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By Stan Swearingen, CEO of IDEX Biometrics Digital inclusion is the ability of individuals to access and use information and communication technologies (ICT). Even in today’s hyper-connected and technologically advanced world, there are still those who struggle to access basic IT and are being excluded as a result. In fact, according to recent research, 11.5m people in the UK lack the basic digital skills they need to use the internet effectively. And 4.8m people never...

By 2020, Gartner predicts the total number of IoT devices will reach 20.4 billion. At the same time, DDoS attacks are on the rise, with Cisco estimating that the number of DDoS attacks exceeding 1 gigabit of traffic per second will soar to 3.1 million by 2021. While correlation does not equal causation, in this case I believe that the two are connected. There is indeed evidence to show that IoT devices are a common...

Third-party advertising technology (ad tech) trackers from 112 companies were found on 89% of official government websites of EU member states by Cookiebot, a cookie and online tracking consent solution, after scanning 184,683 pages. Source: Bleeping Computer

The latest bill to set security standards for connected devices sold to the US government has fewer requirements, instead leaving recommendations to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Source: Dark Reading

A leaky database, which is connected to an internet-facing server, exposed personal information of over 800,000 blood donors in Singapore. According to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), the database was exposed to the Internet for nine weeks starting in January 2019. The incident was discovered by a cybersecurity expert and alerted Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC), Channel Asia reported. Source: CISO Mag

A strain of the botnet malware Mirai has emerged focused on a wider set of embedded internet-connected devices. Researchers at Palo Alto this week stated that a variant of the notorious Internet-of-Things infector is now looking to hijack TVs and projectors designed to display information and adverts, as well as the usual broadband routers, network-attached storage boxes, and IP-enabled cameras and digital video recorders. Source: The Register

Opportunistic actors are seeking to turn a quick profit from the tragic events last week in Christchurch, New Zealand, by engaging in online scams or by spreading malware embedded in content related to the gruesome attack. Source: Bleeping Computer

A large database with approximately 33 million profiles for people seeking jobs in China has been fully accessible and unprotected online. This information included sensitive information that could have been used for scammers and identity theft. The database was discovered by Sanyam Jain, a security researcher and member of GDI.Foundation, who found the database using the Shodan search engine. The 57GB Elasticsearch database contains the profiles of users in China who uploaded their resume and personal information...

The use of more artificial intelligence to improve security has been touted for a while. New research from Webroot reveals that a majority of business are now actively exploring the technology. It finds 71 percent of businesses surveyed in the United States plan to use more artificial intelligence and machine learning in their cybersecurity tools this year. However, a worrying 58 percent say that aren't sure what that technology really does. Although over one-third (36 percent) of...

Iranian hackers in recent months broke into the personal phone of Benny Gantz, a leading candidate in next month’s elections, and obtained its entire contents, according to a report Thursday. Two senior Shin Bet security service officials approached the Blue and White party chairman last month to inform him that his cellular phone had been hacked shortly after he announced his political bid, with programmers in Iran getting hold of his personal details and texts,...