Why Aren’t Apple And Google Acting To Remove Grok And X From Their App Stores?

Posted in Commentary with tags , , , on January 28, 2026 by itnerd

I have to wonder where are the backbones of Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai are. I say that because it has been weeks since the whole Grok allowing users to create objectionable content thing blew up. To recap:

To the last point, the EU is one of a number of governments who are up in arms about this. And rightfully so. Elon Musk has simply gone too far and he needs to be punished for his actions. And the best way to punish him is to pull his apps from the Apple App Store and from the Google Play Store. But that hasn’t happened and you have to wonder why. Is it because Apple and Google don’t want to pick a fight with Elon? Is it because Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai are cowards? Is it about the money that these companies make from their cut of the subscriptions to Grok and X? Who knows?

But I do know this. Section 1.1.4 of Apple’s review rules prohibit the sort of thing that Grok and X are doing at the moment. Ditto for Google Play. Given that, why aren’t these companies enforcing their own rules?

The fact is it’s beyond time for Apple and Google to stand up, grow a pair, and throw Elon’s apps off their respective app stores. Along with any other app that does this sort of thing. Because by not doing so, they are burning the trust that they have with consumers that their apps stores are safe places to get apps from down to the ground. Along with that, it also sends the message that rules are rules, except when they are not.

Apple and Google, you both need to do better. Now.

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Pentesting Pulse Report Reveals Widening Satisfaction Gap as Security Leaders Race to Secure AI at the Speed of Business

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 28, 2026 by itnerd

Cobalt has today released a new Pentesting Pulse Report, which exposes a growing disconnect in the security testing market. While penetration testing remains essential for both compliance and defense validation, satisfaction with traditional pentesting vendors is alarmingly low. According to the survey of 150 senior security leaders, a mere 36% report being fully satisfied with their current pentesting provider.

Key Findings:

  • Only 36% of respondents are fully satisfied with their current pentesting vendor.
  • 76% cite staying ahead of threats and vulnerabilities as a high-priority security goal.
  • 50% identify securing AI adoption as a key strategic focus.
  • 40% are motivated to switch vendors for higher quality testing, while 37% cite the need for AI-specific pentesting expertise.
  • Operational friction remains high, with vendor rotation (28%) and lack of pentester expertise (23%) cited as top challenges.
  • 35% say the ability to schedule testing in days, not weeks, would motivate them to change providers.

To read the Pentesting Pulse Report, click here

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Guest Post – Think Before You Scan: That QR Code May Be a Scam

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 28, 2026 by itnerd

At the start of January, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a warning against cyber attacks organised by North Korean cybercriminals who used fake QR codes to trick users into obtaining personal information. According to cybersecurity experts, similar attacks, also known as “quishing”, are on the rise not only in the US but in other countries, as cybercriminals look for new ways to profit.

Quishg (QR code phishing) is a phishing technique where cybercriminals try to trick users into scanning QR codes that lead to malicious websites. Organisations in several countries have issued warnings that bad actors place these QR codes on top of legitimate ones in public places such as kiosks, restaurants, or parking meters.

For example, last year, UK government institutions have warned users of fake QR stickers on parking machines, with victims being sent to spoofed payment pages. Meanwhile, the US Federal Trade Commission issued a similar warning about unexpected packages containing QR codes that led to phishing websites.

Such fake QR codes can also be shared online. For example, the FBI said that a North Korean state-sponsored cybercriminal group, called Kimusky, targeted employees of organizations by embedding malicious QR codes in an email. In one such instance, a QR code was presented as a way to download additional information.

According to cybersecurity experts at Planet VPN, a free virtual private network (VPN) provider, no matter where a fake QR code is placed, the scheme is similar. After scanning it, a user is often forwarded to a fake phishing website mimicking a legitimate one, such as a restaurant’s website, where cybercriminals may try to charge a user’s credit card.

According to Konstantin Levinzon, co-founder of Planet VPN, such scams can lead not only to financial losses but also to compromised devices.

“Quishing is phishing–just in a different wrapper. A QR code can lower people’s guard because this technology became ubiquitous only during the pandemic, and the threat still isn’t as widely recognized. It also shifts the “risky click” from a visible link to a quick scan, making the danger easier to miss. Attackers are refining these tactics every year and constantly finding new ways to trick users,” he says.

According to Levinzon, one reason why cybercriminals may favour QR codes in emails instead of regular phishing emails is that QR codes often bypass anti-phishing and scam filters, because these often analyze only text and links, but don’t analyze images.

