November 2022 – Page 2 – TheTechAgents

Internet November 14, 2022

3 big takeaways from AMD’s RDNA 3 announcement By Techagents

AMD, on November 3 in Las Vegas, held a launch event to remove the wrapper of its next-generation desktop graphics family. The event was a refreshingly concise but powerful overview of the innovation that AMD continues to bring to the graphics space.

In a bizarre yet fascinating way, it was interesting to see that the ho-hum or negative pre-launch rumor mill feedback given by the leaker paparazzi was way off base as these pundits didn’t have post-launch access. Information

What AMD announced was really surprising and impressive in a number of ways. It’s also a testament to the fact that AMD’s return to silicon glory, largely due to CEO Lisa Su’s leadership, has turned the company into an execution juggernaut since her arrival in October 2014, only eight years ago. It’s worth pointing out what I believe are the three biggest takeaways from AMD’s announcement.

Takeaway #1: RDNA 3 is a remarkable opportunity for AMD to disrupt the graphics space.

If AMD’s performance claims are to be believed — and industry benchmark experts will be the judge in the coming weeks — RDNA 3 will potentially disrupt Nvidia’s 80% share in the desktop graphics space.

Remember that AMD claims that RDNA 3 provides an additional 50% to 70% performance improvement over what Nvidia accomplished with its RTX 4090.

More importantly, RDNA 3 is the first realization of AMD’s “chiplet” design capability in the graphics area. The chiplet approach, which enabled AMD to turn its Ryzen processor family into a highly capable and more affordable offering against Intel’s processors, consists of a 5 nm compute processor that resides on an interposer with six memory caches and internally Lowers cost.

RDNA 3 Chiplets Process Overview (Image Credit: AMD)

Of course, this comes at the expense of spec clock speed and overall pure performance at the silicon level. But the more important point is that while the architecture features a 2.3GHz core clock speed that is only marginally faster than RDNA 2, this design technique is groundbreaking in the graphics space, and has the potential for future products that scale dramatically. But will champion the gamers. bit.

Truth be told, beyond delivering a message about AMD’s pioneering chiplet design, RDND 3 can be seen as a fine-tuning of RDNA 2. In other words, AMD is bringing more compute power to the table with the RDNA 3, but the compute units look noticeably smaller. Similar to the company’s previous generations of graphics architecture.

Still, that doesn’t diminish what AMD has achieved with the RDNA 3. The silicon game is all about reducing die size to reduce costs and system wattage requirements, and the RDNA 3 has all of that in spades.

Takeaway #2: The RDNA 3 will turn Nvidia on its head when it comes to pricing.

Anyone covering the PC gaming space knows that the winners are the companies that can offer a compelling value proposition mix of performance and competitive pricing. Value has always been a powerful component of AMD’s brand DNA, so RDNA 3 represents a substantial opportunity to disrupt things in the graphics space.

After all, Nvidia’s premium offerings — like its upcoming RTX 4090 with 24GB of GDDR6X VRAM — cost $1,699. AMD spooked onlookers by announcing the pricing of its new flagship cards, the Radeon RX 7900 XTX and Radeon RX 7900 XT, at less than $1,000 each ($999 and $899, respectively).

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To be sure, the company positioned its new graphics cards at the event against Nvidia’s “mid-range” RTX 4080 (which carries a healthy $1,199 MSRP), presumably because AMD thinks it can drive meaningful volume. This is the correct interrupt point for . In my view, this is a wise marketing move for AMD because if the benchmark data pans out, the company could gain considerable traction in Nvidia’s wheelhouse.

One more point deserves mention. Nvidia’s RTX 4XXX cards have always had a reputation with some gamers for being huge and requiring a power supply upgrade. AMD’s newer cards only require two eight-pin inputs because their power requirements are lower than those of the latest Nvidia cards.

This observation begs the question of whether the RDNA 3 architecture can be used with larger power supplies and even greater performance. But Tape’s story will be the early review that will assess just how efficient these new AMD cards are.

Takeaway #3: The AMD Advantage Could Be a Game Changer for “DIY Wannabes”.

As the marketing executive who launched Dell’s XPS gaming brand in the early 2000s to the likes of Alienware (prior to Dell’s acquisition), I’ve had the pleasure and accomplishment of building many gaming rigs over the years. I can talk in the spirit of

However, I can testify that building a gaming PC is not for the faint of heart. Despite the thrill of picking out the exact components I wanted (eg, motherboard, processor, graphics card, chassis, power supply, etc.), I always found myself frustrated with the actual building of a DIY setup.

Amusingly, I always had leftover parts and screws that I somehow didn’t use, and my cable management skills were less than elegant. What’s more, don’t get me started on how DIY systems can be a nightmare to upgrade from a firmware and driver perspective because there are so many different components involved.

The AMD Advantage hopes to solve that. The company is using its extensive expertise and know-how, derived from extensive research, to create what it calls a “user-centered” system that has all the benefits of a DIY system without the hassle.

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To be clear, AMD isn’t entering the whole system PC business. Replicating the approach successfully adopted with AMD Advantage laptops, AMD Advantage is a “framework” program that essentially certifies desktop systems from major system integration partners.

These certified desktop PCs will be optimized for use with AMD’s top-of-the-line Ryzen 7950x processor and Radeon XTX 7900 graphics card. AMD’s Adrenalin software will provide enhanced performance and manage firmware/driver updates. But most importantly, these certified systems will be designed in a highly customizable way that should make PC upgrades painless and more future-proof.

The new AMD Advantage desktop systems are expected to be available soon at CSL, CyberPower, eBuyer, Falcon, Northwest, Maingear, Origin PC, and Xidax.

analyst comments

There’s a lot to like in what AMD announced last week. While the growth of the overall PC market is slowing down sharply after a two-year Covid-19 binge, AMD’s new graphics cards have the potential to drive growth in the PC gaming segment.

In addition, the AMD Advantage program could expand the market with “DIY wannabes” who dreamed about building their own PCs but didn’t have the time or technical skills to do so.

While the PC gaming space doesn’t have a natural launch cadence catalyst that operated as the consumer PC market did in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the launch of a new Windows operating system could ignite sales, Other factors may be driving the growth.

Highly anticipated new games in 2023, such as Alan Wake 2, Aliens: Dark Descent, Ark 2, Assassin’s Creed: Mirage, and Atlas Fallen, could have an adrenaline-like effect on gaming PC sales, as 2022 was not a very exciting year for the game of.

