OpenAI hits back at Elon Musk, 90 percent of statistics published on the Internet aren’t true, 30,000 Fidelity customers in the US have their data stolen and those hospital alarms sounds may not save lives – and they are responsible for a lot of deaths.

All this and more on the “lies, damned liars and internet statistics” edition of Hashtag Trending. I’m your host, Jim Love, CIO of IT World Canada and TechNewsDay in the US.

So, it turns out that Elon Musk’s lawsuit might have left out a few details. A big part of Musk’s lawsuit accuses OpenAI of changing from a not for profit to a for profit company and of giving Microsoft control of AI.

But documents released by OpenAI claim that the board didn’t want to try to become a for profit company, because a not for profit could not raise the amount of money that would be required to pursue their mission of Automated General Intelligence. They also maintain that Musk knew that all along an didn’t object.

Not only did he not object, but again, according to the documents released by OpenAI, Musk actively wanted to merge the company with Tesla, a company he controls.

The board was concerned about turning over control to any one person, especially if that person is Elon Musk.

As to Musk’s claim that the board has given away the rights to Artificial General Intelligence and made Microsoft a “defacto owner” of AGI, OpenAI has already pointed out in a staff memo yesterday, that Microsoft’s agreement does not entitle that company to any ownership or right to AGI. Further, that memo indicated that it was in the board’s sole discretion to say what was AGI and what was not.

It does have access to the “standard” generative AI products produced by OpenAI, like GPT 4. But without the 10 billion dollars brought in from Microsoft, everyone, including Musk, knew that OpenAI would not have been able to have the computing power to pursue their AI research and development.

Or as ChatGPT would have said if we asked it to summarize Musk’s position as if they were William Shakespeare, “methinks the Elon doth protest too much.”

Source: AIGrid (YouTube) and the Verge

A recent set of takeaways from a Europol report has received widespread quotation across the internet, including a statement that 90% of Online content will be AI-Generated by 2026.

The only problem is, that quote is nowhere to be found in the report, according to an article published by a company called Oodaloop.

The article also contains some very interesting stats from a report by the UK based firm Public First.

62% of respondents supported the creation of a new government regulatory agency, similar to a medical regulatory agency, to regulate the use of new AI models.

Overall, 32% thought advanced AI would make us safer, compared to 18% who thought it would make us less safe. When asked about specific risks from advanced AI, the most important were perceived to be increasing unemployment (49%)

Even though this is a UK report, it has some interesting research in it. We’ll post a link to those in the show notes.

But as someone who puts together a daily newscast, there was a real lesson here. Just because a lot of people say a statistic exists, doesn’t mean that it does.

Sources include: Oodaloop

Nearly 30,000 Fidelity Investments Life Insurance customers’ personal and financial information is feared stolen in a suspected ransomware attack, following a breach into Infosys’ IT systems last fall. The compromised data likely includes bank account and routing numbers, credit card numbers and security codes, names, Social Security numbers, states of residence, and dates of birth. This breach could potentially enable identity theft scams or unauthorized financial transactions.

Infosys, an Indian tech services giant, experienced the cybersecurity incident affecting its US subsidiary, Infosys McCamish Systems (IMS), which led to the shutdown of some applications and IT systems. LockBit, a notorious ransomware gang, claimed responsibility for the intrusion. This incident marks another significant data breach involving Infosys, following a similar disclosure last month related to a Bank of America data leak.

The cyberattack occurred between October 20 and November 2, disrupting services provided by Infosys to both Fidelity and Bank of America. Fidelity has been working with IMS to investigate and contain the event, implement remedial measures, and safely restore services.

Sources include: The Register

Hospital workers are exposed to up to 1,000 alarm noises per shift, leading to a phenomenon known as “alarm fatigue.” This sensory overload has been linked to hundreds of deaths annually. A new study suggests that replacing standard monotonous hospital alarms with more musical ones could significantly reduce alarm fatigue while making key equipment less annoying.

The study, which involved experimenting with different musical sounds for hospital alarms, found that only 15% of all alarms in the critical care unit environment were clinically relevant. The high number of false alarms contributes to alarm fatigue, a desensitization caused by sensory overload, potentially leading to missed alarms. Between 2005 and 2010, the US FDA reported 566 alarm-related deaths.

Researchers Joseph Schlesinger, an anesthesiologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Michael Schutz, a music cognition researcher at McMaster University, have been exploring how timbres might allow softer sounds to command the attention of busy medical personnel. They discovered that sounds with a “percussive” timbre, containing short bursts of high-frequency energy, stand out even at low volumes. In contrast, loud, “flat” tones without high-frequency components tend to get lost.

In their study, 42 participants were presented with six alarms: half designed according to a standard alarm and half with a new timbre based on the sound of a xylophone. The researchers assessed participants’ perceived annoyance with the different alarms and their ability to recognize them. The results showed that complex percussive timbres were considered less annoying in 88% of instances compared to standard tones used in medical devices. Alarm melodies in an acoustically rich timbre were no more difficult to identify than standard hospital beeps.

