Guest Post: Internet users are estimated to reach 6 billion in the next 5 years

Posted in Commentary with tags on August 3, 2023 by itnerd

The internet has become an indispensable part of our lives, transforming how we communicate and access information. As we look ahead, the internet’s influence is set to surge even further.

According to estimations by the Atlas VPN team, the number of internet users is projected to surpass 6 billion within the next five years.

As of 2023, there are approximately 5.16 billion internet users globally, accounting for 64.4% of the world’s population. By 2028, this number is expected to rise by nearly a fifth (19%) and reach 6.13 billion. 

These estimations are based on historic internet user data provided by DataReportal.

Internet user numbers and penetration rates vary widely around the globe. Developed countries typically boast internet penetration rates of over 80%, while those with less advanced cyberspace can hover below 50%. Surprisingly, the top 20 countries alone account for a staggering 3.67 billion internet users, representing 71% of the world’s total. 

China currently leads the world in terms of the largest internet user population, with 1.05 billion users, comprising over 20% of the total global internet users. Overall,73.7% of China’s population has internet access.

India, the second most populous country as of January 2023, holds the second spot on the list with 692 million internet users. However, only about 48.7% of India’s population has internet access, ranking it below the world’s average. In fact, India has the highest number of unconnected people worldwide, with over 730 million individuals lacking internet access.’

Next on the list is the United States (US), with 311.3 million internet users, which translates to approximately 91.8% of its population having internet access.

The US is followed by Indonesia and Brazil, with 212.9 million and 181.8 million internet users, respectively. 77% of Indonesia’s population has internet access, while Brazil’s rate is slightly higher at 84.3%. Brazilians also rank second in terms of time spent online.

Other countries in the top ten include Russia (127.6 million), Nigeria (122.5 million), Japan (102.5 million), Mexico (100.6 million), and the Philippines (85.16 million).

The digital future

As the number of internet users continues to climb steadily and technology evolves exponentially, the digital landscape is poised for profound transformations, ushering in new opportunities and challenges that will shape the future of our interconnected world.

As the number of internet users grows, so do the risks associated with data privacy and cybersecurity. Cyber threats, data breaches, and identity theft are increasingly prevalent in a hyper-connected world. 

Not surprisingly, most Americans regard cyberterrorism as the most pressing danger to the United States, according to a Gallup poll on world affairs.

To read the full article, head over to:https://atlasvpn.com/blog/internet-users-are-estimated-to-reach-6-billion-in-the-next-5-years 

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TELUS launches HomePro

Posted in Commentary with tags on August 2, 2023 by itnerd

TELUS is making it easier for Canadians to navigate the complexity of installing and managing multiple smart home products with the launch of HomePro, a new à la carte and subscription service offering customers access to in-person and 24/7 online tech experts to support nearly every connected device in their home. TELUS has partnered with tech-care industry leader Asurion to provide customers with device protection coverage and online support for everything from device setup, installation, troubleshooting and more. In addition to personalized support, HomePro also includes a monthly membership to Amazon Prime at no cost (valued at $9.99 per month), courtesy of TELUS.

HomePro offers two monthly subscription plans and in-person à la carte services: 

  • HomePro Starter plan: for $15 per month, customers get 24/7 virtual (chat or phone) access to expert technical support and set up for almost any device in the home, plus access to an Amazon Prime membership. This means that customers can connect with tech experts any time for personalized support, including set up of the latest electronics purchased in Amazon or elsewhere. HomePro Starter is now available across Canada, excluding Quebec.
  • HomePro Plus plan: for $25 per month, customers will receive all the benefits of HomePro Starter, including access to an Amazon Prime membership, plus device protection coverage on almost every device in their home — regardless of where or when it was purchased. For an additional $10 to the monthly cost of HomePro Starter, customers can enjoy peace of mind knowing their tech is better protected against unexpected issues. HomePro Plus will be rolling out across Canada in the coming months. 
  • In-person à la carte services are available for customers needing expert tech installations and setup of almost any device – from mounting a TV, to setting up Wi-Fi, to configuring a smart thermostat – without requiring a subscription. HomePro in-person services are currently available exclusively in Calgary with plans to bring these services to more Canadian provinces in the coming months.

From fast, free delivery for millions of items to accessing a vast library of streaming entertainment, Amazon Prime gives HomePro members the ability to enjoy the exclusive features and services offered with a Prime membership — including Prime Video, Prime Delivery, Amazon Music Prime, Prime Gaming, Prime Reading, and Amazon Photos, among others. Customers with an existing Prime membership can simply link their subscription billing over to their MyTELUS account and have their monthly Prime membership included within their HomePro subscription — with no changes to their Amazon Prime account preferences, viewing history or profile.

