Happy Pi Day: Microsoft offering Pi-related savings on select PCs and Xbox One games
It’s Pi Day -- March 14 or 3/14 -- and to celebrate, Microsoft is offering money off select PCs and Xbox One games both in-store and online.
The deals being offered are all Pi-related, so the sale price, or discount, is some variation of Pi's opening digits -- 314.
Traditional endpoint protection ineffective in fighting ransomware
Ransomware continues to be the most lucrative business model for cyber crime, and a new study indicates that existing endpoint protection methods may not be enough to guard against it.
The survey from security awareness training organization KnowBe4 questioned more than 500 organizations about the current state of their ransomware protection, whether they were a victim of ransomware, the impact of a successful breach and their remediation tactics.
[Giveaway] Happy Pi Day! Enter to win a Raspberry Pi 3 and Eleduino case
Happy Pi Day, dear BetaNews readers! What, you've never heard of the holiday? Well, it is a nerdy play on Pi, which is 3.14 (and so on). In other words, since Pi is 3.14, Pi Day is on March 14th, or 3/14. True, it only really makes sense in countries, such as the USA, that use MM/DD date formatting, but everyone around the globe can still celebrate.
In recognition of Pi Day, we here at BetaNews are giving away a Raspberry Pi 3 and a really cool case from Eleduino. Get it? A Raspberry Pi for Pi Day? Yeah, we are very witty! You can see the prizes in the video below. Not only can you use the Linux-friendly System on a Chip (SoC) for neat projects, but it can even be made into a media player thanks to Kodi.
Business 2020: A clear and connected vision for the future
According to Walker Information’s Customers 2020 Report, by the year 2020, customer experience will be the number one competitive differentiator for brands. With just three years to go, brands still have some work to do to get smarter about their customers, and to learn how to quickly keep pace with the numerous technology changes ahead.
From smart technology, artificial intelligence and multi-channel customer communication, technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace. As devices, customers and companies become even more connected, prioritization is the key to customer experience success. Here are five ways brands can stay ahead of the 2020 curve.
The CIA, WikiLeaks and Spy vs Spy
As pretty much anyone already knows, WikiLeaks has dropped a trove of about 8700 secret documents that purport to cover a range of CIA plans and technologies for snooping over the Internet -- everything from cracking encrypted communication products to turning Samsung smart TVs into listening devices against their owners.
Two questions immediately arise: 1) are these documents legit (they appear to be), and; 2) WTF does it mean for people like us, who aren’t spies, public officials, or soldiers of fortune? This latter answer requires a longer explanation but suffice it to say this news is generally not good for anyone, not even for spies unless they have been recently unemployed. But for some companies it will open up significant new business opportunities.
Lessons learned from a ransomware infection
Since October, Datto has been conducting testing designed to quickly detect ransomware in backup data sets. Here’s why: it has become a major threat to individuals and businesses over the past few years, and the cyber extortionists behind these attacks operate with increasing sophistication. SMBs can be particularly vulnerable to attacks and are more likely to pay a ransom to get their data back than large businesses.
In many cases, these attacks are conducted by large criminal organizations using wide-reaching botnets to spread malware via phishing campaigns. Victims are tricked into downloading an e-mail attachment or clicking a link using some form of social engineering. Fake email messages might appear to be a note from a friend or colleague asking a user to check out an attached file. Or, email might come from a trusted institution (such as a bank) asking you to perform a routine task. Sometimes, ransomware uses scare tactics such as claiming that the computer has been used for illegal activities to coerce victims. When the malware is executed, it encrypts files and demands a ransom to unlock them.
Refreshed stable Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) 2 'Betsy' ISO images now available
Linux Mint is one of the most popular Linux-based desktop operating systems. With that said, did you know there are two versions of the OS? No, I am not talking about the multiple desktop environments, such as Cinnamon, MATE, and KDE. There are actually two entirely different operating systems that share the Mint name. The normal version of Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu, while a lesser known version, LMDE, is based on Debian. Is it confusing? Absolutely. A waste of resources? Probably. But hey, that's the state of Linux on the desktop nowadays.
Linux Mint Debian Edition 2 'Betsy' launched way back in 2015, and hasn't needed a major base upgrade. Instead, LMDE has received a steady stream of updates over the last two years. The problem? The ISO images were very outdated, meaning a fresh install required a lot of updates. As a way to improve the experience, the Linux Mint team has decided to refresh the installation media. Today, refreshed stable Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) 2 'Betsy' ISO images become available, with the choice of either Cinnamon or MATE.
