Tag: Disadvantages Technology Law

Addressing the issue of warehouse worker safety in response to a shareholder question this week, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy described the company’s safety initiatives — most of them related to technology and invention.

• Wearable technology with haptic signals to let workers know when their movements are putting their safety at risk.
• A program with algorithms that predict when people doing repetitive tasks are at risk of injury, so they can be moved to different activities.
• New forms of transportation, including vehicles and technologies to reduce accident rates.

Amazon’s focus on technology is “true to their DNA,” says former Amazon general manager and retail category leader Andrea Leigh, who is now founder and CEO of Allume Group, an e-commerce learning company.

“They focused a little bit less on empathy and more on the science and the technology of workplace safety,” Leigh says.

Looking at it from Amazon’s perspective, the approach makes sense, she points out: “If you have half-a-million or more warehouse workers, you are probably thinking about it algorithmically.”

But labor unions and employees are focused more on the individual human impact.

“And I think those two points of view just won’t ever marry,” Leigh says.

That’s one of the takeaways from our discussion with Leigh on this week’s GeekWire Podcast, recapping and analyzing Amazon’s annual meeting this week. Several shareholder proposals at the meeting addressed employee issues, including warehouse worker safety and unionization.

We also talk about Amazon’s effort to return to profitability in its consumer business, the bigger goal behind its physical retail stores, and the push for more diversity and inclusion in its workforce, among other topics.

Listen above, or subscribe to GeekWire in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

Related Coverage

Welcome to Cyber Security Today. From Toronto, this is the Week in Review for the week ending Friday May 27th, 2022. I’m Howard Solomon, contributing reporter on cybersecurity for ITWorldCanada.com.

 

In a few minutes I’ll be joined by Terry Cutler, head of Montreal’s Cyology Labs, to discuss some of the news from the past seven days. First, a roundup of highlights:

Once again ransomware was big in the news: Researchers said that for various reasons the Conti gang has decided to shut down its brand and instead work through affiliated gangs Terry and I will discuss if infosec pros should care.

Meanwhile a new extortion group called RansomHouse has emerged. According to one news site, it claims the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority was a victim in December.

The latest annual Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report was released. The authoritative report, which analyzes information on cyber incidents and data breaches from a large number of cybersecurity companies, found ransomware incidents were up 13 per cent last year over 2020.

It also found mistakes by employees, partners and others were responsible for 14 per cent of all data breaches in 2021.

Terry and I will also look at a report that hackers found a way to open accounts on social media and other sites in a victim’s name with just their email address with the goal of stealing their personal information.

Clearview AI, which sells facial recognition software to police forces, has been under attack for a long time for copying billions of images of people off the internet to use for comparative purposes. It’s facing new problems: The United Kingdom’s privacy commissioner has fined the company the equivalent of over $9 million for using people’s faces without their consent. And it ordered Clearview to delete the images of UK residents from its databases. Clearview has also been fined by regulators in France, Italy and Australia. In Canada, Clearview is fighting an order by privacy commissioners here to delete the images of Canadians in its databases.

Finally, there’s more fallout from the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The now-defunct British firm acquired personal information about tens of millions of Facebook users from an app developer. The city of Washington, D.C., launched a lawsuit against Mark Zuckerberg, who heads Facebook’s parent company Meta. It alleges Facebook’s failure to tell users their personal information may be shared with third-party applications without their knowledge misled subscribers. In 2015 Facebook was fined $5 billion by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission over the incident.

(The following transcript has been edited for clarity)

Howard: Ransomware gangs often rebrand as law enforcement agencies crackdown on them. But this week came news that the Conti ransomware gang, known for attacking big companies and government departments, is retiring its brand to instead work closer with other gangs. What do you make of this news?

Terry Cutler: We’ve heard this before — a group retires, then they come out of retirement and they rebrand. I think what’s happening here is that there’s just way too much heat on them [Conti] and some of their members may be getting a little scared. Some are asking the group to like tone it down a little bit. That’s why I think they’re switching now to smaller groups. I think after they threatened the Costa Rican government that’s where they’d rather just work with other operators like Karakurt or BlackByte. Remember, it’s the Conti brand that’s shutting down. The actors are still there. They’re just shutting things down like the negotiation site, the chat rooms, the messenger servers and the proxy servers. That doesn’t mean that the threat actors themselves are retiring.

Howard: The research, which was done by a firm called Advanced Intel, argues that the recently and highly-publicized attack on government departments in Costa Rica has been used as a smokescreen for Conti’s strategy shift. In the past couple of weeks Conti has made us think that it’s trying to overthrow the government, but it’s really restructuring. What do you think?

Terry: I think that’s part of their great grand finale, to use this as a publicity stunt. This way they can perform their own death, and then maybe, a rebirth. We have to see what’s going to happen. But I also heard that things were a little bit toxic, too, because the group pledged their allegiance to Russia and was in favor of the invasion of Ukraine. Maybe that didn’t sit well with other members. That’s why there was some leakage of some private gang chat messages and logs.

Howard: That would appear true according to some interpretation. The leak was a bit of vindictiveness by someone regarding the Conti endorsement of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

So for those of you who are keeping score, this report says Conti will focus on supporting data-stealing groups as Karakurt, BlackBasta and BlackByte, as well as ransomware groups called AlphaV/BlackCat, Hive, Hello Kitty and AvosLocker. So if I’m a cyber security leader at a company because Conti is doing this do I need to change my strategy in any way?

