Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » janvier 22, 2016

BetaNews.Com (19 non lus)

A major snowstorm is heading up the US east coast, what should you do?

Publié: janvier 22, 2016, 11:51pm CET par Alan Buckingham

Unless you are living under a rock then you likely know that there is a major winter storm moving up the US eastern seaboard. There are the usual dire predictions of doom and gloom, though we've heard those before, only to have them not turn out quite true.

The worst case scenario is fairly bad, with blizzard warnings posted across several states and dire claims of possible power outages. So what do you plan to do if you live in the path of this possible super storm?

There are the obvious safety issues -- food and water are the big ones. Food is an interesting thing, as people tend to race for bread and milk and those are certainly necessities, but they also don't last long. Perhaps canned goods and pastas may be a better idea? Then again, let's face it, you aren't going to be inside for a month anyway.

Aside from the obvious necessities of food and water there are batteries. By all means check your flashlights to make sure they are operational and perhaps have backups around.

Now we get to the electronics that have become such a big part of our lives in this era. The important things to know are that you need your electronics fully charged -- tablets and phones alike. If you have backup batteries then make sure those are also charged.

So far today I have fully charged one phone, four tablets, two backup batteries (Hyperjuice and Gorilla Gadgets) and a Kindle -- with no internet or TV, books are a bigger necessity than usual. Though, you should always read. I also purchased an additional Kindle book in case I finish the one I'm on.

There are other items, though it's a bit late to purchase them. For instance, I have a Smartcharge bulb which will still be operational during a power outage.

What devices are you using to prepare for the big event?
Privacy ombudsman could handle European complaints about US surveillance

Publié: janvier 22, 2016, 8:57pm CET par Mark Wilson

The importance and awareness of online privacy issues have been brought into sharp focus in the 21st century. It's not entirely down to Edward Snowden, but the revelations from the former NSA contractor are a constant reference point for those concerned with privacy, security and freedom of speech.

One of the greatest problems facing anyone trying to tackle the problem of privacy on the web is dealing with the ideologies of different countries, and how this affects data sharing. A level of surveillance that is deemed acceptable in the US, for instance, may be considered completely objectionable in another. The latest suggestion to help overcome this seemingly insurmountable problem is to set up a privacy ombudsman that would be able to handle European complaints and queries about US surveillance.

There have been ongoing talks since the European Court of Justice ruled that the Safe Habour data sharing arrangement was invalid. According to a new report from Reuters, the latest proposal to be floated by the US is the creation of a privacy ombudsman. The independent overseeing body would be charged with not only checking that data transfers between countries were carried out correctly, but also will be handing complaints from Europe.

Talks are still at an early stage at the moment, but Europe will need reassuring about the independence, accountability and transparency of the ombudsman before any deal could be struck. Spokesman for the EU Commission, Christian Wigand, is quoted as saying:

Intense negotiations have been ongoing... we need further clarification on effective oversight and transparency.

Until an agreeable deal for data sharing is found, there is a chance that restrictions could be placed on the movement of data across the Atlantic. On 2 February, a meeting is planned between data protection authorities to decide how data transfers to the US should be handled. It is hoped that talks about a possible ombudsman will be concluded before this date.

Photo credit: Pelykh Konstantin / Shutterstock
AppRiver reveals the malware and spam trends in 2015

Publié: janvier 22, 2016, 8:41pm CET par Sead Fadilpašić

American email and web security firm AppRiver has released its end-of-the-year report, where it showcased a detailed analysis of malware and spam trends in 2015.

The report, entitled Global Security Report, says that the number of email messages containing malware doubled, year-on-year. From January to November, AppRiver quarantined 944 million messages, and in December alone, another 705 million.

The security firm also said its spam filters stopped 26 million spam messages last year.

AppRiver says 2015 was a busy year, with attacks on Anthem, Premera, LastPass, Ashley Madison and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) grabbing the limelight. The OPM breach alone saw the data of 18 million of current and former government employees compromised.

In terms of the types of attacks which were most prevalent in the past year, AppRiver singles out malware, macros, ransomware, wire transfer fraud and Javascript obfuscation.

"The Protecting Cyber Networks and National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Acts will incentivize companies to share cyber threat information with US government agencies", says co-author and manager of security research, Troy Gill. "The goal is to prevent future attacks by sharing threat intelligence through joint efforts of government agencies and companies".

Report co-author, Jon French, adds, "This year featured personal attacks on consumers, as cybercriminals favored personal data, such as health insurance records, online dating profiles, and HR files over financial information, such as credit card accounts and routing numbers. Cybercriminals are likely using this information to form detailed consumer profiles on the Dark Web for future attacks, like spear phishing and blackmail".

