Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » octobre 3, 2014

BetaNews.Com (18 non lus)

In a terrifying future, Facebook could venture into healthcare

Publié: octobre 3, 2014, 8:57pm CEST par Mark Wilson

Facebook gets bashed about privacy concerns, its real name policy, and the proliferation of ads that litter the social network. It's easy to complain about who has access to your photos and status updates, but how would you feel about handing over your private health details to Zuckerberg's baby?

In a move that will strike fear into users of the social network, Facebook is apparently considering branching out into healthcare by providing what are being described as "support communities". The news comes from Reuters which quotes three sources who requested anonymity.

Turning healthcare into a product would be an interesting move for Facebook, and it's one that is likely to get a mixed reception. On one hand the idea of support communities in which sufferers are able to connect with others in a similar position seems like it could be extremely useful. But on the other, Facebook's checkered privacy history means that many people whom the services might be aimed at would think twice, nay thrice, before handing over even more personal information than they already have.

Would-be users of such a service may have fears calmed slightly by Facebook's very recent softening of its real names policy, but there is a big difference between Facebook-run support pages, and the user-run pages that currently exist. The anonymous source suggests that in addition to the support communities, Facebook is also interested in helping people to improve their lifestyle through "preventative care" applications. If this comes to fruition, the privacy and sharing features of such applications will be what makes or breaks the idea. When it comes to healthcare, privacy is of the utmost importance, and there would be obvious concerns about the influence advertisers could have, and the access they might be given to information.

One possible reason for Facebook's apparent sudden interest in healthcare is the surge in organ donation registrations that followed an initiative back in 2012. Facebook's "organ-donor status" program saw organ donor registration soar by 21 times the usual numbers. Facebook has refused to comment on its future plans, it is not clear whether future health services would be a feature of the Facebook website, or would appear under a completely different name -- much like Instagram. But the real clincher is likely to be the policy adopted with regard to anonymity. Just as the sources for the Reuters' story requested that their names be withheld, people looking for information and support with serious conditions are likely to want the assurance of being able to use a pseudonym to protect their identity.

Photo Credit: Gajus / Shutterstock
Microsoft brings full song lyrics to Bing search results

Publié: octobre 3, 2014, 7:09pm CEST par Brian Fagioli

Believe it or not, I am not the life of the party. Sure, I may seem like a really happening guy, but the truth is, I am quite boring. At a social gathering, I don't really talk or interact, and more often than not, I find myself staring at my smartphone screen in the corner alone. However, there is one thing that gets me going -- karaoke!

Yes, me and many other folks love singing like a fool in front of both strangers and friends. However, unlike many people, I don't drink alcohol before doing it. I even love signing alone at home; if you stand outside my bathroom door, you will hear quite the riveting renditions of Man! I Feel Like a Woman! by Shania Twain or Do You Really Want to Hurt Me by Culture Club when I'm in the shower. Today, Microsoft makes my love for singing easier, by bringing full song lyrics to Bing results.

"Bing has launched a new Lyrics experience that enables you to view full lyrics for your favorite song on the mainline search results page, without having to click through to a third party site or spend time figuring out which blue link on the page will yield good quality lyrics", says The Big Team.

The team further explains, "you can also view the artist, album and other song related information on the snapshot alongside the main search results. We're starting out with over half a million songs, and we expect that list to grow in the coming weeks. So the next time you want to sing along let Bing be your guide".

I decided to try it myself, and sure enough, as seen below, it worked great:

What are your favorite songs to sing at karaoke or in the shower? Tell me me in the comments.

Photo credit: Di Studio / Shutterstock
Flashback Friday: How two university dropouts created Microsoft

Publié: octobre 3, 2014, 6:30pm CEST par Aatif Sulleyman

Bill Gates is a legendary figure, and not just in the world of technology. With countless awards and titles attached to his name, he has over the years been consistently recognized as one of the world's wealthiest, most powerful and most influential individuals. Also, anybody who can call themselves a 'philanthropist' in today's world has, more often than not, probably achieved something pretty grand.

However, back in the day, Gates was merely a university dropout with a thirst for hacking computer systems. True, the university was Harvard, but Gates wasn't exactly on course to becoming the multi-billionaire entrepreneur he is today.

As a schoolboy, he and his friend Paul Allen (who was three years his senior) were a pair of whipper-snapping computer geeks, in an age where computers were pretty difficult to come by. According to Microsoft's website, the "two young computer enthusiasts ...[saw] that personal computing [was] a path to the future". If you believe that the storyline was so straightforward, you'll probably also think that the NSA does indeed have our best interests at heart or that the latest iPhone is indeed the best mobile the world has ever seen.

The duo grew up in Seattle and created their first joint-venture in 1972, called Traf-O-Data, which was used for tracking and analyzing traffic. The system was so effective that they even managed to sell a computer to the City of Seattle.

