Trump’s Niece Pulls Her Podcasts From Spotify

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 2, 2022 by itnerd

This protest against Spotify appears to be gaining steam. The latest person to pull content from Spotify is Mary Trump who is the niece of Donald Trump. She made the announcement on Twitter:

Ms Trump has been a vocal critic of individuals spreading harmful misinformation about Covid-19. And that includes her own uncle.

Anyone want to take bets as to who will be next to leave Spotify?

UPDATE: Mary Trump just dropped this Tweet:

Ouch. That’s going to leave a mark.

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HP Has A Suggestion As To How To Make Valentine’s Day A Bit More Personal

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 2, 2022 by itnerd

HP has a valentines day purchasing suggestion for you. It’s a printer.

The HP ENVY Inspire printer may not sound like the typical Valentine’s Day purchase, however its first-of-its-kind HP photo printing capabilities allows consumers to create custom two-sided custom cards to help put together tailor-made Valentines. There’s two models in play. The first is the HP ENVY Inspire 7900e series which you can see below.

Next is the HP ENVY 7200e series which you can see below:

Both have a great feature set including:

  • SMART PRINTER – Anyone can securely access the printer, send, and store files, and print from home or virtually anywhere using any preferred device with the HP Smart App. Helping you share your most beloved memories easier and safer than ever.
  • SMART INK – Never run out of ink again by signing up for HP Instant Ink. Once signed up, your HP ENVY will automatically order ink to your door when you’re running low. Helping make sure you always have enough to print your favorite memories of those you cherish the most this Valentine’s Day.
  • SMART APP – Enjoy extra features: HP+ gets the most out of the HP Smart App. From housework to homework, the HP Smart app helps advance-scan books, multiple receipts and store editable, searchable files. This gives access to yours or your loved one’s fondest pictures to any mobile device.

You can learn more about the HP ENVY Inspire printers at HP.ca, or via this link. And make Valentine’s Day a bit more personal.

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More C-Suite Engagement Needed in 2022 to Mitigate Cyber Risk: Trend Micro

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 2, 2022 by itnerd

Trend Micro Incorporated has published new research* revealing that persistently low IT/C-suite engagement may imperil investments and expose organizations to increased cyber risk. In Canada 93% of the IT and business decision makers surveyed expressed particular concern about ransomware attacks.

To read a full copy of the global report, please visit: https://www.trendmicro.com/explore/en_gb_trendmicro-global-risk-study

Despite widespread concern over spiralling threats, the study found that only 2-in-5 (42%) of responding IT teams discuss cyber risks with the C-suite at least weekly.

Fortunately, current investment in cyber initiatives is not critically low. Just under half (46%) of respondents claimed their organization is spending most on “cyber-attacks” to mitigate business risk. This was the most popular answer, above more typical projects like digital transformation (40%) and workforce transformation (32%). In addition, nearly half (44%) said they have recently increased investments to mitigate the risks of ransomware attacks and security breaches.

However, low C-suite engagement combined with increased investment suggests a tendency to ‘throw money’ at the problem rather than develop an understanding of the cybersecurity challenges and invest appropriately. This approach may undermine more effective strategies and risk greater financial loss. 1-out-of-2 respondents (50%) said that cyber threats were an IT problem, while just 34% found it to be an overall business risk. Less than half (40%) of respondents claimed concepts like “cyber risk” and “cyber risk management” were known extensively in their organization. Even more troubling, 8% of respondents said that their company does not assess cyber risk at all. 

Three quarters of Canadian respondents (75%) want to hold more people in the organization responsible for managing and mitigating these risks, which would help to drive an enterprise-wide culture of “security by design.” The largest group of respondents (32%) favoured holding CEOs responsible. Other non-IT roles cited by respondents included CFOs (26%) and CMOs (14%). 

The study follows previous Trend Micro Research revealing a worrying cybersecurity disconnect between business and IT leaders – perpetuated by self-censorship from cyber experts and disagreements over who is ultimately responsible.

*Trend Micro commissioned Sapio Research to interview 5321 IT and business decision makers from enterprises larger than 250 employees across 26 countries​.

