India, EU sign agreement for cooperation in high-performance computing, quantum tech.
India and the European Union (EU) signed an agreement on cooperation in hi-tech areas such as climate modelling and quantum technologies. The agreement builds on the Trade and Technology Council launched earlier this year. The agreement was signed by MeitY secretary Alkesh Kumar Sharma and DG CONNECT director general Roberto Viola.
Viola said combining the experience and expertise of India and the EU, and building on long-standing cooperation and trust can “help one another overcome the greatest challenges of our age, Covid-19 and climate change”. The agreement will also allow the two sides to jointly explore the frontiers of quantum technologies, he said.
The council will allow the two sides to work on issues such as 5G, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, climate modelling and health-related technology.
GoDaddy wins best tech solutions provider for SMEs.
GoDaddy helps millions of entrepreneurs globally start, grow, and scale their businesses. GoDaddy's easy-to-use tools help microbusiness owners manage everything in one place and its expert guides are available to provide assistance 24/7.
Dubai, UAE – GoDaddy announced that it won the ‘Best Tech Solutions Provider for SMEs’ award at Entrepreneur Middle East’s Tech Innovation Awards 2022, which recognizes the most innovative, impactful, and user-friendly tech solution that caters to SMEs and entrepreneurs.
Selina Bieber, Commercial Strategy Senior Director, International Markets at GoDaddy said, “We are honored to receive this award and be recognized by the tech and entrepreneurship media and the digital business community. At GoDaddy, we champion small businesses and entrepreneurs to thrive online and we are grateful for the opportunity to support them in their ambitions as they turn their ideas into reality.”
Amazon’s Alexa team set to lose $10 billion this year, was the main driving force behind the mass layoff.
Amazon is currently in the middle of one of the biggest mass layoffs in its history. The e-commerce giant plans to terminate about 10,000 people by 2023, and also plans to refocus finances and efforts away from the hardware division.
Amazon will be losing about $10 billion just because of Alexa. The Alexa team is responsible for not only the voice assistant but the devices as well. Amazon, like Google, hasn't been able to monetize its voice assistant services. Amazon's Alexa division lost $3 billion in the first quarter of 2022, with a vast majority of the losses coming from the Alexa division. The plan with Alexa was for Amazon to want to make money when people use the devices, not when they buy bought them.
This has colossally backfired on the e-commerce giant. Jeff Bezos' successor as Amazon's CEO, Andy Jassy is also not interested in protecting Alexa.
Global regulators to target crypto platforms after FTX crash.
The crash of the FTX exchange has injected greater urgency into regulating the crypto sector and targeting such 'conglomerate' platforms will be the focus for 2023, the new chair of global securities watchdog IOSCO said in an interview.
Jean-Paul Servais said regulating crypto platforms could draw on principles from other sectors which handle conflicts of interest, such as at credit rating agencies and compilers of market benchmarks, without having to start from scratch.
Cryptoassets like bitcoin have been around for years but regulators have resisted jumping in to write new rules. But the implosion at FTX, which left an estimated one million creditors facing losses totaling billions of dollars, will help change that, Servais told Reuters. "For investor protection reasons, there is a need to provide additional clarity to these crypto markets through targeted guidance in applying IOSCO’s principles to crypto assets," Servais said.
Microsoft warns about Boa web server risks: India is the most affected country.
Microsoft says that the Boa web server comes with potential risks and it is easy for hackers to target these services. Microsoft’s research showed that Indian power companies have faced several attacks because of the web server.
Most recently, Tata Power disclosed a cyber attack by the Hive ransomware group last month. In this case, hackers managed to steal data related to the personal details of employees, which includes details like Aadhaar numbers, PAN card details, and salary information. Microsoft has confirmed that Tata Power was hosted on Boa web servers, which has made it vulnerable and easy to hack due to outdated security protocols. Microsoft claims that over one million devices are still running on the outdated boa web server.
The problem is that most Internet of Things (IoT) devices include a Bora web server in their SDKs, which includes the most popular brands like Realtek Semiconductor Corp as well. It recommends patching vulnerable devices whenever possible. Microsoft also recommends using its own Defender External Attack Surface Management system to stay safe from hackers and recommends businesses reduce attacks by eliminating unnecessary internet connections to IoT devices in the network. Lastly, it is recommended to use an anti-virus solution and it is best to configure detection rules to identify malicious activities.
