Google 20% Time Policy Projects Take Users Around the World
February 18, 2016
The article on StumbleUpon titled 12 Lesser-Known Google Projects That Are Absolutely Amazing describes how certain Google employees took advantage of their creative time, or “20% time polcy” that dictates one day a week should be used experimentally. Hence some of these whimsical concepts like Google Sky, which functions similarly to Google Earth but in the far-out setting of space. Another idea is the game Ingress,
“Ingress transforms the real world into the landscape for a global game of mystery, intrigue, and competition. Our future is at stake. You must choose a side. A mysterious energy has been unearthed by a team of scientists in Europe. The origin and purpose of this force is unknown, but some researchers believe it is influencing the way we think. We must control it or it will control us.”
Other projects offer outlets to explore global culture and history, such as the World Wonders Project, which enables users to view high-res photos and 3D views of distant places like the Pyramids of Giza and Angor Wat. The Google Art Project contains quality images of important artworks from 400 art museums all over the world and allows users to build their own collections for take audio tours to learn more about famous pieces. Overall, the projects encourage increased engagement with technology, culture, and creativity.
Chelsea Kerwin, February 18, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Was the Silk Road Trial Fair?
February 17, 2016
The Dark Web burst into the general consciousness with underground Web site called the Silk Road was busted. Ross Ulbricht aka the Dread Pirate Roberts ran the crime ridden Web site Silk Road that was a darknet playground for drug pushers, sex traffickers, money launders, hackers, and just about every other relatable crime that wants an untraceable presence. The Naked Security blog by Sophos proposes the question “Ross Ulbricht Appeals Silk Road Conviction-Did He Get A Fair Trial?”
In 2015, Ulbricht was convicted for money laundering, drug and hacking-related charges, and sentenced to two life terms with an additional forty years for running the entire Silk Road network. Ulbricht’s lawyers appealed the case based on the grounds that the law enforcement officials were guilty themselves of stealing bitcoins and extorting from Ulbricht. The evidence proving this was, of course, withheld in the trial and any favorable pro-Ulbricht evidence was suppressed.
“Ulbricht’s family paints a very different picture of him than federal prosecutors. The family has been waging a campaign to “Free Ross Ulbricht” that accuses the government of framing Ulbricht as part of the “failed War on Drugs,” and depicting his case as a milestone in the government’s crackdown on Internet freedom. Ulbricht’s defense attorneys argued at trial, and in his appeal, that Ulbricht had founded the Silk Road using the pseudonym Dread Pirate Roberts, but that he had sold his stake and was framed by subsequent operators.”
Ulbricht’s family says that the two corrupt agents Shaun Bridges and Carl Force had administrative privileges on Silk Road and would have been able to manipulate information in their favor. They claim the information was withheld when Ulbricht’s case went to court and the government kept it under seal to protect its agents.
Ulbricht and his family have many supporters saying that the two consecutive life terms without parole was too harsh of a punishment. They also claim that Ulbricht’s Fourth Amendment rights were breached.
The US government, however, thinks otherwise. They want to make an example of Ross Ulbricht and send a message to cyber criminals that they cannot hide behind the Dark Web’s invisibility cloak. The Dark Web might be a mask criminals wear, but a light can unmask them.
Whitney Grace, February 17, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
DirectEDGAR plus DtSearch Equals Superior Search for Analysts and Researchers
February 17, 2016
The article on PRNewswire titled directEDGAR SEC Edgar Database Research Platform Now Embeds The dtSearch® Engine for Enhanced Search and Retrieval discusses the partnership between dtSearch, AcademicEDGAR+, and AppsPlus. The merger is meant to improve advanced search for analysts and academic researchers who rely on search to enable them to wade through tens of millions of documents. Why did Dr. Kealey, CEO of AcademicEDGAR+ choose dtsearch? He explains in the article,
“We have over two terabytes of SEC filings and there was no other vendor whose offering allowed immediate access to any document in the results set no matter how many documents are returned.” Dr. Kealey also notes that search granularity is critically important, and dtSearch’s unique operators extend far beyond the standard Boolean operators…To complete the implementation, AcademicEDGAR+ chose AppsPlus.”
AppsPlus has been around for over 15 years aiding in a huge range of development projects across industries. The article explains that with directEDGAR, users get more than just search. The product allows for extraction and normalization in one stop. That capability, paired with dtSearch’s instant search of terabytes, makes this partnership very exciting. Those academic researchers must be drooling into their elbow patches to get their hands on the new service.
Chelsea Kerwin, February 17, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
The UK Government Invests in Secure Startups
February 15, 2016
The UK has been criticized as being one of the most invasive countries when it comes to monitoring individuals and having security cameras everywhere, even on garbage cans. While the question, “how much is too much?” runs around people’s heads, there is also a concern about the lax of security developments. The UK is much like its former colony the United States in that is interested in beefing up security technology InfoSecurity says in the article, “Government Start-up Support Creates A ‘Very Exciting Time.’”
