iRobot Unveils New Roomba Combo Essential 

Posted in Commentary with tags on April 4, 2024 by itnerd

iRobot, the leader in consumer robots, today unveiled its newest and most affordable robot designed to offer customers cleaning essentials at an affordable price – the Roomba Combo® Essential.  

As an improvement to iRobot’s best-selling Roomba® 600 Series, the Roomba Combo Essential is the company’s simplest 2-in-1 robot vacuum and mop designed to deliver cleaning essentials at an affordable price. It outdoes the Roomba 600 Series with notable features including: 

  • Four-Stage Cleaning System with 2-in-1 Cleaning: Adjustable suction and liquid settings, a special V-shaped brush roll, an Edge-Sweeping brush, and a water pump-fed microfiber mop pad will work together to vacuum multiple floor types – or vacuum and mop hard floors in a single pass. 
  • iRobot OS Intelligence: Powered by iRobot OS, it uses intelligent navigation to clean in neat rows. Users can automate, tailor, and schedule their cleaning routines via the device’s three suction power levels and three water level options, access detailed Clean Map reports and set the robot to automatically clean when they leave home. 
  • Superior Cleaning Experience: Customers can expect cleaner floors with 20x more suction power and 25% better hard floor dirt pickup than the Roomba 600 Series. The robot can also cover more ground on longer cleaning jobs thanks to a 120-minute battery life.  

Also available next month at select retailers in North America, iRobot will debut its new Roomba® Vac Essential robot, which will include the same feature set as the Roomba Combo Essential but in a vacuum-only package.  

Pricing & Availability

North America:

The Roomba Combo Essential robot is available in the U.S. now on iRobot.com and will be available at select retailers beginning April 7. It will be available in Canada for $369.99 CAD on iRobot.ca and at select retailers beginning April 12. The Roomba Vac Essential will be available at select retailers in the U.S. beginning April 7 and in Canada ($329.99 CAD) beginning April 12.

Rest of World:

The Roomba Combo Essential is available in EMEA now, and it will be available in APAC beginning later in April.

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Cyberattack Forces Northern CA, Non-Profit Hospital To Turn Away Patients

Posted in Commentary with tags on April 4, 2024 by itnerd

According to local media, non-profit, NorthBay VacaValley Hospital is struggling with a systemwide disruption impacting its website and phone lines following a cybersecurity incident leaving patients in flux.

Linda Sperow, a patient of the hospital, attempted to contact the hospital Monday regarding the walk-in x-ray clinic. As the phones and website were down, she was unsuccessful and when she showed up at the clinic for her x-ray appointment on Tuesday morning, Sperow was turned away.  

Sperow was told by a staff member that they had experienced a cyberattack and the system outage left them unable to check her in or access her medical records.

At the time of writing, the hospital’s website is still not accessible. In response to inquiries, NorthBay VacaValley Hospital issued a statement to CBS13:

“Upon detecting this incident, we launched an investigation and engaged leading external cybersecurity experts to support our response. We are working diligently to restore systems as quickly and safely as possible.”

VacaValley Hospital is a non-profit hospital providing medical services to the residents of Solano County, California.

Jan Lovmand, CTO, BullWall:

   “Hospitals and healthcare organizations are particularly attractive targets for cybercriminals, and their reliance on technology to manage everything from patient records to surgical equipment makes them uniquely vulnerable. This is compounded by their limited resources to invest in cybersecurity measures. But with ransomware continuing to be a significant threat to these organizations, investments must be made to contain these attacks, eliminating the need to resort to a complete shutdown of IT systems, and healthcare services.”

This is yet another example of how vulnerable the health care industry is to cyberattacks. This is something that needs to change. And change now. Otherwise these stories will keep popping up on this blog and threat actors will continue to run rampant. And most importantly, people won’t get the health care that they need.

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Sage Report: HR Professionals Ready to Embrace AI in the Face of Burnout

Posted in Commentary with tags on April 3, 2024 by itnerd

With today’s workforce constantly evolving, businesses are turning to technology and embracing AI to help navigate the changes of an expanding labour force, ease workloads within their operations, and improve job satisfaction.

Today, small and mid-sized business accounting, financial, HR and payroll technology leader, Sage, published findings from their annual ‘The Changing Face of HR’ global report, which highlights how HR professionals are using AI for the aforementioned, while also boosting competitiveness and creating jobs in the industry.

