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The Morning Download: Embracing Multicloud; Fooling Facial Recognition |
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Good Morning, CIOs. The WSJ's Sara Castellanos and Angus Loten report that the Pentagon’s decision Tuesday to drop a proposed cloud contract with Microsoft Corp. in favor of planning to hire multiple vendors for the job is in line with the IT strategy at many big corporations and government agencies. More choice, less lock-in. “If you are trying to make something work because you’re tied to a specific vendor or infrastructure, you are solving the wrong problems,” said Thomas Donnelly, chief information officer of software company BetterCloud Inc. The New York-based company primarily uses Google Cloud for its IT infrastructure, with some services from Amazon Web Services. About three-quarters of 850 respondents at midsize and large enterprises world-wide said in a survey last year that they use multiple cloud providers, according to a report by technology research firm Gartner Inc. |
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| Kaseya is still working to fully patch the cybersecurity flaw in its VSA software. PHOTO: KASEYA/REUTERS |
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Software firm at center of ransomware attack was warned. Kaseya Ltd. was told of a serious cybersecurity hole in its Kaseya VSA software on April 6, Victor Gevers, chairman of the Dutch Institute for Vulnerability Disclosure, said Wednesday. The Miami-based software supplier responded with urgency to address the flaws, Mr. Gevers said in a blog post reviewed by the WSJ's Dustin Volz and Robert McMillan. But apparently not fast enough. A ransomware attack that began Friday is estimated to have hit hundreds of mostly small and medium-size businesses. Also. On Tuesday, the Republican National Committee disclosed that one of its contractors, Synnex, had been breached by hackers. Ties to Russia. Russia-based ransomware gang REvil has claimed responsibility for the Kaseya breach. Hackers affiliated with the S.V.R., Russia’s foreign intelligence service, are believed to be responsible for the Synnex attack. Next steps. President Biden Wednesday evening declared that he “will deliver” a response to President Vladimir Putin for the wave of ransomware attacks linked to Russia. (New York Times) Robinhood crypto unit expects fine. The cryptocurrency brokerage of Robinhood Markets Inc. expects to pay New York regulators a penalty of at least $10 million for allegedly violating state rules on cybersecurity and anti-money-laundering practices, the company said in filings last week. The WSJ's David Uberti has more. British Airways settles cyber legal claim. The airline faced a roughly $27.5 million fine over its "unacceptable" failure to protect customers in a 2018 incident. (BBC) |
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| PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JAMIE CHUNG FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL |
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Fake faces. As companies and government agencies embrace facial recognition systems for user verification, criminals are pioneering new ways of tricking those systems, writes the WSJ's Parmy Olson. Tactics include everything from cutting the eyes out of photos to tapping deepfakes—lifelike images generated by AI AI-enabled grift. "In the past year, thousands of people in the U.S. have tried to trick facial identification verification to fraudulently claim unemployment benefits from state workforce agencies, according to identity verification firm ID.me Inc." SoftBank backs facial-recognition startup. SoftBank Group Corp. is leading an investment in AnyVision Interactive Technologies Ltd. that values the facial-recognition company at over $1 billion, Ms. Olson reports. Crowd-scanning tech. AnyVision says its software can scan crowds for suspected criminals or people on a private watch list. It also sells software it says can scan faces to decide if someone should be allowed entry at barriers and gates. Privacy concerns. The fundraising comes as facial-recognition technology faces growing scrutiny from regulators and activists who say it infringes on privacy. Many large tech companies have stopped or dialed down their sales of facial-recognition technology. |
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| Google says in a blog post that it provides an open operating system in which customers are free to download apps directly from developers’ websites. PHOTO: CAYCE CLIFFORD FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL |
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States target Google Play store in antitrust suit. Dozens of states filed an antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet Inc.’s Google Wednesday related to practices on its Google Play app store, the WSJ's Ryan Tracy and Tripp Mickle report. Game on. The state case against Google’s app store follows an antitrust case filed by Epic Games, which alleged that Google acted anticompetitively in operating the store and eventually yanking the company’s “Fortnite” game from its virtual shelves. Also in the works. The Justice Department’s antitrust suit against Google is scheduled for trial in 2023, targeting its search engine business. Two other ongoing state antitrust lawsuits take aim at the search business and its advertising technology. Gates Foundation plans leadership changes. The foundation said Melinda French Gates could eventually depart from its leadership if she and Bill Gates determine they can no longer lead the philanthropy together. (WSJ) Big tech startups spring up in South Korea. The country now has 10 unicorns, making it the third-largest hub for such companies in the Asia-Pacific region, after China and India. Sized for success. Bankers, investors and entrepreneurs say a few characteristics have helped South Korean startups thrive. The country has an affluent, tech-savvy population that is mostly squeezed into a few big cities, where superfast mobile broadband is widespread. (WSJ) Trump sues Facebook, Twitter, Google to restore social media accounts. The former president remains suspended from most social-media platforms following the Jan. 6 riots in the U.S. Capitol. The lawsuits were filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Miami. (WSJ) |
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The Wall Street Journal's John D. McKinnon wrote Tuesday's article on the Pentagon's decision to scrap the JEDI cloud contract. Yesterday's newsletter misidentified the reporter. |
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| Everything Else You Need to Know |
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The Biden administration will push regulators to confront consolidation and perceived anticompetitive pricing in the ocean shipping and railroad industries as part of a broad effort to blunt the power of big business to dominate industries. (The Wall Street Journal) Japan declared a new state of emergency due to Covid-19 that will continue through the Summer Olympics, making it likely the organizers will drop plans to allow some spectators at the Games. (The Wall Street Journal) Many of Afghanistan’s most successful men and women in careers that flourished under the protection of the U.S. military see their lives and achievements in peril. (The Wall Street Journal) |
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