#FactCheck- AI-Generated Image of Narendra Modi Goes Viral Ahead of Kerala Elections

Executive Summary:

Recently PAN-OS software of Palo Alto Networks was discovered with the critical vulnerability CVE-2024-3400. It is the software used to power all their networks in the next generation firewalls. This  vulnerability is a common injection vulnerability which provides access to unauthenticated attackers to execute random code having root privileges on the attacked system. This  has been exploited actively by threat actors,  leaving many organizations at risk for severe cyberattacks. This report helps to understand the exploitation, detection, mitigations and recommendations for this vulnerability.

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Understanding The CVE-2024-3400 Vulnerability:

CVE-2024-3400 impacts the particular version of PAN-OS and a certain configuration susceptible to this kind of a security issue. It is a command injection, which exists in the GlobalProtect module of the PAN-OS software. The vulnerability can be exploited by an unauthorized user to run any code on the firewall having root privileges.  This targets Active Directory database (ntds.dit), important data (DPAPI), and Windows event logs (Microsoft-Windows-TerminalServices-LocalSessionManager%4Operational.evtx) and also login data, cookies, and local state data for Chrome and Microsoft Edge from specific targets leading attackers to capture the browser master key and steal sensitive information of the organization.

The CVE-2024-3400 has been provided with a critical severity rating of 10.0. The following two weaknesses make this CVE  highly severe:

1. CWE-77: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection') 
2. CWE-20: Improper Input Validation.

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Impacted Products:

The affected version of PAN-OS by CVE-2024-3400 are-

Only the versions 10.2, 11.0, and 11.1, setup with GlobalProtect Gateway or GlobalProtect Portal are exploited by this vulnerability. Whereas the Cloud NGFW, Panorama appliances and Prisma Access are not affected.

Detecting Potential Exploitation: 

Palo Alto Networks has confirmed that they are aware of the exploitation of this particular vulnerability by threat actors. In a recent publication they have given acknowledgement to Volexity for identifying the vulnerability.  There is an increasing number of organizations that face severe and immediate risk by this exploitation. Third parties also have released the proof of concept for the vulnerability.

The suggestions were provided by Palo Alto Networks to detect this critical vulnerability. To detect this vulnerability, the following command shall be run on the command-line interface of PAN-OS device: 

grep pattern "failed to unmarshal session(.\+.\/" mp-log gpsvc.log*

This command looks through device logs for specific entries related to vulnerability. 

These log entries should contain a long, random-looking code called a GUID (Globally Unique Identifier) between the words "session(" and ")". If an attacker has tried to exploit the vulnerability, this section might contain a file path or malicious code instead of a GUID.

Presence of such entries in your logs, could be a sign of a potential attack to hack  your device which may look like:

• failed to unmarshal session(../../some/path)

A normal, harmless log entry would look like this:

• failed to unmarshal session(01234567-89ab-cdef-1234-567890abcdef)

Further investigations and actions shall be needed to secure the system in case the GUID entries were not found and suspicious.

Mitigation and Recommendations:

Mitigation of the risks posed by the critical CVE-2024-3400 vulnerability, can be accomplished by the following recommended steps:

• Immediately update Software:   This vulnerability is fixed in software releases namely PAN-OS 10.2.9-h1, PAN-OS 11.0.4-h1, PAN-OS 11.1.2-h3, and all higher versions. Updating software to these versions will protect your systems fully against potential exploitation.
• Leverage Hotfixes: Palo Alto Networks has released hotfixes for commonly deployed maintenance releases of PAN-OS 10.2, 11.0, and 11.1 for the users who cannot upgrade to the latest versions immediately. These hotfixes do provide a temporary solution while you prepare for the full upgrade.
• Enable Threat Prevention:  Incase of available Threat Prevention subscription, enable Threat IDs 95187, 95189, and 95191 to block attacks targeting the CVE-2024-3400 vulnerability. These Threat IDs are available in Applications and Threats content version 8836-8695 and later.
• Apply Vulnerability Protection: Ensure that vulnerability protection has been applied in the GlobalProtect interface to prevent the exploitation on the device. It can be implemented using these instructions. 
• Monitor Advisory Updates: Regularly checking for  the updates to the official advisory of Palo Alto Networks. This helps to stay up to date of the new releases of the guidance and threat prevention IDs of CVE-2024-3400.
• Disable Device Telemetry – Optional:  It is suggested to disable the device telemetry as an additional  precautionary measure.
• Remediation: If there is an active exploitation observed, follow the steps mentioned in this Knowledge Base article by Palo Alto Networks. 

