28.3 C
Vientiane
Friday, May 16, 2025
spot_img
Home Blog Page 2749

Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative Enhances Position as World’s Largest Vulnerability Disclosure Player

Independent Omdia study finds ZDI reported 60.5% of appraised bugs in 2020

 

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 27 May 2021 – Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global cybersecurity leader, today announced its Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) accounted for 60.5% of the vulnerabilities disclosed in a new Omdia study. The ZDI maintains its position as the world’s largest vendor-agnostic bug bounty program for the 13th consecutive year. The ZDI had the most disclosures across all severity levels, with 77% of their disclosures being critical or high severity rating.

The analyst firm’s independent report, Quantifying the Public Vulnerability Market: 2021 Edition, offers a comprehensive comparative analysis of 11 of the world’s most prolific security research and vulnerability disclosure organizations. Click here to read the full report: https://resources.trendmicro.com/rs/945-CXD-062/images/Omdia_Vulnerability-Project-Whitepaper.pdf.

“As recent events around Microsoft Exchange Server have highlighted yet again, vulnerabilities remain at the heart of the challenge for those fighting on the frontline against threat actors,” said Brian Gorenc, senior director of vulnerability research for Trend Micro. “That’s why we remain committed to incentivizing researchers to find and responsibly disclose bugs. This benefits users everywhere, and especially Trend Micro TippingPoint customers who were protected for 81 days on average before the release of a vendor patch in 2020.”

Omdia appraised 1,365 unique, verified vulnerabilities disclosed in 2020 claimed by the 11 vendors. Of these, ZDI disclosed 825 bugs, three times more than the next vendor, which disclosed 242. The ZDI increased its market coverage by 8.2% from the previous year, strengthening its position as industry leader even further.

The report also recognized the ZDI Research Rewards program, which, similar to frequent flyer miles from an airline, enables researchers to earn increased rewards and bonuses by continuing to work with the ZDI.

“The number of vulnerabilities discovered by all independent researchers totaled less than half of those offered by Trend Micro,” said Tanner Johnson, principal analyst for Omdia. “The ZDI focuses on vulnerabilities in a broad range of services, with a great deal of its effort directed toward vulnerabilities in networking and PDF software, which are critical to enterprise security.”

Founded in 2005, Trend Micro’s ZDI pioneered the development of the responsible disclosure market for vulnerabilities, which leverages bug bounty rewards to incentivize researchers. The program has reported more than 7,500 flaws to affected vendors to date. Over 10,000 researchers globally have now been paid more than $25 million in bounties.

About Trend Micro

Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro’s cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for environments like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 65 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world. www.trendmicro.com.hk

#TrendMicro

Vetter Once Again Wins Axia Best Managed Companies Award

Honor confirms continuity and the pharmaceutical service provider’s approach to sustainability

 

  • Internationally renowned seal of quality for exemplary corporate management
  • Positive assessment of strategy, innovation, culture and finance
  • Comprehensive, multi-stage application procedure

RAVENSBURG, GERMANY – Media OutReach – 27 May 2021 – For the second time in a row, Vetter, a global leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), has won the Axia Best Managed Companies Award. The pharmaceutical service provider was again honored for its clear vision, innovative approaches, sustainable management culture and sound financial management. Every year, Deloitte Private, the prominent German business journal WirtschaftsWoche, Credit Suisse and the Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie (the Federation of German Industries) select which medium-sized companies are best managed and thus receive the renowned award. In keeping with the current pandemic situation, the ceremony was held on a small scale at the headquarters of the family-owned company in Ravensburg.

Senator h.c. Udo J. Vetter, Chairman of the Advisory Board and member of the owner family (far right), along with Vetter Managing Director Peter Soelkner (second from the left), Deloitte representative Christian Himmelsbach (second from right), and Credit Suisse representative Markus Hermainski (far left) at the presentation of the Axia Best Managed Companies Award in Ravensburg.
Picture source: Vetter Pharma International GmbH

Once again, Vetter has proven that stability and progress are possible – even during these challenging times. The pharmaceutical service provider presented convincing evidence in the evaluated categories – starting with the competent handling of the current challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, to the successful acquisition of a new production site in Vorarlberg, Austria, as well as its new company strategy, Vetter Next 2029, which is currently in progress.

