Latest Technology News

The hidden costs of third-party data breaches -- and how to avoid them

data breach

Recent studies show that third-party data breaches are the most expensive cyber incidents for businesses today. The rise in associated costs has prompted not only security leadership but also executives and boards to pay close attention to the cyber risk that comes with doing business with their biggest vendors and partners. But what many business leaders don’t realize is that the biggest third-party cyber risks can come from the smallest, most seemingly innocuous places.

Take, for example, the Docker Hub cyberattack that took place this past May. While in the grand scheme a given business ecosystem, Docker Hub’s role -- a container used by developers to store image files -- is small, the extent of the damage to its customers was not.

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Security professionals now think cloud is safer than on-premise

Data cloud lock

New research from internet infrastructure company Nominet finds that 61 percent of security professionals believe the risk of a security breach is the same or lower in cloud environments compared to on-premise.

The study of nearly 300 UK and US C-level security professionals, marks a major shift in the perception of security of the cloud. However, it doesn't mean the cloud is viewed as entirely safe.

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Phishing attacks target UK SMBs

Phishing

According to a new study 43 percent of UK SMBs have suffered phishing attacks involving attempts to impersonate staff in the last year.

More concerning is that of those attacks 66 percent were successful in compromising data. The study from security and data anlaytics company CybSafe also finds only 47 percent of those surveyed say they have already got a cyber security training and awareness program in place.

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Geekbench 5 arrives, offers new CPU and GPU benchmarks

Primate Labs has announced the release of Geekbench 5.0 for desktop, Android (later this week) and iOS. Geekbench 5 makes huge changes to the way it benchmarks your CPU and GPU, as well as going 64-bit and Windows 10 only.

Other changes include a brand new Dark Mode (confusingly, currently macOS only with iOS 13 to follow, but not for Windows 10) and a 50 percent launch sale if you were considering upgrading.

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Firefox Quantum 69 strengthens default anti-tracking protection, can block all autoplay content

Mozilla has released Firefox Quantum 69.0 for desktop, along with Firefox for Android 68.1 and Firefox ESR 68.1.0.

The new release switches on Enhanced Tracking Protection features by default, extends block autoplay to cover all videos (not just those with sound) and improves performance on Windows 10 machines. The Android release marks the browser’s move to the ESR channel.

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Take two: Samsung Galaxy Fold pre-registrations go live in the US and UK

Samsung Galaxy Fold

After poor reviews, a postponed launch, and something of a redesign, Samsung is readying itself to launch the Galaxy Fold.

If you haven't lost interest -- or faith -- as a result of the problems and delays, Samsung has opened up "pre-registration" once again in the US and UK. While it is not possible to pre-order yet, the move suggests that a launch is imminent, and Samsung promises you can "be the first to see the future".

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Firefox will improve battery life for MacBook users

Firefox logo 2019

macOS users who have been disappointed with the power consumption of Firefox have something to look forward to. Developers say that power usage has been dramatically reduced in the latest nightly build, meaning that when the release goes public, MacBook owners can expect to see a jump in battery life.

There have long been complaints about Firefox Quantum sapping batteries, and now it finally seems as though the problem has been addressed.

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Open source Kodi 18.4 'Leia' now available for Windows, macOS, Linux, and more

Officially, Kodi is not for piracy, but the reality is... it sort of is. Look, not everyone uses the software for nefarious purposes, but let's be honest here, folks, in these days of inexpensive streaming media, people setting up a media center to access locally stored files are few and far between. So, yeah, Kodi is a platform used by many pirates.

Regardless of what you use Kodi for, you should be excited today. Why? Well, a new version of the open source software is now available for download. No, it is not a monumental release by any means -- Kodi 18.4 "Leia" is pretty much all about bug fixes. In fact, end users may not even notice any changes.

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Facebook may hide Like counts

The Like button and its associated counter have become a quick and easy way to judge the popularity of Facebook posts and online content. But now the social network is considering hiding the Like counter.

Reverse engineering of the Facebook app revealed that Facebook is experimenting with the idea of keeping the number of Likes content has a secret, and it comes after the company introduced the same policy on Instagram.

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Privacy concerns mount over Chinese face-swap app Zao

Zao app

Zao -- a Chinese face-swapping app with the potential to be used to create deepfakes -- went viral over the weekend, shooting to the top of the App Store download charts. But concerns have been raised not only over the potential for the app to be abused, but also over its privacy policies.

Of particular concern are clauses which grant the developers "free, irrevocable, permanent, transferable, and relicense-able" rights over users' photos. Zao responded by tweaking its privacy policy, but complaints are still flooding in.

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Windows 10 KB4512941 causes high CPU usage by Cortana [UPDATED: Microsoft is working on it]

Windows 10 boxes

Following the release of KB4512941 for Windows 10 version 1903, users have noticed a huge leap in CPU usage by Cortana.

After installing the cumulative update, the Cortana process SearchUI.exe is making much higher use of the CPU for many people. The problem can arise on systems where Bing Search has been disabled, and a series of workarounds have been suggested while Microsoft works on addressing the problem.

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Sharknado 2019 as seen through the eyes of a Siri QA screener

We all have them. Those days when we question our life choices. The roads not taken. The career paths followed and later regretted.

For example, why did I choose to become a quality assurance screener for Apple’s Siri-equipped devices? Surely, the idea of listening to hours upon hours of random conversations, punctuated by the occasional moan/grunt or farting noise, was not at top of mind when I graduated university with a BS in CS (or was it a CS in BS)? And, of course, there’s no way I could have anticipated the events that would transpire one fateful day in September 2019 -- events that would shake this seasoned writer to his very core.

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Ubuntu-based Linux Lite 4.6 now available

Happy Labor Day Weekend, dear BetaNews readers! Tomorrow, many of us "working stiffs" will get the opportunity to do nothing. We can sit around, watch TV, barbecue some meat -- hell, for one day, we can pretty much do whatever we'd like. Personally, I picked up some steaks from Costco, which are marinating now in anticipation. Sadly, not everyone will be off from work tomorrow, so if you will be at your job on Labor Day, please accept both my sympathies and respect.

If you want something fun to do tomorrow while relaxing at home, why not install Linux? Seriously, folks, what better time than Labor Day to look into replacing Windows 7 or Windows 10 on your PC with something better and faster? If your PC has been sluggish, or if you are wary of all the telemetry (spying) built into Windows 10, a distribution such as Linux Lite can breathe new life into your computer. Today, following a short beta period, Linux Lite 4.6 "Final" becomes available for download.

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Apple launches screen replacement program for cracked aluminum Apple Watch Series 2 and Series 3

Cracked Apple Watch screen

If you are one of the unfortunate owners of an aluminum Apple Watch Series 2 or Series 3 that has developed cracks, there's some good news: Apple has launched a replacement program which means you may be able to get a new screen free of charge.

Apple has not given details of the number of affected units, but says that it "has determined that, under very rare circumstances, a crack may form along the rounded edge of the screen in aluminum models of an Apple Watch Series 2 or Series 3".

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Hackers use Jack Dorsey's Twitter account to send racist tweets

Twitter on iPhone

Jack Dorsey's Twitter account was hacked yesterday, and the hackers -- going by the name of the Chuckle Gang -- proceeded to send racist tweets and made reference to a bomb at Twitter headquarters.

The account of the Twitter CEO was back under control relatively quickly, and the tweets sent out by the hackers were deleted. Twitter has said that its security systems were not compromised in the attack, instead blaming the account hijacking on a "security oversight" by a mobile provider which enabled hackers to take control of a mobile number associated with Dorsey's account.

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