The Galaxy Note 7 implicated in dramatic Jeep and house fires, reports say

Those who have yet to return their faulty Galaxy Note 7 are literally playing with fire. Two incidents this week illustrate just how seriously Note 7 owners ought to take the threat of the phone’s faulty battery. One example comes from a St. Petersburg, Florida man who left his new Note 7 charging inside of his Jeep while unloading furniture. He returned to find the car consumed in flames. The aftermath is pretty devastating. Fox 13 The aftermath of a Jeep that was completely engulfed in flames from what was likely a Note 7 catching fire.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google puts screws to HTTP with new warnings in Chrome

Google today continued its campaign to tighten the screws on unencrypted web traffic as it outlined the next steps it will take with Chrome to warn users of insecure connections.Starting with Chrome 56, which is currently scheduled to ship in stable format on Jan. 31, 2017, the browser will mark sites that transmit either passwords or credit card information over HTTP connections as "non-secure."The move will be "Part of a long-term plan to mark all HTTP sites as non-secure," Emily Schechter, a product manager in the Chrome security team, said in a post to a company blog Thursday. The plan, Schechter continued, "will take place in gradual steps, based on increasingly stringent criteria."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google puts screws to HTTP with new warnings in Chrome

Google today continued its campaign to tighten the screws on unencrypted web traffic as it outlined the next steps it will take with Chrome to warn users of insecure connections.Starting with Chrome 56, which is currently scheduled to ship in stable format on Jan. 31, 2017, the browser will mark sites that transmit either passwords or credit card information over HTTP connections as "non-secure."The move will be "Part of a long-term plan to mark all HTTP sites as non-secure," Emily Schechter, a product manager in the Chrome security team, said in a post to a company blog Thursday. The plan, Schechter continued, "will take place in gradual steps, based on increasingly stringent criteria."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

FBI arrests hackers who allegedly dumped details on government agents

U.S. authorities have arrested two suspects allegedly involved in dumping details on 29,000 officials with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.Andrew Otto Boggs and Justin Gray Liverman have been charged with hacking into the internet accounts of senior U.S. government officials and breaking into government computer systems.Both suspects were arrested on Thursday, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.Boggs, age 22, and Liverman, 24, are from North Carolina and are allegedly part of a hacking group called Crackas With Attitude.From October 215 until February, they used hacking techniques, including "victim impersonation" to trick internet service providers and a government help desk into giving up access to the accounts, the DOJ alleged.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

FBI arrests hackers who allegedly dumped details on government agents

U.S. authorities have arrested two suspects allegedly involved in dumping details on 29,000 officials with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.Andrew Otto Boggs and Justin Gray Liverman have been charged with hacking into the internet accounts of senior U.S. government officials and breaking into government computer systems.Both suspects were arrested on Thursday, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.Boggs, age 22, and Liverman, 24, are from North Carolina and are allegedly part of a hacking group called Crackas With Attitude.From October 215 until February, they used hacking techniques, including "victim impersonation" to trick internet service providers and a government help desk into giving up access to the accounts, the DOJ alleged.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

20% off Kuna Smart Home Security Outdoor Light & Camera – Deal Alert

Kuna is a smart home security camera in a stylish outdoor light that detects and allows you to interact with people outside your door. The security device includes HD live and recorded video, two-way intercom, alarm, smart motion detection alerts to your phone, and more. Easy 15 minute installation with no batteries to replace so you have continuous protection around the clock. Be protected at all times - Access HD live video with its 720P wide angle camera, communicate via its two way intercom from your mobile device, or activate its 100 dB alarm siren. Smart light control lets you turn on or off your lights remotely, or program a schedule for when you're away. Access live video or review & download events for 2 hours free or up to 30-days on an optional subscription plan, starting as low as $4.99 per month. This Kuna security light averages 4 out of 5 stars from over 330 people (read reviews), and its typical list price of $199 has been reduced 20% to $159. See the discounted Kuna Smart Home Security Light and Camera on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