Upon leaving school, Gates and Allen tried to go down the route of most school-leavers: Allen went off to study computer science at the University of Washington and Gates opted for law. Both dropped out of their respective courses, with Allen getting a job at Honeywell in Boston so that he could be closer to his friend (who was still at Harvard at the time). This, however, is when things really started to come together. Believe it or not, Allen and Gates were inspired by an article in a magazine.

After the former showed the latter a piece about Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems' (MITS) Altair 8800 microcomputer in a January 1975 edition of 'Popular Electronics' magazine, the two friends cooked up a plan. Gates rang MITS, saying that Allen and himself would develop a version of the BASIC programming language. Needless to say, MITS was interested and, within eight weeks, Gates and Allen had achieved their goal.

After the pair successfully demonstrated the product to MITS in Albuquerque, the company agreed to start distributing it under the Altair BASIC name. Allen and Gates proceeded to move from Boston to Albuquerque and co-founded an organization called 'Micro-Soft' on 4 April 1975. Where exactly the name came from is a disputed matter.

It is common knowledge that 'Micro' was taken from 'microcomputer' and 'Soft' came from 'software', but whether Gates or Allen conjured up the name is a little bit murky. The most prevalent theory, at least as far as the Internet is concerned, is that of Gates referring to his partnership with Allen as 'Micro-Soft' in a July 1975 letter.

However, this story was debunked by Allen and Gates themselves in a 1995 interview. The duo told Fortune magazine:

Gates: When we signed that first contract with MITS, we referred to ourselves as 'Paul Allen and Bill Gates doing business as Micro-Soft'. I don't remember why we spelled it with a hyphen and a capital 'S'. We put a credit line in the source code of our first product that said, "Micro-Soft BASIC: Bill Gates wrote a lot of stuff; Paul Allen wrote some other stuff." We never officially incorporated until 1981.

Allen: We had talked about a lot of different names back in Boston, and at some point I said, "Well, the totally obvious name would be Microsoft".

Gates: We also had mentioned names like Outcorporated Inc. and Unlimited Ltd., but we were, you know, joking around. We talked a lot about whether we should call it Allen & Gates, but decided that was not a good idea.

Allen: Yeah. Because companies like DEC and IBM weren't named after personalities, they would have a longevity and identity way beyond the founders...

Gates: ...and it seemed like a law firm or like a consulting company to call it Allen & Gates. So we picked Microsoft even before we had a company to name.

The company name (complete with hyphen), was registered with the Secretary of State of New Mexico by late November 1976. The following year, Micro-Soft opened its first international office in Japan, and in 1979, it moved its headquarters to Bellevue, Washington, since top programmers were generally unwilling to relocate to Albuquerque.

On 25 June 1981, the company became an incorporated business and changed its name to 'Microsoft Corporation Inc'. It's been through some drastic changes in the 30-odd years since -- Allen was unfortunately diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1982 and has left the company, Gates has taken a backseat role, Steve Ballmer (who Gates met at Harvard) has been and gone and Satya Nadella is now making his mark -- but has established itself as one of the most important companies in the world.

I wonder if Allen & Gates would ever have made it so big?

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.
Windows 10: Command Prompt's experimental new features are genuinely useful

Publié: octobre 3, 2014, 5:49pm CEST par Mark Wilson

With the release of Windows 10 Technical Preview you would think that the time would be to look forward rather than backwards. It's a time to embrace the new and exciting, but it's hard not to look back and draw comparisons.

With Windows 10, initial impressions suggest that there may not really have been a need to skip over Windows 9 -- there are no massive surprises to be found. But there are some interesting changes to be discovered in the most surprising of places. In looking backwards, it's hard not to bring MS-DOS to mind, along with its slightly more modern version, the Command Prompt. Forget the redesigned Start menu, virtual desktops and everything else, the Command Prompt is where it's all happening, kids!

Fire up the Command Prompt in Windows 8 (hit the Windows key and R, and then type cmd before pressing Enter), and you'll find that the window remains stubbornly resistant to resizing. The width of the window can be reduced, but there's no way to make it wider. Even if you maximize the window, you're left with a stupidly narrow workspace. This changes in Windows 10. At long last it is possible to resize the Command Prompt window just like any other -- very handy for when you're typing out lengthy commands.

Copying and pasting is one of the most basic functions of an operating system, but it's something that has not been supported by the command prompt. If you've found a lengthy command online that you want to try, using Ctrl+C followed by Ctrl+V seems like the sensible thing to do. In Windows 8, rather than giving you the desired command, you'll find that this simply results in ^V appearing at the Command Prompt. In Windows 10, you can copy and paste just like you would with other apps. It just works as it should do. Typos should be all but eliminated!

