Archive for February, 2021

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NOVIPRO/Leger Study Reveals COVID-19 Forced Canadian Companies To Scale Back On Their IT/Business Plans In 2020

Posted in Commentary on February 3, 2021 by itnerd

Today, Canadian IT solutions firm, NOVIPRO released survey results from their fifth annual IT portrait of Canadian businesses, finding that COVID-19 forced Canadian companies to completely rethink their IT strategies. This Canada-wide study examined IT trends and the state of technology in large and medium-sized Canadian businesses in 2020, including AI and cybersecurity investment plans, perception of IT infrastructure and cloud computing. 

Key findings from the study are: 

  • An overwhelming majority of businesses (81%) say the pandemic caused serious security issues, primarily due to managing remote workforces. 
  • Despite the higher risks due to working from home, only 25% of businesses plan to invest in solutions to improve security in the next two years—a significant drop compared to 2019 (42%). 
  • Employees account for more than half (53%) of businesses IT threats.
  • Only 29% of Canadian businesses plan to invest in AI in the next two years, compared to 36% in 2019. 
  • Companies began to see their IT as functional rather than innovative in 2020; mere 29% of respondents viewed their IT infrastructure as “state-of-the-art” compared to 41% in 2019. 
  • Only 37% of companies say they have full confidence in their IT team’s security capabilities, a slight drop compared to 2019 (42%).

You can look at the complete study here.

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TikTok Rolls Out Prompts To Help People Consider Before They Share

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 3, 2021 by itnerd

TikTok is committed to countering misinformation, and they partner with fact checkers to help them assess the accuracy of content. If fact checks confirm content to be false, TikTok will remove the video from their platform. Sometimes fact checks are inconclusive or content is not able to be confirmed, and in these cases a video may become ineligible for recommendation into anyone’s For You feed to limit the spread of potentially misleading information.  

Today, they’re taking that a step further to inform viewers when TikTok identifies a video with unsubstantiated content in an effort to reduce sharing. Here’s how it works:

  1. A viewer will see a banner on a video if the content has been reviewed but cannot be conclusively validated.
  2. If a viewer attempts to share the flagged video, they’ll see a prompt reminding them that the video has been flagged as unverified content. This additional step requires a pause for people to consider their next move before they choose to “cancel” or “share anyway.” 
  3. The video’s creator will also be notified that their video was flagged as unsubstantiated content.

TikTok loves that their community’s creativity encourages people to share TikTok videos with others who might enjoy them – both within their platform and beyond – but they’ve designed this feature to help their users be mindful about what they share. In fact, when TikTok tested this approach, they saw viewers decrease the rate at which they shared videos by 24%, while likes on such unsubstantiated content also decreased by 7%.

This feature will be rolling out globally over the coming weeks, starting today in the US and in Canada. It was designed and tested with Irrational Labs, a behavioral science lab, and is a continuation of their ongoing work to advance media literacy, including the series of “Be Informed” educational videos they created in partnership with the National Association of Media Literacy Education. TikTok believes that media literacy is crucial to enhancing the online experience for everyone and are continuing to invest in product experiences that help promote an authentic and welcoming community.

Learn more at their Newsroom. 

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Commvault & Skytap Expand Innovative Support Capabilities For IBM i (AS/400) In Microsoft Azure

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 3, 2021 by itnerd

Commvault, a recognized global enterprise software leader in the management of data across cloud and on-premises environments, today announces a new partnership with Skytap to expand data protection and migration for IBM i (AS/400) workloads hosted in Skytap on Microsoft Azure. Through the partnership, Commvault and Skytap are further accelerating the hybrid cloud journey of enterprise customers by enabling the ability to migrate, run, and protect IBM i workloads natively on Azure. 

Many industries, including financial services, retail, entertainment, and casinos, for decades have relied on trusted IBM i technology to house mission-critical data on-premises. Now with the rising costs of protecting mainframe technology, businesses are looking to cloud alternatives, including Azure, to offer cost-effective solutions without compromising their data protection SLAs.

