Latest Technology News

How to activate Windows Defender Offline in Windows 10

Windows Defender, Windows 10’s built in antivirus tool, will keep your PC safe from numerous threats, but it’s not on a par with dedicated third-party anti-malware solutions.

Microsoft is working to make it more useful however, including adding offline capabilities that will allow you to run a system scan at bootup, and without an internet connection. That will make the tool much better at detecting and removing malicious software. Windows Defender Offline is not available to all at the moment, but you can still try it out.

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IT security executives tell boards what they want to hear

A new report reveals that just four out of 10 IT and security executives feel the information they provide to the board of directors is actionable and that they often tell them what they want to hear.

The report from threat intelligence company Bay Dynamics also shows that only 39 percent believe they are getting the help they need from the board to address cyber security threats.

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Documents reveal details of EU-US Privacy Shield data sharing deal

Details of the data sharing arrangements agreed between the US and EU earlier in the month have been revealed in newly published documents. The EU-US Privacy Shield transatlantic data transfer agreement is set to replace the Safe Harbor that had previously been in place.

The European Commission has released the full legal texts that will form the backbone of the data transfer framework. One of the aims is to "restore trust in transatlantic data flows since the 2013 surveillance revelations", and while privacy groups still take issue with the mechanism that will be in place, the agreement is widely expecting to be ratified by members of the EU.

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Malware spreading through cloud apps

There’s a good chance the cloud apps you use at work are laced with malware. Those are the findings of the latest report by cloud access security broker Netskope. In its February 2016 Netskope Cloud Report, the company says the usage of cloud apps in enterprises has never been this high -- ever.

In Q4 of 2015, employees used on average 769 different cloud apps, representing a 26.5 percent increase from the previous report. But (there’s always a but) -- 4.1 percent of enterprises have sanctioned malware-infected cloud apps.

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82 percent of company boards are concerned about cyber security

Security

According to a new study, data security is now on the agenda in most boardrooms. Yet only 14 percent of information security chiefs report to the CEO.

The report by the Information Systems audit and Control Association (ISACA)  and the RSA Conference also reveals that 74 percent of security professionals expect a cyberattack in 2016 and 30 percent experience phishing attacks every day.

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Microsoft is wrong to pester insiders for Windows 10 feedback

tablet feedback

Windows 10 has enjoyed the largest beta testing program of any version of Windows. In opening up the Windows Insider program to anyone who wants to sign up for it, Microsoft has been able to gather valuable feedback from more people than ever. But not enough people it seems.

Users of Windows 10 preview builds have been asked to provide feedback using either the feedback app, or by responding to occasional popup notifications that appear. Up until now these notifications have been optional but in the latest Redstone build there is no way to disable them. Of course the first argument to be put forward is that gaining feedback is the very point of running the insider program. But is it that simple? Could mandated feedback actually be counterproductive?

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New service helps organizations visualize and prioritize security threats

Qualys ThreatProtect

Active vulnerabilities can present a serious threat to organizations, which is why many are turning to intelligence solutions to spot and manage security issues.

Cloud-based security and compliance specialist Qualys is announcing a new service as part of its Cloud Platform. Called Qualys ThreatPROTECT, it provides customers with an interactive dashboard to help them understand security threats at-a-glance.

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From battling Scientology to taking down Islamic State, hacker group Anonymous celebrates its top ten accomplishments

Recently Anonymous has mostly been in the news for targeting Islamic State on the web, playing its part in helping to shut down thousands of ISIS-supporting accounts on Facebook and Twitter.

But the hacktivist collective, which has been active since 2003, has initiated a lot of campaigns over the years, targeting a variety of people and organizations, some more successfully than others. The group’s list of achievements is quite impressive -- ranging from getting an internet predator arrested, to taking on the Church of Scientology.

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Snapchat gets compromised, but user data should be safe

There's no small amount of controversy that swirls around Snapchat, as people swear it's used for all sorts of bad things. In truth, it probably isn't, people just send messages and images, most of which aren't the least controversial. But now the company has another problem, though this one doesn't involve anything lurid.

Instead it's actually the company's employees who were compromised and the service is attempting to apologize for this breach.

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How reliable is your firewall? Atelier Web Firewall Tester finds out

Just about every firewall claims to protect your personal data by checking for illicit web connections -- but do they really work?

Atelier Web Firewall Tester (32-bit and 64-bit) is a once commercial, now free Windows product which tries to find out.

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Is your 'Open with' option missing in Windows 10? Here's a fix

Windows 10 has been out for a while now and, much different from the last version of the operating system, people don't seem to dislike it. That doesn't mean there aren't problems, there's been plenty of the them, and over time fixes have been found for many of those little issues.

One that has cropped up is the disappearing "Open with" option in the right-click menu for files. There's a fairly easy fix for it though. Just follow these steps.

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Raspberry Pi 3 launches! 10x faster, 64-bit Quad-Core CPU, built in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

Four years ago today, on 29 February 2012, the Raspberry Pi Foundation launched the original Raspberry Pi. Conceived as an ultra-cheap way to encourage kids to code as they had back in the 1980s and 90s, the uncased credit card sized computer quickly found an appreciative audience outside of the education system, with over a million Pis sold in the first year alone. Since then the firm has released several new versions, including the Raspberry Pi 2 (launched a year ago), and most recently the ultra-elusive $5 Raspberry Pi Zero.

Today, to celebrate the Pi’s 4th birthday, a new member joins the family. The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B is significantly more powerful than its predecessors and yet is priced at just $35, the same price as the Raspberry Pi 2.

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Everything you need to know about Windows 10: product keys, secret tools, essential hacks, and problem fixes

Windows 10 has been with us for a number of months now, and this has given us plenty of time to unearth all manner of secrets about the operating system. Since launch we have experienced love, hate and everything in between, but we've also learned a great deal. We thought it would make sense to pull together all of this info into one place so you have it available in a handy respository. So what will you find here? Everything!

In the days of Windows being a paid-for OS, people would hunt high and low for cracks and serials to bypass activation. Now that Windows is free, this clearly isn't as prevalent as it used to be, but you might still want to look up your Windows 10 product key before you reinstall. But that's just the start; read on to learn tips, tweaks, hacks, and problem fixes.

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Emojis can ruin your life and make you a criminal ? ? ?

Millennials love using emojis, so the smiley faces and symbols must be childish and silly, right? Nah, there is nothing wrong with these young folks or their fancy emoji -- each generation likes to have its own identity. Smartphones, emojis, and apps like Snapchat are totally cool and arguably uniquely theirs.

But what if I told you that emojis could 100 percent ruin your life and cause all sorts of problems? What if I told you that using certain emoji will turn you into a drug addict or even worse, a hipster? Well, don't believe any of that because it isn't true. What is a true story, however, is that emojis are becoming a contributing factor when some people are accused of crimes. Holy cow! One person is only 12 years old and being charged with what is essentially a terrorist act. Is the charge valid, or ridiculous?

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History channel's Vault comes to Roku

The History channel is one of those networks that many people either love or hate. While it provides good incite into many things, it can also go a bit off the rails at times. On the whole though, it's a solid viewing choice much of the time.

History Vault promises to provide hundreds of hours of "curated" content to viewers and to do so commercial-free. Content is divided up by categories including world leaders, inside the presidency, ancient discoveries and more.

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