Mahindra Adventure Successfully Concludes Fifth Edition of ‘Club Challenge’

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M), concluded the fifth edition of the Mahindra Adventure ‘Club Challenge’ where the top 15 off-roading clubs from across the country, competed for off-roading honors.

After an arduous battle, over two days and seven obstacles, the overall winner trophy was presented to Kerala based off-roading club ‘Wayanad Jeepers’ who took home a grand prize money of Rs. 5 lakh. The first runner up ‘Bangalore Off-Road Driver’s Association’ (BODA) won a prize amount of Rs. 3 lakh, while ‘R&T Off-Road Club’, grabbed the second runner up title, taking home a prize money of Rs. 2 lakh.

Other participating clubs this year included Team XXPENDABLEZZ Club 4*4, D.OT, East Jainita Adventure Motorsport, Motor Sports Club of Meghalaya, Punjab OffRoaders Club, Kerala Adventure Sports Club, Verge Racing, Extreme OffRoaders, 4*4 KROC, Northern India OffRoad Club, KTM Jeepers, and Flywheel.

Participants from the best off-roading clubs from across India battled at the ‘Club Challenge’ to win the coveted title of ‘Best Off-Roading Club’ in India. All obstacles focused on teamwork rather than on individual performances. The Club Challenge kicked off on February 22, 2020 with exciting night stages. The next day, February 23, 2020 witnessed the day stages and concluded by a grand award ceremony in Bengaluru.

The signature obstacle ‘Demolition Derby’, continued to be a part of this year’s challenge, as the off-road vehicles negotiated a path over scrapped vehicles. Another iconic obstacle ‘Pass the Baton’ witnessed all classes of vehicles run a relay format of driving and pass the baton from one vehicle to another tackling the obstacles and then crossing the finish line. Some of the new obstacles introduced this year were Straps of God, Drag Race and Tug of War.

About Mahindra Adventure

A unique concept to showcase the tough and rugged DNA of Mahindra vehicles, Mahindra Adventure functions as an umbrella brand with a series of self-drive overland adventure expeditions organized under its banner. Mahindra Adventure was launched as an independent entity for all adventurous activities, in 2011, headed by Bijoy Kumar Y, Chief of Adventure Initiatives. He is a motoring enthusiast and the erstwhile editor of a popular motoring magazine.

To spread the DNA of off-roading, the Mahindra Adventure team has also launched the Mahindra Adventure Off-Road Training Academy in Igatpuri, India’s first dedicated facility providing a one stop solution to learning everything about a Mahindra 4WD vehicle and how to use it to its full potential. Through this, we hope to leverage the brand’s off-road heritage, showcase the vehicles abilities and give the participants the confidence to explore the limits of the vehicles. Custom-made Mahindra Thars equipped with radio sets are exclusively used as training vehicles at the facility. After dominating the Rallying scene in India with back to back victories in 2017, 2018 and numerous Cross Country Rally wins; the Super XUV500 has made way for the new kid-on-the-block the Super XUV3OO. The potent R2C spec XUV3OO won the last round of INRC 2019. And is roaring to set the stage on fire this year. 

Subex Unveils Findings of Cybersecurity Threat Landscape Report 2019

Subex has published the findings of its annual Threat Landscape Report 2019.  The report, prepared using threat intelligence gathered from Subex’s global honeypot network now operational in 62 cities globally, has presented ten key global trends that have the most significant implications for enterprises, governments, citizens, and other stakeholders. The report highlights rising malware complexity and sophistication, increasing reconnaissance capabilities of hackers, and increasing attacks on common IoT devices and critical infrastructure as areas of concern needing immediate intervention.

New York, New Delhi, Atlanta, London, and Kyiv are among the most attacked cities globally. 2019 saw the large-scale introduction of new malware coinciding with geopolitical events in South Asia, the Middle East, and North America.  The expansion of bot networks into new geographies has also contributed to the growth in cyberattacks globally. Attacks across classes grew significantly, with crypto mining attacks registering an 8 percent increase over 2018.

The report also found differences in patterns of attacks registered in certain regions and countries. For instance, in the USA, there were differences in industries targeted by hackers on the East Coast and the West coast. Middle East region was a hotbed of reconnaissance activity while India registered a whopping 34 percent increase in inbound cyber attacks over 2018. India accounted for as much as 3 percent of all new malware detected, and the country also registered the presence of many variants of common malware such as Mirai. A significant proportion of these variants were not detected anywhere else.     

