Microsoft delays tools for third-party Cortana integrations

Microsoft has delayed the release of its tools for connecting other services to the Cortana virtual assistant, a decision that could cause it to lose ground in a crowded industry.The tech titan announced the Cortana Skills Kit in December of last year, saying at the time that it would be released to the public in February. As Microsoft watcher Brad Sams noted on Twitter, Microsoft missed that deadline, and the Skills Kit remains locked in a private beta with a select group of partners. Microsoft didn’t offer an explanation for the delay, saying in a statement that the kit will be coming soon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google Play faces cat and mouse game with sneaky Android malware

What’s the best way to avoid Android malware? Downloading all your apps from the Google Play store -- where software is vetted – is perhaps the best advice.  But that doesn’t mean Google Play is perfect.Security researchers do find new Android malware lurking on Google’s official app store. That’s because hackers are coming up with sneaky ways to infiltrate the platform, despite the vetting processes that protect it."Eventually, every wall can be breached," said Daniel Padon, a researcher at mobile security provider Check Point.To be sure, most Android users will probably never encounter malware on the Google Play store. Last year, the amount of malicious software that reached the platform amounted to only 0.16 percent of all apps, according to a new report from Google.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google Play faces cat and mouse game with sneaky Android malware

What’s the best way to avoid Android malware? Downloading all your apps from the Google Play store -- where software is vetted – is perhaps the best advice.  But that doesn’t mean Google Play is perfect.Security researchers do find new Android malware lurking on Google’s official app store. That’s because hackers are coming up with sneaky ways to infiltrate the platform, despite the vetting processes that protect it."Eventually, every wall can be breached," said Daniel Padon, a researcher at mobile security provider Check Point.To be sure, most Android users will probably never encounter malware on the Google Play store. Last year, the amount of malicious software that reached the platform amounted to only 0.16 percent of all apps, according to a new report from Google.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Bringing the school to kids: The importance of Internet in times of conflict

Internet access is critical to support the enjoyment of Human Rights. The most commonly referenced example is freedom of expression, but its potential goes far beyond that. Day after day, it’s demonstrating its ability to support access to all sorts of opportunities – not least to support education for all children facing emergencies and crises, another fundamental Human Right. This is what’s been discussed this week at the Mobile Learning Week.

Constance Bommelaer de Leusse

How to set up two-factor authentication for your Apple ID and iCloud account

If you aren’t using two-factor authentication to protect your Apple ID and iCloud account, you really should do it today. Hackers who claim to have millions of stolen iCloud credentials are demanding Apple pay a ransom or they’ll release them—and ZDNet obtained a sample set of credentials and determined they’re real.But guess what? Using two-factor authentication should protect you completely. It’s easy to set up, so take a minute and do it now.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How to set up two-factor authentication for your Apple ID and iCloud account

If you aren’t using two-factor authentication to protect your Apple ID and iCloud account, you really should do it today. Hackers who claim to have millions of stolen iCloud credentials are demanding Apple pay a ransom or they’ll release them—and ZDNet obtained a sample set of credentials and determined they’re real.But guess what? Using two-factor authentication should protect you completely. It’s easy to set up, so take a minute and do it now.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

To punish Symantec, Google may distrust a third of the web’s SSL certificates

Google is considering a harsh punishment for repeated incidents in which Symantec or its certificate resellers improperly issued SSL certificates. A proposed plan is to force the company to replace all of its customers’ certificates and to stop recognizing the extended validation (EV) status of those that have it.According to a Netcraft survey from 2015, Symantec is responsible for about one in every three SSL certificates used on the web, making it the largest commercial certificate issuer in the world. As a result of acquisitions over the years the company now controls the root certificates of several formerly standalone certificate authorities including VeriSign, GeoTrust, Thawte and RapidSSL.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

To punish Symantec, Google may distrust a third of the web’s SSL certificates

Google is considering a harsh punishment for repeated incidents in which Symantec or its certificate resellers improperly issued SSL certificates. A proposed plan is to force the company to replace all of its customers’ certificates and to stop recognizing the extended validation (EV) status of those that have it.According to a Netcraft survey from 2015, Symantec is responsible for about one in every three SSL certificates used on the web, making it the largest commercial certificate issuer in the world. As a result of acquisitions over the years the company now controls the root certificates of several formerly standalone certificate authorities including VeriSign, GeoTrust, Thawte and RapidSSL.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Holding your WLAN accountable with service-level expectations