HomePro is available to all customers regardless of whether they have current TELUS services.
For more information about HomePro and to become a member, visit telus.com/homepro

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New LinkedIn data shares 31.7% of Canadian job seekers in Toronto, Ont. are the most likely to apply for hybrid work positions

Posted in Commentary with tags on August 2, 2023 by itnerd

A recent study conducted by LinkedIn’s Economic Graph research teamunveils job seekers’ preferences in the Greater Toronto Area for remote and hybrid work.  According to the data, Torontonians display the lowest interest in applying for fully remote positions among major metropolitan areas. However, despite their reluctance for fully remote roles, Torontonians lead the way in Canada’s big metro areas in applying for hybrid work opportunities.  Key findings from the report include: 

  • 28.5% of job applications from Toronto are interested in fully remote positions. 
  • Although Torontonians show less enthusiasm for fully remote positions, 31.7% of job applications from Toronto were interested in positions that involve a combination of remote and in-office work. 

 The findings are based on an analysis of more than 12 million remote job applications on LinkedIn from May 2022 to May 2023.  If you’d like to learn more you can read the report in full here. 

Methodology 

LinkedIn analyzed more than more than 12 million and 11 million applications to paid remote and hybrid job postings in Canada, respectively, between May 2022 and 2023. To be included, postings either were explicitly labeled as “remote” or “hybrid,” or contained keywords such as “work from home.” Only metros with a 12-month average population of 100,000 or more LinkedIn members were included as large metros.   

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BlackFog State of Ransomware Report For July 2023 Is Out

Posted in Commentary with tags on August 2, 2023 by itnerd

BlackFog today released the State of Ransomware Report for July 2023. BlackFog releases this monthly report containing pertinent information regarding both publicly and non-publicly disclosed cyber attacks. The report also includes statistics on the most attacked countries and industries, as well as prevalent threat groups and attack methods.

 Dr. Darren Williams, CEO and Founder, BlackFog, has also provided commentary on July’s ransomware trends and statistics:    

“This month we continue to see a large volume of attacks, culminating in the highest July in 4 years, with 38 publicly disclosed and 390 undisclosed attacks. This represents a 10-fold difference between unreported versus reported attacks, as we continue to see the effects of the MOVEit exploit.

The most notable change saw healthcare overtake education as the most targeted sector, with a 29% increase in attacks. Education came a close second with 56 reported attacks, while the Government saw a 19% increase from last month. Other sectors remained largely unchanged.

BlackCat and LockBit remain the two dominant variants with 18.4% and 16.8% respectively. As we predicted last month, we saw CLOP overtake BlackCat in the number of unreported attacks due to the MOVEit exploit. We expect this to continue in the coming months as the full extent of this exploitation is realized.

Lastly, exfiltration continues to be the primary weapon of choice for attacks. Leveraging data for extortion contributes to this quarter’s all-time record, with an average payout of US$740,144. China continues to be the main destination for data loss at 41% with Russia at 9%.”

The full report is linked here: https://privacy.blackfog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/BlackFogRansomwareReport-Jul-2023.pdf

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New Research Finds BEC Attacks Increased by 55% 1H 2023 & Third Party App Integration in Email Saw 128% increase

Posted in Commentary with tags on August 2, 2023 by itnerd

Abnormal Security has released the company’s 1H 2023 revealing how email attacks have increased in both sophistication and volume since the start of the year.

  • BEC attacks increased by 55% over the previous six months, and nearly half (48%) of all organizations received at least one VEC attack during that same time frame.
  • There is a 90%+ chance of receiving at least one BEC attack and a 76% chance of receiving at least one VEC attack each week for organizations with 5,000+ mailboxes.
  • Abnormal’s research showed that the average organization integrates 379 third-party apps with email—a 128% increase since 2020. And for large enterprises with 30,000+ employees, the number of integrated third-party apps shoots up to 3,973, on average.

Here is the report for your reading pleasure:  https://abnormalsecurity.com/about/news/h2-2023-threat-report

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Cyber Expert Jason Keirstead Joins Cyware as VP of Collective Threat Defense

Posted in Commentary with tags on August 2, 2023 by itnerd

Cyware, leading provider of threat intelligence management, security collaboration, and cyber fusion solutions, today announced that security expert and industry leader Jason Keirstead has been appointed Vice President of Collective Threat Defense.  

Keirstead is a distinguished cybersecurity authority with more than 20 years of industry experience – 13 of which he spent at IBM, leading the technical direction of an extensive portfolio of software and security products.  

Keirstead is also co-chair of the Open Cybersecurity Alliance, where he driven to create straightforward, intuitive solutions that effectively address complex security challenges. This, along with his passion for shaping the future of cybersecurity standards, makes Keirstead an ideal fit for Cyware and this role. 

Jason Keirstead will be an instrumental leader at Cyware, guiding the expansion of our solutions and playing a critical role in building our strategic roadmap. His industry expertise is both broad and deep when it comes to building security architecture, understanding threat trends and ecosystems, and connecting the dots between disparate tools, teams, and tactics.

