Latest news with #SMB
Biz Bahrain
9 hours ago
- Business
- Biz Bahrain
Kaspersky: ChatGPT-Mimicking Cyberthreats Surge 115% in Early 2025, SMBs Increasingly Targeted
In 2025, nearly 8,500 users from small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) faced cyberattacks where malicious or unwanted software was disguised as popular online productivity tools, Kaspersky reports. Based on the unique malicious and unwanted files observed, the most common lures included Zoom and Microsoft Office, with newer AI-based services like ChatGPT and DeepSeek being increasingly exploited by attackers. Kaspersky has released threat analysis and mitigation strategies to help SMBs respond. Kaspersky analysts explored how frequently malicious and unwanted software are disguised as legitimate applications commonly used by SMBs, using a sample of 12 online productivity apps. In total, Kaspersky observed more than 4,000 unique malicious and unwanted files disguised as popular apps in 2025. With the growing popularity of AI services, cybercriminals are increasingly disguising malware as AI tools. The number of cyberthreats mimicking ChatGPT increased by 115% in the first four months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, reaching 177 unique malicious and unwanted files. Another popular AI tool, DeepSeek, accounted for 83 files. This large language model launched in 2025 immediately appeared on the list of impersonated tools. 'Interestingly, threat actors are rather picky in choosing an AI tool as bait. For example, no malicious files mimicking Perplexity were observed. The likelihood that an attacker will use a tool as a disguise for malware or other types of unwanted software directly depends on the service's popularity and hype around it. The more publicity and conversation there is around a tool, the more likely a user will come across a fake package on the internet. To be on the safe side, SMB employees – as well as regular users – should exercise caution when looking for software on the internet or coming across too-good-to-be-true subscription deals. Always check the correct spelling of the website and links in suspicious emails. In many cases these links may turn out to be phishing or a link that downloads malicious or potentially unwanted software', says Vasily Kolesnikov, security expert at Kaspersky. Another cybercriminal tactic to look for in 2025 is the growing use of collaboration platform brands to trick users into downloading or launching malware. The number of malicious and unwanted software files disguised as Zoom increased by nearly 13% in 2025, reaching 1,652, while such names as 'Microsoft Teams' and 'Google Drive' saw increases of 100% and 12%, respectively, with 206 and 132 cases. This pattern likely reflects the normalization of remote work and geographically distributed teams, which has made these platforms integral to business operations across industries. Among the analyzed sample, the highest number of files mimicked Zoom, accounting for nearly 41% of all unique files detected. Microsoft Office applications remained frequent targets for impersonation: Outlook and PowerPoint each accounted for 16%, Excel for nearly 12%, while Word and Teams made up 9% and 5%, respectively. Share of unique files with names mimicking the popular legitimate applications in 2024 and 2025 The top threats targeting small and medium businesses in 2025 included downloaders, trojans and adware. Phishing and Spam Apart from malware threats, Kaspersky continues to observe a wide range of phishing and scam schemes targeting SMBs. Attackers aim to steal login credentials for various services — from delivery platforms to banking systems — or manipulate victims into sending them money through deceptive tactics. One example is a phishing attempt targeting Google Accounts. Attackers promise potential victims to increase sales by advertising their company on X, with the ultimate goal to steal their credentials. Beyond phishing, SMBs are flooded with spam emails. Not surprisingly, AI has also made its way into the spam folder — for example, with offers for automating various business processes. In general, Kaspersky observes phishing and spam offers crafted to reflect the typical needs of small businesses, promising attractive deals on email marketing or loans, offering services such as reputation management, content creation, or lead generation, and more. Learn more about the cyber threat landscape for SMBs on Securelist. To mitigate threats targeting businesses, their owners and employees are advised to implement the following measures: ● Use specialized cybersecurity solutions that provide visibility and control over cloud services (e.g., Kaspersky Next). ● Define access rules for corporate resources such as email accounts, shared folders, and online documents. ● Regularly backup important data. ● Establish clear guidelines for using external services. Create well-defined procedures for implementing new software with the involvement of IT and other responsible managers.