20% off Kuna Smart Home Security Outdoor Light & Camera – Deal Alert

Kuna is a smart home security camera in a stylish outdoor light that detects and allows you to interact with people outside your door. The security device includes HD live and recorded video, two-way intercom, alarm, smart motion detection alerts to your phone, and more. Easy 15 minute installation with no batteries to replace so you have continuous protection around the clock. Be protected at all times - Access HD live video with its 720P wide angle camera, communicate via its two way intercom from your mobile device, or activate its 100 dB alarm siren. Smart light control lets you turn on or off your lights remotely, or program a schedule for when you're away. Access live video or review & download events for 2 hours free or up to 30-days on an optional subscription plan, starting as low as $4.99 per month. This Kuna security light averages 4 out of 5 stars from over 330 people (read reviews), and its typical list price of $199 has been reduced 20% to $159. See the discounted Kuna Smart Home Security Light and Camera on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Open source algorithm helps spot social media shams

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University say they have developed an open source algorithm that can help spot social media frauds trying to sway valuable community influence.+More on Network World: Star Trek turns 50!+“Given the rise in popularity of social networks and other web services in recent years, fraudsters have strong incentives to manipulate these services. On several shady websites, anyone can buy fake Facebook page-likes or Twitter followers by the thousands. Yelp, Amazon and TripAdvisor fake reviews are also available for sale, misleading consumers about restaurants, hotels, and other services and products. Detecting and neutralizing these actions is important for companies and consumers alike,” the researchers wrote in a paper outlining their algorithm known as FRAUDAR.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Open source algorithm helps spot social media shams

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University say they have developed an open source algorithm that can help spot social media frauds trying to sway valuable community influence.+More on Network World: Star Trek turns 50!+“Given the rise in popularity of social networks and other web services in recent years, fraudsters have strong incentives to manipulate these services. On several shady websites, anyone can buy fake Facebook page-likes or Twitter followers by the thousands. Yelp, Amazon and TripAdvisor fake reviews are also available for sale, misleading consumers about restaurants, hotels, and other services and products. Detecting and neutralizing these actions is important for companies and consumers alike,” the researchers wrote in a paper outlining their algorithm known as FRAUDAR.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cybersecurity Goes Private: McAfee and RSA

There are some interesting industry dynamics going on in the cybersecurity market.  Just a few months ago, Symantec bought Blue Coat taking a private company public and forming a cybersecurity industry colossus in the process. Now two other historical cybersecurity powerhouses are heading in the other direction and going private.  When the Dell/EMC deal was approved this week, industry veteran RSA became the security division of the world’s largest diversified private technology company.  Not to be outdone, Intel and partner TPG are spinning out McAfee as an independent private company.The good news for both companies is that the market for cybersecurity products and services is quite healthy, and large customers are looking for enterprise-class security vendors with integrated product suites, managed/professional services, and business process experience to partner with.  Cybersecurity vendors like Cisco and IBM that fit this description are doing quite well in the enterprise so McAfee and RSA (as well as Forcepoint, Palo Alto Networks, Symantec, Trend Micro, and a few others) could join this exclusive club. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cybersecurity Goes Private: McAfee and RSA

There are some interesting industry dynamics going on in the cybersecurity market.  Just a few months ago, Symantec bought Blue Coat taking a private company public and forming a cybersecurity industry colossus in the process. Now two other historical cybersecurity powerhouses are heading in the other direction and going private.  When the Dell/EMC deal was approved this week, industry veteran RSA became the security division of the world’s largest diversified private technology company.  Not to be outdone, Intel and partner TPG are spinning out McAfee as an independent private company.The good news for both companies is that the market for cybersecurity products and services is quite healthy, and large customers are looking for enterprise-class security vendors with integrated product suites, managed/professional services, and business process experience to partner with.  Cybersecurity vendors like Cisco and IBM that fit this description are doing quite well in the enterprise so McAfee and RSA (as well as Forcepoint, Palo Alto Networks, Symantec, Trend Micro, and a few others) could join this exclusive club. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

iPhone 7 announcement: Could Apple be the next Nokia?