Terry: First I’d like to know who comes up with the names of these groups.

Your defences really come down to visibility [on the network]. The goal here is to shrink your attack surface as much as possible. We know there’s no silver bullet to stop a hacker, but you want to make it as difficult as possible for them to get in. A lot of companies right now don’t have the right tools or the automation in place, or maybe not even working with the right outsourced partner. So I don’t think they’re going to fare well in a cyberattack, because there’s so many ways for an attacker to get into your system. IT is dealing with phishing attacks, untrained users, stolen passwords, unpatched systems, they don’t have EDR [endpoint detection and response software] in place, there’s no network monitoring, no log management … The IT department has to deal with all these ways that attackers can get in. And on top of that IT people are not necessarily trained in cybersecurity or incident response and forensics. They need to team up with a cybersecurity expert or firm to keep an eye on their infrastructure.

Howard: Listeners may recall that a year ago an international group of researchers and vendors called the Ransomware Task Force issued a report, which in part called on governments to take more action to fight ransomware groups. Last Friday it issued a first-year report looking back at what was accomplished. Admittedly fighting cybercriminals in the digital era is no small task, but most researchers including the annual Verizon Data Breach Investigation report — which was released on Tuesday — agree that ransomware is only increasing. However, some governments and insurance agencies think it’s slowing down or at least stabilizing. This lack of consensus is a challenge, the Ransomware Task Force authors. Briefly, the Task Force believes that of its 48 recommendations there’s been tangible progress on 12, such as promises by a number of governments to work together to fight ransomware. Here’s an example: The U.S. said that it’s about to convene a joint [inter-department] ransomware task force which was mandated under a recently passed federal law. My question to you is, are governments doing enough — and in particular is Canada doing enough to fight ransomware?

Terry: Here’s the biggest challenge. It’s all around attribution — finding out where these people [threat actors] are, and as you know it’s really difficult to find out who’s behind these attacks because there’s so many ways to hide their tracks. And the moment they’ve uncovered one server there might be no logs on there or if there are logs the guy’s hidden another one. So eventually’s gonna be no logging. In some cases there’s going to be human error — maybe the [victim’s] backups weren’t done properly and there’s months of data missed. You’re faced with the challenge of do we pay to get our data back or do we not pay it and lose our data? … That’s a big challenge, especially with small businesses: If you don’t pay that ransom and you don’t have a proper backup that you’re going to go out of business. But when organizations don’t pay attackers lose their main revenue stream. That’s why they’re going to go after small medium small and medium businesses, and critical infrastructure providers … That’s why I think the focus now is going to be on helping organizations prepare and respond to these types of attacks.

Howard: Also this week, researchers at Cyberint released a report on a new extortion group called RansomHouse. It specializes in stealing data and then holding it for ransom. So it doesn’t bother with encrypting data. According to the Bleeping Computer news site, the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority was one of its none victims. In December the authority acknowledged being hit by a cyber incident. That forced it to temporarily take IT systems offline. This is seemingly part of a new trend for threat groups to just forget about infecting a firm or government with ransomware — just steal the data and hold it for ransom.

Terry: Again, it all comes down to no [network] visibility inside these organizations … There’s a tactic that I tried a couple of years ago where you could do some advanced Google searches to see if customers’ data leaked because they were misconfiguring their database backups. And it was actually copying the data to another server, but it was unlocked. So we would try and contact these customers and say, ‘Your data is is visible. How about we come in and do a cyber audit to help lock you down.’ And we would be accused of being the hackers trying to extort them. That’s why it’s very difficult to try and help organizations take cyber security seriously.

Howard: Companies shouldn’t feel they’re defenseless. They actually have quite a bit of control over their defenses.

Terry: One of the things they need to do is a cybersecurity audit, especially if they haven’t had a penetration test done in a long time — and a penetration test is essentially what hackers are doing. They’re giving you a free penetration test — but if you fail you just lost your data. The difference with us on the ethical hacker side is that we’re going to provide you a report that shows you all the vulnerabilities. And it’s going to cost far less to get a proper audit done than having your data ransomed.

Howard: The last story that I want to look at was an interesting report about crooks tricking people into getting social media and other accounts that they didn’t know they had.

Terry: Cybersecurity researchers were able to reveal that hackers can actually hijack your online account before you even register them. They did this by exploiting a flaw that’s now been fixed in most popular websites like Instagram, Linkedin, WordPress, and Dropbox. It’s called a pre-hijacking attack. The hacker needs to know your email address. They can find this out either by email correspondence or through data breaches. The attacker then creates an account on a vulnerable site. The site sends confirmation emails to you. The hope is you get annoyed by this email and confirm or create the account. If you do either you use the password the attacker set up. If you ask for a password reset the hacker sees that, too. The problem is there’s a lack of strict verification of email registrations. The best way to deal with this is that once you’ve registered your account immediately activate two-step verification.

Howard: So this is another form of what’s broadly called a social engineering attack. The crooks are betting that you’re going to get tired of being pestered by a notification about an account you didn’t know you had and so you’ll ask for a password reset. But one way or another the crook still has access, so eventually they’re going to start to get personal information about you. This is especially dangerous if what they do is they get hold of your Linkedin account. There’s a number of techniques that the crooks can use so I’ve simplified it. Isn’t this a major failure of websites and their process management?

