Research from techUK shows that less than half of small UK businesses consider themselves to be ready to face a no-deal Brexit on 31 October, whereas 87% of larger businesses think they are prepared. Small and Medium The techUK research shows that only 43% of UK small businesses think they are ready for the prospect of a no-deal Brexit, which is not too different to the mere 50% of medium-sized companies that expressed readiness. Not Up To Date With Government Guidance The survey revealed that although most enterprises are aware that the government has given guidance on getting ready for [...]

Telegram describes itself as the fastest messaging app on the market, and uses a unique, distributed network of data centres around the globe so that’s it’s not only a simple, fast, secure messaging service that’s synced across all your devices, but also has added features and an ease of operation that many prefer to WhatsApp. Everything on Telegram (chats, groups, media, etc.) is encrypted using a combination of 256-bit symmetric AES encryption.  Also, the app has a clean interface, there are no adverts, and Telegram offers powerful photo and video editing tools. Telegram is available on the Google Play Store [...]

Speaking at a recent CloudSec event in London, Trend Micro’s vice-president of security research, Rik Ferguson said that AI cyberattacks operated autonomously are an inevitable threat that security professionals must adapt to tackling. If Leveraged By Cybercriminals Mr Ferguson said that when cybercriminals manage to leverage the power of AI, organisations may find themselves experiencing attacks that happen very quickly, contain malicious code, and can even adapt themselves to target specific people in an organisation e.g. impersonating senior company personnel in order to get payments authorised, pretending to be a penetration testing tool, or finding ways to motivate targeted persons to [...]

The acquisition of AI voice recognition start-up Apprente by the McDonalds franchise gives the restaurant chain its own Silicon Valley technology division and promises an automated ordering system for drive-throughs, self-order interfaces and the mobile app. Apprente Apprente is a Silicon Valley-based start-up (founded 2017, Mountain View, California) that specialises in making customer service chatbots.  Its acquisition by McDonald’s gives the restaurant chain its own AI-powered voice-based conversational system that can handle human-level interactions, thereby helping improve the speed and accuracy of orders. It is thought that the Apprente system will not completely replace the traditional front of house staff, [...]

A new global Forrester Consulting study predicts major changes in their service workforce over the next five years, including replacing call centre and customer service centre staff with automated dispatch notification. The Study The “From Grease To Code: What Drives Digital Service Transformation” study, commissioned by cloud-based software for service execution management company ServiceMax, highlights the opinions of 675 digital transformation decision-makers across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, that are undergoing or have completed much of their digital transformation. The Findings The report predicts disruptive and major changes to service workforces globally in the next five [...]

Security researcher Aleksejs Kuprins of CSIS cybersecurity services company has discovered 24 apps which have been available for download in the Google Play Store that contain ‘Joker’ malware. What Is Joker Malware? Joker malware is a spy and premium subscription bot that makes money by simulating clicks. If, for example, a Joker infected app is downloaded, the malware delivers a second-stage component which silently simulates the interaction with advertisement websites, and steals the victim’s SMS messages, their contact list and their device information. One of the silent automated interactions with advertisement websites includes simulation of clicks and entering of the [...]

France’s finance minister, Bruno Le Maire has said that the development of Facebook’s new Libra cryptocurrency will be blocked in Europe unless concerns over risks to consumers and to the monetary systems of countries can be addressed. Libra – Announced in June Announced in June this year and due to be launched in 2020, Libra is Facebook’s cryptocurrency which will enable payments to be made by a special phone app and by messaging services such as WhatsApp so that spending the new currency could be as easy and fast as texting.  Management of the currency, units of which can be [...]

If you’d like a free, graphic design app that can help you to improve your business and social media communications then Canva may be the app for you. Canva is a versatile graphic design app: full editor, Instagram story maker, video maker, video editor, logo maker and poster maker, enabling you to easily stay on brand and create some very professional logo and poster designs with your photos and videos. Canva also provides a great way to design your Instagram Highlight cover and create a logo and banner for social networks (Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter). You can get Canva on [...]

A recent Wall Street Journal report has highlighted how, in March this year, a group of hackers were able to use AI software to mimic an energy company CEO’s voice in order to steal £201,000. What Happened? Reports indicate that the CEO of an unnamed UK-based energy company received a phone call from someone that he believed to be the German chief executive of the parent company.  The person on the end of the phone ordered the CEO of the UK-based energy company to immediately transfer €220,000 (£201,000) into the bank account of a Hungarian supplier. The voice was reported [...]

The Human Factor report from Proofpoint shows that almost all cyber-attacks, at some stage, involve the exploitation of human error in the form of social engineering. What Are Social Engineering Attacks? Social engineering attacks involve the manipulation and deception of people into performing actions such as transferring money to criminal accounts or divulging confidential information. What Kind of Attacks? The Proofpoint Human Factor report makes the point that as many as 99% of cyber-attacks now involve social engineering through cloud applications, email or social media.  Social engineering attacks can also involve cybercriminals making phone calls to key persons in an organisation. Easier [...]