Category Archives: Internet Security
Do Netflix And YouTube Really Need To Slash Video Quality To Save The Internet? – Forbes
Netflix is knocking back streaming quality, at the request of the EU
The EU has persuaded both Netflix and YouTube to drop the quality of their video streams during the coronavirus crisis, in a bid to avoid internet meltdown. The question on many viewers lips will be: is that really necessary?
On the face of it, the internet appears to be holding up very well to the huge surge in people working from home and children being sent home from schools. As reported yesterday, the biggest spike in internet traffic over the past week wasnt caused by the virus, but by the release of Call of Duty: Warzone.
Britains biggest broadband network, BT, today issued further reassurance about the internets ability to withstand the crisis. Since Tuesday of this week, when the British government began advising people to work from home in the UK, daytime traffic has increased by a maximum of 60%, which is still less than half the regular evening-time peak. The additional load on the broadband network is well within manageable limits and we have plenty of headroom for it to grow further still, said Howard Watson, BTs Chief Technology and Information Officer.
The British story seems to be echoed right across Europe, even in countries that have much more extensive lockdowns than is currently the case in Britain.
The graph below shows the past months internet interchange traffic in Madrid, Spain (reproduced with permission of internet security expert, Kevin Beaumont):
Internet traffic levels in Madrid over the past month
While this graph shows the same period in Milan, Italy, the region that has been hit hardest in the entire continent:
Internet traffic levels in Milan over the past month
While traffic peaks have undoubtedly risen over the past week or so, they are not anywhere near levels that threaten to overwhelm the network or significantly harm the internet experience of most users.
So why has the EU leaned on Netflix and YouTube to dial down the video quality? And what will it mean for viewers?
Theres no doubt Netflix and YouTube put huge demand on broadband providers. Netflix is the single biggest video streaming service on the planet, accounting for 12.6% of all internet traffic (not just streaming traffic) in 2019, according to Sandvines Global Internet Phenomenon Report. YouTube is close behind on 8.7%. Between them, then, they account for a fifth of all traffic that passes over the internet.
Netflixs highest quality streams are also bandwidth hogs. The companys own guidelines recommend a minimum connection speed of 25Mbits/sec if you wish to watch its highest quality, Ultra HD streams. The next step down, HD Quality, requires only a fifth of that bandwidth.
Netflix has not revealed precisely how it will lower the quality of its video streams, suffice to say it will reduce overall bandwidth consumption by around 25%. Its reported the company will do this not by switching off the Ultra HD 4K streams, but by reducing the bitrate, which will make the video a little less smooth than it would normally be.
YouTube, on the other hand, will change its default video playback quality to standard by default, instead of playing at the highest quality the users connection or device will support. The option will still be there to boost the quality if viewers desire.
Is the EU being overly cautious in pressuring the streaming firms to cut back? Perhaps, but if theres one thing weve learned from the coronavirus crisis so far, its things can change rapidly. Moreover, most viewers are unlikely to spot the drop in streaming quality, with the majority watching on small-screen mobile devices where a fall in resolution or bitrate is harder to detect.
Even if you do notice a slight drop in video quality whilst youre watching Stranger Things, does it even register on the scale of problems the world is facing currently? Its not even a blip on the radar.
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Do Netflix And YouTube Really Need To Slash Video Quality To Save The Internet? - Forbes
These Jaw-Dropping Facts Will Change Your Mind About the Internet of Things – The Motley Fool
Thanks to advances in technology and the proliferation of connected devices, the Internet of Things era has arrived.
It's been years in the making but appears poised to go mainstream. According to the consulting firm McKinsey, the number of IoT-connected devices is forecast to hit 43 billion by 2023, almost three times the number of devices in 2018. Companies and consumers are using IoT to control their heating and cooling systems remotely, doctors use it to monitor patients, and manufacturers track products across the supply chain.
There are a lot of reasons why IoT is growing in popularity. Convenience and on-the-go-access are two big ones. But there are also those jaw-dropping reasons that will surprise even the biggest IoT skeptic. Here's a look at four of them.
Image source: Getty Images.
The novel coronavirus outbreak is having a devastating impact on people around the globe. Spain, Italy, and France are effectively shut down, and schools and businesses across the United States are closed. The stock market has been whipsawing between huge gains and losses, and the global economy is taking a major hit.
While IoT can't stop COVID-19 (the disease caused by the coronavirus) from spreading, it can be used to prevent future pandemics. In an IoT world outlined by the financial consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, a network of sensors placed throughout the world would be used to monitor individuals for infections, acting as an early detection system. That would reduce uncertainty in the stock market and provide governments with proof to quickly act on and stop the spread.
