweden did well in the 1980s. In the process, Ukraine has the opportunity to become a source of capability, not a market for it, to develop the most potent defence sector in Europe, fuelling its own coffers, providing deterrence capability and buttressing European combat power. If it can manage this transition, to become not just one of the world's leading developers and manufacturers, but also exporters, Ukraine will become tougher as a target while boosting its economy. This would demand more international capital investment, which means releasing the fetters on various controls. While there is a risk of acquisitions and compromise of intellectual property, the exchange would translate into another Ukrainian tether to the Western system. 'This war has changed,' says Captain Viacheslav Shutenko, Commander of the Unmanned Systems Battalion in Ukraine's 44th Mechanised Brigade. 'In 2022, this war was … more or less classical. But, in three and a plus years,' he observed in May 2025, 'this war is about technology, this war is about precision, and this war is about speed. Unmanned systems are no longer an auxiliary. They are decisive on the battlefield. This is why to win, Ukraine needs more drones, more unmanned systems – we need scalable production of drones and uninterrupted supply of drones.' Setting up a defence sector for mass production of the tech that's been fundamental to their success, for their own use and for that of allies, lies at the centre of this approach. Without Europe and Ukraine working more closely together, the end of the war is likely, in the words of another rocket man, to 'be a long, long time'. DM
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Canada initiates court proceedings to seize Russian Antonov An-124 aircraft
Canada has initiated court proceedings to seize a Russian Antonov An-124 "Ruslan" transport aircraft, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna said on May 6. The aircraft, owned by Russian Volga-Dnepr cargo airlines, has remained grounded at Toronto Pearson International Airport since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, amid a travel ban on Russian aircraft in Canadian airspace. A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada confirmed to Canadian publication InSauga that the Canadian government had initiated proceedings in the Ontario Superior Court. "The Attorney General of Canada commenced forfeiture proceedings by seeking the issuance of a Notice of Application by the Superior Court of Ontario on March 18, 2025," the spokesperson said. The aircraft, which is approximately 69 metres long and 21 meters tall and originally produced in Ukraine, is the world's largest mass-produced cargo plane. The similar Ukrainian-owned and produced Antonov An-225 Mriya aircraft served as a one-off flagship of the Antonov An-124, until it was destroyed by Russian forces at Hostomel airport in February 2022. "I am convinced that all these actions are leading to one outcome: the 'Ruslan' will soon have a new home — in Ukraine, where it will serve our country's needs," Stefanishyna said in a statement. "I'm grateful to Canada for its unwavering support and decisive actions. Justice is not just a word — it's the concrete steps we are witnessing today. And this is just the beginning." Read also: European Commission prepares 17th sanctions package against Russia, Reuters reports We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Techday NZ
07-05-2025
- Techday NZ
Kaspersky warns AI-generated passwords expose users to attacks
Kaspersky has issued a warning regarding the use of large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, Llama, and DeepSeek for password generation, citing unpredictable security weaknesses that could make users vulnerable to cyberattacks. The increased prevalence of online accounts has led to a surge in password re-use and reliance on predictable combinations of names, dictionary words, and numbers. According to Kaspersky, many people are seeking shortcuts by using AI-based tools like LLMs to create passwords, assuming that AI-generated strings offer superior security due to their apparent randomness. However, concerns have been raised over the actual strength of these passwords. Alexey Antonov, Data Science Team Lead at Kaspersky, examined passwords produced by ChatGPT, Llama, and DeepSeek and discovered notable patterns that could compromise their integrity. "All of the models are aware that a good password consists of at least 12 characters, including uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. They report this when generating passwords," says Antonov. Antonov observed that DeepSeek and Llama sometimes produced passwords utilising dictionary words with letters swapped for similarly-shaped numbers, such as S@d0w12, M@n@go3, and B@n@n@7 for DeepSeek, and K5yB0a8dS8 and S1mP1eL1on for Llama. He noted: "Both of these models like to generate the password 'password': P@ssw0rd, P@ssw0rd!23 (DeepSeek), P@ssw0rd1, P@ssw0rdV (Llama). Needless to say, such passwords are not safe." He explained that the technique of substituting certain letters with numbers, while appearing to increase complexity, is well-known among cybercriminals and can be easily breached using brute force methods. According to Antonov, ChatGPT produces passwords which initially appear random, such as qLUx@^9Wp#YZ, LU#@^9WpYqxZ and