Accenture and Google Cloud Expanding Partnership Around Data and AIThe two companies are collaborating to help customers build a “strong digital core” “reinvent” themselves in the cloud by using machine learning (ML), AI, data analytics, and cybersecurity.@Cyber_Security_Channel
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Curated list for Artificial Intelligence resources.https://twitter.com/i/lists/1422779199006273540?t=8XIJcIO1EFEM5_e5SiS2UQ&s=09
New ransomware encrypts files, then steals your Discord accountThe new ‘AXLocker’ ransomware family is not only encrypting victims’ files and demanding a ransom payment but also stealing the Discord accounts of infected users.When a user logs into Discord with their credentials, the platform sends back a user authentication token saved on the computer. This token can then be used to log in as the user or to issue API requests that retrieve information about the associated account.Threat actors commonly attempt to steal these tokens because they enable them to take over accounts or, even worse, abuse them for further malicious attacks.As Discord has become the community of choice for NFT platforms and cryptocurrency groups, stealing a moderator token or other verified community member could allow threat actors to conduct scams and steal funds.AxLocker is a two-in-one threatResearchers at Cyble recently analyzed a sample of the new AXLocker ransomware and discovered that it not only encrypts files but also steals a victim’s Discord tokens.As ransomware, there is nothing particularly sophisticated about the malware or the threat actors who use it.When executed, the ransomware will target certain file extensions and exclude specific folders, as shown in the image below.Targeted files (left) and excluded directories (right) (Cyble)When encrypting a file, AXLocker uses the AES algorithm, but it does not append a filename extension on the encrypted files, so they appear with their normal names.To steal the Discord token, AxLocker will scan the following directories for and extract tokens using regular expressions:Google\Chrome\User Data\\Default\Local Storage\leveldbBraveSoftware\Brave-Browser\User Data\Default\Local Storage\leveldbAXLocker’s grab function (Cyble)Eventually, victims are served a pop-up window containing the ransom note, informing them that their data was encrypted and how they contact the threat actor to purchase a decryptor.Victims are given 48 hours to contact the attackers with their victim ID, but the ransom amount isn’t mentioned in the note.AXLocker ransom note (Cyble)While this ransomware clearly targets consumers rather than the enterprise, it could still pose a significant threat to large communities.Therefore, if you find that AxLocker encrypted your computer, you should immediately change your Discord password, as it will invalidate the token stolen by the ransomware.While this may not help recover your files, it will prevent further compromise of your accounts, data, and the communities you are involved in.
Reshaping the Threat Landscape in 2023: Cybersixgill Announces Top Trends in CybersecurityPartnerships Between Criminal Groups, Geopolitics, Economic Pressures, and AI, Combine to Reshape and Create New Collaborative Forces in the Coming Year and BeyondNew types of threat actors and groups are developing partnerships putting aside previously disparate motivationsAI playing an increasing role, both for malicious purposes and preemptive defense measuresAs the e-payments space grows, attack surfaces expand, creating new opportunities for threat actors to target users and companiesDisparities in cybersecurity capabilities continue to grow between private and public organizationsCISOs pressures will increase and influence how they approach cybersecurity concerning talent, budgets, strategies for personal career protection, and organizational securityThe Big Four-Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea-will be highly active in 2023, using destructive attacks, information operations, financial threats, and moreTEL AVIV, ISRAEL / ACCESSWIRE / November 15, 2022 / Cybersixgill, the global cyber threat intelligence data provider, announced today the 2023 trends that will significantly impact cybersecurity and reshape the threat landscape. According to the company’s threat research experts, combining global geopolitical forces, economic pressures, and AI creates new opportunities for cyber attacks and alliances among threat groups that create greater challenges for organizations in taking proactive cybersecurity measures. While the western world struggles with rising grocery bills and gas prices, the economy of the dark web-the digital black market-is chugging along as usual.What is unique about the world we are in now – is that it is not just increasingly sophisticated technology escalating cyber conflicts – but the changing vectors of motivations and new alliances among protagonists and antagonists. With an expanding attack surface and emerging threats whose targets stem from ideological and financial motivations, cyber warfare is becoming increasingly complex as it stretches across global geographies. Furthermore, government organizations and businesses face limited talent resources and budgets to proactively prevent attacks, forcing them to do less with more. These factors drive a greater reliance on increasingly sophisticated tools such as ML and AI.Let’s take a closer look at 2023 Trends according to Cybersixgill.TREND #1: The rise of new threat actors – ‘Quasi-APTs” and state-sponsored threat actors- presents significant risks to global governments, business organizations, and individuals.The rise of “Quasi-APT” becomes a more entrenched cyber threat with capabilities equal to those of nation-state-sponsored threat actors. CISOs must maintain constant vigilance, ensuring