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Blockchain: How the Fourth Industrial Revolution can help …

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Blockchain has been calleda pillar of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, comparing it to technologies such as the steam engine and the internet that triggered previous industrial revolutions. It has the power to disrupt existing economic and business models and may prove particularly valuable in emerging market economies.According to experts, blockchain also holds great promise as a method of fighting corruption, especially in Latin America and the Caribbean, where more smartphone penetration can facilitate the adoption of new technology.

But what is it? Simply put, a blockchain is a chain of digital blocks that contain information. Once the information has been created, it is very difficult to change. It includes information about the sender, the receiver, and the amount of currency.The data is trustworthy because it is bound in a strict framework of rules and cryptographic keys, and only people with the right key can access or modify the data.Blockchain also removes the need for an intermediary, such as a bank or a lawyer. In short, it facilitates transparency, which is the enemy of corruption.

Blockchain has been used for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, but many other possible uses are emerging, such as energy markets, digital identity, supply chain, health care and financial services. But there is one especially important for Latin America and the Caribbean: fighting corruption.

Corruption has a disproportionate impact on the poor and most vulnerable, increasing costs and reducing access to services, including health, education and justice,according to the World Bank. Corruption also impedes investment, with consequent effects on growth and jobs. According to aTransparency International survey, more than half of Latin Americans said that their government is failing to address corruption, and one in three people who had used a public service in the last 12 months said they had to pay a bribe.

Studies have shown that the poor pay the highest percentage of their income in bribes. In Paraguay, the poor pay 12.6 percent of their income to bribes while high-income households pay 6.4 percent. The lack of anonymity and the traceability of blockchain makes corruption more difficult than with traditional money. For example, if a government decides to construct a road, it could track how each dollar is being spent, identify all the users of the funds, and ensure that only those authorized to spend money do so on originally intended expenses. Fraud and corruption investigations that normally take months could be performed instantaneously. This type of financial tracking could be a deterrent for bribes in the public sector, in turn increasing development impact.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, only half of adults have access to banking services, however 90% of unbanked adults have a mobile phone. As smartphone penetration continues to grow, the popularity of virtual currencies is also growing. In Brazil, some companies and retail stores are accepting virtual currencies as payment. Colombia is also growing its presence in the cryptocurrency market in Latin America, as is Peru.

Chile also has a very active cryptocurrency community, but banks have been rejecting services to crypto-related companies and users. Both Chile and Argentina have been hosting cryptocurrency events and meetings. In Chile,LaBitConfhas attracted thousands of participants from all over the world interested in digital assets. In Argentina, Bitcoin continues to grow as well, and there are no major regulations threatening the industry. However, Bolivia and Ecuador are two of a few countries in the world in which Bitcoin is strictly banned.

The World Bank Group is working to ensure that economies in developing countries can harness these kinds of innovation to eliminate extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity. In August of 2018, the World Bank launchedbond-i, a blockchain operated new debt instrument, the worlds first bond to be created, allocated, transferred and managed through its life cycle using blockchain.

In Colombia, where low-resource and at-risk youth lack access to quality education and are often disincentivized to stay in school to complete a formal curriculum, the World Bank is exploring the opportunity to support youth education through social gaming, where they can earn tokens by solving global challenges.

The World Bank is also working on using blockchain to bring more transparency to supply chains. For example, blockchain could encourage farmers and the intermediaries who stand between farms and mills to enter more data about produce as it moves through the chain.

This Fourth Industrial Revolution can help accelerate progress towards development by helping prevent fraud and corruption.Yet the technology is in its early stages of development and serious challenges and risks, both technical and regulatory, will need to be addressed before it achieves widespread adoption. But the road is wide open.

Last Updated:Feb 07, 2019

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Why you Should Care about Bitcoin Even if you don’t …

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Bitcoin is indeed a rather surprising mix of frightfully clever ideas and frightfully simplistic mechanisms, as I argue in a recent paper. You can dismiss bitcoin as a doomed monetary experiment, but you must not pass over the opportunity to let your imagination run with it as it can shake some basic assumptions you have on how financial systems must work. Might there be some lessons in there for how to 'fix'what's broken in our financial system? Take it as an invitation to dream about the following three questions, which are based around the three basic design premises of bitcoin.

First: What if digital money was something that I could hold for myself and pass onto others, without necessarily having to go through a licensed financial institution? You can't do that now: you cannot hold digital money without becoming a customer of Citibank, PayPal or M-PESA. We've been delivered into their hands, and yet they do not necessarily see it their business to serve everyone. It didn't use to be that way: you can hold coins and bank notes by yourself, there is decentralized management of that. What if we held the option to serve ourselves financially with electronic payments, on a peer-to-peer basis, even if only as a countervailing power or last resort?