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.

Photo credit: wk1003mike / Shutterstock
PC users, get rid of Adobe Flash end of life versions

Publié: janvier 22, 2016, 7:01pm CET par Sead Fadilpašić

Secunia Research at Flexera Software has published a report covering the fourth quarter of 2015 for 14 countries, regarding vulnerable software, applications and PCs.

Turns out we’re not really good at keeping our computers safe, and our software up to date.

The key finding of the UK Country Report says that 78 percent of users have Adobe Flash Player 19 installed. This is an end-of-life version of Flash, one which no longer receives updates from Adobe.

Secunia links this to the vulnerability discovered in Flash on December 28 2015, which was rated ‘Extremely Critical’, as it can be triggered from remote and can execute arbitrary code.

Vulnerabilities in newer versions can be (and probably are, often) used to exploit these older versions, which is why Secunia Research urges everybody to patch their Flash Player immediately, and remove any end-of-life products they might have.

"The vulnerability discovered in Adobe Flash Player/ AIR 20 in December makes it even more important than usual to keep Adobe Flash Player up to date and get rid of end-of-life versions", said Kasper Lindgaard, director of Secunia Research at Flexera Software. "Adobe Flash is the most popular application within exploit kits, because it is so widely used and can therefore be used to leverage access to different platforms and both private and corporate users. While security-aware organizations know not to allow Adobe Flash Player anywhere near their business critical systems, private PC users tend not to be quite so mindful".

Other programs are also rarely patched, the report suggest, saying that non-Microsoft software is usually critical. It says that 11.4 percent of non-Microsoft programs on private PCs were unpatched in Q4, while only 4.1 percent of Microsoft programs were unpatched.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.

Photo Credit: zwola fasola/Shutterstock
Netflix starts to block proxy and VPN access

Publié: janvier 22, 2016, 6:40pm CET par Mark Wilson

Just last week Netflix announced plans to clamp down on VPNs and proxy tools. In what appears to be a move to please license holders the company has already started to impose new restrictions.

Some Netflix customers in Autralia who are using the uFlix VPN have noticed that their access to Netflix has been denied. Attempting to access Netflix using the tool results in an error message being displayed: "You seem to be using an unblocker or proxy. Please turn off any of these services and try again". But this is not the end of the story.

As noted by the Verge, uFlix is already aware of the problem, is monitoring the situation, and plans to find a way to get around the block. Writing on the company blog, the uFlix team said: "Some users are starting to have issues with Netflix blocking non-Australian content when going through uFlix. Though it is only affecting a few users at the moment, we expect this number to grow. We are working on a solution to get around these new measures and apologise for the inconvenience to those who are currently only getting Australian Netflix".

Other VPNs and proxies are likely to be targeted by Netflix in the coming weeks and months, but we're probably going to see companies fighting back in much the same way as uFlix. Ultimately, this could descend into a game of cat and mouse, with Netflix imposing a block which is quickly bypassed, replaced with another block, and so on, ad nauseum.

Photo credit: Sukharevskyy Dmytro (nevodka) / Shutterstock
Developer: Windows Store is a disaster

Publié: janvier 22, 2016, 6:37pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

One of the features that an app store must absolutely get right is search. Users have to be able to find what they are looking for and discover titles that meet their needs. At the same time, developers who spend time creating apps need to have their titles easily available to potential customers. If one, or both, of these requirements is not met, that creates a serious problem.

Windows Store is in this exact situation, according to multiple developer reports. Microsoft has been unable, or, worse, unwilling, to make the search functionality as useful as users and developers might like, at a time when Windows Store is already being penalized by its pitiful selection of top-tier and quality apps.

Nikolaus Gebhardt is one of the latest Windows developers complaining about the search functionality of Windows Store, which is described as "quite empty" with "most apps [of] low quality". Gebhardt has published a number of Windows apps, one of which is said to have support for Windows 10.

Since Windows 10 arrived, the sales of all of my apps, which have been very low compared to other apps stores, have gone down significantly, nearly to zero (even the one I upgraded to Windows 10). And it is not surprising that this is the case: You cannot find my apps anywhere in the app store. Unless you know the exact name of my app, you won't find it. You can type any of the keywords my apps have in their title, description or even in the list of keywords submitted to the store, and it won't list my apps. Instead, the app store will simply list 2 or 3 other, useless apps. In total.

Right after reading that part I remembered that Martin Brinkmann has basically raised this issue as far back as December 2014, when Windows 10 was not even officially available to the public. At the time, Martin explained how Windows 8.x users could find apps that do not show up in Windows Store search results, apps which obviously exist and are available to download if users know their exact URL or they search by their publisher's name.

