Morning9 – Page 32 – Your Tech Learning Hub

4Nov, 2022

Bitcoin, Ether Hold Ground While Altcoins Stay Resilient Even as Macro Developments Unfold

Bitcoin value has lingered lower on Thursday as the aftermath of the Federal Reserve interest rate hike subsided with bulls successfully defending support at $20,000 (roughly Rs. 16.55 lakh) while bears have reinforced resistance at $20,550 (roughly Rs. 17 lakh). As things stand, the value of Bitcoin is up by 0.98 percent in the last 24 hours with its price now around the $20,400 (roughly Rs. 16.88 lakh) mark across global exchanges while Indian exchanges like CoinDCX value BTC at $21,295 (roughly Rs. 17.62 lakh), which is 0.44 percent lesser than what the crypto asset was valued on Thursday morning.

On global exchanges like CoinMarketCap, Coinbase, and Binance the price of Bitcoin stands at $20,564 (roughly Rs. 17.01 lakh) while CoinGecko data shows that BTC’s value now sits 1.5 percent higher than where it stood last Friday.

Ether, the largest smart contracts token, hasn’t had agreat week compared to the last one but has managed to hold it range over the past week. Ether is currently up by roughly 1.49 percent over the past 24 hours across global exchanges. Meanwhile on Indian exchanges, ETH is valued at $1,631 (roughly Rs. 1.35 lakh) where values are down at the slightest by over 1.61 percent in the past day.

Gadgets 360’s cryptocurrency price tracker reveals that most major altcoins had a mixed day of trading over the last 24 hours even though Bitcoin and Ether managed to hold steady. That said, the global crypto market capitalisation numbers show a steady 1.54 percent rise through Thursday and Friday. In the meme coins section, Dogecoin dropped off further after a strong showing earlier in the week. Dogecoin is currently valued at $0.12 (roughly Rs. 9.97) after dropping by more than 9.2 percent in value over the last 24 hours, while, Shiba Inu is valued at $0.000013 (roughly Rs. 0.001037), up 2.45 percent over the past day.

“Couple of major announcements shaped market activity during the last week. The Federal Reserves’ 75bps rate hike was initially met with market cheer as it was on expected lines, but this outlook changed course sharply once Chairman Powell’s press conference began. He mentioned the need to recalibrate for a higher Terminal Rate which sent ‘Risk On’ assets into a downward spiral, with the S&P 500 dropping 2.5 percent. Surprisingly, crypto markets remained resilient and have, in fact, ended the week in green,” explains Parth Chaturvedi, Crypto Ecosystem Lead, CoinSwitch, in an analysis shared with Gadgets 360.

“The overall crypto market capitalisation stayed well above $1 trillion (roughly Rs. 82,74,808 crore), with BTC and ETH trading higher at greater than $20,000 (roughly Rs. 16.55 lakh) and $1,500 (roughly Rs. 1.24 lakh) levels. ETH has been outperforming BTC in absolute returns, but the downside movement has also been exaggerated in comparison to BTC,” states Chaturvedi.

“Another major announcement from last week was Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition and his rapidly unfolding restructuring plans, which could have a major role for crypto assets. DOGE, the meme coin that counts Musk as an avid proponent, had started pumping in speculation of future Twitter integrations and ended the week almost doubling in price. DOGE market capitalisation has crossed $17.5 billion (roughly Rs. 1,44,809 crore) and has displaced Cardano’s ADA in the rankings. Later in the week, star developer Andre Cronje’s comeback to Fantom, sent the FTM token skyrocketing 25 percent in a day.”

Cryptocurrency is an unregulated digital currency, not a legal tender and subject to market risks. The information provided in the article is not intended to be and does not constitute financial advice, trading advice or any other advice or recommendation of any sort offered or endorsed by NDTV. NDTV shall not be responsible for any loss arising from any investment based on any perceived recommendation, forecast or any other information contained in the article.

Resource : https://www.gadgets360.com/cryptocurrency/news/bitcoin-usd-20000-ether-holds-firm-altcoins-mixed-day-us-fed-interest-rate-hike-3490046

4Nov, 2022

Newly Designed Triboelectric Nanogenerators Provides High Efficiency

Researchers have developed triboelectric nanogenerators with a constant inherent capacitance that could increase their energy conversion efficiency and electric storage capacity

Traditional triboelectric nanogenerators implement time-dependent capacitance. Triboelectric generators are mechanical energy harvesters that produce electricity when two surfaces rub against each other. To enhance the energy conversion efficiency of such nanogenerators, researchers from China have developed a nanogenerator with a constant inherent capacitance. The efficiency of nanogenerators to convert energy into electric charge depends on the ability of their capacitors to store those electric charges.

“Triboelectric nanogenerators can provide a feasible way to convert mechanical energy into electricity,” said Youfan Hu, a professor at the School of Electronics at Peking University in China. “With improved efficiency and sensitivity, even very weak mechanical energy ‘hidden’ in the environment can be caught and utilized.”

The researchers experimented with capacitors by charging them using three different styles of power conditioning circuits and testing the performance of the two different triboelectric nanogenerators. They noted that both triboelectric nanogenerators worked better on a full wave power circuit but that the constant inherent capacitance triboelectric nanogenerators were able to store approximately two times the charge compared to the time-dependent inherent capacitance triboelectric nanogenerators. This shows how using the constant inherent capacitance triboelectric nanogenerators can provide better performance. They also found that this form of nanogenerator could charge very quickly.

Furthermore, to show its application in the real world, researchers developed an anemometer based on their technology. An anemometer measures wind speed and direction. When the kinetic energy of the wind moved the cups on the anemometer, the triboelectric nanogenerator was able to turn that information into an electric signal, which could be processed as the measurements of the wind speed. The anemometer was able to process the information in real time and send it to the researchers.

It is easy to manufacture this style of triboelectric nanogenerator, and researchers predict that their device will be made more practical and could be used for a wide range of applications. “The next step is to miniaturize the device and optimize the power management circuits. Ultimately, triboelectric nanogenerators will be able to serve in an integrated electronic system with a small footprint,” said Hu.

