How Will the Depths of Election Hacks Continue to Rise?

Story by Carrie Pallardy

Key Points:

• Hacking efforts targeting the US presidential campaigns are in full swing. Hackers breached the Donald Trump campaign and leaked documents, 纽约时报 reports. Kamala Harris’ campaign has also been subject to breach attempts.??
• This malicious cyber activity is not unexpected. “Cybersecurity experts have been saying it's highly likely that we're going to be targeted by foreign nations yet again, for them to interfere in the election. I think this is evidence of that happening,” Adam Marrè ( Adam M. ), CISO of cybersecurity company Arctic Wolf and a former FBI special agent/cyber investigator, tells InformationWeek .??
• As a part of the targeted attack on the Trump campaign, hackers compromised the personal email account of Roger Stone , a Trump political advisor, according to CNN .?APT42 is associated with the intelligence unit of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
• Over the past six months, the group has targeted individuals linked with both US presidential campaigns , according to a report from Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG).?While Iran appears to be behind the recent hack of the Trump campaign, it is not the only nation state to launch cyberattacks related to the upcoming US election.
• “One of the things that I could imagine many of our foreign adversaries would like is us focusing on ourselves and our own political process and not out watching what other nations are doing in the world,” says Marrè.??
• Cybersecurity has garnered attention at the federal level. For one, The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is championing its Secure By Design initiative , which calls for software manufacturers to take ownership of customer security outcomes and to be transparent in how they approach security.??

Welcome to InformationWeek 's Big Picture!

You already know that every day at InformationWeek brings expert insights and advice to help today’s IT leaders identify the best strategies and tools to drive their organizations forward.

That means original reporting from our team of journalists and unique commentary you won’t see anywhere else! But in case you missed them, here are some of our other must-read favorites from this week:

Could Robots Really Serve the Elderly?

Story by Richard Pallardy

Key Points:

• Some 17% of the world’s population will be over the age of 65 by 2050, according to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs . If these reports are to be believed, robots may offer support that the younger population is increasingly unwilling or unable to provide.
• “I see elder care as an enormous area for robotics going forward -- allowing people to live independently for longer and age in place,” says Cynthia Matuszek , assistant professor at the Interactive Robotics and Language Lab at the 美国马里兰大学帕克分校 . But she cautions, “You can't have robots that help with that if you can’t, as a senior, get them to do what you want them to do.” She thinks language processing is one way of doing so, but robotics may assist in other areas, too.?
• Regardless of how one conceives this burgeoning technology, it appears to be profitable -- it was valued at $2.5 billion last year by one analytics firm. Governments have contributed millions to the investments in eldercare robotics technology in anticipation of the growing needs of their aging populations.??
• So, it seems the eldercare crisis may come down to a set of suboptimal choices: relying on an increasingly strained human system, implementing suboptimal robotic technologies, or living in the hopes that more ideal solutions will emerge.??
• In the article above, InformationWeek investigates this complex and ethically fraught landscape, plumbing the literature and including insights from Matuszek, Robert Sparrow , professor of philosophy at the Monash Data Futures Institute , and Matt Beane , assistant professor in the technology management program at UC Santa Barbara .

谷歌 AI Overview is Reshaping Tech

Story by Pam Baker

Key Points:

• 谷歌 Overviews is a feature on Google Search that is designed to provide users with concise and comprehensive summaries of search results. The search giant reports that “people have already used AI Overviews billions of times through our experiment in Search Labs.” While search engine users may find Google AI overviews to be helpful, or at least a time saver, only the question of whether the feature helps or harms the tech industry is examined here.?
• Recent SparkToro analysis finds that the results in “Google’s monopoly power to self-preference their own properties is that almost 30% of all clicks go to platforms Google owns. YouTube, Google Images, Google Maps, Google Flights, Google Hotels, the Google App Store, and dozens more means that Google gets even more monetization and sector-dominating power from their search engine.”?
• “Imagine trying to explain quantum computing in a tweet. That’s what Google Overviews often feel like. Moreover, the stranglehold of Big Tech -- already a contentious issue -- is only tightened by these summaries. Smaller companies and independent publishers find it increasingly difficult to compete for visibility and clicks, their lifeblood in a fiercely competitive digital landscape,” says Lars Nyman , CMO of CUDO Compute , a platform that powers many AI projects, and an ex-Googler.?
• At the very least, tech companies will need to take a hard look at their SEO strategies and regularly measure how often and how well their companies, brands, and products and services are mentioned or linked to in Google AI overviews, Perplexity summaries, and in other search engine SERPs as well.??

