Microsoft launches new Transparency Hub, details content removal requests
In the post-Snowden age, transparency reports are all the rage. After the privacy debate that followed the NSA surveillance revelations technology companies fell over themselves to publish everything they could about government data requests. Microsoft has already released transparency reports, but today unveils a new Transparency Hub.
This is designed to be a central resource through which a variety of reports can be accessed, including the Law Enforcement Requests Report and U.S. National Security Orders Report. Data for the first six months of 2015 is now available, and there is a new section dedicated to Right To Be Forgotten-style requests for data removal.
Adobe Flash zero-day vulnerability surfaces one day after security updates
Yesterday Adobe rolled out its monthly security patches, something all users should pay attention to given past history. Flash, Reader and Acrobat all received fixes, presumably remedying the current batch of problems plaguing the software. The problem is, nothing ever seems fixed in the world of Adobe.
To that end, a zero-day exploit has already been discovered by the folks at security firm Trend Micro. Yes, that didn't take long and Adobe didn't fix this one.
Buggy Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 10549 released to Fast ring
Hot on the heels of a new desktop build, Microsoft has now released Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build 10549 to Fast ring Windows Phone users. While there are a fair number of improvements and new features, there is also a serious problem for anyone upgrading from Build 10536 -- although there is a work around.
So that’s the bad news, what's the good? Riding the current wave of interest in diversity, this build includes diverse emoji; a recognition of the fact that there are many hues of skin color. There are improvements to the messaging app -- although no Skype integration just yet -- and to Cortana, but that's not the end of the story.
Line introduces Letter Sealing message encryption feature
As the battle between privacy and security heats up, one instant messaging service has definitively announced which side of the divide it falls on.
Line, which is estimated to have more than 200 million monthly active users, has launched a new end-to-end encryption feature called "Letter Sealing" for use across both smartphone and desktop platforms.
New AI product combines human and machine intelligence
A number of major companies including IBM, Microsoft and Amazon have launched new machine learning platforms in the past year.
But data enrichment company CrowdFlower believes that to be effective and commercially viable machine learning needs more training and better data.
HP and 3M join forces to fight visual hacking
If you are like me, you do a lot of work on the go. Not a day goes by where I am not typing away on my laptop in a public place like Starbucks or on a bench. Unfortunately, this opens me up to visual hacking. In other words, devious people can simply glance at my laptop to see what I am doing. If you work with sensitive information, this is a huge problem.
According to a recent 3M-funded study, 90 percent of visual hacking attempts are successful. Luckily, HP has teamed up with 3M to fight this visual hacking scourge. Rather than use clunky screen covers, the computer manufacturer will integrate the 3M technology directly into the laptop display. Whoa.
Adobe and Dropbox team up for easier PDF management
Adobe and Dropbox have announced a partnership, bringing stronger integration between the two products which will surely be beneficial for users on both sides.
The new partnership means people using Adobe products will be able to save files directly to their Dropbox folders, while those going into their cloud locker first will be able to edit PFF files directly in the cloud.
Apple faces $862 million bill as iPhone and iPad chips infringe patents
A jury has decided that Apple infringed on patents owned by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. The A7, A8, and A8X processors used in iPhones and iPads since 2013 included technology owned by the University of Wisconsin-Madison's licensing arm.
US District Judge William Conley had previously indicated that Apple could be hit with a bill of up to $862.4 million, but it is now down to the jury to determine the levels of damages that must be paid. The chips feature efficiency-improving technology, and can be found in some iPads as well as the iPhone 5s, 6, and 6 Plus.
Hear the recordings Google stores of the voice commands you've said to your phone
OK Google, Siri, and Cortana all make it possible to control a phone simply by speaking to it. In the case of Google, what you might not be aware -- it's hardly something the company shouts about -- is that recordings of every command, question, and request are stored online.
Listening back through these could well be interesting, embarrassing, perhaps even nostalgic. You can step back in time and remind yourself of trips abroad, fun nights out, and the like, but you might also be concerned about privacy. If you would rather these recordings were not stored online, you can delete them; here's how.
USB Killer can fry any computer in seconds -- watch it in action
Just as sharing floppy disks in the 1990s carried the risk of infecting your PC with a virus, so sharing USB flash drives carries the same risk today. Fortunately you can easily protect against that kind of threat by disabling autorun and also installing a decent anti-virus program.
However, a Russian security expert has created a new, far more dangerous USB stick, which doesn’t carry a virus, but rather a deadly charge of power which can fry any device with a USB port in a matter of seconds.
Time is crucial in dealing with cyber security threats
Of 430 security and risk professionals surveyed, 55 percent were dissatisfied with the length of time it takes them to contain and recover from attacks.
This is according to information security training and analysis organization SANS, which has released the results of its latest report into data center and cloud security.
IT professionals express doubts over IoT security
According to a new survey, 64 percent of consumers are confident they can control the information access of Internet of Things devices, but 78 percent of IT professionals say security standards are insufficient.
The findings come from the 2015 Risk/Reward Barometer of global cyber security association ISACA and suggest a major confidence gap about the security of connected devices between the average consumer and cyber security and information technology professionals.
Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10565 introduces support for nested virtualization
Even though Windows 10 was officially released months ago, development has not stopped at Microsoft. The software giant is actively working on new updates as part of its Windows-as-a-service strategy, employing the help of Windows Insiders to test all the major changes.
One such change is support for nested virtualization, a feature that allows users to run virtual machines inside virtual machines. While Microsoft has initially kept quiet about its availability, a version is actually part of Windows 10 Insider Preview 10565, which was released earlier this week.
ESET 9 ships with new banking and payment protection
ESET has released the latest editions of its consumer security tools, ESET NOD32 Antivirus 9 ($39.99) and ESET Smart Security 9 ($59.99).
Smart Security now includes Banking & Payment Protection, a secure and isolated browser which uses multiple techniques to protect online financial transactions from attackers.
Instart Logic helps eCommerce sites gear up for the holiday season
The holiday season is peak selling time for online businesses, so it's imperative that websites optimize their shopping experiences to acquire first-time visitors as customers.
Cloud application delivery specialist Instart Logic is launching new performance solutions designed to optimize website experiences for retail and e-commerce sites.
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