When was the last time your customer experience team sat down with your security experts? If the answer isn’t ‘recently’, your business might be more vulnerable than you think.

As I read a recent article in this very publication about the CrowdStrike aftermath, I realized there's an important addition to the lessons learned. While I agree with each of the insights offered into the technical aspects and immediate business impact of the incident, the role of customer experience teams in managing such crises has, so far, been overlooked.

Recent high-profile incidents underscore this point vividly. In addition to the CrowdStrike outage, which resulted in a staggering £90 billion in damages, the UK also witnessed a high-profile cyberattack on hospitals in London. While now fixed, this caused over 1,000 planned operations and 2,200 outpatient appointments to be postponed. Such events highlight the vital importance of robust security protocols. However, as these crises unfold, it’s becoming increasingly clear that security measures alone are not enough. The customer experience provided during such incidents is equally crucial in managing the fallout and maintaining trust.

This realization is prompting a significant shift in how businesses approach crisis management. No longer can customer experience (CX) and security teams operate in isolation. The siloed approach must give way to a more integrated strategy – one that recognizes the interdependence of these two critical functions.

All too often, these two teams operate in separate spheres. Yet, as the primary interface with customers, CX teams are often the first to detect and respond to outages or security incidents through increased customer complaints or inquiries. Simultaneously, cybersecurity teams are tasked with identifying, containing, and mitigating threats. This disconnect can lead to delayed responses and fragmented communication during crises, potentially exacerbating the situation and damaging customer relationships.

The case for collaboration

It may sound simple, but through fostering greater collaboration between CX and security teams, businesses can create a more resilient frontline in crisis management. This unified approach offers several key benefits.

Firstly, it accelerates incident detection, with CX teams serving as an early warning system to quickly alert security teams to potential issues based on customer feedback. Secondly, it improves real-time information flow, ensuring that accurate, up-to-date information is consistently communicated to customers and stakeholders. This swift, coordinated response helps maintain customer trust and mitigates negative impacts on brand reputation. Lastly, by sharing insights, both teams can contribute to more effective risk assessment and prevention strategies, enhancing overall crisis prevention.

However, creating synergies between CX and security teams requires a strategic approach. A comprehensive unified strategy should start with establishing cross-functional teams that include members from both departments. These teams should meet regularly to share insights, discuss potential threats, and develop joint response plans for if things go wrong.

Implementing shared communication channels is crucial. Utilizing secure, real-time communication platforms allows for quick information sharing between teams during a crisis, ensuring that CX representatives have the most up-to-date information to relay to customers. Alongside this, businesses should develop integrated training programs that educate CX staff on basic security principles and alert identification, while also teaching security teams about customer communication best practices.

Fortifying the frontline

To effectively unify two once disparate teams as a new frontline in crisis management, enterprises must take several key steps. Cultivating a culture of collaboration is paramount, encouraging not only open communication, but mutual respect between the teams. This step could also lead to continuous learning, which is vital as the threat landscape continues to evolve. This should be bolstered by offering courses, lunch and learns and self-learning, ensuring that both teams are regularly updated on the latest security trends and customer experience best practices.

Technology can play a key role, too. A number of tools facilitate seamless information sharing, which is crucial in forming a proactive response. For instance, these include integrated dashboards that display both customer feedback and security alerts. In turn they empower decision making, and grant frontline staff the authority to make certain decisions during a crisis.

Finally, fostering executive support is essential. Ensure that the importance of this unified approach is recognized and supported at the highest levels of the organization. By taking these steps, businesses can create a more robust, responsive frontline in crisis management.

As Einstein himself said, “in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity”. The rise of cyber threats – while daunting – offers the chance for businesses to reimagine their approach to both security and customer experience. An integrated, holistic approach isn’t just a smart business idea, but an opportunity to protect businesses and deepen customer trust. By breaking down siloes and fostering collaboration, businesses can turn potential vulnerabilities into strengths.

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When the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar and Sub 4 were finally unveiled, all eyes (or should that be, ears?) were focused on whether they sounded better than their predecessors, and by how much.

