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Will Your Small Business Withstand A Cyberattack? – Forbes

December 9, 2019 | Author: admin

Advancements in cloud technologies and software as a service over the last five years have proven to be a boon for small businesses, enabling them to deliver sophisticated customer experiences and services that mean even a sole proprietorship can operate on a global scale.

Today in the U.S. alone, there are 30.2 million small businesses, which make up 99.9% of all businesses in the country. The internet has become a key competitive advantage for small businesses, and these companies have the benefit of implementing technology quickly, as they typically arent working with vast systems or legacy architecture.

As helpful as the internet has been, however, it also has a dark side, leaving small businesses highly vulnerable to cybercrime. Unlike their large corporate counterparts, small and midsize businesses (SMBs) dont typically have the necessary infrastructure, trained personnel or protection measures in place to safeguard against a cyberattack.

Can a cyberattack happen to you?

Here is the sobering truth: It is not a matter of if you will be impacted by cybercrime, but when. Its a common misconception to believe that as a small business, you arent attractive to cybercriminals. This couldnt be further from the truth.

In 2018, 58% of all cybercrime victims were small businesses, according to a report from Verizon,and only 14% of those were adequately prepared to defend themselves. The average cost of a cyberattack for a small business is $200,000, more money than many can afford to pay. In fact, insurance carrier Hiscox says because of the high cost of cyberattacks, 60% of small companies go out of business within six months of being victimized.

Despite the 66% of small businesses who say they are concerned about cybersecurity, SMBs tend to fall short in a myriad of areas that leave them vulnerable to attack. Areas of weakness include failing to have a cyber safety strategy, failing to have an individual responsible for cybersecurity, failing to properly train employees on ways to help avoid or mitigate an attack and failing to maintain proper insurance against cyber risks, particularly a policy dedicated to cyberattacks.

It is true that small businesses may be less likely to face an advanced persistent threat (APT) or a highly targeted attack; however, they are prime targets for broader-based "trawl net" attacks. Ransomware is perhaps the most pernicious threat faced by small businesses, which, like its name suggests, is marked by an attacker stealing and/or encrypting data files and demanding a ransom of some sort to restore them.

Hackers know that most small businesses offer rich resources to mine, including highly sensitive customer data, and they also know the likelihood of encountering sophisticated security protections is minimal.

How will a cyberattack happen?

Believe it or not, the weakest links in your cybersecurity are your employees. Most attacks first initiate through phishing, a proactive attempt by would-be hackers to get you to share personal details like passwords, logins and other information through unsolicited emails or other forms of contact. If an employee mistakenly opens one of these emails, clicks on a malicious link or shares personal data with a cybercriminal, the entire company can quickly and easily be compromised.

Most security efforts made by SMBs are nominal at best. Small companies operate lean budgets, and cybersecurity products arent always high on the list of priorities. This means that many organizations make do with consumer-grade, or even free, cybersecurity products. These dont scratch the surface of what you need to protect your business. They are not centrally managed, and they dont offer sufficient protection.

Another issue for small businesses is adequate IT support. Large companies have specialists at their disposal who understand cybersecurity, which is different than just having a general IT background. This is an expense most small businesses cant afford, and the IT staff they do use tend to have limited knowledge -- if any -- about how to navigate cybersecurity and how to stay up to date on the latest risks and vulnerabilities.

So what can you do?

Most importantly, change your mindset. Assume that a cyberattack is a likely event for your company, whether targeted or random.

Next, prepare. Start with your staff. First, limit access for employees to only the data and applications required to do their jobs. Next, train them on awareness and practices and keep that education up to date. Share the latest trends in attacks and fraud. Consider drills or exercises that give employees a chance to act before an actual attack happens.

Deploy security products that are specifically designed to meet the needs of small businesses. This includes a firewall that can monitor network traffic based on predetermined security rules and provide a barrier between your network and the Wild West of the internet. It also includes a virtual private network (VPN) that can connect you and your employees safely when youre away from the main company network. Other low-cost tools like multifactor authentication, cyber analytics tools and ongoing vulnerability testing can prove helpful.