The report provides a threat forecast for 2020.

Key trends observed in 2019:

Revenue leakage attributable to cyberattacks remain a source of concern
Surveillance cameras remain the most attacked category of devices
Most attacked regions – NA, South Asia, and the Middle East
Malware prices have registered a significant increase in H2 2019
Ransomware is the most common category of malware detected
Global increase in reconnaissance (listening) attacks on critical infrastructure
Significant increase in outbound attacks from China targeting India
Ukraine, Slovenia, and India reported many variants of common malware
Increase in the detection of malware engineered in academic/ other sophisticated labs

“Our continuing efforts to monitor the global threat environment and the results it has yielded has led us to believe that hackers, malware developers and other entities are ramping up their efforts to monitor, break into, steal data from and disrupt the operations of a range of businesses and institutions. These findings should be seen in the larger context of the evolving threat environment that surrounds Information Technology, Operational Tech, and Internet of Things deployments and infrastructure. We hope this report helps cybersecurity decisionmakers and stakeholders to take appropriate decisions and interventions,” said Vinod Kumar, Managing Director & CEO, Subex.

Accenture Opens Innovation Hub in Pune to House It’s Second Nano Lab in Asia Pacific

Accenture has opened its third Innovation Hub in India, expanding its innovation capabilities for clients. The Accenture Innovation Hub in Pune provides an immersive environment for clients to co-innovate with Accenture experts in a variety of industries and across a range of advanced technologies, including extended reality, artificial intelligence, the internet of things, blockchain and quantum computing, among others.

Part of Accenture’s global innovation network, the Innovation Hub in Pune will seamlessly integrate with the Innovation Hub in Bengaluru and the Innovation Hub in Hyderabad, and will bring best of innovations and capabilities from India using state-of-the-art collaboration technologies.

“Rapid technology innovations are increasing the competitive pressure on businesses across the globe. At Accenture, we are focused on helping our clients predict and prepare for these changes by applying advanced technologies to shape their future,” said Bhaskar Ghosh, group chief executive, Accenture Technology Services. “Our new Innovation Hub in Pune will bring together the best of Accenture’s technology and innovation capabilities from around the world, enable our clients to scale their technology investments and boost their business outcomes across the enterprise, and create new opportunities for local talent.”

Located in SP Infocity in Pune, the new innovation hub will have more than 1,200 people working out of it and will feature Accenture’s second Nano Lab in the Asia-Pacific region. The Nano Lab will showcase the latest breakthroughs in applied research from Accenture Labs worldwide, featuring uses for advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, extended reality and quantum computing. It will allow clients to connect with researchers in Accenture Labs globally through immersive sessions and workshops.

Some of the focus areas of the innovation hub include helping clients develop new customer experiences using digital technologies to address the growing complexity of brand-customer interaction, and using the Industry X.0 framework and resources to help clients accelerate innovation outcomes and recast business models.

Accenture Innovation Hubs are an integral part of the Accenture Innovation Architecture, which brings together capabilities needed to ideate, prototype, build and scale disruptive solutions for clients across geographies and industries. The Innovation Hub in Pune will join others in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, India; Recife and Sao Paulo, Brazil; Toronto, Canada; Shenzhen, China; Helsinki, Finland; Tokyo; Zurich; Perth, Australia; Singapore; and 11 Innovation Hubs in the United States, including Atlanta; Boston; Chicago; Detroit; Houston; New York; San Francisco; Seattle; and Washington, D.C.

McAfee Offers Managed Threat Detection and Response Platform Collaborating With DXC Technology

McAfee, the device-to-cloud cybersecurity company, has announced that it is launching a global Managed Detection and Response (MDR) platform. DXC Technology will be McAfee’s first strategic MDR partner to leverage McAfee’s MVISION EDR solution to proactively detect cyber threats faced by customers and resolve security incidents faster.

With a rapidly evolving threat landscape, cybersecurity talent has been unable to keep up with demand. A report from (ISC)2 estimates the global IT security skills shortage to exceed four million unfilled positions up from nearly three million in 2018, putting acute pressure on skilled security operations personnel. MVISION EDR’s AI-guided investigations help DXC alleviate these challenges for its customers by proactively identifying threats that matter, and by shortening the investigation time.

