• Article

The second quarter of 2018 has seen a significant increase in Trojan activity, seeing them become the leading type of malware, according to the latest report from Comodo Cybersecurity.

At the same time there has been a slight decrease in cryptomining software. However, this has gone hand-in-hand with a sharp increase in their harmful capabilities, including better concealment and stronger persistence.

Continue reading →

Firewalls remain an important element of security architecture, but many organizations are still struggling with the basics, according to a new study.

Security policy management company FireMon has released its 2018 State of the Firewall report which reveals that 94 percent of respondents believe firewalls are as or more critical than ever.

Continue reading →

Self-service application specialist SnapLogic is announcing new integration with GitHub to automate critical elements of continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD).

The integration enables system administrators to host different versions of their work, including tasks, pipelines, and projects from SnapLogic, with visibility into changes with each update.

Continue reading →

The likes of Duolingo have made it easier than ever to learn French, Spanish, Polish, Hebrew or whatever other tongue tickles your fancy, but the language of the internet is -- arguably -- emoji. On your mobile phone, these handy little characters are easy to type, but less so on your computer.

To make things a little easier, Google Chrome now has a hidden Emoji Context Menu that you can enable. Once activated, this menu can be used to access an emoji picker to add emoji to text fields. Here's how to enable it.

Continue reading →

Starting tomorrow -- Thursday, August 16 -- Twitter is disabling push notifications for third party clients. If you use the likes of Twitterific, Fenix or Plume, this could mean you miss out on important messages as Twitter clamps down on what third party tools are able to do.

Twitter has long had a tempestuous relationship with app developers, including its frankly bizarre token limit which effectively restricts the number of users any app can ever attract. This latest move is billed as a part of a security drive, but it's one that will impact a large number of people. There is something you can do to ensure you get Twitter notifications on your iPhone or Android handset, but it's not ideal.

Continue reading →

Two weeks ago, Windows Insiders got the chance to test out a new app called Your Phone. This app, for iOS and Android, lets users sync content directly from their phones to a Windows 10 PC.

If you’ve wanted to try out the app, but you’re not an Insider, we’ve some great news for you. Starting today, Your Phone is available to all, although it currently only works with Android devices.

Continue reading →

Microsoft is hard at work polishing the next big feature update for Windows 10, out in the fall. It released two new Redstone 5 builds last week -- Build 17733 (with Dark Theme for File Explorer) and Build 17735.

Today, the software giant pushes out Build 17738 to Windows Insiders on the Fast ring.

Continue reading →

As Samsung, Apple and even the likes of OnePlus push out flagship smartphones with ever-larger price tags, it's little wonder that people are increasingly seeking out cheaper alternatives. Where there's demand, supply follows, so there's no end of choice when it comes to handsets that pack a punch without breaking the bank.

It's possible -- probable, even -- that you've not heard of Poptel, but the Poptel P10 is a phone that's worthy of a second look. No, it's not a flagship-killer. No, it's not anything even approaching a competitor for the iPhone X or Samsung Galaxy Note9. But it is a highly capable dual-SIM phone which is waterproof, dustproof and shockproof, that boasts good looks, a slim design, and a pair of decent cameras.

Continue reading →

I'm not a Microsoft "hater" at all. With that said, I am not a fan of the state of Windows 10. The privacy issues alone are a reason to avoid the operating system, but that is hardly the only concern. For instance, Microsoft has been pre-loading tiles for games like Candy Crush and other apps -- a move that shows major disrespect towards its customers. Not to mention, the "Insiders" program is just a way for the company to get free beta testing -- Microsoft is all too happy to treat Windows 10 users as guinea pigs. It is all very shameful.

These days, if someone asks my advice on buying a computer, I recommend purchasing a Mac, Chromebook, or PC with a traditional desktop Linux distribution, such as Ubuntu. If you are happy with your current computer, but hate Windows 10, installing a Linux distro is very easy nowadays. I often suggest that Windows switchers try Zorin OS as it has a familiar interface. Today, that excellent operating system reaches version 12.4.

Continue reading →

New figures from Kaspersky Lab show that more than a third (35.7 percent) of phishing attempts in the second quarter of 2018 attempts were related to financial services via fraudulent banking or payment pages.

The IT sector was second hardest hit, with 13.83 percent of attacks targeting technology companies, a 12.28 percent increase compared to Q1.

Continue reading →

Donald Trump has signed the Defense Authorization Act into law which imposes a watered-down ban on ZTE and Huawei products by the US government and IT contractors. The ban also covers a number of other Chinese telecoms manufacturers.

There has been much to-ing and fro-ing about whether these sanctions would actually be introduced, but now and for the next two years they will be in place -- something Huawei denounces as "ineffective, misguided, and unconstitutional". But while this latest bill signing sees Trump wielding his power, the president will be unimpressed by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan -- the president of Turkey -- saying his country will boycott US electronics.

Continue reading →

We reported last week on a new tool to help spot vulnerabilities present in active open source systems.

To prevent problems from being introduced into new systems, open source governance specialist Sonatype is launching a tool to enable developers to identify and avoid using open source components that have known vulnerabilities.

Continue reading →

The big news from Samsung recently was the launch of the Galaxy Note9 smartphone, but the company also launched an Android tablet in the form of the Galaxy Tab S4. Starting at $649, the tablet may be beyond the reach of many people, but the Alldocube X is a cheap alternative.

This 10.5-inch Super AMOLED tablet started life as an Indiegogo campaign, and it was 180 percent funded in just 24 hours. Priced at $269 and due for release in October, the Alldocube X is billed as a 'Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 killer' -- but can it live up to this incredibly bold claim?

Continue reading →

Classic Shell was around for years before finding fame following Microsoft’s ill-conceived idea to make Windows 8 without a Start button or menu. It remained popular even after the Start menu made an official return in Windows 8.x and then Windows 10.

Development of Classic Shell was sadly ended in 2017, but not before the developer open sourced it. Classic Start arrived last month, picking up where Classic Shell left off, but potential copyright issues mean it is no more.

Continue reading →

When you own a Mac, there aren't many keyboards from which to choose. True, any USB or Bluetooth keyboard should work, but most are designed for Windows -- they are not labeled for macOS keys such as "function" and "command."

Apple's own keyboards are excellent, but not everyone likes the style. Not to mention, they are wildly expensive. Hilariously, Apple even charges a premium for the black models. Seriously, the company makes you pay more because of the color. Thankfully, there are some third parties that make quality Mac accessories that are more affordable. One such company, Macally, today announces a no-nonsense USB membrane keyboard designed for macOS. Called "XKEYLED," it features backlit keys for typing in the dark.

Continue reading →