Implementing this on a global scale isn't likely anytime soon. Some countries, China included, will be able to do it within their borders. Add facial recognition and GPS to the mix, and Frost & Sullivan's global research director for IoT, Dilip Sarangan, says countries would be able to monitor those who have contracted the virus and track whom they come into contact with. That could prevent virus outbreaks from becoming pandemics. "While this may sound like a police state to many, ultimately, leveraging IoT and [artificial intelligence] AI may be the most logical way to prevent highly infectious diseases from spreading rapidly in a world that is getting smaller every day with air travel," said Sarangan in a recent report.
There's a slew of companies that can benefit from these early defense systems, including equipment makers and network operators. In the U.S. the wireless network providersAT&T (NYSE:T), Verizon (NYSE:VZ), T-Mobile USA (NASDAQ:TMUS), and Sprint (NYSE:S) are big beneficiaries as data is transmitted across the world.
With COVID-19 spreading around the world, commerce has come to a screeching halt, and that's particularly true in the smartphone market. Hit by supply chain issues in China and a lack of demand as the number of people in quarantine grow, several mobile-phone-related companies including Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) have issued guidance warnings for their current quarters.
Despite the business interruptions, the buildout of 5G will eventually pick up, driving what is expected to be a huge smartphone upgrade cycle. It's also expected to increase the number of devices connected to the internet, thanks to the speed and security 5G brings. With 5G networks, data can be sent back and forth between millions of devices in seconds, something not possible with existing 4G networks. That will result in billions of new devices outside of smartphones and tablets that connect to the internet.
The melding of 5G and IoT will be behind the adoption of smart cities and connected cars. It will also enable doctors to remotely treat patients and help robotic surgery become the norm. Gartner expects there to be 5.8 billion connected devices by the end of this year. That's up 21% from the 4.8 billion at the end of 2019.
Love it or hate it, the IoT market is exploding with no end in sight. Trillions of dollars are being spent on IoT start-ups as investors clamor to get in on the leaders of tomorrow. The interest is coming from an array of venture capitalists who are pouring tons of money into the market -- for good reason. According to IDC, yearly spending on IoT is projected to surpass $1 trillion by 2022, growing at a double-digit rate. That bodes well for equipment providers like Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO). With global traffic poised to triple thanks to 5G, Cisco and its peers will be able to provide the hardware needed to facilitate the movement of the data.
There are a lot of IoT use cases, but the ones drawing the biggest investments are those focused on the business market. IDC projected IoT spending by the manufacturing industry would hit $100 billion in 2019, while production asset management will attract $4.2 billion, smart home $44.1 billion, and freight monitoring $41.7 billion. The areas that are expected to see the fastest growth and thus the biggest investment dollars through 2022 include automation, electric vehicle charging, agriculture field monitoring, bedside telemetry, and in-store marketing, IDC predicted.
The combination of IoT and 5G will transform society for the better, but that doesn't mean it's smooth sailing ahead. There are a lot of security risks to consumers and businesses that can't be left unchecked.
It's something that both businesses and consumers are worried about. According to a recent survey of consumers and businesses by digital security company Gemalto, 90% of businesses and consumers believe the IoT industry should be regulated by the government. What's more, 61% of businesses think IoT regulation should dictate who is responsible for securing the data throughout its journey.
Of the consumers polled, 65% said they are worried a hacker could take over their IoT device. Meanwhile, 60% said they are afraid their data will fall into the wrong hands. Those fears aren't unfounded. Security from Kaspersky Labs spotted more than 100 million attacks on IoT devices in the first half of 2019 alone.
Without a doubt, risks abound as more devices are connected to the internet. But with such wide-ranging benefits and investor interest, even IoT naysayers can't deny the market is poised to explode. Those four jaw-dropping facts alone prove it.
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These Jaw-Dropping Facts Will Change Your Mind About the Internet of Things - The Motley Fool
Hackers are preying on fears of Covid-19, says cyber security experts – Hindustan Times
Even as Covid-19 pandemic has affected more than 300,000 people around the world, cyber criminals are looking to prey on fears and access users private information. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, security firms have discovered various Covid-19 related scams.
Scamsters are also impersonating organizations such as World Health Organization to scam individuals and even enterprises. Saurabh Saxena, Country Director India, Micro Focus revealed a well-known organization in India last week received an email in the name of WHO that was apparently a ransomware variant Locky.
Another malware, LokiBot was widely distributed through phishing emails on COVID-19 across Indonesia. It may sound disturbing, but hackers have also invented a technique to steal data by tweaking the brightness of the system. In a recent paper published by the researchers from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negrev, Israel has demonstrated how Air-gapped computers can be exploited to retrieve data by simply meddling with the brightness of the monitor by a percentage that will usually go unnoticed, he said.