Although AMD’s graphics market share may be in the 20% range, AMD PC gaming enthusiasts are among the most animated and energetic PC users I’ve encountered. My interviews with several AMD executives at the RDNA 3 event conveyed that vibrancy.

I was particularly taken by my brief discussion with HipHopGamer, a YouTube influencer who channeled the enthusiasm of the gamers in attendance at the event. People have a strong opinion about these graphics cards. You can see HipHopGamer’s excitement for yourself and my other interviews with AMD executives in this video:

While it’s difficult to assess the impact of these new AMD graphics cards until industry benchmarking experts compare these solutions to Nvidia’s offerings, credit AMD with keeping its innovation pedal to the metal, which should give Nvidia a boost. Must be kept on your toes.

Designed to power high frame rate 4K and high resolution gaming through its innovative chiplet implementation and second-generation ray-tracing capability, AMD’s RDNA 3-based graphics cards enable developers to bring immersive games to market Will do, which we could not even think of. Many years ago.

Creative professionals producing high-capacity digital video and multimedia content will also see possibilities with these new solutions. It’s a powerful message that I’d like to see AMD put more emphasis on marketing.

Internet November 11, 2022

Army Women Use Veteran Tech to Help Build a Better Future By Techagents

Women comprise 56% of the US workforce, but hold only 26% of technology jobs. The percentage of female STEM, or science, technology, engineering, and math graduates, is about 19%. According to the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT), this number is continuously decreasing.

Research shows that gender-diverse teams bring in more business and improve creative outcomes when working in diversity-rich environments. With organizations digitizing their operations since the pandemic, there is a greater need for technical qualifications for all employees, regardless of gender.

A significant challenge facing women in the tech industry is the lack of role models. Because of the low representation of women in leadership positions, it is often difficult for them to advance their careers and achieve their goals.

In fact, unfair treatment is a primary reason why women leave their technical jobs at a 45% higher rate than men. Plus, according to the Kapoor Center’s Tech Leavers study, women of color face unfair treatment at even higher rates.

US Army veteran Tiffany Pilgrim, a Barbadian American who founded tech public relations firm Coralini PR, wants to change that imbalanced equation. Pilgrim is also a user experience designer and researcher who is adamant about the importance of women becoming a more disruptive force in the tech sector to help fuel design and innovation.

“We are seeing trends about women in entrepreneurship and technology right now. Entrepreneurship has been booming since the pandemic, and the trend towards women in tech has been very slow,” Pilgrim told TechNewsWorld.

She predicts that women will become a more noticeable disruptor in the tech sector over the next few years.

Diversification opportunities started early

After moving with her parents to New York when she was 16 years old from the Caribbean island where she was born, Pilgrim served as a motor transport operator in the US Army at the age of 18.

When his army service ended, he focused on diversifying his knowledge and skill set. First, as a classically trained actress, she then trained in fine arts and design. Then she perfected her communication talent at a global social media agency based in London.

Pilgrim manages top tier billion-dollar brands such as T-Mobile and DAZN, an international sports streaming platform. Prior to founding Coralini PR, she went into the TV and entertainment business as a producer and communications specialist, working with celebrities and Fortune 500 companies, such as Showtime (CBS) and Paramount (formerly ViacomCBS).

US Army veteran Tiffany Pilgrim is the founder and CEO of Coralini PR.

“I began to realize that I wanted to start my own technical PR firm. After all, technology and public relations were my backgrounds,” he said of his long stint working for a marketing agency.

Having accumulated more than 10 years of communication experience, Pilgrim puts together its skill set to help startup companies get to know their products better. She helped them with their marketing and brand image.

As a technology evangelist running her own public relations firm, she works with top leaders and startups to build their brands and social media outreach.

This was one of the main pain points for new companies. She explained that when they launched their products, they did not know how to convey the features and benefits of the product to the consumers.

“My firm merges technology and PR to solve entrepreneurs’ pain points,” she offered.

tying the elephant in the room

Pilgrims dedicates herself to helping other women start their technical careers. They are often approached by women entering the tech sector as a startup or doing a technical job for another company. Pilgrims are generous with their time, promoting their interests and answering their questions.

“I always attend Zoom sessions with another woman who needs to pick my brains about technology,” she said.

Some of that advice is needed to keep women in their tech jobs rather than avoid the partisan treatment they often face. Pilgrims do not hesitate to discuss the gender barriers they faced while starting.

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The Pilgrims admit to dealing with a lot of pushback in the military and beyond. For example, her first duty assignment after basic training was at a military base in Colorado, where she was the only female soldier in the motor pool.

“It was a shock to me and the men as well. I had to prove my worth as a woman in a men’s motor pool. It was something I dealt with a lot. It was a challenge when I was there,” He gave advice.

“Yeah, of course, that’s what happens in the tech industry,” she said. “Of course, I’ve faced obstacles. You can’t avoid it when you’re a multicultural woman.”

Addressing the lack of role models

Pilgrim helps tech entrepreneurs make a name for new and emerging technologies. But his career has an additional goal that involves a broader outlook for those new to the technical line of business.

She continues to mentor and encourage women to succeed in their tech careers. To that end, Pilgrim helps fellow veterans enter the tech industry, just as it did.

To do this, she uses organizational skills learned in the military as well as strategies derived from her communication and design mastery. When she returned to New York about 10 years ago, Pilgrim began her career in communication with social media clients.

“I had no formal training in communication. I just fell into it because my first job was previously with an agency in London. I taught myself User Experience Design. I worked for a while in Hollywood with clients and their media image,” she said.

According to Pilgrim, women are creating a good stir right now when it comes to corporate leadership and technology.

“Many of these women are paving the way for those who follow them. These situations are real for many women, I must say, “she observed. “I believe that women are designing a new world right now.”:

Advice for Female Veterinarians Interested in Tech

Over the years, Pilgrim has been actively involved with a non-profit organization, Veterans in Media and Entertainment. Membership totals approximately 5,000 veterans across the US focused on advancing media and entertainment. According to Pilgrim, he wants to pursue a career in media or be on a film set.

“I actually had a lot of mentors, and I still give advice to veterans who want to get into the media,” she said. I feel now that I am being heard, this is a great platform to attract women who need mentorship.”

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Pilgrim recommends that any female veteran interested in starting a tech career needs to do some research about what types of jobs would be a good fit. Also, they need to assess their skill set. What are they able to do or learn? If that person can’t learn from self-study, go to an immersive tech boot camp.

