Iranian hacker group knows who is on Telegram

Hackers obtained the mobile phone numbers of 15 million Iranian users of the Telegram encrypted messaging app, and hacked the accounts of more than a dozen of them, security researchers say.The accounts were hacked through interception of SMS confirmation codes sent to the associated phone numbers, security researchers Claudio Guarnieri and Collin Anderson told Reuters.The revelations show once again how use of encryption can pit technology companies against governments. Telegram founder Pavel Durov has in the past sided with Apple CEO Tim Cook against the FBI on the question of whether governments should have access to the contents of smartphones.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Iranian hacker group knows who is on Telegram

Hackers obtained the mobile phone numbers of 15 million Iranian users of the Telegram encrypted messaging app, and hacked the accounts of more than a dozen of them, security researchers say.The accounts were hacked through interception of SMS confirmation codes sent to the associated phone numbers, security researchers Claudio Guarnieri and Collin Anderson told Reuters.The revelations show once again how use of encryption can pit technology companies against governments. Telegram founder Pavel Durov has in the past sided with Apple CEO Tim Cook against the FBI on the question of whether governments should have access to the contents of smartphones.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Juniper vMX Multicast Configuration

How does Internet work - We know what is networking

I’m fairly new to Juniper CLI. For one of my first tries, I decided to make my life difficult by starting with multicast configuration on virtual vMX routers running as VMs on VMware ESXi. It took a lot of investigation about some part of this configuration specially the tunnel interface which you will see below. I decided to put it here all in one place with the explanation of every step because Juniper documentation tends to assume that you know more than me. If that is not the case, this short description is for you. Here’s how the topology looks like. I have

Juniper vMX Multicast Configuration

Top 10 cities for tech workers

(Insider Story)

IBM creates artificial neurons from phase change memory for cognitive computing

IBM scientists have created artificial neurons and synapses using phase change memory (PCM) that mimics the brain's cognitive learning capability. It is the first time the researchers were able to create what they described as "randomly spiking neurons" using phase-change materials to store and process data. The discovery is a milestone in developing energy-sipping and highly dense neuro networks that could be used for cognitive computing applications. In short, the technology can be used to improve today's processors in order to perform computations in applications such as data-correlation detection for the Internet of Things (IoT), stock market trades and social media posts at a staggeringly fast rate.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IBM creates artificial neurons from phase change memory for cognitive computing

IBM scientists have created artificial neurons and synapses using phase change memory (PCM) that mimics the brain's cognitive learning capability. It is the first time the researchers were able to create what they described as "randomly spiking neurons" using phase-change materials to store and process data. The discovery is a milestone in developing energy-sipping and highly dense neuro networks that could be used for cognitive computing applications. In short, the technology can be used to improve today's processors in order to perform computations in applications such as data-correlation detection for the Internet of Things (IoT), stock market trades and social media posts at a staggeringly fast rate.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

15 low-code tools for building mobile apps fast

More no-code and low-code development toolsThe debates over mobile web, native code, and hybrid mobile apps may never end, but one thing everyone can agree on is that we can’t build mobile apps fast enough. Low-code development platforms take a visual, drag-and-drop approach to building apps, allowing developers to deliver applications faster at lower costs. So-called no-code tools even promise to put app building within reach of nondevelopers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Politics blamed for feds’ reliance on old IT

The U.S. government is spending more than $81 billion on information technology. But only about 24% is spent overall on new systems, with the rest being used to maintain old systems.The Social Security Administration, for instance, has more than 60 million lines of Cobol, the agency’s Office of Inspector General reported last month.And the U.S. Defense Department is running some nuclear weapons support systems on an IBM Series/1 Computer, circa 1970s, the U.S. Government Accountability Office recently reported.MORE ON NETWORK WORLD: 26 crazy and scary things the TSA has found on travelers “Legacy IT investments across the federal government are becoming increasingly obsolete,” wrote the GAO in its report released in May. “Specifically, many use outdated languages and old parts.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Politics blamed for feds’ reliance on old IT

The U.S. government is spending more than $81 billion on information technology. But only about 24% is spent overall on new systems, with the rest being used to maintain old systems.The Social Security Administration, for instance, has more than 60 million lines of Cobol, the agency’s Office of Inspector General reported last month.And the U.S. Defense Department is running some nuclear weapons support systems on an IBM Series/1 Computer, circa 1970s, the U.S. Government Accountability Office recently reported.MORE ON NETWORK WORLD: 26 crazy and scary things the TSA has found on travelers “Legacy IT investments across the federal government are becoming increasingly obsolete,” wrote the GAO in its report released in May. “Specifically, many use outdated languages and old parts.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

7 Android apps that could transform Chromebooks

Putting Chromebooks to workImage by Hiroshi LockheimerThe Google Play Store is coming to a Chromebook near you. But for this to really make a major difference in how we use Chrome OS, it’s going to take the right apps.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

7 Android apps that could transform Chromebooks.

Putting Chromebooks to workImage by Hiroshi LockheimerThe Google Play Store is coming to a Chromebook near you. But for this to really make a major difference in how we use Chrome OS, it’s going to take the right apps.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Why the attack on the DNC won’t be the last one like it

