How IBM and AWS are driving innovation in the cloud [Q&A]

As we reported at the end of last year, IBM and AWS have extended their collaboration, making IBM software products available as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) on the AWS Marketplace.
We spoke to Judah Bernstein, CTO, AWS strategic partnership at IBM, to find out more about how the collaboration works and what it means for customers and Ecosystem partners.
Get 'Teach Yourself VISUALLY Windows 11' (worth $19.00) for FREE

Teach Yourself VISUALLY Windows 11 collects all the resources you need to master the day-to-day use of Microsoft’s new operating system and delivers them in a single resource.
Fully illustrated, step-by-step instructions are combined with crystal-clear screenshots to walk you through the basic and advanced functions of Windows 11.
Twitter now shows how many times a tweet has been bookmarked

For fans of statistics, or anyone who has an idle curiosity, Twitter has introduced a new bookmark count feature. As well as making it possible for anyone to judge the interest an individual tweet has generated, the new analytics are useful for companies and individuals looking for a more accessible way to track interactions.
While there will be privacy concerns associated with this, Twitter assures users that "your Bookmarks are still private", promising that "we'll never display which accounts have added a Tweet to their Bookmarks".
Microsoft releases PowerShell scripts (KB5025175) to help address BitLocker vulnerability

Microsoft has published details of PowerShell scripts which the company has designed to help automate updating the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) to address a BitLocker security vulnerability.
The security feature bypass vulnerability affects both Windows 10 and Windows 11, and sample scripts are available for different editions of both versions of the operating system.
Impersonation attacks leverage Silicon Valley Bank collapse in new phishing campaign

As news of Silicon Valley Bank’s (SVB) collapse continues to dominate the headlines, cybercriminals are running phishing campaigns impersonating SVB and other financial institutions, including M-F-A and Bloomberg.
Responding quickly to the 24-hour news cycle, cybercriminals aim to leverage their victims’ potential distress over their financial situation to make them more susceptible to this type of attack.
YouTube TV gets yet another price hike

Right now, it feels like the US economy is in shambles. Tech companies are having huge layoffs, banks are failing, and inflation continues to eat away at people's savings accounts. Hell, many people can't even afford eggs anymore.
And now, YouTube TV is joining the inflation party with a new price hike. Sadly, Google has decided to increase the monthly cost of YouTube TV from $64.99 to $72.99. Thankfully, this jump in price isn't astronomical -- it is a mere 12 percent bump up. On a positive note, the 4K Plus add-on package is getting a price cut.
Payment fraud gets democratized as cybercriminals target consumers via social media

According to a new report, 17 percent of consumers have encountered online offers to commit payment fraud, a symptom of fraud's increasing accessibility and democratization among everyday internet users.
What's more the study from Sift shows 16 percent of consumers admit to having committed, or knowing of someone who has taken part in, payment fraud.
Experience an entirely new way of working with AI-powered Microsoft 365 Copilot

Microsoft today took the wraps off Microsoft 365 Copilot, a new tool that combines the power of large language models (LLMs) with business data and Microsoft 365 apps.
Currently in testing with select commercial customers, Microsoft says that Copilot isn’t just a better way of doing the same things, it’s "an entirely new way of working".
Threat actors turn to QR codes and other creative techniques as macros are blocked

The default blocking of macros in MS Office is forcing threat actors to be more creative with their attack methods, according to the latest report from HP Wolf Security.
There have been increases in the levels of malware delivered in PDFs and zip files, as well as a rise in 'scan scams' using QR codes to trick users into opening links on mobile devices.
UK government loses hundreds of IT devices

UK government departments are losing hundreds of devices each year according to Freedom of Information (FoI) requests submitted by encrypted drive manufacturer Apricorn.
The Home Office declared 469 lost and stolen devices between September 2021 and September 2022, with the Ministry of Defence not far behind with 467 mobiles, tablets and USB devices unaccounted for.
Lockbit ransomware victims more than double in February

The Lockbit ransomware group claimed 129 victims in February, more than double the 50 that was reported in January.
The latest ransomware report from GuidePoint Security shows that another RaaS group, AlphV, also significantly increased its reported monthly victim count from 20 to 31.
Microsoft is giving free USB drives to Windows 11 users

Earlier this month, Microsoft made significant changes to the Windows 11 Insider program including introducing a new Canary Channel. While this caused much excitement for those keen to try out the very latest features as soon as possible, the fact that a clean installation of Windows was needed put off some users.
Now Microsoft has decided to make things a little easier for people, notably those lacking a way to create installation media. The company is sending out free USB drives so Insiders can perform a clean installation of Windows 11 and get started with the Canary builds.
Fedora Linux 38 Beta ready for testing

Fedora 38 is finally available for download... in Beta. Yes, the pre-release version of the Linux-based operating system can be installed now, but keep in mind, it is mostly intended for testing. Remember, folks, it is never wise to run an early version of a Linux distribution on your main machine due to bugs and potential data loss.
If you understand the risks and decide to give the operating system a go, you will be treated to some exciting things, such as the GNOME 44 desktop environment and improvements to the rpm package manager. A full changelog can be seen here.
Humans write better phishing emails than AI

There's been a fair bit of hype recently surrounding the potential for ChatGPT and similar tools to be used for creating phishing campaigns, eliminating the typos and other errors that are the giveaways of a scam.
However, new research from Hoxhunt suggests that AI might not be quite so good at going phishing after all.
Mid-sized businesses lack cybersecurity expertise

A new study reveals that 61 percent of mid-sized businesses don't have dedicated cybersecurity experts in their organization.
The research from managed security platform Huntress also shows 24 percent of mid-sized businesses have suffered a cyber attack or are unsure if they have suffered a cyber attack in the past year.