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  • Nokia CEO: 5G is Moving Very Fast and is Going to Have Massive Benefits

    Nokia CEO: 5G is Moving Very Fast and is Going to Have Massive Benefits

    Nokia President and CEO Rajeev Suri says that 5G is moving very fast and will have massive benefits for consumers. Suri also believes that Nokia will see benefits from the 5G rollout because of their end-to-end portfolio.

    “Our strategy is to benefit from the end-to-end portfolio that we have which is going to be critical to 5G because 5G is not just a step change from 4G, it is not just a radio technology,” Suri noted. “It is a change of the end-to-end architecture.”

    Rajeev Suri, Nokia President, and CEO discussed 5G and how it will impact Nokia in an interview this morning:

    5G is Moving Very Fast

    5G is moving very fast. It started in the U.S. in this second half. After that, we will see activity in South Korea, Japan, and China during next year, also Europe at the back end of next year, some Middle Eastern countries and also Nordic and Scandinavia is starting to happen in 2019.

    Our Strength is Our End-To-End Portfolio

    Our strength is that we have an end-to-end portfolio. We are the only ones that have an end-to-end portfolio at scare and are operating in all countries. We did talk about some pricing pressure in regards to some customer situations in Q2 that have already reflected in our Q3 numbers. Overall, the pricing or the competitive intensity have not worsened or changed in the last few quarters. It is somewhat stable.

    Our End-To-End Portfolio is Going to be Critical to 5G

    Our strategy is to benefit from the end-to-end portfolio that we have which is going to be critical to 5G because 5G is not just a step change from 4G, it is not just a radio technology. It is a change of the end-to-end architecture.

    First, it’s time for us to benefit from our end-to-end portfolio after the acquisition of Alcatel-Lucent. Second, we have a strong growth rival in enterprise and we’ve established a new enterprise business group and we’ve been growing at 18 percent a year in that business. Of course, with some of this software where we’ve had good growth in the quarter at 4 percent,  which is a stand-alone software business at scale. For us it’s all about driving this end-to-end, benefitting from 5G as well as enterprise and software. Our distinction, first of all, is the installed base and second is this end-to-end portfolio.

    5G is Going to Have Massive Benefits

    5G is going to have massive benefits, is going to have a lower cost per bit, and huge capacities for consumers. It’s going to have reliability in performance to enable all kinds of enterprise users; manufacturing, ports, transportation, energy sector, and a lot more. We’ve been getting a lot of technical first in setting the pace with that which is the benefit of our end-to-end portfolio.

    Cutting €700 Million in Expenses

    We believe the ones that win in this industry discipline cost management is a key competitive advantage. We are trying to get ahead of the curve and we will not slow the pace of change. We haven’t talked about the magnitude of the actual headcount numbers but we have said it’s €700 million. We have to work on headcount numbers country by country. Some of it is headcount and some of it is digitalization and automation to drive productivity.

  • Intelligence Expert: How Twitter and Facebook Are Being Co-Opted by Governments for Control

    Intelligence Expert: How Twitter and Facebook Are Being Co-Opted by Governments for Control

    Sophisticated automated bots are being increasingly used on Twitter and Facebook by foreign governments as a method to silence dissent and to target journalist, according to Sam Wooley, Digital Intelligence Lab director.

    “Governments including Turkey and Saudi Arabia but also within South America and Southeast Asia are making use of state-sponsored trolling as a mechanism to silence dissent and to target journalist to basically stop people from reporting,” said Wooley.

    Sam Wooley, Digital Intelligence Lab director, discussed how Twitter and Facebook are being co-opted by authoritarian governments to silence dissent in a recent interview:

    Bots Are Being Used to Amplify Attacks

    Whereas before we saw a lot of very basic automated accounts on social media being used to amplify likes or retweets, now we are actually seeing bots being used to amplify attacks targeting harassment of journalists and women. This isn’t just happening in the United States, it is happening all around the world and arguably has been happening for quite some time.

    State-Sponsored Trolling Used to Silence Dissent

    We have found that state-sponsored trolling spreads all around the world. Governments including Turkey and Saudi Arabia but also within South America and Southeast Asia are making use of state-sponsored trolling as a mechanism to silence dissent and to target journalist to basically stop people from reporting.

    It’s a real strike to democracy when Twitter and Facebook which were heralded as platforms for free speech are now being co-opted by governments for control.

    Thousands of Twitters Accounts Used in Simultaneous Attacks on Journalists

    We found that to some degree nations are learning from one another. Oftentimes what happens is 10,000 to 15,000 accounts on Twitter will be used to simultaneously attack multiple journalists to threaten and harass them. Also, a lot of the time these accounts are used to attack activists, to attack political opposition, and even to do transnational political attacks against news media and other organizations.

    The Most Sophisticated Propaganda Comes From Cyborg Accounts

    It’s a real challenge Twitter and other social media companies face to track automation and to track human-driven propaganda. Oftentimes the most sophisticated propaganda comes from cyborg accounts. They use automation to reach out to people to amplify the attacks and people add that element of sentiment of really targeted harassment.

    Twitter has had since the mid-2000’s to try and combat this problem and it’s existed well before 2016. It’s a problem that should have been in hand a long time ago.

    There Should be Flagging of Automated Accounts

    There should be flagging of automated accounts. Any accounts that make use of automated accounts especially for political purposes should be known to the user. There needs to be curation of harmful accounts and they’ve got to keep deleting accounts and they have to look beyond the United States.

    It wasn’t until 2016 that the companies really started paying attention to this problem, but this problem has existed around the world especially in authoritarian countries for a long time. It’s time for them to start doing some real cleaning of the house.

    Propaganda Bots Are Much More Sophisticated

    In my research and in my conversations with people who make and build this bot making technology they often say they are one step ahead of the social media companies and I think this remains true. The bots that are being made now to proliferate propaganda attacks or harassment are much more sophisticated than they used to be.

    One of the things that are happening is the advent and use of headless browsing bots which don’t log into the API, the backend of a site like Twitter, they actually login through the home page. The detection algorithm on a site like Twitter has a really hard time finding them. The companies really have a bit of a mess on their hands.

