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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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A huge proportion of what you encounter on social media platforms is selected by algorithms (this should be news to very few people), and algorithms are problematic.

The content that is pushed to you is supposed to be based on your past interactions, the people you are connected to, the things you like, and so on, but it is easily polluted and corrupted. And this is why Instagram’s current test that gives users a way to reset their recommendations and start afresh is so welcome.

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Microsoft is in the FTC’s crosshairs again as the federal agency launches a new antitrust investigation into the tech giant’s sprawling business practices. According to a source familiar with the matter, the FTC has issued a demand for Microsoft to hand over key documents, signaling concerns over the company’s rapid growth, particularly in artificial intelligence. Both Microsoft and the FTC have declined to comment on the investigation, initially reported by Bloomberg.

The probe comes at a pivotal moment for the tech industry and could be a turning point for the Linux community. With Microsoft dominating cloud computing, enterprise software, and gaming, as well as surging ahead in AI with investments in OpenAI and its Copilot platform, the company has left little room for competitors to thrive. But a regulatory shakeup could shift the balance of power, creating a golden opportunity for Linux-based solutions to gain traction.

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Firefox, the web browser that once disrupted Microsoft’s dominance, has turned 20. Officially launched on November 9, 2004, Mozilla’s browser quickly gained attention for introducing features like tabbed browsing and extensions, offering a fresh alternative in an era dominated by Internet Explorer. Over the years, Firefox has remained a go-to choice for users prioritizing privacy and open web standards.

The origin of Firefox’s name is as unique as the browser itself. Mozilla wanted a name that was memorable and tied to nature. The team landed on “fire” and “fox,” later discovering that the term “firefox” is another name for the red panda. This connection has been central to Firefox’s branding ever since.

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In recent years the concept of Black Friday has spread beyond the US thanks to the web, such that millions around the world now go online at this time of year in search of bargains. But are the deals on offer really all they seem?

A new report from Smartproxy suggests that they might not be. It highlights the tactics some sites use to create the illusion of savings. Many increase the baseline prices of products in the weeks before Black Friday. So by the time the 'discounts' hit, they're often just bringing prices back to normal.

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Cyber threats are becoming more complex and it can be difficult for defenders to see the big picture and make decisions accordingly.

Now though help is at hand as ImmuniWeb is launching a free online tool making historical data on the security of internet-accessible resources available to the global cybersecurity community, educational institutions, government agencies, and even individual researchers.

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The cybersecurity landscape is more complex than ever and that means enterprises need to have a real-time picture of their exposure.

We spoke to Nadir Izrael, CTO and co-founder of Armis, to learn what this should look like and how security teams can evaluate and evolve their security programs to achieve more control over their asset landscape.

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Bang & Olufsen has launched the Beoplay Eleven wireless earbuds, building on its Beoplay EX with upgraded performance and luxurious design. The Danish brand aims to redefine its audio lineup with these new earbuds, offering improved Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), better voice clarity, and an enhanced transparency mode.

The Beoplay Eleven’s ANC technology is a leap forward, providing twice the noise reduction at low frequencies compared to its predecessor. This is combined with improved optimization for various ear shapes, ensuring a tailored fit and superior noise cancellation for users. Six updated microphones deliver a clearer, more natural sound with significantly reduced hiss noise, enhancing transparency for those moments when users need to stay aware of their surroundings. Additionally, the Wind Guard feature in the B&O app effectively filters out wind noise, making outdoor use more pleasant.

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