Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » novembre 13, 2015

BetaNews.Com (14 non lus)

Google extends Chrome's Safe Browsing protection to fight social engineering

Publié: novembre 13, 2015, 11:29pm CET par Mark Wilson

Online attacks take a number of forms, and phishing is one of the more recent problems. Chrome has long featured Safe Browsing to notify people when they visit potentially dangerous websites, and today Google announces that the feature is growing to include social engineering.

Google describes social engineering as being a much broader category than traditional phishing. Typical examples include sites that trick visitors into imparting passwords or credit card details, and those which purport to be an official website when they are in fact malicious. The Safe Browsing expansion offers protection against a range of social engineering attacks that Google provides examples of.

Many malicious sites try to trick visitors into believing that they are associated with Google or Chrome. In one example, a site offers up a fake update to Chrome under the pretence of being a genuine Google site. Other tactics include mimicking Chrome's style of error message to display a warning about a browser or computer problem. Visitors are encouraged to call a fake technical support number -- at great cost -- or pushed to a malicious download.

To avoid being duped, Google advises everyone to " be sure to look at the address bar to check that the URL is correct, and also check to see that the website begins with https://". In a blog post the company explains that when a site with social engineering content is detected, the interstitial shown above will be displayed as a warning.
Microsoft launches Office Insider giving access to preview builds of Office 2016

Publié: novembre 13, 2015, 7:20pm CET par Mark Wilson

With Windows 10, Microsoft's Windows Insider program proved immensely popular. The chance to try out new features ahead of an official launch gave millions of people an insight into the development process and provided an opportunity to give feedback and influence the future of the operating system.

Today Microsoft is giving Office the same treatment. With the launch of the Office Insider program, Office 365 subscribers are being given the chance to try out upcoming releases of Office 2016.

For now, Office Insider is available for PC, but a Mac program is also on the cards. Mobile users have not been forgotten -- Android fans can join the Office Insider for Android community, and Windows Mobile users can get preview builds of Office through the Windows Insider program.

Introducing the new Insider program, Kirk Koenigsbauer, corporate vice president for the Office team, said:

Today, we're also launching Office Insider, a new program that allows Office 365 Home, Office 365 Personal and Office 365 University subscribers to opt in to pre-release builds of Office 2016 for Windows. As an Insider, you get first-hand access to the latest innovations, putting you on the inside track for all things Office. And when you become an Office Insider, you are joining a community of like-minded power users. With your partnership, we can ensure a high quality Office experience for millions of Office users worldwide.

If you want to sign up for Office Insider, head over to the website and get downloading.
It is your duty to use an ad blocker, says Edward Snowden

Publié: novembre 13, 2015, 6:42pm CET par Mark Wilson

Ad blocking tools are rarely out of the news these days. In times of heightened awareness about online privacy, more and more people are turning to things like Adblock Plus to banish ads and clean up their web browsing experience. For many people an ad blocker is seen as essential.

Edward Snowden goes further. The former NSA contractor says that it is a web user's duty to protect their computer by blocking potential attack vectors such as Flash and JavaScript-riddled advertisements.

In an interview with The Intercept, Snowden reveals what he believes everyone should be doing to keep themselves safe online. He recommends using encrypted communication app Signal, and to encrypt the contents of hard drives. A password manager should be used to create 'unbreakable' passwords, and two-factor authentication should be used whenever it is available.

On the subject of ad blockers, Snowden says:

Everybody should be running adblock software, if only from a safety perspective. We've seen internet providers like Comcast, AT&T, or whoever it is, insert their own ads into your plaintext http connections. As long as service providers are serving ads with active content that require the use of JavaScript to display, that have some kind of active content like Flash embedded in it, anything that can be a vector for attack in your web browser -- you should be actively trying to block these. Because if the service provider is not working to protect the sanctity of the relationship between reader and publisher, you have not just a right but a duty to take every effort to protect yourself in response.