Other options include taking out a loan, obtaining a payment plan or education grant, or investigating technical training programs that offer veteran discounts.

The career training path that Pilgrim followed was to obtain technical certifications for self-study programs. For example, he is certified by Adobe in Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. This qualified him to become a visual design specialist after completing all three programs and learning to use software tools.

Internet November 9, 2022

Mozilla ups $35M to save the high-tech soul By Techagents

Mozilla believes the high-tech industry has lost its soul by putting profits before the people and is going to try to do something about it. It has announced Mozilla Ventures, a US$35 million venture capital fund to finance early-stage startups producing products and technologies that advance values such as privacy, inclusion, transparency and human dignity.

“Many say the tech industry has lost its soul. Some even say it is impossible to improve. My response: We won’t know until we try together,” said Mozilla executive Director Mark Surman said in a blog post.

“Mozilla Ventures is all about promoting companies and products that put people before profits,” he continued. “And it’s about fueling enough of these companies and products that we can finally move the Internet in a better direction.”

According to Mozilla, its enterprise arm will initially invest in companies that protect privacy, decentralize digital power, build more trustworthy AI, and have great potential for business success. Companies that received initial investment from venture funds include:

Secure AI Labs (SAIL), which uses advanced security and AI technology to protect patient data and advance medical collaboration. It aims to advance bioinformatics research and innovation with a platform that allows faster, more secure access to data.
Block Party, a social media safety app designed to address the realities of online harassment. It allows individuals who regularly experience harassment to safely engage in public conversations on social media by setting their own content limits.
Heylogin, a ‘swipe-to-login’ password management solution designed for businesses. Aimed primarily at SMEs, the app charges a per-user fee and allows businesses to share passwords and manage personal accounts.

Is Rome burning?

While Mozilla cites some lofty goals for its new venture, how it meets those goals may require closer scrutiny, said Mark N. Venna, president and principal analyst at SmartTech Research in San Jose, Calif. Maintained.

“While this effort can be at a high level, I am always skeptical about initiatives like this to fund ‘responsible’ startups, as those who define ‘responsible’ mean may have an agenda. is or may not really be objective,” Vena told TechNewsWorld.

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“The reporting I’ve seen doesn’t share much about what the process is and who specifically will be part of the selection process,” he said, “but I worry it will be too agenda-driven.” ‘Responsible’ as that word requirement is ambiguous and means different things to different individuals.”

“I think the comment that ‘the tech industry has lost its soul’ is an exaggeration,” he said.

“Sure, there are serious dealings in social media and a select few tech companies, but I’m not sure that such over-the-top statements help the situation and come across to many individuals in a non-supportive ‘Rome is burning’ way.” Huh. .”

A question for insiders

Has the tech industry lost its soul? “The cynical in me wants to answer, ‘Which spirit?’ But Realist says that even if the soul of the industry is not destroyed, the spirit of today’s users and what they expect from their experiences needs to be taken seriously,” said Liz Miller, vice president and head of Constellation Research said analyst. technology research and advisory firm in Cupertino, Calif.

“For Mozilla, from the outset, their spirit has been associated with equal access to privacy, identity and opportunities balanced by the ethical use of technology,” Miller told TechNewsWorld. “Their stand has always been that the smaller player deserves as much stake in the digital opportunity as anyone else.”

“So from that vantage point,” she continued, “the soul of individual sovereignty and respected identity may very well be seen as having been lost.”

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Whether the tech industry has lost its spirit is one of the questions that inside observers tend to think about, said Ross Rubin, principal analyst at Reticle Research, a consumer technology consulting firm in New York City.

“Most consumers focus on usability and whether something does something better than anything else,” he told TechNewsWorld.

“TikTok became wildly popular because it was a more fun entertainment experience than Instagram,” he explained. “Firefox, on the other hand, has a better privacy protection message than its competitors, but that’s not enough to overcome its competitors’ pre-bundling.”

too little too late?

In the past, the open-source community focused on what felt appropriate and left those online mining customers alone for information and money. “But that has changed,” observed Rob Enderle, president and principal analyst at Enderle Group, an advisory services firm in Bend, Ore.

“Mozilla is using its limited funds to help run Counter-Revolution,” Enderle told TechNewsworld. “I hope it’s too little and too late.”

“Thirty-five million dollars isn’t a lot of money,” he said, “and if they spread it as little as they likely would, it might just be a waste of money.”

“Mozilla is not set up to be a VC,” he argued. “The organization lacks the business basic skills that make good VCs successful.”

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He said Mozilla isn’t the only one focusing on online privacy concerns.

“PC and consumer companies, including Apple and Samsung, have been successfully focusing on those messages for some time, as have some social media alternatives,” Enderle said.

“Hardware companies have had some success, but paid social media company efforts haven’t had as much success,” he continued. “People think free is better than private.”

imagine a better net

To lead its venture operations, Mozilla has named Mohammed Nanabhai, who has held leadership positions at Al Jazeera and the Media Development Investment Fund.

“Many of us cannot imagine life without internet. But are we ready to imagine life with a better internet for all?” Nanabhay asked in a statement.

“That’s why we are starting Mozilla Ventures – to build an ecosystem of entrepreneurs from around the world who are building companies that build a better internet,” he continued.

“We want to support the founders who are working on the many challenges we face online – from misinformation to censorship, from security to privacy, and the potential to cause immediate and massive harm,” he said. “These issues are too important to leave for any one institution to resolve.”

Mozilla Ventures is expected to officially launch in early 2023.

Internet November 8, 2022

Is the Matter Smart Home Initiative finally happening? By Techagents

While watching the live stream of last week’s formal announcement of the Matter Smart Home initiative, I couldn’t resist recalling Samuel Beckett’s classic existentialist drama, “Waiting for Godot,” where the two characters wait for Godot in a series of discussions and conversations. Participate in encounters, for a proxy god, who never comes.

After all, the Matter initiative was made public by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (formerly Project Connected Home over IP) almost three years ago in December 2019.

Matter is a royalty-free home automation connectivity standard that requires manufacturers to fund certification costs. Despite numerous delays over the past three years, Matter has attracted support from a number of smart home heavyweights, including Amazon, Google, Comcast, Apple, and the Zigbee Alliance.

Matter’s mission is undeniably important to the future development of smart homes as it seeks to reduce the well-known fragmentation across multiple vendors and achieve interoperability between smart home devices and Internet of Things (IoT) platforms from different manufacturers. wants.

