Hardware

Robot Programmed to Carry Out Unbiased Job Interviews

Posted on by Andy Miller

TNG and Furhat Robotics in Sweden have developed a social, unbiased recruitment robot called “Tengai” that can be used to conduct job interviews with human candidates.

Existing Robot, Modified

The robot, ‘Furhat’, was developed several years ago by Stockholm based start-up Furhat Robotics. The Furhat robot, which looks like an internally projected human face on a white head sitting on top of a speaker (with camera and microphone built-in) is made with pre-built expressions and gestures as part of a pre-loaded OS which can be further customized to fit any character.

In conjunction with Swedish recruitment company TNG, the Furhat robot was modified by developing and adding a software HR-tech application to Furhat’s OS, and the recruitment version of Furhat has been named “Tengai”.

Talks, Listens and Transcribes

In a typical interview, the Tengai recruitment robot firstly shares information in a dialogue form about the interview and how it will be conducted.  It can then ask questions and understand what a candidate is saying, regardless of the number of words and sentences used.  During the interview Tengai record candidates’ speech, which it converts into text in real time.

The HR-tech application software that Tengai uses means that it can conduct situation and skill-based interviews in a way that is as close as possible to a human interviewer. This includes using “hum”, nodding its head, and asking follow-up questions.

Although the robot is currently only able to use the Swedish language, an English-speaking version is likely to be available by the end of 2019 / beginning of 2020.

Most Useful at The Beginning of the Process

The recruitment robot is designed to be used at the beginning of the candidate selection process where it can help by being very objective and skill-focused in order to find the competencies in candidates that are needed for the job.

Unbiased

According to TNG, one of the big advantages of the Tengai recruitment robot is that it is unbiased in its assessment of candidates.  For example, Tengai only records candidates’ speech and converts this into text in real time. The robot does not consider any other variables such as a person’s accent or the pitch of their voice, their looks or gender, and Tengai is not given any information about any candidate other than their name and email address.

Also, Tengai asks questions in the same way, in the same tone and typically in the same order for each candidate, thereby making it fairer and more objective.

Creepy or Not?

TNG conducted 80 interviews to find out about peoples’ perceptions of the robot.  TNG reports that most were surprised by how ’natural’ it felt talking to the robot, which is adept at social codes.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

It is vital that businesses can find and recruit the best possible candidate for a role. The big advantage of this kind of robot is that it can be very effective in the first part of the candidate selection process because it is very objective and skill-focused. An in-depth assessment by an experienced recruiter can then be used later on with the candidates that the robot has shortlisted in order to get the necessary detail and personalisation, giving a complete picture of a candidate’s suitability for a position.

Using an unbiased, objective and structured robot like Tengai can mean that recruiters/employers can shift the subjectivity further along the process where it is less damaging. Also, a robot interviewer can mean that more candidates can be invited to participate in the early stages of recruitment drive, allowing for greater diversity by ensuring a better and broader selection of talents. This can give a business a better chance of finding the right person to fit the role available.

New 1TeraByte (Yes, TeraByte) MicroSD Cards Launched

Posted on by Andy Miller

Both Micron and Western Digital’s SanDisk brand have announced at the Mobile World Congress that they are launching the first 1TB microSD cards.

A First

Up until now, companies haven’t been able to produce anything above 128GB, so the jump to a 1TB capacity card is a big jump that could mean less reliance on the Cloud for storage, and better performance from smartphones and other devices.

Micron

Micron Technology, Inc., the US global corporation based in Idaho has announced the launch of the c200 1TB microSDXC UHS-I card, an innovative removable MicroSD Card that boats a terabyte of A2 grade storage with V30 certification.  This should mean that although it can seriously ramp-up the performance of a smartphone, it could suitable for any number of devices and gadgets.  The new card uses an (up to) 100MB/s read-write rate, which means that it can support and can store up to 40 hours of 4K HDR video, thousands of 40MP+ photos, and mobile.

Micron reports that the new card leverages 96-layer 3D quad-level cell (QLC) NAND technology, thereby providing cost-effective storage for consumer electronic devices.

The Micron website says that the new c200 1TB microSD card “gives consumers the freedom to capture, share, store and enjoy more content while supporting their mobile-centric lifestyles.”

When For Micron?

Micron can only say that the new MicroSD should be broadly available, sometime in Q2 2019.

