AWS Security Maturity
November 10, 2020
Struggling with leaky S3 buckets? Discovering phishing campaigns launched from your AWS instance? Wrestling with multiple, often confusing, security options? Answer any of these questions with a “yes”, and you may want to check out this paper, “AWS Security Maturity Roadmap.” After reading the essay, you will probably consider seeking an expert to lend a hand. Hey, why not call the author of the paper? The white paper does a good job of providing a useful checklist so the reader can determine what’s been overlooked.
Stephen E Arnold, November 10, 2020
The Bulldozer: Driver Accused of Reckless Driving
October 28, 2020
I don’t know if the story in the Sydney Morning Herald is true. You, as I did, will have to work through the “real” news report about Amazon’s commitment to its small sellers. With rumors of Jeff Bezos checking out the parking lots at CNN facilities, it is difficult to know where the big machine’s driver will steer the online bookstore next. Just navigate to “Ruined My Life: After Going All In on Amazon, a Merchant Says He Lost Everything.” The hook for the story is that a small online seller learned that Amazon asserted his product inventory was comprised of knock offs, what someone told me was a “fabulous fake.” Amazon wants to sell “real” products made by “real” companies with rights to the “real” product. A Rolex on Amazon, therefore, is “real,” unlike the fine devices available at the Paris street market Les Puces de Saint-Ouen.
What happened?
The Bezos bulldozer allegedly ground the inventory of the small merchant into recyclable materials. The write up explains in objective, actual factual “real” news rhetoric:
Stories like his [the small merchant with zero products and income] have swirled for years in online merchant forums and conferences. Amazon can suspend sellers at any time for any reason, cutting off their livelihoods and freezing their money for weeks or months. The merchants must navigate a largely automated, guilty-until-proven-innocent process in which Amazon serves as judge and jury. Their emails and calls can go unanswered, or Amazon’s replies are incomprehensible, making sellers suspect they’re at the mercy of algorithms with little human oversight.
Yikes, algorithms. What did those savvy math wonks do to alleged knock offs? What about the kidney transplant algorithms? Wait, that’s a different algorithm.
The small merchant was caught in the bulldozer’s blade. The write up explains:
Hoping to have his [the small merchant again] account reinstated and continue selling on the site, Govani [the small merchant] put off the decision. He received a total of 11 emails from Amazon each giving him different dates at which time his inventory would be destroyed if he hadn’t removed it. He sought clarity from Amazon about the conflicting dates. When he tried to submit an inventory removal order through Amazon’s web portal, it wouldn’t let him.
What’s happening now?
The small merchant is couch surfing and trying to figure out what’s next. One hopes that the Bezos bulldozer will not back over the small merchant. Taking Amazon to court is an option. There is the possibility of binding arbitration.
But it may be difficult to predict what the driver of the Bezos bulldozer will do. What’s a small merchant when the mission is larger. In the absence of meaningful regulation and a functioning compass on the big machine, maybe that renovation of CNN is more interesting than third party sellers? The Bezos bulldozer is a giant device with many moving parts. Can those driving it know what’s going on beneath the crawler treads? Is it break time yet?
Stephen E Arnold, October 28, 2020
Amazon: Emulating GeoSpark?
October 28, 2020
Despite pandemic-related networking challenges, analytics database firm GeoSpock is making its move. Tech in Asia reveals, “UK-Based Database GeoSpock Bags $5.4m to Expand Further into Asia.” Lead by nChain and Cambridge Innovation Capital, this investment round brings GeoSpock to over $32 million in capital raised to date. It seems these and other investors see merit in the company’s claim to offer “the most advanced analytics database,” tailor-made to provide analytics, visualization, and insights for today’s ultra-connected world. Reporter Doris Yu writes:
“The company plans to use the new funds to improve its product and technical capabilities, as well as accelerate the development and adoption of its database in the market, according to a statement. What problem is it solving? ‘With the emergence of connected vehicles, smart cities, and the deployment of internet of things (IoT) sensors, the amount of data produced globally has exploded,’ the company told Tech in Asia, adding that traditional databases are ‘too slow and cumbersome.’ GeoSpock said it aims to produce a ‘cost-efficient, scalable, and fast database.’ … GeoSpock CEO Richard Baker said the company aims to disrupt the US$386 billion IoT big data analytics market. It works with customers on a subscription basis and charges for compute nodes that are available for use. With the increasing adoption of digitization throughout Asia, the company said its expansion plans will initially focus on Singapore and Japan as it develops teams and partnerships across the region.”