The Axia Best Managed Companies Program is established in over 30 countries. By winning the award, recipients become part of an exclusive national and global network of successful companies. The three-stage application process is very demanding. The companies’ performance in the key categories strategy, productivity and innovation, culture and commitment, as well as finance and governance are analyzed. As a last step, an independent jury consisting of high-ranking representatives from business, science and the media must also weigh in on the best choice for a winner. The award-winning companies were able to demonstrate an outstanding performance pursuant to the criteria and exemplary best practices.

“From the development of visionary strategies and innovative processes to effective corporate governance structures and a healthy corporate culture – as an award winner, Vetter is characterized by entrepreneurial excellence. Once again, they have set new standards in several key areas of corporate governance,” emphasized Lutz Meyer, partner and head of Deloitte Private.

“This award is dedicated to our 5,500 staff members worldwide,” said Senator h.c. Udo J. Vetter, Chairman of the Advisory Board and member of the owner family. “The special spirit of our family-owned company is particularly evident in these challenging times.” For the company and its staff members, winning the award once again is considered both a trusted confirmation and a strong motivation. Managing Directors Thomas Otto and Peter Soelkner shared, “We are honored to receive the Axia Best Managed Companies Award for the second time in a row. Vetter is focused on acting in a proactive and sustainable manner – now and into the future.”

Find the Vetter press kit and more background information here.


About Vetter

Headquartered in Ravensburg, Germany, Vetter is a family-owned, global leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) with production facilities in Germany, Austria and the United States. Currently employing more than 5,500 individuals worldwide, the company has long-term experience in supporting biotechnology and pharmaceutical customers both large and small. Vetter services range from early stage development support including clinical manufacturing, to commercial supply and numerous packaging solutions for vials, syringes and cartridges. As a leading solution provider, Vetter appreciates its responsibility to support the needs of its customers by developing devices that contribute to increased patient safety, convenience, and enhanced compliance. Great importance is also given to social responsibility including environmental protection and sustainability. Learn more about Vetter at www.vetter-pharma.com.

#Vetter

United States Presents Personal Protective Equipment and Supplies to Lao Minister of Health

United States Presents Personal Protective Equipment and Supplies to Lao Minister of Health

U.S. Ambassador Dr. Peter M. Haymond presented personal protective equipment and hygiene supplies to Minister of Health Dr. Bounfeng Phoummalysith, on Tuesday as part of the United States’ ongoing Covid-19 support to the Lao PDR.

Laos Forms Special Taskforce to Combat Fake News

Laos sets up taskforce on fake news

Authorities have established a special taskforce to monitor and respond to illegal online media and fake news in Laos.

Rising expectation of ‘cashless’ societies worldwide: a second annual report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), shows growing acceptance of digital currencies, accelerated by covid-19

  • Consumers are increasingly adopting cashless payment methods while governments are stepping up planning or piloting of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and companies are experimenting with accepting open-source digital currencies, such as Bitcoin, for treasury or portfolio allocation.
  • A cashless trend was already strong, according to the previous year’s research but in 2021, covid-19 prompted more movement away from physical cash. In 2020, only about 72% of respondents said that their country was likely to become a cashless society; that grew to over 81% this year. Meanwhile, the percent of respondents believing their country would never become cashless, saw a stark drop from 28% to 19%.
  • While transaction settlement is a main function of any currency, digital or otherwise, the institutional investor and corporate treasurer respondents in the EIU research appear to be using digital currencies more as a store of value with a deflationary hedge than purely as a settlement option.
  • About 76% of corporate treasury and institutional investor executives say covid-19 accelerated demand for, and adoption of, digital currencies.
  • The concept of a digital currency playing a role as a “digital gold” asset in corporate treasuries or institutional investor portfolios is gaining acceptance among executives.

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 27 May 2021 – In 2020, the Economist Intelligence Unit conducted a survey to measure the relative acceptance of digital currencies and other digital payment methods, finding that a cashless trend was strong with consumers globally. In February and March of 2021, a new survey set out to gauge how sentiment has changed in the past year. Results from this year indicate favour for both digital transactions and currencies has risen further.

