While this new program did not include new funding for AI research, it directed existing funds, programs, and data in support of AI research and commercialization.  The plan also directs federal agencies to prioritize AI when allocating their R&D budget.  This new program was founded in part to keep America at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence technology and help guide American investment and prepare for the technology’s effect. Another aspect of the program is to help U.S. worker to adjust to jobs that have been or will be changed due to the ever-evolving technology and the wider adaption of it across a larger spectrum of businesses.

To start the year, the White House released ten principles for government agencies to adhere to when they are proposing new AI regulations for the private sector.  These new guiding principles are to serve many functions in an industry that is not only a new frontier but is also essentially unregulated currently.  The White House is weary of new regulations that would hamper private industries ability to grow this field and could harm the United States’ current position as a leader in this industry.  The main three functions according to the briefing that was released was to limit “regulatory overreach”, ensure public participation and promote the development of “trustworthy” artificial intelligence.  The principles were left intentionally vague so each agency that creates specific regulation for their industry is given leeway in shaping specific regulations.

The principles are:

• Public Trust in artificial intelligence.
• Public Participation.
• Scientific integrity and information quality.
• Benefits and costs.
• Benefits and costs.
• Flexibility.
• Fairness and non-discrimination.
• Disclosure and transparency.
• Safety and Security.
• Interagency coordination.

In practice, prior to implementation of any new regulations that involve artificial intelligence, the federal agency will have to submit a memorandum to the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).  The Office does not have the power to stop any regulation but should be able to apply the necessary pressure to ensure that the standards that were set forth are upheld.

One of HubWise Technologies core values is Fearless Innovation, and AI is at the forefront of innovation in the technology field.  If you would like to learn about how HubWise uses artificial intelligence to ensure our customers technology is enabling their success, please reach out to Jason Moen, jmoen@hubwisetech.com (402)339-7441.

Most ransomware attacks follow a basic pattern; reconnaissance, where the hackers learn about the company, employees, controls and processes.  Penetration is the next phase; this is where hackers gain access to their target.  The 3rd step is fortification, when the attackers hide the evidence that they have gained access and will even go as far as protecting the devices they have attacked so other hackers can’t gain access.  The next step to deploying ransomware is infiltration. This is where they perform internal reconnaissance trying to find higher value targets and acquire administration level passwords.  Spoliation follows infiltration, when they will alter backups, remove some data but leave the containers, and then introduce flaws into software to make it harder to backup.  The last step is the actual ransom, this is when the data is encrypted, and archives are wiped.  After the ransom demand is made businesses are not left with many choices.  Usually when the payment is made the hackers will pass on the encryption code and the company will be able to get back their lost data.  In most attacks, this is where the transaction ends, the hackers have their money and the company has their data.  In the future, the large worry is that a single stage attack will morph into a two-stage attack.  In a two-stage attack, the hackers also keep a copy of all the data, eventually asking for another ransom.  This time, they will threaten to leak all the personally identifiable information that is stored within the network.  This second stage can be just as damaging to a company as the first stage.

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) have been in use for years, but over the last five years they have gone from being a developmental tool to a driving force behind today’s economy.  The important role that APIs play is one reason why future attacks are predicted to occur by McAfee.  API’s are a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications. Basically, an API specifies how software components should interact and allows different applications to speak to each other. Because they are used as a communication device between applications, there is sensitive data that is transferred through them.  This data is what hackers are trying to gain access to.  As more and more software and web-based applications utilize this means of communication, more entry points are created for possible infiltration and exposure.  Sensitive data attacks are what is most reported on by the media, but this is not the only type of exposure that is left vulnerable by insecure APIs.

Application containerization

Application containerization has increased in popularity recently because it allows developers to create and deploy applications faster and without deploying as many resources as have been used traditionally.  It is an Operating System (OS) level virtualization method used to deploy and then run applications without launching an entire Virtual Machine (VM) for each application.  They share resources with the core OS, and this leads to gains in efficiency for memory, CPU and storage in comparison to conventional VM’s and physical hosting.  Where the concern lays deploying containerized applications is, they are not isolated from the main OS.  This allows easier access once penetrated to the entire system.  They are not as easily secured as a traditionally hosted application and tools to scan and monitor the container are almost nonexistent.  Because they are not as easily secured, scanned or monitored, once they have been penetrated, it is very difficult to detect the unauthorized access.

