Archive for March 11, 2025

Apple Drops Software Updates Today… And Forcibly Turns On Apple Intelligence AGAIN…. WTF?

Posted in Commentary with tags on March 11, 2025 by itnerd

When iOS 18.3 dropped, users who had turned off Apple Intelligence found out very quickly that the software update turned it back on without their permission. At the time I said this:

This is the single dumbest thing that Apple has done in a very long time. I say that because you should be able to opt into things rather than be forced to opt out. And with something like Apple Intelligence which is AI by another name, users shouldn’t be forced into running it if they are not comfortable with the implications of running AI on their devices.

Well, Apple has now done it twice because the company has dropped software updates that fix a security issue that is in the wild, which is good. But at the same time they have once again turned on Apple Intelligence on devices that didn’t have it on.

Like WTF Apple? Can you not respect users and the choices that they make? I guess not because you’ve now done this twice. Are you so desperate to get any sort of adoption of your half baked AI that you’re willing to emulate Microsoft to achieve that goal? How about putting out an AI that people find value in and maybe then people will turn it on. Until you do that, stop trying to turn it on every time you push a software update and prove that you’re better than the behaviour that you’re displaying right now.

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KnowBe4 Research Reveals a Confidence Gap in Cybersecurity, Leaving Organizations at Risk

Posted in Commentary with tags on March 11, 2025 by itnerd

KnowBe4 today released new research indicating that while 86% of employees believe they can confidently identify phishing emails, nearly half have fallen for scams. The study, which surveyed professionals across the UK, USA, Germany, France, Netherlands, and South Africa, reveals a growing gap between confidence and competence in identifying cyber threats.

Notably, South Africa leads with both the highest confidence levels and the highest scam victimization rate, suggesting that misplaced confidence can create a false sense of security, leaving employees more susceptible to advanced cyber threats. Beyond training, the report highlights the importance of fostering a transparent security culture. While 56% of employees feel “very comfortable” reporting security concerns, 1 in 10 still hesitate due to fear or uncertainty.

Key findings from the survey include:

●      86% of employees believe they can confidently identify phishing emails.

●      24% have fallen for phishing attacks.

●      12% have been tricked by deepfake scams.

●      68% of South African employees reported falling for scams—the highest victimization rate.

The survey findings emphasize the critical need for personalized, relevant, and adaptive training that caters to employees’ individual needs while considering regional influences and evolving cyber tactics. Organizations that prioritize this approach will not only reduce risk but also cultivate a genuine security-first culture. In the battle against digital deception, the most dangerous mistake employees can make is assuming they are immune.

The survey findings, “Security Approaches Around the Globe: The Confidence Gap,” is available for download here.

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Thousands of Health Tech Company Records Exposed Online

Posted in Commentary with tags on March 11, 2025 by itnerd

A significant data exposure involving ESHYFT, a New Jersey-based health tech company, was recently uncovered by cybersecurity researcher Jeremiah Fowler and reported to Website Planet.

What happened:
A non-password-protected database containing over 86,000 records totaling 108.8 GB in size was exposed. The records include personally identifiable information (PII) such as scans of identification documents like driver’s licenses and social security cards, salary details, work history and more.

Why it matters:
This exposure presents serious risks, such as identity theft, employment fraud, financial fraud, or targeted phishing campaigns. These risks could impact healthcare professionals as well as the facilities that employ them.

You can find a report on this here: https://www.websiteplanet.com/news/eshyft-report-breach/

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Kansas urgent care provider confirms over 220,000 patient’s data swiped in a cyberattack

Posted in Commentary with tags on March 11, 2025 by itnerd

Sunflower Medical Group, a Kansas healthcare provider with multiple urgent care facilities, confirmed a cyberattack on December 15th exposed sensitive information from nearly 221,000 of its patients. 

The company said it initially discovered the breach on January 7, but the investigation revealed that hackers had been inside their systems since mid-December and made copies of Sunflower’s files.

Data potentially impacted includes: 

  • Names
  • Addresses
  • Dates of birth
  • Social Security numbers
  • Driver’s license numbers
  • Medical information
  • Health insurance information

The Rhysida ransomware gang took credit for the attack in January on its dark web leak site with proof of claims, threatening to leak the stolen data if a ransom of about $800,000 was not paid.

When Rhysida leaked the data, they claimed they had 7.6 TB, consisting of 5,277,062 files. A DataBreaches investigation found that entire backups were included, as well as folders with patient data.

Lawrence Pingree, VP, Dispersive:

“Systems and Identities must be segmented properly, to eliminate lateral movement and authentication without multi-factor can leave you vulnerable. Rapid backup and restore is also important to help defend against ransomware.”

While the number isn’t huge by 2025 standards, this is still very bad. And it will get worse for those affected as the data that was swiped will undoubtably be used in secondary attacks. Which means that this will have knock on effects for a long time to come.