How AI can offer much-needed relief to UK's National Health Service
According to the Office for Budget Responsibility, the NHS budget will need to increase by £88billion over the next 50 years if it is to keep pace with the rising demand for healthcare in the UK. But with the 2017 Budget showcasing a massive leaning towards building up its Brexit reserves and allocating a mere £100 million for 100 onsite GP treatment centers in A&Es across England, the NHS is justifiably bracing itself for a painful future.
With £20billion worth of cuts scheduled by 2020, combined with fierce warnings that the UK’s health services are on the edge of an unprecedented crisis, the urgent call for solutions to be brought to the healthcare table has incontrovertibly intensified.
Updated Skype extension for Chrome brings one-click Skype integration to calendars, emails and Twitter
Microsoft is pushing out an update to its Skype extension for Chrome, bringing a host of new features to a range of online services. The update means that you can add Skype call links to emails, calendar events, and social media postings with a single click.
With support for Gmail, Google Inbox, Outlook.com, Google Calendar and Twitter, Microsoft is clearly trying to cover a lot of bases. Twitter is arguably something of a strange choice, but by embracing rival Google services, Microsoft is clearly keen to make Skype more accessible for as many people as possible.
Microsoft and Nvidia unveil HGX-1 hyperscale GPU accelerator
Blueprints for a new hyperscale GPU accelerator have been introduced recently, jointly by Microsoft and NVIDIA. The two companies are saying the accelerator would "drive AI cloud computing."
The accelerator is called HGX-1 hyperscale GPU. It is released in conjunction with Microsoft’s Project Olympus, as an open-source design.
NetAudit is a simple network toolkit
NetAudit is a portable network toolkit for Windows which combines simple Ping, Traceroute, Whois and connection monitoring features.
The program interface is a mess. There’s a useless list of processes; a Network Usage indicator which isn’t scaled properly so it’s almost always blank; big arrows with figures to presumably indicate total uploaded and downloaded data, although with no tooltips or labels it’s hard to tell.
Why you need cyber security checks during a merger or acquisition
2016 was a record setting year for data breaches and hacks. In the last few months of the year Yahoo began making headline news for all the wrong reasons with two stories around how it was the victim of the largest cyber-attack in history, which saw one billion accounts being compromised. Making this situation all the more worst for Yahoo, was the fact that it was in the process of being acquired by Verizon.
This hack in fact has resulted in Verizon paying $350 million less for Yahoo and receiving confirmation from Yahoo’s board that any future legal costs or reparations will be jointly covered. The bad news of companies across the globe is that Yahoo’s attack is likely to only be the beginning. As cyber attacks escalate in both their volume and size the dangers to companies looking at acquiring others rises.
Build a better March Madness 2017 NCAA Tournament Bracket with Microsoft's Bing
For many, March is just another month in the calendar year. For basketball fans, however, it is significant for one big reason -- the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament, otherwise known as "March Madness." Only the best college teams make the cut, making it an exciting elimination tournament. It is a great way to see future professional players in a pressure situation -- some of them will play in the coveted NBA.
Watching basketball aside, another fun aspect of the tournament is the bracket challenges. You see, many people like to predict who will win each matchup, and ultimately, which team will become the champion. If you think that sounds easy, trust me, it is much harder than you think, with quintillions of possibilities. Heck, some of these folks bet real money on it. Today, Microsoft announces that its Bing Predicts service can help people create "smarter" brackets. In other words, using the power of data, you could possibly increase your chances.
Mozilla: people have no idea how to protect their privacy and security online
Privacy and security are major concerns when it comes to life online, but a survey by Mozilla reveals that a worrying number of people do not know how to stay in control of them. The company also found that a third of people feel they have no control over their information online, with a similar number confessing to knowing "very little" about encryption.
But these are not the only concerns of internet users. Mozilla also asked about people's greatest online fears. Topping the list is "being hacked by a stranger" (a fear held by 80 percent of people), and "being tracked by advertisers" (61 percent). As well as presenting the results of its survey, Mozilla also has some important advice.
Intel buys Mobileye to boost self-driving car efforts
Intel is serious about becoming an important player in the self-driving car market. After teaming up with various companies, including car makers, to develop and promote solutions for autonomous vehicles, it's now taking things to the next level by acquiring Mobileye.
Mobileye, in case you are not familiar with it, is best known for supplying the technology (like sensors and cameras) used in Tesla's first-generation Autopilot. Intel will spend just over $15bn to buy the Israeli company.
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