In theory, Matter certification would allow consumers and businesses to not worry about smart home devices from Amazon, Apple, or Google (just to list the big hitters) working with each other. At least that’s the promise.

thing draws a veil

Last week in Amsterdam, CSA and Groupe Developing Matter announced that it had formally released version 1.0 and that scores of smart home products — several hundred, in fact — were certified. The implication is that the market should soon see products with the “Matter” logo on shelves, though perhaps after the holidays.

The launch event showcased an impressively wide spectrum of smart home solutions ranging from motion blinds, occupancy sensors, door locks, smart plugs, lighting and gateways. CSA claims that 190 products have either received formal certification or are awaiting testing and certification.

what does all this mean

Refreshingly, Godot may finally appear on the smart home stage. The delay in genuine Matter-certified solutions coming to market hasn’t slowed the pace thanks to industry support and initiatives. If anything, many leaders in the smart home space continue to double down on their support for Matter.

For example, Amazon used the launch event to announce that it would have 17 different Echo devices, plugs, switches and bulbs (albeit with Android support) working with Matter in December. In fact, some smart home devices have already been released or are being updated with Matter recognition.

One of Matter’s promises, beyond the interoperability benefits, is that it should enable entirely new use cases and experiences that weren’t previously thought of. Several major “component” companies, including Infineon Technologies and Silicon Labs, are in the process of integrating Matter support into their chips. This fact should allow device makers to bring new iterations of Matter-compatible devices to market faster.

Sample Matter-Certified Smart Home Appliances | Image credit: Connectivity Standards Coalition

In addition, companies such as Schneider Electric that provide smart home energy management systems to consumers and businesses believe that Matter devices will ultimately facilitate lower energy bills through better energy monitoring, control, and optimization. will do.

Finally, Matter Certification has wisely considered the security and privacy requirements in its spec. While ease of use and interoperability underscore the mission of Matter Spec, the security features should allow a more robust security perimeter for bad actors to hack into consumer and business networks via IoT solutions.

Analyst Tech

It’s hard to deny the pace of the industry behind the Matter initiative. Plenty of money, resources and intellectual capital are the undeniable tailwinds that increase Matter’s chances of success. Nevertheless, the technical standards have a notorious history, and the delay of the noted case has raised some solid doubts.

However, despite the in-fighting in the industry that sometimes plagues these standards bodies, Matter has been remarkably drama-free. This initiative has only grown into overall industry support, and that’s a good thing.

But bringing Matter-certified devices to market is only the first challenge the CSA and its consortium members will face. Initial reviews of Miter’s functionality and usability across key devices will take center stage in the coming months, and pundits will be watching.

Does the interoperability work as advertised? Will the baseline functionality of Matter-certified devices be sufficient that the user does not need to use the manufacturer’s native app to enable specific differentiated functions?

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Overall, smart home manufacturers differentiate their products. For example, not all smart door locks are the same. From a manufacturer’s perspective, mater can have a commoditization effect, reducing a manufacturer’s ability to market the distinctive features of its offerings.

Finally, there is also the recent appearance of the Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA), yet another standard unit focused on the interoperability of smart appliances such as refrigerators, dishwashers, washers and dryers.

HCA appears to have a complimentary purpose than Matter, but with members like LG, Samsung, Haier and Residio, don’t rule out the potential for consumer confusion.

Regardless, hope is eternal that after New Year’s Day, the market will finally see the goods and whether the wait was worth it. I certainly hope that, as the smart home space needs it, mainstream users without strong technology skills can take advantage of its potential.

In the meantime, I’ll have some hot chocolate waiting for Godot to arrive.

Internet November 8, 2022

Leverage technology to accelerate response to school violence: RPT By Techagents

Schools are pouring a flood of money on safety products. Yet, according to a new report from Parks Associates, there hasn’t been enough thought about how products can be leveraged to better respond to violence in schools.

The market research and consulting company in Edison, Texas, noted in its report that schools have promoted access control practices, the use of faculty badges and security cameras for nearly 20 years, but the measure does not adequately secure schools. have found. violence.

Citing data from the School Survey on Crime and Safety, the report said that during the 2017-18 school year, 71% of schools experienced at least one violent incident, and 21% reported one serious violent incident. experienced. The National Center for Education Statistics released similar figures for the 2019-20 school year.

“Although these data points are from a variety of organizations, the numbers show a 4% increase in serious violent incidents even though the use of surveillance cameras, access control and other security systems on school grounds is at an all-time high,” wrote author Parks . President and CMO Elizabeth Parks and research intern August Ward.

“Schools are spending a lot of money on security products, but they don’t do a great job at thinking through feedback,” said Mark Hatton, CEO of MutualLink, a provider of interoperability security solutions based in Wallingford, Conn.

“All of those security products are produced proof after the fact. They haven’t been coordinated and considered for response,” Hatton told TechNewsWorld.

better access control

The report notes that evolving school safety technology is providing increasingly efficient support to first responders.

“Advanced technologies increasingly give first responders a lot of additional information about what’s happening in the environment without relying on humans to relay that information,” Parks told TechNewsWorld.

The report noted that access control systems allow people to skip the step of tracking the closing of doors. Access control systems enable people to control whether the doors have been locked or not.

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In the Uvalde tragedy, it added, a school door that would normally have been closed was left open, allowing gunmen to enter. A machine locking system may have prevented this.

The report indicated that advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning could also accelerate reaction times. AI and ML can identify suspicious activity, identify dangerous objects, recognize patterns and organize data and evidence, it continued. These are powerful capabilities to improve safety and response times, especially when this can happen without the assistance of an operator.

However, Parks said that automation should not be a substitute for human intervention. “Technology and automation should be used not to replace humans but to provide better information to humans so that humans can respond better,” she said.

zeroeyes technology

Dot Blackwell, the superintendent of Vassar Public Schools in Vassar, Michigan, however, believes that school safety technology is less effective at addressing violence problems when it relies on staff for monitoring or management.

Vassar Public School, 45 minutes from Oxford High School, the scene of a mass shooting in November 2021 that killed four students, and injured seven people, including a teacher, recently installed a new security system called ZeroEasy. was done.

ZeroEyes works with existing video surveillance systems at a school to identify firearms. It can alert first responders of a potential threat in three to five seconds – even though the image of a threat must pass human muster before it can be forwarded to the appropriate authorities.

