Pandemic and SolarWinds highlight flaws in cybersecurity

Security breach lock

A survey of 300 security leaders in the US by Scale Venture Partners shows 94 percent say that C-level executives have a better understanding of cybersecurity risks than a year ago.

This is probably due to the twin impacts of the pandemic and the SolarWinds attack. Half say they will increase security budgets to address the impact of SolarWinds, while 40 percent have increased their cyber headcount during the pandemic.

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Half of UK employees lack basic digital skills

frustrated

Around 17.1 million people in the UK lack the essential digital skills (EDS) necessary for work, according to a new study.

The report from FutureDotNow, a coalition of leading organisations focused on accelerating the UK's workplace digital skills, finds only only 23 percent of employees report having any digital skills training from employers.

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Audacity bows to public pressure and says it will NOT collect telemetry data from users

Perceived invasions of privacy never go down well, as many software developers have discovered. Microsoft has received quite a backlash in response to telemetry in Windows 10, and the recent announcement that the audio editor Audacity was planning to do the same prompted a fierce reaction from users.

Audacity's new owner, Muse Group, has bowed to pressure from users and privacy advocates, announcing that the planned telemetry collection will no longer be going ahead. The company is blaming "communication mistakes" and public "misunderstanding" for the negative response to its previous data collection announcement.

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KB5000842 update is causing high-pitched sound problems for some Windows 10 users

Woman at laptop covering ears

It is a few weeks since Microsoft released the KB5000842 update for Windows 10, and it wasn't long before the optional patch was linked to problems with game performance. These particular issues have been -- mostly -- resolved, but KB5000842 remains problematic with users of some 5.1 audio setups complaining that it has results in their computers emitting high-pitched noises.

For now, there is no proper fix, but Microsoft is investigating the problem and say that an update will be provided in a future release. In the meantime, the company offers up a workaround.

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Microsoft gives Windows Terminal a promotion in the latest Windows 10 builds

Windows Terminal

The release of Windows 10 build 21382 yesterday came as a little bit of a surprise, but a pleasant one.

With this particular release there was not a huge amount for Microsoft to shout about in terms of new features. There are improvements to HDR support, improvements to the Start menu, new icons in Explorer, fonts changes and new options in Device Manager. But Microsoft also used the release to remind users that Windows Terminal is now installed by default.

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Microsoft releases Windows 10 Build 21382 with HDR improvements for creative apps like Adobe Photoshop and CorelDraw

Just in time for the start of the weekend, a brand new Windows 10 build arrives for those Insiders in the Dev Channel.

The big new addition in this build is HDR support in color managed apps, but there are plenty of other changes, improvements and fixes to be found in the flight.

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Beyond Identity looks to a passwordless future

Login zero trust

The death of the password has been predicted for a long time, yet it remains the most common way of logging into systems.

Identity management company Beyond Identity is looking to solve what is one of the biggest challenges in IT security and aims to re-establish trust in authentication chains by finally eliminating passwords as the weakest link.

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Get 'Cybersecurity Fundamentals -- Risks, Procedures, & Integration' ebook for free

The core of the Internet is getting weaker as we connect ever more of our lives -- phones, tablets, cars, refrigerators -- to it. Meanwhile, the attacks are getting stronger.

Cybercrime is a global pandemic. Cybersecurity is mainstream today because we’ve seen the repercussions personally, professionally and financially from not keeping our corporate and customer data secure.

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Think Windows 10 is bad? Feast your eyes on Microsoft's macOS -- the desktop operating system we definitely don't want!

If you’re a Mac owner, then you’ll be very familiar with macOS, Apple’s desktop operating system. Similarly, if you own a PC -- and it isn’t running a flavor of Linux -- then there’s a good chance it will have Windows 10 on it.

macOS and Windows 10, like other desktop operating systems, share lots of similarities, but they are also very different in their own ways. But what if they weren’t? What if Microsoft was making macOS instead of Apple?

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Why the human factor is key to cybersecurity [Q&A]

endpoint security

There are many things to consider when it comes to making systems secure, but one thing that is often overlooked is the human angle.

George Finney, CISO, CEO and founder of Well Aware Security believes that cybersecurity is a people problem first and foremost -- people are the ones who write and employ processes and people are the ones who create and use technology. No surprise then that people are behind some 95 percent of cybersecurity incidents.

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Recent KB5003173 update is causing 0x800f0922 errors in Windows 10

Windows 10 laptop

Earlier this week, Microsoft released the KB5003173 update for Windows 10. With no known issues, coupled with the fact it is a cumulative update rather than something brand new, we posited that it should be an update free from problems; it seems like we may have spoken too soon.

Growing numbers of people are experiencing failed installations with KB5003173 and are seeing an error 0x800f0922. While yet to be confirmed, it appears that the problem is related to the manual removal of the forcibly installed Chromium-based Microsoft Edge.

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NewerTech launches USB-C to HDMI and DisplayPort adapters

Some computer manufacturers have been trying to kill USB-A and push consumers towards USB-C, but so far, this scheme has not been successful. Don't get me wrong, USB-C is wonderful -- the reversible connector is far superior to the previous USB design -- but there are just too many USB-A devices in the world to have it disappear completely. While he death of USB-A is a certainty, it is still many years away.

If you have one of those newfangled computers that only come with USB-C, you can always buy a hub, dongle, or adapter. For instance, today, NewerTech launches two new USB-C video adapters. One converts USB-C to HDMI and the other to DisplayPort. These USB-C dongles aren't just great for connecting to computer monitors, but televisions too.

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Most developers admit releasing vulnerable applications

A new study shows that 81 percent of development teams have knowingly pushed vulnerable code live, with 20 percent of senior managers even admitting to doing so often.

The report from Immersive Labs based on work by Osterman Research shows low confidence in application security in general, with only half of CISOs believing secure applications could be developed and just 44 percent of all security teams believing their company could withstand a SolarWinds style attack on their build environment.

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System76 unveils open source 'Launch Configurable Keyboard' for Linux, Windows, and macOS that is made in the USA

System76 makes and sells excellent computers running Linux-based operating systems. The company's laptops and desktops can be had with your choice of the popular Ubuntu or the company's own Ubuntu-based Pop!_OS. For many years now, System76 has been a huge proponent of both the Linux and open source communities. Quite frankly, Linux users all over the world are very lucky to have System76 computers as an option.

And now, PC manufacturer System76 is becoming an accessory maker too. You see, after teasing the product for months, today, the company officially unveils its newest product -- the "Launch Configurable Keyboard." Yes, folks, it is a mechanical keyboard made in the USA with a focus on open source. The Launch has both open source firmware and hardware. Even the configuration software -- which runs on Linux, Windows, and macOS -- is open source.

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New platform wants to simplify application security

Business security

The transition to agile development, the rise of microservices, and an increased reliance on cloud services for business operations due to the pandemic have all contributed to an explosion in software development and a dramatic reduction in software delivery time.

But as the speed and complexity of application development skyrockets, application security professionals increasingly find themselves unable to keep up. Silicon Valley startup ArmorCode has produced a next-generation application security solution that consolidates three key AppSec needs into a single intelligent platform and it's raised $3 million in seed financing to develop it further.

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