Virginia Tech's DIALDroid shows Android apps steal data through secret collusion
Researchers from Virginia Tech have found that Android apps can work together to mine personal information from smartphones. While users have long been aware of the need to check the privacy settings and permissions for individual apps, few people will have thought of the potential for collusion between apps that, individually, have innocuous-looking settings.
A team from the Department of Computer Science at Virginia Tech's College of Engineering developed a tool called DIALDroid (Database powered ICC AnaLysis for anDroid) and used it to monitor the exchange of data between apps. Analysis of 110,150 apps over three years found that security and privacy is put at risk as information is shared between different, independent apps that users may have installed.
Security researchers uncover phishing attack with very high success rate
A new and "very aggressive" airline phishing attack was just spotted, and it's one with such a high success rate that even security experts are baffled. It was spotted by Barracuda, and it says that this new attack has a success rate of 90 percent.
The attack combines impersonation, advanced persistent threats and phishing, giving the attackers long-term stealth access to a myriad corporate networks.
How to find out which of your apps are not compatible with iOS 11
Last week saw the release of iOS 10.3, and thoughts are already turning to the next major release of Apple's mobile operating system. When iOS 11 launches later this year, it is not expected to support 32-bit apps and this means that a number of apps that have not been updated accordingly will stop working.
Built into iOS 10.3 is a tool that can be used to quickly determine which of your apps could die in iOS 11. While it's possible that updates might be released for them, Apple's move away from 32-bit software is far from new, so it's probably time to start looking for 64-bit alternatives for anything you have come to rely on.
Pay-as-you-go cloud platform offers fast, convenient web design
It's a rare business that doesn't have a website these days, but for smaller companies the process of building a site and keeping it up to date can be costly and time consuming.
Texas-based startup Snaplitics is aiming to fix this with the launch of an affordable tool for creating professional websites and landing pages without having to hire developers.
Windows 10 users can now download videos from Netflix for offline viewing
Streaming services like Netflix are proving increasingly popular as fans of television and movies cut the cord and look for on-demand options that better suit their needs. Having previously made it possible for iOS and Android users to download content for offline viewing -- complete with optimized codecs -- Netflix is now doing the same for Windows 10 users.
The idea is pretty simple. Netflix acknowledges the fact that subscribers may well want to be able to access their favorite shows when they do not have an Internet connection, and is therefore providing the perfect solution: Download & Go.
Apple ditches Imagination Technology and will make its own iPhone GPU chips
In a dramatic announcement, British firm Imagination Technology has revealed that in 15 to 25 months' time Apple will no longer be using its GPU chips. Imagination's graphic chips are used in the iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV and Apple Watch, and the revelation sent the British firm's shares into freefall.
Apple will reduce its reliance on Imagination's technology as, the chip-maker explains, it "has asserted that it has been working on a separate, independent graphics design in order to control its products and will be reducing its future reliance on Imagination’s technology." Apple is Imagination's largest customer, and the company has issued a warning that the iPhone-manufacturer risks infringing upon intellectual property rights.
Many UK businesses cancelled GDPR preparations due to Brexit
Here's a facepalm moment for you this morning -- a quarter of UK businesses stopped preparing for the GDPR thinking the regulation won't apply once the UK leaves the EU.
The GDPR, or General Data Protection Regulation, has been ratified by the UK and will come into force on May 2018 -- which will almost certainly be before the UK leaves the EU.
Satechi launches USB-C Travel Charger for Nintendo Switch, Galaxy S8, and more
As more and more family members own multiple device -- smartphones, tablets, etc. -- it can feel like every outlet in a home is in use. This can be very problematic, as there can sometimes be more devices than outlets! This can lead to fighting between people that need to juice-up their devices. Luckily, a power strip or multi-port charger can solve this dilemma.
Today, Satechi launches a beautiful new USB-C Travel Charger that can charge three devices at once. It features two USB Type-A ports and a single USB Type-C port. While it is designed to be used for traveling, such as in a hotel or at the airport, there is nothing stopping you from using it in a home as well. In fact, it should be quite brilliant on a desk or dresser.
Hacked! New York Post mobile app compromised in security breach
The New York Post suffered a security breach this weekend when its push notification system was compromised. Unknown attackers used the system to send out messages to users of the New York Post mobile app.
The hackers sent out messages with strange, cryptic content. One read "Heil President Donald Trump!", while others had a religious or spiritual tone to them, and one quoted a Nirvana lyric.
AT&T, Comcast and Verizon say they won’t sell customers' browsing histories
Concern has mounted in the US after the Senate and then the House voted to permit ISPs to sell customers' browsing histories and other data without consent. In response to these concerns, major ISPs have spoken out to say they will do no such thing.
AT&T, Comcast and Verizon have all published statement that aim to calm fears that may have arisen this week. All three insist they do not sell customer data and have no intention of doing so. Whether customers are convinced by the pleading, however, is a different matter entirely.
Microsoft is shutting down open source repository CodePlex, offers GitHub migration tool
Microsoft is closing down CodePlex on December 15, 2017. The company says that its repository for open source software projects has seen a dramatic fall in usage, and points to GitHub as the "de facto place for open source sharing."
With 11 years of service under its belt, CodePlex is not just giving way to GitHub, Microsoft is actively recommending migrating to the renowned service -- and is making it easy to do so.
Windows 10's growth has completely stalled -- can the Creators Update jump start interest in the new OS?
It’s no April Fool -- Windows 10 is struggling. The new operating system enjoyed solid -- and rapid -- growth when it was free (and being forced on to users' computers), but in recent months, it’s seeing little to no increase in usage, according to NetMarketShare.
The OS hit the 25 percent mark in January, but since then it lost a little share in February, and made only very minor gains in March. Windows 7, in comparison, remains the operating system of choice for most people, with its share continuing to rise.
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Netrunner Desktop 17.03 'Cyclotron' Debian-based KDE Linux distro now available
When you choose a Linux-based operating system, you also choose a desktop environment. For many users, the DE sort of is the operating system. In other words, for some, they will really only interact with the user interface -- especially if they avoid the command line. A good operating system will get out of the user's way, allowing them to focus on the apps and tools they need.
If you are moving from Windows to Linux, KDE can be a great desktop environment. It is very reminiscent of the traditional Windows 95 to Windows 7 experience. Unfortunately, KDE can be a bit tedious to set up. Sure, it works fine "out of the box," but customizing it can be daunting. Luckily, there is a Debian-based operating system that is configured beautifully -- especially for those leaving Microsoft's OS. Called "Netrunner Desktop," it comes pre-loaded with many useful programs, making it an absolute joy to use. Today, it reaches version 17.03, code-named "Cyclotron."
Managing BYOD: Best practices
BYOD is dying. It’s not that people no longer bring devices to work. It’s that everyone brings their devices to work. Whether you use BYOx (bring your own everything) to describe this phenomenon or some other term, there are important concerns to be addressed.
For example, will you be providing devices to all employees, some employees (e.g., managers and executives) or no employees? How will user-owned devices connect to the network and how do you ensure personal and corporate data separation? What about company-owned devices and who owns, and thus has free access to, the data stored on them? And what happens when a device with company data or the ability to connect to the company network is stolen?
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