Don't worry, Angry Birds 2 probably didn't infect your iOS device, but it might have
Apple's App Store is a very trustworthy place do get apps. In fact, most people choose iOS because they can mindlessly install apps without having to worry about malware. Sadly, this proved to be slightly false, as a bunch of apps have been found to be infected with some nastiness due to developers using a non-official version of Xcode.
The good news, however, is that these "infected" apps have largely been found in the Chinese version of Apple's App Store only. Earlier today, however, it was announced that Angry Birds 2, a wildly popular game, was among the infected apps. People in the USA, including myself, were worried. Thankfully, our worry was for naught, as Rovio confirms that only the Chinese version has the malware.
The majority of the world doesn't have Internet access, and that is sad
Every morning, my alarm clock goes off and I immediately grab my smartphone or tablet. Before I use the toilet or shower, I need to check my email, look at Twitter, and get the day's news. In other words, the Internet is extremely important to me. I am not alone either; many people are arguably addicted to the web.
Unfortunately, many of us in the developed world take our Internet access for granted. Hell, Skype was down for a little while today and people were up in arms -- it was a major news story. According to a new report from the United Nations, the majority of the world (a shocking 57 percent), does not have regular Internet access. You know what? That is both sad and tragic.
Ditch the Slow Ring! Get on the Windows 10 Fast Ring or step away from the previews
Windows 10 is a major departure from the norm for Microsoft. This is not only the first time Windows has been made available as a free upgrade, but the first time that users have been able to get actively involved in the development process. The existence of the public previews for Windows Insiders has made this one of the most transparent development programs to come out of Redmond.
Broken down into the Fast Ring and the Slow Ring, Microsoft has explained how the Windows 10 development process works, saying that the former is for those who want to be on the bleeding edge, the latter for those who want to play it safer. Ultimately, however, you should be either in or out, and this leads us to the question: what's the point of the Windows 10 Slow Ring?
The Wi-Fi router's role in today's homes
We’ve come a long way since dial-up internet. Thankfully, we are no longer subjected to its ear-piercing dial tone and instead enjoy the freedom of roaming about in our homes receiving our Internet connection cord-free or going to our local café and surfing with unattached ease. Revolutionizing this advancement is, of course, Wi-Fi.
So much of what we take for granted in our homes -- whether it be bingeing on (Netflix) box-sets, online gaming with an opponent who resides in another country, or even everyday practicalities like ordering dinner or communicating with friends and family -- is dependent on the Wi-Fi router, that little box in the corner with its row of blinking lights.
Transform any photo into a work of art with AKVIS AirBrush 3.0
AKVIS has announced AKVIS AirBrush 3.0 ($49 -- $89), its powerful applications for transforming digital photos into airbrushed works of art.
Unlike many similar tools, the program preserves a lot of detail from the original photos, while still giving it a very stylized look.
Why LinkedIn is hacker heaven
Professional social networking site LinkedIn has proven to be a valuable business tool, bringing together professionals from all over the world.
But few corporations grasp the security risk injudicious use of LinkedIn represents. The main problem is not with the LinkedIn website’s own digital security but with a widespread corporate ignorance of the way the organized criminal gangs (OCGs) who make billions, sometimes tens of billions, of dollars from cyber crime.
iOS 9 adoption tops 50 percent in just 3 days
In an announcement that is mostly meant to remind us that its new iPhones go on sale on September 25 -- like we did not already know that -- Apple today reveals that iOS 9 has been installed on more than 50 percent of all iPhones, iPads and iPod touch devices currently in use.
That is a remarkable achievement, but it is even more impressive that iOS 9 reached this milestone just three days after its release on September 16. Apple says it is the "fastest iOS adoption ever".
Two months in: Living with Amazon Echo
It's been two months since I acquired Amazon Echo, the voice controlled device that can do a surprising amount of things. That feature list is always growing as well, with an increasing amount of partnerships and developers writing "skills".
Has the novelty worn off? Well, somewhat, but I still use it every day. It has become a tool that works for me and there are many features that come in handy.
Prelert improves insight into problems and threats
Finding anomalies in data sets is an effective way of identifying performance issues or indicators of compromise before they impact a business.
Being able to link those anomalies together by identifying common traits among them would be even more effective and that's what a new Anomaly Detective tool from behavioral analytics specialist Prelert does.
Google loses Right to Be Forgotten appeal in France
France has rejected an appeal from Google about last year's Right to Be Forgotten ruling. A previous ruling said that when Google received requests from European citizens to remove search results linking to stories deemed "inadequate, irrelevant, or no longer relevant", the removals should be applied worldwide.
Google disagreed, saying that removals should be limited to country-specific Google domains like Google.co.uk and Google.fr, leading to the appeal. But the president of the Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés, Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, said that rather than amounting to censorship, imposing global removals would help to prevent circumventions of the ruling.
Inateck USB hub and Ethernet adapter improves ultrabooks' usability [Review]
More and more devices now either connect through, or are powered by, USB connections which means you can easily find yourself running out of ports. This is especially true of the latest slimline ultrabook type systems.
Adding a USB hub is an easy way of expanding your number of ports and these latest offerings from Inateck give you a choice of solutions as well as a handy way of accessing wired networks.
Can't access a file, folder, or Registry key? MicEnum shows why (maybe)
Windows integrity levels are a key element of your PC’s security, often manipulated by malware, and one reason why you sometimes can’t access files, folders or Registry keys. But most users don’t even know they exist, because there’s no standard graphical interface for viewing them.
MicEnum is a free portable tool which makes it easy to browse the integrity levels for files, folders and Registry keys, scan for anomalies, and -- in some situations -- even change them.
Who you gonna call? Ghost Push Android virus infects 600,000 people a day
If you frequent Android forums you'll probably have seen references to 'Monkey Test' and 'Time Service' as users report that it's hard to get rid of these apps.
Researchers at Cheetah Mobile's CM Security Research Lab have discovered that the source of these apps is a virus called 'Ghost Push'. This installs unwanted and annoying apps on the device and can't be removed easily even by doing a factory reset or using normal antivirus software.
New solution helps avoid account lockouts
Being locked out of your account because you mistyped your password is not only frustrating, it takes up valuable IT staff time as it has to be treated as a genuine security threat and investigated before resetting.
Behavior analytics specialist Exabeam has produced a solution to the account lockout problem that uses machine learning to model lockout behavior and apply that logic and related rules to its latest release.
Apple cleans up the App Store after serious malware attack
Apple has started a clean-up operation of the Chinese version of its App Store after it was flooded with apps infected with XcodeGhost malware. The problem was not detected by Apple, but a number of security firms who discovered various malicious iPhone and iPad apps littering the Store.
The apps made their way past Apple's usually-rigorous vetting process after developers were tricked into using a counterfeit version of the Xcode tool to create them. The attack has been described as "a pretty big deal" although at this stage there are no reported instances of data theft or attacks on victims.
