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The Ultimate Combo: Artificial intelligence and data centers

How artificial intelligence helps in data centers

Data centers have become an essential element within new technologies, if we add to that the current capabilities of artificial intelligence we have a perfect, superhero pairing, capable of providing us with all kinds of advances and benefits. Yes, we can shout it to the wind: “Blessed is the time in which we live!”

The future: smart data centers

For artificial intelligence to be devoted to scaring us to death through iconic movies like 2001 or Terminator is a thing of the past, today it has other, much more interesting and practical purposes. For example, crowning itself by playing a fundamental role in data processing and analysis. Yes, that’s her, the futuristic AI, increasingly faster, more efficient and, now, necessary to manage data centers.

We know that data is already the element that moves the world. An essential requirement for any operation, be it institutional, business, commercial… This makes data centers one of the most important epicenters of digital transformation. After all, in their physical facilities you may find the equipment and technology that sustains, among other things, the information on which the world economy depends. Centers that store seamlessly data backup and recovery with just one hand, while supporting Cloud applications and transactions with the other. Therefore, they guarantee an ideal climate for investment and opportunities, they boost the economy and encourage and attract a large number of technology companies. They are almost the center of the digital revolution.

Although data centers are not without problems. It is estimated that in the future, three or four years from now, 80% of companies will close their traditional data centers. It’s not foresight madness if you consider the myriad of inconveniences traditional data centers face. I mean a certain lack of preparation for updates, infrastructure problems, environmental deficiencies, etc. But don’t worry, as for so many things, there is a vaccine, a remedy, to take advantage of the advances in artificial intelligence to improve, as far as possible, the functions and infrastructure of data centers.

Forbes Insights already pointed it out in 2020: AI is more than poised to have a huge impact on data centers. In its management, productivity, infrastructure… In fact, they already offer potential solutions to data centers to improve their operations. And data centers, already upgraded by artificial intelligence capabilities, process AI workloads more efficiently.

Power Usage Effectiveness, PUE

As you may guess, data centers consume a lot of energy, which is why an artificial intelligence network is necessary to increase the efficiency of energy use (PUE). The Power Usage Effectiveness or PUE, also equivalent to the total electrical power of the CPD or the total electrical power consumed by the systems, is a metric to calculate the efficiency of data centers.

A couple of years ago, Google was already able to achieve a consistent 40% reduction in the amount of energy used for cooling by deploying Deepmind IA in one of its facilities. This achievement equates to a 15% reduction in overall PUE overload, once electrical losses and other non-cooling issues have been accounted for. It produced the lowest PUE they had ever seen. And the thing is that Deepmind analyzes all kinds of variables within the data center to improve the efficiency of the energy used and reduce its consumption.

Can Smart Data Centers be threatened?

Yes, data centers can also suffer from cyber threats. Hackers do their homework, always finding new ways to breach security and sneak information from data centers. However, the IA once again shows its guts and resources, and learns from normal network behavior to detect threats based on possible irregularities in such behavior. Artificial intelligence can be the perfect complement to the current Security Incidents and Event Management (SIEM) systems, and analyze the inputs of the multiple systems and the incidents, devising an adequate response to each unforeseen event.

Effective management

Through the use of intelligent hardware and IoT sensors, artificial intelligence will show us the effective management of our data center infrastructure. It will automate repetitive work, for example. Activities such as temperature monitoring or the status of the equipment, security, risks of all kinds and the management of refrigeration systems. In addition to carrying out predictive analysis that will help distribute the work among the company’s servers. It will also optimize server storage systems and help find potential system failures, improve processing times, and reduce common risk factors.

AI systems have already been developed that automatically learn to schedule data processing operations on thousands of servers 20-30% faster, completing key data center tasks on the go twice as fast during times of high traffic. They handle the same or higher workload faster using fewer resources. Additionally, mitigation strategies can help data centers recover from data disruption. This immediately turns into a reduction in losses during the interruption and our customers giving us a wide smile of satisfaction.

Well, what do you think of this special union, this definitive combo that artificial intelligence and data centers are and will be? Do you think something can marinate better? Data centers and the Cloud ? N-Able and Kaseya? ,White wine and seafood? Condensed milk and everything else? Leave your opinion in the comments!

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About PandoraFMS
Pandora FMS is a flexible monitoring system, capable of monitoring devices, infrastructures, applications, services and business processes.
Of course, one of the things that Pandora FMS can control is the hard disks of your computers.

ESET cybersecurity survey amongst internet users in APAC reveals large gap between threat awareness and taking action

Three out of five respondents in APAC have experienced a cyberattack or online threat with common forms being malware (17%), theft of personal data (13%) and social media breach or duplication (11%).
Only 23% respondents have installed free or paid antivirus/ security app on their mobile devices.
Majority of parents have not spoken to their children about cybersecurity. 32% of parents from Thailand and 25% from Hong Kong said that their children have been exposed to inappropriate content online.
11,200 respondents from Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand were surveyed.

SINGAPORE – November 22, 2021 – ESET, a global leader in cybersecurity, today released the results from its APAC Consumer Cybersecurity Survey, revealing that three in five (62%) respondents in APAC said they have experienced a cyberattack or online threat in the past 12 months. By analysing consumers’ habits based on previous online interactions, the survey provided a deeper insight on the awareness of basic cybersecurity threats and best practices of actions online. The survey was conducted earlier this year with 11,200 respondents from Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand.