Ensure that all of your companys devices are running endpoint anti-malware software. This is your last line of defense against potential attacks including phishing, viruses and the like. Run endpoint software that is centrally managed, preferably through the cloud. This ensures that all of your companys devices are continually protected and updated against the latest threats, that you have complete visibility into your endpoint security posture and that you (or your IT provider) can be rapidly alerted if and when problems arise.

Finally, consider a managed security service that can provide all of the above without requiring you or your employees to become cyber experts. These services can be highly cost-effective, especially when considering the time and peace of mind saved.

If a cyberattack happens to you, do something. Surprisingly, 65% of all small businesses simply ignore a cybersecurity incident. Double down on your cyber protection, and communicate effectively with employees and customers. Never ignore an attack. Instead, learn where your vulnerabilities are, and work to fix them.

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Will Your Small Business Withstand A Cyberattack? - Forbes

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Encryption back on the congressional agenda – Politico

December 9, 2019 | Author: admin

With help from Eric Geller, Martin Matishak and Bryan Bender

Editor's Note: This edition of Morning Cybersecurity is published weekdays at 10 a.m. POLITICO Pro Cybersecurity subscribers hold exclusive early access to the newsletter each morning at 6 a.m. Learn more about POLITICO Pro's comprehensive policy intelligence coverage, policy tools and services at http://www.politicopro.com.

Story Continued Below

Encryption and corporate cybersecurity are on the congressional calendar this week, both on Tuesday, one a hearing and one a markup.

A top intelligence official with some cybersecurity responsibilities is leaving, part of a broader exodus.

How much is the White House doing on election security? Two officials, one current and one recently departed, offered their viewpoints in recent days.

HAPPY MONDAY and welcome to Morning Cybersecurity! Your MC hosts inbox hasnt been flooded with best of 2019 music stuff as requested, but I discovered this one elsewhere. Pleasant little track, that one. Send your thoughts, feedback and especially tips to tstarks@politico.com. Be sure to follow @POLITICOPro and @MorningCybersec. Full team info below.

CLOSED, OPEN The Senate Judiciary Committee this week explores the pros and cons of encryption, the first time Congress has dipped into the subject in a long time. While the panel hasnt announced Tuesdays witness list yet, the hearing comes two months after Attorney General William Barr joined British and Australian officials to initiate a big push against warrant-proof encryption centered on fighting child exploitation.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is worth watching: From 2015 to 2016, he said he underwent a change of heart, evolving from an end-to-end encryption critic to someone who saw the wisdom of it, but since then hes also become a staunch ally of the president.

Also Tuesday, the House Financial Services Committee is scheduled to mark up legislation (H.R. 1731) that would require the SEC to issue a rule requiring publicly traded companies to disclose cybersecurity expertise on their boards of directors. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), would require that, in the event a board had no cyber expertise, the company must explain why.

WE NEVER SLEEP One of the Pentagons top intelligence officials will step down next month, our Defense colleague Connor OBrien and Martin scooped on Saturday. Kari Bingen, who as principal deputy undersecretary of Defense for intelligence, helps oversee the NSA and other organizations within the so-called Defense Intelligence Enterprise, will leave DoD on Jan. 10. She sat down with Martin earlier this year on the sidelines of the 2019 GEOINT Symposium and chatted about a host of topics, including cybersecurity.

Her departure marks yet another departure of a senior intelligence official in recent months. Former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and his deputy, Sue Gordon, stepped down in August. Joseph Maguire has served as the nations spy chief on an acting basis ever since. Last month, ODNI announced that Andrew Hallman, who most recently served as the Deputy Director of CIA for Digital Innovation, is the I.C.'s new "principal executive" who will serve as the country's No. 2 intel official.

MORE PERSONNEL NEWS Bryan Ware is the pick to take the job of assistant director for cybersecurity at CISA, one of the top cyber gigs in the federal government, CyberScoop reported Sunday evening. He would replace Jeanette Manfra in the DHS vacancy, with Manfra set to head to the private sector at years end. Ware is the current assistant secretary for cyber, infrastructure and resilience policy, and is a former tech entrepreneur. His selection is still pending White House approval, according to CyberScoop. DHS officials that MC reached out to Sunday night did not confirm the news.

NIAC WANTS CYBER COMMAND CENTER A federal advisory council made some unsurprising recommendations to President Donald Trump for improving public-private cybersecurity partnerships in a newly published draft report.