Blackwell told TechNewsWorld, “ZeroEyes Technology is the first product our school district has discovered, offering an innovative way to monitor activities in our buildings and our parking lots that could give us precious minutes to save lives.” Is.”

press panic button

Another technology cited in the report is panic devices that enable emergencies to be reported without explanation. In some respects, technology is more efficient and effective than humans.

MutualLink can amplify information sent to first responders before tools such as panic buttons.

“When you press a panic button, in about four seconds, the school’s floor plan along with the camera feed is sent to the police,” Hatton explained.

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“The fact is, if someone wants to cause harm, they are likely to enter the school,” he said.

“When security products designed to keep intruders out of school fail to do so, MutuLink may immediately share information about those products with police.”

“MutualLink converts day-to-day security products into effective response products,” Hatton said.

Technologies need to work together

The report also referred to the Personal Emergency Response System. It explained that the PEAR device enables school staff with just the press of a button to contact first responders when needed. According to the report, the technology can improve and simplify response times, which is one of the most important problems with threats operating on campuses.

One of the benefits of the devices mentioned in the report is their low cost, which is why they are being used more frequently in schools. However, one challenge with this technology and security systems, in general, are false alarms.

According to Parks’ research, nearly half of security owners say their security system triggers too many false alarms. Additionally, 62% of home security owners report experiencing one false alarm in the past 12 months, and about 10% report having experienced more than five false alarms in the past year.

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The report states that a number of technologies must work together to effectively secure a school. Every school has a different layout, population size, and funding, which means that one set of security solutions will not work for everyone. Every state, it continued, has different rules and grant systems for their schools, which in turn makes it difficult to integrate security companies nationwide.

Time will tell how these new technologies perform, Parks’ report predicts. School safety technology is beneficial, but currently, more metrics are needed to evaluate the technology used for school safety. It noted that the technology cannot guarantee flawless defense against security breaches and threats. Nevertheless, it can help reduce the likelihood of a dangerous situation occurring and create efficiency in emergency response.

“How can we stop school violence is a million dollar question,” Parks said. “I don’t know if we have the answer yet. But any threat to the safety of children in school is the best answer we can have.”

Computing November 7, 2022

Arm vs. Qualcomm litigation makes no sense By Techagents

We are approaching a major technological pivot, where the processing we do personally is not on our local PCs but in the connected cloud.

At the forefront of this charge is Qualcomm, which uses Arm technology to round out its PC solution. Microsoft has followed Apple to Arm, but unlike Apple, it partnered with Qualcomm to get there. To chase this opportunity, Qualcomm also bought Nuvia, which on paper has better technology than Apple.

In response to this acquisition, Arm pulled Nuvia’s license to halt progress, apparently forgetting that Qualcomm’s license already included similar efforts. Looking at history, there’s a good chance that Apple is at least partly behind this and working to prevent the creation of a better solution than its own, as well as the PC-targeted Arm by Arm. Steps have been taken ahead of time to maximize the benefits from the solutions.

Let’s explore this litigation mess, and we’ll close out with our product of the week, which is AMD’s latest Ryzen 7 processor.

Incoming PC spindle

The PC market is moving towards cloud services and connectivity for battery life with a heavy focus on local performance.

In my last two trips, I’ve noticed that airplane Wi-Fi, which until now barely worked for web browsing and email, now works for streaming. It’s still not fast enough to stream games, but the jump in performance is notable. This was an area that lags far behind home use, and remote 5G performance in particular, seems to have stalled this pivot.

This limiting factor will disappear as we move to 6G in the second half of the decade, making connectivity and battery life more compelling. Assuming that Qualcomm and Microsoft’s efforts continue to be successful, it would prefer that solution over others.

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Intel has begun shifting its roadmap to the occasion, and it looks like it will be ready to pivot. Intel’s solution, which promises a hybrid approach with the performance you need when you need it and the battery life and connectivity you want in a bi-model solution, should provide a decent hedge of its dominant PC market share.

AMD and Nvidia’s response to this trend is less defined, especially since Nvidia’s attempt to buy the arm failed. But I hope that both companies also see this opportunity and risk and are moving to address it.

bad times

This means that if Qualcomm doesn’t execute fast, its gains could be lost due to its inability to perform and a successful pivot by existing strong vendors. What Arm should be doing is throwing all its support behind Qualcomm’s anything-but-sure gamble assuring to improve Arm-centric results rather than trying to cripple the effort before it gets to critical mass. Can go

On the economic side, while I understand the desire to get a higher license fee for a portion that has the potential to lead to higher gross margins, pivoting the market comes with higher costs. The anticipated additional gross margin will be consumed by marketing efforts and sales discounts designed to drive this arm-favored pivot.

In other words, it’s time to negotiate a new pricing deal once the effort is successful and Qualcomm has the extra income to make such growth work — not when the company enters a hostile market. and needs every financial resource.

In short, Arm acts as if Qualcomm is taking unfair advantage of Arm’s favorable pricing, which could be sustainable if Qualcomm is already successful. Even so, Qualcomm’s current license agreement will still have to be fleshed out, but at least the numbers will work in its favor.

anti-competitive

Apple undoubtedly has a lot to say in Arm because it has licensing terms that could be more favorable than Qualcomm’s. This last one will likely be a veiled secret, but will be in line with deals I’ve seen with other Apple suppliers. Apple is known for deals that are so good that its suppliers often wonder if they would have been better off passing them on.

As I see it, Apple doesn’t really want an Arm solution, especially one blessed by Microsoft, to be better than the one it’s using. The Qualcomm solution using Nuvia’s technology looks vastly better. Apple already hides the high margins that result from using cheaper technology in its premium lines – such as avoiding touch screens that are common in competing PC products.

A significant performance loss, as well as a lack of compelling cloud performance solutions, will cost Apple too much for its less religious base, especially creators.

Moving again to cripple Qualcomm so that its better solution doesn’t hit the market would be in line with what Apple attempted in prior efforts, which included a hostile takeover backed by Broadcom and a bogus complaint with the FTC.

RISC-V Benefits

What really makes this interesting is that before this happened, there was an anti-Hands effort on the part of the RISC-V consortium. RISC-V has similar capabilities to Arm but with a more modern and licensee-friendly business model.

This model had already led many developers to move from Arm to RISC-V, so this ill-advised hostile action between Arm and one of its largest licensees gave rise to RISC-V’s superior (in terms of licensee benefits). ) has put a spotlight on the business model.