GeoSpock already has footholds in Asia, where it is working with both public and private organizations on smart city, automotive, maritime, and telecommunications projects. Launched in 2013, the company is based in Cambridge. GeoSpock now employs about 40 folks worldwide, but expects to hire more technical and customer-service staff in Singapore and Japan within the next year.
What’s interesting is that there is a company called GeoSpark Analytics. Coincidence?
Cynthia Murrell, October 19, 2020
Amazon Rekognition: Helping Make Work Safer
October 22, 2020
DarkCyber noted Amazon’s blog post “Automatically Detecting Personal Protective Equipment on Persons in Images Using Amazon Rekognition.” Amazon discloses:
With Amazon Rekognition PPE detection, you can analyze images from your on-premises cameras at scale to automatically detect if people are wearing the required protective equipment, such as face covers (surgical masks, N95 masks, cloth masks), head covers (hard hats or helmets), and hand covers (surgical gloves, safety gloves, cloth gloves). Using these results, you can trigger timely alarms or notifications to remind people to wear PPE before or during their presence in a hazardous area to help improve or maintain everyone’s safety.
The examples in the Amazon write up make sense. However, applications in law enforcement and security are also possible. For instance, consider saying, “Hands up” to a person of interest:
The system can detect objects held by an individual. You can get more information in the blog post. Policeware and intelware vendors working with Amazon at this time may generate other use cases.
Stephen E Arnold, October 22, 2020
Amazon Twitch: Inappropriate Behavior? Shocking
October 19, 2020
Gamers are stereotypically portrayed as immature, racist, sexist, and antisocial males. There is truth behind this stereotype, because many gamers are immature, racist, sexist, and antisocial males, but it does not speak for the entire community. The problem with this gamer “archetype” is that the industry does not fall from from this image.
The newest gaming company to be called out for inappropriate behavior is video streaming platform Twitch. GamesIndustry.biz has the scoop on Twitch’s poor behavior in the article: “Twitch Staff Call The Company Out On Sexual Assault, Racism, More.”
The Twitch CEO Emmett Shear denounced inappropriate behavior and demanded industry wide change. Despite this supportive bravado, Shear’s company has its own share of poor actions. GamesIndustry.biz interviewed former Twitch employees for the article on the condition they remain anonymous. The stories at Twitch echo many toxic workplace stories, but one of the saddest recollections comes from a former HR representative:
“ ‘I’d seen many people go to HR and HR ultimately would not resolve things in favor of the complainant,’ they said. ‘They weren’t a source of support for employees. If anything, they just worked to minimize the complaining person and their complaint. They were always in favor of and working for the person with the most power.’”
Since Twitch began as Justin.tv, abusive behavior has run rampant. Women were not the only victims, ethnic minorities were frequent targets as were LGTBQA members. The problem resides in the typical bro culture atmosphere, where misogyny and racism are deemed as okay. Victim blaming is another aspect of Twitch’s toxic workplace as well as the demand to make more money.
Most, if not all, of these incidents were KOed, because Twitch did not want to lose face or revenue opportunities. Many of the perpetrators were leaders or held important company roles, so they could get away with anything. The company as a whole is a black mark on the gaming industry, but individual employees demonstrated humanity:
“It should be noted that several people we talked to spoke highly of Twitch staffers helping vulnerable co-workers, streamers, or viewers, but all were seen to be acting as individuals going above and beyond rather than acting at the behest of the company or in their role as Twitch employees.”
Twitch’s company culture might have changed since its beginning, but many of the perpetrators still hold leadership roles.
Things might be changing slowly in Silicon Valley as people demand accountability and better work environments. In the meantime, potential victims please do what you can to stay safe. Twitch is Amazon after all.