The president should create a command center to improve intelligence information sharing, protect companies from lawsuits stemming from their decision to blacklist risky vendors and create an independent commission to mitigate catastrophic cyber risks to critical infrastructure that have potential national security impacts, the National Infrastructure Advisory Council said in the report. The council, a collection of industry executives and local government officials, also said the Justice Department should determine whether existing legal authorities permit the feds to order companies to implement certain defensive measures.

The report is the result of a tasking from the National Security Council, which asked the NIAC in September to examine how the federal government and private industry can collaborate seamlessly to manage urgent cyber risks in the most critical and highly targeted private infrastructures. It cites increasing nation-state cyber capabilities, along with digital strikes such as the Ukrainian grid outages and the NotPetya malware outbreak, to argue that the need to act is urgent.

The report recommends a two-tiered approach, coupling urgent action with longer-term comprehensive policies, and it says that all work should adhere to six principles, including that regulation should be a last resort. The draft is dated Dec. 12, making it likely that the NIAC will deliver it to Trump this week.

THE OTHER NSA ON ELECTION SECURITY A White House often accused of neglecting the subject of election interference considers it a big priority, national security adviser Robert OBrien told reporters at a roundtable this weekend. That's something we're concerned about. It's something we watch and it's something we're working on very, very hard, he said. And there are people across the U.S. government and across state governments that are working on these issues. It's a priority. It's important. We're monitoring very closely.

OBrien touted the NSCs resilience group, and mentioned four countries that present a particular threat given their cyber capabilities: China, Iran, North Korea and Russia, the last of which Trump has faced particular criticism over for downplaying its 2016 meddling.

WAIT, HOLD UP ON THAT A recently retired senior CIA operations officer on Friday wrote that the president poses a real threat to federal efforts to fend off Russian election interference. In response to 2016 meddling, the CIA published a call to arms for its workforce to counter the Kremlin, Marc Polymeropoulos wrote for Just Security. The idea was for the entire government to think creatively and offensively about what to do about Russia, he wrote. There was widespread interagency support for the idea.

The wild card was sitting in the Oval Office, wrote Polymeropoulos. With President Donald Trumps puzzling admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, it was not clear that he had accepted and internalized the Intelligence Communitys conclusions of Kremlin malfeasance and incessant desire to harm the United States. If anything, the president repeatedly questioned the findings of the IC, preferring instead to accept Putins denials. Former national security advisers H.R. McMaster and John Bolton helped keep the agenda moving forward, however.

Since retiring in June, though, two things swayed Polymeropoulos toward doubt for the future. My fear stems primarily from the president, who has, in a matter of several months, quite overtly set back the overall U.S. government effort with his unfortunate meddling in Ukraine, as well as the pullback of U.S. troops from Syria, he wrote. Trump has provided Putin a massive gift on both fronts. Its not all a lost cause, but it will likely take congressional action to stay the course, he asserted.

BYENET Two members of a Romanian cybercrime gang earned lengthy prison sentences on Friday from a federal judge for their role in overseeing a botnet that prosecutors say infected 400,000 computers primarily in the United States. Romanians Bogdan Nicolescu and Radu Miclaus, both 37, received 20 years and 18 years, respectively. The Bayrob Group schemes origins date back to 2007, when it developed proprietary malware distributing malicious emails purportedly from the likes of the IRS, Norton AntiVirus and Western Union, according to DOJ. In April, a federal jury in Ohio convicted them of all 21 charges.

TWEET OF THE WEEKEND Thats two needs, and counting.

RECENTLY ON PRO CYBERSECURITY Reddit said it uncovered a suspected Russian disinformation campaign targeting the U.K. election. Republican senators are deepening their pursuit of evidence of Ukrainian election interference, despite intel officials saying theres none to be found. Cambridge Analytica engaged in deception in a couple different ways, the FTC said. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) pressed Google executives about the company's data sharing deal with health system Ascension in a letter today amid sharpening concern over the use of big health data among patient and privacy advocates. European Commission Vice President Vra Jourov said social media companies need to do more to counter manipulation campaigns.

