90 percent of critical infrastructure hit by cyberattacks
A new survey of professionals in industries using industrial control systems (ICS) and operational technology (OT) finds 90 percent of respondents say their environment has been damaged by at least one cyberattack over the past two years, with 62 percent experiencing two or more attacks.
The study commissioned by Tenable from the Ponemon Institute also finds 80 percent of respondents cite lack of visibility into the attack surface, knowing what systems are part of their IT environments, as the number one issue in their inability to prevent business-impacting cyberattacks.
Best Windows 10 apps this week
Three-hundred-and-twenty-nine in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on the Windows Store in the past seven days.
Microsoft made the decision to remove Books from the Microsoft Store making it the second group of digital items (after music) that got removed from the Store.
Why bare-metal containers are scaring VMware [Q&A]
With a market capital of $73 billion and a stock price that has more than tripled in three years, VMware is one of the big hitters of the IT industry. The company has dominated the market since it introduced virtual machine server abstraction 19 years ago.
But some industry watchers cite the rise of containers as an existential risk to VMware. This new way of software deployment was popularized by developers via the Docker container format, and more recently is taking the data center by storm as enterprises take containers into production and standardize on Google’s Kubernetes orchestration platform.
Microsoft brings Spotify, performance monitoring widgets and more to the Game Bar
If you're signed up to the Xbox Insiders program, you can beta test an updated version of the Game Bar in Windows 10. Originally designed to allow for recording and broadcasting of game footage, The Game Bar now includes Spotify integration and cross-platform messaging.
The Game Bar beta also includes a number of new widgets that can be used to monitor system performance, control audio, and more.
Google closes down its AI ethics council just one week after its launch
Google has announced that it is closing down its artificial intelligence ethics council following controversy about board members. The Advanced Technology External Advisory Council (ATEAC) was formed just a week ago, but there was strong criticism of the decision to appoint Heritage Foundation president Kay Coles James to the board.
Rightwinger James has a history of opposing LGBTQ rights, and dozens of Google employees signed a petition in protest at her board membership. In response, Google has said that it is "going back the drawing board" and is ending the council.
Prediction #5 -- Drones become Pizza-to-the-Neighborhood (PTTN)
I’ve already written one prediction about autonomous cars -- that they’ll be far later to the market than most pundits and autonomous car inventors are suggesting. Today’s prediction is about a tangentially-related technology -- aerial delivery drones. These drones are definitely coming just as fast as regulators will allow them, but I don’t think they’ll be implemented in the way people expect. What we’ll see, I predict, is something I call Pizza-to-the-Neighborhood or PTTN.
Aerial drones are a new type of distribution network operating in a new kind of ether. They don’t travel on roads and neither do they travel in what we conventionally think of as airspace. Flying over cities, which is where these delivery drones are going to be used, airplanes are legally restricted from operating below 1000 feet unless they are actively taking-off or landing. Helicopters get to break this rule a bit because they can claim to be taking-off or landing almost anywhere, but fixed-wing aircraft have to stay above 1000 feet, making below 1000 feet the emerging realm of autonomous drones.
Microsoft and Ubuntu-maker Canonical launch Visual Studio Code snap for Linux
One of the most frustrating things for Windows users that switch to Linux is learning to install software. With Microsoft's operating system, you search the web for the software you want, download it, and install it. With Linux-based operating systems, however, programs are typically installed through a centralized app center or through the terminal. The Linux approach is arguably safer, as Windows users can easily be tricked into downloading malware. Windows 10 tries to emulate the centralized software center with the Microsoft Store, but users have largely rejected it.
Thanks to Canonical's wildly popular snaps (and other containerized packages, such as Flatpak), Linux users can more easily install software -- it should be more familiar to former Windows users. Snaps will work on most distributions too, meaning there is less work involved for software developers -- there is no need to create distro-dependent versions. Today, Microsoft furthers its commitment to Linux by releasing a snap version of Visual Studio Code. No, the source-code editor is not the Windows-maker's first snap -- it also released one for Skype, for instance.
Windows 10 users will get to choose when they install the May 2019 Update
It was generally assumed that the next big Windows 10 feature update -- codenamed 19H1 -- would be the April 2019 Update available later this month, but it turns out it will actually be the May 2019 Update, and users will have quite a wait before they can install it.
Microsoft says the OS update will undergo additional testing before it’s made available to everyone. A smart move, given the October 2018 Update debacle. But that’s not all.
New hybrid platform helps enterprises to maximize cloud use
Cloud management company RackWare is launching its new Hybrid Cloud Platform, designed to remove the barriers to enterprise cloud adoption.
It allows enterprises to migrate to the cloud seamlessly, implement a cloud-based approach to disaster recovery and offers oversight and control of all cloud resources.
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How I quit social media, but it didn't quit me
My name is Jason Kingdon, social media addict and Founder and CEO of BOLDFISH. I've been Facebook free for three years now, but I can't seem to separate it from my life. Wherever I go, there it is. Sign in with Facebook or follow us for more. At networking events, new contacts are incredulous and offended when I state my lack of social media. He lies, their eyes read.
Some of my friends have acclimated to just texting me, but others have fallen out of touch. I've become accustomed to the "OMG! How are you!? I haven't seen you in forever! Are you still in China?" It’s as though time had frozen since the last time we made contact. There are amazing memories from pictures and status updates, yet they assume that what they consume is all that there ever was or will be.
Spear phishing attack targets HR and payroll systems
Payday should be a pleasurable time of the month, but thanks to a new spear phishing campaign, some employees are losing their pay checks to cybercriminals.
Email defense specialist Vade Secure uncovered the attack in which criminals initiate an email conversation with HR staff to get them to change bank details for receiving direct payroll payments.
Vulnerability in Xiaomi's pre-installed apps could affect more than 150 million devices
A vulnerability that could allow man-in-the-middle attacks and the injection of malicious code has been found in a pre-installed app on devices manufactured by Xiaomi, one of the biggest mobile vendors.
The flaw, uncovered by researchers at Check Point is -- somewhat ironically -- in the pre-installed security app, 'Guard Provider', which is meant to protect the phone from malware.
WhatsApp now lets you block people from adding you to a group chat
Facebook is hardly renowned for respecting privacy, but with WhatsApp the company is taking a small step to give users greater control.
A change to privacy settings for groups means that it is now possible -- at last -- to avoid being added to a group chat you don't to be involved in. WhatsApp has announced that "we're introducing a new privacy setting and invite system to help you decide who can add you to groups".
Microsoft Bounty Program offers larger rewards for bug hunters
Bug bounty programs are a popular way for tech companies to track down problems with their products without having to spend large sums of money on dedicated research teams. Microsoft is one of the big names with such a program, and it has just announced that it is increasing the payouts it makes.
As well as offering people more money for finding issues with its products, Microsoft also says that it will pay people faster.
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