Alan Buckingham

While most people consider Linux safe and secure, it isn't always the case. When the bad guys of the internet have a will, they find a way. That's why, back in May of this year, security firm Dr. Web reported a new family of Linux Trojans designed for DDoS attacks.

Now the company reports that one member of that family, known by the catchy name of "Trojan.DnsAmp.1" has been ported over to the Windows side of the computing world.

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Microsoft's continued updates of its latest console, the Xbox One, will keep going with a new August feature roll out, that is beginning today. There are many new things included that should keep gamers and entertainment aficionados satisfied.

Microsoft's Xbox Live chief Larry Hryb, who's better known as Major Nelson, made the official announcement, along with outlining the benefits for customers.

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Amazon's app store utilizes its own currency system, in the form of Coins. These can be used by customers to purchase apps, but like other monetary inventions, it does cost real money. However, Amazon is currently holding a sale.

The company is offering its Coins at a discount, saving customers 20 percent off the regular price. That's a nice saving for the apps you want to grab.

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Back in early June Microsoft announced it had taken down the GameOver Zeus botnet, in an effort to protect customers. But, thwarting the internet bad guys is much more difficult in practice than it is in theory. Now security researches claim the phoenix is rising from its ashes.

The folks at Arbor Networks, a security research firm, have been keeping regular tabs, and have noted a sudden and very rapid growth. The rise is actually due to a new variant that seems to be spreading quickly, but has become most prevalent in the US.

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YouTube is the top destination on the web for videos -- not all are the highest quality, but they account for a large portion of the internet memes these days. While watching on the PC is fine, and what most users settle for, the ideal viewing method is on the big screen.

Today the video service announces the gradual roll-out of its new TV app. The company plans to get it to all set-top boxes, but the Xbox One seems to have topped the priority list.

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Many of us use Twitter, and we do so for a variety of reasons that include both following friends and family, as well as keeping up with current events. Services like Breaking News and Breaking Weather can be indispensable in daily life.

What many don't know is that some of these services are little more than automated bots. While that sounds scary, and in some cases it is, it's not always something to worry about.

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Roku, the tiny set-top box with a lot of channels, gets one more improvement today. It's an important step in the battle with stiff competition from Apple TV, the recently improved Amazon Fire TV, and the forthcoming Android TV, to name only three.

Now Vimeo is the latest to add just a bit more functionality to the Roku box. The streaming service is announcing a major improvement to its app -- the first major change since it was released back in 2011.

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Selling music seems to be a lucrative business these days, at least judging from all of the streaming services flooding the market. So how does one manage to differentiate itself and set things apart from rivals like Rdio and Google?

Apparently, for Spotify, this means moving into the merchandise business -- a rather lucrative one, given the price of concert tee shirts at shows, though Spotify doesn't plan to profit from this endeavor.

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Email can be inherently dangerous, as less savvy users can, and do, click links that can lead to nefarious locations on the web. The links are frequently a bit hidden -- characters are slightly altered, such as "0" instead of an "O".

Last week Google rolled out support for non-Latin characters, a great addition, but one that enhances this problem, as well. With that in mind, the company is attempting to protect its email customers, by now enabling recognition of bad links through Unicode checks.

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The Amazon Fire TV has become a solid competitor in today's set-top box market, competing with Roku, Apple TV and others. It works especially well for those who are Prime subscribers, as the service is completely integrated into the tiny box.

But Prime is not all you can do with Fire TV, other apps, like Hulu and Netflix, were available at launch and Amazon promised more on the way. That time has arrived, and the company is celebrating in its usual manner. That is, offering discounts on the device.

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Both businesses and home users now utilize server technology, it's a great way to backup files and keep things safe. But, perhaps it isn't quite as secure as many unsuspecting customers had thought. Synology, one of the leaders in the market, is now dealing with a Crytolocker-like threat, this one aptly name "Synolocker".

Much like its namesake, the software is ransomware, prepared to extort money from unsuspecting NAS customers. While this sounds like doom and gloom, it's actually only compatible with older versions of DiskStation Manager.

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A lot of news recently has swirled around Netflix and its problems with ISPs, especially after the Comcast incident, where the service was forced to pay a premium simply for customers to get reliable service. However, Netflix is not shy about reporting the winners and losers on a monthly basis.

Today it announces its report of ISP streaming speeds. Despite the fee now being paid, Comcast still failed to finish at the top, coming in at fifth place. The giant of the US market ranked behind, in order, Cablevision, Cox, Suddenlink and Charter.

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Watching a movie via Netflix has never been easier -- well, depending on your ISP, that is. Now EA would like to bring the same experience to playing games on that new Xbox One console sitting in your living room.

Electronic Arts has rolled out Access -- a new game service that works quite a lot like the movie service. Also like Netflix, it will work on a subscription basis, there is no free ride here. However, the games available should make it worthwhile for those wishing to partake.

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When people hear the word BitTorrent, they tend to leap to conclusions, some of which are inevitably wrong. The fact is, the technology is used to distribute all sorts of content, including Linux distros and music and movies that artists and directors make available.

However, it is largely one of those keywords that sets off alarm bells with Apple, which keeps a tight rein on the content that appears within its iTunes app store. That's why it was a bit shocking when Blue Downloader made its debut.

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Last year Amazon debuted a number of pilots, though only two survived the final cut -- both Alpha House and Betas had first season runs. Of those, only the former will survive to season two. However, the company continues pushing its own original content, and is now set to debut a new run of pilots for viewers to decide upon.

On August 28th the retail giant will kick off several new shows, all available to any customer who has a Prime subscription. The episodes cover the gamut of content, so pick and choose as you wish.

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