Musk’s Starlink lands in Malaysia

Elon musk's Starlink satellite internet is now available for subscription in Malaysia #starlink

Just landed: Starlink announced its arrival in Malaysia with a photo of its electronic phased array antenna set against a backdrop of the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. — @Starlink/Twitter

PETALING JAYA: Starlink’s satellite-based broadband service is now available in Malaysia, following the Prime Minister’s virtual meeting with Elon Musk on July 14.

This makes Malaysia the 60th country to be served by the Musk-owned satellite constellation.

The service, which doesn’t come with a contract, requires users to self-install the hardware and purchase the starter kit.

Customers can try out its service for 30 days and return the hardware for a full refund if they are not satisfied with it.

In an announcement on July 20, Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil said that Malaysia issued the licence to allow Starlink to provide Internet services locally.

He added that the government is prepared to cooperate with satellite communication firms such as Starlink to achieve 100% Internet coverage in populated areas.

However, Dr Sean Seah, Malaysian Space Industry Corporation (Masic) pro tem deputy president, is concerned that Starlink’s entry could put local companies at a disadvantage.

"Furthermore, currently Malaysia has achieved more than 96% nationwide Internet connectivity coverage (Malaysia Stats Dept 2022) with services from Malaysian companies without Starlink."

"Chances must be given to local companies that have invested billions, before bringing in Starlink to compete with them," he said.

He also claimed that Malaysia may be exposed and risks being under "surveillance" or "profiling" by Starlink satellites, adding that they are also "not owned, controlled, or regulated" by Malaysian regulators and law enforcement, and Starlink has been given a "special exemption" to operate in Malaysia as a 100% foreign-owned entity.

"This may lead to national sovereignty issues," Seah said in a statement.

Starlink’s Starlink Kit comes with an electronic phased array antenna with a base suited for ground installation, a WiFi router and cables.

The standard version, which Starlink recommends for “residential users and everyday Internet applications” costs RM2,300.

The high-performance kit, which is priced at RM11,613, is recommended for “power users and enterprise applications”.

Starlink claimed that the high-performance kit offers improved weather resistance, three times better speeds at temperatures above 35°C and better visibility, especially in areas with unavoidable obstructions.

Starlink’s Internet plan offers up to 100Mbps (megabits per second) download speed and costs RM220 monthly.

Customers will also have to pay an additional RM100 for shipping and handling fees, with delivery times expected to be between one and two weeks.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim held a discussion with Musk on July 14, welcoming the company’s decision to invest in Malaysia, which includes launching Tesla EVs and Starlink.

In an online report, Anwar said that he has ordered 40 Starlink sets for schools, colleges and universities.

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Six simple steps to defend your data from ransomware

Ransomware blackmails Internet users by encrypting the files on their computer or mobile device and demanding payment, generally in the virtual currency bitcoin, to unlock them. — dpa

Recent ransomware attacks have rattled internet users around the world. This malicious software blackmails users by encrypting the files on their computer or mobile device and demanding payment, generally in the virtual currency bitcoin, to unlock them. But these six simple security measures can significantly reduce the risk of a computer being hit by an attack.

1. Regular updates: Software updates for browsers and operating systems don't just add new functions – they also install security patches to protect computers against the latest malicious software.

The German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) recommends enabling automatic updates on a device and advises against the use of older operating systems such as Windows XP, for which Microsoft has stopped providing regular security updates.

Microsoft will also discontinue updates for the operating system's successor, Windows Vista, this summer – all the more reason to replace it with a newer version.

2. Be vigilant: Don't trust anyone, says nomoreransom.org, a website run by IT security companies and European law enforcement. Never open email attachments from suspicious accounts, don't click on questionable links and don't download unverified software.

Even emails from friends and co-workers should not necessarily be trusted. Before opening an attachment or clicking on a link, always take time to consider whether the sender's online account could have been hacked or their computer software infiltrated by malicious software.

3. Antivirus software: Enable all the security applications in your operating system, advises the BSI. Reliable antivirus software can provide further protection, but must be kept up-to-date.

4. Back up data: Creating digital duplicates of your files can protect your personal information from disappearing forever. In the event of an attack, you can just transfer over your back-up files.

Windows (Backup and Restore) and MacOS (Time Machine) have in-built applications for backing up your data, but they might not be accessible in the event of an attack. A more secure option would be to save your files in an external device, such as a hard disk drive, solid-state drive, DVD, or in the cloud.

To reduce the risk of spreading viruses, only connect the external drive to a device during file transfers. As an extra precaution, save your data in two separate external hard drives.

5. Fight back: If you happen to accidentally install malicious software or receive suspicious messages, immediately disconnect your device from the internet, instructs  nomoreransom.org. to be decrypted. This will prevent the infection from spreading.

You can then run a clean installation of your computer software, and transfer over your back-up files. For some types of ransomware, there are techniques to unlock the content on your computer.

The latest malware outbreak "Petya" can be stopped by creating the read-only filetype "C:\Windows\perfc.dat," which prevents it from scrambling your files. An initial report on the antidote published on the site bleepingcomputer.com has since been confirm by several IT security companies.

