Leaked: Microsoft bans employees from using Slack, Kaspersky… even GitHub use is discouraged
A leaked document has shed light on what it is like to work at Microsoft. It reveals the software and online services that Microsoft either prohibits or discourages employees from using, and there are some big names on the list.
One of the most well-known tools to be slapped with a ban is Slack, with others including the grammar checker Grammarly and security software from Kaspersky. The cloud-version of Microsoft-owned GitHub features on a list of "discouraged" tools and services.
ProtonMail criticizes Gmail's confidential mode for being neither secure nor private
Privacy-focused ProtonMail has lashed out at Google, saying the "confidential mode" available in Gmail is "misleading" and "little more than a marketing strategy". It says that people "don't need to settle for fake privacy"
Pointing out that Gmail's confidential mode lack end-to-end encryption, ProtonMail says that the email service is "not secure or private". The company says that Gmail can still read your emails, and that expiring emails are not as secure as Google would have users believe.
Epic privacy fail: WeTransfer shared its users' files with the wrong people
Sharing files using the cloud is very convenient, but understandably, some people are hesitant to do so with sensitive or private information. These privacy-conscious folks may be looked at as "paranoid" by some, but you know what? As more and more breaches occur, it is becoming harder to trust the cloud with files. And so, the "tinfoil hat" wearers start to look quite sensible.
As an example, popular cloud-based file-sharing service WeTransfer has failed in epic fashion. You see, the company not only shared files with the intended recipients, but with random strangers too! Yes, that private information you didn't want seen by anyone other than your intended audience may have been viewed by the wrong person. Good lord.
Ubuntu is dropping i386 support and WINE developers are irked
As of version 19.10, Ubuntu will no longer support i386. With the arrival of Eoan Ermine, Ubuntu is severing 32-bit ties, and some developers are concerned.
The move is not entirely unexpected. The Ubuntu developers had previously said it would make an i386 decision in the middle of 2019. That time having rolled around, the Ubuntu engineering team says that it "has reviewed the facts before us and concluded that we should not continue to carry i386 forward as an architecture". WINE developers are among those unhappy with the decision.
Best Windows 10 apps this week
Three-hundred-and-forty in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on the Microsoft Store in the past seven days.
Microsoft introduced support for WSL 2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux 2) in recent Insider Builds. Check out Wayne's guide on installing the new component.
There will be no more tablets from Google
Google is getting out of the tablet-making business, but says that it will continue to produce smartphones and laptops.
The announcement means that Google is ceasing work on two unreleased Pixel tablets, with the company's head of hardware saying: "Google's hardware team will be solely focused on building laptops moving forward". While ditching tablets is not entirely surprising, Google is said to have been working on two new tablets until as recently as this week.
Security flaw in Dell SupportAssist tool puts millions of Windows systems at risk
A Windows support tool bundled with Dell computers has a high-severity security hole that leaves millions of systems at risk of a privilege-escalation attack.
Dell has announced that both the Business and Home versions of its SupportAssist tool have a security vulnerability within the PC Doctor component that requires immediate patching. The discovery was made by SafeBreach, and there could be over 100 million systems that are affected.
Google confirms that second-hand Nest Cams could have been used to spy on people
There been many concerns voiced about the privacy and security implications of many smart products. Some are well-founded, as a new admission from Google that its Nest Cams could be used to spy on people goes to show.
The problem does not center around hackers, but people who have sold or given away their Nest Cams. Even after the new owner performed a factory reset of the camera -- following Google's own instructions -- it was still possible for the original owner to access the camera feed.
Recall alert: Your Apple MacBook Pro could be a fire hazard
If you own a MacBook Pro, you are very lucky -- they are great laptops. Unfortunately, even top computer makers, such as Apple, can experience hardware issues leading to safety concerns, and sometimes, a recall.
Today, Apple announces a voluntary recall for some MacBook Pro laptops. It is quite a scary issue too -- the batteries can overheat and cause a fire. In other words, it can potentially damage property, cause injuries, and worst of all, lead to death.
Is technology harming our ability to write?
The pen may be mightier than the sword, but it seems that because of technology our writing skills may be about to go the same way as our swashbuckling.
Stationery supplier www.euroffice.co.uk has polled over 2,400 Brits to find out how people feel about their handwriting, how frequently they write and if technology is killing the hand written word.
Microsoft releases Windows 10 20H1 Build 18922 to the Fast ring
Work is progressing well on the next big feature update of Windows 10, due out a year from now.
Some builds offer a lot of new features, others are more about fixing problems and making general improvements. Build 18922 falls into the latter category, although it does have some language settings improvements and Feedback Hub updates.
Cloud-based security service offers web app and API protection
Web app and API exploits are among the leading threats to business at the moment. Organizations with a major web presence face malicious traffic and sophisticated bots trying to damage their brands.
In order to protect against these threats, Instart is launching a new Web App and API Protection (WAAP) platform. This is a cloud-based platform, powered by a single rules engine and a unified threat intelligence system, to defend against application vulnerabilities, sophisticated bots, and browser-based attacks.
Kali Linux sets out its roadmap for 2019/20
Offensive Security, the team behind the security-focused, Debian-based, penetration testing Linux distro Kali Linux. has set out the roadmap for the operating system for the months ahead.
This is the first time such a roadmap has been shared for Kali Linux, and it gives us a good idea of what to expect between now and 2020. The team says: "normally, we only really announce things when they are ready to go public, but a number of these changes are going to impact users pretty extensively so we wanted to share them early".
Everything new and improved in the Windows 10 May 2019 Update (and how to use it)
Codenamed 19H1, the Windows 10 May 2019 Update is Microsoft’s first major update for the operating system this year. It is also the seventh version of the OS after its initial release. The tech company took the update as an opportunity to provide a fresh set of enhancements and features that will improve Windows 10’s security and performance.
Microsoft was supposed to release the update inApril. However, it delayed the rollout to ensure that the final version will be more stable and reliable. The tech giant began limited release on May 21, 2019. On June 6, 2019, Microsoft made the update available for the general public. Now, you may be dying to know what’s new in the Windows 10 May 2019 Update. Well, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve put together this comprehensive guide to show you the important things that have changed and improved in the Windows 10 operating system.
Vivaldi 2.6 promises protection against abusive ads, expands profile management tools
Challenger web browser Vivaldi 2.6 has been released for Windows, Mac and Linux, promising protection against abusive ad practices.
Version 2.6 also adds additional ways of customizing user profiles, introduces a filter for browsing saved passwords, implements support for Razer headphone devices and continues to revamp the user interface with several welcome minor tweaks.
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