This research indicates that musical timbres can significantly reduce perceived annoyance without harming alarm learnability. It represents a step towards improving alarm design while addressing the issue of excessive alarm sounds among medical devices. Future research will explore how different timbres affect other important perceptual issues, such as alarm detectability.

Sources include: NewAtlas.com

The study was published in the journal Perioperative Care and Operating Room Management.

That’s our show for today.

Love your comments.

Send us a note at jlove@itwc.ca or drop us a comment under the show notes at itworldcanada.com/podcasts – look for Hashtag Trending.

Thanks for listening and have a Thrilling Thursday.

The post OpenAI hits back at Elon Musk: Hashtag Trending for March 7, 2024 first appeared on IT World Canada.

Yesterday, chief information officer (CIO) of IT World Canada Jim Love sat down with Amir Hameed, senior vice president of worldwide solution sales and engineering, and Kevin Krempulec, Canada country manager, from cloud communications platform RingCentral, to discuss how AI can transform the conversation across both customer and employee journeys.

The first step for organizations looking to leverage AI to deliver enhanced customer experience is to clearly define the use cases, starting with the simpler challenges first before tackling the more complex ones, explained Krempulec. The crawl, walk, run approach is the way to go, he added.

While collaborating with Purolator, for instance, RingCentral addressed the easier challenges first, like automating the process of arranging a pickup, and later using only a voice bot to handle customer interactions.

And throughout that journey, organizations need to be constantly seeking and applying feedback from clients, affirmed Krempulec.

Focusing on augmenting the employee experience throughout this process is as critical, the speakers acknowledged. AI should be geared towards providing employees a better experience, and that could involve them having more meaningful interactions or mundane tasks being handled by automation, or the ability to have some coaching on the side.

Staples, for instance, worked with RingCentral to streamline its Tech Easy remote tech support service. The first 90 days of customer service, when customers would typically call in with a question, needed to be stellar, and RingCentral complemented the service with an agent assist technology that quickly surfaces additional or historical information on the issue broached by the customer. It also provides instant coaching to the agent and summarizes the call.

“You’ve had that interaction, and then automatically, all of that meeting summary is updated and extended all the way out into your CRM, so that when the next agent gets that call, everything is updated and at their fingertips,” said Hameed.

However, the RingCentral execs emphasized the importance of prioritizing security when embarking on the AI journey.

“The explosion of AI is absolutely mind numbing, but at the same time, it’s got to be responsible AI. It’s got to be ethical AI. It’s got to be secure,” said Hameed.

Customer information, he said, is sensitive and confidential, adding, “We’re absolutely careful that none of that has ever been, nor ever will be, shared in the open internet. So we’ve got to be very prescriptive on how we leverage the AI moving forward.”

Another rule of thumb is ensuring that knowledge fed to an agent or chatbot is well-sourced, accurate, relevant, and aligns with the principles outlined by an organization. Conducting user acceptance tests is as important before you go live with it, said Krempulec.

Gauging success

In general, an increase in revenue and a decrease in costs would be a good success metric to look at, said Hameed.

But assessing whether the technology is enabling your employees to be more effective equally builds the business case for AI. For example, looking at the pace at which customers cases are closed successfully, if there is a level of personalization delivered to the customer, the number of minutes saved as you pulled out an instant summarization of a call, are  all solid success metrics to consider, explained Krempulec.

“At RingCentral ,that’s what really drives our roadmap. It’s not technology or AI for AI’s sake. It’s truly what is going to move the needle for our customers and drive the business outcomes, delight their customers and keep them continuing to grow through technology,” asserted Hadeep.

RingCentral has a number of customer experience solutions, including the Contact Center, Ring CX as well as Salesforce and Zendesk. Discover more here.

The post RingCentral drills down the opportunities for AI to revamp customer interactions first appeared on IT World Canada.

Artificial intelligence can be the key to unlocking better relationships with work, HP revealed in its new Work Relationship Index (WRI) report.

“AI represents a significant opportunity to transform our work dynamics and unlock a more positive and productive environment for all,” stated Dave Shull, president of HP Workforce Solutions at HP Inc.. “To foster greater understanding and acceptance of AI – and ensure employees know how to reap its benefits – business leaders must take the initiative to educate employees on AI’s potential and spearhead its effective integration.”

The report gathered insights from more than 15,000 workers across 12 countries, including 1000 knowledge workers, 300 IT decision makers, and 100 business leaders in each country, including Canada.

Concerningly, Canada ranked seventh, with only 23 per cent of respondents reporting a healthy relationship with work, trailing the U.S., U.K., Brazil, Mexico, India and others.

In fact, knowledge workers in growing economies, such as India, Brazil and Mexico, reported a higher sense of fulfillment and greater confidence in their skills than those in mature economies, noted Mary Ann Yule, president and chief executive officer, HP Canada.

