You'll be able to unlock any device running Windows 10 Creators Update with a Samsung phone
If you own a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, and run Windows 10, we’ve got some good news for you.
From April, which is when it’s anticipated that Microsoft will be rolling out the Windows 10 Creators Update, you’ll be able to unlock any Windows 10 device by using your phone… and that’s not all.
Samsung Secure Folder for Android safeguards your private data
If you want to secure your Galaxy smartphone, the first thing that you should do is set up a screen lock. But what if you want to go a bit further, and protect specific things on the device? Well, Samsung just released Secure Folder, which gives you a "private, encrypted space" to store sensitive data in.
Secure Folder is derived from Knox, the company's secure platform for business users, and can be seen as a consumer-focused iteration. It acts as a sandbox for apps and data and works with existing authentication options to keep them safe.
Best Windows 10 apps this week
Two-hundred-and-twenty 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.
As always, if I missed an app or game that has been released this week that you believe is particularly good, let me know in the comments below or notify me via email instead.
Dropbox releases open-source Slack bot
Dropbox is looking to tackle unauthorized access and other security incidents in the workplace with a chatbot. Called Securitybot, it that can automatically grab alerts from security monitoring tools and verify incidents with other employers.
The company says that through the use of the chatbot, which is open source, it will no longer be necessary to manually reach out to employees to verify access, every time someone enters a sensitive part of the system.
New DDoS capabilities uncovered in Necurs botnet
The Necurs botnet is one of the largest around at the moment and is principally known for sending spam including the Locky ransomware.
However, new research from BitSight's Anubis Labs has uncovered a new component being loaded in infected systems that allows it to use bots to enable proxy communications and perform DDoS attacks.
Google renames Messenger to Android Messages as the company pushes RCS
Just last week we were talking about Google's championing of RCS (Rich Communication Services), the successor to SMS. Now the company has renamed its Messenger app to Android Messages as it aims to become not just the default SMS app, but the default RCS app for Android users.
The name change also helps to better differentiate the app from others that had the same name -- such as Facebook Messenger, which is shortened to just Messenger on shortcuts. At the same time, the change is likely to cause a degree of confusion thanks to the sheer number of messaging apps Google now has.
Public cloud services market will reach $246.8 billion in 2017
The global public cloud services market is expected to grow 18 percent this year, according to Gartner’s latest report. Totaling $246.8 billion (up from $209.2bn last year), the growth will mostly come from IaaS, which is expected to grow 36.8 percent and reach $34.6 billion.
The growth will also be fueled by SaaS (20.1 percent increase, to $46.3 billion).
Ubuntu Core Linux comes to i.MX6-powered IoT-friendly TS-4900 Computer On Module
One of the best things about the Linux kernel (and associated operating systems) is the ability to work on various hardware types, including ARM. Microsoft's operating systems, by comparison, are far more narrow. True, there is the lightweight Windows 10 IoT for ARM boards, but it is hardly a factor nowadays.
Today, Ubuntu Core comes to the i.MX6-based and ARM-powered TS-4900 Computer on Module. While Android and other Linux options were already available for the IoT-friendly CoM, Ubuntu Core is still a major win. Canonical's revolutionary snap packages should work beautifully here.
First Windows 10 Redstone 3 build sighted
Microsoft is currently working hard on the next big update to Windows 10, which it’s calling the Creators Update. This will be the second release on the Redstone branch (Redstone 1 being the Anniversary Update).
There is yet another release from the Redstone branch planned for later this year, and although Microsoft has yet to name it, work is already underway internally.
Organizations failing to address security pain points
Cyber-attacks against organizations in 2017 will continue to be as successful as they were last year, because organizations aren't addressing the pain points they had last year, a new report says.
Fujitsu's "Blind spots and security basics -- letting your guard down could cost you in 2017" report says that attacks over encrypted channels will continue to be missed, due to the lack of SSL inspection capabilities.
Google has broken SHA-1 encryption
After two years of research, Google has shown that it has successfully broken SHA-1 encryption. The company is yet to release details of how it achieved the first SHA-1 "collision", but has released a proof of concept.
In keeping with its own disclosure policy, details of how the encryption was effectively broken will be released after 90 days. In the meantime, you can take a look at two specially-crafted PDF files that have identical SHA-1 hashes but different content (the definition of a collision).
Sony's new SF-G Series features the 'world's fastest' SD cards
Sony today unveils a new line of SD cards aimed at DSLR and mirrorless camera users wanting to capture high-resolution photos and record 4K videos. Called SF-G Series, it has the "world's fastest" SD cards, featuring write speeds of up to 299MB/s.
The SF-G Series currently includes three storage options, namely 32GB, 64GB and 128GB, and is designed to keep data safe and maintain performance over time.
Windows botnet spreads Mirai malware
Security researchers from Kaspersky Lab are currently investigating the first Windows-based spreader for the Mirai malware, something that can have huge implications for companies that invested heavily in IoT.
The spreader was apparently built by someone with "more advanced skills" than those that had created the original Mirai malware. This, Kaspersky Lab says, has "worrying implications for the future use and targets of Mirai-based attacks."
Google and Jigsaw create Perspective technology to identify abusive comments
Any website that allows contributions from visitors -- whether it is a platform such as Twitter or a site that has a comments section -- has to contend with the problem of abuse, swearing and harassment. Manually keeping on top of this sort of content can be a hellish task, but Google and fellow Alphabet subsidiary Jigsaw have launched a new technology called Perspective to help automate things.
The technology uses machine learning to identify what are being called "toxic comments" (defined as "a rude, disrespectful, or unreasonable comment that is likely to make you leave a discussion") so they can be dealt with appropriately.
Most CRMs don't generate revenue according to managers
Less than a fifth (17 percent) of customer relationship managers believe their CRM is generating revenue. This is according to a new report by marketing technology company Wiraya, based on a poll of 500 CRM managers.
Despite not having a great image, CRM is still perceived as a key business driver in a third of businesses. The problems, according to the report, lie in the fact that many lack a clear direction and customer insight to support their goals. Without these things, it’s hard to create direct business profitability.
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