their organization can track, monitor, and remediate threats from multiple focal points. It’s not only the well-known advanced persistent threats (APTs) anymore, but your average Dark Web actor or the local anonymous chapter.In 2023, the Quasi-APT’s emergence will escalate due to the democratization of cyberweapons and the democratization of access enabled by powerful technology now accessible to cybercrime underground. For as little as $10 a piece, threat actors can purchase access and gain a steady foothold in their targets’ systems, attaining a beachhead into highly secured organizations without having to bother with the complex, drawn-out process of gaining initial access on their own. By outsourcing access, attackers of all levels of sophistication can leapfrog several steps, jumping yet another step closer to the level of an APT – hence the birth of the quasi-APT.What do companies need to do in response and preparation for this? Automated threat intelligence and robust vulnerability management programs are now more critical than ever for enterprises, as they must cope with thousands of compromised endpoints.TREND #2: Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play an increasingly important role on both sides of the cyberwar battlefield – as threat actors access malicious AI and organizations move to more proactive and preemptive cybersecurity strategies.The use of AI in cyber threat intelligence will escalate in 2023. Why now, since AI has been in play for several years? Historically, criminals have embraced technologies a few years after launch when the technology has become easy to use. We are now at a point where teenagers can use scripts found on GitHub to do basic AI and use them for constructive purposes. Threat actors can use AI for an advanced ‘credential stuffing’ attack, in which they can recognize patterns in passwords to generate password guesses for different systems. AI in Proactive and Pre-emptive Cybersecurity (the good guys): To respond to the escalation by threat actors and criminals using malicious AI, the government and enterprise organizations will need to use NLP and AI to move to proactive cybersecurity and move away from a reliance on past reactive approaches.In 2023 – Automation using AI will play an essential role in Proactive Cybersecurity. Currently, the threat numbers are daunting. It’s a needle in the haystack situation to determine which threats matter.AI detects real threats and builds proper defenses that send resources to the right place at the right time – around chatter and tracking the discourse between threat actors. Combining automation, advanced analytics, and rich vulnerability to exploit intelligence addresses all phases of the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) lifecycle.TREND #3: New attack surfaces arise in the ePay space (ApplePay, Shopify, Venmo, Paypal, etc.)As the digital economy grows, digital crime grows with it. Soaring numbers of online and mobile interactions are creating millions of attack opportunities. Many lead to data breaches that threaten both people and businesses. At the current growth rate, damage from cyberattacks will amount to about $10.5 trillion annually by 2025.Electronic payment methods changed significantly in 2022 – with increased momentum expected to occur in 2023. Online payments surged parallel to the growth in online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Electronic Payments Coalition, nearly $2 billion in mobile payments were processed daily in 2021, up 22% from the year before, according to the Global System for Mobile Associations State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money 2021. At the same time, the annual survey by the Association of Financial Professionals found payment scams hit almost 75% of businesses. Thirty percent of companies in the 2021 AFP Payments Fraud and Control Survey Report said payment fraud was on the rise, and the majority blamed adjustments brought on by the pandemic.The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in an unprecedented era of online shopping, digital payments, and cybercrime. Biometric advances, new international standards, and cyber-security tools are all shaping the new world of fraud protection in payments. There is significant economic motivation on the dark web to go after ePay for those motivated by financial pressure and criminal behaviors, as opposed to politics.TREND #4: In 2023, disparities will emerge in cybersecurity capabilities between private and public organizations versus the federal government and across geographies.Come 2023, in the United States – there will be different experiences for the government versus companies, with the private sector on its own regarding the increasing number and ferocity of attacks – as they currently are. Businesses will need to respond to new federal regulatory requirements. They may also experience increased attacks, given their predisposition to take visible political stances and engage in boycotts against other countries.The Federal Government will focus on using resources to protect its organizations, as politically motivated attacks are and will increase from state-sponsored organizations and individuals and organizations who are politically motivated and incited by current actions but are not state-backed. They are motivated by finances and the strong desire to take a stance (through technology), which is their form of protest.CISA has been pushing hard to create a set of new directives, which compose a set of first steps for Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies to follow in their quest to become cyber resilient. As part of this initiative, CISA is working urgently to gain greater visibility into risks facing federal civilian networks and predicts the next step is establishing