Government support for UK security tech start-ups is one of the main driving forces in the industry. It demonstrates that the UK government is invested in advancing new ideas and help new companies get the leg up they need to develop the best possibly product before it is delivered to a bigger market. It also proves that the government is taking cybersecurity as a very serious risk that needs bolstering to counteract actions taken by terrorists and rogue nations.
“This week, the UK government announced a £250,000 Early Stage Accelerator Programme to help start-ups in the space get advice, support and funding to develop their products and services and bring them to market. It will be run by Cyber London—described as “Europe’s first cybersecurity accelerator and incubator space”—and the Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT) at Queen’s University Belfast.”
While venture corporations are usually the first place start-ups turn to for investments, the government plays a crucial role in regulating the technology and helping companies grow beyond their initial roots. It also allows the new security start-ups to make important connections with the right government officials to build strategic relationships.
It is wonderful that western governments are taking cyber threats more seriously and take preemptive action against dangerous threats. It would be even better if smaller law enforcement agencies at the city and state level in the US were more capable of handling cyber attacks.
Whitney Grace, February 15, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Wrangle That Data: Trifacta Receives $35 Million
February 14, 2016
When I read “Data Cleaning Software Company Trifacta Raises $35 Million,” I realized that the notion of automating the clean up of disparate data was an unsolved problem. Odd. I have been operating on the assumption that tools from Lexmark Kapow and Palantir had tamed that stallion years ago. Wrong.
According to the write up:
New investor Cathay Innovation and existing investors Accel Partners, Greylock Partners, and Ignition Partners participated in the new round. To date, the company has raised more than $76 million, including the $25 million round announced May 2014.
That’s a reasonable chunk of change for a function many search and content processing vendors suggest is a no brainer. Trifacta has a pocketful of cash to provide some evidence that the belief that cleaning up data remains a big, big problem.
Will Trifacta surge to the top of the data clean up pile. If one takes a peek at the azure chip consulting firm reports on this housekeeping sector, there are quite a few vendors chasing customers in this sector.
Now returning to the question about incumbents like Kapow and Palantir. Where are these companies? I can understand why Kapow has slipped from some folks’ radar, but the Palantir operation is active in the commercial sector and seems to have helpers, wizards, and smart software which allows a person with little or no training to import, process, and extract insights from disparate data.
Do those funding Trifacta perceive Kapow and Palantir as companies unable or unwilling to tackle the problems Trifacta addresses? Good question.
Stephen E Arnold, February 14, 2016
Dark Web Crime Has Its Limits
February 12, 2016
The Dark Web is an intriguing and mysterious phenomenon, but rumors about what can be found there are exaggerated. Infomania examines what is and what is not readily available in that murky realm in, “Murder-for-Hire on the Dark Web? It Can’t Be True!”
Anonymity is the key factor in whether certain types of criminals hang out their shingles on the TOR network. Crimes that can be more easily committed without risking identification include drug trafficking, fraud, and information leaks. On the other hand, contract assassins, torture-as-entertainment, and human trafficking are not actually to be found, despite reports to the contrary. See the article for details on each of these, and more. The article cites independent researcher Chris Monteiro as it summarizes:
The dark web is rife with cyber crime. But it’s more rampant with sensationalized myths about assassination and torture schemes — which, as Chris can attest, simply aren’t true. “What’s interesting is so much of the coverage of these scam sites is taken at face value. Like, ‘There is a website. Therefore its contents must be true.’ Even when mainstream media picks it up, very few pick it up skeptically,” he says.
Take the Assassination Market, for example. When news outlets got wind of its alleged existence in 2013, they ran with the idea of “Murder-for-hire!!” on the Internet underground. Although Chris has finally demonstrated that these sites are not real, their legend lives on in Internet folklore. “Talking about the facts — this is how cybercrime works, this is how Tor and Bitcoin work — is a lot less sexy than saying, ‘If you click on the wrong link, you’ll be kidnapped, and you’ll end up in a room where you’ll be livestreamed, murdered, and you’re all over the internet!’” Chris says. “All I can do is point out what’s proven and what isn’t.”
So, next time someone spins a scary tale about killers-for-hire who are easily found online, you can point them to this article. Yes, drug trafficking, stolen data, and other infractions are big problems associated with the Dark Web, but let us not jump at shadows.
