Prediction #7: Internet of Things becomes a security nightmare
This one is simple -- a confluence of anti-hacking paranoia combined with the Internet of Things (IoT), which will lead to any number of really, really bad events in 2016.
Remember how the CIA or the NSA or whatever agency it was hacked a few years ago the Iranian nuclear centrifuges making enriched uranium? The centrifuges updated their software over the Internet, loading doctored code that eventually caused the machines to overspeed and shake themselves to pieces, putting the Iranian nuclear program months or years behind.
Updated Android.Bankosy malware steals passwords sent through voice calls
Around a year and a half ago, Symantec warned about the personal data stealing malware Android.Bankosy. Now the Trojan has been updated so it can steal passwords delivered via voice call-based two-factor authorization systems.
Such 2FA systems are often used by banks to communicate one-time passcodes to people. While these have usually been delivered via SMS, voice call delivery is becoming increasingly common. Malware makers are keen not to miss out on data stealing opportunities, and the Android.Bankosy introduces a call-forwarding feature that sends 2FA calls to a C&C server so the code can be intercepted and exploited.
1Password 6 for Mac debuts new All Vaults view, word-based password generation
AgileBits has released 1Password for Mac 6 a major new update for its Mac password manager client. The app, which works in conjunction with 1Password for iOS 6.2 as well Windows and Android apps, features a number of new and improved features.
The new release kicks off with a brand new All Vaults view. It enables users to view all items in both the main app and 1Password mini view without having to move between vaults.
H.265/HEVC offers 50 percent bitrate savings over H.264/AVC
Following exhaustive tests, a BBC research team has confirmed that the H.265/HEVC video compression standard offers huge bitrate savings compared to H.264/AVC. The BBC R&D video coding research team focused primarily on UHD content and found bitrate savings of up to 50 percent.
With more and more content being streamed, and increasing demand for high definition and UHD content, finding ways to most efficiently deliver video will become increasingly important. The study found that greater savings were possible with larger pictures -- something the corporation says is key to the future of UHD delivery.
Microsoft Azure now lets you backup VMware instances
Microsoft has launched an enhanced version of its Azure Site Recovery (ASR) targeted especially for VMware customers.
The ASR concept allows you to backup virtual machines into the Azure storage, update them and then run the VMs in Azure as a disaster recovery option. Microsoft charges $54 a month per VM instance stored in Azure, but doesn’t pay any compute or storage costs until you run the VM, which would make sense as it is only a file until the VM is spun up.
Missed President Obama's final State of the Union address? You can watch it on Amazon Prime
The State of the Union address is arguably the most important speech given by any president and what will be included in the context of it is sometimes a mystery. We generally have an idea as rumors leek out, perhaps on a controlled basis.
While watching isn't a requirement for a citizen -- this isn't North Korea (and I'm not sure it's even required there, we know so little of what goes on) -- it is a good idea for responsible people. After all if you don't know, you really can't complain, though that doesn't stop some people.
Seagate launches massive 8TB NAS HDD for SOHO, SMB, and creative professionals
Large hard drives are surprisingly controversial. In the world of computers, it is often assumed that larger capacity drives are a positive. For a long time, that was indisputably true. With that said, as drives grew to gargantuan proportions, critics were quick to point out that the larger the drive, the more you can potentially lose at failure. Those people will often suggest utilizing multiple smaller drives, combined with regular backups -- good advice.
Unfortunately, many businesses are limited in space physically -- there are only so many bays and connections for drives. It is for this reason that a larger HDD is preferable. Today, Seagate is launching a massive 8TB NAS HDD. While not the first HDD of this capacity, Seagate claims it is the largest-ever NAS optimized drive. Who is the drive for? The company says "small- and Medium-sized Businesses (SMB), Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) and creative professional segments". Of course, there is no reason why it can't also be utilized by home users who value a high quality -- and high capacity -- NAS optimized drive.
Fortinet firewalls feature hard-coded password that acts as a backdoor
Just weeks after Juniper was found to be using insecure code in its products, a security issue has been found in Fortinet's FortiOS. It's a problem that affects the software in older NetScreen firewalls from Fortinet and could allow for remote access of unpatched system.
