Latest Technology News

Facebook users in Europe will soon have better privacy protection than those in the US

Facebook logo over US and European flags

In a few weeks, privacy is set to improve for Facebook users -- at least this is the case for people in Europe. May 25 sees the implementation of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and it means that European users will have the right to not only request details of the information stored about them, but also the right to demand its deletion.

While this will be a legal obligation within Europe, it would have been the perfect opportunity for Facebook to extend the same rights to its users around the world. But it's not going to. Mark Zuckerberg has confirmed that GDPR-style privacy protection is not going to be extended to the US and other parts of the world.

Continue reading

21 percent of open source serverless applications have critical vulnerabilities

security flaw

Serverless computing is increasingly popular because it eliminates infrastructure concerns. However, a new report raises worries about its security.

According to an audit by serverless security company PureSec, more than one in five serverless applications has critical security vulnerabilities.

Continue reading

1Password 7 Beta for Mac and Windows reveals major facelift, lots of new and improved features

OPM7 beta

AgileBits has released beta versions of its upcoming 1Password 7.0 Beta for Mac and 1Password 7.0 Beta for Windows clients. 1Password offers secure form-filling and password management tools and is also available on iOS and Android.

The beta showcases several major new features, with Windows gaining a handy new sidebar view to ape the Mac version, which sees its own sidebar improved along with a host of other new additions and feature improvements.

Continue reading

Employees have too much access to sensitive data

Data privacy

Lax policies and a lack of control is giving far too many employees access to sensitive data according to the latest Global Data Risk Report from data security specialist Varonis.

The report, based on analysis of Data Risk Assessments conducted by Varonis in 2017 for customers and potential customers on their file systems, uncovers some startling figures, with 58 percent of organizations found to have more than 100,000 folders open to all employees.

Continue reading

Hiring gamers may be the answer to the cyber security skills gap

video gamer

A new survey from McAfee says that IT security staff report needing to increase their workforces by 24 percent to adequately manage their organization's cyber threats.

Yet a skills crisis means 84 percent admit it's difficult to attract staff and 31 percent say they don't actively do anything to attract new talent. However, 72 percent of respondents say hiring experienced video gamers into the IT department seems like a good way to plug the cyber security skills gap.

Continue reading

Shooter at YouTube headquarters was angry at demonetization of her videos

Cursor over YouTube icon

Nasim Aghdam walked into the YouTube headquarters in North California yesterday, shot and wounded three people, and then killed herself. While the precise motive behind the shooting is still under investigation, Aghdam's father has said that she was furious with YouTube for demonetizing her videos.

This is in line with posts made by her on her own website where she complained about YouTube only allowing certain channels to grow, alleging that her own videos were being filtered. In the wake of the shooting, technology executives including Twitter's Jack Dorsey renewed calls for gun control.

Continue reading

Huawei statement dismisses US concerns about security

Huawei logo with blossom

Huawei is being shunned by the US because of the perception that its hardware could be compromised and used by the Chinese government for espionage. The FCC has blocked US mobile carriers from using federal money to purchase products or services from the company on security grounds, and Huawei is understandably unhappy about this.

The smartphone maker has dismissed security claims as "simply not true" and says that it is "no security threat in any country". The Chinese company says that it is disappointed with the FCC's proposal, pointing out that it would give rural operators -- and, in turn, customers -- fewer options to choose from.

Continue reading

Kingston launches affordable A1000 PCIe NVMe SSD

If your computer has a compatible PCIe-based M.2 slot, and you aren't currently using it, you are making a big mistake. Why? Because NVMe solid state drives are insanely fast -- putting SATA variants to shame. If your desktop doesn't have an M.2 slot, don't worry -- you may be able to add one using a PCIe adapter card.

Unfortunately, NVMe drives can be expensive comparatively. Thankfully, they are dropping in price all the time. For example, today, Kingston launches an all-new affordable such drive called the "A1000" and it looks quite nice. Unfortunately, it leverages PCIe NVMe Gen 3.0 x2 rather than x4, so it is slower than offerings from some of its competitors. With that said, it is still significantly faster than SATA.