Resource : https://www.electronicsforu.com/technology-trends/research-papers/newly-designed-triboelectric-nanogenerators-provides-high-efficiency

3Nov, 2022

Why Our Best Employees Don’t Speak Up

How to revamp your compliance program and head off ‘strategic silence’

Are we conditioning our employees not to speak up? The traits present in our best employees might make them less likely to raise issues, concerns and ideas. Compliance expert Courtney Sander explores integrating speaking-up practice within the business to benefit your compliance program and the broader organization.

So I dug into the referenced article a bit more. It’s all about strategic silence, a concept that says employees withhold their ideas until the “right time.”

Each of us reports to a people manager, and so we’ve all been conditioned to raise issues, concerns and ideas at the “right time,” meaning they’re all of these:

Relevant to the discussion or project.
Thought through and we’re delivering a solution.
Going to be received well by our manager or project leader.

We avoid speaking up because we know it can be disruptive, take time away from the projects and tasks at hand and bring up interpersonal issues that need to be resolved before the team can move forward. Quite frankly, being that person hasn’t historically looked good.

And when we do this, we’re seen as a valuable employee who’s rewarded with good assignments, leadership roles, praise, promotions or bonuses.

People managers rely on strategic silence to weed out lower quality issues, concerns and ideas, so we withhold them until we feel our voice is strong and timely. What’s worse, research suggests that women feel the burden to stay strategically silent even more so than men in order for their voices to be valued and to be rewarded by managers.

However, keeping concerns and ideas to ourselves is emotionally demanding and increases stress. So, why do we continue to jeopardize our well-being in order to keep up appearances at work?

I don’t want to overlook other reasons employees stay quiet like fear, futility, disengagement and deviance. These are cultural issues that should also be addressed, but these are things that the compliance team cannot solve alone.

Having spent more than a decade in the compliance and ethics space, I know that employees are better at speaking up than we give them credit for. But we must do better at advocating for processes outside of compliance and ethics that encourage them to speak up in ways that make sense for the business. We must ensure our employees feel that they can speak up even if they don’t have all the facts and ensure we provide a positive response.

It’s an added bonus that doing all of this could improve employee well-being.

Give your employees a low-risk, relevance-agnostic way to raise their ideas and practice speaking up

As a people manager, I wanted my team to bring ideas to the table that were relevant and thought through, but I also wanted to be responsive. And running the day-to-day of a growing small business didn’t always lend itself to responsiveness.

I had a great team that was full of great ideas, but oftentimes, I was the reason that now wasn’t the “right time” for the idea to be raised. Instead of just shutting down good ideas (because, disengagement), I asked my team to put their ideas on the backlog: a list of projects or tasks to be reviewed and refined before putting them into production. My response was often, “OK, cool. Put it on the backlog.” And if the idea went to the backlog before it was even presented to me — even better!

The backlog wasn’t a black hole where good ideas go to die. In fact, it was accessible to everyone on the team so each person could add new ideas and contribute to those others had previously shared. We kept a structured backlog so that when the time was right, I could review the backlog on my own time, ask questions and give feedback directly in the app that managed our backlog, consult with the team and then decide on next steps.

When someone from the team put something on the backlog, there were a series of questions and fields that needed to be completed. Not only was this for me to understand the idea but also for the person to think through their idea and get as many details written down so they could discuss it days or weeks down the road when the time was right. For all of the compliance practitioners out there, this is the same concept as writing a good investigation report: The general goal is to draft the report in such a way that an uninvolved third party would understand the concerns, investigation process and outcome.

The big key here is timeliness. Having an established, end-to-end process means that adding something to the backlog takes only a few moments of an employee’s time, it’s manageable when reviewed regularly and doesn’t derail any person or their projects.

Having a structured process like this also promotes equity and fairness across the team and eliminates issues like proximity bias (favoring employees you see or interact with more regularly) or rewarding only the loudest voices. And the backlog becomes part of your institutional knowledge and good ideas don’t fizzle when employees move into new roles or companies.

It’s OK to not have all the answers at this moment

We’re conditioned to only speak up when we have all the right answers, and that fails us when we’re trying to raise bigger concerns where we might not have timely access — or any access at all — to all of the answers.

Repeat after me. It’s OK to not have all the answers.

Often, ideas take a long time to completely mature, or you hit a roadblock and aren’t sure where to go next. That’s why you have a diverse team with unique perspectives. Asking employees to share their ideas doesn’t mean you’re asking employees to win a 100-meter dash. Sharing an idea can be a 4×100 relay where each member of the team relies on each other to carry the baton and hand it off to the next person.

Handing off the baton when sharing ideas means you and your team have to be comfortable in answering questions with “not sure” or “I don’t know.” Both are OK answers! In fact, if your team is using some sort of collaboration tool, you can “at” someone else and have them weigh in as well. Pass the baton and finish the relay together!

Making a report to the compliance helpline is much the same. If employees are comfortable not having the answers in day-to-day business, they’ll be more comfortable in raising concerns when they don’t have all the facts or evidence. The compliance team must be thought of as part of the relay team.

This doesn’t mean that the compliance team is picking up the entire company’s responsibilities. If your job duties require you to run the 100-meter dash, you need to run the 100-meter dash. You can let compliance know that you’re running the race and they’ll be there to make sure you’re on the right course and cheer you along.

Give positive feedback to your team

Just as all reports to the compliance helpline deserve an acknowledgement, so do all ideas on the backlog. When employees receive a genuine response, we’re giving them positive feedback and motivating them to repeat this behavior.

And since most of us didn’t go to manager school, knowing how to give positive feedback is something that should be trained and reinforced through regular communication and modeling.

Here are three ways to give positive feedback:

Take the time to thank the person for sharing their ideas, concerns or questions. Be genuine in both your words and actions.
Ask questions about what they’re sharing and, if appropriate, encourage the person to take next steps.
Implement their idea, answer their question or resolve their concern.