Exploring Value Stream Management

Story by Lisa Morgan, CeM, J.D.

Key Points:

• One success factor when delivering customer value is having a value stream, which, according to Gartner “is the sequence of activities necessary to deliver a product, service or experience to a customer, internal or external. Value streams cut across and connect siloed business capabilities. They provide end-to-end visibility of the activity flow, from customer request to delivery.”?
• “Value stream mapping takes the focus away from a singular production point, such as a conveyor belt or a project team, and requires you to look at the entire process from idea to value for the customer. Value stream management is a process where you optimize and improve that value stream,” says Ivan Gekht , CEO of custom software development firm Gehtsoft , in an email interview.
• ?? Amanda A. Russo , founder and CEO at process improvement consultancy Cornerstone Paradigm Consulting recommends defining objectives first because it’s important to understand the purpose and desired outcomes of value stream management.?A common question when mapping processes and initiating organizational change is how to handle resistance, resource constraints, data accuracy and siloed departments, Russo says.
• Companies leveraging value stream management are realizing increased efficiency by reducing lead times and productivity cost reductions from eliminating waste and enhancing product quality. For customers, this translates into faster delivery and higher satisfaction because the product or service better meets their needs.??

Will We Still "Google it" Moving Forward?

Story by Shane Snider

Key Points:

• Technology companies born out of the internet boom of the 1990s have enjoyed a couple of decades of relative market freedom -- with brands such as 谷歌 , 亚马逊 , and Meta taking their spots in the top echelon of technology companies.
• Those companies enjoy a huge market share in their respective business focuses -- but maybe none more than Google with a search engine market share of more than 91% globally, according to Statcounter .
• Google, of course, has become synonymous with search. We don’t “search” the internet … we “google” it.’ Google’s dominance in the search engine market has amounted to an illegal monopoly, a US District Court judge ruled last week . The case contended that Google held its dominance in the market by unfairly blocking competitors through lucrative exclusive contracts for its search engine with Apple and Android devices.
• While Google’s search engine is language based, sophisticated GenAI is using multi-modal search that uses video and other media as part of the search process. Google’s AI Overviews is likely to see stiffer competition from relatively new players in search, like OpenAI ’s ChatGPT Search, and Perplexity AI.
• Jim Yu , founder and executive chairman of enterprise SEO and content platform company BrightEdge , says Google is already retooling its focus to AI-powered search. “I think that will be the new battleground for Google to play in. And I think the antitrust piece will play into how Google hedges that default search engine in iOS devices,” he says.

Commentary of the Week

Story by Anton Dam and Richard Marcus

Key Points:

• Just like cloud computing, data analytics, and robotic process automation in recent years, AI brings the potential to enhance productivity and bring businesses other advantages while also posing threats that require serious consideration.??
• According to Gartner , spending on AI software is set to surge to $297 billion by 2027 . Despite all the buzz, a recent survey conducted by AuditBoard and The Harris Poll reveals that less than half of employed Americans (42%) say their company has a formal policy for using non-company supplied AI-powered tools for work -- opening them up to potential ethical, legal, and privacy risks.
• Enterprises must prepare for AI-augmented decision-making across their enterprises -- acting now to put guidelines in place to effectively manage AI risks while harnessing new capabilities to stay ahead of the competition.??
• AI risk and opportunity aren’t owned by a single person or function in the organization. It spans us all. It will take collaboration and communication to create a cohesive approach to managing AI risk while enabling innovation. We must be mindful that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to managing AI -- it will look different for every organization.??
• In the article above, we'll detail three ways that organizations can leverage proactive policies and well-established processes to manage AI risk while tapping into its game-changing potential.

