40-plus eye-popping Black Friday 2016 tech deals

Black Friday frenzySome have begun referring to this month as Black November since Black Friday sales have stretched far beyond Thanksgiving Day and Nov. 25. But who’s complaining when hundreds of dollars are being lopped off the prices of the hottest smartphones, tablets, PCs and gaming systems. Here’s a look at some of the best deals.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Suspected Russian hackers target US think tanks after election

Hours after Donald Trump won the presidential election, a suspected Russian cyberespionage team was blamed for targeting several U.S. think tanks with phishing emails designed to fool victims into installing malware.On Wednesday, the phishing emails landed in the inboxes of dozens of targets associated with U.S. think tanks and non-governmental organizations, said security firm Volexity.A hacking group called APT 29 or Cozy Bear was behind the attack, according to Veloxity. This is one of the same groups that security experts say was also responsible for hacking the Democratic National Committee and is allegedly tied to the Russian government.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Suspected Russian hackers target US think tanks after election

Hours after Donald Trump won the presidential election, a suspected Russian cyberespionage team was blamed for targeting several U.S. think tanks with phishing emails designed to fool victims into installing malware.On Wednesday, the phishing emails landed in the inboxes of dozens of targets associated with U.S. think tanks and non-governmental organizations, said security firm Volexity.A hacking group called APT 29 or Cozy Bear was behind the attack, according to Veloxity. This is one of the same groups that security experts say was also responsible for hacking the Democratic National Committee and is allegedly tied to the Russian government.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Would HPE Acquire SimpliVity?

For just $4B, HPE could up its game against Nutanix.

Downbeat Ericsson CEO Wants AT&T to Buy Time Warner

A reorg creates three Ericsson segments, one of which is 'media.'

What will Trump do with the H-1B visa?

President-elect Donald Trump, working with Congress, may try to make it harder and more expensive to hire H-1B workers. His intent would be to change the economics of visa usage and encourage employers to hire U.S. workers.Trump could do this by working with a bipartisan group in Congress committed to reform. But Trump also has executive power levers and could impose changes on his first day in office. He also can prod various federal agencies to launch investigations into visa use.Ron Hira, associate professor of public policy at Howard University, said it’s too early to predict what a Trump administration will do, if anything, about the visa programs. Republicans and Democrats have splits on this issue in each of their parties, and “business interest groups will be out in full force trying to stop any sensible reform.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google punishes web backsliders in Chrome

Google said it will deal with website recidivists that have dodged the company's punishments for spreading malware and spawning email scams.When Google flags sites for hosting malicious code or unwanted software, or running some kind of scam, users see warnings in Chrome and other browsers. The alerts appear as long as Google believes the site poses a threat.But after making changes to align their sites with Google's "Safe Browsing" terms, webmasters may ask Google to lift the virtual embargo.Not surprisingly, some took advantage of the mechanism for lifting the warnings. Sites would cease their illicit practices, but only long enough to get back into Google's good graces. Once Google gave the all-clear, the once-dirty-then-clean site would have a serious relapse and again distribute malware or spew phishing emails.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google punishes web backsliders in Chrome

Google said it will deal with website recidivists that have dodged the company's punishments for spreading malware and spawning email scams.When Google flags sites for hosting malicious code or unwanted software, or running some kind of scam, users see warnings in Chrome and other browsers. The alerts appear as long as Google believes the site poses a threat.But after making changes to align their sites with Google's "Safe Browsing" terms, webmasters may ask Google to lift the virtual embargo.Not surprisingly, some took advantage of the mechanism for lifting the warnings. Sites would cease their illicit practices, but only long enough to get back into Google's good graces. Once Google gave the all-clear, the once-dirty-then-clean site would have a serious relapse and again distribute malware or spew phishing emails.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Visibility, security top concerns for cloud computing adoption

Enterprises considering adopting public clouds are concerned about where their data is located and how it's protected, according to a new survey by IDG.Companies will have about 60 percent of their IT environment in public, private, or hybrid clouds, according to a survey of about 1,000 IT decision makers.Of those considering public cloud deployments, the top concerns were where data is stored, at 43 percent of respondents, and security, with 41 percent of respondents.And with all the high-profile hacks of well-known online brand names, it's no surprise.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How to pick the right cloud storage service

Cloud storage is an indispensable tool in today's hyper-connected world. But unlike the early days of cloud storage, when vendors regularly rolled out new capabilities and routinely bumped up storage limits, the market has matured in terms of capabilities and storage norms. Here are some key factors to consider before choosing a new cloud storage service.Getting started with the cloud One of the first things you should do when choosing between cloud services is compare storage options, features and costs. Free offerings might work if you need only the basics, but some of the most important or advanced capabilities are available only via paid plans. Some cloud services offer very limited storage space for free, and some offer none at all.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How to maintain data and document security with a mobile workforce