The research revealed that:

  • Top concerns for HR professionals include increasing workloads (80%), low employee morale and burnout (79%), and limited budgets (79%)
  • The role of HR will change considerably due to AI (80%) and implementing AI in HR tasks will create more jobs (71%)
  • There’s a significant shift towards automation and analytics; HR leaders are currently using HR metrics (45%), utilizing automation (44%), and employing cloud HR solutions (43%)
  • HR leaders believe AI has the potential to revolutionize ways of working within their company (77%), freeing up time to focus on strategic planning (61%), data-driven decision-making (59%), and employee engagement (59%).

You can read the report here.

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EchoMark Launches Strategic Partner Program 

Posted in Commentary with tags on April 3, 2024 by itnerd

EchoMark today announced partnerships with ManTech, CBTS, TachTech and Adaptive Integration, industry leaders that will now use EchoMark’s AI-powered solution to further advance insider threat detection and prevention for clients.

EchoMark is the first solution that immediately identifies the precise sources of such leaks through AI-powered forensic watermarking (steganography). The EchoMark program encompasses integration, sales support, and incentives for channel partners, solutions integrators, and others who seek to help their customers proactively prevent insider leaks and intellectual property theft.

ManTech, an industry-leading provider of advanced technology solutions for U.S. government clients for more than 55 years, will now offer EchoMark to prospective clients in the defense, intelligence community and federal civilian sectors.

CBTS is a large enterprise IT solutions provider specializing in application modernization, cloud transformation and modern work communications.

TachTech, a national value-added reseller specializing in cybersecurity and digital transformation services, commends EchoMark for addressing a critical gap in the market.

Adaptive Integration, a leading provider of specialized IT security solutions, praises EchoMark for its unique blend of power and user-friendly deployment.

In initial tests, EchoMark demonstrated remarkable efficiency, identifying leaks of sensitive documents and emails with 99.999% accuracy.

To learn more about the EchoMark Partner Program, visit https://www.echomark.com/partners.

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Cyware Welcomes Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to its Advisory Board

Posted in Commentary with tags on April 3, 2024 by itnerd

Cyware is pleased to announce the addition of Australia’s former Prime Minister the Hon Malcolm Turnbull AC, to its advisory board. Mr. Turnbull’s significant experience and expertise will play a pivotal role in guiding the company’s mission to transform traditional security operations centers (SOCs) into modernized cyber fusion centers.

During his tenure as Prime Minister, Mr. Turnbull was instrumental in launching Australia’s first Cyber Security Strategy, a comprehensive plan that enhanced the nation’s cyber defenses, fostered international cyber partnerships, and promoted innovation in the cybersecurity sector. His deep understanding of the cyber landscape and his proactive approach to cyber threats will be indispensable to Cyware in his advisory role.

Malcolm Turnbull’s role on the Advisory Board will focus on leveraging his extensive cybersecurity expertise to guide Cyware’s strategic initiatives, enhance its product offerings, and strengthen its position as a leader in the cybersecurity space. His leadership will also be instrumental in fostering partnerships with governments and industry leaders, furthering Cyware’s commitment to building a safer digital world.

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Valimail DMARC Solution Available in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace 

Posted in Commentary with tags on April 3, 2024 by itnerd

Valimail, a leading provider of email authentication and anti-impersonation solutions, today announced the availability of Valimail Enforce in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, an online store providing applications and services for use on Azure. Microsoft customers can now take advantage of the productive and trusted Azure cloud platform to gain access to Valimail Enforce capabilities, with streamlined deployment and management.

Valimail Enforce is a better, proven way to accelerate the journey to DMARC enforcement. Valimail delivers world-class automation tools to get you to continuous enforcement – meaning no manual SPF and DKIM configuration. Users are able to protect their domains at scale and improve email deliverability with Valimail’s best-of-breed solution that offers advanced sending service intelligence, unlimited SPF lookups, and contextual analytics – all in one simple application that anyone can use. With Valimail Enforce, users gain:

  • Access to a premier DMARC partner for Microsoft 
  • One-click authorization for up to 100% of services within your ecosystem.
  • Access to unlimited SPF lookups so you never risk blocking good email.
  • Confidence in continuous DMARC protection with auto-configuration and updates.