Unsurprisingly, Snowden is an advocate of Tor, saying that he uses it "all the time" but does add "that's not to say that Tor is bulletproof". He recommends using HTTPS Everywhere to reduce the risk of web traffic interception. While pushing everyone to take ownership of their privacy, Snowden warns against taking it too far:

You can go to any depth, you can drive yourself crazy thinking about bugs in the walls and cameras in the ceiling. Or you can think about what are the most realistic threats in your current situation? And on that basis take some activity to mitigate the most realistic threats. In that case, for most people, that’s going to be very simple things. That’s going to be using a safe browser. That’s going to be disabling scripts and active content, ideally using a virtual machine or some other form of sandboxed browser, where if there’s a compromise it’s not persistent.

Photo credit: travellight / Shutterstock
Are ad-blockers killing marketing efforts?

Publié: novembre 13, 2015, 4:38pm CET par Ian Barker

Ad-blocking on both desktop and mobile devices is becoming more and more common. But does this mean advertisers are increasingly wasting their time?

A new survey of over 500 consumers by consumer intelligence and predictive marketing company Boxever reveals that 70 percent of consumers surveyed say they're likely or extremely likely to use ad-blocking apps, and another 15 percent said they'd consider it.

When asked the reasons why they wanted to block ads, 61 percent say the mobile ads typically received are completely irrelevant, 61 percent also say mobile ads impede the mobile experience. 56 percent say the mobile ads they typically receive never add any value, and 51 percent say they've never taken action on a mobile ad presented to them.

Email doesn't seem to be better channel for marketers either, particularly since recent filtering advancements rolled out by Gmail, Yahoo, Microsoft and others. Only 22 percent of consumers say they check their clutter/promotions folder each day.

"The issue is a lack of relevance, value and context", says Boxever CEO Dave O'Flanagan, "In fact, an earlier Boxever survey from this year found that for more than 50 percent of consumers, three out of four sales offers received are irrelevant to their needs and preferences".

You can read more about the effect of ad blocking on the Boxever blog and there's a summary of the findings in infographic format below.

Photo Credit: Quka/Shutterstock
How to avoid online surveillance -- the essential guide

Publié: novembre 13, 2015, 4:36pm CET par Mark Wilson
It would appear that mass surveillance of the Internet is here to stay. We can rage against the machine, but ultimately we're powerless to stop the likes of the NSA and GCHQ prying into whatever they want to pry into. More and more people are turning to the dark web to help cover their tracks, but even the supposedly anonymous haven of Tor can be cracked for a price.

Last week in the UK, the draft Investigatory Powers Bill was published outlining proposals for ISPs to retain user's browsing histories for a full year. Governments want to weaken encryption. The FCC ruled that Do Not Track requests are essentially meaningless. The NSA finds and takes advantage of vulnerabilities. It's little wonder that privacy groups are up in arms -- the erosion of online rights continues with terrifying speed. But all is not lost. There are still things you can do to help maintain your privacy. If you're concerned, here's what you can do.

There's no need to completely disconnect from the internet -- although this is the only sure fire way of staying off the radar -- but you will certainly have to change a few of your online habits. Online surveillance and monitoring of web habits is really something that should concern everyone, but it is the more liberal-minded and left-thinking that are the most vocal and active opponents.

Surveillance advocates dismiss concerns about snooping as paranoia, and say that only metadata and communications data is ever collected. That's not the point. Over on the Ecologist, Paul Mobbs asserts that "metadata is content". It's a view that's very much in line with Edward Snowden's:

"It's only communications data" = "It's only a comprehensive record of your private activities." It's the activity log of your life. #IPBill

— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) November 4, 2015

The digital footprint you leave online comprises a huge amount of metadata. Put together, it can paint a very clear picture of what you get up to, and makes you very easily identifiable. But there are also security measures that you should consider so you don’t leave yourself open to even more invasive surveillance. There are a number of ways you can proactively protect yourself.
- Turn off location data on your phone.
- Disable cookies in your web browser.
- Don't use Google or other mainstream services.
- When conducting searches, do so through a more secure network such as Tor (although we have seen that this is not infallible). Try an alternative, non-tracking search engine such as DuckDuckGo.
- Change the default password on your router. Failing to do so is like leaving your keys in the front door.
- Use a password manager, and use it as an opportunity to finally start using really strong, unique password for every site, app, and service you use.
- When you upload a file to the internet, ensure you remove any metadata that could be used to identify you.
- Be sensible about what you share online. It's very easy to build up a portfolio of information about a person by piecing together data from numerous Facebook posts, emails, and online profiles.
- Use an ad-blocker. There are many, many reasons to do this, but cutting back on tracking is a big one.
- Lock down your Wi-Fi with encryption and an insane password.
- Consider switching away from Windows. Open source Linux distros are more transparent and far less likely to include backdoors or anything else of concern.
Photo credit: Kletr / Shutterstock
There's a smartphone running Android and Windows 10 Mobile, but who will buy it?