To address this need, Commvault is partnering with Skytap to offer a seamless solution that backs up, recovers, and migrates data on IBM i that is hosted and running in Skytap for Azure cloud datacenters. The solution eliminates expensive mainframe backup hardware, instead using Azure as a seamless backup target, powered by Commvault’s differentiated cloud-native data protection. As customers migrate their IBM i workloads from on-premises environments to Skytap on Azure, they can continue using the same trusted data protection from Commvault, driven by the simplicity of the Commvault Command Center.

Find more information about Commvault’s support for Microsoft Azure here.

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HelpSystems Acquires Digital Defense

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 3, 2021 by itnerd

HelpSystems announced today the acquisition of Digital Defense, a leader in vulnerability management and threat assessment solutions. Digital Defense’s cloud-native vulnerability scanning engine gives organizations in healthcare, legal, financial services, and other industries the ability to proactively detect infrastructure security gaps and take effective remediation steps to safeguard against internal and external cyberthreats. As part of HelpSystems’ cybersecurity portfolio, Digital Defense joins Core Security and Cobalt Strike to establish a comprehensive, best-in-class security assessment toolkit. 

The Digital Defense platforms encompass enterprise security needs across penetration testing, employee training, cybersecurity defense, enterprise risk assessment, and physical security testing. The vulnerability scanning engine is noteworthy for its ability to enable pen-testers to focus their efforts on identified issues rather than blindly testing the network. For companies that lack the internal bandwidth or expertise necessary to carry out this critical function, Digital Defense’s team of US-based pen testers is a trusted resource to conduct the tests. 

KPMG Corporate Finance LLC (“KPMG CF”) acted as exclusive investment banking advisor to Digital Defense, and Norton Rose Fulbright was the exclusive legal advisor to Digital Defense. 

HelpSystems is a software company focused on helping exceptional organizations Build a Better IT™. Their cybersecurity and automation software simplifies critical IT processes to give customers peace of mind. They know IT transformation is a journey, not a destination. Learn more at www.helpsystems.com. 

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Salesforce Canada Says That 7 In 10 Canadians Miss Shopping In-Store

Posted in Commentary on February 2, 2021 by itnerd

Convenience and safety were Canadians’ top priorities as they adapted to new shopping behaviours in 2020. Retailers in turn were forced to innovate and adopt in order to meet changing consumer expectations. New research from Salesforce Canada reveals the new year brings a fresh appetite for physical stores and excitement for new retail experiences once restrictions permit. In fact, 82% of Canadians plan to resume shopping in-store when they begin to re-open more permanently. 

In a bit of a departure for me, here are the complete survey results:

Q1. Have you shopped using your social channels over the last year? (i.e. social commerce)

  • 6 out of 10 (59%) Canadians have never shopped using their social channels. Almost a quarter (22%) of Canadians tried it once or twice.
    • Canadian millennials (18-34 years old) were more likely than any other age group to have shopped using their social channels many times (24%)

Q2. Looking at your shopping habits over the past year, what did you try for the first time? 

  • 1 in 4 (27%) Canadians tried online shopping for the first time in 2020
    • Nearly one third (30%) of Canadians boomers (55+) tried online shopping for the first time in 2020
  • Over a third (39%) of Canadians tried curbside pick-up for the first time in 2020

Q3. If you shopped online over the past year, what features of shopping online did you see improve?

  • The top two features that Canadians saw improve with online shopping over the past year were fulfillment and delivery (27%) and easy to navigate websites (23%)
    • Canadian millennials were more likely to say that their overall online shopping experience improved (24%), compared to other age groups (18% for 35-54 yo; 14% for 55+)page1image31286848

Q4. Do you miss shopping in physical stores?

Q5. If stores were to fully re-open tomorrow, would you:

  • 44% of Canadians would shop in-store, no problem
    • An increase from 33% in June 2020
  • 37% of Canadian would split shopping between in-store and online
    • An increase from 30% in June 2020
  • 19% would only shop in-store for necessary products and services that are not available online
    • An increase from 17% in June 2020

Q6. When stores do begin to re-open more permanently, which of the following best describes the impact you expect this will have on your shopping behaviours?

