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Facebook confirms data-sharing agreement with Chinese companies including Huawei

Facebook has confirmed that it has data-sharing agreements in place with at least four Chinese companies. Among these companies is Huawei, a firm that has attracted the attention of intelligence agencies in the US because of national security concerns.

The news comes not only in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, but also reports this week that Facebook shared data with device manufacturers. The social network said that in addition to Huawei, it has data-sharing contracts with Oppo, Lenovo and TCL -- despite the fact that Facebook is banned in China.

MyHeritage

92 million user accounts at risk after genealogy and DNA-testing site MyHeritage is hacked

MyHeritage -- a website that helps people research their family tree and also offers a DNA testing service -- has suffered a "cybersecurity incident". A file containing the usernames and hashed passwords of more than 92 million users was discovered on an external server by a security researcher.

The file was found to be genuine and MyHeritage is now undertaking an investigation to determine what happened. The security breach affects all users who signed up to the site up to October 26, 2017. The company says that it is taking steps to inform the relevant authorities in line with GDPR.

Microsoft Windows Collaborative Display

Microsoft unveils IoT-ready Windows Collaborative Displays

In a keynote address at Computex 2018, Microsoft introduced a completely new hardware platform: Windows Collaboration Displays. Designed for use in offices and meeting rooms, the displays are touch-sensitive and can connect to Microsoft Azure Internet of Things spatial recognition via built-in sensors.

While clearly related to the Surface Hub, Windows Collaborative Displays have a key difference: you have to supply your own computer hardware. Hook up a computer, and you have digital whiteboard and presentation tool at a fraction of the cost -- although pricing is yet to be confirmed.

French_Woman

Amazon brings Alexa to France

Every once in a while, a tech device comes a long that changes everything. The iPod forever altered the music industry, while the iPhone and other smartphones made the traditional PC unnecessary for many. Another such product? Amazon's Echo, which ushered in Alexa and the voice assistant hardware explosion. Somehow, an online bookseller managed to beat Apple, Google, and Microsoft to the punch, and ultimately, grab huge marketshare. It's remarkable, really.

We Americans tend to take such innovative things for granted. Alexa, for instance, is something we have had for years, but believe it or not, the assistant is not available in every country. In fact, France is one country that does not have Echo or Alexa access. Next week this changes, as Amazon brings its voice assistant and associated hardware to the land of the Eiffel Tower.

By Brian Fagioli -
facebook lip sync

Facebook now lets you lip sync to your favorite songs

Having recently set up licensing deals with some major record labels, Facebook has now started introducing new music experiences to the platform.

The first of these additions is the ability to share videos with music, but it’s Lip Sync Live which is the more interesting feature.

By Wayne Williams -
Artificial intelligence

New analytics platform helps deliver AI for business

The biggest challenges that businesses face when implementing AI projects relate to the handling of data as it often sits in a separate silo.

Analytics specialist Databricks is addressing this problem with a Unified Analytics Platform with new capabilities to unify data and AI teams and technologies.

By Ian Barker -
Risky florida

Florida residents have the worst cybersecurity habits in the US

A study by cybersecurity company Webroot in conjunction with the Ponemon Institute finds Florida to be the worst state in the US for cyber-hygiene.

Ponemon surveyed 4,000 people across the US about their cybersecurity knowledge and internet safety practices. Wyoming and Montana come close behind Florida in poor internet habits. The safest online behavior is displayed in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Utah.

By Ian Barker -
network

A third of IT professionals don't know how many endpoints they manage

A poll of 1,000 IT professionals across North America and Europe finds that while 88 percent of respondents acknowledge the importance of endpoint management, nearly a third don't know how many endpoints they actually manage.

The study by identity and access management company LogMeIn shows a worrying 30 percent of IT professionals don't know how many endpoint devices exist within their organization. Those who do report an average of 750 endpoints including servers, employee computers and mobile devices.

By Ian Barker -
Cryptojacking

Serverless applications open to new wave of cryptojacking

Serverless computing is increasingly popular as it allows developers to upload code for functions to the cloud rather than run it on local servers.

But specialist in serverless security PureSec has released a report detailing how hackers can turn a single vulnerable serverless function into a virtual cryptomining farm by taking advantage of the scaleable nature of the architecture.

By Ian Barker -
keylogger

Sophisticated keyloggers target financial services companies

Analysis of malware samples found among finance firms has uncovered an unusually large number of iSpy keylogger samples. iSpy is a variant of the notorious HawkEye logger.

Network-based malware protection specialist Lastline intercepted the logger's communication with the command and control server and detected the active exfiltration of website, email and FTP credentials, as well as license key information for installed products.

By Ian Barker -
cloud padlock

Companies are still struggling to secure the cloud

A new survey from data analytics platform Sumo Logic finds a staggering 98 percent of European companies face organizational challenges implementing security in cloud environments.

The survey of over 300 IT security professionals responsible for environments with significant investment in both cloud and on-premise IT infrastructure covered the US and Canada, and Europe, The Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

By Ian Barker -
data breach

44 percent of organizations have suffered a data breach in the last year

In the last 12 months, 44 percent of organizations have suffered at least one data breach. More worrying is that of those reporting a data breach, the average was almost 30 data breaches per organization in the last year.

This is according to a study from identity management company SailPoint, released at this week's Infosecurity Europe. These breaches cost the organizations nearly $1 million to address from an IT perspective, which excludes fines, lost revenue and brand damage.

By Ian Barker -
wyzecamerapan

#BetaNews20 Giveaway: Wyze Cam Pan smart home Wi-Fi security camera

For the entire month of June, BetaNews will be having many giveaways. Why? To celebrate our 20th birthday! Our first such contest went live last week, and if you haven't yet entered, you should. That prize is the Linksys Velop Dual-Band Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System, and it rocks!

Today, our second such giveaway begins, and yet again, the prize is really nice. What is it? The Wyze Cam Pan. This is the newest home Wi-Fi security camera from Wyze Labs, and it adds a feature normally reserved for more expensive models -- pan and tilt. Using your smartphone, you can move the lens, but also, you can rotate the camera 360 degrees. How cool is that?

By Brian Fagioli -
Mojave hero

Apple introduces macOS Mojave with Dark Mode, desktop Stacks and more

This year's Apple WWDC has been all about software, with the focus on new versions of iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and of course macOS.

The next version of the Mac desktop operating system will be called Mojave -- named after the Californian desert -- and introduces a number of new features and improvements, including a cool new Dark Mode.

By Wayne Williams -
Apple watchOS 5 Walkie-Talkie app

Apple reveals watchOS 5, complete with new Walkie-Talkie app

Apple Watch owners have a new operating system upgrade to look forward to -- watchOS 5. Revealed today at WWDC alongside iOS 12, watchOS 5 introduces a number of new features including a Walkie-Talkie app and a range of new workout-related options.

The update brings interactive notifications, improvements to Siri, and the ability to use an Apple Watch in place of a student ID card. Apple also revealed a new Pride Watch face which users can activate for free, and a Pride Edition Woven Nylon band which can be bought for $49.

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