Business

Exposing a Gap in the Blockchain Economy – Even Security Guards Need Security

Published

3 years ago

October 24, 2021

Blockchain has made a name for itself by bringing a near fool-proof level of verification to the age of the internet. This is due to the unique way blockchain stores data: Essentially, each new block of data connects to all the blocks before it in a cryptographic chain in such a way that it’s essentially impossible to tamper with. All transactions within the blocks are validated and agreed upon by a consensus mechanism amongst the entire network, ensuring that each transaction is verified and correct.

All of this is true and has stood the test of time thus far. Blockchain has created an impenetrable fortress around the trading of digital currencies and assets, and because of this, trillions of dollars have been traded in this emerging economy. That being said, security is only as valuable as its weakest link. You can fortify your house all you want, when someone has the key to your front door, they’ll walk right in.

In the first six months of 2021 there was a reported 700% increase in SMS phishing compared to the year before. According to a recent Coinbase Security Team article, financial fraud using smishing, a form of phishing that uses mobile phones as the attack platform, is now one of the most used cyber-attacks against cryptocurrency traders. The decentralized nature of blockchain transactions is both its greatest strength and biggest threat in this way. Since there is no governing entity who can reverse a crypto transaction once it has been recorded on chain, malicious actors see this as a prime target for all kinds of phishing attempts to get access to your private key or trading account. With the rapid global adoption of crypto and NFTs we will certainly continue to see an uptick in phone number spoofing and fake 2FA messages.

With this in mind there is a pertinent need for a security solution that will detect and stop phishing threats before they have the chance to succeed. Thankfully Total Network Services (TNS), Rypplzz and Forward Edge-AI have partnered to bring Gabriel® Crypto to the international marketplace. Gabriel Crypto is a revolutionary smartphone security solution that combines Swarm Intelligence, Machine Learning, AI, Natural Language Processing, Tokenized Mobile Equipment Identifiers (E-MEIDs) with patented geospatial intelligence, an Encrypted Blockchain Database, and $DigitalNames into an easy-to-use smartphone defense system.

Originally developed under a National Science Foundation (NSF), Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant, Gabriel was developed to protect consumers against vishing (phishing attacks that involve the use of voice calls) and smishing attacks by Crowdsourcing intelligence, to quickly identify and block dangerous voice calls and text messages. Forward Edge-AI recently partnered with TNS who brings to Gabriel Crypto two of their solutions, $DigitalNames and E-MEID. $DigitalNames provides an alias for public keys to deliver triple factor authentication for every wallet transaction to ensure user information is protected. The E-MEID, powered with patented technology from Rypplzz, records the wireless device’s MEID on a blockchain to create a cryptographically protected immutable record of device software and user licensing.

E-MEID also alerts users of any relevant National Vulnerability Database (NVD) entry. NVD data enables automation of vulnerability management, security measurement, and compliance. Finally, the E-MEID solution provides advanced geolocation data and supply chain management capabilities, via Rypplzz’s Interlife® platform, which can dramatically improve security measures and provide near-real-time operational options based on the location of the associated asset.

Forward Edge-AI was recently approved by an independent third-party risk management and due diligence assessment created by TruSight Solution. TruSight is the best practices third-party assessment service created by leading industry participants for the collective benefit of all financial institutions, their suppliers, partners, and other third parties. Its founders include Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, American Express and BNY Mellon.

Eric Adolphe, Forward Edge-AI’s Chief Executive Officer, stated, “I am pleased to announce that Total Network Services has joined the Gabriel Zero-Day Scam detection ecosystem.” Through its integration with TNS, Gabriel is able to offer an enhanced solution to detect, block, and report smishing attacks in 25 languages. With Purple Alerts™, app users are notified in real-time when it is intelligently detected they are engaging with a scammer by voice or through text messaging. Through the integration with TNS, Gabriel Crypto app users can earn cryptocurrency by participating in a gamified experience that helps to deepen Gabriel security by crowdsourcing intelligence.

Kevin L. Jackson, TNS Senior Vice President sees this as a new and revolutionary cybersecurity step forward. “Gabriel Crypto applies artificial intelligence, machine learning, and crowdsourced intelligence to the protection of cryptocurrency and crypto securities communications and transactions. This cyber-defense advance is a critical need across the new decentralized finance environment.”

Josh Pendrick, Rypplzz’s Chief Executive Officer, commented, “this is a first step towards not only securing the supply chain assets that hold our society together, but to dramatically reduce complexity and improve efficiency in global supply chain resource management.”