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Veridas Facial Biometrics Receives LenelS2 Factory Certification under the LenelS2 OpenAccess Alliance Program

Posted in Commentary with tags on August 2, 2023 by itnerd

Veridas, a Spanish technology company specializing in digital identity biometrics, today announced that it has received LenelS2 factory certification and joined the LenelS2 OpenAccess Alliance Program (OAAP). Veridas Facial Biometrics Access Control interfaces with the OnGuard® access control system to provide an improved customer access and visitor management experience through touchless and seamless entry.    

About Veridas Facial Biometric Access Control   

Veridas facial biometric visitor access control management platform makes it easy for visitors and employees to self-register remotely or at the reception desk by capturing their ID card and selfie.  

The system verifies the visitor’s identity and generates a private and non-transferable biometric access credential.   

Once the visitor reaches the installation, they approach the Veridas biometric terminal at the entrance and show their faces and/or biometric QRs. The terminal authenticates them in less than a second and allows them to enter, thanks to the connection with the LENEL access system.  

Learn more at www.veridas.com

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SynSaber OT/ICS Vulnerabilities Report For 1H 2023 Is Out

Posted in Commentary with tags on August 2, 2023 by itnerd

New data from client SynSaber in association with The CS Advisory Project identifies and evaluates trends in Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) showcasing what OT and ICS asset owners need to be aware of.  

A couple key findings from the report include: 

  • For the CVEs reported in the first half of 2023, about 1/3 have no patch or remediation currently available from the vendor (significantly up from the first half of 2022)
  • Critical manufacturing (37.3% of total reported CVEs) and Energy (24.3% of the total reported) sectors are the most likely to be affected
  • Forever-Day vulnerabilities remain an issue – six CISA Advisories identified for ICS vendor products that reached end of life with “critical” severity vulnerabilities have no update, patch, hardware/software/ firmware updates, or known workarounds.

You can read the report here.

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People Who Subscribe To Twitter Blue Can Hide Their Checkmarks…. Out Of Embarrassment Perhaps?

Posted in Commentary with tags on August 2, 2023 by itnerd

This is a sure sign that having a blue checkmark on Twitter isn’t in the interest of people who are dumb enough decide to pay Elon Musk $8 a month for Twitter Blue. According to The Verge, Twitter Blue subscribers can now hide their checkmarks:

Twitter Blue, which Elon Musk is currently rebranding to X Blue, now includes the option to hide the notorious blue checkmark. Twitter Blue subscribers recently started noticing the “hide your blue checkmark” option on the web and in mobile apps, offering the ability to hide that they’re paying for Twitter and avoid memes about how “this mf paid for twitter.”

“The checkmark will be hidden on your profile and posts,” notes a Twitter support article. “The checkmark may still appear in some places and some features could still reveal you have an active subscription. Some features may not be available while your checkmark is hidden.”

The only reason why this is a thing is that clearly the checkmark has no value on Twitter. That’s because Elon destroyed any value it had. And it’s likely become a source of embarrassment for those who have one because they are dumb enough decided to pay for Twitter. The fact that Elon has to come up with something like this to keep whatever people who are dumb enough decided to pay him $8 a month from cancelling their subscriptions illustrates how much he’s hurt Twitter.

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The r/law Subreddit Bans Links To Twitter

Posted in Commentary with tags on August 2, 2023 by itnerd

You might recall that Elon Musk stepped in to reinstate the Twitter account of someone who posted child porn. Well, Elon’s decision to do that has knock on effects. And in a move that I suspect is a sign of things to come, r/law, a popular subreddit about the law announced last week that it was completely banning links to Twitter:

Since Musk took control of Twitter, he mostly eliminated the Trust and Safety group and stopped paying the vendor that scans for CSAM. As a result, CSAM (child sexual abuse material) has apparently been circulating on Twitter recently (from what I’ve read elsewhere, the same notorious video that the feds found on Josh Duggar’s hard drive).

Musk also recently reinstated the account of someone who posted CSAM content.

As a result, we’ll be removing any content here that leads to Twitter, or, as he now calls it, X. Whether it’s an embed link or a direct link to a tweet. Don’t care what outlet is doing it. If you’re a reporter or editor, stop embedding links to Twitter in any of your content.

DO NOT: Under any circumstances post any link that leads directly to CSAM. We will ban you immediately and report you to the admins. If it looks like you broke the law—which borders on strict liability for this stuff—we will do everything in our power to report you to the feds and send you to jail.

What they’re basically suggesting is that the media, such as yours truly, stop embedding links to Twitter. At least in r/law. The problem with that is that I can see this sort of thing spreading to other places on Reddit. And then other places outside of Reddit. I’m not sure that this is a viable course of action. Though I can see why one might take that course of action. Because Elon by not going after posters of child porn made Twitter the Wild West where you might become collateral damage if you post something that you didn’t completely sanity check. This is another one of those things that illustrates why you should leave Twitter if you haven’t already.

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