Terry: It’s a registration process. Sites want to make it as simple as possible for users to be on-boarded, because if it’s complex either they won’t subscribe or they’re going to start emailing the support hotline. But it’s up to sites and people to secure their accounts. Cybersecurity is everyone’s responsibility. Multifactor authentication is one of the biggest keys to stopping these breaches and people are still not using it.

“Everything points to an economy that’s near the tipping point,” said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at FWDBONDS, a financial markets research company. “It’ll be a miracle if we can avoid a recession.”

That uncertain outlook poses a major challenge for Democrats as they try to hold onto their slim congressional majorities in November while Republicans pound away on what they’ve branded “Bidenflation.”

“If there is a general view by the late summer and fall that the economy’s not doing well and that things are down, it’s going to be a tough election for Democrats,” said Simon Rosenberg, president of the centrist Democratic think tank NDN. “The economic challenge is to keep the economy growing and to get inflation under control and the political challenge is to get more credit for the things that have gone well. That’s something that can be done in the next five or six months.”

But it won’t be easy. And in the world of electoral opinion, it may not come in time for the Democrats.

Inflation is dominating Americans’ views of the economy, overwhelming sunnier data and contributing to cautious consumer behavior that ironically makes a recession more likely. A recent Suffolk University/Globe poll found 35 percent of respondents thought the US economy was in recession and another 16 percent a depression (it’s not now in either). And nearly three in 10 respondents in a nationwide poll last month from Navigator Research said they believe the United States lost jobs last year when the economy actually created a record 6.7 million new ones.

“It’s the equivalent of voters in 1946 not knowing who won the war,” Rosenberg said.

The White House needs to do a better job of explaining the strengths of the economy, like last year’s record job growth, and their efforts to fight inflation, said Representative Don Beyer, chair of Congress’s Joint Economic Committee.

“Voters don’t necessarily care exactly why [inflation] is where it is. They just care that it is, and who’s responsible,” said Beyer, a Virginia Democrat. “We’re in a tough position. It’s painful to be the ones in charge at the moment.”

Biden blames high prices on global supply disruptions from the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He says the administration is doing everything it can to bring inflation down, like releasing oil from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve to try to ease gas prices that reached record highs last week.

“I want every American to know that I’m taking inflation very seriously and it’s my top domestic priority,” Biden said this month.

But Republicans say high inflation has been caused by Biden’s policies, particularly the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan enacted in early 2021 that they and some economists, like former Treasury secretary Larry Summers, say overstimulated the economy.

“Skyrocketing prices, Biden’s gas hike, and the deteriorating economy are on the ballot in November, and voters know Biden and Democrats are to blame,” Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the the Republican National Committee, said recently after the latest government report showed the Consumer Price Index had risen 8.3 percent over the previous 12 months. That was an improvement over the annual rate in March, but not by much.

Inflation has been a major factor in pushing Biden’s approval rating down to 40.7 percent, according to an average of national polls by analytics website FiveThirtyEight. An NBC News poll released last Sunday found just 16 percent of American adults think the nation is headed in the right direction, near the low of 12 percent during the 2008 financial crisis.

Even after the leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion that would overturn the federal right to an abortion, the poll found respondents ranked “cost of living” as the most important issue facing the country. Biden’s approval rating on handling the cost of living was just 23 percent.

Americans also have been rattled by seemingly random product shortages and price spikes caused by pandemic supply chain disruptions. The ongoing scramble by parents for baby formula follows past struggles to buy lumber, garage doors, and computer chips and adds to a sense of an economy in chaos.

The Federal Reserve is the government’s main inflation fighter and the central bank has started aggressively raising its benchmark interest rate to try to bring down inflation by reducing demand in the economy. Fed Chair Jerome Powell, newly reappointed by Biden, said on Tuesday that the Fed was determined to do what it takes to rein in price growth even if it meant slowing the economy so much that the unemployment rate starts rising from its current historically low level of 3.6 percent.

He acknowledged “there could be some pain involved,” but expressed confidence the Fed could bring down inflation without triggering a recession. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also said last week that she thought there was enough economic momentum in the United States to avoid one even as high inflation threatens economies around the world.

“We are in a global environment where there are significant risks and pressures, but I really don’t expect the United States to fall into a recession,” she told reporters in Germany during an economic summit.

The US economy shrank in the first three months of the year amid the Omicron wave and because of some statistical oddities in trade and inventory calculations. But a recession is normally defined as two straight quarters of contraction and economists said they believe the economy is growing again.

Still, there are some warning signs. First-time claims for unemployment insurance, while still historically low, rose in the week ending May 14 to their highest level since January. And the red-hot housing market could be cooling as mortgage rates rise. The National Association of Realtors reported Thursday that existing home sales fell in April for the third straight month.

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, an economics research and consulting firm, agreed with Powell and Yellen that the economy remains strong despite high inflation. He pointed to continued robust job growth and thinks inflation has peaked. But he predicted the annual Consumer Price Index will still be high, at about 5.3 percent, by Election Day.

“Inflation is high, painfully high, but I attribute that to two massive global supply shocks that continue to scramble things,” Zandi said, referring to the pandemic and Ukraine war. “It’s very, very difficult to navigate around them. That’s what the Fed is trying to do. I think they’ll be able to do it, but that’s why the risks of recession are so high.”