baseline requirements for all FCEB agencies to identify assets and vulnerabilities on their networks and provide data to CISA at defined intervals.TREND #5: CISOs will increasingly change how they approach cybersecurity concerning talent, budgets, and strategies for personal career protection and organizational security.In 2023 – CISOs will significantly change how they approach cybersecurity from the perspectives of talent, budgets, and strategies – both for personal career protection and organizational security. The recentUber CISO guilty verdict has put CISOs on notice to adjust strategies and increase transparency.In 2023 – CISOs may be inclined to consolidate technologies and tools to ‘cut the fat’ in previously inflated cybersecurity spending. An area tempting for cuts by budget makers is security awareness and other kinds of training. The top brass of organizations must start taking cybersecurity seriously and spending money on defenses outside the IT department. It’s crucial to remember that most data breaches still result from human error, demonstrating the inadequacy of traditional security awareness training. Modern companies must abandon compliance-based awareness campaigns from the past in favor of extensive behavior and culture change programs that promote safer workplace practices.Dial-up security investments. Geopolitical events and technological disruption will continue fueling a sophisticated, fast-evolving threat landscape.Prioritized security controls and solutions that protect customer-facing and revenue-generating workloads. CISOs will defend investments that support cloud modernization and the organization’s evolution to Zero Trust.Conclusion:Nothing is ever stagnant in the cybersecurity space. Cybercrime Is increasingly lucrative, even more than drug trafficking. It is thought that cybercriminals can rake in $1.5 trillion annually. We expect a record-breaking year of cyber security breach notifications, not only because of the sophistication of threat actors – but also due to larger changes in the world: global unrest, supply chain instability, and soaring inflation – will impact an organization’s ability to mitigate, remediate, or prevent a problem.In 2023, we will see ransomware flourish, which has become one of the most prolific and costly types of malware in recent years. While ransomware is hardly a new threat – the first ransomware variant was the “AIDS virus,” created in 1989 – the development of cryptocurrency, which allows pseudonymous payments of virtual currency – has made it possible for ransoms to be paid digitally and anonymously, making ransomware attacks safer and easier to perform for cybercriminals. And while it is well-established as part of many threat actors’ toolkits, data shows more of a drop in U.S. ransomware incidents and a rise in Europeanransomware incidents.There will be an increase in the number of attackers motivated simply by bragging rights. These actors are often younger and not tied to a nation-state or organized group. The Big Four-Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea-will be highly active in 2023, using destructive attacks, information operations, financial threats, and more. Companies in European regions must stay especially vigilant, and organizations worldwide must be ready for increased attempts at extortion. Extortion actors will stop at nothing to achieve their goals, even using physical devices and less common types of social engineering.About CybersixgillCybersixgill continuously collects and exposes the earliest possible indications of risk produced by threat actors moments after they surface on the clear, deep, and dark web. This data is processed, correlated, and enriched using automation to create profiles and patterns of threat actors and their peer networks, including the source and context of each threat. Cybersixgill’s extensive body of data can be consumed through a range of seamlessly integrated into your existing security stack, so you can pre-empt threats before they materialize into attacks. The company serves and partners with global enterprises, financial institutions, MSSPs, and government and law enforcement agencies.For more information, visit https://www.cybersixgill.com/ and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. To schedule a demo, please visit https://www.cybersixgill.com/dve-demo/.North AmericaDanielle OstrovskyHi-Touch PR for CybersixgillMobile: US 1-410-302-9459Email: ostrovsky@hi-touchpr.comIsraelAyelet ElaniMobile: Israel 972-54-6242458Email: Ayelet@davidmalits.comSOURCE: CybersixgillView source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/725784/Reshaping-the-Threat-Landscape-in-2023-Cybersixgill-Announces-Top-Trends-in-CybersecurityTRENDING • Australian Unemployment Surprisingly Drops, Backs Rate Hikes • Global Exodus From China Bonds Extends Amid Selloff • Inside a Once-$10 Billion Crypto Empire That’s Suddenly Cracking • WRAPUP 1-Ukraine conflict intensifies in east; NATO, Poland say missile likely not from Russia • Chipmakers drag Japan’s Nikkei lower on Micron supply cutReshaping the Threat Landscape in 2023: Cybersixgill Announces Top Trends in CybersecurityPartnerships Between Criminal Groups, Geopolitics, Economic Pressures, and AI, Combine to Reshape and Create New Collaborative Forces in the Coming Year and BeyondNew types of threat actors and groups are developing partnerships putting aside previously disparate motivationsAI playing an increasing role, both for malicious purposes and preemptive defense measuresAs the e-payments space grows, attack surfaces expand, creating new opportunities for threat actors to target users and companiesDisparities in cybersecurity capabilities continue to grow between private and public organizationsCISOs pressures will increase and influence how they approach cybersecurity