Big tech layoffs have a far-reaching impact
The recent big tech layoffs have profoundly impacted industries outside of technology because the sector has long been seen as a driving force for innovation and economic growth. The layoff announcements by companies like Google, Microsoft and Amazon have raised concerns about the tech industry's future and the ripple effects throughout the economy.
Below are several major tech companies that have laid off employees as they navigate the challenges of a rapidly changing industry:
HTML smuggling -- the latest way to to deliver malware
Since Microsoft began the default blocking of macros in documents sent over the internet there's been an increase in the use of HTML files to deliver malware.
Research by Trustwave Spiderlabs reveals a rise in so called 'HTML smuggling' using HTML5 attributes that can work offline by storing a binary in an immutable blob of data within JavaScript code. The embedded payload then gets decoded into a file object when opened via a web browser.
Vulnerabilities in industrial control systems are on the increase
The number of CVEs reported via ICS advisories has increased each year, with 2020-2021 seeing a 67.3 percent increase in CISA ICS CVEs, while 2021-2022 saw a two percent increase, according to a new report from SynSaber.
The growing volume of vulnerabilities highlights continued efforts to secure the ICS systems critical to a nation's energy, manufacturing, water, and transportation infrastructure. There's also a growing focus on regulation which means operators in critical infrastructure are under more pressure to analyze, mitigate, and report on new and existing vulnerabilities
Netflix expands password sharing crackdown from Latin America to Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain
Having already test driven its paid-for account sharing in Latin America, Netflix has expanded its efforts to end password sharing to four other regions.
Now, users in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain will no longer be able to share their Netflix account with friends or family outside of their household without paying to do so. The company is pushing the move as a way to give "members greater control over who can access their account", but the reality is about money.
Investigation concludes that Microsoft's Activision Blizzard deal 'could harm gamers'
An investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has concluded that Microsoft's proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard could lead to higher prices, fewer choices and less innovation.
The UK regulator has been looking into the planned takeover for a number of months, and has now warned that the merger, "could make Microsoft even stronger in cloud gaming, stifling competition in this growing market". The CMA also says there is a risk of, "weakening the important rivalry between Xbox and PlayStation gaming consoles", ultimately harming gamers who cannot afford expensive consoles.
Twitter reveals scant details of its controversial changes to API access, including 'a new form of free access'
There has been a lot of backlash against Twitter's plans to stop offering free access to its API, a move that will result in many bots, apps and services no longer working. Free access to the Twitter API was due to end on February 9, but now the company has given this cut-off a very brief extension as it reveals details of paid API access tiers, as well as sketchy information about a new, limited, free tier.
The extension to free access is very brief indeed -- just an extra four days, making the new end date February 13. Twitter has also shared information about pricing for what it describes as "paid basic access" to the API. While on the face of things, the $100 per month price tag is not high, for hobbyist developers with bots and apps, this will be too much.
Canada pioneers standard to improve IT transformation efficiency
Rolling out digital transformation projects involves navigating increasingly strict data protection regulations, while at the same time coping with risk and inefficiency associated with data silos and copy-based data integration.
Today a pioneering national standard approved by the Standards Council of Canada has been published aimed at providing organizations with a framework to accelerate the delivery of digital innovation projects.
Google leaks its own Pixel 7 Super Bowl commercial for some reason
Super Bowl LVII is happening this upcoming Sunday, and men across America are excited to watch the big game. While some women will also watch the Super Bowl, many of them will only be watching for the TV commercials. You see, even if you aren't a fan of football, the advertisements have become a spectacle in their own right.
The cost of running a Super Bowl commercial is very expensive, which makes it quite odd that Google has leaked its Pixel 7 ad early. Yes, over on YouTube, you can view the search giant's Super Bowl commercial now, meaning there will be no excitement surrounding it come Sunday.
2023: Zero Trust authentication is on the horizon
Trust in corporate networks has never been more important. The rapid adjustment to more distributed workforces -- and an associated explosion of devices -- has dramatically increased cyber threat levels. As a result, Zero Trust has emerged as the de facto cybersecurity framework for operating in the business.
The NCSC (National Cyber Security Center) defines a Zero Trust architecture as "an approach to system design where inherent trust in the network is removed. Instead, the network is assumed hostile and each access request is verified, based on an access policy."
Windows 7's and 8.1's end of support is a massive chance for underdogs like Mozilla
Last month, Microsoft ended support for its Windows 7 and 8.1 operating systems officially. Windows 7 was kept alive by the company for business and Enterprise customers for the past three years through an Extended Security Updates program, but that ran out on the same day as support for Windows 8.1 ended.
Google and Microsoft announced that their browsers, Chrome and Edge, would not support both operating systems after support end. Chrome 109 and Edge 109, released in January 2023, are the last supported versions. The next stable versions, scheduled for a release in early February 2023, won’t support Windows 7 or 8.1 anymore.
Bring on the bloat! Microsoft adds Adobe Acrobat PDF technology to its Edge browser
Yesterday, Microsoft announced it would be bringing AI to its Edge browser thanks to a partnership with ChatGPT owner OpenAI. Today the software giant adds something that many people will be less keen on -- Acrobat PDF technology.
Describing the move as the next step to in their "commitment to transform the future of digital work and life", Microsoft and Adobe say this addition will give uses a unique PDF experience with extra features that will remain free of charge.
Transmission 4.0 promises more efficient performance, support for BitTorrent v2 and hybrid torrents
Open-source BitTorrent client Transmission 4.0 has landed after over a year in development. Sporting over one thousands commits, the new release focuses on no fewer than four areas: resource efficiency, better community, code modernization and new features.
In terms of more efficient use of resources, Transmission 4.0’s code has been streamlined to fix poorly performing code and memory usage, with developers claiming 50 percent fewer CPU cycles and 70 percent fewer memory allocations are now used based on stress test benchmarking. In addition, payloads are smaller and bandwidth usage reduced.
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Rise in unmanaged devices increases risk
Unmanaged device usage continues to increase, with only 43 percent of respondents to a new survey claiming to be actively monitoring 75 percent or more of their endpoints. For organizations with 1,000-4,999 devices, 34 percent are unmanaged, and more than half report experiencing several cyberattacks as a result of poorly managed endpoint devices.
The study, from Syxsense, of more than 380 IT and cybersecurity professionals shows that despite these blind spots most survey respondents believe endpoint security (56 percent) and management (58 percent) are getting easier compared to two years ago.
Three-quarters of organizations experience successful email-borne attacks
New research released today by Barracuda shows 75 percent of organizations surveyed have experienced a successful email-borne attack in the last 12 months.
What's more the study, carried out by Vanson Bourne, finds recovering from an email-borne security attack costs victims more than $1 million on average and 69 percent of those hit by ransomware say the attack started with an email.
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