3 Ways to Build a Culture of Collaborative Innovation

1. Foster a Culture of Open Communication

For a culture of collaborative innovation to thrive, open communication is essential. This involves creating a safe and transparent environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their ideas, asking questions, and providing feedback. Here are a few ways to achieve this:

### Encourage Active Listening

Active listening is critical in a collaborative environment. It’s not just about hearing what others are saying, but also about fully understanding and processing the information. Encourage team members to maintain eye contact, ask clarifying questions, and paraphrase what they’ve heard to ensure understanding.

### Use Collaborative Tools and Software

Collaborative tools and software, such as Slack, Trello, or Asana, can help facilitate communication and keep everyone on the same page. These tools can be used for instant messaging, project management, and file sharing, making it easier for team members to work together effectively.

### Schedule Regular Check-Ins

Regular check-ins, whether it’s daily stand-ups, weekly meetings, or monthly retrospectives, can help keep everyone aligned and informed. This allows team members to discuss progress, address any issues, and provide feedback in a timely manner.

2. Empower Your Team

Empowering your team is crucial in building a culture of collaborative innovation. This involves giving them the autonomy to make decisions, take ownership of their work, and providing the necessary resources and support to help them succeed. Here are a few ways to achieve this:

### Provide Clear Goals and Expectations

Clear goals and expectations help team members understand what’s expected of them and what they need to accomplish. This clarity helps them focus on what’s important and work towards achieving it.

### Offer Training and Development Opportunities

Providing training and development opportunities helps team members develop new skills, stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends, and advance in their careers. This shows that you’re invested in their growth and willing to support them in their professional development.

### Encourage Experimentation and Learning

Encouraging experimentation and learning allows team members to take calculated risks, try new approaches, and learn from their mistakes. This helps them develop a growth mindset and become more innovative and creative in their work.

3. Celebrate Successes and Learn from Failures

Celebrating successes and learning from failures is essential in building a culture of collaborative innovation. This involves recognizing and rewarding team members for their achievements, as well as analyzing and learning from setbacks. Here are a few ways to achieve this:

### Celebrate Milestones and Achievements

Celebrate milestones and achievements to recognize the hard work and dedication of your team members. This can be done through team-building activities, public recognition, or rewards and incentives.

### Conduct Post-Mortems

Conducting post-mortems or retrospectives can help identify what went wrong and how to improve. This helps team members learn from their mistakes and develop a growth mindset.

### Provide Feedback and Coaching

Providing feedback and coaching can help team members improve their performance and develop new skills. This involves setting clear expectations, providing constructive feedback, and giving guidance on how to improve.

Conclusion

Building a culture of collaborative innovation requires effort, dedication, and a willingness to change. By fostering open communication, empowering your team, and celebrating successes and learning from failures, you can create an environment where creativity, innovation, and collaboration thrive. Remember to be patient, persistent, and committed to the process, and you’ll be on your way to building a culture that drives success.

FAQs

Q: What are some common challenges in building a culture of collaborative innovation?
A: Some common challenges include resistance to change, lack of trust, and unclear goals and expectations.

Q: How can I overcome these challenges?
A: By communicating effectively, empowering your team, and celebrating successes and learning from failures, you can overcome these challenges.

Q: What are some benefits of a culture of collaborative innovation?
A: Some benefits include increased creativity, improved problem-solving, and enhanced employee engagement and retention.

Q: How can I measure the success of a culture of collaborative innovation?
A: You can measure success by tracking metrics such as employee engagement, innovation output, and customer satisfaction.

The Password Spray And Pray Attack

A botnet that comprises at least 130,000 devices that have been compromised by what is “likely a Chinese-affiliated group,” according to the SecurityScorecard researchers who have analyzed the threat, is conducting a large-scale password hacking campaign against Microsoft 365 accounts.

In order to bypass login protections such as 2FA, the attack targets non-interactive sign-ins with Basic Authentication, something long since deprecated by Microsoft precisely because of insecurity issues. “This tactic has been observed across multiple M365 tenants globally,” the researchers said, “indicating a widespread and ongoing threat.” As the attacks are recorded in those non-interactive sign-in logs, they are often overlooked by security teams, creating a security gap that enables the threat actors to conduct such high-volume spray and pray password hacking campaigns largely undetected.

Mitigating The Microsoft 365 Password Spraying Attacks

The SecurityScorecard report recommends that the botnet activity here should prompt organizations to prioritize deprecating basic authentication, proactively monitor login patterns and implement strong detection mechanisms for such password-spraying attacks. “The use of non-interactive sign-in logs to evade MFA and possibly Conditional Access Policies,” the researchers said, “underscores the need for organizations to reassess their authentication strategies.”

Microsoft’s Statement on the Attack

“We encourage customers to always follow security best practices, make sure they have deployed the latest security updates, and enable multi-factor authentication,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.

Expert Insights

“Organizations heavily reliant on Microsoft 365 should take this attack as a wake-up call,” said Darren Guccione, CEO at Keeper Security. “This attack is a reminder that robust cybersecurity isn’t just about having multi-factor authentication, it’s about securing every authentication pathway. A password manager enforces strong, unique credentials while minimizing exposure to credential-based attacks. For non-interactive authentication, Privileged Access Management is essential, ensuring least-privilege access, regular credential rotation, and real-time monitoring of service accounts.”

Jason Soroko, a senior fellow at Sectigo, added that organizations should better secure non-interactive access with conditional access policies, strict credential management, and continuous monitoring. “Microsoft 365 can restrict non-interactive logins through configuration,” Soroko said. “Administrators can enforce stronger authentication via conditional access policies and block legacy protocols that facilitate these silent sign-ins. However, such restrictions must be applied thoughtfully to avoid disrupting legitimate automated processes.”