Second: What if we could build an entire digital money network which did not require any specialized infrastructure? Modern finance is burdened by ever more complex core banking platforms. Most other forms of digital content have gotten off specialized networks and converged onto the internet, simply by layering higher-level protocols on top of the basic internet protocol which take account of the unique technical needs of different applications. Bitcoin is just that: a set of higher-level protocols (not hardware!) which ensure that the digital value carried over the ubiquitous internet is uniquely and securely owned by someone and cannot be freely copied or double-spent by their owner.

Third: What if the digital money implemented through such mechanisms was actually an alternative or private currency? OK, to me this is the least interesting part of bitcoin, but unfortunately it's the one that has galvanized most attention. I think there will always be a need for some discretion in the management of money supply to accommodate economic shocks, and I don't see us trusting private entities with that power, much less foregoing it entirely and operating our money supply on a hard rule. Price volatility is inherent in such rudimentary treatment of money supply.

So take the first two ingredients only, and what we have is fiat (i.e. government-issued) money which can be held and passed on in a peer-to-peer fashion and operates over the open internet, resulting in a much more open, interconnected, contestable and lower-cost ecosystems for the delivery of payment and financial services. Centralized issuance but decentralized management of money once it'sout there. That takes out the traditional banking gatekeepers (per the first point) and massively reduces the cost of moving money around (per the second point).

It also opens up the floodgates of innovation, because financial services could then be implemented at the customer wallet application level, without necessarily having to touch or even consult any central services or centralized providers. (A crude example: you could set up a time deposit by telling your wallet rather than your bank to not give you access to your money.) Some call it the rise of programmable money. And indeed the most powerful lesson of the internet has been the blossoming of innovation brought on by a great centripetal force which pushes intelligence to the edge of the network.

So what would be the benefits of such a system? The cost of achieving financial inclusion would be vastly reduced, as people could gain financial access simply by downloading a secure application on their smartphone (which are coming for all) without requiring any provider's consent. We could economically extend electronic transactions down to very small transaction sizes, as sending money need not cost much more than sending an email.

We would also go in the direction of giving us more options to prevent or deal with financial crises, by increasing market discipline on banks. There would be a much more credible flight-to-safety option for people if they smelled a weak bank or a bubble. And in the event of banking distress, there would be a more credible let-it-fail option for regulators since our economy need not be so dependent on them.

I'm not saying we should do away with banks, they will still have a huge role to play intermediating funds. They can seduce me with attractive deposit interest rates and on-demand loans which my wallet may not be able to negotiate on a peer-to-peer basis. All I am saying is that we should be able to opt for a self-service option whenever we like or when banks are failing to include us. This is the same service-versus-application dichotomy which has played out between telecoms providers and Skype to such advantage to end-users.

We are a long ways from being able to implement this sort of solution, from a technical, regulatory and customer acceptance point of view. But shouldn't these issues be at the heart of the ongoing financial architecture debate? We need to think of financial systems much more as a seamless fabric and less as a restricted collection of connected institutions.

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Both chambers of Congress now have a version of a dangerous anti-encryption bill – The Daily Dot

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A companion bill to an anti-encryption bill that has been called dangerous by privacy advocates was introduced in the House of Representatives on Thursday.

Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) introduced the House version of the Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act on Thursday. A Senate version of the bill was introduced in late June by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).

The bill purports to want to stop warrant-proof encryption to help law enforcement access encrypted data. It would specifically require device manufacturers and service providers to assist law enforcement with accessing encrypted data if assistance would aid in the execution of the warrant, according to a background of the bill.

Almost immediately, the Senate version of the bill faced intense backlash from privacy and civil liberties advocates and marked another notch in the encryption battle that has gone on for years.

Like the Senate version, Wagners House companion bill garnered the enthusiastic backing of Attorney General William Barr, who has long argued for law enforcement to have a back door into encryption.

Numerous advocates have called out the Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act as misguided, and dangerous. Critics of the bill argue that creating a back door into encryption for law enforcement opens the door for bad actors to similarly find a way in.

The Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act isnt the only bill in Congress drawing scorn from encryption advocates.

The EARN IT Act, a bill that was amended and passed through a Senate committee earlier this month, has been criticized as a potential threat to encryption. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have asserted that the bill aims to curb child exploration online.

The bill would now subject tech companies to a host of state-level laws and potential lawsuits if they use encryption, advocates have warned. Nearly 600,000 people have signed a petition calling on members of Congress to reject it.

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*First Published: Jul 31, 2020, 8:52 am

Andrew Wyrich is the deputy tech editor at the Daily Dot. Andrew has written for USA Today, NorthJersey.com, and other newspapers and websites. His work has been recognized by the Society of the Silurians, Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE), and the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ).

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Both chambers of Congress now have a version of a dangerous anti-encryption bill - The Daily Dot

The finance jobs immune to COVID-19 – eFinancialCareers

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If there's a candidate with a skillset that can be sold into multiple employers in multiple sectors in late 2020, irrespective of COVID-19, it is the person with an elite education in data science and proven experience of extracting monetizable insights from real world datasets. As a recruiter, if you can find one, it is tantamount to hitting the jackpot. Asa candidate who fits this description, you have the pick of employers.