  • Chinese People’s Liberation Army Implanted Malicious Microchips on Computer Servers Bound for U.S. Companies

    Chinese People’s Liberation Army Implanted Malicious Microchips on Computer Servers Bound for U.S. Companies

    An explosive Bloomberg Businessweek report details how China was able to pull off the most significant supply chain attack ever against American companies. Reportedly, China used third-party vendors to America companies, including Amazon and Apple, to insert a tiny microchip, no bigger than a grain of rice, onto motherboards for Supermicro. Amazon Web Services (AWS), reviewed these servers and found “troubling issues.”

    “Nested on the servers’ motherboards, the testers found a tiny microchip, not much bigger than a grain of rice, that wasn’t part of the boards’ original design. Amazon reported the discovery to U.S. authorities, sending a shudder through the intelligence community. Elemental’s servers could be found in Department of Defense data centers, the CIA’s drone operations, and the onboard networks of Navy warships. And Elemental was just one of hundreds of Supermicro customers.

    During the ensuing top-secret probe, which remains open more than three years later, investigators determined that the chips allowed the attackers to create a stealth doorway into any network that included the altered machines. Multiple people familiar with the matter say investigators found that the chips had been inserted at factories run by manufacturing subcontractors in China.”

    Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Jordan Robertson who co-wrote this blockbuster story talked about it on Bloomberg TV:

    The basic gist of this story is that in 2014 and 2015 a unit of China’s People’s Liberation Army implanted malicious microchips on computer servers bound for U.S. companies. Those computer servers wound up in very targeted, very large companies including Apple and Amazon.

    What these malicious chips did was compromise the software on these hardware devices at the kind of level that you can’t detect, in many ways the ultimate silent attack. This was a very major discovery for these companies and for U.S. intelligent services.

    This story has taken us well over a year to report and write and a lot of that is learning what is a hardware attack? It’s such science fiction in many ways to us as reporters and to the public at large. A hardware attack is simply the most effective type of computer hacking that any organization can engineer. The reason is if the hardware of the computer is compromised it will irrevocably compromise the software that sits on top of it.

    There is no commercial security system that can detect that kind of manipulation. It’s a super serious attack that is almost impossible to detect without physical examination of the hardware which almost no one does.

  • Verizon CEO: 5G Wireless Revolution to the Home Launches in 4 Cities and a Rollout to the Masses is Next

    Verizon CEO: 5G Wireless Revolution to the Home Launches in 4 Cities and a Rollout to the Masses is Next

    Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg says that 5G wireless to the home is “a revolution” while announcing the first active 5G in homes in the world. Two weeks ago Verizon started taking orders in Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and Sacramento and the response has been massive.

    Fast wireless to the home has long been a goal of Verizon that is likely to spur on cable cutters since OTT programming is readily available and consumers won’t need to buy internet from the cable companies.

    Vesterberg also says that they are in talks with many enterprise companies regarding their use of 5G which could truly make the IoT come to life.

    Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg made discussed the 5G rollout on Bloomberg:

    Verizon Launches 5G to the Home in 4 Cities

    Verizon has worked for a long time with 5G and there are many use cases. The first use case is active 5G in the home. Instead of having fiber to the home we’ll have wireless to the home. It’s just a revolution as to what you can do with wireless. We announced 5G two weeks ago that you can order it and today we are going to make the first customers in the world, in the four cities, get 5G in the home. It’s an exciting time for us.

    Many things are happening in 5G. We are doing home, there’s definitely going to be a lot of enterprise solutions, IoT and all of that. Of course, we as consumers are going to get the 5G in smartphones in 2019 which is going to be a totally new experience.

    5G in the Home Reduces Latency

    There are so many facets of 5G compared to 3G and 4G where basically throughput and speed were the only two things you could trade on. There are so many more things you can do with it including reducing latency. That’s why we started 5G with the home because we think that is a totally new market for us where we can address our customers.

    We’ve had a massive interest but we do this limited, there are only four cities, but I can tell you there are so many people coming in and checking if their zip code is included, so we are starting it a little bit small and when we have established a global standard of 5G we want to roll it out to the masses throughout the country.

    Enterprise Use of 5G is Very Important.

    Enterprise is very important and of course, when it comes to 5G you can think about the real-time enterprise, you can take away all of the cords. We’re already talking to many enterprises and what use cases they see from 5G.

  • Rapid7 CEO: We Have Not Designed Our Technology Ecosystem to be 100% Secure

    Rapid7 CEO: We Have Not Designed Our Technology Ecosystem to be 100% Secure

    The recent massive data breach at Facebook have brought to focus that if one of largest technology companies in the world can have their data compromised then any company, regardless of the security measures they may have in place is also vulnerable. This included sectors such as healthcare, banking, and transportation.

    The CEO of Rapid7, a company which offers vulnerability management solutions, says that cybercriminals have recently realized that data is money and that vulnerabilities are happening because of our speed of innovation. This is compounded because almost all companies are in essence becoming software companies. 

    Corey Thomas, Rapid7 President and CEO, discussed the challenges of cybersecurity on CNBC this morning:

    Cybersecurity Attacks Affecting the Fundamentals of Business

    What we’re finding is that more and more things are actually causing people to really understand that cybersecurity attacks are going to affect the fundamentals of the business. I think with Facebook, it was the additional layer of so much turmoil and scrutiny already that it’s just another sign that it’s going to be troubling days ahead.

    I was surprised by the recent breach in some ways because of how seriously Facebook takes security. On the other hand, when you look at the details of the breach it was completely understandable. They have lots of technologists, they’re moving fast, and the compromise itself and the vulnerability itself was the interplay of a whole bunch of different errors that actually went wrong at the same time.

    We Have Not Designed Our Technology Ecosystem to be 100% Secure

    One way to think about it is that we have not designed our technology ecosystem to be a 100 percent sure and secure. We value speed and one of the reasons that so many companies are successful is because they’re fast at building technology that all of us love and adopt and use. The side effect of that, unfortunately, is that speed comes at a cost.

