‘Digital laggards’ must harness data or get left behind

Consultants like to warn CIOs that if they don't embrace modern technologies to meet customer demands that they will be left in the dust by more nimble rivals. Such sky-is-falling proclamations have been taken lightly because they've been difficult to back up. However, new research from Harvard Business School (HBS) suggests that a divide is forming between organizations that have accelerated their digital transformations and those that are still figuring out a working digital model.Digital leaders, defined by HBS as companies that landed in the top quarter of its research, generate better gross margins as well as better earnings and net income than organizations in the bottom digital quarter. Leaders post a three-year average gross margin of 55 percent, compared to just 37 percent for the laggards. Leaders also outstrip laggards in three-year average earnings 16 percent to 11 percent. And in three-year average net income, leaders have the advantage 11 percent to seven percent.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Apple’s new macOS Sierra fixes over 60 security flaws

Apple launched its newest operating system, macOS Sierra 10.12, on Tuesday and aside from new and interesting features, it has a large number of important security fixes.The new OS patches 65 vulnerabilities in various core and third-party components. Some of these vulnerabilities are critical and can result in arbitrary code execution with kernel privileges.Flaws that allow local applications to execute malicious code with kernel or system privileges were fixed in Apple's HSSPI support component, AppleEFIRuntime, AppleMobileFileIntegrity, AppleUUC, the Bluetooth stack, DiskArbitration, the Intel Graphics Driver, the IOAcceleratorFamily and IOThunderboltFamily, the S2 Camera, the Security service and the kernel itself.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Apple’s new macOS Sierra fixes over 60 security flaws

Apple launched its newest operating system, macOS Sierra 10.12, on Tuesday and aside from new and interesting features, it has a large number of important security fixes.The new OS patches 65 vulnerabilities in various core and third-party components. Some of these vulnerabilities are critical and can result in arbitrary code execution with kernel privileges.Flaws that allow local applications to execute malicious code with kernel or system privileges were fixed in Apple's HSSPI support component, AppleEFIRuntime, AppleMobileFileIntegrity, AppleUUC, the Bluetooth stack, DiskArbitration, the Intel Graphics Driver, the IOAcceleratorFamily and IOThunderboltFamily, the S2 Camera, the Security service and the kernel itself.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cisco diversifies its internal innovation practices

Late last year, Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins significantly restructured the company and was quoted as saying the company would no longer be using “spin-ins” to drive innovation. Based on conversations with Robbins and other members of Cisco’s executive team, I believe the media took his comments out of context. There are no immediate plans for another spin-in, but he hasn’t closed to the door to them either.Robbins reiterated these points in Michael Cooney’s post, Cisco CEO: Spin-in technologies aren’t dead at Cisco, in which he stated Cisco would consider that model if it made sense. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cisco diversifies its internal innovation practices

Late last year, Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins significantly restructured the company and was quoted as saying the company would no longer be using “spin-ins” to drive innovation. Based on conversations with Robbins and other members of Cisco’s executive team, I believe the media took his comments out of context. There are no immediate plans for another spin-in, but he hasn’t closed to the door to them either.Robbins reiterated these points in Michael Cooney’s post, Cisco CEO: Spin-in technologies aren’t dead at Cisco, in which he stated Cisco would consider that model if it made sense. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Apple Watch Unlock, 802.11ac, and Time

applewatchface

One of the benefits of upgrading to MacOS 10.12 Sierra is the ability to unlock my Mac laptop with my Apple Watch. Yet I’m not able to do that. Why? Turns out, the answer involves some pretty cool tech.

Somebody’s Watching You

The tech specs list the 2013 MacBook and higher as the minimum model needed to enable Watch Unlock on your Mac. You also need a few other things, like Bluetooth enabled and a Watch running WatchOS 3. I checked my personal MacBook against the original specs and found everything in order. I installed Sierra and updated all my other devices and even enabled iCloud Two-Factor Authentication to be sure. Yet, when I checked the Security and Privacy section, I didn’t see the checkbox for the Watch Unlock to be enabled. What gives?