Publié: novembre 13, 2015, 4:26pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

It has been suggested that more consumers would give Windows Phone a chance if they were given the option to choose between it and Android on the same smartphone. The idea is that they would get to experience all the strengths and weaknesses of the tiled operating system, forming an educated opinion of what they would gain or lose by switching, without having to invest in a new, potentially very expensive, device.

While this is, no doubt, an interesting idea, I had doubts that such a smartphone would see the light of day. However, a German vendor has done it, announcing a smartphone that will ship with both Android and Windows 10 Mobile. Will consumers really be interested in such a dual personality handset?

Before going any further, let's talk a bit more about this idea to understand where my doubts come from.

Smartphones are not designed to run multiple operating systems. This creates a problem for vendors that wish to offer such an option, because it means they have to rethink some parts of the software to accommodate the second operating system and also come up with a hardware design that satisfies the requirements of both operating systems.

The second part is not all that complicated as Microsoft has lowered the system requirements for Windows 10 Mobile to eliminate the need for a physical shutter button and capacitive keys. The tiled operating system, however, does not support non-Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, which limits vendors' options in this area somewhat -- for some, not being able to use cheaper chips can be a deal-breaker, but let's not go this far.

What is a problem is that, in order to offer a similar user experience for each operating system, vendors have to design smartphones with lots more storage capacity than before and allocate extra resources to make sure the underpinning software works fine with two operating systems on top. And there is also the issue of supporting two operating systems for two years -- this is a reasonable thing to expect, after all. Chips are cheap, but the rest isn't.

But all those are issues that vendors can get past if they really want to do it -- one of them looks to have done it already. The real problem, and the main reason why I am skeptical, is Google.

Consumers who buy an Android smartphone, in mature markets at least, expect it to ship with Google Play. The availability of the app store is conditioned by Google's approval of the device. And do you think the search giant would agree to offering its services on a device which creates the risk of users fleeing to Windows 10 Mobile? No, no and no. It's just not smart business.

And this brings us back to Shift5+, the smartphone that started this. Shift, the vendor behind it, does not seem to be quite confident that consumers will want it because, although it says pre-orders kick off in December, sales will only start in the third quarter of 2016. The price is pretty high too at €399 -- that's the "special" price actually, as Shift5+ will cost €444 when it goes on sale.

There are some interesting things about it, but since it will only go on sale at least half a year from now there's little point in discussing in specs. They seem to be high-end now (it is said to have a quad-core or octa-core Snapdragon chip), but next year they'll be mid-range at best. The price likely won't change, so its appeal will only diminish over time.

I also doubt that Shift can guarantee that, if Shift5+ actually goes on sale, it will be able to offer Google services on the Android side of things. That would be pretty huge if it happens, but I doubt it.

It is not fair to judge how well such a concept would be received by consumers based on a single device. But, if this is the best execution that we can get, there's little that Windows 10 Mobile can gain from it.

Photo Credit: xavier gallego morell/Shutterstock
How BSIMM improves security by letting developers compare security practices [Q&A]

Publié: novembre 13, 2015, 3:34pm CET par Ian Barker

Every organization believes that it's making its systems secure, but because they usually work in isolation from competitors and other businesses they have no way of knowing how they compare.

The Building Security In Maturity Model (BSIMM) aims to quantify security practices and present them in a measurable way to allow companies to compare their performance.

We spoke to Paco Hope Principal Security Evangelist of application security specialist Cigital to find out more about BSIMM and how it works.

BN: Where did the idea for BSIMM come from?

PH: Around seven years ago Cigital decided that rather than preaching to people about security we should take a step back and ask them what they do. So we went to big companies like Adobe and asked them how they spent their security budgets. We then developed a model that described all of the things they told us they were doing. Since then we’ve gone on to measure over 100 firms, however, the model only contains data from those who’ve been measured recently.

