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Christmas is here! And with the hustle and bustle of shopping and scouring the internet for that perfect gift or deal, odds are there are people lurking in the dark corners hoping to stuff their stockings with scams if you’re not too careful. At Thanksgiving, when the official start to the shopping season began – the experts from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business were front and center answering media calls and doing interviews about this very topic Scott Shackelford, a professor at Indiana University specializing in cyber security, said there are some red flags to be on the lookout for while shopping online. “There’s some easy ones to spot right off the bat, including if on the URL,” said Schackelford. “If you see it just as HTTP and not HTTPS. That S stands for secure, which means your information is encrypted when you use that site.” Shackelford also said to be on the lookout for funny wordplay involved on the website. Maniscalo says most of these fake websites originate from outside the country. “English is not their native tongue, so they will a lot of times have misspellings, or say things in kind of an awkward way, not how we would say it, or how we would print it out there,” said Maniscalo. There is also the problem of what Shackelford calls Grinch Bots. These are automated bots that monitor major retail sites to see what items are the hottest and buy them out as soon as they are restocked. “There’s actually been bills that have been proposed in Congress to deal with example of that phenomenon. But of course, they’re not enacted yet, so it’s still up to consumers,” said Shackelford. November 25 – Fox News It’s going to be a busy holiday shopping season – and if you’re a journalist looking to cover this important top, then let us help. Scott Shackelford is an Assistant Professor of Business Law and Ethics at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. He’s an expert in the field of cybersecurity law and policy. Scott is available to speak with media about this subject – simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
Cyber-attacks are rising to the top of American concerns
With the rising occurrence of cyber-attacks across America, institutions, banks, government agencies and top-tier companies are now either falling victim or feeling vulnerable to attack from online enemies abroad. It’s a topic that is now front and center that has most leaders regardless of poltical party in agreement - and media across the country are starting to cover with more depth and seriousness. Most Americans across party lines have serious concerns about cyberattacks on U.S. computer systems and view China and Russia as major threats, according to a new poll. The poll by The Pearson Institute and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that about 9 in 10 Americans are at least somewhat concerned about hacking that involves their personal information, financial institutions, government agencies or certain utilities. About two-thirds say they are very or extremely concerned. Roughly three-quarters say the Chinese and Russian governments are major threats to the cybersecurity of the U.S. government, and at least half also see the Iranian government and non-government bodies as threatening. October 11 – Associated Press "I am really interested in the security of our critical infrastructure systems," said Dr. Michael Nowatkowski. " If an attacker were able to shut those systems down, great harm would result. This is a national security issue." If you’re a journalist look to know more or have been assigned to cover any aspect of cyber-security in the country, then let our experts help with your coverage. Dr. Michael Nowatkowski is an Associate Professor with the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences at Augusta University. He also serves as the Head of the Cyber Program of Study. Nowatkowski is available to speak with media regarding the emerging threat of cyber-security in America, simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
Aston University to officially launch Cyber Security Innovation Centre at Birmingham Tech Week
It will take place at Conference Aston on 13 October, during Birmingham Tech Week 2021 Line up of speakers includes experts from Security Exports Department for International Trade, DCMS and the IoD The event will be of relevance to companies, alumni, academic staff interested in cybersecurity. The Cyber Security Innovation (CSI) Centre at Aston University will host its inaugural event during Birmingham Tech Week 2021. The CSI Centre, established in 2020, brings together stakeholders from industry, government and leading cyber security research institutions with the aim to deliver industry-aligned research outcomes. CSI members include globally-recognised academics undertaking research projects that address real-world cyber security challenges through innovative solutions. Cyber (In)Security, Requires a Robust Approach Through Continuous Innovation, will see a broad range of contributors taking part across the face-to-face event on 13 October. They include speakers from the UK Defence and Security Exports Department for International Trade, the Institute of the Directors (IoD), Cyber Senior Policy Lead, DCMS, Opel/Vauxhall and Professor Vladlena Benson, Director of CSI Centre. Professor Vladlena Benson, director of the CSI at Aston Business School, said: “I am delighted to officially launch the CSI Centre at Conference Aston during Birmingham Tech Week 2021 and am looking forward to welcoming everyone to our first face-to-face event. “This is a wonderful opportunity to meet face-to-face with industry-leading experts, academics and start-ups. With most of the UK confined to working from home for over a year, there is no better opportunity to meet and build relationships with the people who can help business owners grow, innovate and make their companies more resilient. “Statistics shows that UK small businesses are successfully hacked every 19 seconds2 and new certification standards coming into play for consumer IoT devices and cyber-physical access control systems. It is time to find a robust approach maximising the effectiveness of cybersecurity investment now. “The bad guys are winning the cyber security war - the good guys need to do better. Although organisations are investing more and more in cyber security, the average number of days to detect a breach is increasing year on year, not reducing. So, we need to do something different.” To attend the event on 13 October 2021, you can sign up HERE.