    Speed of Innovation Raises Security Risks

    I don’t know if we’ll be able to put the speed of innovation genie back in the box. I do think we’re going to have to raise standards and I think there are lots of fundamental things that people can and should be doing.

    What actually scares me more are not the Facebook’s of the world, because I think Facebook and many companies have good security. It’s the fact that our entire economy is becoming more digital and frankly most of the companies that are starting to actually turn their services into technologies that are digitally connected are just not as sophisticated with security as a company like Facebook.

    Almost Every Company is Becoming a Software Company

    If you look at healthcare and the transportation ecosystem we’re connecting more and more aspects of our lives and we’re turning them into compute. You have a bunch of companies in the software industry which just ten years ago used to be an industry of relatively few names in the overall ecosystem.

    If you look toward the next ten years, almost every company is becoming a software company in some way.

    Cybercriminals Have Recently Realized that Data is Money

    Banks have been focused on security for longer because they’ve been the targets of fraud people have always gone after the money. You can argue that it’s a relatively recent focus area to realize that data’s money. That’s something that the internet companies realized 10 plus years ago and criminals have now realized that in the last five years, so that’s a change.

    The other aspect of it is banks do innovate less. If you look at one of the biggest disruptions that are coming along now is the in the financial services sector and in the consumer financial services sector. I would argue that banks are having the other outcropping of that because they innovated a slower pace typically they are now being disrupted.

  • SEC Chairman: We Want America to Lead the World in 5G

    SEC Chairman: We Want America to Lead the World in 5G

    FCC Chairman Ajit Pai recently talked about the upcoming White House meeting which Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint are all expected to attend. The FCC Chairman says that it’s vital that we eliminate the local regulatory hurdles that are currently preventing 5G from being implemented in the US.

    FCC Chairman Ajit Pai via CNBC’s Squawk on the Street:

    We Want America to Lead the World in 5G

    We want America to lead the world in 5G just as we led the world in 4G. That, of course, takes private sector initiative but also requires government to set the stage in terms of getting the tools for the industry to use out there into the marketplace.

    First, we want to outline a cross-government strategy, not just the FCC, but the entire Trump Administration is going to be on the same page in terms of asserting US leadership in 5g. We hope to learn from the industry is what are some of the necessary building blocks for 5g? We want America to be the home for innovation and investment for the next generation of wireless connectivity. We need to know what policies are needed in order to promote US leadership and I’m hoping it’ll be a very productive exchange.

    I think there’s a strong case for optimism about it being sooner. We already see some of the nation’s biggest companies doing 5G trials and cities like Indianapolis. We see a lot of investment and innovation in some of the tech sectors but there’s also a reason to be concerned because we see a lot of the regulatory barriers to 5G deployment in terms of the infrastructure that is needed to get out there into the marketplace.

    Local Government Regulations and Fees Holding Back 5G

    These regulations are holding back the case for a 5G deployment. That’s part of the reason why the FCC has been focused on what I call our 5G Fast Plan – Facilitating America’s Superiority in 5G Technology. If we get the spectrum out there, incentivize infrastructure deployment, and modernize our regulations, I’m confident that we can hasten the day when Americans can turn to 5G just as they’ve come to rely on 4G.

    We want to set the table so that every company, big and small, and regardless of where they happen to be trying to put deploy these 5G services, will be able to do so at scale in order to serve American consumers.

    By far the biggest barrier is the domestic regulatory barriers that we face. For example, it takes one to two hours to install a small cell on a utility pole that’s necessary for 5G. In some cases, it can take a year or two years to get the regulatory approval for deploying that small cell. That by far is one of the greatest barriers to getting the wide-scale deployment of 5G technologies in the future.

    Additionally, the spectrum that is necessary to get out into the marketplace has been a barrier. We’ve been working aggressively to fix that and we’ve already teed-up over the next year or so more spectrum for the commercial sector use then all of the mobile broadband providers today hold combined. I think those building blocks domestically are much more important for 5G in order to be deployed at scale.

    We Don’t Want to Cede the Mantel of Wireless Leadership to China

    China saw the success that the United States had in 4G and they want to claim that success for themselves. When it comes to 5G we want the United States to be the haven for innovation and investment not just out of some parochial concern but because we truly believe in a free and open Internet and the power of innovation and in the importance of the private sector leading this revolution. We think that this market-based approach is a superior one.

    We, of course, don’t want to cede the mantle of wireless leadership to any other country and our concern is that if China is the first mover in 5G that they will be able to draw some of that capital, some of that talent, and ultimately some of that innovation to their shores.

    I think about some of the applications here in terms of precision agriculture and telemedicine and the Internet of Things and all kinds of other applications we can’t even conceive today. All that could be on tap if we make the right decisions here in the United States and I think that’s going to be a boon for American consumers and for our Internet economy.

  • Dropbox is Now Offering 1TB of Free Cloud Storage for Some Accounts

    Dropbox is Now Offering 1TB of Free Cloud Storage for Some Accounts

    It’s a good time to be a Dropbox user. The company recently revealed that it will be giving certain accounts an additional 1TB of storage for free. The move will bump up storage space for Professional account holders from 1TB to 2TB, while Business Standard clients will have 3TB up from 2TB.

    Current Dropbox subscribers will receive the free extra storage in the upcoming weeks while new subscribers to Business Standard and Professional accounts will be able to enjoy the larger storage space immediately.

    Dropbox explained that they put great stock in providing their customers with a seamless experience, therefore they have to be extra careful in migrating current accounts. This is to ensure that the transitions to the new 2TB and 3TB plans will go smoothly.

    New Dropbox Professional subscribers will only need to pay $16.58 a month for 2TB of storage while Dropbox Plus will cost users $8.25 monthly. Meanwhile, company teams will have more room to maneuver with the Dropbox Business Standard. Even though storage space will jump from 2TB to 3TB, clients will still only pay $12.50 per user/month with a required minimum of three team members. Dropbox is also offering unlimited storage with its Business Advance plan for only $20 per user/month. 

    With the extra storage, subscribers will have an easier time sharing CADs or huge video files with their customers. This will allow subscribers to mark previews using any browser without requiring users to download third-party software.