Whitney Grace, October 19, 2020
Amazon Expands Data Monitoring
October 13, 2020
Here is an optimistic view of the future, at least for areas where residents can afford to purchase these gadgets. CNET reports, “Amazon Sidewalk Will Create Entire Smart Neighborhoods. Here’s What You Should Know.” Yes, Amazon’s vision of the smart home has grown to encompass the whole subdivision. Based on how many Echo devices are backward compatible with the new tech, the plan has been in the works for some time. But what, exactly, is this project about? Reporter Ry Crist writes:
“First announced in 2019, the effort is called Amazon Sidewalk, and it uses a small fraction of your home’s Wi-Fi bandwidth to pass wireless low-energy Bluetooth and 900MHz radio signals between compatible devices across far greater distances than Wi-Fi is capable of on its own — in some cases, as far as half a mile, Amazon says. You’ll share that bandwidth with your neighbors, creating a sort of network of networks that any Sidewalk-compatible device can take advantage of. Along with making sure things like outdoor smart lights and smart garage door openers stay connected when your Wi-Fi can’t quite reach them, that’ll help things like Tile trackers stay in touch if you drop your wallet while you’re out on a walk, or if your dog hops the fence. Maybe most noteworthy of all is that Amazon Sidewalk won’t require any new hardware, at least not for short-range benefits like easier device pairing. Instead, it’ll arrive as a free software update to the Echo speakers and Ring cameras people already have in their homes.”
To take advantage of those half-mile range 900MHz connections, though, one must have newer devices: a Ring Spotlight or Floodlight cam, the fourth generation Echo smart speaker, or Echo Show 10 smart display. (More will follow, of course.) These users will also contribute bandwidth to the cause, but Amazon was wise enough to provide an opt-out option. Not everyone’s community spirit will extend to their Wi-Fi connection, no matter how little bandwidth Sidewalk will use (which is very little, compared to streaming and other functions). Since the change will come in the form of a software update, anyone who wants to decline may have to be on the lookout for that update and find the appropriate checkbox.
Some users will have security concerns, and the company has worked to address them. The Sidewalk server only gets to see packets’ destination information, we’re told, but not any of the actual device data, which will travel under three layers of encryption. They promise to delete routing information every 24 hours. Here is the PDF of the company’s white paper addressing privacy and security for Sidewalk. Customers will have to trust Amazon to safeguard their data for Sidewalk to take off, it tells us. Considering how many have already incorporated the company’s digital potential spies into their homes, we think the project has a good chance at success.
Cynthia Murrell, October 13, 2020
Streaming Data: Does the Information Presage the Future for Google Advertising?
October 12, 2020
DarkCyber is not populated with work hour gamers. (Tibby is the exception.) One of the research team spotted “Streamlabs & Stream Hatchet Q3 Live Streaming Industry Report.” The summary contained an interesting factoid, which we assume is spot on. Here it is:
Twitch now represents 91.1% of the market share for hours streamed, up 14.5% from last quarter. This massive increase can be attributed to Mixer’s shutdown, which captured 14.2% of all content live-streamed last quarter. That is compared to Facebook Gaming, which now represents 3.4% of the market share, and increased by 1% since last quarter, and YouTube Gaming, which now represents 5.5% of the market share, and decreased by 1.2% since last quarter.
The data prompted a question from one of the DarkCyber researchers:
What is the likelihood that Amazon’s online streaming advertising follows a similar path?
At lunch on October 8, a number of ideas floated above the miasma of take out Chinese:
- No way, José. Google will find a way to get into the online streaming money flow.
- Yikes. Google may be too distracted by removing features from its lackluster mobile devices, fending off regulators, and dealing with its “human resource” issues to respond in an effective manner.
- The Bezos bulldozer grinds forward. The effectiveness of Amazon in multiple market sectors may push Google and others aside. Product searches and product advertising are likely to be more important as the retail sector in the US erodes.
Which is it? Worth watching.
Stephen E Arnold, October 12, 2020
Amazon Policeware: Is the Online Bookseller a Corporate Nation State with Policeware?
October 12, 2020
Who knows if the statements in “Leaked: Confidential Amazon Memo Reveals New Software to Track Unions.” Would a company create policeware to spy on employees? Possibly, but DarkCyber thinks that Amazon’s policeware is simply being repurposed. The Bezos bulldozer is a digital nation state, and some governance methods embrace data gathering, analytics, and predictive outputs. The idea is to be in front of trends, actions, and groups. Nothing new about this.
The write up, however, revels in the “confidential” document and places it in a zippy socio-political context. DarkCyber noted this passage:
The new tool would also track other non-union threats to the company, like crime and weather.
