Blue Ridge Technology

AI Changing Cybersecurity ​For a long time, the typical approach to cybersecurity has been reactive: systems watch for certain kinds of problems or threats to pop up, and when they spot one, they react. A reactive approach does provide a level of protection. But reactive cybersecurity tools can’t catch every threat, and it doesn’t always react swiftly enough to eliminate all risk or damage. Now, AI is changing the landscape. New AI-powered proactive systems are finding threats before they become real attacks. But on the flipside, AI-enhanced cyberattacks are a looming threat. Microsoft recently made the news with some positive new developments in proactive cybersecurity. So this week we’ll share what’s new with Microsoft, how AI is changing cybersecurity, and what aspects aren’t really changing at all. Microsoft MDASH Microsoft has been using AI internally to look for security vulnerabilities within Windows 11 itself. The system is made up of over 100 AI agents, all built internally t...

Windows 11 Speed Increases ​Windows 11 has gotten a lot of hate in the media and culture, and if we’re honest, some of those criticisms are fair. Windows 11 is supposed to feel like the future, but sometimes (OK, a lot of times) it just feels kind of sluggish instead. Applications take just a tick longer than it feels like they should to start opening when you click on them. (That’s before any loading times you have to deal with for the software to actually start fully running.) Visible screen elements refresh ever so slightly too slowly. Settings windows are too sluggish to respond, too. All the while, Microsoft seemed for a while like it couldn’t stop itself from injecting new AI features that users may or may not be interested in. For many, it felt like Microsoft was losing track of the fundamentals while it chased more and more AI features. Thankfully, Microsoft seems to be listening. The company has been quietly investing in numerous quality of life enhancements and efficiency im...

AI Voice Assistant Pros & Cons Does your business get the same three phone calls multiple times a day? For lots of local businesses, questions like “What time do you open/close” and “Can I schedule/change my appointment” account for 50% or more of incoming phone calls. This is normal, but it’s fair to wonder: how much of your team’s time is going to answering the same basic questions, over and over and over? AI voice assistants are a hot new technology, and they may be more in reach than you’d expect. What Is an AI Voice Assistant? An AI voice assistant can take in natural language from callers, determine intent, and then provide an answer in response, also in audible natural language. It’s not like the old interactive voice response (IVR) systems — think “press 1 for sales” or “say ‘account balance’ to hear your balance”. Rather than using complicated menus of pre-planned responses, AI voice assistants give callers the ability to describe what they need in their own words. The bes...

The Fight of Cybercriminals ​Cybercriminals and ransomware groups are targeting each other. But bad guys are still bad guys, and this new development doesn’t lessen your risk. Even if you think you’ve seen everything when it comes to what cybercriminals are willing to do, this one may come as a shock. Recently, several high-profile ransomware groups and cybercriminal rings have themselves gotten hacked. The culprit wasn’t a government or law enforcement agency. It was another group of bad guys. And while this might sound like good news at first, it really isn’t. We’ll explain what you need to know below. What’s Happening: Cybercriminals Are Targeting Each Other In the last couple of years, various cyber gangs have gotten into online turf wars not all that different from what you might see portrayed in your favorite crime drama. Only instead of drugs and guns, these gangs deal in stolen data and malware. BlackFog r eported last year on two cases , though there have been many more....