DarkCyber for December 15, 2020, Now Available
December 15, 2020
The DarkCyber video news program for December 15, 2020, is now available at this link. This week’s program includes:
- Fact or fiction: Work around iCloud security for an iPad
- Germany opens backdoor to one encrypted email system
- The Dark Web and Covid is a thing
- Smart weapons and surgical strikes: The future of war
- NSO Group in the spotlight again
- Current information about beam weapons.
You may also view the program via the embedded player on the Beyond Search Web site at this link. Plus, no begging for dollars and no advertising.
Kenny Toth, December 15, 2020
Cisco Webex: An Amazing Assertion
December 9, 2020
I am not a fan of video meetings. I am not thrilled with video in general. I did, however, read “Webex Could Finally Be Catching Up to Zoom and Microsoft Teams.” Cisco acquired Webex in 2007. So that’s 13 years ago. At the time WebEx was better than previous solutions. Hey, anyone remember Databeam? The article, not surprisingly, focuses on what Cisco WebEx is now going to do in the zooming 2020s. Put that aside. This is the passage in the write up which caught my attention:
This is why we are driven to deliver a Webex experience that is 10x better than in-person—and at the same time make in-person interactions 10x better too.
Now most in person meetings I have attended were generally awful. Years ago a lawyer and Washington, DC, big wig named Manning Muntzing could run good meetings: Started on time, agenda, and a time limit. Dick Cheney, the Halliburton executive who accidentally shot his attorney, also ran a good meeting. I won’t comment on how disagreements were handled.
But Silicon Valley meetings in venture backed companies were not good experiences when revenue goals were not met. Often there were wizards toying with mobile phones, coming and going, occasional smirking, and a lot of fidgeting.
Now Webex is going to make a meeting 10x better. Okay. And the interaction thing. Yeah, that works well in the Rona era. Yep, 10x. Now. After 13 years. Got it.
Stephen E Arnold, December 9, 2020
Venture Outfit Explains Obsolescence to Main Stream Media, Amazon Twitch, and Google YouTube
December 8, 2020
I am delighted to admit that I am not involved with TikTok or other whizzy video confections. Ever try Neverthink? The name explains the service. I did, however, read “Live, Social, and Shoppable: The Future of Video.” This is a breezy, MBA, venture firm style report. More remarkable, the document appears to be available without registration hoops, crazy pop ups, or blandishments to call us for investment advice.
What the write up does do is make the poobahs stunned with the announcement that Wonder Woman is headed to streaming get another gut shot. You can work through the report, the jazzy graphics, and the little icon forests yourself.
I want to focus on a single section called “The Video First Future,” specifically, the education statements. The main idea is, in my opinion,
… video can enhance the excitement of mastering a subject and the motivation to learn.
What’s this mean? First, hasta la vista to the traditional textbook publishers, a group already tethered to revenue with a thin cotton cord. Second, YouTube variants like Udacity and its compatriots must confront change. Third, the TikTok thing is a harbinger of the future of learning.
Yep, TikTok. The write up points out:
These types of platforms take academic curriculum and mix it with fun. The resulting edutainment is a hit for both kids and parents. How can a customer churn when their kid likes their class as much as Saturday morning cartoons and video games? In these kid-friendly entertaining education platforms, kids get that immediate feedback and virtual rewards whenever they get an answer right.
The anigif example requires a knowledge of Chinese and a certain youthful spirit to appreciate.
Several observations:
- Cultural differences in managing hungry young minds play no part in the write up
- The issue of controlling the information generated from these platforms is not considered
- The future suggests that game-ification, psychological strokes and slaps, and fragmented attention are the new big thing.
Perfect for generating interest in new investment funds and for sending shock waves of fear through organizations not into the TikTok-ization of information. Perhaps there is an existential question which YouTube must answer, “Can we avoid the fate of the media our service has disrupted?”
Focus may be a challenge for thumbtypers, regardless of their age and Fortnite skills.
Stephen E Arnold, December 8, 2020
Shocker: Online Learning Teaches Little
December 1, 2020
I may be misunderstanding “Failing Grades Spike in Virginia’s Largest School System as Online Learning Gap Emerges Nationwide,” but I think the main idea is that online learning does not teach the way students-teachers in an old-fashioned class do. You will have to pay to read this most recent report from a Captain Obvious “real news” outfit.
Back to the “news” flash.
The write up states:
But one Fairfax high school teacher, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from the school system, said he is doing all of these things — and still, 50 to 70 percent of his 150 students are achieving D’s and F’s, whereas before they had earned B’s and C’s.
There you go. We’re teaching students something, just not what the school hopes will be learned. What subject do students learn? Inattention perhaps.