BN: How does it work?

PH: What we're trying to do is observational science around software security; we’re not interested in the desktop IT, anti-virus, network operations areas. We're talking about people who build software and apply it around the enterprise. Over time we've settled on around 112 activities that we've seen these people doing. From this we’ve built a scientific model that lets us score companies based on what they do. There’s no perfect score, it’s about what stuff companies are doing and whether that’s right for them. The activities are broken into five categories, including penetration testing, version control, risk and compliance.

BN: How is the information used?

PH: We publish a report every year which is all creative commons and out in the open. We do charge people to be measured so there is a commercial aspect, but anyone can look at the BSIMM report and self-assess. The scores for any particular firm are kept secret, we don’t share what we found at particular businesses.

BN: So it's a bit like an audit?

PH: No really, it's typically done over a few days of interviews, we'll sit down with the heads of development, support, operations and testing. We have a pretty good set of questions having done this hundreds of times, but it’s not an accounting audit where we ask to see deliverables that demonstrate what’s being done.

BN: What advantage does it have for businesses and does it scale to smaller and medium enterprises?

It overcomes the difficulty of getting to grips with security. You don't have to go it alone and make it up, you can learn from what other people have done. We have interviewed some smaller companies but below a certain size -- say you have a mobile apps company with only 20 people -- this doesn't make sense for them. But any decent sized enterprise, especially one that's pulling software from lots of vendors and building many different apps, BSIMM works really well.

BN: Do some sectors benefit more than others?

PH: We don't talk about specific sectors very much until we have enough people in that sector to show results without revealing details about a particular member. So, we have 20 plus financial services companies for example so we can show an average for that sector without revealing anything about a particular company.

Financial services, independent software vendors, consumer electronics and healthcare are the areas where we have most data. What surprised us at first was how similar some sectors are -- financial services and software vendors for example. It's only as we’ve started to get into other verticals that we've started to see more differences. Healthcare for instance tends to have a lower score than other industries, this is because some industries tend to think of themselves as hardware based when today it's not true. Car makers too these days are increasingly in the software business because a modern car is a big computer with a petrol-based power supply.

The advantage BSIMM brings is that companies adapting to a changing business model can learn from others who have already analyzed what they do.

BN: What could companies that have suffered major data breaches learn from the BSIMM model?

PH: That list of 112 activities hasn't been the same over the years; it's changed. A couple of years ago we stared to see an activity called 'simulating a software crisis' where mature firms will test their procedures for dealing with a problem like a software breach. They'll involve all of the relevant departments including legal, PR and so on and work through how they’d deal with the problem.

A good example is Saleforce.com which is a member of BSIMM, a couple of months ago a cross-site scripting bug was discovered in a Saleforce admin panel. 30 days after this was reported the whole thing was fixed and Saleforce acknowledged the problem, they delivered the kind of response you’d expect from a mature organization. It’s not about being perfect and producing perfectly secure software every time, it’s about knowing what to do and how to handle the problem. By contrast the recent TalkTalk breach was handled quite badly as they took a long time to get out a coherent message.

BN: Is there a cost involved?

PH: In a sense it's a bit like ISO9001, you can go and read the standard and do everything yourself, but at some point you need a third-party to come along and verify what you've done. So yes, there is a nominal cost if someone wants to be measured by us, but it's not expensive.

A further advantage of joining is that we've created a community that brings together people from companies who've been measured and they can compare notes and realize that often they have the same problems.

Image Credit: Manczurov / Shutterstock
Best Windows apps this week

Publié: novembre 13, 2015, 2:33pm CET par Martin Brinkmann
One-hundred and fifty-four in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps and games released for Windows 8.x and Windows 10 in the past seven days.

Microsoft released the first major update for Windows 10 yesterday. You can check out Wayne Williams' article to find out what is new.

From an apps perspective, you will notice that most system apps have been updated, and that there are several new default apps available including Skype and Sway.

Application of the week is the hardware information app AIDA64. While not released this week, it has not been reviewed before here.

As always, if I missed an app or game that has been released this week that you believe is particularly good, let me know in the comments below or notify me via email instead.