Giving positive feedback doesn’t mean the idea is golden. Not all ideas are necessarily good ideas for the business right now. Instead, use it as an opportunity to provide encouragement and direction. Positive feedback can even come in the form of a question that helps a person further think through their idea. “Thanks for taking the time to share this idea. It sounds like you’re trying to improve customer satisfaction. Can you help me understand what resources might be required to execute this project?”

When managers don’t respond, they contribute to the futility mindset. You don’t want your employees or anyone on your team saying, “Whelp, I do have concerns about the way we’ve handled that government account, but no one will listen if I do say anything. I’ll just sit back and watch the show.🍿”

Make sure your team has access to the right tools

Yep, I’m writing about tools last. Why? This isn’t a sponsored post, nor do I think you should create work such that you must use a specific tool.

I love a good collaboration tool that allows for organic exchanges and development. I’m not here to endorse any particular option because there are so many out there; my suggestion isn’t one-size-fits-all and may not work for your organization, and there are new tools every day.

But I will share four things to look for when sourcing the right tool:

Make sure everyone at your organization has access to the tool. Everyone. Even offline employees. Whether you’re sourcing a compliance helpline or a tool to help you manage your backlog, everyone needs to know about it, know when to use it and know how to use it. If per-seat costs are prohibitive, find a lower-cost solution or negotiate a better deal, but never exclude anyone from these tools.
Make sure employees can update, add to or modify their ideas, concerns or issues. Once something is logged, it’s meant to start the conversation, not set-it-and-forget-it. More information might become available and the need to share that information is critical. Open the lines of communication and ensure the right people are involved from the start.
Make sure employees can access the system when and where they feel comfortable. For routine backlog, that’s likely in the course of their everyday work. For a compliance helpline, it might be an app, website or phone number that is accessible 24/7 without needing to login to company systems.
Make sure you’ve removed language barriers. Your backlog can utilize your day-to-day language, but a compliance helpline should be accessible to employees in their native or preferred language.

This is winning times four, my friends.

By implementing low-risk systems like backlogs and compliance helplines, you’ve:

Provided your employees a way to practice speaking up that benefits the business.
Eliminated timing and relevance concerns employees may have about sharing their ideas, issues or concerns.
Opened the doors for employees to feel more psychologically safe to raise compliance and ethics concerns directly to their manager (because there’s more focus on what’s at hand) or the compliance helpline (because employees have practiced a low-risk way of raising their voice).
Evolved the business to take better care of its employees’ well-being.

Resource : https://www.corporatecomplianceinsights.com/speak-up-best-employees/

3Nov, 2022

A National Cybersecurity Strategy Is Coming. Are You Prepared?

Upcoming policy illustrates that government is taking cyber threat seriously

We don’t know exactly what will be in the upcoming national cybersecurity strategy. But, as FTI Consulting’s Anthony J. Ferrante explains, the policy will almost certainly be an improvement on the status quo.

National Cyber Director Chris Inglis has said the Biden Administration plans to release a national cybersecurity strategy this year, perhaps as early as the end of this month. The strategy, and the corresponding efforts of Inglis, aim to “more forcefully use government power in the cyber arena,” according to reports.

Without seeing the actual proposed policy, whether this explicitly means expanded government oversight related to cybersecurity protections of the nation, an increased regulatory response — or both — is not yet clear. Regardless, it can be expected that the desires of the U.S. government and President Joe Biden are to take the genuine cybersecurity threat more seriously and offer a more active role in helping organizations, both in the public and private space, combat cyber attacks.

What this means for organizations

Industry tends to follow government guidance. Even if Inglis’ strategy does not directly impact specific industries, it is likely that the private sector will look to introduce similar standards. This may not happen immediately, but it would be wise for organizations across all industries to anticipate increased expectations for their cybersecurity preparedness programs. Instead of waiting to see what happens, organizations should work to get ahead of potential demands.
Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse. If an organization lacks basic cybersecurity controls needed to protect critical assets — customer information, intellectual property, etc. — then they can be held responsible for any resulting damages. The expectation from the government and the public is that organizations are doing everything in their power to mitigate cyber risk.
Audits and requirements will increase. Increased government oversight and involvement likely means additional audits, new compliance requirements and baseline standards. In preparation, organizations should evaluate their cybersecurity processes and programs to identify gaps and vulnerabilities. This will reduce potential government penalties and better position organizations to deter and respond to cyber attacks.
Meeting demands will be challenging. The national cybersecurity strategy is expected to be “tough” and demanding. Without a dedicated team and plan of attack for assessing and improving programs and processes, organizations will be faced with answering challenging questions from regulators, stakeholders and customers, negatively impacting their viability and reputation.

Potential outcomes

Ultimately, a national cybersecurity strategy is a positive development. In theory, increased supervision and participation from the government will keep organizations honest about their cybersecurity efforts and hold them responsible for their protective measures. This should also have the corresponding effect of making organizations more resilient to attacks, which would positively impact larger cybersecurity issues, like reducing successful ransomware campaigns.

However, none of this is achievable or possible without genuine government involvement. Industry cannot combat cyber threats alone. A partnership with the government, which comes with additional resources and legal authority, is essential to mitigate risks from sophisticated threat actors and powerful nation-states.

Equally as important to the success of government collaboration is that this relationship must not become a hindrance. Instead, a cooperative in which intelligence is shared and resources are pooled is vital. Otherwise, Inglis’ plans to “more forcefully use government power” will become a deterrent, where organizations are more focused on compliance and avoiding penalties and less on becoming resilient to attack.

Resource: https://www.corporatecomplianceinsights.com/national-cybersecurity-strategy/

2Nov, 2022

50 Women In Cybersecurity Associations And Groups To Follow

Cybercrime Magazine is committed to presenting the true face of women in cybersecurity.

New research shows that women make up around 25 percent of the cybersecurity workforce. We believe it’s important to get the word out that women are wanted, respected, and valued in the ever-going fight against cyber thieves.

