The effect of cybercrime on businesses and consumers
Here we are, at the end of the first month of a new year and where are we? Well, I guess that very much depends on who you are. If you're a hacker, then things are looking good for you. If you're a consumer, the evidence suggests you won't be fooled twice, but is that good enough? And if you're a business, you've got the same security problems as last year but with enhanced threats from hackers and careless employees as well as enhanced expectations from consumers.
So, exactly what is happening in today's security world and what does it mean for you?
Vulnerabilities could leave thousands of NETGEAR routers exposed
New vulnerabilities discovered in 31 models of NETGEAR router are reckoned to leave at least 10,000 devices at risk and could affect many more.
Cyber security company Trustwave has released details of the vulnerabilities which allow an attacker to discover or completely bypass any password on a NETGEAR router, giving them complete control of the router, including the ability to change configuration, turn infected routers into botnets or even upload entirely new firmware.
New platform offers holistic risk assessment for enterprises
The proliferation of cloud services and diverse platforms in modern enterprises makes guarding against risk and protecting data a major challenge.
Cyber risk assurance company TechDemocracy is addressing this problem with the launch of a new platform to analyze the effectiveness of existing cyber risk and compliance solutions and offers a consolidated view of enterprise risk posture.
Optimize images for the web with pingo
Pingo is a free PNG and JPEG optimizer which supports both lossless and lossy compression. There are plenty of similar tools around, but pingo stands out from the competition in several ways -- some good, some not.
The program is a compact 521KB download, unpacking to a single executable which you must run from the command line.
WhatsApp update will allow users to track a contact's location in real time
Facebook-owned WhatsApp was in the headlines recently because of concerns over the way it implemented end-to-end-encryption. Analysis of a beta version of the chat app showed that there seem to be plans to introduce message editing and deletion options, and new reports suggest that real-time location tracking could also be on the cards.
As reported by the Independent, version 2.16.399 of WhatsApp for Android and version 2.17.3.28 for iOS include a feature called Live Location Tracking. It's an option designed to make it easier to meet up in the flesh, but it's also something that will be of concern for privacy advocates.
Winstep Nexus and Xtreme updated to 17.10
Winstep Software Technologies has updated its flagship products, Winstep Xtreme and Winstep Nexus, to version 17.10.
Winstep Xtreme, the company’s powerful set of desktop applications, gains a new Moon Phases module which shows you how the moon will appear on any day of the month.
Cisco acquires intelligence software company AppDynamics
Tech giant Cisco has announced that it is buying AppDynamics, a privately-held application intelligence software company headquartered in San Francisco.
The deal is worth $3.7 billion, and will be completed in cash and assumed equity awards.
The future of home technology
Technology tends to creep up on us and before we know it is an essential part of our lives. In the home we're already seeing increasing numbers of smart devices like thermostats and light bulbs, but what else is on the horizon?
Electronics company RS Components has produced an interactive graphic showing some of the things we can look forward too.
DevDocs offline API browser now available for desktops
Last month we wrote about DevDocs for Chrome, a free extension which gives access to API documentation for around 200 programming languages and technologies.
Now an unofficial Electron-based applet, DevDocs, brings the service specifically to the desktop, with downloads available for Windows, Linux and Mac.
Twitter reveals the worrying content of two secret National Security Letters
All the big players in the world of tech release transparency reports these days, and Twitter is no different. Like other companies, Twitter has been unable to report details of any National Security Letters (NSLs) it receives from the FBI asking for access to user account information.
These data requests are accompanied by gagging orders that prevent the recipients from informing either the public or the subject of the letter about the request. The gag has now been lifted and Twitter has shared the contents of two letters which ask for a "large amount of data."
Really, Google? Chrome 57 kills the ability to control and disable plugins
With web browsers being among the most frequently used pieces of software out there, it's little wonder that there is so much concern about security surrounding them. Browser plugins can be a major security worry, and with Chrome 57 Google has taken the strange decision to block users from disabling them or changing their settings.
While this is not the same as preventing users from changing the settings for extensions, or removing them, it still has important implications -- particularly if a security problem should be discovered in a plugin Google bundles with Chrome.
Microsoft shows Windows 10 market share growing steadily, but the numbers are fake [Updated]
Microsoft’s own Windows 10 share numbers have always seemed a little, well, generous. While NetMarketShare’s OS usage share figures show the new operating system doing fine, but lagging some distance behind Windows 7 (as you'd expect), Microsoft’s figures paint an entirely different picture.
Five months ago, the software giant showed Windows 10 hitting 50 percent in the US, and two months ago, it had the new OS overtaking Windows 7 globally. Today’s update though stretches the believability just a little too far.
Bodhi Linux 4.1.0 Ubuntu-based distro now available with updated kernel and new theme
There are so many Linux distributions nowadays, that it can be hard to be excited by them. Linux Mint, for example, releases too many versions of its operating system; news of an update can become rather ho-hum. Major Linux distributions, such as Ubuntu and Fedora, remain exciting, however.
Some smaller Linux-based operating systems are still worthy of attention, however, and one such distro is Bodhi. Based on Ubuntu, the lightweight OS is very unique thanks to the Moksha desktop environment. Because of its familiarity, that DE makes Bodhi a smart choice for Windows users looking to switch to Linux. Today, Bodhi reaches version 4.1.0.
Windows 10 Creators Update Build 15019 arrives on the Fast ring, adds new features, kills Edge extensions
After a couple of days’ delay, Microsoft finally releases a new build for Windows 10 Insiders on the Fast ring.
We already knew some of what to expect of this build, as Microsoft previously announced the new gaming features, but naturally there’s more to Build 15019 than just that.
Read classic computer and video game magazines in your browser
The Internet Archive offers a wealth of fantastic ways to revisit the past, whether you’re trawling through classic animated GIFs from the nineties, running Windows 3.1 programs in your browser, or playing DOS, classic arcade, or vintage console games online.
The latest trip down memory lane comes in the form of classic computer and video gaming magazines, something that really resonates with me as there are titles there that I not only read in my youth, but that I wrote for, or which were put together in the same building I worked in.
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