Cloud and hybrid environments present weak spots for ransomware attackers

Ransomware Malware Cyber Attack

The increased connectivity of business systems and devices is making it harder for organizations to defend against ransomware attacks according to a new report.

The study from Illumio, with research conducted by the Ponemon Institute, shows organizations perceive the cloud and endpoints as being the most vulnerable, and 34 percent say a lack of visibility across hybrid environments makes it difficult to respond to ransomware attacks.

Continue reading

Data breaches are top privacy concern for consumers

Fears of a data breach dominate consumer concerns, with 64 percent naming breaches as their top privacy worry.

A new report, based on responses from almost 2,500 people around the world, released by Acronis to mark this year's Data Privacy Day, shows that in spite of heightened awareness 25 percent of respondents have experienced data theft or loss and 12 percent remain unsure if they've been breached, underlining the hidden nature of many cyberattacks.

Continue reading

Google gives Pebble smartwatches a second life with GitHub source code release

In an unexpected yet exciting move, Google has released the source code for the Pebble smartwatch operating system on GitHub. This release is a big deal for the Pebble faithful, especially the Rebble community, which has worked tirelessly to keep these iconic wearables functional since Pebble closed up shop back in 2016.

Pebble’s story is one of innovation and community. The brand shot to fame through its record-breaking Kickstarter campaigns, with its first project becoming the most-funded on the platform at the time. Its follow-up, Pebble Time, also smashed records and still holds the spot as the second-most-funded Kickstarter project ever.

Continue reading

Google Maps will honor President Trump’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and Denali to Mount McKinley

Old map

One of Donald Trump’s first pledges after being sworn in as the 47th president of the USA was to rename both the Gulf of Mexico and Denali. This was very quickly acted upon when he signed a slew of executive orders -- something the White House described as “honoring American greatness”.

Seen variously as controversial, symbolic, patriotic, confrontational and more, the changes of the names have sparked global debate. One question that has been raised a lot over the last week has been whether the likes of Apple Maps and Google Maps will implement the changes as well -- although not globally.

Continue reading

Microsoft reminds admins about the upcoming deprecation of WSUS driver synchronization

Closed sign

Having previously announced its intention to terminate the option to perform driver synchronization updates via Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), Microsoft has issued a reminder to users as the deadline draws closer.

There is still time to prepare for the demise of WSUS driver synchronization, but the clock is definitely ticking. With the end just weeks away, Microsoft has not only reminded admins that they need to take action but also suggested alternatives.

Continue reading

DeepSeek -- the Chinese AI that sparked a stock market panic

Today has seen millions of dollars wiped off US market tech stocks by the launch of DeepSeek, the latest Chinese AI that threatens US dominance in the sector.

This is partly because DeepSeek can run on much less powerful hardware than rivals such as OpenAI's o1. DeepSeek also says that its v3 model, released in December, cost less than $6 million to train, less than a tenth of what Meta spent on its most recent system.

Continue reading

Critical infrastructure security incidents up over 600 percent since 2022

Reported security incidents in critical infrastructure worldwide have grown by 668 percent since 2022 according to a new report from Forescout.

There have been 10 percent more incidents for critical infrastructure sectors than in 2023 and more than half of all incidents (57 percent) affected critical infrastructure sectors. Network infrastructure devices (routers, firewalls, VPNs, etc.) are the second largest category and increased from three percent (2022) to 11 percent (2023) and now 14 percent (2024).

Continue reading

Software-as-a-Service breaches surge 300 percent

A new report from Obsidian Security reveals an unprecedented 300 percent year-on-year increase in SaaS breaches between September 2023 and 2024.

This surge comes as organizations increasingly rely on SaaS applications with current spend on SaaS in the hundreds of billions, or approximately $8,700 per employee for tools such as Workday, Google Workspace, ServiceNow, and Office 365.