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Thanks to Nvidia’s failure to acquire Arm and the resulting IPO, which funded Arm independence but did not adequately fund development, Arm’s future revenue could be at risk, which could affect its ability to finance debt. For this it will need to advance its technology.

Ultimately, Qualcomm and Microsoft should look more favorably at RISC-V over arm due to this mis-timed and poor legal action.

wrapping up

It often happens that when companies are struggling, they turn to litigation for their operational problems. This rarely works because CEOs usually don’t understand how litigation really works, and as a result, they place more faith in this approach than in history.

Arm is in trouble primarily because it depends on acquiring Nvidia for its future growth and success, and now it’s starved for revenue. But a licensing model (both Arm and Qualcomm are licensing experts) requires trust between the parties and a deep understanding of the big picture so that the end result is successful and profitable for both entities.

Qualcomm is advised to be crippled on the frontlines of a massive war against x86, given that Qualcomm’s success was never assured and that Intel, in particular, would be facing this threat to its market share. Successfully making spindle to remove.

Qualcomm needs Arm’s help to be successful. Instead, the arm is damaging the effort to a degree that it may fail. The obvious move for both Qualcomm and its Microsoft partner is to move to RISC-V, putting the entire issue in the rearview mirror.

Such a move would either kill Arm or, more likely, effectively turn it into a poorly funded Apple subsidiary. This end would make Apple less competitive over time as well.

I think we are starting to see the end of Arm, and while Arm can blame others, it will only blame itself.

AMD Ryzen 7000

For most of its life, AMD has been under Intel. This is how the PC market was conceived: Intel required another x86 vendor to meet IBM’s requirement that the part not be sole-source.

Relations between Intel and AMD were anything but friendly as AMD did not like to be subordinate to Intel and wanted a greater market share than Intel. To be fair, Intel was still doing most of the heavy lifting in terms of market creation and maintenance, so it took advantage.

Over the past decade, Intel tried to treat x86 as a cash cow and cut back on development and ecosystem maintenance significantly, allowing AMD to catch up first in terms of performance and then a significant gap on servers, workstations and PCs. allowed to bypass Intel.

Intel maintained the lead in terms of installed base, compliance, and overall resources, but AMD took the performance crown. Intel is attempting to catch up and, as noted above, is aggressively pivoting to address the battery life and connectivity threat that Qualcomm represents.

But when it comes to PCs, AMD’s Ryzen 7000 owns the performance crown at the moment. Be aware though, that performance is relative, and Intel’s 13th generation parts look more competitive.

image credit: amd

I’ve assembled my first Ryzen 7000 desktop system, and one huge advantage is that, as Intel did a few years ago, AMD has gotten rid of the pins on the chip, which pretty much eliminates where Many of us broke ours (breaking a pin on the assembly was almost a given). Plus, you no longer need to replace the backing plate when adding a heavy air or water cooler.

All of this makes building a system faster and easier than ever before. So, more power, easier assembly, and a great result make the new Ryzen 7000 processor line my product of the week.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ECT News Network.

Internet November 3, 2022

Compelling tech products to put on your holiday shopping radar By Techagents

One of the pleasures of my job is to be exposed to many new and disruptive products. The Thanksgiving and December holidays are quickly approaching, so it’s that time of year when I’m fortunate enough to evaluate new tech products that deserve attention. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.

Keep in mind that my comments are not intended as an in-depth review, but as preliminary impressions to prompt you to investigate and research further.

let’s get started.

HP Envy 34 All-in-One Desktop (2022)

Even though the all-in-one (AIO) PC market has simulated the overall contraction in the desktop PC market over the past few years, the pandemic-induced work-from-home phenomenon has proven to be a repeat for these convenient, mostly cable-free PC. Note, however, that AIOs typically offer minimal internal upgrade capability, which can be a problem for some power users who don’t want those restrictions.

HP is one of the few PC makers that continuously launches new AIO designs every year. The latest update to the HP Envy 34, currently with a starting price of $1,700, is one of the most beautifully designed models by the Palo Alto-based manufacturer.

HP Envy 34 All-in-One Desktop | image credit: HP

Squarely positioned to appeal to creative professionals, it also has broad utility for consumers and mainstream SMB users. The HP Envy 34 has an excellent non-glare 5K 34″ display, a mobile HD webcam with an integrated shutter for privacy protection, and great performance.

Of course, comparably priced legacy desktops can deliver more power, especially in the discrete GPU area. But given its extensive feature set, the HP Envy 34 offers excellent value for my money.

It’s the perfect PC for executive offices, home offices, and dorm rooms because of its cable-free nature – it only requires a power cord as the keyboard and mouse connect via Bluetooth.

On the back of the unit are the typical classifications of Unified Interfaces:

4 USB-A Ports
2 thunderbolt 4 port
Audio – Headphone/Microphone Combo
hdmi out
Gigabit Ethernet

Cable management is enhanced with a magnetic clip that helps keep cords organized and within reach, a great touch.

Creative professionals will be drawn to the massive 34″ display that’s paired with 5K resolution in a 21:9 aspect ratio, which puts the Envy 34 Display on par with Apple’s vaunted 27″ iMac. I found the 500 nits to be exceptionally bright on this display.

5K resolution (5120 x 2160) is common to all models of the HP Envy 34, though more expensive configurations include higher-end, game-friendly Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 discrete graphics.

Another important feature that users should love is that the stand easily accommodates two more USB-A ports, a media memory card reader, and a third USB-C port.

External I/O Ports on the HP Envy 34-c0340t All-in-One Desktop | image credit: HP

When configured with a high-end Intel i9-1100 processor, Nvidia RTX 3080 discrete graphics, 32GB of memory, and a 1TB SSD, the price can quickly climb to $3,430. But properly configured models are available for less than $2,000, and it’s the ideal PC for users working from home, design-sensitive corporate execs, and professional content creators.

If you’re considering an AIO PC, you can’t go wrong with the HP Envy 34.

HP Elite Dragonfly G3 Notebook

Thin and light laptops have dominated the PC landscape ever since Steve Jobs dramatically pulled the original MacBook Air out of an envelope at an Apple launch event in January 2008. With its release, Apple effectively declared to the rest of the industry, “This is how a laptop should be designed.”

However, more than 14 years have passed, and the PC industry has not stood still. There are several excellent alternatives to the MacBook Air, most notably the recently announced Dell XPS 13 Plus, which allows the entire palm rest to be used as a touchpad.