Pragmatic approachImage by ThinkstockData and document security with today’s mobile workforce can be a difficult challenge. This is not a “one-size-fits-all” problem; one needs to weigh the risks to ensure that you are operating within a tolerable risk level or the opposite in which you put significant controls around devices, hamper productivity for no benefit. Take a pragmatic approach – you want the ability to clearly and justly answer the organization's question of, “Why is this security measure necessary?” As security leaders, we want to allow your teams to move as fast as possible and not deploy a policy or technology because someone touts it as the best way to do something. Security vendor Conga provides these tips for that healthy balance.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How to maintain data and document security with a mobile workforce

Pragmatic approachImage by ThinkstockData and document security with today’s mobile workforce can be a difficult challenge. This is not a “one-size-fits-all” problem; one needs to weigh the risks to ensure that you are operating within a tolerable risk level or the opposite in which you put significant controls around devices, hamper productivity for no benefit. Take a pragmatic approach – you want the ability to clearly and justly answer the organization's question of, “Why is this security measure necessary?” As security leaders, we want to allow your teams to move as fast as possible and not deploy a policy or technology because someone touts it as the best way to do something. Security vendor Conga provides these tips for that healthy balance.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Windows 10 Build 14965 shows a virtual touchpad that could replace the mouse

Microsoft’s latest Windows Insider build 14965 is showing a "virtual touchpad" feature that could replace the mouse—or in any case, make life easier for Windows tablet users. It puts a touchpad on your tablet screen, so you can use that instead of a mouse whenever you connect your device to a larger display.Features that pop up in builds don't always make it to final versions, of course, but this feature is intriguing. From the sounds of it, first-time setup is fairly easy. When a tablet, such as the Surface Pro 4, is connected to an external display, open the Action Center and tap on the Project Quick Action tile. This will extend the Windows desktop to the external display. Next, long-press the taskbar on your tablet. When it appears select Show touchpad button.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

After Donald Trump’s victory, Tim Cook sent this letter to Apple employees

Earlier this week, Donald Trump shocked pollsters and political pundits across the country after winning the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Despite an incredibly close race, Trump managed to win the election after over-performing in a number of key battleground states, such as Michigan, Florida and Pennsylvania. Consequently, Trump received more than the needed 270 electoral votes even though Hillary Clinton received more votes in the popular vote.Taking a step back, it would be a gross understatement to call this year's election divisive. Trump is nothing if not controversial, and his recent victory has generated a tremendous amount of backlash and fear on the left and an equal amount of applause on the right.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

On the ‘Web: Fibbing and SDN

The last post on the topic of SDNs discussed BGP as a southbound interface to control policy. This form of SDN was once common in hyperscale data centers (though not as common as it once was). In our pursuit of out of the way (and hence interestingly different) forms of SDNs (hopefully this series will help you understand the scope and meaning of the concept of SDNs by examining both common and uncommon cases), it’s time to look at another unusual form of policy injection—Fibbing. In fibbing, a centralized controller engineers traffic flow in a link state network by interacting with the control plane directly, rather than interacting with the forwarding plane or the RIB. —ECI

The post On the ‘Web: Fibbing and SDN appeared first on 'net work.

Trump Win Could Be Beneficial To Some Tech Firms

One-time tax could be a boon to some international tech companies including Cisco, Apple, and Juniper.

CenturyLink, Level 3 Combo Looks to SD-WAN to Build Enterprise Biz

CenturyLink expects the Level 3 deal to close by 3Q 2017.

Hacker shows how easy it is to take over a city’s public Wi-Fi network

In a perfect example of how public wireless networks can be dangerous for privacy and security, an Israeli hacker showed that he could have taken over the free Wi-Fi network of an entire city.On his way home from work one day, Amihai Neiderman, the head of research at Israeli cybersecurity firm Equus Technologies, spotted a wireless hotspot that he hadn't seen before. What made it unusual was that it was in an area with no buildings.It turned out that the hotspot he saw, advertised as "FREE_TLV," was part of the citywide free Wi-Fi network set up by the local administration of Tel Aviv, Israel. This made Neiderman wonder: How secure is it?To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Hacker shows how easy it is to take over a city’s public Wi-Fi network

In a perfect example of how public wireless networks can be dangerous for privacy and security, an Israeli hacker showed that he could have taken over the free Wi-Fi network of an entire city.On his way home from work one day, Amihai Neiderman, the head of research at Israeli cybersecurity firm Equus Technologies, spotted a wireless hotspot that he hadn't seen before. What made it unusual was that it was in an area with no buildings.It turned out that the hotspot he saw, advertised as "FREE_TLV," was part of the citywide free Wi-Fi network set up by the local administration of Tel Aviv, Israel. This made Neiderman wonder: How secure is it?To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Hacker shows how easy it is to take over a city’s public Wi-Fi network

In a perfect example of how public wireless networks can be dangerous for privacy and security, an Israeli hacker showed that he could have taken over the free Wi-Fi network of an entire city.On his way home from work one day, Amihai Neiderman, the head of research at Israeli cybersecurity firm Equus Technologies, spotted a wireless hotspot that he hadn't seen before. What made it unusual was that it was in an area with no buildings.It turned out that the hotspot he saw, advertised as "FREE_TLV," was part of the citywide free Wi-Fi network set up by the local administration of Tel Aviv, Israel. This made Neiderman wonder: How secure is it?To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here