Implementation of the above mitigation measures and recommendations would be in a position to greatly reduce the risk of exploitation you might face from a cyber attack targeting the CVE-2024-3400 vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks' PAN-OS software.

Conclusion: 

The immediate response should be taken against the offensive use of the critical CVE-2024-3400 vulnerability found in the PAN-OS platform of Palo Alto Networks.  Organizations should actively respond by implementing the suggested mitigation measures such as upgrading to the patched versions, enabling threat prevention and applying vulnerability protection to immediately protect from this vulnerability. Regular monitoring, implementing security defense mechanisms and security audits are the necessary measures that help to combat emerging threats and save critical resources.

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Introduction 

In today’s digital world, data has emerged as the new currency that influences global politics, markets, and societies. Companies, governments, and tech behemoths aim to control data because it accords them influence and power. However, a fundamental challenge brought about by this increased reliance on data is how to strike a balance between privacy protection and innovation and utility.

In recognition of these dangers, more than 200 Nobel laureates, scientists, and world leaders have recently signed the Global Call for AI Red Lines. Governments are urged by this initiative to create legally binding international regulations on artificial intelligence by 2026. Its goal is to stop AI from going beyond moral and security bounds, particularly in areas like political manipulation, mass surveillance, cyberattacks, and dangers to democratic institutions.

One way to address the threat to privacy is through pseudonymization, which makes it possible to use data valuable for research and innovation by substituting personal identifiers for artificial ones. Pseudonymization thus directly advances the AI Red Lines initiative's mission of facilitating technological advancement while lowering the risks of data misuse and privacy violations.

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The Red Lines of AI: Why do they matter?

The Global Call for AI Red Lines initiative represents a collective attempt to impose precaution before catastrophe, which was done with the objective of recognising the Red Lines in the use of AI tools. Thus, anything that unites the risks of using AI is due to the absence of global safeguards. Some of these Red Lines can be understood as; 

• Cybersecurity breaches in the form of exposure of financial and personal data due to AI-driven hacking and surveillance. 
• Occurrence of privacy invasions due to endless tracking.
• Generative AI can also help to create realistic fake content, undermining the trust of public discourses, leading to misinformation. 
• Algorithmic amplification of polarising content can also threaten civic stability, leading to a demographic disruption. 

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Legal Frameworks and Regulatory Landscape

The regulations of Artificial Intelligence stand fragmented across jurisdictions, leaving significant loopholes aside. Some of the frameworks already provide partial guidance. The European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act 2024 bans “unacceptable” AI practices, whereas the US-China Agreement also ensures that nuclear weapons remain under human, not machine-controlled. The UN General Assembly has adopted resolutions urging safe and ethical AI usage, with a binding and elusive global treaty. 

On the front of data protection, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) of EU offers a clear definition of Pseudonymisation under Article 4(5). It also describes a process where personal data is altered in a way that it cannot be attributed to an individual without additional information, which must be stored securely and separately. Importantly, pseudonymised data still qualifies as “personal data” under GDPR.  However, India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP) 2023 adopts a similar stance. It does not explicitly define pseudonymisation in broad terms, such as “personal data” by including potentially reversible identifiers. According to Section 8(4) of the Act, companies are meant to adopt appropriate technical or organisational measures. International bodies and conventions like the OECD Principles on AI or the Council of Europe Convention 108+ emphasize accountability, transparency, and data minimisation. Collectively, these instruments point towards pseudonymization as a best practice, though interpretations of its scope differ. 