It turns out that Apple quietly modified the minimum specs during the Sierra beta period. Instead of early 2013 MacBooks being support, the shift moved support to mid-2013 MacBooks instead. I checked the spec sheets and mine is almost identical. The RAM, drive, and other features are the same. Why does Watch Unlock work on those Macs and not mine? The answer, it appears, is Continue reading

Cisco Debug Persists Through Reboot

Normal boot time messages from a C881 router look something like this:
 System Bootstrap, Version 15.4(1r)T, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)  
 Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport  
 Copyright (c) 2013 by cisco Systems, Inc.  
   
 Total memory size = 1024 MB  
 C881-K9      platform with 1048576 Kbytes of main memory  
 Main memory is configured to 32 bit mode   
   
 Readonly ROMMON initialized  
   
   
 IOS Image Load Test   
 ___________________   
 Digitally Signed Production Software   
 Self decompressing the image : ###<snip>### [OK]

But there's one router in the fleet which does this instead:
 System Bootstrap, Version 15.4(1r)T, RELEASE SOFTWARE (fc1)  
 Technical Support: http://www.cisco.com/techsupport  
 Copyright (c) 2013 by cisco Systems, Inc.  
   
 Total memory size = 1024 MB  
 C881-K9      platform with 1048576 Kbytes of main memory  
 Main memory is configured to 32 bit mode  
   
 Readonly ROMMON initialized  
 Using monlib version 2  
 Using version info 2  
   
  dfs_openfile: Opening file.....  
  dfs_openfile: Opened file / with fib = 4019e5c  
 Reading cluster = 126, offset = 0, nsecs = 8  
 Reading cluster = 133, offset = 0, nsecs = 8  
 Reading cluster = 17013, offset = 0, nsecs = 8  
 Reading cluster = 17458, offset = 0, nsecs = 8  
 Reading cluster = 18056, offset = 0, nsecs = 8  
 Reading cluster  Continue reading

ACLU: Cops accidentally recorded themselves making up bogus criminal charges

If cops are going to do something shady, something as unethical and illegal as violating a citizen’s First Amendment rights to free speech and his Fourth Amendment rights against warrantless seizure, then they definitely don’t want their actions being recorded. Yet that is exactly what happened when Connecticut State Police troopers seized a camera belonging to a protestor and the camera continued to film while they conspired on which bogus charges to level against him.In September 2015, Michael Picard was protesting near a DUI checkpoint in West Hartford by holding up a big handwritten sign that read “Cops Ahead: Keep Calm and Remain Silent.” Picard, who was lawfully carrying a handgun, also had a camera that he was using to film the police—public employees on a public street.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

ACLU: Cops accidentally recorded themselves making up bogus criminal charges

If cops are going to do something shady, something as unethical and illegal as violating a citizen’s First Amendment rights to free speech and his Fourth Amendment rights against warrantless seizure, then they definitely don’t want their actions being recorded; yet that is exactly what happened when Connecticut State Police troopers seized a camera belonging to a protestor and the camera continued to film while they conspired on which bogus charges to level against him.In September 2015, Michael Picard was protesting near a DUI checkpoint in West Hartford by holding up a big handwritten sign which read “Cops Ahead: Keep Calm and Remain Silent.” Picard, who was lawfully carrying a handgun, also had a camera which he was using to film the police – public employees on a public street.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Start-up sells a stamp-sized Linux server for $5

A start-up has completed a crowdfunding campaign for a stamp-sized Linux server development kit that has integrated Wi-Fi and on-board flash storage for DIYers to build hardware or IoT applications.Boston-based Onion Corp. began its Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign in July and by Aug. 23 had already received more than $773,400 in pledged funding -- 4,400 times its funding goal.The Onion Corp. said its new Omega2 computer is compatible with a power-sipping Arduino motherboard but it also has the flexibility of a Raspberry Pi computer.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Five technologies that will change our lives in five years