One of the accused Evil Corp leaders is the son of a former Russian mayor. Meduza

British cybersecurity officials are investigating whether leaked U.S.-U.K. trade papers were hacked. Reuters

Industry groups want more time to give feedback on the information and communications technology supply chain rule. Inside Cybersecurity

The head of the FBI Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch is headed to Louisville for a job as chief of public services. CyberScoop

More than 100 dental offices were affected by a ransomware attack on a Colorado IT provider. Krebs on Security

The election security fights continue in Pennsylvania. The Wall Street Journal

Morning Consult sought to analyze the congressional districts most vulnerable to Facebook misinformation.

Thats all for today.

Stay in touch with the whole team: Mike Farrell (mfarrell@politico.com, @mikebfarrell); Eric Geller (egeller@politico.com, @ericgeller); Mary Lee (mlee@politico.com, @maryjylee) Martin Matishak (mmatishak@politico.com, @martinmatishak) and Tim Starks (tstarks@politico.com, @timstarks).

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Encryption back on the congressional agenda - Politico

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Police radios blocked from the public in southeast Denver metro area – The Denver Post

December 9, 2019 | Author: admin

Police radios in a large swath of Denvers southeast metro area went dark this week as law enforcement in Douglas and Elbert counties encrypted their radio systems to block public access to the transmissions, which have for decades provided the public with live information on police activity.

The Douglas County Sheriffs Office, all law enforcement and firefighters in Elbert County who are dispatched by Douglas County, as well as the police departments in Lone Tree, Parker and Castle Rock all encrypted their radio traffic on Dec. 2, according to the sheriffs office.

The Arapahoe County Sheriffs Office plans to encrypt its traffic in January, along with the departments it dispatches for such as Sheridan, Cherry Hills and Cherry Creek State Park. Police in Littleton, Englewood and Greenwood Village also are joining the encryption trend.

Officials at the agencies cited concerns about officer safety, citizen privacy and the need to communicate with other encrypted departments as reasons for shielding the radio traffic from public listening.

There is a lot of information that is not public and shouldnt be public that is transmitted over the radio, said Josh Hans, spokesman for the Parker Police Department.

Its just for the safety and security of our deputies, said Deputy Cocha Heyden at the Douglas County Sheriffs Office

We need to be able to communicate without the bad guys listening in on us and knowing what were doing, said Littleton police Cmdr. Trent Cooper.

Joe Amon, The Denver Post

The departments are following a statewide trend many local agencies have already encrypted their traffic, including Denver, Thornton,Arvada, Aurora, Lakewood, Westminster, Greeley, Longmont and Fort Collins but the move continues to raise concerns among advocates for police and government transparency, who say encrypting radio traffic shuts down a key avenue of public information for both citizens and the news media.

When everybody is trying to say they are transparent, this is one of the least transparent things you can do, said Chris Vanderveen, 9NEWS director of reporting. Police radio traffic for decades has allowed journalists to know when police are responding to major incidents, and has provided key context for reporting on such incidents, Vanderveen said, like when a man shot at cars from a Denver parking garage in November.

When the guy was downtown taking shots at cars, the only word we got initially was Active shooter downtown, he said. And thats all we had. Before, we would listen to the scanner and it would give us a sense of, Is this a really hot area we are potentially going into, is this something the police are treatingseriously? Do we need to have our crews back off? We are now sending our crews into situations blindly; and that deeply concerns me.

Jeff Roberts, executive director of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition, said police radio traffic also allows reporters to get to the scene and interview witnesses accounts that can later confirm or cast doubt on information released by the police department.

Government doesnt always tell you everything, and there needs to be a watchdog on that, he said.

The Douglas County Sheriffs Office will grant some news media access to its encrypted radio traffic if the news organizations agree to several conditions set by the sheriffs office in a memorandum of understanding, and if the news outlet is determined to be legitimate a decision left to the sheriffs discretion.

Heyden said the goal of the agreement is to formalize what has in the past been an unwritten understanding that journalists would not report information heard on the scanner without first verifying it. Thats already a normal standard at reputable news organizations.

We felt this would be a good step to show that the issue of us encrypting didnt have anything to do with the media, it had to do with safety and security reasons, she said.

So far, one news station in Colorado Springs has signed the agreement, Heyden said.