SanDisk

Western Digital’s SanDisk Extreme “microSDXC™ UHS-I” MicroSD card is available in both 512GB and 1TB capacities, and can reach speeds up to 160mb/s with A2/V30.  It can be used in Android™ smartphones, action cameras and drones, and offers supports 4K UHD video recording, full HD video and high-resolution photos.

Also A2 rated, the card reads up to a reported 160MB/s, and writes up to 90MB/s, thereby providing fast app performance on smartphones.  Its fast read speeds should mean that users can save a lot of time e.g.when transferring high-resolution photos and video.

When For Sandisk?

Reports indicate that it will not be available until April, and as a guide, expect a price tag of $449.99 for the 1TB version, and $199.99 for the 512GB version.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

The huge storage capacity and the speed of these new cards is, of course, good news in terms of versatility and flexibility, saving time, and requiring less reliance on moving and storing everything in the cloud. A card like this is, however, likely to set you back around £375 but you may decide that this is a price worth paying for the extra capacity, speed and convenience.

Although these two new cards are A2 standard, so are suitable for running applications, most microSD cards are slower in practice than stated in the tech spec, and most devices don’t try to run applications from SD cards.  Also, being removable cards, they can still be lost or stolen, and could, therefore, be a security/data security risk depending on what you have stored on them, not to mention the expense of having to buy another one. You may decide that a fast, standard microSD card is still good enough, and you’re prepared to still rely upon secure cloud storage for most things.

It is also worth remembering that a new, super-fast SD Express standard, part of the wider SD 7.1 strategy, could soon be introduced, and could deliver read speeds of up to 985MB/s (if there were products that lived up to the standard).

Discovery of Microphone in Google’s Nest Guard Prompts Backlash

Posted on by Andy Miller

The discovery of a microphone in Google’s Nest Guard product that was not listed in tech spec has been put down to an erroneous omission by Google, but it has also caused a backlash that escalated to the US Congress.

What Happened?

One of Google’s products is the Nest Secure product which is a home security system that operates using a phone app, alarm, keypad, and motion sensor with Google Assistant built in (which is the main hub), Nest Detect Sensors for doors and windows, and a tag which the homeowner taps on the main hub when they enter the house to disarm the system. Earlier this month, the addition of Google’s digital assistant to the product led to the surprise discovery that the main hub unit has always had a microphone installed in it, but the microphone was not mentioned on the technical specifications for the product.

The discovery of what appeared to be a “secret” microphone has, therefore, prompted anger and discussion among privacy and security advocates and commentators, concern from consumers, bad publicity for Google, and calls for action by a Senator, a Congressman, and many others.

Google Says …

Google’s response to the discovery was simply to apologise for what was an “error” and oversight on its part for not listing the microphone in the tech spec for the system, and to stress that the microphone was not intended to be ‘secret’ and had not been used until the addition of the Google Assistant.

It has also been reported that Google has said that one of the reasons for the microphone’s inclusion had originally been to allow future functionality, for example, to detect breaking glass in the home.

Criticism

Google has faced anger and criticism from many different angles over the discovery of the microphone including:

  • Maryland Congressman John Delaney calling for privacy legislation to now be applied to a broad range of tech products.  Mr Delaney also proposed that electronic tech products should have labelling on them like that on food products, so consumers can be quickly and easily alerted to any privacy and security implications.
  • Virginia Senator Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, calling for hearings with federal agencies and the U.S. Congress about the digital economy, and the smart home ecosystem.
  • The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) calling on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to request via an enforcement action, that Google divests of its Nest hardware products, and that Google disgorges any data that it may wrongfully have obtained from Nest customers.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

Smart electronic products and devices are now in homes and businesses everywhere, but consumers and business owners should have the right to be clearly informed about the security and privacy implications of those products so that they can make an informed choice about whether to buy and operate them.

As some commentators have noted, the arguments that it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than seek permission or that ‘it’s in the fine print’, shouldn’t be acceptable privacy policies from tech companies.  The idea of food packaging-style labelling on smart tech products to help inform about security and privacy implications may not be a bad one, and if the tech industry can’t regulate itself on this matter then more legislation to protect consumers and businesses seems likely.

This is a damaging story in terms of trust and reputation for Google, particularly in the US where the story has been given greater prominence and may cause consumers to think twice about the kinds of smart products that they let into their homes and businesses.