The trend of work from home or remotely has also become a big pain point for the organisations. Home Wi-Fi networks are generally easy targets for cyber criminals compared to more secure internet infrastructure in offices.
Without a private internet connection, remote users requiring access to critical systems must rely on a combination of VPNs, MFA and remote access control solutions in order to authenticate and access what they need. Traditional enterprise identity management systems and access control solutions, for example, are typically designed to authenticate company employees and corporate-owned devices in controlled environments. Unfortunately, they are no longer well suited for securing third-party staff and external devices, particularly those that are still running on Windows 7, which are likely to be more vulnerable to security risks after Microsoft ended its support for the system earlier this year, Rohan Vaidya, Director of Sales, CyberArk India said.
Businesses must consider privileged access security, which provides greater visibility of - and control over - remote access to enterprise networks, as more and more employees work remotely. Privileged access management employs biometrics, zero trust and just-in-time provisioning to reliably authenticate remote vendor access to the most sensitive parts of the corporate network. In the current environment, where endpoint devices have disparate levels of security and the office environment can be a caf, car or home office, cyber security needs to match the flexibility of modern working to best ensure business continuity, he added.
In the last few weeks, security research firms have discovered some unique ways hackers have figured to target users. Earlier this month, security researcher from Reason Labs, Shai Alfasi discovered hackers are using coronavirus tracker maps to steal users information. The trackers have become quite popular on the web with increasing number of coronavirus affected people across the world. For instance, Microsoft also offers a coronavirus tracker powered by Bing.
Security research firm Check Point last week revealed hackers were using COVID-19discount codes to sell malware and hacking tools on the dark net.
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Hackers are preying on fears of Covid-19, says cyber security experts - Hindustan Times
Security Think Tank: Amid panic, how to find a sound level of security – ComputerWeekly.com
The coronavirus is now a pandemic and is very much at the forefront of all decisions that businesses are taking. This article examines how this latest pandemic is affecting the role of a CISO and provides recommendations on how they can achieve a sound level of security amidst the panic.
Article 32 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires that companies implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk posed to the rights and freedoms of individuals. In doing so, they should take into account the state of the art, the costs of implementation and the nature, scope, context and purposes of the data processing, as well as the risk of varying likelihood and severity for the rights and freedoms of the individual.
This requirement informs, to a great extent, what a CISOs responsibility should be when it comes to processing personal data. One of the key roles of a CISO is to consistently review and monitor the security measures that are in place to protect systems and information. In the event that such systems and/or information are compromised, the CISO will play a vital role to ensure such compromise is contained and remediated effectively.
Businesses always run a risk of falling victim to a cyber attack. However, this risk has now heightened as cyber criminals are taking advantage of the pandemic and the pressures that businesses are under. An article published by the BBC on 13 March 2020 examined five phishing campaigns in which hackers are purporting to provide information on the virus in an email that is in fact delivering malware to the recipient. This is just one illustration of how cyber criminals are trying to capitalise on the current climate.
On a daily basis, we are seeing news articles stating that various companies have closed their offices in the city and workers will now be carrying out their jobs remotely from home. This alone presents several challenges to CISOs in relation to the security of their virtual private network (VPN) connections and corporate devices.
Some cyber attacks and breaches are preventable if certain measures have been implemented. Here are our top recommendations for CISOs to ensure that their systems and data are secure:
In recent years, we have seen a rapid increase in bring-your-own-device (BYOD). Given that several offices are now closing because of the threat of the coronavirus, CISOs will need to go back to basics and see if devices that will be used to facilitate home working (both corporate and BYOD) have the optimal level of security.
In practice, this means ensuring all devices are encrypted, have the up-to-date security updates installed on them and that appropriate password protection is applied to devices and systems.
Where new devices are being issued to employees to enable them to work from home, guidance should be given to staff to promptly change the default passwords set on such devices because these default passwords are extremely easy for attackers to guess.
With most employees relying on a VPN connection to log onto their work systems, CISOs must give particular attention to protecting the internet connection with an appropriate firewall that can also alert IT security to any unusual or suspicious activity.
The National Cyber Security Centre's Cyber Essentials provides helpful guidance on how device, system and internet security can be achieved.
Multifactor authentication is a simple but very effective measure to implement in order to protect your systems and data. Data protection regulators often refer to the lack of its use when commenting on cyber attacks. Multifactor authentication should be used to log in to work-related services, in addition to simply using passwords.
Given the increase in phishing emails relating to coronavirus, this is an obvious area for CISOs to focus on. Re-train employees, circulate guidance on phishing emails and perform a mock phishing attack to see if employees can correctly identify such emails.
We often see that, despite the right training, employees still fall victim to such attacks. Therefore, revisit your system security (as mentioned above) and implement multifactor authentication, which will be effective in preventing the attacker gaining access to your systems.