Discounts This Week

Red Stripe Deals are back. Microsoft added them to the new Windows 10 Store. You find them listed under Collections when you open the store.
1. Phage Wars, a strategy game for $0.99
2. Sticky Notes Pro, a note taking application for $1.99
3. KCals Calorie Counter, a calorie counter for $1.99
4. GS Kids! Preschool Numbers Pro, learning app for preschool kids for $0.99
5. Darksong Chronicles DX, a fantastic old-school RPG for $0.99
Best app of the week

AIDA64

The popular hardware and software information tool has been available for Windows for a while but I stumbled upon it just this week.

It displays a variety of information about the system's hardware and software in an easy to use interface.

There you find listed among other things extensive information about the CPU, battery, graphics card or devices connected to the system.

While it does not offer all the features that the AIDA desktop programs offer, it is useful to get a quick overview of a machine's hardware.

Other apps

Momonga

Momonga is a unique pinball game with a story mode. Its core mechanics are identical to all other pinball games but that is where similarities end.

You don't play a single table but levels that you need to complete tasks in to proceed to the next stage of the level of its exit.

Graphics are well done and the game is challenging as it offers boss fights, exploration and more on top of the usual pinball game.

Please note that this is only a trial version. The first two levels are free to play, the rest of the game needs to be unlocked via an in-app purchase.

File Hasher

A simple application that generates hash values for files you select. It generates MD5, SHA1 and SHA256 hashes automatically for the selected file, and ships with an option to check a previously generated hash against the values.

This can be useful to make sure a file is not corrupt or has been tampered with.

Grover Podcast

The free podcast management and playback app has a lot to offer. You may subscribe to podcasts using the built-in store or by adding feeds manually to the app.

All podcast episodes can be streamed directly to the system or downloaded for offline use.

The app keeps track of what you have played, supports playlists, and features a search to find podcasts or episodes quickly.

Fusion Dots

Fusion Dots turns the popular 2048 puzzle game into something new by adding levels and different objectives.

Instead of trying to merge numbers to get to 2048, you are clearing spaces on the board by merging items on them.

The second difference to 2048 is that you merge icons and not numbers which makes it a bit more challenging as you don't necessarily know the merging sequence right away.

If you like 2048, you will probably like this one as well.

Perfect Movies

Perfect Movies comes from the creators of Perfect Tube, a popular YouTube application for Windows.

It is a media player for the operating system that supports keyboard shortcuts, casting to smart TVs and resuming playback from the last position.

The Store page makes no mention of supported formats but a quick test revealed that it supports popular formats such as mp4, mkv or avi.

Deviant Art

The official DeviantArt application for Windows is a web wrapper. What this means is that it is identical to the website.

While that is discouraging as you can easily open the website in a browser of choice for nearly the same experience, some users may prefer to use the app to take advantage of app-only features such as fast accessing it from the start menu.

While that is theoretically also possible for any website, the process of doing so is not as easy to carry out.

Notable Updates

StaffPad, the music notation application has been fully redesigned for Windows 10. The massive list of features added in the version include a new voice activated composer assistant, new musical symbols, per-page scrolling on playback, or partial bar selection.

The media player K-Lite is now available for all Windows 10 users. The popular file management application Files&Folders is also available for Windows 10 now.
BBC World News channel available in India on YuppTV

Publié: novembre 13, 2015, 1:14pm CET par Alan Buckingham

For those who didn't know, the BBC has launched a 24 hour news channel to compete with such entities as CNN and Al Jazeera. Now the issue is making the network available for as many viewers as possible in this crowded market that is today's news cycle.

One of the largest markets is India and the channel is now there, announcing it has signed on to provide its network to YuppTV, the world's largest provider of OTT TV, at least for Indian content. The service provides more than 200 channels and 5,000 movies to viewers.

"With BBC World News becoming available on YuppTV, our viewers in India will now have instant access to an endless source of information, knowledge and updates of happenings around the world from a channel that is unparalleled in analysis, unbiased views and insights in news coverage. YuppTV is constantly geared to satisfy and exceed the expectations of our viewers and we have taken a giant stride in the right direction", claims YuppTV CEO Uday Reddy.