Economists said the pandemic and war make forecasting even more difficult. And all that uncertainty has rattled investors. The broad-based Standard & Poor’s 500 index is down 18 percent this year after hitting a record high. That could further slow the economy.

But the stock market decline might not be all bad news for Biden. He’s rarely boasted about its numerous record highs during his presidency, a sharp contrast with former president Donald Trump. So Biden may not be as invested politically in its current woes. And while the decline will make people feel less wealthy, it could help tame inflation and allow the Fed to be less aggressive in raising interest rates

“If the stock market didn’t fall, the Fed would have to continue pressing on the monetary brakes until it did,” Zandi said.

But the stock market decline could push down consumer confidence by making people feel less wealthy as they see their 401(k) balances drop. About 58 percent of Americans own stocks, according to Gallup.

“If six months ago your stocks were worth $500,000 and now they’re worth $400,000, you’re likely to cut back a little on your spending because you feel poorer,” said Robert J. Shapiro, a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and chairman of the economic advisory firm Sonecon.

Rupkey said investors are anticipating the economy will slow because of the Fed’s efforts to fight inflation. And Democrats are likely to get the blame for that, too.

“If there’s something going wrong with the economy in a major way, it’s pretty much, ‘Throw the bums out,’ ” he said. But a switch of political power in Washington is unlikely to change the direction of inflation.

“As a professional economist, I can’t see either side of the aisle coming up with a good idea on how to ‘whip inflation now,’ as they used to say in the ‘70s,” Rupkey said, referring to an anti-inflation program with the acronym WIN promoted by President Gerald Ford. “It’s very hard for the White House or Congress to control inflation.”

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Jim Puzzanghera can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @JimPuzzanghera.

Film: KGF Chapter 2 (Dubbed in Hindi)

Producer: Vijay Kiragandur

Director: Prashanth Neel

The wait to finally witness the magic and power of KGF Chapter 2 is going to end on April 14 when the film opens in theatres. KGF Chapter 2, starring Yash, Sanjay Dutt, Srinidhi Shetty, Raveena Tandon and Prakash Raj, is touted as one of the biggest releases of the year.

Film: Beast (Dubbed in Hindi)

Producers: Sun Pictures

Director: Nelson Dilipkumar

Pooja Hegde awaits the release of her upcoming action thriller Beast. Marking her return to Tamil cinema, Pooja Hegde’s Beast will open in cinemas on April 13. The film will witness Vijay Thalapathy and Pooja Hegde as a pair.

Beast will be released by UFO Moviez in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu on the same day across North India.

Film: Supreme Motherhood – The Journey of Mata Sahib Kaur (Punjabi)

Producers: Zee Studios and Nihal Nihal Nihal Productions

Director: Dr. Karandeep Singh

After bringing India’s biggest and most successful animated film Chaar Sahibzaade, Zee Studios and Nihal Nihal Nihal Productions come up with the amazing life story of Guru Gobind Singh’s wife, Mata Sahib Kaur. Supreme Motherhood – The Journey of Mata Sahib Kaur showcases her exemplary courage, who was the epitome of motherhood.

— Dharam Pal

Lane County schools and others statewide are receiving an influx of $5 million as part of plan to provide computer science education in all high schools by the fall of 2027.

The funding was announced by Gov. Kate Brown last week when she visited Connected Lane County’s SparkLab, which offers extended out-of-school STEM education and training opportunities for youth to gain hands-on experience.

“Now, more than ever, a deep understanding of computer science is a critical skill for today’s workforce,” Brown said in a news release. “That’s why I am proud to announce this important investment and chart a roadmap to ensure equitable access to computer science skills for Oregon’s students.”

While there are existing computer science programs in some schools, it’s not ubiquitous or equally available to different demographics.

Its the time of the year where you get new software version of major mobile operating system. This month, its Android and we can expect major software updates in the Apple Ecosystem in the month of June as part of WWDC 2022. In this article we will focus on the Android 13 features that are announced during Google I/O keynote.

Alongside major updates like Pixel 7 first look, Pixel 6A release, Pixel Watch announcements and major updates to search and translate, we got the beta release of Android 13 as well.

Android 13

Android 13 is the thirteenth major software release to the Android mobile operating system. It was internally referred to as Tiramisu. The first phones to have Android 13 built in would be Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro phones.

The developer preview was released back in February when Android 13 was first announced via a blog post in the Google Developers blog. With its major claims in terms of privacy, it is an update which has a big list of tiny features and changes. The update might not seem to have flashy features but its definitely tightening up Android in terms of its software compatibility and even extension to devices like tablets, watches etc.,

Android 13 features

In this section we will go deep into 10 different Android 13 features which are of significance. This is just a few from the list of so many other changes that are part of the release. Most of the features here are mostly changes that you can see in the front end but there are lot more features that are major changes on the backend which makes the overall experience better.

Material You – More Updates

After the release of Material You at last year Google I/O with Android 12, now we have some more new updates alongside Android 13 in the Material You area. The theming engine behind Material You works in such a way that it picks color from the wallpaper that the user has chosen and use it as the theme for the whole device. So, the aesthetic power is in the hands of the end user because the wallpaper you choose definitely represents the look you are looking for.

