Can cybersecurity save the November elections?

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s disclosure earlier this month that foreign hackers had infiltrated voter registration systems in Illinois and Arizona came as no surprise to some cybersecurity experts.“Given where cybercrime has gone, it’s not too surprising to think about how information risks might manifest themselves during the election season to cause some level of either potential disruption, change in voting, or even just political fodder to add the hype cycle,” says Malcolm Harkins, chief security and trust officer at network security firm Cylance.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google’s 3-level Android patch could cause confusion

Google has released another large monthly batch of security patches for Android, this time fixing 55 vulnerabilities, eight of which are rated critical.The novelty of this release is that the fixes are split into three different "security patch levels" -- date strings that indicate to users how up-to-date their devices are. While this could make it easier for device manufacturers to integrate patches applicable to their devices, it could lead to confusion among regular users.Since August 2015 Google has released security updates for Android according to a monthly schedule. This was intended to add some predictability to Android patches and indeed, some device makers committed to monthly security updates as well.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google’s 3-level Android patch could cause confusion

Google has released another large monthly batch of security patches for Android, this time fixing 55 vulnerabilities, eight of which are rated critical.The novelty of this release is that the fixes are split into three different "security patch levels" -- date strings that indicate to users how up-to-date their devices are. While this could make it easier for device manufacturers to integrate patches applicable to their devices, it could lead to confusion among regular users.Since August 2015 Google has released security updates for Android according to a monthly schedule. This was intended to add some predictability to Android patches and indeed, some device makers committed to monthly security updates as well.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

British Airways blames glitch for long check-in delays

The old “IT glitch” was reportedly the cause of British Airways’ multi-continent check-in delays on Monday. Angry travelers waited in check-in queues for hours while the airline fell back on the old school method of handwriting records, boarding passes and baggage labels.British Airways has been rolling out a new check-in system since last year; a BA spokesperson described the check-in delays as “teething problems.”At first, BA claimed the glitch causing check-in delays was not a worldwide problem, but a “patchy” problem. While the glitch in the check-in system affected more than people in the U.K., travelers took to Twitter to complain about long delays in at least San Diego, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, Rome, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Vancouver, the Bahamas, D.C., Seattle, Zurich, and Mexico City.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

British Airways blames glitch for long check-in delays

The old “IT glitch” was reportedly the cause of British Airways’ multi-continent check-in delays on Monday. Angry travelers waited in check-in queues for hours while the airline fell back on the old school method of handwriting records, boarding passes and baggage labels.British Airways has been rolling out a new check-in system since last year; a BA spokesperson described the check-in delays as “teething problems.”At first, BA claimed the glitch causing check-in delays was not a worldwide problem, but a “patchy” problem. While the glitch in the check-in system affected more than people in the U.K., travelers took to Twitter to complain about long delays in at least San Diego, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, Rome, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Vancouver, the Bahamas, D.C., Seattle, Zurich, and Mexico City.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Cheers! Choose the right wine with Sommely IoT smart caps

Choosing the right wine for a meal takes both skill and a little luck. It’s an area where many wine drinkers could use some help.Sommely wine caps help when a sommelier isn’t available.This elegant IoT-based solution combines wine recommendations, inventory management and the ability to physically locate wine bottles. It addresses a need that’s common in managing other perishable inventories, such as: What is in the inventory? When are the items in inventory about to expire? Which items in the inventory best meet the demand? Where is the physical location of the items so that they can be easily retrieved? Wine selection is a complex decision with dozens of wine varieties and thousands of brands. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Why Microsoft’s Edge browser is missing its edge

The introduction of Windows 10 in October 2014 also brought along a new default web browser named Edge. The company has been touting Edge as a replacement for Internet Explorer (IE), which is now into its third decade of service for the company. But user adoption of the new browser isn’t piling up the way the company would probably like.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

US investigates Russia for attempting to hack the election

Intelligence and law enforcement agencies are reportedly investigating whether Russia has launched a broad, covert operation to disrupt the U.S. elections in November.Officials believe that Russia appears to be attempting to spread disinformation and hack into U.S. political systems in an effort to undermine confidence in the upcoming election, according to a report in the Washington Post. Investigators do not have "definitive" proof of a Russian operation, but there is "significant concern," the Post quoted an anonymous senior intelligence official as saying.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

