Microsoft Surface Pro 6 and Surface Book 2 hit with CPU throttling issues

Microsoft Surface Book 2

Microsoft is trying to fix a mysterious issue with Surface Pro 6 and Surface Book 2 devices which is causing CPU speeds to be throttled to a painfully slow 400 MHz.

At the moment it is not clear what is causing the problem, but it appears to be related to an Intel CPU flag -- BD PROCHOT which throttles processor speeds in a bid to reduce temperature.

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Privacy: Apple now treats WebKit tracking circumvention as a security issue

Apple logo in squares

Apple has updated its WebKit policy, increasing the company's focus on privacy. The new WebKit Tracking Prevention Policy now states that any circumvention of its anti-tracking feature is treated in the same way, and as seriously, as security issues.

The aim is to prevent web tracking completely because "these practices are harmful to users because they infringe on a user's privacy without giving users the ability to identify, understand, consent to, or control them". Apple says it wants "to see a healthy web ecosystem, with privacy by design".

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SK hynix launches 'Gold S31' SATA SSD


SK hynix is a huge name in the technology market, providing memory to many big companies, such as Apple. With that said, the average home consumer probably won't know the name. That is to be expected, as the company hasn't really tried to advertise its brand to consumers.

Today, this changes, as SK hynix launches a solid state drive for the consumer market in the USA. Called "Gold S31," it is a 2.5-inch SATA variant -- perfect for those wanting to upgrade an older mechanical hard drive. Best of all, it is very affordable. The company plans to release a PCIe model in the future.

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Deception technology speeds up detection of attacks

Deception man woman

Users of deception technology report a 12X improvement in the average number of days it takes to detect attackers operating within an enterprise network.

New research for Attivo Networks carried out by Enterprise Management Associates suggests attacker dwell times can be as low as 5.5 days with deception in use compared to an average of 78 to 100 days for those not using the technology.

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Over 3,800 data breaches reported in the first half of 2019

Data breach

2019 is on track to be another 'worst on record' year for data breaches according to a new report from Risk Based Security which finds the number of reported breaches has gone up by 54 percent and the number of exposed records by 52 percent compared to the first six months of 2018.

It shows 3,813 breaches have been reported in the first six months of 2019, exposing more than 4.1 billion records. Eight breaches alone have exposed over 3.2 billion records, 78.6 percent of the total, between them.

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Logitech launches G815 LIGHTSYNC and G915 LIGHTSPEED low-profile mechanical gaming keyboards

While mechanical keyboards are undeniably great for gaming, they aren't necessarily the best for typing. Sure, some folks are fine to type on a traditional mechanical keyboard, but others -- like me -- prefer chiclet style keyboards, such as Apple's excellent wired and wireless variants. Why? Well, key travel and height are big issues -- I type fairly fast, and my fingers can keep up better with less effort. For some people, big clunky keys lead to typos, and even worse, joint pain.

Low-profile mechanical keyboards are a great way to merge both keyboard styles, giving you the benefits of mechanical switches but with shorter keys/switches. Today, Logitech unveils two such low-profile keyboards -- the wired G815 LIGHTSYNC and wireless G915 LIGHTSPEED. Both models feature LIGHTSYNC RGB lighting, actually -- yes, even the wireless G915. While it will cause battery life to take a hit on that model, Logitech promises 12 days of usage between charges with RGB lighting enabled -- more than acceptable. They are both super-thin and feature aluminum bodies.

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Executives believe AI will help businesses cope with changing environments

Artificial intelligence

A new study by management consultancy AT Kearney reveals that confidence is growing among C-suite executives that technology will help businesses navigate a complex and rapidly changing environment.

In an age of increasing automation and artificial intelligence (AI), leaders recognize the differentiating role of non-technical and interpersonal skills such as creativity and leadership -- skills that are not only difficult to find but also expected to become even more important. 42 percent for example say that creativity and innovation skills are hard to find.

