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Sophos Report Highlights Cyber Risks During Holiday Shopping Season

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5 months ago

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With Black Friday and Cyber Monday around the corner, we’re entering a high-risk period for cybersecurity.
A recent Sophos report highlights that malicious emails were the second most common root cause of ransomware attacks in critical sectors, responsible for 25% of cases.

During peak shopping days, this threat intensifies.

Here’s what happens: with the surge in online deals, more employees may be shopping from their work computers, feeling that Cyber Monday is a legitimate time to do so.

This increases the risk of them clicking more freely and potentially exposing the organization to malicious links or phishing attacks.

To keep your organization safe, encourage your team to follow these simple tips:

• Use an ad blocker – Advertisements are not only tracking your every movement and collecting enough information on your habits to make the FBI blush, but they are also a major source of malicious links and deceptive content on the internet. Not only is your browsing safer, but also faster and uses less bandwidth. Two of our favorites are uBlock Origin and Ghostery.
• Use private browsing or incognito mode – To prevent your shopping habits and interests from following you around from site to site (and potentially revealing what gifts you might be purchasing to others using your device, bonus!), you should enable private browsing (Firefox) or incognito mode (Chrome). This will block tracking cookies and help the internet forget your travels as the waves wash away your footprints in the sand.
• Make your browser “privacy smart” – The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) provides a browser extension called Privacy Badger designed to automatically make all the right choices around browsing whilst maintaining our privacy and blocking invisible trackers.
• Avoid using one account on multiple services – When logging into an e-commerce site it is often tempting to use the “Sign in with Facebook” or “Sign in with Google” button. While it takes a few more minutes to create a new login, it will provide more privacy as you are not sharing all of the sites you shop at with these tech giants.
• Use guest login when available – In addition to letting you use an account from other websites, many have an option to use a guest login rather than creating a new account. This is a great option if you don’t expect to need technical support or to do business on a recurring basis. Fewer passwords, fewer personal details, fewer problems if they get hacked.
• Don’t save card details – Many e-commerce sites will default to storing your credit card information in your profile for your “convenience” (or their hope you’ll shop there again). They can’t lose what they don’t have, so tell them not to store your credit card unless it is absolutely necessary.
• Use temporary card numbers – Many financial institutions now offer temporary or one-time use credit card numbers. You can open the app on your phone or in your browser and get a single-use disposable credit card number preventing card fraud and tracking when merchants share card processors. Sometimes you’re even able to specify a card limit per temporary number to further protect your account.
• Use credit, not debit – All of us need to be wary of overspending during the holidays, but it is best to leave the debit card at home. Credit cards offer significantly more protection against online fraud, and you are in the power position in a dispute. You can simply not pay your bill while disputing the charge, rather than having criminals directly drain your bank account of your hard-earned cash.
• Beware of direct messages via social media/chat apps – With modern generative AI technology it is almost trivial to create an entire fake online store and lure people to share their personal information and payment data with you. It’s safest to shop at established sites or those personally recommended to you by friends and family. Many unsolicited messages lead to data collection or theft.

• Don’t click deals in email that look too good to be true or are from businesses you don’t have accounts from – these could be phishing emails hoping to bait you into clicking links to bogus, malicious web sites.

This season, small steps can make a big difference in protecting against cyber threats.


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Ugo Onwuaso is an ICT enthusiast. He believes technology should be used for general good. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Lagos state University. Dear Reader, Your support matters. But we believe that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. That is why, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and finance and how they affect lives. Our incisive and analytical view of how technology news affects the daily life help individuals and organizations make up their minds. Quality journalism costs money. Today, we're asking that you support us to do more. Kindly support our effort to deliver technology and finance journalism to everyone in the world. Donate as little as N1,000. Bank transfers can be made to: UBA Plc 1017156876 Communication Week Media Ltd

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Salesforce Revolutionizes Business Intelligence with AI-Powered Tableau Next

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23 hours ago

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April 19, 2025

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Tableau Next leverages agentic analytics to allow users to collaborate with AI agents to speed up the entire data-to-action workflow.

Organisations today face a data paradox: they need to make fast, intelligent decisions but are overwhelmed by large volumes of often unreliable information. With over 75% of business leaders under pressure to prove data’s value, the demand for trusted, actionable insights has never been greater.
Salesforce’s Tableau Next introduces a new approach to business intelligence, evolving its flagship analytics platform with agentic analytics to address this challenge. This innovative, AI-powered solution simplifies and accelerates data interaction, empowering organisations to uncover insights, automate visualizations, and drive impactful business outcomes.

What is agentic analytics
Agentic analytics allows users to collaborate with AI agents to speed up the entire data-to-action process. Instead of relying on static visualizations, analysts can use AI to automate tasks like data preparation and ETL (extract, transform, load processes), freeing them to focus on deeper analysis. Business leaders can ask natural language questions and get instant, reliable answers along with recommended actions. This makes data-driven decision-making easier and more efficient, removing the need for technical expertise and manual effort typical of traditional BI tools.
Tableau Next leverages agentic analytics across the entire data-to-action workflow, empowering every user to:

  • Automate repetitive data tasks like data cleaning, transformation, and visualization generation, as well as the execution of complex, multi-step analytical workflows within and across different business areas. This builds on Tableau’s strength in simplifying complex data for users.
  • Proactively deliver faster, more comprehensive insights by autonomously detecting hidden correlations, outliers, and trends that might be missed by human observation. This enhances Tableau’s focus on user-driven insights by providing AI guidance.
  • Enable more contextual and effective action through natural language summaries, visualisations, and data-driven recommendations, insights delivered where people work with an enterprise-class workflow engine that enables users to kick off automated actions. This extends Tableau’s ability to drive action from data, making it more seamless within the Salesforce ecosystem.
How Tableau Next works:
Built on the trusted Salesforce Platform and leveraging the power of Data Cloud, Tableau Next delivers enterprise-grade performance, robust security, and flexible, zero-copy data integration for seamless data connectivity. Tableau Semantics, an intelligent semantic layer, provides a unified understanding of information, ensuring data consistency and accelerating the discovery of critical insights. The built-in workflow engine in Tableau Next seamlessly translates insights directly into actionable steps, dramatically accelerating the time to value. The key differentiator is the native integration with Agentforce, Tableau Next equips humans and AI agents with pre-built analytical skills to rapidly transform data into tangible business value, marking a significant leap forward in data-driven decision-making. It includes:

Agentic AI Skills to Supercharge Your Data:

  • Data Pro: Your Intelligent Data Prep Assistant. Instead of users manually cleaning up and changing data using complex steps (like in traditional ETL), Data Pro will give smart suggestions on how to do it and even automatically handle some of the complicated changes, saving time and effort.
  • Concierge: Instant Answers in Plain Language. Get immediate, reliable answers to data questions. Sales teams, for example, can simply ask “What are my best sales opportunities?” and receive clear insights with recommended actions.
  • Inspector: Proactive Data Monitoring & Insights. Continuously tracks your data for key changes, analyzes trends, and predicts improvements. Service teams can be instantly alerted to drops in customer satisfaction, enabling immediate action.

Ensuring Data Trust and Accuracy:

  • Tableau Semantics: Tableau Semantics serves as the semantic layer, providing Tableau Next and Agentforce with a unified understanding of business data. By establishing consistent definitions and context, it enables AI agents to generate accurate and relevant responses.

Boosting Efficiency:

  • Marketplace: Allows users to easily share and reuse data analysis components (like data assets, connections, metrics, visualizations, dashboards), saving time and ensuring everyone is working with the same information.

“Tableau Next helps businesses achieve faster, more impactful results with their data,” said Ryan Aytay, CEO of Tableau. “We’re shifting from basic reports to a world where AI is a collaborative decision-making partner. By combining AI agents with trusted data and easy-to-use tools, we’re making data accessible to everyone and transforming the data-to-action process into an automated, proactive, and insight-driven cycle. This empowers users to improve decision-making, boost efficiency, and manage risk more effectively.”


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Temu and Shein Raise U.S. Prices Amid Trump-Era Tariffs

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23 hours ago

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April 19, 2025

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Chinese-founded e-commerce platforms Temu and Shein have announced upcoming price increases for U.S. customers, citing higher operating expenses due to tariffs imposed during former President Donald Trump’s administration.

These tariffs include a 145% import tax on most goods made in China and the elimination of the “de minimis provision,” which previously allowed goods valued under $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free.

The changes, effective May 2, have disrupted the business models of both companies, known for their ultra-low prices and extensive digital marketing campaigns.

Temu and Shein, which specialize in affordable products ranging from clothing to electronics, have urged customers to shop before the price adjustments take effect.

The companies aim to minimize the impact on consumers while adapting to the new trade rules.

These developments come amid concerns from U.S. lawmakers and business groups about the competitive advantage of inexpensive Chinese goods and the potential entry of counterfeit products through the now-canceled exemption.


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Google Launches 2025 AI Startups Accelerator Program for African Innovators

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2 days ago

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April 18, 2025

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Google has opened applications for the 2025 Google for Startups Accelerator Africa program, a three-month initiative designed to support early-stage startups using artificial intelligence to address Africa’s most pressing challenges.

Across the continent, startups are demonstrating how local innovation can solve deeply rooted problems. In West Africa, Crop2Cash – an agritech platform and alumni of the program – is using AI to digitally onboard smallholder farmers, build their financial identities, and provide them with access to credit, traceable payments, and productivity tools.

Through these efforts, Crop2Cash is improving agricultural outcomes and unlocking economic opportunity for farmers who have long been excluded from formal systems—illustrating the kind of impact that’s possible when African startups receive the support they need to scale.

The Accelerator is open to Seed to Series A startups based in Africa that are building AI-first solutions. Startups must have a live product, at least one founder of African descent, and a clear vision for responsible AI innovation. Selected participants will receive:

  • Dedicated technical mentorship from Google and industry experts

  • Up to $350,000 in Google Cloud credits

  • Access to a global network of investors, partners, and collaborators

  • Workshops focused on technology, product strategy, people leadership, and AI implementation

AI’s potential to accelerate Africa’s development is real, and Google is investing in ensuring that African startups lead that charge. According to McKinsey, AI could add $1.3 trillion to Africa’s economy by 2030, but only if bold innovation is supported at the grassroots.

“Startups are Africa’s problem solvers. With the right resources, they can scale their impact far beyond local communities,” said Folarin Aiyegbusi, Head of Startup Ecosystem, Africa at Google.

“This program reflects our belief that AI can be transformative when shaped by those who understand the context deeply.”

Since 2018, the program has supported 140 startups from 17 African countries. These alumni have raised more than $300 million in funding and created over 3,000 jobs. Many are now regional and global leaders in their categories.

Applications for the 2025 cohort are now open. Startups interested in participating can apply at: https://startup.google.com/programs/accelerator/africa

For further information and updates, visit the Google Africa Blog or follow @GoogleAfrica on social media.


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