These kind of issues have also been raised by developers on Microsoft's MSDN forums. One developer is complaining that a cryptocurrency app is not searchable, losing revenue because of it. Here's another complaint about an "unsearcheable" app. And another. And yet another one.

When asking Microsoft about it, Gebhardt says that the software giant has offered a "prewritten text" in response, that basically says that it does not "have any control over the search results in the app store". Considering that we are talking about one of the leading software companies in the world, which has created a search engine -- you know Bing, right? -- it can be hard for anyone who knows a bit about Microsoft to take such a response at face value. Gebhardt is obviously not looking to game the search results, but for his apps to simply show up in them. That is a reasonable expectation -- otherwise, why should developers even bother?

The whole experience seems to be extremely frustrating also because when developers complain that the answer is not helpful, Microsoft's representatives, who continue to offer it in response to other developer complaints with no follow-up from someone higher-up, are pushing for feedback on it. Here is what Gebhardt has shared with his readers.

Here is how the mail exchange went (drastically shortened):

Me: Hi, since Windows 10, my apps cannot be found in your App store anymore. Please help, and please don't send me that "we have no control over the search results" text you seem to just paste into the forum.
Microsoft: Hi, we don't have any control over the search results in the app store.
Me: [I didn't answer, because I got quite angry about this.]
Microsoft: Hello, it seems you didn't answer to our mail for a week now. Wasn't it helpful?
Me: No, it wasn't. It was just the same text you sent to all the other developers. Are you even aware of the problem?
Microsoft: Sorry that I couldn't help.

one week later
Microsoft: Hello, it seems you didn't answer to our mail for a week now. Wasn't it helpful?

So it seems like they don't care.

Gebhardt confirms that this is actually an old issue with Windows Store. He also complains about the tools offered to developers wanting to publish their apps, which seem to have taken a turn for the worse in terms of quality.

With Windows 8, the process of creating software for their app store was really nice. The documentation is great, signing, testing, verifying and uploading was a piece of cake. And the website for managing all this (named 'Dashboard') and looking at your sales was impressive. With Windows 10 thing got worse. There is no way to update your Windows 8 (.1) C++ project to Windows 10. You have to manually edit your solution and project files with a text editor at a few dozen places to make them work. And they replaced that Dashboard with a new version, which is barely useable, shows only half of the information and only works if you have a very big screen and surfing with a browser made full size. Really strange.

Going through the comments below Gebhardt's post, you can see many similar issues shared by developers and Windows users. Microsoft seems to be aware of these problems, or at least some of the people working there are concerned with it now that this issue has received some more attention. Gebhardt has been contacted after writing this blog post by Microsoft employees, so hopefully things will finally get moving in the right direction.

Windows 10 brought along with it a new version of Windows Store, a so-called unified app store that now serves as a source of both Windows and Windows Phone apps. Developers are now encouraged to write universal apps, titles which work on both operating systems. Obviously, discoverability hasn't also changed for the better. (Although the name has stayed the same, Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 actually benefitted from a different Windows Store, one which only included titles developed for the two, PC and tablet operating systems.)

With Windows Store a core part of Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile, Microsoft wants its latest PC operating system to be adopted on one billion devices in the first two to three years of availability. And, so far, it seems to be doing pretty well, being installed on over 200 million devices. However, growth is slowing as far as adoption goes, and there is no telling how much of an impact Windows Store has, but one thing is for sure: it's not helping Microsoft's chances of reaching that goal.

"Whatever the reason for all this is, I won't develop any apps for Windows 10 anymore, since I cannot make any money with them. And I can recommend other developers to do the same: Don't start developing apps for Windows 10, in the hope your apps will sell on the app store", concludes Gebhardt.

Photo Credit: xavier gallego morell/Shutterstock
Virgin Media says it's not right to advertise broadband speeds that most people cannot get

Publié: janvier 22, 2016, 5:53pm CET par Mark Wilson

The 'misleading' nature of ads for broadband services has been the subject of debate for some time. The 'up to' figures put forward in relation to speed are often so open to interpretation as to render them meaningless. Customers have had enough, and now Virgin Media is ready to fight on their behalf.

Current rules enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) permit UK ISPs to make claims about broadband speeds, even if just 10 percent of customers could receive these speeds. Virgin thinks this is unfair and is calling on the ASA to update its guidelines so customers will have an easier time comparing deals.

