Archive for June 25, 2024

TELUS takes top honours in TIME Magazine’s inaugural World’s Most Sustainable Companies 2024

Posted in Commentary with tags on June 25, 2024 by itnerd

TELUS has announced that it has been recognized by TIME Magazine and Statista in their inaugural list of the World’s Most Sustainable Companies, ranking 21st out of 500 global companies overall. Notably, TELUS was ranked the 2nd most sustainable Canadian company and took first place as the most sustainable  telecommunications company in Canada.  These accolades reflect TELUS’ global leadership in corporate citizenship and philanthropy, innovation management and environmental and social reporting for more than two decades.

TIME Magazines’ World’s Most Sustainable Companies were selected through a rigorous four step process and data analysis that considered over 20 key performance indicators including emissions and energy intensity, disclosure of its sustainability to investors assessed by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) Score – reflecting TELUS’ exceptional “A- leadership” ranking of its operations. Of the more than 5,000 eligible companies globally, only 500 companies were recognized as delivering the most impactful sustainability outcomes and building a more sustainable world.

Driven by its leadership in social capitalism, TELUS has committed to ambitious science-based greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and is on track to become a carbon neutral company by 2030 or sooner. TELUS is continuing to implement sustainable practices across its business including:

●      Enabling reforestation and nature restoration by planting 12.7 million trees since 2000.

●      Diverting 15 million devices from landfills and upcycling and recycling four million mobile devices since 2010.

●      Executing four virtual Power Purchase Agreements in Alberta for wind and solar generated electricity, keeping TELUS on track to source 100% of its electricity requirements from renewable or low-emitting sources by 2025.

●      Investing in socially-responsible tech start-ups including Flash Forest, a drone reforestation company that is rapidly restoring areas impacted by wildfires and veritree, a nature-based solutions company that provides verified restoration of kelp forests and mangroves to mitigate climate change and enhance biodiversity.

●      Becoming the first company in Canada to issue a Sustainability-Linked Bond (SLB) tying our cost of borrowing directly to our success in achieving sustainability targets. To date, TELUS has issued $3.7 billion CAD and $900 million USD under this framework with a target of reducing absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 46 per cent from 2019 levels by 2030.

●      Launching TELUS Environmental Solutions, offering a range of tech-enabled nature-based solutions designed to deliver positive social and environmental impacts for customers in the areas that need it most.

●      Advancing the agriculture and consumer goods sector by leveraging our technology and digital analytics to reduce waste and optimize resource consumption.

●      Enhancing healthcare sustainability through digital health technologies, reducing paper use, energy consumption and carbon emissions while promoting equitable access to care.

To learn more about TELUS’ commitment to social capitalism and sustainability, visit telus.com/sustainability.

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Cigent Protects Sensitive Data at the Edge with New Secure Storage

Posted in Commentary with tags on June 25, 2024 by itnerd

Cigent Technology have announced new secure storage drives to ensure data security for the broadest array of devices of any secure storage provider. 

Cigent’s family of solutions, originally developed for and with U.S. federal agencies, protect against evolving threats that risk data integrity, including both physical attacks, such as cloning and wiping, and remote attacks.  The solutions that Cigent brings to market today address the rampant proliferation of devices at the edge, with insufficient protections to ensure that data is protected.

Today, Cigent expands their portfolio with additional secure storage form factors providing critical data protection for systems operating at the edge, including emerging technologies such as unmanned vehicles. They offer powerful and federally certified protections with full-drive hardware encryption, wiping and cloning prevention, and remote data erasure. New solutions include:

  • Secure Storage SSD BGA provides new hardware encryption protection that can be embedded in devices. Meeting automotive, and Air Force temperature requirements of -40° to 105°C for operation in extreme conditions, it offers effective protection for data for unmanned vehicles, IoT, OT, and other edge devices.
  • Secure Storage 2230 – provides protection of PCs and tablets. The 2230 drive supports new preferred drive configuration from leading PC manufacturers including  Microsoft Surface, Dell Latitude, and HP EliteBooks. Cigent is the only solution in the market providing NSA CSfC-certified pre-boot authentication (PBA) and full drive hardware encryption for modern PCs. Like the Secure Storage SSD BGA, Secure Storage 2230 meets automotive and Air Force temperature requirements, ensuring the drive can operate in extreme environments.
  • Secure Storage SD and MicroSD cards provide hardware-encrypted data protection with small form factors. Supporting Linux and Windows OS and meeting industrial temperature requirements, they provide flexible, robust protection for a variety of systems including PCs, tablets, OT, and unmanned vehicles, ensuring data security mission requirements.  