As our full Sonos Arc Ultra review reveals, it’s “the best one-box Dolby Atmos soundbar for the price.” It’s not without its immediate flaws, namely maintaining a single HDMI input (yep, Sonos still refuses to offer HDMI passthrough) and there’s no support for DTS, although with the majority of spatial audio movie soundtracks being available in Dolby Atmos, this shouldn’t alienate too many potential customers.

I wholeheartedly agree with the statements made by my colleague Matt Bolton in our full Arc Ultra review, but having spent some time with both the Arc Ultra and Sub 4 – which have temporarily replaced my Arc and Sub 3 at home for testing – I’ve discovered a few extra little features that, combined with the stellar sound output, have me reaching for my credit card to upgrade.

The Sonos diet

When we first spied leaked photos of the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar, it was tricky to determine if there was any change at all to the design compared to the Arc. In reality, there certainly isn’t much to separate them, and the Ultra is still unmistakably Sonos. The only difference is that the new soundbar is slightly longer but also – crucially for me – marginally shorter in height. Official dimensions are 87 x 1142 x 116 mm for the Arc and 75 x 1178 x 111 mm for the Arc Ultra.

The biggest impact the Sonos diet has had for me is that the soundbar now doesn’t cut off the bottom of my LG G4 OLED. My previous Arc didn’t block the bottom of the screen massively, but I often found my eyes being drawn to it more than I would like. Now, with the Arc Ultra in its place, I can clearly see the bottom of the screen and I’ve found I’m immersed in the action on the screen a lot more, as the ‘floating screen’ effect of the G4 OLED is more prominent.

The change in depth is also another bonus for me. The LG G4’s stand, plus the fact the TV naturally sits at a slight angle (I have the 77-inch version – the 65- and 55-inch models stand flat) meant there wasn’t an awful lot of space for my old Arc to sit on the approximately 40cm deep stand. While the Arc Ultra is ‘only’ six millimeters skinnier, it has made a huge difference on my media unit.

Matte attack

Another feature I’ve found to have a subtle but significant impact at home is the new matte finish of the Sub 4. When I first read about it before receiving the test unit Sonos sent me, I was unsure exactly what to expect. I was already quite enamored with the shinier finish of the Sub 3 and I do still think it looks like a premium product.

But when I took the dust bag off the Sonos Sub 4, I let out an “oooh, that’s nice” response. The white matte finish perfectly matches the Era 300 speakers I have for surrounds, and I’m sure it would match a white Arc Ultra (I was sent the black version for this article).

But the surprising effect it had for me was how it blends in more with the white wall it’s placed against. It’s not a monumental change, but when you’re spending the money Sonos asks for the Sub 4, you’re going to want it to look as good as possible, and I think it’s stunning.

As I’ve alluded earlier, I only get to test the Sub 4 – and the Ultra soundbar – for a limited time, and I’ll admittedly be fine going back to the Sub 3 when the new gear has to be returned. If you already own a Sonos sub, I’m not sure it’s worth upgrading just for the matte finish, but ultimately I’m pleased to see Sonos making the design change. And, as our review of the Arc Ultra states, most people may not feel the need to add a subwoofer at all, given how well the soundbar handles low frequencies.

Speech-y clean

OK, so this one is sort of sound related, but not entirely. Along with the new Sound Motion technology used in the woofer, the Sonos Arc Ultra has introduced a new Speech Enhancement feature to boost dialogue. It’s not a revolutionary update where soundbars are concerned – the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8, for example, calls its version Voice Zoom – but it’s something I was excited to learn of, as I had previously thought the Arc sometimes struggled when it came to voice clarity.

The Speech Enhancement feature is accessed within the Sonos app – which, for the record, I never really had an issue with during SonosAppGate, but can appreciate has now been vastly improved – and works on a scale of Low, Medium or High. You also have the option of turning it off.

When in use, it really works, with dialogue coming through a lot clearer, with a much more obvious notion of a ‘center channel’. Its highest setting comes at the cost of other aspects of soundtracks being softened, such as bass levels, so I’ve personally found low or medium to be the better options, as the rest of a soundtrack remains as it should, just with vocals given a slight boost.

