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In the fast-paced world of information technology, staying updated with the latest trends, breakthroughs, and buzz is crucial for professionals and enthusiasts alike. March 2024 has been a particularly thrilling month in the IT sphere, brimming with innovations, updates, and discussions shaping technology’s future. “ByteBeat: Your Monthly Dose of IT Buzz and Breakthroughs” is your go-to source for digesting these developments.
This edition is packed with insights into cutting-edge advancements, from groundbreaking AI research to transformative cybersecurity measures and everything in between.
Whether you’re a seasoned tech expert, a budding developer, or simply a tech aficionado eager to keep up with the digital world’s rapid evolution, this issue promises a comprehensive overview of what’s new, noteworthy, and novel in IT this month. Join us as we delve into the stories that have captured the industry’s imagination and the innovations poised to redefine our digital landscape.
2023 Xplain Ransomware Attack Leads to Massive Swiss Leak
Switzerland’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) confirmed that 65,000 federal government documents were leaked on the Dark Web in mid-2023. These releases came on the heels of an attack on service provider Xplain, which serves Swiss authorities at the cantonal and national levels.
Read more here.
HPE GreenLake to Improve AI Storage
HPE is enhancing its GreenLake for File Storage capabilities to handle the demands of AI at scale.
The new all-flash options will boost capacity fourfold, doubling per-rack-unit performance. HPE also said the technology could potentially slice power consumption by half.
Read more here.
Ubiquiti Router Vulnerabilities Earn a Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA)
The National Security Agency (NSA), FBI, and other partners released a CSA for Ubiquiti EdgeRouters.
These devices are vulnerable to compromise by the General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) and other Russian actors. The FBI cautioned hardware owners to take action.
Read more here.
Axonius Secures $200 Million in Funding
After hitting annual recurring revenues of $100 million in 2023, startup Axonius is on a roll. The company secured $200 million in backing from Accel and Lightspeed Venture Partners – just in time for it to scale its platform.
Read more here.
Hundreds of thousands of international users lost access to Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and Threads following what the company described as a technical issue.
Parent company Meta failed to specify what happened, and multiple threat actors claimed responsibility.
Read more here.
Ex-Googler (Almost) Walks Away With AI Secrets
A former Google engineer who stole IP around a year ago was recently charged. If convicted, he could be in jail for 10 years and have to pay $1 million. Although this isn’t the search giant’s first run-in with IP theft, the fact that this case involved AI model data prompted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director to call it a national security issue.
Read more here.
Channel Partners Announces 2024 Technology Advisor 101
Channel Partners released its 2024 Technology Advior 101 index of the best tech advisory consultants. Check out the list to see if you made it – or at least get a feel for what you should be doing.
Read more here.
73% of MSPs Rely on Cybersecurity to Drive Revenue
Threat mitigation goes beyond safety. According to Kaseya’s 2024 MSP Benchmark Report, 73% of MSPs viewed cybersecurity as a leading revenue factor. This came even though 78% still viewed it as a challenge.
Read more here.
AI Has Come for Windows 11
If you’ve been feeling like you need more AI in your OS lately, you could be in luck. Microsoft’s Windows 11 is increasing its capacity for integrations with the Copilot AI assistant. Improvements include the power to adjust system settings using natural language commands.
You’ll also get a couple of new commands in the Clipchamp and Photos apps.
Read more here.
Lunar Surface Networking Is Coming
Outer space might seem like an unlikely setting for networking infrastructure, but not for long. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced a new LunA-10 initiative to design an integrated multi-service architecture on the moon.
Participants, including Nokia Bell Labs and 13 other companies have been tasked with establishing the infrastructure for commercial lunar operations by 2035.
Read more here.
Think carefully before you decide to take on a law firm as a client. Sacramento MSP LanTech LLC may be reevaluating its business strategy – and policy on striking oral business deals – after being sued by Mastagni Holstedt, a local law firm that claims the provider didn’t protect it from a cyber attack.
LanTech might have to cough up damages of $1 million.
Read more here.
New Dropbox Phishing Campaign Gets Around MFA
Attackers used a legitimate Dropbox address to get people to open a PDF and visit a fake Microsoft login page.
This attack was notable because it was able to sidestep a victim’s MFA token, although researchers say a security team caught the problem before it could do real harm.
Read more here.
LiteSpeed Cache Plugin Puts 4 Million WordPress Sites in Harm’s Way
WordPress plugins are amazing, right? You probably feel differently if you’re using LightSpeed Cache since outdated versions of the plugin can allow site-wide XSS attacks.
Not only could hackers access sensitive info, but they might also escalate privileges – all in one HTTP request! The good news is that installing the latest version of the plugin should fix things.
Read more here.
Barracuda Networks Partner Success Program Gets an Upgrade
Barracuda Networks revealed that its newly minted Partner Success Program was receiving a few important enhancements. In addition to improving distribution and making more certification courses available, Barracuda is on track to sweeten compensation models.
Read more here.
Conclusion
MSPs don’t operate in a vacuum. Despite the market looking strong soon, keeping your fingers on the pulse is critical if you want to survive. We’d recommend getting started by checking out this 2024 Survey on the MSP market. And, of course, you should follow the Domotz IT News Roundup to stay attuned to what lies ahead!
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