The great DNC email caperImage by REUTERS/Mark KauzlarichThe tech news cycle dovetailed with the political news cycle last week when first emails and then voice mails from the Democratic National Committee were released via WikiLeaks. And with the possibility of Russian involvement, the incident went from a domestic squabble to a potentially international incident.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Why the attack on the DNC won’t be the last one like it

The great DNC email caperImage by REUTERS/Mark KauzlarichThe tech news cycle dovetailed with the political news cycle last week when first emails and then voice mails from the Democratic National Committee were released via WikiLeaks. And with the possibility of Russian involvement, the incident went from a domestic squabble to a potentially international incident.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

4 laptop security trends you should know about

For most business users, there’s one common device we all use that is still a common attack vector for hackers. We carry them with us everywhere, and we store most of our important files on the local drive, even if it’s just temporary. A laptop has more storage, more connection options, and more legacy apps than any smartphone or tablet.For any business, it’s important to take laptop security seriously, even if you already have an endpoint security product in place and teach enterprise users about best practices. Hackers are industrious; they develop new techniques and know that one of the easiest ways to steal passwords, break into file archives, and intercept a confidential email is through a laptop.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Insurers working to fill cyberinsurance data gaps

Insurance companies typically have decades of data, if not more, on which to base their risk estimates.That's not the case with cyber risk, however. There's very little historical data available, the data is not complete, and the threat landscape doesn't just change year by year, but day by day. There isn't even a standard set of definitions that everyone can agree on.That's starting to change, as insurers expand their services so that they can better educate their customers about cyber risk and even help them defend against attacks before they happen and deal with the fallout of when a breach does occur.I say potahto One of the first problems when it comes to buying cyberinsurance is that nobody knows exactly what it means. Corporate financial officers, security managers, and insurance brokers have different understanding of risk, for example.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Report: Only 3 percent of U.S. companies pay attackers after ransomware infections

Almost half of all companies have been the victims of a ransomware attack during the past 12 months, according to a new report. And while globally, 40 percent of them have paid the ransom, 97 percent of U.S. companies did not.Specifically, 75 percent of enterprise victims paid up in Canada, 58 percent in the U.K., and 22 percent in Germany, according to an Osterman Research survey of hundreds of senior executives in the U.S., Canada, German and the U.K.ALSO ON CSO: How to respond to ransomware threats This is partly due to the fact that, in the United States, the attacks were much more likely to hit lower-level employees. In the U.S., enterprises reported that 71 percent of lower-level staff were affected, compared to 29 percent in the U.K., 23 percent in Canada, and 14 percent in Germany.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Report: Only 3 percent of U.S. companies pay attackers after ransomware infections

Almost half of all companies have been the victims of a ransomware attack during the past 12 months, according to a new report. And while globally, 40 percent of them have paid the ransom, 97 percent of U.S. companies did not.Specifically, 75 percent of enterprise victims paid up in Canada, 58 percent in the U.K., and 22 percent in Germany, according to an Osterman Research survey of hundreds of senior executives in the U.S., Canada, German and the U.K.ALSO ON CSO: How to respond to ransomware threats This is partly due to the fact that, in the United States, the attacks were much more likely to hit lower-level employees. In the U.S., enterprises reported that 71 percent of lower-level staff were affected, compared to 29 percent in the U.K., 23 percent in Canada, and 14 percent in Germany.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How to protect yourself from common hotel security threats

Hotels are digitally dangerous places these days. And that's not idle speculation. Security researchers have been sounding the alarm on sophisticated attacks directed at hotel users for years.Most of the earliest reports pointed to surgical strikes on high-profile executives or representatives of government agencies, but they could prove to be precursors for more wide-ranging attacks on the general public. Modern business travelers, with their treasure troves of files and personal information, will be prime targets, and they're also more likely to let their guard down after an exhausting journey.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Almost half of US businesses hit by ransomware, says study

The threat of ransomware is becoming widespread among corporations, with almost half of U.S. businesses suffering an attack from the nasty form of malware recently, according to a new survey.Security firm Malwarebytes sponsored the study, which found in June that 41 percent of U.S. businesses had at least encountered between one to five ransomware attacks in the previous 12 months.Another 6 percent saw six or more attacks.The study surveyed corporations in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Germany to gauge how ransomware affected their operations. The malware, which can infect a computer and take the data hostage, can be bad for business. 34 percent of the victim corporations in the countries surveyed reported losing revenue because the ransomware had prevented access to important files.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Almost half of US businesses hit by ransomware, says study

The threat of ransomware is becoming widespread among corporations, with almost half of U.S. businesses suffering an attack from the nasty form of malware recently, according to a new survey.Security firm Malwarebytes sponsored the study, which found in June that 41 percent of U.S. businesses had at least encountered between one to five ransomware attacks in the previous 12 months.Another 6 percent saw six or more attacks.The study surveyed corporations in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Germany to gauge how ransomware affected their operations. The malware, which can infect a computer and take the data hostage, can be bad for business. 34 percent of the victim corporations in the countries surveyed reported losing revenue because the ransomware had prevented access to important files.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here