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Russian Router Malware Just Got Much Worse

6/24/2018

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Remember that Russian router malware warningfrom last week? The situation is even worse than we originally thought, and a whole lot more router owners are going to have to factory-reset their devices and install firmware updates.

Not only are many more Linksys, MicroTik, Netgear and TP-Link routers vulnerable to the VPNFilter malware, according a recent report from Cisco Talos labs, but several Asus and D-Link models are now also thought to be vulnerable, as well as a couple of Ubiquiti routers and individual Huawei, Upvel and ZTE devices. In all, nearly 70 devices are impacted, including QNAP network-attached-storage drives.

The malware itself has a previously unnoticed capability: It can stage a man-in-the-middle attackon your web traffic, altering what you see online and possibly hiding other nefarious deeds.

"They can manipulate everything going through the compromised device," a Cisco Talos researcher told Ars Technica. "They can modify your bank-account balance so that it looks normal while at the same time they're siphoning off money."

How to Protect Yourself. To really be protected from VPNFilter, you need to first fully update your router's firmware, then write down all your Wi-Fi network names and passwords, and finally factory-reset your router.
Once you've done all that, change the router's administrative username and password, then recreate the original network names and access passwords so that your Wi-Fi-enabled devices can reconnect without trouble.

To be safe, ALL routers should be updated and factory-reset because of the VPNFilter malware, despite that being an arduous process, because we don't know where this is going to end.

The malware seems to infect only devices that are known to have had security flaws, all of which have fixes available. If you've kept up on your router patches, or your router patches itself automatically, you probably haven't been infected. Unfortunately, there's no way of knowing for sure.

Only a factory reset will remove the malware, which contains a beachhead module that survives regular reboots; only firmware patches will prevent you from being infected again. Ten days ago, the FBI took down a server from which the beachhead module got instructions to download additional malware components, but it appears that a fallback mechanism lets the beachhead module use other sources.

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Executive Says the Death of Most Websites Is ComingSooner Than You Think

6/17/2018

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Forget stumbling through a customer-support page – the future of commerce won't be found by surfing the World Wide Web. 

Soon many of the tasks we now do via websites and brand-specific apps will be handled through messaging and voice platforms like iMessage, WhatsApp, and Amazon's Alexa, according to Alex Spinelli, the chief technology officer at LivePerson.

Today, companies like Home Depot, T-Mobile, and Discover manage customer-service chats with LivePerson. Though chat technology is seeing a resurgence thanks to the proliferation of smartphones, LivePerson was founded in 1995 as a web-chat alternative to 1-800 numbers and call centers. 

LivePerson's new vision means no more awkward drop-down menus, no more shopping carts, and definitely no more URLs. 

"Our thesis is that conversation is a more natural way of interacting with brand services," Spinelli said. "It will become the dominant way that people interact in their digital lives."

It may seem like a big leap from the present day, but Spinelli envisions a world five years from now in which there are no websites and very few apps. 

"The whole app catastrophe that lives on your phone is overwhelming," Spinelli said. "On my iPhone, I have 127 apps that need updating. You can't keep up." 

Meanwhile, people will continue to interact with screens. In Spinelli's vision, the e-commerce shopping experience of the future starts when a carousel of items pops up at the bottom of the screen. The shopper browses the carousel, clicks the item they want, and instantly pays through a system like Apple Pay. All of that happens within a chat window. 

And that vision isn't too far off from what's already on the market today. 

Apple and Google are prepared for this future.  Earlier this month, LivePerson announced a new offering called LiveEngage for Voice Assistants, which lets customers start interacting with a brand through a voice assistant like Alexa while hanging out at home and then move that conversation over to chat on a mobile device when they leave the house. 

The big idea behind LiveEngage is that customers can have one continuous conversation across multiple modes of communication – something that dovetails with the bigger vision of LivePerson. 

Spinelli joined LivePerson in March after five years at Amazon — first as director of Amazon Search, and later as global head of Alexa OS, the operating system behind Amazon's famed voice assistant. 

When he learned that both Apple and Google added conversational commerce products directly into their smartphone operating systems, he decided to make the move to LivePerson, where he could embrace the trend head-on. 

Apple Business Chatlaunched in beta mode with select brands last year. It's designed to let customers find brands on iMessage and interact with them using dynamic features that manage everything from scheduling an appointment to making a purchase. 
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Google's Android has a similar option with its business-focused Rich Communication Services, currently in beta.

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EY Announces “Day One Ready”to Create Needed Competencies of the Future

6/10/2018

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It's fun when I get to include an article on my former firm. Recently, Ernst & Young LLP (EY) announced it is launching a new program to collaborate with universities and usher in the digital workforce. This program, Day One Ready, prepares students for today's real business world and connects them to potential internship opportunities. It is the newest element of the Tax practice's proprietary upskilling initiative designed to create the workforce of the future and to help EY meet the demand for digitally skilled talent. This program is an expansion of a successful pilot cooperative curriculum with the University of Dayton in Ohio.

"Our approach to staying ahead of disruption will create jobs for people in many ways," said Martin Fiore, partner, Ernst & Young LLP, and EY Americas Tax Talent Leader. "We are driving the development of the right skills for those jobs by working collaboratively with academic institutions and modifying learning at all ages and levels to develop a total workforce with the needed capabilities for the future."