While no product in this category has achieved perfection status, the new HP Elite Dragonfly G3 comes close. It’s an absolute pleasure to use with its lightweight, surprisingly thin, and elegant form factor design, featuring great performance, excellent battery life, and a superior 3:2 display that boosts productivity.

HP Elite Dragonfly G3 Notebook | image credit: HP

Perhaps most importantly, the Elite Dragonfly G3 offers the best typing experience of any thin and light laptop I’ve come across.

Like previous Dragonfly models, this new one is made of magnesium and has been refreshed with a mix of magnesium and aluminum, which contributes to the curved “pillow corners” design on the display lid and outer base images.

Weighing in at just 2.2 pounds, this laptop has a highly polished executive look with a display that can be opened with one hand. It is available in 2 non-controversial colors: Slate Blue and Natural Silver.

Of course, HP offers the Elite Dragonfly G3 with a range of panel options, ranging from a multi-touch Full HD+ (1920 x 1280) WLED panel to a single 32K (3000 x 2000) OLED panel that delivers better crispness .

Internally, HP chose to use Intel’s more efficient 15-watt Core i5 1245U, Core i7 1255U, or Core i7 1256U, instead of Intel’s new 12th Gen Intel Core P Series, which uses more watts. It’s a wise choice as it extends the Elite Dragonfly’s battery life, which is impressively north of 14 hours.

HP Elite Dragonfly G3 Right-Side Ports | image credit: HP

In terms of security, the Elite Dragonfly also supports Windows Hello facial and fingerprint recognition. I find the latter more convenient.

The icing on the cake is the Elite Dragonfly G3’s story of sustainability: The laptop’s outer carcass uses at least 90% recycled magnesium, which will warm the hearts of individuals with environmental concerns.

HP Elite Dragonfly G3 Front View | image credit: HP

The HP Elite Dragonfly G3 is one of the most impressive laptops ever to cross my radar screen. Its “elite” design, strong battery life, rich feature set, and excellent connectivity features (Wi-Fi 6E and optional 4G LTE or 5G cellular support) will cost you dearly. A fully configured model will run over $3,000. Price aside, you’ll undoubtedly fall in love with the HP Elite Dragonfly G3 – if you can afford it.

Motorola Q14 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi System (AXE5400)

Many readers of my technology column know that I’m a big fan of the overall Wi-Fi router trend, which has embraced mesh technology over the past several years.

These routers alone can solve one of home users’ biggest connectivity problems: reliably getting strong Wi-Fi coverage throughout the living space.

Mesh routers are game-changing in a typical home with many active uses, e.g., gaming, streaming, videoconferencing, productivity, etc.

While most consumers still use older Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) routers, several companies are offering faster mesh routing iterations based on Wi-Fi 6 or (more recently) Wi-Fi 6e.

Motorola has joined the mesh router party with its offering Q14 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi System.

Motorola is catching up with more established players like Linksys, Netgear, and Asus. Despite its late arrival to market, there’s a lot to like about the new Q14.

Motorola Q14-Wi-Fi 6E Mesh Router | image credit: motorola

The Q14 enables 6 GHz wireless bands for dramatically increased speeds and up to 160 wireless channels that can be used simultaneously. This feature translates to a recognizable increase in the number of Wi-Fi devices used simultaneously in your home without compromising on overall performance.

Mesh routers usually consist of the router itself and one or two “satellite” nodes that can extend coverage to 5,000 square feet, which is especially helpful for those with larger properties and Wi-Fi for devices outside the home. – Requires Fi connectivity, such as security cameras and sensor based alarms.

Priced at $649 (though you can currently buy it on Amazon for $500), the Q14 offering sent to me included a router and two nodes, so it provided maximum Wi-Fi connectivity in my home.

Wrapped in a premium mesh fabric, routers and satellites feature a cutting-edge modern design to complement any room. You won’t be embarrassed to have them sit on a bookshelf, desk or cabinet.

The Motorola Q14 Wi-Fi 6E Mesh System can be proudly displayed as a design element. , image credit: motorola

What sets the Q14 apart from other mesh routers I’ve used isn’t just its overall excellent performance. Router setup is enabled by one of the most intuitive smartphone apps I’ve used, and it offers the convenience of parental controls and cybersecurity at no extra cost. The app designed by Minim allowed me to set up the Q14 in less than 20 minutes without any hiccups.

Unlike many other companies that have taken a similar app-based approach to product setup, the Moto Sync app is highly visual and intuitive. It should be noted that Minim holds an exclusive global license to design and manufacture consumer networking products under the Motorola brand. Plus, the Q14 is an independent Wi-Fi network and can only mesh with other Q14 routers. It is not a universal expander.

The Moto Sync app that powers the Motorola Q14 Mesh Wi-Fi 6E router. image credit: motorola

There are many appreciable mesh routers on the market, but the Q14 stands apart from a price standpoint. At less than $500 for the Q14-02, which covers 3,500 square feet, it’s a bargain compared to Netgear’s $1,499 Orbi quad-band Wi-Fi 6E mesh system, though the Q14’s technical feature set is more modest. Is.

Regardless, the performance differences will vary for most mainstream home users, and I’d recommend saving $1,000.

Dell Pro Webcam – WB5023

Last year, Dell impressed many in the tech industry with its stylish 4K Dell Ultrasharp Webcam. Initially priced at $200, it was positioned to appeal to users working from home who needed better videoconferencing capability and had other options than Logitech’s 4K Brio webcam.

Acknowledging the market demand for low-resolution webcams at a more value-oriented price, Dell recently unveiled its $110 Dell Pro Webcam – the WB5023 that delivers “good enough” 2K QHD video resolution (1440p/s). 30 fps or 1080p/60 fps). Which is more than enough for standard videoconferencing.

Dell Pro Webcam WB5023 | image credit: Dell

With a built-in monitor clip with 78-degree field of view (FOV), 4X digital zoom, and tripod attachment capability, this webcam, like its 4K predecessor, looks and feels high-quality (Logitech 4K Brio) even more) ) in terms of hardware.

It’s probably not the right webcam if you’re creating high-quality video content or need 4K resolution for professionally produced podcasts, but its overall image quality is excellent.

What’s more, unlike 4K UltraSharp webcams, it includes more sophisticated features like a built-in microphone and AI auto-framing that tracks your face and keeps it focused on-screen.

Another important point: Dell’s webcams, including these models, are optimized for use with Windows PCs. They’ll work with Macs, but Dell doesn’t provide macOS drivers for tweaking webcam settings.