Our popular book — Women Know Cyber: 100 Fascinating Females Fighting Cybercrime — is dedicated to all the women in the industry. We want to increase the number in the title from 100 to 1,000 to 100,000 and beyond — and move the needle toward 50 percent.

There’s no shortage of associations, Twitter lists, LinkedIn groups, and meetups for women in cybersecurity. Virtually any woman who wants to connect and interact with her peers can become a member of the following:

Associations

The Australian Women in Security Network (AWSN) is connecting, supporting, collaborating and inspiring women in security across Australia and abroad. Whether you are a security professional with years of experience or a student interested in pursuing a career in security, there is something for you in this group.
Breaking Barriers Women in CyberSecurity (BBWIC) aims to build cyber champions in the industry by providing a place where existing/new women in cybersecurity can envision growing as a leader and industry leaders can find a place to share their ideas and work together with peers across the globe.
CErcle des Femmes de la CYberSécurité (CEFSYS) — “Women’s Circle of Cybersecurity” — is an organization of French women in the cybersecurity field. In addition, it welcomes men who wish to work to advance the presence and impact of women in the professions related to information systems security.
Cybersecurity Council of Arizona empowers the local community by integrating a diverse population into the cybersecurity workforce through education, training, and opportunities to create dynamic and talented InfoSec professionals.
CybHER provides resources for women and girls, from middle school through college and into professional careers, with the goal of empowering, motivating, educating, and changing the perception of girls and women in cybersecurity. Its most notable project is GenCyber Girls in CybHER Security Camp — supported by the NSA and the largest girls-only residential camp in the country.
The Diana Initiative is a non-profit corporation that encourages diversity and supports women who want to pursue a career in information security. The initiative also provides scholarships to three students for its annual conference.
Engaging – Women in Cyber Defense is an organization formed by Calian Ltd. and the Veteran Friendly Transition Program to better understand the barriers facing women in cyber defense and help increase the number of women enrolling in Canada’s cyber defense programs. It actively recruits women to join the ranks in cybersecurity.
The European Cyber Security Organisation created Women4Cyber, an initiative to increase women’s participation in the cyber field to meet the growing demand for cybersecurity professionals in Europe.
The Executive Women’s Forum (EWF) on Information Security, Risk Management & Privacy has engaged over 10,000 women since 2002. The EWF provides education, mentorship and leadership development programs for women at every level of their career as well as a National Conference attended by over 500 emerging and accomplished leaders. The EWF partners with over 700 world-class Corporate Benefactors to achieve their mission.
Girls4Tech is an educational program created by Mastercard to inspire young girls to pursue STEM careers through a fun, engaging curriculum that includes topics such as encryption, biometrics, fraud detection, and detective work — all of them skills needed for cybersecurity.
Girl Scouts Cyber Security Patch and Game Program was developed by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) to teach Girl Scout Juniors (ages 9-11) how to safely and defensively navigate the internet. See Liz Joyce, CISO at HPE, speak about the program.
Girls Go CyberStart Initiative is a fun and interactive series of digital challenges designed to introduce young women to the field of cybersecurity; it encourages high school girls to explore career opportunities in the cybersecurity field as well as join the global cybersecurity community.
The Information Systems Security Association International (ISSA) sponsors leadership training, mentoring, and networking programs for all cybersecurity professionals. It has a special interest group for women who strive to enhance their knowledge of cybersecurity as a whole and promotes the involvement of women in the field.
InfoSecGirls is a community for diverse members to learn and support each other. The main objective is to get women curious about information security by encouraging more women to actively participate in events like security conferences and community meet-ups.
Inteligenca is a non-profit organization that supports women to make career changes in cybersecurity. It recently launched 100 Women in 100 Days — an initiative that is dedicated to upping the number of women in cybersecurity, increasing representation in the hope that young girls will learn about the field, and helping 100 women restart their careers.
International Consortium of Minority Cybersecurity Professionals provides scholarships, mentor programs, workforce development and cyber career/internship opportunities that allow for consistent representation of women and minorities in cybersecurity. And it’s free for students to join.
Ladies of London Hacking Society provides opportunities for women of all skill levels to develop the technical skills critical for success in cybersecurity.
Latinas in Cyber (LAIC) was founded with the mission to cultivate support, mentorship, and career development for women pursuing careers in cybersecurity.
The League of Women in Cybersecurity (LoWiCyS) is a non-profit organization focused on helping to fill the cybersecurity workforce gap by increasing the percentage of women in the field. Their most notable initiative areas are low cost, hands-on cybersecurity education, opportunities for real-world experience, workforce entry/reentry support, and mentoring.
The SANS CyberTalent Immersion Academy for Women aims to increase the number of women in the cybersecurity industry and offers a fast track to top jobs in cybersecurity. Women participate in SANS’s world-class training program and earn GIAC certifications at no cost.
SEIDEA – BME Women In Cybersecurity is a social enterprise that exists to close the cybersecurity gender gap faced by black and ethnic minority women through community projects, events, and campaigns.
SHe CISO Exec. is designed with a vision to be a sustainable global training and mentoring platform in information security and leadership. The program will create a talent pool of female cybersecurity leaders.
She Secures is an online and offline community for women professionals and enthusiasts in cybersecurity. The organization’s overall aim is to actively grow their community of young African women to bridge the gender gap in cybersecurity, providing them a vibrant platform to learn, bond and thrive.
Uniting Women in Cyber celebrates the success of today’s female leaders in cybersecurity. UWIC promotes many activities and meetups throughout the year to cultivate relationships among female leaders.
WOMCY – LATAM Women in Cybersecurity is the first membership organization in Latin America formed by cybersecurity professionals that aims to increase the presence of women in cybersecurity in all Latin American organizations. It promotes networking, mentoring, and special programs to spread awareness about the field of cybersecurity.
Women CyberSecurity Society (WCS2) works to build workforce capacity, advance and retain women in cybersecurity. it supports diversity and inclusion in the industry while strengthening Canada’s national and economic security.
The Women CyberSecurity Society (WCSS) is a non-profit dedicated to providing support to women and minorities interested in a cybersecurity career. They provide scholarships, mentoring, coaching, training, workshops and more. They currently have seven chapters globally and instituted a global movement, International Women in Cyber Day (IWCD), which brings awareness to the unique challenges women face in this industry and celebrates their achievements.
Women in Cyber Security (WiCS) inspires the next generation for a career in cybersecurity through STEM programs in local schools, as well as working with universities to help students understand what it means to be a security expert.
Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) was launched in 2013 with support from a National Science Foundation grant. The annual WiCyS conference is the flagship event for women in cyber. An extensive list of community resources for women in cyber is provided on the WiCyS site. WiCyS also hosts a number of student chapters in colleges throughout the country.
Women in Cyber Security Middle East was formed to promote and increase women’s participation in the field of cybersecurity and build a strong, dependable, and increasing network of passionate female cyber security professionals in the Middle East and African countries.
Women in Defense (WID) — incorporated in 1985 and an affiliate of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA), cultivates and supports the advancement and recognition of women in all aspects of national security — including cybersecurity. The WID Annual National Conference features keynote speakers from NASA, NSA, DHS, CyberCom and StratCom.
Women in Security and Privacy (WISP) promotes the development, advancement, and inclusion of women in the cybersecurity field. WISP’s calendar is an excellent resource providing a list of their own innovative events alongside other women in cyber events, and various security and hacker conferences in the U.S.
Women in Security – Kansas City provides a focus for women in information security through peer mentoring, workshops, and networking opportunities. Open to women at all levels of their career, WiS-KC offers scholarships and other opportunities for young girls to enter the field.
Women In Technology (WIT) – Cyber and Technology Special Interest Group (Cyber & Tech SIG) aims to advance the education and professional opportunities for girls and women in the information security and technology space by focusing on careers, education, networking, and communicating with experts.
Women Leading Privacy is a space for women cybersecurity professional to give and get career support, to help advance women in the field, and to expand their personal and professional networks
The Women’s Security Alliance (WomSA) provides mentorship, training and networking opportunities for women entering, re-entering, or advancing in the cybersecurity workforce.
The co-founders of the Women’s Security Society (WSS) is a who’s who of UK women in cyber. WSS has more than 1,200 members from all over the UK, men as well as women, from across the spectrum of the security world. The organization provides networking, events, and career opportunities for its members.
Lisa Jiggetts is founder of the Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu (WSC), a non-profit for women in cyber. Cyberjutsu sounds like a martial art — and Jiggets is a 10th-degree black belt with credentials that include MBA, CISSP, ECSA, C|EH, SCNP, MCSE, CCNA, SCSA, Network+, and A+. Her organization provides training, networking, mentorship, and a job board.

