Almost three-quarters of Americans worry about online tracking
A new survey by NordVPN reveals that 73 percent of Americans are worried about being tracked online, and 35 percent think they are being tracked almost all the time.
The majority of Americans believe they are mostly tracked by criminals (60 percent) and the government (47 percent), but they're also worried that social media giants like Facebook (46 percent), brands or advertising agencies (34 percent), and information and advertising aggregators like Google (40 percent) are following their activities online.
Cybersecurity budgets set to increase in the next year
A new survey from Kaspersky finds 85 percent of IT decision makers in North America say their cybersecurity budget will increase anywhere up to 50 percent in the next 12 months.
The survey, carried out in October 2021 and targeting 600 IT decision makers in the US and Canada, finds 28 percent of respondents say their company annually invests anywhere from $25K-$50k in cybersecurity.
Microsoft reveals 'powerdir' macOS vulnerability that allows unauthorized user data access
Microsoft has revealed details of a security vulnerability in macOS that could be exploited to gain unathorized access to user data.
The vulnerability, which has been named 'powerdir' and is being tracked as CVE-2021-30970, involves a logic issue in the Transparency, Consent and Control (TCC) security framework. The security and privacy problem was discovered by the Microsoft 365 Defender Research Team and was reported to Apple is mid-July last year.
Linux Mint sells out for Mozilla money -- Google becomes default search in Firefox
So, you decided to get rid of Windows and switch to Linux because you have strong beliefs about free and open source software, eh? Well done! That is quite the noble action, and you should be proud that you are following your morals. You could have chosen a Chromebook but you didn't, as you didn't want to support Google. Fair enough.
Maybe you instead went with Linux Mint because its developers are not beholden to anyone. Well, if that is the case, I have some bad news. You see, Linux Mint has officially sold out! Sadly, the developers of the Ubuntu-based operating system have agreed to accept an undisclosed amount of money from Mozilla in exchange for making significant changes to Linux Mint. This includes removal of modifications to Firefox and a big change for search...
European watchdog orders Europol to delete 4 petabytes of illegally collected personal data
The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) has ordered Europol to delete huge quantities of personal data about hundreds of thousands of people. The European Union's police agency has been found to have illegally collected billions of pieces of data about criminals, suspected terrorists and innocent citizens.
The colossal stash of information has been dubbed a "big data ark" by privacy experts, and it includes data gathered by hacking encrypted services and NSA-style grabs. The data store was collected over a period of six years, and the EDPS ruling means that Europol must delete data that has been stored for over six months. The agency also has a year to determine what of the remaining data it may legally continue to hold.
Only 20 percent of UK smaller businesses are 'tech-savvy'
Just one in five small businesses in the UK is open to digital transformation, despite it making them two and a half times more likely to experience a 20 percent or more increase in revenue.
The finding comes from NatWest bank's latest Springboard to Recovery report which is based on research from a survey of 1,000 small to medium-sized businesses (SMEs), and analysis of more than 100 reports, as well as the results of 50 support programs.
Endpoint security products failing against targeted attacks
While most endpoint security products are capable of handling public email and web-based threats, many are unable to provide complete protection against targeted attacks, according to a new report.
Security testing firm SE Labs tested a variety of endpoint security products from different vendors in order to gauge their effectiveness.
Rebalancing the cybersecurity equation to mitigate ransomware risks
With the average cost of a data breach now at $4.2 million, growing cyber threats like ransomware and the hybrid workforce have organizations worldwide looking to mitigate risk at every layer of the organization.
Securing your organization is like balancing an equation: people + skills + technology = security. Where many security strategies fall short is having an unbalanced equation.
Meta launches new Privacy Center, leaving Facebook users the unenviable task of learning about privacy and security
TCFKAF (the company formerly known as Facebook), Meta, has launched Privacy Center, a new way for users to "learn more about our approach to privacy across our apps and technologies". Across five modules -- Security, Sharing, Collection, Use and Ads -- Meta gives users information about privacy across its services.