concerning talent, budgets, strategies for personal career protection, and organizational securityThe Big Four-Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea-will be highly active in 2023, using destructive attacks, information operations, financial threats, and moreTEL AVIV, ISRAEL / ACCESSWIRE / November 15, 2022 / Cybersixgill, the global cyber threat intelligence data provider, announced today the 2023 trends that will significantly impact cybersecurity and reshape the threat landscape. According to the company’s threat research experts, combining global geopolitical forces, economic pressures, and AI creates new opportunities for cyber attacks and alliances among threat groups that create greater challenges for organizations in taking proactive cybersecurity measures. While the western world struggles with rising grocery bills and gas prices, the economy of the dark web-the digital black market-is chugging along as usual.What is unique about the world we are in now – is that it is not just increasingly sophisticated technology escalating cyber conflicts – but the changing vectors of motivations and new alliances among protagonists and antagonists. With an expanding attack surface and emerging threats whose targets stem from ideological and financial motivations, cyber warfare is becoming increasingly complex as it stretches across global geographies. Furthermore, government organizations and businesses face limited talent resources and budgets to proactively prevent attacks, forcing them to do less with more. These factors drive a greater reliance on increasingly sophisticated tools such as ML and AI.Let’s take a closer look at 2023 Trends according to Cybersixgill.TREND #1: The rise of new threat actors – ‘Quasi-APTs” and state-sponsored threat actors- presents significant risks to global governments, business organizations, and individuals.The rise of “Quasi-APT” becomes a more entrenched cyber threat with capabilities equal to those of nation-state-sponsored threat actors. CISOs must maintain constant vigilance, ensuring their organization can track, monitor, and remediate threats from multiple focal points. It’s not only the well-known advanced persistent threats (APTs) anymore, but your average Dark Web actor or the local anonymous chapter.In 2023, the Quasi-APT’s emergence will escalate due to the democratization of cyberweapons and the democratization of access enabled by powerful technology now accessible to cybercrime underground. For as little as $10 a piece, threat actors can purchase access and gain a steady foothold in their targets’ systems, attaining a beachhead into highly secured organizations without having to bother with the complex, drawn-out process of gaining initial access on their own. By outsourcing access, attackers of all levels of sophistication can leapfrog several steps, jumping yet another step closer to the level of an APT – hence the birth of the quasi-APT.What do companies need to do in response and preparation for this? Automated threat intelligence and robust vulnerability management programs are now more critical than ever for enterprises, as they must cope with thousands of compromised endpoints.TREND #2: Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play an increasingly important role on both sides of the cyberwar battlefield – as threat actors access malicious AI and organizations move to more proactive and preemptive cybersecurity strategies.The use of AI in cyber threat intelligence will escalate in 2023. Why now, since AI has been in play for several years? Historically, criminals have embraced technologies a few years after launch when the technology has become easy to use. We are now at a point where teenagers can use scripts found on GitHub to do basic AI and use them for constructive purposes. Threat actors can use AI for an advanced ‘credential stuffing’ attack, in which they can recognize patterns in passwords to generate password guesses for different systems. AI in Proactive and Pre-emptive Cybersecurity (the good guys): To respond to the escalation by threat actors and criminals using malicious AI, the government and enterprise organizations will need to use NLP and AI to move to proactive cybersecurity and move away from a reliance on past reactive approaches.In 2023 – Automation using AI will play an essential role in Proactive Cybersecurity. Currently, the threat numbers are daunting. It’s a needle in the haystack situation to determine which threats matter.AI detects real threats and builds proper defenses that send resources to the right place at the right time – around chatter and tracking the discourse between threat actors. Combining automation, advanced analytics, and rich vulnerability to exploit intelligence addresses all phases of the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) lifecycle.TREND #3: New attack surfaces arise in the ePay space (ApplePay, Shopify, Venmo, Paypal, etc.)As the digital economy grows, digital crime grows with it. Soaring numbers of online and mobile interactions are creating millions of attack opportunities. Many lead to data breaches that threaten both people and businesses. At the current growth rate, damage from cyberattacks will amount to about $10.5 trillion annually by 2025.Electronic payment methods changed significantly in 2022 – with increased momentum expected to occur in 2023. Online payments surged parallel to the growth in online shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Electronic Payments Coalition, nearly $2 billion in mobile payments were processed daily in 2021, up 22% from the year before, according to the Global System for Mobile Associations State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money 2021. At the same time, the annual survey by the Association of Financial Professionals found