“Knowledge workers within these regions are also faring better with the return to office, as 74 per cent report they are more productive since coming back,” she said. “The opportunity for increased collaboration, productivity and socialization has re-instilled the belief that work should add to their happiness and not detract from it. This includes an increased desire to have some level of control and autonomy on when, where and how they perform their work.”

However, in mature economies like Canada, knowledge workers claim that when their relationship with work is increasingly strained, they are less productive, more disengaged and disconnected from their organization, and more likely to contemplate leaving the company, compared to their counterparts who report a healthy relationship with work.

The report, nonetheless, revealed that a resounding 70 per cent of IT decision makers and 72 per cent of business leaders believe that AI can play a role in improving their relationship with work, and their work-life balance. 

That number is intriguingly lower among knowledge workers, who might be more concerned about job security. Nearly half of younger workers, notably Gen Z, are concerned about their jobs being replaced by AI. They are also less likely than IT decision makers and business leaders to think that AI will make their jobs easier or that AI will allow them to offload tedious and repetitive tasks.

“Artificial intelligence’s potential to foster healthier relationships with work is well understood by the workforce, with business leaders and IT decision makers leading the way,” noted Yule. “However, our Work Relationship Index tells us that there is a disconnect between what these groups know and what knowledge workers understand. Younger knowledge workers feel threatened by this innovation because they are part of the wider group of employees who do not know how to maximize the benefits of the technology.”

Business leaders, therefore, have a critical role in educating employees on AI, especially considering that 42 per cent of knowledge workers say they do not know when to use AI at work and 58 per cent believe it is the responsibility of senior leadership to spearhead the adoption of artificial intelligence for better work outcomes.

That being said, both business leaders and knowledge workers overwhelmingly agree that their company needs to hold proper training on how to use AI.

“In an evolving work landscape where businesses are striving to unlock heightened engagement, retention, and productivity, as well as keeping their employees inspired, the strategic integration of AI emerges as a potent force for transformation,” said Stella Low, chief communications officer, HP. “Knowledge workers around the world are looking to senior leadership to show them how to navigate the AI terrain effectively: the stage is set for business leaders to seize the opportunity to both empower their employees and drive success.”

See the full report here.

The post Only 23 per cent of Canadians have a healthy relationship with work; AI can help, says HP first appeared on IT World Canada.

A pilot program aimed at training women and non-binary persons for careers in cybersecurity will soon start recruiting its third group of students.

The program, offered to students in computer science and related courses in seven Canadian post-secondary institutions, should start looking for candidates next month for the fall academic year, said Vivian Lee, team lead for work integrated learning e-learning delivery at the Information and Community Technology Council (ICTC).

“It’s designed in collaboration with universities and colleges to re-balance the gender issue within the cybersecurity sector,” she said. “It provides a stronger pipeline of employees for the digital sector, specifically within the SOC (security operations centre) analyst cloud security sector.”

The eight-month academic program, called ‘Cybersecurity Training and Work Integrated Learning,’ includes a 16-week work placement or experiential learning opportunity with the goal of making students job-ready on graduation.

The program is funded by Microsoft Canada and the federal government, with input from a group of Canadian post-secondary institutions, and implemented by ICTC.

“There is a large need for new staff in this sector,” Lee said, “so we collaborated with our community sectors and put together this plan that allows us to be part of that solution.”

The program offers hard and soft skills training, including mentorship from technology subject matter experts and advice on networking and how to apply for jobs.

Students are given access to three Microsoft certifications in cloud security infrastructure.

As part of the program, ICTC also supports the development of Women in Cybersecurity clubs on each school’s campus so students can meet others interested in the field.

The program was first offered to 56 students at the University of Calgary and Toronto Metropolitan University in 2022. Of those, 36 graduated.

Last fall, the number of institutions expanded to include the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), Winnipeg’s Red River College, the University of New Brunswick, New Brunswick Community College and Halifax’s Dalhousie University. Over 150 students were accepted. That cohort is about to graduate.

The third class, about to be recruited, will also have about 150 students.

“A lot of the students that were recruited were in their final year, so they’re looking for their next step in their professional career,” said Lee. “This is a bridge between their undergrad and hopefully a [full-time] job.”

Do women and non-binary persons in IT want cybersecurity jobs? “We have no trouble with student interest,” Lee replied. Some have “mind-boggling talent and brains,” are doing double majors in computer science and physics “and say they want to drive satellites for a living.”

But, she admits, “the reality is it (cybersecurity) still very much a boy’s club” — and women know it.

Students at BCIT talk about the “dwindling number of women” in the IT degree program because they feel isolated and shut out of a lot of opportunities by their male colleagues.

“So this [program] is a way for us to focus on the positives and make sure that students are given opportunities. Given the opportunity, these women excel.”

She admitted that most employers looking for cybersecurity pros want someone with experience.

“It’s a double-edged sword: People want you to have experience, but they’re not willing to give it to you. And then they complain the job market doesn’t have enough qualified candidates.

