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The Importance of Having a VPN at Home

On April 19, 2021

In Blockchain, Chika Wonah, Digital, Internet of Things, Technology, Uncategorized

Anyone who’s been on the internet has heard of VPN services in the past couple of years. However, the average internet user might not truly understand the need to have a VPN. You should consider these reasons why you should start using a VPN service on your internet-connected devices.

Restricted Content

Whether you’re using Netflix or Hulu, you can access a catalog of content that can specific to your country. This means that you could be blocked access from the movie or TV show that you want to watch while another user in a different country gets access to that content. Fortunately, a VPN service can help out with this issue.

To solve this, a user needs to subscribe to a VPN service that offers a server in the country that their streaming content is available. From there, users can watch any restricted content as long as they are using it through their VPN service.

Public Networks

If you need to use the internet while traveling, you might be thinking of using a public network somewhere like an airport or a coffee shop. This might seem simple enough, but you can run into intruders that are on the same network. Having intruders on the same public network as you means that you could have your details and files leaked to them as you browse the internet. Fortunately, a VPN can prevent you from these attacks.

To protect yourself, make sure that you’ve subscribed to a VPN service before accessing your public network. You should then be able to connect to your VPN at any time to create a secured connection on both ends. With a secure connection, intruders won’t get any private details from you since packets coming from your computer and VPN network are encrypted.

Blocked Websites

Getting past restricted streaming content can be great, but you might be wondering more about websites that are blocked in your country. In countries like China, users can go through social media websites like Twitter and YouTube without getting a blocked message. Fortunately, having a VPN lets you bypass this.

You can bypass website restrictions on a VPN because the packets are encrypted in a way that isn’t if you are using a typical network. However, users should find out if any laws make this a criminal offense anywhere they may be living or traveling.

The Risks of Login Codes Sent via Text Message

By Chika Wonah

On April 19, 2021

In Blockchain, Chika Wonah, Digital, Internet of Things, Technology, Uncategorized

Two-factor authentication can seem very useful for securing your essential accounts from intruders. However, more and more hackers have been getting into accounts that use text messages for two-factor authentication. Look into these reasons why you should switch over the type of two-factor authentication you operate away from text messaging.

Routing Messages

When you’re holding your phone close to you, you might be thinking that an intruder will have to get into your phone by getting you to install malware. For the past couple of years, though, intruders have been more clever into how they get into mobile phones. They can do this by going directly to your mobile phone carrier.

The way they do this is by first finding some personal details about you. These can be as complicated as your social security number or as simple as the address you live on. From there, they call up your phone carrier.

Depending on the phone carrier, they can be easily convinced that you’re locked out of your mobile device, and you need your number transferred to a separate phone. Intruders can accomplish this by giving up their details and paying a small fee. If it goes successfully, an intruder will have full access to any phone calls or text messages coming your way, with no way to stop them until you’re able to call your phone carrier again. This all is why you shouldn’t ever use text messaging for your two-factor authentication.

Notifications

Sometimes, an intruder might not even be far away to the point where they can be looking at your phone screen in public. Depending on your mobile device settings, you might have notifications popping up with security codes on any screen of your device. Intruders can come up with a plan to get a security code this way.

For example, you might be live-streaming a game on your phone to the internet. Intruders will use this to their advantage by logging into your account online and checking your stream for when the phone notification appears. After that, they can log in to your account and do enough damage before you even have the chance to change the passwords on your accounts. Notifications are just another reason why you shouldn’t be using text messaging linked to your two-factor authentication.

2021 Cyber Security Predictions

By Chika Wonah

On February 15, 2021

In Blockchain, Chika Wonah, Digital, Internet of Things, Technology, Uncategorized

Many corporations have prioritized cyber-security amid the COVID-19 pandemic. PwC’s recent report shows that 96% of managers have changed their cyber-security techniques, and 40% of them claim that their digitization efforts have increased. Correspondingly, IDC anticipates that global security expenditure will increase by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.1% during the 2020-2024 prediction period, reaching $174.7 billion in 2024. Similarly, Forrester’s 2021 cyber-security forecasts indicate that funding for cyber-security companies whose headquarters are outside the United States will rise by 20% in 2021. Analysis Mason also predicts that between 2019 and 2025, mobile device security will be the fastest-growing cyber-security category and will reach $13 billion with a CAGR of 17%.