    As it stands, Dropbox is offering the most free storage of and file-sharing service, but you only get to take advantage of it if you’re a paid subscriber. Customers who use the service for free will remain limited to the 2GB Basic plan. That allowance is a far cry from the 15GB offered on Google Drive and the 5GB that comes with Microsoft OneDrive accounts.

  • HipChat Maker Atlassian Calls It Quits, Sells to Rival Slack

    HipChat Maker Atlassian Calls It Quits, Sells to Rival Slack

    The saying “If you can’t beat them, join them” certainly holds true for Atlassian and Slack. The former is selling its rights to HipChat and Stride to rival Slack and will even be making a small investment in the company.

    The surprising news was announced recently by Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield. Aside from tweeting his company’s purchase of the two products, he also explained that the move was to “better support those users who choose to migrate” to Slack. Joff Redfern, Atlassian’s VP of Product Management, also confirmed the news. In a blog post, he said this was the “best way forward for our customers and for Atlassian.”

    What was not as surprising was the revelation that the company would be shutting down both HipChat and Stride. The former is one of Slack’s main competitor in the workplace chat arena while the latter is a chat and collaboration system that Atlassian rolled out in 2017.

    Atlassian clarified that they only sold the intellectual rights to HipChat and Stride and that Slack will not be handling support for the two products. However, existing HipChat Server and HipChat Data Server customers will still enjoy product support until their license period ends. The two products will be discontinued on February 15, 2019.

    Slack and Atlassian will also be working together to migrate all of the enterprise giant’s users over to Slack. The two companies will also be collaborating in developing future integrations. Atlassian will also be receiving a small stake in Slack, with the startup paying an undisclosed amount to the company in the next three years.

    Atlassian tried hard to remain competitive in the office chat space environment by moving its HipChat users to Stride. Aside from the usual chat and communication features, Stride also offered project-tracking and audio and video conferencing. However, the revamped system just wasn’t enough to bring in new users and the company started to consider selling.

    Atlassian co-CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes told Bloomberg that they’re proud of what their team has built, but also admitted that “it is a crowded space, and there’s a pragmatic option there.”

    The alliance between the two rivals makes sense, especially with Microsoft chipping away at Slack’s dominance in corporate chat software. Microsoft has put the pressure on with its Teams software, which is now available to its 135 million Office cloud subscribers. It has also released a free version of Teams to attract new users. At the moment, Slack reportedly has 500,000 live organizations using its system while Microsoft says 200,000 active organizations are using Teams.

  • New Drop Box Add-On Makes it Easier to Find and Share Files in Gmail

    New Drop Box Add-On Makes it Easier to Find and Share Files in Gmail

    Dropbox took advantage of the Google Next event to reveal its new Gmail add-on. The first product of its partnership with Google, the extension will make it easier for Dropbox users to find, send, and save files from inside their Gmail inbox.

    Gmail users who install this new plug-in will be able to attach a Dropbox file to their email by linking it directly to the relevant file or folder stored in the hosting service. And since the content is attached as links, file size is not an issue. Recipients of the email will also be able to access the file or folder without having to install any extra software.

    Once installed, the add-on will appear on Gmail’s right-side rail. Clicking on the Dropbox icon will prompt it to scan the email thread for attachments. It will also show useful contextual information, like the sender’s name, the file name, and where it is located (email or Dropbox). Users can also view their whole Dropbox file system, making it easier to add and attach files.

    Dropbox describes the Gmail add-on as a convenient method to organize the workplace as it allows the user to access saved content within Gmail. This does away with the need to toggle between the two applications. The add-on also makes it possible for Gmail users to save an emailed file directly to their Dropbox account.

    Dropbox explains in a blog post that the “integration deepens our investment in the G Suite ecosystem, offering a cross-browser, cross-platform addition to our existing Dropbox for Gmail extension for Chrome.”

    This latest add-on is compatible with any browser and will also work on the official Gmail application for Android. Dropbox also has plans to bring the extension to iOS, although there’s no launch date set yet.

    The Gmail add-on is just the tip of the iceberg. Dropbox has also shared its plans to develop add-ons that would let account holders use Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets directly within the file-hosting service. There are also talks of integration with Google Hangouts. This feature will let users send links to files saved in Dropbox directly to Hangouts.

  • Google Releases Chrome 68, Browser Labels All HTTP Websites as ‘Not Secure’

    Google Releases Chrome 68, Browser Labels All HTTP Websites as ‘Not Secure’

    The release of Chrome 68 has pushed forward Google’s campaign to drive Internet users to more secure websites. As it has promised several months ago, the company will now be labeling HTTP sites as Not Secure.

    Until recently, the company has only marked a small subset of sites as not secure. This was intentionally done to provide developers with more time to transition their sites to a more secure connection. However, the newest version of Google’s browser will now mark all unencrypted sites.

    Users who land on an unencrypted page will see the “Not Secure” label on the URL bar. A window with a warning will pop-up when users click on the label. The pop-up advises users not to enter any sensitive information on the site. The warning is more of a nudge to developers to adopt HTTPS protocols. It should not be considered a sign that the user has been hacked.

    Google has been pushing developers to make the change to HTTPS for years and each browser version moves this agenda further. After all, HTTPS sites are more secure. They can prevent malware attacks, stop cryptocurrency mining, and limit third-parties from utilizing targeted ads.

    So far, the company appears to be successful in making the Internet safer for everyone. As of February, more than 68 percent of traffic on Chrome was protected on Android and Windows while the numbers were 10 percent higher on Mac and the Chrome OS. What’s more, the majority of the 100 top sites on the Internet are now following HTTPS protocols.

    However, there are still more changes to come. Another version is set to follow Chrome 68 in September and users can expect to see the Secure label as being a less obvious black color. Meanwhile, the Not Secure label will reportedly be displayed in red when Chrome 70 rolls out in October.

    The company is hoping to make secured sites the norm in the near future, at which time it will do away with the secure tag.

  • Gmail’s ‘Confidential Mode’ May Expose Users to Phishing Scams, Raises Red Flags at DHS

    Gmail’s ‘Confidential Mode’ May Expose Users to Phishing Scams, Raises Red Flags at DHS

    A new Google Mail feature has caused the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to raise concerns about users’ privacy and security. According to reports, Gmail’s new “Confidential Mode” can be used to instigate scams like phishing.

