Net neutrality repeal -- how will IT networks be impacted?
With Net neutrality in the midst of upheaval, there are significant changes afoot for both businesses and consumers in terms of internet access and control. New rules are expected to create differing service categories, allowing ISPs to prioritize access and bandwidth for certain customers. This will undoubtedly create confusion in the market leaving IT executives to make adjustments based on any new restrictions. To be ready, IT leaders would be well-served to keep the following in mind:
Threat factor #1: Internet fast lanes with potentially higher prices
Microsoft opens up its AI training to the public
Businesses are increasingly interested in the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence across a wide range of uses. But there's an increasing shortage of the skills needed to implement AI.
Microsoft is helping to address this problem by making its AI training program -- the Microsoft Professional Program in AI, previously only available to employees -- open to the public.
Crony Capitalism: Zuckerberg and the never-ending stench of Facebook
Taken at face value as an isolated incident, Facebook's most recent data breach leak allegations may seem like a plausible case of corporate malfeasance. But that's giving Zuckerberg way too much credit, as someone who has been gifted every olive branch possible from his global community of users. And yet one who has consistently, and awkwardly, dropped the ball each time. Are we dealing with a case of a CEO who can't keep the wheels straight? Or is there more going on behind the veil then anyone wishes to admit?
I've been pondering this question more and more recently. It seems like Facebook can't go more than a few months without another bullet that needs to be dodged. It used to be that Facebook was navigating user blowback due to feature changes. But it's quickly getting into incessant hot water about privacy blunders and functional changes purely centered on being able to siphon every last drop of data out of users.
This Easter get Driver Booster 5 PRO, worth $22.95, FREE at Downloadcrew Giveaway!
Are your PC’s drivers up-to-date? It’s not always easy to find out, but worth checking – there could be a pile of performance enhancements and bug fixes just waiting to be installed.
IObit Driver Booster 5 PRO takes away all your driver management hassles by checking for new releases, downloading and installing driver updates, all with a single click.
Cloudflare launches 1.1.1.1 consumer DNS service with a focus on privacy
Today is both Easter and April Fool's Day, making it an absolutely atrocious day for announcing new products. After all, on Easter, many people are busy with their families -- it will be very easy for technology news to get overlooked. Not to mention, companies often announce fake products on April Fool's -- anything announced will be questioned as being either real or not.
That isn't stopping Cloudflare from announcing an ambitious (and real) new project, however. Today, the company announces a new consumer DNS service with a focus on privacy. Called "1.1.1.1" it quite literally uses that easy-to-remember IP address as the primary DNS server. Why announce on April Fool's Day? Because the IP is four ones and today's date is 4/1 -- clever. The secondary server is 1.0.0.1 -- also easy to remember.
Samsung unveils Notebook 5 and Notebook 3 with 8th-gen Intel Core processors
It's hard not to be skeptical of news articles you read on April 1. After all, some tech companies and media outlets do enjoy a good prank on April Fools' Day. But this announcement from Samsung does not fall into that category.
The South Korean electronics maker today announces two new laptops that will actually hit store shelves. They're called Notebook 5 and Notebook 3 and come with a premium design, 8th-generation quad-core Intel Core "Kaby Lake R" processors, and large displays.
Amazon to delete MP3s from its Music Storage service for some users
Subscribers to Amazon's Music Storage service have less than a month to access their music before it is lost forever.
The company has announced that as of April 29, there will be no new subscriptions accepted for the service, and any existing subscriptions will be allowed to expire. If you do not opt to save your MP3s before this happens, you will lose access to them completely.
Bookmark syncing service Xmarks to close on May 1
If you're a user of Xmarks, there's some bad news for you -- the service is closing down in a month's time. The bookmark syncing tool, which is available as an addon for Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari, is to be shuttered on May 1.
Very little fuss is being made about the closure by the company behind it -- something which is perhaps indicative of the level of interest there is in the service these days. A banner at the top of the Xmarks website reads: "LogMeIn is retiring Xmarks from its line of products as of May 1, 2018. After this date, you will no longer have access to Xmarks."
'Where's Waldo?' comes to Google Maps for some reason
Today, Google announces that it is bringing the "Where's Waldo?" franchise to Google Maps. If you aren't familiar, this is a picture book series in which the reader has to find "Waldo" -- a man wearing a striped sweater. By design, he is hard to find -- he is hidden in plain sight by blending into his surroundings. Exactly why Google is doing this is a mystery, but OK, whatever.
Tomorrow is April 1, a date that represents "April Fool's Day" -- a holiday where people play pranks on each other. In recent years, technology companies -- including Google -- have used this date to announce fake news; usually an absurd product or other silliness. Surprisingly, this Where's Waldo? announcement is real and not an April Fool's Day prank.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 Spring Creators Update Build 17133 to the Slow ring, but not for all
Microsoft only released Windows 10 Spring Creators Update (Redstone 4) Build 17133 to the Fast ring a few days ago, but it’s already been cleared for the Slow ring.
However, as part of some deployment testing, not everyone on the Slow ring will receive it immediately. You will be able to force the update if you want to though.
Less than half of Android security apps offer effective protection
A new study from independent testing lab AV-Comparatives reveals that of over 200 Android security apps tested the majority are dubious, unsafe or ineffective.
The company downloaded 204 apps from the Google Play store in January this year and found 84 of the apps detected over 30 percent of malicious samples, and had zero false alarms. 79 detected under 30 percent of malware samples and/or had a high false alarm rate.
What's the probability of a data breach happening to you? Or is that the wrong question?
Correctly calculating the probability of risk is becoming critical to organizations. And it’s not just because it is essential and fundamental to good Risk Management practice, but also because new laws such as GDPR are mandating it. Security measures must be appropriate to the risk, and the risk is suffering a data breach. So, calculating the probability of a data breach happening, regardless of scope, is vital to determining appropriate security measures.
ISACA, previously known as the Information Systems Audit and Control Association but now known solely by its acronym, talks about the probability of risk as:
Best practices for effective Privileged Access Management
It feels like almost every week, we hear of a new breach, and each week, we’re thankful it wasn’t our company. But how long can we dodge the breach bullet? No one wants to be the next headline, but what can we do to ensure that we aren’t?
The common denominator in virtually every breach is that somehow, someone who shouldn’t have access to your company’s system and data sources has found a way in. The bad guys are smart, creative and motivated, and can use even the smallest opening.
Apple releases iOS 11.3 with a massive focus on privacy
Ahead of GDPR in Europe, Apple has released iOS 11.3, complete with a selection of privacy-focused tools. But while privacy is at the heart of the release, it is far from being the end of the story.
The recent Facebook scandal has focused attention on privacy, and this is something Apple will be more than happy to capitalize upon, bringing GDPR-prompted tools to the world -- not just Europe. But iOS 11.3 also includes an extensive changelog with a range of fixes and updates.
Leaked Facebook memo: 'so what if the social network's growth leads to terrorism and death?'
A leaked memo written by Facebook's vice-president, Andrew Bosworth, entitled "The Ugly" gives a glimpse into the attitude the social network has towards its own growth. "Boz" Bosworth says the "ugly truth" of Facebook's growth is that connecting people could lead to deaths -- but so be it.
In the memo, Bosworth says "anything that allows us to connect more people more often is *de facto* good". He goes on to say: "That's why all the work we do in growth is justified. All the questionable contact importing practices. All the subtle language that helps people stay searchable by friends. All of the work we do to bring more communication in. The work we will likely have to do in China some day. All of it". With the criticism that has been leveled at Facebook recently, the leak could hardly have come at a worse time.
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