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Alibaba Enters The AI Race With Qwen 2.5-Max: “It Beats GPT And DeepSeek”

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

January 29, 2025

In a bold move, Alibaba has unveiled the next iteration of its AI model, the Qwen 2.5-Max, which the Chinese tech giant claims surpasses DeepSeek-V3, the breakthrough model from the rapidly rising Chinese AI startup, DeepSeek.

The timing of the Qwen 2.5-Max’s launch, coinciding with the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday, highlights the mounting pressure DeepSeek’s impressive rise has placed on both international and domestic competitors. As most Chinese citizens take time off to celebrate with their families, Alibaba’s announcement signals a competitive response to DeepSeek’s momentum.

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According to Alibaba’s cloud division, Qwen 2.5-Max outperforms the latest AI models, including GPT-4, DeepSeek-V3, and Llama-3.1-405B, which are some of the most advanced open-source systems available.

DeepSeek made waves on January 10 with the debut of its AI assistant based on the DeepSeek-V3 model. Shortly after, on January 20, it launched the R1 model, sparking a major reaction in Silicon Valley. The launch sent tech stocks into a downward spiral, with investors questioning the massive spending plans of top US AI firms, given DeepSeek’s much lower development and operating costs.

Adding to the excitement, just two days after DeepSeek’s R1 debut, ByteDance—owner of TikTok—revealed an update to its core AI model. The company claimed it outperformed OpenAI’s GPT in AIME, a complex AI benchmark that evaluates a model’s ability to understand and execute intricate instructions.

This claim mirrors DeepSeek’s assertions that its R1 model is more efficient than OpenAI’s offerings across multiple performance metrics.

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Infostealer Campaigns Surge Amid Global Credential Breaches

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

June 26, 2025

Overview Of A Growing Cyber Threat

Recent investigations have revealed that cybercriminals are intensifying their efforts to steal sensitive information through sophisticated infostealer malware. Aggregating credentials from 30 distinct datasets, experts estimate that approximately 16 billion login credentials – from platforms including Apple, Google, and Facebook – have been exposed. This alarming finding underscores a shifting landscape in digital security.

Advanced Evasion And The New Face Of Cybercrime

Volodymyr Diachenko, co-founder of SecurityDiscovery, reports that these coordinated leaks are the product of infostealers, malware designed to bypass traditional, signature-based security measures. While these datasets may contain duplicates or outdated records, their sheer volume evidences how pervasive sensitive data has become on the internet. The phenomenon has earned infostealers the moniker of a modern “cyber plague.”

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The Economics Of Cybercrime

Simon Green, president of Asia-Pacific and Japan at Palo Alto Networks, notes that modern infostealers employ advanced evasion techniques, making them uniquely challenging to detect. Furthermore, the rise of cybercrime-as-a-service models has democratized access to these malicious tools. Underground marketplaces facilitate the trade of stolen credentials and malware kits, effectively lowering the barriers for operators to launch expansive and coordinated attacks.

Corporate And Individual Defense Strategies

Given the increasing prevalence of malware, security experts advise both individuals and corporations to adopt proactive measures. From regular password updates and the implementation of multi-factor authentication for individuals, to the deployment of a “zero trust” architecture by enterprises, enhancing digital defenses is paramount. Recent international efforts, such as Europol’s collaboration with Microsoft to disrupt the ‘Lumma’ infostealer network, illustrate the critical need for coordinated global responses to these threats.

Conclusion

The surge in infostealer activity is a clear indicator of evolving cybersecurity challenges. As billions of credentials continue to circulate the web, both public and private sectors must intensify their cybersecurity measures to counter these sophisticated threats effectively.