While the pandemic has introduced a new paradigm in the way we live, work, learn, socialize and play, it has also resulted in consumers’ increased reliance on digital technologies and services, which is a major factor for cybercriminals to pursue illegal activities.

“As we continue to navigate challenges from the pandemic, the reliance on digital technology for various aspects of our daily lives will likely spill into the future. Our survey findings suggest that it is now common for internet users to encounter online threats. Therefore, it is critical that consumers are educated about the growing threats, and are aware of the steps they can take to protect themselves as well as their children when conducting online activities,” said Parvinder Walia, President of Asia Pacific and Japan, ESET.

Of the seven APAC markets surveyed, India (81%), Thailand (65%), and Taiwan (63%) had the highest number of respondents who have experienced a cyberattack or online threat. Across the surveyed markets, the most common forms were attributed to malware/virus attacks (17%), theft of personal data (13%), and social media breach or duplication (11%). Only about 23% respondents installed free or paid antivirus/security app on their mobile devices.

 

Figure 1: Respondents were asked if they experienced at least one cyberattack or online threat such as malware attack, theft of personal data and social media breach in the past 12 months

Consumers’ vigilance is critical as online shopping scams are rife
As people are increasingly dependent on the internet to work, communicate, shop and entertain themselves, scammers are also taking advantage of the new normal to lure victims. Around two thirds (67%) of surveyed respondents indicated that they have come across online scams.

Figure 2: The number of respondents who said they came across online scams

The most common types of scams were online shopping (21%), social media (18%), investment (15%). With close to half of surveyed respondents saying that they shop online at least once a month, it is critical for consumers to remain vigilant when engaging in online transactions.

Figure 3: The most common outcomes for online shopping scam victims across APAC

Moreover, more than half of the respondents in APAC trust the security measures by online retailers completely. 45% and 23% of respondents from Thailand and India respectively, also indicated that they would continue shopping at an online retailer even after a data breach, regardless of the security status thereafter.

To protect themselves from scams, consumers should take precautions when shopping online. Fortunately, more than 90% of surveyed respondents take some form of precaution when shopping online, with checking for product/seller reviews being the most popular method of assessing a retailer’s legitimacy across APAC.

Children are vulnerable and need guidance in an increasingly digital world
With the pandemic resulting in a hybrid model of learning, children’s risk exposure via devices and through various online platforms offering services ranging from collaboration, online learning and video streaming to online games and social media is growing. This puts them at greater risk of encountering online threats, and it is important to teach children the essential skills to remain safe while navigating in an online environment.

The survey revealed that 95% of respondents who are parents from Indonesia have never spoken to their children about cybersecurity, and this remains significantly high in the region – over three out of four (77%) respondents across APAC have never spoken to their children about the issue. To ensure that minors are protected in the digital world, parents should have a hand in demonstrating the threats that the online world poses. 32% of parents from Thailand and 25% from Hong Kong also said that their children have been exposed to inappropriate content online.

Figure 4: The number of respondents who said they have never spoken to their children about cybersecurity

Most parents (90%) in APAC did take actions to ensure their children’s online safety. Popular methods include limiting the amount of time their children spend online (31%), using parental control applications (29%) and checking what apps are installed on their children’s devices (24%).

For guides and tips on how to keep kids safe on the internet, please visit ESET’s Safer Kids Online at https://saferkidsonline.eset.com/.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About ESET
For 30 years, ESET® has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services for businesses and consumers worldwide. With solutions ranging from endpoint security to encryption and two-factor authentication, ESET’s high-performing, easy-to-use products give individuals and businesses the peace of mind to enjoy the full potential of their technology. ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. Evolving threats require an evolving IT security company. Backed by R&D facilities worldwide, ESET became the first IT security company to earn 100 Virus Bulletin VB100 awards, identifying every single “in-the-wild” malware without interruption since 2003.

Scale Computing Recognized on the 2021 CRN Edge Computing 100 List

INDIANAPOLIS – November 8, 2021 – Scale Computing, a market leader in edge computing, virtualization, and hyperconverged solutions, announced today that CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Scale Computing to its 2021 Edge Computing 100 list.

With the rising importance of business intelligence and data analytics, the ability to quickly collect and process that data is becoming a key differentiator for businesses of all sizes. At the same time, the need to expand corporate networks to encompass larger numbers of remote and hybrid workers makes securing the edge even more critical.

“IT leaders require the ability to run applications and process data outside centralized data centers or public cloud, at the edge of their network, closest to where that data is created and utilized. We understand these needs and have created solutions to centrally monitor and manage hundreds or even thousands of distributed edge deployments in today’s complex infrastructure environments,” said Jeff Ready, CEO and co-founder of Scale Computing. “We are very proud of the innovations we’ve made in technology, products, and partnerships that have positioned us as a leader. This recognition by CRN is a testament to the fact that we are dedicated to the channel and continue to deliver innovative, highly available, highly scalable, and simple solutions.”