6. Never pay: A blackmailer's demands should never be met, says the State Office of Criminal Investigation (LKA) of Lower Saxony. There are several reasons for this, the LKA reports. First, even if you pay the ransom, there is no guarantee that you will regain access to your files.

Second, by paying the attacker, you are supporting the growth of a criminal industry. Every payment finances new attacks. In the case of the recent Petya outbreak, the payment system is useless, because only one email address was provided, which has since been shut down by the provider. — dpa

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The game-changing trends: social media, cloud, big data in information technology

Information technology players believe Malaysia is beginning to tap into the potential of the Internet of things.

KUALA LUMPUR: Social media, the cloud and big data will be the game-changing trends that will transform Malaysia’s information and communications technology (ICT) industry and spur further growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) next year, says industry players.

National ICT Association of Malaysia (Pikom) chairman Cheah Kok Hoong said Malaysia had started to tap into the rapidly growing potential of IoT, which could be a new economy by itself covering business areas such as embedded device manufacturing, connectivity infrastructure and application deployments.

He said the trend would provide a new opportunity to position the country as the hub for regional IoT innovation projects in South-East Asia.

However, companies would be increasingly challenged by new factors on the back of business agility that came with mobility, security, analytics, and miniaturisation of devices and millennial generation aspirations, he told Bernama.

“Adoption of cloud solutions will also move from conceptual to the practical stage.

“As predicted by International Data Corp’s global market intelligence, Malaysia’s big data market is anticipated to hit not less than RM75mil but many businesses have yet to consider big data as a big business for their organisation and it thus remains at a tactical level,” he added.

IT spending registered significant growth as reflected in the growth of value-added services, which are expected to grow about 13.6% in 2014 to RM68bil from RM59.8bil in 2013.

Cheah said the overall ICT services sector was also projected to grow at 12.7% in 2015 to RM77.7bil.

Meanwhile, CA Technologies South Asia vice-president Chua I. Pin said the country was entering an era where IT had become the central source of revenue for businesses.

He said 2015 would see a shift in the way businesses structured themselves, looking for new engagement and revenue opportunities using connected devices, big data and analytics, and underpinning these new models would be a fundamental shift in the way software is developed and deployed.

“Software will continue to become the primary way that consumers interact with businesses, which would evolve dramatically in 2015 as businesses become more competitive to reach out to their clients, and we will see apps shifting from simply helping people make decisions to being able to predict what people need,” he said.

Cheah added that with the need for more sophistication in the ICT industry, human capital remained the main challenge in the industry towards achieving high-income nation status.

There is a persistent and widening gap of remuneration packages for ICT professionals between Malaysia and neighbouring countries such as Vietnam and Thailand, coupled with the declining number of ICT graduates, he said.

He said although the new trends such as big data and social media had created many new job functions in high demand, the nation still faced a lack of skilled talent in the market. — Bernama

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Five tech-powered changes in next five years, IBM predicted

Technology stalwart IBM on Tuesday predicted classrooms getting to know students and doctors using DNA to customize care are among five big changes on the horizon.

IBM said that its annual forecast of five ways technology will change lives in the coming five years was "driven by a new era of cognitive systems where machines will learn, reason and engage with us in a more natural and personalized way."

And while software evolves to "think" in ways similar to the human brain, computing power and troves of data kept handy in the Internet "cloud" will enable machines to power innovations in classrooms, local shops, doctors' offices, city streets and elsewhere, according to the firm behind the Watson computer that triumphed on US television game show Jeopardy.

"Over time these computers will get smarter and more customized through interactions with data, devices and people, helping us take on what may have been seen as unsolvable problems by using all the information that surrounds us and bringing the right insight or suggestion to our fingertips right when it's most needed," IBM contended.

Predictions for the coming five years included "classrooms of the future" equipped with systems that track and analyze each student's progress to tailor curriculum and help teachers target learning techniques.

"Basically, the classroom learns you," IBM vice president of innovation Bernie Meyerson told AFP. "It is surprisingly straight-forward to do."

In another prediction, IBM sees retail shops large or small blending online and real-world storefronts with 'Watson-like' technologies and augmented reality.

Also, doctors will tailor treatments using patient DNA, according to Meyerson.

"Knowing your genetic make-up lets you sort through a huge variety of treatment options and determine the best course to follow," he said.

"They don't have to carpet bomb your body to treat cancer," Meyerson continued. "There is the ability to tailor the attack to improve the efficacy against cancer cells while leaving healthy cells untouched."

Smart machines tapping into the Internet cloud will also be able to serve as "digital guardians" protecting people from hackers by recognizing unusual online behavior, such as shopping binges at dubious websites, and spying scam email messages or booby-trapped links.

"The digital guardian will know you are not someone who goes to a poker site and tops off your account," Meyerson said. "Not only does it shut down the behavior, but it tracks it back to who is doing it and passes the information on to authorities."

The final prediction was that cities will weave social networks, smartphones, sensors, and machine learning to better manage services and build relationships with citizens.

"The city will help you live in it," Meyerson said. "There is a new generation of leaders coming in who are extremely tech savvy and making good use of it."

Sources: AFP-Times