It also provides links to its endless and scattered collection of tools, settings and options for taking control of privacy and security. The new hub has already come in for criticism, however, as it places onus the burden of responsibility on users rather than hand-holding then through the process of locking down privacy.
Why breach-likelihood will be a game-changer for mandating cyber insurance
According to a Cybersecurity Ventures report, 2021 was predicted to have one cyberattack every 11 seconds and the cumulative cost to repair these post cyber incidents will soar to over $6 trillion in 2022.
As the digital business ecosystem expanded and the attack surface grew in tandem, cybersecurity investments have remained products and services driven. However, this approach only allows enterprises to accept or improve their cyber risk posture. Now, as the costs to manage and mitigate cyber risks rise – the average ransom demand increased by 170 percent from 2020-2021 -- businesses are seeking to 'transfer' their cyber risks through insurance. Last year alone, cyber insurance claim frequency increased by 46 percent for IT services, 53 percent for professional services, and 263 for the industrial industry, according to a report by Coalition.
Satechi ST-UC165GM is an elegant 165W USB-C 4-Port PD GaN Charger
The days of charging just one device are long gone. Back in the day, people just charged their smartphone. Nowadays, they charge their phone, tablet, wireless headphones, smartwatch, and more. And so, things can get quite messy when needing to charge them all at once. You can use multiple individual charging adapters, of course, but outlets are usually installed in pairs. With that said, you can add a power strip to gain extra outlets, but that can be an eyesore. Instead, a multi-charger can help keep things tidy.
GaN chargers are all the rage these days, as they offer a lot of wattage in a tiny package. Today, Satechi launches a new multi-charger that uses GaN technology. It offers four USB-C ports for with a maximum output of 165 watts. It even comes with a removeable stand to hold it vertically. Not only can it charge mobile devices, but laptops too!
What can the IT industry expect this year? More of the same -- change
As the age-old saying goes: Change is the only constant in life. The same is particularly true for the IT industry. New technologies birth newer technologies and the cycle of exploration, innovation, and mastery continues on repeat. In my opinion, it’s one of the many perks of working in IT. Variety is the spice of life, to quote another cliche.
The last two years have been, let’s just say, especially spicy -- with all sorts of unexpected challenges and advancements. The year ahead is sure to bring about more of the same. While hindsight may be 20/20 when it comes to 2020 (and 2021), the trick for IT professionals, and the organizations that employ them, will be trying to stay ahead of the ever-changing curve in 2022.
Microsoft Edge for Windows 11 is getting Dynamic Refresh Rate to boost performance and reduce power consumption
While still a long way from being the most popular browser on the market, Microsoft Edge continues to be where some of the most interesting developments are to be found. A great example of this can be seen in the latest Canary build of the browser.
In Edge 99, Microsoft has added a new setting that can be configured to use higher refresh rates only when scrolling. This not only means that scrolling looks nicer, but also that the lower refresh rates used the rest of the time will help to reduce power consumption, thereby improving battery life on laptops.
Microsoft acknowledges that the KB5008212 update breaks Outlook search in Windows 10
Microsoft has acknowledged an issue following the installation of the KB5008212 update. The problem causes email searching in Outlook to break, and no fix is currently available.
To let people know about the issue, and to provide details of a workaround, Microsoft has published a support document entitled "Outlook Search not showing recent emails after Windows update KB5008212".
Install Linux Mint 20.3 'Una' this weekend if you have absolutely nothing better to do
Well, folks, we finally made it; the weekend is officially here! Hopefully you have some exciting activities planned. Maybe you are going to a party or taking someone out for a romantic dinner date. Or maybe, just maybe, you have absolutely nothing planned. You know what? That's OK. A lot of people are lonely and/or have no prospects. And for them, Linux exists.
Thankfully, Linux Mint 20.3 (code-named "Una") has finally exited beta, giving countless computer nerds around the world something to do this weekend. And yes, this includes me -- I had nothing planned other than a trip to Costco on Saturday and watching my New York Jets lose on Sunday. But now I will be installing the stable version of Linux Mint 20.3 "Una" as well. Huzzah!
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