5 things you need to know about virtual private networks

A virtual private network is a secure tunnel between two or more computers on the internet, allowing them to access each other as if on a local network. In the past, VPNs were mainly used by companies to securely link remote branches together or connect roaming employees to the office network, but today they're an important service for consumers too, protecting them from attacks when they connect to public wireless networks. Given their importance, here's what you need to know about VPNs:VPNs are good for your privacy and securityOpen wireless networks pose a serious risk to users, because attackers sitting on the same networks can use various techniques to sniff web traffic and even hijack accounts on websites that don't use the HTTPS security protocol. In addition, some Wi-Fi network operators intentionally inject ads into web traffic, and these could lead to unwanted tracking.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Steve Ballmer explains why he and Bill Gates drifted apart

One of the reason's behind Microsoft's recent resurgence has been the company's somewhat surprising and ongoing commitment towards making their own hardware. This new strategy was on full display two weeks ago when the company introduced the Surface Studio, a 28-in. desktop/tablet hybrid that left many tech observers beyond impressed.While Microsoft's foray into the world of hardware began with Steve Ballmer at the helm, the company's hardware strategy was kicked up a notch once Satya Nadella assumed CEO duties in February of 2014.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Android Auto 2.0 for phones—No more excuses for distracted driving

Google just released a new self-contained version of Android Auto that runs on an Android smartphone without a specially equipped head unit. The term “head unit” is auto industry jargon for car stereo or infotainment system. Android Auto 2.0 locks the smartphone and changes the user interface (UI) controls to voice and large icons that the driver can interact within about the time that it takes to change a radio station. It is the safest way to drive and use a smartphone to because it reduces driver distraction. In 2015, 2,357 more people died in traffic accidents due to distracted driving after a five-decade trend of declining fatalities, according to the Department of Transportation. Though everyone condemns texting, selecting playlists and checking Facebook Messenger while driving, most succumb to the temptation of smartphone notifications while driving and cannot resist looking at their smartphone screens—which for some, are fatally long looks.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

HP, Staples & Costco Black Friday 2016 tech deals revealed

With report after report about tablet sales falling, it might not come as a surprise that retailers such as HP, Staples and Costco are slashing prices on these slimmed down computers for Black Friday 2016, along with plenty of other tech products. Black Friday watchers such as BFads and Best Black Friday have been tracking new ads closely.HP's Black Friday deals HP's Black Friday deals, which kick in online on Thanksgiving Day, also focus on laptops, desktops (for work and gaming) and monitors, with a few speakers and other accessories thrown in.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Adobe’s ‘Photoshop for audio’ tweaks voice recordings to say words speaker didn’t say

Photoshop trolls can manipulate photos, but in the future we may have a new type of troll … trolls which can easily manipulate spoken words just by typing text into an audio editing program.Last week at the Adobe Max Creativity Conference, Adobe developer Zeyu Jin mentioned that people “having been making weird stuff online” with photo editing software, before adding, now “let’s do something to human speech.”Jin gave a sneak peek of software which is like Photoshop for audio, demonstrating Project VoCo, for voice conversion, by altering a voice clip of comedian Keegan-Michael Key. The voice clip was something Key said after being nominated for an award.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Adobe’s ‘Photoshop for audio’ tweaks voice recordings to say words speaker didn’t say

Photoshop trolls can manipulate photos, but in the future we may have a new type of troll … trolls which can easily manipulate spoken words just by typing text into an audio editing program.Last week at the Adobe Max Creativity Conference, Adobe developer Zeyu Jin mentioned that people “having been making weird stuff online” with photo editing software, before adding, now “let’s do something to human speech.”Jin gave a sneak peek of software which is like Photoshop for audio, demonstrating Project VoCo, for voice conversion, by altering a voice clip of comedian Keegan-Michael Key. The voice clip was something Key said after being nominated for an award.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

UK bank suspends online payments after fraud hits 20,000 accounts

The banking arm of U.K. supermarket chain Tesco has suspended online payments for its 136,000 checking account customers following a spate of fraudulent transactions.The bank suspended its payment service for all checking account customers after 40,000 experienced suspicious transactions, bank CEO Benny Higgins told BBC Radio 4 on Monday."Around half of them had money taken from the account," he said.The bank will bear any losses as a result of the fraudulent activity and customers are not at financial risk, he said.But they might be inconvenienced until the bank has secured its systems.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

