Rooting Android remains very popular with a certain crowd of users, but fact of the matter is for most folks it is an unnecessary hassle. I have gone through the pros and cons of hacking the operating system in previous articles, so I will not discuss them again here, but suffice to say that both the software and the hardware have matured so nicely that the vast majority of people can be perfectly happy with their new smartphone or tablet as it comes out of the box.

Google has been somewhat permissive with regards to rooting, but, behind closed doors, it has been working hard to close the open avenues. While hacking Android has become harder, Nougat will take things to the next level, bringing new security features to make sure that your device stays the way its maker intended.

We regularly hear stories about the imminent death of the password. Add in thousands of Internet of Things devices needing to authenticate and it’s clear that the time has come for a better system.

Identity management company ForgeRock is launching the latest edition of its ForgeRock Identity Platform, with advanced new capabilities that will enable organizations to employ passwordless login.

Microsoft has announced a new video service called Stream that will enable businesses of all sizes to securely manage and share videos.

From today on, any user with a business email address will be able to sign up for the preview of the new service in seconds. With Stream they can then begin to upload, share and tag videos from their organization. It will also be simple to discover relevant videos since the company will employ machine learning to help users find trending videos and will also give them the ability to search by hashtag, most liked videos or other key search terms.

A new study from the Ponemon Institute reveals that external cyber attacks cost enterprises $3.5 million a year and that the majority of security and IT professionals lack the necessary resources and infrastructure to deal with these attacks, despite the growing risks and costs associated with them.

A number of threats were examined in the report including executive impersonations, social engineering exploits and branded attacks that occurred outside of a company’s traditional security boundaries. To address these external threats, security professionals cited an ever-growing need for expertise, technology and external services.

Ransomware is one of the most feared security threats today and it is fast becoming one of the most profitable areas of cybercrime for attackers. It allows criminals to monetize their cybercrime efforts quicker than previous tactics allowed. Historically, they would have to steal their target’s data, and then find an avenue to resell that data to make it profitable. With ransomware, criminals are simply stealing a person’s data and selling it back to them for a price.

The victim already owned the data so they will definitely want it back. This therefore means the cybercriminal does not have a hard sell ahead of him. In addition to this, with the rise of anonymous currency, such as Bitcoin, there is even less of a chance of cybercriminals getting caught. Attackers can make hundreds to thousands of dollars per infection and get paid immediately, instead of going through other risky steps to make a profit.

Transparency reports from the big tech companies always make for interesting reading, and the latest update from Google is no different. Its most recent transparency report covers the period July-August 2015, and shows that the company received a record number of government data requests.

The report shows the number of times governments around the world contacted Google with requests for access to user data. For anyone with an interest in either privacy or security, the marked increase in the number of requests is interesting.

Endpoint security company Carbon Black already offers application control, incident response, and threat-hunting products. Today it's announced the acquisition of next generation antivirus supplier Confer allowing it to offer a complete endpoint protection platform.

The new platform, called Cb Endpoint Security, provides organizations with the flexibility they need to cope with growing and evolving security needs. Confer's cloud-based analytics engine will become part of a 'Cb Collective Defense Cloud,' adding depth to the platform.

A new survey by Countercept by MWR InfoSecurity highlights all the frustrations IT security experts are experiencing as they’re trying their best to protect their company’s assets and employees.

The survey, conducted during Infosecurity Europe, asked 301 IT security professionals about their company’s ability to detect and deter cyber-attacks.

It may be easy to dismiss reports of Android malware as nothing more than fear mongering by clickbait-loving journalists and security companies, but not even apologists can argue with the fact that the threat is real when malware is approved on Google Play.

ESET's security researchers have uncovered a fake lockscreen app, called Pokemon Go Ultimate, which takes advantage of the game's mindblowing popularity to mislead users into installing it ultimately generating revenue by clicking on porn ads.

With McAfee looking for a new home, Symantec acquiring Blue Coat, NewGen Unicorns claiming they are the "next best thing" since the invention of the wheel, and years of criticism from analysts and users alike about the loss of efficacy, the Anti-Virus market is being hit from all directions. Into this upheaval, the acquisition of AVG Technologies by rival Avast Software was recently announced.

This mayhem within the AV market highlights two issues: the market is confusingly saturated with security vendors telling similar AV replacement stories, and the AV incumbents know that they need to change or lose. This is leading to an industry-wide trend of accumulating even more solutions to face off the criticism, the newcomers and the loss of market.

A new variant of ransomware has been found for sale on the dark web for an incredibly low price that allows its victims 96 hours to pay a fee.

This new piece of ransomware is called Stampedo and it is available for only $39 which includes a lifetime license. Once it has infected a user’s system, a fee must be paid within the allotted time in order to regain access. If a user fails to pay the fee, Stampedo begins to delete random files on their computer within six hour intervals.

In the world of web browsers, there are four or five big names to choose from but no end of smaller alternatives. One such browser is Maxthon, and security researchers have just discovered that this Chinese-produced browser is transmitting a wealth of data about users back to China.

Researchers at Fidelis Cybersecurity and Exatel found that Maxthon frequently sends zip files to Beijing over HTTP and this contains a terrifying amount of data about users' browsing habits. The ueipdata.zip file incudes, among other things, details of the sites visited by users, the applications they have installed, and what searches have been performed.

Security researchers from Vectra Networks discovered a serious vulnerability in Windows which allows hackers to take control over complete computer networks through vulnerable printers.

The report didn’t say which versions of the operating system are affected, but the patch is already issued and you can find it here and here. Everyone who has a printer attached to their system is strongly advised to patch ASAP.

There is a common misconception that all things Linux are bulletproof. The fact is, no software is infallible. When news of a Linux vulnerability hits, some Windows and Mac fans like to taunt users of the open source kernel. Sure, it might be in good fun, but it can negatively impact the Linux community's reputation -- a blemish, if you will.

Today, Canonical announces that the Ubuntu forums have been hacked. Keep in mind, this does not mean that the operating system has experienced a vulnerability or weakness. The only thing affected are the online forums that people use to discuss the OS. Still, such a hack is embarrassing, as it was caused by Canonical's failure to install a patch.

If you’re a cyber-criminal looking to enter the ransomware game, but not sure how much money you should demand for the unlocking of a victim’s files, don’t worry. Kaspersky Lab has done the research for you.

The security firm, together with B2B International, says people value their smartphone data, on average, at $682. In 39 percent of cases, the figure exceeds $1,000. On the other hand, cyber-criminals which have managed to lock a victim’s device through ransomware, usually demand $300.