Archive for July, 2017

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#Fail: US Health Insurer Mails Coverage Information On USB Keys Which Could Lead To Pwnage

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 13, 2017 by itnerd

From the “this seemed like a good idea at the time” department comes BlueCross and BlueShield of Alabama and their decision to mail out policy details on a USB key, along with instructions to insert the key into a PC. Here’s the problem according to the fellow who brought this to light via a LinkedIn post:

You should never insert an unknown usb device into your computer or run an unknown program. If you do, it is possible for that device to install software on your computer that may not have the best of intentions.

I am not accusing BCBS of creating software that is less than aboveboard. However, now someone wanting to exploit your computer can copy this concept and just start randomly mailing these out to companies hoping that they will insert it into their computer and run their nefarious software. The fact that BCBS appears to have officially sent these out increases the likelihood that someone will trust the next wave of them whether they are official or forged.

This, to me, should be something that even the most junior cyber security consultant would understand is a bad idea. A corporation the size of BlueCross should have the resources to make sure ideas like this never see the light of day.

Clearly someone at this organization didn’t think this through. Thus I suspect heads will roll over this as in the age of epic pwnage, this would be an easy to exploit attack vector.

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OpenText Launches New Artificial Intelligence Platform

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 12, 2017 by itnerd

OpenText has announced the availability of OpenText Magellan, the company’s new Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform. OpenText Magellan is a flexible AI and analytics platform that combines open source machine learning with advanced analysis and the capabilities to acquire, merge, manage and analyze Big Data and Big Content. Unveiled and demonstrated at OpenText Enterprise World 2017, Magellan’s cognitive computing platform offers users machine-assisted decision making, automation, and business optimization, in an easy to use and affordable package.

OpenText Magellan is a cost-effective solution built on a cohesive, highly scalable infrastructure equipped for handling massive amounts of structured and unstructured data. Powered by OpenText Analytics, and Apache Spark, OpenText Magellan integrates across any EIM architecture to dramatically reduce the time, effort and expertise required to leverage the value of advanced analytics in decision making and task automation.

The solution is designed for multiple use cases enabling customers to:

  • Leverage Machine Learning to unlock the value of EIM data by analyzing customers, trading partners, employees, orders, invoices, cases, documents and other data managed in these systems.
  • Deliver value from AI faster and cost-effectively by deploying a cohesive platform with pre-integrated components to minimize the effort and expertise required to go live.
  • Democratize access to AI by empowering data scientists to create custom algorithms for use by business analysts and operational users.
  • Utilize an open –source, Apache Spark-based platform to automatically derive the most current and complete insights from Big Data and EIM Content to achieve optimal outcomes.
  • Augment applications automatically with fast, self-service analytics, empowering business users to delve deep into massive amounts of data and derive actionable insight.

OpenText Magellan is part of the OpenText EIM portfolio, enabling organizations to discover and manage information to spur growth and innovation and decrease time to competitive advantage. The platform consists of comprehensive and integrated product solutions including Content Suite, Process Suite, Experience Suite, Analytics Suite, Discovery Suite and Business Network. OpenText’s EIM solutions are available for deployment on premises, in the cloud and in hybrid deployments.

OpenText Magellan is available immediately.

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PartCycle.com Launches Artificial Intelligence Software

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 12, 2017 by itnerd

PartCycle Technologies announces “Inventory A.I.”, an industry-first innovation developed to clearly communicate part descriptions and provide accurate quality ratings on used auto parts sold through the PartCycle Marketplace (www.PartCycle.com)

Most used parts sourcing solutions available today only display raw notes made when an automotive recycler enters a part into their inventory management system using industry codes, subjective ratings, and shorthand. These raw notes are typically impossible to read for those who are untrained or unfamiliar with automotive recycling.

The raw notes may include important, and otherwise unavailable, details such as paint color, quality or may indicate the existence, location and extent of any damage on the part. Without this information it can be a challenge for a buyer to know what they are purchasing without calling the seller directly.

