Google releases fourth and final Android P beta ahead of official launch
We may not yet know for certain what it's going to be called, but we now have a very good idea of what to expect from Android P -- or Android 9.0, if you prefer. After numerous developer previews, Google has now released the fourth and final beta ahead of the official launch later this summer.
This is very close to the final code that will be pushed to phones in the coming weeks and months, and Google says that "Beta 4 update includes a release candidate build with final system behaviors and the official Android P APIs (API level 28)". While it's aimed primarily at developers, there's nothing to stop anyone with a compatible handset (or emulator) downloading and installing the final beta of Android P.
Google launches Titan Security Key... that is nothing to do with Yubico
Google now has its own hardware security keys -- the Titan Security Key. These FIDO-compatible keys include Google firmware that verifies the integrity of security keys at the hardware level. The Titan Security Key offers secure hardware-based two-factor authentication, and is available to Google Cloud customers.
The keys are similar to those offered by Yubico -- so similar, in fact, that the company has gone out of its way to stress that it is not manufacturing the devices for Google.
YouTube slaps Alex Jones with another strike and removes Infowars founder's videos
YouTube has taken action against Infowars' Alex Jones, hitting him with a strike and removing four of the right-wing conspiracy theorist's videos from its platform.
The videos -- two about Muslims, one about transgender people and one about "preventing liberalism" -- were removed for violating YouTube policies about hate speech and child endangerment. Infowars has hit back by saying that YouTube is violating its own policies in taking down the videos.
Microsoft adds AI smarts to Windows 10 to avoid inconvenient update reboots -- but it's a dictatorial waste of technology
Microsoft has just released Microsoft released Windows 10 Redstone 5 Build 17723 and Redstone 6 (19H1) Build 18204 and one of the new features is a new system that avoids restarts at awkward times following the installation of an update.
This sounds great, and Microsoft says that people have complained about this very scenario. But is an artificial intelligence or machine learning powered system really what's needed? How about just leaving users in charge to choose when their computer restarts. There you go, Microsoft; I fixed that for you.
Microsoft adds Dark Mode to Outlook.com
There have been a number of sites and apps that have gained dark modes in the last year -- macOS and YouTube to name but two -- and Microsoft doesn't want to miss the trend. The company has heard the pleas of Outlook.com users and added a new Dark Mode option to its web-based email service.
The feature is one of the most frequently requested, and users got a preview of the new Dark Mode earlier in the month. Now it's rolling out to everyone, and Microsoft is using it as an excuse to try to push Outlook.com users to its Edge browser.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 Redstone 5 Build 17723 and Redstone 6 (19H1) Build 18204
It’s been a couple of weeks since Microsoft last rolled out a new Windows 10 Redstone 5 build to Insiders on the Fast ring, but today the wait is over. In addition to new RS5 Build 17723 the software giant also releases a new build for Insiders who have opted to join (or rejoin) the Skip Ahead ring.
Build 18204 is the first release on the 19H1 (Redstone 6) branch that will become the first feature update of 2019. Because these two builds have just split, they are largely the same -- as you might expect -- but this will change, going forward.
Get 'Cyber Security -- Actionable Ways to Protect Your Data and IT Systems' for FREE
If you’re a business leader, you’ve heard, read or thought about it more than you probably want to: the ceaseless war to protect your company’s network and data from a hacker.
The next big data breach is always lurking around the corner, but businesses don’t have to live in fear of losing critical data.
YEVO Air Bluetooth earbuds are an alternative to Apple's terrible AirPods
Apple knows how to make great products -- just look at the iPhone, iPod, and iPad. Unfortunately, the company has produced several duds recently too, such as Apple Watch, HomePod, and AirPods. While Apple's wireless earbuds are popular and function decently, they can be very uncomfortable. People have different sized ear canals, so it is foolish to adopt a one-size-fits-all design using hard plastic. Sadly, Apple chose minimalism and convenience over comfort.
