We are in an age of rapid technological progress. But many are not ‘progressing’
Even risk-averse companies that readily adapt and invest in new technologies and
processes encounter hurdles. One example is what is known as the ‘productivity
paradox‘, which is when anticipated gains in productivity and ROI are not fully
realized straightaway. When Apple, Microsoft and Dell Computer arrived on the
scene in the 1980s, computer usage was limited to early adopters or those who
could afford a personal computer. They did not receive widespread consumer
acceptance until the mid-1990s; now, computers and smart devices are an
indispensable part of society. The benefits of the computer age are difficult to
gauge in simple fashion. MIT’s Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Solow stated
during the internet boom of the 1990s: “You could see the computer age
everywhere but in the productivity statistics.” Why? One explanation is that GDP
is an imperfect measure for capturing meaningful data and translating
technology’s impact on productivity, sustainability and overall well-being. The
same can be said of the Gini coefficient used to measure income distribution and
economic inequality among a huge swath of the population.
Zero-Trust Model Gains Luster Following Azure Security Flaw
In light of this coming tsunami, enterprises need to rethink their security
strategies to embrace zero-trust and identity-based authentication. Both of
those strategies are ones that experts recommend for dealing with risks like
those posed by the ChaosDB vulnerability. And they will help prepare enterprises
for future problems of the same kind, where much of the underlying architecture
and processes are out of their control. "The cloud provider can become a single
point of failure," said Dan Petro, lead researcher at security testing firm
Bishop Fox. And as the industry moves even further toward serverless
infrastructure, vulnerabilities like ChaosDB are likely to increase in
occurrence and severity, he told Data Center Knowledge. "Anytime we have these
highly visible, high-profile weaknesses, attackers are going to notice that, and
it's going to inspire similar attacks, similar offensive research," said Mark
Orlando, co-founder and CEO at Bionic Cyber; security operations instructor at
the SANS Institute; and former security team manager at the Pentagon, the White
House and the Department of Energy.
The common vulnerabilities leaving industrial systems open to attack
According to the research, industrial systems are especially open to attack when
there’s a low level of protection around an external network perimeter that is
accessible from the internet. Device misconfigurations and flaws in network
segmentation and traffic filtering are also leaving the industrial sector
particularly vulnerable. Lastly, the report also cites the use of outdated
software and dictionary passwords as risky vulnerabilities. To uncover these
insights, the researchers set out to actually imitate hackers and see what path
they’d take to gain access. “When analyzing the security of companies’
infrastructure, Positive Technologies experts look for vulnerabilities and
demonstrate the feasibility of attacks by simulating the actions of real
hackers,” reads the report. “In our experience, most industrial companies have a
very low level of protection against attacks.” Once inside the internal network,
Positive Technologies found that attackers can obtain user credentials and full
control over the infrastructure in 100% of cases.
8 must-ask security analyst interview questions
For those who excel in cybersecurity, their interest in the topic is not a
9-to-5 thing; it’s a passion that pervades their everyday lives. To find out if
that’s the case, Lindemoen likes to ask about the candidates’ home network
setup. “I look for whether they’re using WPA2 vs. WPA and WEP and whether they
set up a separate network for when guests use their home wireless network,” he
says. “They’re simple things, but it provides some insight into how they think
about security in their personal lives.” Lindemoen also asks about which
cybersecurity conferences they’d most like to attend if they could, and why.
Rather than naming a well-known conference, “they might mention one that’s in a
niche they’re focused on or are truly passionate about.” Participation in
capture-the-flag (CTF) and other cyber calisthenics events and activities is
another good barometer, Glavach says. Because these programs are free, they can
be even better about revealing passion than costly certifications are. “If
there’s a candidate with no certifications but they participated in CTFs similar
to a DEFCON CTF or a SANS Holiday Hack, that shows me they’re very committed,”
he says.
10 Most Practical Data Science Skills You Should Know in 2022
It’s one thing to build a visually stunning dashboard or an intricate model with
over 95% accuracy. BUT if you can’t communicate the value of your projects to
others, you won’t get the recognition that you deserve, and ultimately, you
won’t be as successful in your career as you should. Storytelling refers to
“how” you communicate your insights and models. Conceptually, if you were to
think about a picture book, the insights/models are the pictures and the
“storytelling” refers to the narrative that connects all of the pictures.
Storytelling and communication are severely undervalued skills in the tech
world. From what I’ve seen in my career, this skill is what separates juniors
from seniors and managers. ... A/B testing is a form of experimentation where
you compare two different groups to see which performs better based on a given
metric. A/B testing is arguably the most practical and widely-used statistical
concept in the corporate world. Why? A/B testing allows you to compound 100s or
1000s of small improvements, resulting in significant changes and improvements
over time.