Over the past 12 months, 27% of survey respondents report that they always (as close to 100% of purchases as possible) use digital payments instead of physical banknotes, coins or credit cards versus 22% in the previous year’s study. Examining the metric from the opposite angle—those reporting only very rare use of digital payment options—the rate declined from 14% to 12%, indicating a shrinking holdout for physical cash. Further details on comparative annual results, along with the 2020 survey, can be found at Digimentality 2021, commissioned by crypto.com.

While there are a variety of ways people can transact digitally—including smartphone apps or digital currencies—the most common form of digital currency consumers recognise is the open-source variety, typically called a cryptocurrency—such as Bitcoin. Cryptocurrencies remain the most commonly known form of digital currency options; more than half (55%) of consumers in the 2021 survey say they are aware of them even if they have never owned or used one. Despite increased media coverage of CBDCs recently, it was still the least recognized form of digital currency.

The covid-19 crisis has contributed to digital currency awareness, with about half of the consumer respondents agreeing that the pandemic has heightened the use case for a cryptocurrency.

The pandemic had an even more marked influence on institutional and corporate executives, who were tested in a supplementary survey during the same time period; about 76% of executives say covid-19 has accelerated demand for and adoption of digital currencies.

The executive survey had deeper questions on how digital currencies play a role in either corporate treasuries or institutional investor portfolios. While a majority of respondents classified a digital currency as something that should be used primarily for transactional purposes (ie settling payments), the most common commercial uses presently appear to be for capital appreciation and asset diversification.

A key finding in the report, which includes interviews with Henri Arslanian, PwC’s crypto lead, and Mathew McDermott, managing director and global head of digital assets for Goldman Sachs, is corporate and institutional support for the concept of a digital currency playing a role similar to gold in a portfolio. As a notional “digital gold”, cryptocurrencies can hold similar patterns in terms of limited supply, being authenticatable and dividable, and providing a level of diversity in asset allocation and value storage. However, regulatory, trust and technological-understanding concerns linger.

Jason Wincuinas, the Economist Intelligence Unit editor who spearheaded the report said: “Money is rapidly evolving. Only a few years ago there seemed to be very little commercial or popular support for even the idea of a digital currency and within the past year, we’ve seen several governments announce new plans to create digital versions of their currencies. It’s like a new space race on that level. At the same time, we’ve seen interest and trust in cryptocurrencies grow among consumers. Now that we’ve added perspective from some of money’s heaviest users—corporate treasuries and institutional investors—we have a more comprehensive view of how digital currencies might evolve. Sentiment on the institutional side of the scale already seems much higher than expected.”

More detail on how institutional investors and corporate treasurers use or expect to use different forms of digital currencies can be found in the full report, as well as year-over-year comparisons on consumer sentiment.

Visit digitalcurrency.economist.com for the full report.

About the research

Digimentality—digital currency from fear to inflection is a report from The Economist Intelligence Unit, commissioned by Crypto.com, exploring the extent to which digital payments and currencies are trusted by consumers and what barriers may exist to basic monetary functions becoming predominantly electronic or digital. The analysis is now bolstered with a survey of corporate treasurers and asset managers. Both the consumer and executive surveys were conducted through February and March of 2021. About half of the consumer respondents came from developed economies, and half from developing ones. The full demographics are available at digitalcurrency.economist.com . The consumer survey tested 3,053 respondents across Asia, Europe and North America; the second part of the report draws from a survey of 200 institutional investor and corporate treasury management respondents in the same regions.

About The Economist Intelligence Unit

The EIU is the thought leadership, research and analysis division of The Economist Group and the world leader in global business intelligence for executives. We uncover novel and forward-looking perspectives with access to over 650 expert analysts and editors across 200 countries worldwide. More information can be found on www.eiuperspectives.economist.com. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

About Crypto.com

Founded in 2016, Crypto.com today serves over 10 million customers with the world’s fastest growing crypto app, along with the Crypto.com Visa Card — the world’s largest crypto card program — the Crypto.com Exchange and Crypto.com DeFi Wallet. Recently launched, Crypto.com NFT is the premier platform for collecting and trading NFTs, curated carefully from the worlds of art, design, entertainment, sports.