There's another interesting feature to experiment with -- and, appropriately enough, it can be found in the Experimental settings section. You can adjust the transparency of the Command Prompt window. Right-click the Command Prompt window's title bar, select Properties, and then move to the Experimental tab. Move the Opacity slider to the left to increase the transparency level, and hit OK to apply the setting. This new option provides a handy way of keeping an eye on what’s going on in the background without having to keep minimizing the windows -- and it's especially useful when you've enlarged the Command Prompt window.

Presumably these features are only classed as "experimental" during the Technical Preview phase, so we'll have to see how many of them make it into the final build, and where they will be accessed. With a new windows transparency setting, it will also be interesting to see if Microsoft decides to make this option available to other applications.

Photo credit: Sergii Korolko / Shutterstock
Majority of businesses are not confident about their data security

Publié: octobre 3, 2014, 5:26pm CEST par Darren Allan

A new piece of research from SafeNet has pointed out some worrying aspects regarding business security, including the fact that the majority of organizations -- some 60 percent of them -- are not confident that their data would be secure if a hacker was to get past their network's perimeter security.

While 74 percent of the thousand IT decision makers questioned said they believed their perimeter security was effective at keeping threats at bay, 41 percent believed that unauthorized users are able to access their networks, figures which don't quite marry up.

44 percent said their company firewall had been breached, or they weren't sure if it had, which isn't exactly a comforting state of affairs.

The upshot of all this is, SafeNet notes, that while businesses are investing IT budgets in perimeter security and the front line of keeping the bad guys out -- 93 percent said their company's investment in perimeter security had stayed the same or increased -- they do so at the expense of defense in depth strategies, and measures like data encryption to ensure that if there is a breach, damage is minimized.

Two-thirds of those surveyed said they would not decrease spending on network perimeter defenses, in favor of other security measures which could give more breadth. When asked to get rid of one way in which sensitive data is protected, most respondents said they'd ditch anomaly detection (49 percent), or data encryption (24 percent), with perimeter security being held as more important (only 15 percent).

It's not too surprising, then, that the majority aren't confident about data security should an attacker get past those hallowed perimeter defenses.

Indeed, a quarter of those surveyed admitted that they wouldn't trust their own personal data to be present on their company network, a telling statistic.

Tsion Gonen, chief strategy officer, SafeNet, commented: "The research findings reveal some interesting contradictions between the perception and the reality of data security. What's worrying is that so many organizations are still putting all of their eggs in one basket when it comes to data security. Perimeter security technologies are just one layer of protection, but too many companies rely on them as the foundation of their data security strategy when, in reality, the perimeter no longer exists".

He continued: "From the sheer volume of data breaches alone, it's clear that if a cybercriminal wants to hack the system or steal data, they will find a way to do so. So companies need to focus on what matters most -- protecting the data. That means building more intelligent security strategies and using defense-in-depth with multi-factor authentication and placing security directly on the data with encryption".

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.
Carbon Copy Cloner 4 makes Mac cloning and imaging easier than ever

Publié: octobre 3, 2014, 4:15pm CEST par Nick Peers

Bombich Software has unveiled Carbon Copy Cloner 4.0 for Mac, which it describes as "our biggest update ever". The new build now requires OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) or later.

After 18 months of development, in which Bombich "tore CCC down to studs and completely rebuilt it on top of modern OS X facilities", the new version boasts a brand new user interface, plus a host of new features, including the ability to edit scheduled tasks and a menu bar app.

The brand new user interface aims to simplify the task of cloning and drive imaging while retaining both the look and feel of previous builds while retaining all previous functionality.

The program provides an optional sidebar that allows all key program features -- Disk Center, Scheduled Tasks and Cloning Console -- to be integrated into a single window. Users can select source and destination by dragging disks from the left-hand sidebar or by clicking the appropriate button and choosing from the drop-down menu, where they’ll also find disk imaging options in addition to cloning tools.

A new simple interface mode makes it possible to clone a disk with just three clicks: Source, Destination and Clone. More advanced options are just a click away, however, providing access to all previously available options.

Carbon Copy Cloner 4.0 also adds a number of new features, starting with Task Chaining, which allows users to group multiple tasks together to form more complex backup routines.

A new Task History window provides users with a summary of recently run tasks, including whether or not they were successful. Select one for more details including advice for those tasks that failed due to errors.

The app also adds a new menu bar app for easy access and configuration, plus introduces one-time authentication for administrative users, meaning they’ll no longer be prompted for their password each time a task is run.

A new Task Migration Assistant has been added to help migrate tasks from previous versions of the program, while email notifications have been updated to allow email account settings to be configured just once and then used across multiple tasks. Users also gain new options for customizing their notifications.

