The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has finalized a principal set of encryption algorithms designed to withstand future cyberattacks from quantum computers. These new standards emerge from NIST's post-quantum cryptography (PQC) standardization project and are ready for immediate deployment. As quantum computing advances, it poses significant threats to current encryption methods, potentially compromising security and privacy within a decade. The finalized standards include detailed instructions for implementation and focus on safeguarding general encryption and digital signatures. NIST continues to evaluate additional algorithms for future backup standards to ensure comprehensive protection against quantum threats.

NIST Releases First 3 Finalized Post-Quantum Encryption Standards nist.gov

Tenable Research discovered critical security vulnerabilities in Microsoft's Azure Health Bot Service that allowed access to cross-tenant resources due to server-side request forgery (SSRF) flaws. The Azure Health Bot Service enables healthcare providers to deploy AI-powered virtual assistants to streamline administrative workflows and interact with sensitive patient data. Tenable found that by exploiting the “Data Connections” feature, they could bypass filters and access internal metadata and customer resources. Microsoft promptly addressed these issues by implementing fixes across all affected regions, ensuring no customer action was necessary. A similar vulnerability was also found in endpoints validating FHIR data connections, but it did not allow cross-tenant access. Both issues have now been resolved, emphasizing the need for robust web and cloud security in AI services.

Compromising Microsoft's AI Healthcare Chatbot Service Tenable Blog

Hospitals are increasingly adopting home-based healthcare services, shifting some treatments traditionally administered in hospital settings to patients' residences. This approach aims to alleviate hospital congestion, lower healthcare costs, and offer more personalized care. Advances in telemedicine and remote monitoring technology support this transition, allowing medical professionals to oversee patient recovery and administer treatments remotely. Key challenges include ensuring consistent quality of care, managing logistics, and overcoming regulatory and insurance hurdles.

Hospitals’ New Push: Treating Patients in Their Homes Wall Street Journal

Mayo Clinic is collaborating with SandboxAQ, a startup spun out of Alphabet, to research an AI-enhanced medical device for cardiac diagnostics. The device, known as CardiAQ, utilizes quantum sensing and advanced AI algorithms to enable non-invasive, rapid, and accurate cardiac assessments. The initiative aims to improve clinical diagnosis for conditions like heart attacks, potentially reducing hospital admissions and medical costs. The study involves around 150 patients and is set to run at Mayo Clinic through 2024 and 2025. If successful, the technology could revolutionize cardiac care by providing real-time, bedside diagnostic capabilities.

Mayo Clinic taps startup SandboxAQ to study new tech—quantum sensing and AI—for cardiac diagnostics Fierce Healthcare