    In April, Google revamped Gmail’s look. Along with a sleek, new user interface, the company also introduced several new features, including auto-generated smart replies, the capacity to put a message on snooze and the Confidential Mode.

    However, the new Confidential Mode reportedly raised some red flags at the DHS prompting it to issue an alert regarding the “potential emerging threat…for nefarious activity” the new feature could introduce.

    Gmail’s Confidential Mode apparently allows the user to control how their emails can be viewed and shared. For instance, the recipient of the email won’t be able to print or forward it. Users can also set an “expiration date” so that their email will self-destruct or automatically delete itself from the recipient’s inbox. There are also other layers of protection that can be utilized, like a text message code.

    While the features provided for a Confidential email seem fool-proof, it can actually open up a can of security worms. This is because non-Gmail users who receive a Confidential email will be asked to click on a link to access it. Scammers can take advantage of this process to create and send out fake confidential emails. Once the non-Gmail users click on the link, they can be tricked into giving out their private information. This is known as phishing.

    A DHS spokesperson confirmed that they have already reached out to Google “to inform them of intelligence relevant to their services and to partner to improve our mutual interests in cybersecurity.”

    Meanwhile, Brooks Hocog, a spokesman for Google, reassured users about the company’s commitment to protecting their users’ security. He stated that Google has already developed “machine learning” algorithms that can detect phishing scams, downplaying the issue.

  • Google Calendar’s New ‘Out of Office’ Mode Helps Improve Your Work-Life Balance

    Google Calendar’s New ‘Out of Office’ Mode Helps Improve Your Work-Life Balance

    Google has finally taken steps to make their Calendar more flexible. The company has rolled out two new features that will allow users to customize their schedules on a daily basis and mark events as “out of office.”

    Our lives do not run on a fixed schedule, so it only makes sense that Google Calendar should also allow for some flexibility. Let’s say you prefer to have a late start on Mondays and will just make up for it by working longer the following day. A new set of controls in Calendar will make it easier for you to adjust your availability and limitations on a daily basis.

    This means you can adjust it so that your work hours on Mondays can start at 10 am while you can extend your Tuesday schedule until 8 pm. When someone sends an invitation to a meeting and it falls beyond your work schedule, they will receive a notification stating that you might decline.

    At the moment, Google users can set up only a single default working schedule from Monday to Friday. But with this new tool, you can be as specific as possible.

    Another new feature headed to Google Calendar is the “out of office” mode. It also works in a similar manner, but instead of blocking off their schedule with a random event, users can set it up as an “out of office” entry. So people who invite you to an event during this scheduled timeout duration will automatically receive a message declining the invitation. The message can also be personalized as you see fit.

    The updates are Google’s way of assisting its users to have a healthier “digital well-being.” After all, something as simple as setting up flexible work hours or scheduling time to be out of the office can have a big impact on your work-life balance.

    The new features are expected to be available on all G Suite editions in the next few days.

  • Microsoft is Making Office 365 Better, Here’s What to Expect

    Microsoft is Making Office 365 Better, Here’s What to Expect

    Microsoft revealed last week that major updates are headed to Microsoft Office. These changes are for Office 365 and Office.com users and are expected to start rolling out beginning this month and will continue throughout the year. People can expect to see changes like a simplified command ribbon, new colors and icons, and enhanced search function coming to Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.

    Microsoft said in a blog post that their customers have revealed that they continue to use Office for important work because of the power that the software’s apps offer. But users also said they want the software “to adapt to the changing environment” and for the company to “simplify the user experience and make that power more accessible.”

    What Updates are Coming to Microsoft 365

    The company is bringing its vaunted Fluent Design system to its Office apps. One feature coming to Microsoft Excel, Powerpoint, Word, and Outlook is a new ribbon design. The simplified ribbon is smaller, easier to use, has new animations, more accessible icons and a more modern look and color. A dedicated color and avatar for participants using the same document will also be included.

    Users will also start seeing new icons and colors across all apps. Since these icons and colors are designed as scalable graphics, they will appear crisp and clean regardless of the size of the screen.

    Users will also be getting an improved search experience that can anticipate contacts, find upcoming meetings, or revisit previous searches. They will also be introduced to “zero query search,” a feature wherein users can see recommendations powered by the Microsoft Graph and AI by simply placing their cursors over the search box.

    Microsoft Also Launching Office 2019

    Microsoft is also planning to offer the newest version of its standalone business software, the Office 2019, by the latter part of the year. But businesses can sign-up in advance and preview what new features the software will offer.

    Office 2019 is geared for companies that are not ready to run everything from the cloud and prefer to keep some apps on their on-premise servers. Businesses will have to pay a one-time fee to use and enjoy the new and updated Microsoft Office. They will also gain access to any future updates and features as they are released.

    Some things that Office 2019 will reportedly have are enhanced inking capabilities, including a roaming pencil case feature. Outlook users will have updated contact cards, @ mentions support and focused inbox features. Meanwhile, Word will have integrated sounds, text-to-speech features, and a new black theme while Excel will have improved 2D maps, Power Query, and Power Pivot.

    Businesses without Office 365 subscription plans that are interested in seeing a preview of Microsoft 2019 beta should sign up at the company’s Collaborate portal.

    [Featured image via Office 365]

  • Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox Leaked Facebook User Data Caused by Browser Vulnerability

    Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox Leaked Facebook User Data Caused by Browser Vulnerability

    Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox might have inadvertently leaked the Facebook usernames, profile pictures and even the likes of their users because of a side-channel vulnerability.

    A side-channel vulnerability was discovered in a CSS3 feature dubbed the “mix-blend-mode.” This allowed a hacker to discover the identity of a Facebook account holder using Chrome or Firefox by getting them to visit a specially-designed website.

    This critical flaw was discovered in 2017 by security researchers Dario Weißer and Ruslan Habalov and also by independent researcher Max May.

