Android EverywhereThat little green Android elf is everywhere this Black Friday 2016 shopping season to help retailers slash the price of tablets, phones and more running Google’s mobile operating system based on the Linux kernel.Here’s where to look if you want to compare Android products to those from Apple or running Windows.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The annual holiday uptick in denial of service attacks will likely continue this year only this time with a new devastating weapon: Internet of Things (IoT) devices, according to Akamai.In its quarterly State of the Internet/Security Report, the company says certain types of DDoS attacks are on the rise compared to the third quarter last year, both in size and number. That doesn’t bode well for users of the internet starting next week.“Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the holiday season in general have long been characterized by a rise in the threat of DDoS attacks,” the report says. “Malicious actors have new tools — IoT botnets — that will almost certainly be used in the coming quarter.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Planetary scientists got together this week in Berlin express support for the future European/NASA asteroid redirect mission to develop technology that one day might prevent the Earth from being smacked by a destructive asteroid.+More on Network World: How to protect Earth from asteroid destruction+Proponents are trying to garner worldwide support for the mission pointing to the European Space Administration ministerial conference in Luzern next month where the decision will be made whether or not to fund the ESA’s Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM). AIM is part of an over-arching collaborative effort with NASA known as theAsteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA) mission.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
This extremely soft, high-quality 6x7 microfiber cloth from MagicFiber absorbs and safely removes dust, oil smudges, fingerprints, and dirt from eyeglasses, camera lenses, computer screens, televisions, and other delicate surfaces without any harsh chemicals. It's machine or hand washable, and is built to last. The cloths are highly rated on Amazon, where it currently averages 4.8 out of 5 stars from over 8,300 people (90% rate 5 stars: read recent reviews). Its typical list price of $29.99 has been reduced 23% to $22.99 for a pack of 30 individually wrapped, so you may decide to toss one in everybody's stocking this holiday season. See the discounted 30-pack of microfiber cleaning cloths now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The Wine Saver is a vacuum pump that extracts the air from an opened wine bottle and re-seals it using a rubber stopper. The airtight vacuum inhibits the oxidation process that is responsible for the deterioration of wine. The vacuum is created by placing a stopper into the neck of the opened bottle and pumping it until resistance is detectable. The pump incorporates a patented 'click' mechanism that indicates when a sufficient airtight environment has been established. Currently averages 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 1,900 people (read reviews). It's discounted 42% on Amazon, so you can get it right now for just $9. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
What not to buy for the holidaysImage by Evil ErinClueless? Yeah, we get it. Every year we have to figure out what to buy our significant others, and a great tech gift often tops the list.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Have you wondered if your internet-connected devices are infected with Mirai malware and were part of the DDoS attacks?In response to the recent IoT DDoS attacks, researchers at Zscaler analyzed IoT traffic patterns not only on the days of the DDoS attacks on Dyn and Krebs on Security, but going back to July.While Zscaler does not believe any of the devices connected to Zscaler Cloud had been compromised and used in the IoT botnet attacks, ThreatLabz researchers analyzed the security of five security cameras, three smart TV entertainment devices, three smart network printers and scanners, two DVRs and NVRs, two IP phones and a partridge in a pear tree. The last one of course was just to see if you were paying attention: no partridges were harmed in the course of this research.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
In 2012, the European Commission proposed new regulations on data protection that would supersede the national laws of the 28 EU member states. It was formally approved in April this year, and it will go into effect May 25, 2018.
This General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) introduces several major changes that will impact many organizations worldwide.