Twitter

@ladiescyber is a global network of meetups for women in cybersecurity.
@shehacks_ke brings together a community of some of the best ladies in information security in Kenya.
@wicca_NL is a circle for women in cybersecurity that aims to bring the ladies of InfoSec and female security enthusiasts together.
@WiCSME promotes and increases participation of women in the field of cybersecurity.
@Women4Cyber brings together men and women to foster the growth of women in cybersecurity.
@WomenCSSociety is a networked community that provides support and resources to women and girls who are interested in pursuing a career in the field of cybersecurity.
@womencybersec is a community for women and girls in cybersecurity to meet, support each other, and share common projects and ideas.
@WomeninCyberUK is a place for women in cybersecurity to connect, support, engage, and inspire each other.
@WomenCyberWales offers networking and support for women working (or hoping to work) in the cyberindustry industry in Wales.
@womenknowcyber lists thousands of leading women in cybersecurity, curated by the editors of Cybercrime Magazine.
@WoSECtweets is a community for women and girls to meet, support, and bond with each other.

LinkedIn

African Women in Cybersecurity (AFWIC) exists to promote collaboration among women of African descent in the cybersecurity industry and women aspiring to embrace cybersecurity as a career.
Help A Sister Up is a rallying point and initiative to promote and support women in cybersecurity.
LATAM Cybersecurity by Women is a non-profit community that aims to encourage the participation of more women in cybersecurity, information security, and hacking.
The League of Women in Cybersecurity (LoWiCyS) is a non-profit organization focused on helping to fill the cybersecurity workforce gap by increasing the percentage of women in the field. Their most notable initiative areas are low cost, hands-on cybersecurity education, opportunities for real-world experience, workforce entry/reentry support, and mentoring.
Women in Security – London is an initiative formed by professionals of the Information Security field within the (ISC)²London Chapter with the mission to raise the profile of women in the information security industry.
Women Know Cyber Group is a place to share news, work, interview tips, advice, and network with other women in cyber.

Girl Scouts of the USA

The list of women in cyber organizations would not be complete without the Girl Scouts of the USA.

With the introduction of 18 new Cybersecurity badges, Girls Scouts of all ages will be able to explore opportunities in STEM while developing problem-solving and leadership skills.

Thanks to the efforts of all the women involved in these groups, we’re happy to share 50 Women in Cyber Groups You Need to Know.

Resource : https://cybersecurityventures.com/list-of-women-in-cybersecurity-associations-in-the-u-s-and-internationally/

2Nov, 2022

How To Write PowerShell Output to a File

The Out-File cmdlet is an easy means for saving copies of PowerShell data to a file. Learn how to use the cmdlet, useful parameters, and more.

One of PowerShell’s greatest strengths is its ability to retrieve detailed information from the underlying operating system and produce comprehensive reports. Sometimes, however, you may find that you wish to save a copy of the data so that you can review it later. This is where PowerShell’s Out-File cmdlet comes into play.

How Does Out-File Work?

The Out-File cmdlet is extremely easy to use.

In most cases, the Out-File cmdlet is appended to either a PowerShell cmdlet or to a variable. Doing so makes it so that the output is written to a file rather than displayed on screen.

How To Use the Out-File Cmdlet

At its most basic, using the Out-File cmdlet requires you to provide a path and filename where the output should be written.