YLU@x#Wp9q^Z, yet further analysis reveals telling consistencies. "However, if you look closely, you can see patterns. For example, the number 9 is often encountered," Antonov said. Examining 1,000 passwords generated by ChatGPT, he found that certain characters, such as x, p, l and L, appeared with much higher frequency, which is inconsistent with true randomness. Similar patterns were observed for Llama, which favoured the # symbol and particular letters. DeepSeek showed comparable tendencies in password generation habits. "This doesn't look like random letters at all," Antonov commented when reviewing the symbol and character distributions. Moreover, the LLMs often failed to include special characters or digits in a significant portion of passwords: 26% of ChatGPT passwords, 32% for Llama, and 29% for DeepSeek were affected. DeepSeek and Llama occasionally generated passwords that were shorter than the 12-character minimum generally recommended for security. These weaknesses, including pronounced character patterns and inconsistent composition, potentially enable cybercriminals to target common combinations more efficiently, increasing the likelihood of successful brute force attacks. Antonov referenced the findings of a machine learning algorithm he developed in 2024 to assess password strength, stating that almost 60% of all tested passwords could be deciphered in under an hour using contemporary GPUs or cloud-based cracking services. When applying similar tests to AI-generated passwords, the results were concerning: "88% of DeepSeek and 87% of Llama generated passwords were not strong enough to withstand attack from sophisticated cyber criminals. While ChatGPT did a little better with 33% of passwords not strong enough to pass the Kaspersky test." Addressing the core problem, Antonov remarked, "The problem is LLMs don't create true randomness. Instead, they mimic patterns from existing data, making their outputs predictable to attackers who understand how these models work, notes Antonov" In light of these findings, Kaspersky recommends individuals and organisations use dedicated password management software instead of relying on LLMs. According to Kaspersky, dedicated password managers employ cryptographically secure generators, providing randomness with no detectable patterns and storing credentials safely in encrypted vaults accessible via a single master password. Password management software, Kaspersky notes, often provides additional features such as auto-fill, device synchronisation, and breach monitoring to alert users should their credentials appear in data leaks. These measures aim to reduce the risk of credential theft and the impact of data breaches by encouraging strong, unique passwords for each service. Kaspersky emphasised that while AI is useful for numerous applications, password creation is not among them due to its tendency to generate predictable, pattern-based outputs. The company underlines the need to use reputable password managers as a first line of defence in maintaining account security and privacy in the digital era.
Malay Mail
06-05-2025
- Malay Mail
Should you use passwords by ChatGPT, Deepseek and Llama? Here's what you need to know
KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 — Generative AI is super useful but should you rely on these tools to generate passwords? In conjunction with World Password Day, Kaspersky has analysed 1,000 passwords generated with various AI tools including ChatGPT, DeepSeek and Llama to find out if they are any good in keeping your logins safe. As a general rule of thumb, you should avoid reusing the same password across multiple accounts as attackers can reuse the same password to gain access to other platforms. While it is tempting to use AI to generate random passwords, it turns out that the supposed random passwords aren't as random as you think. AI-generated passwords don't offer True Randomness Kaspersky's Data Science Team Lead, Alexey Antonov, had generated 1,000 passwords using the top large language models (LLMs) such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, Meta's Llama and China's DeepSeek. On the surface, the LLMs seem to be aware that a good password requires at least 12 characters with a mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. DeepSeek and Llama tend to generate passwords using dictionary words with some letters substituted for characters such as S@d0w12, M@n@go3, B@n@n@7 (DeepSeek), K5yB0a8dS8 and S1mP1eL1on (Lllama). These passwords are deemed unsafe as the trick of substituting letters is known and they are not difficult to brute force. On the surface, ChatGPT seems to be better as it is able to generate more random-looking passwords such as qLUx@^9Wp#YZ, YLU@x#Wp9q^Z , P@zq^XWLY#v9 and X@9pYWq^#Lzv. However, if you look closer, there's a noticeable pattern where certain characters are used repeatedly such as X, p and 9. When all symbols used in the 1000 ChatGPT-generated passwords are illustrated in a histogram, it becomes clear that a small cluster of top 13 characters (x,p, I, L, q, y, @, v, w, X, Y, 9, #) are showing significantly higher frequency of over 700 times. This means the majority of passwords generated aren't as random as one would hoped for. Llama seems to show slightly better 'randomness' with only top 2 characters appearing more than 500 times, while DeepSeek' seems