See Also: How to Get Rid of Old Tech ?

With Android 13, now you can pick the preset color scheme from your smartphone. It will be under Wallpaper settings. In addition to that now we can add themed icons which represents icons changed in such a way that it uses colors from the wallpaper. Please be reminded that the feature is still in beta and might not work as expected in corner case scenarios.

Per-App Language Customization

This is one feature that was rumoured for along time and with the data systems that Google has, this feature must have been a cake in the park. We all know that smartphones today support non english languages as well.

See Also: 869,000 apps may disappear from Play Store soon. Read what Google has to say about this.

So, for the first time ever, with Android 13, you can choose language on a per-app level. So, if you prefer you language for an app like Instagram or Facebook you can make it that way in the Settings app. With Android 13, you can make this feature which might be popular among non-native speakers of english across the world.

RCS Messaging Updates

This is an update that you might not realize while using the app. Its focused on the Google messages app because finally after the adaption of end to end encryption in major instant messaging apps, finally its adapted in the Google Messages.

See Also: How to Add Widgets to iPad Home Screen

As of now, end to end encryption is available only for one to one messaging and Google has hopes to expand it to Group chats in the coming months as well. This is a good step towards the goal of giving power and encryption in the hands of the users rather than the company that owns it.

Android’s Photo Picker

In addition to all of these features, now we have a redesigned Photo Picker. So, the next time you go to gallery to set up Profile picture or upload an image to a website, you will see a redesigned photo picker which is more intuitive and easy to use.

See Also: How to Change Windows Update Settings in Windows 11

The new Photo Picker API will enable users to select photos and videos but the app that you are using will not have access to all your photos and apps in the Photos app. Its an extension of the old Document Picker from earlier version of Android.

Renewed Android Wallet

After so many iterations, now that we have a Google Wallet app which is to be honest a highlight of this year’s Google I/O. This, new revamped Google wallet will be a competition for Apple Wallet. This app can store identity information like transit passes, IDs, vaccine certificates, boarding pass, room keys, student ID, driving license, etc.,

See Also: How to Download and use Android apps in Windows 11

This can replace all of your physical ID/key of any sort in any aspect of access or security. The NFC built-in device or even QR code scanned can get you to use the Google Wallet app effectively. Let’s be clear that Google Wallet is not an Android 13 exclusive. Google hopes to expand google Wallet to all of its versions in the coming months. To be honest Google is a little late to the party when it comes to this.

Emergency SOS changes

SOS changes that was part of Android 12 is coming to the Wear OS as well. We have a new Pixel Watch announcement that is going to be something special later this year. This update will be coming to older versions of the Android OS as well.

See Also: Top 10 Android Keyboard Apps – GIF, Emoji, Swipe 2022

The redesigned SOS has gotten positive reviews and if used properly we can agree on the fact that Emergency SOS is a great feature that helps so many people across the world. With this feature in case of any emergency, services are contacted and your emergency contacts are alerted about the location and other info related to that.

Changes for big screens

Google announced the Pixel Tab which will be coming next year. so, to optimize the Android 13 for bigger screens, there are so many optimizations which, to be honest, looks very much like iPad OS. Its clear that Google wants a slice of the tablet market.

Features like Multitasking and drag and drop between files and apps and its other features. Before opening up the API to third party developers, Google has updated 20 first party apps to take the full advantage of the extra space and layout. Also, some developers like Tik tok, Zoom, Facebook, will be optimized very soon as well. The way it works its that, its not a separate app for tablets, but an extension of the smartphone app.

Bluetooth Low Energy Audio

Another new change in Android 13 is the support for Bluetooth Low Energy Audio. There is a new audio codec used in Android called Low Complexity Communications Codec which transmits very high quality audio via bluetooth while consuming very less energy compared to previous versions of Android.

Media Playback UI changes

Media Playback in what you see when you play something like music or videos and then lock the screen. As you can see in the image below, you can use the media controls and Google has added some animation and squiggly lines as well.

See Also: 5 Best FREE VPN Providers for iPhone, Android & PC [2022]

This is not a major update but it definitely adds to the overall design and aesthetic of the Android operating system.

Copy-Paste improvements

We are going to see some changes to the copy-paste clipboard in Android ecosystem. So, in the new update, whenever you copy something you will see a small floating window in the bottom left corner of the screen.

In this panel, you can edit the contents of the things you copied before pasting them anywhere. It depends on what type of content you copied. Let’s say you copied a link, then you would see a browser option where you can open the link in the window.

QR Code Scanner

QR Codes have become a big part of our lives especially when it comes to shopping or even hotel orders during the pandemic period. Previously, we could use the Camera app to scan any QR code. Now, we have a dedicated button in the Quick Settings section of the Android OS.

See Also: Top 5 AR (Augmented Reality) Apps for Android 2022

Up until now, there are so many people who rely on third party apps to actually scan codes because of the lack of awareness of this feature in the Camera app.

All you have to do is to swipe down anywhere to reveal the Quick Settings options and you can select the QR code option as you can see in the screenshot above. If its not there, then you can enable it in the Settings app.

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These are 10 of the Android 13 features that really stood out to me. Have you tried the Android 13 beta? If so, did you like the update? What other features stoof out to you? Let us know in the comments section. We can’t wait to hear from you.