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Strategies for Corporate Implementation 

For a company, pseudonymisation is not just about compliance, it is also a practical solution that offers measurable benefits. By pseudonymising data, businesses can get benefits, such as; 

• Enhancing Privacy protection by masking identifiers like names or IDs by reducing the impact of data breaches. 
• Preserving Data Utility, unlike having a full anonymisation, pseudonymisation also retains patterns that are essential for analytical innovation. 
• Facilitating data sharing can allow organizations to collaborate with their partners and researchers while maintaining proper trust.  

According to these benefits, competitive advantages get translated to clauses where customers find it more likely to trust organizations that prioritise data protection, while pseudonymisation further enables the firms to engage in cross-border collaboration without violating local data laws. 

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Balancing Privacy Rights and Data Utility

Balancing is a central dilemma; on one side lies the case of necessity over data utility, where companies, researchers and governments rely on large datasets to enhance the scale of AI innovation. On the other hand lies the question of the right to privacy, which is a non-negotiable principle protected under the international human rights law. 

Pseudonymisation offers a practical compromise by enabling the use of sensitive data while reducing the privacy risks. Taking examples of different domains, such as healthcare, it allows the researchers to work with patient information without exposing identities, whereas in finance, it supports fraud detection without revealing the customer details. 

Conclusion

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence has led to the outpacing of regulations, raising urgent questions related to safety, fairness and accountability. The global call for recognising the AI red lines is a bold step that looks in the direction of setting universal boundaries. Yet, alongside the remaining global treaties, practical safeguards are also needed. Pseudonymisation exemplifies such a safeguard, which is legally recognised under the GDPR and increasingly relevant in India’s DPDP Act. It balances the twin imperatives of privacy, protection, and data utility. For organizations, adopting pseudonymisation is not only about ensuring regulatory compliance, rather, it is also about building trust, ensuring resilience, and aligning with the broader ethical responsibilities in this digital age. As the future of AI is debatable, the guiding principles also need to be clear. By embedding techniques for preserving privacy, like pseudonymisation, into AI systems, we can take a significant step towards developing a sustainable, ethical and innovation-driven digital ecosystem. 

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References 

https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/782752/ai-global-red-lines-extreme-risk-united-nations

https://www.techaheadcorp.com/blog/shadow-ai-the-risks-of-unregulated-ai-usage-in-enterprises/

https://planetmainframe.com/2024/11/the-risks-of-unregulated-ai-what-to-know/

https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/dangers-unregulated-artificial-intelligence

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2023/06/02/the-15-biggest-risks-of-artificial-intelligence/ 

https://artificialintelligenceact.eu/the-act/

Introduction

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We live in a time where technological change is no longer slow or subtle. Robotics, automation, artificial intelligence, and digital systems are transforming the way we work, think, and even imagine the future. This is often celebrated as great progress. But a deeper question quietly waits behind the noise. Is every advancement truly an uplift when seen through the lens of scriptures, culture, and Indian philosophical thought? Are we creating for the good of humanity, or are we only chasing convenience and speed? And what kind of future are we actually preparing, not just for ourselves, but for those who will be born into this world shaped by these tools from the very beginning?

India has long been seen as a land that values balance, purity, and harmony with nature. Its rivers, mountains, forests, and traditions are not just geography or history, they are part of a civilizational way of thinking that connects life, duty, and responsibility. In this context, it becomes important to ask what the long-term cost of our technological appetite might be. Every invention has a footprint. Industries change landscapes. Energy demands reshape ecosystems. Convenience today often hides consequences that only appear years later. Progress, when measured only in speed and output, forgets to ask what it takes away in silence.

There is also a quieter change happening inside the human mind. As tools become smarter, humans begin to feel more powerful. The thought slowly shifts from “I can use this” to “I control this.” With artificial intelligence, the language becomes even bolder. We start hearing phrases like “we can create worlds, faces, voices, even minds.” But history have always warned us about ‘overreach’. Not because power is evil, but because pride blinds judgment. When ability grows faster than wisdom, imbalance follows. We can already see early signs of this in concerns about shrinking attention spans, weakening cognitive habits, and a growing dependence on systems that think for us before we learn to think for ourselves deeply.