In 2020, breaches became a challenging problem that was difficult to stop. For example, the U.S Depart of Health and Human Services (HHS) Breach Portal shows that in 2020, 436 breaches attacked healthcare organizations, affecting 17.3 million.

Here is a list of predictions that apprehend how cyber-security will advance in 2021:

1. In 2021, 55% of businesses will increase their cyber-security budget allocations, and 51% will hire more full-time cyber staff.

2. In The Next Three Years, the most dominant cyber-security technologies will be the Cloud Workload Protection Platform, Passwordless Authentication, and Posture Management. As Gartner’s Impact Radar for Security framework indicates, the Zero Trust Networking will have a significant impact within a period of one to three years.

3. Security services will be the fastest and largest growing security market sector, occupying half of the security budget meant for the 2020-2024 prediction period. The segment will also attain a CAGR of 10.5% in five years.

By 2021, cyber-security IT spending will reach a CAGR of 12% due to the drastic increase in cybercrimes, such as breaches, endpoint security attacks, phishing, and privilege access credential abuse.

Intellectual Property will be cyber criminals’ target in 2021.
The global cyber-security expenditure for small and medium-sized businesses will increase by 10% CAGR between 2019 and 2024, making this segment an $80 billion industry in four years.

4. Business cybersecurity spending will grow at a higher rate in four major industries- healthcare services and systems, financial and banking, technology and media, and social and public segments.

5. Improvements in AI and machine learning will contribute to 80% of devices’ capability to self-secure-and-heal, enabling IT to implement policies and remain confident that their data and devices are safe.

Many companies will struggle to reduce their vulnerability to cyber-attacks in 2021 and beyond.
Over the next five years, cyber-crime costs will increase at an annual rate of 15%, reaching $10.5 trillion per year by 2025.
Security vendors will continue to consolidate endpoint security in 2021.

In 2021, cybercriminals will devise new and innovative ways to attack personal devices to access corporate networks. While the COVID-19 pandemic has forced workers to work remotely, many organizations have not fully protected their employees. As a result, cyber attackers will exploit these gaps, leading to increased cybercrimes.

Understanding if Your Device Has Been Hacked

By Chika Wonah

On February 15, 2021

In Blockchain, Chika Wonah, Digital, Internet of Things, Technology, Uncategorized

From social sites to banking, smart devices are increasingly becoming part of most people’s daily lives. Unfortunately, they are also exposing them to data snatchers, popularly known as hackers. The hackers may gain access to a device in many ways, but we will discuss how to know when that happens.

Receiving Random Pop-ups

Random pop-ups are not annoying, but they are among the most popular signs that a device got hacked. If one is getting random pop-ups from their browser, something has compromised their device with adware. Adware is popular with hackers when trying to force someone to view certain websites to drive revenues through viewership.

Draining Battery without Any Reason

If one notices that a device battery is quickly losing power for no reason, that is a sign that it has malware. This sudden loss of battery power is due to malware or spy-app that is operating from the background. The spy-app uses a lot of battery power to scan the device and transmit it to the hacker.

Poor Performance

One may notice that their device is suddenly crashing all the time or loading web pages much slower. When such happens, first try shutting down the machine, and take notice of what happens. If the device has gotten hacked, it may fail to shut down correctly or not shut down at all.

One can also notice slowed functionality of some operations, such as making calls or receiving text messages. Such things shouldn’t take long unless the device has a spy-app.

Increased Data Usage

Another indication of a compromised device is the exceptionally high data usage. The usage may be a result of a background running app communicating to a third-party.

Contact List Gets Call and Tests That the Owner Didn’t Make

When a device gets hacked, the hacker leaves the malware in the gadget and may use the contact list to spread it. One’s email list, text messages, or instant messages may transmit the malware to his contact through messages with links or attached files. Check out for complaints from the contact list about notifications that they supposedly received.

The Device’s Settings Change

If the hacker physically accesses a device, they may manually change its settings. For instance, one may notice that their device Bluetooth is on, despite them not switching it on. Such settings change maybe a sign of malware interfering with the device settings to spread it to other devices.

