Microsoft Store introduces replacement components for Surface devices
In an era of disposable technology, where planned obsolescence seems to be the norm, Microsoft is charting a different course with some of its Surface computers. You see, starting today, the Microsoft Store is making replacement components for Surface devices readily available. With the introduction of these replacement components, Microsoft is making significant strides towards empowering customers to extend the lifespan of their Surface devices in a cost-effective and sustainable manner.
To assist customers in their repair journeys, Microsoft has created a dedicated section on their website (found here). This resource hub provides comprehensive troubleshooting information and self-repair guides tailored to Surface devices. It also offers a convenient list of available replacement components, categorized by device. For those seeking the right tools for the job, Microsoft has partnered with iFixit, a reputable provider of repair resources and tools.
Silicon Power announces Cinema Pro PNV350 USB-C SSD
Today, Silicon Power announces its latest portable solid state drive. Called "Cinema Pro PNV350," the external USB-C SSD offers very fast performance thanks to its USB 3.2 Gen2x2 interface. Silicon Power says the design is inspired by "architectural concrete," but truth be told, it looks like a standard rectangle to me.
The entire body of the Cinema Pro PNV350 SSD is made of CNC-machined aluminum, not only giving it a sleek and modern look but also allowing heat to be conducted quickly and efficiently. The result is enhanced heat dissipation and maximum utilization of the heat-dissipating surface area, ensuring optimal performance even during demanding tasks.
New Microsoft Mac Admins community now available for IT pros using Microsoft products on Apple devices in the enterprise
Acknowledging that not everyone in the world uses a PC, Microsoft has launched a new tech community for people using its products in conjunction with Apple hardware. Called Microsoft Mac Admins, it is described as an "online community for IT professionals who are passionate and knowledgeable about using Microsoft products on Apple Mac devices in the enterprise."
The launch comes as growing numbers of organizations use Microsoft Intune and other products from the company to manage Macs in the enterprise. Microsoft says that the aim of the community is to give Mac admins a way to "connect with other users, share experiences and best practices, learn from experts and peers, get help with common issues, and be inspired by the latest innovations."
Firefox 113 unveils search and picture-in-picture improvements alongside tighter security
The Mozilla Foundation has unveiled Firefox 113.0 alongside Firefox ESR 102.11.0, the latest version of its open-source, cross-platform browser.
It’s a relatively big release, with numerous security enhancements and UI improvements, particularly when searching the web through the URL bar and making use of Firefox’s picture-in-picture video player.
From details to big picture: Five approaches to improve security
Improving your organization’s cyber security posture is essential to maintain brand trust. The challenge for the C-suite is to look at both the big picture and the finite details, translating your overall strategy for managing risk into actionable processes and priorities that will, over time, lower your risk exposure.
Qualys’ Threat Research Unit (TRU) looked at trillions of anonymized data points gathered from across our customer base to analyze where the biggest risk areas were for businesses. Based on this data, we can see specific areas where you can help your team increase their performance effectiveness, as well as how these changes add up to a significant improvement in security results overall. Building on these details will improve how you manage risk, reduce your attack surface and maintain trust with your customers.
Microsoft-branded Windows PC accessories dropped in favor of Surface brand
Microsoft has announced that it is to stop producing Microsoft-branded PC accessories such as mice, keyboards and webcams. Existing devices will remain available until stocks run out.
But this does not means that Microsoft is dropping its accessories completely. Instead, the company says that it is shifting focus to its Surface brand, and will release accessories with this branding from now on.
Modern Attack Surface Management means going beyond the surface
Security teams today are contending with an ever-increasing attack surface and an exponentially growing volume of vulnerabilities. Yet most teams are still equipped with the cybersec equivalent of a bucket to shovel out an ocean of CVEs. Buying them another shiny new bucket pales in comparison to plugging the actual leak in your ship (or enterprise).