Introduction

Cybercrime is among the leading dangers to a business’ success. Cybercrime
entails gaining unauthorized access to a computer system or an information
database. Cyberterrorists seek to steal, corrupt, alter or use data for a
ransom. So far in 2022, cybercrime has caused businesses and individuals a
total
loss of $6 trillion.

High-end businesses, such as selling pricey handbags and diamond stud
earrings, face the highest risk of cyber-attacks. Their high revenues make
them particularly attractive to cyberterrorists. As an owner of a high-end
business, it is in your best interest to make significant investments in
cybersecurity.

Relevant Reading

Intro to Top 10 Common Types of Cyber Attacks

As technology has advanced over the years, so have the cybersecurity tactics
in use. Cybersecurity tactics evolve because the cyber-attack methods used by
cyber terrorists change. It is, therefore, important to ensure that your
business’ cyber security plan is up to date with the current cyber security
trends.

In this article, we look at some of the ways in which one can protect their
high-end business from cybercrime.

Creating User Awareness

A recent study revealed that about
98% of the cyber attacks
that were orchestrated and performed relied on social engineering. Social
engineering uses knowledge of human psychology and thought processes to
manipulate people into doing what they want.

In the case of cyberattacks, social engineering can take various forms. Attack
methods such as phishing,
scareware, baiting, etc., are examples of attack methods that involve social
engineering.

Relevant Reading

How to Keep Your Business Safe from Security Threats

Teaching users about the use of social engineering to access computer systems
is the best way to counter cyberattacks. The users should learn how to
identify potential malicious links and emails.

With the knowledge of various social engineering attacks, users should be able
to learn some basic prevention skills such as not clicking on unsecured links.
While creating user awareness, it is also vital that you focus the learning on
the specific industry that the business is in.

For instance, cyberterrorist loves to target the jewelry industry,
specifically, diamonds. This is because the price value of such high-end
jewelry only accumulates as time passes. Also, it is evident that those who
can afford one is relatively wealthy.

A wedding day diamond set or a diamond engagement ring could easily quadruple
its price in the next 5 years. Hence, making it the perfect item for attackers
to hide and keep. They could also target the personal information and data of
those who bought it to conduct scams.

Relevant Reading

How to Choose the Right Endpoint Security for Your System?

This is why it’s important for the handlers of mined diamonds or manufacturers
of lab-grown diamonds to
know the basic counterattacks during security breaches. Relevant user
awareness skills for the industry could be how to secure their sales system
against attackers.

The workers can also learn how to secure the database. The business database
can contain their industrial designs and detailed information about the types
of diamonds they manufacture.

Defensive Computing

Defensive computing is the intentional use of computer systems while
refraining from performing actions that can put the system at risk of a
cyber-attack. Defensive computing is a method of safeguarding a business
against cyberattacks that have been in use for several years.

Such defensive computing methods and tips have evolved over the years. Their
evolution helps ensure that the security methods stay up-to-date with new
attack methods. All users should be aware of the various defensive computing
tactics available to secure a system.

A well-detailed
defensive computing checklist should be offered to the workers. The checklist will help them become
accustomed to these methods.

Regular Software and Operating System Updating

In software engineering, the concept of having perfect software is unheard of.
Developers always have the chance to make improvements that will better some
functions. Due to this, they release system updates. The updates ensure that
developers offer the best they can to the clients.

As a business seeking to secure your systems against cyberattacks, it is
important to install the updates of the software running on business
computers. Most of the time, software updates include security patches that
aim to improve software security. Failing to ensure that software is up to
date can expose your business’ system to cyberattacks.

Relevant Reading

5 Ways to Protect Your Business Data

Speaking of updates, it is also important to install available updates for the
operating system. OS updates include security patches that fix existing
security loopholes and bugs. The operating system updates can also include new
security features. The new security features secure the computer against new
attack methods.

The Use of Intrusion Detection Software

Protecting your business against cybercrime can also entail being on the
offensive side. Intrusion detection software keeps track of all data flows and
data accesses in a computing system. If the intrusion detection software
detects unauthorized access to the system, it notifies the system
administrator.

The implementation of intrusion detection software helps businesses, like
diamond proposal rings or engagement rings distributors, be aware of any
cybercrime. Alerting the system administrator gives the system administrator
the chance to secure it before any damage is done.

Some system administrators set their systems to perform a set of predefined
actions if any case of intrusion is detected. Most businesses set the system
to shut down indefinitely if the intrusion detection software raises an alarm.
Such measures can help significantly secure a high-end business from any form
of cybercrime.

Implementation of Network Security

Computer networks can be a loophole for a computer system’s security. This is
because data transmission and communication signals are sent through the
network. Due to this, a business’ network security must be top tier.

Network security can be implemented from two fronts, that is:

• Network access
• Data transmission

Network access aims at limiting access to the network. This helps ensure that
cyber terrorists do not gain access to the network and use it for malicious
purposes. Access control is implemented through the use of private,
password-protected networks. To ensure that the network access is secure, the
system should use the modern password standard,
WPA-2 enterprise.

Data transmission aims at ensuring that if a cyberterrorist gains access to
data during transmission, the data cannot be used. This is achieved through
the use of data
encryption
and proper management.

Conclusion

As a business owner, it is important to know that protecting your business
against cybercrime is not a one-time task. Business protection against
cybercrimes is a continuous process.

