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40% of Environments are Vulnerable to Full Take Over, New Picus Security Report Unveils

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The Picus Blue Report 2024 also found, security controls for macOS endpoints only prevented 23% of simulated attacks, compared to over 60% for Windows and Linux

SAN FRANCISCO, July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Picus Security, the leading security validation company, has released The Blue Report 2024: State of Exposure Management* that revealed 40% of tested environments allowed attack paths that lead to domain admin access. Achieving domain admin access is particularly concerning because it is the highest level of access within an organization’s IT infrastructure, and is like giving attackers a master key. The report was based on a worldwide comprehensive analysis of more than 136 million cyber attacks simulated by the Picus Security Validation Platform.

The Security Domino Effect is Concerning

The report reveals that, on average, organizations prevent 7 out of 10 of attacks, but are still at risk of major cyber incidents because of gaps in threat exposure management that can permit attackers using automation to move laterally through enterprise networks. Of all attacks simulated, only 56% were logged by organizations’ detection tools, and only 12% triggered an alert. 

“Like a cascade of falling dominoes that starts with a single push, small gaps in cybersecurity can lead to big breaches,” said Dr. Suleyman Ozarslan, Picus co-founder and VP of Picus Labs. “It’s clear that organizations are still experiencing challenges when it comes to threat exposure management and balancing priorities. Small gaps that lead to attackers obtaining domain admin access are not isolated incidents, they are widespread. Last year, the attack on MGM used domain admin privileges and super admin accounts. It stopped slot machines, shut down virtually all systems, and blocked a multi-billion-dollar company from doing business for days.” 

Well over a third (40%) of environments have weaknesses that allow attackers with initial access to a network to achieve domain admin privileges. Once they have these privileges they can manage user accounts or modify security settings. A compromised domain admin account can lead to full control of the network, allowing attackers to conduct data exfiltration, deploy malware, or disrupt business operations.

macOS EDR Misconfigurations Lead to Vulnerabilities

The Blue Report 2024 also highlights that macOS endpoints are far more likely to be misconfigured or allowed to operate without Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR). macOS endpoints only prevented 23% of simulated attacks, compared to 62% and 65% for Windows and Linux. This highlights a potential gap in IT and security team skill sets and approach in securing macOS environments.

“While we have found Macs are less vulnerable to start, the reality today is that security teams are not putting adequate resources into securing macOS systems,” said Volkan Ertürk, Picus Security Co-Founder and CTO. “Our recent Blue Report research shows that security teams need to validate their macOS systems to surface configuration issues. Threat repositories, like the Picus Threat Library, are armed with the latest and most prominent macOS specific threats to help organizations streamline their validation and mitigation efforts. 

The Blue Report 2024 helps security teams benchmark their performance against peers and identify areas for improvement. Additional key findings include:

Common language passwords: 25% of companies use passwords that are words commonly found in the dictionary. This means that it is easy for attackers to crack hashed passwords and obtain cleartext credentials.Organizations only prevent 9% of data exfiltration techniques used by attackers. Data exfiltration is used to steal sensitive data and is commonly used in ransomware attacks.BlackByte, the most challenging ransomware group for organizations to defend against, is prevented by just 17% of organizations, followed by BabLock (20%) and Hive (30%).

For more information: 

Download the Picus Blue Report 2024Read the Blue Report 2024 blogBlue Report 2024 Media Kit

*Methodology:

The findings in this report are based on the results of simulated attack scenarios executed by Picus Security customers from January to June 2024. The data has been anonymized and aggregated from 136 million attack simulations. Research and analysis was completed by Picus Labs, the research team of Picus Security.

About Picus Security

Picus Security, the leading security validation company, gives organizations their validated risk level and pinpoints critical gaps. Picus Security Validation Platform transforms security practices by correlating, prioritizing, and validating exposures across siloed findings so teams can focus on high-impact fixes. The Picus Exposure Data Fabric and Numi AI™ help security teams understand their risk and prioritize a short-list worth pursuing. 

The pioneer of Breach and Attack Simulation, Picus delivers award-winning threat-centric technology that allows teams to pinpoint fixes worth pursuing. Picus Security also has a willingness to recommend percentage of  95% in the 2024 Gartner® Peer Insights™ Voice of the Customer for Breach and Attack Simulation Tools**.

