Latest news with #Numero
Chicago Tribune
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Marking 22 years, the Numero Group record label remains a visionary Chicago stalwart pushing the industry forward
History is not just a study of the past, but a conversation between where we've been, where we're at and where we're going. And no record label understands it as intimately as Numero Group. Founded in Chicago in 2003, the primarily reissue label has grown from a confident upstart to a seasoned veteran. Much of the ethos and initiative that made the label succeed where others may have failed has not diminished in its decades of existence. If anything, the label's founders, Ken Shipley, Rob Sevier and Tom Lunt, have doubled down on what has made Numero Group such a success — dipping their toes in a variety of overlooked or misunderstood genres (such as soul, country, gospel) and technological mediums to share the good word that is their music. 'The thing we used to say at the very beginning of almost every meeting was that Numero lives at the nexus of story and song. And that was something that catapulted us a lot further,' Shipley said. Now, in the weeks after its unconventional 22nd anniversary celebration, the label is set to launch one of its biggest — and most personal — compilations yet. Titled 'Sequoia,' out June 20, the 25-record box set dives deep into the first decade of emo. It's an ambitious project for a label known for its ambitious projects, but also a coming home of sorts. Shipley's love of music was born through this kind of music. But the label's journey to this moment is a lot more eclectic and expansive than one singular compilation. Numero began as a direct-to-consumer label. Their first release, 'Camino Del Sol,' was a spacey, jazzy, bossa nova and new wave hybrid album by the French band Antena. Their next releases covered gospel and power pop and private issue folk. 'The narrowing of our tastes never really happened. If anything, it just got wider,' Shipley said. So yes, they began with soul music, but that led to boogie and electro and house and jungle. Pushing further and further into genres is how they approach change. To that end, there is no singular Numero Group sound so much as there is an institutional directive to find, support and promote the best music of the past for audiences in the present. Groups they've worked with include Blondie, Hüsker Dü, Syl Johnson and Blonde Redhead. Many of them are released through sublabels, focusing on genres such as punk or soul, or time periods such as the '80s and '90s. To do this, the label has a weekly meeting where they just listen to things. And while they can't chase everything, they have a lot more people, so they can chase a lot more things. Take the group Duster. The slowcore indie rock band from San Jose found a contemporary audience not on the radio, but in the YouTube algorithm. Numero Group set about releasing some of their past work, including a compilation record, 'Capsule Losing Contact.' But as the band regrouped in 2018, the label also handled their new releases, like 2024's 'In Dreams.' 'That moment of digital discovery not only changed my perspective on what digital could be; it also completely altered the way we release music,' Shipley added. Playlists are a big facet of this business model. Shipley likens them to mixtapes and compilations. They also drop music up to five days per week digitally, using their analytics to better understand their audiences and what they may want in the future. If the modern music release strategy is a game of experimentation, then Numero Group is winning on multiple fronts. Another realm of success? Their music syncing. Inspired by his time working at Rykodisc and their work with Nick Drake, Shipley adamantly incorporated music syncing into their business structure from the beginning. 'I saw how you could take something kind of cool and small and different and reinsert it into the culture as if it was a forgotten thing that might make people more receptive,' Shipley recalled. The department is now led by Jen Newcomer. Their efforts have landed songs like Penny and the Quarters' 'You And Me' in the Ryan Gosling-starring film 'Blue Valentine.' Marion Black's 'Who Knows' has more than 60 million streams on Spotify and has appeared in TV shows like 'Severance.' Pastor T.L. Barrett, from the city's South Side, has had songs sampled by artists like T.I. and DJ Khaled. 'Like A Ship,' one of his best-known tracks, can be heard in episodes of 'Hacks,' among many others. These placements have helped the music find second and third lives with younger audiences from around the world, cementing the artist's legacy and confirming Numero Group as a singular tastemaker for the obscure yet profound in music. 'Some of the artists we've worked with have had meaningful changes to their lives because of the revenue that they've gotten,' Sevier explained. 'That's virtually always after spending many, many years building something. It doesn't happen overnight in almost any case.' Like always, Numero Group has a number of things in the works. Their most ambitious project, 'Sequoia,' has been 30 years in the making. The label considers it a sequel to their compilations 'Eccentric Soul: Omnibus' and 'Eucalyptus,' an examination of the 1995 scene around Tree Records. The collection features 25 7″ records documenting emo's first decade or so, accompanied by a 136-page hardcover book that tells the tale of the genre through stories from across the country, illustrated with photographs, flyers and ads from Numero's vast archive. 'It's just been so fun and rewarding to revisit something that I held really near and dear, but to do it with the perspective of a 47-year-old who actually knows how to make records now,' Shipley said. Record labels are not dead. It's possible to run something truly great in 2025. But that requires perspective and effort, something Numero has in spades. Champions of underrated, undiscovered musical history, Numero remains a visionary Chicago stalwart pushing the industry forward. 'We believe in our taste enough that we'll stand behind anything that we put out,' added Shipley. 'We know that there's a very, very long tail on this thing.'