Imagine your whole workforce has been advised to work from home and when they try to log onto your systems remotely, they encounter problems some cannot connect to the VPN while others find the connection too slow. This will put immense strain on your IT helpdesk.
Before instructing employees to work remotely, CISOs should test whether this will work in practice. A method currently adopted by many organisation is that they allocate a time over a weekend when they will instruct all their workforce to log onto the systems via the VPN connection. They will review log statistics and obtain feedback during this time to determine whether their systems can sustain that level of demand and what improvements can be made.
Despite having all the relevant security systems and policies in place, you may still have an unfortunate situation where you fall victim to a cyber attack. Therefore, you must have your incident response team ready to deal with such an incident.
The most obvious and key item here is to ensure that they key actors in your incident response team can be contacted easily in the event of a breach. Dont just rely on emails to report and escalate breaches because, in the event of a cyber attack where your systems are compromised, these may never get picked up. Companies should look to set up a breach hotline that is managed 24/7 to ensure breaches are picked up.
An equally important point is to ensure that your incident response team is trained to be able to effectively action the incident response plans that you have in place.
Coronavirus will not be an excuse for failing to comply with statutory obligations. CISOs may be tested where business continuity plans have been executed for the coronavirus, and other incidents occur. It will be critical for organisations to understand their legal and reporting obligations in the context of data security and to be capable of implementing their incident response and management plans, even while operating remotely.
Sabba Mirza is a senior associate in Fieldfishers privacy, security and information law group. This article was also reviewed by regular Computer Weekly contributor and Fieldfisher partner James Walsh.
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Security Think Tank: Amid panic, how to find a sound level of security - ComputerWeekly.com
As universities shut their doors, international students are left in limbo – The Verge
On March 11th, the University of Southern California sent an email to its students, faculty, and staff. Students who are leaving campus for Spring Recess may not return until at least Monday, April 13. The university had previously planned to hold classes online through March 29th. But the new edict that students were expected to vacate their housing threw the campus into confusion.
Im kind of freaking out, said USC senior Eudelio Garza, who is from Mexico. No one really knows whats going on. For some of the universitys 12,000 international students and over 1 million at universities around the country the future is uncertain. Since the announcement, USC students have fled campus in droves.
USC is one of more than 200 colleges and universities across the US that have closed in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory disease associated with the new coronavirus. The World Health Organization has confirmed more than 169,000 cases of the virus around the world, and more than 3,700 have been identified in the US. (Testing lags in the US, though, so that is certainly an undercount of people who are sick.)
So far, one USC undergraduate has tested positive for the virus. As of March 17th, there have been 94 confirmed cases in Los Angeles county, where the university is based. As the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise against mass gatherings and annual conferences from SXSW to the Geneva Motor Show are shut down, experts say that social distancing is the best defense against the global pandemic. Thats difficult on a packed campus which is why the schools are closing.
Classes will take place online for the rest of the academic semester, USC administrators announced in an email yesterday. Students can remain in campus housing if theyre unable to leave. But many campus services, including libraries, gyms, and dining halls, will be closed or at reduced capacity for students who stay behind.
I cant really go back to Mexico, said Garza, who is in the US on a student visa. Theres a huge likelihood that Donald Trump imposes a border closure. Thats my biggest fear: that if I leave the US, I wont be able to come back for like two months.
Garza is in the process of applying for Post-Completion Optional Practical Training (OPT), which allows F-1 students to work in the US for a 12-month period following graduation. The application process has very strict deadlines, and requires snail-mail correspondence, so its difficult to complete while traveling abroad. Garza counts himself lucky: hell be able to remain in Los Angeles while he finishes his OPT application. Beyond that, theres a lot of ambiguity.
Surprise campus closures are just the beginning of the difficulties international students face. In addition to the stress of moving and saying goodbye to friends, many of these students are scrambling to secure access to things many college students take for granted, including financial security, internet access, and a stable place to study. And on top of all that, its increasingly hard for some students to get home.
President Donald Trump announced a ban on most travel from continental Europe last Wednesday, then abruptly extended the ban to include the UK and Ireland on Sunday. But the US isnt the only country imposing unpredictable travel barriers: the European Union has imposed a 30-day entry ban, and over 30 countries around the world restricted travel in some form. Some students fear being caught in the lurch.
Going back home right now would mean going through Europe, said Theodor Marcu, a Princeton senior from Romania. It could mean getting stuck in limbo in some random country where theyre shutting borders one after another.
Time zones also pose a question mark to international students as professors scramble to convert their courses to an online format. An online lecture at 3PM in Princeton, for example, would take place at 9PM in Bucharest.
