Windows 10 uninstalling user programs without permission
Windows 10 is a decent operating system, but it’s very much a work in progress, and one that’s definitely not without problems. It has some very rough edges (which are slowly being addressed), various annoying bugs (ditto), and of course, it spies on users.
The November Update (aka Threshold 2) fixed some issues (if you were able to get it) but also caused some new problems too. We reported previously how it had reset privacy settings and default apps for some users, but worse than that it appears the update has been uninstalling some third party desktop programs without asking.
Adware uses Android's accessibility features to install malware
There’s an adware out there which uses features for the visually impaired to install malicious apps on an Android-powered device. The worst part is that it doesn’t use a vulnerability in the system, but instead abuses a service’s legitimate features.
Researchers from mobile security provider Lookout have spotted the abusers and published a blog post about it.
The cost of cybercrime in UK reaches £1.6 billion
Norton by Symantec has released the findings from its Cybersecurity Insights Report. This online survey was conducted across 17 markets and took into account the responses from 17,125 consumers over the age of 18.
Norton’s report has revealed how heavily British consumers have been affected by cybercrime and the stark differences between the ways in which Baby Boomers and Millennials protect themselves online.
Android Pay announces support for special education with each purchase
Charity is something everyone should be concerned with, providing they have the means to contribute. Of course each place donated to needs a bit of investigation to see where the money is really going. Most aren't an issue, but there is the occasional shady operator, some of which we've seen outed in the past.
Depending on your opinion Google is a reliable source for such things. The company pumps a lot of money into supporting movements and clean energy and now it is aiming at special education.
Microsoft messes up its gender diversity by ditching female employees
Every technology company is keen to develop as diverse a workforce as possible -- even if only for appearances. Microsoft, like Google and Apple, has taken to publishing its diversity figures, and the latest report is rather mixed.
While Microsoft says that racial diversity has increased slightly, the same cannot be said of the gender balance. The overall percentage of woman at the company has dropped by 2.2 percentage points, and Microsoft has an excuse straight from the 'my dog ate my homework' school of thought: restructuring its phone hardware business meant dumping a lot of women.
EE might block ads at cellular network level
EE is looking to start a debate on a particularly sensitive topic -- online ads on mobile platforms. According to a news report by Tech Radar, the British mobile network operator and internet service provider is weighing its options on the idea of blocking advertising on a network level.
Chief executive Olaf Swantee said it’s an important debate about customer control.
Xiaomi announces the affordable Redmi Note 3 phablet, Mi Pad 2 slate
With its new Redmi Note 3 and Mi Pad 2, Xiaomi wants to convince consumers that they do not have to spend a lot of money on a smartphone or tablet to get premium features. The Chinese maker is now offering a fingerprint sensor and/or metal build on devices priced well below the $200 mark.
The new Redmi Note 3 phablet has a metal build and a fingerprint sensor, but a price tag of only $141. Those are typically found on high-end devices costing upwards of $300 or $400. Meanwhile, its second-generation slate, Mi Pad 2, has similar specs to Apple's Retina display-equipped iPad minis, which kick off at $269, but at a price starting at just $157.
SMBs are missing out on IP communications
Using IP communications can save businesses a lot of money, but new research suggests that smaller businesses may be missing out.
Edgewater Networks and Metaswitch Networks have surveyed 1,250 SMB decision-makers at companies with fewer than 500 employees. The results show that IP communication adoption rates in the SMB sector are quite low, averaging just 25 percent across companies with fewer than 100 employees, and most service providers aren't doing much to change the story.
Choosing an enterprise search tool
Having the right enterprise search tool is essential if you want to get the most use of your content and databases. However, many companies have no idea what they should be looking for with these tools.
In this article, we'll be covering some of the most important capabilities that the software you choose should contain. We'll also be covering what each of these capabilities does and why it is important.
Automatically set your PC’s volume levels with SoundVolumeView
Changing your baseline volume level in Windows is easy -- click the speaker icon, spin the mouse wheel -- but if you want to adjust the volume of some other device then it quickly gets more complicated.
You might click the "Mixer" link, for instance. Or maybe the speaker icon. And then the levels tab. And then you adjust the various levels for that device, but what if you want to tweak something else…?
Dell responds to concerns over certificate vulnerability
Security problems are certainly nothing new, vulnerabilities seem to crop up just about everywhere. We've seen countless ones from software makers and large store chains, however shipping new computers with one built-in is less common. But, that's exactly what Dell has been doing, unintentionally of course.
A problem has been discovered in the eDellroot certificate, described as a vulnerability that allows hackers to install malware. To be fair, the problem is more than just Dell, it also lies with the makers of web browsers.
UK's Trident nuclear weapons could be hit by cyberattacks
The UK's former defense secretary Des Browne has issued a stark warning that the country's nuclear weapons could be vulnerable to cyberattacks. The Trident program is already a highly-divisive subject, and Browne is seeking assurance from the Prime Minister that it is secured against attacks from hostile states such as China and Russia.
He has called upon the government to perform an end-to-end assessment of the system. The US had previously warned that it could not be confident that its own defenses and those of its allies would be capable of withstanding a cyberattack from a "sophisticated and well-resourced opponent".
Popular mobile payment apps leave consumers and businesses exposed
It's likely that this year's holiday season will mark the first time that online purchases made on mobile devices will overtake those on desktop systems.
This makes mobile payment systems a prime source of risk and a new study by mobile app security company Bluebox Security highlights poor security across consumer mobile payment apps, including some of the most popular solutions for both Android and iOS.
Volvo now lets you have Christmas shopping delivered directly to your car
Shopping for presents for the holidays, or for bargains for yourself during Black Friday and Cyber Monday can be a nightmare. A lot of people opt to shop purely online in order to avoid the hassle of fighting their way through crowded stores.
You can get the items you buy on the web delivered to various locations, including home and work, but if that’s still not convenient enough for you, how about having the deliveries made directly to your car instead?
ProtonMail: banning encryption won't stop terrorism
In the panic that followed the attacks on Paris by ISIS there have been calls for various measures to be put in place to stop similar atrocities happening in the future. As well as calls for an increase in online surveillance, politicians have also suggested that encryption should be weakened or banned entirely.
Secure email service ProtonMail found itself the subject of unwanted attention when it transpired that ISIS recommended using it to evade detection. The company has remained silent about the post-Paris backlash; until now.
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