• Article

We know that Windows 11 is on the way, we know that there is a new look, we know that there are new features, and we know that we can test drive the beta version right now. But what about the actual release date for the finished product?

So far, Microsoft has not given much away beyond saying it will be ready for the holiday season. That said, it seems that the only way to get hold of the RTM build this year will be to buy a new computer with it pre-installed; anyone looking to upgrade from Windows 10 will have to wait until next year. We've already had hints that the release date for Windows 11 is October, but now there are further clues -- from Microsoft itself.

Continue reading →

Microsoft is making a change to the way so-called Potentially Unwanted Apps (PUAs) are handled by Defender and Edge in Windows 10.

Starting this month, Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Edge on Windows 10 will default to blocking PUAs. Users who want greater control over the apps that can be run on their computer have the option of disabling the setting, but this does mean missing out on an important protective measure.

Continue reading →

Databases are employed by all kinds of businesses, but deciding which one to use can be a tricky decision. Once you've chosen a solution it’s a lot of work to switch to a different one.

But also different stakeholders within the enterprise have different requirements from a database and different views on which features are important.

Continue reading →

With the release of the first beta build of Windows 11, increasing numbers of people are keen to try out the operating system. You could install Windows 11 as your primary OS, you could opt to dual boot with Windows 10, or you could just use an old computer (assuming it meets the minimum system requirements).

But perhaps the least disruptive option is to go down the route of virtualization. There are various tools you could use for this, but Windows offers Hyper-V, an optional component that can be used to create virtual machines. Technically, it is exclusive to the Pro editions of Windows 10 and Windows 11, but with a little tweaking, it's also available in the Home editions. Here's how to enable Hyper-V.

Continue reading →

Working remotely is no longer a temporary anomaly due to COVID-19. Instead, working from home has become a movement where employees aim to take control of their lives. For instance, workers are saving money by not buying gas for their cars, but more importantly, the lack of a commute means more personal time. Employees can also sleep later rather than sit in traffic.

If you are working form home, I highly recommend investing in quality webcams and audio equipment. If you want to stand out in a meeting, you should be both seen and heard clearly. You don't want to be known as the person that is hard to see or understand.

Continue reading →

Back in the days before Facebook Messenger, iMessage, and WhatsApp, we had other chat platforms such as AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), MSN Messenger, and ICQ to name a few. At first, everyone used the first-party apps for each platform, but eventually, many of us switched to third-party software that could connect to multiple chat platforms at once. The multi-chat apps were more convenient, but equally important, they were usually advertisement-free. AIM, for instance, had annoying ads.

One of the most popular such programs was Gaim, which was ultimately renamed to Pidgin. Believe it or not, Pidgin is still being developed to this day. The open source Pidgin is available on both Linux and Windows. Unfortunately, use of Pidgin has dipped dramatically over the last decade. Hell, I don't even remember the last time I used it. And now, in what is certainly a huge blow to Pidgin, the Ubuntu Linux-based Xubuntu is finally ditching it.

Continue reading →

Microsoft took the wraps off its subscription-based Windows 365 last month, and today the software giant announces general availability for it.

Windows 365 is a cloud-based service that lets anyone securely stream full Windows 10 or Windows 11 to their personal or corporate devices, regardless of the native operating system.

Continue reading →

Google will be properly unveiling the next generation of its Pixel smartphones soon, but it’s released a sneak peek showing us what they look like, and revealing that they will be powered by a new custom-built chip.

Google will be hoping its new silicon proves as successful as Apple’s M1 chips, and it certainly looks as if could really revolutionize the Android experience.

Continue reading →

We're all encouraged to use multi-factor authentication to protect our online accounts. Very often this involves a one-time passcode (OTP) sent via an SMS message.

This makes life harder for the cybercriminals even if they have your password, but the team at CyberNews has uncovered a new robocall bot that aims to trick users into giving up their OTPs.

Continue reading →

We've looked before at the phenomenon of Initial Access Brokers, cybercriminals who breach systems and then sell access to the highest bidder.

It seems that during the pandemic IABs have been busy improving their business model. New research from threat intelligence company KELA shows that pricing is often determined by company size and the level of privilege on offer within the compromised network, with $5,400 as the average price for network access, and $1,000 as the median price.

Continue reading →

Who would be scared to contact their IT department? Quite a lot of people according to a new survey from Velocity Smart Technology, which interviewed 2,000 US office workers.

It finds 60 percent say they've had a negative experience with their IT department, either because they've felt patronized, intimated or frustrated at the length of the time they've to wait to resolve issues.

Continue reading →

The challenges of the last year and a half, along with major cyberattacks, like that on Colonial Pipeline, have had a major impact on security professionals, with 51 percent reporting experiencing extreme stress or burnout.

The latest Global Incident Response Threat Report released today by VMware finds 65 percent saying they've considered leaving their job because of stress.

Continue reading →

The PrintNightmare vulnerability has indeed proved to be something of a nightmare for Microsoft, and it's one that shows no signs of coming to an end. Security researchers have unearthed yet another method of exploiting the Windows print spooler vulnerability, making it possible for anyone to gain administrator privileges.

The latest method involves creating a remote print server and connecting to it. This causes Windows to install a driver which requires loading a DLL with System privileges -- a fact that can be exploited to launch an elevated Command Prompt. Even on a fully patched and updated copy of Windows 10 21H1, the attack works.

Continue reading →

Some names transport you back to the past, and this is certainly true of 3dfx. It is now two decades since the graphics card maker went bankrupt and was swallowed by NVIDIA.

But now it seems that the company is rising from the dead. Over the weekend, a Twitter account for 3dfx Interactive appeared and started posting some interesting tweets. First, there is at the promise of a "major announcement regarding our return this Thursday" (August 5), followed by a poll asking people if they'd like to see a new 3dfx Voodoo card. So, what's going on?

Continue reading →

Windows 11 is rumored to be released in October, and since it is already in the Beta Channel, that rumor seems plausible. So, yeah, Microsoft is sure to dominate headlines in the final quarter of the year.

While a new version of Windows is surely exciting, that won't be the only operating system getting a new version later in the year. You see, the Linux Mint developers have shared some exciting news about when version 20.3 of the Ubuntu-based distro will be available for download.

Continue reading →