U.S. warnings and public scrutiny of hacks by groups believed to be China-based may have led to an overall decrease in intrusions by these groups against targets in the U.S. and 25 other countries, a security firm said.From mid-2014, after the U.S. Government took punitive measures against China, including indicting members of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army for computer hacking, economic espionage and other charges, and raised the possibility of sanctions, FireEye has seen a notable decline in successful network compromises by China-based groups in these countries.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
One of the best things about a build-your-own PC is you can make sure no crapware/bloatware is installed, since you are buying a bard hard drive to start. No unwanted apps or utilities that cause more harm than good. You install the OS and the apps you want. Unfortunately, not everyone is as good with a screwdriver as me, and most folks prefer to buy a brand-name PC. That's especially true for laptops, since the white box/builders market is primarily for tower builders. So, laptop buyers have no choice but to put up with unwanted apps that clog the hard drive and memory.+ Also on Network World: Windows 10 Anniversary Update: A guide to the builds +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
This week container lovers are convening in Seattle for the annual Dockercon conference and a major theme this year is how to manage containers at scale.To kick off the conference Docker – the company that open sourced the popular container runtime of the same name and now sells commercially supported software for running containers – announced native integration of container orchestration platform named Swarm into its product.Swarm has been an open source project for managing groups of containers, but Docker today announced that its container runtime will ship with an optional Swarm Mode.+MORE AT NETWORK WORLD: HPE looks to move data between computers at the speed of light | Platform 9 is the latest to ease container deployment woes +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will move to open up high-frequency spectrum to not-yet-available 5G mobile services in an effort to bring the superfast wireless connections to U.S. consumers.The FCC, during its July 14 meeting, will vote on a proposal to open up a whopping 14 gigahertz of high-band spectrum to unlicensed wireless use, Chairman Tom Wheeler said Monday. Wheeler didn't offer a lot of details about the proposal during his speech."We will be repeating the proven formula that made the United States the world leader in 4G," Wheeler said in a speech. "It’s a simple formula: Lead the world in spectrum availability, encourage and protect innovation-driving competition, and stay out of the way of technological development."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
It's been just about six months since IBM closed its acquisition of The Weather Company, but it's not resting on its laurels. This week Big Blue moved to leverage The Weather Company's go-to-market strength to launch Deep Thunder, a machine learning-driven weather model developed by IBM Research to help industries ranging from aviation and agriculture to retail better predict the business impact of weather."One of the greatest things about being part of IBM is having a relationship with IBM's Research arm," says Mary Glackin, head of Science & Forecast Operations for The Weather Company.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Because there are so many different kinds of third parties, identifying whether they do or don’t have the right infrastructure or security protocols can be a challenge. Moreover, doing the proper due diligence needed to vet third-party vendors can be costly and time consuming.As so many organizations rely on a variety of different providers, third parties can become the gateways to the network. In order to mitigate the risk of a breach from a third party, enterprises need to design a vetting process and understand the language of the service-level agreemen in order to best evaluate their contracts.[ ALSO ON CSO: How to achieve better third-party security: Let us count the ways ]To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Real-life cyber mysteriesImage by ThinkstockWhy spend your beach time this summer reading fictional mystery novels when real world mysteries are swirling through the cyber sphere? BAE Systems has put together a summer reading list for cyber security professionals. It includes titles that cover the international underworld of money laundering, the greatest criminal minds in hacking, insights into understanding how cyber criminals think, the impact of potential cyber attacks and cyber wars on mission critical targets as well as practical advice and business lessons on cyber security.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
My adventures, for the first day or so, in using nothing but a Linux terminal proved to be mostly successful. I ended up needing to jump through a few hoops to get my work done, but everything was doable.After having spent the full weekend within the confines of the shell, my results are much more of a mixed bag.In this article, I focus on social media: Twitter, Reddit, that sort of thing. For some of them, I have totally awesome solutions. Some I’m still struggling to find a solution for—with very little hope in sight.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Because of a plethora of data from sensor networks, Internet of Things devices and big data resources combined with a dearth of data scientists to effectively mold that data, we are leaving many important applications – from intelligence to science and workforce management – on the table.It is a situation the researchers at DARPA want to remedy with a new program called Data-Driven Discovery of Models (D3M). The goal of D3M is to develop algorithms and software to help overcome the data-science expertise gap by facilitating non-experts to construct complex empirical models through automation of large parts of the model-creation process. If successful, researchers using D3M tools will effectively have access to an army of “virtual data scientists,” DARPA stated.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Some buyers of e-books will begin to receive payments Tuesday as part of a settlement in a price-fixing case against Apple.
People who purchased e-books between April 1, 2010, and May 21, 2012, will receive credits from e-book sellers, or will get a check if they opted out of receiving credits, according to Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, a consumer-rights class-action law firm involved in the lawsuit against Apple.