"Data scientists are everywhere in finance," says Natalie Basiratpour. "Not just in the front office supporting trading and research, but across areas like HR too. Data is created for every single decision that's made in the world and data scientists are needed to analyze that."

Not all data scientists are made the same. The latest data science salary survey from recruitment firm Harnham puts entry level data science salaries as low as46k in the U.K. and $110k (for a data engineer) in the U.S.. By comparison, hedge funds can pay salaries as high as $200k - but only for alpha generating data scientists at the top of their field.

Some of the most desirable data science jobs in finance are in artificial intelligence. JPMorgan in particular continues to hire in London, New York and the Bay area for its AI research team focused on cryptography and broaderfinance. Goldman Sachs founded an AI research and development team under chief data officer Neema Raphael in 2017 and runs a parallel AI research team under MD Jeremy Glick.Raphael, who is charged with building Goldman's data lake, is hiring.

Private equity firms are also in the game. Apax Partners, for example, recently poachedAngelique Augereau, head of data science for treasury services at JPMorgan to be its first ever chief data science and analytics officer. Augereau, who will presumably be building a team at Apax, says she's tasked withadvising the fund'sportfolio of around 50 mid cap companies on their,"data and analytics journey." Rival funds, like Cerberus, have been on a similar journey for years already and have hired heavily from banks to staff their datateams.

The flurry of data recruitment in finance has been accompanied by strong demand for data scientists inthe consumer, tech, and consulting sectorstoo. Desirablecandidates have ample opportunities for productive job hopping as a result. Daniel Lin, a former JPMorgan derivatives trader who left take a Masters degree in computational statistics, has worked for three different employers since 2017 in increasingly senior roles.Basiratpour says the most desirable data scientists are at Google or Microsoft, and are almost impossible to move.

Oliver Blaydon, the head of advanced analytics and risk recruitment at search firm Armstrong International, says there's an inevitability to data science recruitment thatmeans it's likely to remain robust throughout 2021. "It's one of the busiest parts of the market," says Blaydon. "Any bank or fund that has a hiring freeze will usually still be open to hiring in roles that involve data."

Have a confidential story, tip, or comment youd like to share? Contact: sbutcher@efinancialcareers.com in the first instance. Whatsapp/Signal/Telegram also available. Bear with us if you leave a comment at the bottom of this article: all our comments are moderated by human beings. Sometimes these humans might be asleep, or away from their desks, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. Eventually it will unless its offensive or libelous (in which case it wont.)

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

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The finance jobs immune to COVID-19 - eFinancialCareers

WEI Art Collections Unveils New Multi-Million Dollar Contemporary Art Collection Commemorating Bitcoin and Ethereum – Benzinga

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Aug. 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WEI Art Collections(https://weiartcollections.art) has stayed true to the meaning of their name with a new art collection. WEI means extraordinary and WEI Art Collections is again set to excite the creative industry with their latest multi-million-dollar contemporary private art collection to celebrate blockchain technology. The new series is an unprecedented fusion of crypto-currency and art.

WEI Art Collectionshas carved a niche for creating the finest, most extraordinary abstract, contemporary, and crypto art. With a team of talented and well-respected artists from different parts of the world, representing numerous cultural, ethnic, and racially diverse creative talent, the platform has provided art collectors as well as corporate and technology leaders with an opportunity to acquire exclusive works of art from the WEI Art Collections series.

The WEI Art Collections Innovation Series are specifically put together for crypto-currency whales, art buyers, and advocates of the blockchain technology. The series also has its obvious appeal to professionals in the financial sector. The latest collection is coming at the most ideal time, with the world rapidly embracing the features and benefits of crypto-currency and blockchain technology.

In the fall of 2018, Adam Lindemann stated in an article in Bloomberg news byKatya Kazakina(https://bloom.bg/3eYwpla ) on November 29 as follows: "Everyone is talking about blockchain, but no one really understands it." Adam is a billionaire and abstract contemporary art collector, amongst the world's leading art collectors. He noted, "This is the right time to think about art and tech."

As the mp3 file undeniably influenced and redefined how the world listens to music, blockchain technology is about to be applied in numerous industries. The use of crypto-currency has become increasingly popular in recent times, with experts predicting growth to the tune of tens of trillions of dollars in the near future. The International Monetary Fund has also substantiated the claim, commenting on the advantages, stability crypto-currency values will enjoy as world economies, and fiat currencies continue to falter. However, the creative industry has been seemingly silent on the subject of crypto-currency and this is where WEI Art Collections is looking to change the narrative with the WEI Art Collections Innovation Series.