Scooter Hack Threat

Posted on by Andy Miller

An investigation by researchers at Zimperium® found a security flaw in the Xiaomi M365 electric scooter (the same model that is used by ridesharing companies) which could allow hackers to take control of the scooter’s acceleration and braking.

Xiaomi M365

The Xiaomi M365 is a folding, lightweight, stand-on ‘smart’ scooter with an electric motor that retails online for around £300 to £400. It is battery-powered, with a maximum speed of 15 mph, and features a “Smart App” that can track a user’s cycling habits, and riding speed, as well as the battery life, and more.

What Security Flaw?

The security flaw identified by the Zimperium® researchers is that the ‘smart’ scooter has a Bluetooth connection so that users can interact with the scooter’s features e.g. its Anti-Theft System or to update the scooter’s firmware, via an app. Each scooter is protected by a password, but the researchers discovered that the password is only needed for validation and authentication by the app, but commands can still be executed to the actual scooter without the password.

The researchers found that they could use the Bluetooth connection as a way in.  Using this kind of hack, it is estimated that an attacker only needs to be within 100 meters of the scooter to be able to launch a denial-of-service attack via Bluetooth which could enable them to install malicious firmware.  This firmware could be used by the attacker to take control of the scooter’s acceleration and braking capacities. This could mean that the rider could be in danger if an attacker chose to suddenly and remotely cause the scooter to brake or accelerate without warning.  Also, the researchers found that they could use this kind of attack to lock a scooter by using its anti-theft feature without authentication or the user’s consent.

Told The Company

The researchers made a video of their findings as proof, contacted Xiaomi and informed the company about the nature of the security flaw. It has been reported that Xiaomi confirmed that it is a known issue internally, but that no announcement has been made yet about a fix.  The researchers at Zimperium® have stated online that the scooter’s security can’t be fixed by the user and still needs to be updated by Xiaomi or any 3rd parties they work with.

Suggestion From The Researchers

The researchers have suggested that, in the absence of a fix to date, users can stop attackers from connecting to the scooter remotely by using Xiaomi’s app from their mobile before riding and connecting to the scooter.  Once the user’s mobile is connected and kept connected to the scooter an attacker can’t remotely flash malicious firmware or lock the scooter.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

This is another example of how smart products/IoT products of all kinds can be vulnerable to attack via their Bluetooth or Internet connections, and particularly where there are password issues.  Usually, the risk comes from smart products from the same manufacturer all being given the same default password which the user doesn’t change.  In this case, the password works with the app, but in this case it appears as though the password isn’t being used properly to protect the product itself.

There have been many examples to date of smart products being vulnerable to attack.  For example, back in November 2017, German Telecoms regulator the Federal Network Agency banned the sale of smartwatches to children and asked parents to destroy any that they already have over fears that they could be hacked, and children could be spied-upon.  Also, back in 2016, cyber-criminals were able to take over many thousands of household IoT devices (white goods, CCTV cameras and printers), and use them together as a botnet to launch an online DDoS attack (Mirai) on the DNS service ‘Dyn’ with global consequences i.e. putting Twitter, Spotify, and Reddit temporarily out of action.

Manufacturers of smart products clearly need to take great care in the R&D process to make sure that the online security aspects have been thoroughly examined. Any company deploying IoT devices in any environment should also require the supply chain to provide evidence of adherence to a well-written set of procurement guidelines that relate to specific and measurable criteria.  In the mobile ecosystem and in adjacent industries, for example, the GSMA provides guidelines to help with IoT security.

As buyers of smart products, making sure that we change default passwords, and making sure that we stay up to date with any patches and fixes for smart products can be ways to reduce some of the risks.   Businesses may also want to conduct an audit and risk assessment for known IoT devices that are used in the business.

Kellogg’s Uses Virtual Reality To Sell More Cornflakes

Posted on by Andy Miller

Breakfast cereal manufacturer Kellogg’s has been working with third-party VR companies to help it determine the best way to display its new products in stores.

Who?

Kellogg’s is reported to have been working on a pilot scheme with Accenture and Qualcomm.  Accenture is a Dublin-based global management consulting and professional services firm with a strong digital skill-set, and Qualcomm Inc is a US-based world leader in 3G and next-generation mobile technologies.

What?