Forbes
a day ago
- Business
- Forbes
The Organizational Mistake That Can Stall New Product Success
Ryan Gray is Co-Founder and CEO of SGW Designworks, a product engineering and design firm featured in The Lean Startup. Should your engineering department be doing product development? Two decades ago, when I was employed by a fortune 500 company within their new product development group, I was immersed in big-budget projects with massive cross-functional teams. Those projects often focused on developing a new product, as well as the technology to manufacture it—in parallel. In that setting, the business made a clear distinction between staff focused on engineering versus those focused on Product Development. Today, I've got sixteen years of experience working with smaller and mid-sized businesses to develop new products. The businesses we work with are typically not running multiple new product development projects with eight-figure budgets in parallel like a Fortune 500 might. Instead, they are trying to get the most out of each talented team member. In these businesses, we often see leaders intentionally conflate engineering departments with new product development teams. Why does this happen? There are a few drivers: • Businesses hire engineers to provide field support, incrementally improve the product line and get the most out of manufacturing processes. On paper, these engineers have the skills to develop new products as well. • SMBs are resource-constrained: sometimes by cash, sometimes by talent pool limitations. It becomes the norm for team members to wear multiple hats. • Leadership recognizes that the engineering team that supports the product line is probably the group most knowledgeable about the product, how it's made, and its weaknesses. It would seem that this positions them well to create the next generation of product. These drivers lead to organizational structures that ignore the important differences in the skills required to support a product line versus the work required to create new tech, features and products. Let's dig deeper: Characteristics Of A High-Performing Engineering Team The most effective engineering teams I've worked with focus on solving product or manufacturing problems to help enable sales growth. This means supporting users, making product changes (and related manufacturing changes) to address product shortcomings, and cost-optimizing at the product and process level. This type of team thrives in situations with defined constraints, where the problems to solve are measurable. Characteristics Of A High-Performing Product Development Team Product development teams with a high rate of success (meaning launched, profitable products) focus on understanding use cases, challenging assumptions about feature sets, figuring out what's possible with today's tech (and what will be possible with tomorrow's), running disciplined regimens of experiments, navigating product feature pivots and aligning the product manufacturing path to business goals. This team runs with less defined, more exploratory work. And while engineers often play a key role in executing it, effective new product development requires a different mindset: one that balances creativity, technical experimentation and business acumen. The Risk Of Combining Roles Is there overlap between engineering and product development? Certainly. But people who excel in one area are often less effective—and less satisfied—in the other. Engineering tends to reward precision and predictability. Product development, on the other hand, demands comfort with failure, iteration and shifting targets. When one team is responsible for both supporting existing products and creating new ones, it creates organizational drag. Prioritization becomes murky. People gravitate toward what's familiar. Sales support requests, field issues and manufacturing challenges will almost always displace exploratory design and prototyping. The end result? New product efforts can stall. Building The Right Structure Successful new product development in SMBs requires explicit role clarity, even if the teams are small. That doesn't always mean building two separate departments—but it does mean being deliberate about expectations, timelines and resource allocation between engineering and new product development efforts. Some practices that help: • Define clear responsibilities for roles in engineering and NPD separately, especially if the same people contribute to both. • Set aside focused time and resources for product development efforts that's protected from daily operational noise. • Ensure leadership understands the trade-offs involved in dual-role assignments. • Consider using an outside team for your new product development efforts, keeping the internal engineering team focused on their critical responsibilities. Good new products don't typically emerge from your engineering department. In fact, assuming they will—without providing the time, tools and team structure to support true product development—can quietly sabotage your growth strategy. Ask yourself this: Are you expecting your engineers to innovate while they're busy keeping the existing product alive? If the answer is yes, it may be time to rethink your structure and resourcing plan. Product development deserves its own space. Without it, even the best ideas may never make it off the whiteboard. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
AI And Thought Leadership: 4 Myths To Watch Out For
