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Enterprise users are always looking for ways to protect their systems, and Microsoft recently unveiled a new opt-in feature to protect against Potentially Unwanted Applications (PUA). PUA is a broad term that covers everything from adware to browser extensions, and users of Windows 8 and Windows 10 can enable the feature to block such nasties at a download level.

PUAs are described by Microsoft as "a threat classification based on reputation and research-driven identification", and includes unwanted components bundled with legitimate software. Venture into the registry, and a tweak can be used to enable protection against such unwanted elements.

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Responding to a spate of Android vulnerabilities and exploits, Samsung was one of the first companies to announce a move to monthly security updates for its handsets. This is great news for those concerned about the security of their phone, but for people running Lollipop there has been no way to check that the latest updates are installed.

Now this changes. Samsung is bringing the previously Marshmallow-only "Android security patch level" information to Lollipop handsets such as the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge+. With just a few taps, it is now easy to check which month's security updates have been installed.

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Microsoft has always licensed Windows Server on a per-socket basis, but with the 2016 release this is due to change. When Windows Server 2016 launches in the second half of next year, things are being shaken up. As well as the two versions -- Standard and Datacenter -- including different features, there is also a move to per-core licensing.

In a couple of PDF datasheets, Microsoft reveals not only the change in licensing, but also that Windows Server 2016 and System Center 2016 Standard and Datacenter Editions are scheduled for release in Q3 of 2016. The licensing change is unlikely to be welcomed by many, as it complicates a system that had become familiar -- and could also push up pricing.

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At JSConf US Last Call in Florida, Microsoft today announced that ChakraCore will be open-sourced. This means that the core components of the Chakra JavaScript engine used in Microsoft Edge -- as well as Windows 10 -- will be made available for developers to tinker with as they see fit.

The ChakraCore repository is expected to hit GitHub in January, and Microsoft envisions it being used to power the Internet of Things as well as cloud services. The company says that it will be working with the likes of AMD, Intel and NodeSource to help develop a Chakra community as it aims to drive the progress of the 'modern web'.

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Hello from Adele. The artist has had two critically acclaimed albums already in her young career, but nothing prepared anyone for the latest offering. 25 is the new album and it seems to be an incredibly hot commodity right now, at least according to new statistics released for the first week of sales.

Unsurprisingly, digital was at the top of the list with iTunes leading the way with 1.5 million sales. It was followed by Amazon at a distant 243,000 and Google Play at 55,000. In between were physical locations Target and Walmart.

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It can be hard enough to avoid advertising online, and Mozilla has been experimenting with yet another way to pull in money. The Tiles experiment has been running for a few months and saw ads brought to the Firefox homepage via, funnily enough, tiles.

The company has decided that the experiment is a failure, and now wants to shift its focus to delivering "relevant, exciting and engaging" content to users instead. Mozilla has been scrambling to find way to make its browser bring in the pennies, but admits that "advertising in Firefox [...] isn't the right business for us at this time".

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Popular Android emulator BlueStacks has been updated to version 2.0 with some major new features.

Launch an app and it now opens in a browser-like tab, allowing users to play multiple apps simultaneously.

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Microsoft is continuing to refine and polish its new mobile operating system, and is working to address feedback and issues reported by Windows Insiders.

The latest Windows 10 Mobile build doesn’t contain any exciting new features but rather is a cumulative update, which explains the new build number -- 10586.29. Microsoft is also planning to make this build available to additional devices early next week.

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While I am a fat guy, I am not particularly jolly. I also can't really grow a beard. I guess what I'm trying to say, is that I would make a very poor Santa Claus. Still, I am excited to give gifts to my friends and family this year.

You know who would make a great Santa, however? Clement Lefebvre, the leader of Linux Mint. Actually, I have no idea what the guy looks like, but he is delivering presents to people all over the world. What is this gift he is distributing? Well, it is better than any toy train or video game -- it is the awesome Linux Mint 17.3 'Rosa'. Yes, the latest version of the wildly popular Linux-based operating system is ready to be unwrapped.

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There's always news happening somewhere in the world and recently there have been some big stories like the Paris and San Bernardino shootings and explosives. Many of us have likely been glued to the TV and watching in horror as these events unfolded.

Now the CNNgo channel is launching on Roku and will bring you all of the latest stories from around the world. Users will be able to browse hundreds of news clips, but this isn't live TV, just highlights -- unless you have a pay TV subscription.

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The UK's decision to start a military campaign in Syria to fight ISIS has dramatically divided opinion. Support and opposition is not split neatly down party lines, but a vote this week led to almost immediate airstrikes being carried out.

Taking to social media, Prime Minister David Cameron -- or his representatives -- used his official Facebook page to crow about the fact that vote went the way he wanted it to. This has had something of an interesting side effect. Facebook users are reporting the page for threatening violence.

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Not only does every other top manager make payments from corporate accounts via mobile banking, but it was also discovered that over 30 percent of companies use mobile devices to access corporate bank accounts and to make financial transactions.

Those are the result of a recent joint survey conducted by Kaspersky Lab and B2B International.

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A new form of malware that targets mass media agencies has been discovered by researchers at the US-based security firm FireEye. The malware was detected in Hong Kong where it was being used to target a small number of media agencies with the initial targets of the attack being newspapers, radio stations and television studios.

The malware leaves a user vulnerable by offering a backdoor to their system. The way in which this is achieved is unique because its command and control or C&C server is hidden inside Dropbox accounts. FireEye was able to trace the malware back to a group of hackers by the name admin@338, who is believed to have ties with the Chinese government.

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It seems oddly fitting that this week -- a week scarred by the bizarre and violent mass murder in San Bernardino -- that I received a LinkedIn invitation to connect with someone who listed this as their job description:

Install, maintain, and repair GPS, Wi-Fi, and security camera systems on tour buses. In 2010, working with grant money from Homeland Security, I installed security systems on a fleet of tour buses and I have been maintaining those systems since then. In 2011, I helped install multi-language listening systems on tour buses and have been the lead maintenance technician. Currently, I am project manager for upgrading a fleet of 50 tour buses with new GPS systems using Homeland Security grant monies. This requires coordinating with engineers of service providers to solve unusual, complex problems.

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Nowadays it can feel like kids are more interested in social media, emojis and video games than math and sciences. Look, I was a kid once, and I know school can feel boring, but knowledge of STEM is important; not only for the children, but for all of society. It is imperative that something is done to motivate students to create and make so the world can continue to advance.

Luckily, there are many initiatives in place to increase interest in STEM. One of the most popular is the 'Hour of Code', which is described as a "one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics". Today, The Linux Foundation announces its support.

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