Time to patch your firmware! Backdoor discovered into Seagate NAS drives

If you have not recently updated the firmware for your Seagate wireless NAS drives, now is the time to do so. Researchers at Tangible Security have discovered a series of vulnerabilities in a number of devices produced by Seagate that could allow unauthorized access to files and settings.

An undocumented Telnet feature could be used to gain control of the device by using the username 'root' and the hardcoded default password. There are also other vulnerabilities that allow for unauthorized browsing and downloading of files, as well as permitting malicious files to be uploaded. Tangible Security says that Seagate Wireless Plus Mobile Storage, Seagate Wireless Mobile Storage, and LaCie FUEL drives are affected, but there may also be others.

Continue reading

What you need to know about cyber insurance

insurance key

Cyber insurance is an important element for companies as it covers the damage and liability caused by a hack, which are usually excluded from traditional liability coverage.

Stricter data privacy notification laws, government incentives, cloud adoption and the increase in high-profile hacks and data breaches have all contributed to the significant increase in the number of companies offering and buying cyber insurance.

Continue reading

An SSD should be the first upgrade for your PC

If you are not happy with how your desktop PC or laptop performs, chances are it has a plain-old HDD inside. It is likely large enough to store all your files, but the old technology it is based on makes it extremely slow by modern standards -- apps and programs take a long time to load and transfer speeds are low. Basically, it is the reason why your device does not feel as fast as a new, high-end PC. Fortunately, you can give it a new lease on life.

The first upgrade that you should consider is an SSD. It is a huge improvement over virtually any HDD, as it will greatly improve load times and transfer speeds, making your device feel much more responsive, and reduce noise and power consumption. To show just big a difference it can make, I have tested an Emtec SSD Power Plus drive, in 120 GB trim, with an old HP Compaq 610 laptop.

Continue reading

Did you buy the Galaxy Note5 or S6 edge+? You need the Aukey Quick Charge 2.0 External Battery

Samsung's latest flagship smartphones, the Galaxy Note5 and S6 edge+, are wonderful. We are currently hard at work testing them in the BetaNews laboratory, and will publish reviews soon.

These devices no longer offer removable batteries. While I am totally at peace with losing that feature, other consumers aren't. I'm here to tell you that it truly isn't a big deal. Why? USB power banks are better. I am pleased to share with you all, dear readers, that I have discovered the best such battery pack for owners of the Note5 or S6 edge+ -- the Aukey Quick Charge 2.0 External Battery.

Continue reading

Registry Finder: a smarter registry editor

From PC novices to Windows experts, just about everyone needs to access the Windows Registry occasionally. But the standard REGEDIT doesn’t exactly make this easy, and it hasn’t seen any significant changes in years.

Registry Finder is a free tool which improves on the editing process with a strong set of extras and enhancements.

Continue reading

The benefits of DevOps for your business

Developer

DevOps. It’s the buzzword of the moment. According to Gartner, it’s growing so fast in popularity that a quarter of Global 2000 organizations will deploy it by 2016.

So what exactly is it? And why is everyone talking about it?

Continue reading

Norwegian Pirate Party bursts through Pirate Bay blocks with free DNS service

Governments around the world continue to block access to torrent sites, and people keep finding ways around any roadblocks that might be put in place. Proxies and mirrors have been used to get around restrictions, and now the Norwegian Pirate Party has set up its own free DNS service to provide access to the Pirate Bay.

The Pirate Party is an advocate of free, unrestricted access to the internet, and its latest move is a reaction to the government of Norway blocking access to the the Pirate Bay. The uncensored DNS servers are free for anyone to use, and demonstrate just how easy it is to bypass restrictions that governments seem to believe are the answer to the problem of piracy.

Continue reading

Acer Aspire V15: Attractive laptop for not a lot of money [Review]

At the very top of the Acer range are the Aspire V Nitro gaming laptops. Slotting in below those, the workaday Aspire V models deliver decent performance and smart design at a price that’s more attractive to business and home users who want a fast machine without needing, or wanting to spend a lot of money on, a premium gaming rig.

The latest release is part of the V15 range, meaning it has a 15-inch screen, though rather confusingly it’s called a V3 -- V3-574G-51ZI to give it its full official title -- so what does it have to offer?

Continue reading

Android malware snaps secret pics of porn seekers

Phone shocked

A new piece of Android malware appears to offer pornographic images but instead takes pictures of the user via the phone’s front facing camera, then locks up the device and demands a $500 ransom.

Called Adult Player it was discovered by researchers at Zscaler. Having checked that a camera is available and taken a picture, it sends details of the victim's device and operating system to the remote servers before displaying the user’s picture on a personalized ransom screen.

Continue reading

Minority Report could one day be real, thanks to big data and predictive analytics [Q&A]

Everyday humans create 2.5 quintillion bytes of data, according to IBM. This data comes from virtually everywhere -- sensors used to gather environmental information, posts to social media sites, cell phone signals and more. In order to best determine how to put this data to use in meaningful ways, the science of analytics has changed (think: the amount of data that can be analyzed, the tools and methodologies that enable us to do so, etc.). Most importantly, companies can now be predictive based on data analytics, enabling them to better forecast demands and proactively prevent certain issues.

I spoke to Murali Nadarajah, Global Head of Big Data Analytics for Xchanging, a publicly listed multi-national business technology and services provider, about how organizations today are using predictive analytics, and how the ability to be predictive has -- and will continue -- to change the business landscape enabling the development of new approaches and products.

Continue reading

How secure is your PC? Try this quick test

It’s easy to get complacent about your PC’s security. You checked your browser settings a while ago, you’ve a good antivirus suite installed, that should be enough -- right?

Well, maybe, but it’s still wise to test your defenses occasionally, and security researcher Didier Stevens has crafted a special file to help you do just that.

Continue reading

How to disable Windows 10's Action Center

The Action Center in Windows 10 is a pretty handy addition. It displays past notifications from apps and your system -- if you miss a message from Windows when it pops up you can find out what it said in the Action Center. You can also access various quick actions there.

But if you have no need for the Action Center -- and to be honest I’ve hardly ever used it -- it can be disabled with a simple registry tweak.

Continue reading

Is your business prepared for 'continuous' Windows 10 software updates?

Windows 10 might be the last time IT does a major OS rollout across their organization. Here on in, rather than releasing a new version of the Windows operating system (OS) every few years, there will be regular and continual updates to Windows 10 in perpetuity.

For enterprise IT departments, this new business model and Microsoft software release strategy requires a whole new level of vigilance and support.

Continue reading

No, you're not getting iOS 9 just yet

With the latest beta build of iOS 9 being released a month ago, it would seem that the new version of the mobile operating system is nearly ready for prime time. In fact, many of us in the Apple Seed program were lead to believe that iOS 9 is actually available.

A message popped up on devices running the latest iOS 9 beta, advising users to update their handsets. I saw it last night, and went straight to the settings menu to check for updates, only to find out that my iPhone 6 Plus is up to date.

Continue reading

Inside threats enable vast majority of cybercrimes

ID theft

No less an authority than colorful cybersecurity pioneer John McAfee firmly believes that the now infamous hack of the US-based Ashley Madison sex-cheating website was an inside job.

Statistically, this is extremely likely to be the case for most cyber security breaches. KCS’ own research shows that 80 percent of corporate cybercrimes can be traced to staff, and this figure is increasing. This can be the result of deliberate cybercrime or it could be that the staff member has been careless with their personal log-in details.

Continue reading

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