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The Second Meltdown: New Intel CPU Attacks Leak Secrets
Researchers have found new flaws in Intel processors that could allow hackers to defeat the security boundaries enforced by virtual machine hypervisors, operating system kernels and Intel SGX enclaves, putting data on both servers and endpoint systems at risk. Over a year ago, the Meltdown and Spectre attacks showed that the memory isolation between the operating system kernel and unprivileged applications or between different virtual machines running on the same server were not as impervious as previously thought. Now researchers have found additional "side channel" techniques that could allow attackers to reconstruct secrets without having direct access to them, by analyzing how data passes through the CPU's microarchitectural components during speculative execution.
Keysight Technologies Unveils New Integrated Network Analyzers
Keysight Technologies has launched the next generation of network analyzers. Keysight’s new E5080B, P50xxA Series, and M980xA Series network analyzers work to deliver next generation features and performance in benchtop, USB, and PXI form factors. These new analyzers combine built-in pulse generators and modulators, spectrum analysis, and time domain analysis in a single instrument.
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Hysolate 2.0 Helps Organizations Improve Endpoint Protection
Hysolate, a provider of endpoint isolation solutions, announced the next version of its cybersecurity platform. It features advanced integration with Microsoft Active Directory, configuration management systems like Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) products, plus new role-based access control.
How to Work with Protected View in Microsoft Office
To protect yourself from malware and other threats, Microsoft offers a feature called Protected View. When enabled, Protected View opens Office documents in read-only mode with macros and other content disabled. You can easily bypass Protected View if you need to edit a certain document or other file, but you should also know where and how to manage Protected View. Among the core Microsoft Office applications, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint all include the Protected View feature. This article covers how Protected View works.
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A Taller Ladder: Secrets to Thwarting ATM Attacks
In a TRF (transaction reversal fraud) attack, a fraudster initiates a cash withdrawal at the ATM and manipulates the cash-present sequence to trick the host into thinking the cash was not taken. The author details how TRF works and how to stop it.
Number of ATMs Worldwide Drops for the First Time as Demand for Cash Decreases
Brand-new research shows that the number of ATMs installed worldwide fell by 1% in 2018, to stand at 3.24 million, impacted by branch closures and the rising popularity of mobile payments. According this new report from RBR, Global ATM Market and Forecasts to 2024, ATM numbers dropped in four of the five largest markets in 2018. More than half the world’s ATMs are found in just five countries; of these China, the USA, Japan and Brazil saw a decrease in ATMs, whilst in India, growth slowed considerably.
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Closing the Mobile Banking Gap
This article suggests that new technical offerings and changes in approaches by some community FI have improved smaller institutions’ ability compete via mobile. It goes on to cover how integrating service to digital channels means community FIs can take advantage of personal touch aspects that have traditionally given them an edge in the market.
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LogRhythm Launches a Cloud-Based Version of Its NextGen SIEM Platform
LogRhythm announced that it has released a cloud-based version of its NextGen SIEM Platform: LogRhythm Cloud. Incident response playbooks, case management, integrated threat intelligence feeds, and workflow automation are all included in LogRhythm Cloud.
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4 Ways to Make Your FI a Borrower's First Choice
To stand out from other lenders and show borrowers why your institution should be their first choice for all of their financial needs, this article says that you must focus on promoting these four benefits and features: 1. Interest-rate savings; 2. Tailored lending services; 3. Community service; and 4. One-stop financial shop.
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Online Banking/E-Commerce/Website Design
Mastercard Enables FI and Merchants to Innovate with New Digital Platform
Mastercard introduced the Mastercard Innovation Engine, an API based digital platform that enables issuers and merchants a simplified path to rapidly deploying digital capabilities. The first solution built leveraging the Mastercard Innovation Engine focuses on contextually-relevant and personalized digital engagement and servicing. For issuers, a single connection to the Innovation Engine provides them continuous access to innovate and leverage new capabilities and solutions coming out of the platform.
Does Bill Pay Need an Upgrade?
This article covers four areas of pain that financial institutions must address if they hope to transform the Bill Pay consumer experience and drive step change to reduce the use of expensive and inefficient paper checks. Here is why this is important: Currently, as few as 27% of consumers make their online bill payments through their FI, whereas in 2010, this number was closer to almost 40%.
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Not All SD-WANs Are Created Equal
This article advises organizations to carefully evaluate an SD-WAN for its capabilities and ability to interoperate with their legacy tech and equipment. Knowing the different modules and approaches for vendors so organizations can select a vendor that answers their specific needs is also critical.
Riverbed Pumps up SaaS Applications with New Accelerator
Riverbed announced a range of updates to its Digital Experience Management platform and software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) offerings, but the headliner is an "accelerator" for software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications. This solution is a cloud-based solution that Riverbed said can increase SaaS application performance by up to 10 times for all users. Working in tandem with Riverbed's End User Experience Monitoring, the accelerator allows organizations to measure, monitor and accelerate SaaS-based enterprise apps such as Microsoft Office 365, Salesforce, etc.
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Rather than agents being replaced by Chatbots, the contact centers of the future will need employees to act as stewards of this technology, guiding and training bots to perform the best they can. Consumer needs are never static, so that fine-tuning will take place well into the foreseeable future.
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