The pilot’s aim was to determine the best in-store placement for Kellogg’s new Pop Tart Bites.  This involved the use of Accenture’s Extended Reality (XR) software and Qualcomm’s VR headsets.  This combination gave test subjects an immersive and 360-degree experience of a simulated store environment in which they were able to ‘virtually’ pick products, place items in shopping trolleys and make purchases.

Monitoring

The VR headsets and XR software enabled Kellogg’s to closely and precisely monitor the user’s eye movements.  The analytics meant that this test was also able to yield data such as which new products the test subjects looked at and how long they looked at the products.

New Insights Reveal Surprising Result

Whereas traditional understanding of in-store product placement points towards eye-level (or close to it) as an ideal spot, the new insights that the technology provided in this pilot concluded that positioning the new product on a lower shelf could increase sales of the product by 18%.

Growing Trend

The use of a combination of VR, AR and analytics in retail environments has been a growing trend among big brands in recent times.

Brick-and-mortar retail chains have, however, been criticised for reacting slowly to the introduction of technology that could help them and have found themselves at a disadvantage to online retailers who have been able to use digital technology to hyper-personalise retail experiences for their customers. The brick-and-mortar retailers have also been faced with challenges caused by economic and cultural shifts, e.g. customers moving more towards online shopping.

Change In The Landscape

It’s not just manufacturer brands that are now able to take advantage of the technological change in the landscape to benefit sales.

Retailers now have access to many affordable and relatively easy-to-use AI development tools available, such as those offered by big tech vendors e.g.  Google, Microsoft and Amazon. This means that building an AI system/machine learning system has never been easier.  Retail chains, for example, also have the advantage of having access to massive amounts of data which can be used in a value-adding way with analytics and AI.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

This story illustrates how the combination of new technologies such as VR, AI and advanced analytics have yielded new insights which could make a greater contribution to sales than more traditional methods.

The portable nature of the technology (and the AI aspect) mean that they are also able to deliver these value-adding insights more quickly and cheaply than before, thereby contributing to faster and more effective product launches and more successful product strategies.  The superior insights gained from combining new technologies such as these mean that it is now possible for business product placement decisions to be made that could positively impact total brand sales, versus only single product sales.

Report Says 90% of NHS Jobs Will Need Digital Skills, But AI and Robotics Could Enhance Services

Posted on by Andy Miller

A report, commissioned by health secretary Matt Hancock and led by US academic Eric Topol, has found that even though AI and robotics will enhance healthcare services, 90% of NHS staff will require fresh digital skills within 20-years.

Robotics and AI Enhancements

According to the report, although there has been fear that the implementation of AI and robotics to the NHS could be a step towards replacing human practitioners, they will in fact enhance services.

Smart Speakers Could Help

For example, the use of smart digital assistants such as Alexa and Siri could free-up more time for doctors which could be spent with patients. It is anticipated that smart speakers could reduce time spent on paperwork, possibly saving 5.7 million hours of GPs’ time across the country per year.

Mental Health Triage Bots?  

The suggestion that smart speakers could somehow be used as effective “mental health triage bots” by engaging in conversations while analysing text and audio for any suicidal ideas and emotions has been dismissed by mental health professionals. A smart speaker may be capable of listening and talking but as mental health professionals point out, smart speakers can’t pick up many of the visual cues that a skilled human professional can, they can’t quickly develop a relationship with a patient (as is needed in mental health assessment situations), and they may not be particularly useful in a situation where a patient is disordered.

Patient Records

The report indicates that smart speakers could also enhance the capabilities of NHS workers to update patient records.

Three Main Changes

In the report, Mr Topol predicts how, over the next 20 years there will be three main developments that will change patients lives, and how training should begin now to ensure that NHS staff have the skills to make the most of those changes going forward.  According to Eric Topol, who is a cardiologist, geneticist, and digital medicine researcher, the three main changes will be:

  1. Patients having their genome sequenced.  This can help determine things like a person’s predisposition to certain diseases and how they will respond to medication or treatment.
  2. Patients being able to generate and interpret much more of their own health data at home.
  3. AI helping to exponentially increase the speed, accuracy and scalability of medical data interpretation.

Digital Appointments

Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who commissioned the report, has also called on GP practices in the UK to be able to offer digital appointments within five years e.g. using Skype and Google.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

According to this report, AI, robotics and other new technologies could provide enhancements that may enable patients to be ultimately better informed about their own medical position and may help NHS staff to deliver a better quality of service while freeing them from spending too much time on paperwork and spending that time instead with patients.