    The researchers created a proof-of-concept (POC) exploit to show how the vulnerability could be misused. Weißer and Habalov’s concept showed how they were able to visually harvest data like username, profile picture, and “like” status of a user. What’s more, this insidious hack could be accomplished in the background when the user visits a malicious website.

    The visual leak could happen on sites using iFrames that connect to Facebook in via login buttons and social plugins. Due to a security feature called the “same-origin policy,” sites can’t directly access iFrame content. But the researchers were able to get the information by developing an overlay on the cross-origin iFrame in order to work with the underlying pixels.

    It took Habalov and Weißer’s POC about 20 seconds to get the username and about five minutes to create a vague copy of the profile picture. The program also took about 500 milliseconds to check the “like” status. Keep in mind, however, that for this vulnerability to work, the user should be logged into their Facebook account.

    Habalov and Weißer privately notified both Google and Mozilla and steps were taken to contain the threat. Google was able to fix the flaw on their end when version 63 was released last December. On Firefox’s end, a patch was made available 14 days ago with the release of the browser’s version 60. The delay was due to the researchers’ late disclosure of their findings to Mozilla.

    IE and Edge browsers weren’t exposed to the side-channel exploit as they don’t support the needed feature. Safari was also safe from the flaw.

    [Featured image via Pixabay]

  • Slack Lets You Get Even More Work Done With New ‘Actions’ Tool

    Slack Lets You Get Even More Work Done With New ‘Actions’ Tool

    In its bid to become more than just a messaging platform, Slack has been collaborating with several companies to building integrations across apps. Called “Actions,” this simple shortcut lets you work with productivity tools like Asana, Zendesk, Jira, and Hubspot, among others without leaving the app.

    Similar to Slackbots, Actions let users turn any Slack conversations into tasks, messages, or follow-ups via the integrations. You can even add comments to tickets and pull requests as well as save information for review later. All you have to do is click on the drop-down of any Slack message to choose the appropriate action, without typing a slash command or messaging a chatbot.

    It seems like integrations with third-party apps make for a better user interface and easier Slack experience. With Actions, users save time since detailed information is automatically sent out to the corresponding app. This means that if you create a new ticket or assign a new task based on a Slack message, Zendesk or Asana generates the same on its platform by mirroring information.

    To date, Slack has eight million daily users on its platform, three million of which are paid accounts. And with 200,000 developers on board, Slack wants to improve user experience on the platform through deeper integrations with popular apps. For others, this may be a better alternative than memorizing commands or sorting through hundreds of productivity Slackbots in the app directory.

    Not content with being just a messaging service, Slack wants to position itself as the de facto collaboration tool in the workplace. As more companies rely on several enterprise software to handle various tasks like project management and customer service, there’s logic and value in integrations.

    “There’s such a demand for specialized software, and for great tools that are easy to use and interoperable with all applications you use,” Slack chief product officer April Underwood pointed out. “We think this is good, and we think more tools means customers have more choice. Ultimately there’s more competition in the marketplace, that means the best tools, the ones that truly help companies do their best work, rise to the top.”

    In fact, Slack is facing increasing competition from other companies out to build simpler but well-constructed collaboration tools. Atlassian, for instance, has made its team communications platform Stride open to developers, allowing customization for your team. On the other hand, Microsoft has continued to improve Teams, its collaborative software. It is fully incorporated into the company’s various applications, such as Microsoft Office and Skype, and features extensions allowing integration with non-Microsoft products.

    Slack’s flexibility and continued addition of numerous features make the platform a favorite amongst smaller, niche companies. But as these companies expand, Slack might need more action to convince them of the collaboration tool’s indispensability in the larger workplace.  

    [Featured image via Slack website]

  • Google’s Web Store Spreads Malware Again, 100,000 Users Infected By Malicious Chrome Extensions

    Google’s Web Store Spreads Malware Again, 100,000 Users Infected By Malicious Chrome Extensions

    Security firm Radware has uncovered malicious extensions believed to infect more than 100,000 Google Chrome users. According to a report released on Thursday, malware was discovered in the browser’s official Web Store.

    Using machine-learning algorithms, Radware was able to pinpoint a zero-day malware threat to one of its clients. These malicious extensions spread via links sent over Facebook, pilfering login credentials, mining cryptocurrencies, and engaging in click fraud, among others.

    Cybercriminals involved with the latest malware campaign were said to have been active since March 2018. Since that time, they infected 100,000 users worldwide, the company said in its blog post. Called “Nigelthorn”— a name derived from the Nigelify application, the malware redirects victims to a fake Youtube page and prompts them to install a Chrome extension to play the video. Once installed, these computers become part of the botnet as harmful JavaScript download additional code from the command center. The infection process continues when the victim’s Facebook contacts click on the sent malicious link.

    Image via Radware Blog

    To bypass Google’s extension validation checks, attackers modified copies of legitimate extensions and added malicious script inside. Thanks to Google’s security algorithms, seven of these extensions were removed right after their discovery, including Nigelify, PwnerLike, Alt-j, Fix-case, Divinity 2 Original Sin: Wiki Skill Popup, keeprivate, and iHabno. Radware emphasized that the malware only infected Chrome users on Windows and Linux so other browsers are unaffected by the attack.

    Radware pointed out that the malware went undetected despite tight security over the network. The firm also warned that attackers might identify other ways to bypass security controls with mutated malware disguised as browser plug-ins. And it seemed that bad Chrome extensions are one of Google’s weak spots.  

    Meanwhile, Trend Micro has identified the return of FacexWorm, a malicious extension that propagates via socially engineered links on Facebook Messenger similar to Digmine. Apart from stealing credentials, FacexWorm redirects potential victims to cryptocurrency scams and referral links of attackers, installs bad mining codes, and takes over transactions on trading platforms and in web wallets. It was first spotted in August of last year but resurfaced recently in certain countries.

    In January, analytics firm ICEBRG identified four extensions that were likely used in a click-fraud scam to generate revenue. These were removed from the Web Store once discovered, but not after infecting 500,000 Chrome users.