“We recognized that while MVISION EDR enables security teams to act faster and with higher precision than was previously possible, it was important to find a partner that could help deliver a fully managed threat detection and response service for organizations that needed it,” said Ash Kulkarni, executive vice president and chief product officer of the enterprise business group at McAfee. “DXC was selected due to their proven security expertise in threat hunting and forensic investigation, as well as their deep knowledge of endpoint security. We are excited to see our partnership expand into new areas of growth that support these vital customer needs.”

“As threats continue to grow and become more sophisticated, it’s important to understand that not all organizations have the time nor resources to manage a modern security operations center,” said Mark Hughes, senior vice president and general manager, Security, DXC Technology. “With MVISION EDR, MVISION ePO and McAfee Advanced Threat Defense, we will be able to deliver a leading managed Endpoint Security solution that will benefit from cloud-based analytics with automated AI-guided investigations for efficient triage and investigations, to enable faster response times.”

DXC will deliver the following MDR services:

Threat Hunting – This service, which augments MVISION EDR with DXC’s Threat Intelligence and hunting expertise, will proactively uncover advanced attacks and stop breaches to minimize impact.
Forensics and Investigations – Using MVISION EDR’s automated AI-guided investigations, this service will immediately conduct in-depth investigations of endpoint security alerts and incidents to identify the origin of compromise, extent of the breach, and malicious actor attribution and intent. DXC will provide specific recommendations to contain the ongoing incident, minimize potential damage, develop or enhance security capabilities to prevent future breaches, and finally, assist in remediation coordination.
Complete Managed Endpoint Threat Detection and Response Service – Upon availability, this service will provide a 24x7 end-to-end Managed Endpoint Threat Detection and Response service that will address the needs of organizations with limited to no security staff.
This announcement enhances the collaboration between McAfee and DXC to accompany the Managed Endpoint Protection (MEP) service.

Trend Micro Blocks Over 61 Million Ransomware Attacks in 2019

Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, today released its 2019 security roundup report. The report details the most important issues and changes in the threat landscape to provide businesses with insights into best practices and strategies for protecting their infrastructures from current and emerging threats.

Ransomware continued to be a mainstay cyber threat last year. Overall, Trend Micro discovered a 10% increase in ransomware detections, despite a 57% decrease in the number of new ransomware families. The healthcare sector remained the most targeted industry, with more than 700 providers affected in 2019. Additionally, at least 110 US state and municipal governments and agencies fell victim to ransomware.

“Digital transformation has been a business buzzword for decades, and the concept has yielded very positive results over time. But security is often an afterthought, which leaves digital doors wide open for cybercriminals,” said Jon Clay, director of global threat communications for Trend Micro. “Despite the prevalent ideals of digital transformation, lack of basic security hygiene, legacy systems with outdated operating systems and unpatched vulnerabilities are still a reality. This scenario is ideal for ransomware actors looking for a quick return on investment. As long as the ransom scheme continues to be profitable, criminals will continue to leverage it.”

Known vulnerabilities remain key to successful cyber attacks, including ransomware. In 2019, Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) disclosed 171% more high severity vulnerabilities than in 2018. The criticality score reflects the likelihood of these flaws being leveraged by attackers, so high severity bugs are more likely to be weaponized and the patches should be prioritized.

To protect against today’s threat landscape, Trend Micro recommends a connected threat defense across gateways, networks, servers and endpoints. Additionally, these best practices can increase a company’s security posture:

Mitigate ransomware with network segmentation, regular back-ups and continuous network monitoring.
Update and patch systems and software to protect against known vulnerabilities.
Enable virtual patching, especially for operating systems that are no longer supported by the vendor.
Implement multi-factor authentication and least privilege access policies to prevent abuse of tools that can be accessed via admin credentials, like remote desktop protocol, PowerShell and developer tools.

Land Rover Begins Bookings of the New Defender at Price from Rs 69.99 Lakh Onwards

Highlights

* The icon reimagined for the 21st century ready to make its entry into India
* New Defender to be offered in both 90 and 110 body styles; powered by 2.0 l, 221 kW (300 PS) petrol powertrain
* Bookings are now open for the world-class expert off-road and on, with deliveries to begin from August 2020

Jaguar Land Rover India, today announced that it has opened bookings of the New Land Rover Defender in India. Offered with a 2.0 l, 221 kW (300PS) petrol powertrain with 400 Nm of torque, the New Defender will be available in two distinct body styles, the elegant 90 (3 door) and the versatile 110 (5 door) as a Completely Built Unit (CBU) and is priced from ₹ 69.99 Lakh (ex-showroom India).