If you missed Part 1 of this series: Top Predicted Cyber Attacks of 2020

If you are worried that your data could be breached or accessed, please reach out to HubWise Technology, jmoen@hubwisetech.com (402) 210-7138 to discuss what you are currently doing to secure your network and how it can be improved.

Artificial Intelligence

AI as a Service (AIaaS) will allow easier access to Artificial Intelligence without a large investment.  AIaaS broken down is a service that is offered by companies that currently have an AI platform and infrastructure in place.  These services will continue to grow in 2020.  For an example, Google’s Cloud Platform has a varied array of in-house AI capabilities, including speech recognition, translation, image content identification and maybe most importantly for AIaaS, predictive analytics.  Google also offers it’s TensorFlow software library via an Open Source Apache license for use.

5G Wireless

5G is coming and it is coming soon, new data speeds will as much as 100 times faster than what is currently being offered through 4G, with up to 100 gigabit per second download speed.  When 4G debuted, speeds were up to 500 times faster than 3G and allowed true HD TV on mobile, fast mobile browsing and made high-quality video calls all a possibility.  5G allows a true development of the Internet of Things with the predicted 20 billion connections by the end of 2020 and will reduce latency.  This reduction in latency should allow your data connections to replace cabled internet and WIFI.  This quicker data will allow seamless flow of data whether you are working from your office or on the road.

Autonomous (self-driving) Vehicles

2020 should produce major changes in the availability and usage of autonomous driving capable vehicles.  Self-driving cars are already a reality, but it is a new technology that still needs more being testing and improvement before it can authentically become practical for everyday use.  Uber recently purchased 600 acres to be used as a testing ground with hopes of being able to deploy autonomous vehicles in the near future.  Waymo has been testing its driverless taxi service in localized parts of Phoenix for over a year and have over 1,500 monthly active users with over 100,000 total rides.

Automation

Automation is the process of replacing work that has been traditionally done by humans with technology.  Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and the advances in the available tools for RPA have made Automation easier to achieve.  Hyperautomation allows businesses to automate more complex work.  It uses a combination of advanced technologies including Machine Learning (ML) and AI.  This will change the focus of automation from simple rules-based tasks to knowledge work, this shift should allow for a greater ROI. The use of AI and ML in combination will allow automation for tasks that have been thought of in the past as only capable by humans.

BlockChain

Practical applications of Block Chain management are becoming a reality.  In the simplest terms a blockchain is a database that is shared across a network of computers.  It is made up of 3 parts, the record, information, the block, a bundle of records and the chain, all the blocks linked together.  These records when linked together are very difficult to change and the records are usually decentralized.  Blockchains have been the basis for bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for years, but many other practical uses are beginning to emerge.  Emerging uses include banking records, supply chain management, healthcare, property records and even voting.  These networks can be set up to allow multiple companies access to critical encrypted records but not allow access to private data.  To manage a supply chain, currently most companies use a slow, manual process.  With blockchain, unchangeable records can be added which will allow tracking materials from the original source all the way to the final user or endpoint.  You could track diamonds and ensure they are truly conflict free prior to purchase or verify that your organic beef is from a trusted source.

As technology advances, is your company situated to take advantage of these changes?  If you are not sure, contact HubWise Technology, jmoen@hubwisetech.com or 402-339-7441.

Over the last couple years, Ransomware, Malware and Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) have become so commonplace that the verbiage is now part of the lexicon.  These threats will not disappear but will continue to evolve. There are measures that can be put in place to stop or at a minimum hinder these types of attacks, but how will we stop the next generation and what will they be. At HubWise Technology we constantly try to evolve our ability to detect these threats and stop them from invading our customers networks.    

McAfee recently posted a discussion about what they believe to be the next wave of threats that we must prepare for.  With the advances that are being made to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) they will be more advanced and, in the beginning, harder to spot.  What they, McAfee see as the greatest security threats to evolve in the coming year are; An increase in the quality of deep fakes, used to bypass facial recognition and created for misinformation. Ransomware attacks will still be prevalent but with become 2 stage extortion schemes, Application Programming Interfaces (API) will be found as the weakest link leading to cloud-native threats, new threats will emerge due to misconfigurations in containerized applications.   

