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BetaNews.Com (6 non lus)

Huge Windows 10 Fall Update (Threshold 2) due 10 November

Publié: novembre 1, 2015, 7:27pm CET par Mark Wilson

Windows 10 has been with us for a few months now, and the time has come for its first big update. Known variously as Threshold 2, the November Update, and the Fall Update now has a release date -- 10 November.

In just over a week's time -- according to a Microsoft Support Engineer writing on Microsoft Answers -- the November update is due to launch bringing, amongst other things, Cortana support to India. Windows Insiders on the Fast Ring who have tried Windows 10 Build 10576 already have an idea of what to expect.

The Fall Update is also an opportunity for Microsoft to get to work addressing a number of bugs, but there are also new features to look forward to. Microsoft Edge may not be getting extension support just yet, but it is getting Chromecast aping media casting options.

On top of this, we're expecting to see a new messaging app, and some UI tweaks such as a Start menu redesign that allows for more Live Tiles. Microsoft has already said that the process of upgrading a non-genuine copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 will be made easier, and this is something that should be fully implemented in this update.

Photo credit: Stanislaw Mikulski / Shutterstock
Vodafone customer accounts hit by hackers

Publié: novembre 1, 2015, 4:17pm CET par Mark Wilson

UK customers of Vodafone are the latest victims of a hack attack. The telecoms company said that nearly 2,000 customer accounts had been accessed this week, exposing personal data including phone numbers and bank account details.

The security breach took place earlier this week, but it was only this weekend that Vodafone went public about it. A spokesperson said that the attack "was driven by criminals using email addresses and passwords acquired from an unknown source external to Vodafone". There is warning that the owners of the affected accounts could be subject to phishing attacks.

Vodafone says that it is contacting any customer whose account was included in the attack, stressing that there was no need for anyone else to be concerned. The company issued a statement that says:

Whilst our security protocols were fundamentally effective, we know that 1,827 customers have had their accounts accessed, potentially giving the criminals involved the customer's name, their mobile telephone number, their bank sort code, the last four digits of their bank account.

Our investigation and mitigating actions have meant that only a handful of customers have been subject to any attempts to use this data for fraudulent activity on their Vodafone accounts.

Photo credit: TK Kurikawa / Shutterstock.com
Government forced to U-turn on internet spying and encryption ban plans

Publié: novembre 1, 2015, 3:45pm CET par Mark Wilson

The UK government has performed an about-face on plans for controversial internet surveillance plans. The 'snooper's charter' may have been kept at bay so far, but plans were afoot to force ISPs to retain the browsing histories of their customers. Prime Minister David Cameron had also strongly hinted at a desire to ban the use of strong encryption.

Today Home Secretary Theresa May told the BBC that security agencies such as GCHQ would not be granted the power to check web browsing histories. She also said that an encryption ban would not be implemented. Dismissed by some as little more than 'spin', the U-turn will be widely seen as the government's response to suggestions the any extension to online surveillance powers would be blocked in the House of Lords. But while this is something of a climb-down for the government, it is not the end of the battle for privacy groups.

The Conservative government has already faced heavy criticism for, amongst other things, proposing to scrap the Human Rights Act. With the threat of defeat when trying to push through the controversial investigatory powers bill this week, ministers appear to be trying to save face by watering down the original plans. Rather than sweeping NSA-style surveillance powers -- at least publicly admitted -- ministers now say that "any access to internet connection records will be strictly limited and targeted".

Speaking on the Andrew Marr show, Theresa May said:

Encryption is important for people to be able to keep themselves safe when they are dealing with these modern communications in the digital age but we will be setting out the current position, which does enable the authorities with proper authorisation to issue warrants.

As has been the case in the US, politicians have been accused of failing to understand the security implications of weakening encryption or providing any form of backdoor. Civil liberties campaigner David Davis said that the original proposals were "spectacularly impractical and to a large extent ignored the rights of individual citizens".

There are fears that the current proposals are rather vague, leaving them open to interpretation in a way that many are unhappy with. It has not been made clear who would be responsible for the authorization of warrants that allows for more intrusive surveillance, but there are fears that a lack of independence could be an issue.

Image credit: Amir Kaljikovic/Shutterstock
Tip: how to fix a slow Wi-Fi connection on Surface Pro 4 or Surface Book

Publié: novembre 1, 2015, 1:38pm CET par Mark Wilson
The recently released Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book have generated waves of interest, but the devices have not been without problems. Some owners have complained about flickering screens, while others have experienced issues with charging.

There are also some users who complain that their wireless connection is much slower than other devices. If you are one of those affected by the problem, a simple registry hack is all that's needed to get things back up to speed again.