Analysts say a handful of technologies are poised to change our lives by 2021.While Forrester Research sees 15 emerging technologies that are important right now (see the full list here), five of them could shake things up in a big way for businesses and the public in general, according to Brian Hopkins, an enterprise architecture analyst with Forrester.Those five: The Internet of Things (IoT), Intelligent agents, artificial intelligence (A.I.), augmented reality (A.R.) and hybrid wireless technology.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

iPhone 7 glitches: What to do if your new iPhone 7 or 7 Plus is acting up

So, you’ve unboxed your brand-new iPhone 7 or 7 Plus. It’s all set up, and it still has that fresh, new iPhone smell. Then, you hear a weird hissing noise. Or realize that the Home button or the Lightning EarPods are acting funky. Or your iPhone 7 is just not connecting to the cellular network. Yikes! Yes, those are actual glitches that have already been reported by iPhone 7 users. If you’re experiencing a similar technical issue with your new device, take a deep breath and check out some possible solutions below.No Service after Airplane Mode The issue: Toggling back on after Airplane Mode is causing some iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models to be unable to re-establish cellular service. The affected devices can’t connect to the internet, nor make or receive calls. One iPhone 7 Plus user with an AT&T model shared a video of the anomaly on YouTube, and was picked up by MacRumors.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IT workers brace for outsourcing, layoffs at health insurer

A major health insurer, Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), is planning to outsource part of its information technology operation. The employees don’t have all the details about what’s in store for them, but this may be a large IT layoff.Employees were recently informed that 70% of the positions in the IT group, mostly in the area of infrastructure, will be outsourced, according to two IT workers who requested anonymity. Estimates on the number of employees who would be affected varies, but the move could involve 540 people in IT. The layoffs are planned from February to April.The jobs that would be moved to an outsourcer include monitoring and incident resolution, helpdesk support, and problem and patch management. Other areas would be partially outsourced, such as infrastructure product development, cloud and automation. HCSC will retain governance and planning. The outsourcing vendor has not been named, the employees said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Is security making the grade? What IT and business pros really think

Grading on a curve Image by ThinkstockIf you sense some discontent in how information security is handled in your company, you're not alone. Half of the 287 U.S.-based IT and business professionals who responded to a recent survey from CSO and its sister sites CIO and Computerworld gave their organizations' security practices a grade of C or below.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Security challenge: Wearing multiple hats in IT

Are you taking on multiple job responsibilities at your company, including some aspects of information security? If so, you’re not alone. At many organizations, IT professionals are being asked to handle a variety of security tasks and functions. For them, wearing multiple hats can create both opportunities and stress.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

Navigating the muddy waters of enterprise infosec

Executives at Booz Allen Hamilton learned the importance of information security the hard way back in 2011 when the hacker group Anonymous claimed that it had penetrated one of Booz Allen’s servers and had deleted 4GB of source code and released a list of more than 90,000 military email addresses and encrypted passwords.The breached server turned out to be a development environment containing test data, “but that didn’t really matter; it was a wakeup call,” says Michael Waters, director of information security at the consulting firm and government contractor. “It was a pretty unpleasant experience, but it did galvanize substantial investment — both capital and HR — in getting things done. The firm looked around and said, ‘We have been working on this, but we need to put more toward it.’”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How flexible should your infosec model be?

Security is a top priority at the Bank of Labor, but the financial institution updates its formal information security policy only once a year, maybe twice, regardless of what's happening in the ever-changing threat landscape.That's not to say that the union bank ignores emerging threats such as new malware variants or phishing schemes, says Shaun Miller, the bank's information security officer. On the contrary, the organization, which has seven branches in the Kansas City, Kan., area plus an office in Washington, routinely tweaks its firewalls and intrusion-protection systems in response to new and active threats. To avoid fatiguing its 120 users, however, it refrains from formalizing new policies more frequently.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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