Guest Post: TikTok Introduces New LIVE Features To Promote Kindness On The App!

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 27, 2021 by itnerd

TikTok LIVE provides fun and entertaining experiences the entire family can join together. Today, TikTok announced new features for LIVEs to help ensure a positive and safe environment for Canadians creating, discovering, and viewing LIVE videos!

Keyword Filters

As LIVE provides creators the opportunity to share more of themselves with the TikTok community, our goal is to help people feel comfortable doing so, which means taking a hard stance against bullying or hateful comments. We’re mindful that some comments or words may seem innocuous to some but are hurtful to others. To protect against this, in the settings tab of the LIVE launch screen, hosts can turn off comments or add up to 200 terms into the keyword filter to limit those comments in the chat. Words can be added to the list throughout the livestream by hosts and the person helping them.

Consider Before You Comment

Once a livestream starts, we want creators to be able to focus on entertaining their viewers. Because negative or abusive comments undermine the passion and energy creators put into their livestreams, viewers will now be prompted to reconsider the impact of their words before posting a potentially unkind or harmful comment.

Help for Hosts

To help hosts focus on entertaining and engaging the community, they can now, ahead of their livestream, assign a person they trust to help them manage their streams by tapping Settings on the right side of the livestream launch screen. During the LIVE, both the host and the person helping can mute and block users to help keep the stream welcoming and civil.

In the coming weeks, TikTok will also introduce a way for hosts and the person helping manage their LIVE to temporarily mute viewers or remove unkind or harmful comments as they strive to maintain a supportive and authentic community environment. This is why TikTok has additional safeguards and policies for LIVE, including requiring accounts to be 16 or older to host a livestream. TikTok also prohibits gift-baiting (the solicitation of gifts or engagement) as well as fraudulent behavior or scams. Further, if TikTok identifies an account that impersonates or misleads our community about their identity, TikTok will remove the account from our platform.

You can also read more in TikTok’s newsroom here: https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-ca/all-the-ways-you-can-enjoy-live-with-tiktokca

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Pinterest Introduces New Ways For Creators To Earn Money & Partner With Brands

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 27, 2021 by itnerd

Today, Pinterest is launching a new way for Creators to build their business and earn money by partnering with brands on sponsored content. 

Pinterest is introducing a new paid partnerships tool, allowing Creators to disclose their paid partnerships. Creators who make branded content can now add brands directly in their Idea Pins, and once the brand approves the tag — the Idea Pin will include a “Paid Partnership” label. 

The paid partnerships tool is now live for select Creators in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, France, Spain, Italy Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Peru.

In the U.S. and U.K., Pinterest is also launching Idea Pins product tagging tool to all business accounts and will continue rolling out access over the coming months to international creators. Idea Pin product tagging, is a new tool that enables Creators to tag their Idea Pins with any of the millions of Product Pins on Pinterest. 

Pinterest is focused on building a creator platform centered on inspiration over influence and entertainment. With these latest updates, Creators can make their content more actionable and shoppable, make a living and easily partner with brands. 

CREATOR INSPIRATION:

If you’re looking for fashion, travel and lifestyle content, follow: The Alma Chronicle

Follow osobbeauty for everything beauty related.

If you’re looking for farmhouse dream vibes, check out: B Vintage Style

If you’re looking for DIY trends, tips and makeovers, follow: Mint Candy Designs

More details can be found on the Pinterest Newsroom. 

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Guest Post: Ransomware has already cost victims $45 million in 2021 Says Atlas VPN

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 27, 2021 by itnerd

Cybercriminals have started to use double extortion methods in ransomware attacks.

According to the data presented by the Atlas VPN, ransomware has already cost victims $45 million in 2021. Some of the ransom payments made this year are the largest ones we have seen yet.

Conti ransomware group has received the most payments in ransom, nearly $13 million in total. Conti is double extortion ransomware, which not only encrypts data but also threatens to leak it online. 

The second most payments were taken by REvil / Sodinokibi group, which extorted $12.13 million in 2021 so far. REvil is a Russian-based criminal group, and they are one of the most prominent ransomware as a service providers (RaaS). 