Vulnerabilities can’t all be patched, so prioritizing these based on business risk is the most grounded approach. While leading security teams have begun to implement more advanced vulnerability management (VM) programs, others are struggling with outdated, manually intensive and less effective ways of managing vulnerabilities without context or insights on the true risk they pose. This can only work for so long, as it requires the continuous process of monitoring, discovering, analyzing, and remediating vulnerabilities across all potential attack vectors. Even then, good old human error sneaks its way in.
Meeting the challenge of protecting data in a changing world [Q&A]
As a report last year showed, the change to working habits over the last few years has gone hand-in-hand with a rise in the theft of data.
We spoke to Cyberhaven CSO, Chris Hodson, to find out how enterprise CISOs can meet this challenge and keep their data safe.
Vulnerable cloud attack surface grows almost 600 percent
A new report from cyber asset visibility and management company JupiterOne shows numbers of enterprise cyber assets have increased by 133 percent year-on-year, from an average of 165,000 in 2022 to 393,419 in 2023.
Organizations have also seen the number of security vulnerabilities, or unresolved findings, increase by 589 percent according to the report which analyzed more than 291 million assets, findings, and policies to establish the current state of enterprise cloud assets, including cloud and physical environments of devices, networks, apps, data, and users.
Automation challenges unpacked -- Part 2: Process complexity
In my last article about automation challenges, I covered how to manage endpoint diversity -- all of the people, systems and devices that execute tasks within an end-to-end automated process. In this piece, I’ll focus on process complexity, which is closely intertwined with endpoint diversity.
Many organizations share the ambitious goal of automating their processes as much as possible. However, in reality, processes are often automated “locally,” or within a single software system, team, or group of devices. To execute a process, you need to coordinate the execution of all of its tasks, based on a certain logic. Most processes -- even if they sound simple -- follow a more complex logic than the straightforward series of steps involved in a confined local process.
32 percent of remote workers use unapproved apps and software
Remote working poses a number of risks from an IT security point of view. A new report from Lookout finds that 32 percent of remote and hybrid workers use apps or software not approved by IT and 92 percent of remote employees perform work tasks on their personal tablet or smartphone devices.
Remote workers are also less likely to follow best practices for security. 90 percent access corporate networks from areas other than their home, with an average of five different locations -- introducing security risks as company data could be exposed across multiple networks not monitored by IT. 45 percent use the same password for work and personal accounts too.
Blender 3.5 unveils new GPU-based compositor backend and improved hair styling tools
The Blender Foundation has unveiled Blender 3.5.0, the latest 3.x point release of its popular and powerful open-source, cross-platform 3D creation suite. The new release boasts several new features, including GPU-powered viewport compositor and vector displacement sculpting.
Blender 3.5’s main highlight, however, is that it builds massively on the curves-based hair system it introduced in version 3.3 with the addition of 'hair assets', 26 pre-built textures users can simply drag and drop on to existing models.
Protecting the software supply chain [Q&A]
As developers come under increasing pressure to deliver projects quickly, there's a rising level of conflict between development and security teams. And attackers are taking advantage of this conflict in order to target software supply chains.
So, what kind of threats do enterprises face and what can they do to protect themselves? We spoke to Pete Morgan, co-founder and CSO of supply chain security company Phylum to find out.
Organizations need a holistic approach to cyber threats
A new survey of 300 organizations across the US and Europe looks at the key challenges concerning the ability to effectively prioritize and contextualize the large amounts of data organizations get from several cyber security alert systems, as well as identifying the actions needed to meet them.
The survey, conducted for Darktrace by IDC, finds evolving attack vectors make it difficult to prepare proactively, with only 31 percent of respondents highly confident that their tools can continuously adjust to new configurations.
Happy Data Privacy/Data Protection day
These days no important topic is worthy of the name if it doesn't have a day devoted to it. Today (January 28) it's the turn of data privacy -- or data protection depending on who you talk to -- to take its turn in the spotlight.
As organizations gather ever more data, concerns around how it is stored and used have grown which has led to legislators taking an interest too.
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