There are many ways to know when a device has gotten hacked. To prevent losing data or money, always take preventive measures. For example, one can run a malware scanner on their device.

Galaxy Note 10+ Review

By Chika Wonah

On September 4, 2019

In Chika Wonah, Digital, Technology, Uncategorized

The Galaxy Note was in a league of its own when it was first introduced. It was the first phone to include a stylus, have an over-sized screen, and it was much more powerful than other Android phones on the market. But now that other phones are catching on to those trends, how does the Note 10+ stand out from the other options out there?

The S Pen

Galaxy Notes are among the only phones (although there are others) that come with stylus pens, also known as S Pens. S Pens make using your phone easier and allow you to be more precise than using your finger does.

In case you’re not familiar with other Notes, the S Pen charges in the silo. It includes a button that can perform simple functions and has basic tilt detection.

The S Pen on the Note 10+ has some new features, including a gyroscope and an accelerometer. Those basically allow you to do some fun things with your phone without actually touching the screen. This is achieved with the help of Bluetooth. These features work from a distance, even as far as 15 feet away, but they only work with specific apps like Spotify and the camera.

The Note 10+’s S Pen also has many other functions such as magnifying the screen, shrinking apps to be thumbnails, and control the volume without touching the volume key.

The Software

The Note 10+ comes with optical character recognition (OCR). OCR can convert hand-written letters into code, which allows you to scribble down notes and then converted them into texts, files, or even Word documents. Other Galaxy notes had this feature, but they required you to work through apps. That extra step is no longer necessary.

Another new feature of the Note 10+ is its video editing tool. Most phones come with some sort of video editing app, but the one included with the Note 10+ is particularly easy to use. You can effortlessly add several clips with transitions, music, and effects— even if you’ve never made a video before. The stylus helps you to trim clips with precision. You can have a video ready in just a few minutes.

The Note 10+ also comes with “AR Doodle,” which allows you to draw on faces in your pictures or videos. If you draw on a face in a video, the doodles will stay with your subject. So, for example, if you draw a mustache on your friend’s face, it will follow him or her around for the remainder of the video.

The Downside

The Galaxy Note 10+ is an extremely powerful and well-made phone, but it comes with a downside. The downside is its price tag. It starts at $1,100, which is quite higher than many other phones with similar features. However, you won’t find another phone with a stylus quite like the Note 10+, so if you think it’s worth it, this is the phone for you!

The Virtual Future of Restaurants

By Chika Wonah

On August 15, 2019

In Uncategorized

The restaurant industry is experiencing a major shift. Food delivery apps are quickly reshaping how people eat. As these services become more and more common, restaurants will see a lower need for servers or even having dining rooms at all.
On demand, meal delivery services such as UberEats, GrubHub, and DoorDash are paving the way for virtual restaurants. Over time delivery has gotten faster, and in turn, more people are enjoying staying in and having their meals brought to them. This has changed what it means to own a dining establishment.
Aspiring restaurant owners no longer need to rent space for a dining room. Instead, all they need is a kitchen and a phone. By getting a position on a meal-delivery app they can market their food without diners even knowing that there may not be a physical dining establishment. This also helps keep money in their pockets by avoiding the expense of paying for furniture, tablecloths, or even hiring waiters.
There are two types of this digital culinary establishment. One is a virtual restaurant that is actually attached to a real building, with a dining room that people patron. The other is something like a “ghost kitchen”. These places have no real retail presence, aside from preparing the meals for delivery orders.
The first type, is what comes to mind when most people imagine where they’re ordering their food from. Most of these restaurants have a specific menu for delivery apps that differs from what they offer to customers dining in. Many places have seen a huge increase in take out orders thanks to the creation of these apps. Even places that offered take out options now can do delivery without worrying about adding a driver to their staff. This is what comes to mind when most people, casually scanning Grubhub, imagine where their meal is coming from.
Uber has been a leading force in the second type of establishment. “Ghost kitchens” have been on the rise and since 2017 Uber has helped nearly 4,000 of them get started. For the average app delivery user, these “ghost kitchens” are pretty unheard of. They have names that sound like any normal restaurant and they offer meal options that match their competitors.
However, with any advance in technology, there will be a few growing pains. For one, the relationship between chef and patron does not exists when you’re staying home to eat. This may lead to less creative drive, due to chefs not having an emotional connection with the food they are making. And while “ghost kitchens” save tremendously on overhead, their competition will definitely see their profit margins narrow as neighborhoods jump on the virtual restaurant train.
Every sit down establishment won’t disappear overnight. However, this new technology is shifting the industry in a sensational way.

