Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Another year of challenging the 'inevitable'
Cybersecurity Awareness Month does precisely what its name suggests. It serves as a reminder of the sector's importance for businesses and consumers across the globe.
As we look back on yet another year where threats have continued to evolve, and the task at hand seems greater than ever -- it's important to take cognizance of the cyber-dangers out there and recognize our roles in the fight against 'hackers'.
Artificial intelligence is amazing -- but it won't integrate with your company on its own, you need a strategy
The enormous wave of public interest in AI is undoubtedly caused by how the results of machine learning were turned into a product bundle in the form of ChatGPT. A layman might come to the conclusion that artificial intelligence came out of the blue in 2022. Its success, however, lies in astronomically high investments in infrastructure and countless hours of human and machine labor at OpenAI. How can you make use of the currently available models in your company?
The more technical crowds have been talking about AI since the fifties, but it was first a mathematical concept -- this is where we get the famous Turing test from. Thanks to brilliant scientific work, research investments, and mass adoption of computer technology in the nineties, we are now experiencing what authors in the past used to write sci-fi novels about. One could think that AI is just a software achievement. However, advancements in miniaturization, increases in computing power, and reductions in the costs of obtaining hardware play a big role too. What would’ve cost hundreds of billions of dollars back in the day now sets you back "just" a couple of millions.
Bad bots try to be more human
Bad bots are designed perform various malicious activities. These range from basic scrapers that try to get some data off an application -- and are easily blocked -- to more advanced persistent bots that try to evade detection.
Barracuda researchers have been tracking bots for several years and have identified some interesting recent trends not least that, like King Louie in The Jungle Book, they 'wanna be like you'.
AI's future success depends on the success of its integration
While AI is taking the workplace by storm, this technology -- especially the AI-enabled smart and automated platform tools -- will not replace the role of employees in the workplace. Instead, AI will become more integrated into everyday workflows as a way to help employees do their jobs more effectively.
For example, generative AI is emerging as a tool that can help with content creation, such as sales pitches, email newsletters and, memos. In applications like this, the technology is already helping to provide users with a better day-to-day and overall experience, which positively contributes to adoption. This in turn has a direct impact on technology investment ROI at scale.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month turns 20! What are the biggest cybersecurity challenges currently facing organizations?
It’s the 20th anniversary of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and it’s safe to say a lot has changed in the cybersecurity industry since then. For example, just over the last year, we have seen the meteoric rise of generative AI and the huge impact it is already having on the cybersecurity industry.
Aaron Kiemele, CISO at Jamf, argues that now with the rise of generative AI, the threat posed by techniques such as phishing has completely changed: "With the advancements in large language models for machine learning, such as ChatGPT, cybercriminals are leveraging AI to automate attacks, analyze vast amounts of data, and craft more effective phishing emails or malware to achieve their nefarious ends. We can no longer rely on bad spelling or sketchy formatting."
Why governments need an effective access management strategy [Q&A]
Governments and data make for a complex relationship. In some cases, agencies are obligated to make information publicly accessible. In others, sensitive data is highly regulated and therefore needs to be protected to keep it out of the public domain.
With key information changing hands internally via various departments and externally via third parties, it's vital that government agencies can access systems and share data securely -- particularly given increases in cyberattacks.
IObit Advanced SystemCare 17 unveils new one-click health check tool alongside redesigned UI
IObit has released a brand new version of its all-in-one PC maintenance and optimization tool. IObit Advanced SystemCare 17.0, available in both free and paid-for versions for Windows PCs,
The new version opens with the now almost-obligatory user interface refresh, with the promise of improved visual effects and, more usefully, a better user experience.
A cheaper USB-C Apple Pencil is coming next month with some BIG compromises
Apple is tossing a new, cheaper Apple Pencil with USB-C into the mix, set to hit the stores in early November for just $79. It does not replace the first or second generation models, but instead, it sort of slots in between them.
This stylus has many bells and whistles like pixel-perfect accuracy, low latency, and tilt sensitivity, making it suitable for a variety of tasks such as note-taking, sketching, annotating, and journaling. However, it is missing some important features, including the lack of pressure sensitivity and wireless charging.
Phishing attacks reach record highs
In the third quarter of this year, phishing attacks soared by 173 percent compared with the previous three months, and malware was up 110 percent over the same period.
Email security company Vade has released its quarterly Phishing and Malware Report which shows Q3 2023's malware volumes almost set a record for the highest total of any quarter, trailing only Q4 2016's mark of 126.8 million.
Organized ID fraud increases 44 percent
Identity management company AU10TIX has released its latest Global Identity Fraud Report, based on insights from millions of transactions processed in 249 countries from April to June 2023.
It finds there has been a 44 percent increase in organized ID fraud in North America compared to preceding quarters. This upsurge is believed to be driven by the ongoing economic recovery and inflationary pressures, particularly in the US market, which are emboldening professional ID fraud syndicates.
New trend in ransomware: Anonymity
Imagine if you were attacked and you didn’t know the identity of the assailant. Not knowing who they were, what their motivations are, or their attack track record would leave you feeling helpless.
There is a disturbing new trend in ransomware attacks: anonymity. In the "halcyon" days of early attacks, the group attacking the victim would always say who they were. Now though, we are seeing a spike in attacks where the offending group is concealing their identity, and finding out who they are is a complicated process. If you’re lucky enough to have a wealth of dark web and other data to examine, threat actors are human, which means they usually make a mistake that reveals them.
Cyberattacks -- where they come from and the tactics they use
A new report from Netskope looks at the activities of cybercriminals based on the techniques and motivators that were most commonly detected among its customers in the first three quarters of 2023.
In news that will come as a surprise to precisely nobody it shows that the highest percentage of cybercriminal activity comes from Russia, while China accounts for most politically-motivated attacks.
WhatsApp adds passkey support to boost security
The Meta-owned messaging app WhatsApp has joined the growing legions of apps and services to support passkeys.
Initially available to Android users, the passwordless authentication feature makes it possible to secure a WhatsApp account with face recognition, a fingerprint or a PIN. It is a security feature that is billed as not only offering greater protection than passwords, but also being faster to use.
Microsoft is ready to launch new System Components hub in Windows 11 23H2
It is a number of weeks since we first learned about Windows 11's new System Components section in Windows 11. Initially discovered hidden in a Canary build of the operating system, Microsoft is now readying the new hub for a wider launch.
When it is made available to everyone, the new System Component hub will make various aspects of system management easier. It serves as a handy portal through which it is possible to change default apps, and take control of built-in apps and components without the need to hunt around in numerous places.
14th Gen Intel Core processors usher in a new era of desktop performance
Earlier today, Intel unveiled its 14th Generation Core desktop processor family, highlighted by the extraordinary i9-14900K. The launch paraded six new unlocked desktop processors, showcasing up to 24 cores, 32 threads, and an unyielding 6GHz frequency straight from the packaging.
Not to be overshadowed, the Intel Core i7-14700K emerges with 20 cores and 28 threads, credited to four additional Efficient-cores (E-cores) over its predecessors. Furthermore, Intel’s Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU) now encapsulates the new AI Assist feature, simplifying overclocking to a one-click endeavor for select unlocked Intel Core 14th Gen desktop processors.
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