Close up woman hand writing on notebook . Thought leadership has never been more accessible—or more misunderstood. Tools like generative AI that democratize content creation have unleashed a tidal wave of content into our inboxes, feeds, and conference rooms. AI is not a magic wand. It's a force multiplier. If your ideas are already strong, it can help you amplify them. If they're shallow or unformed, it will just make your weaknesses more visible—at scale. And this tension is especially acute for small and medium-sized business leaders who are trying to carve out visibility in crowded niches without the benefit of big budgets or teams. To succeed as a thought leader today, you need to understand what AI can and can't do—and more importantly, what you must still do. Let's unpack four pervasive myths I've encountered in working with clients and peers—and explore the deeper realities behind them. Myth 1: It will be easier than ever to be a thought leader The tools may have changed. The bar has not. In fact, it's been raised. Being seen as a thought leader is not just about being present online or posting more frequently. It's about being perceived as a strategic voice—someone who frames problems, introduces fresh thinking, and influences the agenda in your field. In this new world, the ease of content creation has led to content inflation. Everyone is publishing, but few are leading. That's because thought leadership isn't about the volume of your output. It's about the quality and sharpness of your ideas. In many cases, AI helps people write faster, but not better. And so we see a sea of blog posts, LinkedIn articles, and even research reports that say very little and echo what's already out there. Standing out today means you must go deeper, not wider. It means offering your readers the gift of clarity in a time of overload. It means being bolder with your ideas, not safer. And none of that is easy. In fact, it's never been harder. Myth 2: I can automate my idea-creation process for thought leadership AI can remix what exists. It cannot invent what doesn't. One of the most seductive capabilities of generative AI is its ability to answer prompts with speed and polish. But generating language is not the same as generating ideas. Language can flow, yet be empty. An idea, by contrast, has weight. It says something new, or it says something known in a strikingly new way. When people delegate ideation to AI, they often confuse originality with fluency. The machine can offer a summary of the conversation in your field, but it won't add to it. And without your voice, your vantage point, and your experience, the output will always remain second-hand. If you're aiming to be a thought leader—not just a content producer—you must take responsibility for idea creation. That means digging into your own client work, paying attention to your discomforts, and naming what's broken in your industry. The ideas worth writing about are the ones that give you a jolt, that feel risky to say, that you haven't quite figured out yet. That's where the work lives. Myth 3: With AI, I'll never need an editor again to become a thought leader AI can write. It cannot challenge. A common mistake I see in clients experimenting with AI is mistaking smoothness for substance. Generative AI can string together words that sound authoritative, but without editorial oversight, much of that writing remains flat, generic, and ultimately forgettable. Editors are not just grammar checkers. They are clarity coaches. They ask hard questions like: 'What are you actually trying to say here?' 'How is this different from what others are saying?' 'Is this the real story?' In a world where AI can draft an entire article in 30 seconds, the editorial role becomes more—not less—important. Why? Because humans are still the judges of value. It is human readers who decide if an idea is worth sharing, if a headline is worth clicking, if a perspective is worth quoting. And humans are trained, at a glance, to detect fluff. Working with a strong editor helps you escape the trap of repeating yourself or echoing the status quo. It brings rigor and resonance to your writing. Without that, even the most well-structured post will quietly sink. Myth 4: I can skip all those writing courses I was planning Writing isn't just a communication skill. It's a thinking skill. When I coach executives and entrepreneurs on thought-leadership writing, one of the biggest mindset shifts I encourage is this: The act of writing is not something you do after the thinking is done. It is the thinking. Sitting down to write forces you to organize your thoughts, clarify your logic, and sharpen your arguments. It reveals gaps. It forces hard choices. It uncovers truths you didn't know you believed. And that's precisely what makes thought leadership different from other kinds of content. The mistake many people make is assuming that since AI can help draft an article, there's no need to invest in learning how to write. But if you don't learn how to frame a story, how to zoom in on the right problem, how to build tension and release it with insight—then your writing, AI-assisted or not, will fall flat. There are patterns and structures that make an article stand up. There are specific narrative techniques that make complex ideas digestible. These are not instinctual; they are learned. And skipping that learning will cost you the very credibility you're trying to build. Each of these myths comes from a deeper longing: the desire to be seen, heard, and understood. That's what drives so many experts and entrepreneurs to try their hand at thought leadership in the first place. They know they have something to say. They want to be recognized as more than a vendor or service provider. They want to shape the conversation in their field. But shaping the conversation requires more than tools. It requires discipline. Curiosity. A willingness to wrestle with your own thinking. And above all, it requires presence—your full, human presence, which no tool can replace. So, if you're building a thought leadership platform for your business, don't fall for the shortcuts. Don't assume AI will do the hard part for you. Use AI as a partner. Bring your expertise, your lived experience, and your point of view to the front. And then write like it matters for your thought leadership. Because it does.
