AIM will be discontinued in mid-December
After two decades of online chat, AIM is set to shuffle off this mortal coil. First emerging in 1997, AOL Instant Messenger earned itself a loyal following of people who were just starting to discover the internet and what it could be used for. Now Oath -- AOL's new owner -- has announced that it is to close down the service on December 15, 2017.
The reason given is that "the way in which we communicate with each other has profoundly changed," and after the mid-December cut-off date the service will cease to function, and all data will be erased.
Google: By only patching Windows 10, Microsoft is putting Windows 7 and 8.x users in danger
We all know that Microsoft’s focus is on Windows 10. The software giant wants users to upgrade to its new operating system, and has regularly spoken about how that OS keeps users safe.
However, according to Google Project Zero researcher Mateusz Jurczyk, by focusing on patching Windows 10, and not applying the same fixes to Windows 7 and 8.x, Microsoft is actually putting users of those two older operating systems at risk.
Disqus hacked!
So, Disqus has been hacked. Yeah, it is what we at BetaNews -- plus many other websites -- use for commenting. Should you be worried? Probably not. You see, this hack happened all the way back in July of 2012. If you joined Disqus after that, you have nothing to worry about. Even if you are using the same login credentials from 5+ years ago, the hackers have only obtained hashed passwords. In other words, they probably haven't decrypted your password.
But OK, even though it is unlikely that your password has been exposed, Disqus is forcing a password reset for all impacted users. Heck, even if you signed up after the hack, it can't hurt to manually change your password, y'all. After all, Disqus didn't even discover the hack on its own, which is worrying. The company was alerted to the breach by the great security researcher Troy Hunt, who found the database floating around the dark web. If you aren't familiar with Hunt, he maintains the excellent haveibeenpwned.com.
Windows Firewall Control 5 released, extends protection offered by built-in firewall
Why does anyone need a third-party firewall when Windows offers one of its own? One huge plus for switching firewalls is to provide yourself with two-way protection: the Windows Firewall only monitors inbound traffic from the internet, not traffic that originates on your PC.
The annoying thing is, the Windows Firewall can offer two-way protection, but it’s fiddly to configure and not enabled by default. Enter stage left, the recently updated Windows Firewall Control 5.01.
Sphero SPRK+: A fun, programmable robot for all ages [Review]
If you want to teach children how to code, then buying them a product like the Raspberry Pi makes a lot of sense. It’s versatile, and cheap enough that if they break it, buying a replacement shouldn’t be too big a deal.
Not every child is going to want to learn how to program a Pi though -- the appeal of it won’t necessary be apparent to a kid who just wants to play. This is where SPRK+ comes in. The Sphero robot can be driven using an app, and then -- when the appeal of that wears off -- programmed in a choice of ways.
Best Windows 10 apps this week
Two-hundred-and-fifty-one in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on the Windows Store in the past seven days.
Microsoft released the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update RTM to Insiders this week in preparation of a global release on October 17th, 2017. The company released, or plans to release, Edge for iOS and Android as well.
IT departments and users are out of step on password security
A new survey reveals that 76 percent of employees say they experience regular password usage problems and more than a third need password-related help desk support at least once every month.
According to the study from password manager LastPass and business intelligence company Ovum nearly three-quarters say they would want to use a tool to help store and access passwords without needing to remember each one if their company offered such a solution.
Report: Russian hackers stole NSA files after identifying them using Kaspersky software
A report by the Wall Street Journal suggests that Russian hackers used Kaspersky software to identify sensitive NSA files -- which they then stole.
The security breach dates back to 2015, and it was made possible when a National Security Agency contractor copied sensitive files to his own computer. Hackers were then able to identify these files because of the contractor's use of Kaspersky software.