Task Scheduling has also been improved: users can now edit scheduled tasks, while a wider range of scheduling options are available, such as limiting tasks to only running on weekdays or weekends. Laptop users will also be pleased to learn that tasks will no longer begin by default when the laptop is running on battery power.

The Disk Center has been updated to provide more useful information, while the SafetyNet feature has also been improved – this creates a bootable clone of the hard drive and also keeps copies of recently deleted and changed files.

Carbon Copy Cloner 4.0 is available now as a 30-day trial download for Macs running OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) or later. The full version can be purchased for $39.99, while registered version 3 users can upgrade for $19.99 by downloading and installing the new build over the top of the existing version (upgrades are free if a license was purchased after June 2).
Roman goblet used to boost optical storage

Publié: octobre 3, 2014, 2:43pm CEST par Claire Woffenden

Ancient Roman glassware housed in the British Museum is at the heart of new research into expanding the storage capabilities of optical storage devices.

The Lycurgus cup, a goblet made in the 4th century during the Roman Empire, incorporates gold-silver alloyed nanoparticles into glass and changes color from green to red when light passes through it.

Ever since researchers discovered its properties in the 1990s, the cup has been the inspiration for innovative applications of nanotechnology. The latest research from a team at Cambridge University mimics its color effects to form multi-color holograms containing 16 million nanoparticles per square millimeter, which they say could pave the way for smaller optical devices.

According to the researchers, holograms made of tiny particles of silver could double the amount of information that can be stored in digital optical devices, such as sensors, displays and medical imaging devices. Interference caused by the light interacting with the nanoparticles lets the holograms go beyond the normal limits of diffraction, or the way in which waves spread or bend when they encounter an opening or obstacle.

"This technology will lead to a new range of applications in the area of photonics, as conventional optical components simply cannot achieve this kind of functionality," said Yunuen Montelongo, a PhD student from the Department of Engineering at Cambridge.

"The potential of this technology will be realized when they are mass produced and integrated into the next generation of ultra-thin consumer electronics".

The Cambridge researchers say they are also exploring various optical mechanisms involved in the light-matter interaction at nanoscale and that future research will involve the construction of 3D dynamic displays for consumer electronics.

Image Credit: Yunuen Montelongo
Kill the Start menu and get the Start screen back in Windows 10

Publié: octobre 3, 2014, 2:43pm CEST par Mark Wilson

Since the arrival of Windows 8 there has been a lot of huffing and puffing about the Start screen. Some people love it, but a lot of people yearn for the return of the Start menu. With Windows 10, this is now a reality. If you grab yourself a copy of the Technical Preview you can experience the all-new Start menu for yourself, but you may find that it's not for you.

If you find that you actually miss the Start screen from Windows 8, it's very easy to get it back -- you just need to know where to look.

Getting what you ask for doesn’t always work out as expected, and the new implementation of the Start menu may just not be for you. To get things back to the way they were in Windows 8.x, right-click an empty section of the taskbar and select Properties.

Move to the Start Menu tab and uncheck the box at the top of the window that's labeled "Use the Start menu instead of the Start screen".

Click OK and you'll be prompted to log out of your account to put the new setting in place. Make sure that you've saved any open documents and hit the "Sign out and change settings" button.

When you next sign into your account, you'll be taken to the desktop just as before, but when you hit the Start button, it's the Start screen that will appear rather than the Start menu. Just as in Windows 8.1, you can opt to boot straight to the Start screen if you prefer.

Right-click the taskbar and select Properties before jumping to the Navigation tab. Uncheck the box labeled "When I sign in or close all applications on a screen, go to the desktop instead of Start" and then hit OK.

Job done... Windows 10 in Windows 8 mode!
Logitech reveals the M320 -- a beautiful, battery saving wireless mouse

Publié: octobre 3, 2014, 2:39pm CEST par Alan Buckingham

Wireless mice are a dime-a-dozen these days, with new ones from all sorts of manufacturers coming along all the time. But when Logitech releases one then notice must be taken, as it and Microsoft are two of the premiere mouse makers on the market.

Today the company announces its latest offering, the M320 wireless mouse, which it touts as both comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. The new peripheral has a lot to be excited about, even if it's just a mouse, or at least that's what the company promises.

Logitech claims the curved design is for a perfect fit in the hand, the optical sensor provides precision, soft rubber grips and a wide scroll wheel to help users navigate better. There is also a wide range of compatibility, with Windows, OS X, Chrome and Linux operating systems all included.

"Thanks to our advanced energy-efficient engineering and the fact that the mouse automatically puts itself to sleep when you are not using it, you can go longer between battery changes. Plus, the Nano receiver gives you the reliability of a cord and the convenience of wireless freedom. With the modern design and several color options, including blue, red, black and gray, this mouse easily fits neatly into any workspace", Logitech says.

Pricing and release date are not mentioned and it seems the product is not yet available on the site, but likely it will be very soon, if not today.

