Ransomware victims pay less than they expect
If you’re a cyber-criminal looking to enter the ransomware game, but not sure how much money you should demand for the unlocking of a victim’s files, don’t worry. Kaspersky Lab has done the research for you.
The security firm, together with B2B International, says people value their smartphone data, on average, at $682. In 39 percent of cases, the figure exceeds $1,000. On the other hand, cyber-criminals which have managed to lock a victim’s device through ransomware, usually demand $300.
More than half of companies fail to protect privileged credentials
Details of privileged accounts represent a major prize for hackers because they unlock the access required to exploit virtually any part of an organization's network and data. Yet according to a new report many companies are failing to adequately protect them.
The study by privileged account management (PAM) specialist Thycotic and research firm Cybersecurity Ventures benchmarked the PAM performance of more than 550 organizations and found that 52 percent received a failing grade.
Best Windows apps this week
One-hundred and eighty-nine in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 8.x and Windows 10 in the past seven days.
Major applications like Dropbox or Viber were updated this week with new functionality.
Rock Jaw Clarito earphones: Stylish, budget-priced audio [Review]
Last year we reviewed the Rock Jaw Alfa Genius V2 earphones and they impressed with their adjustable filters, offering a premium listening experience at a mid-range price.
Even so, not everyone is prepared to spend more than $60 on a pair of earphones, so now British company Rock Jaw is targeting more frugal listeners with the new Clarito.
AOMEI Backupper Standard 3.5 adds event-driven backups, improves network support
AOMEI has released Backupper Standard 3.5, a major new version of its freeware Windows backup, imaging and cloning tool.
Version 3.5 introduces event-triggered scheduling of backups, support for mapped network drives as backup destinations and various other improvements and optimizations, including a fix that prevents the computer from going to sleep during the backup process.
Bluelight Filter Android app helps you reduce eye strain and sleep better
Bluelight Filter is a free Android app which aims to reduce the harmful effects of the blue light emitted by smartphones and tablets.
This could reduce eye strain, help you sleep better, and generally make the screen easier to read.
After truck attack in Nice, Google offers free calls to France and Facebook activates Safety Check
The world woke this morning to news that a trunk had been driven through a crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, France. With 84 people killed and many seriously injured, people around the world are not only shocked and appalled, but also concerned about friends and family in the area.
As has become worryingly common, Facebook today activated its Safety Check feature to allow people in Nice to let those they know that they are safe. In addition to this, Google and a number of phone providers are offering free calls and texts between the US and France.
Facebook's 13,000 employees will use Microsoft Office 365
Facebook has signed a deal with Microsoft to use some of the software giant’s cloud-based productivity tools.
Facebook’s 13,000 employees will use some of Microsoft's Office 365 services, such as email and calendar, while other services, like Skype for Business or Yammer, will not be used as directly compete with Facebook’s own.
Google should Brexit
Yesterday, Europe's Competition Commission expanded its legal assault against Alphabet and major subsidiary Google. Four monopolies are under fire: AdSense, Android, search, and shopping services. Trustbusters allege that Google uses anticompetitive tactics to protect its market dominance, which share ranges from 80 percent to 90 percent in each category. Behind the charges is a hoity-toity attitude typical of overly-protectionist EU regulators. What if the information giant gave them what they want?
Imagine this: Google shuts down operations across the entire Euro zone—in a Brexit-like departure, but suddenly with no preparations. Switch it off. Search and other services could remain available in Britain and to all other non-EU countries. The company surely has the means, starting with IP blocking and expanding to other measures. The risk: Confirming just how dominant is Google, because of the incredible negative consequences. But the chaos also would lead to an outcry to restore services, while illuminating how important Big G is to citizens and how greatly businesses benefit, or profit, from the monopolies.
Shadow IT responsible for cyber attacks
Shadow IT has always been considered a huge risk to an enterprise’s cyber-security efforts, but now we have a new survey which supports the claim and shows the scope of the problem.
The report, recently released by Tenable Network Security, says that both German and UK-based companies acknowledged shadow IT as a problem, but the former reported more cyber-attacks.
European trustbusters torpedo Google
Alphabet Admirals Sergey Brin and Larry Page had better tell Captain Sundar Pichai to close the watertight doors—lest the search and advertising ship sink in the North Sea, where depths reach 700 meters (2,300). Brrrr. Are the lawyers handing out life preservers? Will paralegals man the water pumps?
Today's expansion of the European Union Competition Commission's investigation into Google business practices makes a really bad situation much, much, much worse. Problems are these: Adding advertising to anticompetitive charges; expanding investigation to four monopolies (AdSense, Android, search, shopping services); citing exclusive contracts as violation of the law; and narrowing the applicable market for search shopping competition, thus blowing apart one of Google's major counter legal arguments. Kaboom!
CryptoDrop can stop ransomware early on in the encryption phase
New software, designed by scientists at the University of Florida (UF), just might be the answer to thwarting the ever-growing problem of ransomware.
Ransomware is a form of malware used by cybercriminals to exploit users into paying significant sums of money to retrieve their own files. When an infection happens, the files on a user’s system are encrypted by the virus and the only way to regain access to those files is by paying a ransom to the hackers behind the attack.
T-Mobile giving customers free unlimited Pokemon Go data
Pokemon Go isn't a particularly good game. The environments are rather plain, gameplay is amateurish, and there are server issues galore. Ultimately, the phenomenon is fueled by millennial nostalgia and curiosity about augmented reality. In other words, the game's shelf life could be very short.
T-Mobile is wisely being opportunistic and cashing in on the fad, however. Today, the cell phone carrier announces it is giving its customers unlimited data for Pokemon Go. Is the game popular enough to drive consumers to switch to T-Mobile?
Robots can't understand advanced business processes
In a time when some really intelligent people are expressing fears over intelligent robots, the worst thing you can do is tell a bunch of scientists that robots that smart can’t be made.
Yet, that’s pretty much what shared services professionals said when they were polled by robotics and automation specialists Redwood Software, together with Shared Services Link, the online community for finance, shared services and outsourcing leaders.
Google's gender equality emoji are formally adopted
Concerned as ever with diversity and equality, Google recently proposed a new set of emoji including a wider range of images of women in different professions. Today the company makes good on its promise and delivers the goods... with a little help from the powers-that-be.
Launched because "there aren't a lot [of emoji] that highlight the diversity of women's careers", the new emoji portray women in roles that have previously been the domain of man -- at least in pixel form. In all, the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee is adopting more than 100 new emoji after Google's suggestions.
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