Closing the time to protection gap with threat forecasting
The dominant theme at this year’s RSA Conference in San Francisco was actionable security intelligence, a term which can mean different things to different people. For example, do bad IP addresses, DNS fast fluxing information, and geolocation constitute security intelligence? Additionally, do malware campaigns and adversary tracking count as security intelligence?
The answer is yes for both questions, but it is important to note that these are not the only high-level indicators that can be considered security intelligence. The key challenge is understanding how to "apply" security intelligence in such a way that it is actionable. The following may be considered provocative and even go against the grain of opinion in Silicon Valley: In most approaches to security, there is too much emphasis on the adversary and not enough on understanding the attack surface.
Cybercrime industry refines its techniques to steal data
Last year saw a number of credit card data breaches that made the headlines. A new report says that this shows how well the "deep web" of cybercrime is serving its customers.
McAfee Labs Threats Report for the fourth quarter of 2013 says that not only did Point of Sale (PoS) attacks like that on Target steal large numbers of records they point to a refinement in criminal technique.
Windows Phone users do crave popular apps, no matter what apologists, fanboys say
Whenever a pundit brings up apps as an irrefutable argument for Windows Phone weaknesses, platform fanboys and apologists quickly point out they could not care less about whatever the Store is then lacking. They may also say that there already are good alternatives available, and major titles -- that are popular on Android and iOS -- are not really that important, when you have live tiles to look at all day. Basically, such an argument is, therefore, a pathetic excuse to bash their beloved platform.
Instagram? "No, thanks, that is for hipsters". Candy Crush? "I do not need that lame game on my Windows Phone as there are better ones available". "Oh, and you are an iPhone/Android fanboy for mentioning this!". You get the gist. But after we get off the comments train, we see that whenever Windows Phone gets a popular app, it quickly rises to the top of the Store. Yes, these users, of which I am proud to be one, do crave major titles, just like everyone else.
Europol warns users of WiFi hotspot security risks
Europol, the law enforcement agency for the European Union, is warning that people should exercise extreme caution when using WiFi hotspots when out and about. Citing an increase in the number of "man-in-the-middle" attacks on such connections, the head of Europol's cybercrime division, Troels Oerting, said that public WiFi connections are being used to "steal information, identity or passwords and money from the users who use [them]". The advice is to not necessarily stop using public networks, but to avoid using them for anything that involves transmitting personal data.
Singled out for particular attention is online banking, which Oerting suggests people should do "from home where they know actually the wi-fi and its security" rather than in a coffee shop. Europol is currently working with several member states of the European Union following an increase in the number of WiFi network attacks.
Twitter bug exposes protected accounts -- puts users at risk
Privacy in social media can be a falsehood. The whole concept of sites like Twitter and Facebook is to share. Sure, you can limit what you share, and with whom you share, but once the information hits the servers, you have lost control. Hell, there is the possibility of accidentally sharing something by simply not understanding the settings. Some argue that the settings on some sites are intentionally confusing.
People sometimes need to limit or hide sharing for important reasons -- maybe someone is stalking them or maybe they are sharing sensitive business details with a specific intended group. Sadly, Twitter announces that a bug has affected 93,788 protected accounts, which allowed unauthorized users to read protected tweets.
Asus Chromebox goes up for Amazon pre-order, get it for $179
It's already tough times in the Microsoft world, with Windows 8/8.1 under fire and the impending update coming under recent scrutiny for being, well, a mess, to put it much more politely than my colleague Mark Wilson worded things. If a bad time could go to worse then that would be rival Chrome OS invading the market.
While we largely think of these devices as low-priced notebooks, actual desktops are also getting into the game. Now the Asus Chromebox has hit pre-order in the US on the Amazon website.
Getty Images makes its pictures available for free -- but what’s the real price?
You can't argue with free can you? The absence of a price tag makes just about anything seem more attractive, and the latest company to join the freebie party is none other than Getty Images, that bastion of photos whose pictures you cannot fail to have seen in newspapers, magazines and on websites. Previously only available to those willing to cough up the cash, Getty Images' new Embed Images tool can now be used by any to... well... embed images into web pages and blog posts. And there are literally millions to choose from.
Sounds great, right? You must have found yourself struggling to find a royalty free image to use in a blog post, ultimately settling for working with something less than ideal -- after all, you wouldn’t just "borrow" an image from another site, would you? Now you can simply head over to the Getty Images site and, assuming you're not going to use pictures for commercial purposes, start browsing for and using whatever photos take your fancy. Hoorary!
CopyCD is a straightforward CD, DVD and Blu-ray copier
Download a program called "CopyCD" and you're probably not going to expect very much. Copying discs is a very basic task, after all, and limiting itself to CDs makes the program seem even worse.
CopyCD's extremely basic interface -- like something written on day 2 of a "Learn Visual Studio" course -- doesn't help. You're able to choose your "master" drive (the source), and your "copy" (the destination); an "OK" button launches the copy process, while an "Exit" button closes CopyCD down. Can that really be it?