When browsing inventory on PartCycle.com, all of the information a prospective buyer needs to know about condition and quality will be displayed right next to the inventory in an easy to read format, eliminating the need for a phone call.

Inventory A.I. uses a two-step process to create and display more information about the inventory.

Step 1:
Translate sellers’ raw inventory data into simple to understand part descriptions. 
PartCycle uses a sophisticated translation engine to automatically recognize and convert the shorthand, industry codes and other raw data in sellers’ inventory notes, into easily-understood, actionable, information for the buyer.

Step 2:
Assign a commonly understood condition rating or classification.
After translating inventory data,  the Inventory A.I. system then evaluates each parts’ final description, mileage, and any identified damage to assign a clear, easy to understand, Amazon.com-style, condition rating to each part. On PartCycle.com these part ratings include “Like New,” “Very Good,” “Good” or “Fair.”

Inventory A.I. also prevents the listing of parts which may fall short of the expectations a modern buyer has when shopping online.

With Inventory A.I.’s easy-to-understand part descriptions and familiar grading system, PartCycle provides a better overall shopping experience and reduces the amount of issues and returns from incorrectly-purchased parts.

See inventory A.I. in action by viewing this side view mirror, this engine or this wheel live on PartCycle.com.

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OpenText Announces OpenText People Center

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 12, 2017 by itnerd

OpenText, a leader in Enterprise Information Management (EIM), has announced OpenText People Center, an HR application built on OpenText AppWorks, to deliver talent-focused companies with deeper visibility and insight into the success of their HR services. OpenText People Center integrates with key back-end systems to provide employees and HR teams with self-service access to relevant information, forms and documents; enable faster response to inquiries and requests; and offer the ability to address critical HR issues.

OpenText People Center is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) application designed to simplify HR processes. OpenText People Center enables HR departments to create an employee portal with dynamic case management to save time, optimize resources and increase employee engagement with self-service capabilities. The application simplifies access to employee documents, drives document compliance and transforms the employee experience.  OpenText People Center enables organizations to take a data driven approach to HR, incorporating predictive analytics and document management capabilities to address complex HR issues and focus on high-value initiatives.

With OpenText People Center, HR departments can:

  • Centralize Content and Gain Compliance – Access control by role to ensure confidentiality and protect employees’ privacy along with regulatory tracking to ensure employees have all documents in place to avoid compliance concerns.
  • Simplify Question and Request Responses – Easily capture, respond and track inquiries and requests. Quickly build additional processes to manage employee engagement and increase responsiveness.
  • Gain Visibility and Control of Key Metrics and SLAs – Track and report on key metrics to optimize HR service delivery performance.

OpenText People Center is part of the OpenText EIM portfolio, enabling organizations to discover and manage information to spur growth and innovation and decrease time to competitive advantage. The platform consists of comprehensive and integrated product solutions including Content Suite, Process Suite, Experience Suite, Analytics Suite, Discovery Suite and Business Network. OpenText’s EIM solutions are available for deployment on premises, in the cloud and in hybrid deployments.
OpenText People Center will be generally available in late summer 2017 in North America.

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Trump Hotels Get Pwned By Hackers

Posted in Commentary with tags , on July 12, 2017 by itnerd

I wrote a while ago that Trump hotels had poorly secured WiFi that potentially made them easy to pwn by hackers. Now a report has surfaced that 14 Trump properties have been pwned by hackers, and in the process underscoring how insecure Trump properties seem to be from an IT perspective:

Guests at 14 Trump properties, including hotels in Washington, New York and Vancouver, have had their credit card information exposed, marking the third time in as many years that a months-long security breach has affected customers of the chain of luxury hotels.

The latest instance occurred between August 2016 and March 2017, according to a notice on the company’s website, and included guest names, addresses and phone numbers, as well as credit card numbers and expiration dates. The breach took place on the systems of Sabre Hospitality Solutions, a reservation booking service used by Trump Hotels, but did not compromise the Trump Hotels’ systems.

