With so many technology publications and news sites, and so many stories appearing each day, it can be hard to keep up with what’s going on out there. To help you stay on top with what’s happening, here’s a roundup of some fascinating tech stories from the last month or so.
- What you’re really worth
- The rise and rise of the bots
- Data breaches are up – and becoming more targeted
- The EU pioneers revolutionary AI legislation
- What you missed at Microsoft Build 2024
- The American Privacy Rights Act (APRA) – and what makes it different this time
- The balancing act of enforcing Azure MFA
- How to identify and mitigate DDoS attacks
What you’re really worth
IT salaries are always a thorny issue. Should you be earning more? Do you need to move to another city, state or even country? Just how buoyant is the sector you’re in? Time to celebrate … or drown your sorrows. Techopedia takes a look at the ten highest paying tech jobs for 2024 – and lists them in order. TNW adds a continental flavor to the mix by looking at the European cities with the highest salaries for software developer. And finally CIO steps in by revealing the ten highest-paying industries for IT talent.
Find out by where you live in Europe
Find out by the sector you work in
The rise and the rise of the bots
We’ve already seen them in countless movies but the bots are here. No, they really are here and, worse still, the bad bots are winning according to Imperva’s 2024 Bad Bot Report. Bots are applications that automate tasks like filling out a form or scraping a website for data. Bad bots do so with malicious intent – think distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks or credential stuffing. Bots also – and this really surprised me – make up nearly half (49.6% ) of web traffic with bad bots accounting for a third (32%) of traffic. Forbes offers a great summary of what this means and, if you’re responsible for infrastructure security, it’s probably also worth downloading the report.
Find out why the bots are taking over the internet
Download Imperva’s 2024 Bad Bot Report
Data breaches are up – and becoming more targeted
The threat of data breaches is a constant pain for data professionals and Infosecurity Magazine provides a timely reminder with its summary of ITRC’s Q1 2024 Data Breach Analysis report. In Q1 of 2024, publicly reported data compromises were up 90% on the same quarter last year. Conversely, perhaps, the number of victims of those compromises actually dropped by 72% compared to Q1 2023. It may not be the best of news, however: the consensus among cybersecurity experts is that breaches are becoming far more targeted, with login credentials a common attack vector. As the report recommends, businesses and consumers need to continue to practice good password hygiene and transition to Passkeys as soon as possible.
Read the Infosecurity Magazine article
Download ITRC’s Q1 2024 Data Breach Analysis report
The EU pioneers revolutionary AI legislation
The European Union has given the green light to groundbreaking legislation on artificial intelligence, marking a historic moment in global AI governance. The EU’s AI Act which comes into force next month introduces a comprehensive framework that categorizes AI systems by their risk levels, imposing stringent rules on high-risk applications while offering more lenient conditions for less critical AI technologies. The first law of its kind aims to ensure the safe deployment of AI in the EU, safeguarding fundamental rights and fostering innovation and investment across Europe. It notably includes prohibitions on AI practices deemed too risky like real-time biometric surveillance in public areas. The Act’s influence is expected to reach beyond European borders, potentially shaping AI regulations worldwide.
Find out more in this Reuters article
What you missed at Microsoft Build 2024
If you weren’t one of the 200,000 people who attended Microsoft Build 2024 in-person or virtually, there are a lot of headlines to catch up on. Copilot in Fabric was made generally available with the aim of helping data professionals increase productivity and let business users search through data more easily. Copilot updates were announced, including Team Copilot which, Microsoft says: “… expands Copilot beyond a personal assistant to act as a valuable team member – participating and contributing along with the team can facilitate and summarize meetings.” The event also showcased Copilot+ PCs, claiming them to be the fastest, most AI-ready Windows devices ever built, featuring Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus processors.
Find out the full story at the Microsoft Build website
The American Privacy Rights Act (APRA) – and what makes it different this time
We’ve been here before, but the proposed American Privacy Rights Act (APRA) aims to establish a uniform legal standard for personal data privacy and security. Introduced in April 2024, the new federal privacy bill seeks to streamline the complex patchwork of state privacy laws, granting Americans more control over their personal data. The APRA promises to limit the collection, retention and use of data to what is necessary for providing products and services, preventing discrimination based on personal information. It also introduces the possibility for individuals to take legal action if their privacy rights are infringed, establishes a dedicated privacy office within the Federal Trade Commission, and empowers state attorneys general to enforce the law.
Find out what it could mean in this fascinating Forbes story
The balancing act of enforcing Azure MFA
Microsoft has introduced a new level of flexibility for Windows administrators by making feature updates optional rather than mandatory, set to be generally available by May 24. The latest change allows users to choose when to install updates, giving admins the power to make updates required only when necessary. In parallel, Microsoft has clarified its stance on Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for Azure, stating that it will be mandatory for all users starting July, with exceptions for service accounts and certain automation identities. Amidst concerns from administrators, Microsoft has offered assurances that supported MFA methods will be available and opting out won’t be an option, though an exception process will exist for special cases.
Find out more in this article from The Register
How to identify and mitigate DDoS attacks
According to Radware’s 2024 Global Threat Analysis Report, the average number of DDoS attacks in 2023 increased by 43% for organizations in EMEA, and 196% for organizations in the Americas. Those attacks are also becoming more sophisticated with web DDoS attacks emerging as a threat and, for all regions, the sectors most at risk are Finance, Technology, Healthcare and Government. But how do you identify and mitigate DDoS attacks? Find out in this fascinating five-minute, bite-size webinar from ITPro Today. The panel discussion highlights the severe impact the downtime from attacks can have, explores the pros and cons of different response options, and talks about what you can do to prepare for inevitable attacks, and how to quickly bounce back.
Load comments