Ginger Delgado, a spokeswoman for the Arapahoe County Sheriffs Office, said they will also offer media access to encrypted radio traffic on the condition of a signed memorandum of understanding when the county moves to encryption early next year.

Such agreements have at times been cumbersome, Roberts said. In Denver, police offered news media access to its encrypted radio, but only if the news organizations agreed to cover the citys legal costs in the event of legal action stemming from information gathered from police radio transmissions (unless the claim was because of the sole negligence or willful misconduct of the city). The city also wanted to be able to examine news organizations books, documents, papers and records related to the use of the city-issued scanner.

The Denver Post and all local TV stations declined to accept those conditions and have not been granted access to the citys encrypted traffic.

We will not agree to anything that would compromise what we believe to be good journalism, Vanderveen said. He added that police promises to put information out on social media and in press releases have fallen short.

All the police departments have taken this approach of, Oh we will give out information in time. All of them have shown theyre not, he said. And I dont think its devious, its just a logistical impracticality. Its not practical because they cant distribute that information quickly enough via Twitter.

Roberts said some cities have encrypted traffic yet still found ways to ensure access for the public and media, either by providing media with access to radio traffic without setting any conditions or in some cases by continuing to let the public listen in, but on a 10-minute delay.

Officials at eight law enforcement agencies who are planning to encrypt their radio traffic were hard pressed to cite specific examples in which suspects used scanner traffic to thwart police, but all were certain it presented a potential safety risk.

Our investigators do remember several different times when it happened, Delgado said. About two years ago, there was active surveillance being done by our task forces, and there was someone who was actively listening to our radio traffic and feeding information to the target.

Another time, she said, officers responding to a shooting were approached by a woman who had been listening to the call on her phone.

Its so easy now to download an app on your phone, so thats a huge safety issue too, she said.

Although state legislators have twice considered bills that would prohibit or regulate police radio encryption, both bills failed to pass, Roberts said. Police radio encryption continues to be adopted across Colorado.

This looks like an unstoppable trend, he said.

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Encryption Software Market Innovations, And Top Companies – Forecast To 2029| Microsoft, Sophos Ltd., Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. -…

December 9, 2019 | Author: admin

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Did You Hear That? Securing Communications in 2019 | Insight for the Connected Enterprise – No Jitter

December 9, 2019 | Author: admin

As technology has transformed business in nearly every industry over the last two decades, communications has also been significantly altered. From ordering groceries to scheduling a doctors appointment to meeting with a personal banker, it seems as though the majority of communications today takes place digitally and through mobile devices. Because of the massive increase in digital communication, theres also a stronger need to secure that information.

Although cybersecurity is often top of mind in a variety of ways, those outside of the call center industry might not immediately think of communications as a pillar of their security strategy. However, its a vital area of information security. The tactics for securing communications have evolved this year from encrypting communications traffic to shifting the cultural mindset around security.

Enhanced Encryption in Contact Center Solutions

With so much data existing in the cloud today, many businesses are implementing encryption solutions as part of their UC, collaboration, and contact center strategies to better secure sensitive employee communications, including between contact center agents, and customer data. Many modern UC and contact center solutions offer an enhanced level of encryption that traditional legacy phone systems simply cannot match.

As a result, encrypting all communication from emails and chats with customers to internal communications between representatives, as well as stored audio files is becoming the standard in the contact center industry.

Adopting a Security Culture

In the past, the general cultural mindset of most organizations has been one of convenience for employees, including contact center agents, to complete their work in the easiest and quickest way possible. However, to a certain extent, this cultural mindset lacked weight regarding the impact specific procedures and processes could have on security. As todays landscape becomes more consumed by digital channels, a major shift is beginning to occur in the cultural mindset of businesses as it relates to information security resulting in a corporate mindset that views the security of consumer data as the highest priority at all times.

Protect from the Inside Out

By arming their organizations internally, so to speak, with knowledge of best practices in information security, an organization can better protect itself, as well as its customers, from the threat of a cyberattack.

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Did You Hear That? Securing Communications in 2019 | Insight for the Connected Enterprise - No Jitter

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‘Government broke their promise’: Labor seeks to amend encryption legislation – Sydney Morning Herald

December 9, 2019 | Author: admin

Labor home affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally said on Tuesday Labor had backed the bill based on the government's commitment it would be refined this year, acting on the recommendations of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS).