Update: The mouse is now available and come in a choice of four different colors. It is retailing for $29.99 and you get the details by visiting Logitech.

BlackBerry Passport: It's not so hip to be square [Review]

Publié: octobre 3, 2014, 1:07pm CEST par Sandra Vogel

BlackBerry-Passport-800x450_contentfullwidth

The BlackBerry Passport is huge by phone standards at 128 x 90mm and 9.3mm thick. It really is the same size as a passport -- and BlackBerry says it was inspired by the passport, which it calls the 'universal symbol of mobility'. Bless. Are there stranger reasons for naming a handset? Did BlackBerry fiddle with the sizing to make it so? Answers on a postcard please...

Design-wise, the BlackBerry Passport looks and feels like a quality piece of kit. It is solidly made, and both its size and robust shell help explain its weight -- 196 grams doesn't sit lightly in the pocket.

The handset houses a huge square screen that measures 4.5in across diagonal corners -- 81mm wide x 81mm tall. In phone terms this is a vast area for viewing content. BlackBerry says this is a gift for mobile professionals who need to read and edit documents, do email, look at websites, read maps and so on.

Certainly the 1,440 x 1,440 pixel resolution, which delivers a massive 453ppi pixel density, is sharp and clear, and I found it an absolute pleasure to read text and work with emails.

However, for more consumer-focused tasks it is less satisfying. YouTube video, for example, is squished somewhat to fit into the 1:1 aspect ratio of the screen.

There's a little bit of geekery here in that you can navigate the screen by stroking the keyboard. This works well enough, though so does a more conventional sweep of the screen itself.

The keyboard holds its own surprises. The three QWERTY rows are augmented when needed by further touch-responsive rows offering a number row, predictive text, or in some cases a full blown set of extras including punctuation marks.

The keys themselves are comfy to use, though they do require two hands all the time. There's also a lot that's hidden from view. Why lift a finger from the keyboard to tap a predicted word when all you have to do is flick up towards it for the word to be inserted in your text?

BlackBerry was always hot on keyboard shortcuts and there are plenty here. Hold down a key to capitalize the letter, double press the spacebar to end a sentence, and there's lots more. There is a learning curve, but typing can be really fast once you are in control.

This is all pretty quirky, and there are definite pros and cons. I found the bigger screen really useful for browsing and writing email, and I got on okay with the keyboard, both for typing and for touch-controls.

But it is impossible to use the Passport one-handed. You need two hands to type, two hands to reach across the screen. Even getting to the right side mounted volume buttons and quick launch for Assistant (see later) will be a stretch for some with one hand. And I found the Passport a complete beast to carry around. I rarely had a large enough pocket, so it lounged in my backpack most of the time, and it was therefore further away than a pocketed handset. No doubt city gents with large-pocketed suits will fare better.

BlackBerry OS has been updated to version 10.3, and while there are some additions to the previous version, the look and feel is very similar. Upgrading BlackBerry fans should not find it difficult to acclimatize.

BlackBerry Hub, for example, is a carryover from earlier versions of the OS. This brings notifications of email, Twitter, SMS and other communications together in one place. I've found it an acquired taste in the past, but business users may warm to its unified approach to comms.

BlackBerry-Passport-front_fullwidth

New features for BlackBerry OS 10.3 include BlackBerry Assistant, BlackBerry Blend and Amazon Appstore installed by default. The Amazon Appstore provides access to a cut down version of the Play store, and is a welcome addition over and above the small BlackBerry World store. It's not Google Play, but it is better than a slap in the face with a wet kipper.

BlackBerry-Passport-profile_fullwidth

BlackBerry Assistant is a voice activated assistant which responds to both written and spoken queries. If you type it gives a written response, if you speak it talks back. Assistant searches both on and off device, and it is one of my favorite features of BlackBerry OS 10.3. If you want to send an email to Bob just run the Assistant by long pressing that side key, say 'email Bob' and you are off.

BlackBerry-Passport-rear_fullwidth

BlackBerry Blend is designed to let professionals get to files such as documents that are stored on different devices. I couldn't test this, and it is clearly designed for BlackBerry's bigger corporate customers using BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES).

BlackBerry-Passport-slideshow-4_slideshowdisplayv3

BlackBerry used to be known for stinting on its camera, but here there's a 13 megapixel main shooter with flash and a 2 megapixel front camera. You can fiddle with the aspect ratio and plump for 4:3, 16:9 or 1:1 -- the latter making use of the square nature of the screen. There's built in photo editing too. That sounds promising, but photos can be on the wishy-washy side.

There's nothing wrong with the speed and efficiency of the BlackBerry Passport. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor supported by 3GB of RAM whizzed along during testing. There's 32GB of built-in storage, of which 7.2GB is used by the operating system and sundries. You can add a microSD card, and this and your nanoSIM sit under a small removable back cover. Battery life is a stunner too – one side effect of the large chassis is plenty of space for a 3450mAh battery. I got two days of life with ease.

