Cloud server

Operations management platform delivers improved visibility and control of hybrid IT

As more systems move to the cloud, companies often struggle with factors like costs and incident response due to a lack of visibility.

Operations management platform OpsRamp is launching an update to its SaaS platform that delivers greater visibility for multi-cloud environments and features a new Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations (AIOps) inference engine for more powerful alerting and event correlation.

By Ian Barker -
Norman AI

When artificial intelligence goes bad: Reddit made 'Norman' a psychopathic AI

AI is, of course, one of the latest big buzzwords in the tech industry, but here’s something new: Norman, the world’s first "psychopathic" artificial intelligence, as concocted by researchers at MIT.

So, you might wonder, how do you make a psychopath in the world of machine learning? Simple -- you pack the AI in question off for a vacation on Reddit. Or the "darkest corners" of Reddit, as the MIT researchers put it.

By Darren Allan -
Fire TV Cube

Amazon Fire TV Cube puts Alexa in control of your home entertainment

It was only a matter of time before Amazon properly combined two of its biggest home grown product lines -- Fire TV and Amazon Echo -- and today we get to see what the end result looks like.

Amazon Fire TV Cube is a hands-free 4K Ultra HD streaming media player with Alexa built in, allowing you to control your TV from across the room. You can use your voice to play, pause, and resume content, but that’s not all.

By Wayne Williams -
cryptocurrency mining

Cryptocurrencies spark cybercrime gold rush

Cybercriminals are increasingly using the dark web to facilitate cryptocurrency theft on a large scale, according to cybersecurity company Carbon Black.

The company’s research has uncovered a total of $1.1 billion in cryptocurrency-related thefts during the past six months and finds there are currently an estimated 12,000 dark web marketplaces selling approximately 34,000 offerings related to crypto theft.

By Ian Barker -
Unhappy laptop user on beach

Keeping your data safe while traveling

As we enter the summer people start to go away on vacations and visit sporting events like this year's World Cup in Russia, potentially exposing their digital devices and data to extra risks.

VPN advice service vpnMentor has produced a report looking at the particular risks travelers face and how they can protect themselves.

By Ian Barker -
DiskImage200-175

Get O&O DiskImage 11 Professional ($49.95 value) for FREE #BetaNews20

Everybody needs a backup -- with ransomware added to the list of threats to your data, now is the perfect time to take full advantage of our first BetaNews full software giveaway: O&O DiskImage 11 Professional, worth $49.95, this Thursday (June 7).

What makes O&O DiskImage 11 special is that it enables you to back up both individual files and folders as well as take a full drive image, so you can protect key data alongside your fail-safe drive image covering your entire Windows installation -- all from one application.
The program is simple to use -- the main user interface is a series of tabs allowing you to jump between different parts of the program, while a start screen makes it easy to get started with taking a drive image or choosing which folders to back up.

By Nick Peers -
VPNFilter

VPNFilter malware infection is much worse than first thought -- is your router affected?

It's just a couple of weeks since we first heard about the VPNFilter malware. Linked to Russia, the malware hit 500,000 routers around the world, but now Cisco's Talos security researchers are warning that the problem is much worse than anyone thought.

Initially thought to only affect SOHO routers and storage devices from Linksys, MikroTik, Netgear, TP-Link, and QNAP , the at-risk list has been extended to include consumer-grade routers from Linksys, MikroTik, Netgear and TP-Link. Researchers have also discovered that the malware is more powerful than initial assessments suggested -- it is now known to be able to bypass SSL encryption and perform man-in-the-middle attacks.

mixmaxmain

Mixmax Gmail-enhancer gets even better with new GDPR-focused features

Gmail is a great tool for personal email, but for business, not so much. Don't get me wrong, some organizations use it with great success, but overall, it is a bit weak. If you are a professional that uses Gmail, please know there is a really cool tool to enhance the service -- Mixmax.