None of this is an argument to reject innovation. The idea is not to blacklist technology or romanticise the past. The real question is about direction and responsibility. Advancements are not only for the comfort of the present generation. They shape the mental, moral, and emotional world of future generations who will grow up surrounded by these systems as something normal and unavoidable. What values will guide that world? What habits will it encourage? What will it quietly take away?

This is where the richness of Indian thought becomes relevant, not as nostalgia, but as guidance. Ideas of dharma, restraint, balance, and ethical action were never anti-progress. They were reminders that power without responsibility becomes dangerous, and that ability without humility leads to decline. In modern terms, we talk about safety by design, ethical innovation, and human-centred technology. In older language, we talked about duty, limits, and the consequences of unchecked desire. The words have changed, but the concern is the same.

Perhaps the real question is not whether we are becoming creators, but whether we remember that we are also caretakers. We do not bring existence out of nothing. We reshape what already exists. And in that reshaping, the line between wisdom and arrogance, between progress and pride, becomes the most important line of all. 

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The futuristic impact of AI, robotics, and technologies

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In every yuga, humans have extended the limits of what they can do. What changes is not the desire, but the form it takes. Our ancient history speak of extraordinary abilities, not as fantasies, but as reminders of how power tests character. Figures like Naradmuni (a prominent divine sage (Rishiraja) in Hinduism) are described as moving from one place to another in moments. Others gained immense strength, knowledge, or influence through years of discipline and tapasya. Ravana (Figure from Ramayana) himself was learned and powerful, far beyond ordinary human measure. Sanjaya (the charioteer and advisor of King Dhritarashtra in the Mahabharata) receives the gift of divya drishti and narrates the events of the battlefield without being physically present there, seeing and speaking across distance in a way that still feels remarkable even today.

In this yuga, that ancient search for power and reach has not disappeared, it has only changed its language, and today it speaks through robotics, artificial intelligence, and advanced technologies, making us ask whether we are truly creators or only very advanced arrangers of what already exists.

In this age, science and technology are attempting something similar in a different language. We may not travel like Naradmuni, but we send our voices, images, and thoughts across the world in seconds. We build machines that can see, listen, respond, and even imitate human thinking. Artificial intelligence and robotics promise comfort, speed, and efficiency, and in many ways, they truly improve human life. Yet the old question remains. Not just what can we do, but how far should we go, and at what cost.

When we primarily build for human convenience, we often fail to thoroughly examine the long-term consequences. The environmental impact of large-scale technology is already visible in the pressure on resources, the growth of waste, and the slow damage to air, water, and soil. Nature does not recover at the pace of human ambition. What feels like small compromises today can become heavy burdens for tomorrow.

There is also the impact on the human mind. As systems become more capable, humans risk becoming more dependent. When answers arrive instantly, patience weakens. When machines start deciding for us, the habit of deep thinking slowly fades. Over time, this can affect attention, memory, and judgment. Knowledge becomes easier to reach, but wisdom becomes harder to build. Just as in old stories, the danger is not in having power, but in losing clarity while using it.

Future generations will not encounter these technologies as new inventions. They will be born into them. What we treat today as tools, they will experience as the normal environment of life. This makes responsibility unavoidable. The real question is not only whether these systems work, but what kind of humans they will shape.

The purpose of this reflection is not to reject progress. It is to ask for balance. Building for human comfort is important, but building without studying long-term impact is risky. If this age has the power to create intelligent systems, it must also have the wisdom to protect the environment, care for future generations, and preserve the depth of the human mind. Otherwise, advancement becomes speed without direction, and power without responsibility.

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The Acceleration of the Technological Age

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The current era has reached a state where technological progress now occurs through instantaneous changes which transform our methods of working and decision-making and future planning. People often view robotics and automation and artificial intelligence as signs of progress yet a less audible inquiry persists through time which asks whether every technological advancement enhances human existence or whether we merely pursue efficient and easy solutions without thinking about their implications. Indian philosophical thought offers a useful lens here, one that does not reject progress but asks whether it aligns with balance, responsibility, and long-term harmony. The definition of intelligence according to this perspective extends beyond computational skills and pattern imitation because it requires people to achieve awareness and intent and their complete understanding. Current machines possess the ability to mimic human reasoning and produce language while they can replicate decision-making processes, but they lack both consciousness and personal experience. 

