IDG Contributor Network: Synack delivers crowdsourced security for government, snags IRS contract

Government departments tend to be seen as “top shelf” IT customers. They tend to use larger providers, use more traditional delivery mechanisms and have a conservative approach towards newer ways of working. So, when Synack, a crowdsourced cybersecurity vendor, told me it secured a contract with the IRS, I was intrigued.+ Also on Network World: How the government can help businesses fight cyber attacks + First, a little bit about what Synack does: The company is following something of an ongoing trend in the security space in that it wrangles a bunch of “ethical hackers” to essentially try and break a client's IT systems. The idea being that those hackers can ply their trade, but instead of intruding onto organizations' IT systems out of malice, they can do so as a service (and, it must be added, for a payment). Founded in 2013 by former NSA security experts Jay Kaplan, CEO, and Dr. Mark Kuhr, CTO, Synack feels very similar to HackerOne, a company now headed by Marten Mickos of MySQL fame.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Synack delivers crowdsourced security for government, snags IRS contract

Government departments tend to be seen as “top shelf” IT customers. They tend to use larger providers, use more traditional delivery mechanisms and have a conservative approach towards newer ways of working. So, when Synack, a crowdsourced cybersecurity vendor, told me it secured a contract with the IRS, I was intrigued.+ Also on Network World: How the government can help businesses fight cyber attacks + First, a little bit about what Synack does: The company is following something of an ongoing trend in the security space in that it wrangles a bunch of “ethical hackers” to essentially try and break a client's IT systems. The idea being that those hackers can ply their trade, but instead of intruding onto organizations' IT systems out of malice, they can do so as a service (and, it must be added, for a payment). Founded in 2013 by former NSA security experts Jay Kaplan, CEO, and Dr. Mark Kuhr, CTO, Synack feels very similar to HackerOne, a company now headed by Marten Mickos of MySQL fame.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

42% off Vacu Vin Wine Saver Pump with 2 x Vacuum Bottle Stoppers – Deal Alert

The Wine Saver is a vacuum pump that extracts the air from an opened wine bottle and re-seals it using a rubber stopper. The airtight vacuum inhibits the oxidation process that is responsible for the deterioration of wine. The vacuum is created by placing a stopper into the neck of the opened bottle and pumping it until resistance is detectable. The pump incorporates a patented 'click' mechanism that indicates when a sufficient airtight environment has been established. Currently averages 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 1,900 people (read reviews). It's discounted 42% on Amazon, so you can get it right now for just $9. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cisco names 10 cities using its cloud-based smart service

Cisco, which has promoted its smart city technologies for more than two years, today announced that 10 cities, including Paris and Copenhagen, are using its cloud-based service to connect to traffic, parking and environmental sensors in real time.Insights from the data collected from the Internet of Things sensors can help city agencies make operations more efficient, reduce costs and respond quicker to emergencies, Cisco said.Cisco is showcasing the technology at the Smart City Expo World Congress 2016 in Barcelona this week. The networking giant calls its service the Cisco Smart+Connected Digital Platform.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

China hints at retaliation against Apple and iPhones if trade war goes hot

China yesterday signaled that if President-elect Donald Trump follows through with campaign pledges to slap steep tariffs on goods imported into the United States, retaliation will result in shrunken iPhone sales.In an op-ed piece published Sunday in Global Times -- one of several newspapers controlled by the Communist Party -- the editorial writers warned that higher tariffs imposed by the U.S. would trigger reprisals."China will take a tit-for-tat approach then," the piece said of any tariff action by Trump after he takes office in January. "A batch of Boeing orders will be replaced by Airbus. U.S. auto and iPhone sales in China will suffer a setback, and U.S. soybean and maize imports will be halted."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Salesforce CEO says it’s time for companies to stand for something

One of Silicon Valley’s most opinionated CEOs says it’s time for more companies to be vocal about important social issues.“You should have a point of view, you should be clear on what your point of view is,” Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO of Salesforce, said on Monday at the Code Enterprise conference in San Francisco. “You have to be clear what your company stands for.”His comments come less than a week after Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election — a victory that has hit hard at the liberal core of Silicon Valley and left some of America’s most wealthy corporations asking about their role in the outcome.MORE ON NETWORK WORLD: 3D printing will transform these five industries Benioff said the election has underlined that need for companies to be more vocal. Benioff himself has been leading corporate America all year in a push against several issues.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google, Facebook will not place ads on sites distributing fake news

Google plans to update its AdSense program policies to prevent placement of its ads on sites distributing fake news.Facebook also said Monday it had updated the policy for its Audience Network, which places ads on websites and mobile apps, to explicitly clarify that it applies to fake news.“In accordance with the Audience Network Policy, we do not integrate or display ads in apps or sites containing content that is illegal, misleading or deceptive, which includes fake news,” Facebook said in a statement. The company said its team will continue to closely vet all prospective publishers and monitor existing ones to ensure compliance.False news stories have become a sore point after the U.S. presidential elections with critics blaming internet companies like Twitter and Facebook for having had an influence on the outcome of the elections as a result of the fake content.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Apple said to be eyeing wearable AR glasses