Today’s companies require simple, affordable and easy-to-deploy IT infrastructure solutions to meet complex infrastructure environments and support a wide range of modern and legacy applications — both in the datacenter and at the edge. Scale Computing expanded its Edge Computing offerings earlier this year by introducing HC3 video surveillance and security solutions, optimized to consolidate video storage, video management, access control and analytics workloads. Scale Computing’s video surveillance offers autonomous self healing, providing hands-off resiliency to keep VMS recorders running and maintain access to previously recorded data even when hardware components fail.

Scale Computing’s award-winning HC3 Edge series enables on-premises edge computing with high availability and disaster recovery at remote locations at an affordable entry level cost. All edge models can be deployed quickly, managed locally or remotely, and can self-heal almost instantly.

The second-annual CRN Edge Computing 100 list spotlights the vendors leading the way in providing channel partners with the technology needed to build next-generation, intelligent edge solutions that ultimately bring data collection and processing closer to users. The categories include Edge Hardware, Software and Services; IoT and 5G Edge Services; and Security.

“CRN’s 2021 Edge Computing 100 list returns this year to recognize the leaders bringing the technology required for channel partners to build unique edge solutions that empower businesses to work better and smarter,” said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. “The contributions of these innovators continue to pave the way for the IT channel to deliver bold, progressive, and trusted offerings to its customers.”

The contributions of these innovators continue to pave the way for the IT channel to deliver bold, progressive, and trusted offerings to its customers.

CRN editors compiled the 2021 Edge Computing 100 list based on a variety of criteria, including feedback from solution providers during the year regarding the company’s impact on the market, the company’s overall influence on the channel, and the types of technology and services it makes available to partners. This recognition follows the ARC awards Scale Computing won this summer from CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, in both the Edge Computing category and the Hyperconverged Infrastructure category. The company also swept all of the subcategories including Product Innovation, Support, Partnership, and Managed & Cloud Services in both Edge Computing and Hyperconverged Infrastructure.

CRN editors compiled the 2021 Edge Computing 100 list based on a variety of criteria, including feedback from solution providers during the year regarding the company’s impact on the market, the company’s overall influence on the channel, and the types of technology and services it makes available to partners. This recognition follows the ARC awards Scale Computing won this summer from CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, had named Scale Computing a winner of the 2021 CRN Annual Report (ARC) Awards in both the Edge Computing category and the Hyperconverged Infrastructure category. This was the third consecutive year Scale Computing has been recognized as a CRN ARC Award winner. The company also swept all of the subcategories including Product Innovation, Support, Partnership, and Managed & Cloud Services in both Edge Computing and Hyperconverged Infrastructure.

The 2021 Edge Computing 100 list will be featured in a special November issue of CRN Magazine and online at www.crn.com/edge100.

CyberLink’s facial recognition engine FaceMe® to power LILIN’s connected devices, providing businesses with contactless access control management and visitor analytics

TAIPEI, TAIWAN – July 28 2020 – CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW), a pioneer in AI and facial recognition technologies, today announced it has formed a partnership with surveillance solution provider LILIN, leveraging new facial recognition technologies to create comprehensive smart security and retail solutions. CyberLink will license its FaceMe® facial recognition engine to LILIN, powering its NAV Facial Recognition Recorder, creating an all-in-one smart security, data analysis and warning solution.

With the combined technologies, LILIN’s connected video devices can provide businesses with a series of contactless solutions, such as granting verified personnel access to restricted areas within offices, factories or residential buildings through an opt-in photo identification system. The new offering can also provide retailers and hospitality operators with anonymized customer demographics to better understand their customer experience, such as identifying trending emotions patrons may feel when engaged in specific activities or visiting certain areas of a venue.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to develop across the globe, CyberLink’s and LILIN’s joint facial recognition system uniquely provides businesses seeking contactless solutions the underlying technology to reduce the need for people to touch highly shared surfaces by replacing key cards or PIN passwords with biometric data.

“If there was ever a field worthy of continued research and innovation, it’s security,” said Dr. Jau Huang, CEO of CyberLink. “Without a doubt, LILIN is a global leader and manufacturer of IoT devices, and CyberLink is a worldwide pioneer developing facial recognition applications for connected devices. Together, we are setting a new standard for what makes a place secure by bringing to market new technologies that make our customers safer, and our businesses smarter.”

“LILIN has many years of smart security experience, providing insight into the market’s needs for creating a comprehensive intelligent security solution. LILIN is pleased to partner with CyberLink and integrates FaceMe® into our facial recognition system to strengthen smart retail, smart healthcare, smart factory, and smart business applications. Through continued efforts, I believe that LILIN will provide the most advanced total security solution for global customers.” said Mr. C.C. Hsu, LILIN’s President.

