Latest Technology News

Telematics can be a valuable tool in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccine

One thing authorities are learning with the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine is that data matters. Since the first vials of this medical breakthrough began leaving their factories on highly specialized refrigerated trucks in December last year, there have been numerous reports of seemingly avoidable mistakes.

From a miscommunication between logistics officials and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that left 14 states with vaccine shortfalls to reports of vaccine shipments going to waste or spoiling because of poor timing or confusion over protocols, there is a general state of confusion clouding this initial phase of the distribution effort.  With the CDC reporting more than 16 million cases and 300,000 deaths in the U.S. throughout 2020, the stakes could not be higher, and these mistakes could be avoided.

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How technical teams can better collaborate in a crisis

remote work

The transition to remote work has been difficult for technical teams. Software professionals were already struggling to deliver everything on their plate, and shifting to a fully remote model has resulted in ever-changing patterns of communication, making it more difficult to build the human relationships that are so important for good collaboration. Just as tech workers were settling into more agile workflows, they must now also manage cross-team collaboration and alignment without being in the same space.

Software professionals have limited bandwidth to adapt and work on the soft skills required to navigate these remote interactions, and collaboration has suffered as a result. In fact, a recent study by Lucid revealed that as much as 75 percent of respondents said that collaboration has suffered the most in their work life since the start of the pandemic, even more than productivity. This lack of successful collaboration within technical teams and across companies can have a truly detrimental impact on an organization, especially during a crisis.

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SentiLink's new ID Theft Scores targets stolen identities used to open financial accounts

identity theft

Security has become slightly more difficult these days given that many people are now working at home and online. That’s just the beginning of the headaches for firms. 

SentiLink, a leading security company, is trying to fight back against identity fraud with a new ID Theft Scores program. This is designed to complement its Synthetic Scores that are already in place and used by used by many top financial institutions in the US. 

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A year on from the home working surge, cybersecurity practices are still inadequate

home working

A new report from cybersecurity firm PC Matic finds that one year on from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 35 percent of Americans are still working from home.

However, the study of more than 5,800 people across the US finds less than 10 percent of respondents are provided with an antivirus software solution for the personal device they use for work purposes.

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How AI can help prevent 'catastrophic forgetting' of malware data

With large numbers of new samples appearing every day the old signature-based methods of malware detection have become unwieldy.

AI can learn from millions of samples, but if it uses all samples for optimum detection that means slower learning and updates. The alternative is to use only select samples to keep up with the rate of change of malware, but this runs the risk of 'catastrophic forgetting ' of older patterns.

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Talent shortage impacts security awareness efforts

Over three-quarters of security awareness professionals are spending less than half their time on security awareness, according to a new report from SANS.

This underlines the fact that awareness training is often a part-time effort, commonly assigned to staff with highly technical backgrounds but who may lack the skills needed to effectively engage their workforce in simple-to-understand terms.

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0xc004c003 error and problems activating Windows 10? Microsoft has a workaround

Windows 10 logo on a beach

To get the most out of Windows 10, and to avoid being pestered by constant reminders, you need to activate it. This is not always the smooth, trouble-free process it should be, and people often run into problems.

If you have installed the KB4598291 update for Windows 10, you may well have been plagued by activation failure with a 0xc004c003 error. Now Microsoft has provided details of what is going wrong, as well as revealing a workaround.

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Threat data helps enterprises strengthen security

Threat

Threat data feeds can help enterprises strengthen their cybersecurity posture, according to a new report from Ponemon Institute, sponsored by IT services company Neustar.

A majority (79 percent) of the more than 1,000 security professionals taking part in the study say threat data feeds are essential to their organization's ability to achieve a strong cybersecurity posture, and 55 percent rate the quality of their threat feeds' ability to pinpoint cyberthreats as very high.

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Opera Touch gets a name change on iPhone

One of the best things about using an Apple iPhone, iPad, or Mac is having access to the best overall web browser on the market -- Safari. That's why I am always a bit perplexed when someone chooses an alternative like Chrome or Firefox for an Apple computer or device. Don't get me wrong, those two browsers from Mozilla and Google are great too, but Apple's offering is just faster, more focused on privacy, and better for battery life.

But OK, for whatever reason, people do pick third-party web browsers on the iPhone; even though Apple doesn't allow those browsers to use alternative browsing engines. But hey, at least you can change your default web browser on iOS and iPadOS nowadays.

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How changes to tracking will affect the online world [Q&A]

The Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) is a random device identifier assigned to a user's device which advertisers use to track data so they can deliver customized advertising.

But Apple is about to replace the iOS IDFA tracking system in iOS 14 with a new App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature which will allow iPhone users to opt-out of tracking on third-party apps and sites. This, plus Google's crack down on third-party cookies, means privacy is a hot topic currently -- and all signs point to even more shifts in the coming year.

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Three billion spoofed emails sent each day

Email fraud

A new report looking at trends in DMARC adoption shows that while take up of the identity verification technology is increasing, three billion messages per day are still spoofing the sender's identity.

The study from Valimail shows that email remains a favourite attack route, implicated in over 90 percent of all cyberattacks with the pandemic providing a new focus.

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Return to offices means new opportunities for phishing

Phishing

The move to home working provided new opportunities for phisherfolk, but as many people start to return to their offices the attackers are pivoting to exploit that too.

A new report from email phishing protection specialist INKY shows attacks are capitalizing on vulnerability and the desire for accurate information about returning to the office in-person.

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Microsoft is experimenting with sharing browsing data from Edge with Windows 10

Microsoft Edge on laptop and smartphone

Over the years there has been an increasing awareness of -- and backlash against -- the telemetry and data collection Microsoft has crowbarred into Windows 10. A new experiment with its Edge browser shows that the company is keen to make greater use of the information it gathers about its customers.

In the latest Canary build of Microsoft Edge, there is a new setting called "share browsing data with other Windows features". While optional, it is a feature that is likely to be eyed with skepticism.

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Windows 10 update saga continues as Microsoft re-releases KB5001649 printing patch

update button

Over the weekend we reported that Microsoft had paused the rollout of the out-of-band patch for the ongoing printing problems in Windows 10. The cessation came after reports of installation problems associated with the fix.

Now it appears that the company has re-released the KB5001649 update, but it remains to be seen whether this finally brings to an end the lengthy and embarrassing saga for Microsoft.

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Windows 10 update farce continues as Microsoft pulls the plug on problematic printing patch

Microsoft building logo

Microsoft's appalling track record with problematic updates for Windows 10 shows absolutely no signs of abating. If the fiasco that came after this month's Patch Tuesday updates is anything to go by, if anything the situation is getting worse.

Over the last week or so, we have reported about printing problems that followed the release of March's updates, and the subsequent string of patches that not only failed to fix things but, in many cases, actually made things worse. Now the fubar'd fix has been deemed so problematic that Microsoft has taken the decision to pull it.

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