Rohit Suri, President & Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd. (JLRIL), said:

“The New Defender embraces its rich lineage in a modern, 21st century package that makes it extremely capable, on and off-road. With the entry of this icon to India, we are extremely proud to offer to our customers, the most capable and durable product in the Land Rover portfolio, while still retaining the authenticity and character of the original.”

The New Defender will be offered in five different variants across both 90 and 110; Base, S, SE, HSE and First Edition. Built for adventurous hearts and curious minds, the New Land Rover Defender is highly customisable with a multitude of seating options, accessory packs and features to choose from. For India, the New Defender will come with 360° Surround Camera, Wade Sensing, Electronic Air Suspension (Standard on 110), Smartphone Pack, Connected Navigation Pro, Off-Road tyres, Centre Console with refrigerated compartment (optional) and more.

More details on the New Land Rover Defender are available on www.landrover.in

Land Rover Product Portfolio in India

The Land Rover range in India includes the Range Rover Evoque (starting at ₹ 54.94 Lakh),  Discovery Sport (starting at ₹ 57.06 Lakh), the Range Rover Velar (priced at ₹ 71.87 Lakh),  Discovery (starting at ₹ 75.60 Lakh), Range Rover Sport (starting at ₹ 87.02 Lakh) and Range Rover (starting at ₹ 182.25 Lakh). All prices mentioned are ex-showroom prices in India.

Jaguar Land Rover Retailer Network in India

Jaguar Land Rover vehicles are available in India in 24 cities, through 27 authorized outlets in Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Kochi, Karnal, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Mangalore, Mumbai , Noida, Pune, Raipur, Surat and Vijayawada.

Brigade Partners with Oakter to Unveil Amazon Alexa-Enabled Smart Home Automation

Brigade Group, a leading real estate developer, has partnered with home automation company Oakter to provide smart home solutions to its future residents. As part of its Brigade Plus Easy Home packages, a one stop solution for customized home offerings, Brigade customers will now be able to leverage the benefits of Amazon Alexa. With the help of Alexa, residents will be able to control their home devices such as lights, fans, ACs, TVs, cameras, geysers, listen to the music of their choice, get news updates, make shopping lists and much more, just through voice.

Brigade Plus Easy Home packages offers customers a host of interior solutions such as modular kitchens, electrical fittings, and now the newly announced Alexa-enabled smart home solutions to help them conveniently move into their new homes without the hassle of dealing with various contractors and vendors.

Since 1986, Brigade has been at the forefront of pioneering new trends across sectors – be it establishing the first serviced apartments in Bengaluru, designing large-scale integrated enclaves, introducing the iconic World Trade Center brand to South India and founding the acclaimed Indian Music Experience Museum. With this latest association, Brigade provides customers with tech-enabled designer interior solutions that literally speak their mind!

On this occasion, Ms. Pavitra Shankar, Executive Director, Brigade Enterprises Ltd., said, “There is a shift in customer preferences for homes that have security, convenience and optimised energy consumption to conserve resources. It makes sense that our offerings are updated to accommodate these new devices and technological advancements.”

According to Dilip R.S, Country Manager, Alexa Skills and Voice Services, Amazon India, “With nearly a 5X increase in Alexa-enabled Smart Home users in 2019, customers love the convenience of voice controlling their world. We are excited to see Brigade Group offer this delight of voice-controlled smart home devices with the Brigade Plus Easy Home packages.”

Smart home has become one of the most popular Alexa features and customers are increasingly experimenting with home automation, starting with something as simple as light bulbs. Alexa can seamlessly bring the smart home experience to life. The convenience of controlling smart home devices with simple commands such as “Alexa, turn on the lights”, set timers, ask for information, listen to the news or favourite music, set up quick reminders, add items to their to do list/ shopping list and much more is gaining momentum among customers.

Launched in 2015, Oakter manufactures smart-home appliances compatible with Amazon Alexa, and will be implementing these solutions across Brigade Plus Easy Home Packages. As per Varun Gupta, CTO of Oakter, “Software features are becoming more important in homes. We are delighted to partner with Brigade Group to bring in delightful experience of automation and voice control.”

Brigade has set up multiple model apartments showcasing furnishing options along with the Alexa enabled home automation systems, at the following locations across Bengaluru.

* Brigade Buena Vista, Budigere Cross
* Plumeria at Brigade Meadows, Kanakapura Road
* Brigade Panorama, Mysore Road
* Deodar at Brigade Orchards, Devanahalli
* Brigade El Dorado model unit, World Trade Center Bengaluru