CyberLink and LILIN will host a webinar titled “Facial Recognition x Smart Security

Empowering Smart AIoT Applications”” on August 13, 2020 from 14:00-15:00 (GMT+8/Taipei time), further describing the many use cases enabled through the new product offering. For detailed event information and a registration link, please visit: https://is.gd/SfXQ7l

FaceMe’s® edge-based architecture empowers powerful, efficient processing, and higher levels of security compared to Cloud-based solutions. It supports more than 10 operating systems, including Windows, Android, iOS, and various Linux distributions such as Ubuntu x86, Ubuntu ARM, RedHat, CentOS, Yocto, Debian and JetPack. FaceMe’s® high accuracy, flexibility and security makes it the leading facial recognition engine available on the market today, and it is one of the world’s most accurate engines as deemed by the global standard NIST Facial Recognition Vendor Test.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Limited is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company develops and distributes IT products for Internet and IP-based networks, including communication systems, Internet software, security, network, and media products. Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 Limited offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About CyberLink
Founded in 1996, CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW) is the world leader in multimedia software and AI facial recognition technology. CyberLink addresses the demands of consumer, commercial and education markets through a wide range of solutions, covering digital content creation, multimedia playback, video conferencing, live casting, mobile applications and AI facial recognition.  CyberLink has shipped several hundred million copies of its multimedia software and apps, including the award-winning PowerDirector, PhotoDirector, and PowerDVD.  With years of research in the fields of artificial intelligence and facial recognition, CyberLink has developed the FaceMe® Facial Recognition Engine. Powered by deep learning algorithms, FaceMe® delivers the reliable, high-precision, and real-time facial recognition that is critical to AIoT applications such as smart retail, smart security, and surveillance, smart city and smart home. For more information about CyberLink, please visit the official website at www.cyberlink.com

The Importance of Access Management in Remote Work

Remote work has some challenges, one of which is performing access management. But do you know the real importance of managing access even with remote work?

Check it now and understand why it is important to manage access even when working remotely and be prepared to ensure your company’s security.

How Important Is Access Management?

Understanding the importance of managing all accesses made in remote activities is essential for a company to pay close attention and work with caution and efficiency.

Therefore, access management becomes important, as it will be able to control and protect the use of all high-privilege and generic credentials.

Also, the proper management of access provides full traceability of use, in addition to the segregation of accesses carried out in the infrastructure. So, it is not because an employee is accessing something away from the company’s premises that access management does not need to be done, it is the very opposite, as the rates of virtual attacks are large and growing.

Thus, when there is a habit of managing all access and guaranteeing the aforementioned tools, the chances of attacks drop, making the practice even more important, relevant, and indispensable.

See How It Works

To understand a little more and learn how management works, it is important to understand the core mechanism. First, it is possible to segregate access, for example, allowing groups of users with administrative powers to be created. Administrator user groups gain permission to obtain physical access passwords.

Moreover, it is also possible to select the group of users who will receive remote access passwords for a target system or device to be used.

In this way, the group receiving the remote access password can follow workflows with reasons and approvals provided by the requesting user, just as much as the physical user group.

What Are the Benefits of Access Management?

Once you understand a little more about the importance and how management is covered in this article, knowing the benefits is also relevant to understanding the value of the whole.

Therefore, one of the main benefits is the operational gain that exists in the access control process performed in the infrastructure. This is a high-impact benefit that saves management time.

In addition, another benefit is the management of credential passwords, allowing the delivery of passwords in a controlled and secure manner, preventing interceptions and the password of employees working remotely from ending up in the possession of unauthorized third parties, which may cause a serious failure in the system’s security.

Furthermore, another benefit of managing remote work access is the fact that the authentication of the target system is done with transparency, as well as the authentication on the network device.

In addition to transparency, authentication also has the advantage that the password is displayed to third parties or network administrators, further increasing security with management.

Is your company prepared for a cyberattack? See all about it in this article and find out!

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About Segura®
Segura® strive to ensure the sovereignty of companies over actions and privileged information. To this end, we work against data theft through traceability of administrator actions on networks, servers, databases and a multitude of devices. In addition, we pursue compliance with auditing requirements and the most demanding standards, including PCI DSS, Sarbanes-Oxley, ISO 27001 and HIPAA.

Boss level hybrid worker – home admins, please apply

Hybrid work is widespread, and people are returning to the office on a more regular basis. This has made managing devices more complicated because for many the line between home devices and office devices has blurred. Unfortunately, most people lean toward efficiency more often than security.

With a return to the office, IT admins may have questions for employees and, in some cases, a host of software updates to perform, new software to install and, likely, new security-related policies to decree. In a hybrid work setup, some devices may remain in the office, while others will commute back and forth. This makes limiting use to a particular network complex, not to mention finding the extra time staying on top of security.

These challenges are only compounded by the growing threat of cybercrime: the ESET Threat Report T1 2021 found a rise in threats targeting employees working remotely. As employees blend remote work with office hours, these threats won’t go away anytime soon. In fact, with more time spent traveling and in public places, hybrid work could leave us even more vulnerable to potential risks as devices are being used outside of their intended environments.

Therefore, ensuring that the migration of both personal and work devices between home and office networks is secure may require enhanced tools and practices. This is why ESET has launched a new version of its consumer offering, including ESET Smart Security® Premium, which boasts a host of new features and improved protection for home users. The foremost among these is LiveGuard, which provides an additional proactive layer of protection against new and unknown threats cropping up in the landscape. LiveGuard employs technology originally built for businesses to safeguard their diverse networks from both known and never-before-seen types of threats. Specifically, this is accomplished through a cloud sandbox that pulls suspicious files – whether those downloaded by web browsers or by email services like Microsoft Outlook and Mozilla Thunderbird, or extracted from archives, or found on USB drives plugged into devices – to a secure cloud platform for analysis.   LiveGuard, and its cloud sandbox, lowers the risk of you being the employee that brings malware to work.

