Daily Tech Digest - October 20, 2023

Can anyone buy a quantum computer?

One of the primary reasons quantum computers are not readily available to the general public is their extraordinary technical requirements. These machines require an extremely controlled environment with temperatures close to absolute zero to prevent interference from external factors. Additionally, the delicate nature of qubits makes them susceptible to errors caused by even the slightest disturbances, necessitating advanced error correction techniques. Moreover, the cost of building and operating quantum computers is exorbitant. The infrastructure required to house and maintain these machines, along with the specialized equipment and expertise needed to handle them, makes them financially unattainable for most individuals or even small businesses. However, despite the current limitations, efforts are being made to democratize access to quantum computing. Some companies are exploring cloud-based quantum computing services, allowing users to access quantum computers remotely through the internet. This approach eliminates the need for users to have their own quantum hardware, making the technology more accessible to a wider audience.


The real impact of the cybersecurity poverty line on small organizations

The ‘cybersecurity poverty line’ is real! That said, I don’t believe people, processes, or technology are limiting factors because significant risk reduction is simple (technology), easy (people/process), and cheap. Bluntly, many organizations aren’t ‘brushing their teeth’ in cybersecurity. China isn’t targeting 99.9% of organizations, and ransomware isn’t advanced – things like ‘100% of people use strong MFA’ is the most cost-effective thing most organizations can do to reduce their cyber risk dramatically. ... Appreciate that Maslow’s hierarchy of needs applied to cybersecurity dictates that revenue trumps security. We have a responsibility to steward finite resources, and the fact is that most organizations can be adequately secured with a very modest budget. The limiting factor is knowledge/leadership – what to do, when, and why. ... ‘Everyone knows’ that when you are a CISO, you first do a risk assessment against a framework. This takes X months, costs Y dollars, and involves many discussions with the IT and security folks. I’d rather take a few days to talk to the various executives to understand the business and see where I can massively reduce risk while enabling the business.


Lost and Stolen Devices: A Gateway to Data Breaches and Leaks

When a computer is lost or stolen, the data it contains becomes vulnerable to unauthorized access. Despite substantial investments in endpoint security controls, devices are often not as secure as organizations would hope. This vulnerability has led to numerous high-profile data breaches over the years. ... When a computer falls into the wrong hands, unauthorized access to sensitive data becomes a real threat. Even if the device is password-protected, threat actors can employ various techniques to bypass security measures and gain access to files, emails, and other confidential information. ... Without encryption, thieves can easily access and misuse sensitive data, putting both individuals and organizations at risk. Having encryption enabled is often a legally required control, and not being able to prove its efficacy can expose an organization to liability. ... In some cases, lost or stolen computers are used as a means to gain physical access to corporate networks. If an employee’s laptop is stolen, and it contains access credentials or VPN configurations, the thief may use this information to infiltrate the organization’s network. 


Cracking the Code: Secure Software Architecture in a Generative AI World

Code vulnerabilities serve as entry points for attackers. Given the complexity of GAI models, these vulnerabilities can be nuanced. We are in the early days of using code generation to inject vulnerabilities. Now is the time to take action by keeping humans in the loop with static code analysis and code reviews. Static Code Analysis:- Conducting static code analysis(SCA) can help identify vulnerabilities in the code without running the program. This is crucial as running a program with vulnerabilities could compromise the entire system. SCA also enables compliance monitoring to standards such as Federal Information Processing Standards FIPS) and other NIST guidelines. Code Reviews:- Peer-reviewed coding practices allow for a second set of eyes to catch potential vulnerabilities, reducing the likelihood of a security breach. Make this a mandatory step in your DevSecOps process to catch and fix issues before they escalate. The intricate nature of GAI models amplifies the risks associated with code-level vulnerabilities. 


Global Chip Shortage: Everything You Need to Know

Supplies of chips began to improve in 2022, due in part to additional capacity with the slowdown in sales of PCs, smartphones and consumer electronics. Foundries in Taiwan reallocated some of this capacity to the automobile and industrial end markets, according to JP Morgan. However, automakers are increasingly requiring chips with higher computing power — especially as the industry transitions to electric and autonomous vehicles, which are significantly different from the ones used in PCs and smartphones. Other issues include tensions between the U.S. and China, which continue to impact the global supply chain. This is ” … spurring new government controls on sales of chips to China,” the world’s largest semiconductor market, the Semiconductor Industry Association noted in its State of the Industry report. There are other significant policy challenges as well, such as the ability to strengthen the U.S. semiconductor workforce by reforming the country’s high-skilled immigration and STEM education systems to increase the number of workers and help contain the talent shortage, according to the SIA.