The Azure Marketplace is an online market for buying and selling cloud solutions certified to run on Azure. The Azure Marketplace helps connect companies seeking innovative, cloud-based solutions with partners who have developed solutions that are ready to use.

Learn more about Valimail Enforce at its page in the Azure Marketplace. 

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Uber Reveals Cities With The Highest Rider Ratings

Posted in Commentary with tags on April 3, 2024 by itnerd

For the third year in a row, Uber is releasing data on rider ratings across the country, revealing which Canadian cities win the bragging rights for having Canada’s top riders. 

A stellar rating is the ultimate badge of honour—it’s a testament to a rider’s efforts to always be punctual, polite, organized and respectful, the keys to a smooth and positive ride experience. 

This year, riders across Canada took the ratings race seriously, displaying the drive needed to score high. Red Deer won the coveted title for having the country’s top-rated riders; it’s also the third year in a row that Red Deer has placed in the top three cities. 

After lagging behind in previous years, riders in Windsor, Saskatoon, and Kingston accelerated into the top 5 cities with the highest rider ratings, while Halifax dropped two spots down from last year. 

Check out the full lists below, showcasing the top 10 Canadian cities with the highest average rider rating and the top 10 with the lowest rider ratings. For the first time, Uber is also sharing a list of the top 10 most-improved cities, celebrating the cities that made the biggest gains in improving their ratings. 

To encourage good rider etiquette, Uber is celebrating this year’s top Canadian riders by awarding an exclusive 20% discount on their next ride to the top 10% of riders based on their trip rating in 2023. The offer is valid for two weeks. 

*The data is weighted to account for population differences. 

🏆Top 10 cities with the highest rider ratings

  1. Red Deer 
  2. Windsor 
  3. Saskatoon 
  4. Winnipeg
  5. Kingston 
  6. Regina 
  7. Halifax
  8. Kelowna 
  9. Niagara Region 
  10. Victoria

💪Top 10 cities with the most improved rider ratings 

  1. Windsor 
  2. Kitchener-Waterloo
  3. Lethbridge 
  4. London, ON 
  5. Red Deer 
  6. Edmonton 
  7. Regina 
  8. Saskatoon 
  9. Halifax
  10. Ottawa

Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal remain in the top three cities with the lowest rider ratings. For riders in those cities, here are some tips on how to improve your ratings: 

  1. Pack it in, pack it out: Drivers shouldn’t have to clean up after your mess. Always make sure to take your trash and any other belongings with you. Don’t leave a mess behind. 
  2. Buckle Up: Studies show that unbuckled passengers in the back seat can put the driver at greater risk of injury in a crash. So always remember to buckle up for your and the driver’s safety. 
  3. Be ready: Remember that drivers’ time is valuable and they shouldn’t have to wait for you. A smooth pickup is better for everyone so be ready to go when the driver arrives.
  4. Treat everyone and everything with respect: As outlined in Uber’s Community Guidelines, they want riders and drivers to feel safe, respectful, and positive. Always treat your driver and their vehicle as you would want to be treated. 
  5. Don’t slam the door! It is easy to accidentally slam a door if you aren’t thinking about it, and drivers have consistently cited door slams as a reason why they deduct stars.   

For step-by-step instructions on how to find your ratings breakdown, check out the blog post. 

To access the Privacy Center and ratings breakdown in the app:

  • In the settings menu, tap privacy and then Privacy Center
  • In the Privacy Center, swipe to the right and click on the “would you like to see a summary of how you use Uber” tile
  • Scroll down to the “browse your data” section and tap on “View my ratings” to see the breakdown

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Flashpoint Publishes A Blog Post About NVD Slowdown

Posted in Commentary with tags on April 3, 2024 by itnerd

In a new blog post, Flashpoint talks about the NVD slowdown and what organizations should be thinking about as they work to stay updated on all vulnerabilities. 

Flashpoint released last week its annual Global Threat Intelligence Report that dug in depth on NVD as well. Here’s that section found on page 11:

Beyond CVE: Uncovering the Hidden Vulnerability Landscape 

Organizations strictly relying on CVE are likely unaware of nearly a third of known vulnerability risk. Flashpoint has documented over 100,000 vulnerabilities that CVE has failed to report, many of which affect major vendors such as Google and Microsoft. Flashpoint’s non-CVE coverage has also identified a significant number of issues affecting numerous third-party libraries—in addition to zero-day and in-the-wild exploits that are being used by threat actors. 

