Latest Technology News

Kodi 21 -- codenamed 'Omega' -- is the next version of the hugely popular home theater software. The Kodi Foundation released the second beta version of the program two months ago, introducing a number of new features, fixes, and cleanups.

Today, a brand new build arrives, which will be much more appealing to those users seeking greater stability from the software.

Anyone signed up to the Release Preview Channel has a little treat from Microsoft. The company has just released the KB5034848 update to Windows 11 22H2 and 23H2 giving the first proper look at what appears to be the Moment 5 update which is due for release later this year.

KB5034848 is a big update, bringing a host of new features to Windows 11. As well as fixing a series of problems with the operating system, the update also includes major improvements and additions to Voice Access, the arrival of WhatsApp support for sharing, and new suggestions in Snap Layouts.

Traditionally, organizations have focused on measuring the results of their cyber security strategies in terms of threat events or security incidents to determine how effective their security controls are.

However, in today's fast-paced world, the real game-changer is aligning security outcomes with business objectives and this is where 'outcome-based security' plays a huge role. It's a shift in focus for organizations, but one which can empower security teams to add even greater value to the strategic goals of the business.

If you were waiting for another problematic Windows update to brighten up your week, Microsoft has come up with the goods again.

The KB5034765 update was released for Windows 11 earlier this week and it seems to be causing more than its fair share of issues for a lot of people who have installed it. Microsoft is yet to acknowledge any problems, but users on Reddit have a litany of complaints.

After decades of service, Microsoft Publisher is reaching end of life and will be dropped from Microsoft 365. For fans of the desktop publishing tool, there's still time left on the clock.

And there is more good news. Microsoft says that it is "exploring modern ways to achieve other common Publisher scenarios across applications like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Designer".

Google has decided to make Magika open source, but what exactly is it? Well, it is an innovative AI-powered system that the search giant designed to revolutionize the way binary and textual file types are identified. Magika stands out for its ability to deliver precise file identification within milliseconds, even when operating on a CPU.

Magika employs a custom, highly optimized deep-learning model that has been meticulously designed and trained using Keras. This model is remarkably lightweight, weighing in at just about 1MB. For inference, Magika utilizes Onnx as an engine, ensuring that files are identified swiftly, almost as quickly as non-AI tools, even on a CPU.

Lenovo has announced a strategic partnership with Anaconda Inc., the leading provider of the world’s most popular artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and data science platform. This collaboration aims to empower Lenovo’s renowned ThinkStation and ThinkPad workstation product portfolio by integrating Anaconda’s enterprise strengths in open-source leadership, security, and reliability.

The partnership comes at a time when the world of AI, deep learning, and generative AI is rapidly evolving, presenting new opportunities for businesses and data scientists. With the majority of AI innovation driven by open-source software and cloud-based solutions, and Python being a leading software language for AI applications, there is a growing need for secure and cost-effective AI development solutions.

Roku has achieved a significant milestone, boasting over 80 million active accounts worldwide! This achievement highlights the shifting consumer preference towards streaming, with Roku being at the forefront of this transformation.

In an unprecedented feat, Roku users streamed more than 100 billion hours of content in 2023, averaging a record 4.1 hours per day per account in the fourth quarter. In the United States, Roku's active account base now surpasses the combined subscribers of the six largest traditional pay-TV providers.

The US Government recently announced that state-sponsored Chinese cyber group Volt Typhoon has compromised multiple critical infrastructure organizations’ IT networks in the US and is preparing “disruptive or destructive cyber attacks” against communications, energy, transport, water and waste water systems.

The announcement, which was supported by national cybersecurity agencies in Australia, Canada, UK, and New Zealand, is a sobering reminder that modern life relies on digital networks. From healthcare, banking, and socializing, to energy, water, local and national government -- everything has a digital aspect. But while digitization has delivered great leaps forward in convenience, speed, and efficiency, it has also introduced risk. Malicious forces wanting to disrupt economies, governments, and people, know that targeting digital networks is the quickest route to maximum cross-border disruption.

According to a new report by Harvard Business School and University of Toronto researchers,open source contributes trillions of dollars to the global economy. If you look at the direct supply-side valuation for widely used open source software, the valuation is $4.15billion. If you look at the demand-side figures, which cover all the indirect value generated by use of open source, open source software is worth $8.8trillion. When global gross domestic product for 2024 is estimated to be $109trillion, the value of open source comes into far sharper view.

Alongside this valuation, the report authors estimate that -- if open source did not exist -- companies would have to spend around 3.5 times more on their IT and technology investments to get the same results.

Inspired by the age-old question, "Can it run Linux?", an intrepid YouTuber called DeCrAzYo successfully managed to get a "Unix-like" operating system up and running on that classic 1980s Nintendo games console, the NES. There was no cheating involved either. He didn't take any shortcuts by modifying the console's internal components or by sneaking a Raspberry Pi into the mix.

His goal was to have the operating system's code executed directly via the NES processor using no more hardware than a typical game cartridge would offer, and that's exactly what he managed.

The latest ransomware report from GuidePoint Security shows a decline in activity in January compared to the final quarter of last year, with a drop in the total number of posted victims by 33 percent and 60 percent relative to December and November 2023.

However, this is consistent with the trends of January of 2022 and 2023, both of which also followed heightened Q4 activity from the previous year.

A 'forest' -- in case you didn't know -- is the top-level logical container in an Active Directory configuration that holds domains, users, computers, and group policies.

This level presents a security challenge and a new survey of 1,000 IT professionals from Cayosoft reveals a 172 percent increase in forest-wide Active Directory outages since 2021.

Oladance has rocked the open ear audio technology market with its development of Open Wearable Stereo (OWS). Unlike bone conduction technology, Oladance OWS utilizes air conduction to deliver a three-dimensional sound effect, which is designed to be more comfortable over extended periods.

Oladance's approach with OWS technology is to provide users with a connection to their surroundings that is both open and safe. Their products are designed to rest on the ear, avoiding the ear canal, which addresses potential discomfort, irritation, or hearing damage from long-term earphone use. Additionally, the Oladance app enhances the user experience by offering personalization options, including four sound modes, sound balance, and gesture and function controls.

A new report from HP Wolf Security shows cybercrime groups are using professional advertising tools to optimize their malware campaigns and convince users to take the bait.

The report identifies the DarkGate campaign which uses ad tools to sharpen attacks. Malicious PDF attachments, posing as OneDrive error messages, direct users to sponsored content hosted on a popular ad network. This leads to DarkGate malware which hands backdoor access to cybercriminals into networks, exposing victims to risks like data theft and ransomware..