Latest news with #Zaitsev
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
CrowdStrike's CTO says humans are still critical in battling cyberattacks—even with gen AI advancements
Elia Zaitsev says most software companies exist for one purpose: to make their customers happy. But what he finds most thrilling about his 12-year career at cybersecurity company CrowdStrike is that it has to please clients, while also making the bad actors it fights against unhappy. 'There's a determined adversary on the other side of the table who's doing everything they can, with significant resources and time and expertise, to circumvent everything that's being developed,' says Zaitsev, CrowdStrike's chief technology officer. Those adversaries—espionage attacks that have increased from nations like China and Iran, as well as new generative artificial intelligence-driven phishing and impersonation tactics—have propelled a sharp increase in malware-free, identity-based attacks. And as businesses migrate more workloads to the cloud, those environments have also become a more frequent target too, with new and unattributed intrusions increasing 26% last year from 2023. Rather than look for a vulnerability on an external server, these nefarious individuals and organizations are using generative AI and other tools to develop convincing text, audio, and video to infiltrate systems. What that means is that fraudulent emails coming from a company's 'help desk' asking for a password are now often more polished than prior attempts that were often riddled with easy-to-spot mistakes. The cautionary tale on the lips of every cyber expert, including Zaitsev, is an incident last year in which a finance worker in Hong Kong was scammed out of $25 million after fraudsters used a deepfake to pose as a chief financial officer during a video conference call. 'They're relying on the weakest link, often in defenses, which is the human,' says Zaitsev. These evolving tactics are why CrowdStrike reports that the average breakout time for an intrusion—the moment an adversary is able to move laterally throughout a company's system after initially gaining access—has dropped to 48 minutes in 2024 from 62 minutes the prior year. The fastest breakout CrowdStrike reported was just 51 seconds, giving defenders less than a minute to detect and respond to an attack. CrowdStrike has bulked up its cyber defenses through a series of acquisitions, including Preempt Security and SecureCircle, a cybersecurity provider that requires identity verification for every access request, regardless of location. CrowdStrike has also invested in new product development, including this week's debut of Charlotte AI's agentic capabilities, which asks and answers investigative questions, helping to streamline cyber attack analysis and give security experts more time to act. Charlotte AI's accuracy rate is over 98%, according to Zaitsev, meaning that the generative AI tool comes to the same conclusion as human analysts 98 times out of 100 when assessing either a true positive or false positive attack. But humans can take about five minutes, on average, to perform this triage versus seconds Charlotte AI. That can save large enterprise customers up to seven days of human labor, per week. Zaitsev says even as these generative AI-enabled defenses advance, he doesn't see them replacing humans. Because even with the high effectiveness rate, many customers will continue to want their workforces to remain accountable to ensure cyber safety. 'We're short on humans,' says Zaitsev. 'What we want to do is augment them, make them more and more efficient, and also use them as the guardrail, as the check and balance.' Zaitsev was an early employee at CrowdStrike, joining as its first sales engineer in 2013 and rising up the ranks over a decade. He became acquainted with CrowdStrike CEO and founder George Kurtz and other executives when they were at security software company McAfee for a partnership with Zaitsev's former employer i2, which provides visual investigative analysis software for governments and law enforcement. He was elevated to the role of CTO in 2023, after running technology for the Americas business for nearly three years, following the promotion of his predecessor Michael Sentonas, who is now president. 'I always ground myself in and use that customer-facing perspective to try and understand not only what is the competition doing, but what are the customers looking to do,' says Zaitsev. He remains hands-on and technical—never a programmer, but having been a coder for decades—enabling Zaitsev to build trust with CrowdStrike's engineering team. Externally, trust in CrowdStrike eroded last summer, when a global IT outage due to a faulty software update crashed millions of Windows-based devices, stinging airlines, banks, retailers, and other customers, while costing Fortune 500 companies billions in damages. 'The July incident was very painful for them and for us,' acknowledges Zaitsev. CrowdStrike, he says, learned valuable lessons from the experience and incorporated customer feedback to bolster controls and capabilities to prevent another outage. The company also offered incentives for a time to keep enterprises from defecting to competitors. CrowdStrike's financial results following the incident remained resilient. Total and subscription revenue—the latter generally a one-to-three-year commitment—each increased 36% in fiscal 2024 from the prior year. The stock has recovered from a sharp selloff in July. 'I think we have come out of this, frankly, stronger,' says Zaitsev. 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Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Experts sound alarm over health risks lurking in wide range of common household items: 'Growing concerns'
It is undeniable that technology is advancing at a rate that some may have thought to be impossible at one point. But with that rapid development, many electronic devices quickly become obsolete and make their way into the trash. Experts are now sounding the alarm on what that means for the environment. According to the Global Waste Management Outlook 2024 report from the U.N. Environment Programme, "municipal solid waste generation is predicted to grow from 2.1 billion tonnes in 2023 to 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050." That includes an increasing amount of electronic waste. E-waste consists of items such as computers, mobile phones, large household appliances, and even medical equipment. In a separate report from the U.N., "62 million tonnes of e-waste was produced in 2022," which is an 82% increase since 2010. To make matters worse, the report predicts that our planet will produce up to "82 million tonnes" of e-waste by 2030. As the World Health Organization noted, discarded electronics can release "up to 1,000 different chemical substances into the environment, including known neurotoxicants," such as lead, dioxins, and mercury. These chemicals can lead to the pollution of habitats and vulnerable ecosystems on both land and in the water. According to the U.N. report on e-waste, "the externalized costs for human health and the environment" can reach up to $78 billion every year. This is often a result of improper disposal of e-waste, and it especially impacts people living in low-income communities. Oleg Zaitsev, managing director of a used electronics recycling company, emphasized the significance of e-waste. "Hazardous materials in electronic scrap can contaminate soil and water, affecting the environment and food security," Zaitsev told the UNEP. "Proper recycling processes can mitigate these risks." In an effort to minimize the impact of e-waste, governments around the world have introduced legislation to restrict the improper dumping of electronics. These regulations aim to encourage proper recycling of electronics and keep e-waste from entering our landfills. Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, director of UNEP's Industry and Economy Division, stressed the importance of government influence to help with the rise in e-waste. Do you worry about how much food you throw away? Definitely Sometimes Not really Never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "Governments and the industry can seize the economic opportunity to reduce the growing concerns about human and environmental exposure to pollution from the electronics life cycle," Aggarwal-Khan said. Despite the increase in these efforts, "just 22.3% of the year's e-waste mass was documented as having been properly collected and recycled in 2022," the United Nations Institute for Training and Research said. The EPA has often encouraged citizens to recycle electronics through marketing campaigns and various information efforts. Outside of government programs, there have also been plenty of initiatives to help encourage the proper disposal of electronics. Trashie offers the Take Back Tech Box that encourages users to recycle their old devices in exchange for rewards from popular brands. Many other websites offer tips on how you can even set up your own community e-waste recycling program as well. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Yahoo
Russian national charged with biting ICE officer during DTLA arrest
The Brief The Justice Department charged a Russian national on Wednesday with assaulting a federal officer. Officials claim Maksim Zaitsev bit an immigration officer as he was being arrested in downtown Los Angeles. The bite was so hard, it broke the officer's finger, according to the DOJ. LOS ANGELES - The Justice Department charged a Russian national on Wednesday with assaulting a federal officer during an arrest in downtownLos Angeles earlier this week. The complaint alleges that Maksim Zaitsev bit the officer's hand so hard that it broke the officer's finger. What we know Maksim Zaitsev of Costa Mesa was charged on Wednesday with assault on a federal employee resulting in bodily injury. The alleged attack happened on Feb. 25. According to the complaint, two Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were serving an administrative warrant downtown that morning. The officers arrested Zaitsev. The officers handcuffed Zaitsev and tried to bring him in for processing. That's when they said Zaitsev started to fight back, and during the struggle, Zaitsev allegedly bit one of the officers on the pinky. The alleged bite was so hard, it broke the skin and even broke the officer's finger, according to the DOJ. A photograph shared on X appears to show the bite. What we don't know It's unclear what the initial warrant was for. What's next Zaitsev was expected in court on Wednesday. If he is convicted, Zaitsev would face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The Source Information in this story is from a Department of Justice press release issued on Feb. 26, 2025.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Yahoo
Man accused of biting ICE officer's finger during arrest in downtown L.A.
A man from Orange County faces federal charges for allegedly biting the finger of an immigration officer who arrested him in downtown Los Angeles. It happened around 9:50 a.m. Tuesday at the United States Federal Building located at 300 North Los Angeles St., according to a partially redacted affidavit released by the United States Department of Justice. Maksim Zaitsev, 35, of Costa Mesa, was with his wife when he was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in the courthouse on a warrant from the Department of Homeland Security. Zaitsev, a Russian national, had received a letter the previous week telling him to appear for a case review at the Los Angeles ICE office. The DOJ says that Zaitsev was detained and handcuffed when he arrived for his appointment. As the ICE agents walked him down a hallway to be taken for processing, Zaitsev allegedly became agitated and resisted, calling out to his wife as he dropped his weight to the ground. During a struggle, he allegedly bit the left finger of one of the ICE agents, breaking the skin and fracturing the digit, the affidavit states. Zaitzev was eventually arrested and processed and is currently being held. He is now expected to face federal charges for assault on a federal employee. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Yahoo
Russian national charged with biting ICE officer who arrested him
A Russian national has been charged with felony assault after allegedly biting and injuring an immigration officer who had detained and arrested him Tuesday in downtown Los Angeles. Federal authorities charged Maksim Zaitsev, 35, of Costa Mesa with assault on a federal employee resulting in bodily injury, the U.S. attorney's office in L.A. said in a news release Wednesday. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation officers, identified only as I.R. and F.H., detained Zaitsev on Tuesday morning, pursuant to an administrative arrest warrant, according to an affidavit filed with a criminal complaint in federal court. It's unclear what the arrest warrant was for. As the officers escorted Zaitsev to a processing area, he allegedly struggled and bit I.R.'s left pinky finger, breaking skin, drawing blood and fracturing a bone. Zaitsev's federal public defender did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did ICE. Zaitsev was expected to make his initial appearance Wednesday in U.S. District Court in downtown L.A. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison. The alleged attack comes amid President Trump's deluge of orders and policy changes intended to toughen immigration laws and facilitate deportations. 'The men and women of Immigration and Customs Enforcement are critical to protecting national security and public safety and upholding the rule law,' acting U.S. Atty. Joseph T. McNally said in a statement. 'As alleged in the felony criminal complaint, the defendant attacked a deportation officer. He will be held accountable for his actions.' According to the affidavit, ICE issued a letter on Feb. 19 asking Zaitsev to appear Tuesday for a case review at the ICE office inside the U.S. Federal Building at 300 N. Los Angeles St. After the officers announced themselves as ICE agents and arrested Zaitsev, he allegedly became agitated and screamed toward someone believed to be his wife. Zaitsev allegedly "dropped his weight," according to the affidavit, causing the officers to lose their balance and fall to the ground, according to the affidavit. As I.R. and F.H. "attempted to regain control" of Zaitsev, he allegedly bit I.R. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