About ForwardEdge AI: ForwardEdge AI, Inc.’s mission is to leverage Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies to solve complex problems of social consequence. To learn more about ForwardEdge AI visit https://forwardedge-ai.com/

About Total Network Services, Corp:

Total Network Services, Corp (TNS) is a San Diego-based developer of simple, safe and secure blockchain-focused products and services designed to help the world transition into the blockchain economy. TNS’s innovations span across industry boundaries — from FinTech to Telecom security —all supported by its network infrastructure. TNS’s mission is to improve legacy solutions by infusing new levels of verification into the next internet evolution. To learn more about TNS visit https://tnscorp.io/

About Rypplzz, Inc.

Rypplzz has developed a patented spatial computing system, called Interlife, that is transforming the task of secure digital payload delivery and management. Its mission is to optimize efficiency for a sustainable and harmonious society. To learn more about Rypplzz visit https://rypplzz.com/

Business

Turning Tragedy into Triumph Through Walking With Anthony

Published

6 days ago

April 18, 2024

Rosario Farell

On the morning of February 6, 2010, Anthony Purcell took a moment to admire the churning surf before plunging into the waves off Miami Beach. Though he had made the dive numerous times before, that morning was destined to be different when he crashed into a hidden sandbar, sustaining bruises to his C5 and C6 vertebrae and breaking his neck.

“I was completely submerged and unable to rise to the surface,” Purcell recalls. “Fortunately, my cousin Bernie saw what was happening and came to my rescue. He saved my life, but things would never be the same after that dive.”

Like thousands of others who are confronted with a spinal cord injury (SCI), Purcell plunged headlong into long months of hopelessness and despair. Eventually, however, he learned to turn personal tragedy into triumph as he reached out to fellow SCI victims by launching Walking With Anthony.

Living with SCI: the first dark days

Initial rehabilitation for those with SCIs takes an average of three to six months, during which time they must relearn hundreds of fundamental skills and adjust to what feels like an entirely new body. Unfortunately, after 21 days, Purcell’s insurance stopped paying for this essential treatment, even though he had made only minimal improvement in such a short time.

“Insurance companies cover rehab costs for people with back injuries, but not for people with spinal cord injuries,” explains Purcell. “We were practically thrown to the curb. At that time, I was so immobile that I couldn’t even raise my arms to feed myself.”

Instead of giving up, Purcell’s mother chose to battle his SCI with long-term rehab. She enrolled Purcell in Project Walk, a rehabilitation facility located in Carlsbad, California, but one that came with an annual cost of over $100,000.

“My parents paid for rehabilitation treatment for over three years,” says Purcell. “Throughout that time, they taught me the importance of patience, compassion, and unconditional love.”

Yet despite his family’s support, Purcell still struggled. “Those were dark days when I couldn’t bring myself to accept the bleak prognosis ahead of me,” he says. “I faced life in a wheelchair and the never-ending struggle for healthcare access, coverage, and advocacy. I hit my share of low points, and there were times when I seriously contemplated giving up on life altogether.”

Purcell finds a new purpose in helping others with SCIs

After long months of depression and self-doubt, Purcell’s mother determined it was time for her son to find purpose beyond rehabilitation.

“My mom suggested I start Walking With Anthony to show people with spinal cord injuries that they were not alone,” Purcell remarks. “When I began to focus on other people besides myself, I realized that people all around the world with spinal cord injuries were suffering because of restrictions on coverage and healthcare access. The question that plagued me most was, ‘What about the people with spinal cord injuries who cannot afford the cost of rehabilitation?’ I had no idea how they were managing.”

Purcell and his mother knew they wanted to make a difference for other people with SCIs, starting with the creation of grants to help cover essentials like assistive technology and emergency finances. To date, they have helped over 100 SCI patients get back on their feet after suffering a similar life-altering accident.

Purcell demonstrates the power and necessity of rehab for people with SCIs

After targeted rehab, Purcell’s physical and mental health improved drastically. Today, he is able to care for himself, drive his own car, and has even returned to work.

“Thanks to my family’s financial and emotional support, I am making amazing physical improvement,” Purcell comments. “I mustered the strength to rebuild my life and even found the nerve to message Karen, a high school classmate I’d always had a thing for. We reconnected, our friendship evolved into love, and we tied the knot in 2017.”

After all that, Purcell found the drive to push toward one further personal triumph. He married but did not believe a family was in his future. Regardless of his remarkable progress, physicians told him biological children were not an option.

Despite being paralyzed from the chest down, Purcell continued to look for hope. Finally, Dr. Jesse Mills of UCLA Health’s Male Reproductive Medicine department assured Purcell and his wife that the right medical care and in vitro fertilization could make their dream of becoming parents a reality.

“Payton joined our family in the spring of 2023,” Purcell reports. “For so long, I believed my spinal cord injury had taken everything I cared about, but now I am grateful every day. I work to help other people with spinal cord injuries find the same joy and hope. We provide them with access to specialists, funding to pay for innovative treatments, and the desire to move forward with a focus on the future.”