All solutions can be managed from an enterprise management console streamline administration.  In addition to the full drive encryption, all Cigent Secure Storage solutions have the ability to create hidden partitions to store the most sensitive data and allow remote erasure of data using a combination of crypto and full block wiping.  

Emerging technologies and evolving mission requirements are driving significant expansion of sensitive data at the edge. A growing portfolio of systems are collecting, processing, and storing sensitive data. Cigent provides unparalleled breadth of hardware-encrypted secure storage devices that allow program managers to meet compliance mandates and ensure data remains protected. Protections have been verified by experts including NSA, NIAP, and MITRE, and are in use by many U.S. government organizations requiring the highest level of protection.  

Cigent storage can be configured and administered at scale through a management console and an efficient Command Line Interface (CLI) tool. Cigent and its ecosystem of device, vehicle, and system integrator partners are ready to support procurement, delivery and deployment requirements.  

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UserTesting’s Global Survey Shows 68% of American Adults Who Use Social Media Report Having Positive Shopping Experiences 

Posted in Commentary with tags on June 25, 2024 by itnerd

UserTesting, a SaaS leader in experience research and insights, today announced the findings from its global social commerce survey conducted by Talker Research. The study focused on adults who use social media for shopping, and interestingly, found very similar experiences among American, Australian, and British consumers. This alignment underscores social media’s influence on shopping behaviors and satisfaction levels across these regions.

Key insights from the survey include:

  • Shopping Habits: Findings in the report suggest a consistent trend amongst adults that use social media across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, and the natural adoption of social media platforms as a vehicle for shopping. 68% of American and Australian adults shop using social media, similar to 65% of adults in the United Kingdom. Americans spend an average of $262.20 per purchase, slightly more than Australians ($211.42 USD) and Brits ($192.40 USD).
  • Shopping Experiences: 68% of adults from both the United States and the United Kingdom reported positive social commerce experiences, just slightly more than 61% of Australian adults. This aligns with the UserTesting Retail Benchmark Report, highlighting that top retailers excel in digital experiences. Positive experiences drive stronger sales. 
  • Spontaneous Purchases: 72% of Americans and Australians reported spontaneous purchases on social media, essentially the same as 70% of Brits. Happiness was the strongest emotion driving these purchases for 53% of Americans, 49% of Brits, and 45% of Australians.
  • Common Issues: 46% of Americans, 48% of Australians, and 44% of Brits have purchased items on social media that were not as advertised. Despite this, 73% of Americans and 72% of Brits would continue using the same platforms, just a little more than 66% of Australians.
  • Popular Purchases: Clothing is the top item purchased for consumers via social media across the three regions, with 52% of Americans, 53% of Australians, and 53% of Brits buying clothing. Gifts and shoes/accessories are also popular in the US, while Brits and Australians prefer gifts and beauty/skincare products.
  • Shopping Frequency: 23% of Americans shop via social media at least once a week, only slightly more than 20% of Brits and 18% of Australianss. Monthly shopping rates are close as well with 49% for Americans, 47% for Brits, and 45% for Australians.
  • Trust in Recommendations: Family, friends, and significant others are the most trusted sources for social media shopping recommendations, averaging a total of 75% across all regions. Content creators and influencers are trusted by a smaller percentage at an average of 9% across the three regions, and celebrities trail even further behind at an average of 3%.

The survey also highlighted the growing use of live shopping events on social media. Americans have adopted this trend more readily than their counterparts in Australia and the United Kingdom:

  • Live Shopping Participation: 21% of Americans have shopped via live social media events, 19% have watched without purchasing, and 40% have not tried it but do not believe it is a fad.
  • UK Participation: 17% have participated, 17% have watched without purchasing, and 38% have not tried it but do not believe it is a fad.
  • Australian Participation: 10% have shopped via live events, 15% have watched without purchasing, and 42% have not tried it but do not believe it is a fad.

Survey methodology: 

This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 general population of Americans, 1,000 general population from the United Kingdom, and 1,000 general population of Australians, who use social media platforms, was commissioned by UserTesting between May 3 and May 10, 2024. All respondents were adults. It was conducted by market research company Talker Research, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).

Click the link to access the UserTesting Social Commerce Report.

