Episode #269: Edwin Kwan: WhatsApp Mods for Android May Contain Spyware; Ian Garrett: Cyber Attackers and Defenders Enter an AI Arms Race; Katy Craig: Russia, Iran, and China: US 2024 Election Meddling Likely; Mark Miller: This Day in Tech History

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The stories we’re covering today.

Marcel Brown: November 9, 1922. Albert Einstein is named the winner of the 1922 nobel Prize for Physics for his explanation of the photoelectric effect. The Nobel Committee passed on several nominations for his many other seminal contributions, although these led to prizes for others who later applied more advanced technology to experimentally verify Einstein's work.

Edwin Kwan: Security researchers have discovered modified versions of the Instant Messaging app being promoted and on website advertising on Telegram. Those versions contains suspicious components, such as a service and broadcast receiver, which cannot be found on the original WhatsApp client.

Katy Craig: In the run up to the 2024 U. S. presidential election and key global elections, Russia, Iran, and China are expected to intensify their interference efforts, according to a Microsoft Threat Analysis report. Russia, in particular, is viewed as the most committed and capable threat to the upcoming U. S. election.  

Ian Garrett: Artificial intelligence is reshaping the dynamics of cybersecurity, offering both opportunities and challenges. The survey by Axonius, conducted among IT and security decision makers, reveals that 76 percent of organizations are increasing their spending on AI and machine learning compared to the previous year.