Mozilla will block non-essential Flash in Firefox from next month
Flash is seen, quite rightly, as the scourge of the internet, and for some time there has been a vocal movement to eradicate all traces of it. Following the lead of Google Chrome and upcoming versions of Safari, Mozilla is taking the step of blocking Flash content from Firefox that is "not essential to the user experience".
It's part of the company's drive to reduce reliance on Flash, whilst recognizing that there is still a need to provide a degree of support for "legacy Flash content". Mozilla has taken the decision to ditch Flash in a bid to improve browser performance, boost security and improve battery life on mobile devices.
Now it's easier than ever to submit changes and additions to Google Maps
Google has done a great job of mapping the globe down to street level, but it's not perfect. You've almost certainly encountered errors and omissions on Google Maps, and starting today the company is making it easy to point out missing and incorrect data from the comfort of your mobile.
Crowdsourcing the collecting of map data is a great way to ensure that Google Maps is kept constantly up to date. It means that as businesses close down, change names, or open up, users can submit feedback to Google straight away so the information is available to everyone as quickly as possible.
New solution tackles ransomware at source
Ransomware is one of the biggest cyber threats businesses and individuals face and tackling it requires a customized approach.
Israel-based illusive networks is launching a new Advanced Ransomware Guard product that uses deception techniques to spot threats across the entire network, endpoints and servers and neutralize ransomware activity at the source hosts.
MemTest86 7.0 now faster, detects more RAM errors
PassMark Software has shipped MemTest86 7.0, a major update for the veteran memory diagnostic tool. Testing now runs in Parallel CPU Mode by default, as long as it’s supported by the UEFI firmware, significantly improving performance.
Smarter testing for the row hammer effect should result in the detection of more "disturbance errors", where memory cells may interfere with each other’s operation and change their values.
Brexit vote doesn't affect UK jobs market
The results of the Brexit vote don’t seem to have an immediate effect on the British job market, especially in the IT industry, according to a Morgan McKinley report. The global professional services recruiter also says that it still might be too early for a definitive conclusion.
IT jobs in London were off to a slow start at the beginning of 2016, but that’s usually how things go in January and February. Interestingly enough, the slow period moved into the second quarter of 2016 in most sectors, and it wasn’t before the very end of the quarter that we saw a market upturn. June was the highest month so far in terms of job volume this year.
UK crime rate doubles once all online crimes are taken into account
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed the true scale of online crime in England and Wales, and it is high enough to effectively double the overall crime rate. The previous estimate about the number of online crimes was 3.8 million, but the latest figures show that it is in fact over 5.8 million.
The ONS says that a tenth of adults have fallen victim to online crime, and incidents are not specific to particular areas or social classes. The statistics take into account virus attacks, online fraud, phishing attacks and the like, with 3.8 million of the overall 5.8 million incidents accounted for by various sorts of fraud.
Capture and explore network traffic with Microsoft Message Analyzer
Microsoft Message Analyzer is an expert-oriented tool for capturing, displaying and analyzing network traffic, file activity, Windows Events and device activities on Windows 7 or later systems.
This data may be filtered and presented in grids, charts, graphs, timelines and more. While the program is aimed at developers and system admins, if you’re comfortable with tools like Sysinternals Process Monitor then you could also find it handy.
Average ransomware demand doubles in six months
Remember that recent article I wrote about how people value their online data much more than what extortionists are asking for when they hit them with ransomware?
Well, extortionists seem to have caught on. Newest research paper from Symantec tells us that the average ransom demand is now £525, up from £223 at the end of last year.
Why it's time for a new approach to Agile security [Q&A]
Security is often something that gets left until late in the development cycle and as Agile development takes off, security can be an inhibiting factor.
Since many security breaches now target the endpoint, there's more emphasis on building secure software which means it's something that needs to be integrated into the development process. Fixing security flaws late in the day can prove costly and time consuming.
Microsoft responds to allegations that Windows 10 collects 'excessive personal data'
Yesterday France's National Data Protection Commission (CNIL) slapped a formal order on Microsoft to comply with data protection laws after it found Windows 10 was collecting "excessive data" about users. The company has been given three months to meet the demands or it will face fines.
Microsoft has now responded, saying it is happy to work with the CNIL to work towards an acceptable solution. Interestingly, while not denying the allegations set against it, the company does nothing to defend the amount of data collected by Windows 10, and also fails to address the privacy concerns it raises.
Google A4A will speed up the web by making ads far more efficient
These days, the web is all about advertising. Whatever type of site you visit -- news, entertainment, music, or whatever -- you are almost certain to encounter ads. Many people turn to ad blockers not just because ads can be irritating (and something of a privacy concern), but also because they can dramatically slow down browsing.
We've already heard about Google's Accelerated Mobile Pages project which looks to speed up the web for mobile users. But AMP is about more than just pushing page content to handsets quicker. Google has also developed a way to dramatically speed up the appearance of ads: AMP for ads, or A4A.
KickassTorrents seized and taken offline as owner is arrested
The Ukrainian owner of KickassTorrents (KAT) has been arrested in Poland and his torrent-touting website seized by authorities. Artem Vaulin -- who also goes by the name 'tirm' -- stands accused of criminal copyright infringement, as well as conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement and money laundering.
The Department of Justice says that the site owned by 30-year-old Vaulin "has enabled users to illegally reproduce and distribute hundreds of millions of copies of copyrighted motion pictures, video games, television programs, musical recordings and other electronic media, collectively valued at more than $1 billion". Authorities now want to extradite him to the US to face prosecution.
Corning unveils Gorilla Glass 5
Some smartphones can be expensive. When you spend a lot of money on a device, it can be quite the anxiety-creating affair. Whenever you pull it out of your pocket, you must worry about breaking it, and ultimately wasting many hundreds of dollars. This can be said about less expensive devices as well, depending on your economic situation, of course.
One of the most painful things to break or scratch on a smartphone is the screen, as it is how you interact with the pocket-computer. Luckily, Corning's line of Gorilla Glass can make these screens a bit more durable. Today, the company unveils the fifth iteration of its technology.
Retailers believe social media is key for future growth
Retailers consider social media extremely important for future growth, a new report states, adding that all of them use at least one social media channel.
SAP’s new report, based on a face-to-face survey with retailers and SMEs between April and May 2016, reveals that almost a third (29 percent) of respondents use more than three social media channels. Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are considered the most popular, but Pinterest and YouTube are not that far behind.
France: Windows 10 collects 'excessive personal data', issues Microsoft with formal warning
After accusations that Windows 10 collects too much data about users, France's National Data Protection Commission (CNIL) has order Microsoft to comply with the French Data Protection Act within three months. The company has been ordered to "stop collecting excessive data and tracking browsing by users without their consent".
In addition to this, the chair of CNIL has notified Microsoft that it needs to take "satisfactory measures to ensure the security and confidentiality of user data". The notice comes after numerous complaints about Windows 10, and a series of investigations by French authorities which revealed a number of failings on Microsoft's part.
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