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Pinterest Introduces Board Sharing

Posted in Commentary with tags on June 25, 2024 by itnerd

Pinterest is launching an exciting new feature – Board Sharing,  making it easier than ever for users to share their favourite Pinterest boards in a video format across social platforms, including Instagram and TikTok. 

Board Sharing allows users to compile their favourite boards into a unique video that they can seamlessly post across their key social channels. The new feature also allows users to add a link back to their boards, inviting others to further explore and engage with their curated content. 

With personal curation at the heart of Pinterest, more than 10 billion boards have been created on the platform. Furthermore, Gen Z is leading the growth in the number of boards created since last year. Board Sharing will allow users to share their unique style and vision with the world and inspire others to do the same.

Pinterest pro tip: You can easily embed Pins into stories for great visuals. Simply tap on the ••• on any Pin on the Web and select “Get Pin embed code” to see the embed code.

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P2Pinfect Evolves to Deploy Ransomware

Posted in Commentary with tags on June 25, 2024 by itnerd

Upon initial discovery, a reasonably sophisticated malware sample that uses a peer-to-peer (P2P) botnet for its command and control mechanism, P2Pinfect, a rust-based malware covered extensively by Cado Security in the past, mainly appeared dormant. 

It would spread primarily via Redis and a limited SSH spreader, but ultimately did not have an objective other than to spread. Recently, Cado Security has observed a new update to P2Pinfect that introduces a ransomware and crypto miner payload.

P2Pinfect is still a highly ubiquitous malware that has spread to many servers. Its latest updates to the crypto miner, ransomware payload, and rootkit elements demonstrate the malware author’s continued efforts to profit off their illicit access and spread the network further as it continues to worm across the internet.

The choice of a ransomware payload for malware primarily targeting a server that stores ephemeral in-memory data is an odd one, and P2Pinfect will likely see far more profit from their miner than their ransomware due to the limited amount of low-value files it can access due to its permission level.

Cado Security can determine the command to start the ransomware was issued on May 16, 2024, and will continue to be active until December 17, 2024.

You can read the details here.

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Federal Reserve Gets Pwned By LockBit 3.0

Posted in Commentary with tags on June 25, 2024 by itnerd

LockBit 3.0 claims to have pwned another victim. This time they claimed to have pwned the Federal Reserve:

That’s not good if this is true.

Steve Hahn, Executive VP, BullWall had this to say:

   “Unless and until the data is released, this remains unconfirmed, but if true it’s certainly a grave situation. In having claimed that LockBit was taken down, the global agencies appear to have further accelerated LockBit’s activities and motivation. One of the leaders behind LockBit – Dmitry Khoroshev – operates a hydra-like organization with multiple heads, with new leaders emerging whenever one is taken down.

   “If confirmed, this attack would rachet up the already fraught geopolitical situation by calling into question whether foundational economic and supply chain elements in the US and Western Allies under direct attack, albeit by proxy via LockBit. The Federal Reserve, already under massive scrutiny for soaring inflation, high interest rates, and perceived pandemic-era missteps, could suffer substantial reputational damage. Erosion of trust in this foundational institution would have rippling effects across the US and global economy, and impact policies far beyond those directed by the Fed itself. Stability and trust are at the core of the Fed’s charter. Erosion of that trust could weaken confidence in the dollar.

   “The US can do little to prevent these Ransomware attacks, but it can buttress its defenses against them and implement failsafe kill switches that block access to data and critical resources. That requires a fundamental shift in mindset from prevention to containment, which starts with acceptance that threat actors will continuously work to bypass security defenses, and in fact may have already penetrated our most strategic organizations.

   “Russian threat actors have taken down hospitals, healthcare systems like United Healthcare, city governments and even cities like the City of Oakland who had to declare a state of emergency after a successful ransomware attack that even disabled 911 services. Prevention alone isn’t working, because it can’t. Stability depends on adopting strategies that immediately contain events, segment the data, limit the attack’s impacts, and enable quick recovery. Prevention alone won’t work.”


Evan Dornbush, former NSA cybersecurity expert follows up with this:

   “Responding to an attack like this after the fact is extremely delicate.

   “Policy makers need to give serious thought into new strategies to deter this kind of activity from happening in the first place. Clearly sitting and waiting is not effective, and for those waiting for law enforcement or the military to take action on the victims’ behalf’s — be they private, government, or quasi-government like the Fed — all signs point to continued patience.”

Let’s see if this is confirmed in the coming days. If it is confirmed, this will be a significant score for LockBit 3.0.

