Six months on from Brexit, how has it affected the IT industry?

Brexit flags

It's now been five years since the United Kingdom voted in a referendum to leave the European Union, and six months since it actually left.

With the promise of freedom to 'take back control' of the UK's borders, potential new opportunities for Britons and a plan to make the UK a global leader in innovation, there's still a lot up in the air. What has been apparent, however, is that almost all aspects of businesses have been impacted by Brexit in some way or other, from supply chain complications, to staff shortages, to confusion around GDPR and data protection rules.

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Thousands sign letter asking Apple to scrap plans to scan users' photos for child abuse images

Apple spying

An open letter signed by privacy advocates, security experts, technology companies and legal specialists has been sent to Apple, decrying the company's plans to scan the photos of Mac, iPad and iPhone users for evidence of child abuse.

While on the face of it, Apple's "Expanded Protections for Children" plans are a good thing, it has also come in for heavy criticism. With the release of macOS Monterey, iOS 15 and iPad OS 15, the company is implementing CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material) detection which will check image hashes to see if they feature in databases of known abuse images. It has been likened to creating a backdoor to users' files and has horrified privacy experts.

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ASUS BIOS update gives motherboards TPM 2.0 support ready for Windows 11

ASUS Windows 11 support

ASUS is one of the first motherboard manufacturers taking steps to ensure that its customers will be able to enjoy Windows 11. The company has released BIOS updates for a number of its boards which automatically enable TPM 2.0 support.

The hardware requirements for Windows 11 have proved confusing and controversial in just about equal measure, but it is the need for TPM 2.0 that has caught many people off guard. Even for people with systems that have TPM 2.0 and therefore support Windows 11, there is the potentially difficult process of enabling the feature. With its latest BIOS updates for both AMD and Intel mobos, ASUS has eliminated this step so there is no need to manually enable it.

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MINISFORUM EliteMini HX90 is a tiny Windows 11-ready PC with an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX

EliteMini-HX90-1

MINISFORUM is a computer manufacturer that has been gaining a lot of fans lately. Its PCs are looked upon favorably by many consumers that like the diminutive desktop form factor. Not only are its computers well-made and small, but often quite powerful too. These machines can be good servers, retro-gaming machines, office workstations, home theater PCs, and more.

Many MINISFORUM computers are powered by capable Intel processors, but understandably, AMD fans want to get in on the small desktop action too. I am happy to say MINISFORUM does cater to those that prefer AMD. In fact, the company does have several AMD-powered options. Today, MINISFORUM launches its latest desktop, and it is powered by the impressive Ryzen 9 5900HX APU. And yes, the company says it will be Windows 11 compatible.

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How security teams can build a strong IT partnership for zero trust implementation [Q&A]

As the enterprise IT landscape has become more complex, security is no longer a matter of simply securing the network perimeter. The cloud and remote workers now have to be part of the equation too.

In order to cope with this, more and more businesses are turning to the use of zero trust methodology. We spoke to James Carder, CSO of SIEM platform LogRhythm to find out more about why this is a technology whose time has come and how it can be implemented effectively.

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Google unveils new Nest smart home stuff

nest-stuff

Google bought Nest more than seven years ago now, and since that acquisition, there have been many cool smart home devices to come from the search giant. Under the Nest branding, there's not just smart thermostats and cameras, but other products too such as doorbells and speakers. Ultimately, the name "Nest" has become synonymous with the smart home.

Today, Google unveils some new Nest smart home devices, and they are all camera-related. There is a new doorbell (with integrated camera) plus three new dedicated security cameras. What's notable is that the new doorbell and one of the new cameras can be run from a battery, meaning they do not require a hardwire power connection. One of the cameras features nifty floodlights too.

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Microsoft releases Windows 11 Build 22000.120 with changes to File Explorer

Windows 11 laptop

With a rumored RTM date of sometime in October, Microsoft is hard at work on Windows 11 and today rolls out a new build to Insiders in the Dev Channel.

There aren’t any major new features in Build 22000.120 but there is a new Family widget and some minor tweaks to File Explorer.

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Why AI isn't the only answer to cybersecurity [Q&A]

machine learning AI

Read about any new cybersecurity product today and the chances are that it will be keen to stress its use of AI in some form.

