John Ribeiro

Author Archives: John Ribeiro

Digital signature service DocuSign hacked and email addresses stolen

Digital signature service DocuSign said Monday that an unnamed third-party had got access to email addresses of its users after hacking into its systems.The hackers gained temporary access to a peripheral sub-system for communicating service-related announcements to users through email, the company said. It confirmed after what it described as a complete forensic analysis that only email addresses were accessed, and not other details such as names, physical addresses, passwords, social security numbers, credit card data or other information.“No content or any customer documents sent through DocuSign’s eSignature system was accessed; and DocuSign’s core eSignature service, envelopes and customer documents and data remain secure,” DocuSign said in a post. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Digital signature service DocuSign hacked and email addresses stolen

Digital signature service DocuSign said Monday that an unnamed third-party had got access to email addresses of its users after hacking into its systems.The hackers gained temporary access to a peripheral sub-system for communicating service-related announcements to users through email, the company said. It confirmed after what it described as a complete forensic analysis that only email addresses were accessed, and not other details such as names, physical addresses, passwords, social security numbers, credit card data or other information.“No content or any customer documents sent through DocuSign’s eSignature system was accessed; and DocuSign’s core eSignature service, envelopes and customer documents and data remain secure,” DocuSign said in a post. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft blames US stockpiled vulnerability for ransomware attack

Microsoft on Sunday said a software vulnerability stolen from the U.S. National Security Agency has affected customers around the world, and described the spread of the WannaCrypt ransomware on Friday in many countries as yet another example of the problems caused by the stockpiling of vulnerabilities by governments.Referring to the attack as a “wake-up call,” Microsoft’s President and Chief Legal Officer, Brad Smith wrote in a blog post that governments have "to consider the damage to civilians that comes from hoarding these vulnerabilities and the use of these exploits."The ransomware, also called WannaCry or Wana Decryptor, works by exploiting a vulnerability in some older versions of Windows. It has been suspected for some time now that the malware came from a cache of hacking tools reportedly stolen by hacking group Shadow Brokers from the NSA and leaked on the internet. WannaCry is said to take advantage of a NSA hacking tool, called EternalBlue, that can make it easy to hijack unpatched older Windows machines.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft blames US stockpiled vulnerability for ransomware attack

Microsoft on Sunday said a software vulnerability stolen from the U.S. National Security Agency has affected customers around the world, and described the spread of the WannaCrypt ransomware on Friday in many countries as yet another example of the problems caused by the stockpiling of vulnerabilities by governments.Referring to the attack as a “wake-up call,” Microsoft’s President and Chief Legal Officer, Brad Smith wrote in a blog post that governments have "to consider the damage to civilians that comes from hoarding these vulnerabilities and the use of these exploits."The ransomware, also called WannaCry or Wana Decryptor, works by exploiting a vulnerability in some older versions of Windows. It has been suspected for some time now that the malware came from a cache of hacking tools reportedly stolen by hacking group Shadow Brokers from the NSA and leaked on the internet. WannaCry is said to take advantage of a NSA hacking tool, called EternalBlue, that can make it easy to hijack unpatched older Windows machines.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Intel concerned about name of John McAfee’s privacy phone

Intel has told a court that MGT Capital Investments has gone ahead with the announcement of the “John McAfee Privacy Phone,” even though the company that proposes to change its name to “John McAfee Global Technologies” has previously said that it did not plan to launch products and services under the McAfee mark.The chipmaker claims it acquired the mark when it bought McAfee Inc. in 2011, and has used and promoted it for security products, services, and publications for consumers and businesses. Security expert John McAfee has stated that he did not sign away rights to his personal name.Intel spun off last month its security business as a separate company, called McAfee, in which it now owns 49 percent of the equity, with the balance owned by investment firm TPG. The federal court had earlier refused John McAfee and MGT Capital a preliminary injunction until the resolution of the dispute on Intel’s transfer of marks and related assets containing the word McAfee as part of the spin-out.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Intel concerned about name of John McAfee’s privacy phone

Intel has told a court that MGT Capital Investments has gone ahead with the announcement of the “John McAfee Privacy Phone,” even though the company that proposes to change its name to “John McAfee Global Technologies” has previously said that it did not plan to launch products and services under the McAfee mark.The chipmaker claims it acquired the mark when it bought McAfee Inc. in 2011, and has used and promoted it for security products, services, and publications for consumers and businesses. Security expert John McAfee has stated that he did not sign away rights to his personal name.Intel spun off last month its security business as a separate company, called McAfee, in which it now owns 49 percent of the equity, with the balance owned by investment firm TPG. The federal court had earlier refused John McAfee and MGT Capital a preliminary injunction until the resolution of the dispute on Intel’s transfer of marks and related assets containing the word McAfee as part of the spin-out.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

