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Microsoft is preparing to end free support for Windows 10 next year, although users will have the option to pay for continued security updates if they choose. While it’s possible to keep using the popular operating system safely, most people will face two choices: upgrade to Windows 11 or wait for the eagerly anticipated next-generation OS, widely expected to be called Windows 12.

Although Microsoft has yet to officially reveal its plans for the future of Windows, we have an idea of what it could look like.

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NixOS 24.11 Vicuña is finally here after a brief week-long delay. The Linux distribution, known for its modularity and unique package management system, has been updated with new features, packages, and improvements. NixOS packages aren’t limited to the distribution itself -- they can also be used on other Linux systems and macOS, giving users flexibility beyond the standard installation. This latest release will receive bug fixes and security updates until June 31, 2025.

The development effort behind this version is impressive. A total of 2,669 contributors worked on 49,079 commits to bring this release to life. The team added 8,141 new packages, updated 20,975, and removed 3,970 to maintain security and manageability. Beyond packages, NixOS includes modules and tests that are integral to its functionality. This update introduces 119 new modules while retiring 30. Additionally, 1,706 options were added, and 556 were removed.

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Adlink Technology has introduced its new EMP100 Mini PC, a compact device aimed at both smart retail and industrial sectors. With its small size (13 x 10.7 x 2.8cm) and fanless design, this versatile machine promises to handle tasks like digital signage, IoT applications, and edge computing in space-constrained environments.

Powered by Intel Celeron processors (N6210/J6412), the EMP100 supports dual 4K displays through two HDMI ports, making it a solid option for eye-catching digital signage or interactive kiosks. It also includes IoT connectivity with a single GbE LAN port and offers optional Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. Expansion options are available with M.2 slots for storage or wireless modules, allowing for some customization.

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Cybersecurity is often frustratingly seen as a boardroom burden -- a compulsory cost to keep threats at bay. This “necessary evil” mindset is holding businesses back and leading to a critical opportunity to leverage security as a driver of success being missed.

It’s time we looked at cybersecurity investments differently. Rather than the board reluctantly seeing the investments solely as a necessity for threat prevention, organizations should see cybersecurity also as a powerful enabler of productivity and growth. As digital transformation accelerates across manufacturing, healthcare, and other critical infrastructure sectors where cyber-physical systems (CPS) underpin operations, security needs to keep up with the pace of innovation, supporting -- and even driving -- new efficiencies, customer trust, and competitive advantages which all come with improving cyber and operational resilience.

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After a period of intense public and political debate, Australia has approved laws that will ban anyone under the age of 16 from using social media.

While the laws were passed yesterday, it may well be a year until they come into effect -- and they will be the strictest in the world. Once in force, tech companies such as Meta could be hit with fines of up to AUS$50 million (US $32.5 million) for failing to comply.

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For GenAI to live up to its promise reliable flow of data is key. AI models are only as good as the data pipeline connections bringing in quality data.

Outdated connections mean more hallucinations and untrustworthy results with data engineers hopelessly trying to manually integrate hundreds of AI data feeds. We spoke to Rivery co-founder and CEO Itamar Ben Hemo to discuss why good data pipelines are key to success.

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Linux-based operating systems have long been heralded as being inherently more secure than Windows. Whether or not this is true is open to debate, as is the impact of user numbers on making an OS a target for malware writers.

A key security concern in recent times has been UEFI bootkits, and it has been something affecting only Windows-based systems. Now, however, security firm ESET has revealed details of Bootkitty, the first UEFI bootkit designed for Linux systems.

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Mozilla has updated its packaging format for Firefox on Linux, moving from .tar.bz2 to .tar.xz. The switch, which uses the LZMA compression algorithm, results in smaller download sizes -- up to 25 percent smaller -- and faster decompression times, improving installation efficiency.

