Treasury's Mnuchin says Amazon 'destroyed' U.S. retail sector

Reuters | July 25, 2019

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Wednesday that online giant Amazon.com Inc has destroyed the retail industry across the United States. Mnuchin said he looked forward to hearing the results of a Justice Department probe, announced on Tuesday, into whether big U.S. technology firms engage in anticompetitive practices, the strongest sign yet that the Trump administration is stepping up its scrutiny of Big Tech. “If you look at Amazon, although they’re certain benefits to it, they’ve destroyed the retail industry across the United States,” Mnuchin told CNBC. “I don’t have an opinion other than I think it’s absolutely right the attorney general is looking into these issues and I look forward to listening to his recommendations to the president.”

Spotlight

Spotlight

Related News

Emerging Technology, Cybersecurity

ExtraHop® Introduces New Solution for Federal, State, and Local Governments

Businesswire | July 19, 2023

ExtraHop, a leader in network detection and response (NDR), today announced the launch of ExtraHop IDS for Government. As agencies look to implement a zero trust architecture ahead of the 2024 deadline, they are racing to enhance visibility into their IT environments so they can verify that all users, devices, and systems are in alignment with the framework. However, the growing move to decentralize IT infrastructure has added new challenges for already resource-strapped government organizations, increasing the potential for sensitive data exposure. To overcome these challenges, ExtraHop IDS for Government caters to public sector customers, offering an isolated network structure so they can be confident their data is secure. ExtraHop IDS, launched earlier this year, adds intrusion detection to the Reveal(x)™ NDR platform for deeper coverage, streamlined investigations, and a seamless user experience. Government customers can now experience these advantages with flexible deployment options and always-on updates to see more, know more, and stop more cyberattacks. With ExtraHop, government customers will benefit from: Flexible deployment options: Deploy either virtual (1 Gbps or 10 Gbps) or physical sensors (20 Gbps) pre-loaded with tens of thousands of curated IDS rules. Role-based access: Restrict network and data access based on employees’ roles to avoid unnecessary data leaks. Support for disconnected environments: Built-in REST APIs enable customers to upload resources to disconnected sensors, providing support to customers with restricted cloud access. Industry-leading decryption capabilities: Identify malicious activity within encrypted traffic to expose advanced threats and detect malware. "Historically, legacy IDS tools haven't been able to deliver the value that government organizations need, but ExtraHop has completely re-imagined the technology," said David Dalling, Cyber Chief Technology Officer, Accenture Federal Services. "ExtraHop approaches intrusion detection in a new, innovative way, which is well-suited for those in more regulated industries. When combined with the award-winning AI in ExtraHop’s NDR solution, Reveal(x), which strings together suspicious activity, and its unique understanding that attacks aren’t always from the outside, ExtraHop takes IDS to the next level." “Government organizations require solutions that accommodate their needs - solutions that address their decentralized IT structures, compliance concerns, and dwindling resources,” said Sohale Razmjou, Vice President of Federal, Blackwood. “We’re excited to partner with ExtraHop to deliver a solution that helps joint customers tailor their deployment models and access controls, so they can operate confidently.” ExtraHop serves customers in the federal, state, and local government sectors, including Dallas County and the City of Canyon. Defending vital government and civilian services from cyber threats, ExtraHop supports zero trust architectures, modernization efforts, ransomware mitigation, and more. “After two decades in the federal sector as a user, cybersecurity executive, and technology project manager, I can personally attest to the rapidly growing need for cybersecurity solutions that government organizations can trust to detect and reveal attacks in real-time,” said Mark Bowling, Chief Information Security and Risk Officer (CISRO), ExtraHop. “With ExtraHop IDS for Government, organizations can benefit from an up-to-date security solution that unifies detection, incident response, and network forensic evidence collection in a single tool, while also integrating seamlessly with tools popular among government customers such as Splunk and CrowdStrike.” About ExtraHop ExtraHop is the cybersecurity partner enterprises trust to reveal the unknown and unmask the attack. The company’s Reveal(x) 360™ platform is the only network detection and response platform that delivers the 360-degree visibility needed to uncover the cybertruth. When organizations have full network transparency with ExtraHop, they see more, know more, and stop more cyberattacks. Learn more at www.extrahop.com.

Read More

Government Business

Worksport Announces Strategic Partnership with McAllister & Quinn Set to Propel Federal Grants Acquisition and Strengthen Government Relations