Microsoft is aware of the problem, and has pinpointed the issue to a few specific access points. Writing on the Windows Answers support forums, the company said: "We have a known issue with .41 that results in low throughput with specific access points. The issue is specific to MAC layer aggregation (AMSDU over AMPDU) and only impacts a small subset of access points. We are working on a fix for an upcoming update. Until the fix is available, please update the registry key setting to work around this issue".
- If you have noticed this issue, try the following to see if it helps:
- Press the Windows key and R at the same time, type regedit and press Enter to launch the Registry Editor.
- Navigate to KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ ControlSet001\Services\mrvlpcie8897.
- Locate the key named TXAMSDU.
- Double click it, and change its value to 0.
- Restart your computer.
Let us know how you get on!
Windows 10's growth is very slow -- Windows 7 and 8.x users reluctant to switch

Publié: novembre 1, 2015, 10:17am CET par Wayne Williams

It’s that time of the month again when NetMarketShare releases its desktop operating system usage share figures and we get to see how well (or not) the various flavors of Microsoft’s operating system are doing. In October, Windows 10 gained usage share, while all other versions of Windows lost share. That’s to be expected of course.

However, it’s far from great news for Microsoft as Windows 10’s growth once again slowed. Making the new OS free to upgraders, and advertising it heavily still doesn’t seem enough to get people to make the switch. No wonder Microsoft has started using bullyboy tactics.

SEE ALSO: Windows 10's growth slows dramatically

In October, Windows 10 went from 6.63 percent to 7.94 percent, an increase of 1.31 percentage points. In the previous month it grew by 1.42 percentage points, so you can see the rate slowly tailing off.

Windows 7 remains the undisputed king of operating systems. Last month it started on 56.53 percent and dropped just 0.82 percentage points to 55.71 percent.

You might have expected Windows 8.x users to be the group keenest to switch to Windows 10, but actually they turn out to be surprisingly loyal to the tiled OS.

In September, Windows 8 had 2.6 percent, and Windows 8.1 was on 10.72 percent. In October, those figures didn't change much at all. Windows 8 was on 2.54 percent, and Windows 8.1 on 10.68 percent. In total, Windows 8.x dropped a minuscule 0.10 percentage points in the month.

XP users still show no signs of going anywhere. In October the ancient OS dropped 0.53 percentage points. It currently has 11.68 percent of the market.

While Windows 10 is gaining share, it’s doing so at a very slow rate. What does Microsoft have to do to get people to make the switch? A big update to the new OS is due this month, will that make it more appealing? We shall find out in December.

Photo credit: Rob Hyrons/Shutterstock
Online threats for October 2015, botnets and encryption malware still prevalent

Publié: novembre 1, 2015, 5:11am CET par Alan Buckingham

Malware and viruses always seem to be in the news, and there isn't an end in sight. The latest threats are mostly platform agnostic, attacking the desktop. Email and mobile, as well as the dreaded encryption schemes designed to steal your money. The latter was in the news this week as the FBI claimed it recommends paying the criminals, something security firm Sophos, and just about everyone else, took exception to.

Now Dr. Web is releasing its report for the month of October, and there are few surprises. October was actually a less active month, which is good news, but threats stil lurk out there.

The threat of the month, according to Dr, Web, was a website hack that appeared in Google search results. It took users to a site for a popular Russian TV show. It did require certain conditions to operate, but when operating it opened a second browser window that could not be closed and executed a script that reported to the cybercrimminals.

"The extension detected by Dr.Web as Trojan.BPLug.1041 serves the purpose of injecting arbitrary content into webpages browsed by the user. Moreover, on all websites, the malicious program blocks third-party advertisements from any domains, except for those listed in the configuration file. If the user logs in to the Odnoklassniki (“Одноклассники”) social networking website", the security researchers report.

The most common malware ws Trojan,Siggen6.33552 which is built to install more mailicious programs on any computer it infects. This is followed by Trojan.Crossrider.42770.

As for email, users need to watch out for Trojan.Encoder.567. This encrypts files and demands money. Files included are pg, .jpeg, .doc, .docx, .xls, xlsx, .dbf, .1cd, .psd, .dwg, .xml, .zip, .rar, .db3, .pdf, .rtf, .7z, .kwm, .arj, .xlsm, .key, .cer, .accdb, .odt, .ppt, .mdb, .dt, .gsf, .ppsx, .pptx.

Overall botnet traffic remains steady, but Dr, Web reports that "cybercriminals controlling the Linux.BackDoor.Gates.5 botnet became considerably less active—in comparison with the previous month, the number of attacked IP addresses decreased by 33.29 per cent and was estimated 5,051". The most prevalent attacks took place in China, the US and France weren't far behind.

Finally we come to encryption malware, a sector that has grown more than 12 percent in October, rising to 1,471 requests received for decryption.

In other words, keep a close eye on everything you do online. Safe usage is possible, but it requires user vigilance.

Image Credit: lolloj/Shutterstock