WEI Art Collections initially features the top three of the most prominent crypto-currencies destined for global dominance in the blockchain, global banking, and financial industries. There is also the Innovation Series 21 featuring 21 unique works, developed exclusively featuring Bitcoin. The series is developed in commemoration of Bitcoins issuance of 21 million coins. WEI Art Collections exemplifies the pinnacle of the crypto-art medium, engaging and employing emerging artists directly.

The mission of WEI Art Collections is to be amongst the premier contemporary abstract and cryptography art designers/producers/collectors, featuring works that celebrate the bourgeoning field of Cryptography through the new world technology of blockchain digital assets. Owning an exclusive work from the WEI Art Collections Series will also serve as an investment that will go down in history and appreciate over time. For more information please visithttps:/weiartcollections.art/

Media contactCompany: WEI Art CollectionsContact: Jean MarquetteE-mail:info@weiartcollections.artWebsite:https://weiartcollections.art

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WEI Art Collections Unveils New Multi-Million Dollar Contemporary Art Collection Commemorating Bitcoin and Ethereum - Benzinga

3 Daunting Ways Artificial Intelligence Will Transform The World Of Work – Forbes

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Each industrial revolution has brought with it new ways of working think of the impact computers and digital technology (the third industrial revolution) have had on how we work.

3 Daunting Ways AI Will Transform The World Of Work

But this fourth industrial revolution what I call the intelligence revolution, because it is being driven by AI and data feels unprecedented in terms of the sheer pace of change. The crucial difference between this and the previous industrial revolutions is were no longer talking about generational change; were talking about enormous transformations that are going to take place within the next five, 10 or 20 years.

Here are the three biggest ways I see AI fundamentally changing the work that humans do, within a very short space of time.

1. More tasks and roles will become automated

Increasing automation is an obvious place to start since a common narrative surrounding AI is robots are going to take all our jobs. In many ways, this narrative is completely understandable in a lot of industries and jobs, the impact of automation will be keenly felt.

To understand the impact of automation, PricewaterhouseCoopers analyzed more than 200,000 jobs in 29 countries and found:

By the early 2020s, 3 percent of jobs will be at risk of automation.

That rises to almost 20 percent by the late 2020s.

By the mid-2030s, 30 percent of jobs will be at the potential risk of automation. For workers with low education, this rises to 44 percent.

These are stark figures. But there is a positive side to increasing automation. The same study found that, while automation will no doubt displace many existing jobs, it will also generate demand for new jobs. In fact, AI, robotics, and automation could provide a potential $15 trillion boost to global GDP by 2030.

This is borne out by previous industrial revolutions, which ultimately created more jobs than they displaced. Consider the rise of the internet as an example. Sure, the internet had a negative impact on some jobs (I dont know about you but I now routinely book flights and hotels online, instead of popping to my local travel agent), but just look at how many jobs the internet has created and how its enabled businesses to branch into new markets and reach new customers.

Automation will also lead to better jobs for humans. If were honest with ourselves, the tasks that are most likely to be automated by AI are not the tasks best suited to humans or the tasks that humans should even want to do. Machines are great at automating the boring, mundane, and repetitive stuff, leaving humans to focus on more creative, empathetic, and interpersonal work. Which brings me to

2. Human jobs will change

When parts of jobs are automated by machines, that frees up humans for work that is generally more creative and people-oriented, requiring skills such as problem-solving, empathy, listening, communication, interpretation, and collaboration all skills that humans are generally better at than machines. In other words, the jobs of the future will focus more and more on the human element and soft skills.

According to Deloitte, this will lead to new categories of work:

Standard jobs:Generally focusing on repeatable tasks and standardized processes, standard jobs use a specified and narrow skill set.

Hybrid jobs:These roles require a combination of technical and soft skills which traditionally havent been combined in the same job.

Superjobs:These are roles that combine work and responsibilities from multiple traditional jobs, where technology is used to both augment and widen the scope of the work, involving a more complex combination of technical and human skills.

For me, this emphasizes how employees and organizations will need to develop both the technical and softer human skills to succeed in the age of AI.

3. The employee experience will change, too

Even in seemingly non-tech companies (if there is such a thing in the future), the employee experience will change dramatically. For one thing, robots and cobots will have an increasing presence in many workplaces, particularly in manufacturing and warehousing environments.

But even in office environments, workers will have to get used to AI tools as co-workers. From how people are recruited, to how they learn and develop in the job, to their everyday working activities, AI technology and smart machines will play an increasingly prominent role in the average person's working life. Just as we've all got used to tools like email, we'll also get used to routinely using tools that monitor workflows and processes and make intelligent suggestions about how things could be done more efficiently. Tools will emerge to carry out more and more repetitive admin tasks, such as arranging meetings and managing a diary. And, very likely, new tools will monitor how employees are working and flag up when someone is having trouble with a task or not following procedures correctly.

On top of this, workforces will become decentralized (a trend likely to be accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic) which means the workers of the future can choose to live anywhere, rather than going where the work is.

