Amazon: Now on a Piracy and Counterfeiting List
April 30, 2020
DarkCyber doubts some sensational headlines, but many times the factoids conveyed are interesting and often amusing. Here’s an example:
Amazon’s Foreign Websites Named in US Piracy and Counterfeiting Report
The story reports that “several of Amazon’s foreign websites have been added to the US trade regulators “Notorious Markets” report on marketplaces known for counterfeiting and piracy concerns.”
DarkCyber assumes that “foreign” means non US centric Web sites. What’s intended is that country specific Amazon Web sites in Canada, France, Germany, India, and the UK purvey counterfeit goods.
The article states:
The USTR [Office of the US Trade Representative] said it had received complaints that seller information displayed by Amazon was often misleading and allegations it was too easy for anyone to sell on Amazon “because Amazon does not sufficiently vet sellers on its platforms.”
Will this have legs? Amazon is challenging some US government procedures with the spin that President Trump is not a fan of the online bookstore.
DarkCyber believes that President Trump conflates the Washington Post (owned by a Bezos entity) with Amazon’s ecommerce business.
Maybe doing more research will allow the Office of the US Trade Representative to determine if the allegation is accurate or a misunderstanding.
Stephen E Arnold, April 30, 2020
Amazon: Business Is Business
April 30, 2020
The truthy real news outfit published “Amazon turns to Chinese Firm on US Blacklist to Meet Thermal Camera Needs.” The write up points out that Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co Ltd is one of the outfits the US government does not buy from. Companies like Amazon are not constrained. But a deal is a deal.
A possibly afflicted employee possibly making a mobile phone call allegedly whilst working in an Amazon warehouse. Illustrative image source: https://bit.ly/35gD2vF
Thermal or multi spectral cameras are just less expensive when sourced from the Middle Kingdom. Plus the cameras are needed to make sure the happy, well paid, motivated Amazon warehouse workers are not ill. The idea is that a snap of a worker with a fever turns up as a bright blob. Amazon’s professional and sensitive managers can then rush to assist the afflicted professional. When employee health is concerned, Amazon leaves no low cost supplier in the dark. Business is business, even in matters of financial probity and health.
Stephen E Arnold, April 30, 2020
Zoom to the Oracle
April 30, 2020
One Dolphin Way is flipping with excitement. DarkCyber spotted “Oracle Wins Cloud Computing Deal with Zoom as Video Calls Surge.” From the truthy real news outfit DarkCyber learned:
Zoom and Oracle did not disclose the size of the deal, but said traffic for “millions” of meeting participants is being handled by Oracle’s cloud service and about 7 million gigabytes of Zoom data per day is flowing through Oracle servers.
With a nifty new computer security wizard providing advice, Zoom is taking steps to become a more reliable outfit. (Never mind that the security wizard was on watch when the unfortunate Yahoo and Facebook glitches took place. It is the PR that counts.)
Will Oracle deal with the Zoom feature of disallowing connections?
What’s interesting is that Oracle is working overtime to gain traction in what looks like a two horse race: Microsoft Azure on the outside and the Bezos bulldozer’s AWS on the inside rail.
Worth watching; that is, if one can connect to a meeting.
Stephen E Arnold, April 30, 2020
Dark Web Marketplace Bans Fake Vaccine Sales
April 30, 2020
As the Internet’s underbelly, the dark web sells illegal drugs and weapons, child pornography, and one can even hire hit men. The dark web operates more on profit than a conscience. Inside Bitcoins, however, explains that there is one white knight out there: “Notable Dark Web Marketplace Bans COVID-19 Vaccine Sale.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments have cracked down on brick and mortar as well as online retailers who jack up prices on important supplies: PPE, soap, hand sanitizer, bleach, disposable gloves, face masks, etc. They have also banned the sale of any so-called “cure” or “vaccine” for COVID-19. According to current health care news, there is not a cure for COVID-19. Health care professionals are actively researching for the cure, but it has not been discovered yet.