In my last post, “#WirelessSucks: Where do we go from here?” I talked about the need for better insight into the root cause of network problems. All too often, the Wi-Fi infrastructure is blamed for bad network connectivity when, in fact, the wired network (e.g. DNS, DHCP, etc.) and/or the mobile devices may be equally at fault. I identified four components that are required to accurately and easily address this problem: Monitoring networks at a service level Real-time visibility into the state of every wireless user A cloud infrastructure to store and analyze real-time state information and aggregate it to the highest level of commonality Machine learning to automate key operational tasks, such as event correlation and packet captures Let’s go into more detail on the first of these requirements: service-level monitoring and enforcement.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Holding your WLAN accountable with service-level expectations

In my last post, “#WirelessSucks: Where do we go from here?” I talked about the need for better insight into the root cause of network problems. All too often, the Wi-Fi infrastructure is blamed for bad network connectivity when, in fact, the wired network (e.g. DNS, DHCP, etc.) and/or the mobile devices may be equally at fault. I identified four components that are required to accurately and easily address this problem: Monitoring networks at a service level Real-time visibility into the state of every wireless user A cloud infrastructure to store and analyze real-time state information and aggregate it to the highest level of commonality Machine learning to automate key operational tasks, such as event correlation and packet captures Let’s go into more detail on the first of these requirements: service-level monitoring and enforcement.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Worth Reading: IoT Under Siege

Dahua, the world’s second-largest maker of “Internet of Things” devices like security cameras and digital video recorders (DVRs), has shipped a software update that closes a gaping security hole in a broad swath of its products. The vulnerability allows anyone to bypass the login process for these devices and gain remote, direct control over vulnerable systems. Adding urgency to the situation, there is now code available online that allows anyone to exploit this bug and commandeer a large number of IoT devices. —Krebs on Security

The post Worth Reading: IoT Under Siege appeared first on 'net work.

Stuff The Internet Says On Scalability For March 24th, 2017

Hey, it's HighScalability time:

 This is real and oh so eerie. Custom microscope takes a 33 hour time lapse of a tadpole egg dividing.

If you like this sort of Stuff then please support me on Patreon.

  • 40Gbit/s: indoor optical wireless networks; 15%: energy produced by wind in Europe; 5: new tasty particles; 2000: Qubits are easy; 30 minutes: flight time for electric helicopter; 42.9%: of heathen StackOverflowers prefer tabs;

  • Quotable Quotes:
    • @RichRogersIoT: "Did you know? The collective noun for a group of programmers is a merge-conflict." - @omervk
    • @tjholowaychuk: reviewed my dad's company AWS expenses, devs love over-provisioning, by like 90% too, guess that's where "serverless" cost savings come in
    • @karpathy: Nature is evolving ~7 billion ~10 PetaFLOP NI agents in parallel, and has been for ~10M+s of years, in a very realistic simulator. Not fair.
    • @rbranson: This is funny, but legit. Production software tends to be ugly because production is ugly. The ugliness outpaces our ability to abstract it.
    • @joeweinman: @harrietgreen1 : Watson IoT center opened in Munich... $200 million dollar investment; 1000 engineers #ibminterconnect
    • David Gerard: This [IBM Blockchain Service] is bollocks all the way down.
    • digi_owl Continue reading

62% off Anker PowerLine+ Micro USB 6ft Premium Cable – Deal Alert

With this cable, Anker boasts reinforced stress points with a 10000+ bend lifespan, double-braided nylon exterior and toughened aramid fiber core, laser-welded connectors and a worry-free 18-month warranty. The micro-USB cord is a generous 6 feet in length. Its list price on Amazon is currently discounted to just $10.99. See this deal now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Moto G5 Plus underscores why the iPhone 8 needs AR

Hands-on testing of Motorola's Moto G5 Plus drives home the point that Apple’s next-generation iPhone better have augmented reality (AR) to retain loyal customers willing to pay three times the cost of the G5 Plus.The next iPhone has to do something significantly different to maintain its premium brand position. AR and perhaps virtual reality (VR) are the only two features on the horizon that will meaningfully differentiate the iPhone 8 from the Moto G5 Plus.Moto G5 Plus features Sometimes smartphone reviews read like an oenophile waxing on about the subtleties of a fine wine. This review will not because the Moto G5 Plus designers deliver on four characteristics consumers want.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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