The smart move is to familiarize yourself with the incoming regulation now, and begin preparing to comply with your obligations. The GDPR will apply to any business that operates within the EU, but also any company that processes data from EU citizens. It doesn’t matter where the organization is located.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The whole point of a network is just to connect stuff, right? Connect people to people, people to machines, and machines to machines. It’s pipes and plumbing, a necessary part of the business infrastructure and, hopefully, one that costs less and less over time. After all, it’s a cost center not a growth engine. At least, that’s the way it’s treated by most businesses these days.Most, but not all.+ Also on Network World: Accelerating business innovation: Don't let networks get in the way +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Big dealsWhile Windows phone deals are non-surprisingly almost non-existent for Black Friday 2016, there are plenty of Microsoft Windows desktops and laptops, Surface tablets and Xbox gaming deals being touted this holiday shopping season. Come Nov. 25, and even earlier for many retailers, here are some of the best deals around.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
HP has been hoping that sleek, powerful hardware will lure Apple Mac aficionados to switch to its PCs, and now is aiming the new Z2 Mini mini-desktop at Mac Mini users.The Z2 Mini packs the computing power of a full-size desktop into a box that can be held in one hand. Starting at $699, it will be available worldwide starting in December.HP has been excelling in PC design, with innovative desktops like Pavilion Wave, a cylindrical desktop, and Elite Slice, a modular mini-desktop onto which components can be snapped.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
General Electric’s US$915 million acquisition of field service management company ServiceMax on Monday should help enterprises combine what GE does for industrial products and assets with more tools for those who work on them.GE Digital, the division that’s buying ServiceMax, sells software and services for connecting industrial assets and products in the field, then collecting and analyzing data about them. ServiceMax has a cloud-based platform for tasks like scheduling maintenance calls and making sure the right technician is on each job with the right part.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
"What company would not like to know exactly what its competitor is doing?"To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
Yes, I was hit last week. Forensics are in progress. I got doxxed, too.It has made me realize that most of systems security is an illusion. Here are my favorite alternate realities:1. Everything is safe behind the firewall.Ever heard of UBFWI—as in User’s Been Fooling With It? While IPD/IPS and firewall networked-technology has improved so vastly, there’s nothing like a user with an infected laptop to bring in a lulu.2. Obscure operating systems never get hit. Hackers only go for the gold with Windows.Here, let me laugh out loud and roll on the floor. Mine was an obscure server version on an obscure branch of an obscure BSD limb. Listen to the sound of lunch getting eaten: mine. Chomp, chomp, burp.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Apple appetiteApple traditionally gives retailers little leeway on iPhone, iPad and Mac promotions, even around Black Friday, but retailers do find ways around these restrictions by bundling phones with gift cards and other goodies. Apple typically slips a few Black Friday deals out close to the Thanksgiving holiday. But here are deals we know about already on iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and more. (Black Friday watchers such as BFads and Best Black Friday have been a big help in keeping tabs on deals.)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Recently, one of our neighbors sold their home and they had a Google Nest thermostat. This became an issue during the sale process. The prospective buyers wanted the Nest to remain, but current owners wanted to take it with them.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
Motorola Talkabout MR350 is the ultimate communication tool for the outdoor enthusiast. It boasts a range of up to 35 miles (actual mileage will vary based on a variety of conditions) and is loaded with every possible radio feature. It's also both lightweight and rugged, with extra large buttons to help you operate even with gloves on. The MR350 features 11 weather channels (7 NOAA) with alert features, 22 channels each with 121 privacy codes for superior interference protection, iVOX hands-free communication, and a built-in flashlight. Currently averaging 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 1,300 people (read reviews), its list price of $79.99 has been discounted to $64.99 for a pair of two radios. See it now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
In February of 2013, Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer banned working from home across the entire company. Even employees who were hired on as fulltime remote workers were asked to relocate their desks to the Yahoo offices or lose their jobs.The reasoning?According to Mayer's memo: “To become the absolute best place to work, communication and collaboration will be important, so we need to be working side-by-side. That is why it is critical that we are all present in our offices. … Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
After Eugene Kaspersky, the founder of Kaspersky Lab, ripped into Microsoft for anti-competitive behavior in Windows 10, the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) opened a case against Microsoft for “abusing dominance.”Microsoft claimed to have a “long history of cooperation” with Kaspersky and that it is “committed to work in full compliance with Russian law.”Yet, Russia has already decided to block Microsoft-owned LinkedIn since the law requires Russian citizens’ personal data to be stored on servers within its country. In the past, Microsoft made LinkedIn censorship changes to cater to China, as opposed to being blocked like Google and Facebook. It remains to be seen if Microsoft will localize Russian users’ data as the country’s law demands. The New York Times added that it was unclear why LinkedIn was targeted, “rather than any other major social networking site,” but that is a “sign of growing tensions for American tech companies operating” in Russia.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
After Eugene Kaspersky, the founder of Kaspersky Lab, ripped into Microsoft for anticompetitive behavior in Windows 10, the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) opened a case against Microsoft for “abusing dominance.”Microsoft claimed to have a “long history of cooperation” with Kaspersky and that it is “committed to work in full compliance with Russian law.”Yet, Russia has already decided to block Microsoft-owned LinkedIn, since the law requires Russian citizens’ personal data to be stored on servers within its country. In the past, Microsoft made LinkedIn censorship changes to cater to China, as opposed to being blocked like Google and Facebook. It remains to be seen if Microsoft will localize Russian users’ data as the country’s law demands. The New York Times added that it was unclear why LinkedIn was targeted, “rather than any other major social networking site,” but that is a “sign of growing tensions for American tech companies operating” in Russia.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here