Crypto.com is built on a solid foundation of security, privacy and compliance and is the first cryptocurrency company in the world to have ISO/IEC 27701:2019, CCSS Level 3, ISO27001:2013 and PCI:DSS 3.2.1, Level 1 compliance, and independently assessed at Tier 4, the highest level for both NIST Cybersecurity and Privacy Frameworks.

Crypto.com is headquartered in Hong Kong with a 1,000+ strong team. Find out more by visiting https://crypto.com

African Energy Chamber: Africa Must Fight Energy Poverty with Oil and Gas Development

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – EQS Newswire – 26 May 2021 – On May 18, 2021, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released “Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector,” which outlines plans for the global energy sector to reach “net zero” greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Achieving net zero emissions means the amount of greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere would equal the amount being removed. Achieving this balance, the IEA maintains, would require more than aggressive carbon-capture measures: It would call for a swift and immediate shift from petroleum energy sources to energy provided through naturally replenished sources like wind, water, and solar power.

From an environmental standpoint, this is a great concept.

But we live in reality. And today, in real-world Africa, this goal is not feasible. Nor is it advisable. While I agree with their data on many topics, the IEA’s conclusion is flat-out wrong on this issue. Africa needs oil and gas.

Unreasonable Objectives

Some of the critical steps in IEA’s roadmap include:

– No new investment in new fossil fuel supply (including oil and gas) after 2021

– No new sales of fossil fuel boilers after 2025

– No new internal combustion engine (ICE) car sales after 2035 globally

– 60% of car sales are electric by 2030, and 50% of heavy truck sales are electric from 2035

These steps assume a lot about the state of the world – assumptions that are faulty, especially for Africa. For one, it will require universal energy access by 2030, meaning that everyone has access to electricity and clean cooking. And with approximately 592 million Africans currently without this access, we’re going to be hard-pressed to flip that switch in less than 10 years.

The IEA’s roadmap to net zero also relies on unprecedented investments in renewables – a substantial boost in clean energy investments from the $1 trillion made over the last five years all the way up to $5 trillion annually by 2030 – and cooperation from policymakers who are unified in their efforts. In this idyllic partnership, our Western counterparts talk a good game. But the fact is, to date, these same Western countries have invested little to no funding into Africa’s renewables space. To our dismay even the International Oil Companies that have tried to accept the IEA’s publicity stunt have little or no renewable projects in Africa.

“For many developing countries, the pathway to net zero without international assistance is not clear,” OPEC wrote in response to IEA’s roadmap release, issuing a “critical assessment” on the very same day. “Technical and financial support is needed to ensure deployment of key technologies and infrastructure. Without greater international co‐operation, global CO2 emissions will not fall to net zero by 2050.”

As I have stated in the past, demonizing energy companies is not a constructive way forward, and ignoring the role that carbon-based fuels have played in driving human progress distorts the public debate. We cannot expect African nations, which together emitted seven times less CO2 than China last year and four times less than the US, according to the Global Carbon Atlas, to undermine their best opportunities for economic development by simply aligning with the Western view of how to tackle carbon emissions.

Creating New Problems

China, meanwhile, appears willing to continue investing in fossil fuel projects in Africa. This means that to keep their nations energized, African governments will have little choice but to partner with China – whose performance is notoriously poor when it comes to environmental protection, despite having signed the Paris climate accord. In this scenario, China will become the most influential entity in the African oil and gas industry. And giving China (or any foreign entity) such a monopoly is a dangerous play.

For the IEA plan to work, no new oil and natural gas fields would be developed. The potential energy security risk here is twofold: Concentrated production means that demand will exceed the supply of traditional fuels, while new energy security issues emerge related to the new technologies such as cybersecurity and a dwindling supply of rare earth and critical minerals. And energy insecurity brings economic insecurity and geopolitical instability.

At the same time, a ban on fossil fuel production would bring about the collapse of many carbon-dependent governments. The oil industry is the primary source of income for many African nations. Without the continuation of petroleum production – or time and opportunities to cultivate new revenue sources – their economies will suffer – along with their citizens.

Interestingly, the very announcement of this roadmap features an admission by IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol that net zero will unhinge socioeconomic structures.

“This gap between rhetoric and action needs to close if we are to have a fighting chance of reaching net zero by 2050 and limiting the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 C. Doing so requires nothing short of a total transformation of the energy systems that underpin our economies,” Birol wrote.