Apple unveils new emoji coming in iOS 11.1
Following a somewhat problematic initial release of iOS, Apple pushed out iOS 11.0.2 to fix a number of issues. But people are already looking forward to the next incremental, non-bug-fixing release. This is iOS 11.1, and Apple has revealed a little of what we can expect.
iPad and iPhone users are to be treated to a new batch of emoji -- hundreds of new ones in total -- encompassing "more emotive smiley faces, gender-neutral characters, clothing options, food types, animals, mythical creatures and more."
Apple makes macOS High Sierra 10.13 safe again with emergency 'Supplemental Update'
Since macOS is a Unix-based operating system, it is often seen as being stable and secure. For the most part, the OS is. With that said, it is not perfect, and certainly not infallible. Quite frankly, no operating system is impervious to security issues.
Unfortunately for Apple, its latest and greatest desktop operating system, macOS High Sierra 10.13, has some very serious flaws. First, it was discovered that the supposedly secure keychain password system could be easily infiltrated by malware. Arguably worse, it was then discovered that encrypted APFS disks had their passwords erroneously saved in plain text in the "hint" field. Yeah, that is not only bad, but embarrassing too. Both of these issues were patched today, however, with the emergency "Supplemental Update."
Many UK SMBs don't invest in security solutions
A third of UK small businesses are risking their online safety by operating at or below the "security poverty line," according to new research from Duo Security.
The cybersecurity company partnered with YouGov to survey 1,0009 senior decision makers across the UK to determine how much they are spending on cybersecurity and whether government initiatives such as Cyber Essentials and Cyber Risk Aware have been effective at protecting SMBs from cyber threats.
Belkin launches USB-C 3.1 Express Dock HD, but you probably don't want it
There are a lot of USB-C docks and accessories on the market today. While the port can be found on Windows and Linux machines, you can thank Apple for the overall popularity. When the company went all-in with USB-C ports on the MacBook Pro, accessory makers really took interest.
Today, Belkin releases a new dock that uses the newest USB connector. Called "USB-C 3.1 Express Dock HD," it features 8 ports. Best of all, it can charge your laptop while it is connected. While it does offer 4K video, it is unfortunately capped at 30Hz, making it a non-starter for many.
How to choose the best experimentation solution
To build and deliver products that customers love, development teams at leading companies like Uber, Netflix, Airbnb, Google, and Facebook focus on experimentation as a critical business process. Engineers and product managers are empowered to A/B test each new product feature in a controlled environment to determine the impact to key metrics like engagement, product usage and revenue before launching the feature to everyone.
These companies have all built complex internal software platforms to support their experimentation-driven approach to product development. If you’re looking to adopt the same practice of validating digital product decisions with data, you’ll likely be evaluating how to implement an experimentation platform for your product and engineering team.
Move out of the dark ages of lighting with LED bulbs
As Americans strive to be greener and more conscious consumers, ironically, the ordinary light bulb has found itself thrust into the spotlight. First, there was the "ban" on incandescents. Then, as CFLs slowly made their way into the mainstream, LEDs were also becoming more economical and practical for home use. Now, with so many factors to consider -- from lumens to watts to kelvins to CRI -- it’s tough for some consumers to confidently choose between CFLs and LEDs.
In the era of "smart" technology, things can get even more complicated -- so much so that many consumers would rather just avoid change altogether. Unfortunately, that means that they’d also be missing out on a number of outstanding benefits that come from simply changing a light bulb. Still unsure if it’s worth making the switch? Here are 7 ways LEDs outperform CFLs and why you should get on the brighter path with LEDs:
What the new Yahoo breach numbers mean for you
Earlier this week, Yahoo announced that the data breach reported earlier this year did not impact 200+ million users as originally thought. The reality is that up to three billion accounts may be compromised --which is essentially Yahoo's entire customer base. What does this news change? How does it impact you? What should you do now? Let's walk through the answers to those questions.
What changed: In July 2016, Yahoo officially released information about a data breach that it believed involved the personal information on 200-400 million users, or more. This week, it notified the world that its original estimate was incorrect. In reality, up to three billion users were in the data files that the attackers have stolen, which means that nearly everyone who's used Yahoo services is going to be impacted by this situation.
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