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CISA warns chemical facilities of data exfiltration after CISA tool breach 

Posted in Commentary with tags on June 25, 2024 by itnerd

In notification letters dated June 20, 2024, CISA warned participants in the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program that sensitive data may have been exfiltrated after its Chemical Security Assessment Tool (CSAT) was breached by a malicious actor.

CFATS is a program that regulates high-risk chemical facilities to ensure security measures are in place to reduce the risk of certain hazardous chemicals being weaponized. Any facility that manufactures, uses, stores, or distributes certain levels of chemicals of interest is required to report to CISA via the CSAT.

CISA said on January 26th it identified potentially malicious activity within the CSAT Ivanti Connect Secure appliance and immediately took the system offline. The investigation revealed that a bad actor installed an advanced webshell on the Ivanti device capable of executing malicious commands or writing files to the underlying system.

Information accessed includes:

  • Top-Screen Surveys: facility topography, types of chemicals of interest at the facility, and characteristics of chemicals and storage
  • Security Vulnerability Assessments: the facility’s use of chemicals of interest and measures related to the facility’s policies, procedures, and resources
  • Site Security Plans and Alternative Security Programs
  • Personnel Surety Program: Name/aliases, place of birth, citizenship, redress and Global Entry number
  • CSAT User Accounts:  name, title, business address, and business phone number


No exfiltration of data from CSAT beyond the Ivanti device was identified. CISA added that all data held in CSAT was encrypted and information from each application had additional security controls limiting the likelihood of lateral access.

Evan Dornbush, former NSA cybersecurity expert, said:  

   “Intrusions like these remind us that turning on logging is often not enough, that robust measures including analysis of network traffic and other forms of defense in depth continue to be the best practices for a strong defensive posture against the adversary”

While the CISA’s investigation did not result in any evidence of exfiltration of data or
lateral movement, this is still bad. Hopefully the CISA gets an handle on this as this isn’t a good look.

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Mujjo Announces Amazon Prime Day Discounts

Posted in Commentary with tags on June 25, 2024 by itnerd

Mujjo has announced that they have a number of discounts on their products during this year’s Prime Day. Their discounts include 30-40% off on products such as:

  • iPhone 14 & 15 Cases
  • AirTag Keychains
  • AirPods Cases
  • Screen Protectors

 Check out Mujjo’s Amazon Page for other Prime Day discounts.

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Clicks Keyboard for iPhone now available at Best Buy In Canada

Posted in Commentary with tags on June 25, 2024 by itnerd

 Clicks Technology announced today its teaming up with Best Buy Canada to bring the popular Clicks Keyboard for iPhone to Canadians at BestBuy.ca. Starting today, Best Buy customers can pre-order Clicks for iPhone 15 series models.

The Clicks Global Roll-out Continues

Expanding availability to Best Buy marks the beginning of the second phase of the Clicks global roll-out. Following a viral launch at CES in January 2024, Clicks quickly sold out the limited Founders Edition on its website, with strong demand from customers in over 85 countries around the world. Clicks early customers range from CEOs and students to award-winning artists and best-selling authors, demonstrating the preference for buttons spans across professions and ages. The expanded portfolio and colours being announced today reflect this overwhelming demand for a first-of-its-kind accessory that enhances the capabilities of iPhone.

Beyond the benefits of tactile typing, Clicks frees up screen real estate previously consumed by a virtual keyboard, giving iPhone users up to 50% more space for apps and content. Featuring a full keyboard with real buttons, Clicks offers users a typing experience that enables new possibilities for creating on the go with speed and precision. Clicks also gives iPhone users more control of their phone with support for keyboard shortcuts across many apps and dedicated keys that unlock the full power of iOS.

Over the last six months, new capabilities have been added to Clicks through the Clicks Keyboard app, now available in Apple App Store. The free app gives customers more control over their keyboard experience, including backlight settings and the ability to tailor the functionality of certain keys to their typing preferences. Plus, the recently announced ‘Clicks Mode’ turns the keyboard into a remote control for launching apps and invoking workflows by mapping those actions to physical keys as customizable action buttons.

Pricing and Availability

Customers can pre-order Clicks at bestbuy.ca starting today, for the following models:

  • Clicks for iPhone 15 Pro Max – $199.99
  • Clicks for iPhone 15 Pro – $179.99
  • Clicks for iPhone 15 Plus – $199.99
  • Clicks for iPhone 15 – $179.99

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