And many of the world’s economies cannot bear this.

Excellent Points from Australia

Energy officials from Australia, for example – incidentally, one of the IEA member countries – had plenty to say in response.

“There are many, ways to get to net zero, and the IEA just looked at one narrow formula,” said Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association chief Andrew McConville. “The IEA report doesn’t take into account future negative emission technologies and offsets from outside the energy sector – two things that are likely to happen and will allow vital and necessary future development of oil and gas fields.”

In urging policymakers to maintain a degree of skepticism about the wisdom of the IEA roadmap, McConville isn’t alone.

“We are bringing emissions down,” stated Angus Taylor, Australia’s Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, “but we’re going to do it in a way that ensures we’ve got that affordable power that Australians need.”

Rather than being dictated to by entities abroad, Taylor argued that Australia must proceed at a pace that makes sense locally. And part of these local considerations includes ensuring that people have energy and jobs. The IEA’s call to cease investment in fossil fuels will impede both of these metrics.

“Global gas demand is forecast to grow by 1.5% on average per year out to 2025, providing incentive to ensure our large gas fields . are developed as soon as possible,” said Keith Pitt, Minister for Resources. “Large upcoming offshore developments . will create thousands of new high-wage jobs.”

Africa’s Realities

The same holds true for African countries.

While environmental causes are a major focus in the West, lawmakers in Africa’s developing countries are more concerned with living wages and supplying basic necessities to the continent’s growing population.

The IEA plan amounts to austerity measures that would see Africans leaving petroleum resources in the ground. It would essentially brand poor Africans criminals – or at the very least enemies of the environment – for using fossil fuels.

This is folly. Let’s keep in mind the critical role that natural gas is playing in the global transition to clean energy: It’s an affordable and reliable bridge to renewables. And natural gas is particularly important to Africa. As I’ve written in the past, the African Energy Chamber’s 2021 Africa Energy Outlook report projects that African gas production and consumption are going to rise in the 2020s. As a result, Africa’s natural gas sector will soon be responsible for large-scale job creation, increased opportunities for monetization and economic diversification, and critical gas-to-power initiatives that will bring more Africans reliable electricity. These significant benefits should not be dismissed in the name of achieving net zero emissions on deadline. To tell African countries with gas potential like Mozambique, Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal, Libya, Algeria, South Africa, Angola and many others that they cant monetize their gas and rather wait for foreign aid and handouts from their western counterparts makes no sense.

What’s more, we can’t overlook the fact that renewable energy solutions are still young technologies -they are less reliable and more expensive per unit of power than tried-and-true petroleum products. Not only that, but achieving net zero by 2050 would require widespread adoption of technologies that are not even available yet.

Don’t get me wrong: I understand the importance of working toward renewables. I believe they are the future of the energy industry. But the global energy transition must be inclusive, equitable, and just. Unfortunately, the roadmap laid out by the IEA is none of these.

The IEA is a respected institution whose opinions help shape the rhetoric of the global energy market. So instead of mandating these strict guidelines from abroad, the IEA should try working with African countries to find solutions that we can actually abide. At the very least, I encourage the IEA to consider partnerships with African Private sector and financial institutions, whose collaboration with indigenous and international energy stakeholders provides invaluable insight from all sides across the energy industry. The IEA should use its voice to push for what I have always believe Africa needs the most at this time, free markets, personal responsibility, less regulation, low taxes, limited government, individual liberties, and economic empowerment will boost African energy markets and economies.

Africa deserves the chance to capitalize on its own oil and gas to strengthen itself, rather than being bullied onto a path determined by Western institutions that don’t face the same obstacles. We must be able to improve our energy sector by exploring our continent’s full potential in a way that benefits our people.

Download image: https://bit.ly/2RLZACk

By NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber (www.EnergyChamber.org)

#AfricanEnergyChamber

Laos Sees Trade Deficit of USD 64 million in April

Laos updates trade regulations

Laos recorded a trade deficit of USD 64 million in April, according to information from the Lao Trade Portal.

Laos Confirms Five New Cases of Covid-19

Covid-19 Update

Laos has confirmed 5 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the total number of cases to 1,883.