UK bank suspends online payments after fraud hits 20,000 accounts

The banking arm of U.K. supermarket chain Tesco has suspended online payments for its 136,000 checking account customers following a spate of fraudulent transactions.The bank suspended its payment service for all checking account customers after 40,000 experienced suspicious transactions, bank CEO Benny Higgins told BBC Radio 4 on Monday."Around half of them had money taken from the account," he said.The bank will bear any losses as a result of the fraudulent activity and customers are not at financial risk, he said.But they might be inconvenienced until the bank has secured its systems.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How to protect your ecommerce site from fraud, hacking and copycats

Setting up an ecommerce site is easy these days. Keeping your site safe from hacking, fraud and copycats, not so much. And as small business owners know all too well, one major breach – or too many charge backs or someone stealing your business name or copying your products – could mean the end of your business.[ Related: 8 keys to ecommerce success ]Here are seven ways small ecommerce business owners can protect their online stores from hacking, fraud and/or copycats.1. Trademark your company name and logo “The most important tip for business owners to protect their site and brand is to ensure [their] name is clear for use as a trademark,” says Sonia Lakhany, trademark attorney, Lakhany Law. “Too many entrepreneurs mistakenly think that because a domain name is available or that they were able to form an LLC or corporation with their local Secretary of State that their business name or brand is available as a trademark.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cloud-based network analysis drills down to users and apps

Cloud computing is throwing more variables into network performance, but it’s also helping to make network management smarter. Nyansa, a startup that launched earlier this year with a cloud-based service to pinpoint the sources of enterprise network problems, is now adding the ability to analyze how individual applications are performing. The company's original Voyance service uses a software crawler to capture data about how traffic is flowing over the network and how each piece of infrastructure – such as a router or a Wi-Fi access point -- affects that performance.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Arbor Networks adapts missile defense strategy for DDoS protection

Missile defense is hard.Attacks can come from anywhere. There are seconds to respond. Multiple incoming missiles can overwhelm defenses. Mistakes result in huge damage.There is no margin for error. Military strategists have refined missile defense systems over decades. Early attack visibility and fast countermeasures are essential.When it comes to distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, Arbor Networks has found the lessons from missile defense apply. Missile defense The Department of Defense describes missile defense protection :To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

New products of the week 11.7.16

New products of the weekOur roundup of intriguing new products. Read how to submit an entry to Network World's products of the week slideshow.Ruckus Cloudpath ES 5.0Pricing: based on total number of users and is available in 1/3/5 year subscriptions ranging from: $1.50/user for Education on-prem subscription; $1.70/user for Education cloud subscription; $5.00/user for Education on-prem subscription; $5.80/user for Education cloud subscriptionTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

New products of the week 11.7.16

New products of the weekOur roundup of intriguing new products. Read how to submit an entry to Network World's products of the week slideshow.Ruckus Cloudpath ES 5.0Pricing: based on total number of users and is available in 1/3/5 year subscriptions ranging from: $1.50/user for Education on-prem subscription; $1.70/user for Education cloud subscription; $5.00/user for Education on-prem subscription; $5.80/user for Education cloud subscriptionTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

China passes controversial cybersecurity law

China has passed a new cybersecurity law that gives it greater control over the internet, including by requiring local storage of certain data.Human rights groups and trade associations in the U.S. and other countries have warned of the implications of the law both for internet businesses and human rights in the country.The National People's Congress Standing Committee passed the new cybersecurity law Monday, according to reports.“Despite widespread international concern from corporations and rights advocates for more than a year, Chinese authorities pressed ahead with this restrictive law without making meaningful changes,” said Sophie Richardson, China director of Human Rights Watch in a statement over the weekend.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Apple’s AirPods to launch much later than anticipated

It's already early November and, in case you missed it, Apple's AirPods are nowhere to be found in stores. Originally introduced alongside the iPhone 7 in September, Apple's new AirPods were poised to help usher in a new wireless era where the notion of connecting to a device via a cord would seem backwards if not downright antiquated. To that end, the unveiling of Apple's AirPods came at an appropriate time, right next to the iPhone 7 which famously was designed without a traditional 3.5mm headphone jack.Back in September, Apple said that its AirPods would launch in late October. And yet, October has come and gone and the highly-anticipated earbuds still lack a release date. Addressing the delay just ahead of the company's special Mac event in late October, an Apple spokesperson told TechCrunch that the AirPods launch was being pushed back so that Apple could presumably address some lingering bugs and usability issues.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

FBI sticks to earlier view not to charge Clinton over email server

FBI Director James Comey said new emails that had been found had not changed the agency's July decision not to recommend charges against Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server.In a letter Sunday to lawmakers, Comey wrote that based on the FBI's review of the emails, the agency had not changed the conclusion it had expressed in July with regard to Clinton's use of a personal email server when she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.The letter from Comey comes ahead of U.S. presidential elections on Tuesday and will likely blunt criticism that Clinton used the email server for confidential government communications.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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