Welcome to our latest round-up of news from the technology and hosting world. Here’s what we’ve discovered this week.
Vulnerability in WP plugin used on 4 million sites
A vulnerability has been discovered in the WPBakery plugin. The $45page builder is installed on over 4 million websites and is one of the most popular commercial plugins in use. Recently, however, the team at Wordfence Security has discovered a security hole that enables those with contributor and author roles to inject malicious HTML and JavaScript into pages and posts. Additionally, these users are also able to edit the posts of other users.
The issue is caused because the plugin developers disabled HTML filtering checks and this allows any contributor or author users with access to WPBakery to use the plugin to inject HTML and JavaScript into a post.
The developers have now issued a patch and users are advised to update to version 6.4.1 as soon as possible. Wordfence also recommends that admins check that there are no untrusted author or contributor accounts on your site, as these may be evidence of a hacker.
Remote working but not as we know it
Since the pandemic began, remote working is seen as office workers doing their jobs at home using a laptop to connect to their company’s online system. In Japan, however, innovators have taken remote working to a whole new level, combining virtual reality with robotics so that workers can carry out manual tasks from the safety of their own homes.
One of those jobs is supermarket shelf stacking where a remote worker is linked to an in-store robot. Wearing a virtual headset, the worker gets to see exactly the same view as the robot and, using handheld controls, can control the robot to stack the shelves.
Known as the Model-T, the same name as the famous Ford car, the robot, together with the VR system, have been built not as a solution for coronavirus, but to provide working opportunities for Japan’s ageing population. The long-term aim is to set up a remote working, freelance website from where older people can choose a manual job that they like and do it from the comfort of their own homes without needing to overexert themselves physically.
System to detect dark web data breaches
New Zealand intelligence provider, Signal Corp and Israeli web data provider, Webhose, have teamed up to create an alert system, LERTR, that gives customers early notification about data breaches.
The system is designed to infiltrate the dark web to uncover information about stolen data from its chat message apps, discussions, marketplaces and forums so that compromised enterprises can act quickly and reduce the reputational damage, financial costs and disciplinary action that breaches can lead to. At present, LERTR focuses on credit card fraud and identity theft, scanning the dark web for credit card information, passwords and medical records which are being offered for sale.
Free online digital transformation course
Digital transformation is seen as one of the major goals for businesses, helping them modernise, innovate and operate more cost-effectively. It is, however, a major project that impacts the entire business and requires those leading or playing a substantial role to be fully informed about what it involves.
To this end, Belfast based digital transformation experts, Ionology, has launched a free online course called Leading Digital Transformation aimed at leaders, managers, consultants and communications and IT experts.
While this is only an introductory course (there are more extensive paid courses available), Ionology tailor the learning to the needs of individual companies by providing users with an insightful data-driven framework that roadmaps their specific digital transformation. Used by a raft of blue chip clients, Ionology’s courses are remotely accessible, provide plenty of case studies and offer data-driven tools to find actionable outcomes.
Automotive leader, Denso, adopts cloud and IoT
Japanese automotive component manufacturer, Denso, has developed an IoT platform that connects its 130 global factories in order to bring them all under one roof. The cloud-native platform uses open-source-software to control its operations while collecting and storing data from the wide range of equipment in use across its many manufacturing sites.
By connecting all its global operations, the company can respond swiftly to production changes based on local demand while enabling the real-time analysis of operations and worker movement at its various facilities. Additionally, the system is being used to improve collaboration, efficiency and product quality while also reducing costs.
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