Verdict

BlackBerry has given itself an uphill struggle in producing a handset which so squarely (pardon the pun) bucks the handset trend, and in deciding to support Android but not the full Play store. Great battery life, an undeniably good screen and BlackBerry Blend may be enough to sway some business users, but the pull for non-professionals is more difficult to understand.

Good Points

Great screen
Smart keyboard with useful shortcuts
Android app support

Bad Points

Too quirky for many people
Overly large
Well established competitors

Specifications

Manufacturer and Model	BlackBerry Passport
Network	4G
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.2GHz quad-core
Ram	3GB
Memory	32GB (24.8GB accessible)
Memory expansion	microSD
Display	4.5in, 1,440 x 1,440, 453ppi
Main camera	13 megapixel
Front camera	2 megapixel
NFC	Yes
Wi-Fi	Yes
GPS	Yes
FM radio	No
Battery	3,450 mAh
Size	90.3 x 9.3 x 128mm (WxDxH)
Weight	196g
OS	BlackBerry OS 10.3

Shellshock -- we ain't seen nothing yet

Publié: octobre 3, 2014, 12:35pm CEST par Ian Barker

It's now just over a week since news of the Shellshock bug broke and analysts are still trying to work out just how much of an impact it could have.

Security specialist Incapsula has been tracking the vulnerability to get an idea of its magnitude, looking at the number of sites attacked and the damage caused.

The company says it has so far stopped 310,928 exploit attempts, an average of over 1,800 per hour. A spike in attacks over 27/28 September it says was partly down to attackers moving quickly and partly to businesses testing their own vulnerability.

Of the total traffic around 94 percent was some form of attack in the form of scans, server hijack attempts and DDoS malware seeding. Writing on the Incapsula blog co-founder Marc Gaffan says, "The highjack attempts were the most immediately troubling, comprising about 20 percent of the total. Scans and DDoS malware seeding made up the remaining 70 percent or so. To answer the question of how dangerous the vulnerability is, my experience leads me to believe that this may well be the calm before the storm. This appears as if a lot of criminals are setting the stage for future attacks".

These figures are based on Incapsula's sample of 100,000 websites. If its hourly figure for attacks is extrapolated over the entire web that’s potentially 1.3 billion attacks carried out over the first weekend of the vulnerability.

Gaffan warns, "The sheer volume of attacks and the types of planning Incapsula is seeing -- scans, backdoor insertions, and DDoS groundwork -- on such a large scale means that companies need to work now to fix their vulnerabilities". He goes on to say that the real fallout may still be to come from the numbers of machines that have already been compromised.

The bottom line is that businesses need to stay alert, patch systems and not assume that the danger has passed. You can read more and download the latest threat landscape report on Incapsula's website.

Image Credit: Jirsak/Shutterstock
Windows 10 Technical Preview for ARM tablets, smartphones will only come next year

Publié: octobre 3, 2014, 12:33pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

When Microsoft took the wraps off Windows 10, the software giant informed us that its latest operating system, which officially launches next year, will run on all sorts of devices, including PCs, smartphones and tablets, and feature a unified app store. Both are firsts, as, so far, there was a Windows to suit everything: one for ARM tablets, one for PCs, one for embedded devices, one for smartphones and so on. Of course, the Server editions will not go away, but that's to be expected.

As a Windows Phone user and watcher, I am particularly interested in seeing Windows 10 in action on smartphones. Microsoft has talked quite a lot about what the new operating system brings on PCs and tablets -- it even released a Technical Preview build for x86 devices -- but kept quiet about its plans for smartphones. Well, that has changed, thanks to Joe Belfiore, the software giant's Operating Systems Group corporate vice president (better known as the head of Windows Phone).

Answering fan questions, Belfiore has revealed on Twitter that Windows 10 Technical Preview will be available for ARM-based devices -- that would be tablets and smartphones, as far as most of us are concerned -- "well into 2015". It is not particularly great news, I know. Microsoft has apparently decided to make the preview build a PC-only affair -- as it is only for x86 devices, as I just mentioned -- in order to "get enterprise/corporate feedback" as quickly as possible; it is the exception to the rule, if you will, as most other types of devices will be getting it later, next year.

It makes sense to give businesses an early look at Windows 10, as quite a lot of them are still running Windows 7 and Windows XP. Getting companies to like the new operating system early is sure to give Microsoft a better chance at upgrading its business customers to Windows 10, assuming its clients like what they're seeing -- by the looks of it, the new operating system has what it takes. The PC version -- because Windows 10, despite its name, will be far different on PCs compared to smartphones -- is much more complex, so it could also use much more testing than the smartphone release, which is more tightly controlled.