If you aren't familiar, Mixmax leverages a special Chrome plugin to breathe new life into Google's email service -- we reported on it back in 2015. It lets you do things like track email engagement, more easily schedule meetings, and embed presentations, to name a few. It can even integrate with popular services like GitHub, Dropbox, and Salesforce. Mixmax is used by some very reputable companies too, such as Google, LinkedIn, and Uber.

By Brian Fagioli -
0F6E8A28-2E81-4174-877E-1C2930A19E1D

Logitech Rally is a premium 4K video conference camera for meeting rooms

Logitech makes great hardware for home consumers, including mice, keyboards, and more. The company even sells respected gaming peripherals under its "Logitech G" branding.

Home aside, Logitech also makes excellent business hardware, such as presentation remotes and video conference cameras. Speaking of the latter, today the company unveils its latest such product. Called "Rally," it is a high-end 4K USB cam designed for meeting rooms. It is compatible with many popular services, such as Google Hangouts Meet, Microsoft Skype for Business, and Zoom.

By Brian Fagioli -
Windows-10 key

Microsoft releases Windows 10 Redstone 5 Build 17686

Microsoft continues to roll out new Windows 10 RS5 builds on a weekly basis. Build 17686 is available to Fast ring Insiders and those who have opted to Skip Ahead.

This build includes some privacy improvements, better localized settings, and updates for Windows Mixed Reality. It also includes a number of improvements, fixes, and known issues.

By Wayne Williams -
Square Microsoft store logo

Microsoft is going to rename GVFS and wants your suggestions

Microsoft GVFS (Git Virtual File System) has attracted attention because it's a name that's already in use elsewhere -- and the company had refused to rename it.

Now, however, it seems that Microsoft may be bowing to pressure. The company says it has received a lot of feedback because of the existence of the GNOME GVfs project (Gnome Virtual File System) which has been around for much longer than its GVFS Git extension, and it is looking for suggestions for a new name.

Meural Canvas VG

#BetaNews20 Giveaway: Meural Canvas Wi-Fi enabled digital art frame from Wellbots

Throughout the entire month of June, BetaNews will giving away thousands of dollars of amazing prizes to celebrate our 20th birthday!

Our third giveaway is a Meural Canvas handcrafted 27in digital art frame courtesy of Wellbots. This is a spectacular product built to showcase high quality artwork. Each frame gives you instant access to amazing works of art and photography, and it’s easy to upload your own images to the Wi-Fi enabled canvas.

By Wayne Williams -
GitLab logo

GitLab makes premium plans free for educational establishments and open source projects

Microsoft's acquisition of GitHub has paid off for rival GitLab. Many GitHub users were unhappy at the Windows-maker's involvement and promptly jumped ship -- there were over 100,000 repositories imported in the 24 hours following the acquisition, and #movingtogitlab was trending on Twitter.

Looking to make itself even more attractive than just not being owned by Microsoft, GitLab has now made its premium Gold and Ultimate packages free to some users, specifically educational establishments and open source projects.

Mobile security

The challenges of securing mobile devices

Mobile devices now account for around half of web traffic and inevitably that makes them more attractive to hackers who see new attack routes via mobile apps.

The Information Security Forum is launching a new paper, Securing Mobile Apps: Embracing Mobile, Balancing Control, describing the security challenges associated with acquiring, using and operating mobile apps, and suggesting actions to manage those challenges, while maintaining the business benefits.

By Ian Barker -
career development

Get 'Career Development All-in-One For Dummies' ($20 value) FREE for a limited time

Want to get ahead in the workplace? Take control of your career today.

Learn new skills and increase your visibility as a leader in your company with the help of this practical, hands-on guide to professional development. You'll find new techniques for being a better leader, tips for writing better emails, rules for running more effective meetings, and much more. Plus, you'll discover how to give presentations that will keep your audience engaged and learn to be a more mindful person.

By Wayne Williams -
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