Disco

DisCo is a malware that emerged as a significant threat in the cybersecurity landscape. It's a harmful program designed to exploit and damage computer systems, often infiltrating them without the user's knowledge through suspicious downloads, emails, or websites. Unlike conventional malicious software, DisCo optimizes a deep neural network (DNN) model for distributed training over multiple GPU machines, demonstrating an advanced level of sophistication. In 2020, it was discovered that a group had started using DisCo as a second implant, a simple dropper written in Go, specifically designed to exfiltrate data. The European Union has acknowledged the risk posed by such sophisticated malware like DisCo. As the DisCo post highlights, the EU Copyright Directive already provides a legal framework addressing the issue of training AI systems, which could potentially be exploited by such malware. The directive includes new copyright requirements added by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to the Commission’s original proposal, offering some degree of legal protection against these threats. Cybersecurity firm ESET believes that DisCo is used in conjunction with Attacks-in-the-Middle (AiTM), while another malware, NightClub, is employed for victims where traffic interception at the Internet Service Provider (ISP) level isn't possible due to measures like the use of end-to-end encrypted VPNs. This highlights the evolving strategies of cybercriminals and underscores the importance of robust cybersecurity measures, including legal technology and AI adoption, a cause championed by professionals like Anush Emelianova, Product Marketing Manager at DISCO.