That does not mean people will not be fooled.
Monopoly Market is a popular dark web marketplace and it has banned the sale of any COVID-19 vaccines or cures. Since a cure does not exist right now, people could be buying and ingesting dangerous substances from the dark web. Other dark web marketplaces are not so ethical. So-called COVID-19 cures and vaccines are selling for hundreds of dollars.
It is nice to know that some black hat hackers are ethical:
“However, it’s also worth noting that Monopoly Market isn’t the only entity that has taken a stand against using the coronavirus to make money. Last month, popular cybersecurity blog Bleeping Computer confirmed that it had contacted seven ransomware operators concerning their plans for the virus. Two of those reportedly wrote back and confirmed that they won’t be targeting hospitals during the pandemic.”
While there are a few white knights, the majority of black hat hackers and dark web sellers do not care who they hurt as long as they can profit. Bad actors are bad actors, but one good act does not absolve them.
Whitney Grace, April 30, 2020
Sigma Gets $30 Million In Key Funding
April 30, 2020
Once the economic ramifications from the COVID-19 pandemic are underway and you are adjusting your investment portfolio, data analytics company stocks should not lose any value. Why? Data analytics platforms are in high demand and Sigma Computing recently nabbed: “Sigma Computing Raises $30 Million More For Cloud Data Analytics Tools” says Venture Beat.
Sigma Computing held a series B round of founding and added another $30 million to their fund. Investors in the second funding round include Sutter Hill Ventures and Altimeter Capital. CEO for Sigma Computing Rob Woollen said the money would be used for product development and product support.
Woollen stated that data is useless without making it comprehendible and capable of delivering actionable BI insights. Sigma makes data useable, but also keeping in mind the importance of governance, security issues, and compliance. Sigma uses a spreadsheet-like UI that transforms data from any source into useful insights, plus the search tool is powerful:
“Searches can be performed by natural language and by filter, the results of which can be compiled in an embeddable report and delivered via email. Where collaboration is concerned, Sigma’s link feature enables users to map data relationships and add linked data to documents. The platform’s workspaces are conducive to sharing — they can be circulated among teams, departments, or entire organizations — and spotlight important data blocks, worksheets, and interfaces with visual badges and a range of visualizations.”
Sigma Computing includes Zumper, Navis, LendUp, Clover, Volta, and Olivela among their clients. They sell software for data visualization and big data/business analytics, both markets combined are worth over $11 million. It sounds like a good investment.
Whitney Grace, April 30, 2020
Google Meet: A Zoom Challenger
April 29, 2020
DarkCyber thought that Google Hangouts was the Zoom challenger. Wrong again it seems.
Google Meet will be rolling out in the near future, possibly now. Google’s Zoom is a digital place to hangout. Errr, no. Google Meet is a place to meet. There’s a difference, probably best understood by someone who used one of Google’s numerous chat applications. Meet seems to be another Google “me too” play, but apparently it’s a mature, deep, and unique way to hangout, I mean, meet.
According to “Google Meet Premium Video Conferencing—Free for Everyone”:
Today [April 29, 2020] , we’re making Google Meet, our premium video conferencing product, free for everyone, with availability rolling out over the coming weeks. We’ve invested years in making Meet a secure and reliable video conferencing solution that’s trusted by schools, governments and enterprises around the world, and in recent months we’ve accelerated the release of top-requested features to make it even more helpful.
Okay, just get a Google account and anyone can use Google Meet. Will Google Meet be available in China? Russia? Errr. DarkCyber does not know.
Several points from the Google announcement:
- Meet was available to G Suite customers. I am a G Suite customer, and I did not know there was a Google Meet. Hangouts, yes. Meet, no.
- Meet will allow me to stream for up to “100,000 viewers within your domain.” What’s a domain? The write up does not say.
- The write up says, “Free G Suite Essentials for enterprise customers.” Will there be a for fee service offering more than essentials.