Find out more

 

Malware and Ransomware
While there are all sorts of threats out there, most businesses are focusing on ransomware, and for good reason. Ransomware attacks have continued to evolve, and LiveGuard provides strong protection against them, regardless of any new “gift wrapping.” ESET has also bolstered its other protective layers including Ransomware Shield, which monitors and evaluates applications to protect against potential ransomware threats. Ransomware Shield now delivers enhanced behavior-based detection techniques to safeguard your device, while Exploit Blocker, yet another protective layer, has been improved to cover more malicious attacks.  

Always on the go – work transformed
Hybrid work implies being on the go. ESET is making multiple moves to serve the hybrid worker. This is evidenced by a new option in the consumer lineup via our venerable ESET NOD32 Antivirus, which has now been ported to ARM64 and is available for free in our beta channel.

To round out the package of protect, consider protecting your mobile phone. For the vast majority of the workforce, mobile devices are at the center of their digital ecosystems. Our mobile phones are our wallets, calendars, and digital filing cabinets. Housed on them can be anything from health records to travel documents to sensitive financial details. With one type of device playing such a crucial role in our lives, it is essential that modern cybersecurity solutions are mobile compatible, and that users are protected and able to manage their security on the go.

Is your second job “home security manager”?
By ensuring our home networks are as secure as possible, we can lower the potential for home-born threats to negatively impact productivity and employment. And with research conducted by ESET showing that households often have a single family member who takes care of IT security for everyone, we’ve made some powerful adjustments for the benefit of both these and future hybrid workers.

So, in a nod to the new security environment we all live and work in, we’ve built ESET HOME, a management platform that gives users oversight of all their ESET security solutions. Now your job as “home security manager” is much easier, eliminating the need to chase down the status of individual devices. ESET HOME lets users manage all their Windows and Android devices in one place. A user-friendly version of what IT admins use, ESET Home provides complete visibility into the current protection status of your household’s various devices, and the status of your licenses, allowing you to add, manage, and share licenses with family and friends. Accessible via web portal and mobile app, the platform is built for on-the-go security management.

Securing your entire household’s devices
As many organizations return to the office, parents are also dealing with kids going back to school. Oftentimes this is taking place in a hybrid format which can double the added security challenges. And, just like with the IT admin at work, when children are out of the house, it becomes much trickier to keep tabs on whether they are using their devices safely – usually their smartphones. Within ESET HOME, parents can now remotely monitor -via Parental Control- their children’s online activity on their mobile devices, gaining peace of mind that they aren’t at risk.

More about ESET Parental Control

Paying with confidence
Hopefully you’re out and about, but regardless of what’s open online, shopping is more convenient than ever, and making purchases online is no longer limited to your living room sofa. Outside your home network there are additional dangers – such as insecure Wi-Fi – that raise the threat of malicious actors snooping on your payment details. Banking & Payment Protection recognizes and mitigates these risks, safeguarding your financial data during online transactions.

Newly upgraded, this feature now offers the option of running a browser in secured mode by default, encrypting communications between the keyboard and the browser when accessing internet banking sites or web-based cryptocurrency wallets. Banking & Payment Protection also defends against keylogging attacks from cybercriminals attempting to steal login credentials and hack into accounts.

Manage all your passwords
Having unique, complex passwords for every account is one of the central principles of good cybersecurity, but it can be a headache to manage what often feels like an endless list of logins. To make this less of a hassle, Password Manager has been completely redesigned for improved security and ease of use. Not only does this feature store and organize your passwords seamlessly, but it can also generate strong passwords for new accounts.

Available as both a browser extension on Windows devices and an app on Android and iOS devices, Password Manager enables users to keep track of their account credentials however is most convenient for them. Its new features include support for KeePass and Microsoft Authenticator.

For more information on ESET solutions, click here.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About ESET
For 30 years, ESET® has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services for businesses and consumers worldwide. With solutions ranging from endpoint security to encryption and two-factor authentication, ESET’s high-performing, easy-to-use products give individuals and businesses the peace of mind to enjoy the full potential of their technology. ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. Evolving threats require an evolving IT security company. Backed by R&D facilities worldwide, ESET became the first IT security company to earn 100 Virus Bulletin VB100 awards, identifying every single “in-the-wild” malware without interruption since 2003.

What to Do to Prevent Social Engineering Attacks?

Knowing what to do to prevent Social Engineering attacks is essential to ensuring internet security.

After all, cybersecurity is all about knowing who and what to trust when it comes to protecting your digital information.

Here is everything you need to know about what to do to avoid Social Engineering attacks.

What Social Engineering Is

Even the strongest security systems are vulnerable when people accessing those systems are tricked into providing sensitive information such as login credentials or account details.

Cybercriminals often use human psychology and the art of manipulation to scare, confuse, or rush you into opening a malicious link or attachment, or providing personal information through a process known as “social engineering.”

That is why it is so important not to ignore the 7 Signs Your Business Needs to Improve the Security of Sensitive Data.

How Do Social Engineering Attacks Work?

Social engineering tactics exploit our basic human need to respond to urgent requests (especially those from a person in authority), to make a problem go away, or simply to be useful to trick us into providing information that can be used to commit financial fraud.

Major events such as public health emergencies (eg Covid-19), natural disasters and high-profile elections, or even common occurrences like tax and holiday seasons, present ideal opportunities for fraudsters to take advantage of our anxiety and curiosity.

