There have been complaints recently about Microsoft using the Start menu to promote its own OneDrive service as well as suggesting websites, but another upcoming addition to Windows 11 is likely be rather better received.

Hidden among the numerous new features of Windows 11 build 25247, is an update to the network connectivity icon that appears in the notification area of the taskbar. It provides at-a-glance information about whether your VPN is active.

Continue reading →

Google has just offered an incentive to subscribe to Google One. The company is launching a desktop client that makes it possible to use its VPN service on Windows and macOS -- something that was previously only possible on iOS and Android devices.

While Google's VPN service and the associated apps are free, you need to be signed up to Google One Premium in order to access it.

Continue reading →

The McAfee name is one that has been somewhat tainted by the activities of John McAfee, but it is one that also remains firmly associated with security. The company has just announced a new product line called McAfee+, available in three tiers, that includes an unlimited VPN at all levels.

Currently only available to users in the US, McAfee+ has Premium, Advanced and Ultimate options, each of which have Individual and Family variants, with prices ranging from $49.99 to $219.99 per year.

Continue reading →

When the pandemic-inspired lockdowns hit in 2020, businesses rushed to established technologies like VPNs in order to support remote working.

But new research conducted by Gartner Peer Insights for Citrix Systems shows 96 percent of IT leaders think these technologies no longer cut it and are rethinking their approach.

Continue reading →

Surfshark is one of the best VPNs on the market for several reasons -- not just its affordable pricing and reliability. The service is cross-platform and available on all major operating systems, including Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and Android. In fact, there is even a Linux version of Surfshark (with a GUI) for Debian-based distributions and derivatives, such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and Pop!_OS.

Recently, Surfshark added an antivirus service at no added cost, making it even more of an incredible value. However, people were understandably hesitant to depend on a brand-new antivirus service to protect their computers and devices. Well, folks, it seems any concerns were unwarranted. You see, today, Surfshark announces it has received the coveted VB100 certification from Virus Bulletin.

Continue reading →

What makes Surfshark one of the best paid VPN services on the market? Well, besides being extremely affordable, it has no device limit and is very easy to use on many platforms, including Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and iPadOS. Not to mention, the developers are constantly adding new features -- they don't rest on their laurels. I highly recommend the service.

A desktop Linux version of Surfshark has been available for a while now, but sadly, it did not have a graphical user interface (GUI) -- you had to configure and run it from the terminal. While this technically worked, it was clunky and annoying, making Surfshark on Linux inferior to versions for other operating systems.

Continue reading →

Fake news and disinformation has long been a problem on the internet and no more so than at present as both sides in the Ukraine conflict engage in an information war.

It's timely then for Surfshark to launch a free extension for Chrome and Firefox that detects and highlights website links from various media and other websites that are known to spread fake news and misinformation.

Continue reading →

Virtual private networks (VPNs) were introduced roughly a quarter of a century ago. The premise at the time was solid: Create an encrypted tunnel from a computer to a network so remote users could have secure access to company resources and communications. Although they were slow and time consuming for IT to administer, VPNs gained traction because they met the primary objective -- the connections were secure...or at least secure enough.

Today, it’s a different story. Where VPNs were uncommon 20 years ago, now they’re ubiquitous. But they were  never intended to handle the scale of a massive remote migration, and the weaknesses are showing. Last spring, a report from Digital Shadows on Q1 vulnerability activity had cyber criminals targeting VPNs more than most other attack avenues to get into enterprise networks. Even prior to COVID-19, the National Security Agency (NSA) released a Cybersecurity Advisory about "malicious cyber actors leveraging VPN vulnerabilities."

Continue reading →

The National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have joined forces to publish guidelines design to help people make informed choices when selecting a VPN.

In the joint NSA-CISA information sheet, the organizations provide help and advice in a range of areas including not only choosing a reliable, trustworthy VPN, but also how to configure a VPN for maximum security and a reduced attack surface.

Continue reading →

As the business network landscape has become more complex, many organizations are turning to zero trust network access (ZTNA) in order to boost their security. It's also replacing or supplementing older technologies like VPN.

We spoke to Kurt Glazemakers, CTO at secure access specialist Appgate who believes that there is a solid business case for ZTNA as well as a security one.

Continue reading →

As a big chunk of the world suddenly started to work from home during the pandemic, many companies turned to VPNs as a means of securing remote access.

However, as more systems are now in the cloud and secured using zero trust network access (ZTNA) is the age of the VPN over? We spoke to Robert Byrne, field strategist at One Identity to find out.

Continue reading →

Regular readers will recall that last year we reviewed the Firewalla, a little box that provides protection for your network.

We tested the Blue version that provides protection for networks up to 500Mbps in speed. Now the company is launching a new Purple version that works at gigabit speeds and has extra features too.

Continue reading →

In 2020 we saw a huge shift to remote working, with VPN often the technology of choice for keeping connections secure.

But a new Network Security Report from SpiderLabs at Trustwave reveals that this trend didn't go unnoticed by cybercriminals, with malicious actors targeting unpatched VPN vulnerabilities more frequently.

Continue reading →

Attacks against VPNs have seen an increase of more than 1,500 percent in the first quarter of this year according to a new report.

The latest Threat Landscape Report from managed security services company Nuspire shows a 1,916 percent increase in attacks against Fortinet's SSL-VPN and a 1,527 percent increase in Pulse Connect Secure VPN.

Continue reading →

New research from NordVPN finds that people around the world generally have good security and privacy knowledge, but still indulge in bad habits.

NordVPN ranked 21 countries by their performance, placing Germans at the top and -- perhaps surprisingly -- the Japanese at the bottom.

Continue reading →