payment scams hit almost 75% of businesses. Thirty percent of companies in the 2021 AFP Payments Fraud and Control Survey Report said payment fraud was on the rise, and the majority blamed adjustments brought on by the pandemic.The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in an unprecedented era of online shopping, digital payments, and cybercrime. Biometric advances, new international standards, and cyber-security tools are all shaping the new world of fraud protection in payments. There is significant economic motivation on the dark web to go after ePay for those motivated by financial pressure and criminal behaviors, as opposed to politics.TREND #4: In 2023, disparities will emerge in cybersecurity capabilities between private and public organizations versus the federal government and across geographies.Come 2023, in the United States – there will be different experiences for the government versus companies, with the private sector on its own regarding the increasing number and ferocity of attacks – as they currently are. Businesses will need to respond to new federal regulatory requirements. They may also experience increased attacks, given their predisposition to take visible political stances and engage in boycotts against other countries.The Federal Government will focus on using resources to protect its organizations, as politically motivated attacks are and will increase from state-sponsored organizations and individuals and organizations who are politically motivated and incited by current actions but are not state-backed. They are motivated by finances and the strong desire to take a stance (through technology), which is their form of protest.CISA has been pushing hard to create a set of new directives, which compose a set of first steps for Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies to follow in their quest to become cyber resilient. As part of this initiative, CISA is working urgently to gain greater visibility into risks facing federal civilian networks and predicts the next step is establishing baseline requirements for all FCEB agencies to identify assets and vulnerabilities on their networks and provide data to CISA at defined intervals.TREND #5: CISOs will increasingly change how they approach cybersecurity concerning talent, budgets, and strategies for personal career protection and organizational security.In 2023 – CISOs will significantly change how they approach cybersecurity from the perspectives of talent, budgets, and strategies – both for personal career protection and organizational security. The recentUber CISO guilty verdict has put CISOs on notice to adjust strategies and increase transparency.In 2023 – CISOs may be inclined to consolidate technologies and tools to ‘cut the fat’ in previously inflated cybersecurity spending. An area tempting for cuts by budget makers is security awareness and other kinds of training. The top brass of organizations must start taking cybersecurity seriously and spending money on defenses outside the IT department. It’s crucial to remember that most data breaches still result from human error, demonstrating the inadequacy of traditional security awareness training. Modern companies must abandon compliance-based awareness campaigns from the past in favor of extensive behavior and culture change programs that promote safer workplace practices.Dial-up security investments. Geopolitical events and technological disruption will continue fueling a sophisticated, fast-evolving threat landscape.Prioritized security controls and solutions that protect customer-facing and revenue-generating workloads. CISOs will defend investments that support cloud modernization and the organization’s evolution to Zero Trust.Conclusion:Nothing is ever stagnant in the cybersecurity space. Cybercrime Is increasingly lucrative, even more than drug trafficking. It is thought that cybercriminals can rake in $1.5 trillion annually. We expect a record-breaking year of cyber security breach notifications, not only because of the sophistication of threat actors – but also due to larger changes in the world: global unrest, supply chain instability, and soaring inflation – will impact an organization’s ability to mitigate, remediate, or prevent a problem.In 2023, we will see ransomware flourish, which has become one of the most prolific and costly types of malware in recent years. While ransomware is hardly a new threat – the first ransomware variant was the “AIDS virus,” created in 1989 – the development of cryptocurrency, which allows pseudonymous payments of virtual currency – has made it possible for ransoms to be paid digitally and anonymously, making ransomware attacks safer and easier to perform for cybercriminals. And while it is well-established as part of many threat actors’ toolkits, data shows more of a drop in U.S. ransomware incidents and a rise in Europeanransomware incidents.There will be an increase in the number of attackers motivated simply by bragging rights. These actors are often younger and not tied to a nation-state or organized group. The Big Four-Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea-will be highly active in 2023, using destructive attacks, information operations, financial threats, and more. Companies in European regions must stay especially vigilant, and organizations worldwide must be ready for increased attempts at extortion. Extortion actors will stop at nothing to achieve their goals, even using physical devices and less common types of social engineering.About CybersixgillCybersixgill continuously collects and exposes the earliest possible indications of risk produced by threat actors moments after they surface on the clear, deep, and dark web. This data is processed, correlated, and enriched using automation to create profiles and patterns of threat actors