  • 8 in 10 (82%) Canadians plan to resume shopping in-store when they begin to re-open more permanently
    • This increases to 9 in 10 for Canadian boomers (55+)
  • Alternatively, a third (33%) of Canadian millennials (18-34) plan to shop online primarily, even when stores re-open more permanently

Q7: Which of the following would motivate you to shop in a physical store? Please select all that apply.

  • The two most important factors that would motivate Canadians to shop in a physical store are safety measures (50%) and over-all in-store experience (46%)
    • The overall in-store experience was more important to men (52%), whereas safety measures were more important to women (55%)
  • More than a quarter (28%) of men said that a personalized shopping experience would motivate them to shop in store, significantly more than women (18%)
    • Millennials (18-34) and boomers (55+) were equally motivated to shop in-store because of a personalized shopping experience (26% each)
  • ‘Other’ responses (14%) included:
    • Being able to touch & try things on in person
    • COVID is no longer an issue; wide vaccine roll-out
    • Simply an excuse to get out of the house
    • Better access to sales & low prices

Q8: Which of the following motivates you to be loyal to a specific brand?

  • The majority (78%) of Canadians say product quality is the top reason for them to stay loyal to a specific brand, closely followed by price (71%).
  • Over a third (34%) of Canadians say that a flexible shopping experience is important to stay loyal to a specific brand, and 29% say it’s a brands’ ethics and values.
  • Word of mouth reputation did not play as big a role for brand loyalty, with only 18% of Canadians saying this would motivate them.
  • ‘Other’ responses (3%) included:
    • Local business
    • Loyalty programs & rewards o Nothing would keep me loyal

Q9: When given the choice, would you shop at a Canadian retail brand first? Yes or No?

  • 9 in 10 (91%) Canadians would choose to shop a Canadian retail brand first, if they had a choice.
    • Choosing to shop at a Canadian retail brand first is even more important for women (94%) and boomers (55+) (95%)

Q10: Which retail technology are you most excited about?

  • The top three retail technologies that Canadians are most excited about are:
    • Virtual personal shopping (25%)
    • Drones for package deliveries (23%)
    • Augmented reality (22%)

About the survey:

From January 18th to January 19th 2021 an online survey of 1,516 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Maru Voice Canada panelists was executed by Maru/Blue. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of +/- 2.5%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been weighted by education, age, gender and region (and in Quebec, language) to match the population, according to Census data. This is to ensure the sample is representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

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Darktrace Experiences Surge In Demand Driven By WFH & Wave Of Sophisticated Cyber-Attacks

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 2, 2021 by itnerd

Darktrace has today announced strong demand for its latest product release, Version 5 of its self-learning Darktrace Immune System, as customers tackle security challenges related to home working, and the new wave of sophisticated cyber-attacks.   

Requests to trial its award-winning Cyber AI technology in December 2020, when the security industry was rattled by the compromise of SolarWinds which made thousands of organizations vulnerable to infiltration, were up 40 per cent compared to December 2019. Darktrace’s customer base now numbers over 4,500 organizations, including Micron, Rolls-Royce and NHS trusts, and its headcount has recently risen to 1,500 employees.  

Darktrace is the world’s leading cyber AI company and the creator of Autonomous Response technology. It provides comprehensive, enterprise-wide cyber defense to over 4,000 organizations worldwide, protecting the cloud, email, IoT, traditional networks, endpoints and industrial systems.  

A self-learning technology, Darktrace AI autonomously detects, investigates and responds to advanced cyber-threats, including insider threat, remote working risks, ransomware, data loss and supply chain vulnerabilities.  

The company has 1,300 employees and 44 office locations, with headquarters in Cambridge, UK and San Francisco. Every 3 seconds, Darktrace AI fights back against a cyber-threat, preventing it from causing damage. 

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Guest Post: Atlas VPN Says That Australians Lost A Record $176 Million From 216 Thousand Scams In 2020

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 2, 2021 by itnerd

Scam damages in Australia have been steadily growing in the last 4 years. However, last year’s losses surged by more than two times. The reason being, millions of people shifted towards remote work and, in turn, created many new attack vectors for cybercriminals. 

According to data presented by the Atlas VPN research team, Australians have lost over $176 (AUD) million to scams in 2020. In total, Aussies reported more than 216 thousand fraud cases, with 10.7% of the reports including financial losses.

