Congress releases Mark Zuckerberg's prepared testimony ahead of Wednesday's hearing
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is due to testify before Congress on Wednesday, and ahead of this the House Energy and Commerce Committee has released his prepared statement. He talks about the Cambridge Analytica data scandal as well as Russian interference in elections.
In the statement, Zuckerberg acknowledges that Facebook did not do enough to prevent the misuse of the social network's tools. He also personally accepts responsibility for recent failings at the company, saying: "It was my mistake, and I'm sorry. I started Facebook, I run it, and I'm responsible for what happens here."
The HP Chromebook x2 with detachable screen is ready to take on the iPad Pro and Surface Pro
There's a new Chromebook on the block -- or there will be soon -- and this HP offering is determined to stand out from the crowd... and give both the Surface Pro and iPad Pro a run for their money.
Running Chrome OS, the HP Chromebook x2 supports Android apps, features a stylus, and -- importantly -- has a detachable screen so it can be used as a tablet or a laptop. The 12.3-inch device comes in at a shade under $600, and the hardware specs are impressive... for the price, at least.
Apple launches iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition to raise money for HIV/AIDS
Apple has announced the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition which will be available to order from tomorrow, April 10.
Like last year's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus (PRODUCT)RED, the new handsets feature a red finish and proceeds from sales will help to raise money for Global Fund HIV/AIDS grants. In addition to the phone, Apple has also announced a new $99 (PRODUCT)RED iPhone X Leather Folio case.
17 percent of employees fall for social engineering attacks
Employees are still falling for social engineering techniques leading them to download malicious files, click phishing links, correspond with hackers, and even share contact information for their colleagues.
Enterprise security specialist Positive Technologies imitated the actions of hackers by sending emails to employees with links to websites, password entry forms, and attachments.
The space race is over and SpaceX won
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently gave SpaceX permission to build Starlink -- Elon Musk's version of satellite-based broadband Internet. The FCC specifically approved launching the first 4,425 of what will eventually total 11,925 satellites in orbit. To keep this license SpaceX has to launch at least 2,213 satellites within six years. The implications of this project are mind-boggling with the most important probably being that it will likely result in SpaceX crushing its space launch competitors, companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin's United Launch Alliance (ULA) partnership as well as Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.
Starlink is a hugely ambitious project. It isn't the first proposed Internet-in-the-sky. Back in the 1990s a Bill Gates-backed startup called Teledesic proposed to put 840 satellites in orbit to provide 10 megabit-per-second (mbps) broadband anywhere on Earth. Despite spending hundreds of millions, Teledesic was just ahead of its time, killed by a lack of cost-effective launch services. Twenty years later there are several Teledesic-like proposals, the most significant of which may be OneWeb -- variously 882 or 648 or 1972 satellites, depending who is talking, offering 50 mbps. OneWeb has raised more than $1 billion, found a launch partner in Arianespace and even broken ground on a satellite factory in Orlando, Florida.
Privacy: Avast launches Chromium-based Secure Browser
The far-reaching tentacles of the likes of Google and Facebook have focused people's attention on online privacy, but for anyone looking to retain a modicum of confidentiality it can be hard to know what to do. There are VPN tools, but these are not for everyone, for anyone looking for a quick solution, Avast Secure Browser could be the answer.
This new Chromium-based browser is billed as being "private, fast, and secure" and it's designed to address the misconceptions many people have about privacy and security online. The browser is a renamed and updated version of SafeZone.
Consumer cryptomining attacks increase 4,000 percent
We already know that cryptomining is currently flavor of the month among malware creators, but a new report released today by Malwarebytes puts some startling figures on the problem.
On consumer systems cryptomining detections were up a massive 4,000 percent in the last quarter, while ransomware detections fell 35 percent over the same period. For businesses cryptomining detections rose 27 percent this quarter and ransomware detections 28 percent. However, Spyware is still the cybercriminals' favourite choice, with over 80,000 detections in January alone.
Today Facebook will notify 87 million users that their data was the subject of data breach
Initially thought to affect 50 million accounts, it later transpired that as many as 87 million Facebook users were affected by the Cambridge Analytica data harvesting scandal. Today, the social network is due to send a message to those whose data was involved.
While the bulk of affected users -- around 70 million -- live in the US, there are also significant numbers in Europe, Facebook's message is said to be "detailed" and will appear in news feeds at some point today.