    Despite being regarded as one of the safest browsers, Chrome is far from being invulnerable. Attackers continue to work around security protocols through third-party extensions loaded with malicious codes. Chrome users should verify an extension before installing it. That, or just stay away from third-party providers, even if they’ve been vetted by Google’s stringent security process.

    [Featured image via Pixabay]

  • Amazon Web Services Now has a Tool for Managing ‘Secrets’

    Amazon Web Services Now has a Tool for Managing ‘Secrets’

    Even companies have secrets that must never be revealed to outsiders. These include passwords,  API keys and other credentials that could spell trouble and even cost the company money if they fall into the wrong hands.

    In this age where data breaches are a fact of life, securing company data has become even more important since businesses are now moving their systems into the cloud. In response to this need, cloud computing giant Amazon Web Services (AWS) just launched a slew of services that provide businesses with easy-to-use tools to help them secure their cloud data.

    One of these new services is the appropriately named Secrets Manager, which can be used by companies to store very important information such as passwords. AWS’s new offering is timely considering the latest round or reports saying that improperly stored passwords on the platform had been compromised by cyber attacks.

    “You never, ever again have to put a secret in your code,” Amazon CTO Werner Vogels assured audiences during the AWS Summit. Vogels added that the service “allows us to build systems that are way more secure than we could ever do in the past.”

    The Secrets Manager tool is not  AWS’s first tool geared toward enhancing cybersecurity for its clients. The company previously introduced a simpler security system which was capable of storing encryption keys and worked with dedicated hardware modules.

    This time, however, the brand new AWS Secrets Manager has a broader use. Aside from storing passwords, the tool can also be used for storing database login data as well as keys to application programming interfaces for other services.

    Along with Secrets Manager, AWS also launched the Firewall Manager. It gives clients centralized control over security policies across their entire organization and can also be used for control over multiple accounts and applications. The tool makes it easier for clients’ security teams to spot non-compliant applications and resolve issues in minutes.

    The recent tools are well-timed to address the security concerns clients might have raised in light of the recent incidents of data breaches in the cloud service. In October 2017, Accenture’s data stored by AWS was leaked and over 40,000 passwords were compromised. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation also experienced a data leak which included login information in November of last year.

    Of course, the new AWS tool isn’t free. The company charges 40 cents per secret per month as well as 5 cents per 10,000 programmatic requests.

    [Feature image via AWS website]

  • Dropbox Announces Plans to Integrate Google G Suite Tools into Its Platform

    Dropbox Announces Plans to Integrate Google G Suite Tools into Its Platform

    One of the minor inconveniences plaguing the modern day workplace is the proliferation of different apps and tools that might not be totally compatible with each other. Thankfully, users of both Dropbox and Google Suite will have it easier in the near future as cross-platform integration is in the works.

    Dropbox recently announced that it plans to partner with Google to integrate G Suite tools to its file sharing and storage service. This is a smart move for the company as it would greatly improve the functionality and ease of use for its service considering that 50 percent of Dropbox users also maintain a G Suite account.

    This partnership will allow Dropbox users to easily access useful G Suite features once the integration is completed. For instance, they will be able to open and edit compatible files such as Google Slides, Sheets or Docs directly from Dropbox. For Dropbox Business administrators, the partnership will also allow them to manage Google Docs, Slides and Sheet that are in Dropbox.

    On the other hand, G Suite users will also be able to open, edit and even create Google Docs in Dropbox. They can also make the same kind of file manipulations for other G Suite files such as Google Sheets and Slides.

    “We want to make it easy for our users to work across devices with the tools they love,” explained Dropbox Vice President of Engineering Tony Lee, reflecting the trend of intercompany cooperation to make their different products work seamlessly with each other. Dropbox also partnered with Microsoft in a similar arrangement a few years back.

    The recent weeks have been eventful for the San Francisco-based file hosting and syncing company. Just last week, Dropbox went public in a bid to raise $500 million in fresh funding to finance its latest R&D efforts.

    [Featured image via Dropbox]

  • Google Rolls Out Hangouts Chat, Set to Compete with Slack and Microsoft Teams

    Google Rolls Out Hangouts Chat, Set to Compete with Slack and Microsoft Teams

    It seems that Google is seriously eyeing a bigger slice of the workplace communications market. Recently, the company announced that Hangouts Chat is now rolling out to the general public which puts it on a collision course with rival Slack and Microsoft Teams.

    Hangouts Chat was first announced in March of 2017 and was previously available as part of an Early Adopter Program. However, the feature is now making its way to all users over the course of seven days starting yesterday.

    Google is positioning Hangouts Chat as the perfect tool to handle the communication needs of companies especially those that require team members from different parts of the globe to collaborate. The feature, which can be accessed by all G Suite users, supports 28 languages while each room can even accommodate up to 8,000 members.

    Chat also allows plenty of customization options so that companies can tweak the tool to suit their specific needs. For instance, developers may build bots or integrate their services into the feature. The feature is also compatible with Google’s existing ecosystem of partners making it easier for the tool to be integrated with other workplace collaboration apps such as Xero, RingCentral, UberConference, Salesforce, Zenefits, Zoom.ai, Jira, Trello, Wrike, and Kayak.

    Of course, Hangouts Chat is very compatible with Google’s own suite of products and workplace tools. From Chat, users can easily start Hangouts Meet video conferences as well as document and file sharing.

    The rise of online jobs, as well as teams of workers opting to work remotely, has spawned a new segment of services catering to the collaborative and communication needs of modern day businesses. As a newcomer, Hangouts Chat needs to put more effort to catch up with more established players in the market. At the moment, Microsoft Teams has a 37 percent share of the global market collaboration software while rival Slack has 5 percent share.

  • The Education Technology Revolution is Still on its Way

    AOL founder and internet visionary Steve Case in his new book, “The Third Wave” says that the Education Revolution will be: More personal. More Individualized. More data-driven. Even though there have been many technological solutions that fit the spirit of Steve’s mantra, they have been implemented in a scattered way thus far. In other words we have a long way to go–but we are on a path to get there.

    The obstacles are huge, people don’t like change, schools don’t have the necessary software budgets and people have been jaded by past technology investments that have been failures. There are numerous examples, but I’ll give just one big one. L.A. Unified School Districts failed $1.3 billion iPad program.