Podcast of the Week

Podcast and Story by Joao-Pierre Ruth

Key Points:

• Chip delays and concerns that AI companies may lose money -- potentially billions -- became part of the recent uneasiness in the tech sector , even as AI is seen as a possible driving force behind the need to upskill the workforce.
• As these AI growing pains play out, do organizations still foresee many career areas altered by AI? Are organizations asking questions about what AI can deliver and how that influences their workforce needs ?
• In this episode of DOS Won’t Hunt, Keatron Evans , vice-president of portfolio and product strategy with Infosec (bottom left in the video); Ramona Schindelheim , host of the Work in Progress podcast and editor-in-chief of WorkingNation (bottom right); Prukalpa Sankar, co-founder of Atlan (top left); and Ashok Reddy , CEO of KX (top right), talk about the reskilling dilemma and where AI actually stands in its development as a tool for companies.

Latest Major Tech Layoff Announcements

Original Story by Jessica C. Davis , Updated by Brandon Taylor

Key Points:

• As COVID drove everyone online, tech companies hired like crazy. Now, we are hitting the COVID tech bust as tech giants shed jobs by the thousands.
• Updated August 17, 2024 with layoff announcements from 思科 , Formlabs , Sonos, Inc. , and Tally .
• Check back regularly for updates to our IT job layoffs tracker.

REGISTER NOW!

"Tools and Technologies for Managing Cyber Risk in 2024"

This FREE, LIVE webinar launches on Tuesday, August 20 at 1pm ET:

Presented by InformationWeek and SailPoint

Today's enterprises are rapidly evolving and wholly dependent on technology to enable global operations, but efficient and secure use of this technology requires identity security.

With remote workforces requiring never-ending access, the complexities and vulnerabilities it provides creates the need to protect against the cyber threats around the clock. One missed authentication step can bring your business to its knees.

How can organizations manage and govern access for every internal and external digital identity it serves? In this webinar, learn about the technologies and processes that can help.

By attending this live broadcast, you’ll learn:

• Competitive advantages of implementing identity security
• How to assess and reduce risks associated with access management
• How to mitigate vulnerabilities that can be exploited
• Why delivering transparency into each digital identity fuels compliance
• Tools and technologies that facilitate incident response

Our featured keynote speakers are:

• Candy Alexander, CISSP CISM - CISO & Cyber Practice Lead, NeuEon Inc.
• Rex Booth - CISO, SailPoint

"Generative AI: From Bleeding Edge to Mainstream, How It's Shaping Enterprise IT"

This FREE, LIVE virtual event launches on

Thursday, August 22 at 11am ET:

Presented by InformationWeek and ITPro Today

The next wave of AI is here and if your machine isn’t learning, it’s already behind.

This virtual event looksat how generative AI will help us reinvent ourbusinesses and organizations in a safe and sane –and profitable – manner.

In this event we’ll discuss:

? Potential for Generative AI

? Key preparations to building and incorporate AI

? How to be prepared to use AI responsibly

Our featured keynote speakers are:

• Sidney Madison Prescott, MBA - Artificial Intelligence Executive, Z Labs, Founder & CEO, Mirror, Founder & CEO, Moonshot Productions
• Allison Bergamo - Founder and CEO, Bergamo Marketing Group

Our featured panelists are:

• Pamela Gupta - CEO, Trusted AI?
• Benjamin Bohman - Founder, Stratishield AI
• Dan Van Dyke - Head of Generative AI, EMARKETER

This virtual event will be moderated by:

• Steven Hill - Independent Analyst - Data Center Technologies at ToneCurve Technology, LLC

Request Your Free Research Report Now:

“IT Pros Love, Fear, and Revere AI: The 2024 State of AI Report”

An InformationWeek Report | Sponsored by Palo Alto Networks

Is AI a boon or a bane to job security? A security tool or a vulnerability? Mature enterprise technology or immature toy? Essential enterprise technology or threat to humanity? According to survey respondents, it’s all of the above.

Download this report to learn how IT departments are investing in AI now and what’s guiding their plans for the future.

This is just a taste of what’s going on. If you want the whole scoop, then register for one of our email newsletters ,?but only if you’re going to read it.?We want to improve the sustainability of editorial operations, so we don’t want to send you newsletters that are just going to sit there unopened. If you're a subscriber already, please make sure Mimecast and other inbox bouncers know that we’re cool and they should let us through.

And if you’re thinking about subscribing, then maybe start with the InformationWeek in Review; it only arrives on our new look Saturdays.