There is, however, a challenge to be met in terms of making sure that NHS staff receive training that will enable them to make the best use of new digital technologies, and this will need planning and will have cost implications.

It is also important to consider, however, that the amount of data gathered about patients e.g. genomic information could be intrusive and has security and privacy risks.  Also, if AI bots are used to handle some communications with patients, those patients need to be informed that they are communicating with a bot and not a person.  Too much reliance on technological innovation could also bring some inequalities. For example, poorer people and ethnic minorities have been shown to have a lower uptake of things like digital health records.

UK Solar-Powered High Latitude Drone Presents New Mapping Opportunities

Posted on by Andy Miller

The Astigan high-altitude “pseudo-satellite” (HAPS) drone, built in Somerset using British Technology, and co-developed with Ordinance Survey, could succeed where other earth-mapping efforts by tech giants have failed, and provide a wealth of other opportunities.

High Altitude Hover For 90 Days, With No Re-Fuelling

The fixed-wing aircraft, which has solar panels across 38m wingspan and only weighs 149kg (328lb), can be set to hover for 90 days at a time at an altitude of 67,000ft (c. 20,420m), without re-fuelling.  It is controlled from the ground and can be set to map large areas of interest or made to hover continuously over one geographical area.

Carries Cameras

The Astigan ‘drone’ has been developed to carry cameras like those on mapping aircraft, and due to its co-development with Ordnance Survey, its initial purpose is to provide high-resolution images for mapping, supported by field surveyors on the ground, and data from local authorities and the land registry.

Advantages

The advantages that this kind of drone has over existing mapping technologies such as satellites are that:

  • It’s much cheaper to build and operate e.g. there are no huge satellite launch costs.
  • It provides higher-resolution images.
  • It is more flexible e.g. it is easier to divert a drone than an orbiting satellite, and several drones can be deployed at a time, perhaps in the same area.

The Technology

The technology and know-how come from the 1999 ‘Solar Impulse’ project where Brian Jones, former RAF pilot and balloonist, recorded the first non-stop around the world balloon flight.

Same Factory As Facebook Drones

Just as this project appears to have succeeded where drone-development projects by tech giants have failed, it operates from the same factory that once housed Facebook’s Aquila internet drone project until Facebook abandoned its drone plans.

Opportunities

As Neil Ackroyd (co-founder of Bridgwater, Somerset-based Astigan) has been quick to point out, even though the drone has many advantages over other earth-mapping methods, it has a huge number of potential other uses.  For example, the drone (or fleets of drones) could be used to help with land management and urbanisation, monitoring environmental change, and even helping with environmental disasters e.g. hovering over areas where there are forest fires.

It is, of course, also possible to envisage that drones like these could have military and state surveillance uses.

Trouble Over Bridgwater – Criticism

Back in 2013, The state-owned national mapping agency Ordinance Survey was criticised by some for paying £700,000 for what was then the little-known aerospace company Astigan.  OS was the subject of complaints by some competitors and suppliers of OS that it may have stifled competition, and may, in effect, have received illegal state aid.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

The ability to provide a low-cost, effective way of supplying high resolution photos and maps of the earth could feed into (and add value to the work of) many businesses and organisations around the world.  The opportunities are many, and it is good news too that the technology has been developed in the UK.  It has been reported that the platform will also be made available to companies who want to attach their own sensors and cameras to the drones e.g. to track climate change. 

Man Fined After Hiding From Facial Recognition Cameras

Posted on by Andy Miller

A man was given a public order fine after being stopped by police because he covered his face during a trial of facial recognition cameras in Romford, London.

What Facial Recognition Trial?

A deliberately “overt” trial of live facial recognition technology by the Metropolitan Police took place in the centre of Romford, London, on Thursday 31st January.  This was supposed to be the first day of a two-day trial of the technology, but the second day was cancelled due to concerns that the forecast snow would only bring a low level of footfall in the area.

Live facial recognition trials of this kind use vehicle-mounted cameras linked to a police database containing photos from a watchlist of selected images from the police database.  Officers are deployed nearby so that they can stop those persons identified and matched with suspects on the database.

In the Romford trial, the facial recognition filming was reported to have taken place from a parked police van and, according to the Metropolitan Police, the reason for the use of the technology was to reduce crime in the area, with a specific focus on tackling violent crime.