The DarkSide group forced $4.67 million in ransom out of their victims in 2021. They announced their RaaS in August of 2020 and became known for their professional operations and large ransoms. 

RagnarLocker extorted $4.54 million in ransom, and MountLocker took away $4.22 millionfrom their victims in 2021. 

Cybersecurity writer and researcher at Atlas VPN William Sword shares his thoughts on ransomware attacks:

“Cybercriminals can shut down huge organizations, highlighting a massive issue — many companies have left their infrastructure and cybersecurity vulnerable to hackers. Businesses must take responsibility and secure their systems before hackers can launch even more disruptive attacks.”

Largest ransomware payments this year

Many hacker groups target specifically large organizations as their disruption would cause the most damage.

World’s largest meat producer JBS USA fell victim to the REvil attack and paid a ransom of $11 million (301 bitcoins). JBS was forced to shut down some of its food production sites on May 31st, affecting thousands of employees. 

DarkSide ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline cost the organization $4.4 million (75 bitcoins). Due to the attack, many Americans had to deal with gas shortages and price spikes for weeks to come.

Backup appliance maker Exagrid paid $2.6 million (50.75 bitcoins) to Conti ransomware hackers. Cybercriminals stole 800GB of data related to employees, customers, and other confidential information. Hackers threatened to sell the stolen data on the dark web if Exagrid did not pay the ransom.

To read the full article, head over to: https://atlasvpn.com/blog/ransomware-has-already-cost-victims-45-million-in-2021

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Guest Post: Your Drives Have Never Been Smarter Says Waze

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 27, 2021 by itnerd

We all like options. From dinner locations to workout playlists to movie nights, we want to choose what best suits us at any given moment, based on our priorities, the weather, or even simply our mood. 

And we know love for information is no different when you’re behind the wheel. You want options for getting from A to B—the cheapest, the shortest, the fastest—and you want to be sure whichever you choose is actually going to deliver before you commit to a route. 

This is why we’ve been hard at work bringing this information to Wazers, before they start a drive. Starting today, before you set foot in their car, you’ll be greeted by Waze with a wealth of new intel—like alternative routes, traffic conditions and real time reports—to help make your best routing choice. Making it easier than ever to get the info you need, before you even leave the house. 

Want to avoid that notoriously congestion-heavy stretch of highway? Or know how much the tolls ahead are going to cost you? Or curious why Waze has suggested a less direct route to get you to your destination? From now on you’ll be getting “the why” in your trip preview, so you’ll know Waze is making the best recommendation. Or, if the mood takes you, go your own way. Because drivers that know and understand what’s ahead are happier drivers all around. 

This experience starts rolling out to users globally today, and will reach everyone in the next couple of months. Make sure you have the latest version of Waze downloaded to receive all the latest updates. 

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Sonos & The North Face Team Up To Explore The Great Outdoors

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 26, 2021 by itnerd

In celebration of the newly launched Sonos Roam and just in time for summer, Sonos and The North Face are teaming up to offer adventurers and wanderlusters an opportunity to explore the great outdoors in brilliant sound from home!

According to a new survey conducted by Sonos, 60% of North Americans feel they have been missing a great joy in their life because travel has been more limited in the past year. Sonos and The North Face are hoping to bring that joy back through this partnership, which includes: 

  • Expedition Soundscapes on Sonos Radio: Never Stop Exploring – Original field recordings from nine of The North Face’s most-far-flung adventures have been mixed, sequenced and combined with an original score to take you on a global journey with the world-class athletes who were part of the expedition. From the comfort of home, you can journey with Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison as they become the first ever people to ski down Mt Everest’s neighbor Lhotse for the first time, or trek across Antarctica with Free Solo climber Alex Honnold. The sound experiences will be exclusively available on Sonos Radio new station, Never Stop Exploring, launching today. Previews are available on Mixcloud here and YouTube here.

Whether you’re ready to board a plane tomorrow or you’re still more comfortable on the couch, Sonos is making it easier to explore the world around you – no matter where you are. 