To be honest, the Speech Enhancement feature is the biggest improvement over the Arc in my opinion, and genuinely worth the upgrade.

Long-overdue Bluetooth

Sonos and Bluetooth haven’t always had the most harmonious of relationships. The brand has traditionally been a Wi-Fi-only operator, until it introduced the Sonos Move as its first portable Bluetooth speaker. This was followed by the Roam and Sonos has since given Bluetooth support to its home-based speakers, including the Era 100 and Era 300.

I’ve not always seen the need for Bluetooth in Sonos’ home gear – they’re constantly connected to Wi-Fi and music quality benefits when being streamed via AirPlay or directly from within the Sonos App – but at least Sonos is giving its speakers and soundbars the ability to receive a Bluetooth stream and share it with other compatible speakers. It is a multi-room speaker brand, after all.

To make connectivity that much easier, Sonos has added a dedicated Bluetooth button on the rear of the Arc Ultra. It’s also possible to activate Bluetooth pairing from within the Sonos app. It’s a quick process, and you’ll have music streaming around your home in no time at all.

Final credits

If you already own a Sonos Arc, you may still be wondering if it's worth upgrading to the Arc Ultra. As with almost everything, that depends on your use case. For myself, I spend a lot of time at home scouring the best streaming services for movies and TV shows to binge on. I also love good sound, and so naturally, I'm going to want the best that's available to me. I would love a 'proper' speaker package and an AV receiver, but I just don't have the space.

Therefore, in my opinion, the Arc Ultra with Era 300 surround speakers and a Sub is the next best thing. The new Speech Enhancement feature is a huge step up, and fixes perhaps the biggest niggle I had with the original Arc. To me, it's worth the upgrade, but to you, maybe not.

As for the Sub, if you already have a Sub 3 or older, then I don't think it's worth moving up to the Sub 4. I didn't notice much difference in the bass output. Sonos' big slab o' subwoofer has always been a top performer in my experience (and could realistically be too much in some rooms) and I have no complaints with the Sub 3's performance. Do I prefer the new matte finish? Yes. Is it worth spending $799 / £799 / AU$1,299 just for that finish? No.

If you currently own a full Sonos home theater setup but you want to make the overall soundfield bigger, wider and more powerful, than I'd recommend at least auditioning the Arc Ultra in your local hi-fi or electronics store. Even if you ultimately decide the improvements aren't big enough to justify an upgrade, I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

• Security researchers from Group-IB discover unique new piece of malware
• It abuses extended attributes for macOS files to deploy the payload
• The malware is most likely built by North Korean state-sponsored actors

Cybersecurity researchers have stumbled upon yet another malware variant for macOS likely built by the notorious North Korean Lazarus group.

The report from Group-IB concerns the discovery of RustyAttr, a brand new piece of macOS malware built using the Tauri framework. T

he malware was not flagged on VirusTotal and was, at one point, signed using a legitimate Apple developer ID. The ID has since been revoked.

Extended attributes

Days before them, researchers from Jamf found something similar - a seemingly benign app on VirusTotal, built with Flutter, and serving as a backdoor for macOS victims.

In both cases, the malware used novel obfuscation methods, but wasn’t fully operational, leading the researchers to believe that they were mere experiments, as crooks look for new ways to hide the infection.

RustyAttr was found abusing extended attributes for macOS, the researchers claim.

Extended attributes (xattrs) are a feature that allows files and directories to store additional metadata beyond standard attributes like name, size, and permissions. They are used for different things, from storing security-related information, to tagging files with specific metadata, and enabling compatibility with other file systems. In this case, the EA name was “test”, and carries a shell script.

When the malware runs, it loads a website with a piece of JavaScript. This JavaScript - called preload.js, pulls content from “test” which seems to be a location. This location is then sent to the ‘run_command’ function, where the shell script executes it.

While the process is ongoing, the victim is tricked with a decoy PDF file or a fake error message that pops up in the foreground.

RustyAttr was most likely built by Lazarus, the researchers said, although since there are no reported victims, they cannot be absolutely certain. However, they are confident that the malware was built to test new delivery and obfuscation methods on macOS devices.

Via BleepingComputer

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