“Our responsibility is to train up these students as much as possible within the time frame and resources that we have. But we also have very formal relations with community partners that are employers in the sector to show them [employers] what is possible.

“We will always see people that have unreasonable expectations of what they want their recruits to be able to do, but that’s not solution-oriented. We’re trying to show them that taking six to eight months to train somebody to your specific standards can have a significantly long-term return on your investment and would allow you to be part of the solution.

“It’s important that especially small employers consider this investment.”

The ICTC is a not-for-profit group that advocates the use of technology to drive Canada’s economic growth.

It says last year just over 4,000 post-secondary students received job placements with Canadian employers through its Work Integrated Learning courses.

The council produces reports on labour market forecasts, smart cities, sustainable digital economy, foreign investment, inclusive smart economies, gender equity, educational technology, and others.

It is funded by the federal government, several provinces, and companies including Microsoft, Sophos, Walmart and KPMG.

The post Pilot cybersecurity training program for women to recruit third cohort first appeared on IT World Canada.

The government of Canada has announced significant investments to improve connectivity in British Columbia and Alberta over the past two days.

That includes combined federal and provincial funding of C$112 million to bring high speed internet access to more than 22,500 households in Alta. and another $37 million for 7,500 households in B.C..

The households, of which over 4000 are Indigenous, are located in remote and rural communities.

1,356 of the Indigenous households in Alta. are located in Siksika Nation, also a recipient of the funding.

“Access to reliable internet is not just a convenience; it’s a modern-day necessity that connects us all to essential services, education and each other,” said Ouray Crowfoot, chief of Sisika Nation. “On Siksika Nation, together with our government partners, we are not just bridging the digital divide; we are building pathways to a healthier, more connected future for all.”

The other recipients of the Alta. investment include Advanced Interactive Canada, Arrow Technology Group, Siksika Nation and Yellowhead County. A total of 14 projects will be undertaken in the province

The B.C. investment will also go to 14 projects undertaken by Nisga’a Lisims Government, Telus, Ktunaxa Nation (FlexiNET), CityWest Cable & Telephone Corp., and Kaslo infoNET Society.

Both B.C. and Alta. boast historic broadband partnerships with Ottawa to commit up to $830 million and $780 million respectively to bring high-speed internet access to rural, remote and Indigenous communities in their provinces.

Reportedly, more projects will be selected under the Alta.-Ottawa broadband partnership over the coming months.

Minister of Rural Economic Development Gudie Hutchings said that today’s investments advance the government’s goal toward ensuring that 98 per cent of Canadians have access to high-speed internet by 2026, and 100 per cent by 2030.

Details of the projects announced today can be viewed here: Alta. and B.C.

The post Government of Canada announces major broadband investments in the west first appeared on IT World Canada.

OnePlus is probably not the best-known phone brand in Canada, since the major carriers haven’t picked it up, but it’s one that’s well worth a look. For the first time, its R series, previously only available in India and China, is available here and in the U.S.

OnePlus R Series devices, the company said, are “performance-focused flagships designed to give users the best mobile gaming experience possible. … Now, with more graphically intense mobile games launching worldwide, OnePlus has listened to the feedback of its users and will be bringing the OnePlus R Series to North America and Europe for the first time.”

Along with its higher-end sibling, the OnePlus 12, the OnePlus 12R was launched in January, and hit the stores last month. We had the opportunity to test both devices and here’s our take.

Although both phones are dubbed “flagship,” the 12’s specs top those of the 12R in a number of areas – including price. You’ll pay C$669.99 (list) for the base 12R (8 GB/128 GB), while the base model of the 12 (12 GB/256 GB) will set you back C$1069.99. Both are available from Amazon and Best Buy, or direct from OnePlus.

One area in which both phones shine, regardless of price, is in charging. If you set the included red cable next to a standard phone cable, you’ll see that it’s heftier, and the wired power supply is a proprietary rapid charger using OPPO’s SuperVOOC (Voltage Open Loop Multi-step Constant-Current Charging) technology. That means mind-bogglingly fast charging – about half an hour to get from zero to full charge.

The 12 also achieves results like that charging wirelessly, as long as you use the optional (C$69.99) OnePlus AIRVOOC wireless charger. The 12R, however, does not support wireless charging. But it does have  a slightly bigger battery, and quite respectable battery life – a couple of days, at least, depending on usage. The 12 also sips power rather than slurping it, so you’ll get at least a couple of days of moderate use.

Another delightful feature for those of us who need respite from alerts is the slider on the left side of each device. It silences notifications so you’re not woken up at 3 a.m. by a partying pal, or disturbed during a meeting.

The phones themselves are, like most of today’s smartphones, smooth and sleek and a bit slippery. Investing in a case is a good idea. And, alas, they both lack headphone jacks, though OnePlus sells a C$12.99 adapter that plugs into the USB port.

The 12 is slightly heavier than the 12R (it’s bigger, so that makes sense). Yes, the specs suggest that the 12R is a slightly lesser phone, but you probably won’t notice much difference in performance from the older hardware components.