Suppose you wanted to create a list of the system services that are currently running on Windows, then write the list to a text file named C:\Scripts\Services.txt. You could accomplish this with the code below:

$Services = Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq ‘Running’}

$Services | Out-file -FilePath ‘C:\Scripts\Services.txt’

As you can see, the list of running services was written to a variable named $Services. The contents of the variable were then piped to the Out-File cmdlet. The cmdlet’s -FilePath parameter was then used to tell PowerShell where to save the file and what to call it. You can see what the actual commands look like in Figure 1.

Brien Posey example of writing PowerShell output to a file

Figure 1. This is how you can write PowerShell output to a file.

How To Read a Text File

When you use the Out-File cmdlet to create a text file, you can open the resulting text file in Notepad or another text editor. You can also display the file contents within PowerShell.

When it comes to displaying a text file within PowerShell, I usually catch myself using the Type command. The Type command is a leftover from the days of DOS. It only requires you to provide the path and filename. So, for example, if you wanted to see the contents of the C:\Scripts\Services.txt file, you would enter:

Type C:\Scripts\Services.txt

Type is an alias for PowerShell’s Get-Content cmdlet, which works the same way. Just enter the Get-Content cmdlet along with the path and filename of the file that you want to display.

Here is an example:

Get-Content C:\Scripts\Services.txt

example of Get-Content cmdlet used to display a text file’s contents

Figure 2. You can use the Get-Content cmdlet to display a text file’s contents.

How To Set the Encoding

When you use the Out-File cmdlet to create a text file, you normally don’t have to worry about specifying the encoding scheme. The default encoding typically works fine. However, you can set the encoding to ASCII if necessary, and you can even specify a line width.

Keep in mind that any excess characters on a line will be truncated. For example, if you set the line width to 80, then 81 characters or more would be truncated.

If you want to set the encoding to ASCII and you want to set a maximum line width, you will need to append the -Encoding and -Width parameters to the Out-File cmdlet.

Here is what such a command might look like:

$Services | Out-file -FilePath ‘C:\Scripts\Services.txt’ -Encoding ASCII -Width 80

How To Append Data

If you use the Out-File cmdlet and the specified file already exists, that file will usually be overwritten. It is possible, however, to append new data to the end of the file rather than overwrite the file. The key is to include the -Append parameter.

Here is an example of how the -Append parameter is used:

$Services | Out-file -FilePath ‘C:\Scripts\Services.txt’ -Append

How To Force Overwriting an Existing File

When you use PowerShell to create a text file, another problem can sometimes occur: You need to overwrite a file, but that file is being treated as read only. The workaround for this (assuming that the necessary permissions are in place) is to append the -Force parameter to the Out-File cmdlet.

Here is an example:

$Services | Out-file -FilePath ‘C:\Scripts\Services.txt’ -Force

How To Prevent a File From Being Overwritten

A text file that you have generated may contain important data that you want to ensure won’t be overwritten. The best way to prevent the overwriting of the text file is to append the -NoClobber parameter. The -NoClobber parameter causes the Out-File cmdlet to produce an error if the specified file already exists.

Here is an example:

$Services | Out-file -FilePath ‘C:\Scripts\Services.txt’ -NoClobber

You can see what this looks like in Figure 3.

example of NoClobber parameter preventing PowerShell from overwriting an existing file

Figure 3. The NoClobber parameter prevents PowerShell from overwriting an existing file.

Resource : https://www.itprotoday.com/powershell/how-write-powershell-output-file

1Nov, 2022

New open-source tool scans public AWS S3 buckets for secrets

A new open-source ‘S3crets Scanner’ scanner allows researchers and red-teamers to search for ‘secrets’ mistakenly stored in publicly exposed or company’s Amazon AWS S3 storage buckets.

Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) is a cloud storage service commonly used by companies to store software, services, and data in containers known as buckets.

Unfortunately, companies sometimes fail to properly secure their S3 buckets and thus publicly expose stored data to the Internet.

This type of misconfiguration has caused data breaches in the past, with threat actors gaining access to employee or customer details, backups, and other types of data.

In addition to application data, source code or configuration files in the S3 buckets can also contain ‘secrets,’ which are authentication keys, access tokens, and API keys.

If these secrets are improperly exposed and accessed by threat actors, they could allow them far greater access to other services or even the company’s corporate network.

Scanning S3 for secrets

During an exercise examining SEGA’s recent assets exposure, security researcher Eilon Harel discovered that no tools for scanning accidental data leaks exist, so he decided to create his own automated scanner and release it as an open-source tool on GitHub.

To help with the timely discovery of exposed secrets on public S3 buckets, Harel created a Python tool named “S3crets Scanner” that automatically performs the following actions:

Use CSPM to get a list of public buckets
List the bucket content via API queries
Check for exposed textual files
Download the relevant textual files
Scan content for secrets
Forward results to SIEM

**Actions performed by the S3crets Scanner**

The scanner tool will only list S3 buckets that have the following configurations set to ‘False,’ meaning that exposure was likely accidental:

“BlockPublicAcls”
“BlockPublicPolicy”
“IgnorePublicAcls”
“RestrictPublicBuckets”

Any buckets that were intended to be public are filtered out from the list before the textual files are downloaded for the “secrets scanning” step.

When scanning a bucket, the script will examine the content of text files using the Trufflehog3 tool, an improved Go-based version of the secrets scanner that can check for credentials and private keys on GitHub, GitLab, filesystems, and S3 buckets.

Trufflehog3 scans the files downloaded by S3crets using a set of custom rules designed by Harel, which target personally identifiable information (PII) exposure and internal access tokens.

When used periodically to scan an organization’s assets, the researcher believes that “S3crets Scanner” can help firms minimize the chances of data leaks or network breaches resulting from the exposure of secrets.

Finally, the tool can also be used for white-hat actions, like scanning publicly accessible buckets and notifying the owners of exposed secrets before bad actors find them.

Resource: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/new-open-source-tool-scans-public-aws-s3-buckets-for-secrets/?&web_view=true

1Nov, 2022

Top Technologies To Adopt and Learn In 2022

The new technology 2022 is something that would have great future potential but it is still highly unexplored in terms of practical applications.