What Belfiore's answers, coupled with the lengthy public testing associated with new Windows releases, also tell us is that Windows 10 will not launch anytime soon in 2015. Well into next year suggests a mid 2015 availability, at the earliest, for Windows 10 Technical Preview for ARM-based devices, and an even later release date for the final bits of code. Who knows, it might even be possible to see Windows 10 launching in 2016, or very, very late-2015 at the earliest. Microsoft should really clear this up.
Ransomware is an increasing security concern for IT professionals

Publié: octobre 3, 2014, 12:09pm CEST par Mark Wilson

Ransomware is an increasing security concern for IT professionals

There are always plenty of security concerns causing furrowed brows of IT professionals, but a survey shows that it is ransomware that is causing the biggest headaches at the moment. A survey carried out by Spiceworks and published by Webroot found that 88 percent of professionals had concerns about ransomware, while one third of those questioned had dealt with a ransomware attack first hand. By far the most common strategy for dealing with a device that has been maliciously encrypted is to simply wipe it.

Two-thirds expect the number of attacks to increase in the next year which is particularly concerning when you consider that two thirds of IT professionals know someone who has been affected by ransomware. Despite the threat and attempts to thwart the flow of ransomware with filtering, firewalls, and email scanning, just 44 percent believe their current security set up is "somewhat effective".

Faced with a device that is encrypted by malware and held to ransom, 9 percent of those surveyed would attempt to crack the encryption themselves, while 22 percent would call in encryption experts. The importance of backing up does not seem to have filtered through to the hundreds of people questioned by Spiceworks; while 82 percent of IT professional affected by ransomware would wipe the device in question, just 19 percent would restore data from a backup.

It should come as no surprise that the internet is one of the most common sources of this type of malware, but email and social networks also feature high on the list. A worryingly small 31 percent of IT admins have a specific strategy in place for dealing with ransomware attacks.
How to use virtual desktops in Windows 10

Publié: octobre 3, 2014, 9:27am CEST par Wayne Williams

While most people will be talking about the return of the Start menu in the next version of Microsoft’s operating system -- and with good reason -- it’s not the only big change in Windows 10.

Windows 8 proved to be something of a productivity killer for many people, but Microsoft is once again catering to the needs of power users, and has finally introduced a feature that has been offered in Linux for many years -- the virtual desktop.

Unless you have a multi-monitor setup it can be easy to run out of screen space. For that reason, Windows 10 provides multiple desktops that you can work in and quickly switch between.

To use this feature, just click the new Task View button on the taskbar. This is located between search and Internet Explorer.

To add a new desktop, all you need to do is click the Plus sign. You create multiple desktops, and switching between them is just a matter of clicking the Task View button again and moving your mouse over the thumbnail of the one you want. Once the workspace is displayed above, click on it (or click the Task View button again) to start using it.

You can also switch between desktops by pressing Ctrl+Win and tapping the left or right keys.

Moving open apps and windows between desktops is very straightforward. Right-click the window to move (in the desktop switcher screen), select "Move to", and then choose the desktop you want.

To close a virtual desktop, hover your mouse over its thumbnail and click on the X that appears.
'Bendgate' continues to haunt Apple

Publié: octobre 3, 2014, 8:30am CEST par Darren Allan

Apple has done a ton of defensive work to put out the fires of bendgate, the latest (compulsory) scandal which arrived with the iPhone 6, but Cupertino is still feeling the heat over the issue despite its best efforts.

Once mud has been slung, it tends to stick, even though Apple has done everything from giving journalists a grand tour around its phone stress testing lab and the rigorous procedures therein, through to releasing figures that point to only nine complaints over bent iPhone 6 models, and highlighting independent testing that shows the HTC One M8 (with its aluminum body) bends just as much as Apple's smartphone.

Despite this, the laughs at Apple's expense continue, with not just Samsung poking fun at the iPhone 6, but also folks pointing out amusingly placed posters in light of the "scandal", and an enterprising firm which has created a special bendgate case.

The posters were highlighted by The Verge, and consist of several very unfortunately placed iPhone 6 adverts, pasted up on huge billboards which are bent to fit into their environment, and of course therefore display a kinked iPhone. Check out the above image which must have left the Apple PR department none too pleased (see the others at The Verge).

And if giant posters of bent handsets weren't enough, then the iPhone 6 BendGate Case produced by Shapeways (spotted by Metro) is sure to get Apple a little, well, bent out of shape.

The case, which comes in a number of bright colors, is pre-bent to fit your kinked iPhone 6 like a glove -- and Shapeways also notes that "this bumper case fixes the leveling issue caused by the camera lens and gives it protection where it's needed!"