Preparing for the AI revolution

AI, and particularly automation, is going to transform the way we work. But rather than fear this development, we should embrace this new way of working. We should embrace the opportunities AI provides to make work better.

No doubt, this will require something of a cultural shift for organizations just one of the many ways in which organizations will have to adapt for the intelligence revolution. Discover how to prepare your organization for an AI-driven world in my new book, The Intelligence Revolution: Transforming Your Business With AI.

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3 Daunting Ways Artificial Intelligence Will Transform The World Of Work - Forbes

How machine learning and artificial intelligence can drive clinical innovation – PharmaLive

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By:

Dr. Basheer Hawwash, Principal Data Scientist

Amanda Coogan, Risk-Based Monitoring Senior Product Manager

Rhonda Roberts, Senior Data Scientist

Remarque Systems Inc.

Everyone knows the terms machine learning and artificial intelligence. Few can define them, much less explain their inestimable value to clinical trials. So, its not surprising that, despite their ability to minimize risk, improve safety, condense timelines, and save costs, these technology tools are not widely used by the clinical trial industry.

Basheer Hawwash

There are lots of reasons for resistance: It seems complicated. Those who are not statistically savvy may find the thought of algorithms overwhelming. Adopting new technology requires a change in the status quo.

Yet, there are more compelling reasons for adoption especially as the global pandemic has accelerated a trend toward patient-centricity and decentralized trials, and an accompanying need for remote monitoring.

Machine learning vs. artificial intelligence. Whats the difference?

Lets start by understanding what the two terms mean. While many people seem to use them interchangeably, they are distinct: machine learning can be used independently or to inform artificial intelligence; artificial intelligence cannot happen without machine learning.

Machine learning is a series of algorithms that analyze data in various ways. These algorithms search for patterns and trends, which can then be used to make more informed decisions. Supervised machine learning starts with a specific type of data for instance, a particular adverse event. By analyzing the records of all the patients who have had that specific adverse event, the algorithm can predict whether a new patient is also likely to suffer from it. Conversely, unsupervised machine learning applies analysis such as clustering to a group of data; the algorithm sorts the data into groups which researchers can then examine more closely to discern similarities they may not have considered previously.

In either case, artificial intelligence applies those data insights to mimic human problem-solving behavior. Speech recognition, self-driving cars, even forms that auto-populate all exist because of artificial intelligence. In each case, it is the vast amounts of data that have been ingested and analyzed by machine learning that make the artificial intelligence application possible.

Physicians, for instance, can use a combination of machine learning and artificial intelligence to enhance diagnostic abilities. In this way, given a set of data, machine learning tools can analyze images to find patterns of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); artificial intelligence may be able to further identify that some patients have idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) as well as COPD, something their physicians may neither have thought to look for, nor found unaided.

Amanda Coogan

Now, researchers are harnessing both machine learning and artificial intelligence in their clinical trial work, introducing new efficiencies while enhancing patient safety and trial outcomes.

The case of the missing data

Data is at the core of every clinical trial. If those data are not complete, then researchers are proceeding on false assumptions, which can jeopardize patient safety and even the entire trial.

Traditionally, researchers have guarded against this possibility by doing painstaking manual verification, examining every data point in the electronic data capture system to ensure that it is both accurate and complete. More automated systems may provide reports that researchers can look through but that still requires a lot of human involvement. The reports are static and must be reviewed on an ongoing basis and every review has the potential for human error.

Using machine learning, this process happens continually in the background throughout the trial, automatically notifying researchers when data are missing. This can make a material difference in a trials management and outcomes.

Consider, if you will, a study in which patients are tested for a specific metric every two weeks. Six weeks into the study, 95 percent of the patients show a value for that metric; 5 percent dont. Those values are missing. The system will alert researchers, enabling them to act promptly to remedy the situation. They may be able to contact the patients in the 5 percent and get their values, or they may need to adjust those patients out of the study. The choice is left to the research team but because they have the information in near-real time, they have a choice.

As clinical trials move to new models, with greater decentralization and greater reliance on patient-reported data, missing data may become a larger issue. To counteract that possibility, researchers will need to move away from manual methods and embrace both the ease and accuracy of machine-learning-based systems.

The importance of the outlier

In research studies, not every patient nor even every site reacts the same way. There are patients whose vital signs are off the charts. Sites with results that are too perfect. Outliers.

Rhonda Roberts

Often researchers discover these anomalies deep into the trial, during the process of cleaning the data in preparation for regulatory submission. That may be too late for a patient who is having a serious reaction to a study drug. It also may mean that the patients data are not valid and cannot be included in the end analysis. Caught earlier, there would be the possibility of a course correction. The patient might have been able to stay in the study, to continue to provide data; alternatively, they could be removed promptly along with their associated data.

Again, machine learning simplifies the process. By running an algorithm that continually searches for outliers, those irregularities are instantly identified. Researchers can then quickly drill down to ascertain whether there is an issue and, if so, determine an appropriate response.