Why The Fine?

The trial also attracted the attention of human rights groups, such as Liberty and Big Brother Watch, members of which were nearby and were monitoring the trial.

It was reported that the man who was fined, who hasn’t been named by police, was observed pulling his jumper over part of his face and putting his head down while walking past the police cameras, possibly in response to having seen placards warning that passers-by were the subjects of filing by police automatic facial recognition cameras.

It has been reported that the police then stopped the man to talk to him about what they may have believed was suspicious behaviour and asked to see his identification. According to police reports, it was at this point that the man became aggressive, made threats towards officers and was issued with a penalty notice for disorder as a result.

8 Hours, 8 Arrests – But Only 3 From Technology

Reports indicate that the eight-hour trial of the technology resulted in eight arrests, but only three of those arrests were as a direct result of facial recognition technology.

Criticism

Some commentators have criticised this and other trials for being shambolic, for not providing value for money, and for resulting in mistaken identity.

Research Questions Reliability

Research by the University of Cardiff examined the use of facial recognition technology across several sporting and entertainment events in Cardiff for over a year, including the UEFA Champion’s League Final and the Autumn Rugby Internationals.  The research found that for 68% of submissions made by police officers in the Identify mode, the image had too low a quality for the system to work. Also, the research found that the locate mode of the FRT system couldn’t correctly identify a person of interest for 76% of the time.

Also, in December 2018, ICO head Elizabeth Dunham was reported to have launched a formal investigation into how police forces use facial recognition technology (FRT) after high failure rates, misidentifications and worries about legality, bias, and privacy.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

It has been reported that spending over £200,000 on the deployment of facial recognition trials on 6 deployments between August 2016 and July 2018, no arrests were made.  On the surface, these figures suggest that, although the technology has the potential to add value and save costs, and although businesses in town centres are likely to welcome efforts to reduce crime, the trials to date don’t appear to have delivered value-for-money to taxpayers.

There was also criticism of the facial recognition system used in Soho, Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square over two days in the run-up to Christmas, where freedom campaigners such as Big Brother Watch and Liberty were concerned about mixed messages from police about how those who turn away from facial recognition cameras mounted in/on police vans because they don’t want to be scanned could be treated.

Despite some valid worries and criticism, most businesses and members of the public would probably agree that CCTV systems have a real value in helping to deter criminal activity, locating and catching perpetrators, and providing evidence for arrests and trials.  There are, however, several concerns, particularly among freedom and privacy groups, about how just how facial recognition systems are being (and will be) used as part of policing e.g. overt or covert, issues of consent, possible wrongful arrests due to system inaccuracies, and the widening of the scope of its purpose from the police’s stated aims.  Issues of trust where our personal data is concerned are still a problem, as are worries about a ‘big brother’ situation for many people.

Research Reveals Top-Selling Car Keyless Theft Risk

Posted on by Andy Miller

Research by consumer Group Which? has revealed that hundreds of popular models of car are vulnerable to “keyless theft”.

Keyless Car Theft

Keyless car entry systems enable owners to unlock the doors of their car with the brush of a hand if the key fob is nearby. If the car has keyless start-stop, once inside the car, the keyless system allows the user to simply press a button to start and stop the engine.

These systems work by using an identity chip in the fob that constantly listens out for radio signals broadcast by the car. These radio signals can only travel short distances, usually less than five metres.

The Which? Research

The Which? research involved the analysis of data on keyless/relay attacks of tests held by the General German Automobile Club (ADAC), a roadside recovery organisation.

Top-Selling Cars At Risk

The ADAC test highlighted by Which? showed that, of the 237 keyless cars tested, all but three were susceptible to keyless theft.

The 237 keyless cars tested and found to be vulnerable to this type of attack included many of the UK’s top-selling cars such as the Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Golf, Nissan Qashqai and Ford Focus.  Of the top-selling cars in the UK, only the Vauxhall Corsa was found to be safe, only because it isn’t available with keyless entry and ignition.

Jaguar Land Rover’s latest models of the Discovery, Range Rover, and 2018 Jaguar i-Pace, were all found to be secure.

Car Theft Figures – Rising

England and Wales police figures show that the highest number of offences of theft of (or unauthorised taking of) a motor vehicle since 1990 were reported in the year to March 2018 (106,000).  This worrying rise in the level of car theft comes despite improvements in vehicle security aided by the use of new technology.

