YouTube Premium Lite launches in the USA
YouTube is finally rolling out Premium Lite in the USA (coming soon to Thailand, Germany, and Australia). For the princely sum of $7.99 per month, Google is promising subscribers a mostly ad-free experience.
Although Premium Lite offers an official way to remove ads, it won't hide those baked directly into videos by creators. That’s right, even if you shell out for this plan, you’ll still have to sit through sponsored segments for VPNs, meal kits, and mobile games, because YouTube can’t really do anything about those. Quite frankly, that just doesn’t seem fair.
Apple MacBook Air M4 and Mac Studio might be the perfect upgrade for Windows 11 users
Just yesterday, Apple unveiled a new iPad Air. Today, the iPhone-maker announces two new exciting computers -- the MacBook Air laptop with M4 chip and a refreshed Mac Studio desktop powered by M4 Max and M3 Ultra. With more performance, better AI integration, and longer battery life (for the laptop), these Mac machines might be the perfect option for those fed up with Windows 11 and looking for a smooth, hassle-free computing experience.
The MacBook Air keeps its fanless design but now supports two external displays when closed. It gets a 12MP Center Stage camera, starts with 16GB of memory, and introduces a new sky blue color. Apple claims it’s twice as fast as the M1 version, with up to 18 hours of battery life. The price drops to $999 -- $100 less than before!
Ransomware attacks up 30 percent driven by AI and RaaS
The latest threat report from Deep Instinct shows ransomware attacks increasing by 30 percent, driven by AI-powered phishing and Ransomware-as-a-Service offerings.
The findings reveal that AI-generated phishing campaigns have grown in efficacy with advancements in reconnaissance and video and voice generation tools.
IT faces a demographic timebomb as older employees approach retirement
A new report shows that more senior employees are bearing a heavy burden, with IT professionals who have more than 10 years of experience and the Baby Boomer generation experiencing the longest work weeks.
The study from Auvik also shows a generational disparity in the workload is rapidly exacerbating issues around burnout, since as many as 10,000 Baby Boomers will turn 65 and retire every single day between now and 2030, leaving even more work for remaining IT employees.
Forget Google Chrome and Firefox, LibreWolf is the privacy focused browser you've been looking for
Are you frustrated by Mozilla’s recent leanings towards putting revenue ahead of privacy? Fans of Firefox who are looking to take their privacy to the next level (and beyond any potential compromises Mozilla might make going forward) should take a look at LibreWolf, available for Windows, macOS and Linux.
LibreWolf is a direct fork from the latest version of Firefox with a raft of additional privacy measures added to make your browsing experience even more private.
Growth in fraud leads businesses to ramp up prevention efforts
Businesses could be forfeiting up to five percent or more of their revenue to fraud, considering the hidden costs of operational inefficiencies, compliance penalties and customer attrition, according to a new report.
Based on responses from almost 600 decision-makers and strategic leaders across financial services, fintech, payments, eCommerce and iGaming, the study from fraud prevention and compliance specialist SEON, finds budget allocations indicate that 86 percent of companies are spending over three percent of revenues on anti-fraud measures.
Windows 20 is the upgrade Windows 11 should have been -- download it now
With Windows 11, Microsoft tried to make the new OS look different from Windows 10, mainly by centering the taskbar and Start menu. This wasn’t the most popular change for a lot of people.
As we’ve covered before, there are a good number of third-party tools that you can use to put the Start menu and taskbar back to how they were, as well as tweak other areas of the newest operating system, including improving icons and updating File Explorer.
Non-profit sector sees increasing wave of email attacks
Advanced email attacks on non-profit organizations have surged 35 percent year-on-year according to a new report from Abnormal Security.
Credential phishing attacks on non-profit organizations have escalated by 50.4 percent over the past year too. By stealing login credentials, cybercriminals gain access to internal communications, donor databases, and financial records, allowing them to launch further attacks or sell sensitive information on the dark web.
Why unlocking the full potential of your cybersecurity investment isn't just about the tech [Q&A]
For enterprises, making the right cyber security investment isn't just about selecting the most advanced technology. To truly get the best return, decision-makers must also consider the strategic and financial aspects of their choices.
We spoke to Ben Vaughan, chief commercial officer at Bridewell, to discuss how by engaging with the right teams, businesses can ensure their security solutions are not only technically sound but also aligned with their long-term financial goals and sustainable growth.
Google makes it easier to find apps with widgets
A well-designed widget can really enhance an app, helping to make it even more useful; equally, a crappy widget (or a lack of widgets) can completely ruin an otherwise perfect app. Widgets are important, and Google is finally recognizing that fact.
The company is making it easier to find Android apps that include widgets. As well as introducing a new badge to highlight widget-wielding apps in Google Play, Google is also adding the option to search specifically for apps with widgets. But it doesn't end there.
Microsoft adds incredible audio and video file conversion tools to PowerToys v0.89.0
As promised recently, Microsoft has released PowerToys v0.89.0 complete with new features. While there are no brand-new modules this time around, exiting utilities have been given amazing new capabilities, not least of which is Advanced Paste.
While you might think of copying and pasting as being related to text and images, the PowerToys development team has applied it to media files. What does this mean? It means the arrival of easy-to-use media transcoding so you can covert audio and video files into different formats. This PowerToys release also has exciting hints of what is to come.
Inside a cyberattack: How hackers steal data
The truth about cybersecurity is that it’s almost impossible to keep hackers outside of an organization, particularly as the cybercrime industry becomes increasingly sophisticated and their technology more advanced.
Once a hacker has broken through an organization’s defenses, it is relatively easy to move within the network and access information without being detected for days, and even months. This is a significant concern for Banking and Financial Services organizations, which house valuable sensitive and Personally Identifiable Information (PII). The goal of cybersecurity is to minimize the risk and the impact of a breach. Understanding the adversary’s mindset and activity is central to this.
ExpressVPN finally brings GUI to its Linux app
ExpressVPN has rolled out a much-needed update for Linux users, finally adding a graphical user interface (GUI) to its VPN app. Yes, folks, a GUI for Linux is only being rolled out in 2025! Better late than never, I suppose.
Until now, ExpressVPN users in Linux were stuck with a command-line interface (CLI), while Windows and macOS users enjoyed a more user-friendly experience. This update brings ExpressVPN more in line with competitors like Surfshark, which has long offered a Linux app with a GUI.
Apple launches new iPad Air with M3 chip, AI features, and updated Magic Keyboard
Despite owning a fancy iPhone 16 Pro Max, I also have an iPad Air. Why? Well, even though my iPhone has a pretty big screen, sometimes I just want even bigger. Plus, I can use it when my iPhone is charging.
Why didn’t I go with an iPad Pro? Quite simply, Apple’s Pro tablets are too expensive for what I mostly use them for -- media consumption. Hell, I don’t need an expensive iPad Pro for watching TikTok on the toilet.
Enterprises struggle to balance data retention costs with compliance
A new survey of 300 IT and security professionals, commissioned by Red Canary and conducted by Censuswide, finds that just 35 percent of data stored in legacy SIEMs delivers tangible value for threat detection.
In addition, only 13 percent of organizations separate out low value data for cheaper storage in a raw data repository. Due to SIEM storage costs, 68 percent of IT security decision makers say they discard low value data and have to hope they won't regret it.
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