JetBrains launches 2024.1 with local AI code completion

JetBrains has released the 2024.1 updates for its IDEs with several major new features, headlined by full-line code autocompletion powered by local AI models.

The new full-line code completion functionality ensures code suggestions are processed entirely on the user's device, minimising latency and providing a seamless offline experience.

“We’ve developed models that run directly on your device, and the IDE verifies each suggestion,” explained Mikhail Kostyukov,...

4 April 2024 | Artificial Intelligence

Python skills ‘increasingly essential’ to dev teams venturing into advanced AI

Python’s status as the primary language for AI and machine learning projects, from its extensive data-handling capabilities to its flexibility and portability, is well-founded. Just how well-founded can be seen in new user data from Snowflake.

The cloud data provider reported that, year on year, use of Python grew 571% in Snowpark, Snowflake’s set of libraries which securely deploy and process non-SQL code. In other words, it will not be a surprise to see Python, Scala and...

3 April 2024 | Artificial Intelligence

PyPI suspends registrations amid malware attack

The Python Package Index (PyPI) has suspended new project creation and user registration to mitigate an ongoing malware upload campaign. This move comes as security researchers at Checkmarx uncovered a campaign involving multiple malicious packages related to the same threat actors.

The attackers are targeting victims through typosquatting attacks, tricking users into installing malicious Python packages through their command-line interface. This multi-stage attack aims to steal...

28 March 2024 | Developer

GitHub’s code scanning autofix enters public beta

GitHub has announced that its code scanning autofix feature, powered by GitHub Copilot and CodeQL, is now available in public beta for all GitHub Advanced Security customers.

The autofix tool aims to remediate over two-thirds of vulnerabilities found during code scanning with minimal editing required by developers.

"Our vision for application security is an environment where found means fixed," said GitHub in a blog post. "By prioritising the developer experience in...

20 March 2024 | Developer

Python packages caught using DLL sideloading to bypass security

ReversingLabs researchers have uncovered Python packages using DLL sideloading to bypass security tools.

On 10 January 2024, Karlo Zanki, a reverse engineer at ReversingLabs, stumbled upon two suspicious packages on the Python Package Index (PyPI). These packages – named NP6HelperHttptest and NP6HelperHttper – were found to be utilising DLL sideloading, a known technique used by malicious actors to execute code discreetly and evade detection from security tools.

This...

21 February 2024 | Hacking & Security

Gemini Pro: Google empowers developers with advanced AI capabilities

Google has announced the availability of its AI model Gemini Pro for developers and enterprises to craft solutions for their specific needs. This move is accompanied by a commitment to ongoing refinement based on user feedback.

Gemini comes in three distinctive sizes: Ultra, Pro, and Nano. The Nano version has already been integrated into Android – starting with the Pixel 8 Pro – while a specially tuned iteration of Gemini Pro is embedded in Bard.

Empowering...

15 December 2023 | API

Checkmarx uncovers persistent Python package threat

Checkmarx has uncovered a threat actor that has been quietly infiltrating the open-source ecosystem for nearly six months, planting malicious Python packages with a focus on deception and financial gain.

The malicious actor employed a systematic approach, disguising their packages with names closely resembling popular legitimate Python packages. These decoy packages, camouflaged to blend in, successfully garnered thousands of downloads. The malicious payload, embedded within the...

16 November 2023 | Developer

Lightning AI becomes a PyTorch Foundation premier member

The PyTorch Foundation, a neutral hub facilitating collaboration within the deep learning community, has announced that Lightning AI has become a premier member.

Lightning AI is the driving force behind PyTorch Lightning, an open-source framework and platform empowering companies to construct and deploy cutting-edge AI products employing the latest generative AI models.

Luca Antiga, CTO of Lightning AI, expressed the importance of this collaboration:

“By...

18 October 2023 | Artificial Intelligence

Python Developers Survey: Python 2 clings on for certain use cases

A new survey from the Python Software Foundation has found that while Python 3 remains dominant both for work and play, usage of Python 2 crept up from the previous year.

The study, in association with JetBrains which polled more than 23,000 Python developers, found 93% of respondents had already implemented Python 3, based on responses from the end of 2022. Yet this was down on the 95% cited from the previous year.

To find a reason why, there are a few small clues based...

5 October 2023 | Languages

Graphcore joins PyTorch Foundation as a general member

The PyTorch Foundation, a home for the deep learning community to collaborate on the open-source PyTorch framework and ecosystem, has announced that Graphcore is joining its ranks.

Graphcore – a Bristol, UK-based company specialising in designing and manufacturing AI accelerators, hardware, and software tailored for AI and machine learning workloads – has joined as a general member of the foundation.

PyTorch has long been a go-to framework for developers in the field...

7 September 2023 | Artificial Intelligence