Malware-as-a-service is cyber criminals' new lucrative business
Organized criminal gangs (OCGs) are increasingly using software services of the type more usually associated with legitimate corporations to grow their operations. By offering malware-as-a-service, OCGs are employing business models similar to those developed by legitimate companies in order to extend their global reach.
The companies providing the software used by OCGs to break into organizations’ IT systems, commonly called malware, now employ business models frequently comprising a revenue stream, a budget, market researchers, a global pool of developers, software quality assurance and testing, help desk support, and even money-back guarantees. This process is now being referred to as the industrialization of cyber crime.
How mobile access is changing the Internet
Mobile Internet doesn't just liberate us from the constraints of a wired connection, it offers hundreds of millions around the world their only, or primary, means of getting online.
The latest Global Internet report from the Internet Society focuses on mobile usage and how it has changed, and is changing, the way we use the Web.
Skype for Business debuts on Windows Phone
Skype for Business is Microsoft's new enterprise communication tool, serving as a replacement for Lync in the software giant's business-oriented lineup. It was officially released in April, with new features and improvements coming from its predecessor, but is only now available on Windows Phone.
Windows Phone is actually the first major mobile platform which offers a Skype for Business app, with Android and iOS still having the old Lync 2013 client in their respective app stores. The transition from Lync 2013 to Skype for Business, on Windows Phone, is accompanied by new features.
Bing Maps gets major redesign, available now in preview
Whenever I use Bing Maps I get the sense that Microsoft has long conceded that its service will never be as popular as Google Maps. Otherwise it would look more visually appealing -- not as if it is a low-priority product -- and frequently gain new, powerful features. With Windows 10 on the horizon -- and Bing a key part of the experience -- not having Bing Maps ready for an influx of new users feels like a missed opportunity.
However, Microsoft is actively working on a major redesign for Bing Maps, which might put it back on consumers' radar. "Users want a map experience that is fast and easy to use, and makes the most of the visually rich data that maps can bring to life", says the team behind the service. And with lots of changes, it certainly looks promising.
New backup service protects data stored in cloud apps
You might think that by moving applications to the cloud your data is automatically protected and worrying about backups is a thing of the past.
But just storing and processing data in Office 365 or Salesforce doesn't guard against user errors like accidentally deleting files. To offer extra peace of mind, backup specialist KeepItSafe is launching a new Cloud2Cloud service to protect data in SaaS applications.
Object Theory to create mixed reality apps for Microsoft HoloLens ecosystem
Microsoft's take on virtual reality, HoloLens, caused waves of excitement when it was announced a few months ago. Today, a new company founded by a former member of the Microsoft HoloLens Studios team launches to start feeding the ecosystem with a range of apps it is describing not as virtual reality, or even augmented reality, but mixed reality.
Michael Hoffman's Object Theory has been set up with the aim of helping other organizations to build apps that take advantage of what HoloLens can offer. We've already seen how HoloLens can run Windows apps in 3D, and a recent demonstration of Minecraft at E3 thrilled gamers. Object Theory wants to ensure that there is a range of impressive apps on launch day.
FFmpeg is a one-stop audio and video converter
If you need to convert a few audio or video files then you could try out a few freeware transcoders, do your best to avoid the adware, hope they support the formats and options you need.
Or you could just grab a copy of FFmpeg, the open-source media-processing powerhouse which is the engine behind most freeware converters, anyway.
Police: Don't buy a gun-shaped iPhone case
There are a lot of novelty iPhone cases out there, but here’s one which really isn’t a good idea: a gun-shaped case.
Yes, as you can see from the image above, this is essentially a replica gun built to be a holder for your iPhone, and as you can imagine, that’s really not a bright idea -- particularly not over in the US where it’s on sale, and gun crime is rife in one form or another.
Small businesses under-prepared for cyber security
Although there has been heavy media coverage of information security issues in the past year, more than half of Britain's small businesses say that they aren't taking any preventative measures to protect themselves against cybercrime.
According to a survey by identity protection specialist CSID 52 percent of UK small businesses aren't guarding against cybercrime and a large majority (85.3 percent) don't have any plans to increase their budgets for security implementation, and less than 13 percent are working with a third party vendor to protect themselves. When asked about their concerns in the event of a data breach, 53 percent of respondents were worried their reputation would be damaged. Yet despite these fears only 47 percent of respondents are monitoring what is written about their brands online, and less than 15 percent have a social media policy in place. Only nine percent were worried about the negative impact on employees.
How to find out who unfriended you on Facebook
Ever wanted to know when one of your Facebook friends deletes you? Well now there’s an app that’ll tell you that and more.
Unsurprisingly named "Who Deleted Me on Facebook", the app shows you which accounts have unfriended you, which have become deactivated and who is online.
Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10162 arrives on the Slow ring
Windows 10 Build 10162 was released to Fast ring Insiders five days ago, the third new build to appear in a week. A day later, and Microsoft released ISOs of it, so anyone could install the new version, although there was still no official release to Slow ring Insiders.
Thankfully, Microsoft has deemed the latest build to be stable enough for all, and finally pushed out the update to those Insiders who prefer to receive stable builds.
WinToFlash converts Windows setup discs to bootable USB drives
Installing Windows normally requires a setup disc, which is just fine, unless your optical drive isn’t working. Or your system doesn’t have one at all. Or the disc is scratched and unreadable. Or you really don’t have the patience for those painfully slow data transfer rates.
One effective solution is to transfer your Windows setup files to a bootable USB drive. Novicorp WinToFlash has being doing just that since 2009, and despite development stalling for some time, a recent rush of major new releases means the package is finally out of beta.
Context Menu Manager for Windows
Double or right-click a file in Explorer and it’s not always obvious what's going to happen. You might find context menu entries for all kinds of long-forgotten applications, and Windows provides no obvious way to clean up.
Context Menu Manager is a free (well, ad-sponsored) portable program to help you browse your current file associations, view their context menus, clean up broken entries, and maybe add a few new right-click options to get your system working better.
Microsoft gets its Groove back -- rebrands Xbox Music
As one of the few (at least it feels that way) people who subscribes to Xbox Music, I have a real love/hate relationship with the service. On Windows 8.1 and 10, it is absolutely glorious. Finding music is easy and it integrates very well with the operating system. On iOS and Android? Not so much. On Google's operating system in particular, the songs skip, making a satisfying listening experience impossible. There is no iPad-optimized version at all. Sigh.
Today, Microsoft is rebranding Xbox Music to Groove (not to be confused with Microsoft Office Groove). While I find the name to be an improvement, many Xbox fans will likely dislike the new name. Hell, I don't care what it is called, as long as it works well. One thing is for sure, a new name will not solve the usability woes. However, I am hopeful that a new brand means a renewed interest in developing the service for the better.
Apple wants to control the look of third-party accessory packaging
Any company wanting to sell its accessories in Apple stores may as well fire some of its designers. Continuing its image-control efforts, Apple is to phase out accessories that are supplied in ugly, non-conforming boxes. Only those accessories that are packaged in boxes co-designed with Apple will be guaranteed shelf space in a store.
Many manufacturers already go to some lengths to mimic the look of official iPhone and iPad packaging, but it won't be long before this is compulsory. A memo sent to retail store staff reveals that accessories from the likes of Incase, Logitech, and Mophie will soon feature the cookie-cutter look that has become synonymous with Apple packaging.
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