"[Government Senate leader] Mathias Cormann did not hold true to his word. The government did not hold true to their word. And those amendments, the government has refused now for 12 months to bring back to the Parliament," Senator Keneally said.

"The private senator's bill that we will introduce will include all of the amendments the government has previously agreed to, as well as the judicial authorisation for some of the actions that some of the encryption legislation authorises."

A spokeswoman for Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton called Labor's move a "political stunt".Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

A spokeswoman for Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton pushed back against Labor's "political stunt", saying the legislation was being reviewed by the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor (INSLM) and the intelligence and security committee.

"Labor is asking for amendments while the PJCIS and the INSLM are still conducting their reviews the government has agreed to the PJCIS' request to allow PJCIS and INSLM more time to review this important legislation," the spokeswoman said.

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Reviewing the legislation after it had been enacted was among the 17 recommendations made by the intelligence committee in December 2018. Other recommendations were amendments to restrict and clarify the new powers laid out in the legislation.

Last year, Senator Cormann said the government would consider amendments in 2019 and supported "in principle, all amendments that are consistent with the [PJCIS] recommendations in relation to this bill".

Sunita Bose, managing director of tech industry body DIGI, expressed strong support for the CLOUD Act and backed amendments to make sure Australia complied with it.

"We have supported reviews by the INSLM and PJCIS into the Assistance and Access law, and encouraged amendments that provide judicial oversight, more robust definitions and stronger protections for journalists," she said.

The encryption legislation is part of a global push by law enforcement to confront the growing challenge of suspects "going dark", with their data encrypted and out of reach to investigators.

Fergus Hunter is an education and communications reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

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Global Hardware-based Full Disk Encryption Market 2019 Innovation and Technological Developments, Industry Analysis & Outlook 2023 – Weekly News…

December 9, 2019 | Author: admin

The study presented in the Hardware-based Full Disk Encryption report offers a detailed analysis of the Hardware-based Full Disk Encryption market globally. The market analysis greatly focuses on staying in-sync with data that conveys major consumers related segments.

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Global Hardware-based Full Disk Encryption Market 2019 Innovation and Technological Developments, Industry Analysis & Outlook 2023 - Weekly News...

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Artificial intelligence will affect Utah more than other states, new study says – Deseret News

December 8, 2019 | Author: admin

SALT LAKE CITY Utahs economy could be more affected by artificial intelligence than other states, according to a new study by the Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.

The study predicted that Salt Lake and Ogden-Clearfield would be among the 10 top regions in the United States for workforces impacted by artificial intelligence.

Up to this point, most research surrounding the impact of technology on employment has focused on the effect of automation on blue-collar jobs, like clerical, manufacturing or construction jobs.

But this report predicted that in the future, artificial intelligence will actually have the most profound impact on white-collar fields like law, engineering and science. That includes tech-based economies like Utahs Silicon Slopes.

Among the most AI-exposed large metro areas are San Jose, California, Seattle, Salt Lake City and Ogden, Utah all high-tech centers, the study states.

What explains this shift in the types of jobs affected by artificial intelligence and how will Utah and other states across the country be affected by it?

Who could be affected?

Much of the discussion about artificial intelligences potential impact on the future whether optimistic or apocalyptic lumps it in with other forms of automation, including robotics and software, the report states.

But the role of artificial intelligence in the future economy should be considered on its own, said Mark Knold, senior and supervising economist for the Utah Department of Workforce Services.

Thats because artificial intelligence involves programming computers to perform tasks which, if done by humans, would require intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, prediction or planning, as defined by the report.

This means that artificial intelligence could potentially replace jobs which involve not just what humans can do, but how humans think. Thats why artificial intelligence could threaten jobs that are typically considered white collar because they primarily deal with human reasoning and problem solving, said Knold.

Artificial intelligence will be a significant factor in the future work lives of relatively well-paid managers, supervisors and analysts, the report states.

But Dan Ventura, professor of computer science at Brigham Young University, said that right now, artificial intelligences primary strength is in tasks involving pattern recognition, such as facial recognition or medical diagnostics, he said, and even those advancements have been subject to criticism for inaccuracy and racial bias.