“The privacy and protection of our guests’ information is a matter we take very seriously,” the notice said, adding that Trump Hotels was notified of the breach on June 5. Trump Hotels declined to comment beyond what was posted in the notice.

The story goes on to show that Trump properties have had a long history of epic pwnage by hackers. Not only that, they’ve been slapped by governments like New York State for being so pwnable and not reporting data breaches promptly. Now hotels are a popular target for hackers wishing to swipe credit card data. But it seems that Trump hotels are a really popular target for whatever reason. Thus it might be a good idea to avoid staying in a Trump hotel if you value your credit card data.

 

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If You Run Kaspersky Products, You MAY Want To Switch To Something Else

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 12, 2017 by itnerd

Bloomberg has made a stunning accusation that Russian based antivirus company Kaspersky has a tight relationship with the FSB which is the Russian spy service. And I do mean TIGHT:

Internal company emails obtained by Bloomberg Businessweek show that Kaspersky Lab has maintained a much closer working relationship with Russia’s main intelligence agency, the FSB, than it has publicly admitted. It has developed security technology at the spy agency’s behest and worked on joint projects the CEO knew would be embarrassing if made public. The previously unreported emails, from October 2009, are from a thread between Eugene Kaspersky and senior staff. In Russian, Kaspersky outlines a project undertaken in secret a year earlier “per a big request on the Lubyanka side,” a reference to the FSB offices. Kaspersky Lab confirmed the emails are authentic.

The software that the CEO was referring to had the stated purpose of protecting clients, including the Russian government, from distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, but its scope went further. Kaspersky Lab would also cooperate with internet hosting companies to locate bad actors and block their attacks, while assisting with “active countermeasures,” a capability so sensitive that Kaspersky advised his staff to keep it secret. In this case, Kaspersky may have been referring to something even more rare in the security world. A person familiar with the company’s anti-DDoS system says it’s made up of two parts. The first consists of traditional defensive techniques, including rerouting malicious traffic to servers that can harmlessly absorb it. The second part is more unusual: Kaspersky provides the FSB with real-time intelligence on the hackers’ location and sends experts to accompany the FSB and Russian police when they conduct raids. That’s what Kaspersky was referring to in the emails, says the person familiar with the system. They weren’t just hacking the hackers; they were banging down the doors.

Given the current political climate in the US, this is simply stunning if true as Kaspersky products are extremely popular. But it’s a safe bet that with this news, Kaspersky products may become very unpopular very quickly. Thus it won’t shock you that the company has issued a statement in response to Bloomberg’s report. Here’s part of it:

Regardless of how the facts are misconstrued to fit in with a hypothetical, false theory, Kaspersky Lab, and its executives, do not have inappropriate ties with any government. The company does regularly work with governments and law enforcement agencies around the world with the sole purpose of fighting cybercrime. In the internal communications referenced within the recent article, the facts are once again either being misinterpreted or manipulated to fit the agenda of certain individuals desperately wanting there to be inappropriate ties between the company, its CEO and the Russian government, but no matter what communication they claim to have, the facts clearly remain there is no evidence because no such inappropriate ties exist.

So, what’s true and what’s “misinterpreted”? Who knows, but it’s a safe bet a lot of people are trying to find out as we speak.

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eBay Launches Price Match Guarantee

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 11, 2017 by itnerd

eBay just announced the launch of a Price Match Guarantee in the Canadian market. Starting on Monday, July 10, this new eBay program guarantees that eligible deals will be offered at the best price online, or eBay will match the lower price of competitors, including Amazon.ca, BestBuy.caand Walmart.ca.

The launch coincides with eBay’s summer Deals event, running July 10-18 – no membership required!

What does this mean for you?

