Recent Blog Posts

In truth, there is a middle ground that many people don?t realize is present: cybercrimes that can be carried out via artificial intelligence to varying degrees of success. In fact, a newly published study analyzed twenty cybercrimes that might incorporate AI to target their victims more effectively. Let?s observe a few takeaways from this study to see what the data can tell us about AI-enhanced crime as it is projected for the next 15 years. Spoiler alert: Deepfakes are predicted to be really, really bad news. The Research Process To determine the largest threats that AI could play a part in, researchers identified 20 threat categories present in academic papers, news, current events, and even pop culture. Reviewed for two days by a conference of academic, law enforcement, defense, government, and public sector representatives, these threats were debated and analyzed to create a catalogue of threats that AI could enable based on four considerations: Expected harm to the victim, whether in terms of financial loss or loss of trust. Profit that could be generated by the perpetrator, whether in terms of capital or some other motivation. This can often overlap with Harm. How achievable the threat was for the perpetrator to carry out. The attack?s defeatability, or how challenging it would be to overcome, prevent, or neuter. Divided into independent groups, participants ranked these attacks in a bell-curve distribution via q-sorting, with less-severe threats falling to the left, and the worst of the worst falling to the right. The Relationship Between AI and Criminal Activity Crime, as a concept, is remarkably diverse. Not only can a crime potentially be committed against a considerable assortment of targets, there are equally assorted motivations and impacts upon their victims that can come as a result. The introduction of artificial intelligence (either practically or conceptually) adds another variable into the equation. Of course, AI is much more applicable to some forms of crime than others. While robotics have come leaps and bounds from their origins, AI is still a better tool for phishing than it would be for assault and battery?which, in our computing-centric modern world, makes it a very effective tool for cybercriminals to harness as they can. Furthermore, the kind of crimes that AI is most effective at enabling can be repeated ad infinitum and ad nauseam. As a result, cybercrimes can now be bartered, shared, and sold. Seeing as data and information are considered just as valuable as physical goods, this makes AI-powered cybercrime a significant threat. As one of the authors of study, Professor Lewis Griffin of UCL Computer Science, said, ?As the capabilities of AI-based technologies expand, so too has their potential for criminal exploitation. To adequately prepare for possible AI threats, we need to identify what these threats might be, and how they may impact our lives.? The Researchers? Results By the end of the conference, the assembled experts had created a bell curve of the 20 assorted threats that they had identified, with the mean values of the above four considerations defined for each threat in terms of whether or not they were advantageous for the criminal responsible. Each column in the bell curve contained threats that were considered on par with one another. As a result, these AI-enabled threats could be broken down into three categories: […]

As such, we felt it was necessary to discuss these developments to try and clear up a few misconceptions that have arisen, particularly on social media. This has become a predictable chain of events: some popular application or platform is updated, misunderstandings and misinformation abound, and uproar pops up on social media. For instance, look back to the response to Facebook?s Android application requesting access to a smartphone?s camera. Instead of simply accepting this as a necessity for Facebook?s new photo capabilities, theories and outrage popped up on social media. Of course, we aren?t saying that changes in technology are always good by any stretch, especially if a user?s privacy is involved. We just want to make sure that the misinformation out there doesn?t cloud your judgement. You can?t trust giant tech companies to act in your best interests (as if their data collection practices hadn?t already made that abundantly clear), so you should always have some degree of skepticism. In this case, however, we?ve noticed an unnecessarily extreme response to the application framework that Apple and Google developed to assist contact tracing processes. Did Google or Apple Install a COVID-19 Tracking App on My Phone? There?s a simple answer to this: they did not. Neither Apple or Google have added an application to their mobile devices without your knowledge or consent. What Google and Apple have done is develop an application framework, which makes it easier for app developers to create COVID-19 tracking applications. This news, however, resulted in posts like this one appearing on Facebook: ?**VERY IMPORTANT ALERT!*** A COVID-19 sensor has been secretly installed into every phone. Apparently, when everyone was having ?phone disruption? over the weekend, they were adding COVID-19 Tracker [SIC] to our phones! If you have an Android phone, go under settings, then look for google settings and you will find it installed there. If you are using an iPhone, go under settings, privacy, then health. It is there but not yet functional. The App can notify you if you?ve been near someone who has been reported having COVID-19.? Here?s the thing: almost all the information shared here is very misleading. The update that this post is referring to was just a new setting that enables the COVID-19 Exposure Notification system. The user still needs to install an application and activate the Exposure Notification system setting, confirming their participation with their chosen platform?s developer. All this update does is give local governments and health industry members the starting point to build a COVID-19 application, while also providing users the choice to participate, So No, This ?App? Doesn?t Track COVID-19 Without you actively installing a tracking application, your mobile device isn?t going to use your activity to help mark the spread of COVID-19. In fact, if we look at the alarmist Facebook post above, we can even see that a participating application needs to be installed and set up before you can receive notifications. Google and Apple shared a joint public statement, stating, ?What we?ve built is not an app?rather public agencies will incorporate the API into their own apps that people install.? An API is an Application Programming Interface, the application?s foundation that we?ve been discussing. Because Apple and Google have teamed up on this project, application developers will have an easier time building […]

