US has no plans to impose encryption backdoors

Security Lock Circuit

US President Barack Obama’s administration will no longer pursue legislation which allows the government to legally spy on its citizens, Reuters reported on Monday.

A White House spokesperson confirmed the move, announcing a change in strategy for the US government, where it will go for a more patient approach.

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Facebook pays less in taxes than the average UK worker

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The numbers showing just how much Facebook has paid Britain in taxes has some people outraged and others utterly confused, but the problem seems to be in the legislation, and not in the companies themselves.

The biggest social media site in the world, Facebook, has paid £4,327 to the British government last year. At the same time, the company earned more than £100m from advertising and other forms of revenue.

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EE: UK will need more than 2 million IT workers by 2020

Tech suport

If you thought the story about Europe needing 800,000 workers in the IT security industry by 2020 was insane, you’ll be blown away with what O2 claims.

According to its research, the UK alone will need 2.3 million workers with IT skills by the same time. The research also predicts 766,000 new jobs will be created over the next five years, with London and the south-east being the main targets.

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Device detection might be the answer to ad-blockers' popularity

ads

What strikes me most about the reaction to Apple’s decision to allow iPhone and iPad Safari browsers to block advertising via third-party software extensions is its reason for doing so.

According to the BBC an Apple spokeswoman claimed the decision was made "for an improved mobile browsing experience". Some users support this view with one such comment from Peter Steinberger -- "Ad blocking on iOS 9 makes such a big difference in page load times, it’s not even funny".

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Is your IT department ready for continuous Windows 10 updates?

Question

Windows 10 might be the last time IT does a major OS rollout across their organization. Here on in, rather than releasing a new version of the Windows operating system (OS) every few years, there will be regular and continual updates to Windows 10 in perpetuity.

For enterprise IT departments, this new business model and Microsoft software release strategy requires a whole new level of vigilance and support.

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How to protect your network in the BYOD era

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The consumerization of business technology is picking-up speed. This trend towards the introduction of consumer technology within the corporate environment for the use of work activities is best reflected in policies like Bring Your Own Device (BYOD).

These policies have become prevalent in most corporate environments, and have kept many network administrators awake at night worried about the potential data breaches that could occur.

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LoopPay hack does not affect Samsung Pay users

Security

Samsung has hit a spot of trouble, with the news that LoopPay, a US-based subsidiary of the company, has been targeted by hackers.

This is particularly important because as the New York Times reports, LoopPay’s magnetic secure transmission technology is the cornerstone of Samsung’s mobile payment system.

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Dell might snap up EMC for $50 billion

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A merger between Dell, private-equity firm Silver Lake and EMC might be on the cards, as the storage giant considers a few options. The merger would cost Dell $50 billion (£32 billion), making it the largest single-tech acquisition ever.

The move does make sense for Dell, as it moves from a consumer PC manufacturer to a data storage, security and enterprise service provider. EMC would be a large boost for the company’s revenue and add a large clientele to the portfolio.

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Uber blames Lyft CTO for data theft

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Uber is laying blame for the February 2015 hack and data theft on none other than its main competitor -- Lyft.

Back in February 2015, someone broke into Uber’s servers and stole data of more than 50,000 its drivers, and now Uber claims the thief’s IP address points to Lyft’s chief of technology Chris Lambert.

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US businesses fear Safe Harbor dismissal will affect European operations

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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in the US are saying that the suspension of the Safe Harbor law might mean end of overseas operations for them, Reuters reported on Thursday.

The Safe Harbor law allowed companies in the United States to transport data regarding its European users to the States. It was struck down recently, by the European Court of Justice.

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Porsche believes Android Auto collects too much data, opts for CarPlay

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Porsche won’t install Google’s Android Auto system in its future 911 models because the American tech giant is asking for too much personal (or should I say, mechanical) information about the vehicles.

Instead, it will go for Apple’s CarPlay system.

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US tech giants and the (untaxed) billions in offshore accounts

Streaming video service Hang w/ shares its profits with users -- others take note!

A recently released report by advocacy group Citizens for Tax Justice has revealed the staggering amount of money being held in offshore accounts by US technology firms.

Offshore Shell Games 2015 discloses that almost 72 percent of businesses listed on the Fortune 500 operated tax haven subsidiaries as of the end of last year.

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Technology affects our long-term memory

Digital amnesia

Technology is making us forget things, and now we’ve got a Kaspersky Lab research to prove it.

According to a study by security firm Kaspersky Lab, when asked a question, 57 percent will try to remember the answer themselves, but 36 percent won’t even think about it -- they’ll just pull up their phone and head for Google.

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Malwarebytes: There's no WinRAR vulnerability, we're sorry!

sorry

Security firm Malwarebytes recently unveiled a vulnerability in WinRAR, the popular compression program which, according to the firm, has put millions of its users at risk.

The program’s developers, RARLab, shrugged it off saying it’s not really a vulnerability. It turns out they were right, and Malwarebytes has apologized for its mistake.

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Malware targeting Microsoft Outlook Web App is after your password

Attack key

A newly discovered malware targets Microsoft’s Outlook Web App, the company’s web-based email client. The news was unveiled by security firm Cybereason, which said the advanced persistent threat (APT) can enable patient attackers to steal an organization’s email passwords over time.

By using this approach, the hackers managed to collect and retain ownership over a large set of credentials, allowing them to maintain persistent control over the organization’s environment, Cybereason says.

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