Before Princetons announcement, a student group called Princeton Students Against Forced Eviction asked that the university not force students off campus, that it subsidize student travel and storage, and that it compensate student workers for missed wages, in a petition that collected over 5,000 signatures.
Princeton announced on March 11th that students were required to move out by March 19th. The university made exceptions for students who were unable to leave, including international students from countries with travel restrictions. Princeton later announced that it would provide a $150 move-out allowance to students who receive financial aid.
Marcu applied to stay on campus and was granted an exemption, but still isnt sure where hell be staying long term.
Its sad not to be around people, Marcu said. I dont know how thats going to affect my learning. Marcu, a computer science major, is working on a thesis and is apprehensive about having to meet with his professors and advisers over Zoom. Its definitely going to be a bit depressing.
Princeton is still in the process of studying the best strategies for online instruction, said spokesman Michael Hotchkiss. The university is considering policy adjustments, including pass / fail options and re-weighting midterm examinations. Academics are an important concern, but some students are also coping with another uncertainty: income.
Harvard senior James Bedford, who is from southwest England and receives full financial aid from the university, works multiple on-campus jobs. On March 10th, Bedford and the rest of Harvard Universitys 6,000 students were told that they had until March 15th to vacate their dorms. Bedford applied to remain on campus until mid-May and was granted an exemption; like Garza, hes in the process of applying to stay in the US for another year. But hes only legally authorized to work for Harvard, and the schools closing may eliminate or reduce his sources of funds. Whats more, he doesnt have stable internet access at his home in the UK.
Bedford has to figure out how to stretch savings that were meant for two months to last for four or five. In August, hell begin work for the Boston Consulting Group. Until then, Im going to see what I can do and how I can possibly stretch these savings, Bedford said. Otherwise, I will see how far credit cards and loans will take me. Im trying not to think about it.
Twenty-two student organizations, including a new group called Harvard Undergraduates for Decent and Urgent Accommodations, signed an open letter condemning the March 15th move-out deadline. Rachael Dane, a Harvard spokesperson, referred The Verge to the colleges COVID-19 website when reached for comment.
For students who do leave campus, the future is still ambiguous. A Harvard junior, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of repercussions from the school, doesnt have stable internet access at her home in Zimbabwe. That means she wont be able to complete online classes there. She flew to the UK on Sunday, where shes staying with aunts and cousins while she figures out somewhere more permanent to live. This whole thing has really exposed inequalities and things that were not spoken about previously, the student said.
Leaving campus so early, the student said, was surreal. Her final week involved parties and celebrations, but also numbness and shock. The closure was so sudden, and the aftermath so chaotic, that she and her friends havent had time to process their new, isolated reality. That processing, presumably, will take place over the next few months for millions of students around the world.
But she doesnt know what the next few months will look like yet. Right now, Im taking it one day at a time.
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As universities shut their doors, international students are left in limbo - The Verge
Keeping content safe in the IP era | Industry Trends – IBC365
The broadcast industry has been moving towards live production over IP networks for years, and the benefits of such a transition are compelling. Production and broadcast over IP is more agile, more cost-efficient, and with fewer constraints than previous transportation methods such as SDI.
IP does of course also bring certain challenges for the broadcast industry. One of the biggest hurdles to overcome is reducing the security risks in this more complex environment. Services can be disrupted, content can be pirated, and cyberattacks are a clear and present danger.
Paolo Pescatore, founder of analyst company PP Foresight, said an all-IP broadcast future has been promised for years and is bringing transformative change across the entire value chain from creation, production to delivery and consumption on an ever-increasing number of connected devices.
All of this means that broadcasters have no choice but to embrace this change. However, it requires a huge cultural shift internally given the move to more agile ways of working. Ultimately, providers have to move to new IP-based workflows and transition to the cloud. In this new software-driven world, security becomes paramount. More so with the arrival of 5G and the prospect of remote production for content, including live sports, Pescatore said.
In terms of the potential threats facing broadcasters, Pescatore noted that any connected device, as well as content transferred over networks, can be hacked. Not to mention any data loss in transmission, piracy, as well as illegal access, are some of the other main challenges facing broadcasters moving towards this IP driven world. We are in a golden era of storytelling, with the value of this content increasing. Content must be protected and secure over internal and external networks, he said.
Akamais 2019 State of the Internet/Security report titled Media under assault provided a sobering assessment of the threats to broadcasters. Jaspal Jandu, group CISO at Akamai, noted that with todays shift to IPTV and over-the-top (OTT) streaming, the risks are both dramatically increased and more complex to manage.