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Guest Post: TikTok Tracks Your Data The Most Out Of All Social Media Apps Says Atlas VPN

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 2, 2022 by itnerd

 Trackers allow ad services to follow users around the web to learn about their browsing habits.

According to the recent findings by the Atlas VPN team, YouTube and TikTok have the most trackers among social media apps. In addition, applications in the magazine, news, and sports categories tend to have the most first and third-party trackers. 

The YouTube application has 14 trackers in total, 10 first-party and 4 third-party contacts. On the other hand, TikTok app trackers are more concerning as 13 out of 14 are third-party network contacts.

Twitter and Telegram each have 9 trackers in their iOS applications. However, all 9 contacts in Telegram lead to third-party domains, while the Twitter app tracks users with 6 third-party and 3 first-party contacts.

On average, social media apps have 6 trackers, of which 4 are third-party, and 2 are first-party contacts. Not logging into the app’s services contributed to fewer trackers on social media applications.

Cybersecurity writer at Atlas VPN Vilius Kardelis shares his thoughts on third-party trackers: 

“Internet users are starting to care more and more about their privacy, which challenges app developers to engage customers using first-party data strategies and tools. Currently, customers cannot see what data is being shared with third-party trackers or how their data will be used, creating a lack of transparency between the brand and the consumer.”

Magazine and news apps filled with trackers

Even with minimal app use, users are faced with plenty of third-party trackers that collect personal data without consumer permission.

Magazine applications averaged 28 trackers, of which 26 belong to third-party network contacts. The Wall Street Journal app made 48 total trackers, the most of any magazine app.

News apps averaged 23 trackers, of which 21 lead to third-party network connections. CNN application tracks their readers with 34 total trackers. Washington Post and NBC News apps are not far behind, with 31 and 26 contacts each.

Sports applications follow next as they averaged 22 trackers, of which 18 collect information for third-party contacts. ESPN app has 35 third-party trackers and 42 total.

Music apps averaged 21 trackers, of which 17 belong to third-party network connections. iHeart: Radio application made 56 contacts, with 51 being to third-party networks, which is the most among all apps analyzed in the research.

To read the full article, head over to: https://atlasvpn.com/blog/tiktok-tracks-your-data-the-most-out-of-social-media-apps

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The White House Wades Into The Spotify Mess As Another Artist Pulls Their Content From Spotify

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 2, 2022 by itnerd

Continuing a trend of news that is not all that positive for Spotify, The White House has added it’s $0.02 worth to the conversation:

The White House is joining the debate about coronavirus misinformation on streaming platform Spotify, insisting that more needs to be done to ensure Americans get accurate information about the pandemic. 

Press secretary Jen Psaki called it a “positive step” that Spotify had decided to add disclaimers about covid misinformation in response to criticism from medical professionals and musicians that some content, in particular from provocative podcaster Joe Rogan, spreads false information about the coronavirus and vaccines.

“Our hope is that all major tech platforms and all major news sources, for that matter, be responsible and be vigilant to ensure the American people have access to accurate information on something as significant as covid-19,” Psaki said Tuesday. “That certainly includes Spotify.” 

“So this disclaimer, it’s a positive step, but we want every platform to continue doing more to call out misinformation and disinformation while also uplifting accurate information,” she added.

Keep in mind that what Spotify did was say that it would do this:

We are working to add a content advisory to any podcast episode that includes a discussion about COVID-19. This advisory will direct listeners to our dedicated COVID-19 Hub, a resource that provides easy access to data-driven facts, up-to-date information as shared by scientists, physicians, academics and public health authorities around the world, as well as links to trusted sources. This new effort to combat misinformation will roll out to countries around the world in the coming days. To our knowledge, this content advisory is the first of its kind by a major podcast platform. 

So it’s up to people when they see the advisory to seek out information. You’ll note that the Press Secretary said this:

So this disclaimer, it’s a positive step, but we want every platform to continue doing more to call out misinformation and disinformation while also uplifting accurate information,” she added.

So the way I read this is that what Spotify is doing is a start but they need to do more. Which to be frank they do need to do more. Because simply sticking a warning on a podcast is not good enough. And that is illustrated by another artist leaving Spotify:

https://twitter.com/rgay/status/1488636708614639616

Roxane Gay is a writer and social commentator. And given that she has the verified tag from Twitter, she’s anything but obscure. And I’m not so sure about her comment about not moving the needle. Every time someone leaves Spotify, it’s news. The sort of news that Spotify doesn’t want out there because it keeps this story in the news.