US investigates Russia for attempting to hack the election

Intelligence and law enforcement agencies are reportedly investigating whether Russia has launched a broad, covert operation to disrupt the U.S. elections in November.Officials believe that Russia appears to be attempting to spread disinformation and hack into U.S. political systems in an effort to undermine confidence in the upcoming election, according to a report in the Washington Post. Investigators do not have "definitive" proof of a Russian operation, but there is "significant concern," the Post quoted an anonymous senior intelligence official as saying.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Box unveils new Relay workflow tool in partnership with IBM

Companies that want to try simplifying the tangled mess of their internal workflows will be able to use a new tool from Box to help.Box Relay is a new product the enterprise storage company announced on Tuesday that's aimed at giving employees a way to manage and track the process of doing  repetitive work, like submitting expense reports and getting agreements approved.Using Relay, power users will be able to design workflows that they can then share with co-workers inside an organization and people from other companies who work with them. According to Chris Yeh, Box's senior vice president of product, Relay is aimed at making Box the system that people use to get work done together, in addition to storing files.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

BrandPost: Survey reveals desire and constraints of enterprise network modernization

There’s broad recognition among enterprises of the need for network modernization, but many decision-makers are constrained by the prospect of capital equipment outlays, proving a solid return on investment, or fear of being locked into a proprietary solution. Those are key findings in a soon to be published survey conducted by IDG Research Services. One third of IT decision-makers think it’s highly likely their organizations will modernize their network connectivity strategies over the next year and another 46 percent indicate there’s some likelihood. Today, virtually every enterprise places a premium on flexibility and agility, and few are willing to commit to long-term, costly outlays for network technology that can’t adapt to their future needs.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

MacBook Battery Replacement Requires Admin Credentials?

Over the weekend, I investigated the possibility of Apple replacing the tired battery in my four year old rMBP13. Yes, they can do it. It’s $199 for that particular model. But they also require an admin-level username and password for the device. Here’s an excerpt from the chat session.

Apple support rep:

What is the Admin Name and password for your Mac?

Me:

Will not share. Definitely should not be required for a battery replacement.

Apple support rep:

It is required. When the Mac goes to the repair depot that is required. You can remove that information so there is just an automatic log in. And you can set it up again when you get it back. We do not ask for any information that is not required.

Me:

Okay, then we’re done here. Thanks very much for your help!

An automatic log in, while an improvement from a certain point of view, isn’t a fix. No, you don’t have to know the user/pass now to access the system now, but you’re still on the system with admin-level credentials. Anyone with admin equivalent credentials to the system can, with a minimum of effort, get into whatever part of the file system Continue reading

An Engineer’s Top Six Reasons to Attend AnsibleFest Brooklyn 2016

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AnsibleFest is coming to Brooklyn 

We've held two record breaking AnsibleFests this year with exceptional audiences and technical content. Rolling forward, there are going to be some great resources for engineers and infrastructure managers at Brooklyn on October 10 and 11th.

Whether you are an Ansible contributor or a user, there will be content for you. For contributors, the Ansible Contributor Summit on the October 10th is a wealth of information. If you are a user, you’ll have fantastic opportunities to speak with people along the entire spectrum of the Ansible DevOps and development experience both from Ansible core engineers to engineers and managers from other companies using Ansible. So let’s talk about six great reasons to join us at AnsibleFest in Brooklyn on October 11th:

1) First, it’s in Brooklyn

Brooklyn is a great hub of technology. Companies such as Bank of America, Comcast, HBO and J. Crew will be in attendance. Presentations will cover everything from the greenfield world in which companies began DevOps and Ansible to technical deep dives into issues and solutions. It’s likely that if our presenters have done it, there are lessons to be learned from their experience, and their experiences will be on display.

2) Ask an Expert

Continue reading

Stealthy, tricky to remove rootkit targets Linux systems on ARM and x86

Security researchers have identified a new family of Linux rootkits that, despite running from user mode, can be hard to detect and remove.Called Umbreon, after a Pokémon character that hides in the darkness, the rootkit has been in development since early 2015 and is now being sold on the underground markets. It targets Linux-based systems on the x86, x86-64 and ARM architectures, including many embedded devices such as routers.According to malware researchers from antivirus firm Trend Micro, Umbreon is a so-called ring 3 rootkit, meaning that it runs from user mode and doesn't need kernel privileges. Despite this apparent limitation, it is quite capable of hiding itself and persisting on the system.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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