** Gartner, Voice of the Customer for Breach and Attack Simulation Tools, Peer Contributors, 30 January 2024 

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark, and PEER INSIGHTS is a trademark and service mark, of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

Gartner Peer Insights content consists of the opinions of individual end users based on their own experiences with the vendors listed on the platform, should not be construed as statements of fact, nor do they represent the views of Gartner or its affiliates. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in this content nor makes any warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this content, about its accuracy or completeness, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

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Spectral Capital Announces Transformation into a Deep Quantum Technology Platform

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SEATTLE, Dec. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Spectral Capital Corporation (OTCQB: FCCN), a pioneer in quantum innovation, proudly announces its transformation into a Deep Quantum Technology Platform. This strategic evolution positions Spectral at the forefront of the quantum era, uniting proprietary technologies in quantum cloud computing, distributed quantum ledger databases, and plasmonic quantum chips. With the addition of renowned quantum physicist Dr. Moshik Cohen as Chief Technology Officer and the groundbreaking Verdant Quantum initiative, Spectral Capital is pioneering scalable, sustainable, and practical quantum computing solutions.

From Incubator to Operator: Spectral’s New Vision

Spectral Capital has redefined its role in quantum technology by moving beyond incubation to develop, own, and operate its proprietary quantum systems.

“This is not just a rebranding—it is a bold leap into the future of quantum computing,” said Jenifer Osterwalder, CEO. “Spectral Capital will now deliver a fully integrated platform with technologies like the Vogon Decentralized Edge and Hybrid Cloud, its embedded Distributed Quantum Ledger Database (DQLDB), plasmonic System-On-a-Chip (SOC) architecture, and energy-efficient quantum algorithms. These innovations bridge the gap between classical and quantum systems, offering the scalability and environmental responsibility required for the quantum era.”

Introducing Room Temperature Quantum Transfer and Compute

To drive its ambitious vision, Spectral announced earlier this month the addition of Dr. Moshik Cohen, an expert in quantum state dynamics and plasmonic computing as CTO.  The Company is fusing the revolutionary initiative from Verdant Quantum to eliminate the need for cryogenic cooling by leveraging room-temperature plasmonic chips.

This solution bridges classical and quantum computing with CMOS-compatible plasmonic processors allowing these chips to harness energy waves controlled by light, called plasmons, to deliver near-light-speed data processing with unmatched precision and efficiency—all while dramatically reducing energy consumption and costs.

Transformative Innovations Powering Spectral’s Platform

The world’s first plasmonic-ready distributed quantum ledger database, Vogon, provides secure, scalable, and semantically enriched data management. Its key features include:

Deterministic Concurrency for low-latency performance.Post-Quantum Cryptography with SPHINCS+ for unparalleled security.Consensus Algorithms to ensure robust and scalable decentralized operations.

The Vogon DQLDB seamlessly connects legacy systems to quantum ecosystems, enabling industries such as finance, logistics, and healthcare to harness quantum efficiencies today.

Plasmonic System-On-a-Chip (SOC)

Spectral’s miniaturized plasmonic SOC technology will redefine the potential of its Vogon Cloud data centers, enabling near-light-speed processing at room temperature. These chips will power Spectral’s edge and hybrid compute data centers across 16 global regions, which will also serve as test beds for sustainable quantum computing.

“This innovation addresses the global call for environmentally friendly quantum solutions, reducing infrastructure costs while increasing processing power,” Brehm emphasized.

Quantum Algorithms and Collective Intelligence

Spectral’s proprietary quantum algorithms leverage cooperative distributed inferencing and analytic tomography to unlock real-time insights. By integrating these algorithms with Vogon DQLDB, Spectral enables industries to optimize operations, from autonomous vehicles to investment portfolio management.

Why Spectral Capital?

The quantum computing market is projected to grow from $885.4 million in 2023 to $12.62 billion by 2032, with a CAGR of up to 34.8%. Spectral’s technologies are positioned to participate in this growth while addressing urgent industry demands for scalable, cost-effective, and sustainable quantum solutions.

