On Saturday, the hacking group The Dark Overlord followed through with threats to release 10 of 13 new Orange Is the New Black episodes that it had in its possession after Netflix failed to pay a ransom. The Dark Overlord, or TDO, allegedly has tried to extort money from other big networks as well and used the leak to threaten those networks.TDO tweeted: “Who is next on the list? FOX, IFC, NAT GEO, and ABC. Oh, what fun we’re all going to have. We’re not playing games anymore.”
Who is next on the list? FOX, IFC, NAT GEO, and ABC. Oh, what fun we're all going to have. We're not playing any games anymore.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
On Saturday, the hacking group The Dark Overlord followed through with threats to release 10 of 13 new Orange Is the New Black episodes that it had in its possession after Netflix failed to pay a ransom. The Dark Overlord, or TDO, allegedly has tried to extort money from other big networks as well and used the leak to threaten those networks.TDO tweeted: “Who is next on the list? FOX, IFC, NAT GEO, and ABC. Oh, what fun we’re all going to have. We’re not playing games anymore.”
Who is next on the list? FOX, IFC, NAT GEO, and ABC. Oh, what fun we're all going to have. We're not playing any games anymore.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Here's a Bluetooth keyboard for your computer that you can also use with your tablet and smartphone -- switch between all three effortlessly by just turning the dial. And unlike other Bluetooth keyboards, Logitech has integrated a cradle so your device stays propped up at just the right angle as you type. Works with Windows or Mac, Android or iOS, and features a key layout you'll be familiar with on any of those platforms. Logitech's multi-device keyboard currently averages 4 out of 5 stars from over 1,450 people (read reviews) on Amazon, where its typical list price of $49.99 has been recently dropped 44% to just $27.99. See this deal now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Lydia Kavraki, a professor of computer science and bioengineering at Rice University, has been named as the 2017-2018 Athena Lecturer by the Association for Computing Machinery in recognition her work in robotics. Initiated in 2006 by the ACM Council on Women in Computing, the Athena Lecturer Award celebrates women researchers who have made fundamental contributions to computer science and comes with a cash prize of $25K via Google. And there is an actual lecture, to be presented at an ACM event. Association for Computing Machinery/Rice University
Lydia Kavraki, Professor of Computer Science and Bioengineering at Rice UniversityTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Hundreds of thousands of internet gateway devices around the world, primarily residential cable modems, are vulnerable to hacking because of a serious weakness in their Simple Network Management Protocol implementation.SNMP is used for automated network device identification, monitoring and remote configuration. It is supported and enabled by default in many devices, including servers, printers, networking hubs, switches and routers.Independent researchers Ezequiel Fernandez and Bertin Bervis recently found a way to bypass SNMP authentication on 78 models of cable modems that ISPs from around the world have provided to their customers.Their internet scans revealed hundreds of thousands of devices whose configurations could be changed remotely through the SNMP weakness that they found and dubbed StringBleed.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The majority of IT leaders are happy with the H-1B visa program as is and say that proposed changes will make it harder to fill skilled IT roles, according to survey released by IT recruiting firm Harvey Nash this week.Following the Trump administration’s executive order earlier this month calling for restructuring the temporary skilled labor program relied on most heavily by IT service providers and technology giants, Harvey Nash polled 174 U.S. IT leaders across 20 industries. Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of respondents in companies with fifty or more developers said that the current H-1B visa program has helped them meeting their needs for highly skilled IT talent. Six out of 10 IT leaders with large development teams said the proposed H-1B changes would make skilled IT talent less available, and 68 percent of them predicted that proposed reforms would increase the cost for certain IT roles.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
To most people, Jeff Bezos’ Amazon is known as the company reshaping the way people buy everything from books to shoes to groceries. But the part of Amazon that is driving Bezos within shouting distance of becoming the world’s richest person doesn’t really sell anything, it rents computing power in the cloud.The cloud is more profitable than e-tailing