Criminals also often try to scare us and threaten the consequences if we do not respond.

How to Identify Social Engineering Attacks

There are basically three ways to identify such techniques before we know how to prevent Social Engineering attacks:

Fear as a Driver

Sending threatening or intimidating emails, calls, and texts that appear to come from an authority such as a police officer, the tax department or a bank are techniques that social engineers use to scare you into action, according to their demands for personal information or money.

Urgent Requests

Suspicious emails or texts, which include urgent requests for personal information, are a big warning sign that someone is trying to deceive you.

Irresistible Opportunities

If you are offered free access to an application, game, or program in exchange for login credentials, beware! You should never share your login credentials with anyone.

Also remember that free software or applications often contain malicious code, especially when it comes in the form of unsolicited online offers.

Other common scams include offering to split a lottery prize or information about a profitable employment opportunity.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About Segura®
Segura® strive to ensure the sovereignty of companies over actions and privileged information. To this end, we work against data theft through traceability of administrator actions on networks, servers, databases and a multitude of devices. In addition, we pursue compliance with auditing requirements and the most demanding standards, including PCI DSS, Sarbanes-Oxley, ISO 27001 and HIPAA.

CyberLink’s FaceMe® Certified by iBeta – Anti-Spoofing Technology Detects & Rejects 100% of Facial Presentation Attacks

Perfect score at ISO-conforming iBeta’s liveness detection test cements FaceMe technology’s leadership

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — November 15, 2021 —CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW), a pioneer in AI and facial recognition technologies, announced today that the anti-spoofing capabilities of its FaceMe® facial recognition solution achieved a True Rejection Rate of 100%, obtaining a perfect score in iBeta’s industrial standard PAD (Presentation Attack Detection) test. FaceMe® detected all impersonation and substitution attempts from the test’s photos and videos. iBeta is an internationally recognized independent third-party testing and quality assurance organization.

In passing iBeta’s industrial standard PAD (Presentation Attack Detection) test, FaceMe is now compliant with ISO ISO-IEC 30107-3 (International Organization for Standardization). iBeta is one of the world’s few agencies accredited by NIST NVLAP (U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program) for biometric testing. Per ISO-IEC 30107-3, iBeta performed Level 1 testing of FaceMe® on both Android and iOS devices. It was unable to spoof the technology with any presentation attacks (PAs), concluding with an Attack Presentation Classification Error Rate (APCER) of 0%.

Adding to CyberLink’s long list of achievements, the iBeta certification confirms FaceMe®’s trustworthiness and its ability to accurately protect people’s identity, even when under spoofing attacks. The compliance with ISO provides users of mobile devices powered by FaceMe® the assurance that their identity, the private data stored on the device and the access it grants to their online information are securely protected.

“Preventing spoofing attacks is critical to the adoption of facial biometric technology in areas such as fintech and access control, where iron-clad identity protection is essential, yet it is one of its toughest challenges,” said Dr. Jau Huang, CEO of CyberLink. “Adding to FaceMe®’s acclaimed accuracy, consistently recognized by NIST and other independent parties, we are honored to receive iBeta’s Presentation Attack Detection certification, which provides the assurance of its reliability in preventing unauthorized access through the use of spoofing techniques.”

FaceMe® is optimized to run across hardware configurations, from high-end workstations to low-power chipsets frequently used in IoT and AIoT devices. It is the most versatile and adaptable offering on the market today. FaceMe® provides solution builders and system integrators a fast, reliable, extremely precise and flexible facial recognition technology that can be deployed across a number of scenarios, including security, access control, public safety, fintech, smart retail and home protection.


CyberLink FaceMe® iBeta Presentation Attack Detection Report

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About CyberLink
Founded in 1996, CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW) is the world leader in multimedia software and AI facial recognition technology. CyberLink addresses the demands of consumer, commercial and education markets through a wide range of solutions, covering digital content creation, multimedia playback, video conferencing, live casting, mobile applications and AI facial recognition.  CyberLink has shipped several hundred million copies of its multimedia software and apps, including the award-winning PowerDirector, PhotoDirector, and PowerDVD.  With years of research in the fields of artificial intelligence and facial recognition, CyberLink has developed the FaceMe® Facial Recognition Engine. Powered by deep learning algorithms, FaceMe® delivers the reliable, high-precision, and real-time facial recognition that is critical to AIoT applications such as smart retail, smart security, and surveillance, smart city and smart home. For more information about CyberLink, please visit the official website at www.cyberlink.com

ESET Research discovers watering hole attacks on websites in the Middle East with links to Candiru spyware

 
  • ESET reveals research into a campaign of strategic web compromises targeting the websites of media, government, internet service providers and aerospace/military tech companies, with links to the Middle East and a strong focus on Yemen and the surrounding conflict.

 

  •  The targets are located in the Middle East: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen; in Europe: Italy, UK; and in South Africa. The attackers also created a website mimicking a medical trade fair in Germany.
  • The campaign has strong links to Candiru, an Israeli spyware firm recently blacklisted by the US Department of Commerce, that sells state-of-the-art offensive software tools and services to government agencies.

