Windows 7, 8.1 move to Windows 10 update model

If you are a holdout who did not make the move to Windows 10, you're going to see its influence on your legacy operating system anyway. Microsoft is changing the way it delivers updates to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, mirroring the delivery model of Windows 10.Normally a Windows update for 7 or 8.1 would mean a number of individual updates. Every Patch Tuesday you got 6, 10, 15 or whatever number of individual updates, each with their own number. However, starting in October, Microsoft will release all Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 updates using a "Monthly Rollup" method similar to the cumulative rollup of all fixes in one lump sum.The update process will also be added to Windows Server 2008 and Server 2012. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

AWS Sales & Marketing exec leaving

Multiple media reports today indicate that Amazon Web Service’s vice president of marketing, sales and support Adam Selipsky is leaving the company, marking a high-profile executive change at the leading public IaaS cloud vendor.+MORE AT NETWORK WORLD: IBM's big cloud win | Amazon remains top dog in Gartner's IaaS Magic Quadrant +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

5 things to know about the Trans-Pacific Partnership

The U.S. presidential campaign has shined a spotlight on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a proposed trade deal that's simmered on the back burner for years.Both major-party presidential candidates oppose the deal, negotiated in secret among 12 Pacific Region countries, including the U.S., Japan, Australia, Canada, and Singapore. China and Russia are notably absent from the negotiations.While negotiators approved the final language in October, the U.S. has not yet ratified the deal.Here are five important things to know about TPP:What's in the TPP? The goal of the trade deal, with negotiations that began in 2008, is to lower trade barriers, including tariffs, between the countries. The deal also allows companies to ask for legal arbitration against countries they believe to be discriminating against their products.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Tech industry desperate for US action on the Trans-Pacific Partnership

The Trans-Pacific Partnership, a controversial trade deal supported by many U.S. tech companies, is on death row, with both major party presidential candidates opposed. It's a long shot, but some tech trade groups are hoping for last-minute clemency from Congress and outgoing President Barack Obama. The trade groups are pushing for Congress to vote to approve the deal after November's general election, in the lame-duck session before a new Congress and a new president takes office.The TPP, a free-trade deal negotiated among the U.S. and 11 other Pacific Region nations for seven years, has become a major presidential campaign issue in recent months. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Tech industry desperate for US action on the Trans-Pacific Partnership

The Trans-Pacific Partnership, a controversial trade deal supported by many U.S. tech companies, is on death row, with both major party presidential candidates opposed. It's a long shot, but some tech trade groups are hoping for last-minute clemency from Congress and outgoing President Barack Obama. The trade groups are pushing for Congress to vote to approve the deal after November's general election, in the lame-duck session before a new Congress and a new president takes office.The TPP, a free-trade deal negotiated among the U.S. and 11 other Pacific Region nations for seven years, has become a major presidential campaign issue in recent months. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Worth Reading: Networking needs information, not data

Data is useless. We need to perform analysis on it to get information. That’s where a new wave of companies is coming into the networking market. They are building on the frameworks and systems that are aggregating data and presenting it in a way that makes it useful information. Instead of random data points about NetFlow, these solutions tell you that you’ve got a huge problem with outbound traffic of a specific type that is sent at a specific time with a specific payload. The difference is that instead of sorting through data to make sense of it, you’ve got a tool delivering the analysis instead of the raw data. —Networking Nerd

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Cerber ransomware earns $2.3mil with 0.3% response rate

The fast-growing Cerber ransomware earned nearly $200,000 in July despite a payment rate of just 0.3 percent as a result of its affiliate distribution model, according to a new report by Check Point and IntSights Cyber Intelligence.That puts it on track to make $2.3 million this year, said Maya Horowitz, group manager of threat intelligence at Israel-based Check Point Software Technologies Ltd..In the affiliate model, non-technical customers can run their own campaigns using the platform and get to keep 60 percent of the profits. Affiliates get access to easy-to-use management tools, Cerber's Bitcoin laundering system, as well as the ransomware itself. Each day, eight new Cerber ransomware campaigns are launched, she said, with over 150 affiliates at current count.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cerber ransomware earns $2.3mil with 0.3% response rate

The fast-growing Cerber ransomware earned nearly $200,000 in July despite a payment rate of just 0.3 percent as a result of its affiliate distribution model, according to a new report by Check Point and IntSights Cyber Intelligence.That puts it on track to make $2.3 million this year, said Maya Horowitz, group manager of threat intelligence at Israel-based Check Point Software Technologies Ltd..In the affiliate model, non-technical customers can run their own campaigns using the platform and get to keep 60 percent of the profits. Affiliates get access to easy-to-use management tools, Cerber's Bitcoin laundering system, as well as the ransomware itself. Each day, eight new Cerber ransomware campaigns are launched, she said, with over 150 affiliates at current count.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cerber ransomware rakes in cash by recruiting unskilled hackers

A ransomware strain has been making a pretty penny by opening its doors to unskilled hackers.  Security firm Check Point gained a rare look at the inner workings of the Cerber ransomware and found that its developers are building a network of partners to attack more targets -- and rake in more cash.  Check Point also warned that because of Cerber, more unskilled cybercriminals might choose to participate in ransomware schemes.  "Even the most novice hacker can easily reach out in closed forums to obtain an undetected ransomware variant," it said in a new report.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cerber ransomware rakes in cash by recruiting unskilled hackers

A ransomware strain has been making a pretty penny by opening its doors to unskilled hackers.  Security firm Check Point gained a rare look at the inner workings of the Cerber ransomware and found that its developers are building a network of partners to attack more targets -- and rake in more cash.  Check Point also warned that because of Cerber, more unskilled cybercriminals might choose to participate in ransomware schemes.  "Even the most novice hacker can easily reach out in closed forums to obtain an undetected ransomware variant," it said in a new report.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