The company's chief executive Tom Mockridge has used a blog post to appeal to the ASA to clamp down on misleading speed claims. He points to a report from Which? that just 7 percent of broadband customers could receive the highest speed service offered by their ISP. Conversely, he points out, 98 percent of Virgin Media customers can take advantage of the maximum advertised speed. Mockridge says:

To properly compare different broadband offers, consumers need to assess the whole deal: price and speed.

To enable this, the ASA needs to overhaul the outdated rules on broadband speed advertising. Dating back to 2011, the ASA rules allow companies advertise a headline broadband speed if it is available to only 10 percent of customers.

He proudly proclaims that the average maximum speed enjoyed by Virgin Media customers is higher than the speeds advertised. He concludes by saying:

If the ASA is serious it should ensure consumers can compare broadband deals on the things that really matter, and this includes speed.

Photo credit: 4zevar / Shutterstock
Humans get frozen out of frontline security

Publié: janvier 22, 2016, 4:43pm CET par Ian Barker

A new report from application delivery and cyber security specialist Radware suggests that the human element will increasingly be excluded from security as 2016 brings a 'battle of the bots'.

It finds that throughout 2015, no industry was immune to cyber attacks, and few were prepared for them. In 2016, attacks are predicted to become even more aggressive with the arrival of Advanced Persistent Denial of Service (APDoS) attacks and an increase in volume and scope of sophisticated bot-generated assaults against web application infrastructure.

"The front lines of information security will not include humans," says Carl Herberger, vice president of security solutions at Radware. "As defenses continue to succumb to an endless flood of sophisticated, automated attacks and an infinite number of new attack techniques, the idea of humans having the ability to deploy detection technologies and choreograph responses in real-time will disappear. We are approaching the fall of human cyber defenses and the rise of cyber botted-defense".

Other findings include the likelihood of an increase in frequency of ransom demands as attackers focus their demands toward service providers and leverage both DDoS and SSL flood attacks when payment is not made. New techniques like burst attacks, APDoS attacks, an increase in volumetric pipe attacks, and dynamic IP attacks will make it harder to defend using mostly manual solutions.

The report also shows that many companies are still ill-prepared for cyber attacks. While more than 60 percent say they are extremely or very well prepared to safeguard against unauthorized access and worm and virus damage, the same proportion of respondents say they're somewhat or not very prepared against advanced persistent threats and information theft. For DDoS attacks results split almost evenly between prepared and not prepared.

"In 2015, cyber-attacks became the new normal, as 90 percent of organizations surveyed experienced them in varying degrees," adds Herberger. "Organizations should prepare for the challenges that will lie ahead in 2016, laying the groundwork now to fight back against new methods and motivation".

The full report, including recommendations on how companies can protect themselves, is available to download from the Radware site and there's a summary of the findings in infographic form below.

Photo Credit: Vladru/Shutterstock
Majority of consumers expect their data to be compromised in 2016

Publié: janvier 22, 2016, 4:41pm CET par Sead Fadilpašić

The series of high-profile data breaches we witnessed last year has left a mark on the way consumers perceive online business, a new research from NCC Group and IDG Research Services shows.

According to the research, entitled Trust in the Internet 2016, 63 percent of consumers expect their data to be compromised this year, and 60 percent are now worried, more than ever, about protecting their data on the Internet.

The poll questioned 10,000 consumers in the UK and the US about online habits and security.

Rob Cotton, CEO at NCC Group says this is a wake-up call for global business, as consumers have lost faith on businesses’ ability to keep their data safe. "This should set alarm bells ringing not just in the IT and marketing departments, but in the boardroom too as it is ultimately the responsibility of a company’s executives", he said.

"In the years to come the fight for customer trust is going to be won by brands that clearly show that the security of customer data is of paramount importance. It’s one of the many ways that cyber security can have a genuine impact on a company’s bottom line. It’s up to the board to decide whether they want that impact to be positive or negative".

The survey also suggests a few interesting solutions: 87 percent of respondents said a secure community of safe internet websites is needed, and exactly half said they’d feel better if a business communicated what it does to keep the data safe.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.

Photo credit: Di Studio / Shutterstock
Microsoft debuts more powerful models of Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book… and a new gold pen too

Publié: janvier 22, 2016, 3:58pm CET par Wayne Williams

If you’re thinking of buying either Surface Pro 4 or Surface Book, there’s quite a few variations in the range to consider, with different capacities for different budgets.

Today Microsoft launches the most powerful versions yet of both devices, and also introduces a new Gold Surface Pen for people looking to make a "bold statement" (Microsoft’s words, not ours).

The latest variations of Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book are on sale in the US and Canada from today via Microsoft Stores and select retailers (online only) and both boast 1TB of storage with 6th Generation Intel Core i7 processors and 16GB of RAM.