The .tar.xz format is widely supported across modern Linux distributions, ensuring compatibility while saving bandwidth. Current users won’t need to take any action, as Firefox will continue updating as usual. However, the new format is now available for Firefox Nightly and will roll out to Beta and Release channels in the coming weeks.

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Hack the Cybersecurity Interview, Second Edition, is the essential guide for anyone aiming to navigate this changing landscape. This edition, updated and expanded, addresses how to find cybersecurity jobs in tough job markets and expands upon the original cybersecurity career paths.

It offers invaluable insights into various cybersecurity roles, such as cybersecurity engineer, penetration tester, cybersecurity product manager, and cybersecurity project manager, focusing on succeeding in interviews.

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Team Flirc and Team Kodi have announced the release of the Flirc Raspberry Pi 5 Case, Kodi Edition. The newly designed case is the result of a collaborative process that invited the Kodi community to participate in its creation, making it a unique offering for fans of the popular home theater platform.

The design process began with a crowdsourcing poll on the Kodi forums, where community members were presented with six potential designs and given the opportunity to vote and provide feedback. The final design reflects the input of Kodi users, aligning with the open and community-driven nature of the platform.

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A new study from Capterra shows that 59 percent of global businesses regret at least one software purchase they've made in the last 18 months.

Despite this though, the survey of over 3,500 businesses finds 75 percent of organizations are planning to increase their software spending in 2025, with a significant focus on IT systems and artificial intelligence (AI).

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Although the cyber threat landscape rarely stands still, some age-old attack vectors will continue to be revisited by cyber criminals. For example, the cyber security risks of removable media -- which have persisted for years -- are presenting fresh challenges for security teams. 

This is because, thanks to its convenience and cost, removable media remains a cornerstone of the operations of critical national infrastructure (CNI) sectors. Devices such as USB drives are used by CNI operators and their third-party service partners to handle sensitive data, perform physical data transfer, and carry out vital operational tasks such as firmware updates in air-gapped networks. 

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As a small business owner reading endless news stories about cyberattacks against well-known enterprise names, it can be easy to think it won’t happen to you. In reality, hackers don’t discriminate: businesses of all sizes can, and do, find themselves on the receiving end of data breaches, and the financial and reputational consequences that often accompany them.

According to the Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2024, half of all UK businesses, including many small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), reported experiencing a cyberattack within the last year. Despite these high attack rates, only 22 percent of businesses have a formal incident response plan in place, leaving many SMBs vulnerable to serious financial, operational, and reputational damage. This cyber complacency can have serious repercussions if not urgently addressed.

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AI’s steady impact on the academic and research community is measurable through citation metrics, essentially showing how many times a study has directly influenced subsequent research. A recent analysis of AI-related citations showed beyond doubt the impact of AI. It also revealed another noteworthy statistic: Google’s DeepMind made up just under half of all AI-related citations from 2020-2024. 

The company’s dominance is undoubtedly a testament to the importance of its work -- but it also serves as a starting point from which to probe further into the research landscape in Europe and how it’s been impacted by AI. Concentrated influences in academia and research can have long-lasting effects on funding distributions, channels of collaboration, and ultimately the potential for innovation. Add to this the powerful and relatively new tool of AI, and suddenly the future trajectory of scientific research on the continent looks a lot less clear. 

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Phishing is on the rise. Egress' latest Phishing Threat Trends Report shows a 28 percent surge in attacks in the second quarter of 2024 alone. But what’s behind the increase? There are a few factors in play. Like any other form of threat, phishing is becoming more sophisticated with hackers now having access to a variety of new AI-powered tools to generate email messages, payloads, and even deepfakes.

Further, these technologies and the cyberattacks they can create are now easier to access than ever. Especially as more hackers tap into the professional services on offer from a mature and diverse Crime as a Service (CaaS) ecosystem of providers selling everything from the mechanisms to create attacks to pre-packaged phishing toolkits that promise to evade native defenses and secure email gateways (SEGs).

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