For example, blockchain is a unique technology that can effectively interrupt not just finance but any industry dealing with security and digital transactions.

Even though people are aware of this technology, its applications are yet to be realized which makes it a wonderful one for anyone looking to create a futuristic application and to upgrade their skills.

Top Technologies To Adopt and Learn In 2022:

1. Blockchain

Blockchain is a digital ecosystem that is controlled only by its users. There are no intermediaries or owners in a blockchain network.
It is a decentralized, distributed network that comprises thousands of nodes that are interconnected. Each transaction in a blockchain network is verified by all nodes and processed through in the network which means the probability of human error or failure is nil.
Blockchain technology has excellent applications in a variety of sectors including digital security, finance, cloud computing, voting, cryptocurrency exchange, identity security, and more

2. Artificial Intelligence

The new technology 2022 mainly involves Artificial Intelligence which most people must be familiar with. It refers to the integration of intelligence in machines.
In the other words, it is the process of making machines think and act like human beings. AI is going to be the head of technology evolutions in the upcoming years.
Experts estimate that the market value would cross more than 500 billion by the next few years. For instance, you can create your mobile app with Artificial Intelligence, create an AI powdered trading platform, and build a next-gen.

3. Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality (AR & VR)

Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality are mostly used in the fields of training, education, entertainment, and gaming among others
AR refers to the integration of real-world objects into the digital world for the better delivery of information through graphics, audio, text, and other virtual enhancements
VR refers to the design of a computer-generated artificial three-dimensional environment with which users can interact using electronic devices

4. Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is the technology aspect that deals with the security of data and users from a range of internet threats such as malware, hacking, DoS attack, phishing, and others
Cybersecurity is extremely important as the internet itself and there are many cases of cybercrimes going on as well. So, the need for cybersecurity is essential and so is the need for platforms and applications that deal with them.
Whether you are planning to learn new technologies to upgrade your careers or looking to build your business on next-gen technologies, cybersecurity is one of the right options today

5. 5G Network

5G stands for 5th Generation mobile network technology which would offer internet at a rapid speed with the ability to connect several devices simultaneously with a single hub
When this new technology 2022 is combined with other technologies such as IoT and robotics, several business opportunities can be presented
It will enhance the performance of IoT networks by offering a high and stable performance internet connection. Depending on your industry or a particular industry, you can start building 5G applications to boost your business growth or to help your customers.

6. IoT (Internet of Things)

IoT connects several devices and therefore allows various devices to communicate with each other in the same network
The best example for IoT will be smart homes where there are refrigerators, TV, AC, etc. where they are connected to the network (internet) and managed using a common interface through voice guidance and physical means.
So, IoT is the greatest technology where they can make the process more cost-efficient and effective if realized properly

7. Machine Learning (ML)

Machine Learning is also similar to that of AI provided it allows machines to automatically adapt themselves or learn new things using past experiences or data
It has huge scope in a range of sectors including finance, medical, speed recognition, image recognition and product recommendation based on e-commerce, purchase history, data analytics, pattern recognition, and others.
For instance, a program or machine can be developed that can offer product recommendations to the users based on their purchase history

8. Fintech

Fintech is the other new technology 2022 which refers to the use of the latest ones to improve the way financial transactions are managed and performed. The latest and most common examples of it include global payment transfer, cryptocurrency, UPI, internet banking, etc.
All these applications compacts with the technologies like UPI and blockchain to make digital payments more affordable, faster, and secure
The main factor is that there is still more to accomplish in the Fintech industry and the opportunities to build new apps and solutions inspired by it are numerous. For instance, you can develop a digital payment app but using cryptocurrencies as the default way of payment.

9. Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is a revolutionary technology and still has infinite distances to go. It refers to the use of computer resources (cloud) and their availability
It can be used for a range of purposes including secure and easy communication, live training, team meetings, social marketing, real-time collaboration, and more besides data storage
Cloud computing will be the right for you if there is an idea for a business that can run on the internet and will benefit from low-cost computing, security, or storage

10. Voice Assistance

Voice assistance platforms and software are highly popular these days. Many big companies use their own voice assistant programs to send commands using voice.
Voice-based commands are faster and easier to execute. Now, you can browse using Google using your voice and much more. It is an advanced technology with enormous opportunities for everyone involved.
AI-driven voice assistance can also be utilized for providing personalized services and analysing user experience accordingly. So, there is a huge scope for entrepreneurs and companies who want to enhance their next applications on voice assistance.

Thus, all the above are the new technology 2022 which can be created and developed according to each one’s requirements and their conveniences.

Resource : https://www.merementor.com/blog/new-technology-2022

31Oct, 2022

NASA Continues Psyche Asteroid Mission

NASA announced Friday the agency decided its Psyche mission will go forward, targeting a launch period opening on Oct. 10, 2023.

Earlier this year, Psyche missed its planned 2022 launch period as a result of mission development problems, leading to an internal review of whether the mission would be able to overcome these issues to successfully launch in 2023.

This continuation/termination review was informed by a project-proposed mission replan and a separate independent review, commissioned in June by NASA and the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, that investigated causes for the delay.

“I appreciate the hard work of the independent review board and the JPL-led team toward mission success,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “The lessons learned from Psyche will be implemented across our entire mission portfolio. I am excited about the science insights Psyche will provide during its lifetime and its promise to contribute to our understanding of our own planet’s core.”

The independent review board is still finalizing its report, which, along with NASA’s response, will be shared publicly once complete.

The mission team continues to complete testing of the spacecraft’s flight software in preparation for the 2023 launch date. The new flight profile is similar to the one originally planned for August 2022, using a Mars gravity assist in 2026 to send the spacecraft on its way to the asteroid Psyche. With an October 2023 launch date, the Psyche spacecraft will arrive at the asteroid in August 2029.