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TELUS Wins Fastest Mobile Network In Canada For Fifth Year In A Row

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 26, 2021 by itnerd

TELUS has been awarded Canada’s Fastest Mobile Network for the fifth year in a row and eighth consecutive time. Seattle-based Ookla has named TELUS Canada’s Speedtest Award winner for mobile network speed to date in 2021.

Below are key highlights from the reports:

  • Ookla found that TELUS’ network speed outperformed all other mobile networks with a Speed Score of 85.21 Mbps, inclusive of both download and upload speeds
  • TELUS awarded Fastest Mobile Provider in Canada for the fifth year in a row and eighth consecutive time
  • Download speeds topped 88.92 Mbps in Ontario, making TELUS the Fastest Mobile Provider in the province for the fourth consecutive quarter 
  • TELUS ranked Fastest Mobile Provider in Manitoba for the fourth consecutive quarter with a download speed of 80.79 Mbps

This recognition from Ookla accompanies the significant, sustained accolades TELUS has earned over the years with respect to our world-leading wireless network:

You can have a look at Ookla’s report HERE for details.

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Zoho Invoice change Will Help SMBs Rebuild & Grow

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 26, 2021 by itnerd

Zoho Corporation, a global technology company offering the most extensive suite of business software applications in the industry, announced that starting today, its online invoicing solution, Zoho Invoice, will be completely free of cost to further extend the company’s support for small and medium-sized businesses. 

In the last four years, Zoho Invoice’s revenue growth has rapidly increased, demonstrating the need for a comprehensive invoicing solution to aid businesses from any industry to shift from manual to digital. Due to the global pandemic, SMBs have decided to modernize their invoicing processes at an accelerated rate. To continue its support of the SMB community, Zoho Invoice offers advanced capabilities such as time tracking, auto recording of expenses, project billing, and 30+ real time reports to help freelancers and small businesses easily navigate the billing and payment collection process, without the concerns of cost. 

For small and medium-sized businesses billing and payment collection has continued to be a challenge, due to administrative costs, limited staff, and insufficient time resources. Additionally, businesses need the ability to access data remotely, which has caused a shift from on-premise solutions to cloud-based solutions. 

According to an Analysys Mason study, SMB spending on on-premise solutions for invoice management will be stagnant between 2019 and 2025, while spending on cloud-based invoicing solutions will increase from 0.9 billion dollars to 2.1 billion dollars. Fully cloud-based, Zoho Invoice enables businesses to create and send fully-customized, professional invoices in less than a minute, follow up for payments automatically, and get paid online to achieve efficiency in their invoice process. 

Zoho has supported small and medium-sized businesses for over 20 years, and Zoho Invoice has helped businesses with their invoicing needs for 13 of those years. Zoho Invoice’s free offering will continue to help businesses streamline their billing and payment collection process through streamlined payment collection, simplified billing, tax handling, and more. Invoice integrates with Zoho applications, and also integrates with third-party applications so that businesses can use the solution to contextually sync their AR information to relevant systems. 

Key benefits of Zoho Invoice include:

  • Simplified billing: Businesses can create and send fully customized, professional invoices within minutes. Invoices can be sent automatically if they are recurring in nature. 
  • Tax Handling: Businesses can track US sales tax or Canada’s GST levied on every transaction with tax summary reports to assist with tax filing. 
  • Streamlined payment collection: Payments can be collected quickly and securely online through ACH, Debit/Credit Cards and PayPal. 
  • Automated payment reminders: Based on customizable settings, the system will automatically send payment reminders to customers through email. 
  • Effortless expense tracking: Expenses can be recorded automatically by scanning the bill or receipt using the Zoho Invoice mobile app.
  • Client portal: Businesses can allow their customers to keep track of all relevant invoices, projects and make payments through the client portal. 
  • Time tracking: Businesses can manage multiple projects, track time and accurately bill their customers. 
  • Instant reports: Businesses have access to 30+, real-time reports that provide insights into key financial metrics such as best-selling products, invoice statuses, pending payments, and more.
  • Mobile apps: Zoho Invoice is available on the web or as a fully functional, downloadable mobile app available for all devices.