As the New York Times put it on Thursday, “The profit Amazon can make on cloud-computing services is significantly bigger than in its retail sales, and that has helped turn the Seattle company from a consistent money-loser to a respectable moneymaker.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Intel is forecasting a "slight decline" in its premium chip prices for the remainder of the year, and AMD's Ryzen chips could have played a part in that.Prices of Intel's chips in both desktops and laptops went up in the first quarter. That helped drive up the quarterly revenue for Client Computing Group -- which deals in PC chips -- to $8 billion, which was up 6 percent compared to the same quarter last year.But Intel's PC chips now face serious competition from AMD's new Ryzen chip, which was released last month. Ryzen chips offer competitive performance, and are priced significantly lower.AMD's fastest Ryzen 7 1800X chip -- targeted at gamers -- has eight cores and is priced at $499. A comparable chip like Intel's Core i7-6900K is priced at $1,089. Intel's fastest gaming chip is the Core i7-6950X Extreme Edition chip, which is priced at $1,723.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
A U.S. Federal Communications Commission proposal to scrap the foundation for its own 2015 net neutrality rules nevertheless asks for public comment on whether it should "keep, modify, or eliminate" basic protections.FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's proposal, announced Wednesday, would remove the FCC's two-year-old classification of broadband as a broadly regulated, telecom-like service. But the text of the plan, released Thursday, suggests the FCC will consider retaining some rules prohibiting broadband providers from selectively blocking or slowing web-based content and services.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The University of California IT workers replaced by an offshore outsourcing firm intend to file a lawsuit challenging their dismissal. The lawsuit may be filed as early as next week.It will allege that the tech workers at the university's San Francisco campus were victims of age and national origin discrimination.The IT employees lost their jobs in February after the university hired India-based IT services firm HCL. Approximately 50 full-time university employees lost their jobs, but another 30 contractor positions were cut as well.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Enterprises that try to slow down Microsoft's upgrade train by skipping one of the twice-yearly Windows 10 refreshes will have to hustle to stay in support, according to the company's latest scheduling disclosures.Corporate users of Windows 10 may have as little as two months to deploy a feature upgrade after passing on the one prior. Only if IT administrators are willing to roll out a consumer-quality version -- one that Microsoft has not yet given the approved-for-business green light -- will they have up to six months to upgrade employees' PCs.Those limitations come from Microsoft's latest pledge to support any given Windows 10 feature upgrade for 18 months, and the company's long-standing timeline on how it moves each upgrade from development to release, first to consumers and then to commercial customers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Google is still an advertising company, but the tech titan’s cloud business is growing faster than its advertising revenue. That’s one of the key take-aways from the company’s first quarter earnings report released Thursday.Google Cloud Platform is one of the fastest-growing lines of revenue across Alphabet, the parent company that includes Google and other businesses like self-driving car maker Waymo, company CFO Ruth Porat said on a conference call with analysts. That growth is driven in part by a change in the way companies are working with Google Cloud.“Over the last several months, we have noticed a change in the types of conversations that Diane [Greene] and her team are having with customers,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai said. “Increasingly, we are being asked to partner for mission-critical projects and full migrations, moving data from on-prem data centers to the cloud. We are seeing a meaningful shift, and this momentum is resulting in a fast-growing business.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
To prove it's going big in PCs, Acer held a product launch event at world's largest IMAX screen in New York City. It made a big statement with the Predator Triton 700, a super-thin laptop with some unusual features.At first glance, the Triton 700 looks like any other thin gaming laptop. The surprises start when you open it up. The keyboard and touchpad trade locations. The keyboard is placed at the bottom, while the extended touchpad is above it.The oversized touchpad is also transparent, giving a glimpse into cooling components of the laptop, like its unique AeroBlade cooling fan. That design was inspired by transparent gaming desktops, and it is something gamers will love, said Eric Ackerson, senior product and marketing manager at Acer.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Roomba 960 seamlessly navigates room to room to clean an entire level of your home, recharging itself after working for up to 75 minutes, and then resuming until the job is done. Featuring the revolutionary AeroForce Cleaning System, Roomba 960 delivers up to 5x the air power and requires less maintenance. Just press clean or schedule Roomba on the go with the iRobot Home App, from which you can also monitor its cleaning status. Roomba works on all floor types, and at just 3.6 inches tall, is specifically designed to fit under most furniture, beds and kickboards. The 960 features the iAdapt camera, which helps Roomba continually build and update its map of rooms within a home. The very full featured Roomba 960 averages 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon and is currently discounted $100 off its typical list price, making it available right now for $599. See this deal now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