Rachel Welch, COO of Atlas VPN, shares her insights on the record year for scams in Australia:

“In general, the year 2020 was a rollercoaster ride. However, cybercriminals used this commotion as an opportunity to find new ways to scam panicking citizens.”

The year 2020 was a record year in terms of monetary losses and the number of scams in Australia. Aussies lost $97 million more in 2020 compared to 2019, representing a 123% increase. 

Australia’s citizens aged 65 and over lost most to scams, at $37.65 million, constituting over 21% of the total losses in 2020. Next up are 45 to 54-year-olds, who sustained $32.3 million in monetary losses last year. Third place goes to citizens ages 55 to 64, and they lost a total of $28.38 million to fraudsters. 

On a similar note, nearly half of the scams reported (103 thousand) were carried out via phone. 

Investment scams most damaging

Fraudsters use various scam methods to trick people into giving away their hard-earned money. Last year, investment scams swindled most money out of unsuspecting victims, at more than $66.44 million. 

Scammers took the opportunity presented by the COVID-19 pandemic to lure victims into investment scams. There are various types of investment fraud. The most common examples are Ponzi schemes, fake CD scams, bogus stock promotions, and community-based financial scams.

To read the full article, head over to: https://atlasvpn.com/blog/australians-lost-a-record-176-million-from-216-thousand-scams-in-2020

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Trilliant Acquires PrimeStone

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 2, 2021 by itnerd

Trilliant, a leading international provider of utility solutions for advanced metering and smart grid systems, today announces the acquisition of PrimeStone, a privately owned intelligent data collection and analytics company. The acquisition expands Trilliant’s purpose-built product suite to include a robust data solution that has the power to optimize an entire utility value chain.  

Headquartered in Bogota, Colombia, PrimeStone is the Latin American industry leader in data collection and analytics and has a customer base that reaches across the globe. PrimeStone has a strong presence across North America with Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs), federal agencies and cooperatives in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Their reach further extends into Asia and Africa, bringing a robust presence that strengthens Trilliant’s position within the global energy industry.  

The software solutions that Trilliant has acquired provide a highly scalable and configurable technology that can accurately read, store, and analyze data retrieved from industrial, commercial, and residential metering devices. PrimeStone, like Trilliant, has developed solutions that are endpoint agnostic, allowing customers the flexibility of choice in terms of their hardware. This software is synergistically aligned with Trilliant’s core business and provides customers with the market’s most intelligent communication and software solutions.

Trilliant empowers the energy industry with the only purpose-built communications platform that enables utilities and cities to securely and reliably deploy any application – on one powerful network. With the most field-proven, globally compliant solution in the market, Trilliant empowers you by connecting the world of things. Please visit www.trilliant.com for more info.

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Guest Post: ESET Discusses Safe Sex In The Digital Age

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 1, 2021 by itnerd

In the age of the Internet of Things, safe sex means more than just taking measures to protect yourself from STDs.

It also means ensuring your connected sex toys are protected from cyberattack, and that you are wary of scammers who have no concerns about taking advantage of people using online sites to find a love connection. More and more items from our everyday lives are being connected and automated — from kitchen appliances to lights to home entertainment to doorbells to vacuums, and now adult toys for the bedroom. 

In a time when pandemics and stay-at-home orders are keeping people apart, more are engaging in remote sexual engagements that take advantage of the technology. But be aware — if you are using a sex toy that is considered an Internet of Things device or uses Bluetooth technology, it can be hacked.

“There are literally thousands of connected sex toys in the market right now, but not all of them are safe,” says Tony Anscombe, Chief Security Evangelist with ESET Canada. “It is important that consumers understand that some things you maybe don’t consider IoT or Smart Home can have vulnerability or privacy issues. We should be cautious about everything we connect to the Internet, especially devices that are very personal and may be sharing extremely sensitive personal information.” 

ESET Latin America researchers Denise Giusto Bilic and Cecilia Pastorino investigated security flaws in sex toys, and discovered disturbing findings, including vulnerabilities to a so-called “Man-in-the-Middle” attack where an uninvited third party hijacks a Bluetooth signal to take control of a device, and storage of personal information — name and location, contact details, photos, videos, sexual preferences and perhaps financial data — that could be subject to a security breach.