The courses offered by EY to associated universities include: Lean Six Sigma; Robotics Process Automation; Excel Power Modeling; Data Analytics and Visualization; Autonomous Systems; Coding; and Mindfulness to enhance the ability for students to innovate in the future. The new curriculum is taught by a combination of university faculty, EY trainers and guest lecturers who deliver mini-courses on the most in-demand skills for future professionals, mainly consultants.

Other elements of EY's dedication to the future of work include: collaboration with more universities in 2018; changes to recruiting targets with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) backgrounds; coursework for current employees to develop capabilities for the future; and executive-level training for digital certification. Among the upskilling programs to help current EY professionals deliver new skills and work more effectively with clients, the latest is Elite Skills Week. This week-long session of courses is held at the innovative Q Center in Chicago to develop five of the Day One Ready skills critical to the workforce of the future.
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Fiore explained the change of focus on recruiting and training: "The future will be governed by predictive analytics, algorithms and artificial intelligence. Our strategy is to shift the workforce, adjust hiring and evolve learning programs with technology-enabled processes, chatbots, and critical thinking. Our curriculum is far from static and will gradually include more advanced learning that helps our people to understand, use and innovate our services with each generation of digital disruptors. We will continue to have new and exciting job opportunities and are willing to help develop people to bring the right skills."
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Six Blockchain Jobs of the Future

6/3/2018

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While blockchain adoption remains slow, industries including finance, manufacturing, and healthcare are exploring the developing technology's potential to create business advantages like reduced operational costs, faster transaction speeds, and more secure records.

An estimated 1,520 blockchain startup companies are now looking for workers, along with a number of corporations like IBM and Microsoft. As the market continues to grow, more lucrative career options will open up for those who are skilled in the various blockchain technologies.

Here are six of the best blockchain jobs on the horizon, according to the report.

1. Blockchain Project Manager.Companies are interested in developing blockchain solutions and will need to communicate their needs to a blockchain development firm. Project managers will be required to manage and facilitate these projects, especially as companies take on more clients. The project manager will be responsible for translating the company's needs into technical language, and the blockchain developers' needs into plain English. They are also tasked with planning and supervising the execution of the blockchain project.

2. Blockchain Developer.Blockchain developers may have the strongest career opportunities in the industry right now. Before companies can use blockchain to improve efficiency and speed, developers will need to create the necessary platforms and programs. Required skills for blockchain developers include Microsoft SQL Server, Visual Studio, .NET, MVC, AJAX, SQL, C, C++, C#, Javascript, Node.js, JQuery, SOAP, REST, FTP, HTML, XML, XSLT, XCOD, Neural-networks, Regression, Agile Scrum, and MYSQL.

3. Blockchain Quality Engineer.A blockchain quality engineer is responsible for all areas of quality in the development environment, including automation frameworks and tests, manual testing, and dashboards. This professional is typically responsible for planning and delivery of complex blockchain projects, as well as developing, applying, and maintaining QA automated test standards.

4. Blockchain Legal Consultant/Attorney. Many attorneys working in tech have reported getting more calls from potential clients seeking advice about how to structure and govern cyber currency Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) as well as on the issues they may face as they launch blockchain and fintech projects. The need for legal professionals to guide these projects will only grow as the technology matures.

5. Blockchain Designer. Companies will need designers to create websites that inform customers what they offer in the blockchain space. For example, a recent job posting for a user interface (UI) designer wanted a professional who could create a UI design with Sketch, PS, and Figma that would work in both mobile and web applications. These professionals should also have excellent communications skills, and be able to work with content, operations, and marketing teams.
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6. Blockchain Engineer.This year, there were 14 open jobs for every one blockchain developer or engineer. These professionals are responsible for creating and implementing digital solutions for companies using the blockchain. Engineers must study the blockchain tech needs of their company and create the applications to meet those needs. They should be skilled in Java, Hyperledger Fabric, Ripple, Solidity, Python, Bitcoin, Oracle Identity, and access management solutions.

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    Author

    Rick Richardson, CPA, CITP, CGMA

    Rick is the editor of the weekly newsletter, Technology This Week. You can subscribe to it by visiting the website.

    Rick is also the Managing Partner of Richardson Media & Technologies, LLC. Prior to forming his current company, he had a 28-year career in technology with Ernst & Young, the last twelve years of which he served as National Director of Technology.

    Mr. Richardson has been named to the "Technology 100"- the annual honors list of the 100 key achievers in technology in America. He has also been honored by the American Institute of CPAs with two Lifetime Achievement awards and a Special Career Recognition Award for his contributions to the profession in the field of technology.

    In 2012, Rick was inducted into the Accounting Hall of Fame by CPA Practice Advisor Magazine. He has also been named to the 100 most influential individuals in the accounting profession in America by Accounting Today magazine.

    In 2017, Rick was inducted as a Marquis Who’s Who Lifetime Achiever, a registry of professionals who have excelled in their fields for many years and achieved greatness in their industry.

    He is a sought after speaker around the world, providing his annual forecast of future technology trends to thousands of business executives, professionals, community leaders, educators and students.

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