Continue reading

High-profile cyberattacks prompt boost in crisis simulation budgets

Following a number of high-profile cybersecurity incidents in 2014 CISOs are reassessing their organization's readiness to manage a potential chaos of a full-scale cyber crisis.

New data from Hack The Box shows many CISOs -- based on a sample of 200 across the UK and US -- are concerned about their organization's ability to handle a cyber crisis. This is down to a number of reasons, the rising volume of cyber incidents (31 percent), lack of incident response planning (20 percent), and a lack of realistic, stress-tested crisis simulations (19 percent).

Continue reading

The human-centric approach to moving to the cloud [Q&A]

Over the past decade, cloud computing has emerged as a transformative force, promising unprecedented efficiency and scalability.

However, despite the rush for businesses to adopt this technology, many cloud projects still fail to meet their stated objectives

Continue reading

Sick of Microsoft Windows? Solus 4.7 could finally get you to switch to Linux

If you’re tired of Microsoft’s bloated Windows operating system, and you are looking for a fresh alternative, Solus 4.7 could be the Linux distro for you. Code-named “Endurance,” this new release (download here) is chock full of updated software, improved hardware support, and polished desktop environments. The name “Endurance” is not random, either -- it was deliberately chosen to reflect the team’s promise to deliver consistent updates and a reliable experience.

All four editions of Solus comes with updated core apps, including Firefox 134.0.2, LibreOffice 24.8.4.2, and Thunderbird 128.6.0. Multimedia playback is to the desktop environment you choose. For example, Budgie and GNOME editions ship with Rhythmbox and Celluloid, while Plasma users get Elisa and Haruna, and Xfce uses Parole.

Continue reading

CORSAIR EX400U USB4 SSD is a pocket-sized storage powerhouse

CORSAIR has introduced the EX400U USB4 External SSD, a portable storage device designed to deliver fast data transfer speeds while being compact enough to carry anywhere. With sequential read speeds of up to 4,000MB/sec and write speeds reaching 3,600MB/sec, the EX400U is perfect for tasks like video editing, transferring large files, or managing demanding projects.

Taking advantage of USB4’s high bandwidth, the EX400U offers excellent performance while remaining compatible with USB 3.x Type-C and Thunderbolt 4. Whether you’re on a PC, Mac, or iOS device, it’s a plug-and-play solution that doesn’t require complex setups. The included USB Type-C cable handles both power and data, making it even easier to use.

Continue reading

Why Surfshark is the best affordable VPN for protecting your privacy

Surfshark has quickly become my go-to VPN, and it’s easy to see why it stands out from the crowd. Whether I’m on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, or iOS, this VPN ensures all my devices are fully protected. That kind of cross-platform support is exactly what I need in a service. Believe it or not, it even works with Apple TV! And yes, the Linux version has a nice user interface.

One of the biggest perks of Surfshark is how budget-friendly it is. You can score it for under $3 a month, which is an absolute steal. Many VPNs charge a premium for features that Surfshark offers at a fraction of the cost. It’s proof that you don’t need to spend a fortune to get reliable online protection.

Continue reading

80 percent of organizations are adopting passkeys but many face challenges with older systems

A new report finds that 80 percent of organizations are using or planning to adopt passkeys, as they offer a significant reduction in risks like phishing and credential stuffing, compared to traditional passwords.

However, the study from Keeper Security also finds that 40 percent of businesses continue to rely on hybrid authentication systems that blend both passwords and passkeys. These hybrid setups are often needed due to the use of legacy systems and specialized applications that have yet to support passkeys.

Continue reading

Download these free Windows themes before Microsoft closes the download page forever

Decorating equipment

It can hardly have escaped the notice of anyone that Windows 10 is reaching the end of support later this year. By now, it is abundantly clear that there will be no more (official) security updates as of October, but there are other casualties that are starting to become apparent.

Fans of using themes as a way of customising the look of Windows will be sad to hear that the official Microsoft page that is used to host hundreds of themes is due to be closed down.

Continue reading

© 1998-2025 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.