“Over the next decade, quantum computing will redefine the global economy,” said Brehm. “Spectral Capital is at the epicenter of this transformation. With Dr. Moshik Cohen, and our ecosystem partners, we are building not just for the future—we are building the future.”

About Spectral Capital

Spectral Capital Corporation (OTCQB: FCCN) is a Deep Quantum Technology Platform company delivering practical, scalable, and sustainable quantum solutions. Through its proprietary Vogon DQLDB, QuantumVM, and plasmonic SOCs, Spectral Capital is revolutionizing industries and paving the way for a more connected, efficient, and sustainable world.

For more information, visit www.spectralcapital.com or contact our Investor Relations team at Rubenstein and Associates.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements (as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) concerning future events and FCCN’s growth and business strategy. Words such as “expects,” “will,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “hopes,” “estimates,” and variations on such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although FCCN believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, no assurance can be given that such expectations will prove to have been correct. These statements involve known and unknown risks and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the control of FCCN. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, changes in FCCN’s business; competitive factors in the market(s) in which FCCN operates; risks associated with operations outside the United States; and other factors listed from time to time in FCCN’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. FCCN expressly disclaims any obligations or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in FCCN’s expectations with respect thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based.

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SOURCE Spectral Capital Corporation

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AGM Group Holdings Inc. Highlights Strategic Growth and Future Initiatives in AI and Cryptocurrency

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BEIJING, Dec. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — AGM Group Holdings Inc. (“AGM Holdings” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: AGMH), an integrated technology company specializing in the assembling and sales of high-performance hardware and computing equipment, released a statement of its CEO Dr. Bo Zhu today, discussing the Company’s growth strategies and future initiatives in the cryptocurrency industry.

Dr. Zhu, an experienced entrepreneur in the computer software sector, currently serves as CEO of AGM Holdings. He joined the Company in May 2021 as Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) and was appointed CEO and director in October 2023. Dr. Zhu earned his PhD in Computer Science and Technology from Zhejiang University in 2013 and has published over 20 research papers, 19 of which are indexed in SCI/EI (science and engineering). Below are key insights from the interview:

AGM Holdings’ Key Milestones

Strategic Partnerships: In 2021, AGM Holdings collaborated with Shenzhen Highsharp (Shenzhen Gaorui) Electronic Ltd. (“HighSharp”) to enhance ASIC chip R&D and mining equipment offerings.

Major Orders: AGM Holdings secured contracts in 2021, including:

i.    30,000 ASIC miners for Nowlit Solutions Corp (“Nowlit”).
ii.   25,000 MinerVa MV7 ASICs for MinerVa Semiconductor Corp.
iii.  1,500 Bitcoin miners for Meten Holding Group Ltd.

These collaborations evidenced by contractual agreements demonstrate the Company’s commitment to growth in the digital currency industry.

Strategic Positioning and Sustainable Growth

Recent highlights of AGM Holding’s strategic positioning include:

Joint Venture: In December 2024, AGM Holdings partnered with Nowlit to develop a 375MW data center in Canada for Bitcoin mining and AI computing.

Canaan Creative Global Pte Ltd. Partnership: In December 2024, AGM Holdings purchased 2,000 A15 series water-cooled mining machines.

Looking Into the Future

As the technology revolution deepens and cryptocurrency gains broader public acceptance, the demand for high-performance computing environments and data centers is surging, forming the backbone of these industries. Technology development, deployment, and applications will very likely depend on robust hardware and software ecosystems — an area where the Company possesses significant technical expertise and resource advantages. Similarly, computationally intensive processes like cryptocurrency mining and blockchain operations rely heavily on computing power and cost-effective energy, presenting opportunities to showcase the Company’s strengths and competencies. AGM Holdings is dedicated to become one of the key participants and contributors in the global technology hardware supply chain and blockchain ecosystem. This strategic positioning strives to drive long-term value for the company, partners, and shareholders.

About AGM Group Holdings Inc.