Availability
Zoho Invoice is available for free immediately on the web and as a fully functional, downloadable mobile app on all devices.

For more information, please visit https://www.zoho.com/invoice

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Fake Windows 11 Installers Are Spreading Malware

Posted in Commentary with tags , on July 24, 2021 by itnerd

If you want to try out Windows 11, you need to be really careful because according to Kaspersky, there are fake Windows 11 installers out there that are serving up malware:

Microsoft hasn’t yet released Windows 11, but the new operating system is already available for download and preview. Cybercriminals, of course, are exploiting that, slipping malware to users who think they’re downloading Microsoft’s new operating system.

And:

One example involves an executable file called 86307_windows 11 build 21996.1 x64 + activator.exe. With a file size as large as 1.75GB, it certainly looks plausible. In fact, though, the bulk of that space consists of one DLL file that contains a lot of useless information.

Opening the executable starts the installer, which looks like an ordinary Windows installation wizard. Its main purpose is to download and run another, more interesting executable. The second executable is an installer as well, and it even comes with a license agreement (which few people read) calling it a “download manager for 86307_windows 11 build 21996.1 x64 + activator” and noting that it would also install some sponsored software. If you accept the agreement, a variety of malicious programs will be installed on your machine.

Nasty. The article from Kaspersky tells you how to safely download Windows 11 onto a computer that already has Windows 10. But this makes it clear that you have to be careful if you want to try out Microsoft newest OS as clearly cyber criminals are out there to pwn you.

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CEO Of The NSO Group To The World: You Have Nothing To Worry About

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 23, 2021 by itnerd

The charm offensive by the NSO group continues. Shalev Hulio CEO and cofounder of NSO Group spoke to Forbes magazine and had this to say:

As for the average person, they’ve no need to fear NSO Group, he insists, as his company is only going to flex its technical muscle and break into the Apple and Google phones of serious criminals. “The people that are not criminals, not the Bin Ladens of the world—there’s nothing to be afraid of. They can absolutely trust on the security and privacy of their Google and Apple devices.”

I’m going to call BS on that.

The problem with spyware this powerful is that someone outside of the people that NSO Group sells to can get their hands on it and then it could become something that is more broadly used and affect you, I, and everyone else. That’s on top of the fact that any one of the NSO Group’s customers can use this spyware and simply go rogue and do whatever they want. The fact is that this this spyware is dangerous and shouldn’t exist. But it does and if you’re not concerned about this, you should be. Now I get why the NSO is taking this stance. They have a business that they need to run and make money from. And this whole controversy is a massive distraction from that core mission. So they have to try and spin this in any way they can. Which is why you simply cannot trust the NSO Group. And by extension, you shouldn’t believe the above statement.

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NSO Group To World: It’s Not Our Fault

Posted in Commentary with tags on July 22, 2021 by itnerd

The NSO Group is hitting back as claims of its spyware going after all sorts of high value targets circulate. It’s current (as this might change the longer that this story is out there) response to this is this: It’s not us, it’s our customers fault.

But on Wednesday, the spokesman said: “If I am the manufacturer of a car and now you take the car and you are driving drunken and you hit somebody, you do not go to the car manufacturer, you go to the driver. 

“We are sending the system to governments, we get all the correct accreditation and do it all legally. 

“You know, if a customer decides to misuse the system, he will not be a customer anymore. 

“But all the allegations and all the finger-pointing should be at the customer.”

Well, on one hand their drunk driver analogy is a novel point. But on the other hand, when you produce military grade spyware and from all reports sell it to countries that don’t exactly have the best reputations when it comes to human right among other areas. And surprise they misuse it in ways that are horrible, you can’t be surprised that some will point the finger at the maker of said spyware as being the culprit. The fact is that this is an example where a company has to question if they are in the right line of business if their product has all of these negative effects. Or perhaps NSO group is too busy counting the dollars that their sales produce to really care. Methinks it’s the latter.

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