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Category Archives for "Network World Wireless"

Dangerous 7-Zip flaws put many other software products at risk

Two vulnerabilities recently patched in 7-Zip could put at risk of compromise many software products and devices that bundle the open-source file archiving library.The flaws, an out-of-bounds read vulnerability and a heap overflow, were discovered by researchers from Cisco's Talos security team. They were fixed in 7-Zip 16.00, released Tuesday.The 7-Zip software can pack and unpack files using a large number of archive formats, including its own 7z format, which is more efficient than ZIP. Its versatility and open-source nature make it an attractive library to include in other software projects that need to process and deal with archived files.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Texting while driving messes with your sixth sense, Texas researchers say

Researchers from the University of Houston and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) say drivers are more distracted when they text than when they are being absent minded or are upset while behind the wheel. The researchers, who based their findings on a study of 59 volunteers/drivers, say a mechanism in the brain automatically corrects for jitter in a driver's arms and hands while steering -- as long as the driver is watching the road. Reading or sending texts while driving takes the driver's eyes off the road, and that's where things becomes unsafe. MORE: Cellphone use involved in more than 1 in 4 crashes | 25 real-life ways people have been hurt using their phonesTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The perils of the public market: Investor reflects on why vendors are going private

Dell may be the largest tech company to ever go private, but it is by no means the only vendor that has decided it would be better off to pursue strategic options without the constant second guessing of public investors.  To learn more about the trend, Network World Editor in Chief John Dix talked with Seth Boro, a Managing Partner at private equity firm Thoma Bravo, which has taken Riverbed, Dynatrace and many other network companies private, and with Kevin Thompson, CEO of SolarWinds, a supplier of IT management tools that Thoma Bravo helped take private in a $4.5 billion deal last February.  Below is the interview with Boro.  Click here for the interview with Thompson from SolarWinds.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

SolarWinds CEO reflects on his company’s decision to join the ranks of tech companies that have gone private

Dell may be the largest tech company to ever go private, but it is by no means the only vendor that has decided it would be better off to pursue strategic options without the constant second guessing of public investors.  To learn more about the trend, Network World Editor in Chief John Dix talked with Seth Boro, a Managing Partner at Private Equity firm Thoma Bravo, which has taken Riverbed, Dynatrace and other network companies private, and with Kevin Thompson, CEO of SolarWinds, a supplier of IT management tools that Thoma Bravo helped take private in a $4.5 billion deal last February. Below is the interview with Thompson from SolarWinds.  Click here for the interview with Boro from Thoma Bravo.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

See what IoT movers and shakers are looking at this week

See what IoT movers and shakers are looking at this weekImage by Stephen LawsonThe Internet of Things World show in Silicon Valley this week is a showcase for a lot of hard-core enterprise technologies, plus some connected objects for consumers. A lot of what’s on show took two or more companies to put together, highlighting the importance of partnerships and ecosystems in IoT.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

US House of Representatives bans Yahoo Mail and Google App Engine over malware concerns

The IT department of the U.S. House of Representatives has blocked access to Yahoo Mail and the Google App Engine platform due to malware threats.On April 30, the House’s Technology Service Desk informed users about an increase in ransomware related emails on third-party email services like Yahoo Mail and Gmail."The House Information Security Office is taking a number of steps to address this specific attack," the Technology Service Desk said in an email obtained and published by Gizmodo. "As part of that effort, we will be blocking access to Yahoo Mail on the House Network until further notice."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

50% off Spigen Tough Armor Volt iPhone 6s case with Wireless Charge Receiver – Deal Alert

This Tough Armor Volt case from Spigen is stylish and tough, but takes it to the next level with an integrated wireless charging receiver for Qi wireless charing compatibility. Mentioned in this article Spigen® [Tough Armor Volt...   See it on Amazon Military-grade certified drop protection keeps your device safe while maintaining a slim profile. And its wireless charging receiver can be easily removed for wired charging. It currently averages 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 6,500 people (read reviews). The current 50% discount significantly reduces it's $59.99 list price, and makes it available now for just $29.99.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

What? No Cisco McPartnersFace?

My first thought yesterday upon seeing that Cisco Partners was asking its Twitter audience to help name its new blog was, “What, have these people learned nothing from the Boaty McBoatface kerfuffle?”Alas, the Cisco social media folks weren’t born yesterday, so they had the good sense to limit those wanting to help name the blog to only three choices. As of this morning, the third option – Weekly Rewind – was enjoying a comfortable lead.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

MacGyver IT: 19 more tools for IT heroes

MacGyver IT: 19 more tools for IT heroesSince my original incarnation of “MacGyver IT” tools four years ago, IT’s on-the-go role has evolved well beyond troubleshooting critical systems in the field. Thanks to an evolution of IT responsibilities and a revolution in technologies, in particular around IoT and video, the mix in our kits is quickly transforming.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IT resume makeover: Breaking through tech jargon

Resume writer Donald Burns was faced with an interesting challenge this time around -- he needed to take a resume that was already in good shape and make it even better. This month, makeover candidate, Sudhakar Gorti, COO and CTO for Environmental Data Resources, recruited Burn's help take his resume from tech-focused to one that showcased his business acumen. This was especially important because his ultimate 10-year goal is to move out of the tech world and become a business executive.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Popular messaging apps present real enterprise threat