    In 2013 the District decided to give every student an iPad pre-loaded with Pearson instruction material. One of the drivers of this plan was learning equity, so that underprivileged kids could have the same learning opportunities as the middle class and rich kids. By 2015 the money had been spent and it went down as one of the most spectacular failures in public education history. There were problems with the curriculum, a lack of internet access at the homes of students the program was meant to help the most and nobody had a solution to account for thousands of lost or stolen iPads.

    This was a software and technology experiment that was badly implemented, but that doesn’t mean that technology in education won’t ultimately be what saves our education system.

    Wired summed it up:

    But while the the parties involved continue pointing the finger and picking up the pieces, the important question to ask now is what this fiasco means for the future of technology in the classroom. If one of the country’s largest school districts, one of the world’s largest tech companies, and one of the most established brands in education can’t make it work, can anyone?

    Technology Focusing on Learning Progress Can Transform Education

    Technology can and will transform education by making the learning process, and more importantly the learning progress the centerpiece, instead of everybody learning the same stuff at the same time and pace. Everybody’s different, with unique interests and personalities and with widely varied backgrounds. Of course everybody should know the basics, but our system should ultimately do better at guiding students toward an education goal that they’re meant to reach. That’s what Olympic athletes do. They start their focused training toward their end goals early in life and that’s how they become world-class in their sport.

    Technology can help provide that kind of focus in education.

    The idea is for cloud based platforms to help teachers and students direct your personal education path. It’s not just about curriculum, it’s about setting learning goals that are individualized so that students can stay in their passion zones, which maximizes learning. We all work harder when we are learning something that interests us. These individualized goals can also be used to help students with learning difficulties or IEP’s, so that we are measuring their progress in a way that allows us to view their progression over time and make adjustments to their goals or learning strategies if progress isn’t happening.

    Educators should create goals in a goal attainment scaling framework that enables meaningful measurement across spectrums. In other words, use a data-driven approach to measure a students learning progress. Progress toward a students learning goals are a better indicator of a students success and with proper measurement the progress data can easily be compared to the students other learning goals and the overall learning progress of the classroom as a whole, an entire school, district or state.

    Comparison of measurable data allows students, teachers, parents and administrators to intervene and improve the learning process before too much time passes. Software that encourages meaningful measurement of progress encourages productivity in learning. Instead of comparing standardized grades and test scores, we should be comparing measurable progress of students and our education system in general.

    This personal, individualized, data-driven approach will revolutionize education.

    – By Rich Ord, CEO of iEntry, Inc. and co-founder of StudentGrowthWorks, a software platform to measure the progress of students, especially those with IEPs or RTI plans.

  • A YouTube Introduction to 360-Degree Video and Virtual Reality

    A YouTube Introduction to 360-Degree Video and Virtual Reality

    “360 is a video format that unlike traditional video, is capturing in full 360, so full spherical,” commented Kurt Wilms, Senior Product Manager at YouTube. “When we talk about 360 at YouTube, we’re talking about filming content and viewing content in this new video format.”

    Screen Shot 2016-08-08 at 1.50.48 PM

    “VR at YouTube is all about how viewers are experiencing this,” Wilms said. “VR means you’re watching the content in a specialized headset that allows for really immersive viewing and really transports you in a way that isn’t possible if you’re watching on your phone or on your desktop computer.”

    Screen Shot 2016-08-08 at 1.55.05 PM

    YouTube has developed a special camera to create 360-degree videos:

    Screen Shot 2016-08-08 at 1.52.25 PM

    “360 video as a format has been out for a while but up until recently, people haven’t had a great way to consume in a way that was immersive,” noted Bryce Reid, a User Experience Designer for YouTube. “What I’m really excited about is now that we have all these new technologies for viewing the content, it can really transport people. So I don’t think of it as using a camera to create a scene, I think of it as like a personal teleporter where you can send people to a new place. And that’s really exciting.”

    Screen Shot 2016-08-08 at 1.56.30 PM

    “Telling traditional stories but putting a new spin on them with 360 is something that all creators should be thinking about across all content verticals,” says Wilms.

    Screen Shot 2016-08-08 at 1.57.46 PM

    “When I’m filming in 360, I try to place myself inside that camera,” says Reid. “I want to make sure that the scene that I’m telling captures their attention and focuses them in the direction that I want them to be looking, rather than aiming. So if you really want someone to look that way, do something over there and then that will gather some people’s attention.”

    Screen Shot 2016-08-08 at 1.58.48 PM

    “Whether it’s up down, left or right and really the viewers feeling like they’re present there, they’re actually in the film maker’s shoes.” says Wilms.

    Screen Shot 2016-08-08 at 2.00.37 PM

    “There aren’t do’s or don’ts yet and I think that we’re looking for creators to define that,” said Reid. “We know that there’s some basic rules about comfort, like you know, don’t spin people around and make them sick but other than that, it’s really wide open.”

    “Getting started with 360 is actually really easy,” Wilms said. “You can go out and buy a camera, consumer grade cameras that aren’t very expensive. They integrate with YouTube. You can start filming immediately and upload your content directly to YouTube and start exploring and filming and seeing what works and what doesn’t for your content. Viewers with a mobile phone, with a desktop computer, with a smart TV will be able to watch your content without any special hardware and really allow viewers to experience things like they’ve never experienced before.”

    Screen Shot 2016-08-08 at 2.02.39 PM

    “360 is best when you want someone to be really close to something and to feel like they were there,” commented Reid. “To form a memory of it. It’s not really like a thing that I watched, it’s a place I was at.”

    “One of recent examples is creators are starting to use 360 to live stream,” says Wilms. “Doing things like putting a 360 camera on a red carpet at an award show to give viewers a whole new perspective and watch things live like they never could before.”

    Screen Shot 2016-08-08 at 2.04.59 PM

    “I’m really excited to see all of the traditional things applied to VR and applied to spherical video and see what sticks,” said Reid. “We really don’t know the answer yet. There’s going to be whole new genre’s that we don’t even know about that are going to emerge from this and it’s really exciting about what that’s going to be.”