And even if anti-spam filters in emails are equipped with QR code detection, cybercriminals often find new ways to bypass them, for example, by making QR codes in different colors.

Cybersecurity researchers at Proofpoint estimate that during the first half of last year, there were 4,2 million QR code-related threats. However, Levinzon says that the number is likely higher because many QR code scams are undetected.

When it comes to protecting against the growing threat, users are advised to be more deliberate about when and why they scan a QR code. If after scanning a QR code, a person is forwarded to a website that asks for payment or log-in details, this is a real warning sign.

Meanwhile, if a QR code is sent from an unknown sender via email, Levinzon advises contacting the sender directly before entering login credentials or downloading files.

“We recommend applying the same logic everywhere: stay skeptical whether you receive a message from a coworker or on your personal social media account. However, vigilance is only part of the story. To maximize security, users also need basic safeguards – use a VPN on public Wi-Fi, install updates promptly, use strong passwords, and enable multi-factor authentication on all accounts,” he says.

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CFOs Set New Bar for Finance AI: Show Your Work and Know When to Stop

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 28, 2026 by itnerd

The debate is over. CFOs aren’t asking whether to adopt AI in finance anymore. They’re asking why every solution forces them to choose between speed they can’t audit and control that doesn’t scale.

A new research study from Wakefield Research surveyed 100 CFOs at mid-market U.S. companies ($50M-$500M revenue). Between 60 and 77 percent already plan to adopt AI depending on the use case. But the findings reveal a massive trust gap blocking execution.

The trust gap is real. 96% of CFOs say AI’s biggest benefit is freeing time for strategic work. But only 14% completely trust AI to deliver accurate accounting data on its own. And 97% say human oversight is critical. That’s not a contradiction – it’s CFOs defining the solution.

The findings reveal a market stuck between two broken models. AI copilots – whether standalone or embedded in legacy tools – still require accountants to review transaction by transaction, delivering single-digit productivity gains. AI agents – black-box LLM wrappers with finance branding – promise full automation but deliver unacceptable risk: no way to verify accuracy, no real audit trail, and low understanding of business context.

CFOs want neither babysitting nor black boxes. They want what they are calling “intelligent escalation” – AI that operates autonomously on routine transactions but knows when it’s encountering ambiguity and escalates with full context. One CFO put it simply: “We need an autopilot – fast, accurate and with the sound judgment of our most reliable accountant.”

The bottleneck isn’t AI intelligence – it’s AI judgment. As foundation models get smarter, the differentiator isn’t raw capability – it’s understanding business context, company policies, and when a decision requires human input. Speed and accuracy are table stakes. Judgment is what separates automation from intelligent escalation.

The study makes clear what finance leaders demand: speed, verifiable accuracy, full audit trails, and intelligent escalation – AI that earns the right to operate autonomously by demonstrating judgment about when to act and when to ask.

CFOs have drawn the line: AI that can’t show its work and doesn’t know when to escalate is unacceptable in finance.

Read the full report from Maximor here: Finance AI Adoption Benchmarking Report.

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MIND Announces Autonomous DLP for Agentic AI

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 28, 2026 by itnerd

Enterprises are moving quickly to adopt agentic AI to drive real business outcomes, including faster decision-making, increased productivity and new operational efficiencies. But as AI systems become more autonomous, those outcomes depend on one critical factor: whether organizations can trust how their data is accessed, used and controlled.

Today, MIND announced DLP for Agentic AI, a data-centric approach to AI security designed to help organizations safely achieve the business value of agentic AI by ensuring sensitive data and AI systems interact safely and responsibly.

Agentic AI can autonomously create, access, transform and share data across SaaS applications, local devices, homegrown systems and third-party tools. While this unlocks meaningful gains in speed and scale, it also introduces new risks. Without clear visibility and controls, data security gaps can undermine AI initiatives, slow adoption and put business outcomes at risk.

Data Security as the Foundation for AI Outcomes

As organizations evaluate how to secure agentic AI, new security categories are appearing. However, most of these emerging approaches fail to secure the critical foundation that Agentic AI relies on: the data itself.

MIND’s DLP for Agentic AI starts with the belief that business outcomes depend on whether AI systems have the right access to the right data at any point in time. Instead of securing models or reacting to outputs, MIND ensures sensitive data is understood, governed and protected before any AI agent can access or act on it.

With this data-centric approach, organizations can:

  • Identify which AI agents are active across the enterprise and on endpoints, including embedded SaaS capabilities, homegrown agents and third-party tools
  • Detect risky data access by AI agents, monitor behavior in real time and autonomously alert and remediate issues as they emerge
  • Apply the right controls so data and agentic AI interact safely, without slowing productivity or innovation

By putting data security and controls at the center of AI adoption, MIND helps organizations turn AI potential into measurable business results with the right guardrails.