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Power, Responsibility, and Ethical Imbalance

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The development of new technological capabilities brings with it ethical responsibilities which every society must handle. Human beings must take on new ethical duties which match their increasing capabilities according to historical evidence. The current situation shows that people create new things at a speed which exceeds their ability to think about those innovations. Systems exist to enhance operational performance while they determine human actions and extend their power but they do not always evaluate their complete impact. Indian traditions emphasize dharma, the principle of balance and rightful action, which shows that power without ethical grounding creates destructive human force. The state of imbalance exists without showing its presence at all times. The process of imbalance development takes place through three channels: environmental degradation, social inequalities, and the gradual decline of human control.

The current society demonstrates this transformation through its existing results. The algorithms now determine our consumption choices and our methods of understanding everything around us. The system provides users with personalized comfort, but it also creates hidden patterns that determine their preferences. The process starts with decision assistance before it progresses to decision influence which eventually leads to decision conditioning. The concept of swatantrata as inner freedom becomes more complicated within such an environment. People stop making freedom choices when they find it easier to select between things that exist in their surroundings because they lose their ability to choose. People start to measure their work activities and personal identity through systems that use optimization techniques and digital validation systems, which leads to a decrease of space that exists for individuals to think and consider matters independently.

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Technology, Ecology, and Civilizational Values

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The environmental impact of technological demand exists together with social transformations. All systems need power while all infrastructure creates environmental effects and all products, we use contain unknown expenses which become apparent after many years. India's civilizational values maintain their dedication to nature because people see rivers and forests and ecosystems as essential parts of existence. Success in modern society measures output as the main achievement while actual value disappears through the evaluation process. The future requires us to create new things but we must also decide which things to keep intact.

The current situation requires progress to be defined differently because it needs to be measured through precise management instead of continuous rapid development. The question now extends beyond technological advancement to include the need for technologies to be operated through intelligent guidance. The increasing abilities of machines create a greater need for people to maintain their essential human characteristics. Human beings must actively maintain their capacity to make ethical decisions and understand their life's meaning and purpose. The future depends on two factors: the “innovations that will emerge and the values that will guide their development.”

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Conclusion

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It is high time we pause and honestly examine the path we are taking. The question is not whether technology should grow, but whether its overreach should be allowed to shape the future without restraint. We are building faster than ever, developing systems that touch every part of life. That makes it even more important to study their long-term impact, not only on markets or productivity, but on nature, on the human mind, and on the generations who will inherit this tech-driven world.

Progress should benefit those who come after us, not quietly weaken them. A future where people are born into pure convenience, surrounded by tools that think, decide, and act for them, may look comfortable, but comfort alone does not build strong, aware, or responsible human beings. Growth without effort and ease without discipline slowly takes away depth, resilience, and clarity. Technology should support human potential, not replace it.

This is why morality, ethics, and balance cannot be treated as optional ideas. They must guide innovation, not follow it. We do not need to overcreate. We need to create ‘wisely’. We need to build systems that remain under human control, not systems that slowly train humans to surrender their judgment, attention, and responsibility. Tools should remain tools. They should serve life, not define it.

Indian thought has always placed intention at the centre of action. Karma is not judged only by outcome, but by the spirit in which an act is performed. A tool in itself is neither pure nor impure. It becomes one or the other through the hand that uses it. This is a lens through which modern technology can also be examined. Artificial intelligence can help doctors read scans faster, help farmers predict weather patterns, and help students in remote areas access knowledge. At the same time, it can be used to watch, to sort, to exclude, and to reduce human beings to data points that fit neatly into a system. The difference lies not in the machine, but in the values of those who design and deploy it.

The purpose of this reflection is simple. We should build, but we should build with responsibility. We should innovate, but with awareness of consequences. True progress is not just about what is possible today. It is about what remains healthy, meaningful, and sustainable tomorrow. If this age can combine intelligence with humility, and power with restraint, then technology will not become a symbol of overreach. It will become a sign of maturity.

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