Internet-based attacks such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) have been a threat in other industries for years, but are now bringing a new level of risk for broadcasters. As Jandu said, the new world of live IP TV, where much of the worlds media is consumed, means that any attack on availability could result in subscriber retention issues, hit ad revenue, and reduce the chances of future successful bids for rights. There arent second chances on live TV.
Self protectionSo what should broadcasters be doing to protect themselves and their content? Pescatore said first and foremost they should be adhering to numerous standards and recommendations set out by various bodies. In terms of content protection, there are a slew of options around DRM, advanced firewalls and VPNs, water marketing, authentication and blockchain.
The BBC is one example of a broadcaster that is investing in building a model for end-to-end broadcasting that frees us from the constraints of existing studio technology. The BBC IP Studio project also noted in November 2019 that the SMPTE ST 2110 suite of standards is now widely supported in the industry, with several broadcasters now planning, building and commissioning new facilities.
However, SMPTE ST 2110 on its own will not be enough. As pointed out by the Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA), the standard specifies how to transport and synchronise video, audio and ancillary data as RTP streams. But it doesnt cover how to discover or connect the devices that send and receive these streams. Thus AMWA has produced the Networked Media Open Specifications (NMOS) to tackle these risks.
BBC Research and Development said it is actively engaging with a number of industry bodies concerned with interoperability and security, such as AMWA, the Video Services Forum (VSF), Audio Engineering Society (AES), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE).
Collaboration is certainly key in protecting IP streams from cyberattacks and other major threats. As pointed out by Akamai, dealing with these threats isnt easy. It requires organisations to partner with their security vendors and customers to address the root causes of these attacks.
A survey carried out by BizTechInsights on behalf of Akamai in 2018 found that the four most frequent breaches in the survey were SQL injections (23%), DNS attacks (21%), content pirating (20%), and DDoS (17%). Worryingly, few media organisations were confident in their security measures. The report noted that media companies will remain vulnerable to attackers until they employ strong security measures across their entire online ecosystem.
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Keeping content safe in the IP era | Industry Trends - IBC365
Students concerned with lack of internet access, job security in light of online transition – University of Virginia The Cavalier Daily
Two weeks ago, third-year College student Skylar Wampler attended classes on Grounds and worked 20 hours a week to pay rent for an off-Grounds apartment. Now due to the Universitys response to the spread of COVID-19 which includes continuing the rest of the semester online and postponing Final Exercises Wampler and all other University students will have to adjust to a new lifestyle.
For Wampler, that includes returning to her rural hometown to attend her online classes with unreliable internet access while working a job to pay rent for housing she no longer uses.
It just feels strange to still be paying rent in a place that I'm not living, Wampler said.
Wamplers predicament exemplifies one of many stories at a University adjusting to a pandemic that has altered activities around the world.
It's very difficult for some students including myself to know how to proceed and handle the changes that are being made, Wampler said.
Internet access
One of the biggest changes created by the Universitys response to COVID-19 will be a shift to virtual instruction a method of teaching that will relay University courses online through Zoom, a video and audio conferencing application. However, this solution requires students to have access to reliable broadband connectivity.
Media Studies Associate Professor Christopher Ali currently researches policy regarding rural areas accessibility to broadband an internet connections high-capacity transmission of digital information. Ali is concerned about students who may not have access to quality broadband, which he defines as a broadband that supports an always-on internet connection that runs 100 megabits per second downloads and uploads, because they would not have a system that supports live Zoom class sessions.
They wouldn't be able to participate in a live classroom, Ali told The Cavalier Daily. What does that mean for their educational experience? I think in this rush to Zoom we haven't exactly taken into account all of our students broadband abilities or capabilities.
According to Broadband Now, nine percent of Virginians do not have access to wired broadband particularly affecting communities in southern parts of the Commonwealth.
On Monday, the University uploaded answers to students technology questions including what to do if a student does not have WiFi access or a computer. Students are encouraged to find an alternate location with WiFi available or ask their cellular provider for a WiFi hotspot. Students also can fill out a request to Student Financial Services to pay for technology-related costs.
Ali mentioned that the Universitys reliance on virtual instruction could pose a problem for students like Wampler whose homes do not have high speed internet. In order to complete her academic work during the transition to virtual instruction, she will have to go to her local churchs library a decision she fears will endanger her community due to COVID-19s ability to infect people easily.
Just in terms of logistics like handling Zoom sessions I have had to find local places in my community that I can go to have access to the internet, Wampler said. So in a way I feel kind of like I'm putting my own community more at risk by leaving Charlottesville.
Ali suggested that a solution to Wamplers unreliable internet access would involve the University making hotspots available. In fact, some libraries in rural areas but not Wamplers already have hotspots available for people to compensate for their areas poor internet connection.