YuppTV is actually headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, but has branches around both the US and India. It was founded in 2005 and began life with a meager two channels. Customers should begin receiving this extra channel very soon.

Photo Credit: mikecphoto/Shutterstock
Top 50 UK websites expose your browser to unknown scripts

Publié: novembre 13, 2015, 12:02pm CET par Ian Barker

How much risk are you facing just by visiting a website? Do you know what scripts are running and which other sites they're pulling data from?

Malware prevention company Menlo Security scanned the Alexa top 50 UK websites to find out what their users were being exposed to. The findings show that on average, when visiting a top 50 UK site, your browser will execute 19 scripts.

It found that eight percent of the top 50 sites executed more than 50 scripts and that the top UK website ran a startling 125 unique scripts when requested. 72 percent of the top 50 sites executed fewer than 20 scripts, and one of the top 50 used just a single script. Two of the top three sites on the list are news websites.

What's also interesting is the amount of data being downloaded. 62 percent of sites downloaded less than 1MB of code, however, one media site downloaded 4.9MB. Media sites hold the top two places for the amount of downloaded code followed by social media sites making up the top five.

In addition the scan looked at the back end code of the sites and found 15 of the top 50 sites were running vulnerable versions of web-server code. Microsoft IIS version 7.5 was the most prominent vulnerable version reported, with known vulnerabilities going back more than five years.

"There are many legitimate reasons why developers use scripts to enhance the user experience of a website today, but similarly attackers can use scripting capabilities for iframe redirects and malvertising links to compromise browsers", Jason Steer, Menlo Security solutions architect of EMEA says, writing on the company's blog. "The main takeaways show that going to any popular website is now associated with some risk, as we see play out in numerous media stories every week. Knowing that visiting a top 10 site means that I'm allowing my browser to execute more than 25 scripts according to our data (that’s 25 scripts that may or may not be well written and/or secure), is a concern. What's more is that going to a top 25 UK website exposes my browser to more than 100 scripts without any knowledge of how good or bad they may be, and from over 50 unique websites in the background".

Tests were carried out against the Alexa Top 50 UK sites on October 15th using a 64-bit version of Chrome.

Image Credit: spaxiax / Shutterstock
Gmail to issue warnings about emails sent without encryption

Publié: novembre 13, 2015, 11:59am CET par Mark Wilson

Google, like many other companies, is pushing people towards using secure internet connections. HTTPS is becoming the norm, but not everyone has caught on. To keep the security-conscious informed, Gmail is set to issue warnings about emails that are received through unsecure connections that do not use encryption.

A joint study involving Google, University of Michigan and the University of Illinois found that email is "more secure today than it was two years ago", with an increase in the number of encrypted emails sent. That said, there are still plenty of people who are not using secure connections and Google is keen to keep its users informed when they receive communication through unencrypted channels.

The general levels of interest in and awareness of security issues means that there has been an increase in the number of non-Gmail emails that are encrypted -- up from 33 percent to 61 percent over two years. Google also reveals that 94 percent of messages to Gmail have some form of authentication, and 80 percent of emails sent from Gmail to non-Gmail accounts are now TLS encrypted.

But while security is generally increasing, the use of encryption and secure connection is yet to hit 100 percent. With this in mind, Google is going to start warning its users about messages from non-Gmail accounts that do not use encryption.

Writing on the Online Security Blog, Google says:

To notify our users of potential dangers, we are developing in-product warnings for Gmail users that will display when they receive a message through a non-encrypted connection. These warnings will begin to roll-out in the coming months.

All email services -- Gmail included -- depend on the trust of their users. Partnering with top researchers helps us make the email ecosystem as a whole safer and more secure for everyone. Security threats won't disappear, but studies like these enable providers across the industry to fight them with better, more powerful protections today and going forward.

Photo Credit: Bloomua/Shutterstock
You can now buy Microsoft's Surface Pro 4 in UK

Publié: novembre 13, 2015, 10:46am CET par Sam Pudwell

Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 tablet is now available to buy in the UK through the Microsoft Store, as well as Amazon, Argos, Dixons Travel, John Lewis, Harrods, PC World / Currys, Selfridges, Staples and Very.co.uk.