As of February 2024, Flashpoint analysts have cataloged 330 vulnerabilities that were discovered being exploited in the wild, that still do not have a CVE ID. These include vulnerabilities in: 

  • Adobe Reader 
  • Apple iOS 
  • Apple macOS 
  • Google Android 
  • Microsoft SQL Server 
  • Siemens SIMATIC 
  • Solarwinds Orion Platform 

As of February 2024, the following have been exploited in some form of malware, yet do not have a CVE ID: 

  • Apache Hadoop 
  • Google Authenticator for Android 
  • PHP 

Any vulnerability management team that feels underserved by their current coverage needs visibility into non-CVE issues—especially if they are leveraging legacy or end-of-life software. Having immediate access to actionable data empowers security teams to address issues, sometimes as fast as two weeks compared to CVE.

You can read the blog post here.

What the NVD ‘Slowdown’ Means For You: How to Stay Ahead in Vulnerability Management

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Samsung Enables Users To Experience Galaxy AI On A Variety Of Models

Posted in Commentary with tags on April 2, 2024 by itnerd

Today, Samsung has announced that their newest Galaxy AI update will be available across more devices including the Galaxy S23 series, S23 FE, Z Fold5, Z Flip5 and Tab S9 series Galaxy Buds2 Series, Galaxy Buds FE, Watch FE.  Aligning with the recently launched Galaxy S24 series this update elevates the standard of users’ Galaxy experience through a hybrid approach that combines on-device and cloud-based AI. With this update, Samsung strives to empower users by making AI more accessible and continuing to harness the unlimited possibilities of mobile AI.

The new Galaxy AI update includes: 

  • Communication that transcends barriers – With new communication-enhancing Galaxy AI features, users can now adjust message tone and translate messages using Chat Assist, experience the power of real-time text and phone interactions through Live Translate and engage in spontaneous conversations with locals while travelling as Interpreter generates text translations for live conversations.  
  • Productivity unparalleled – The Galaxy AI update also drives new levels of efficiency through Circle to Search, which generates intuitive search results with a swift circle motion, Note Assist, which allows users to create formats, generate summaries and translate notes, Browsing Assist, which generates summaries of articles, and Transcript Assist, which transcribes, summarizes and translates meeting recordings.  
  • Unstoppable creativity for your inner artist – Users can now unlock their creative potential throughGenerative Edit, which resizes, repositions and realigns objects in photos, Edit Suggestion, which polishes photos, and Instant Slow-mo, which generates additional frames for slow-motion videos to capture action-packed moments.  

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Even Well-Run Networks Can Be Malware Vectors Says HYAS

Posted in Commentary with tags on April 2, 2024 by itnerd

The Weekly Threat Intelligence Report from David Brunsdon, Threat Intelligence Security Engineer with HYAS, is a (curated) analysis of what the threat intel team has seen within the HYAS Insight threat intelligence and investigation platform this past week and deemed the most significant to report externally. It names the most prominent malware families active over the last week, as well as the top C2-generating locations worldwide for the week. 

Analysis by Adam Lopez, Director of Solutions Engineering at HYAS:

   “Reviewing the top ASNs and malware origins generating C2 communications reveals involvement of ISPs from South Korea (AS9318), Italy (AS8968), the UK (AS216309 and AS216319), and Japan (AS7684), which underscores the global nature of cybersecurity threats. Malware does not discriminate by geography, affecting ISPs worldwide, indicating the pervasive risk across different network infrastructures. A recurring theme is the presence of malware activity despite the ISPs’ reputations for quality service. 

   “This suggests that even well-managed networks can become vectors for malware dissemination, highlighting the importance of constant vigilance, sophisticated monitoring, and robust security protocols to detect and mitigate threats. 

   “The identification of specific malware families (Amadey, Redline, Urelas, Sality, Stealc) indicates a range of cyber threats, from information stealers to polymorphic viruses, showcasing the complexity and adaptability of cyber adversaries. The diversity of these threats necessitates a multifaceted security approach, combining technical, procedural, and educational strategies to counteract them effectively.”

The full HYAS Threat Intel Report April 1, 2024, is linked above and is very much worth reading.

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