iPhone-maker Foxconn buys Belkin, Linksys, Phyn and Wemo for $866 million
Foxconn -- the Taiwanese company famed for producing iPhones -- has announced that it is acquiring Belkin International for $866 million in cash.
Belkin is also the owner of Linksys, Wemo and Phyn, making the purchase an interesting expansion for Foxconn Interconnect Technology Limited (FIT) and quite a shift in direction. The merger sees the company widening its interests into accessories, networking gear and smart home devices.
McAfee brings machine learning to enterprise security
Cyber security company McAfee is announcing an expanded product portfolio that evolves security operations capabilities and allows for rapid response to today’s threats.
McAfee's updated Enterprise Security Manager (McAfee ESM 11) uses a new data architecture optimized for scalability, performance, faster search, and collaboration. This is combined with the newly launched McAfee Behavioral Analytics, and enhanced McAfee Investigator, McAfee Advanced Threat Defense, and McAfee Active Response.
Almost six out of 10 organizations suffer ransomware attacks
New research reveals that 56 percent of surveyed decision makers from IT and risk, fraud or compliance functions report that their organization has suffered a ransomware attack in the last 12 months, compared to under half (48 percent) who said the same in 2016.
The study of 500 businesses in the UK, France, Germany and USA commissioned by SentinelOne and carried out by Vanson Bourne shows 69 percent say the most successful ransomware attack resulted in the attacker being able to encrypt some data, with five percent paying the ransom to decrypt the data.
WSL-DistroLauncher is an open source tool designed to lure Linux distros to the Microsoft Store
Is it cool that there are Linux distributions in the Microsoft Store? Eh, I suppose. While I don't fully trust Microsoft's commitment to both Linux and open source, understandably, some Linux users and administrators have the need to also run Windows 10. And so, from a convenience standpoint, the whole Windows Subsystem for Linux thing is appreciated (we are watching you though, Microsoft!).
Unfortunately, not all Linux distributions are available in the Microsoft Store. This is a problem, as Linux users are very tribal -- a Fedora user, for instance, might be unhappy using Debian. Microsoft hopes to solve this dilemma by making it even easier for distribution maintainers to get their distros into the store. How does the Windows-maker plan to do this? With an all-new GitHub-hosted open source tool called "WSL-DistroLauncher."
Google puts a limit on how many custom Android ROMs you can install
Having the option to install a custom ROM is something that many folks, myself included, love about Android. It's not something that is possible on every device running the operating system, as you may know, but on the smartphones and tablets that do support it, it can make a huge difference to the user experience.
Why? Because, if you like the hardware but you aren't getting along well with the stock distribution, chances are you will find something that works better that's been made by the community. Or, if the manufacturer ended support, you can still get newer versions of Android this way. Trouble is, Google, which has tolerated the practice so far, has decided to put a limit on how much fun you can have with it.
Acer Chromebook Tab 10 is a student-friendly Chrome OS tablet
Acer today revealed what it describes as the "first tablet running Chrome OS designed for education" -- the Acer Chromebook Tab 10 (or D651N).
Featuring a 9.7-inch QXGA LED-backlit display with a resolution of 2,048 x 1,536 (264 PPI), the Chromebook Tab 10 is equipped with a Wacom EMR stylus to allow for easy writing and drawing. Although not available at launch, there is planned support for Google Expeditions AR, and Acer is hoping that the tablet will find its way into the hands of students of all ages.
One in three consumers owns two or more smart home devices
Smart home technology is catching on in a big way with a third of US consumers now having two or more smart devices, according to a new study.
The Smart Home report from GfK Research shows a high level of awareness of the technology, with 58 percent of US consumers saying smart home technology is likely to change their lives in the next few years.
Facebook rolls out locally-focused News Feed globally
Facebook is constantly messing about with its News Feed, and it's only a matter of weeks since the social network said it was going to prioritize local news. Initially, this was only the case in the US, but now the change is rolling out around the globe.
The company says that "people around the world will see more news on Facebook from local sources covering their current city and other cities they may care about." Unfortunately for Facebook, however, it's unlikely to serve as too much of a distraction from the call/SMS logging controversy or the Cambridge Analytica debacle.
Google is beta testing a 'More results' button to reduce searches to a single, endless page
Google search results are, usually, multi-page affairs, but if a new test gets off the ground this could be set to change.
The search giant is conducting a limited test that sees the arrival of a "More results" button at the bottom of search results, replacing the "Next button" that is there at the moment. It's a variation on the idea of infinite scrolling, but a variation that grants the user more control.
Unsecured third-party IoT devices could pose major risks for organizations
According to new research, 97 percent believe unsecured IoT devices could be catastrophic for their organization, yet just 29 percent actively monitor for related third-party risks.
The study conducted by the Ponemon Institute and risk assurance body Shared Assessments shows 81 percent of respondents say that a data breach caused by an unsecured IoT device is likely to occur in the next two years.
Linus Torvalds: Linux 4.16 kernel launches on Sunday. Possibly. Maybe.
After a series of release candidates, Linus Torvalds could well be ready to unleash version 4.16 of the Linux kernel onto the world at the weekend. That is unless he changes his mind about the RC build: "rc7 is much too big for my taste," he says in his weekly update to the kernel mailing list.
Torvalds says that while he's not planning for there to be an eighth release candidate, the current size is causing him to think about the best course of action. For those who have not been following the story, he also details what's new in Linux 4.16.
Guess who Facebook is blaming for its creepy phone call and SMS logging? You!
There has been much in the news lately about Facebook letting its users down. The most egregious abuse is the Cambridge Analytica scandal, where the social network allowed that third party company to collect private user data. It has led many to join the #DeleteFacebook movement, where angry users have terminated their accounts. Facebook has since apologized using full-page newspaper advertisements.
Unfortunately, there is yet another Facebook outrage happening at the same time -- it has been discovered that the company has been logging phone call and SMS information from Android users. Today, Facebook admits to the behavior, but it claims the blame is with users. In other words, Facebook is taking no responsibility.
Facebook places full-page ads in British and American newspapers to apologize for Cambridge Analytica data leak
Full-page advertisements have appeared in a number of Sunday newspapers in the UK and US as Facebook embarks on a damage limitation exercise following the revelations about Cambridge Analytica's use of personal data.
The ads, signed by Mark Zuckerberg, say: "We have a responsibility to protect your information. If we can't, we don't deserve it." The apology -- of sorts -- adopts a similar tone to Zuckerberg's previous statements and interviews about the matter, and comes as the social network faces calls for not only regulation, but also as the London offices of Cambridge Analytica have been raided by the Information Commissioner's Office.
Privacy: Facebook has been collecting call and text data from Android users
It has been a bad week for Facebook -- and its users -- after it was revealed that Cambridge Analytica had harvested data from millions of accounts on the social network. Now it turns out that Facebook itself has been engaged in gathering user data.
A social media user, Dylan McKay from New Zealand, downloaded his Facebook archive and was shocked to discover that nearly two years' worth of call and text logs from his Android phone were included. McKay is not alone, and it's possible that details of your communication have been logged as well.
How to change countries in the Google Play Store -- the official way!
There can be few Android users who have learned about an exciting new app or game, only to be disappointed to discover it's not available in their country. There have been various ways around this, including downloading APKs from unofficial sources, but now Google has introduced a way to do it officially.
An update to the Google Play Store sees the addition of a new "Country and profiles" option which makes getting Android apps from other regions a whole lot easier. Here's what you need to know.
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