This student cant just will that [hotspot] into existence, Ali said. As a University community, we have to make that happen for her, and this is why we need to be having the types of conversations that you're having right now, and we need to make sure that the student is not being left out and not being deprived of her educational experience.
Educational quality
As for the educational experience, fifth-year College student Mark Felice does not think his politics seminars and discussion-based learning courses will be taught as well through virtual instruction. He is concerned with some professors ability to manage the technology that the University will now rely on to educate students.
I think most people at U.Va. would be able to agree that many of their professors aren't technology savvy, Felice said. So transitioning to fully online courses poses a lot of challenges especially like if you're someone like me in upper-level politics courses that are discussion heavy, where it's really hard to do everything online when you're trying to engage with material and classmates.
To counter concerns like Felices, Ali wants students to know that teachers are encouraged to ensure the student experience is not compromised during the transition. Ali mentioned that libraries hosted workshops Monday to aid professors in creating online courses. Otherwise, the University has relied on professors to guide themselves and students into the next phase of classes.
From the professor side we're doing everything we can, Ali said. We're doing the best we can to make sure that our students are getting what we feel they need out of our courses to go forward. But we're all doing the best we can. I know that I'll be spending the majority of next week tailoring my courses to an online experience but also making sure that my online experience matches what my students can access.
Wes Hester, director of media relations and deputy University spokesperson, stated the University is aiding faculty during the transition. For example, each school has a designated contact for faculty assistance in addition to each schools current efforts to pool together tools for virtual instruction.
The University has also assembled resources for faculty to help with virtual instruction, including a checklist of technology requirements from Information Technology Services which explains how to connect to WiFi and Zoom as well as tips that outline how to prepare for online sessions and applications professors should use. Hester also mentioned that The Center for Teaching Excellence will hold sessions that will note how University instructors can maximize their educational instruction.
Job security
In addition to being a part-time student, Felice also works up to 40 hours a week as a bartender on the Corner and at a nearby movie theater. However, due to the COVID-19 threat, he believes the restaurant may close any day now, leaving him to say he is concerned about his source of income.
For the past week I've been contemplating leaving, Felice said. I know several people at my workplace are feeling the same way. We've already had people talk about leaving or have already left because they're worried about paying rent or basic life necessities.
Following the interview, Felice was laid off and the movie theater closed until further notice.
While Felice was anxious about losing his job that depends on customers buying beverages, he ultimately wants students who want to party on the Corner to think about the effects of their actions. The Centers for Disease Control suggests that social distancing is the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and University administration like other schools across the country has strongly urged students to leave Grounds. This announcement included canceling all University events of 100 people or more. However, students have continued to gather in large groups as late as Tuesday evening.
Think about the implications of what you're doing and how there are a lot of students that are going to have to go home who financially can't afford to, Felice said. There are a lot of students that have to work part-time, full-time jobs on top of going to school who are being affected by this. Don't be stupid.
Wampler said she wanted to make a smart decision about where to stay during the suspension of on-Grounds activities. She decided to return home, which despite its difficulties, she knows is the option that protects the most people.
I feel very strongly about the fact that we do need to limit contact as much as possible, Wampler said. I do think that we all as students a part of this community have a responsibility to practice distancing ourselves from one another. I don't want my ties to my friends in Charlottesville to put anyone else at risk.
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Students concerned with lack of internet access, job security in light of online transition - University of Virginia The Cavalier Daily
How Safe is Your Brand in the Hands of a Remote Workforce? – Techfinancials.co.za
Technologies have been gearing us up for the remote workforce for years, providing solutions that can equip employees to work from anywhere in the world. However, according to Owl Labs 2019 State of Remote Work[1] report until now only 44% of global companies have embraced the remote workforce. The notion of work from home has never been practised to the extent that the current situation calls for it to be.
On the back of the news that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a global pandemic and President Cyril Ramaphosa setting the scene for South Africans to take precautions to protect themselves and their families from contracting the virus, drastic measures have been put in place. Businesses have responded to the news responsibly with many organisations calling for employees to stay safe and work from home.
Many employees today already have laptops, high-speed internet connectivity and access to networks via the cloud to perform their daily tasks remotely. However, are they equipped to deliver consistent brand experiences that customers have come to expect when dealing with the organisation?
Having invested significantly into their brands for years, companies need to put the best interests of their employees and customers at heart but not at the detriment of their brands. As such employees should be equipped with tools that will help them to meet customers needs seamlessly and deliver consistent brand experiences in every email and document sent to clients wherever they are working from.
There are several measures that companies should put in place to secure their brand and deliver a consistent experience in all customer and employee engagements whether working remotely or not.
Always on brand wherever you are
To help employees to deliver consistent experiences in every email, they must have a professional and consistent email signature that is used across the company so that all correspondence that employees send out is consistently branded.