F5’s new President and CEO, Francois Locoh-Donou, took over the reins of the application delivery networking company April 3, replacing longtime leader John McAdam who retired in 2015 but stepped back into the position when his replacement resigned in December of that year for “personal conduct matters.” Locoh-Donou was mostly recently COO of Ciena, a telecom equipment supplier. Network World Editor in Chief John Dix talked with Locoh-Donou yesterday about his plans and ambitions for F5 after Locoh-Donou hosted his first F5 quarterly earnings call (Q2 revenue up 7% year-over-year to $518 million). Given your history in the technology business, are there any experiences in particular that will guide you in this new role?To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Microsoft has set the gold standard for tablet-style 2-in-1 devices with its Surface Pro, and other PC vendors have followed suit with their own designs. Acer's latest Surface-style device, the Switch 5, offers a couple of advantages but lacks in other areas.I had a chance to play with the Switch 5 at an Acer event in New York City, where new PCs and tablets were announced. The Switch 5 is a tablet first, but a keyboard attachment can be hooked up to make it a laptop.As a tablet, the Switch 5 is quite light, about the equivalent of the Surface Pro 4. The device doesn't look as polished as the Surface Pro, nor does it have the premium finish. But it does have solid technologies, like the latest Intel processor and liquid cooling, that set it apart from rival devices.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Microsoft has set the gold standard for tablet-style 2-in-1 devices with its Surface Pro, and other PC vendors have followed suit with their own designs. Acer's latest Surface-style device, the Switch 5, offers a couple of advantages but lacks in other areas.I had a chance to play with the Switch 5 at an Acer event in New York City, where new PCs and tablets were announced. The Switch 5 is a tablet first, but a keyboard attachment can be hooked up to make it a laptop.As a tablet, the Switch 5 is quite light, about the equivalent of the Surface Pro 4. The device doesn't look as polished as the Surface Pro, nor does it have the premium finish. But it does have solid technologies, like the latest Intel processor and liquid cooling, that set it apart from rival devices.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
The effort to grow in the virtual reality market has Acer chasing weird, but rather interesting, devices.The company introduced the Holo 360 camera, which is first and foremost a 360-degree camera. It can capture 3D content, much like other 360-degree cameras, and could be used to capture, view, and create content for VR headsets.But, seemingly as an afterthought, the device also has WiFi and LTE connectivity. The device itself looks like a bulky smartphone and can be used to make phone calls. It has a small screen, much like those on candy-bar phones.It's clearly not designed to be a full-fledged smartphone. No information about the chipset was provided. Different countries have different types of networks, and not all modems support all networks, especially in countries like China.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
It was not a big announcement from Google this week, but in a way it could be seen as a symbolic one.In a blog post, Google announced new functionality that will allow its Cloud Endpoints API (Application Programming Interface) management platform to integrate with Amazon Web Service’s Lambda functions-as-a-service product. The idea is you can build an application in Lambda and use Google Cloud’s Endpoints to manage API calls associated with it.+MORE AT NETWORK WORLD: Serverless explainer: The next generation of cloud infrastructure +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
Many people are worried about putting smart internet-connected devices in their homes or offices because of flaws that could allow attackers into their private networks.Web optimization and security firm Cloudflare is trying to alleviate those fears with a new service that could allow internet-of-things manufacturers to protect devices from attacks and deploy patches much quicker.Cloudflare's content delivery network is used by millions of people and companies to increase the performance of their websites and to protect them from malicious traffic. The company's servers work as invisible proxies between websites and visitors, providing on-the-fly encryption and firewall protection.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here