The new Surface Pro 4 is priced at $2,699, while the Surface Book will set you back $3,199.

The new Gold Surface Pen offers 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity and comes with the Surface Pen Tip Kit so you can customize things further. It’s priced at $59.99 and is available to buy in the US, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. No doubt other territories will follow in due course.
You won't believe how many subscribers iHeartRadio has

Publié: janvier 22, 2016, 3:58pm CET par Alan Buckingham

iHeartRadio, a leading provider of streaming music, has numerous stations customers can listen to either on the web or through mobile apps. It's a popular service in a crowded streaming market. In fact, it even sponsors a major music festival each year in Las Vegas, the most recent taking place back in September.

What sort of follower-base does putting on a show with big name artists take? Obviously there's a lot behind it, aside from followers -- contracts with artists and radio stations, for example.

The number of subscribers is pretty big, and it's continuing to grow. The service is announcing that it now has 80 million users, which is quite a base.

"In just five years, we’ve seen continued powerful growth in our registered user base -- a testament to the power of radio and listening," says Darren Davis, President of iHeartRadio. "Our listeners have many new ways to enjoy our stations and programming, and we want to continue to deepen their listening experience and ensure we’re available everywhere they expect us to be".

This continues a big year for the service, which used the Consumer Electronics Show to announce integration with seven more products, including Apple TV, Firefox OS, Alpine and more.
Microsoft is finally hiding Skype users' IP addresses by default -- better late than never

Publié: janvier 22, 2016, 2:22pm CET par Brian Fagioli

Microsoft is a curious company sometimes. Quite often, it offers wonderful products, but then fails to truly focus on the details. A great example is Skype. On paper, it sounds great -- a cross-platform communication solution. Sadly, the Windows clients are quite ugly, and overall, it can feel half-baked. The company really needs to dedicate some resources to improving the user experience, but I digress.

The largest oversight with Skype, however, is that it can expose your IP address. Sure, there may be situations where you might want to share this, but for many users, it is simply a security and privacy faux pas. Today, Microsoft finally rights this terrible wrong, and will be hiding the IP by default. Better late than never, eh?

"Skype is fully committed to delivering as safe and secure of an experience as possible to our customers. We have recently introduced the ability to hide a Skype user’s IP address and we’ve set this as a default status in the latest versions of Skype", says The Skype Team.

The team further says, "starting with this update to Skype and moving forward, your IP address will be kept hidden from Skype users. This measure will help prevent individuals from obtaining a Skype ID and resolving to an IP address".

Microsoft is pushing this as a benefit for gamers, which is a bit shortsighted -- it is an issue for non-gamers too. With that said, the gaming community can be particularly nasty. Trolls and scorned match-losers may seek out a gamer's details, such as a Skype ID so that they can obtain an IP address.

Why is this a bad thing? Well, evildoers can then bombard the IP address with a denial of service attack. This can slow down a connection, making it unusable. Arguably worse, an IP address can often expose the general area where a Skype users lives, or even works.

Even if you are not a gamer, if you use Skype and value both your security and privacy, you should update on all platforms ASAP.

Are you surprised Microsoft is only just making this no-brainer move? Tell me in the comments.

Photo credit: lipik / Shutterstock
Google paid $1 billion to Apple so its search would stay on iPhones

Publié: janvier 22, 2016, 2:15pm CET par Mark Wilson

In the smartphone arena, Apple and Google are rivals -- but that doesn't mean they can't have a symbiotic relationship. Longstanding rivalry in mind, many people have questioned why Apple has retained Google as the default search choice on iPhones. The reason is that money talks.

Transcript of a copyright case involving Google and Oracle show that the search giant paid Apple $1 billion in 2014. An agreement is in place that sees Google paying Apple a percentage of the revenue it generates through iOS devices. This is something that has been rumored for some time, but neither Apple nor Google has commented on.

The news comes via Bloomberg which claims Google shares up to 34 percent of its revenue with Apple. Court transcripts from last week show that the arrangement was revealed by Oracle attorney Annette Hurst. Court papers also show that Google tried to get the judge to strike details of the arrangement from the records. The transcript shows that lawyer Robert Van Nest said:

That percentage just stated, that should be sealed. We are talking hypotheticals here. That's not a publicly known number.

The request was blocked, but Apple and Google made a separate appeal on 20 January, saying that: "The specific financial terms of Google's agreement with Apple are highly sensitive to both Google and Apple. Both Apple and Google have always treated this information as extremely confidential".

Bloomberg reports that:

The transcript vanished without a trace from electronic court records at about 3 p.m. Pacific standard time with no indication that the court ruled on Google’s request to seal it.