It involves the implementation of cybersecurity methods and then analyzing
their efficiency. If the efficiency of the implemented security methods drops
after a while, new security methods will have to be used.

This goes to show the dynamic nature of cybersecurity. To be on the safe side,
you can opt to hire a permanent cybersecurity expert for your business. The
cybersecurity expert will ensure that your business’ cybersecurity methods are
always up to date and effective.

VELDHOVEN, Netherlands, May 20 (Reuters) – ASML (ASML.AS), a semiconductor industry and stock market giant, has to think smaller. Or maybe bigger.

It is building machines the size of double-decker buses, weighing over 200 tonnes, in its quest to produce beams of focused light that create the microscopic circuitry on computer chips used in everything from phones and laptops to cars and AI.

The company has enjoyed a rosy decade, its shares leaping 1,000% to take its value past 200 billion euros as it swept up most of the world’s business for these lithography systems.

It’s now preparing to roll out a new $400 million machine for next-generation chips which it hopes will be its flagship by the late 2020s but for now remains an engineering challenge.

Executives at ASML’s headquarters in the Dutch town of Veldhoven told Reuters a prototype was on track to be completed in the first half of 2023. They said the company and longtime R&D partner IMEC were setting up a test lab on the spot – a first – so top chipmakers and their suppliers can explore the machine’s properties and prepare to use production models as early as 2025.

Yet, as investors expect further dominance and growth to justify ASML’s valuation at 35 times 2021 earnings, there is little margin for error should the company encounter technical or supply-chain snags.

“Every check is green right now,” said Christophe Fouquet, head of EUV programs at ASML. “But, you know, we still have to see it all (assembled) together.”

EUV stands for extreme ultraviolet, the wavelength of light used by ASML’s most advanced machines.

The fortunes of the project are also important for ASML’s customers, chipmakers racing to expand production amid a global shortage. They include U.S. player Intel, South Korea’s Samsung and Taiwan’s TSMC, the biggest, which makes chips for the likes of Apple, AMD and Nvidia.

Industry specialist Dan Hutcheson of TechInsights, who is not involved with the ASML project, said the new technology – known as a “High-NA” version of EUV – could provide a significant advantage to some chipmakers.

“It’s a bit like who’s got the best gun,” he said.

“So either ASML makes it happen or they don’t make it happen,” he added. “But if they make it happen, and you don’t have your orders and you miss out on this, you’ve immediately made yourself non-competitive.”

He said TSMC eclipsed its rivals by integrating ASML’s EUV machines first in the late 2010s – a mistake Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has vowed not to make again with High-NA.

Lithography is a key determinant of how small circuitry on a chip can get, with High-NA promising a 66% reduction. Smaller is better in chipmaking, as the more transistors you pack in the same space, the faster and more energy efficient a chip can be.

Circuitry is now approaching the atomic level, leading to predictions that the end is nigh for “Moore’s Law”, a famous 1960’s observation that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles about every two years.

“If they (ASML) don’t succeed it will become difficult to continue with Moore’s Law,” said Jos Versteeg, an analyst at Dutch-based bank InsingerGilissen, though he noted engineers had defied similar doubts in the past.

FIRST LIGHT ON SILICON

Since 2000, ASML has rapidly taken market share from Japanese competitors Nikon and Canon, which now mainly focus on older technology. ASML controls more than 90% of the lithography market. No competitor is attempting to build an EUV system, citing high development costs.

Shortages of ASML’s machines, which cost up to $160 million each, are a bottleneck for chipmakers, who have plans to spend more than $100 billion in the coming years to build extra fabrication plants to meet demand.

The High-NA machines will be about 30% bigger than their predecessors, which themselves require three Boeing 747s to carry them in sections.

IMEC, a non-profit research group that cooperates with companies across the semiconductor industry, believes setting up the lab at ASML could save up to a year in development time.

ASML said it had five orders for pilot machines, which should be delivered in 2024, and “more than five” orders from five different customers for faster production models for delivery starting in 2025.

But this is no slam-dunk.

There are formidable challenges in integrating a host of complex components, including an optics system of polished, hyper-smooth curved mirrors, which are being built in a vacuum by Germany’s Carl Zeiss.

Versteeg at InsingerGilissen said that while ASML enjoyed a near monopoly, its “pricing is dependent on the productivity of the machines”. Meanwhile, it must sell EUV tools to the shrinking number of companies that make leading-edge chips, which include memory chip makers SK Hynix and Micron.

ASML is also tied to the wider fortunes of the cyclical chip industry, which some researchers expect to double past $1 trillion in annual sales this decade.

Fouquet worries most about supply-chain issues.

“Right now, and like with every other product, we see some stress in the supply chain, and this is if you ask me today, probably the biggest challenge we have with High-NA.”

(This story corrects Hutcheson’s affiliation. VLSI was acquired by TechInsights in 2021, in paragraph 10)

Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by Pravin Char

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

It is a reputable fact that Python is one of the most prominent programming languages in both backend programmers as well as Data Science professionals. Have you ever before wondered why Python is so preferred? What is it that Python Programming Language has that made it so valuable and futuristic?

Well, the answer is simple. Python is one the easiest language to learn (syntactically and semantically) and has the highest number of libraries for numerous applications making it preferred all around the globe.