India’s Supreme Court hears challenge to biometric authentication system

Two lawsuits being heard this week before India’s Supreme Court question a requirement imposed by the government that individuals should quote a biometrics-based authentication number when filing their tax returns.Civil rights groups have opposed the Aadhaar biometric system, which is based on centralized records of all ten fingerprints and iris scans, as their extensive use allegedly encroach on the privacy rights of Indians. “Aadhaar is surveillance technology masquerading as secure authentication technology,” said Sunil Abraham, executive director of Bangalore-based research organization, the Centre for Internet and Society.The Indian government has in the meantime extended the use of Aadhaar, originally meant to identify beneficiaries of state schemes for the poor, to other areas such as filing of taxes, distribution of meals to school children and payment systems.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

India’s Supreme Court hears challenge to biometric authentication system

Two lawsuits being heard this week before India’s Supreme Court question a requirement imposed by the government that individuals should quote a biometrics-based authentication number when filing their tax returns.Civil rights groups have opposed the Aadhaar biometric system, which is based on centralized records of all ten fingerprints and iris scans, as their extensive use allegedly encroach on the privacy rights of Indians. “Aadhaar is surveillance technology masquerading as secure authentication technology,” said Sunil Abraham, executive director of Bangalore-based research organization, the Centre for Internet and Society.The Indian government has in the meantime extended the use of Aadhaar, originally meant to identify beneficiaries of state schemes for the poor, to other areas such as filing of taxes, distribution of meals to school children and payment systems.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

US bill aims to quash Open Internet Order, prevent its return

A bill introduced Monday by some U.S. senators aims to repeal net neutrality rules under the Federal Communications Commission’s 2015 Open Internet Order, and ban the agency from issuing similar regulations in the future.The legislation aims to give some permanence to recent moves by the Republican-dominated FCC to repeal provisions of the 2015 order. There are concerns that if the FCC at some point comes under the control of Democrats, it will promptly restore the rules under the 2015 Open Internet Order.The Restoring Internet Freedom Act was introduced by Senator Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, and is cosponsored by eight other Republicans including Ted Cruz, senator for Texas, and Rand Paul, senator for Kentucky.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Infosys to hire 10,000 in the US as Trump focuses on local hires

Indian outsourcer Infosys is hiring 10,000 American workers over the next two years, in the wake of a review of U.S. visa rules and an emphasis on local hires by the administration of President Donald Trump.Infosys said Monday it will open four new “Technology and Innovation Hubs” in the U.S., focusing on cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, user experience, emerging digital technologies, cloud, and big data.The first such center is coming up in Indiana in August and is expected to create 2,000 jobs by 2021 for American workers, besides boosting the state economy.The company plans to hire both experienced technology professionals and recent graduates from major universities, and local and community colleges, besides setting up training programs in areas such as user experience, cloud, artificial intelligence, big data and digital offerings, and core technology and computer science skills.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Samsung will launch new flagship smartphone months after Galaxy S8

Samsung Electronics said Thursday it was planning to launch in the second half of this year a new flagship phone, leading to speculation that the company is planning an alternative to the ill-fated Galaxy Note7 that had to be recalled last year.The launch of a new flagship smartphone this year and continuing sales of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ will help Samsung counter Apple’s launch of a new version of its iPhone. Apple usually unveils new phones in September."Samsung does announce a S series phone in the first half of the year and a Note series in the second half," said Kiranjeet Kaur, research manager for client devices at IDC Asia/Pacific. "So I am not sure if Samsung is alluding to the next Note or if they want to introduce a new series to avoid any questions or doubts that may arise because of the Note7 debacle."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Tencent adding five data centers to target cloud users outside China

Tencent Holdings has opened a data center in Silicon Valley on Tuesday, with four more planned outside China as part of its bid to grow its cloud business outside the country.The proposed data centers in Frankfurt, Mumbai, Seoul and Moscow are targeted at Chinese companies looking to expand overseas and international companies expanding their businesses in China or other parts of the world, the Chinese internet giant said Tuesday. The centers are expected to go into operation this year.Rival Alibaba has also set up data centers outside China to expand its cloud business outside the country.The new investment aims to meet growing demand worldwide for the company's cloud services from online games and finance, video and other internet-related industries.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Tencent adding five data centers to target cloud users outside China

Tencent Holdings has opened a data center in Silicon Valley on Tuesday, with four more planned outside China as part of its bid to grow its cloud business outside the country.The proposed data centers in Frankfurt, Mumbai, Seoul and Moscow are targeted at Chinese companies looking to expand overseas and international companies expanding their businesses in China or other parts of the world, the Chinese internet giant said Tuesday. The centers are expected to go into operation this year.Rival Alibaba has also set up data centers outside China to expand its cloud business outside the country.The new investment aims to meet growing demand worldwide for the company's cloud services from online games and finance, video and other internet-related industries.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Oracle plans ‘startup organization’ focused on cloud computing, AI and VR