But are we expecting too much from AI and are companies adopting it just because it's on trend? We spoke to Nadav Arbel, co-founder and CEO of managed SOC platform CYREBRO, to find out more about AI's role and why the human factor is still important.

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Get 'Cloud Computing For Dummies, 2nd Edition' (worth $21.00) FREE for a limited time

Cloud-Computing

Cloud computing is no longer just a clever new toy in the world of IT infrastructure. Despite the nebulous name, it’s become a real and important part of our information architecture -- and tech professionals who ignore it or try to skim their way through risk falling behind rapidly. The new edition of Cloud Computing For Dummies gets you up to speed fast, clarifying your Cloud options, showing you where can save you time and money, giving you ways to frame your decisions, and helping you avoid weeks of research.

In a friendly, easy-to-follow style, Cloud Computing For Dummies, 2nd Edition demystifies the Cloud’s virtual landscape, breaking up a complex and multi-layered topic into simple explanations that will make the various benefits clear and ultimately guide you toward making the most appropriate choices for your organization. 

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Microsoft reveals Windows 11 Snipping Tool

Snipp_11

When it comes to Windows, sometimes Microsoft overthinks and overdesigns things -- remember the Windows 8 nightmare? MS Paint is a wonderful tool that people have enjoyed for decades. Microsoft famously tried to replace it with Paint 3D, but no one wanted that as it was terrible. Look, people know what they like and Microsoft should respect that. Apps like Paint, Notepad, and the Snipping Tool are simple to use and work well.

Well, folks, it seems like Microsoft is finally starting to get it. After threatening to kill off the popular Snipping Tool, the company today announces that not only is the app alive and well, but it has a very bright future.

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Is AI actually you?

ai-robot-god

This seems like a great time to ask this question, as it might not matter soon. With the direction things are heading, we may soon arrive at an intersection where the blurring of identity reality and identity fiction is so extreme that we’ll simply stop asking what is authentic personhood. 

Case in point, a story out of Paris in July outlines not a dystopian future, but a troubling present reality. The piece recounts the story of computer-generated YouTube storytime videos. The genre is pretty much what it sounds like:

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Tackling the cyber threat to manufacturing businesses

Ransomware skull

The manufacturing industry has become a major target for ransomware attacks. The reason is simple: if criminals can cripple the operational technology that controls the manufacturing plant, a company will rapidly come to its knees. With no product to sell, any company will fear for its existence -- and with that fear, the criminals believe any manufacturing company will be more likely to pay a sizable ransom to stay in business. Sophisticated cyber criminals understand this. They choose and research their targets and set their ransom to the maximum amount they believe the company can afford to pay.

For many years, the manufacturing industry didn’t worry about cyber threats. Its operational technology (OT) was air-gapped from outside interference, and was therefore safe from external compromise. This is no longer true. The advent of the fourth industrial revolution -- otherwise known as business digitisation -- has eroded that airgap. IT and OT are now totally interdependent. Bringing down a manufacturing company’s IT will almost certainly have a knock-on effect against its OT.

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Enterprises back data science but don't have the skills and tools to make it work

Data analytics

Enterprises are overwhelmingly counting on data science as a key to their long-term success, but flawed investments in people, processes and tools are leading companies to fail in their best efforts to develop, deploy, monitor, and manage models.

New research from Domino Data Lab shows that while 71 percent of data executives say their company leadership expects revenue growth from their investment in data science, 48 percent say their company has not invested enough to meet those expectations.

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ThreatX platform gives businesses a clear view of their API attack surface

api

APIs make life easier for developers by allowing easy access to various program functions. However, this functionality also makes them an increasingly attractive target for attack.

Web application and API Protection platform ThreatX is launching new API catalog capabilities to provide enterprises with a clear view of their API's attack surface, as well as the operational health of any APIs in production.

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Vulnerabilities are back as people return to work

open digital lock

After a slump during the pandemic, vulnerability disclosures are once again showing growth according to the latest Vulnerability QuickView Report from Risk Based Security's VulnDB team.

The report shows 12,723 vulnerabilities disclosed during the first half of 2021 and the vulnerability disclosure landscape saw a growth of 2.8 percent compared to the same period in 2020.

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