CDO interview: Carter Cousineau, vice-president of data and model governance, Thomson Reuters

Cousineau says a key part of the work she’s undertaking at Thomson Reuters involves building the foundational elements for effective data governance. “That’s anything around applying policies and standards, and then moving those approaches into action, which involves the implementation of any controls and tools that can help, support and validate the work we’re doing in practice,” she says. .... “My approach to governance and ethics was not to build different frameworks and tools that wouldn’t be able to fit into everyone’s everyday workflows. These workflows differ greatly around the business. The way finance, for example, uses AI machine learning models is very different than product or sales,” she says. “We spent a lot of time understanding the workflows. The last thing I want to do is to make data scientists, model developers and product owners have another list of things to do. If you can make governance and ethics part of their workflows automatically, it becomes a lot easier – and we’ve done that.”


Open Source Development Threatened in Europe

European developers would stop contributing upstream to open source software projects in the event of the passage of the CRA, said Greg Kroah-Hartman, a fellow at the Linux Foundation and the maintainer of the stable branch for Linux. Furthermore, it may mean the use of Linux in Europe is untenable. ... As it stands now, the CRA burdens open source developers. It makes them liable for the open source code they share. Technologies considered “critical” face the most significant scrutiny. These critical technologies include operating systems, container runtimes, networking interfaces, password managers, microcontrollers, etc. The language may change, but it will go into the CRA unless some last-minute changes are made. The CRA calls for standards that still need to be developed. High-risk critical products like an OS would require mandatory third-party assessments. Developers must perform a cybersecurity risk assessment to ensure the product delivers without vulnerabilities. 


How to use structured concurrency in C#

Structured concurrency is a strategy for handling concurrent operations in asynchronous programming. It relies on task scopes and proper resource cleanup to provide several benefits including cleaner code, simpler error handling, and prevention of resource leaks. Structured concurrency emphasizes the idea that all asynchronous tasks should be structured within a specific context, allowing developers to effectively compose and control the flow of these tasks. To better manage the execution of async operations, structured concurrency introduces the concept of task scopes. Task scopes provide a logical unit that sets boundaries for concurrent tasks. All tasks executed within a task scope are closely monitored and their lifecycle is carefully managed. If any task within the scope encounters failure or cancellation, all other tasks within that scope are automatically canceled as well. This ensures proper cleanup and prevents re­source leaks. ... In C#, we can implement structured concurrency by using the features available in the System.Threading.Tasks.Channels namespace. This namespace offers helpful constructs like Channel and ChannelReader that make implementing structured concurrency easier.


CIOs press ahead for gen AI edge — despite misgivings

Power supply giant Generac is one company that’s all in on gen AI, says CIO Tim Dickson. “We are now fully embracing generative AI, with three innovative pilots that are live,” he says. “First, we launched a private instance of GPT-3.5 for internal enterprise exploration. Next, we launched a customer service chatbot to answer customer call questions for our customer service reps. Lastly, we tapped into our data lake to enrich and tailor specific customer emails to drive the conviction of our products and ultimately increased sales. These three programs are already delivering value for the business.” And doing so requires taking risks, he says, something he believe IT leaders must embrace to succeed today. “We are indoctrinating a culture of gen AI within the company,” he adds. Still, the widening availability of gen AI to the public at large keeps many CIOs awake at night. Few enterprises have slammed the brakes, but no doubt it has led to a high emphasis on corporate guardrails, frameworks, and shared responsibility in the C-suite.


Data Governance vs. Data Management

Data Management covers implementations of policies and procedures that do not fall under the mantle of Data Governance. Mainly, focusing on specific technologies and tools and their applications lies outside Data Governance. To understand why these Data Management activities and discussions happen outside of Data Governance, consider that Data Governance meetings mainly comprise businesspeople, councils, subject matter experts (SMEs), stewards, and partners without specialized IT knowledge. While Data Governance members want to remain informed about Data Management at a high level, they do not need the technical details. For example, Data Governance discussions may center around protecting data and creating standards around encrypting data. However, IT staff may take conversations deeper, outside of Data Governance, by discussing what encryption algorithm to use and when, how to customize it through ENCRYPT-CSA, or how big to make the critical size. By moving the technical details outside of Data Governance, organizations can focus on data-driven culture initiatives, change an organization’s approach towards data, and address other human behaviors without getting bogged down in minutia.



Quote for the day:

''The manager asks how and when, the leader aks what and why.'' -- Warren Bennis

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