Another factoid. Sit down and take a deep meditative breath before reading:
Younger Fairfax students are struggling more than older ones: The percentage of middle-schoolers receiving at least two F’s quadrupled, while the percentage of high-schoolers scoring at least two F’s increased by 50 percent. The percentage of students with disabilities earning at least two F’s, meanwhile, more than doubled, while the percentage of children for whom English is a second language receiving at least two F’s rose by 106 percent to account for 35 percent of all children in this group. Among racial groups, Hispanic students were most affected: The percentage of these students with at least two F’s jumped from 13 to 25 percent. Comparing grades achieved in past years with grades this year showed that the drop in passing grades is significant and unprecedented.
Had enough? I haven’t. Several observations:
- Traditional educational methods evolved toward a human “teacher” presenting information.
- Students were monitored and tested.
- Peer pressure operated in a social setting like an old-fashioned school room.
- Peer mediated instruction took place in non-class settings; for example, at a lunch table or talking with a friend at a school locker.
- Old-fashioned family structures often reinforced “learning.” Example: Consequences if lessons were not completed.
Thumb typers now have to face up to a reality in which their expertise at inattention creates a false sense of knowledge.
The problem is that moving learning to Zoom or some other online platform has a shallow experiential pool. Traditional education benefits from a long history. Maybe online will catch up, but if the students are ill prepared, inattentive, and unable to draw upon a knowledge framework — not likely.
Anyone ready for the new Dark Ages? Whoops. News flash. We are in them. Plague, social unrest, and students who are not acquiring equipment for reading.
Hey, everyone has a smartphone. What could go wrong? TikTok and YouTube autosuggest are just super.
Stephen E Arnold, December 1, 2020
DarkCyber for December 1, 2020, Now Available
December 1, 2020
DarkCyber reports about Maltrail, an open source cyber tool for detecting malicious traffic. Crime as a Service matures. Now anyone can point-and-click through a ransomware attack. Bad actors helpfully make cyber crime less of a hassle. Insider threats — what DarkCyber calls “the Snowden play” — are becoming more prevalent. Why? A need for money, revenge, or a dose of that old Silicon Valley attitude.
The feature in this episode is a summary of the next-generation in entity recognition from videos and still images. Face recognition is not the most reliable technology in the world; however, researchers from China and Japan have figured out how to match a person’s gait to an individual. Ergo gait recognition. A link to the technical details appears in the program.
The program features a brief extract from a conversation between Robert David Steele, a former CIA professional, and Stephen E Arnold (owner of Dark Cyber). Arnold describes some of the less appreciated reasons why digital information creates new challenges for law enforcement and intelligence professionals. Good news? Not really.
The final story in the program addresses the urgent need for counter unmanned aerial systems by local, county, and statement law enforcement agencies. Individuals are ramming drones into police helicopters. The DarkCyber discussion of this problem includes a link to a series of recommendations promulgated by the British government to address this kinetic use of drones.
DarkCyber is produced by Beyond Search. The video program appears every two weeks. The third season of DarkCyber begins in January 2021. The program is non-commercial, does not accept advertising, and does not beg for dollars. How is this possible? DarkCyber is not sure.
You can view the program at this link.
Kenny Toth, December 1, 2020
DarkCyber for November 17, 2020, Now Available
November 17, 2020
The DarkCyber video news program for November 17, 2020, is now available at this link. This week’s program includes stories and links to information about the legal risks hacking and cracking pose to researchers. The October US Congressional report about the intelligence community’s need for innovation describes the challenges technology presents to more than a dozen agencies. You will also learn about how the former CEO of Google has “diversified his citizenship.” Allegedly a passport granting access to the European Union has been acquired by a member of the US Defense Innovation Board. Fourth, reports of security breaches decreased in 2020. Yet the number of personal data records has surged. Why the mismatch. DarkCyber explains that keeping quiet can present better optics for the organization which remains silent. Also, DarkCyber highlights a dated US electronic warfare diagram which is now circulating via Twitter and other online services as “new.” It presents a view of EW two or more years old. Finally, DarkCyber reports about a consumer drone which can perform surveillance and other actions underwater. With six thrusters, the drone can maneuver like its aerial cousins and deploy a robotic arm available on Amazon’s eCommerce site. More information related to cyber technologies is available in the blog at www.arnoldit.com/wordpress.
Kenny Toth, November 17, 2020
DarkCyber for November 3, 2020, Now Available
November 3, 2020
The November 3, 2020, DarkCyber video news program contains five stories. You are able to view the program at this YouTube location. The first is a report about the FinFisher raids conducted by German and other European enforcement officials. FinFisher allegedly produces and sells policeware to government agencies. An alleged failure in following German government procedures contributed to the multi-country action. The second story describes the free services of Social Search. This online service allows a user to obtain information gleaned from a number of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Test queries run by the DarkCyber research team revealed that interesting information can be obtained from this free service. Also referenced is a consumer mobile phone surveillance tool. Used together, the type of insights available from specialized services developers becomes evident. The third story points to a new book by a Harvard professor. The book reveals the origin of the concept of investigative software, what DarkCyber calls policeware. The fourth story provides additional information about the diffusion of digital currencies into the “regular” Web. What was just two years ago a specialized payment mechanism has moved into the mainstream. No Tor or other obfuscation software required. The final story mentions a Chinese innovation. The truck-mounted tube launcher can release a swarm of drones simultaneously. How does one deal with a swarm of drones? DarkCyber answers this question with information about the Drone Bullet. DarkCyber is produced by Stephen E Arnold, publisher of Beyond Search, a free Web log, and the author of Dark Web Notebook and CyberOSINT.