Of course, an anomaly doesnt necessarily flag a safety issue. In a recent case, one of the primary endpoints involved a six-minute walk test. One site showed strikingly different results; as it happened, they were using a different measurement gauge, something that would have skewed the study results, but, having been flagged, was easily modified.

In another case, all the patients at a site were rated with maximum quality of life scores and all their blood pressure readings were whole numbers. Machine learning algorithms flagged these results because they varied dramatically from the readings at the other sites. On examination, researchers found that the site was submitting fraudulent reports. While that was disturbing to learn, the knowledge gave the trial team power to act, before the entire study was rendered invalid.

A changing landscape demands a changing approach

As quality management is increasingly focusing on risk-based strategies, harnessing machine learning algorithms simplifies and strengthens the process. Setting parameters based on study endpoints and study-specific risks, machine learning systems can run in the background throughout a study, providing alerts and triggers to help researchers avoid risks.

The need for such risk-based monitoring has accelerated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. With both researchers and patients unable or unwilling to visit sites, studies have rapidly become decentralized. This has coincided with the emergence and growing importance of patient-centricity and further propelled the rise of remote monitoring. Processes are being forced online. Manual methods are increasingly insufficient and automated methods that incorporate machine learning and artificial intelligence are gaining primacy.

Marrying in-depth statistical thinking with critical analysis

The trend towards electronic systems does not replace either the need for or the value of clinical trial monitors and other research personnel; they are simply able to do their jobs more effectively. A machine-learning-based system runs unique algorithms, each analyzing data in a different way to produce visualizations, alerts, or workflows, which CROs and sponsors can use to improve patient safety and trial efficiency. Each algorithm is tailored to the specific trial, keyed to endpoints, known risks, or other relevant factors. While the algorithms offer guidance, the platform does not make any changes to the data or the trial process; it merely alerts researchers to examine the data and determine whether a flagged value is clinically significant. Trial personnel are relieved of much tedious, reproducible, manual work, and are able to use their qualifications to advance the trial in other meaningful ways.

The imperative to embrace change

Machine learning and artificial intelligence have long been buzzwords in the clinical trial industry yet these technologies have only haltingly been put to use. Its time for that pendulum to swing. We can move more quickly and more precisely than manual data verification, and data cleaning allow. We can work more efficiently if we harness data to drive trial performance rather than simply to prove that the study endpoints were achieved. We can operate more safely if we are programmed for risk management from the outset. All this can be achieved easily, with the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence. Now is the time to move forward.

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Ted Hearne – Daily Beast

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TED HEARNE (b.1982, Chicago) is a composer, singer, bandleader and recording artist. He creates multi-dimensional works that are challenging, personal and reflective of the questions we face in the world today.

Pitchfork called Hearne's work "some of the most expressive socially engaged music in recent memory -- from any genre," and Alex Ross wrote in The New Yorker that Hearne's music "holds up as a complex mirror image of an information-saturated, mass-surveillance world, and remains staggering in its impact." Hearne's Sound From the Bench, a work for choir, electric guitars and drums about corporate personhood setting texts from U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments, was a finalist for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize.

Teds ongoing collaboration with legendary musician Erykah Badu pairs new music with arrangements of Badus works for orchestra, most recently presented with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. His album The Source sets the words of former U.S. Army Private Chelsea Manning alongside classified documents from U.S. Dept of Defense cables that she was responsible for leaking to Julian Assange and WikiLeaks. The New York Times called The Source "a 21st Century masterpiece.

Upcoming collaborations include a new work with poet Dorothea Lasky and director Daniel Fish to be presented at Carnegie Hall, and a new orchestral project with performance artist and singer-songwriter Taylor Mac. Place, written with poet Saul Williams and director Patricia McGregor, is Hearnes latest album, released in 2020 on New Amsterdam Records. For more visit: http://www.tedhearne.com

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Ted Hearne - Daily Beast

Cryptocurrency Market Update: Bitcoin, Ripple and Ethereum begin consolidating – FXStreet

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After finishing the month of July in incredible style, cryptocurrencies across the market have taken step back led by Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple. Bitcoin, for instance, is settling for consolidation between the support at $11,500 and $12,000. This follows recovery from a dip to $10,500. Although bulls desire to push above $12,000, they seem to lack enough volume to support the price action.

Bitcoin is exchanging hands at $10,800 at the time of writing. As reported in the price prediction earlier, the confluence resistance at $11,899 remains the biggest hurdle preventing action above $12,000. Technical levels are mainly positive with the RSI and the MACD sending bullish signals. BTC also trading above an accelerated trendline. Support is envisioned at $11,500, $11,000 and at the main trendline in the event of a reversal.

Ethereum like Bitcoin had a tremendous July and a good start in August; from trading around $230 to highs above $400. A yearly high was traded at $415 but bears gained traction perhaps due to some investors taking profits. At the time of writing. ETH/USD is teetering at $395 after recovery above $400 became impossible during the Asian hours.