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Backblaze Selects Cologix to Expand Delivery of High-Performance Cloud Storage Solutions

Posted in Commentary with tags on March 11, 2025 by itnerd

Cologix today announced Backblaze, a publicly traded cloud storage company, has deployed its services at Cologix’s TOR3 digital edge data center in Toronto. This deployment features a high-capacity setup with dedicated power and a direct fiber connection to Cologix’s TOR1 digital edge data center, Canada’s largest carrier hotel, providing fast access to multiple network providers and TorIX.

Backblaze’s expansion into TOR3 marks a significant step in ensuring data sovereignty compliance for businesses operating in Canada. This collaboration allows Backblaze to offer cloud storage solutions that meet strict local regulations, enabling companies to store and process data within Canadian borders.

The move aligns with the rapidly expanding Canadian cloud services market, which is driven by industries such as healthcare, finance and government that often require data to remain within national borders. Backblaze’s presence in TOR3 demonstrates its commitment to supporting businesses in their digital transformation efforts while ensuring adherence to Canadian data sovereignty requirements.

Strategically located in downtown Toronto, TOR3 is a 20,000-square-foot, Tier III facility with two megawatts of power. TOR3 is a highly secure and efficient colocation and interconnection hub that features industry leading cooling designs, robust 24/7 security with biometric dual authentication access, and compliance with SOC 1, SOC 2, HIPAA and PCI-DSS as well as ISO 27001 certification by Schellman. It also provides diverse, high-capacity connectivity to 160+ networks and 50+ cloud providers.

Over the past decade, Cologix has significantly expanded its Canadian operations, extending its leadership in the country’s data center market. The company now operates a portfolio of 22 data centers across Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver, providing 1,057,000 square feet of space and 94MW of power. Cologix also has a robust Canadian interconnection ecosystem of 350 networks, 200+ cloud providers, 15 public cloud onramps and three internet exchanges. Currently, Cologix is the leading provider of public cloud onramps in Canada, including Amazon Web Services® Direct Connect, Google Cloud Interconnect, IBM Cloud, Microsoft® Azure ExpressRoute and Oracle FastConnect.

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Zoho Launches Projects Plus

Posted in Commentary with tags on March 11, 2025 by itnerd

 Zoho Corporation today launched Projects Plus, a flexible, collaborative new platform providing data- and intelligence-driven project management for mid-sized and large organizations. Through native integration of four key Zoho applications—Projects, WorkDrive, Analytics, and Sprints—Projects Plus enables asynchronous collaboration, seamless file management, real-time business intelligence, and Agile or Waterfall workflows.

Building on Zoho Projects, which doubled its revenue growth in 2024 due to migration away from third-party apps, with 55% of new users migrating from Microsoft Projects and JIRA, Projects Plus drives superior value to mid-sized and enterprise organizations by addressing their operational complexity. Projects Plus, now a platform, expands across four key areas: data democratization, AI, hybrid project management, and collaborative work management. While 18% of Enterprise customers deployed both Zoho Projects and Zoho Analytics, Projects Plus directly addresses these advanced needs by consolidating the two, and more, into a singular, efficient solution.

Business Intelligence Leading to Project Democratization

Project management is rapidly evolving with the advent of Data-Driven Project Management (DDPM), shifting from intuition-based decisions to a focus on data and analytics. Projects Plus utilizes this approach, harnessing data across various aspects, such as time tracking, budgeting, task completion, and team and deliverability metrics and transforming them into actionable insights for smarter decision making. This includes:

  • Predictive Analysis: Using historical data to predict risks, estimate timelines, and anticipate resource needs, predictive analysis is essential for forecasting future project outcomes and allows for proactive project planning and risk management.
  • Progress Tracking and Bottleneck Analysis: Traditional project management relied on static tools like Gantt charts to track project progress. With analytics, project managers can now utilize real-time dashboards that provide dynamic and up-to-date insights into project status.
  • Quality Control Analytics: Analytics can be employed to implement robust quality control measures throughout the project lifecycle. By analyzing data related to project deliverables, project managers can ensure that each component meets predefined standards.

Easier, Faster, Stronger Project Management with Zia

Advanced AI/ML capabilities introduced to Projects Plus via Zia, Zoho’s in-house AI engine, automate complex data analyses and provide predictive insights, reshaping the role of project managers into strategic, data-savvy leaders and allowing for:

  • Improved Efficiency and Productivity: By analyzing data on project performance, businesses can identify areas where processes can be streamlined and optimized. For example, data analytics can reveal bottlenecks in the project timeline, take corrective action, and keep the project on track.
  • Smarter Resource Allocation: Determine where resources are being underutilized or overutilized to optimize resource allocation and employ the right people to the right tasks by taking their skills into account.
  • Accurate Forecasting and Planning: Make more accurate predictions about future project outcomes and adjust plans accordingly to avoid delays and cost overruns, leading to more successful projects overall.

Projects Plus integrates easily across Zoho’s extensive software suite as well as third-party software including Microsoft Office 365, Google Workspace, and popular repository management, collaboration, customer service, and analytics tools.

Pricing and Availability

Projects Plus is available for immediate use globally. Projects Plus is priced at Canadian $20 per user per month, 27% lower than combining Projects, Sprints, Workdrive and Analytics a la carte. For regional pricing, go to https://www.zoho.com/projectplus/.

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