Cynthia Murrell, February 12, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Barry Zane and SPARQL City Acquired by Cambridge Semantics for Graph Technology
February 12, 2016
The article titled Cambridge Semantics Acquires SPARQL City’s IP, Expanding Offering of Graph-Cased Analytics at Big Data Scale on Business Wire discusses the benefits of merging Cambridge’s Semantics’ Anzo Smart Data Platform with SPARQL City’s graph analysis capacities. The article specifically mentions the pharmaceutical industry, financial services, and homeland security as major business areas that this partnership will directly engage due to the enhanced data analysis and graph technologies now possible.
“We believe this IP acquisition is a game-changer for big data analytics and smart data discovery,” said Chuck Pieper, CEO of Cambridge Semantics. “When coupled with our Anzo Smart Data Platform, no one else in the market can provide a similar end-to-end, semantic- and graph-based solution providing for data integration, data management and advanced analytics at the scale, context and speed that meets the needs of enterprises. The SPARQL City in-memory graph query engine allows users to conduct exploratory analytics at big data scale interactively.”
Barry Zane, a leader in database analytics with 40 years experience and CEO and founder of SPARQL City, will become the VP of Engineering at Cambridge Semantics. He mentions in the article that this acquisition has been a long time coming, with the two companies working together over the last two years.
Chelsea Kerwin, February 12, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
AI Startups Use Advanced AI Technology to Improve Daily Chores
February 11, 2016
The article on e27 titled 5 Asian Artificial Intelligence Startups that Caught Our Eye lists several exciting new companies working to unleash AI technology, often for quotidian tasks. For example, Arya.ai provides for speeder and more productive decision-making, while Mad Street Den and Niki.ai offers AI shopping support! The article goes into detail about the latter,
“Niki understands human language in the context of products and services that a consumer would like to purchase, guides her along with recommendations to find the right service and completes the purchase with in-chat payment. It performs end-to-end transactions on recharge, cab booking and bill payments at present, but Niki plans to add more services including bus booking, food ordering, movie ticketing, among others.”
Mad Street Den, on the other hand, is more focused on object recognition. Users input an image and the AI platform seeks matches on e-commerce sites. Marketers will be excited to hear about Appier, a Taiwan-based business offering cross-screen insights, or in layman’s terms, they can link separate devices belonging to one person and also estimate how users switch devices during the day and what each device will be used for. These capabilities allow marketers to make targeted ads for each device, and a better understanding of who will see what and via which device.
Chelsea Kerwin, February 11, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Reviews on Dark Web Email Providers Shared by Freedom Hacker
February 10, 2016
The Dark Web has many layers of sites and services, as the metaphor provided in the .onion extension suggests. List of secure Dark Web email providers in 2016 was recently published on Freedom Hacker to detail and review the Dark Web email providers currently available. These services, typically offering both free and pro account versions, facilitate emailing without any type of third-party services. That even means you can forget any hidden Google scripts, fonts or trackers. According to this piece,
“All of these email providers are only accessible via the Tor Browser, an anonymity tool designed to conceal the end users identity and heavily encrypt their communication, making those who use the network anonymous. Tor is used by an array of people including journalists, activists, political-dissidents, government-targets, whistleblowers, the government and just about anyone since it’s an open-source free tool. Tor provides a sense of security in high-risk situations and is often a choice among high-profile targets. However, many use it day-to-day as it provides identity concealment seamlessly.”
We are intrigued by the proliferation of these services and their users. While usage numbers in this article are not reported, the write-up of the author’s top five email applications indicate enough available services to necessitate reviews. Equally interesting will be the response by companies on the clearweb, or the .com and other regular sites. Not to mention how the government and intelligence agencies will interact with this burgeoning ecosystem.
Megan Feil, February 10, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Squiz and Verint Team up to Save the Government from Itself
February 9, 2016
The article titled Verint and Squiz Announce Partnership to Further Enable Digital Transformation for Government on BusinessWire conveys the global ambitions of the two companies. The article positions Verint, an intel-centric company, and Squiz, an Australian content management company, as the last hope for the world’s governments (on the local, regional, and national level.) While things may not be so dire as all that, the merger is aimed at improving governmental organization, digital management, and customer engagement. The article explains,
“Today, national, regional and local governments across the world are implementing digital transformation strategies, reflecting the need to proactively help deliver citizen services and develop smarter cities. A key focus of such strategies is to help make government services accessible and provide support to their citizens and businesses when needed. This shift to digital is more responsive to citizen and community needs, typically reducing phone or contact center call volumes, and helps government organizations identify monetary savings.”
It will come as no surprise to learn that government bureaucracy is causing obstacles when it comes to updating IT processes. Together, Squiz and Verint hope to aid officials in implementing streamlined, modernized procedures and IT systems while focusing on customer-facing features and ensuring intuitive, user-friendly interfaces. Verint in particular emphasizes superior engagement practices through its Verint Engagement Management service.
Chelsea Kerwin, February 9, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
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