The operative word is “new.” In our analysis of Amazon’s policeware and intelware innovations, the “new” mischaracterizes products, services, partnerships, and features under development for more than a decade. My Amazon policeware lectures for the 2020 National Cyber Crime Conference plus some other presentations for LE and intel professionals have walked through some of the capabilities of the AWS policeware platform. (Want to know more? Write benkent2020 at yahoo dot com. Options and prices will be provided to qualified inquirers.)
The write up reports:
The new technology system — called the geoSPatial Operating Console, or SPOC — would help the company analyze and visualize at least around 40 different data sets, the memo says. Among them are many related to unions, including “Whole Foods Market Activism/Unionization Efforts,” “union grant money flow patterns,” “and “Presence of Local Union Chapters and Alt Labor Groups.” Additionally, one of the potential use cases for the tool is described in the memo as “The Union Relationship Map,” though no other details are provided.
Snappy name but the plumbing is in operation. Here’s a test question for the intrepid “real” journalists bandying the word “new” hither and yon. “What cloud service provides the back end, content processing, and other analytic features for GeoSpark Analytics?” You have one minute to write your answer in your blue book.
And where, pray tell, is the source document?
Interesting but the Amazon policeware and intelware platform is overlooked. Why? One does not know what one does not know I presume.
Stephen E Arnold, October 12, 2020
Googzilla Versus the Bezos Bulldozer: Shopping Search, Ads, and Sales
October 9, 2020
The battle between the two ethical outfits is becoming more interesting. “Google Tries to Turn YouTube into a Major Shopping Destination” reports that there will be more advertising than ever on the precursor to TikTok. The write up reports:
The world’s largest video site recently started asking creators to use YouTube software to tag and track products featured in their clips. The data will then be linked to analytics and shopping tools from parent Google. The goal is to convert YouTube’s bounty of videos into a vast catalogue of items that viewers can peruse, click on and buy directly, according to people familiar with the situation. The company is also testing a new integration with Shopify for selling items through YouTube.
The essay / analysis includes another sourceless factoid:
However, the pandemic has hammered marketing budgets, particularly in the travel and physical retail sectors that are major Google advertisers. Meanwhile, e-commerce has boomed as people stay home and order more products online. That’s left Google watching from the sidelines as rivals such as Facebook and its Instagram app become hotbeds of online shopping. Amazon, the US e-commerce Goliath, has seen sales soar, while Google suffered its first-ever revenue decline in the second quarter.
There may be some other facets to this concern; for example:
- Amazon’s product search function may be taking bulldozer-sized chunks out of Google search traffic. One of my research team’s estimates pegged the downturn at about 35 percent in the last year.
- The Google has a history of getting excited and then failing; for example, Froogle and Google Plus. Shopping is of interest now, but as the competitive toll is collected, the Googlers eager to work on a bonus-guaranteed project may look elsewhere for career satisfaction.
- The write up suggests that Google may not have worked out some of the administrivia to cash in on products in YouTube videos appropriately tagged by “creators” who might be skeptical of the actual payoff for their “creativity.”
To sum up: If the write up is accurate, Googzilla may have to investigate acquiring more firepower; for example, Shopify, Dr. Scott Galloway’s favorite stock to hype.
Worth watching. Googzilla Confronts the Bezos Bulldozer, a Netflix original.
Stephen E Arnold, October 9, 2020
Amazon Deals for Machine Learning
October 8, 2020
“Amazon Announces Price Cuts on GPU Instances in AWS Sagemaker” contains an interesting statement; to wit:
Amazon Web Services is cutting the price of GPU instances on Sagemaker, its fully managed machine learning service. AWS said customers will see up to 18% in price reductions on all ml.p2 and ml.p3 GPU instances. The price cuts will apply from October 1 for all SageMaker components…
Several questions come to mind:
- Are Microsoft’s sales policies becoming a problem for Amazon AWS?
- Has the JEDI generated an uptick in interest in Azure from US allies?
- Are deals like Oracle’s play to land Zoom in Big Red’s cloud sounding an alarm?
On the other hand, Amazon may be sufficiently confident to cut prices because its cloud business continues to surge.
Price wars among gasoline filling stations were common in the 1950s. Could the sales tactic find traction in 2020, which has been an interesting year.
Stephen E Arnold, October 10, 2020
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