Oracle is hiring people for a "new startup organization" inside its North America operation that will focus on key technology trends, including cloud computing, internet of things, artificial Intelligence, and augmented and virtual reality.The Solution Engineering organization the company is setting up will consist of Solution Engineering Centers in Reston, Virginia and Denver, Colorado.The database and enterprise software company has previously indicated its interest in investing in some of these technology areas like machine learning and analytics.It announced in September last year that it was investing in intelligent cloud applications, called Adaptive Intelligent Applications, “that automatically offer individualized recommended actions and streamline the tasks of business users such as human resource or finance professionals.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

In India, people can now use their thumbs to pay at stores

In its bid to boost digital payments, India introduced Bhim, a smartphone app that lets users make cashless payments and transfer funds.But the Android and iOS versions of Bhim, which stands for Bharat Interface for Money, ran into two roadblocks – many Indians don’t have smartphones and those who have phones cannot afford data connections.On Friday, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Bhim-Aadhaar, a merchant interface for the Bhim app that allows Indians to pay digitally at stores using their thumb imprint through a merchants’ biometric-enabled device, which could be a smartphone having a reader and running the Bhim app.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Samsung sees strong demand for Galaxy S8 despite Note7 fiasco

Samsung is seeing strong demand for its Galaxy S8 and S8+ smartphones, suggesting that consumers may be looking beyond the company’s debacle with the Galaxy Note7.The company’s head of mobile DJ Koh said at a media event in South Korea on Thursday that pre-orders for the Galaxy S8 and S8+ had outstripped those for its predecessors, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, which were launched in March last year.A Samsung spokesperson confirmed Koh’s remarks but did not provide figures for the pre-orders for the devices. The company disclosed, however, the number of pre-orders for the S8 and S8+ in home market South Korea, which were at over 728,000.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

BlackBerry wins $815 million in overpaid royalty to Qualcomm

BlackBerry said Wednesday it has been awarded US$815 million in an arbitration decision for excess royalties it had paid to chip company Qualcomm.Qualcomm and BlackBerry had entered into an agreement in April last year to arbitrate a dispute over whether Qualcomm's agreement to cap certain royalties applied to payments made by BlackBerry under a license agreement between the two companies.Qualcomm has faced charges of excessive royalty rates by regulators as well as other companies. Apple filed a lawsuit in January in a U.S. federal court in California against Qualcomm, objecting, among other things, to the chip company charging a royalty on the selling price of phones rather than on the value of the specific baseband chipset supplied for the iPhone.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Apple is developing its own power management chips, says analyst

It appears that Apple is developing its own power management chips, according to a report from German private bank Bankhaus Lampe. The release of the report Tuesday led to a sharp drop in the shares of Dialog Semiconductor, the current supplier of these chips to the iPhone maker.“The teams of both companies collaborate very closely and thus, Dialog cannot be replaced by a third-party supplier. However, Apple itself could replace Dialog,” wrote analyst Karsten Iltgen.As evidence, the report cited 16 different job openings on Apple’s website for analog/power management engineers for the design center in Munich alone.“A search on social networks such as LinkedIn revealed that Apple has already poached about 20 chip designers, some of them with long-standing experience, from Dialog,” said the report, which estimates that about 40 power-management chip engineers are currently working at the design center in Munich, with a similar number working in the area at the center in California.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

AI player AlphaGo to play Chinese Go champion

DeepMind’s AlphaGo program will test its artificial intelligence capabilities in May against top Go player Ke Jie.The match of three games in Wuzhen, China between AlphaGo and the Chinese player comes about a year after the computer program beat by 4-1 a key player, the South Korean Lee Se-dol, in a game that is regarded as involving more complex strategy than even chess.During the game, players take turns to place black or white pieces, called “stones,” on the 19-by-19 line grid. The aim is to capture the opponent's stones by surrounding them and encircling more empty space as territory. AlphaGo has been seen as a major contender because of its ability to learn from its experience, sometimes resulting in far-from-human but nevertheless successful moves.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Angry Shadow Brokers release password for suspected NSA hacking tools

Annoyed with the U.S. missile strike last week on an airfield in Syria, among other things, hacker group Shadow Brokers resurfaced on Saturday and released what they said was the password to files containing suspected National Security Agency tools they had earlier tried to sell.“Is appearing you are abandoning ‘your base’, ‘the movement’, and the peoples who getting you elected,” the group wrote in broken English in a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump posted online on Saturday.The hacker group, believed by some security experts to have Russian links, released in January an arsenal of tools that appeared designed to spy on Windows systems, after trying to to sell these and other supposedly Windows and Unix hacking tools for bitcoin.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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