Bulls are still relatively in chart even though gains remain limited. The Elliot Wave Oscillator has begun printing the first bearish session in August. This reflects the reversal from $415 to $395. The RSI is still above 70 but its downtrend shines the light on the strengthening bearish trend. If support at $390 fails to hold, buyers must endeavor to defend $380 and $350.

Ripple is nurturing a consolidation trend above $0.30. The sideways trading comes after a retreat from August highs traded at $0.3250. Support at $0.30 seems to have settled well in the last couple of days. All technical indicators including the RSI and MACD reinforce the sideways trading. However, with the 50-day above the 100-day SMA, it becomes apparent that bulls have anupper hand in the current session.

Continued here:
Cryptocurrency Market Update: Bitcoin, Ripple and Ethereum begin consolidating - FXStreet

Exorcist Ransomware and CIS Exclusion – Security Boulevard

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This year has been a bumper year for ransomware and its operators. Ransomware gangs are demanding millions; if those millions are not paid in time, then data stolen before encryption is either released to the public or sold to the highest bidder. Big names in the cybercriminal underground have returned with an entirely new ransomware familynamely Evil Corp and its new creation WastedLocker. Not only is there a return to form for old hands, but new ransomware strains also seem to be bursting up like mushrooms after a spell of rain. NetWalker and Exorcist immediately come to mind. The latter is the subject of this article.

Discovered in late July by MalwareHunterTeam, the Exorcist ransomware is so new to the scene that information on it had been incredibly sparse. That was until Leandro Velasco published an article shedding much of the codes mysteryand in great depth. The article is a must-read for anybody wanting a technical analysis of the ransomware. In providing a brief overview of Exorcist, it seems to be distributed via a Pastebin PowerShell script that runs in memory. The script takes from lessons learned by Sodinokibi affiliates and is based on the Invoke-ReflectivePEInjection.ps1 script, further optimized to include a function that passes a base64 executable into the main function of the script. It is also possible that the script is generated by the no-longer-supported Empire framework.

The code itself is not obfuscatedwhile common practice with other types of malware, it is often not deemed necessary for ransomware by its developers. Part of the reason for this is that the encryption process is in itself very noisy and once that begins, any pretense of stealth is quickly forgotten and speed is the main requirement. Some ransomware strains do obfuscate their code, but it is not an unwritten rule that all malware be obfuscated.

The malwares first operation is to check the geolocation of the infected machine, which is done by checking the language and keyboard layout of the machine in question. If the result is any of the nations that make up the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)which includes many of the nations that made up the Eastern Block during the Cold War and now still have close ties to Russiathe malwares operations are immediately stopped. Why this is done is discussed in greater depth in the second part of this article.

Screenshot of a ransom demanding message displayed by Exorcist ransomware:

If the geolocation check returns a nation not making up a part of the CIS, the ransomware executes several commands that disable and remove system backups. The commands will also look to terminate any system processes that may prevent encryption of certain file types. This is followed by the malware writing the public encryption key and the private key, as well as the file extension used to disk. Before encryption occurs, the malware will extract information including the username, hostname, OS version and keyboard layout and send those to a server under the attackers control. Once this is complete encryption begins utilizing multiple threads to drastically decrease the time to encrypt data. Finally, the wallpaper of the system is changed and the ransom note is dropped.

If you feel that you may have suddenly become a victim of Exorcist, there are a few tell-tale signs. First, the wallpaper announcing youve become a victim reads as follows:

ENCRYPTEDREAD decrypt.htafile for details

When the ransom note is opened it will read:rnyZoV DecryptAll your data has been encrypted with Exorcist Ransomware.Do not worry: you have some hours to contact us and decrypt your data by paying a ransom.To do this, follow instructions on this web site: hxxp://217.8.117.26/payAlso, you can install Tor Browser and use this web site: hxxp://4dnd3utjsmm2zcsb.onion/payIMPORTANT: Do not modify this file, otherwise you will not be able to recover your data!

Your authorization key:

An authorization key will be provided by the attacker once the ransom is paid. However, to find out what the ransom is the victim needs to download a Tor browser and visit the address provided. It is unclear if the ransom amount is fixed at 5000 USD in Bitcoin or changes from victim to victim, depending on what the attacker perceives they can pay. The website reads as follows:Exorcist RansomwareOrderIf the payment isnt made until 2020-07-25 10:33:57, decryptor price will be increased 3 times

Whats the matter?All your files have been encrypted with Exorcist Ransomware.

The only way to decrypt them back is to buy Exorcist Decryption Tool.

The price is 5000$

It will scan all your network and check all encrypted files and decrypt them.

We accept Bitcoin (BTC) cryptocurrencies.

To be sure we have the decryptor and it works you can use Free Decrypt and decrypt only one file for free. But the only file you can decrypt is image (PNG, JPG, BMP), maximum size 3 MB, because they are usually not valuable.

