A central bank digital currency: Challenges and opportunities
Digital national currencies are no longer just a concept. The Bahamian Sand Dollar was issued in October 2020, and other countries, such as Sweden and China, are currently running pilots. Within the next few years, there could be more than a dozen central banks issuing national digital currencies.
These central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are different from cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ether. CBDCs are issued by national banks. The Sand Dollar, for example is backed by the Bahamian government and one-to-one with the Bahamian dollar, which is itself pegged to the U.S. dollar. They’re also not mined like many cryptocurrencies.
Make a huge saving on O&O DiskImage 16 Professional for World Backup Day
Today, March 31, is World Backup Day. It's the day of the year when those people who do remember to back up their data on a regular basis get to feel a little smug about things, and those of us who don't do so get to feel a bit guilty. But instead of feeling bad about not backing up your important files, why not make this the year that you take the World Backup Day Pledge?
The pledge reads: "I solemnly swear to backup my important documents and precious memories on March 31st". And to make it easier for you to stick to this pledge, we have an amazing special offer for you -- for a very limited period you can make a big saving on the hugely respected backup tool O&O DiskImage 16 Professional.
Kensington launches K62330WW VeriMark Desktop Fingerprint Key for Windows 10
Windows 10 is a great operating system for several reasons. For instance, it is stable, secure, and compatible with a ton of hardware. Microsoft has done a phenomenal job of making Windows 10 better year after year.
One of my favorite aspects of Windows 10 is Windows Hello -- the biometic security system that allows you to unlock your PC with your face or a fingerprint. Biometric unlocking on Linux is pretty much non-existent for typical desktop users, which is very annoying. Apple's macOS has Touch ID with compatible laptops, but it can't be used immediately after a boot like Window Hello can. You also can't add Touch ID to a Mac using USB like you can with Windows 10 and Windows Hello.
Remote working still presents security problems one year on
Even after a full year of remote work, many enterprises are still concerned about securing their off-site users according to a new study from cloud security company Bitglass.
The biggest remote work security concerns come from data leaking through endpoints (68 percent), users connecting with unmanaged devices (59 percent), and access from outside the perimeter (56 percent).
Passwords are bad for online business
According to a report from Transmit Security, more than half of consumers have stopped using a website because of the login process and more than 87 percent have been locked out of an online account because of an error-ridden password process.
The survey of 600 US consumers finds organizations are losing potential customers and a substantial amount of revenue because of their dependency on traditional password systems and outdated customer authentication models.
Fileless malware attacks surge while ransomware declines
Fileless malware attacks were up nearly 900 percent in 2020 and cryptominers grew by 25 percent, but ransomware payloads dropped by 48 percent compared with 2019.
These are findings of the latest internet security report from WatchGuard Technologies which is based on endpoint threat intelligence following WatchGuard's acquisition of Panda Security in June 2020.
Website X5 2021.2 Pro makes setting up ecommerce sites simpler than ever thanks to new Product Sheet Pages
Italian developer Incomedia has released its second major update to the Website X5 Pro 2021 line with the release of Website X5 Pro 2021.2 Pro. This release focuses primarily on ecommerce sites with the introduction of a new Product Sheet Page feature, to help highlight products by giving them their own, automatically generated, separate pages.
Website X5 Pro, also available in a cheaper, cut-down Evo edition and the free, extremely function-limited Go edition, aims to simplify web building through a simple multi-step process that requires little or no HTML coding experience. The new Product Sheet Page feature is, however, exclusive to the Pro version.
Cloud workloads increase but security concerns remain
A new study from the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) and cloud security company AlgoSec finds that over half of organizations are running 41 percent or more of their workloads in public clouds, compared to just a quarter in 2019.
But 11 percent of respondents have reported a cloud security incident in the past year with the three most common causes being cloud provider issues (26 percent), security misconfigurations (22 percent), and attacks like denial of service exploits (20 percent).
One in five healthcare files is open to all employees
A new report from Varonis reveals some startling statistics about healthcare data, with almost 20 percent of files open to all employees in an organization.