and their peer networks, including the source and context of each threat. Cybersixgill’s extensive body of data can be consumed through a range of seamlessly integrated into your existing security stack, so you can pre-empt threats before they materialize into attacks. The company serves and partners with global enterprises, financial institutions, MSSPs, and government and law enforcement agencies.For more information, visit https://www.cybersixgill.com/ and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. To schedule a demo, please visit https://www.cybersixgill.com/dve-demo/.North AmericaDanielle OstrovskyHi-Touch PR for CybersixgillMobile: US 1-410-302-9459Email: ostrovsky@hi-touchpr.comIsraelAyelet ElaniMobile: Israel 972-54-6242458Email: Ayelet@davidmalits.comSOURCE: CybersixgillView source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/725784/Reshaping-the-Threat-Landscape-in-2023-Cybersixgill-Announces-Top-Trends-in-CybersecurityTRENDING • Australian Unemployment Surprisingly Drops, Backs Rate Hikes • Global Exodus From China Bonds Extends Amid Selloff • Inside a Once-$10 Billion Crypto Empire That’s Suddenly Cracking • WRAPUP 1-Ukraine conflict intensifies in east; NATO, Poland say missile likely not from Russia • Chipmakers drag Japan’s Nikkei lower on Micron supply cut
We are so stoked to find out we are among the finalists for this year’s Hacker Cup Competition Awards!”team hack code association”🙌Currently, we are listed under two categories. 👉Excellence in Community Contribution: Recognises organisations that implement initiatives that have a positive impact on the community and generate outcomes that have long-term benefits.👉Excellence in Strategy & Planning: Recognises a business that has succeeded by developing and implementing a long-term strategy/plan and setting measurable goals/targets.We couldn’t have done this without you!Thanks to your support, it was an honor to be listed among the brightest innovators. hack code association. happy hacking😁#teamwork #hacking
Another successful event by Datafest This time in the city of kumasi Ghana 🇬🇭I’m exhausted, but I loved last day of #dfa22What I loved was that everyone was ready to engage in the conversations that anyone building digital products right now should be having about technology and its current role in society.Whether it was on stage, during press interviews, or in small group meetings, people weren’t shy about surfacing and sharing strong points of views with me on a variety of topics: privacy, social impact, data protection, security, safety, ethical design, etc.If today’s conversations are an indication that people want to engage and tackle these problems together in earnest, then I’m looking forward to continuing conversations tomorrow online on Twitterspace with different communitiesespecially — given tomorrow’s keynote focus on responsible innovation — and into the future.Left alone technology will have both positive and negative effects on society; intentionally or unintentionally. So I was proud to see the team focus this year’s datafest on demonstrating the potential for positive impact. Watching 200+ strangers from around the world, form small teams, and, in less than 2 days, build working prototypes that address some of society’s biggest challenges e.g. access to quality education for all, access to decent work, building more inclusive and sustainable cities and communities, etc. was a real affirmation of why I believe technology to be a force for good in this world. looking forward to data fest #dfa23💙🖤
The Top Five Cybersecurity Trends In 2023In recent years we have seen the topic of cyber security move from the IT department to the board room. As attacks have proliferated and the potential penalties, both regulatory and in terms of loss of customer trust, have increased, it has become a priority at every organizational level.The Top Five Cybersecurity Trends In 2023Adobe StockWe often think of cybersecurity as an ongoing battle between hackers and criminals, and security experts, which is constantly escalating due to constant advances in technology. This is the “glamorous” side of the business that we sometimes see depicted in TV shows and movies. And indeed, threats sometimes come from hostile foreign states or devious, tech-savvy criminal masterminds. In reality, however, threats are just as likely to emerge due to improperly secured networks leaving sensitive data accidentally exposed, or unwary or indiscreet employees using non-secured devices while working from home.A shift to a culture of home and remote working that started during the Covid-19 pandemic and has persisted in many organizations, as well as the spread of the internet of things (IoT) into every area of business and society, means there has never been more opportunity for lax security to cause headaches and expense. Because of this, cybersecurity is top of everyone’s agenda in 2023, so here’s a look at some of the key trends in 2023:Internet of Things and cloud securityThe more devices we connect together and network, the more potential doors and windows exist that attackers can use to get in and access our data. And in 2023, analysts at Gartner predict, there will be 43 billion IoT-connected devices in the world.MORE FOR YOUThe ‘Backsies’ Billionaire: Texan Builds Second Fortune From Wreckage Of Real Estate Empire He’d SoldEngland Cement Limited-Overs Legacy After Beating Pakistan To Win Cricket’s T20 World CupAvoiding The Next FTX-Type DisasterIoT devices – ranging from smart wearables to home appliances, cars, building alarm systems and industrial machinery – have often proven to be a bugbear for those with responsibility for cybersecurity. This is because, as they are often not used to store sensitive data directly, manufacturers haven’t always been focused on keeping them secure