The ransomware problem just keeps getting worse and worse
If it feels as though you've heard an awful lot about ransomware recently, that's because you have. It's a problem that just seems to be getting worse, and ESG -- the security outfit behind anti-malware program SpyHunter -- has released figures that shows April was the worst month ever recorded for ransomware in the US.
The rate of infection rocketed last month, with the numbers more than doubling when compared to March. While there have been a few high-profile cases of large businesses getting hit with ransomware, increasing numbers of ordinary people are also falling victim.
LastAudit is a free PC security scanner
LastAudit is a free Windows security and vulnerability scanner, IT audit and forensic tool.
The program aims to detect and list configuration issues, weak permissions, browsing history, sensitive metadata, previous wifi connections, network resources, and Active Directory OUs, users, servers, shares and services.
Hackers now targeting victims with country and culture-specific malware
Hackers are targeting specific countries with their malware now, new research from security firm Sophos shows.
The security firm analyzed millions of devices worldwide and has come up with the conclusion that it seems to be more lucrative if the malware is specifically designed to target certain cultures or countries.
Security needs monitoring to function
IT trends often come and go, some dominating the hype cycle for years, others exiting the mainstream with more of a whimper. Security is having a moment right now in which it is dominating the market in terms of press, thought leadership and excitement. But, in this case, it’s no trend, it’s reality.
As long as there have been networks, there have been concerns over security. That is true now more than ever, as networks have grown larger, more complex, and crucially, more critical to business function.
Why automation and artificial intelligence are essential to cyber defense [Q&A]
With the ever increasing complexity and volume of cyber attacks, companies are increasingly turning to automated solutions and artificial intelligence in the quest for more effective protection.
But how effective is an automated approach and will it become the norm in future? We spoke to Eran Barak, CEO of incident response specialist Hexadite to find out.
Samsung has a SmartThings security problem, according to UM and Microsoft Research
The Internet of Things, or IoT, has been both a blessing and a bain since it came into existence. Does convenience trump security concerns? That's the question each user has to ask his or herself. It's that security part that tends to make the news.
The latest to suffer a setback is Samsung SmartThings, with a new report claiming the platform has a security problem. The vulnerabilities reported are only hypothetical so far however.
Microsoft upgrades Operations Management Suite, releases new System Center 2016 preview
Microsoft has upgraded its Operations Management Suite and has made a new preview of System Center 2016 available, in an effort to aid system administrators in tackling the increasingly complex cloud environments and data center resources.
The company’s System Center is as a suite of systems management tools, that includes System Center Configuration Manager and System Center Operations Manage, all aiming to help companies manage on-premises data centers. Operations Management Suite on the other hand, is designed to aid companies in gaining control of hybrid cloud environments.
Adblock Plus and Flattr help sites earn money from donations even if visitors block ads
Adblock Plus has for some time tried to find a way to balance the needs of websites to display money-making ads, with the preferences of visitors who do not want to see such ads. After experimenting with its Acceptable Ads program whereby some discrete ads are allowed to slip through the net, Eyeo, the company responsible for Adblock Plus, is teaming up with Flattr to give sites another way to make money.
The scheme is called Flattr Plus, and it gives people the chance to pay a monthly subscription to access content on sites. It's a similar idea to an existing payment option run by Flattr, but the monthly subscription is used as an alternative to paying for access to individual articles.
After the death of @MagicRecs, Twitter Connect makes it easier to find people to follow
It was a sad day on Twitter when one of most useful accounts, the @MagicRecs bot, was closed down. The experimental service had been firing account recommendations at users based on who they follow, but the experiment came to an end.
As something of a replacement, Twitter is introducing a Connect tab to its iOS and Android clients. The company says it will make it easier to find people to follow, and will come up with recommendations based on who you already follow, how you use Twitter, and what's proving popular with other people.
Philips releases BDM4350UC Brilliance 43-inch 4K Ultra HD LCD display
When buying a computer monitor nowadays, there are many things to consider. While you might think the bigger the better, you would sort of be wrong. For a monstrous display, you also want a high resolution to go with it. A 43-inch monitor with 1080p, for example, would have blurry text and provide a poor overall experience.
Today, Philips releases its all-new Brilliance 43-inch Ultra HD LCD display to the USA market. This 4K monitor should prove wonderful for many things, such as gaming, photography, CAD, and general-use too. Best of all, the price tag is rather reasonable.
Tech leaders are not satisfied with IT departments
The pace of change within IT has accelerated rapidly in recent years and, according to new research from IT resourcing firm Experis, many organizations now believe they have fallen behind the competition.
The report found that tech leaders believe their departments are a whole four years behind their most innovative competitors, whilst also believing that 29 percent of their teams need to be changed in order to drive digital transformation.
Online payment fraud set to grow over the next four years
Fraud is nothing new on the internet. From phishing scams to ransomware, we've seen it all. However, the fastest growing part of this dark market seems to be online retail payment fraud. There's a lot of money to be made in this segment of the economy.
According to a new report, online retail fraud accounted for a whopping $10.7 billion in 2015, but, even worse, it's an up and coming thing. Juniper Research claims it could grow as high as $25.6 billion by the year 2020.
Google Chrome now more popular than Internet Explorer, says NetMarketShare
Google Chrome has just passed Internet Explorer to become the most popular desktop web browser, according to web analytics company NetMarketShare. Based on the latest figures, the former has 41.71 percent usage share as opposed to 41.33 percent for Microsoft's longstanding PC browser.
NetMarketShare is the last major web analytics company to crown Google Chrome as the most popular desktop web browser. Other players in this field have it pegged as the leader with an even more comfortable lead over Internet Explorer.
Spanning launches backup for OneDrive business users
Just because your data is stored in the cloud is no reason to stop backing it up. While cloud service providers are responsible for making your data available, they’re not responsible for managing and protecting customers' data from accidental or malicious behavior.
As a recent survey showed accidental deletion by users is a major source of data loss from the cloud. Now the company behind that survey, Spanning, is launching a solution for Microsoft Office 365 OneDrive for Business users.
Upgrading to SharePoint 2016? Here are the things to consider
With SharePoint 2016’s general release on the horizon, many companies are contemplating what the path to migration will look like. But before making the switch, organizations should take into account what’s unique to SharePoint 2016 and how new features will affect business functions.
The most notable difference in SharePoint 2016 is that this release has been derived from SharePoint Online’s source code. While previous releases looked first to on-premises solutions to define what SharePoint’s cloud offerings looked like, SharePoint 2016 was built out of the cloud. In the years since launching SharePoint Online, Microsoft has learned quite a bit about operating and supporting SharePoint at a massive scale.
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