Deep Fakes

Recently deep fakes have become part of the new lexicon.  These videos are currently getting better and more sophisticated which makes it more difficult to tell reality from fake.  These are videos that take a person in an existing image or video and replace them with the likeness of someone else.  While we may laugh at a video that has an image of Nicolas Cage superimposed over another actors’ face, there are security risks involved also.  One of the larger risks involved with these videos are political and the ability of deep fakes to influence the masses. This could become critical during the 2020 election cycle.  Earlier this year a video of Nancy Pelosi was passed as proof that she was slurring through a speech, this slur either caused by inebriation or health risks.  The larger and more immediate concern is their use to defraud individuals or corporations.  In early 2019, a British CEO was tricked by a deep fake into sending almost $250,000 to a scammer; he believed he was speaking to the CEO of his parent company.  Currently a coalition of tech companies have started The Deepfake Detection Challenge to find an easier way to distinguish between a real video and a deepfake.  At Present it is a complicated process using a similar algorithm to what is used to make them or using Blockchain to verify the source of the media prior to it’s release.   

Look for part 2 which will discuss 2 stage extortion schemes, API threats and containerized applications and the risks associated with them. If you question your network security and would like to know that it is safe, please reach out to HubWise Technology, jmoen@hubwisetech.com or at 402-339-7441 

For 3.4 million dollars, what do you get? You get the use of supercapacitors to drive electric power instead of the use of Lithium Ion batteries.  Supercapacitors are 3 times lighter and store 3 times the amount of energy in comparison to a lithium ion battery.  They also recharge incredibly quick through braking only and always discharge all the stored energy when in use.  This low weight battery adds an additional 34 horsepower to the 785 horsepower that is generated by 6.5-liter V12.  This additional power makes the Sian the most powerful Lamborghini ever built.  This extra power pushes the Sian to a 2.8 second 0-60 time, about .2 seconds faster than the Aventador SVJ, the old record holder.  More impressive is the mid-speed power that the supercapacitors create.  It takes 1.2 seconds less time to accelerate from 43 mph to 75 mph. The car is electronically limited to a top end speed of 217 mph. 

The opinions of this car vary from person to person as much as one would expect.  It is not the fastest hybrid hyper-car, the Ferrari SF90 Stradale and McLaren Speedtail have better numbers on the track and at the dyno, its exclusivity makes it valued by Lamborghini enthusiasts. The use of supercapacitors instead of Lithium Ion set it apart from the crowd and allows Lamborghini to test in real life the potential of this energy source.   

 

 

 

The purpose of this feature is, when the PC is woken up from a Wake on LAN event, it will use this timer rather than the user set sleep timer. The problem we are seeing is that it takes over after any wake event, even user interaction. It seems that on these new HPs, the default timer is 2 minutes. This may be happening on other brands, but I have not experienced it myself. 

Now the fix. Normally, this kind of thing could be found in Advanced Power Settings. To access this, navigate Settings > System > Power & Sleep > Additional Power Settings > Change Plan Settings > Change Advanced Power Settings > Sleep. The problem is that this setting is missing in power options. We have to make a change to the registry to reenable it. If you open regedit.exe and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Control > Power > PowerSettings > 238C9FA8-0AAD-41ED-83F4-97BE242C8F20 > 7bc4a2f9-d8fc-4469-b07b-33eb785aaca0, you will see an entry called attributes on the right. If you double click this to edit, you can change the value from 1 to 2. Upon returning to advanced power settings, you will find the System Unattended Sleep Timeout feature is now available. You can change this value to match your normal sleep timeout to resolve this issue. Hopefully, this will be fixed in future builds. 

These new repair locations will have to have an Apple certified technician on staff.  This gives the repair locations access to Apples parts, tools, training, service guides, diagnostics testing and additional resources from Apple.  These parts and services will be offered at the same price structure that authorized Apple service providers. 

In 2017, 8 states brought forward a bill that would force OEM’s to give access to repair manuals and diagnostic equipment at a reasonable price.  These could be accessed by small independent repair shops and product owners.  This was pushed to the legislature across the nation by repair shops, farmers and business owners.  The reasoning behind the bill was the owners of electronics, farm equipment and manufacturing equipment have the right to fix their owned equipment themselves or at the repair shop of their choosing.  They believe that forcing equipment owners to only use manufacturers reps and authorized repair shops violates current Anti-Trust laws. Apple and John Deere let the charge of opponents to the bill and all 8 of these bills did not pass.   

With the strong opposition to the differing Fair Repair Acts pushed forward in 2017 across the United States, it was surprising to find Apple allowing more access to their repair manuals, parts and diagnostic equipment.