Apple and Google remain tight-lipped about their relationship.

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Best Windows apps this week

Publié: janvier 22, 2016, 1:58pm CET par Martin Brinkmann
One-hundred and sixty-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.

As has been the case in the past two weeks, no "best app of the week" award was given out due to a lack of notable additions to the Windows Store lineup.

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. Up to six applications and games are discounted and highlighted in Windows Store each week.

The following is this week's selection:
- Waterlogue by Tinrocket, an art application for $1.49
- Finger Party, a touch-based puzzle game for $0.99
- MetaMoJi Note, a note taking app for $5.99
- Solitaire 3D, a card game collection for $1.99
- Grim Legends 2: Song of the Dark Swan, an adventure game for $3.49
- Crimsonland, an action game for $3.99
App of the week

Other apps

Football Hub

The application has been designed specifically for English and Scottish soccer fans. It only covers the English and Scottish league and there only the major leagues. The developer plans to expand the scope however by adding more leagues to the app.

The app features a lot, league tables, news for a club that you select, information about your club's fixtures and results, live tiles for up to two clubs, tweet following, an app theme that matches the selected theme, and curated web links for fans.

LaunchPal

LaunchPal enables you to follow all upcoming space launches and events. It keeps track of the next planned launch, provides information about launches detailing what is being shot into space and why, and a countdown timer to make sure you don't miss the event.

Last but not least, you may get links pointing to video covering the launch.

SpotBright

SpotBright is a companion application for Windows Spotlight, a built-in feature of Windows 10 and Mobile that lets you pick different lockscreen images.

While you can switch between images using Windows Spotlight, there is no option to save those wallpapers.

SpotBright adds the functionality to Windows 10 and Mobile. You can use it to download the latest pictures right away, or run searches to find images to download.

Lamphead: Out the Darkness

The protagonist of the game is a man with a lamp on his head which he uses to pierce the darkness and find his way to the level exit.

On his way you need to make sure that he has got enough battery to keep the lamp going.

Map My Photos

Map My Photos is a mapping application that you can use to associate places on a world map with photos taken there.

It enables you to add photos to the map, and browse images based on location and time.

Windows Remote Arduino Experience

The application has been designed to allow its users to control Arduino microcontrollers remotely.

It provides you with the means to manage the GPIO, ADC and PWM capabilities of Arduino boards from a device running Windows 10.

PBS Video

The app features popular shows such as Poldark, Wolf Hall or Mr. Selfridge as well as original online series.

It allows you to see what is on your local PBS station, supports live tiles that display new episodes, and lock screen customization options.

WhosDown

This is an unofficial WhatsApp client for the Windows platform. At its core, it is a wrapper for the web version of WhatsApp. It has a couple of limitations though, including that it needs to be running in the background for notifications to be received

Important Updates

The recent update for the official Uber client for the Windows platform brought significant improvements to the apps stability with it.

The official application for the cloud file hosting and synchronization service Dropbox has been updated for Windows 10 boasting better performance, faster launching, quick search and interactive device notifications.

Foxit MobilePDF, the app version of the popular PDF reader, has been turned into a universal application supporting Windows 10 and Windows Mobile.

Perfect Tube, a popular YouTube client, supports 60fps video among other improvements.

Twitter client Aries got an update recently adding a truckload of changes and improvements including video upload capabilities, performance improvements, reworked auto-suggest system for users and hashtags, and nearby tweets as a new pinnable section and on the discover page.
Only 45 percent of organizations are confident in their security

Publié: janvier 22, 2016, 1:50pm CET par Ian Barker

According to a new report 92 percent of executives believe regulators and investors will expect companies to manage their cyber security risk exposure, yet only 45 percent are confident in their security posture.

This is among the findings of the Cisco 2016 Annual Security Report which looks at the challenges businesses have in the face of a growing number of cyber threats.

Among other highlights of the report are the problems of an ageing infrastructure. Between 2014 and 2015, the number of organizations that said their security infrastructure was up-to-date dropped by 10 percent. The survey also discovered that 92 percent of internet devices are running known vulnerabilities. Worse than that, 31 percent of all devices analyzed are no longer supported or maintained by the vendor.

Cisco also identifies the risk that SMBs present to the supply chain. From 2014 to 2015 the number of SMBs that used web security dropped by more than 10 percent. This presents a potential risk to larger enterprises due to structural weaknesses. SMBs often lack the resources for an effective security posture, they are improving their security approach, in part, by outsourcing, which is up to 23 percent in 2015 over 14 percent the previous year.

