Can digital identity verification save the sharing economy?
With online sharing services (such as Uber, Airbnb and TaskRabbit) expected to be utilized by 86.5 million people by 2021, it is evident that the sharing economy is now mainstream. However, this$335 billion market is challenged by trust and safety concerns. Without trust, the sharing economy will not reach its full potential, and the only way to establish this trust is through digital identity verification to ensure users and providers in the sharing economy are who they claim to be.
Trust is required for the sharing economy to thrive -- the expectation that all parties are who they say they are and are operating in good faith. When hiring a worker from TaskRabbit, consumers trust the individual has been properly vetted. When a consumer orders a special occasion outfit from Rent the Runway, users trust it will arrive on time and in good condition. Users of the sharing economy trust that the company has verified the identities of its providers (e.g., drivers, delivery people, hosts, freelancers) and that their services are reliable and safe. Likewise, providers have faith that new users have passed some sort of identity verification before being accepted onto the sharing platform. When this trust is broken -- as we’ve seen on Craigslist,GoFundMe and elsewhere -- it cannot be easily repaired.
What makes enterprises more efficient at patching vulnerabilities?
The companies most effectively managing security vulnerabilities are those using a patch tool, relying on risk-based prioritization tools, and having multiple, specialized remediation teams that focus on specific sectors of a technology stack.
A new report from cyber risk specialist Kenna Security, produced in conjunction with the Cyentia Institute, reveals that businesses with mature, well-funded vulnerability management programs are more likely to patch vulnerabilities faster.
Debian Buster-based Netrunner 19.08 'Indigo' KDE-focused Linux distro is the perfect Windows replacement
GNOME is undeniably the best desktop environment, but understandably, not everyone likes it. Hey, that's OK. Some folks like Pepsi despite Coke being, like, 1,000 times better. Such is life. Thankfully, with Linux, there are plenty of environments from which to choose, such as Xfce, Cinnamon, and KDE to name a few.
If you are a fan of KDE, or interested in sampling it for the first time, Netrunner is a Linux-based operating system you have to try. Quite frankly, this distro offers the greatest implementation of KDE Plasma. But that's not all -- it is one of the best Linux distros overall. It is chock full of useful software and is extremely polished, making it a great choice for those switching from Windows, but also, it is a solid choice for Linux experts. Today, Netrunner 19.08 "Indigo" becomes available for download.
Acronis True Image 2020 adds dual-protection backups, promises 50% backup speed boost
Acronis has launched Acronis True Image 2020 for Windows and Mac, a major new release of its popular local and cloud backup tool.
True Image 2020 debuts its dual-protection feature to allow local backups to be automatically replicated in the cloud. Other new features include a new notifications center, greater control over key aspects of the program and the promise of backups that are "at least 50 percent faster" than the previous release.
IObit Uninstaller 9 adds a powerful install monitor
Although we handle support for novice software customers, there’s one area that often leaves us perplexed. Why does software manage to leave so much data on your computer after you run the official uninstaller?
It should be straightforward, right? You install software, uninstall and the entire process should remove the components, registry entries, startup modules and upgrade flashes. But often they fail. We still get warnings about software being out-of-date that we uninstalled months ago and even a tool from a well-known brand offering us an upgrade. Try and locate the source of these issues and they are often hidden deep in your registry or other hard to find locations.
Do businesses rely too much on cloud computing?
The cloud computing industry has seen huge growth in the past nine years, considerably more so than what was anticipated. In 2018, as many as 96 percent of businesses utilized it in some way.
In 2010, the cloud computing industry was worth approximately $24.50 billion. Now, in 2019, it is worth over $100 billion, and it keeps on growing. It's predicted that by the time 2020 rolls around, the industry will be worth a massive $150 billion!
Now you can jailbreak iOS 12.4 -- or hack it
Hackers have taken advantage of a vulnerability in iOS 12.4 to release a jailbreaking tool. This is the first time in many years that it has been possible to jailbreak iPhones running the most recent version of iOS.
Security researchers discovered that in iOS 12.4, Apple has unpatched a vulnerability it previously fixed and it didn't take long for hacker Pwn20wnd to release a free jailbreak tool.
Facebook ups its privacy game (a bit) with new tool for users to control data shared by websites
Facebook has launched a new privacy tool, giving users the chance to see and control the data the social network collects about them from other websites.
Called Off-Facebook Activity, the new tool lets users restrict what is shared to Facebook by apps and websites. More than this, it enables Facebook users to sever ties between websites and the social network, with a view to limiting the personalization of ads on Facebook.
Philips launches affordable 242B9T 24-inch 1080p touch screen monitor
Having a touch screen can be great on a laptop -- especially on convertible models that transform into a tablet. On a desktop, however, not so much. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of applications where a touch screen monitor makes sense -- particularly in business and education. But home consumers won't necessarily see value in one.
Today, Philips launches a new 24-inch 1080p touch screen monitor that is surprisingly affordable. Called "242B9T," it has plenty of ports, including VGA, DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort. The touch aspect requires a USB connection, which doubles as connectivity for the integrated 2-port USB hub. It is built to be rugged, with IP54 water and dust resistance, plus there are built-in speakers too. Best of all, the stand is adjustable, making it quite versatile.
Microsoft Edge Beta available to download now for Windows and macOS
Four months ago, Microsoft released official Dev and Canary builds for its Chromium-based Edge browser, and has been rolling out regular updates for them ever since, with new features and general improvements.
However, it’s the Beta release that many people have been holding out for, and today Microsoft has finally made it available for all supported versions of Windows and macOS. If you’ve been wanting to try out the new browser but haven’t fancied installing buggy preview builds, then now's your chance.
IBM extends its commitment to open hardware
IBM has used the Linux Foundation Open Source Summit today to announce that it will contribute key technologies to the open community.
The company is opening up the POWER Instruction Set Architecture (ISA), the definitions developers use for ensuring that hardware and software work together on POWER.
Almost a third of healthcare workers haven't had cybersecurity training
Because of the volumes and types of data that it holds the healthcare industry is a prime target for cybercriminals.
So it's a little concerning that a new survey of healthcare staff from Kaspersky shows 32 percent of respondents in North America say that they have never received cybersecurity training from their workplace.
Apple Card is now available to everyone in the US
Following an initially limited launch earlier this month, Apple's take on the credit card -- the Apple Card -- is now available to everyone in the US.
For now, it is just the US that is being treated to the card. The rest of the world will almost certainly get a look-in at some point in the future, but for now Apple is focusing its attention on Americans.
Nest owners can finally migrate to a Google account
Smart home devices have proven to be a godsend for homeowners. Not only can things like smart thermostats, cameras, and lights make your life easier, but when paired with a voice assistant, they can help people with physical handicaps to act more independently.
One of the best makers of smart home devices is Nest. The Google-owned company (now known as "Google Nest") became popular thanks to its iconic round smart thermostat, but it has since branched out to cameras, smoke alarms, security systems, and more. Today, Google announces that Nest owners can finally migrate their Nest account to a Google one -- something the search giant previously promised.
Thycotic launches automated solution for managing service accounts
Service accounts are specialized non-human accounts used by applications or other services to access data and network resources to perform specific tasks.
Because they tend to be set and then forgotten they often slip under the radar of conventional account management processes. Privileged access management specialist Thycotic is launching a new Account Lifecycle Manager to automate the management of these accounts.
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