11 awesome back-to-school gadgets for students

New school year, new school gearImage by GrovemadeWith classes back in session (or about to begin), hopefully you already have everything from your back-to-school list. Laptop? Check. The perfect bag for said laptop? Check. Schedule and text books? Check and check. Though your laptop and books are, of course, your school lifeline, there are some other gadgets you can add to your list to make your life easier. From practical picks (mice, keyboards, hard drives) to streaming sticks (hey, it’s all about that work/life balance!), our gear guide is full of recommendations designed to aid you in all the demands of student life.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google’s new Fuchsia OS may take over the IoT

With Google apparently working to develop a new operating system, speculation is centered on whether the company is looking to play a big role in running the Internet of Things (IoT). "The important thing is that this could be Google's bid to supply the OS that runs Internet of Things-type systems," said Dan Olds, an analyst with OrionX, a technology analyst firm. "This could be an OS to run on sensors that, for example, check on fertilizer levels in farmers' fields or voice recognition features for fitness products. The array of possibilities in these devices is endless and they all need some sort of operating system."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Apple’s habits peg Sept. 7 for iPhone 7 reveal

Apple will unveil the newest iPhones in just over three weeks, on Wednesday, Sept. 7, if the company sticks to a well-worn groove that makes its biggest product launch predictable.The date fits with previous iPhone cycles, notably last year's introduction of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus.Apple unveiled those models on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015, preceded by the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014; the iPhone 5S and 5C on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013; and the iPhone 5 on Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012.Like last year, a Wednesday roll-out is probable because of the Labor Day holiday in the U.S., which falls on Sept. 5. If Apple hosted the event on Tuesday, Sept. 6, employees would have to work on the off day to prepare, and the invited reporters and analysts would have to travel on Labor Day.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Audis will be able to talk to traffic lights this year

Audi announced today that its 2017 vehicles will be available with vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication technology that enables them to inform drivers when lights will switch from red to green. Audi of America will begin to roll out the traffic light information feature as part of its suite of Audi connect PRIME services later this fall in select smart cities and in metropolitan areas across the country through 2017. The company said traffic light information system is only the first step in V2I integration.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft’s .Net Framework will get its own Patch Tuesday

Microsoft in October is introducing .Net Framework Monthly Rollup to provide security and quality updates to its programming model for Windows. The move aligns with the Windows Monthly Rollup, which does the same thing for the Windows OS.Both rollups were unveiled on Monday and will be available on Patch Tuesday each month, according to Microsoft.[ Solve your Win10 installation headaches with our Windows 10 Installation Superguide. Download it today! | Stay up on key Microsoft technologies with the Windows newsletter. ] "The .Net Framework Monthly Rollup is a single install that updates each supported .Net Framework version on a machine to its latest respective update level," said Microsoft's Stacey Haffner. "Each monthly rollup supersedes the last one, so you if you've missed the last few months of updates, you only need to install the latest rollup to update to the latest update level." The rollup installs only security and reliability updates, not a new version of .Net Framework.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft’s .Net Framework will get its own Patch Tuesday

Microsoft in October is introducing .Net Framework Monthly Rollup to provide security and quality updates to its programming model for Windows. The move aligns with the Windows Monthly Rollup, which does the same thing for the Windows OS.Both rollups were unveiled on Monday and will be available on Patch Tuesday each month, according to Microsoft.[ Solve your Win10 installation headaches with our Windows 10 Installation Superguide. Download it today! | Stay up on key Microsoft technologies with the Windows newsletter. ] "The .Net Framework Monthly Rollup is a single install that updates each supported .Net Framework version on a machine to its latest respective update level," said Microsoft's Stacey Haffner. "Each monthly rollup supersedes the last one, so you if you've missed the last few months of updates, you only need to install the latest rollup to update to the latest update level." The rollup installs only security and reliability updates, not a new version of .Net Framework.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How 3 fintech startups are shaking up security

Today’s financial technology startups (“fintech” for short) are taking on some of today’s greatest security challenges. Armed with drive and a need for innovation, these companies have created new services and security approaches that are changing the financial industry. Here’s how three such companies are competing based on security.Know your client Proving personal identity is a key component of security for the financial industry. Most major financial institutions require customers to open accounts in person, present government-issued identity documents and wait hours or days to open an account. But customers today expect faster services — including the account opening process.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

How 3 fintech startups are shaking up security

Today’s financial technology startups (“fintech” for short) are taking on some of today’s greatest security challenges. Armed with drive and a need for innovation, these companies have created new services and security approaches that are changing the financial industry. Here’s how three such companies are competing based on security.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

RiskSense lands $7M for assessment service

RiskSense, software-as-a-service that evaluates the security of corporate networks and generates a risk score, has been self-financed since its launch last year, but now has harnessed venture funding to help boost its R&D and hire marketing and sales staff.The $7 million funding round includes Paladin Capital Group, Sun Mountain Capital, EPIC Ventures, and other strategic and private investors. Tim Greene RiskSense CEO Srinivas MukkamalaTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

RiskSense lands $7M for assessment service

RiskSense, software-as-a-service that evaluates the security of corporate networks and generates a risk score, has been self-financed since its launch last year, but now has harnessed venture funding to help boost its R&D and hire marketing and sales staff.The $7 million funding round includes Paladin Capital Group, Sun Mountain Capital, EPIC Ventures, and other strategic and private investors. Tim Greene RiskSense CEO Srinivas MukkamalaTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here