New Home Screen Features Google has added some options into Android 11?s Home screen. It will now have a feature that shows suggested applications toward the bottom that are based on a user?s activity. The more use an app gets, the more frequently it will be suggested.  This may not be for everyone, however, and can be toggled off. To do so simply long press the Home screen and navigate to Home settings. From there you can configure your experience further.  More Customization of Notifications In Android 11, users will be able to categorize their notifications into tiers. Important messages will be at the top, while not so urgent ones will be toward the bottom. Obviously, like with many other versions of the Android OS, notifications can be completely customized. A cool extension to this feature is that certain messaging apps can have conversations that are prioritized, giving users a more efficient way to get a hold of the people they frequently interact with. The Power Menu In what is a complete overhaul of the power button menu, Android 11 expands on the Lock, Restart, and Power off options, adding options to use Google Pay on demand, customize the settings on your smart home devices, and check any camera feeds you?ve connected. To get to this menu simply select Settings > System > Gestures > Power menu. Simple Screenshots Screenshots have always been a little wonky in the Android OS, but in Android 11, Google has made this useful tool much simpler. Additionally, Android 11 will feature a screen recording capability that can be accessed through your Quick Settings after some customization.  To activate this feature, you need to get in and customize your device?s Quick Settings. To accomplish this drag down on the notification shade and select the edit button in the bottom corner (yes, the pencil icon). Scroll until you see Screen Recorder. Long-press and drag it into the Quick Settings panel and you?re good to go. Android OS keeps getting better and better; and with a myriad of awesome new devices to run it on such as the Samsung Galaxy s20, Google Pixel 4 XL, and the upcoming, business-centric Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra it will continue to be a world leader in mobile device technology. Are you looking forward to Android 11? Leave your thoughts about it in the comments section below.

Let?s go over why a unified communications system is precisely the thing to satisfy this need. Understanding Unified Communications When you hear the term ?unified communications,? you should know that it describes a business communications strategy that relies on a diverse mix of solutions to ensure that everyone is able to collaborate freely and comprehensively. In fact, it isn?t uncommon to see this strategy referred to as UCC, or unified communications and collaboration. Of course, while communications and collaboration are closely related, they are not synonymous terms. How Communications and Collaboration Differ As a real-life example, let?s say that Mary and Bob are neighbors who both enjoy gardening. ?Communication? would describe the fact that Mary and Bob could converse with one another, without considering what the subject is. While Mary and Bob could very well communicate about their gardens, they could also communicate about the weather, the latest episode of a TV show they both watch, or any other topic. ?Collaboration? would be more accurately demonstrated if they spent the time they were communicating by exchanging gardening tips or cultivating their shared compost pile. So, some communication is necessary to collaborate, but there can be communication without collaboration. How Unified Communications Offer Benefits There are considerable benefits that businesses can enjoy by introducing unified communications to their operations. Teams can work more productively and perform better. With improved access to shared resources and the ability to collaborate effectively using their UC tools, more higher quality work can be accomplished by your employees. This is the case whether your team is in-house or operating remotely. User experience is improved. By giving your team the tools they need to work together properly, their overall experience will be elevated. This will not only allow them to be more productive, as we mentioned, but it will also assist your staff?s workplace satisfaction levels. Improved rates help businesses budget more effectively. Due to the cloud-based nature of UC platforms, they can be budgeted as an operational expense, rather than the far less predictable capital expense. This makes your business? available finances much more flexible. Tie communication into everything you do. This is where the ?unified? comes into unified communication. The idea is that all communication automatically flows and gets tracked. All communication for a project stays available for everyone working on the project. Nothing gets lost in the mix, and no one, including your clients and customers, are left out of the loop. White Mountain IT Services is here to help businesses with their essential business technology needs, including the implementation and maintenance of unified communication platforms. To learn more (or to get started) reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

How Impactful Can Remote Work Be? According to a recent survey by Intermedia, there have been plenty of impacts to businesses that should only motivate these businesses to continue it. For instance, in this study, owners of the 250 businesses surveyed indicated that they had experienced an assortment of positive influences, such as: Increases in employee availability in 19 percent of these businesses Increased job satisfaction?15 percent?and life satisfaction?seven percent?alike Decreased overhead costs Improved employee attitudes Reduced work-related stress Increased engagement These businesses had primarily operated out of a centralized office beforehand, at a rate of 85 percent. Since then, that number has dropped to 26 percent as remote work has been embraced. Conversely, the use of video conferencing jumped up by 27 percent, from 57 percent to 84 percent. This makes a lot of sense. After all, many businesses have needed to stay open in order to survive (which will continue for the foreseeable future) while simultaneously trying to preserve the safety of their employees, clients, and customers. Will Remote Work Stick Around? While it may still seem optimistic to look to a post-pandemic future, it is unlikely that many businesses will resume their unofficial moratorium on remote work. The largest concern that many of the survey?s respondents had were themed around engagement?how to engage and attract new and returning clients when an in-person meeting was once the preferred tactic for doing so. It is also important to mention, however, that technology restrictions were not the source of this unease. Just look at the jump in conferencing use that we mentioned above. Therefore, it seems overwhelmingly sure that many businesses will continue to implement remote work options in some shape or form even after the immediate need to do so has passed. After all, if a team is happier and more satisfied working remotely while still accomplishing as much as they could in the office, offering that freedom to them only makes sense. White Mountain IT Services is here to help your business deploy and manage its remote teams and technologies, among other crucial IT services. To learn more about the litany of solutions we offer, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.