Today's mobile device owners commonly use messaging apps to send selfies, command bots to order takeout and collaborate with their coworkers — sometimes simultaneously, and oftentimes via the same app. Nothing in particular precludes messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook's Messenger, Skype or Telegram from being used for work, play and everything in between. However, these consumer-focused apps are becoming the de facto software for corporate communication, and IT professionals have good reason for concern.As the distinction between enterprise and consumer messaging apps blurs, IT's needs and responsibilities are increasingly at odds with those of the workers it supports. Such a disparity can hinder workplace productivity and effective IT management.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The sport of threat hunting, and who should be in the game

“Hunting is not a sport. In a sport, both sides should know they're in the game.”According to Field and Stream magazine, this is an oft quoted hunting expression. There is irony in applying this quote to the cyber security industry where hunting is indeed a sport. The good guys and the bad guys both know that they are in the game.Joseph Loomis, CEO of CyberSponse, works closely with the cyber units at the FBI, DHS and Secret Service described this trendy new cyber sport in which the good guys try to entrench themselves into the world of the dark web.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

After smashing two Atoms, Intel sees mobile future in atomic research

Weeks after cancelling two generations of Atom mobile chips, Intel is paving the way for future low-power mobile technologies with a new research collaboration with a French atomic energy lab.Fundamental research leading towards faster wireless networks, secure low-power technologies for the Internet of Things, and even 3D displays will be the focus of Intel's collaboration with the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA).Intel and the CEA already work together in the field of high-performance computing, and a new agreement signed Thursday will see Intel fund work at the CEA's Laboratory for Electronics and Information Technology (LETI) over the next five years, according to Rajeeb Hazra, vice-president of Intel's data center group.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Networks need automation — just ask the U.S. military

IT professionals are looking to software-defined networking to automate what are still complex and vulnerable systems controlled by human engineers. Major General Sarah Zabel knows where they’re coming from.Zabel is the vice director of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), which provides IT support for all U.S. combat operations. Soldiers, officers, drones, and the president all rely on DISA to stay connected. Its network is the epitome of a system that’s both a headache to manage and a prime hacking target.Zabel was a featured speaker on Tuesday at the Open Networking User Group conference, a Silicon Valley gathering of enterprise IT leaders who want to steer vendors toward technologies that meet their real needs. Members include large retailers, financial institutions, and manufacturers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Hackers exploit unpatched Flash Player vulnerability, Adobe warns

Adobe Systems is working on a patch for a critical vulnerability in Flash Player that hackers are already exploiting in attacks. In the meantime, the company has released other security patches for Reader, Acrobat, and ColdFusion.The Flash Player vulnerability is being tracked as CVE-2016-4117 and affects Flash Player versions 21.0.0.226 and earlier for Windows, OS X, Linux, and Chrome OS. Successful exploitation can allow attackers to take control of affected systems."Adobe is aware of a report that an exploit for CVE-2016-4117 exists in the wild," the company said in an advisory published Tuesday. "Adobe will address this vulnerability in our monthly security update, which will be available as early as May 12."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google I/O 2016: 9 predictions about new products Google will announce

Google already went public with a detailed schedule of the Google I/O 2016 technical sessions. But what will be revealed in the opening two-hour keynote led by Google CEO Sundar Pichai is a tightly held secret until May 18 at 10 a.m. PT. The following are some rumors and educated guesses about what Google could announce during the keynote.1. Augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and 360° video announcements. Google probably won’t announce a VR headset. Not because Google can’t, but because developers’ attention is completely consumed by the Oculus and the HTC Vive maelstrom and because 50 different VR headsets are predicted to be announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next January. Headsets will become a commodity that doesn’t fit Google’s business model—though it may sell one made by a partner, like it sells Nexus Android devices. Google will monetize VR in another way.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Review: 6 machine learning clouds

What we call machine learning can take many forms. The purest form offers the analyst a set of data exploration tools, a choice of ML models, robust solution algorithms, and a way to use the solutions for predictions. The Amazon, Microsoft, Databricks, Google, and IBM clouds all offer prediction APIs that give the analyst various amounts of control. HPE Haven OnDemand offers a limited prediction API for binary classification problems.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

11 ways to get the most out of Google Keep on Android

I really need to upgrade my brain's internal storage.I'm only partially kidding: Just like a hard drive, I'm pretty sure my mind reached maximum capacity at some point in the past decade. The only way I can remember anything these days is by making and maintaining a million notes, both physical and digital. (My wife can confirm this. "I told you that a week ago" is an all-too-common phrase around these parts.)I'm still waiting for Western Digital to start selling SSD implants for the noggin, but in the meantime, Google Keep has become my repository for notes of the non-sticky variety. I like it because it's simple to use and yet packed with features that make my life easier. Plus, it works as well on my desktop computer (via its Web interface or more fully featured Chrome app) as it does on my Android device -- where I tend to use it most frequently.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here