with frequent security patches and updates. That has changed recently, as it’s been shown that even when they don’t store data themselves, attackers can often find ways to use them as gateways to access other networked devices that might. Today, for example, you’re less likely to find a device shipped with a default password or PIN that doesn’t require the user to set their own, as was frequently the case in the past.In 2023, a number of governmental initiatives around the world should come into effect designed to increase security around connected devices, as well as the cloud systems and networks that tie them all together. This includes a labeling system for IoT devices set to be rolled out in the US to provide consumers with information on possible security threats posed by devices they bring into their homes.Recently, a cybersecurity priority for many organizations has been to secure the millions of devices worldwide that are being used for home and remote working since the start of the pandemic. Pre-pandemic, when we were all office-based, it was simple enough for security agents, probably based in IT departments, to regularly check and update company laptops and smartphones. This made it relatively simple to ensure they were free of spyware and malware and were running the latest versions of anti-virus software and other preventative measures. In 2023, when workers are more likely than ever to use personal devices to remotely connect to work networks, a new set of challenges has emerged.Connecting to networks with non-secured devices can lead to employees unwittingly falling victim to phishing attacks, where attackers trick users into divulging passwords. With more people working remotely, it’s increasingly likely we may find ourselves working in teams where we don’t know each other as well and are at risk of falling for impersonation scams. It also enables ransomware attacks, where software is injected into networks that erase valuable data unless users pay a ransom to attackers. The risk of this also increases in remote working situations, where it’s more likely that devices may be left unattended.International state-sponsored attackers target businesses as well as governmentsNation-states frequently take part in cyber-espionage and sabotage in an attempt to undermine unfriendly or competing governments or to access secrets. In this day and age, however, it’s increasingly likely that companies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will find themselves targeted by state actors.Since the 2017 WannaCry ransomware attack, believed to have been perpetrated by hackers affiliated with the government of North Korea, there have been hundreds of thousands of attacks on servers all around the world that security agencies believe can be traced to foreign governments.In 2023, more than 70 countries are due to hold governmental elections – events that are frequently a target for attack by hostile foreign interests. As well as hacking and cyberattacks on infrastructure, this will take the form of disinformation campaigns on social media. This often involves seeking to influence the results in favor of political parties whose victories would benefit the government of the hostile state. And cyber warfare will undoubtedly continue to form a key element in armed conflict, with one analyst saying of the Russia-Ukraine war that “Digital is an important a part of this war as is the fighting on the ground.”Artificial intelligence (AI) plays an increasingly prominent role in cybersecurityAs the number of attempted cyberattacks has grown rapidly, it has become increasingly tricky for human cybersecurity experts to react to them all and predict where the most dangerous attacks will take place next. This is where AI comes into play. Machine learning algorithms can examine the vast amount of data moving across networks in real-time far more effectively than humans ever could and learn to recognize patterns that indicate a threat. According to IBM, companies that use AI and automation to detect and respond to data breaches save an average of $3 million compared to those that don’t.Unfortunately, thanks to the ever-growing availability of AI, hackers, and criminals are growing increasingly proficient at using it too. AI algorithms are used to identify systems with weak security or that are likely to contain valuable data among the millions of computers and networks connected to the internet. It can also be used to create large numbers of personalized phishing emails designed to trick receivers into divulging sensitive information and become increasingly good at evading automated email defense systems designed to filter out this type of mail. AI has even been used to artificially “clone” the voice of senior executives and then to fraudulently authorize transactions!Phishing attacks rely on “social engineering” methods to trick users into divulging valuable information or installing malware on their devices. No one needs technical skills to learn to become aware of these types of attacks and to take basic precautions to avoid falling victim. Likewise, basic security skills like the safe use of passwords and developing an understanding of two-factor authentication (2FA) should be taught across the board and continually updated. Taking basic precautions like this to foster a culture of cybersecurity-awareness should be a core element of business strategy at organizations that want to ensure they build resilience and preparedness over the coming 12 months.To stay on top of the latest on new and emerging business and tech trends, make sure to subscribe to my newsletter, follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and check out my books ‘Tech Trends in Practice’ and ‘Business Trends in Practice, which just won the 2022 Business Book of the Year award.