IDC Quarterly Tech Brief: Your Guide For The Digital-First World
September 2021 Editor's Comments Happy September! We hope you got a chance to recharge and enjoy the summer. Now that we’re looking into the last half of 2021, our experts agree that we’re not going back to the pre-pandemic normal, but we can’t help but be optimistic with recent news on vaccinations, lifting of restrictions, kids going back to school, and some of us returning to the office. As the world slowly moves from a pandemic to a digital-first state, we will see permanent shifts in the way we live, work, play and learn. IDC expects the next 3 years to remain highly fluid due to the growing range of global challenges. And now, more than ever, business and government leaders will need to operate and invest in increasingly digital-first markets, while building digital infrastructures, enabled by an intelligent, empowered, and a well-connected workforce. In this edition of IDC Canada's Quarterly Tech Brief, we’ll explore insights on the digital-first world, best practices, and digital transformation stories from Canadian tech leaders at our upcoming IDC CIO Series webinar on September 22, and as usual, we also reveal the latest research, survey results and market forecasts. And last but not least, we're happy to announce IDC Canada's biggest technology event of the year, IDC Connections 2021 is coming up on November 4th. Save your seat today! FEATURED IDC CIO Panel Series – Part 2: Building Resiliency & Innovation into Your Canadian Journey Join us on Wednesday, September 22 at 2 p.m. ET for the latest session of our IDC CIO Panel webinar series where we will dive into what digital resiliency means for you, and how to leverage the latest Digital Infrastructure and Digital Innovation trends to your advantage. Hear from industry-leading tech executives, Antoine Haroun, CIO at the Peel District School Board, Irene Zaguskin, CTO at The Printing House, and Michael Kurek, VP of Sales & Operations, Data Center Solutions at Dell Technologies as they unpack how the pandemic accelerated their digital transformation journey, and their best practices for planning and managing IT during uncertain times. Our experts will also host 3 sessions around how the Future Enterprise operates in a Digital-First World, a look ahead at the forces of change heading into 2022, the Future of Digital Infrastructure, and the need to strive for a balance between digital innovation and resiliency to remain relevant and competitive. Your Canadian Research Checklist Here are some of our most popular Canadian reports of the quarter to help you understand changing market conditions and succeed in 2021. ✓ IDC Market Glance: Service Providers in Canada, 2Q21 ✓ The Rise of Canadian Cloud Ecosystems ✓ Canadian Cybersecurity Market Snapshot, 2Q21 ✓ Canadian Cybersecurity Buyer Persona: Managed Security Services Benefits ✓ Canadian Managed Cloud Services Adoption, 2021 Forecast Highlights ✓ Canadian Wireless Services Forecast, 2021–2025: Wireless Wars 18 ✓ Canadian Internet of Things Forecast, 2021–2025 ✓ Outlook for Canadian SaaS Applications, 2021 ✓ Worldwide Managed Cloud Services Forecast, 2021-2025 ✓ IDC's Forecast Scenario Assumptions for the Canadian ICT Market, April 2021 IDC THOUGHT LEADERSHIP: DIGITAL RESILIENCY SCORECARD Explore IDC's new Digital Resiliency Scorecard Does resiliency still matter in a "post-pandemic" world? Quite simply, it does. In IDC's recent Digital Resiliency Benchmark Survey, we found that 65% of U.S. buyers and 55% of Worldwide buyers have plans to invest in resiliency over the April 2021-April 2022 timeframe. Watch The Digital Resiliency Scorecard webinar to learn more ICYMI: BLOG HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS QUARTER Future of Customer - More Human Experience - Over 34% of executives point to transforming the customer experience as the top business function. Learn more about the Future of Customer framework with IDC’s Keyoor Adavani. Read More → Major Smartwatch Market Consolidation: A Canadian Take - In May Google announced a new unified smartwatch platform in partnership with Samsung. Learn how this partnership is expected to shake up the market dynamics in Canada with Shahd ElAshri. Read More → Telesat Vying For LEO Constellation Leadership - A new commercial space race has begun and among the entrants for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations, Telesat is an emerging leader in this multi-billion-dollar market. Learn more from IDC's Lawrence Surtees. Read More → Federal Budget Innovation Goals and What’s Next for Recovery - COVID-19 fast-tracked innovation and digitization. See how the federal budget plans to support digital transformation, and learn how