Like many Googley announcements, the sizzle is evident. But does the steak have Zoomy features like animated backgrounds, transcripts, and a reasonably coherent interface.
Will Google Meet face the same fate as Shoelace? What? Who? Exactly.
PS. The Meet anigif is retro, even MySpacey.
Stephen E Arnold, April 30, 2020
Policeware and Intelware: Change Underway, Pushback Likely
April 29, 2020
Law enforcement and intelligence are tricky subjects. For decades, the work of government employees and the specialized firms supporting sensitive operations have worked to stay out of the headlines. The spotlight was for rock stars and movie icons, not for investigators, security, and intelligence professionals.
Most of the companies in what I call the policeware and intelware markets have to and prefer to work with people who have been in their foxhole. The result has been the equivalent of a stealth market sector. The clients — traditionally government agencies — like the low profile approach as well. Many of the activities of these professionals and the firms supporting their operations are in a position of considerable risk.
But that seems to be changing. Recent examples include:
Cellebrite’s Covid campaign. The idea is that specialized mobile phone analysis tools can assist with the pandemic. You can read about this in “Cellebrite Pitching iPhone Hacking Tools As a Way to Stop COVID-19.”
A lone wolf employee. You can learn that the NSO Group finds itself in the middle of another PR issue. You can read about this challenge in “NSO Employee Abused Phone Hacking Tech to Target a Love Interest.”
A little known past of a high profile innovator. The somewhat unusual company Banjo finds itself in the spotlight over the allegations made about the firm’s founder. You can read about this in “CEO of Surveillance Firm Banjo Once Helped KKK Leader Shoot Up a Synagogue.”
These examples — if accurate and verifiable — suggest that Silicon Valley attitudes have penetrated the developers of policeware and intelware.
The majority of the companies providing specialized services are probably operating in a reasonably responsible way. Today policeware and intelware have become a multi billion dollar a year market. Most people will never encounter outfits with names like Elbit, Gamma or iCarbon X, and hundreds of others.
The fact is that the behaviors of a small number of companies is causing the policeware and intelware vendors to become the stuff of the talking heads on televised news programs, the launch pad for tweets and blog posts, and a source of embarrassment for the government entities relying on these companies and their products.
What troubles DarkCyber is that an increasing number of vendors of specialized services have realized that many government functions cannot operate without their expertise, products, and engineering. Consequently, what I call “high school science club management” has pushed aside the traditional methods of generating revenue.
Now policeware and intelware vendors offer podcasts, assuming that investigators and intelligence professionals have the time and interest to listen to marketing information about the latest and greatest in graph generation, analytics, and visualization.
There are experts who want to build their own book and training businesses. In the last three days, I have received a half dozen email blandishments to attend this free webinar or download that list of OSINT tools.
What’s next?
Google online advertising to get me to license Blackdot, Qwarie, and Vesper technology?
Here’s the problem:
There are too many companies chasing available policeware and intelware dollars. Established vendors capture the significant projects; for example, Darpa awarded a hefty machine learning contract to BAE Systems, one of the go-to vendors of advanced technology to defense, law enforcement, and intelligence entities.
But every dominant vendor like BAE Systems, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of smaller firms vying to contract. These smaller firms usually work within the procedures which began taking shape in World War II, largely influenced by countries like Britain and several others.
The new companies appear to support the Facebook- and Google-type approach to business. From move fast and break things to digital misdirection, the approach to generating revenue from LE and intel related products and services is shifting. Forget the low profile, off the radar approach. Today it is big trade show booths, podcasts, videos, webinars, and increasingly Madison Avenue style marketing.
Not surprisingly, the three examples cited in this essay are quite different. Cellebrite is virtue signaling. NSO Group is struggling with a lone wolf action. Banjo is dealing with a founder’s youthful dalliance with distasteful activities.
It is indeed risky to generalize. Nevertheless, something is happening within the policeware and intelware market sector. I cannot recall a cluster of news events about LE and intel service providers which startle and surprise in a triple tap moment.