It will be interesting to see who’s next to bail from Spotify. And who else makes a comment about this.

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Google Canada Announces $1.5 Million Contribution To Canadian Council For Aboriginal Business 

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 2, 2022 by itnerd

Today, Google Canada announced a $1.5 million commitment to Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) to support Indigenous businesses and entrepreneurs across the country. 

One million of the support will go towards cash grants and CCAB memberships for Indigenous businesses and the redevelopment of CCAB’s Tools and Financing for Aboriginal Business (TFAB) platform. Google will also provide CCAB with $500,000 of donated Search ads to reach a broader audience, promote their programs and share research with the public. 

There are close to 60,000 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit owned businesses in Canada, contributing over $30 billion annually to Canada’s GDP. By 2025, the contribution is expected to be over $100 billion. However, Indigenous businesses have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to CCAB research, over half of Indigenous businesses reported declined revenues with many closing temporarily and almost half having to lay off staff. As the Indigenous economy recovers from the impact of COVID-19, the report points to financial assistance, business digitization, and developing eCommerce skills and digital marketing as key areas of need.

The $1.5 million grant and in-kind support from Google.org to CCAB will establish new programs that directly address the needs of Indigenous businesses identified through CCAB research. CCAB will offer cash grants and CCAB memberships to Indigenous businesses over the next year, while investing in re-building the Tools and Financing for Aboriginal Business (TFAB) platform to provide new training and resources to Indigenous entrepreneurs over the next two years. In addition, Google will offer CCAB donated ads to promote programs and the new TFAB platform through Google Search advertising. Indigenous-owned marketing agency, Jelly Marketing, will help support CCAB’s digital marketing campaign.

To learn more about how eligible businesses can get involved, visit CCAB’s website.

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FBI Tells People Going To The Olympics To Leave Their Personal Devices At Home

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 2, 2022 by itnerd

As the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics starts this week, concerns have grown over the risk of potential cyber attacks during the Olympics and Paralympics. Today, the FBI released a PIN, advising athletes to leave their personal phones at home and to consider a temporary phone while attending events.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released a Private Industry Notification (PIN) to warn entities associated with the February 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and March 2022 Paralympics that malicious cyber actors could use a broad range of cyber activities to disrupt these events. These activities include distributed denial-of-service attacks, ransomware, malware, social engineering, data theft or leaks, phishing campaigns, disinformation campaigns, and insider threats. Additionally, the FBI PIN warns Olympic participants and travelers of potential threats associated with mobile applications developed by untrusted vendors. The FBI urges all athletes to keep their personal cell phone at home and use a temporary phone while attending the events.

This mirrors advice that the Dutch Olympic Committee gave its athletes.

Chris Olson, CEO of The Media Trust had this to say:

“While geopolitical factors may decrease the likelihood of a state-sponsored cyberattack during the 2022 Winter Olympics, it is unlikely to reduce the number of consumer-directed cyberattacks from digital third parties. In fact, we are gearing up for a record breaking number: Olympics season always brings a spike in malicious advertising, phishing attacks and corrupted links. Cyber actors take advantage of increased online engagement by targeting channels that consumers use to stay abreast of news and results, leading to identity theft, financial fraud, and more.”

“During these periods, media and news outlets must prepare themselves for the inevitable onslaught if they wish to protect their visitors and reputation. Digital trust and safety are more important than they have ever been, and complacency is a recipe for disaster.”

Clearly there is a fear that if you go to China with your personal device, you will get pwned. Which makes sense as the Chinese don’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to this sort of thing. Thus it likely is a good idea to leave your personal device at home as you can’t be too careful.

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Researchers Disclose Serious Vulnerabilities In SureMDM

Posted in Commentary with tags , on February 2, 2022 by itnerd

Researchers with Immersive Labs have disclosed a vulnerability bug in SureMDM, a popular mobile device management platform, which could lead to compromises on every device running the platform within the targeted enterprise. The issue included a lack of default authentication between the agent running the host and the server where attacks could potentially register fake devices and intercept job regquests containing sensitive data.

