BetaNews Staff

Apps that come with open-source code are putting organizations at risk, according to a new report by Black Duck. As you might imagine, many companies are using apps with open-source code.

Black Duck’s Center for Open Source Research & Innovation analyzed 1,071 apps audited during 2016 and found that 96 percent of them had open source. Of those, more than 60 percent had open source security vulnerabilities.

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Every eighth person in England has had their healthcare data breached. This is the conclusion of a new report just released by Accenture. Based on a poll of 1,000 people it says that more than half of those who experienced a data breach (56 percent), were in fact, victims of medical identity theft.

The report also says that these data breaches are fairly expensive, too. On average, more than three quarters (77 percent) have had to pay roughly £172 in out-of-pocket costs, per incident.

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There is a high degree of mistrust when it comes to the technology sector managing people’s personal data. This is according to a new report from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), that got released late last week.

According to the report, just six percent of the public trusts businesses in the technology sector to handle their personal data responsibly.

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At this time of year, the number of tax scams reaches a high, with fraudsters looking for any chance to cash in on consumers, the self-employed or small businesses who might be excited about potential refunds. Many people now do their taxes online, and cybercriminals are seeing this as a huge opportunity for phishing schemes. Take the recent HMRC email scam which sends fake emails asking the recipient to create a "government gateway account" to access information about their tax refunds, and subsequently requests personal banking details.

What’s more, recent ONS figures show that online fraud is now the most common crime in the UK, with almost one in 10 people falling victim. But whilst online fraud is growing, there are various types of scams which can take place, and it’s important for consumers and businesses alike to be aware of the threats.

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People are the biggest threat when it comes to enterprise cyber-security, not technology or processes. This is according to a new report by The Institute of Information Security Professionals (IISP), which says there are a couple of ways people are putting organizations at cyber risk.

The first, and most obvious one, is not being careful enough when opening links in emails, downloading attachments and visiting threat-carrying sites. The second one, less obvious, is the lack of technical skill. And finally, the third one, is the risk from senior business stakeholders making "poor critical decisions around strategy and budgets."

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Riverbed recently announced it's buying Xirrus for an undisclosed sum of money. The former is a company that builds SD-WAN products and generally looks to improve and optimize WANs. Xirrus, on the other hand, builds next-gen Wi-Fi networks.

With the new acquisition, Riverbed will be able to offer its customers "the power of unified connectivity and policy-based orchestration that spans the entire distributed network -- WAN, LAN/WLAN, data center and the cloud."

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Despite the fact that the media is constantly buzzing with stories of successful ransomware attacks, the general public in the UK is largely unaware of the threat.

Backup experts Acronis polled Brits, and in their report it says that 60 percent of respondents would not be able to explain what ransomware actually is. Sixteen percent "just heard of it," while seven percent say they could "definitely" explain what ransomware is. Fifteen percent "probably could"

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Live-linear streaming over-the-top video (OTT) will surpass traditional broadcast TV within five years, a new report by Level 3 Communications, Streaming Media and Unisphere Research says.

It’s based on a poll that says 70 percent of respondents agree with the claim. The report, entitled OTT Video Services Study, polled almost 500 media industry professionals.

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Mastercard has unveiled a new card that comes with a fingerprint scanner, allowing consumers to make purchases without the card ever leaving their hands. It builds on fingerprint scanning technology currently available in smartphones, and can be used at EMV terminals worldwide, the company says.

The technology was tested in South Africa, in two separate trials. One was with Pick n Pay, while the other one was Absa Bank, a subsidiary of Barclays Africa.

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The Internet of Things (IoT) has undergone an amazing transformation, from a pipe dream to a marketing buzzword, and now an impending reality. Recent estimates expect the number of Internet-connected devices to reach 26 billion by 2020, with some studies suggesting an even higher output.

With an exponential increase in devices communicating with us, other devices, and with the internet at large, how can anyone keep private information safe?

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Oracle’s databases, middleware and developer tools are now available in the Docker Store marketplace, thanks to a new partnership between the two companies, announced yesterday.

Available via the Docker Certification Program, the tools allow developers to quickly build cloud-native applications using Docker Enterprise Edition as their container platform. The Certification Program is a framework, allowing partners to integrate and certify their technology to the Docker EE platform.

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There is a bit of black magic -- or fuzziness -- to Wi-Fi technology. For example, few people know how fast their Wi-Fi connection is at any given moment. Wi-Fi operates at literally hundreds of different speeds (data rates), and these variations depend on dozens of factors. The speed can change with every single data packet that gets transmitted.

Over the last 19 years, Wi-Fi has made incredible strides to stabilize and perform at the high level we enjoy today. The variability of Wi-Fi, however, can still make things confusing.

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Many organizations don’t enforce proper security measures in their DevOps environments, putting both the company and the product at risk. This is according to a new report by Venafi looking into security practices among DevOps adopters.

Using the same passwords for multiple machines or not even bothering to secure communications between machines are some of the most common issues, usually among organizations in the middle of adopting DevOps practices.

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Whether it’s state-sponsored attacks, corporate espionage, a moneymaking scheme or simply someone trying their luck, businesses and governments are facing a constant barrage of cyber attacks. The high-profile cases of lone wolves hacking into the systems of government organizations mask the more devastating consequences of attacks carried out or ordered by nation states against other nation states.

They are threatening national security around the world, but the wide variety of attack vectors, as well as the continuous evolution and improvement of methods, means we’re constantly chasing our tails trying to keep up and keep them out.

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Rambus and Microsoft are working together on developing systems that optimize memory performance on cryogenic temperatures. This is the second time the two companies are teaming up, following the initial collaboration back in December 2015.

According to Rambus, the new partnership aims to "enhance memory capabilities, reduce energy consumption and improve overall system performance."

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