AI is getting really good at pattern recognition and finding patterns in data, better than humans in some cases, said Ventura. I can say with some level of confidence that the types of jobs that involve that kind of work are potentially vulnerable to being displaced by AI.

But artificial intelligence is nowhere near being able to take on such complex tasks as making judgments and complex decisions, said Ventura. For example, artificial intelligence could detect the presence of a tumor but it would take a human doctor to decide whether to operate, perhaps in concert with discussions with the patient or the patients family.

The kinds of jobs where theres a lot more judgment, subjectivity, human impact, they arent even in the ballpark of being able to do something like that right now, said Ventura. I dont think those kinds of jobs are in any kind of danger in the near future, he said.

The upshot

Both Ventura and Knold say AI shouldnt be viewed only through the lens of fear.

While some industries are likely to be disrupted and some jobs will become obsolete, Ventura predicts, artificial intelligence could also actually create new jobs.

Those jobs could be complementary to work performed by artificial intelligence, such as quality control, or could involve making decisions about information produced through artificial intelligence. In some professions, artificial intelligence could speed up or take care of the busy work, said Ventura, leaving the human professionals more time and resources to focus on decision-making or qualitative analysis.

Knold added that demographic trends indicate that as the baby boomer generation ages out of the workforce, the younger generation which is less populous wont supply enough workers to replace the jobs that the older generation has vacated, said Knold.

In the future, when you have less human brains around, artificial brains could become more valuable and more profitable, he said.

Artificial intelligence could help companies thrive even with less human workers, he said.

The fear is that AI will replace workers and youll have higher unemployment, said Knold. But I think what it will do is help replace missing workers and not displace existing work.

Ventura said that while making such predictions is important to help people start thinking about what careers and skills to build to be prepared for the future, as this technology is still rapidly developing, its very difficult to know how it might actually affect the workforce.

Its important to take this kind of analysis with a grain of salt, said Ventura. Predicting the future is notoriously difficult.

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Artificial intelligence will affect Utah more than other states, new study says - Deseret News

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VA launches National Artificial Intelligence Institute to drive research and development – FierceHealthcare

December 8, 2019 | Author: admin

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) wants to become a leader in artificial intelligence and launched a new national institute to spur research and development in the space.

The VA's new National Artificial Intelligence Institute (NAII) is incorporating input from veterans and its partners across federal agencies, industry, nonprofits, and academiato prioritize AI R&D toimprove veterans' health and public health initiatives, the VA said in a press release.

VA has a unique opportunity to be a leader in artificial intelligence, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said in a statement.VAs artificial intelligence institute will usher in new capabilities and opportunities that will improve health outcomes for our nations heroes.

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RELATED:VA taps Googles DeepMind to predict patient deterioration

For its AI projects, the VA plans to leverage itsintegrated health care system and the healthcare data it has amassed, thanks to itsMillion Veteran Program. That program has collected 800,000 veterans' data in a genomic database with the goal of researching how genes, lifestyleand military exposures affect health and illness.

The VA has tapped biomedical informatics leaderGilAlterovitz, Ph.D., to lead the NAII as the institute's director. Alterovitzis afaculty at Harvard Medical School in the Center for Biomedical Informatics. He is the director of the Biomedical Cybernetics Laboratory and core faculty member of the Childrens Hospital Informatics Program.

According to the VA, Alterovitz has led national and international collaborative initiatives for developing novel informatics methods and approaches for integrating clinical, pharmaceutical, and genomic information, from research to point-of-care.

Alterovitz ledthe Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's "Sync for Genes" effort, an initiative to advancethe use of standards to enable and improve patients ability to share their genomics information.

RELATED:Mayo Clinic taps Google Cloud as strategic partner to accelerate innovation in AI, analytics and digital tools

VA has used AI and machine learning technologies to help reduce veterans wait times and identify those at high risk for suicide. The department's AI initiatives also have helpeddoctors interpret the results of cancer lab tests and choose effective therapies, according to the VA.