The bottom line is that it’s the ideal budget-friendly webcam that works well, underscoring Dell’s brand reputation for solid value.

closing thoughts

Remember that the tech product prices above are always a moving target as we are in the holiday season when online retailers have promotions that will offer substantial discounts off MSRP.

This point is especially true for Amazon, and the price of an item can vary greatly from day to day, so keep that in mind when you’re about to pull the trigger and order these or any other high-tech products. Do it.

Happy Holiday Shopping, everyone!

Internet November 2, 2022

Around 50% of 2021 phishing targeting government employee credential theft: RPT By Techagents

According to a report released Wednesday by the endpoint-to-cloud security company, nearly 50% of all phishing attacks targeted at government personnel in 2021 were taking away the credentials of federal, state and local government employees.

Phishing attacks on civil servants increased 30% from 2020 to 2021, with one out of every eight workers exposed to phishing threats during this period, a report prepared by Lookout and 200 million devices and 175 million apps Based on the analysis of unknown data from The company deals with federal, state and local government customers.

While malware delivery is dominated by mobile phishing attacks outside the public sector, credential theft is on the rise, a 47% increase in 2021 compared to the previous year, as malware delivery declined by 12% during the same period .

Compromised credentials provide an easy way for those threatened to get their hands on the valuable data that governments hold.

“The first thing that comes to mind is nation-state actors trying to establish a presence on government networks,” said Mike Fleck, senior director of sales engineering at cloud-based security provider Siren in McLean, Va.

“Fraudsters will also be interested in access – think fake unemployment claims and “cleaning up” of stolen vehicles,” he told TechNewsWorld.

“When it comes to government,” said Lookout Senior Manager for Security Solutions Steve Banda, “there is going to be some highly confidential information available that is going to be valuable to some party somewhere, either a malicious person or nation state.”

Expansion in BYOD Government

The report also noted that all levels of government are increasing their reliance on unmanaged mobile devices. The use of unmanaged devices in the federal government increased by about 5% from 2020 to 2021 – and closer to 14% for state and local governments during the same period.

“We’ve seen a lot of change in what organizations are starting to do with mobile devices,” Banda told TechNewsWorld. “There is a big shift toward unmanaged, especially as agencies become more comfortable adopting BYOD strategies.”

“Remote work has certainly accelerated BYOD,” he said.

While the increased use of unmanaged equipment suggests an expansion of remote working, it may also be a recognition of the benefits of BYOD for employees and agencies.

“I’ve had separate work and personal phones before, and it’s very easy to do everything on one device,” Fleck said.

“Covid forced remote work faster than any government procurement cycle,” he explained. “It is understandable that agencies were forced to adopt BYOD policy faster than their ability to purchase and deploy mobile device management platforms.”

Greater Phishing Exposure

Permitting the use of unmanaged equipment also indicates that agencies are finding that employees can work effectively remotely, maintained a safety awareness advocate at KnowBe4, a safety awareness training provider in Clearwater, Fla. .

“Modern software and tools allow for unprecedented collaboration capabilities, and the tools being used are more capable than ever,” he told TechNewsWorld.

“With the onset of Covid forcing many organizations that were resistant to working remotely to implement the strategy, a lot of organizations have seen benefits in allowing this to continue,” he said.

More than a third of state and local government employees are using personal devices for work in 2021, the report said, adding that these agencies are leading the adoption of BYOD.

While this offers employees more flexibility, it acknowledged that these unmanaged devices are more frequently exposed to phishing sites than managed devices, as unmanaged personal devices connect to a wider range of websites and more diverse types. use of apps.

“My experience shows that remote workers may be more vulnerable to phishing because they are working in an environment that blurs the line between job and home life than they are in the office. become more comfortable and less alert,” Krone said.

Ray Stein, CSO of Mainspring, a provider of IT-managed services in Frederick, MD, said remote workers are no more likely to fall for a phishing scam than other employees.

“But without the supervision or protection of an enterprise firewall, it’s easy to reach them through different channels,” he told TechNewsWorld. “This increases the number of phishing scams they are exposed to, leaving them more vulnerable than long-term office workers.”

old android version

The report had good and bad news about government employees running older versions of Android on their phones.

The bad news was that nearly 50% of state and local government employees are running the older Android operating system, exposing hundreds of device vulnerabilities to them.

The good news is that this is a marked improvement in 2021, when 99% of mobiles were running older versions of the operating system.

The report states that keeping the mobile operating system up to date is the best form of cyber security. However, government agencies or departments may choose to delay the update until their proprietary app is tested, it continued. This delay creates a vulnerability window during which a threat actor can use a mobile device to access an organization’s infrastructure and steal data.

“New releases or versions of the OS build on their previous releases, including all security enhancements and improvements,” said Stuart Jones, director of the CloudMark division at Proofpoint, an enterprise security company in Sunnyvale, Calif.

“Without the latest version of the OS,” he told TechNewsWorld, “the benefits of these enhancements are not available on the device or for the user.”

Stein said that in 2021, Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) discovered at least nine zero-days affecting its products, including Android devices.

“Patches for those vulnerabilities were included in Android updates, but users stuck on older OS versions may not benefit from them,” he said.

need for extreme caution

Banda said it can be challenging to keep pace with Android due to its fragmented environment.

“To update to a certain level, you must have the correct combination of mobile operator and device manufacturer’s firmware,” he explained. “There are a number of factors that determine whether you can take on release.”

Not only does this make it difficult for the user to keep their Android version running, but it also makes it difficult for employers to keep the devices secure. “A company needs to know who is running which version of Android,” Banda said. “They have to figure out how to get that visibility and create policies so everyone can get up to speed on the latest version available to them.”

After working in the federal space for most of his career, Sami Allini, a biometrics specialist at Contrast Security, a maker of self-protecting software solutions in Los Altos, Calif., said he’s tormented about how long adversaries will exploit and infiltrate government institutions.

“As an activist in this field, one must be vigilant about all interactions, including those with colleagues,” he told TechNewsWorld. “As this report shows, phishing, a form of social engineering, is on the rise, and for good reason. Social engineering is one of the most effective ways to gain access to information or property that someone has access to. Shouldn’t have passed.”

Internet November 2, 2022

Around 50% of 2021 phishing aimed at government employees: RPT By Techagents

Nearly 50% of all phishing attacks in 2021 were aimed at taking away the credentials of federal, state and local government employees, according to a report released Wednesday by the endpoint-to-cloud security company.