Instruction:You need to create a crypto wallet. You can read more about crypto wallets here: hxxps://bit.ly/379vYBtLearn how to buy cryptocurrency (Bitcoin). Some links where you can find information here:Bitcoin: hxxps://bit.ly/38nohHMCopy the wallet number from the address field (depending on what you have chosen) and transfer the necessary amount of cryptocurrency to it. You can read more about translations here: hxxps://bit.ly/36br2dKAfter paying the ransom, your files will be decrypted and you will be able to continue your work.

IMPORTANT: When transferring funds, carefully check the details to avoid errors and loss of funds. Your files will be decrypted only when transferring funds to our wallet.

Free decrypt

PaymentDecryptor price: 5000$Pay in Bitcoin:bc1qyzjj2hrjr3sspjwj9ckd02fz8kmynj9xkjrkgv0.561799 BTCWhen funds reach one of these addresses, you automatically get decryption tool.

ChatType Message

Performing a search at the time of writing on the provided address in the ransom note reveals that no funds have been transferred to this address as of yet. Given how new the ransomware is, this is not a surprise. Further, no victims have announced publicly that they have fallen victim to Exorcist to the best of this writers knowledge. It may be that Exorcist has not seen wide distribution yet, as it may still be in development or slowly ramping up operations.

While there seem to be no active campaigns making headlines at the moment, this is probably not likely to last. One bit of news that emerged recently is that a hacker released a list of IP addresses for more than 900 Pulse Secure VPN enterprise servers. The list published in plaintext also included several usernames and passwords. The release was made on a Russian underground hacker forum, which is known to have multiple ransomware gangs contributing and actively posting. The list includes Sodinokibi, NetWalker, Lockbit, Avaddon, Makop and importantly for the purposes of this article Exorcist. In general, the forum is used by the gangs to hire more developers or affiliates tasked with distributing the ransomware.

The reason why the dump of Pulse Secure VPN credentials would make headlines is that many of the above-mentioned gangs have actively been targeting known vulnerabilities in VPNs to compromise an enterprise network. As the dump was done free of charge and in plain text, those using unpatched VPN products should be worried enough to patch them as a matter of priorityit may be that in the near future major enterprises will be seeing the Exorcists wallpaper and ransom note and be visiting their website.

The main reason why the developers behind Exorcist and several other malware families tend to not want to infect computers in Russia, its neighbors, and the countrys interest in the geopolitical stage is that the Russian government turns a blind eye to cybercrime conducted by nationals, as long as Russia and its interests are not targeted. This is why a quick internet search will reveal cybercriminals wanted in the U.S. or Europe posing in front of luxury cars bought with the proceeds from their criminal activity.

Further, it seems to be the case that rather than bringing these people to justice, Russian Intelligence will employ their expertise to supplement their own cyber warfare and cyber espionage operations. These rumors began some 20 years ago and recent events seem to prove they were closer to reality, further supported by skilled coders in the CIS and their earning potential. For many, it is far more lucrative to hack and be approached by the intelligence agencies in question than to work within the IT sector. Since immunity seems to be granted to hackers as long as they leave Russian interests alone, becoming a hacker seems to be more of a logical financial decision than the perceived view by most of society as hackers being social pariahs.

This scenario was further confirmed in 2019 when the Russian government passed laws that enabled the creation of a self-contained internet modeled after the one implemented successfully in China. A report published investigating the new law and its expected effects believed that the law would help further flame the flames of cybercrime, whether state-sponsored or independent, financially motivated hackers, and further the status quo mentioned above. The funny thing is the law would make it easier to crack down on hackers within Russian borders; however, attacks on Russias rivals such as the U.S. are seen as serving Russian interests even if done by cybercriminals.

An article about the relationship between the Russian government and its hackers, as well as hackers in neighboring states, concluded:

The availability of highly skilled and technically well-versed individuals also presents a pool of potential proxies that can be mobilized at a moments notice. Often, people will mobilize themselves and take political action in support of the government, as has happened in Estonia in 2007 and in Ukraine since 2014. Governments differ in their ability to catalyze such activity and the extent to which they are in a position to merely endorse, orchestrate, or actively direct their outcomes. In countries where public institutions and the states ability to exercise control have deteriorated, it is an uphill battle to break the increasingly entrenched incentive structures reinforcing existing proxy relationships. Meanwhile, the controversy over law enforcement cooperation, including mutual legal assistance and extradition, shows the limits of international cooperation and external influence. The phenomenon described in this chapter is therefore a cautionary tale of the potential pitfalls when a state significantly weakens or collapses and the consequences that will reverberate for decades to come.

For those tasked with defending networks against Exorcist and other ransomware gangs, expecting those who committed the crime to be arrested and brought to book is a pipe dream. Rather, the focus should be to do everything possible to prevent the attack in the first place.

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Originally posted here:
Exorcist Ransomware and CIS Exclusion - Security Boulevard


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