Boris Cipot, senior security engineer at Black Duck, stressed the importance of deploying access policies based on geolocation and device compliance. “To avoid brute-force protections, attackers limit the password testing on user accounts to prevent lockout policies,” Cipot said. “To lower the risk of such attacks, organizations must deploy access policies based on geolocation and device compliance. To make login more secure, multi-factor authentication or certificate-based authentication provides an additional level of security.”

Conclusion

The recent password spray and pray attack campaign targeting Microsoft 365 accounts is a wake-up call for organizations to prioritize deprecating basic authentication, proactively monitor login patterns, and implement strong detection mechanisms. By following best practices, deploying access policies, and utilizing multi-factor authentication, organizations can minimize the risk of such attacks.

FAQs

Q: What is the latest update on the Microsoft 365 password spray and pray attack?
A: The attack is ongoing and has been observed across multiple M365 tenants globally.

Q: What is the impact of the attack?
A: The attack allows threat actors to bypass login protections such as 2FA and conduct high-volume spray and pray password hacking campaigns largely undetected.

Q: What can organizations do to mitigate the attack?
A: Organizations should prioritize deprecating basic authentication, proactively monitor login patterns, and implement strong detection mechanisms. They should also consider deploying access policies, utilizing multi-factor authentication, and utilizing password managers.

Danger and Opportunity Ahead

The Rise of AI: A Double-Edged Sword

With great power comes great responsibility, and that is now certainly the case as the power of AI gets unleashed. Is it amplifying bias? Is it delivering erroneous information? Does it violate intellectual property or copyrights? Is it opening the door to even greater malfeasance than we’ve seen to date in the digital era?

The Risks of AI

Is everyone ready for all this? Kind of. We can’t be doomsayers when it comes to AI issues. But we also need to be proactive about keeping AI responsible. When it comes to assessing the risks of their AI efforts, just over half of organizations, 58%, have some grasp of the risks involved, a recent PwC survey of 1,001 executives found. While there is interest in delivering responsible AI, only 11% of executives can say they have fully moved forward with responsible AI initiatives.

The Need for Responsible AI

Thinkers and doers across the business landscape agree that we are entering an age of great danger– and great opportunity. "Ultimately, we all want our technology to be the safest and most sophisticated in the world," said Arun Gupta, CEO of NobleReach Foundation. "The question is not whether this technology should be regulated, but how we ensure we have the talent and innovation infrastructure – both in government and the private sector – to unlock AI’s benefits while mitigating its dangers."

Building an Infrastructure for Responsible AI

In many cases, AI itself can help mitigate some of these dangers, Gupta added. "We must build an infrastructure that supports responsible AI optimism." An AI-optimism approach means "investing in initiatives that focus on trusted and secure AI," Gupta said. "We must maintain an open dialogue between industry, academia, and government as risks evolve. We need to bring the brightest minds and best research to solve problems and maximize AI’s positive societal impact."

The Importance of Human Oversight

There is a "lack of transparency and guardrails in the datasets used to train AI models and the potential bias and discrimination that may result from it," said Thomas Phelps, CIO of Laserfiche and member of the SIM Research Institute Advisory Board. "If AI is employed without human oversight, the wrong decision or recommendation could be made in critical areas such as law enforcement, court systems, credit and lending, insurance coverage, healthcare, or even employment matters."

The Risk of AI-Based Manipulation

Another risk AI poses is the specter of AI-based manipulation, something that its developers and proponents have yet to fully get their arms around. For example, the answers that conversational AI systems provide can impact how people think, warned David Shrier, professor at Imperial College Business School and author of Welcome to AI. "A very small number of people, privately employed, decide on what kind of answers these companies provide you," Shrier continued. "What’s worse, since many of these systems are self-learning, they are susceptible to manipulation. If you contaminate the data that goes into these AIs, you can corrupt them."

The Need for Transparency and Regulation

It’s important, then, "to protect the rights of individuals, and the intellectual property of people who shape ideas," said Shrier. "The average consumer or worker doesn’t realize how much they’ve been giving away to certain large tech platforms. We have to do this in a way that doesn’t damage economic productivity and competitiveness." More broadly, Shrier added, "as we hand over decisions to artificial intelligences, like who gets a loan, or whether or not a car will brake when a person steps in front of it, how do we know that the algorithm is giving us the correct answer?"

The Public’s Attitude Towards AI

Significantly, people are clamoring for – not fearing – AI. But they’re also willing to accept restraints in exchange for responsible use of AI. "We want to have these amazing technologies in our lives, much as we wanted to convenience of having cars to get around," said Shrier. "We eventually learned to live with brake lights and windshield wipers and seat belts and airbags, all of which made our cars safer. We need the equivalent for AI."

Conclusion

As new technologies emerge, the industry figures out ways to make it more secure and compliant. Much as they did with data privacy controls and with data portability, Shrier illustrated. "You used to not be able to very easily move your banking data or your phone number from one company to another. Yet, when privacy regulations came along, technology companies with their deep broad base of innovation and resources were able to figure out how to comply."

FAQs

• Q: What are the risks of AI?
  A: AI can amplify bias, deliver erroneous information, and violate intellectual property or copyrights.
• Q: Is everyone ready for AI?
  A: Not yet, but many organizations are taking steps to be proactive about keeping AI responsible.
• Q: What is the need for responsible AI?
  A: To ensure that AI technology is used to benefit society while minimizing its risks.
• Q: How can we ensure responsible AI?
  A: By building an infrastructure that supports responsible AI optimism, investing in initiatives that focus on trusted and secure AI, and maintaining an open dialogue between industry, academia, and government.