to be the best among the three with the most balanced-looking histogram for character frequency. What makes a good password? According to Kaspersky, an ideal random password generator should not have any character preference. All symbols and characters should appear approximately the same number of times. In addition, a good password should also include a special character or digits, which are often neglected by ChatGPT (26 per cent), Llama (32 per cent) and DeepSeek (29 per cent). Another concern is that DeekSeek and Llama sometimes tend to generate a password that's too short, with less than 12 characters. With the known password generated pattern as illustrated above, cyber criminals can speed up their password brute force attempts by starting with the most frequent combinations for a higher probability of success. Last year, Antonov developed a machine learning algorithm to test password strength and it was found that nearly 60 per cent of passwords can be cracked within an hour using modern GPUs or cloud-based cracking tools. When he applied the same algorithm for AI-generated passwords, he discovered that these passwords were far less secure. Eighty-eight per cent of DeepSeek and 87 per cent of Llama generated passwords were not strong enough to withstand a sophisticated cyber attack. Meanwhile, ChatGPT did performed better with 33 per cent of generated passwords deemed not strong enough to pass the Kaspersky test. Antonov added that the problem with LLMs is that they don't create true randomness. Instead, they mimic patterns from existing data, which makes these password outputs predictable to attackers who understands how these models work. Instead of using AI, Kaspersky recommends users to adopt dedicated password management software which include Kaspersky's Password Manager to generate and manage all of your passwords. Password managers use cryptographically secure generators to create passwords without detectable patterns to ensure true randomness. On top of that, all credentials are stored in a secured vault protected by a single master password. As a result, you would only need to remember one password for the vault, instead of having to remember hundreds of passwords for various platforms. For greater convenience, password managers also offer auto-fill and synchronisation across multiple platforms. Not only it helps to streamline the login process on all your devices without compromising on security but it also alerts you of potential data leak if one of your registered platforms has faced a data breach. — SoyaCincau
Asharq Al-Awsat
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
UN Appalled by Extrajudicial Killings in Khartoum
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Thursday said he was appalled by reports of widespread extrajudicial killings of civilians in Khartoum following its recapture by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on 26 March. 'I am utterly appalled by the credible reports of numerous incidents of summary executions of civilians in several areas of Khartoum, on apparent suspicions that they were collaborating with the Rapid Support Forces,' said Turk. He then urged the commanders of the Sudanese Armed Forces 'to take immediate measures to put an end to arbitrary deprivation of life.' The UN Commissioner said his Office has reviewed multiple horrific videos posted on social media since 26 March, all of them apparently filmed in southern and eastern Khartoum. 'They show armed men – some in uniform and others in civilian clothes – executing civilians in cold blood, often in public settings. In some videos, perpetrators state that they are punishing supporters of RSF,' he said. The RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, has been battling the army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, since April 2023. Last week the army said it had retaken full control of Khartoum after weeks of attacks on the capital by the paramilitaries, though Daglo said his forces had only 'repositioned.' On Thursday, Sudan's paramilitary said they downed an Antonov military plane, the fourth this month, belonging to the Sudanese army near Al Fasher, the capital of Sudan's North Darfur State. The RSF published a video that they said showed the plane wreckage. It said in a statement that the plane dropped 'dozens of barrel bombs on innocent civilians in Al Fasher and other Sudanese cities.' Meanwhile, an activist group said that the RSF killed at least 85 people in one week during attacks south of the capital Khartoum. 'For the seventh consecutive day, the Janjaweed militias continue their violent attacks on villages... west of Jebel Awliya, resulting in the deaths of more than 85 people and the injury of dozens,' said the Sudanese resistance committee, referring to the RSF by the name of its precursor. Bashir's Deputy Released Also on Thursday, Sudanese authorities released former First Vice President Bakri Hassan Saleh and Youssif Abdel Fattah, a former minister. Saleh and Abdel Fattah are among some 30 officials who are standing trial for their involvement in the June 30, 1989 coup, that brought former Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir to power. SAF leader Abdel Fattah al Burhan issued the decision based on a judicial ruling that stated the two men need to receive treatment due to deteriorating health conditions.