Less Than 0.3% Stolen

Mike Hawes, head of the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT), is reported as saying that, aided by technology, new cars are more secure than ever with, on average, less than 0.3% of the cars on the roads stolen.

Not The First Time Concerns Raised

This is certainly not the first time that concerns have been raised about keyless security in cars.  For example, as far back as 2011, Zurich-based researchers highlighted how radio signals emitted by a car could be boosted, thereby tricking systems into thinking the key fob was nearby.

Also, in 2014, many Range Rover thefts led to police advising owners to fit a steering wheel lock as the second line of defence, after keyless security had been breached by thieves.

There have also been reports of Police investigating cases of criminals blocking the signals from keyless devices, so that car doors never lock, and of thieves using blockers in service station car parks in order to steal items from cars.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

For car manufacturers, there is likely to be an ongoing battle with thieves, and the need for continuous investment to ensure that car entry and ignition systems are as secure as possible. It is likely that this may even require a move into biometrics.

The SMMT has also been calling for action to stop the open sale of equipment which serves no legal purpose but that helps criminals steal cars e.g. grabbers and jammers, which can be purchased online for as little as £40.

The advice from security experts to owners of cars with keyless systems is to keep keyless entry keys away from doors and windows and in a shielded protection case.  This is because some thieves are known to be able to steal the signal to replicate an owner’s key wirelessly, from outside of their house.

No More Windows 10 Mobile Support – Microsoft Suggests Switching

Posted on by Andy Miller

Microsoft has formally announced on its support pages that, as of December 10th 2019, Windows 10 Mobile users can no longer expect security updates and support, and Microsoft recommends that customers then move to a supported Android or iOS device.

Windows 10 Mobile

Windows 10 Mobile is a mobile OS that was released in 2015 as the successor of Windows Phone 8.1 and is essentially an edition of Windows 10 running on devices that have less than a 9-inch screen. 

The end of Windows 10 Mobile support comes just over four years after Microsoft’s failed acquisition of Nokia’s devices and services businesses, which led to Microsoft having to write off $7.6 billion in 2015.  At the time, tech commentators wondered why Microsoft had got into the low-margin, highly competitive phone business, and Microsoft shifted its strategy from the standalone phone business to a strategy to grow the Windows ecosystem.  This effectively put the writing on the wall for Windows 10 Mobile, and many tech commentators have been waiting over the years for the formal announcement for the end of support to come.

What Is Coming To An End?

In this announcement, Microsoft has said that new security updates, non-security hot-fixes, free assisted support options, or online technical content updates from Microsoft for free will end for users of Windows 10 Mobile as of December 10, 2019. 

Microsoft has also stressed that, although third parties or paid support programs may still provide ongoing support, Microsoft support will not publicly provide updates or patches for Windows 10 Mobile after that date.

The announcement does not mean that Windows 10 Mobile devices will shut down with the cessation of support, but that continuing to use the devices afterwards will mean higher risks because of issues such as the lack of security updates and the phasing-out of backups.

Which Models?

Microsoft says that only device models that are eligible for Windows 10 Mobile, version 1709 are supported through the December 10th end date. Also, for Lumia 640 and 640 XL phone models, Window 10 Mobile version 1703 was the last supported OS version and will reach end of support on June 11th, 2019.

What Now?

The suggestion from Microsoft itself to Windows 10 Mobile customers is to move to a supported Android or iOS device.

Those customers who plan to keep using their Windows 10 Mobile device after the December 10th support cut-off date have been encouraged by Microsoft to manually create a backup before that date.  This can be done using Settings->Update & Security->Backup>More Options and then tapping on ‘Back up now’.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

This announcement from Microsoft is certainly not unexpected.  Where commercial customers are concerned, they have the same cut-off dates as domestic customers, but Microsoft has said that it will be working with many commercial customers to ensure a successful migration to a supported platform prior to the end of support date. 

This is an acceptance and acknowledgement by Microsoft that most of the partners and customers of businesses already use Android or iOS platforms and devices.

Some commentators have suggested that the move to end support for Windows 10 Mobile may also be a way for Microsoft to clear the decks ready for the introduction of a new folding smartphone, codenamed ‘Andromeda’.  This remains to be seen.