     

 

BRATISLAVA, MONTREAL — November 16, 2021 — ESET researchers have discovered strategic web compromise (watering hole) attacks against high-profile websites in the Middle East, with a strong focus on Yemen. The attacks are linked to Candiru, a company that sells state-of-the-art offensive software tools and related services to government agencies. The victimized websites belong to media outlets in the UK, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia, as well as to Hezbollah; to government institutions in Iran (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Syria (including the Ministry of Electricity), and Yemen (including the Ministries of Interior and Finance); to internet service providers in Yemen and Syria; and to aerospace/military technology companies in Italy and South Africa. The attackers also created a website mimicking a medical trade fair in Germany.

A watering hole attack compromises websites that are likely to be visited by targets of interest, thus opening the door to the infestation of a website visitor’s machine. In this campaign, specific visitors of these websites were likely attacked via a browser exploit. However, ESET researchers were unable to get hold of either an exploit or the final payload. This shows that the threat actors have chosen to narrow the focus of their operations and don’t want to burn their zero-day exploits, demonstrating how highly targeted this campaign is. The compromised websites are only used as a jumping-off point to reach the final targets.

“Back in 2018, we developed a custom in-house system to uncover watering holes on high-profile websites. On July 11, 2020, our system notified us that the website of the Iranian embassy in Abu Dhabi had been tainted with malicious JavaScript code. Our curiosity was aroused by the high-profile nature of the targeted website, and in the following weeks we noticed that other websites with connections to the Middle East were also targeted,” says ESET researcher Matthieu Faou who uncovered the watering hole campaigns.

“The threat group went quiet until January 2021, when we observed a new wave of compromises. This second wave lasted until August 2021, when all websites were cleaned again as was the case in 2020 – likely by the perpetrators themselves,” he adds.

“The attackers also mimicked a website belonging to the World Forum for Medicine’s MEDICA Trade Fair held in Düsseldorf, Germany. The operators cloned the original website and added a small piece of JavaScript code. It is likely that the attackers were not able to compromise the legitimate website and had to set up a fake one in order to inject their malicious code,” says Faou.

During the 2020 campaign, the malware checked the operating system and web browser. As the selection process was based on computer software, the campaign was not targeting mobile devices. In the second wave, in order to be a bit stealthier, the attackers started to modify scripts that were already on the compromised websites.

“In a blogpost about Candiru by Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, the section called ‘A Saudi-Linked Cluster?’ mentions a spearphishing document that was uploaded to VirusTotal and multiple domains operated by the attackers. The domain names are variations of genuine URL shorteners and web analytics websites, which is the same technique used for the domains being seen in the watering hole attacks,” explains Faou, linking the attacks to Candiru.

Thus, there is a significant likelihood that the operators of the watering hole campaigns are customers of Candiru. The creators of the documents and the operators of the watering holes are also potentially the same. Candiru is a private Israeli spyware company that was recently added to the US Department of Commerce’s Entity List. This may prevent any US-based organization from doing business with Candiru without first obtaining a license from the Department of Commerce.

ESET stopped seeing activity from this operation at the end of July 2021, shortly after the release of blogposts by the Citizen Lab, Google, and Microsoft detailing the activities of Candiru. The operators appear to be taking a pause, probably in order to retool and make their campaign stealthier. ESET Research expects them back in the ensuing months.

For more technical details about these watering hole attacks against websites in the Middle East, read the blogpost “Strategic web compromise in the Middle East with a pinch of Candiru” on WeLiveSecurity. Make sure to follow ESET Research on Twitter for the latest news from ESET Research. 

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About ESET
For 30 years, ESET® has been developing industry-leading IT security software and services for businesses and consumers worldwide. With solutions ranging from endpoint security to encryption and two-factor authentication, ESET’s high-performing, easy-to-use products give individuals and businesses the peace of mind to enjoy the full potential of their technology. ESET unobtrusively protects and monitors 24/7, updating defenses in real time to keep users safe and businesses running without interruption. Evolving threats require an evolving IT security company. Backed by R&D facilities worldwide, ESET became the first IT security company to earn 100 Virus Bulletin VB100 awards, identifying every single “in-the-wild” malware without interruption since 2003.

What are data centers evolving to?

Closer and closer: the future of data centers

“Adapt or die (and let others take your share of the cake)” is both an evolutionary law and a business law. Without going any further, today, the rise of new technologies and critical applications have led to a substantial change in data centers. It is natural of course, so much data, so much data generated by millions of Internet users wasting their time on the Internet… Data processing centers, or data centers, require new advances and solutions to be able to adapt to the processing of such an amount of information.

Therefore, current data centers are evolving, indeed, in response to this new situation. Improved facilities are now dedicated to supporting higher workloads and higher user traffic. We are talking about renewed systems and technological resources that grant a break, superior applications, shared data, flexibility, and high security for the protection of information.

The market is a jungle , and demand is continually stimulated by new proposals, models and skills that promise to renew the future of the data center. What are data centers evolving to? Let’s check out together some of the most in-demand competencies that will make data centers evolve in the coming future.