File Manager for Windows 10 is now available as Microsoft open sources winfile code
Cast your mind back several years and you'll remember Windows 3.0 and earlier. This was when Microsoft started to bring home computing to the masses, and for anyone raised on modern Windows, the lack of Start menu, taskbar and other components makes the operating system seem antiquated and unusable.
But use it we did! Back then, there was no File Explorer, but File Manager instead -- and it's something that people sometimes feel nostalgic about. A couple of days ago, Microsoft open sourced the File Manager code, and a Windows 10 version has been released.
How to watch the Paris-Roubaix bicycle race online
The pro-cycling season is well underway. Things kicked off early with the Tour Down Under way back in January, but now it ramps up with the Spring Classics. The most well-known of those is Paris-Roubaix, better known as "The Hell of the North". The cobblestones that lead through the forests can be deadly, especially when wet.
That race commences April 8, and if you don't get TV coverage, fear not. There's a way you can watch the action and possibly a bit of carnage, although we hope there is none of that this time. NBC Sports Gold will be carrying the race online.
Facebook suspends pro-Brexit firm AggregateIQ for allegedly obtaining user data improperly
It's not all that long since Facebook suspended data firm Cambridge Analytica for harvesting personal information from millions of users. Now the social network has suspended AggregateIQ -- another data firm, this time linked to the pro-Brexit Vote Leave campaign -- because of possible connections to Cambridge Analytica's parent company.
AggregateIQ is thought to be linked to Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL), and there are concerns that the firm may therefore have improperly obtained data from Facebook users.
Nomad 100W USB-C Cable [Review]
No matter the product, a manufacturer should take pride in what it produces. In a world where technology is largely disposable, it is appreciated when a company creates something that is designed to last. If you go on Amazon these days, and you look to buy, say, a cable, you will be presented with countless unrecognizable brands with inexpensive low-quality offerings. And yeah, saving money is cool, but if you are buying crap, have you really saved anything?
I say all that because I have discovered a new USB-C cable from a company called Nomad that promises to be extremely rugged. Do you need a durable cable? Well, if you travel, absolutely. People that are constantly "on the go" will find themselves often pulling cables out of their bag and then shoving them back in. Not to mention, when you are in an airport or coffee shop, for instance, you may find yourself in awkward positions where the cable faces extra strain on its connectors while charging.
Facebook will give everyone the option to unsend messages, just like Mark Zuckerberg
When it came to light that messages sent by Mark Zuckerberg and other Facebook executives via Facebook Messenger had been deleted, there was widespread concern about not only the social network's use of a feature unavailable to anyone else, but also the lack of transparency about it.
Still reeling from the Cambridge Analytica debacle and other privacy scandals, Facebook has now announced that the feature will in fact be rolling out to everyone -- although not necessarily any time soon. The company insists that this is something that has been under consideration for some time, and also promises that no more of Zuckerberg's message will be retracted in the meantime.
Live migration and why it's important for VMware cloud partners
When moving VMware virtual machines to the cloud, the sure-fire way to migrate the VMs and their data completely is to simply stop the VMs, copy their components (OVF files) and assemble them into an Open Virtual Appliance (OVA). You transport the OVA package over the network or via a physical device to the cloud destination, unpack the files and restart the VMs. If you’ve done things right, the VMs pick up right where they left off.
Of course, it's not quite that easy. The physical resources and configurations in the cloud data center should be comparable to what you were running on in your on-premises data center. Network addresses and access permissions have to be properly set up in the cloud environment as well. Fortunately, VMware provides useful tools like vRealize to address that part of the cloud migration challenge.
Ubuntu Linux 18.04 LTS 'Bionic Beaver' Beta 2 now available
Ubuntu Linux 18.04 "Bionic Beaver" is almost here -- it is due on April 26. In the interim, today, the second -- and final -- beta becomes available. Bionic Beaver is very significant, as it is an LTS version, meaning "Long Term Support." This is important to those that prefer stability to bleeding edge and don't want to deal with the hassle of upgrades. In other words, you can install 18.04 and be confident that it will be supported for 5 years. In comparison, non-LTS Ubuntu versions get a mere 9 months.
There is plenty to be excited about with Ubuntu Linux 18.04 LTS 'Bionic Beaver' Beta 2, including the GNOME 3.28 desktop environment -- Beta 1 did not include GNOME at all. Of course, all the other DE flavors are available too, such as KDE and Xfce. The kernel is at 4.15, which while not the most current version, is still quite modern. Also included is LibreOffice 6.0 -- an essential tool that rivals Microsoft Office. Wayland is available as a technical preview, although X remains the default display server -- for now.
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