Python is simple and also totally free to learn and sometimes certifications like on FreeCodeCamp.org. Its key features are that it is top-level, dynamically interpreted, and easy to learn. This makes debugging simple and encourages the rapid development of application models, noting itself worthy to code with. Python was created in 1989 by Guido Van Rossum focusing on simplicity and readability.

Whatever be your development and Data Science requirement, you name it– Python can take care of it. Python is an open-source, high-level, general-purpose programming language that integrates the features of object-oriented, structural, and also functional programming.

While Python’s straightforward syntax structure allows for composing understandable code, which can be further applied to intricate software development procedures to facilitate test-driven software application development, machine learning, as well as data analytics. Python can run on all the major operating systems, including Windows, Linux, as well as iOS.

Since it operates on cross-platform operating systems, Python can be utilized to develop a host of applications, including WebApps (with Flask or Django), Computer Games, Enterprise Level Application, Machine learning application, Photo/ Video, and text processing are named few.

So with this basic knowledge of Python, let us get into 11 Best Applications of Python Programming Language-

Web Development using Python

As we said before, Python is an all-rounder programming language that can be easily used to create web-applications at a pace. Why is that? It is because of the structures Python uses to produce these applications. There is common-backend logic that enters into making these structures as well as a number of libraries that can aid incorporate protocols such as HTTPS, FTP, SSL, and so on. Python Programming Language also assists in the processing of JSON, XML, E-Mail therefore far more.

The most popular structures and frameworks for creating web applications using Python are Django, Flask, Pyramid, etc. These frameworks provide safety, scalability readily by leveraging that you can build a web application.

Game Development

The gaming industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world with tons of platforms and dozens of Genres to choose from. Python can be used in the development of interactive games. There are libraries such as PySoy which is a 3D game engine supporting Python 3, PyGame library for 2D game development with high performance. The game titles such as Battlefield 2, Civilisation IV, Freedom Force are a few of them that have impressed the Gaming communities world-wide.

Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence using Python

Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence are a few of the most confused yet over-hyped topics that people don’t exactly understand but are impressed by it anyways. In a nutshell, Machine Learning is when you provide Input, Output and let the machine figure out the pattern or design its own rules, unlike traditional software where input and pattern/ rules are given to get the desired output.

For Machine Learning and AI, many languages can be used, from Java, C++, Javascript but Python is one of the most preferred languages due to its high number of packages and its processing speed.

Also Read- 21 Best Python Libraries for Machine Learning

Data Science and Data Visualization

Data Science is one of the most important fields that will make you a lot of money if you know how to extract relevant information from heaps of data and make sense/ figure the pattern. You examine the information you have, do procedures, and draw out the info needed. Libraries such as Pandas, NumPy aid you in drawing out details.

You can also envision the information collections such as Matplotlib, Seaborn, which are helpful in plotting graphs and much more. With the support of these libraries, it is much simpler and straight-forward for data science making Python its preferred language.

Related- 7 Most Important Skills in Data Science and AI Career Path

Graphical User Interface using Python-

The GUI is as important as the application and its usage. If the application is very useful but has a command-line interface, people other than tech Savvys may not even want to use it, Python can be very useful here. One of the simplest libraries Python has for GUI is Tkinter. Using Tkinter, you can start out with developing simple applications such as Calculators, Simple Currency converter with text boxes and labels, etc.

Web Scraping Applications

The Internet has an abundance of information but until you figure out the way to download that information and clean the data, it is not useful. Python is a hero when it concerns extracting a large amount of information from internet sites which can then be useful in various real-world procedures such as price comparisons, research, and development, etc.

Business Applications

Business Applications are different than our typical applications covering domain names such as eCommerce, ERP, and much more. They call for applications that are scalable, quickly legible, and also extensible, and also Python provides us with all these features. Platforms such as Tryton are available to establish such business applications.

Audio and Video Applications

Python has exceptional libraries for processing the Audio and Video files of multiple formats in the easiest way possible. There are many Music Player Apps and Video Player Applications like TimPlayer, Cplay that are created using Python Programming offering higher security, scalability, and performance.

Embedded Applications

Python can also be used to develop Embedded C software for embedded applications. This assists us to run the higher-level applications on smaller-sized devices which supports and runs Python Programs smoothly without any issues. The most widely known embedded application could be the Raspberry Pi which makes use of Python for its processing.

Education-

If there’s any kind of beginner-friendly programming language, it is Python. Python’s easy learning curve and also simpleness are the two primary reasons why it is one of the most used programming languages in educational programs, both at the beginner level courses and post-graduation degrees. Due to all the features provided by the Python Programming language, it is not only great for beginners but also reliable for programmers around the globe for various applications.

Language Development

Python may not have been directly involved in creating few programming languages, but the Python Programming layout has been the role model for brand new programming languages such as Swift, CoffeeScript, Cobra, etc. These programming languages share many features like syntax, design, and flow of execution of Python Programming languages.

Our Verdict-

After mentioning all these features, opportunities, and tapped areas of Python Programming language, it will be safe to consider Python Programming language as a future of Programming and its grip on Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence makes it even more valuable for everyone. If you want to get started with Python Programming, there are many YouTube channels like TechwithTim, Code Basics, Sentdex, etc that cover the Python Programming basics efficiently.

If you already are comfortable with Python, here are the 21 Super Fun and Cool Python Projects for your Resume.