AGM Group Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: AGMH) is an integrated technology company specializing in the assembling and sales of high-performance hardware and computing equipment. With a mission to become a key participant and contributor in the global blockchain ecosystem, AGMH focuses on the research and development of blockchain-oriented Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) chips, the assembling and sales of high-end crypto miners for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. For more information, please visit www.agmprime.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on the Company’s current expectations and projections about future events that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “approximates,” “assesses,” “believes,” “hopes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may” or similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

For more information, please contact:

AGM Group Holdings Inc.
Email: ir@agmprime.com 
Website: http://www.agmprime.com

Ascent Investor Relations LLC
Tina Xiao
President
Phone: +1-646-932-7242
Email: investors@ascent-ir.com

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SOURCE AGM Group Holdings Inc.

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Virtusa Positioned as a Leader in NelsonHall’s 2024 Quality Engineering NEAT Report for Multiple Market Segments

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SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass., Dec. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Virtusa Corporation, a global leader in digital business strategy, digital engineering, and IT services, has been positioned as a ‘Leader’ in the newly released NelsonHall 2024 NEAT (NelsonHall Vendor Evaluation and Assessment Tool) report for Quality Engineering. This recognition spans four critical segments: Overall Quality Engineering, AI-based Analytics & Automation, Application Migration to Cloud Testing, and GenAI Use Cases. Virtusa has also been designated a ‘Major Player’ in the RPA-based Automation market segment.

NelsonHall’s NEAT evaluation reflects Virtusa’s commitment to delivering high-impact, transformative solutions in Quality Engineering, combining leading-edge AI-based analytics, automation, and migration testing services that enable organizations to elevate quality, reduce risk, and accelerate innovation. Through deep technical expertise and industry alignment, Virtusa’s quality engineering team provides services to support robust digital transformation initiatives, enabling enterprises to stay resilient in an evolving market landscape.

“The demand for highly specialized quality engineering solutions has never been greater,” said Ram Meenakshisundaram, Chief Technology Officer at Virtusa. “Our focus on AI-based analytics, automation, and cloud testing solutions positions us to support our clients’ strategic quality engineering initiatives. Being recognized as a Leader in four segments by NelsonHall further underscores Virtusa’s ability to deliver resilient and future-ready solutions for our clients.”

Virtusa’s portfolio includes advanced offerings in AI-based analytics, cloud migration, and GenAI use cases. It is supported by an Engineering First approach that prioritizes practical, high-impact applications of automation and quality assurance technologies. This framework enables clients to achieve measurable business outcomes and confidently pursue digital transformation goals.

Dominique Raviart, NelsonHall’s IT Services Practice Manager, said, “Virtusa is focused on increasing the level of automation in QE, investing in GenAI and increasing the depth of current GenAI use cases such as test case optimization and defect triaging. The company is already investing in testing LLMs, addressing a new level of complexity across data, prompts, and model efficiency.”

For more information on Virtusa’s digital Engineering services, visit https://www.virtusa.com/services/engineer-automate.

About Virtusa

Virtusa Corporation provides digital engineering and technology services and solutions for Forbes Global 2000 companies across industries, including financial services, healthcare, telecommunications, media, manufacturing, and technology. With a foundation in digital engineering, Virtusa empowers enterprises to navigate digital transformation, driving operational efficiency and measurable outcomes. Leveraging its Engineering First approach, Virtusa partners with organizations to tackle complex challenges, delivering solutions that ensure resilience and competitive advantage.

Virtusa is a registered trademark of Virtusa Corporation. All other company and brand names may be trademarks or service marks of their respective holders.

About NelsonHall

NelsonHall is the leading global analyst firm dedicated to helping organizations understand the ‘art of the possible’ in digital operations transformation. With analysts in the U.S., U.K., Continental Europe, and India, NelsonHall provides buy-side organizations with detailed, critical information on markets and vendors (including NEAT assessments) that helps them make fast and highly informed sourcing decisions. And for vendors, NelsonHall provides deep knowledge of market dynamics and user requirements to help them hone their go-to-market strategies. NelsonHall’s analysis is based on rigorous, primary research, and is widely respected for the quality and depth of its insight.

Media Contact:

Paul Lesinski

Edelman

(971) 226-5299

paul.lesinski@edelman.com

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SOURCE Virtusa Corporation

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