The work of data center technicians

Do not forget about them, in the end they are the ones responsible for data centers mostly. Installation, server and network computer maintenance, daily performance monitoring, maintaining a controlled and optimal equipment environment and solving all those unforeseen events that are usually associated with the network and servers. Not to mention the emergencies outside working hours, which will make them leave the shelter of their life as a civilian to go to repair any mess. Therefore, technicians from data centers will be a value to be taken into account by the market. Without a doubt they will take their chances on those that are the best and most prepared in the future. Computer support to staff and clients while they solve the bustle of servers and the network with the other hand. Their work is incalculable!

An architect in the Cloud

IT infrastructures and services in the Cloud, that is where money is invested, at least they are the two most notable factors companies want to take their chances on in recent times, and the appearance of 5G only reinforces their position. They take advantage of faster and more correct data transfers.

The data processing center, the technology company… absolutely everyone wants to focus now on the important factors that surround this investment: security in the Cloud and its architecture. They are looking for that revolutionary architect from the Cloud, with deep knowledge in the field, an architecture project up his sleeve and the final design of a unique product.

Hybrid management

Hyundai and its hybrid cars are not the only ones that have hybridization as their flag, there we have IT management that is also hybrid. Something unified to manage both the infrastructure in the Cloud and the traditional services. The benefits are many, including that hybrid IT management solutions provide key automation across IT functional areas. This encompasses service management, compliance, assurance, and governance.

And it is now that companies are using more AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform, and other services in the Cloud, when IT administrators must guarantee network bandwidth between applications. Organizations will get into it more than ever.

Data center security

We live in a world where millions of users roam the Internet at ease, which makes managing and protecting data centers considerably more difficult. To ensure higher security, companies have to ensure their data and uninterrupted network performance. That’s why they hire fellow data analysts and cybersecurity architects skilled enough to look over the big picture and create a model of perception and protection against potential threats.

Edge computing

The arrival of edge computing certainly helps IT companies to collect and weigh information from IoT devices. They then transmit that data to a data center, be it remote or local. An edge server, as we know, differs from a source server in closeness to the client machine.

Edge servers store cache content in localized areas helping to ease server load. As the implementation of edge computing progresses, the thinking heads of data centers will look for talents with skills in networking, system design or database modeling and security.

Edge computing, security, hybrid management, architecture in The Cloud and specialized technicians are just some of the specialties towards which data centers are heading in their evolution. So if you are thinking of making a career out of it, this is the right time to rethink it. Ditch what you’re up to and join the demand around data centers. It is not Bitcoin, but it is undoubtedly a more consolidated bet.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About PandoraFMS
Pandora FMS is a flexible monitoring system, capable of monitoring devices, infrastructures, applications, services and business processes.
Of course, one of the things that Pandora FMS can control is the hard disks of your computers.

Top 5 Cyber Threats to Healthcare Organizations

Cybersecurity has become one of the significant threats in the healthcare industry. As a whole, IT professionals must continually address health data security issues due to specifications outlined in regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), as well as an ethical commitment to helping patients and harm that health security violations can have on their lives.

Electronic health records, also called electronic medical records, contain a wealth of confidential information on patients’ medical backgrounds, making the security of the hospital’s network a primary IT concern. 

Electronic medical records enable doctors and other healthcare professionals, as well as insurers, to share essential information. This makes it easier to coordinate care and ease insurance issues. Never before have physicians been able to collaborate so dynamically to meet patients’ needs.

While this may sound simple, health data security presents many challenges common to IT and unique to hospital cybersecurity. Keep reading the article and learn more about the 5 biggest cyber threats for healthcare organizations.

Why Are Health Information Systems a Target for Security Threats?

The paradox of shared health information is that it simultaneously makes patients safer and puts them at risk. The larger the network becomes, the more useful it is in providing high-quality healthcare, but their data also becomes more attractive to criminals.

Cyber threats in healthcare are a big problem for a few reasons, such as:

  • In addition to patient records, medical service provider networks can contain valuable financial information.
  • Since there are very few people who do not consult their healthcare providers, almost everyone’s personal information is available in some form.
  • The interconnected nature of electronic medical records means that hackers have access to patient data collected for years. Sharing patient information is essential to providing the best possible care, but it also makes target networks extremely valuable.

In other situations, health organizations face more direct attacks. Once a hacker has access to a network, they can install ransomware to encrypt files or block essential services until the organization pays a specific ransom. 

Healthcare is such a sensitive field that organizations often have little choice but to pay the ransom and hope that the money can somehow be recovered.

In medical situations, where a tiny little change in dosage is the difference between life and death for a patient, health professionals cannot allow these threats to materialize.

About Version 2 Limited
Version 2 Digital is one of the most dynamic IT companies in Asia. The company distributes a wide range of IT products across various areas including cyber security, cloud, data protection, end points, infrastructures, system monitoring, storage, networking, business productivity and communication products.

Through an extensive network of channels, point of sales, resellers, and partnership companies, Version 2 offers quality products and services which are highly acclaimed in the market. Its customers cover a wide spectrum which include Global 1000 enterprises, regional listed companies, different vertical industries, public utilities, Government, a vast number of successful SMEs, and consumers in various Asian cities.

About Segura®
Segura® strive to ensure the sovereignty of companies over actions and privileged information. To this end, we work against data theft through traceability of administrator actions on networks, servers, databases and a multitude of devices. In addition, we pursue compliance with auditing requirements and the most demanding standards, including PCI DSS, Sarbanes-Oxley, ISO 27001 and HIPAA.