However, the biggest difference between the two devices is the camera. OnePlus partnered with high-end camera maker Hasselblad on the more advanced systems in the 12, while the 12R’s camera is more basic. It’s not terrible, just not as good as the 12’s. But they both pass the Black Cat Test, generating clear images of our long-suffering feline overlord. However, pointing both cameras at a full moon revealed, well, the 12R just sees a shiny disk and the 12 sees the moon, complete with its various craters and markings.

Admittedly, not many cameras are moon-friendly, and both devices handle more mundane things like flowers and icicles pretty well. You do get better zoom (3x optical) on the 12, and optical image stabilization on both telephoto and standard cameras, where the 12R only has OIS on its main camera. But I tried both in various lighting conditions and neither fell completely on its face.

That said, if the reason you’re switching phones is the camera, have a peek at these photos and see if the difference is worth the extra $300 or so for the 12. You may be surprised at which you prefer.

OnePlus’s take on Android, the Oxygen OS, has its quirks – for example, you check for system updates via the Security and Privacy menu in Settings, and the Close All button one would think would close all open apps closes all but one (and if there’s only one thing minimized, it just pulls it into focus – this is likely a bug) – so you may need to do some exploring to find things.

But it is running Android 14 under the covers, so is up-to-date (except for the AI features you’ll find in the Pixel 8 and Galaxy S24; they’re coming later). And OnePlus guarantees five years of security updates and four major Android updates for the 12, and four years of security updates and three major Android updates for the 12R. The hardware warranty is one year.

As you will see on the spec sheet below, both the OnePlus 12 and 12R are solid phones that offer good value – they’re well worth checking out.

OnePlus 12
OnePlus 12R

Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Display
6.82-inch ProXDR LTPO, 3168 × 1440 (510ppi), 120Hz adaptive refresh
6.78-inch ProXDR LTPO, 2780 × 1264 (450ppi), 120Hz adaptive refresh

RAM
12GB or 16GB LPDDR5X RAM
8GB or 16GB LPDDR5X

Storage
256GB or 512GB UFS 4.0
128GB or 256GB UFS 3.1

Battery
5,400mAh
5,500mAh

Ports
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-C)
USB 2.0 (Type-C)

Front camera
32MP f/2.4 Sony IMX615
16MP

Rear camera
50MP f/1.6 Sony LYT-808 main w/OIS, 48MP f/2.2 Sony IMX581 ultrawide (114°), 64MP f/2.6 OmniVision OV64B 3x telephoto w/OIS
50MP f/1.8 Sony IMX890 main w/OIS, 8MP ultrawide Sony IMX355 (112°), 2MP macro

Connectivity
5G (no UWB), 4G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC
5G (no UWB), 4G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC

Dimensions
164.3 × 75.8 × 9.2mm
163.3 × 75.3 × 8.8mm

Weight
220g
207g

IP rating
IP65
IP64

Charging
80W wired SUPERVOOC, 50W wireless AIRVOOC
80W wired SUPERVOOC

Operating system
Android 14 (OxygenOS)
Android 14 (OxygenOS)

The post Review: OnePlus 12 vs OnePlus 12R – A solid pair of devices first appeared on IT World Canada.

VMware and Apple rush out security updates, a new ScreenConnect malware is found, and more.

Welcome to Cyber Security Today. It’s Wednesday, March 6th, 2024. I’m Howard Solomon, contributing reporter on cybersecurity for ITWorldCanada.com and TechNewsday.com in the U.S.

VMware has pushed out security updates to close four vulnerabilities in major products. They must be installed in ESXi, VMware Workstation, Fusion and Cloud Foundation. An exploit that combines the vulnerabilities would be rated as critical. A malicious actor with local administrative privileges on a virtual machine could use one of the vulnerabilities to execute code as the virtual machine’s VMX process running on the host. On ESXi, the exploitation would be contained within the VMX sandbox. But on Workstation and Fusion, it could lead to code execution on those machines.

It’s not uncommon for threat actors to rush out an exploit once an application vulnerability has been revealed. The goal is to compromise a system before it’s been patched. The latest example is malware discovered by researchers at Kroll aimed at compromising unpatched versions of a remote desktop software used by IT departments called ScreenConnect. Kroll dubs this new malware ToddlerShark, because it resembles malware called BabyShark that’s been used for a while by a North Korean hacking group. I first reported on the need to patch ScreenConnect two weeks ago. Kroll says the list of threat actors trying to compromise unpatched versions of ScreenConnect for initial access is growing.

Most cyber attacks come from outside threat actors. However, IT leaders still have to pay attention to the risks of accidental data loss and thefts from employees and contractors. According to a new report from Code42 Software, the number of insider incidents has increased 28 per cent since 2021. The company’s annual Data Exposure Report includes a survey of over 700 IT security pros in the U.S. Eighty-five per cent expect data loss from insider events to increase in the next 12 months. One factoid I pulled from the report: Companies conducting daily cybersecurity reminders said they experience fewer insider-driven data events a month than those who train staff quarterly.