“I’m extremely proud of the Psyche team,” said JPL Director Laurie Leshin. “During this review, they have demonstrated significant progress already made toward the future launch date. I am confident in the plan moving forward and excited by the unique and important science this mission will return.”

NASA selected Psyche in 2017 to investigate a previously unexplored metal-rich asteroid of the same name. It is part of the agency’s Discovery Program, a line of low-cost, competitive missions led by a single principal investigator.

NASA continues to assess options for its Janus mission exploring twin binary asteroid systems, which was originally scheduled to launch on the same SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket as Psyche. NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration, testing high-data-rate laser communications, is integrated into the Psyche spacecraft and will continue as planned on the new launch date.

Arizona State University leads the Psyche mission. JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, is responsible for the mission’s overall management, system engineering, integration and test, and mission operations. Maxar Technologies in Palo Alto, California, is providing the high-power solar electric propulsion spacecraft chassis. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is managing the launch. Psyche is part of NASA’s Discovery Program, managed by the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

For more information about the Psyche mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/psyche

Resource : https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-continues-psyche-asteroid-mission

28Oct, 2022

Magnetic sensors track muscle length

Using a simple set of magnets, MIT researchers have come up with a sophisticated way to monitor muscle movements, which they hope will make it easier for people with amputations to control their prosthetic limbs.

In a new pair of papers, the researchers demonstrated the accuracy and safety of their magnet-based system, which can track the length of muscles during movement. The studies, performed in animals, offer hope that this strategy could be used to help people with prosthetic devices control them in a way that more closely mimics natural limb movement.

“These recent results demonstrate that this tool can be used outside the lab to track muscle movement during natural activity, and they also suggest that the magnetic implants are stable and biocompatible and that they don’t cause discomfort,” says Cameron Taylor, an MIT research scientist and co-lead author of both papers.

In one of the studies, the researchers showed that they could accurately measure the lengths of turkeys’ calf muscles as the birds ran, jumped, and performed other natural movements. In the other study, they showed that the small magnetic beads used for the measurements do not cause inflammation or other adverse effects when implanted in muscle.

“I am very excited for the clinical potential of this new technology to improve the control and efficacy of bionic limbs for persons with limb-loss,” says Hugh Herr, a professor of media arts and sciences, co-director of the K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics at MIT, and an associate member of MIT’s McGovern Institute for Brain Research.

Herr is a senior author of both papers, which appear today in the journal Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. Thomas Roberts, a professor of ecology, evolution, and organismal biology at Brown University, is a senior author of the measurement study.

Tracking movement

Currently, powered prosthetic limbs are usually controlled using an approach known as surface electromyography (EMG). Electrodes attached to the surface of the skin or surgically implanted in the residual muscle of the amputated limb measure electrical signals from a person’s muscles, which are fed into the prosthesis to help it move the way the person wearing the limb intends.

However, that approach does not take into account any information about the muscle length or velocity, which could help to make the prosthetic movements more accurate.

Several years ago, the MIT team began working on a novel way to perform those kinds of muscle measurements, using an approach that they call magnetomicrometry. This strategy takes advantage of the permanent magnetic fields surrounding small beads implanted in a muscle. Using a credit-card-sized, compass-like sensor attached to the outside of the body, their system can track the distances between the two magnets. When a muscle contracts, the magnets move closer together, and when it flexes, they move further apart.

In a study published last year, the researchers showed that this system could be used to accurately measure small ankle movements when the beads were implanted in the calf muscles of turkeys. In one of the new studies, the researchers set out to see if the system could make accurate measurements during more natural movements in a nonlaboratory setting.

To do that, they created an obstacle course of ramps for the turkeys to climb and boxes for them to jump on and off of. The researchers used their magnetic sensor to track muscle movements during these activities, and found that the system could calculate muscle lengths in less than a millisecond.

They also compared their data to measurements taken using a more traditional approach known as fluoromicrometry, a type of X-ray technology that requires much larger equipment than magnetomicrometry. The magnetomicrometry measurements varied from those generated by fluoromicrometry by less than a millimeter, on average.

“We’re able to provide the muscle-length tracking functionality of the room-sized X-ray equipment using a much smaller, portable package, and we’re able to collect the data continuously instead of being limited to the 10-second bursts that fluoromicrometry is limited to,” Taylor says.

Seong Ho Yeon, an MIT graduate student, is also a co-lead author of the measurement study. Other authors include MIT Research Support Associate Ellen Clarrissimeaux and former Brown University postdoc Mary Kate O’Donnell.

Biocompatibility

In the second paper, the researchers focused on the biocompatibility of the implants. They found that the magnets did not generate tissue scarring, inflammation, or other harmful effects. They also showed that the implanted magnets did not alter the turkeys’ gaits, suggesting they did not produce discomfort. William Clark, a postdoc at Brown, is the co-lead author of the biocompatibility study.

The researchers also showed that the implants remained stable for eight months, the length of the study, and did not migrate toward each other, as long as they were implanted at least 3 centimeters apart. The researchers envision that the beads, which consist of a magnetic core coated with gold and a polymer called Parylene, could remain in tissue indefinitely once implanted.

“Magnets don’t require an external power source, and after implanting them into the muscle, they can maintain the full strength of their magnetic field throughout the lifetime of the patient,” Taylor says.

The researchers are now planning to seek FDA approval to test the system in people with prosthetic limbs. They hope to use the sensor to control prostheses similar to the way surface EMG is used now: Measurements regarding the length of muscles will be fed into the control system of a prosthesis to help guide it to the position that the wearer intends.

“The place where this technology fills a need is in communicating those muscle lengths and velocities to a wearable robot, so that the robot can perform in a way that works in tandem with the human,” Taylor says. “We hope that magnetomicrometry will enable a person to control a wearable robot with the same comfort level and the same ease as someone would control their own limb.”

In addition to prosthetic limbs, those wearable robots could include robotic exoskeletons, which are worn outside the body to help people move their legs or arms more easily.

The research was funded by the Salah Foundation, the K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics at MIT, the MIT Media Lab Consortia, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation.

Resource : https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221025150229.htm