In addition the average healthcare organization has over 31,000 files -- including those that include HIPAA-protected information, financial data, and proprietary research -- open to everyone.
2020 sees cybercriminals turn to Ransomware 2.0
Historically ransomware has relied on encrypting data and then demanding money in order to release it.
But a new report from F-Secure shows that 2020 has seen an increase in ransomware that also steals data, giving the attackers more leverage over their victims. If organizations first refuse to pay a ransom to decrypt their data, attackers threaten to leak the stolen information, increasing pressure on victims.
Microsoft releases optional KB5000842 update to fix lots of Windows 10 problems
For Microsoft, March was marred by a string of problematic Windows 10 updates that caused a series of problems with printing and more. As we reach the end of the month, the company has released an optional patch which it will almost certainly be hoping proves less problematic.
The optional KB5000842 update is available for Windows 10 version 2004, and Windows 10 20H2. This monthly "C" release preview update aims to address a number of issues with the operating systems including problems with dark screens and other monitor glitches, and as well as system crashes associated with OneDrive.
Kingston launches NV1 NVMe PCIe SSD
Solid state storage is constantly getting faster. The truth, however, is while PCIe Gen 4 SSDs are now available, they are total overkill for most consumers. Hell, most people would be more than fine with a meager SATA drive. With that said, the previous-generation PCIe Gen 3 SSDs are now very inexpensive (and quite fast) making them a smart buy whether you truly need the extra speed or not. In other words, a SATA SSD should probably be avoided nowadays -- unless your PC simply isn't compatible with anything else.
Today, Kingston launches its latest NVMe M.2 solid state drive for both desktops and laptops. Called "NV1," this PCIe Gen 3 SSD has fairly modest specifications in the grand scheme of things, but it is definitely more than fast enough for the majority of consumers. Most importantly, it is priced very competitively. Just how affordable is the NV1? It starts at less than $65!
Can Cybershoes cure my motion sickness on Oculus Quest 2? [Review]
I’ve long been a big fan of virtual reality and have been playing more VR games than ever this past year thanks to lockdown and the arrival of the Oculus Quest 2.
The best thing about this VR headset is it’s wireless, so you have the freedom of movement you don’t get with other devices. There’s a good selection of games available to buy and install on the headset too, with personal favorites being Climb 2, Pistol Whip, Superhot VR, and Arizona Sunshine. You can also play games installed on your PC, like Half Life: Alyx, via either a compatible USB-C cable or the recently updated Virtual Desktop app.
Need stability, scalability, high availability, and control? Here is how Atlassian Data Center can help
In February 2021, Atlassian Server officially retired and this means organizations can no longer buy new Atlassian (Core) Server licenses (such as Jira, Confluence BitBucket, JSM) as the product has now reached end-of-life (EOL). While customers can still upgrade or downgrade their Server licenses and maintenance, support will continue to be available for the next three years, and Server customers can continue to purchase additional functionality and apps via the Atlassian Marketplace. Atlassian’s ultimate goal is to move customers either to its Atlassian SaaS product or to Atlassian Data Center (allowing customers to host where they want).
Those organizations unable to move to a cloud environment (SaaS), or those who want to take a slower transition to the cloud, either because of IP issues or because they work in highly regulated industries, should seriously consider a move to Atlassian Data Center. This not only provides high levels of stability, scalability and high availability, it enables IT teams to maintain control, stay abreast of ever-increasing demands and more effectively plan ahead.
Applying a hybrid working model to your cloud strategy [Q&A]
The shift brought about by the pandemic has accelerated many companies’ plans to move to the cloud. But all migrations come with some risk and rushing them through may be storing up problems for the future.
A successful hybrid strategy can help in avoiding these issues. We spoke to Arcserve's backup, DR, and ransomware protection evangelist Sam Roguine to find out about the potential risks of rushed cloud migrations -- like security gaps and missing data -- and how IT leaders can address them.
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