The most popular stories on BetaNews this past week March 2 -- 8
It's been a busy week for Microsoft -- and not necessarily for the reasons the company might have expected. For anyone unwilling to wait until April to receive Windows 8.1 Update, a few methods emerged that made it possible to grab a copy of the eagerly awaited update ahead of the official launch. While some of these options appear to have been stopped in their tracks, where there's a will there's a way, and numerous users -- my good self included -- jumped on the downloads as soon as possible. Some were impressed while others -- yep, me again! -- were not. Perhaps it is little wonder that Windows XP usage continues to grow faster than that of Windows 8.x. This lead to analysts suggesting that the decline of the PC will be slowed rather than avoided by the continued popularity of XP.
Windows 8.1 Update wasn't that only Microsoft download that was on the agenda this week. Brian had details of how Windows RT users can update their copies of Office 2013 to SP1. At the top of Microsoft, a quick reshuffle saw a change of faces in a number of key positions as well as the departure of some well-known characters. Skype rolled out to Outlook.com around the world and gained HD video calling as well. It is normally Microsoft that is to be found on the giving-end of a smeary advertising campaign (hello, Scroogled), but after the Oscars it was Nokia poking fun at Ellen DeGeneres' blurry selfie that was taken on a Samsung device.
Hulu adds Carsey-Werner titles, hopes to get a few laughs
Hulu is in a race with other video streaming services to provide more content, though in fairness there is room for several players in this growing arena. Now the company is announcing new shows will be coming to all of its customers, at least those who subscribe to the Plus version.
This time the service scores an exclusive deal, with content that isn't available on any rival platform. There had previously been Carsey-Werner titles on Hulu Plus, including The Cosby Show, 3rd Rock From the Sun, Grounded for Life, The Tracy Morgan Show, Normal, Ohio, Damon, Whoopi, That 80s Show, Davis Rules and Men Behaving Badly, the company points out.
Samsung wants to Milk Galaxy owners with lactose-monikered music service
When the iPod was first released, many thought it spelled the end of radio. After all, with an iPod, the listener can select the song of their choice from a library of thousands. Who would want someone else picking the music that they listen to? Quite a bit actually. You see, sometimes you just want to relax and listen to music without thinking -- radio can do that. Not to mention, it can introduce you to music that you were not aware of.
However, radio has expanded beyond AM and FM. While satellite radio is a natural progression, internet radio is the true future. Services like Pandora, iTunes Radio and Google Play Music can offer a wonderful experience wherever an internet connection is available. Today however, Samsung announces a new music service, called "Milk", which is exclusive to Galaxy device owners.
Want to learn Linux in an online classroom? Now you can, for free
While self-learning and real-world experience are both great types of education, there is still something to be said for a quality, structured classroom lesson. College is a great place for structured learning, but the costs can be overwhelming. Even though education and self improvement are great investments, no one wants to be buried in student loan debt.
If you are interested in learning, the subject of Linux is a great choice. After all, more and more businesses are utilizing Linux-based operating systems, while Android and Chrome OS are increasing in popularity. Luckily, the Linux Foundation has partnered with edX to bring free Linux courses to the masses.
Comodo Internet Security 7 adds Viruscope, website filtering
Comodo has announced the release of Comodo Firewall 7.0, Comodo Antivirus 7.0 and Comodo Internet Security Premium 7.0.
The major addition to all three tools is the Viruscope, a new component of the Behavior Blocker which monitors running processes, records their actions activities, and may be able to undo some of them later.
Windows 8.1 Update is the final nail in the coffin
Windows 8.1 Update. Windows 8.1 Update 1. Windows Feature Pack. Windows 8.1 Service Pack 1. Call it what you will, the big update to Windows 8.1 is just around the corner and it promises much. Or at least it did. It was revealed yesterday that it was possible to get hold of the update ahead of schedule with a quick and simple registry edit -- or by downloading the necessary files from the numerous mirrors that quickly sprang up -- and it appears that this is final code; the RTM version that will hit Windows Update for the masses very soon. Was it worth the wait?
This update was Microsoft's chance to put things right, to win back people who hated Windows 8 and have failed to be won over by 8.1. I make no secret about having a love-hate relationship with Windows 8.x. There have been parts of Windows 8 -- particularly the Metro/modern side of things -- which I disliked from day one, but for the most part I have been able to just avoid using them. Microsoft has even acknowledged that people want to avoid the Start screen whenever possible, and has provided tips on how to do so.
FileBot makes media analysis and renaming easier than ever
The larger your movie and media collection, the harder it can be to manage. What happens if your carefully crafted naming convention proves incompatible with the new media server you’ve switched to? Or you’re missing artwork for a selection of movies? And is it too much to ask about obtaining subtitles without too much fuss?
The solution to all of these woes can be found with one incredibly clever, and completely free, tool for Windows, Mac and Linux. That tool is FileBot 4.0.
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