UK government turns against Russian software
There have been concerns about Russian security firm Kaspersky in the US for some time, and now these fears have spread across the Atlantic to the UK. The director of the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has issued a warning that no Russian-made security software should be used on systems that could represent a national security threat if accessed by the Russian government.
Ciaran Martin's warning comes after the US government banned the use of Kaspersky software on its computer systems, but the UK security director says that talks are underway with Kaspersky Lab with a view to setting up a review process for its software.
Linux Mint 18.3 'Sylvia' KDE and Xfce betas available for download, but don't bother
Linux Mint is a great operating system that I recommend highly. It is based on the rock-solid Ubuntu 16.04, meaning it is stable and compatible with many packages. For Windows converts in particular, Linux Mint with the Cinnamon desktop environment can be a very inviting first-time distribution that should offer a positive experience. The Mate DE variant is a solid choice too -- if your hardware is a bit anemic, that is.
Two desktop environments are probably the most that a Linux operating system should officially offer. Why? Too much choice can sometimes be bad, as it fragments the user experience and strains developer resources. Thankfully, the Linux Mint team seems to be seeing the light on this, as it will soon be ending the KDE version of the OS. There is still one final version of Mint that will offer KDE, however, and that is 18.3 Sylvia. Today, the beta version featuring that environment sees release.
Has your iPhone started crashing in iOS 11.1.2? You're not alone... and there's a fix
Today is December 2, and some iPhone users have found that their phones are constantly crashing. A problem with iOS 11.1.2 means that repeated crashes have been triggered by notifications from 12:15am this morning.
Apple is not only aware of the problem, but has already issued an update that addresses the issue. Here's what you need to know.
Find and book a unique stay with these three travel apps
The way we travel has changed over the last few years with vacation rentals becoming much more mainstream and presenting a major challenge to hotels.
The benefits are clear: your own place, improved secrecy, often better value for money and you can create a bespoke vacation offering an authentic approach to your visit, by staying in the local neighborhood.
Microsoft brings Edge for iOS and Android out of Preview -- stay in sync with your PC
Microsoft has launched the first stable version of its web browser for mobile with the release of Edge for iOS 1.0 and Edge for Android 1.0.
Both browsers are targeted at Windows users who have Edge as their default -- the primary purpose of both is to allow users to sync settings and content between desktop and mobile, following a similar path trodden by the likes of Chrome and Firefox.
How the healthcare sector is waking up to phishing threats [Q&A]
The healthcare sector is a popular target for phishing attacks, yet it's failing to adopt simple measures like DMARC that could offer protection to both patients and staff.
A new report from cyber security company Agari reveals that fewer than 10 percent NHS Trusts and Boards in the UK have self-certified as using DMARC. Globally 77 percent of healthcare organizations don't have a DMARC policy.
Google reveals the biggest apps, games, movies, songs and books of 2017
As we approach the start of a new year, the inevitable "best of" lists are starting to crop up. Never one to miss a trick, Google has released its own top five lists for 2017.
The lists cover the US, and there are a few obvious names taking the top spots -- Super Mario Run is unsurprisingly shown to be the most popular game, while Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and It make appearance high in the movie and book charts respectively. But in addition to the top five new apps, new games, streamed songs, movies, TV shows and books, Google has broken things down even further.
Sneaky websites continue to mine cryptocurrency even after you close them
With the massive rise in popularity -- and value -- of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, it's little wonder that people are seeking out ever more imaginative and sneaky ways to mine coins without having to invest in dedicated hardware.
Websites that mine for cryptocurrency in the background, making use of visitors' CPU time, are nothing new -- the Pirate Bay has been caught red-handed, for instance, using a Monero miner in the form of the Coinhive JavaScript Miner. But now researchers have discovered that some websites are using a drive-by mining technique that allows them to continue cryptomining even after the site is closed.
StatCounter: Windows 10 fails to overtake Windows 7, but edges slightly closer
When StatCounter released its operating system usage share figures last month it showed the gap between Windows 7 and Windows 10 had narrowed significantly.
It looked, based on that data, as if the new operating system would overtake the old one during November, but surprisingly that didn’t happen.
Best Windows 10 apps this week
Two-hundred-and-fifty-nine 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 revealed this week that the company's Windows 10 operating system was installed on more than 600 million devices. Also, Microsoft Edge final is now available on iOS and Android.
Privacy: UK government to tweak Snooper's Charter after conceding it is illegal in its current form
The highly controversial Snooper's Charter -- also known as the Investigatory Powers Act -- is, the government has been forced to admit, illegal under European law in its current form.
The Brexit process may well be underway, but at the moment, the UK is still subject to EU law. As such, the government is making changes to the law. While the tweaks will not change the level of surveillance people are subjected to, they will restrict who has automatic access to that information.
NetMarketShare: Windows 7 still well ahead of Windows 10
According to the latest figures from NetMarketShare, Windows 10 is edging closer to Windows 7’s usage share, but it still has a way to go until it overtakes it.
In October, Windows 10 saw its slowest growth in months, posting a gain of just 0.17 percentage points. In November, however, it’s a very different picture.
Google bans most Android apps from displaying lockscreen ads
It is near impossible to avoid ads these days, but Google has just introduced a new policy that makes at least one area of your smartphone a safe haven.
The new policy means that most apps will no longer be permitted to display ads on the lockscreen. But while this is something that will please Android users, it's not something that the company has really trumpeted.
Want to switch from Apple macOS to Linux because of the 'root' security bug? Give deepin 15.5 a try!
Apple's macOS is a great operating system. Not only is it stable and beautifully designed, but it is very secure too. Well, usually it is. Unless you live under a rock, you definitely heard about the macOS High Sierra security bug that made the news over the last couple of days. In case you somehow are unaware, the bug essentially made it so anyone could log into any Mac running the latest version of the operating system.
Luckily, Apple has already patched the bug, and some people -- like me -- have forgiven the company. Understandably, not everyone will be as forgiving as me. Undoubtedly, there are Mac users that are ready to jump ship as a result of the embarrassing bug. While that is probably an overreaction, if you are set on trying an alternative operating system, you should not go with Windows 10. Instead, you should embrace Linux. In fact, rather serendipitously, a Linux distribution with a UI reminiscent of macOS gets a new version today. Called "deepin," version 15.5 of the distro is now ready to download.
Moshi releases first-ever certified 5K USB-C to DisplayPort cable
While the MacBook Pro doesn’t have a dedicated video port, that really doesn’t matter. Thanks to its versatile USB-C ports, any port can output video with the correct cable or dongle. In other words, a USB-C to HDMI, VGA, or DisplayPort cable can allow you to easily connect a computer to a monitor or television.
Most USB-C to DisplayPort cables claim 4K support at the most, but there is a new cable that takes things up a notch. You see, a new product from a company called "Moshi" can apparently do 5K at 60Hz. The company claims this is the first-ever USB-C cable to be certified by VESA for that resolution. It can even do 4:4:4 chroma subsampling. While it is designed for MacBook and MacBook Pro, it should work fine with Windows and Linux computers too.
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