It seems even criminals and terrorists are mostly working from home. Earlier this summer, B2BNN reported that the world had just experienced the worst quarter for ransom ware attacks ever.

Yesterday, a newly-released study commissioned by Hewlett-Packard found that “nation state cyberattacks are becoming more frequent, varied and open; moving us closer to a point of ‘advanced cyberconflict’ than at any time since the inception of the internet.”

Conducted by Dr. Mike McGuire, Senior Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Surrey analyzed over 200 cybersecurity incidents that occurred since 2009. All were associated with nation state activity.

The analysis revealed that there was a 100% increase in ‘significant’ nation state incidents between the years 2017 and 2020. The most common target was the enterprise (35%), followed by cyberdefence (25%), media and communications (14%), government bodies and regulators (12%), and critical infrastructure (10%).

The research also gathered intelligence from informants across the dark web and conducted consultations with an expert panel of 50 leading practitioners in relevant cybersecurity, intelligence, government, academia, and law enforcement.

“Cybercrime economies are shaping the character of nation state conflicts,” said McGuire. “There is also a ‘second generation’ of cyberweaponry in development that draws upon enhanced capabilities in computing power, AI and cyber/physical integrations. One such example is ‘Boomerang’ malware, which is ‘captured’ malware that can be turned inward to operate against its owners. Nation states are also developing weaponized chatbots to deliver more persuasive phishing messages, react to new events and send messages via social media sites. In the future, we can also expect to see the use of deep fakes on the digital battlefield, drone swarms capable of disrupting communications or engaging in surveillance, and quantum computing devices with the ability to break almost any encrypted system.”

Press releases: https://threatresearch.ext.hp.com/web-of-profit-nation-state-report/ and https://threatresearch.ext.hp.com/new-survey-highlights-concerns-about-cybercriminals-adopting-nation-state-tools-and-techniques-against-businesses/

Finding your way around this troubled planet just got a little easier, if you’re buying a 2022 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross. The navigation system features a new technology called what3words. It enables drivers to get directions to any 3 metre square in the world. The technology is built-into the TomTom navigation system. The tool can be accessed in 17 languages and has the ability to pinpoint precise locations such as specific entrances and parking spots. No app, data or cellular connection is required to navigate with what3words.

“The Eclipse Cross customer is adventurous so with our first introduction of navigation in the vehicle this year, we wanted to help them get to any place whether off the grid or in the city core. what3words enables exploration and with 17 languages embedded in the navigation, it also recognizes the depth and expanse of our customer base here in Canada and around the world,” said Matt Loptson, VP, Corporate and Product Planning, Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada, Inc.

Press release: https://www.mitsubishi-motors-pr.ca/a-world-first-2022-mitsubishi-eclipse-cross-is-the-first-vehicle-to-offer-what3words-offline-with-no-data-or-connectivity-required/

Have you had an annoying and pointless exchange with a customer service chat bot lately? Employees of call centers and help desks don’t need to worry about being replaced by the AI dialogue menaces.

According to a new study, humans working at call centres and held desks are increasingly important channels for organizations to interact with their customers. Service centers have a direct impact on customer satisfaction and firm performance, the study found.

Titled, A Behavioral Perspective on Service center Routing: The Role of Inertia the study will be published in the Journal of Operations Management under the authorship of Nicholas Berente, the Viola D. Hank Associate Professor, and Kaitlin Wowak, associate professor of information technology, analytics and operations at Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.

The authors found that inertia plays a role in the success of humanity over chat bots. Behavioral inertia, which refers to a tendency to stick with the status quo, is a uniquely human tool. Since humans rely on their cognitive biases and social relationships, service center agents route calls the way they’ve always done in the past and that makes customers happier.

“In general, this inertia costs time and money compared with the optimization you can get with automation,” said Berente, a former entrepreneur who studies how digital innovation drives large-scale organizational change. “However, there are certain situations where inertia actually improves service center operations. When agents are experts, or when they are handling particularly complex, difficult calls, these inertial behaviors are beneficial in terms of efficiency and effectiveness.”

Press release: https://www.newswise.com/articles/humans-vs-automation-service-center-agents-can-outperform-technology-study-shows

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Kate Baggott is a former Managing Editor of B2BNN. Her technology and business journalism has appeared in the Technology Review, the Globe and Mail, Canada Computes, the Vancouver Sun and the Bay Street Bull. She is the author of the short story collections Love from Planet Wine Cooler and Dry Stories. Find links to recent articles by following her on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-baggott-9a0306/

• B2B News for Friday, August 20: Cyber Conflict More Likely, Directions without Connection, Call Centre Jobs Safe – August 20, 2021
• B2B News for Tuesday, August 17, 2021: Not Heading Back to the Office, Seismic Acquires Lessonly, & Plannuh Marketplace Integration – August 17, 2021
• B2B News for Friday, August 13, 2021: Hybrid Workplace Tools, Construction Technology Matters, an AI Acquisition – August 13, 2021