Is there a fix? I want to be positive. Other firms in this sector have an opportunity to assess what their staff are doing with products and services of a quite special nature. Like the nuclear industry, great management effort is needed on an ongoing basis to ensure that secrets remain secret.
The nuclear industry may not be perfect. But at this moment in time, policeware and intelware vendors may want to examine the hiring, management, and institutional approaches in use for decades.
Regulation may be useful, but policeware and intelware is a global activity. Self-control, ethical behavior, and tight management controls are necessary. Easy to say but tough to do because of the revenue pressure many of these vendors face. Plus, outsourcing means that government agencies often cannot do their work without third party support. There is a weird symbiosis visible today: Funding sources, technologists, enforcement officers, procurement professionals, and managers with an MBA.
Bad actors love these revelations. Each item of information that reveals capabilities, weaknesses, and methodologies helps those who would undertake criminal or deleterious activities.
Unless the vendors themselves button up, the unmentionables will be exposed and flap in the wind.
Stephen E Arnold, April 29, 2020
Search Engine Optimization: The Next Frontier Is Smart SEO
April 29, 2020
Content strategy plans are the most overlooked part of any Web site design and advertising campaign. Good content is integral to selling a product or a service, but not everyone is good at creating it. News Patrolling runs down the: “Best AI Tools For Content Marketing Strategy” and how AI is becoming an industry game changer.
Content is usually the first impression consumers have of companies. It is meant to engage the consumer, then:
“It serves as a tool to communicate with your audience. If you identify their pain points to provide them with a solution, they will trust you and be more interested in buying your offerings. The growth of your business depends on content strategy. It must be as effective as possible if you do not go downhill. Artificial intelligence can help you make an effective content marketing strategy. There are various tools to help you from targeting keywords to choosing the right topic. You will be surprised to know that AI tools can create a smarter content strategy by identifying the behaviour of users. Such software can help you increase revenues and reduce cost.”
The article recommends four content marketing software: Hubpost, Quill, Clearscope, and BrightEdge. Hubpost is advertised as using machine learning to help one get an edge on competition. The software analyzes keywords to discover what consumers want, then it clusters topics based on competition level.
Quill specializes in keyword optimization and generating quality content. Clearscope also optimizes content using keywords. It helps you generate keywords based on Google data and select the best keywords to use. Once you choose a keyword and write your post, Clearscope analyzes a post with other top-ranking posts.
BrightEdge is one integrated software solution that provides performance measurement, optimization, and keywords. It is described as a one-size-fits-all for content marketing strategies.
AI can provide insights into how to create the best content, but the most important part of a content strategy plan remains creative humans.
Yep, SEO is modernizing and automating methods to ensure that ad-supported Web search engines decide what matches a query. Precision, recall, and objectivity? Forget those irrelevant concepts.
Whitney Grace, April 29, 2020
Quantum Computing: A Quite Useful Text
April 29, 2020
DarkCyber noted a useful textbook about quantum computing. Quantum Country by Andy Matuschak (former Apple engineer) and Michael Nielsen (a research fellow at Y Combinator) is a series of essay. The authors point out that you will need familiarity with linear algebra and complex numbers. A number of other topics may be useful to the reader. The authors point out that the book “makes it almost effortless to remember what you read.” Like quantum computing, the book in in a new “medium.”
Stephen E Arnold, April 29, 2020
Documentation: Possibly Too Expensive to Produce?
April 29, 2020
The cost of documentation is not a hot topic. The good old days of getting a fat manual, produced by the pre-Adobe Framemaker, has gone the way of the dodo. We noted that a possibly accurate factoid surfaced about the cost of the documentation for the US government’s Air Force One aircraft. According to Defense One, the documentation for the new Air Force One costs $84 million. You can get the details in the news story at this link.
The number is an interesting one. The cost for software documentation can be kicked under the sofa. When a “true” or allegedly “true” cost surfaces, the number may surprise.
Stephen E Arnold, April 29, 2020
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