How To Address Bias-Variance Tradeoff in Machine Learning
Bias and variance are inversely connected and It is nearly impossible
practically to have an ML model with a low bias and a low variance. When we
modify the ML algorithm to better fit a given data set, it will in turn lead to
low bias but will increase the variance. This way, the model will fit with the
data set while increasing the chances of inaccurate predictions. The same
applies while creating a low variance model with a higher bias. Although it will
reduce the risk of inaccurate predictions, the model will not properly match the
data set. Hence it is a delicate balance between both biases and variance. But
having a higher variance does not indicate a bad ML algorithm. Machine learning
algorithms should be created accordingly so that they are able to handle some
variance. Underfitting occurs when a model is unable to capture the underlying
pattern of the data. Such models usually present with high bias and low
variance. It happens when we have very little data to build a model or when we
try to build a model with linear features making use of nonlinear data.
The benefits of Bare-Metal-as-a-Service for fintech
Dedicated servers are a better fit for resource-heavy apps. In the world of
financial services, there’s a lot of transactions going on. Virtual machines are
not the best choice for such an environment, since the “virtualisation tax”
prevents you from using 100% of their capacity. Another issue is the
distribution of the platform’s resources between users – when one of them uses
too much of the server’s capacity, their neighbours pay for it. ... Bare metal
solutions are often harder to order than a virtual machine, and you must wait
longer for the server to be prepared for operation. Another issue is the
management of the disparate infrastructure of dedicated servers, virtual
machines and clouds when purchased from different providers. G-Core Labs’ new
offering, Bare-Metal-as-a-Service, solves these problems. With this service, a
user can get a ready-for-use dedicated server as easily as a virtual one. Just
select the right features, connect a private or public network, or several
networks at once, and in a few minutes, the physical server will be ready for
use.
Israel’s fintech community readies for ‘dramatic’ changes in banking sector
The first calls for establishing “a unique regulatory sandbox” for fintech
companies in which regulators will monitor their activities while hedging their
risks, and allowing them to introduce products into the Israeli market to
benefit consumers. The regulatory system proposal was coordinated by an
inter-ministerial team led by the Justice and Finance ministries and included
representatives from the Securities Authority, the Bank of Israel (BOI), the
Capital Market Authority, the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing
Authority, and the Tax Authority. The second proposal — the one watched closely
by Israeli fintech startups and the legacy banks — requires banks and financial
entities to transfer information about their customers, with the customers’
approval, to technology firms that can provide these customers with information
about the financial services they consume, how much exactly they are paying for
them and how much they could save if they switch to another financial services
provider.
5 Surefire Things That’ll Get You Targeted by Ransomware
Using a password manager has become a common practice for many, but it seems
like there are a lot of people who unfortunately still don’t understand the
risks. There are some valid concerns with using password managers in
general—like losing access to your master file, having it fall into the wrong
hands, or the issue with hosted services where your passwords are hosted by a
third party. But all of those are minor compared to the issues that you’re
bringing about by reusing passwords as an alternative. Sure, it’s convenient.
But as soon as one of your accounts is compromised, you’re going to run into a
lot of trouble on many fronts. And this happens more often than you might think;
companies get attacked regularly, and credentials are leaked as a
result. ... As an extension to the above, watch out for the kinds of
contacts you make online. People might not be who they claim, and you should
always keep an eye open for potential shady intentions. When you combine this
with some of the above points, things can get quite scary. Some people might
target you because they’ve gathered information about you from other sources,
and they can make the whole interaction seem very natural and legitimate.
Utilising digital skills to tackle climate change
Upskilling is crucial to the major transition that the energy industry is
currently going through. A 2020 report by EY on Oil and Gas Digital
Transformation, found that 43% of respondents cite “too few workers with the
right skills in the current workforce” as a major challenge to digital
technology adoption. Upskilling will not only equip workers with new skills but
also enable organisations to reach their digital transformation goals. By
embracing the rapid change of innovation with upskilling, employers can take a
proactive and agile approach to keep workforces engaged and employees focused on
their own personal development. It’s not to say the skills that current workers
hold are not useful for today’s needs, as many in energy industries possess
transferable skills. Workers typically possess foundational knowledge in STEM
fields and soft skills which can be integrated seamlessly into newer
applications. For example, skills in the oil, gas and coal sectors can be
brought into the growing renewable energy sector, offering a huge rise in job
opportunities.
Quote for the day:
"Becoming a leader is synonymous with
becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple, and it is also that
difficult." -- Warren G. Bennis
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