NAII is a joint initiative between VAs Office of Research and Development and Secretarys the Center for Strategic Partnerships. The programwill design, execute and collaborate on large-scale initiatives and national strategyand build on the American AI Initiative and the National AI R&D Strategic Plan.

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Artificial intelligence apps, Parkinsons and me – BBC News

December 8, 2019 | Author: admin

In my work as a journalist I am lucky enough to meet some brilliant people and learn about exciting advances in technology - along with a few duds.

But every now and then I come across something that resonates in a deeply personal way.

So it was in October 2018, when I visited a company called Medopad, based high up in London's Millbank Tower.

This medical technology firm was working with the Chinese tech giant Tencent on a project to use artificial intelligence to diagnose Parkinson's Disease.

This degenerative condition affects something like 10 million people worldwide. It has a whole range of symptoms and is pretty difficult to diagnose and then monitor as it progresses.

Medopad's work involves monitoring patients via a smartphone app and wearable devices. It then uses a machine learning system to spot patterns in the data rather than trying to identify them by human analysis.

In its offices we found one of its staff being filmed as he rapidly opened and closed his fingers - stiffness in these kind of movements is one of the symptoms of Parkinson's.

As we filmed him being filmed, I stood there wondering whether I should step in front of the camera and try the same exercise.

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For some months, I had been dragging my right foot as I walked and experiencing a slight tremor in my right hand.

I had first dismissed this as just part of getting older, but had eventually gone to see my GP.

She had referred me to a consultant neurologist, but at the time of filming I was still waiting for my appointment.

As we left Medopad, I clenched and unclenched my fingers in the lift and reflected on what I had seen. A few days later my coverage of the project appeared on the BBC website.

Three months on, in January this year, I finally met the consultant.

She confirmed what I had long suspected - I was probably suffering from idiopathic Parkinson's Disease. The "idiopathic" means the cause is unknown.

As I got to grips with the condition and started a course of medication, I quickly found out that there are all sorts of unknowns for people with Parkinson's.

Why did I get it? How quickly will the various symptoms develop? What are the hopes of a cure?

There are no reliable answers.

My response has been to take a great interest in how the technology and pharmaceutical industries are investigating the condition.

Developments in artificial intelligence, coupled with the availability of smartphones, are opening up new possibilities, and this week I returned to Medopad to see how far it had progressed.

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I asked the firm's chief executive, Dan Vahdat, whether he had noticed anything that suggested I might have a special interest in Parkinson's when I first visited.

"I don't think we noticed anything specifically," he said.

"But - and that's weird for me to tell you this - I had this intuition that I wanted to get you to do the test."

That, of course, did not happen but over the last year there has been a clinical trial involving London's King's College Hospital.

People with Parkinson's have been given a smartphone app, which their relatives use to record not just that hand-clenching exercise but other aspects of the way they move.

"We think this technology can help to quantify the disease," Dan explained.

"And if you can quantify the disease, it means you can see how the disease progresses.

"It gives you lots of opportunities, in terms of treatment adjustments, interventions at the right time, potentially screening a larger cohort of patients with the technology in ways that were not possible before."

This made me think about my own situation.

Since February, I have been prescribed Sinemet - one of the most common Parkinson's drugs - in the form of two tablets taken three times a day.

While some patients see an instant impact, I cannot say I notice much effect.

If anything my main symptom, dragging my right foot, has got slightly worse. When I see my consultant every four months we discuss whether the prescription should be adjusted, but it is difficult for me to quantify my symptoms.

Dan told me this was exactly the kind of scenario they are trying to address.

"We think you will end up having a more continuous observation via machine and the doctors can look at it remotely. And with that they will be able to adjust your treatment, if needed, because potentially right now you're either overdosing or underdosing."

I am now going to get access to the trial app and look forward to finding out what it says about me.

This is just one of many projects run by a variety of companies where real-time data is collected from people with Parkinson's and other conditions via their handsets.

The search for a cure to Parkinson's goes on. We appear to be a long way off, but in the meantime quantifying a condition like mine could do a lot to improve how I and many others cope with the symptoms.

What is exciting to me is that the smartphone revolution, which I have documented since watching Steve Jobs unveil the iPhone in 2007, now promises to change healthcare just as it has transformed many other aspects of our lives.

And I hope to continue reporting on that revolution for many more years.

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