Malicious browser extensions are identified as a potential source of major data leaks, although they’re often viewed by security teams as a low-level threat. This threat affects more than 85 percent of organizations. Adware, malvertising, and even common websites or obituary columns have led to breaches for those who don't regularly update their software.

"Security is resiliency by design, privacy in mind, and trust transparently seen," says John N Stewart, senior vice president, chief security and trust officer at Cisco. "With IoT and digitization taking hold in every business, technology capability must be built, bought, and operated with each of these elements in mind. We cannot create more technical debt. Instead, we must meet the challenge head on today".

The full report has much more information and is available to download from the Cisco website.

Photo Credit: watcharakun / Shutterstock
Final Prediction #10: Apple will buy Dish Network

Publié: janvier 22, 2016, 12:51pm CET par Robert X. Cringely

A third of the people who read this column don’t live in the USA so maybe this prediction isn’t interesting to them, but I think Apple will buy Dish Network, the American direct satellite TV broadcaster. It’s the only acquisition that will give Apple the kind of entry point they want into the TV business, allowing Cupertino to create overnight an over-the-top (OTT) Internet streaming video service -- effectively an Internet cable system.

Buying Dish would be a bold move for Apple because all the benefits Cupertino seeks aren’t obviously available. True, Dish has 14 million U.S. subscribers (I am one of those) who get 100+ channels of TV from the sky. True, Dish has an existing OTT streaming service called Sling that already offers a subset of the company’s cable channels. But it doesn’t necessarily follow that Dish could simply transfer its satellite content to the Internet, at least beyond what it does already with Sling.

There is, however, a long tradition of brash TV operators being rewarded for their brashness. The heart of Ted Turner’s first fortune was WTBS, the UHF TV station in Atlanta that grew out of his family’s billboard business. Turner threw WTBS up on a satellite giving his episodes of All in the Family a national reach that to many didn’t seem to be supported by Ted’s syndication contracts. Still, WTBS is a success today, so it worked. And don’t forget how Netflix paid only $25 million per year to Starz back in 2008 for access to 2,500 Disney and Sony movies that would cost hundreds of millions today. Starz was Netflix’s streaming killer app. And Dish will be Apple’s because gaining access to all that content will be worth to Cupertino whatever it costs. Even if it destroys Dish in the process, Apple will succeed, which is exactly why it will succeed.

Dish is for sale. Every company is for sale but Dish is especially so following AT&T’s acquisition of Dish’s main competitor, DirecTV, last year for $48 billion. Apple won’t have to pay that much for Dish but it could. Each Dish employee represents only $800,000 in sales so many of those 19,000 workers will have to go. But if Apple outsources just satellite dish installation and customer support it’ll easily pull the revenue numbers up toward the target $2 million per employee.

One Dish employee Tim Cook will be sure to keep is CEO Charlie Ergen — a tough-yet-charismatic operator who built Dish from scratch and knows his industry. Apple won’t succeed without a Charlie Ergen at the TV controls. Ergen’s already a billionaire but he’ll stick around for a chance to turn TV on its head.

But acquiring Dish would do more than just turn TV and maybe movies on their heads, it would have an impact on mobile phone and data service, too. Dish is one of the largest owners of unused wireless spectrum that can be used as a bargaining chip in those content negotiations or possibly put Apple into the wireless data business. Dish also sells the Slingbox, which allows watching your cable or satellite content over the Internet, so there’s a patent-protected addition to the Apple TV available, too.

Apple wants in the content business but buying Time Warner (not Time Warner Cable) won’t do it. Apple needs hundreds of networks, not just 14 channels of HBO. In order to succeed Apple needs to acquire a company that has legacy rights to that content -- rights that Apple can through sheer force of will ride for a year or two until the market transitions and cable TV starts to die.

Yes, Apple wants to kill cable TV. So do AT&T and Verizon. So do Microsoft and Sony. So did Intel until it gave up. The difference is that Apple’s deep pockets and Dish’s moxy can actually make it happen.
Businesses believe compliance is effective at stopping data breaches

Publié: janvier 22, 2016, 9:53am CET par Sead Fadilpašić

Companies are approaching the data safety issue the wrong way, according to Vormetric's 2016 Data Threat Report, which was issued in conjunction with analyst firm 451 Research. The two companies polled 1,100 senior IT security executives from large businesses worldwide.

Key findings suggest that the rate of breaches is up, with 61 percent experiencing one in the past. From that number, 22 percent happened in 2015, and 39 percent in the year prior.

Another key finding is that a vast majority (64 percent) are confident compliance is extremely effective at preventing cyber-breaches. This is an increase, as 58 percent thought the same thing last year. Senior analyst at 451 Security, and the report’s author, Garrett Bekker, thinks otherwise.