US Army Analytics Group – Cybersecurity Anomaly Detection 1000X Faster With Less False PositivesThe US Army Analytics Group (AAG) provides analytical services for various organizational operations and functions, including cybersecurity. AAG signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Entanglement, Inc., and strategic partner Groq, Inc., a US semiconductor company, to determine an optimal cybersecurity anomaly detection capability.AAG has released a Validation Report confirming Entanglement AI’s solution that solves cybersecurity anomaly detection three orders of magnitude faster than traditional methods with fewer false positives. In this article, I will unpack the details behind these dramatic results.GroqMethods for detecting cyber anomaliesAll cyber-attacks, whether zero-day or ransomware, share a common thread: cyber anomalies. A cyber anomaly is something out of the ordinary, an outlier, such as excessive logins, spikes in traffic, or a considerable number of remote logins.The three primary forms of anomaly detection are: unsupervised, supervised, and semi-supervised. Security analysts use each approach to varying degrees of effectiveness in cybersecurity applications.Unsupervised anomaly detection uses an unlabeled test set of data. It involves training a machine learning (ML) model to identify normal behavior using an unlabeled dataset. The assumption is that most instances in the data set will be normal. The anomaly detection algorithm detects instances that appear not to fit with the data set. Unsupervised anomaly detection algorithms include Autoencoders, K-means, Gaussian Mixture Modelling (GMMs), hypothesis tests-based analysis, and Principal Component Analysis (PCAs).MORE FOR YOUThe Inside Story Of Papa John’s Toxic CultureDigital Banking Didn’t Kill Bank Branches—But Chatbots WillNew Coffee Pod Brewer Aims For SustainabilitySupervised anomaly detection uses data set with a set of “normal” and “abnormal” labels and a trained classification algorithm.ML builds a predictive model from a labeled training set with normal and abnormal data. Supervised methods include Bayesian networks, k-nearest neighbors, decision trees, supervised neural networks, and support vector machines (SVMs).Semi-supervised anomaly detection techniques use a combination of a small set of labeled data and large amount of unlabeled data for training. That model then detects anomalies by testing how likely the model is to generate any one instance encountered.Executive order to adopt zero-trust securityIn May of 2021, President Biden issued an Executive Order mandating all federal agencies to adopt zero-trust security. One month later, in June 2021, Entanglement, Inc., and strategic partner Groq, Inc., a US semiconductor company, made a no-cost offer of assistance to detect and resolve anomalies in support of a zero-trust environment.The project’s goal was to continuously monitor a zero-trust security architecture, requiring an anomaly detection algorithm capable of constantly vetting all users on a network and actions. A similar algorithmic framework will be suitable for demonstrating Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) and expanded threat awareness at network endpoints.The project focused on three areas: improving auto-encoder functionality and performance over existing systems, accelerating generative adversarial network (GAN) functionality, and integrating a quantum-inspired optimization SVM algorithm using Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO).Cybersecurity anomaly detection faster than traditional methodsThe work by Entanglement and Groq under the CRADA demonstrated cybersecurity anomaly detection faster than traditional methods and better performance measured by Key Performance Parameters (KPPs). The KPP’s covered metrics related to total inferences per second, percentage of threats detected, accuracy, recall, precision, other confusion matrix-based metrics, and Area Under the Curve (AUC).Previous AAG efforts detected 120,000 inferences per second, the benchmark and standard achievable using a QUBO model.Within six months, Entanglement achieved an anomaly detection rate of 72,000,000 inferences per second and demonstrated the potential of attaining 120,000,000 inferences per second across a broad domain of data processing systems.Validation cases used the KDD Cup 1999 (KDD99) and CICIDS2017 data sets.The calculated output demonstrated for the Autoencoder and GAN solution was highly effective in determining anomalies. The QUBO SVM was built in quantum-ready form and was also effective at anomaly detection.Wrapping upEntanglement has delivered a dramatically faster and more accurate cybersecurity anomaly detection capability – with far fewer false positives – than traditional technology. The Entanglement and Groq solution provided anomaly detection at 120 million inferences per second, three orders of magnitude faster than any other technology.What is most surprising is that Entanglement used quantum-based algorithms, but there wasn’t a quantum computer that could perform as fast as GroqChip. The answer lies in the core Groq technology, a purpose-built digital circuit design with high degrees of parallelism, making it for solving a range of problems such as deep neural network models and Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) problems.We have known for a while that realizing the benefits of AI, innovative infrastructure, and predictive intelligence will require a much simpler and more scalable processing architecture than a legacy solution.Groq designed a chip that delivers predictable and repeatable performance with low latency and high throughput across the system called the tensor streaming processor (TSP). The new, simpler processing architecture is designed specifically for the performance requirements of ML applications and other compute-intensive workloads.Groq now has multiple customers across verticals who have used their accelerator solutions to achieve orders of magnitude performance improvements. I look forward to sharing those stories with you in the future.
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