New Technology: 3D Printing Pen

By Chika Wonah

On June 18, 2019

In Uncategorized

New technology is always emerging and reaching new revolutions. Every day there are new products coming the market that was once believed to not be possible. Recently, a 3D printing pen hit the market and has taken the tech world by storm. The new product is perfect for all ages and is very easy to use:

What is a 3D Printing Pen?

The 3D pen was developed by 3Doodler and comes in a wide range of types, colors, and sizes. Each pen they have designed extrudes heated or warm plastic from the pen’s nozzle. The pen doesn’t require any software to work and there is no need to be a tech genius to be able to use it. A user simply thinks of something they would like to draw and get to work. They can use sketches or outlines to work with. All that is needed is a flat surface or paper to draw on. What makes the 3D pen truly unique is its ability to draw in midair to create 3D graphics and structures that users can pick up and hold in their hands once they’ve finished.

How it All Works

Inside the pen, there are plastic pushes that are able to feed plastic through the pen, melting it, and pushing the melted plastic out of a nozzle at the end of the pen. Depending on the type of material used, the pen can heat up at different temperatures. As the melted plastic leaves the pen, it is flexible and soft, which allows for an easy drawing. After a few seconds, the plastic hardens to create a 3D drawing. It becomes a stable and solid structure. From there, the imagination of the user takes over so they may create any design they can think of.

Materials Being Used

There are multiple materials used in the 3D pen that are interchangeable for the user. First-time drawers are encouraged to use ABS plastic, which is best for drawing in the air. The most popular material is PLA which is used for doodling on a surface and is very versatile. The most flexible material that keeps its flexibility after being dried is the FLEXY material. For more advanced material, there is WOOD, which made with real wood fiber and can be sanded when it has dried. The METAL material is made from real bronze and copper and can create sturdy and heavier structures. Finally, the NYLON material is very fabric-like and can be dyed to any desired color.

The 3D printing pen opens new doors to creativity. Users are able to bring designs to life and create whatever their imagination can think of.

What is Marketing Automation?

By Chika Wonah

On May 22, 2019

In Uncategorized

In the digital world, there are an increasing number of tasks that can be automated to help businesses large and small. Automation helps small business owners juggle a wider range of tasks and helps free up critical personnel in larger businesses for more important tasks. Marketing automation can help businesses large and small get the most from their marketing efforts. Here is an overview of what marketing automation is and how your business can use it effectively.

WHAT IS IT?

Most of us have had experience with at least a basic form of marketing automation from the user side. If you have ever searched for an item on the internet and then had ads for that product follow you around the internet, you are experiencing one aspect of marketing automation. Today, however, automation is becoming more and more sophisticated in terms of being able to target a much narrower and specific user base. In addition, advertising is growing more flexible, allowing it to be customized to the user.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

As the IoT grows and machine learning advances, artificial intelligence will become more capable of developing stunningly accurate profiles of individual users. For instance, the purchasing history of one consumer might show that they have a penchant for purchasing products that are available in red. Marketing automation would then automatically show that consumer products in red, where they might show another consumer products in beige or black.

DRAWBACKS TO MARKETING AUTOMATION

As much as we would like to believe that marketing automation will one day sell products or services all by itself, the truth is there is still plenty of marketing work to be done to make automation effective. For one thing, marketing automation is not a great tool for generating leads. Many businesses try to cut corners by simply purchasing email lists or take advantage of pre-cultivated leads. In truth, the best leads will always be those that you cultivate yourself. While marketing automation can be an effective tool for reaching potential new clients and consumers, it is still not a substitute for the hard work of personal client or consumer cultivation.

In short, while automated marketing certainly has some advantages, it doesn’t mean there is not ongoing work to be done. Even automated campaigns still need to be tweaked and fine-tuned to perfection before developing a new one.