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Chromium-based Microsoft Edge has more natural-sounding Read Aloud voices thanks to the cloud

Microsoft Edge Read Aloud

Having your browser read web pages to you is a great accessibility feature, and it also allows for multi-tasking. There's just one problem -- the computerized voices used are little short of terrible... often to the point of being distracting.

With the Dev and Canary builds of Chromium-based versions of Microsoft Edge, however, this changes. Embracing the power of the cloud, Edge now features 24 more natural-sounding voices driven by Microsoft Cognitive Services.

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AI is great at tasks, but what about jobs?

AI

There's been a fear of automation in the workforce as far back as work has existed. Machines taking jobs away from the people who need them has been and will continue to be a source of anxiety for many.

Though it may seem like a reasonable fear, it's far from reality. Yes, machines are capable of a growing number of increasingly complex tasks, but not every job is at risk of disappearing. Machines can handle menial labor and difficult calculations, but work that requires critical thinking skills is impossible to automate. Things might be different in the movies, but the machines that exist in real life learn through patterns and repetition. There are some jobs where automation doesn't enter the picture at all. So where's the line?

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C-Suite in the hot seat -- Execs' responsibility regarding digital security

Are you killing your numbers? Crushing your targets? Growing your team? Leading with authenticity and building a loyal following? What a shame it is that your tenure may already be over.

While you were busy winning and shredding the competition, a cybercriminal breached your network. Don’t be too embarrassed, it happens to almost everyone these days. The average "dwell time" of an intruder is more than 100 days, so it’s hard to know exactly when that bucket of ice water was tossed on your dreams. Unfortunately, even if you’re doing everything right, recent examples illustrate that our jobs are on the line when hackers come a knockin’.

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60 percent of UK consumers not happy with their data being used for analytics

personal data

Customers are more worried than ever about the way their data is used and shared by companies, particularly for analytics, according to a new report.

The Customer State of Mind survey from data protection specialist Trūata shows 60 percent of UK customers are uneasy with companies using their personal data for analytics. Recent high-profile data leaks have also added to this negative perception of the way personal data is managed by brands.

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Norman the Cryptominer uses sophisticated techniques to avoid discovery

cryptocurrency mining

Researchers at Varonis have released information on a new cryptominer variant, which the team has dubbed 'Norman', that uses various techniques to hide and avoid discovery.

Norman was discovered during investigations of an ongoing cryptomining infection that had spread to nearly every device at a midsize company.

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Education is top target for cyberattacks

teacher and students

The education sector has become one of the most sought after targets for cybercriminals, according to the latest report from Malwarebytes Labs.

In the first half of 2019, the top three largest categories of threats identified among education institutions' devices are adware (43 percent), Trojans (25 percent) and backdoors (three percent). However, ransomware dropped to less than one percent in this period -- though it was higher both before and after the study.

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Facebook has been paying people to listen to your Messenger conversations

Facebook Messenger

It probably comes as absolutely no surprise to anyone, but Facebook is just the same as Google, Amazon and Apple when it comes to listening in on your conversations -- the ones you thought (or at least hoped) were private.

Following a report from Bloomberg News, Facebook has confirmed that paid contractors have been listening to audio of conversations. The company says, however, that it has put the brakes on the practice -- for now, at least.

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Personal data breaches and securing IoT devices

IoT devices

The Internet of Things (IoT) is taking the world by storm as interconnected devices fill workplaces and homes across the US. While the intention of these devices is always to make our lives easier, their ability to connect to the internet turns them into ticking time bombs, lying in wait until their weaknesses can be exploited by opportunistic hackers.

Personal data breaches are skyrocketing in America, increasing by 60% in the last year and by 157 percent since 2015. As our interconnectivity grows, so do the opportunities that our technology will be hacked. Since every IoT device is connected to the internet, each one is vulnerable to external access if not secured properly. In the rush to manufacture these devices and get them onto the market, security has been an afterthought which needs to be urgently addressed if the number of yearly data breaches is to be tackled.

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