customer centricity and AI can set you apart from the competition with IDC's Mark Schrutt. Read More → UPCOMING VIRTUAL EVENT IDC Connections 2021 Canada: Accelerating Your Path to a Digital-First Enterprise Mark your calendars! IDC Connections is back this year and we can't wait for you to take a front-row seat. Don't miss an afternoon full of IDC experts' insights, special guests, networking, and hear from the tech leaders who are driving this new era of rapid transformation. This year's highlights include: A special closing keynote on the Future of Sports and Entertainment with Humza Teherany, Chief Technology & Digital Officer at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Creating digital innovation & experiences at your organization, with IDC's Chief Research Officer, Meredith Whalen Embracing digital infrastructure, with IDC Canada's Dave Pearson Leveraging new industry ecosystems, with IDC Canada's Nigel Wallis Guidance from our popular CIO Best Practices Panelists PODCASTS WORTH A LISTEN Find out why clients are raving about our new podcast series! In an era seemingly filled with uncertainty, the Future Enterprise podcast is a must-listen. It's a podcast for business and tech executives, aimed at helping you leverage technology to achieve innovative, disruptive, and productive business outcomes. Listen in as IDC host, Joseph Pucciarelli, Group Vice President & IT Executive Advisor interviews C-level executives from around the world on their digital transformation initiatives touching on each of the "Future of X" digital initiatives. Senior IDC research leaders often join in the conversation. Listen Now → Thanks for being a part of our IDC Quarterly Tech Brief Newsletter community! Don’t forget to subscribe to be notified quarterly when the next issue comes out.
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Aston University cybersecurity experts hold key to vaccine passport rollout
Vaccine passports are certificates to establish proof of vaccination linked to the identity of the holder Renowned expert, Koji Fusa, visiting professor at the Cyber Security Innovation Research Centre (CSI), on the project to develop a global database for citizens to use in real-time. The CSI Centre at Aston University say creating a clear framework of rules for digital identities is achievable Leading cybersecurity industry expert, Koji Fusa, has made progress towards developing a framework for the world’s citizens to store their digital identities and access them in real-time. Koji is a Visiting Professor at the Cyber Security Innovation Research Centre (CSI) at Aston University. The idea would see a platform that has the capability to distribute over 200 individual keys to each of the world’s eight billion people. Each key could be assigned to personal information such as vaccine passports. It will work by vaccine administrators sending the vaccination details of each individual to a dedicated server. That server will issue a QR code which will be passed to the vaccinated person as the digital key for access. The passport holder will keep the QR code which enables access to the server to check their own record at any time. The framework would segment private data in a separate database, which can only be accessed with the individual key along with fingerprint, face and voice recognition technology, making it extremely hard for cyber attackers and scammers to hack. Koji Fusa, a visiting professor at the CSI Centre, said: “The current EU Green Pass initiative and World Health Organisation's initiative have struggled to find the solution for private data protection and counterfeit prevention. This proposed system would solve these two challenges. We have a solution that is secure, something that others have failed to achieve so far. “By having a cloud security server which gives unique reference numbers to all devices, technology issues pointed out by The Royal Society* have been solved. “This will be a huge step forwards for digital identification globally. Not only for vaccine passports, but for people’s personal information too. The framework would make everyday life more secure and simpler. Professor Vladlena Benson, an industry-recognised expert in cybersecurity risk management and director of CSI Centre at Aston Business School, said: “I am delighted to be working on this project with Koji Fusa. With his experience, I’m confident this could become the first such system where the authenticity of the vaccine certification instantly can be checked globally, something that can’t be done currently. "This work is aligned to the trusted identities framework proposed by the UK Government and addresses the issues of data sovereignty and individual information privacy."