The possibility of a stranger taking control of a remote sex toy also creates a new form of sexual assault as they are making unwanted intrusions into one’s sexual activities.

However, just like a condom can help stop the spread of STDs, there are protective measures people can take to ensure their sexual experiences stay between them and their partner.

  • Clandestine Account Information — Be sly when entering information to register and create an account. Use a fantasy name and create a new email address that cannot identify you. 
  • Be Discreet — If you are going to share images or videos, avoid sharing content where your face or unique markings can make you easily identifiable. And do not post remote control tokens on the Internet.
  • Keep it Updated — This goes for all of your Internet of Things devices, but ensure the firmware is updated. These updates often fix bugs and vulnerabilities to ensure the most current version is the safest. Many of th4se devices also connect though an app, which should be updated as well. 
  • Stay Close to Home — It is advisable to use connected sex toys in a protected environment — like your home where your personal network can provide an extra layer of defence against intruders. Public places like a bar or nightclub or areas where a lot of people are passing through — like hotels — are a big risk for unwanted exposure.
  • Test it Out — Before buying a connected sex toy, get on a search engine and see if it has been subject to security concerns in the past. It is also advised to download the app that operates the toy to get an idea of how it operates, what kind of information it collects and if it is secure. 
  • Authenticate — When researching your purchase, see if there is an authentication step. This will greatly enhance the cybersafety of the toy.
  • Provide your own Protection — Just like wearing a condom, provide your own protection when engaging with a connected sex toy by ensuring your smartphone is fully updated and has a security solution installed. Protect your home WiFi network with strong passwords, securely encrypted algorithms and regular updating of the router’s firmware.
  • Read the Fine Print — We know the tendency for everybody is to skim through any terms of agreement to get to the “Agree” button, but when it comes to connected sex toys, take the time to read the privacy policy. This should tell you what personal data is being collected, shared and stored.

“If you share something on one of these sex toy apps, at some stage it might become public,” says Tony. “So make sure it can’t be traced back to you in any way. The only safety you should be worried about is a safe word.”

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Guest Post: 152 Election Apps Found To Be Dangerous, Recent Findings From Atlas VPN Reveal

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 1, 2021 by itnerd

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many people to turn to the internet for information about the elections. Moreover, a large part of the population voted digitally. This shift created countless new attack vectors for cybercriminals. 

According to data presented by Atlas VPN, over 152 US election applications have infringement issues and 16 mobile apps have malicious code within them

In total, the research found 186 US election apps, out of which 152 were deemed fraudulent or malicious. Meaning, these apps claim to be authorized by the government or by the State, but in reality, they are not.

Rachel Welch, COO of Atlas VPN, explains why cybercriminals might choose app stores outside of the US to publish malicious applications:

“Application stores are spread all around the world and are subject to different rules and regulations. For these reasons, it is easier for scammers to release an unofficial service in one country than in another.”

Not surprisingly, most election applications originate from within the US. The good news is that it is easier to submit a complaint and take down these malicious services if they are in the US. On the other hand, if the application is in a foreign state, it might prove difficult to take it down in a timely manner or at all. 

For example, 17 applications are placed in stores that are registered in Hong Kong. Similarly, 14 infringing mobile election services are available in China’s app stores or websites.

Also, 10 applications are distributed from Panama — a country with loose digital privacy regulations. 

Who’s the most vulnerable target? 

Which consumers should watch out for these threats the most? Firstly, the investigation reveals that most infringing applications are aimed at Android users, comprising 95.6% of the total dangerous apps detected.

What is more, applications are distributed throughout various app stores and websites. These distributors can be grouped into four main categories — official, secondary, affiliate, and hybrid stores. 

Official stores are authorized, large-scale suppliers. The main ones are Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and Samsung Galaxy Apps Store. 

Naturally, these stores have the best security practices. Research data uncovers the fact that only 1.2% of dangerous election applications are from official stores.

To find out the explanation and dangers of infringing applications, head over to: https://atlasvpn.com/blog/over-150-us-election-related-mobile-apps-found-to-be-dangerous-or-malicious

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