Buried in the firewall software is a hardcoded password (FGTAbc11*xy+Qqz27) that could be easily used to exploit servers running FortiOS. Ralf-Philipp Weinmann is one of the security researchers who unearthed the problem with Juniper hardware, and he has confirmed the problem which is being referred to as the FortiOS SSH Undocumented Interactive Login Vulnerability.
Trend Micro Password Manager could have exposed all of your passwords to hackers
People turn to security tools to, obviously, improve security. Antivirus tools take care of malware, firewalls manage network and internet traffic, encryption keep files private, and password managers keep passwords safe. At least that's the idea.
Google security engineer Tavis Ormandy discovered a vulnerability in Trend Micro Password Manager (part of Trend Micro Antivirus) which allowed for the remote execution of code and, opened up the possibility for passwords to be stolen. Ormandy posted details of the security problem to the Google Security Research newsgroup, and the clock started ticking on a 90-day full disclosure deadline.
David Bowie dominates the digital download and streaming charts
It has taken a while to sink in, but on 11 January the world became a sadder and duller place following the death of David Bowie. As fan around the world struggled to come to terms with the tragic and untimely loss, they turned to the one things they all have in common -- Bowie's music.
At turns an artist, actor, poet, digital pioneer, style icon, and cultural behemoth, Bowie was predominantly a musician. His (as it turned out) final album, Blackstar was released just days before his death, and the lyrics and video for the second single from the album -- Lazarus -- took on a new, beautiful and heart-wrenching meaning. Bowie meant a lot to people the world over, and the level of affection felt for the ever-inventive musical chameleon can be seen by the surge in digital downloads and streams of his albums on the likes of Spotify and iTunes.
Remix OS is a Windows-like Android you can run on a PC
Jide Technology has released Remix OS 2.0, a multitasking, mouse-friendly version of Android which comes ready to run on a PC.
The alpha build is available as a 700MB ISO, which the company recommends you run from a "USB 3.0 flash drive that supports FAT32 format, with a minimum capacity of 8GB and a recommended writing speed of 20MB/s".
New cumulative update for Windows 10 available now [update]
If you’re running Windows 10 you might want to head to Settings, Update & Security as Microsoft has just pushed out a cumulative update for its new OS.
This is an update for non-Windows Insiders, and brings the current build up to 10586.63.
BBC was hit with the biggest-ever DDoS attack
There’s a good chance that the recent DDoS attack against the BBC was the biggest one, yet. That depends on whether the hackers behind the attack are exaggerating or not.
According to a CSO Online report, the hackers claimed the attack on the BBC website, which occurred on New Year’s Eve, reached 602Gbps. If that turns out to be true, that will be almost twice the size of the current biggest attack which sits at 334Gbps.
CNN and MSNBC embracing Microsoft Pulse for President Obama's final State of the Union
Tonight is President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address. Regardless of your opinion of the man, or his policies, it is certainly monumental. After all, his being elected broke racial barriers; inspiring countless people of various backgrounds. More importantly, however, he has done many arguably positive things. While he has many more months in office, it is still a farewell of sorts.
Hopefully you will tune in for the historic broadcast, and if you do, you might consider choosing CNN or MSNBC. If you are Spanish-speaking, you should consider NBC Universo, and Telemundo too. Am I endorsing specific networks? Not really. I only suggest them because they will be leveraging Microsoft Pulse; something BetaNews readers should appreciate and enjoy.
Juniper gets rid of 'NSA-developed' security code
Juniper Networks has stated that it will no longer be using a segment of security code purported to have been developed by the National Security Agency (NSA) for the purpose of eavesdropping on clients’ VPN connections.
The code in question is based on Dual Elliptic Curve technology, and Juniper has stressed it will be replaced during the first quarter of 2016 for a version that is considerably more secure. The Silicon valley based company claims the new secure code will rely on greater numbers than those generated through the flawed Dual Elliptic Curve technology.
© 1998-2024 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.