If the next Apple announcement is like this, it should be broadcast on Cable TV so viewers can fast forward through the many boring parts. A GEICO insurance commercial would have been a relief from the tedium of watching Tim Cook, Jony Ive, and Phil Schiller shoveling superlative adjectives on features copied from Android phone makers and other product companies.Apple isn’t selling innovation. It’s selling its annual iPhone annual upgrade plan, which costs users twice as much over a three-year period, in order to turn around declining sales. Apple’s innovation engine has stalled at producing features that drive users to upgrade, so Apple is resorting to a financial gimmick.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google Chrome to start marking HTTP connections as insecure

To push more websites to implement encryption and to better protect users, Google will start flagging plain HTTP connections as insecure in its popular Chrome browser.The plan will go into effect in January with the release of Chrome 56 and will roll out in stages. Chrome 56 will display a "not secure" indicator before HTTP URLs in the browser's address bar, but only for those web pages that contain password or credit card form fields.Transmitting such sensitive information over HTTP is dangerous because the data can be intercepted by man-in-the-middle attackers on public wireless networks or via compromised routers, for example.In later Chrome releases, the HTTP warnings will be further expanded. First, HTTP pages will be labeled as "not secure" when accessed in the browser's privacy-oriented Incognito mode. Eventually, Chrome will show the warning for all HTTP pages and will switch the security indicator to the red triangle now used for broken HTTPS connections.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google Chrome to start marking HTTP connections as insecure

To push more websites to implement encryption and to better protect users, Google will start flagging plain HTTP connections as insecure in its popular Chrome browser.The plan will go into effect in January with the release of Chrome 56 and will roll out in stages. Chrome 56 will display a "not secure" indicator before HTTP URLs in the browser's address bar, but only for those web pages that contain password or credit card form fields.Transmitting such sensitive information over HTTP is dangerous because the data can be intercepted by man-in-the-middle attackers on public wireless networks or via compromised routers, for example.In later Chrome releases, the HTTP warnings will be further expanded. First, HTTP pages will be labeled as "not secure" when accessed in the browser's privacy-oriented Incognito mode. Eventually, Chrome will show the warning for all HTTP pages and will switch the security indicator to the red triangle now used for broken HTTPS connections.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Intel may make chips specially for mixed reality headsets

Intel believes untethered headsets could be a new class of PCs in the future, and the company may develop chips dedicated to those devices.The chipmaker previewed its virtual and augmented reality plans last month with Project Alloy, a Microsoft HoloLens-type headset that can mix images from real and virtual worlds. Project Alloy will be available for PC makers to replicate, but Intel may also see a market for mixed reality headset chips.Project Alloy is a prototype headset running on Microsoft's Windows Holographic platform, and it could support other VR and AR platforms in the future.The Alloy design and specifications will be open-sourced early next year. PC makers have expressed interest in making headsets based on the design.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The Art of Good Beer and Wi-Fi

Just like pouring beer correctly, deploying the right Wi-Fi also enhances the user experience. There is nothing more aggravating than not being able to connect to Wi-Fi, no matter where you are. Customers like to share their experience via social media and employees often times rely on the Internet to complete their job.

Security an afterthought in connected home, wearable devices

Based on an extensive review of publicly reported internet of things (IoT) device vulnerabilities, the Online Trust Alliance (OTA) today announced that all of the problems could have been easily avoided. "In this rush to bring connected devices to market, security and privacy is often being overlooked," Craig Spiezle, executive director and president of the OTA, said in a statement today. "If businesses do not make a systematic change, we risk seeing the weaponization of these devices and an erosion of consumer confidence impacting the IoT industry on a whole due to their security and privacy shortcomings."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here