Customers are already using MIND to support enterprise AI initiatives and the secure use of GenAI while maintaining strong data security.

Built for an Agentic AI World

Traditional DLP programs were designed for predictable, human-driven workflows. Agentic AI operates differently, moving at AI speed and acting autonomously. MIND’s DLP for Agentic AI brings context-aware automation to data security, helping teams prevent risk before it impacts the business.

As organizations continue to invest in agentic AI, MIND positions data security and controls as the missing piece required to achieve AI-driven outcomes safely and sustainably.

To learn more about DLP at AI speed and how MIND enables secure, outcome-driven AI adoption, visit mind.io.

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New Sumo Logic Security Operations Report Finds Two-Thirds of Security Leaders Lack Integrated Security Tooling

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 28, 2026 by itnerd

Sumo Logic today released its 2026 Security Operations Insights report, which found that security is complicated by a growing number of cloud tools, sprawling tech stacks and a lack of communication that leads to less reliability for security teams.

Security is becoming increasingly complex for enterprise organizations, as application environments are changing rapidly. AI hype has created a rush to develop and adopt AI tools while broadening the attack surface and forcing organizations to reconsider whether their security solutions are actually providing value.

The Sumo Logic 2026 Security Operations Insights report surveyed more than 500 IT and security leaders and was developed with independent research firm UserEvidence. Key findings include:

  • 90% of security operations leaders say supporting data sources from multi-cloud and hybrid-cloud environments is very or extremely important for their SIEM, highlighting the continued need for data pipeline management.
  • Only 51% say their current SIEM is very effective at reducing mean time to detect and respond to threats. And just 52% are very confident their current SIEM can scale to meet future security and cloud operations needs.
  • 90% of security leaders say AI/ML is extremely or very valuable in reducing alert fatigue and improving detection accuracy. Yet their most common AI use cases focus on basic tasks like threat detection. These findings indicate that AI adoption isn’t as widespread through advanced security workflows as marketing narratives often suggest.
  • 93% of enterprise organizations use at least three security operations tools, and 45% use six or more. It’s no surprise that over half (55%) of respondents report having too many point solutions in their security stack.
  • 80% of enterprise organizations say security and DevOps use shared observability tools, but only 45% say the two teams are very aligned on tooling and workflows. 100% say a unified platform for logs, metrics, and traces would be valuable for their security and DevOps teams.
  • 70% of respondents say they’ve fully or mostly automated their threat detection and response process, with 25% reporting it’s fully automated. Those who rely on a mostly or fully manual process are in the extreme minority.

These findings underscore that enterprise security leaders are overwhelmed. As AI continues to complicate the threat landscape, it adds yet another technology that needs to be monitored, secured, and used in security. The solution isn’t a larger security tech stack with more siloed tools. Instead, it’s a unified platform that acts as a single source of truth for DevSecOps, providing real-time insights and visibility across the entire environment.

Resources

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Abstract Security Partners with Netskope to turn Security Data into Real-Time Decisions

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 28, 2026 by itnerd

Abstract Security today announced a partnership with Netskope to provide joint customers the ability to bring detection directly into the data stream and to help eliminate indexing delays for more efficient threat detection.

Through this integration, Abstract Security and Netskope empower customers to simplify and optimize the collection, transformation, and analysis of Netskope One telemetry. By ingesting high-fidelity Security Service Edge (SSE) data directly into Abstract’s adaptive pipeline, joint customers can filter, enrich, and route critical security context to any SIEM, data lake, or analytics platform. This integration helps ensure that customers maintain full data sovereignty and deep visibility while eliminating the prohibitive costs of high-volume log ingestion.

Controlling data is key

Modern cloud environments generate massive volumes of security data. Yet most organizations still depend on legacy workflows where detection runs only after logs are ingested and indexed, forcing teams to trade visibility for cost and time. By the time analytics systems can query the data, opportunities to detect and respond early have already passed. Working together, Abstract Security and Netskope can help eliminate the “indexed” delay by bringing detection directly into the data stream. Benefits include:

  • In-Stream Detection: Abstract analyzes Netskope Log Streaming data as it moves to identify anomalies, patterns, and potential threats in real time.
  • Adaptive Enrichment: Add context such as identity, geo, and threat intel before data ever lands in a SIEM or data lake.
  • Dynamic Routing: Send only relevant, high-value security events to downstream tools, cutting waste while enhancing insight.
  • Seamless Integration: Lightweight deployment built in collaboration with Netskope.