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ransomware Groups Use AI to Level Up
A new wave of AI-powered threats is on the loose. A recent CISCO Talos report found that ransomware gangs are leveraging AI hype, luring enterprises with fake AI business-to-business software while pressuring victims with psychological manipulation. Ransomware groups like CyberLock, Lucky_Gh0$t, and a newly-discovered malware dubbed 'Numero,' are all impersonating legitimate AI software, such as Novaleads, the multinational lead monetization platform. Kiran Chinnagangannagari, co-founder and chief product and technology officer at global cybersecurity firm Securin told CIO Upside that this new tactic is not niche. 'It is part of a growing trend where cybercriminals often use malicious social media ads or SEO poisoning to push these fake tools, targeting businesses eager to adopt AI but unaware of the risks,' Chinnagangannagari said. Mandiant, the cybersecurity arm of Google, recently reported a similar campaign running malicious ads on Facebook and LinkedIn, redirecting users to fake AI video-generator tools imitating Luma AI, Canva Dream Lab and Kling AI. READ ALSO: Does Agentic AI Have Staying Power? and Nvidia Safety Patent Signals Physical AI Push Ransomware gangs are also using psychological manipulation to increase the success rate of their attacks. For example, CyberLock is leaving victims notes asking them to pay $50,000, an unusually low ransom demand considering the industry's average. The notes say that the ransom payment will be used for 'humanitarian aid' in various regions, including Palestine, Ukraine, Africa and Asia. The $50,000 demand pressures smaller businesses into paying quickly while avoiding the scrutiny that comes with multi-million dollar ransoms, Chinnagangannagari said. Organizations should never pay the ransom, as payment offers no guarantee of results, Chinnagangannagari said.'Companies should focus on robust backups and incident response plans to recover without negotiating,' he added. Security leaders also need to prepare their teams for psychological manipulation, not just technical defenses, said Mike Logan, CEO of C2 Data Technology. 'These ransomware attacks are not just technical threats but psychological weapons.' In certain industries, these smaller-scale ransomware attacks can have more serious impacts. 'There are edge cases, healthcare for example, where human lives are at stake,' Logan said. However, even in those cases, the goal should be to have preventive controls in place so that paying never becomes the only option, he said. Companies should report the incident, work with authorities, and treat the breach as a catalyst to modernize their security posture, he said. The new wave of AI business-targeting ransomware demands a paradigm shift in defense strategies. AI tools are now considered by cybersecurity experts as high-risk assets, Chinnagangannagari said. Training staff on how to spot fake, malicious and suspicious online activity, especially when downloading unverified AI apps, is essential. This post first appeared on The Daily Upside. To receive cutting-edge insights into technology trends impacting CIOs and IT leaders, subscribe to our free CIO Upside newsletter.
Techday NZ
04-06-2025
- Business
- Techday NZ
Cybercriminals harness AI to boost phishing & malware attacks
New research has brought to light the growing use of artificial intelligence tools by cybercriminals behind lesser-known ransomware and malware attacks, highlighting a swiftly evolving threat landscape. The investigations indicate that small cybercriminal groups, including CyberLock, Lucky_Gh0$t, and Numero, have harnessed AI capabilities both to develop more persistent malware and to trick users into downloading malicious payloads. The study outlines how these criminal organisations are adopting AI-driven lures to infect unsuspecting victims, departing from traditional manual techniques in favour of automated, highly convincing fraud. The proliferation of new, seemingly innovative AI services has created opportunities for attackers to blend fraudulent tools with legitimate ones, making it more difficult for individuals and organisations to distinguish between benign and malicious actors online. Steve Wilson, Chief AI and Product Officer at Exabeam, explained the nuances of these new threats. "While AI delivers massive benefits to security teams, we must stay open-eyed about the risks in today's rapidly evolving threat landscape. The recent wave of cybercriminals exploiting AI hype underscores the importance of vigilance," Wilson said. He added, "In some ways, these incidents are classic phishing scams repackaged, but AI puts a concerning new spin on them." Wilson points to two significant risk factors. "First, the sheer excitement and constant emergence of new AI tools mean users are increasingly comfortable trying services from unknown vendors, blurring the lines between legitimate new solutions and malicious impostors. Second, AI technology itself makes it alarmingly easy to craft high-quality counterfeit websites and sophisticated phishing campaigns. Attackers can now mimic authentic brands with unprecedented realism, greatly increasing their chances of success." For users, this evolving threat means that caution is more critical than ever. Wilson cautioned: "Both individuals and organizations must ramp up their vigilance. Users should approach new AI services with scepticism and heightened awareness, carefully verifying legitimacy before engaging. Meanwhile, corporate defenders need to proactively adopt advanced detection tools and modern techniques tailored to counter these AI-enhanced threats. Staying ahead demands constant vigilance and aggressive adaptation." Mike Mitchell, National Cyber Security Consultant at AltTab, echoed these concerns while highlighting the double-edged sword AI presents for the sector. "AI is transforming the world of cyber security, acting as both an ally and a rising threat. On defence teams, AI helps detect and respond to attacks faster by automating tasks like threat hunting, alert triage, and incident response. But attackers are also using AI to launch smarter sophisticated phishing campaigns, automating attacks, and bypassing traditional defences," he said. "This has created a constant race between offensive and defensive innovation." Mitchell emphasised the importance of responsible use and adaption. "As AI agents become more advanced, the focus must shift to ethical use, responsible adoption and strengthening human-AI collaboration. One thing is certain; the future of cyber security is intrinsically linked with the evolution of AI and staying ahead means we must continue to adapt quickly." The findings reflect broader concerns within the cybersecurity community regarding the unpredictable consequences of fast-moving innovation in AI. As both attackers and defenders race to leverage the latest tools, organisations of every size are being urged to educate their users, refine their detection and response protocols, and remain vigilant when navigating the crowded field of AI-enabled products and services. Industry leaders recommend a cautious, informed approach to all new digital tools, particularly those involving AI. By staying alert to the latest tactics employed by cybercriminals, and investing in advanced defence strategies, businesses and individuals can help to reduce their exposure to the next wave of AI-powered threats.