Saumitra Das, CTO and Cofounder, Blue Hexagon had this to day.

“This is reminiscent of the Kaseya attack where organizations were compromised by a third-party software system used for IT management. There is always a tradeoff between ease of onboarding or ease of use and cybersecurity. Systems are often deployed with defaults that allow for quick deployment and onboarding of users but leave holes like this open that can then be exploited by attackers. After the Solarwinds and Kaseya attacks, organizations should be very circumspect of how much privilege third-party software has inside their networks.”

The majority of these issues have been mitigated. Which means that you should install any and all updates to protect yourself if you run SureMDM. But those running the Linux client are still vulnerable. And there is a proof of concept from Immersive Labs inbound to demonstrate the issue. Which means you’ll have to update that when patches become available.

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Anjuna Security Expands Executive Team

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 1, 2022 by itnerd

Anjuna Security, the Confidential Cloud company, today announced it is accelerating its go-to-market capabilities in the fast-emerging confidential computing market with the arrival of four seasoned industry executives. Former Zscaler executive Manoj Apte has joined the company’s Board of Directors, and seasoned professionals Kim del Fierro and Greg Dennison are joining the executive team. In addition, Mark Cranney will be supporting Anjuna as a go-to-market advisor.

Confidential Computing is a growing technology, already widely available, that protects data and applications in public cloud servers, enabling it to be completely isolated. It is now supported by Amazon AWS, Microsoft, Google Cloud, and other providers, as well as the leading CPU and server companies. The Anjuna Confidential Cloud software is unique because it enables organizations to easily implement Confidential Computing technologies without the need to modify applications or IT processes and provides seamless deployment across various cloud environments. 

Prominent Zscaler Executive Added to Board of Directors

Manoj joins the Board of Directors to solidify and expand Anjuna’s market penetration strategy. He most recently served as the Chief Strategy Officer at Zscaler where he was responsible for defining the company’s product and directions. Over his 13-year tenure, Manoj ran product management, sales engineering, engineering and operations, marketing, sales enablement, and training and developed critical customer and technology partner relationships. In that time, Zscaler grew from zero to almost a billion in revenue.

Anjuna enables organizations to ensure their data is fully isolated from insiders, third parties, and attackers in public cloud infrastructure, even when commonly shared with other cloud customers. This creates a Zero Trust posture for companies using the cloud today or those looking to migrate to cloud computing—allowing them to keep their data completely private within the public cloud with zero risk.

World-Class Industry Leaders Join Anjuna’s Go-to-Market Team

Joining the executive team are Kim del Fierro, as Anjuna’s Chief Marketing Officer, and Greg Dennison as Vice President of Sales. Mark Cranney will also be supporting Anjuna as a Go-To-Market Advisor. 

Kim del Fierro, Chief Marketing Officer 

Kim joins Anjuna from Aisera, a provider of AI service management solutions for enterprises. As VP of Marketing at Aisera, she helped drive 300% year-over-year growth. Kim brings a strong track record of leading marketing teams in private and publicly traded companies, from early-stage startups through successful public offerings or acquisitions.

Greg Dennison, VP of Sales

Greg brings more than two decades of enterprise sales experience to Anjuna. He served as VP of Sales for SignalFx (acquired by Splunk), and managed the Americas sales organization for the Splunk Observability business unit. 

Mark Cranney, Go-To-Market Advisor 

Mark was most recently Chief Operating Officer at Skydio, where he led all operations and go-to-market for the company. Prior to that, he was COO at SignalFx, an operating partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), and he has also led worldwide-field operations for Opsware and Aster Data Systems (acquired by Teradata).

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Rosanna Arquette Pulls Her Podcast From Spotify

Posted in Commentary with tags on February 1, 2022 by itnerd

This simply isn’t getting any better for Spotify. Actress Rosanna Arquette is the latest to pull her content from Spotify. She announced this via Twitter:

https://twitter.com/RoArquette/status/1488183916993282048

This perhaps isn’t a surprise as Arquette is pretty political. But it continues to underline that this controversy is not going away. Which means that Spotify has a growing problem on its hands.

Anyone want to take bets on who will be next to dump Spotify?

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