CNET
4 days ago
- CNET
Dealing With Spotty Internet? A Network Switch Might Fix It
Your home internet connection can run just fine without a network switch, so is it essential to have one? I spoke with an expert from Netgear to find out the benefits of using one. Spoiler: It can enhance your connection. If you're serious about optimizing your internet connection, using a network switch could take it to the next level. However, there are details to consider before investing in a network switch. A network switch is a device you connect to your router. It opens up more Ethernet ports, allowing your router to connect to multiple devices. If your household frequently relies on your home broadband connection to stream or game, these activities can hog a lot of bandwidth. It helps to have a network switch to speed up your connection. Sometimes, an advanced network switch can also prioritize your traffic for specific devices, such as Smart TVs or gaming consoles and reduce network congestion. There is more than one type of network switch, which we'll cover in a bit. Each serves its own purpose. However, choosing the best type of network switch for you will depend on a few things. John Henkel, Netgear's director of SMB Product Marketing, tells CNET that 'a user should consider their own level of tech savviness, their appetite for customization and control, and what the network needs are,' before considering investing in a network switch. How does a network switch anyway? Akamai/Screenshot by CNET It can be easy to confuse a router and a network switch, as they offer similar features but have different purposes. According to Spiceworks, a router transfers information through data packets from one computer network to another. It can also direct traffic between these computer networks and route it to their final destination, a specified Internet Protocol address. aka an IP address. On the other hand, a network switch is a device that connects your router to multiple devices. It operates at layer 2 of the Open Systems Interconnection model. A network switch sends data through packets using the appropriate Ethernet ports that lead to the intended device. One of the main advantages of using a network switch is that it allows you to connect your router to multiple devices such as computers, wireless access points, printers and other servers. Locating local internet providers Knowing the different types of switches available can help you better understand how network switches work. The names of these switches can differ based on the industry, but overall, switches fall into the categories of unmanaged to fully managed. There's more than one type of network switch Netgear categorizes switches into the following buckets: Unmanaged switches are the simplest type, involving a plug-and-play device that requires very little setup or configuration. These can be most useful for basic switching and connectivity for the average household. Most unmanaged switches are the cheaper option, with some priced below $100. are the simplest type, involving a plug-and-play device that requires very little setup or configuration. These can be most useful for basic switching and connectivity for the average household. Most unmanaged switches are the cheaper option, with some priced below $100. Smart managed switches offer more complex features and advanced controls . They provide customized controls to prioritize certain kinds of traffic, like video calls or streaming. Similar to fully managed switches, smart managed devices can range anywhere from $100 up to $2,000 or more. offer more complex features and advanced controls They provide customized controls to prioritize certain kinds of traffic, like video calls or streaming. Similar to fully managed switches, smart managed devices can range anywhere from $100 up to $2,000 or more. Fully managed switches are considered the top-notch, enterprise-grade devices. They usually have professional audio, video and other complicated networking functions. In addition, they offer the most security and precise network controls and management. These switches would benefit businesses that require connectivity for a larger network. The only downside is that they will likely be the most expensive option. Most fully managed switches can range anywhere from $120 to $7,000 and up. For the average household, you'll likely only use an unmanaged or a smart managed switch. 'Most households will benefit the most from a simple, inexpensive, unmanaged switch,' Henkel said. 