Kenny Toth, November 3, 2020
DarkCyber for October 20, 2020, Now Available
October 20, 2020
The October 20, 2020 DarkCyber video news program covers five stories. First, secure messaging apps have some vulnerabilities. These can be exploited, according to researchers in Europe. Second, QuinetiQ’s most recent cyber report provides some eye-opening information about exploit techniques and methods. Third, a free phishing tool is available on GitHub. With it, a bad actor can automate phishing attacks. Fourth, mobile phones can be remotely activated to work like spy cameras and audio transmitters. The final story explains that swarms of drones can be controlled from a mobile phone and a new crawling drone can deliver bio-weapons in a stealthy manner. DarkCyber is produced by Stephen E Arnold, author of CyberOSINT and the Dark Web Notebook. You can view the 11 minute program at this link. (The miniature centipede-like drone is a marvel.)
Kenny Toth, October 20, 2020
Matroid: Not Just Math, a Reminder That Google Is Not Search
October 15, 2020
For many people Google is search. Need a pizza? Google it. But for rick media in contexts like streaming video, Google has pizza cheese on its chin.
A venture funding information service called Finsmes published “Matroid Raises $20 Million in Series B Funding.” Add to the firm’s earlier funding, the company has tallied about $33 million to fuel its innovation engine.
Founded in 2016, the company works at the intersection of machine learning (smart software) and image analysis (more smart software). The Finsmes article states:
The company plans to use the new funding to accelerate product development and go-to-market expansion in manufacturing, industrial IOT (IIOT), and video security markets. Led by Reza Zadeh, CEO and Founder, Matroid Matroid is a studio for creating and deploying detectors (computer vision models) to search visual media for people, behavior, objects, and events — no programming required. Once a detector is developed, Matroid can search any live stream or recorded video, providing real time notifications when the object of interest has been detected. Customers use it in construction, manufacturing, security, media, retail and other industries.
Real time analysis of streaming video is a very important search problem. Despite the perception that “Google is search,” the market for a solution is hefty.
Observations:
- The name of the company is borrowed from math wonks
- Law enforcement and intelligence agencies need a solution that works to deal with the video data available to investigators
- Google’s YouTube search illustrates that ad-supported, good enough methods which rely on a creator to index products or tag videos are examples of old-school thinking, maybe Internet dinosaur thinking.
The company will require additional funding. Nailing real time streaming video knowledge generation requires a large hammer.
Stephen E Arnold, October 15, 2020
Let Us Not Quibble over Quibi
October 14, 2020
I am not a video type. Sure, we create a short video every couple of weeks. That’s part of our learning process and a flaccid attempt to keep some of the younger members of the team semi happy. One of the future video stars called my attention to “Apple Has No Interest in Purchasing Failing Short-Form Video Streaming Service Quibi.” My reaction was, “Bad Apple.” Not Apple the fun loving app store operator; bad apple as in the phrase “one bad apple spoils the barrel.” The Quibi thing is the exact opposite of TikTok: TikTok relies on user created content within a surveillance shell. Quibi produces 1980s Hollywood content in chunks of 10 minutes or less. No surveillance, no nation state lobbying to keep the programs flowing. No international PR visibility.
The loss of the Apple dream is not surprising. I recall reading “So Here Are the Real Reasons Quibi Failed.” To refresh your memory that May 2020 write up identified these Semel Yahooesque issues:
- Name quick bites to Quibi
- No sharing in the Rona era of sharing
- Mobile sharing.
The write up also dances around the subscription angle, which remains a problem or an opportunity.
The write up does nail the Quibi management team’s explanation of failure on a billion dollar scale: The pandemic.
The reasoning seems to be that Quibi was designed for people with jobs who commute and want Hollywood 1980s style content.
Maybe.
The reality boils down to many missteps, including the odd couple of Katzenberg and Whitman or more colloquially The Meg and Jeff’s Management Review YouTube program.
Who will care? Probably the investors and at least one of the DarkCyber research team. I am not that empathetic fan. The Quibi caregiver on the DarkCyber research team is, however, lamenting what looks like the streaming equivalent of the 2004 flop “The Alamo.” Remember it?
Stephen E Arnold, October 14, 2020
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