State-of-the-art password guessing tools, such as HashCat and John the Ripper, enable users to check billions of passwords per second against password hashes. In addition to performing straightforward dictionary attacks, these tools can expand password dictionaries using password generation rules, such as concatenation of words (e.g., "password123456") and leet speak (e.g., "password" becomes "p4s5w0rd"). Although these rules work well in practice, expanding them to model further passwords is a laborious task that requires specialized expertise. To address this issue, in this paper we introduce PassGAN, a novel approach that replaces human-generated password rules with theory-grounded machine learning algorithms. Instead of relying on manual password analysis, PassGAN uses a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) to autonomously learn the distribution of real passwords from actual password leaks, and to generate high-quality password guesses. Our experiments show that this approach is very promising. When we evaluated PassGAN on two large password datasets, we were able to surpass rule-based and state-of-the-art machine learning password guessing tools. However, in contrast with the other tools, PassGAN achieved this result without any a-priori knowledge on passwords or common password structures. Additionally, when we combined the output of PassGAN with the output of HashCat, we were able to match 51%-73% more passwords than with HashCat alone. This is remarkable, because it shows that PassGAN can autonomously extract a considerable number of password properties that current state-of-the art rules do not encode.

A pair of hardware hackers have beat the world record for solving a Rubik's cube robotically, completing the task in almost half the time. The Guinness World Record was set just over a year ago by a Hungarian architect and his'Sub1 Reloaded' machine when it solved a Rubik's cube in 0.637 seconds. That record, however, has now been demolished. Software developer Jared Di Carlo and MIT Biometrics Lab Master's student Ben Katz devised a contraption that can solve a Rubik's cube in a stunning 0.38 seconds. Software developer Jared Di Carlo and MIT Biometrics Lab Master's student Ben Katz built a'Rubik's Contraption' that's capable of solving the complicated puzzle in a mere 0.38 seconds The researchers discovered that they could easily beat the world record by using a different kind of motor on their'Rubik's Contraption.' 'We noticed that all of the fast Rubik's Cube solvers were using stepper motors, and thought that we could do better if we used better motors,' Di Carlo wrote in a blog post.

Thanks to digital tools equipped with artificial intelligence, we're (theoretically) better than we used to be. Devices and apps track our workouts, our sleep patterns, our periods, our sexual encounters. We give these digital spies access to any intimate part of our lives, whatever they demand, because we assume having more data will allow us to see where we're failing, and to make improvements accordingly. But, if you had data on how the kinds of conversations you had with other people, would it make you a better person? Can AI actually teach us to communicate better -- you know, with other humans? Startup founder Nancy Lublin thinks the answer is yes.

Every time there is a big wireless, telecom or technology trade show, the big question I am always asked by the media as a telecom and wireless analyst, is simple. What was the key message or take away from the show? Last week, at the world's largest wireless trade show, Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona, Spain, the answer was clear. First it is about 5G, with plenty of AI and IoT mixed in. Yes, our world is rapidly changing. So, what will 5G, AI and IoT do for us?

Last week Leticia Stoc was watching TV at her home in Amsterdam and texting her friend, when something started to bother her. You may know the feeling. She was worried the friend didn't like spending time with her, so she sent another message saying so point blank. It's because I'm weird, she added. The friend quickly reassured her.

Gas-guzzling cars may contribute to global warming, but designs for a new tyre made from moss may soon help them mitigate their impact. Goodyear has announced a concept wheel covering that will convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into oxygen, using the power of photosynthesis. Oxygene tyres will channel moisture from the road to the plants, which absorbs water up to 26 times their own weight. This will be used to keep the vegetation alive, allowing it to clean the air whilst in use - using only the sun as an energy source. The energy produced by the process will power on-board artificial intelligence and electronics, which will communicate with other vehicles at the speed of light. Car tyres may soon be able to tackle global warming, and its all thanks to moss.

Everybody is talking about machine learning. What is it actually and where can I use it? In this presentation we will see some examples how machine learning has been used and we discuss what kind of skills are valuable and needed when starting with machine learning. Heli Helskyaho CEO Miracle Finland Oy Heli Helskyaho is the CEO for Miracle Finland Oy and an Ambassador for EOUC (EMEA Oracle Users Group Community). Heli holds a Master's degree (Computer Science) in the University of Helsinki and she is specialized on databases.

Over the course of the last few years, Artificial intelligence (AI) has become recognised as one of the keys to solving some of the world's most complex issues - unlocking a level of growth and innovation that has never been seen before. Governments across the globe are now shifting gear, actively designing investment approaches, invectives and discussing regulatory frameworks to help their nations maintain a top spot in this emerging industry. U.S. policy makers and industry are grappling with the challenge of regulating without stifling innovating and the AI opportunity was central focus earlier this year at Davos, as the UK Prime Minister outlined her commitment "to ensure it works for everyone – be that in people's jobs or their daily lives". For all the good that is being touted about AI, there are also some unsavoury reports on the effect AI could have on the current demographic of the workforce, far more imminent than the Hollywood narrative of'robots taking over the world' – if true this could rock women's hard fought and rightful place on the career ladder. This is demonstrated in recent research from PwC, which indicates that women's jobs could be affected by automation over the next decade – with potentially 23% of women's jobs at risk, around 7% more than men. At a crucial time when the world is discussing and designing the way that AI will change the way we work, the higher risk of displacement felt by certain members of society must be made more visible and addressed alongside the serious skills shortage we are seeing in the tech sector amongst women.

Amazon's Echo is emitting chilling laughter and refusing to do what is asked of it. The terrifying behaviour is leading people to lose sleep and to unplug their devices, amid fears their smart speakers are after them. But the chilling behaviour doesn't demonstrate that the machines are about to take over. In fact, it shows just how far they've got to go. The I.F.O. is fuelled by eight electric engines, which is able to push the flying object to an estimated top speed of about 120mph.

Data is shaping almost every area of our lives. Agriculture has been slow to embrace new technology but even here it's beginning to have a big impact. There are now hundreds of companies offering everything from farm management and precision tools to bots and drones. Some tractors have computing power that would have turned Nasa's moon-landing mission green with envy. What started in farm equipment is moving into the field – at least in the developed world.