Augusta University experts looking for clues to predict future cyber attacks
The threat of cyber attacks is a reality for every industry. Cybersecurity is top of mind after recent highly skilled and calculated attacks targeting the Colonial Pipeline in May and shutting down the world’s largest meat supplier earlier this month. With America’s energy and food supply chains making vulnerable targets, everyone from executives, lawmakers, security officials and the media are looking for answers. Augusta University’s Dr. Craig Albert and Dr. Lance Hunter explore the questions surrounding cybersecurity in a recently published study in The Cyber Defense Review. This project examines the political, economic and military factors associated with cyber attacks in an effort to understand which countries or groups are most likely to attack. Here’s an abstract of their piece: Factors that Motivate State-Sponsored Cyberattacks The study of the factors involved in the initiation of violent interstate conflicts has been well documented within international relations. However, scholars have yet to analyze the factors associated with the initiation of international state-sponsored cyberattacks due to the lack of available data. This study is a first attempt to address this limitation. This project examines the political, economic, and military factors associated with the initiation of state-sponsored cyberattacks from 2005–2012, using a unique dataset that incorporates author-collected political, economic, and military data, along with cyber data on known state-sponsored cyberattacks extracted from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Cyber Operations Tracker Dataset. With this unique dataset, we seek to better understand those states most likely to cyberattack other states. The Cyber Defense Review, Spring 2021 The study was also referenced in Voice of America in a piece covering President Biden’s trip to the G-7 Summit in Britain. If you are a journalist looking to cover any aspect of cybersecurity and cyber attacks, Augusta University’s experts are world-renowned on the topic. Dr. Craig Albert is director of the Master of Arts in Intelligence and Security Studies at Augusta University. He is a leading expert on war, terrorism and American politics, and he testified before U.S. Congress regarding the threat from Chechnya following the deadly Boston Marathon bombing. Dr. Lance Hunter is an assistant professor of political science with a background in international relations. His research focuses on how terrorist attacks influence politics in democratic countries and how political decisions within countries affect conflicts worldwide. Both experts are available to speak with media about cyber attacks. Simply click on either expert’s icon to arrange an interview today.
Cybersecurity expert on surge in cyberattacks and White House guidance to businesses
Douglas Schmidt, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Computer Science, is available for commentary on the recent increase in major cyberattacks (such as those on Colonial Pipeline and JBS) and recent White House guidance on companies ramping up cybersecurity efforts. Schmidt is an expert in computer science, cybersecurity and cyber-physical systems and can speak to: The recent increase in major cyberattacks Potential security flaws companies should look for Effects of cyberattacks and what the restoration process looks like after an attack
The Facebook Oversight Board’s ruling temporarily upholding the social media giant’s ban on former President Donald J. Trump, which they instructed the company to reassess within six months, noted that the parameters for an indefinite suspension are not defined in Facebook's policies. The non-decision in this high-profile case illustrates the difficulties stemming from the lack of clear frameworks for regulating social media. For starters, says web science pioneer James Hendler, social media companies need a better definition of the misinformation they seek curb. Absent a set of societally agreed upon rules, like those that define slander and libel, companies currently create and enforce their own policies — and the results have been mixed at best. “If Trump wants to sue to get his Facebook or Twitter account back, there’s no obvious legal framework. There’s nothing to say of the platform, ‘If it does X, Y, or Z, then it is violating the law,’” said Hendler, director of the Institute for Data Exploration and Applications at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. “If there were, Trump would have to prove in court that it doesn’t do X, Y, or Z, or Twitter would have to prove that it does, and we would have a way to adjudicate it.” As exemplified in disputes over the 2020 presidential election results, political polarization is inflamed by a proliferation of online misinformation. A co-author of the seminal 2006 Science article that established the concept of web science, Hendler said that “as society wrestles with the social, ethical, and legal questions surrounding misinformation and social media regulation, it needs technologist to help inform this debate.” “People are claiming artificial intelligence will handle this, but computers and AI are very bad at ‘I’ll know it when I see it,’” said Hendler, who’s most recent book is titled Social Machines: The Coming Collision of Artificial Intelligence, Social Networking, and Humanity. “What we need is a framework that makes it much clearer: What are we looking for? What happens when we find it? And who’s responsible?” The legal restrictions on social media companies are largely dictated by a single sentence in the Communications Decency Act of 1996, known as Section 230, which establishes that internet providers and services will not be treated as traditional publishers, and thus are not legally responsible for much of the content they link to. According to Hendler, this clause no longer adequately addresses the scale and scope of power these companies currently wield. “Social media companies provide a podium with an international reach of hundreds of millions of people. Just because social media companies are legally considered content providers rather than publishers, it doesn’t mean they’re not responsible for anything on their site,” Hendler said. “What counts as damaging misinformation? With individuals and publishers, we answer that question all the time with libel and slander laws. But what we don’t have is a corresponding set of principles to adjudicate harm through social media.” Hendler has extensive experience in policy and advisory positions that consider aspects of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and internet and web technologies as they impact issues such as regulation of social media, and powerful technologies including facial recognition and artificial intelligence. Hendler is available to speak to diverse aspects of policies related to social media, information technologies, and AI.