'They won't need the customization and management options that come with an enterprise-grade managed switch.' What are the benefits of using a network switch? Now that we've covered the different types of switches available, how can a network switch help your home internet connection? A network switch can be ideal as it helps speed up your home internet connection. Most households use devices such as TVs, printers, computers, and more, which consume a lot of bandwidth. According to OpenVault's latest report, in the first quarter of 2025, downstream usage increased by 12.1% compared to last year, whereas upstream was up by 13.7%. Different online activities rely on both your downstream (download) usage and upstream (upload) usage. That same report also highlighted that over 115 million US households owned a Smart TV in 2024 and spent an average of 21-plus hours per week streaming. Needless to say, more and more households are consuming plenty of bandwidth, which would make investing in a network switch valuable. According to Akamai, here are some of the common benefits of using a network switch: Increased bandwidth A network switch can help produce faster speeds for the connected devices. If you notice that your actual speeds differ from what your internet service provider advertises, this can be from any of a number of factors, such as router placement, the layout of your home, large walls and obstructions interfering with your Wi-Fi signal, and or even throttled speeds from your ISP. However, if you've tried different ways to optimize your connection at home and are still running into internet trouble, then it might be time to invest in a network switch. Increased security Switches can create virtual LANs or VLANs, which isolate network traffic and separate sensitive data, restricting access to approved devices only. Increased network controls You control and manage your network. Adding a network switch can increase the number of devices connected to it. Ethernet power over Wi-Fi Many network switches typically use Ethernet technology to connect to other devices. An Ethernet cable may be more energy efficient, since these devices won't need a separate power supply. An Ethernet connection may also offer faster speeds than Wi-Fi. Network switches are great, if you can get past the steep price tag There are many advantages to having a network switch, as we've covered. However, the biggest downside is that switches typically have a steep price tag. Overall, the price will depend on the brand and type of network switch you purchase. For the most part, the average network switch can range anywhere from $120 to as high as $30,000. Keep in mind that fully managed switches will likely fall on the pricier end of that range. You can also find online that a few unmanaged switches with more basic features are priced below $100. So, are network switches worth it? 'While you won't need a top-of-the-line switch, I still recommend researching and investing in a quality product,' Henkel said. He also recommended that a higher quality network switch likely requires a greater up-front investment, though this just means you'll get better results for your money, since it will be more durable for years to come. A network switch can be a game-changer for optimizing your home internet connection. It offers plenty of benefits ideal for the average household, such as increased speeds, security and network control. An unmanaged network switch with basic controls will likely be sufficient for the average household. Though if you want more personalized controls, which involve prioritizing traffic for specific devices, you can expect to pay more up-front. Network switch FAQs What is a network switch? A network switch is a device that you connect to your router. It opens up more Ethernet ports, allowing your router to connect to multiple devices in your home. There are different types of network switches, and the names can differ based on industry, but they usually fall under the category of unmanaged to fully managed switches. Unmanaged switches offer the most basic features, whereas smart managed and fully managed switches offer more complex and personalized controls. What are the benefits of using a network switch? One of the main advantages of using a network switch is that it helps optimize your network by increasing bandwidth, security, control over your network and the benefits of Ethernet technology.
The Star
5 days ago
- Business
- The Star
There should be no service tax on sinking fund payment
A STRATA management body (SMB), created by statute and referred to as joint management body (JMB) or management corporation (MC), is responsible for maintaining the building or land intended for subdivision into parcels and common property in a strata development scheme. All SMBs were excluded from paying service tax when the Service Tax Regulations 2018 was introduced.