The U.S. Treasury Department has sanctioned a commercial spyware co-operative called Intellexa Consortium for selling spyware used against American government officials, reporters and policy experts. Two people have also been sanctioned in connection with their work for the consortium. It operates as a marketing label for several companies that sell commercial spyware under the brand-name Predator to authoritarian governments. Last year President Biden issued an executive order forbidding U.S. agencies from directly or indirectly being involved with commercial spyware. Last month Canada, the United States, France and the U.K. were among a number of countries that promised to create international principles limiting the use of commercial spyware.

Apple has rushed out software updates for iPhones and iPads to cover security vulnerabilities. Usually they will be installed automatically, but it doesn’t hurt to check if your device has been patched. Newer devices should be running version 17.4 of the operating system. If your iPhone or iPad says it’s running the latest version of the OS but it’s not at least 16.7.6 then you have a unit that no longer takes security updates.

Finally, X has added the ability for users to make audio and video calls from the Messages part of the mobile app. Unfortunately, according to TechCrunch, your IP address can be seen. Other apps that offer calling capability, like FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Signal and WhatsApp also expose IP addresses. To hide your IP address in the X app go to the Message settings and turn on Enhanced Call Privacy. Those who connect to X through a browser don’t have this problem because they can’t make audio and video calls.

Follow Cyber Security Today on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or add us to your Flash Briefing on your smart speaker.

The post Cyber Security Today, March 6, 2024 – VMware and Apple rush out security updates, a new ScreenConnect malware is found, and more first appeared on IT World Canada.

Imagine a world without Facebook. For just half an hour. A group of AI leaders get together but don’t seem to invite Elon Musk. Amazon takes data centres nuclear. A new competitor for ChatGPT and Google. And public trust in AI is declining. 

All this and more on the “just breath, Facebook will be back” edition of Hashtag Trending. I’m your host, Jim Love, CIO of IT World Canada and TechNewsDay in the US.

We heard the collective scream as hundreds of thousands of users of Meta’s social media sites – Facebook, Instagram and Threads were locked out of their accounts early this morning.  The details are still coming in as we record this show for tomorrow morning, but here’s what we know. 

Between about 10 am Eastern time and noon, a large number of users were locked out of their accounts and unable to login to Facebook, Instagram and Threads. 

Initial reports posted on Cyberint.com claimed that three threat actor groups – Skynet, Godzilla, and Anonymous Sudan – claimed that they had shut down Facebook, Instagram and Threads.

The numbers affected were in the hundreds of thousands. The site Downdetector logged over 560,000 US Facebook users unable to get on the site and about 160,000 in Canada. The proportions were the same on Instagram and Threads. 

But not everyone was affected. While I was viewing comments from users in Toronto and Ottawa on Downdetector, I was able to login into Facebook from my house which is a two hour drive to Toronto. 

Looking at other sites including Twitter and others, there was a similar spike at 11 am although nothing like the number of users affected on Meta’s sites. These were larger than normal but only in the hundreds. 

I’m sure that there will be more on this. Check out ITWorldCanada.com for an update this morning and watch out for more from Howard Solomon, host of CyberSecurityToday.

I’m sure this will be part of the discussion today and maybe even in days to come.

Sources: Downdetector, Cyberint.com, ITWorldCanada.com

As Meta’s users were being locked out, Elon Musk took the time to make a clear statement about how attacks on any sites are unacceptable.  Sorry, just kidding. 

Elon took to X to mock the outage, with a meme and in a separate post, he also added, “if you’re reading this post, it’s because our servers are working.”  

Always a classy guy. 

Almost as if in response to Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI, a new coalition of AI companies that has published an open letter sponsored by  SV Angel, a thirty year old investment firm headed by founder Ron Conway. Their opening to the letter says, “we invest in and support founders in AI who are committed to building the next generation of AI technology to move humanity forward. 

The letter says, “We, the undersigned, already are experiencing the benefits from AI, and are committed to building AI that will contribute to a better future for humanity – please join us!”

The letter appears to be open to everyone to sign, but the initial signatures are a virtual “who’s who” in AI – OpenAI, Google, Mistral, Meta, Salesforce, Hugging Face and the list goes on and on, with one noted exception. Elon Musk didn’t appear to be one of the initial signatures. Is that because he doesn’t believe in it? 

Or is it that the other kids don’t want to play with him anymore?

Check it out and sign it at openletter.svangel.com

Sources include: svangel.com

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has moved to nuclear-powered data centers to reduce its carbon footprint. A $650 million acquisition deal with Talen Energy grants AWS ownership of a data center complex, situated adjacent to Talen’s Susquehanna nuclear power plant in northeast Pennsylvania. 

Initially opened in early 2023 with a 48-megawatt capacity, there are plans to expand Cumulus to 475 megawatts, with potential for further growth with Amazon’s investment.