The Surface Pro 4 has packed more power and performance into the thinnest Surface yet, featuring Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processors, up to 1TB of storage and a 12.3-inch PixelSense display with a 2,736 x 1,824 pixel resolution.

Speaking of performance, Microsoft claims that the Pro 4 is a third faster than its predecessor and a whopping 50 percent faster than a MacBook Air, making this device a serious force.

A 9-hour battery life will allow users to enjoy a full day of work on a single charge and the 5-megapixel front-facing and 8-megapixel rear-facing cameras enable video conferencing with colleagues from around the world.

It also comes with various accessories. A redesigned Surface Pen offers 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity, an "all year" battery life and can be magnetically attached to the tablet, In addition, a new Type Cover comes with redesigned back-lit keys and a 40 percent bigger trackpad enabling users to instantly switch to a highly versatile laptop.

Prices for the Surface Pro 4 start at £749 (including the Surface Pen) or £859 (including the Surface Pen and Type Cover).

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.
Emsisoft Anti-Malware 11 ships with native 64-bit build

Publié: novembre 13, 2015, 10:13am CET par Mike Williams

Emsisoft has announced the release of Emsisoft Anti-Malware 11 and Emsisoft Internet Security 11. Scanning has improved with better detection of ransomware, file-less malware, and threats which try to exploit script parsers and other host processes.

The products are smarter, too, and are now able to block many intrusion and exploitation attempts without annoying alerts.

Impact on your system has been reduced, with assorted performance improvements, and fewer reboots required on software updates.

It’s good to see the products finally have native 64-bit support. The installer file includes both 32 and 64-bit builds, too, so you don’t have to search for the right one.

Unfortunately this streamlining also means there’s no support for Windows XP or Vista any more; you’ll need Windows 7 or later.

Still, overall this looks like a solid update -- especially as it’s only 6 months since the last major release -- and if you’re interested in the product or the company, it’s worth a try.

Emsisoft Anti-Malware 11 and Emsisoft Internet Security 11 are available now for Windows 7 and later.
Silicon Power announces xDrive Z30 Lightning Dual Flash Drive for Apple Devices

Publié: novembre 13, 2015, 2:45am CET par Brian Fagioli

Moving from Android to iOS was one of the best decisions of my tech-life. There has never been a day where I regretted my choice. With that said, I did like the ability to use micro SD on some Android devices to move files to and from the devices to my home computer. This hasn't been a huge pain point, however, thanks to my love affair with Dropbox.

If you own an iPad or iPhone, you may have wanted the ability to transfer files without the need of the cloud. Well, guess what? You actually can. While Lightning connector-based flash drives are not new, Silicon Power today announces a very elegant solution -- the xDrive Z30 Lightning Dual Flash Drive for Apple Devices.

"The Z30 features the dual-access application with a Lightning connector and a USB 3.0 connector. By combining the two interfaces together, the Z30 can not only instantly free up the storage of iOS mobile devices at little cost but also act as a perfect bridge to link all data saved in your desktops, laptops and iOS devices. Furthermore, the SP xDrive Z30 is approved by the MFi licensing program (Made for iPod/iPhone/iPad) to ensure high quality and safety", says Silicon Power.

The company further explains, "additionally, SP introduces the easy-to-use app－SP xDrive Explorer, which incorporates intuitive interface design and multiple file managing functions including data backup, file synchronization, file encryption and Dropbox/Google Drive upload and download. Moreover, users can simply store their favorite music and movies in the Z30 and play them directly through the app which supports various formats including MP4, MOV, M4V, MPG, AVI, MKV, WMV, RMVB. Without bearing annoying lags caused by unstable internet connection or wasting space to store large files in your iOS devices, you can enjoy smooth and high-quality videos anytime and anywhere".

The design of the xDrive Z30 is quite beautiful, which matches the traditional Apple aesthetics. I really like the sliding mechanism too -- I hate caps on flash drives as they get lost. This looks like art.

Where I can see such a solution being particularly beneficial is travel. If you will be on an airplane or stuck somewhere else without fast Wi-Fi, storing downloaded movies and DVD backups on the xDrive Z30 could be a godsend. Of course, it can also serve as a traditional USB 3.0 flash drive too, when not being used with an iOS device.

It will be sold in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities. Unfortunately, pricing and availability are not yet available.