Globenewswire | July 10, 2023

Worksport Ltd. is excited to announce their strategic business relationship with McAllister & Quinn. McAllister & Quinn is a federal government relations and grants consulting firm that serves as Worksport’s “boots on the ground” in Washington, DC. McAllister & Quinn offers services to identify, strategically plan for, and pursue federal funding opportunities and advocate for federal policy issues aligned with Worksport’s strategic priorities and goals. The government is continuing to make historic investments in advanced technology through programs such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act. These programs and others like them have several focus areas, including: Securing domestic manufacturing of critical technologies for decades to come, Reducing the environmental impact of conventionally hazardous manufacturing processes, and Bolstering the clean energy industry to ensure a sustainable future. McAllister & Quinn’s strategic intelligence professionals provide targeted, timely, and actionable assessments of these federal funding trends and developments, including analyses of the annual budget and appropriations process; key R&D policy and legislative updates; landscape analyses for key priority areas; sponsor and program analyses; and daily monitoring of forecasted and new funding opportunities, requests for information, federal advisory committee meetings, and notices of funding opportunities. "Partnering with McAllister & Quinn marks an exciting milestone for Worksport, equipping us to strategically navigate and capitalize on historic federal investment opportunities," said Steven Rossi, CEO of Worksport. "This alliance fortifies our commitment to sustainable innovation and positions us to generate lasting, positive impacts on the communities we serve." McAllister & Quinn tailors their analyses and reporting to issues of interest to Worksport and assists in evaluating and aligning Worksport initiatives with federal funding opportunities. The federal government’s investments also allows its funding recipients to have an opportunity to generate a lasting impact on the communities in which they reside. The Advanced Technology Practice at McAllister & Quinn is committed to having a positive impact in both Worksport’s business and the community they serve. About Worksport Ltd. Worksport Ltd. through its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, and owns the IP on a variety of tonneau covers, solar integrations, and NP (Non-Parasitic), Hydrogen-based true green energy solutions for the sustainable, clean energy, and automotive industries. Worksport Ltd. seeks to capitalize on the growing shift of consumer mindsets towards clean energy integrations with its proprietary solar solutions, mobile energy storage systems (ESS), and NP (Non-Parasitic), Hydrogen-based technology. For more information, please visit investors.worksport.com

Read More

Emerging Technology, Cybersecurity

Axiad Launches New Passwordless Authentication Package for Government, Critical Infrastructure and Defense Industrial Base

PR Newswire | August 18, 2023

Axiad, a leading provider of organization-wide passwordless orchestration, today announced a new Unified Credential Management System (UCMS) package calledPasswordless for Air Gapped and Critical Environmentsto meet the phishing-resistant requirements of The White House Executive Order (EO) 14028. This package brings passwordless authentication and end user self-service capabilities to air gapped and critical infrastructure environments that integrate Microsoft Security solutions. Overall, the package helps government agencies as well as critical infrastructure and defense industrial base (DIB) organizations maximize security and end-user acceptance and minimize security overhead. In the United States, critical infrastructure systems continue to be a top target for cybercriminals. In fact,Microsoft reportedthat critical infrastructure cyberattacks doubled in 2022 from 20% to 40% of nation-state-sponsored attacks. Because of this, the U.S. government, via EO 14028 on improving the nation's cybersecurity, has mandated security measures, including strong passwordless multi-factor authentication (MFA), for government agencies and is strongly recommending the use of this technology for critical infrastructure. In response to this growing need, Axiad's Passwordless for Air Gapped and Critical Environments provides a seamless way for organizations to integrate government-grade, phishing-resistant passwordless authentication as well as key functional and operational support into on-premises air gapped environments. The new package provides full interoperation with a range of Microsoft products – including Microsoft Active Directory Federation Services and Microsoft Certificate Authority – to ensure authentication is highly secure and consistent and customers get maximum value out of their existing environments. Additionally, it provides credential management and self-service credential enrollment and account recovery (CEAR), which are critical capabilities due to the high costs or the complete lack of on-site IT support in air gapped environments. "Organizations with air gapped and critical infrastructure environments need passwordless authentication and a range of physical and platform authenticators to help prevent cyber-attacks," said Jerome Becquart, chief operating officer at Axiad. "With this new package, Axiad is the first company to provide all these elements plus the critical missing ingredient – self-service authentication management, including enrollment and account recovery – and bring them to the on-premises Microsoft ecosystem." Axiad's Passwordless for Air Gapped and Critical Environments provides the following unique capabilities: Strong Authentication:The package provides government-grade FIPS 140 validated passwordless authentication with the flexibility needed to accommodate the full range of needs of employees, contractors, vendors and suppliers. For example, it offers a range of passwordless options, including both physical (YubiKeys, smart cards, PIV cards, USB keys, etc.) and platform (virtual smart cards). Powerful Self-Service Capabilities:Axiad AirLock, which provides help desk automation by eliminating temporary passwords, provides self-service credential enrollment, and Axiad MyCircle provides self-service account recovery within a trusted circle of colleagues rather than waiting for the help desk to respond – both of which help to increase operational efficiencies for frontline workers and reduce IT costs. Ready Implementation:The package's architecture is made to operate in air gapped environments and to seamlessly interoperate with existing authentication and infrastructure investments without requiring upgrades. This package fully leverages and extends the life of Microsoft authentication (e.g., Microsoft Active Directory) and infrastructure (e.g., Microsoft Windows Server) investments. "Axiad's integration with Microsoft empowers critical infrastructure, government and defense industrial base to easily upgrade their existing Microsoft on-premises infrastructure to become passwordless," said Ehud Itshaki, principal product manager at Microsoft. "With phishing-resistant, passwordless authentication, they can enhance their security posture and comply with the recent EO mandating phishing-resistant MFA – all while getting more out of their existing Microsoft authentication and infrastructure investments." About Axiad Axiad delivers organization-wide passwordless orchestration to secure people, machines, and interactions for enterprise and public sector organizations that must optimize their cybersecurity posture while navigating underlying IT complexity. The company's flagship product, Axiad Cloud, is a comprehensive, secure and integrated authentication platform that allows customers to move to a passwordless future without the friction and risk of fragmented solutions. Axiad supports the widest range of credentials in the industry including FIDO, mobile MFA, Windows Hello for Business, YubiKeys, smart cards, TPM and biometrics, and is trusted by public sector organizations and Fortune 500 companies across aerospace & defense, financial services, insurance, healthcare, oil & energy and more. For more information visitaxiad.comand follow us onTwitterandLinkedIn.

Read More