The ROI from this partnership for customers includes:

  • Immediate Visibility: Detect risks within the data flow, reducing mean-time-to-detection with a “shift left” operational workflow.
  • Operational Efficiency: Solve the “data explosion” challenge and streamline SOC operations by reducing noise and lowering log ingestion/storage costs by up to 70%, all while maintaining the deep, SkopeIT™ metadata visibility required for forensic precision
  • Actionable Analytics: Transform raw SSE telemetry into actionable intelligence. Leverage rich user, device, and data context to eliminate alert fatigue and drive accelerated, automated responses through high-confidence detections.
  • Unified Architectural Agility: Replace fragmented legacy stacks with a single, adaptive streaming layer. Simplify your infrastructure by consolidating inspection and analytics into a high-performance architecture that scales without compromising latency.

Abstract specializes in delivering threat detection in motion as its platform fuses data pipelines, analytics, and AI-assisted enrichment into a single continuous stream so security teams can filter, shape, and act on events as they happen. Instead of blindly sending everything to storage, Abstract inspects, correlates, and detects on the fly, sending only what matters to SIEMs, data lakes, or response systems.

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UK proposes policing reforms to combat cybercrime

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 27, 2026 by itnerd

Yesterday, the UK government announced “the largest reforms to policing since […] it was founded 2 centuries ago”, significantly in response to the rapid growth of online and cyber-enabled crime.

 “Crime itself is evolving. Criminals are operating with more sophistication than ever before, within this country, across our borders and in the online world,” Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said in a statement.

Officials say roughly 90% of crimes now have a digital element, with online fraud accounting for 44%. 

The existing model is shared across 43 local police forces and is seen as poorly suited to tackle digital crimes that are often international. Under the plans outlined, the UK would create a new National Police Service (NPS), to handle serious and complex crimes, including cybercrime and large-scale online fraud intended to centralize capabilities and improve coordination, intelligence sharing, and investigative capacity for tech-driven crime.

The government plans to expand specialist digital skills within policing and establish clearer oversight for the use of AI and data-driven tools.

The reforms also emphasize technology and digital forensics, with investments in AI tools and centralized forensic services to address large backlogs of seized devices awaiting analysis. 

Michael Bell, Founder & CEO, Suzu Labs had this comment:

   “The 43-force model made sense when crime was local. It makes less sense when ransomware operators in Russia are hitting hospitals in Leeds while coordinating on Telegram. Centralizing cyber capabilities is the right structural response but the real constraint going forward is talent, not org charts.

   “That 20,000 device backlog won’t shrink through reorganization alone. The £115 million AI investment signals they’re planning to automate through the forensics debt rather than compete with the private sector for analysts.”

Denis Calderone CRO & COO, Suzu Labs adds this:

   “Well it’s bout time, honestly. You can’t fight international cybercrime with 43 fragmented local police forces. Criminals operate globally while police operate by postcode. When 90% of crimes have a digital element and 44% is online fraud, a National Police Service focused on complex digital crime makes sense. Cybercrime doesn’t respect constabulary borders.

   “That said, the 20,000 devices sitting in forensic analysis backlogs should terrify anyone. That’s not just a processing queue, that’s criminal cases going cold and victims waiting years for justice. Centralizing digital forensics could finally address this, but only if they actually fund it properly. Otherwise we’re just creating a bigger, more centralized backlog instead of 43 smaller ones.

   “Here’s where I get skeptical though. They want cybersecurity experts to join as Special Constables, but special constable numbers are down 73% since 2012. Why would a cybersecurity professional making six figures work part-time as a volunteer police officer?

   “The private sector pays better, offers remote work, and doesn’t require wearing a uniform. This recruitment strategy seems disconnected from the reality of the cybersecurity talent market. If they’re serious about bringing digital expertise into policing, they need to compete with private sector compensation, not rely on volunteerism.”

John Carberry, Solution Sleuth, Xcape, Inc. follows with this:

   “The UK government’s launch of the National Police Service (NPS) signifies a much-needed shift from a fragmented, Victorian-era system to a centralized, “cyber-first” defense strategy. Virtually all crimes now involve technology and online fraud is rampant, so isolated local policing struggles to combat borderless, tech-savvy criminals.

   “Establishing a National Police Service to consolidate cybercrime and major digital investigations promises enhanced coordination and intelligence sharing. This reform represents a significant technological leap, infusing £140 million in AI-powered forensics and suspect identification.