As Flexible Voting Options Scrutinized, Expert Says Online Voting Not a Safe Alternative
The popularity of — and controversies surrounding — early voting and mail-in ballots demonstrates a demand for more flexible voting options. But online voting shouldn’t be up for consideration, according to James Hendler, the head of the Institute for Data Exploration and Applications at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Hendler also chairs the U.S. Technology Policy Committee of the Association for Computing Machinery, the world’s largest and oldest society of individuals involved in all aspects of computing. In public statements expressing his own opinion and on behalf of the ACM, Hendler has discussed the vulnerabilities of online voting and the organization’s effort to press against its adoption. Hendler argues that online voting is not, and cannot be made to be, secure against malware and denial of service attacks — and that no app or underlying technology, including blockchain, holds potential to overcome those challenges. "The current state of mobile voting is that we are not ready to deploy it at scale, that it has significant technical and socio-technical aspects, particularly cybersecurity, that we need to worry about, and that there are alternatives,” Hendler said. “The ACM has worked hard as an organization to explain our evidence-based reasoning, and to express the hope that online-voting won’t be used now and in the foreseeable future.” In explaining why online voting is more complicated than online banking, shopping and other common internet activities, Hendler said, “The main reason that online voting is more complex is that it must maintain anonymity, no one is allowed to know how you voted. Securing online voting without providing access to identity is extremely difficult. There are other reasons as well including the staggering cost and the lack of a centralized US authority, but identity management remains the number one.” Under his leadership, the ACM’s U.S. Technology Policy Committee, along with leading organizations and experts in cybersecurity and computing, sent a letter to all governors, secretaries of state and other state election directors urging them not to allow the use of internet or voting app systems. Hendler has extensive experience in policy and advisory positions that consider aspects of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and internet and web technologies as they impact issues such as online voting and the regulation of social media and powerful technologies including facial recognition and artificial intelligence. In light of ongoing political unrest, Hendler is available to speak to diverse aspects of information technology as related to the election, AI in applications like policing, and the politics related to social media.
This is a business imperative, not a tech issue, says Brunswick’s Cybersecurity and Privacy team Cyber threats are generating some scary statistics: $400 billion a year in losses from attacks, with some larger businesses experiencing more than 12,000 attacks each year. But there is also good news. Companies are recognizing that cybersecurity is not a technology concern but rather a critical business issue and one they are preparing to deal with. To address the significant business and reputational risks involved, companies are using a cross-functional, top-to-bottom approach, one that treats cybersecurity as a business imperative. Many companies are beginning to strengthen their “human firewall,” creating a business culture where every employee sees cybersecurity as their responsibility. People, not software, are often the weakest link in a security system and that is a problem no software patch will solve. Regulation is growing increasingly complex and governments’ expectations differ from those of companies and consumers. The rules are murky and lag far behind the technology – and the threat. To deal with competing and at times conflicting requirements, some companies are moving beyond the minimum demanded of them, and aiming for a higher standard. To be effective, a company’s cybersecurity program needs to weave these threads into its underlying business plan. Cybersecurity is more than just a strong defense, more than compliance. It must be a part of corporate culture. It represents an opportunity to differentiate yourself from your competitors, increase the efficiency of your operations and earn a greater level of trust from customers, shareholders and the community.