Further, the body of the emails should be on-brand using the same font and colour across the company. It is also recommended to have pre-developed and pre-approved content available and easily accessible for employees to insert into emails while working remotely. This requires minimal input and keeps the brand integrity in every communication.
Employees should have access to the latest company letterheads, templates, documents and presentations that are required for client communication. If documents are updated while the employees are working remotely, the latest versions should be easy-to-access without the need for a Virtual Private Network (VPN) and employees should feel comfortable that they are sending their customers the most up-to-date information at all times.
Up to date employee communications
Working remotely can impact on employee communication with CoSo Cloud[2] finding that more than half of remote employees feel disconnected from those employees working in offices.
When employees are separate from the company it is critical they are kept up to date on all important company news and information throughout the day to prevent them from becoming disconnected and uncoordinated. An employee communication tool should be used to broadcast information to employees throughout the day and keep them informed about company news.
It would also be valuable to share updates on topical issues such as the latest coronavirus stats regularly via the broadcast tool to minimise the amount of time employees would otherwise spend looking for the information themselves.
Keeping security intact
Having a remote workforce means that companies need to put stringent security measures in place that can protect their data at all times. Yet according to GetApp[3] workers working from remote locations often receive confidential business data but less than half of these employees have received proper internet security training.
To avoid financial and brand damage, companies need to incorporate layered security to help prevent customers and employees from falling victim to email scams, particularly while working with a remote workforce. Centrally managed, tamperproof email signatures are also a first step in helping to prevent fraudulent emails from being sent on behalf of a company. Built-in email verification would also benefit the company and email recipients and give them added peace of mind that emails are authentic.
However, more than this, companies need to have a segmentation of risk built into their email branding solution to safeguard customer and company information at all times, particularly when employees are working remotely. This is key to preventing security breaches.
Consistent experiences are crucial
Companies already have many of the basics in place to enable a remote workforce but they need to have measures in place to protect their employees and customers data and their brand. The remote workforce opens up huge opportunities for inconsistencies and uncertainty which need to be limited during a pandemic when consistency provides the familiarity customers are seeking. As such the customer experience has to be nurtured at this time and employees need to be empowered to continue to deliver on-brand experiences wherever they may be working from.
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How Safe is Your Brand in the Hands of a Remote Workforce? - Techfinancials.co.za
US Bureau of Census : PRESS RELEASE | MARCH 20, 2020 Statement on 2020 Census Internet Response Security Precautions To protect the integrity of the…
March 20 - To protect the integrity of the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau is using industry leading artificial intelligence services to protect responses. We are continuously monitoring and refining these security measures in order to enable all legitimate responses while maintaining security. If anyone experiences this situation, we suggest using a different internet browser. Anyone can respond online, over the phone, or by mailing in the paper questionnaire.
The Census Bureau has updated text that offers a message to anyone who was blocked:
'For security reasons, this session has been terminated. Every response is important. Please try again using a different browser or device.'
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Disclaimer
U.S. Bureau of the Census published this content on 20 March 2020 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 21 March 2020 09:09:02 UTC
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US Bureau of Census : PRESS RELEASE | MARCH 20, 2020 Statement on 2020 Census Internet Response Security Precautions To protect the integrity of the...
Fake coronavirus news is spreading faster than the virus – The Star Online
At a time when most of us are looking for updates and helpful information on the novel coronavirus, anyone with a smartphone would do well to be sceptical about anything coming in by email or messenger app.
That's because there are already countless misleading and fake messages purportedly explaining how to protect yourself against an infection, recognise symptoms of the disease and respond if you have the virus.
Internet security experts say your alarm bells should be ringing if you see a message claiming there's a ban on work or telling you how to test yourself for infection.
State and health officials in several countries have been forced to respond to information circulating on WhatsApp about things such as the efficacy of ibuprofen and planned army measures. Chain mails have similarly fuelled uncertainty, often spreading at a rate faster than the virus itself.
Fake news appears to have been spurred by people's heightened demand for information, addressing emotions and fears and being structured in such a way that they do not appear unrealistic, say the security experts at Germany's DsiN online safety campaign.
The advice now, as ever, is to read, listen and watch supposed news stories with common sense. You'll quickly notice with such messages that concrete information is missing and that the sourcing is unclear.
Another important lesson is that you should not forward messages or emails unless you are absolutely certain the information is reliable.
If a message seems suspicious, the experts suggest a quick search to see if known, trustworthy media sources have also reported on the same issue.
If you're reading about something dramatic on WhatsApp, chances are that local media have already reported on it. If they haven't, it may not be reliable information. If you know something to be fake, it's good to inform whomever sent you the message. dpa
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Fake coronavirus news is spreading faster than the virus - The Star Online