   “By aggregating analysis to a central location, this new system aims to overcome the current backlog of 20,000 evidentiary devices that delay digital investigations. Moreover, the mandatory “license to practice” requires all officers to possess a fundamental level of digital proficiency, indicating that technological skill is now a universal law enforcement requirement.

   “With 90% of all crimes leaving a digital trace, this restructuring enables the UK to combat crime at Internet speeds, rather than at the pace of local bureaucracy. Sustained investment, transparent governance, and the capacity to attract and retain cyber expertise are all necessary for this makeover to be successful.”

   “When nine out of ten crimes are digitally enabled, a policing model that stops at a county border isn’t just outdated, it’s a gift to the modern criminal.”

This is a really good move to make sure that crime doesn’t pay. Because the opposite is happening and that’s not good.

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The Galaxy Tab S11 turns AI into a real productivity tool

Posted in Commentary with tags on January 27, 2026 by itnerd

The Galaxy Tab S11 series continues to stand out as one of Samsung’s most powerful productivity-focused tablets, especially for users who want advanced multitasking and AI tools on a larger screen? 

Designed to handle demanding workflows, the Galaxy Tab S11 combines flagship performance, enhanced Samsung DeX, and Galaxy AI features that feel genuinely useful for work, study, and creative projects. 

Here’s what sets the Galaxy Tab S11 apart: 

Performance built for multitasking 
Powered by a 3nm processor and optimized for large-screen workflows, Galaxy Tab S11 delivers fast, smooth performance whether users are running multiple apps, editing content, or working across displays using Samsung DeX. 

A smarter way to work with Galaxy AI 
Galaxy AI features are optimized for the tablet’s larger display, allowing users to summarize documents, refine writing, and turn rough sketches into polished visuals without interrupting their workflow. With Gemini Live, users can even interact with on-screen content in real time, making research, studying, and content review faster and more intuitive. 

Enhanced productivity with Samsung DeX and S Pen 
Upgraded Samsung DeX enables extended dual-screen setups and multiple customizable workspaces, while the redesigned S Pen offers improved control and comfort for notetaking, editing, and creative work. Together, they help transform the Galaxy Tab S11 into a true laptop alternative, wherever work happens. 

Built to be thin, light, and powerful, the Galaxy Tab S11 is designed for users who want serious productivity without sacrificing portability. 

Check out Samsung.ca for more info.

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Canada Computers Website Pwned In Cyberattack That Swiped Credit Cards….. Oh Crap

Posted in Commentary with tags , on January 27, 2026 by itnerd

Here in Canada, the biggest retailer of computer gear not named Best Buy is Canada Computers. I’ve shopped there for years. But only in store. That’s likely a good thing because a report surfaced on Reddit on January 18th that an credit card skimmer had been set up on the Canada Computers online store around December 8 of last year. It was removed on January 22. Though it’s not clear if this was removed by the retailer or by the threat actor because it was discovered.

Now Canada Computers was apparently notified that this was a valid threat, but they didn’t make any acknowledgement of said threat. Then stories started to appear in places like MobileSyrup and iPhoneInCanada over the last couple of days that this had happened. And only yesterday did emails go out to Canada Computer Customers that this breach had happened. The cynic in me says that that attention in Canadian tech media forced their hand.

So what data did the bad guys get? How about:

  • credit card number
  • CVV
  • expiration date
  • first name
  • last name
  • billing address
  • billing city
  • billing province
  • billing postal code
  • phone number
  • email address
  • the Canada Computers account you’re logged into

This is more than enough information for a threat actor to do anything from commit fraud to identity theft. Given that, the smart thing for anyone who used Canada Computers website to order goods is to cancel their credit cards. And you should keep a close eye on your statements and transactions from your credit cards. I say this because there are reports that fraudulent purchases have been made using the information that this credit card skimmer obtained.

Now here’s the part where I hold Canada Computers feet to the fire. They need to urgently check to see if there was any lateral movement within Canada Computers environment. They also need to look at their website and address the weaknesses that allowed this threat actor to get in, along with any other weaknesses that they find. Then they need to explain in detail how the threat actors got in, what they are doing to make sure that this doesn’t happen again, and why any consumer should trust them. I say this because upon learning about this, I set up a Memory Express account as I am pretty skittish at stepping into Canada Computers. After all, I don’t know how far into their environment the threat actors got, or if they are still there. Thus it’s better to take my purchases for computer gear elsewhere. At least until Canada Computer says something that makes me want to reconsider that decision.

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