Talen Energy will receive $350 million upon the deal’s closure, with an additional $300 million to follow based on the completion of development milestones throughout 2024. Talen will continue to supply AWS with direct access to electricity generated by the nuclear power plant, with AWS expecting to have up to 960 megawatts at its disposal in the coming years. If I did my calculation right, that’s enough to power almost a million homes, just to put it into perspective.

This is just one of Amazon’s ongoing efforts to power its data centers with carbon-free and renewable energy sources. Last month, Amazon entered a power purchase agreement with a wind farm in Oregon, and it has explored alternative energy solutions, including natural gas fuel cells, which can be converted to run on hydrogen.

The move into nuclear energy is not unique to Amazon; the data center industry is increasingly considering small nuclear reactors (SMRs) for their modularity and potential cost benefits, despite none being operational yet. 

With the advent of AI and the growing need for power for data centres, finding working solutions quickly is critical.

Sources include:

Anthropic, founded by Dario Amodei, former vice president of research at OpenAI, has been a solid number three in the big generative AI players. It originally distinguished itself as a rival to ChatGPT close to equal in ability, but having an advantage of a huge context window, allowed it to take in larger questions than OpenAI. 

Claude.ai, their generative AI model has competed in a way almost reminiscent of the old Mac computer compared to the bigger Windows machines. It’s been a favourite of writers and those who love it, love it. There’s a dedicated fan base on places like YouTube who sing its praises.

But the most recent release has set YouTube ablaze. Claude 3  

now claims that it outperforms OpenAI and other generative AI rivals. 

The announcement, made via a blog post, introduces three foundational models named Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku, each designed with enhanced analysis, forecasting, code generation, and content creation capabilities.

Claude 3 Opus has trotted out a series of scores on tests that claim to show superior results such as the HumanEval coding test, scoring 84.9 per cent, compared to Google’s Gemini Ultra at 74.4 per cent and OpenAI’s GPT-4 at 67 per cent. 

There are a series of other measures and they are all impressive. Fair warning, these tests, like human IQ tests have been controversial, but still, for a third-place performer to make a leap like this has made waves. 

With Google trying to launch and Claude.ai making a big splash, we can only wonder if OpenAI will push the development of its next big move. We know GPT 5 is in testing and rumours abound about its potential, and a new development called Q*

Sources include: CIO Dive, YouTube

Public trust in artificial intelligence (AI) technology and the companies developing it is declining globally, according to new data from Edelman and shared with Axios. 

This trend is evident both in the United States and internationally, with trust levels dropping from 61 per cent to 53 per cent globally over the past five years. In the U.S., trust has seen a significant decrease of 15 percentage points, from 50 per cent to 35 per cent in the same period.

Edelman’s global technology chair, Justin Westcott, emphasizes the importance of trust in the AI era and calls for companies to address the broader implications of AI technology, including its social impact and the protection of personal privacy. 

The study also highlights a political divide in trust levels within the U.S., with Democrats showing slightly higher trust in AI companies (38 per cent) compared to independents (25 per cent) and Republicans (24 per cent). Furthermore, the technology sector, which was once the most trusted industry in 90 per cent of the countries Edelman studies, now holds the top spot in only half of those countries.

Interestingly, the acceptance of AI varies significantly between developed and developing countries. In developed nations such as France, Canada, Ireland, the UK, the U.S., Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, and Sweden, there is a strong resistance to the growing use of AI. In contrast, developing markets like Saudi Arabia, India, China, Kenya, Nigeria, and Thailand show a much higher acceptance rate.

Edelman’s research also points to public dissatisfaction with government efforts to regulate AI, with many feeling that current regulations do not meet their expectations. This sentiment underscores the urgent need for regulators to address public concerns about AI more effectively.

Sources include: Axios

That’s our show for today.

Love your comments. 

Send us a note at jlove@itwc.ca or drop us a comment under the show notes at itworldcanada.com/podcasts – look for Hashtag Trending. 

Thanks for listening and have a Wonderful Wednesday.

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Kaseya, a provider of unified IT management and security software for managed service providers (MSPs) and small to midsize business (SMBs), today released its 2024 MSP Benchmark Report, which surveyed close to 1,000 MSPs from the Americas, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and APAC (Asia Pacific) regions and includes responses from both IT professionals and executives.

Not surprisingly, cybersecurity remained a top priority and an area of growth for MSPs, with 73 per cent of those polled saying it is a top revenue driver for their business.

A release issued Tuesday stated, “the threat of cyberattacks continues to weigh on both MSPs and their clients. The report found that a staggering 78 per cent of respondents consider cybersecurity as a top IT challenge, compared to 67 per cent the year prior, and highlighted the importance of businesses continuing to invest in the right technology to protect against ever-evolving cybersecurity threats.”

Authors of the report noted that with the current economic landscape “remaining uncertain and challenging, SMBs are feeling the pressure to recession-proof and strengthen their IT infrastructure to stay competitive and safeguard themselves against the relentless onslaught of cyberattacks.