Apple is working on wearable digital glasses that would connect wirelessly to the iPhone and show content in the wearer’s field of vision, according to a news report.The iPhone maker has indicated previously its interest in augmented reality. Unlike the simulated world of virtual reality, AR supplements with images and information the user’s normal view of the world.“We are high on AR for the long run. We think there are great things for customers and a great commercial opportunity,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in an earnings call in July, talking about the need for Apple’s devices to work with other developers' products, such as the successful Pokémon Go game.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How automated investigation can accelerate threat detection

Finding threats quickerImage by ThinkstockCyber‫ security analysts are overwhelmed with the pressure of keeping their companies safe. Not only do they need to filter through countless alerts, many of which turn out to be false positives, but also the volume of real threats is growing exponentially. They quickly need to triage and move on, stopping the most pressing threats – but not always the most dangerous. Cyber analysts need a new, holistic approach to threat detection that monitors, analyzes and cross-references data across multiple dimensions to help them detect complex threats as early as possible.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How automated investigation can accelerate threat detection

Finding threats quickerImage by ThinkstockCyber‫ security analysts are overwhelmed with the pressure of keeping their companies safe. Not only do they need to filter through countless alerts, many of which turn out to be false positives, but also the volume of real threats is growing exponentially. They quickly need to triage and move on, stopping the most pressing threats – but not always the most dangerous. Cyber analysts need a new, holistic approach to threat detection that monitors, analyzes and cross-references data across multiple dimensions to help them detect complex threats as early as possible.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

WiGig: Does This WiFi Standard Have A Future?

The 7 worst tech gifts you absolutely shouldn’t buy this holiday

What not to buy for the holidaysImage by Evil ErinClueless? Yeah, we get it. Every year we have to figure out what to buy our significant others, and a great tech gift often tops the list.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Security analysis of popular IoT devices

Have you wondered if your internet-connected devices are infected with Mirai malware and were part of the DDoS attacks?In response to the recent IoT DDoS attacks, researchers at Zscaler analyzed IoT traffic patterns not only on the days of the DDoS attacks on Dyn and Krebs on Security, but going back to July.While Zscaler does not believe any of the devices connected to Zscaler Cloud had been compromised and used in the IoT botnet attacks, ThreatLabz researchers analyzed the security of five security cameras, three smart TV entertainment devices, three smart network printers and scanners, two DVRs and NVRs, two IP phones and a partridge in a pear tree. The last one of course was just to see if you were paying attention: no partridges were harmed in the course of this research.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Security analysis of popular IoT devices

Have you wondered if your internet-connected devices are infected with Mirai malware and were part of the DDoS attacks?In response to the recent IoT DDoS attacks, researchers at Zscaler analyzed IoT traffic patterns not only on the days of the DDoS attacks on Dyn and Krebs on Security, but going back to July.While Zscaler does not believe any of the devices connected to Zscaler Cloud had been compromised and used in the IoT botnet attacks, ThreatLabz researchers analyzed the security of five security cameras, three smart TV entertainment devices, three smart network printers and scanners, two DVRs and NVRs, two IP phones and a partridge in a pear tree. The last one of course was just to see if you were paying attention: no partridges were harmed in the course of this research.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: What is the General Data Protection Regulation and why should you care?

In 2012, the European Commission proposed new regulations on data protection that would supersede the national laws of the 28 EU member states. It was formally approved in April this year, and it will go into effect May 25, 2018. This General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) introduces several major changes that will impact many organizations worldwide. The smart move is to familiarize yourself with the incoming regulation now, and begin preparing to comply with your obligations. The GDPR will apply to any business that operates within the EU, but also any company that processes data from EU citizens. It doesn’t matter where the organization is located.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Beware The Latest Infrastructure Tools

IDG Contributor Network: What is the General Data Protection Regulation and why should you care?

In 2012, the European Commission proposed new regulations on data protection that would supersede the national laws of the 28 EU member states. It was formally approved in April this year, and it will go into effect May 25, 2018. This General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) introduces several major changes that will impact many organizations worldwide. The smart move is to familiarize yourself with the incoming regulation now, and begin preparing to comply with your obligations. The GDPR will apply to any business that operates within the EU, but also any company that processes data from EU citizens. It doesn’t matter where the organization is located.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Is your network a platform for business innovation and growth?

The whole point of a network is just to connect stuff, right? Connect people to people, people to machines, and machines to machines. It’s pipes and plumbing, a necessary part of the business infrastructure and, hopefully, one that costs less and less over time. After all, it’s a cost center not a growth engine. At least, that’s the way it’s treated by most businesses these days.Most, but not all.+ Also on Network World: Accelerating business innovation: Don't let networks get in the way +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Is your network a platform for business innovation and growth?

The whole point of a network is just to connect stuff, right? Connect people to people, people to machines, and machines to machines. It’s pipes and plumbing, a necessary part of the business infrastructure and, hopefully, one that costs less and less over time. After all, it’s a cost center not a growth engine. At least, that’s the way it’s treated by most businesses these days.Most, but not all.+ Also on Network World: Accelerating business innovation: Don't let networks get in the way +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Healthcare, retail industries give blockchain a try

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services hopes to put a new technology to use in its ongoing effort to improve the health and well-being of Americans. The technology in question isn't something one might expect to see in the healthcare IT toolkit; rather, it's blockchain, the technology that underpins cryptocurrency and has primarily been associated with bitcoin. HHS sees blockchain as a potential salve for ills that plague the increasingly complex world of digital health records.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)