The tongue-in-cheek case is apparently in beta and has been priced at €19.07, or if you have a 3D Printer, you can download the thing and print your own. It's the perfect gift for an Android lover to give their iPhone 6 toting friend...

Image Credit: Tom @taknil

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.
UK phone booths become free solar-powered mobile phone chargers

Publié: octobre 3, 2014, 6:14am CEST par Mark Wilson

The red telephone booth is one of the most enduring icons of the UK; but as delightful as their housings may be, the humble payphone has had its day. Coin and card-fed phones are on the verge of being consigned to the history books, while the mobile phone goes from strength to strength. But mobile phones, for all their strength in portability, coverage, and flexibility, have their kryptonite: battery life. In keeping with the environmentally-friendly preference for recycling and reusing rather than trashing, unused phone boxes are being given a new lease on life.

Should you find yourself wandering down London's Tottenham Court Road and notice that your battery is getting a little low, there's a green solution popping up. Phone booths that would have otherwise be left to rack and ruin are being converted into solar-powered charging stations that can be used completely free of charge.

Within the newly-painted boxes -- now a lurid green -- are a series of adaptors to suit a variety of different phones. If your handset needs a boost, just wander in, plug in, and charge up. Few people would be foolish enough to walk away from their phone while they charge, so the company behind the venture, Solarbox, has something of a captive audience to whom to show adverts on a vandal-proof tablet. Advertising comes from the likes of Tinder and Uber, but nearly a third of ad space is reserved for local community projects.

For now there is a single solar-powered phonebox, but more are planned. Five more are currently due to open, with number two expected to be unveiled in January.

Photo credit: Tupungato / Shutterstock
Facebook admits it screwed up, but its proposed research guidelines are meaningless

Publié: octobre 3, 2014, 3:49am CEST par Mark Wilson

Facebook is no stranger to controversy, nor is the social network unfamiliar with upsetting its users. It seems as though Zuckerberg's baby has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons lately, and it's not all that long since users vented their fury after it was revealed that their newsfeeds had been manipulated in the name of research. Now the social network says that it was "unprepared for the reaction the paper received when it was published and have taken to heart the comments and criticism" and is now implementing new user research guidelines.

"There are things we should have done differently" may seem like something of a half-hearted admission that mistakes were made, but it's the second semi-apology from Facebook this week. Research into how people use the social network will still continue, but Facebook now says "we want to do it in the most responsible way." So what does this actually mean?

On the face of it, very little. Although Facebook's Chief Technology Officer, Mike Schroepfer, says that researchers will be given clearer guidelines, details are very thin on the ground. There is a promise that any research that involves looking at "deeply personal" content, or includes the study of particular groups of people, then there will be "an enhanced review process before research can begin". There is absolutely no explanation of what this means, no details of what review process -- if any -- has been used up until now, and who will be responsible for conducting the review. A "panel" has been set up to oversee things, but we don’t know whether it is independent, whether its members were elected to post, and so on.

Facebook also promises that its six-week boot camp program will include education about research practices, but without details this is hollow and meaningless. Research will be published online, but one thing is not made clear -- whether users chosen to take part in research will be notified. It's not clear whether users are able to opt out of research, or if individuals are able to request details of the information that has been gathered about them; this in spite of a general trend for web-based firms to become more transparent.

Schroepfer's post ends with the words, "we want to do this research in a way that honors the trust you put in us by using Facebook every day. We will continue to learn and improve as we work toward this goal." It seems there is still a lot to learn.

Photo credit: 1000 Words / Shutterstock
Pebble smartwatch gets a major update, tracks health and fitness

Publié: octobre 3, 2014, 2:46am CEST par Alan Buckingham

The smartwatch industry continues to grow with the latest offerings from both Google Android Wear and Apple. But Pebble, a former darling of Kickstarter, got off to a fast start and has been continuing to improve things since its launch.

Now the watch maker is adding yet more features to its offering, giving users access to health and fitness monitoring. Thanks to RunKeeper, there was already a bit of this present, but the latest update brings much more along with it.

"Today, we’re announcing a new area of growth for our ecosystem — health and fitness — and releasing a software update that enables non-stop activity tracking and sleep monitoring (thanks to Pebble’s class-leading multi-day battery life)", says Pebble.

Users will still be able to display whatever watchface they wish, and activity tracking will take place in the background as the day goes on. There is more to it than just that, though.

Added is an updated Misfit app that will track activity all day, and Pebble promises that "Jawbone is launching its own activity tracking watchface for Pebble called UP which shows daily and weekly activity progress and automatically syncs with its new UP app for iOS (and coming to Android soon)".

The company is also expanding availability, making its watches available from locations like Fry's and Sam's Club, with Sprint soon joining the party. In addition, the price has been reduced -- you can grab one in the US for only $99. Many online locations also offer free shipping, so it's a good deal for those in the market.