Thankfully, there are plenty of Bluetooth earbuds on the market that use replaceable silicone tips. The various sizes allow the user to find the best fit, which in theory, should reduce pain. Today, a company called YEVO Labs launches an intriguing alternative to Apple's uncomfortable AirPods. Called "YEVO Air," they are small and leverage a charging case like AirPods. Thankfully, however, they use the superior silicone tips. YEVO Air earbuds are more attractive than AirPods too.
Three simple steps to improving security patching
The vulnerability scan results security departments issue to the operations teams typically contain hundreds of pages and thousands of vulnerabilities to address. It’s a massive list often containing some prioritization based on the criticality of the vulnerabilities observed; and for some more mature organizations, an assessment and opinion of the security team. Typically, operations teams care about security in the endpoints. But, their job is to guarantee uptime and user satisfaction, which often suffers when deploying patches requires reboots and application restarts. And then there’s the resource constraint issue, like the difficulty of prioritization in a world where everything seems to be urgent, the lack of visibility, questions around ownership and available time, and so on. It’s a tough ask to minimize the risk in the endpoints without a holistic, multi-departmental collaboration focused on specific risk policies and profiles.
Compliance pressure doesn’t help either, because frequently it ends up being just a check-box, and not a mechanism for improving security. Therefore, while the bare minimum is undertaken very reluctantly to satisfy the auditors, there’s still a significant amount of fire drill and distraction from the daily grind.
Demand for dark web malware exceeds supply
Malware writers have been using a free market model to sell their wares for some time. The success of this approach is clear from new research by Positive Technologies that finds demand for malware creation on the dark web is three times greater than supply.
Demand for malware distribution is twice the supply. This mismatch of supply and demand has led to interest among criminals in new tools, which are becoming more readily available in the form of partner programs that include malware-as-a-service and malware distribution-for-hire.
Security remains top IT concern for SMBs
Data breaches have serious consequences for SMBs and if not handled correctly can cause serious damage to the business.
It's perhaps no surprise then that according to a survey from IT infrastructure company Kaseya security remains the top IT priority for SMBs with 54 percent citing it as their main concern in 2018, up 14 percent from 2017.
A terrifying number of big-name websites are not secure -- is yours?
There has been a long-standing movement trying to make the web a safer place. For some time, Google's Chrome browser has alerted people when they are visiting secure sites, but with the launch of Chrome 68, it instead warns when an insecure site is encountered.
As we warned just a couple of days ago, the latest update to Chrome means you're likely to see warnings about a lot of insecure sites -- and there are some big-name sites being shamed. Included on the non-HTTPS list are some of Google's own sites, the BBC, the Daily Mail and Fox News. And there are plenty of other recognizable offenders too, as Why No HTTPS? reveals.
The most successful phishing subject lines revealed
We all like to think that we're smart enough not to fall for phishing emails, yet a surprising number of people do get caught out by them.
A new report from security awareness training company KnowBe4 looks at the most successful phishing emails in the second quarter of 2018. The results show that hackers are playing into users' commitment to security, by using clever subject lines that deal with passwords or security alerts.
How to stop your iPhone brightness changing on sunny days
Much of the world is experiencing a prolonged heatwave at the moment. These sunny days are great for topping up a tan, and enjoying the beach, but not so great for using a mobile phone -- and not only because of the risk of it overheating.
If you have an iPhone, you will likely have encountered the issue of the screen brightness suddenly changing. One moment you’ll be able to see things just fine, and the next it will be too dark to view properly in the sunshine. Adjusting the brightness won’t make any difference either, but don’t worry, there is a secret setting you can use to stop this behavior.
Pulling back the curtain on the dark art of SEO [Q&A]
Search engine optimization (SEO), making sure that websites appear high in search results, can often seem like it exists in a sort of twilight zone somewhere between science and witchcraft.
So, how does SEO work? What can it do for your business? And if you do any business at all online, can you afford not to do it? We spoke to Chris Rodgers, the founder and CEO of SEO agency Colorado SEO Pros to get answers to these and other questions.
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