As part of the Apple settlement of the case, e-book buyers will receive US$6.93 for every purchase that was a New York Times bestseller and $1.57 for every other e-book. The settlement covers e-books purchased from Apple as well as from other retailers, including Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Modern computer and internet technology is amazing, allowing us to do an incredible number of things that simple weren’t possible before, both individually and as part of larger organizations.But anyone who works with computer and mobile devices knows that everything isn’t perfect. Too often, computer systems are frustratingly hard to use. And now, the Nielsen Norman Group has identified a new problem stemming from sub-optimal user interfaces: computer-assisted embarrassment.Earlier this month, Susan Farrell described the phenomenon this way: “Smart devices have invaded our world and inserted themselves in almost every context of our existence. Their flaws and faulty interactions are no longer only theirs—they reflect badly on their users and embarrass them in front of others.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
It's a well-known fact in the IT world: Change one part of the software stack, and there's a good chance you'll have to change another. For a shining example, look no further than big data.First, big data shook up the database arena, ushering in a new class of "scale out" technologies. That's the model exemplified by products like Hadoop, MongoDB, and Cassandra, where data is distributed across multiple commodity servers rather than packed into one massive one. The beauty there, of course, is the flexibility: To accommodate more petabytes, you just add another inexpensive machine or two rather than "scaling up" and paying big bucks for a bigger mammoth.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Montreal, Quebec, was named “Intelligent Community of the Year” this week at the annual Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) Summit. In the face of economic decline and political scandals, Canada’s largest French-speaking city began its turnaround with a Smart City plan starting in 2011.The city, home to a 10th of Canada’s population, had endured trade losses, an eclipse of manufacturing, and years of separatist nostalgia. The new Montreal staked its future on a broader economic base of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), aerospace, health sciences, and clean technologies. These sectors now field 6,250 companies with 10% of the region’s workforce.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Globalstar’s plan to open a new Wi-Fi channel under its control is nearing the moment of truth after years of regulatory wrangling.The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is considering Globalstar’s plan, and a vote could come at any time. News reports suggest it might be close.If Globalstar gets its way, Wi-Fi users in the U.S. will have one more channel, which could reduce congestion and improve performance. But both their mobile devices and the hotspots they use would need firmware upgrades to take advantage of the new frequency, and the channel wouldn’t necessarily be open to everyone.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
New data breaches are coming to light almost weekly and they reveal a simple but troubling fact: many people still choose weak passwords and reuse them across multiple sites. The reality is, remembering dozens of complex passwords is almost impossible, and carrying them around on a scrap of paper that you have to keep updating is a huge hassle. That’s why password managers exist. Here’s why they’re important, and how to get the most out of them.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
You may find many uses for this versatile and powerful file hub from RAVPower, currently discounted 58% on Amazon from $75.99 down to just $31.99. Let's run down the features:
Let up to 5 devices wirelessly connect to the FileHub wireless network, to access its SD card and/or USB storage to share files
Media server capabilities, allowing wirelessly connected devices to stream audio and video from any attached storage device
Move files freely between all connected methods of storage and devices, including tablets and phones
Bridge an existing wireless network, create a new secure network and share with family or friends, or bridge to connect to devices such as Chromecast in hotels
Built-in power bank charges your device when you can't access a power source
RAVPower's FileHub currently averages 4 out of 5 stars from over 1,700 customers (read reviews). For more information or to explore buying options, see the discounted FileHub now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Ahead of Apple's WWDC keynote this year, one of the more bizarre and sketchy rumors we saw take shape claimed that Apple was planning to deliver iMessage to Android. As is typically the case, the rumor mill took this somewhat ridiculous rumor and ran with it.+ Also on Network World: A closer look at Apple’s biggest announcements from WWDC 2016 +The only problem is that some people were so busy trying to figure out the ramifications of iMessage hitting Android that they didn't take a step back and try to figure out if this is something Apple would even contemplate in the first place. Remember, every move Apple makes is strategic and geared towards making more money, either via device sales or software. That being the case, iMessage on Android would not only be a free app, but it would also eliminate a user-experience advantage of iOS.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
This premium e-learning bundle from Adobe features top-notch instruction on all things photography. You’ll dive into over 65 hours of content, encompassing everything from shooting black-and-white photography to acing the Photoshop certification exam. Normally valued over $900, you can get the full bundle today for just $64 - over 90% off.Here’s a list of the included courses:
Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop CC Exam GuideTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus face a potential sales ban in China due to a patent dispute with a little-known local company.The phones infringe a design patent held by Chinese device maker Shenzhen Baili, a Beijing intellectual property office ruled, according to a notice posted Thursday.The office ordered Apple and its partners to halt sales of both products, though Apple has appealed and the phones are currently still on sale there."We appealed an administrative order from a regional patent tribunal in Beijing last month and as a result the order has been stayed pending review by the Beijing IP Court," Apple said Friday in an email. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
An article on Boing Boing is stirring up fears that Intel x86 processors have a secret control mechanism that no one is allowed to audit or examine, so consequently, this could expose systems to unkillable, undetectable rootkit attacks. In an article that is equal parts technical and fear-inducing, Damien Zammit is up front about his goal. He declared he had made it his mission to get Intel to replace this system with a free, open source replacement "before it's too late."+ Also on Network World: Intel declares independence from the PC +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here