2018 Breakthrough Technologies

By Chika Wonah

On August 22, 2018

In Blockchain, Chika Wonah, Digital, Internet of Things, Technology, Uncategorized

With so many exciting new technological developments coming down the pipeline, 2018 sure is an exciting time to be alive. Computers and programming especially have been enjoying a rapid-fire pace of progress. Breakthroughs in all facets of the science and research communities have led to the following promising technologies.

Earbuds That Translate for You
If you’ve ever visited another country and felt panicked by the fact that you couldn’t understand the language, have no fear. Pixel Buds, which will be available at the very reasonable price of $159, will allow people to communicate with others who don’t speak their native tongue.

3D Printed Metal
For anyone who’s ever lamented the fact that their car’s parts need to be sent from overseas before being replaced, 3D printed metal promises to be a game-changer. Now, mechanics will—in theory—be able to print out the parts that your vehicle so desperately needs, saving both time and money.

Polygenic Risk Scores According to DNA
Sooner rather than later, parents of newborn babies will find themselves saddled with a report card almost immediately after their child’s birth! However, this report card will be based on the baby’s DNA stats, alerting parents to possible problems down the line. If a child is more prone to getting hooked on smoking, for instance, their parents will know about it ahead of time.

Smart Cities
Although some cities, such as Dubai, have been praised for their tech savvy skills, many are still running on old models. Quayside, a new Canadian project that is based in Toronto, may change all of that. And drivers won’t be able to enter this city; in fact, the only cars you’ll see will be autonomous ride shares! Open-source software will be powering this smart city, which means that other urban planners will be able to benefit from all of the knowledge gleaned from this dazzling experiment. With underground robots running mail underneath the city’s sidewalks, this is truly going to be a futuristic feast.

Universal AI
These days, it can be difficult to get your hands on some AI—unless you’re a big name company with deep pockets. But with a recent push to change that, businesses are now seeing the possible boon of allowing consumers to use AI to power their lives.

Is Blockchain the Face of the Next Google?

By Chika Wonah

On March 5, 2018

In Blockchain, Chika Wonah, Uncategorized

When we discuss blockchain, conversations usually surround the tech’s association with cryptocurrency, security and investing. In reality, this new tech is multifaceted and shows major implications for nearly every industry. When it comes to blockchain and cryptocurrency, news outlets can’t stop reporting on the potential promise. That being said, now people are asking big questions like could blockchain actually be the developments needed to create a search engine capable of overtaking google?

Google dictates much of our online searches with “nearly 80 percent of desktop and 95 percent of mobile searches” taking place on the program. That being said, a plethora of alternatives exist. The problem, of course, is that while some people use these tools, most cater to specific niche audiences, because Google has become a Goliath that many of the Davids of search engines aren’t ready to conquer. Enter blockchain. Given its clout in the tech field, many think it could be the answer to building a search engine capable of overcoming Google.

In terms of basic rising user trends, more people results in more reported problems, and Google users experience their fair share of flaws. Privacy remains the primary point of contention with centralized search engines. As BitClave describes, “With centralized search engines, your search data is recorded, your IP address is logged, and tracking cookies are used by centralized search engines to create a digital profile of you so they can target you with ads. Even worse, there’s no way to voluntarily opt out of this invasion of your privacy, and every time you type a keyword into a centralized search engine, you’re giving up information that puts you at risk.” Blockchain acts as the poster-child for privacy and discretion though. While heavily regulated given its infrastructure, the system manages to maintain a level of anonymity for its users.

Now the question becomes, how do we combine blockchain’s private network with a computing system that has the strength of Google? One program still in beta testing called Presearch, thinks they may have found the answer. As Shivdeep Dhaliwal explains, “Using Blockchain technology, Presearch plans to enable users to personalize their experience while staying in control of their data.” The company also incentivizes the switch, rewarding users who change from Google to their program with cryptocurrency coins based on their use. Of course, this still isn’t a perfect system. Questions have arisen about whether hackers may take advantage of the rewards and hack into other user profiles in order to gain more coins once they max out since users are limited to 8 coins a day.

The Presearch program focuses on decentralizing the search engine model, rewarding users for their contribution. As a result, they hope to build a more transparent and unbiased ranking, a problem that Google has made headlines for, for years. Of course, the idea of using blockchain to create a more effective model is one thing and actually doing it another thing.