“In response, managed service providers (MSPs) are bolstering their solutions stack with advanced tools that offer seamless integration and automation capabilities to meet the heightened demand for IT services. MSPs that can successfully mix innovation, expertise and customer-centricity will stand out from the pack.”

Findings revealed that there is positive news for those SMBs that have, the report said, “prioritized investments in the right technology and IT partners. There are fewer of them being hit by cyberattacks – a majority of MSPs (64 per cent) said that less than 10 per cent of their SMBs customers experienced a cyberattack this year.”

Mike Puglia, general manager of security products at Kaseya, said, “cybersecurity remains a critical concern for MSPs, driven by two factors: the escalating threat landscape, and the persistent challenge proving high quality security services across all of their clients.

“This year, we have witnessed a heightened sense of urgency compared to previous years. Even those MSPs who demonstrate proficiency in cybersecurity wrestle with the strategic dilemma of resource allocation. Our research underscores the imperative for MSPs to bolster their efforts to meet the rapidly growing market demands.”

The report found that investing in IT management offerings with built-in automation integration capabilities is a top priority, as 85 per cent of participants shared that automation is a must-have: “While automation increases efficiency, integration helps create a unified system: 67 per cent of IT executives believe integration between core MSP applications is very important for their work.”

In addition, it said, “over three quarters of participants (75 per cent) agreed that integration between applications is a time-saving measure, and almost an equal amount (70 per cent) believe that integration drives efficiency. With both integration and automation, businesses are saving time and money, streamlining IT operations and ultimately contributing to better business outcomes.”

Of note is that a number of IT professionals indicated that they are eager to use artificial intelligence (AI) to address pain points in their jobs and achieve more balance. The report noted, “A third of respondents (33 per cent) predicted they will use AI to streamline otherwise tedious IT tasks. While MSPs and their clients are leaning into the adoption of AI and machine learning, implementing these technologies will be challenging, according to 37 per cent of MSPs.”

The release notes, “from AI and machine learning to automation and integration – technology is rapidly changing, and MSPs are adapting as quickly as they can to stay at the forefront. Attracting skilled IT professionals who understand these new technologies is not only harder, but more expensive too. Respondents say hiring is the third most critical challenge for MSPs in 2024.”

Forty per cent of the respondents indicated that their work-life situation is a “well-balanced seesaw, while 60 per cent were either neutral or dissatisfied with it.”

In addition, findings revealed that 56 per cent of executives said they have worked consecutive 50+ hour weeks, 38 per cent of technicians said they have pulled an all-nighter, and 70 per cent of executives and 57 per cent of technicians said they have worked over a holiday or weekend.

The post Cybersecurity top revenue driver for bulk of MSPs, Kaseya report finds first appeared on IT World Canada.

Canada’s national anti-money laundering agency has been hit by a cyber attack.

The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) said Tuesday that over the last 24 hours it has been managing a cyber incident. “The incident does not involve the centre’s intelligence or classified systems,” it said in a statement.

“As a precautionary measure, FINTRAC has taken its corporate systems offline in order to ensure their integrity and to protect the information that the centre maintains.

“FINTRAC is working closely with its federal partners, including the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, to protect and restore its systems.”

There were no details on the type or depth of attack the agency is facing.

FINTRAC helps detect, prevent, and deter money laundering and the financing of terrorist activities, while ensuring the protection of personal information under its control.

It works with law enforcement and financial regulatory agencies around the world, so even unclassified documents and email could be of interest to threat actors. For example, in its most recent annual report, FINTRAC noted that in 2022 it helped police in Alberta with Project Cobra, which resulted in the seizure of 928 kg of methamphetamine and 6 kg of cocaine. As a result, 80 charges were laid against 15 people, including laundering the proceeds of crime, participation in a criminal organization, and drug trafficking. That year it also helped the RCMP investigate charges related to over $1 million in fraudulent funds obtained through the Canada Small Business Financing Program. In January 2023, FINTRAC helped launch Project Anton, a first-of-its-kind international public-private partnership aimed at increasing awareness of illegal wildlife trade and improving the detection of the laundering of proceeds from this crime.

Within Canada, FINTRAC provides financial intelligence to police and national security agencies to help them combat money laundering, terrorist activity financing, and threats to the security of Canada.

Outside the country, it works with similar bodies. For example, FINTRAC is a member of the Russia-Related Sanctions and Illicit Finance Financial Intelligence Units Working Group.

The agency reports to the Minister of Finance. Among its responsibilities is enforcing the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act. A wide-range of businesses have to report to FINTRAC, including federally regulated financial institutions,  credit unions, life insurance companies and brokers, casinos, accountants, mortgage administrators, and real estate brokers, about certain transactions and activities. These include reporting suspicious and large cash or large virtual currency transactions within 24 hours.

It has the power to issue administrative monetary penalties to reporting entities that are found to be non-compliant with the act and associated regulations.

The post Canada’s anti-money laundering agency hit by a cyber attack first appeared on IT World Canada.