While eBay offers great deals all year round, consumers can expect deep discounts of up to 70% off on items between July 10 – 18. And, if they find a better deal elsewhere for the same item – they can let eBay know, and they will match the price. Here are a few examples of the deep discounts:

    • 50% off on LG Electronics 55” 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV
    • 20% off on Apple iPhone 7 128GB (Refurbished)
    • 61% off on Apple iPad 3 16GB Wi-Fi and Cellular (Unlocked)
    • 53% off on Cobra RC Toys 2.4GHZ Drone
    • 28% off on Hoverzon S Self Balancing Hoverboard
    • 52% off on Hamilton 22 Jet 6 Person Plug & Play Spa
    • 31% off on Senville 10,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner

If a shopper finds a competitor offering the same product for less, once verified, eBay Canada will offer a coupon for the difference in price that can be used towards the purchase of the item. Items eligible for the Price Match Guarantee are:

  • New: Brand new, in retail packaging, and available daily in the Canadian eBay Deals program
  • Identical and Available: Both items must be exactly the same and currently in stock
  • Competitors: Amazon.ca, BestBuy.ca, Walmart.ca

Take a look at ebay.ca/deals to see what deals you can find.

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Paby Launches Smart Pet Location and Activity Tracker

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 11, 2017 by itnerd

For dog and cat owners, there is nothing more important than keeping their furry friends safe and healthy.  Starting today, that will be easier than ever as Paby has introduced its wireless smart pet tracker that monitors a pet’s location and activity to provide owners with peace of mind when it comes to their furry loved ones’ safety and wellness.  Equipped with a combination of advanced 3G GPS, LBS (Location Based Services) and Wi-Fi technologies, Paby provides consumers with real-time, highly accurate tracking information, no matter where their pets are.

Paby, which works as a stand-alone device and requires a cellular network connection to properly track the owner’s pet, allows users to set “virtual fences” using their smartphones to receive real-time alerts when their pets leave the designated “zone.”  And, with a durable band that fits any sized collar (small/large), the activity tracker allows users to also monitor their pet’s number of steps, calories burned, sleep patterns and the intensity of their play time.

Paby is available now for $79.99 at www.paby.com.

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China Cracks Down On VPNs

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 11, 2017 by itnerd

It seems that the Chinese government is not cool with VPNs as it gives Chinese citizens access to services that may not be approved by the government such as Google, Twitter and Facebook or news websites like The New York Times. I say that because according to The Verge that VPNs are pretty much verboten, or at least will be:

Citing sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reports that the Chinese government ordered state-run telecoms to begin blocking VPNs by February 1st. Earlier this year, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced that all VPN services would need to obtain government approval, as part of a “cleanup” of unauthorized internet connections.

Many Chinese internet users use VPNs to privately access websites that are blocked under China’s so-called “Great Firewall,” including restricted news sites and social media services like Facebook and Twitter. It is unclear whether the VPN block would affect foreign corporations, many of which use VPNs to secure data and circumvent web filters.

So how does this affect VPN providers? How does this affect tourists and visiting business users that may need VPN access to their companies? I reached out for comment from NordVPN and got this from NordVPN’s CMO, Marty P. Kamden:

“NordVPN stands for freedom of speech and free access to Internet around the world. When it comes to China, nothing is ever certain, and that’s the approach we took from the get-go. It’s not yet clear how the Chinese government is going to implement the ban from the technical point of view. However, we at NordVPN will do everything within our power to enable our users to continue enjoying the Internet freedom.”

We’ll have to see how this plays out, but if you’re going to China, plan accordingly.

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Windows Phone Is Dead….. Probably

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 11, 2017 by itnerd

If you’re someone who is one of the few users of the Windows Phone platform, I have some bad news for you. According to this document from Microsoft, the platform is dead as of today. What that means is that as of today, there will be no new security updates, non-security updates, free or paid assisted support options or online technical content updates. In other words, you’re on your own if you’re a Windows Phone user. Now this really shouldn’t be a shock as Android and iOS dominate the smartphone market. And if you combine that with the fact that Windows Phone 10 is due to reach its end of support date in 2018, and the fact that Microsoft no longer makes its own phones, you have to think that the writing is on the wall for Windows 10. Probably. While it could yet rise from the dead like a Zombie, I wouldn’t count on it.

 

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