"Compliance does not ensure security", he says. "As we learned from data theft incidents at companies that had reportedly met compliance mandates (such as Anthem, Home Depot and others), being compliant doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be breached and have your sensitive data stolen. But we found that organizations don’t seem to have gotten the message, with nearly two thirds (64 percent) rating compliance as very or extremely effective at stopping data breaches".

Compliance was also the number one spot for IT spend for 46 percent of senior IT security executives polled.

"Organizations are also spending ineffectively to prevent data breaches, with spending increases focused on network and endpoint security technologies that offer little help in defending against multi-stage attacks", added Bekker. "It’s no longer enough to just secure our networks and endpoints".

IT security investments seem to be misplaced, as the majority of enterprises focus on perimeter defenses that keep on failing.

The full 2016 Vormetric Data Threat Report can be found on this link.

Published under license from ITProPortal.com, a Net Communities Ltd Publication. All rights reserved.

Photo Credit: Franck Boston/Shutterstock
Major university goes all-in on iPad Pro -- shuns Microsoft Surface

Publié: janvier 22, 2016, 3:29am CET par Brian Fagioli

The original iPad is one of the most disruptive products in the history of personal computing. Its popularity caused the entire industry to shift -- it made Microsoft go bonkers with Windows 8 (retrofitting a touch UI to a mouse and keyboard OS), while countless manufacturers tried to copy it with Android. Yes, many have tried to duplicate the magic, but ultimately, nothing has ever truly matched it.

The iPad Pro, however, has not seen the same consumer interest, and for good reason -- its not intended for personal use (although it can be). Actually, the "Pro" moniker seems to be quite intentional; it is more appropriate for things such as business and education. Speaking of the latter, today, Lynn University announces that it is giving an iPad Pro to all undergraduate students and some members of faculty. Unfortunately for Microsoft, its Surface line was not chosen.

"iPad Pro also supports Lynn's ongoing efforts to create a more affordable education, eliminating personal computer costs and saving students money through apps and e-books that are more cost-effective, timely and relevant than traditional textbooks and support materials. iPad Pro provides even greater flexibility, too. Whether studying aviation, design or music, students now can use one device for writing papers, taking notes with Apple Pencil, creating videos that demonstrate learning, completing in-depth projects outside the classroom and much more", says Lynn University.

Chris Boniforti, Chief Information Officer, Lynn University explains, "iPad Pro, its accessories and the next generation of education-focused apps will make learning even more relevant to the world students live in. This immersive, versatile technology also provides access to top-notch content and can replace bulky desktop devices to save space and allow Lynn to convert computer labs into interactive, mobile workspaces -- places that inspire creativity and foster collaboration".

Not only will students and staff get the iPad Pro, but the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard too. This will make the large tablet a great solution for typing notes, making annotations, and creative drawing too.

Quite frankly, this sounds like the perfect college machine. After all, iOS has access to many wonderful productivity apps, such as Microsoft Office, Dropbox, Notability, and more. No to mention, when a student wants to relax, there are tons of quality iOS games.

Could the Surface be a better choice? It depends. While Microsoft's solution can arguably do more as it runs a desktop operating system, it also comes with baggage, such as malware, and potentially higher deployment and maintenance costs. In the Enterprise, yeah, the Surface is probably the better choice. At a university, however, the iPad Pro is a seemingly better fit -- well done, Lynn University.
Angler exploit kit celebates the new year by adding CryptoWall 4.0

Publié: janvier 22, 2016, 12:57am CET par Alan Buckingham

We're only a couple of weeks into a brand new year, and the outlook for security isn't looking particularly better. That doesn't mean you'll be hacked or malware will run wild on your computer, but it does mean you'll still need to be vigilant.

Now the popular Angler exploit kit has a brand new threat contained within it and this one could be especially scary. CryptoWall aims to lock up your files and hold them for ransom, an attack method that has been around now for sometime.

According to researchers at Sophos, "Version 4 is very similar to earlier versions, inasmuch as it scrambles all your files using a cryptographic key that is known only to the crooks, whereupon the malware offers to sell you the key for a few hundred dollars".

Version 4.0 of the software does a bit more than just scramble your data, it also scrambles the file names so it will be readily noticeable as opposed to waiting patiently for you to try and open one of them.

At the moment there is no remedy for this (aside from paying), but there are numerous precautions you can take -- keep your system updated with the latest patches, get rid of unused browser plugins, use a good anti-virus and most importantly, backup your files. In general, just be overly cautious.

Photo credit: Ton Snoei / Shutterstock