Continue reading

Fedora 28 Beta Linux distro is finally here

Fedora is the best overall Linux-based desktop operating system -- Linus Torvalds famously uses it regularly. Today, version 28 of the distribution finally achieves Beta status. After a short delay -- it was scheduled to be available a week earlier -- the distro is back on track, and looking better than ever.

As is typical now, there are three versions of the operating system -- Atomic Host, Server, and Workstation. While all three have their places, normal desktop computer users will want to focus on Workstation. There are plenty of new features (and bugs), but the most exciting aspect of Fedora 28 Workstation is the inclusion of the GNOME 3.28 desktop environment.

Continue reading

Facebook launches bulk app removal tool in response to privacy concerns

Facebook icon on iPhone 8

Facebook has long been embroiled in controversies about privacy, but things have been particularly bad in recent weeks. The Cambridge Analytica scandal has put the spotlight firmly on privacy on the social network and -- having already made its privacy tools more accessible -- Facebook has now created a tool to quickly remove apps from profiles in bulk.

It's a very simple idea, but one that will be warmly welcomed by those who have been concerned about the Facebook apps they have installed, but have felt put off by the idea of doing anything about it because of the arduous nature of tinkering with them one by one.

Continue reading

How to upgrade to Windows 10 Spring Creators Update right now

It's only a week since Microsoft released Windows 10 Spring Creators Update Build 17133 first to the Fast ring and then the Slow ring, and it's clear that it's not going to be long until the latest big update is pushed out to everyone via Windows Update.

But what about if you want to upgrade right now? There's no need to be a Windows Insider as the RTM version of Windows 10 Spring Creators Update is already available to download directly from Microsoft's servers. So, if you're interested in keeping one step ahead of the game, here's what you need to do.

Continue reading

Intel unveils hexacore mobile Core i9 chip and gets within spitting distance of 5GHz

Intel mobile Core i9 processor

In Bejing today, Intel revealed its first mobile Core i9 chip. The hexacore processor (yep... no fewer than six cores) is an eighth-generation chip, and the company says it is "the highest-performance laptop processor Intel has ever built".

Intel also claims that it offers the "best gaming and content creation experience on the go," and with the top-of-the-range Intel Core i9-8950HK processor reaching speeds of up to 4.8 GHz, it's a claim that's easy to believe. A total of 12 threads bring serious improvements over the previous generation chips.

Continue reading

New program helps companies meet cloud security goals

Cloud data security

Infrastructure and development practices are changing as companies move towards cloud computing, DevOps, and on-demand SaaS delivery models.

This means security and operations teams must integrate their approach to securing systems. Cloud security company Threat Stack is launching a Cloud SecOps Program to help companies integrate security and operations initiatives and reduce risk.

Continue reading

ASUS unveils the svelte ROG Zephyrus M Windows 10 gaming laptop

It used to be, if you wanted a gaming laptop, there was a huge price to pay. No, I am not talking about a financial price, although they can be expensive. Actually, I am referring to the excessive weight and thickness. A portable gaming machine was historically a very big and bulky product.

These days, however, a gaming laptop can be quite svelte comparatively. They are continually getting thinner and lighter. Today, ASUS unveils its latest such notebook, the ROG Zephyrus M. That "ROG" stands for "Republic of Gamers," which is ASUS' premium gaming brand. This new laptop certainly is premium, as it features a hexacore Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and either an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 or 1070 -- depending on configuration. This is all crammed into a very thin body. And yes, the keyboard features RGB lighting, because... Gaming!

Continue reading

Breakthrough in AI cuts battery drain of mobile voice UIs

Smartphone voice command

We've become increasingly used to technology that uses 'wake words' like, "Hey, Cortana" to initiate interaction.

But this technology has, so far, failed to make a big impact in the mobile apps arena, the main reason being the battery drain created by having an app that's constantly listening. That could be about to change as Silicon Valley company Sensory is announcing a breakthrough in running its TrulyHandsfree wake word and speech recognition AI engine directly on Android and iOS smartphone applications at low-power.

Continue reading

© 1998-2024 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.