Latest Technology News

In the past year we’ve already seen the Internet of Things used to carry out cyber attacks, and many experts are predicting that this is a problem that will grow in coming months.

Given that many people may have acquired new IoT devices over the holiday period, financial advice website RefiGuide has put together a timely infographic looking at the risks IoT devices can pose and what you can do to protect yourself.

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Earlier in the year, a huge DDoS attack was launched on Krebs on Security. Analysis showed that the attack pelted servers with 620 Gbps, and there were fears that the release of the Mirai source code used to launch the assault would lead to a rise in large-scale DDoS attacks. Welcome Leet Botnet.

In the run-up to Christmas, security firm Imperva managed to fend off a 650 Gbps DDoS attack. But this was nothing to do with Mirai; it is a completely new form of malware, but is described as "just as powerful as the most dangerous one to date". The concern for 2017 is that "it's about to get a lot worse".

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Today businesses are working in more agile and digitally connected ways. What’s more in the case of new software development projects, DevOps is a buzzword that chimes with this sentiment. But what does it mean and how should we view it? Is it a job role? Is it a team? A product? A vision?

Quite simply, DevOps is a mind-set. When companies choose to expand development across the organization they are driving collaboration. This adds powerful value back to enterprise leaders, who have the interests of the customer at heart. What makes it a mind-set is that its success depends on a combination of people and behavior changes.

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While technology can lead to exciting new products like self-driving cars and artificial intelligence, it can also improve boring products, such as appliances. Things such as refrigerators, thermostats, and washing machines are getting smarter and better, making day-to-day chores a little less tedious.

One product type that has benefited greatly from advanced technologies, such as machine learning and robotics, is the lowly vacuum. While not a sexy product, it can be essential for keeping floors clean. While iRobot Roomba is probably the most recognizable robot vacuum, Samsung is hoping consumers will choose its new POWERbot VR7000 instead. What makes this vacuum particularly interesting, is that it is compatible with Amazon Echo.

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Back in the day, I had quite the CD collection. I even bought a 300-disc player to hold them all, making listening to my tunes more convenient. Not long after, online music became all the rage, making all of my compact discs obsolete. Now, I just stream songs and albums using Apple Music.

The same has happened to movies and television, thanks to streaming video services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu -- owning discs and tapes is an outdated way of consuming. Unfortunately, deciding on which service to select can be quite confusing, but ultimately, content is king. Today, Hulu scores some significant theatrical films, thanks to a new, multi-year exclusivity deal with Walt Disney Studios.

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Consumer Reports played nasty, little Santa's helper by plopping a piece of chunky coal into Apple's Christmas stocking, when denying the coveted—and expected—recommendation. Holy Moly. Over the holiday, the InterWebs exploded with stories during an otherwise, slow tech news cycle. CR found widely, or perhaps wildly, inconsistent charge-to-depletion times for MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. Uh-oh. At least the lap-hugger isn't explodin', like the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. B-b-b-boom!

Perhaps, like me, you bought or received as present, one of these newfangled Macs. I have some questions about your experience starting with: How's your battery life? Do you get enough from the laptop to justify the price increase over last year's model? If you bought, or received, something else, did news about battery life affect the decision? Since we're all sharing our deepest, innermost MacBook Pro secrets, from here I will reveal my own. I bought not one, but two. Problems with the first, but not the second, and possible remedy will be familiar to long-time Windows users.

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If you want to download official themes for Microsoft’s operating system you can do so at the moment by going here, and choosing the theme you want from a selection of categories including Featured, Animals, Games, Movies, Places & Landscapes, and Panoramic. There are also 'Compatible with Windows 7' and 'Compatible with the new Windows' categories.

In Windows 10, you can also go to Settings > Personalization > Themes > Themes Settings, and click 'Get more themes online'. However, there’s now another way to get Windows 10 themes, and that’s from the Windows Store.

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Pdf Booklet is a free tool for reorganizing and rearranging the pages of a PDF file.

You could use the program to create a simple booklet. In a click or two it’ll shrink and rotate pages, then place two on each paper page, ready for assembling and stapling in the middle.

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An impressive and user-friendly digital presence is an indispensable asset to any brand. It is often the first point of contact for customers who expect and demand great functionality and engaging content across multiple platforms. The finding that nearly half of us won't wait even three seconds for a website to load bears witness to ever increasing customer expectations which must be met.

Partnership with a digital agency can be a great way to keep up to speed with rapid change and innovation, but, to ensure the very best outcome, both client and agency need to find an optimum commercial, creative and secure cultural fit. This should be a priority for both sides from the very first pitch. The promise of exceptional creativity and customer experience is one thing, but considering the more practical aspects of how the relationship will work is entirely another.

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The standard Windows "Photos" screensaver is a quick and easy way to create random slideshows of your own images, but it’s also very basic, with the bare minimum of features.

Endless Slideshow Screensaver uses the same core idea, but takes it much further, automatically building spectacular photo slideshows whenever it kicks in.

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Threat intelligence is a popular topic in security circles these days. Many organizations are now using a threat feed that comes bundled with some other security product, such as McAfee’s GTI or IBM’s X-Force feeds. Lots of products, notably SIEMs, have added support for some sort of integration with specific threat intelligence feeds or more generic imports via STIX/TAXII. With many now hoping to take advantage of the large number of open source and free intelligence feeds available. Some are even investing in commercial intelligence feeds.

However, as many organizations quickly discover, without effective management of the threat intelligence lifecycle, making effective use of this valuable information is nearly impossible. Today, an organization has two choices for managing threat intelligence, these are to deploy a threat intelligence management platform, or a manual in-house management program. The steps required to set up a manual threat intelligence lifecycle program will be outlined below for those who prefer this approach.

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Veteran video transcoder HandBrake has finally hit version 1.0.0, more than 13 years after development began.

The most obvious change is in the pile of new presets. Whether you’re after a quick general-purpose option (HQ 720p30 Surround) or something more device-specific (now including Chromecast, Fire TV and Roku), it’s only a click away.

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PhotoDonut is a powerful cross-platform photo processor which provides a host of interesting ways to enhance and improve your images.

You could use the program as a quick way to enhance any photo. Open the picture, choose a lighting or color effect from options like "Gold Sun" or "Columbian Parrot", and save the result as a JPG, PNG, TIF, PSD and more.

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Earlier in December, Microsoft warned Insiders that there would be no more new builds released this side of the New Year. Of course, this does not mean that a new build did not exist, and now build 14997 has leaked online.

Coming from the internal development branch (rs_onecoe_base, specifically), it's possible that build 14997 will never be officially released, but the leak does give a tantalizing glimpse of what we can expect. On the menu in this build of Windows 10 Creators Update is an updated version of Microsoft Edge, an improved OOBE and important tweaks to the Start menu.

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Chromebooks are very interesting laptops. They run neither Windows nor macOS, but instead, a Linux-based operating system called Chrome OS that puts a web browser on the front stage. It is not just any browser, but Google's Chrome. In other words, most apps are web-based and no other browser other than the search giant's own can be used. It makes for an easy-to use and secure platform, but it can be very limited. They definitely have their place, however.

If you have been looking for a new Chromebook with some modern specifications and features, I have some good news. An all-new convertible touchscreen ASUS Chromebook has hit Newegg. Apparently, the company has not yet announced the laptop, making it quite the surprise. Called "C302CA-DHM4", it has solid specifications, looks great, and best of all, it is reasonably priced.

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