Want to switch from Apple macOS to Linux because of the 'root' security bug? Give deepin 15.5 a try!

Apple's macOS is a great operating system. Not only is it stable and beautifully designed, but it very secure too. Well, usually it is. Unless you live under a rock, you definitely heard about the macOS High Sierra security bug that made the news over the last couple of days. In case you somehow are unaware, the bug essentially made it so anyone could log into any Mac running the latest version of the operating system. Luckily, Apple has already patched the bug, and some people -- like me -- have forgiven the company. Understandably, not everyone will be as… [Continue Reading]

Moshi releases first-ever certified 5K USB-C to DisplayPort cable

While the MacBook Pro doesn’t have a dedicated video port, that really doesn’t matter. Thanks to its versatile USB-C ports, any port can output video with the correct cable or dongle. In other words, a USB-C to HDMI, VGA, or DisplayPort cable can allow you to easily connect a computer to a monitor or television. Most USB-C to DisplayPort cables claim 4K support at the most, but there is a new cable that takes things up a notch. You see, a new product from a company called "Moshi" can apparently do 5K at 60Hz. The company claims this is the… [Continue Reading]

American Airlines computer glitch gives all pilots Christmas off

Christmas is quickly approaching and Santa is not the only one flying for the holiday. The yuletide season is one of the most popular travel times of the year. After all, as the song says There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays. If you've planned your trip out and already booked your flight then you may not want to start packing just yet. There may be a small problem in that well thought-out itinerary, so alert mom and dad now. American Airlines has had just one slight problem. Christmas week is a top choice for vacation for many reasons and because of that most companies are forced to ration it.… [Continue Reading]

Almost half of businesses think their leadership is digitally illiterate

Digital transformation is increasingly critical to business success, yet a new survey of technology professionals shows that 47 percent lack confidence in the digital literacy of their leadership. The study by technology association ISACA shows less than 25 percent of organizations believe their senior leadership is very receptive to adopting emerging technologies, while 20 percent are believed to be not receptive at all. Big data analytics is ranked highest in the chance of delivering transformational value to organizations (38 percent), easily besting AI/machine learning/cognitive (20 percent), public cloud (18 percent), IoT (14 percent), blockchain (seven percent) and AR/VR (two percent). Technologies… [Continue Reading]

Toshiba unveils 2TB XG5-P NVMe SSD

For computer enthusiasts, we are living in a very exciting time. Hardware is faster than ever, while prices for parts are quite reasonable. You can build a very capable PC without breaking the bank. One of my favorite components is the solid state drive. Not only are they much faster than traditional mechanical hard disk drives, but they can reduce power usage too -- a big win for battery life on laptops and tablets. Today, Toshiba unveils its latest such drive and it looks amazing. The 2TB XG5-P is NVMe based, meaning it will be blazing fast. "The XG5-P series also… [Continue Reading]

The crypto rally is over as market enters correction

Fueled by Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash and other major players, the crypto market hit a new all-time-high yesterday, reaching a valuation of over $345 billion. But, as the saying goes, what goes up must come down. So, as the incredible rally finally came to an end, the market started to crash, big time. This is not uncommon for the crypto scene. This year we have seen three similar crashes happening. All coincided with Bitcoin setting a new price record. This one is no different, as the market entered a correction right after the most-valuable cryptocurrency broke $11,500, sending it back into… [Continue Reading]

Ivanti inventories and protects enterprise endpoints

Endpoint systems continue to be the weakest point for most organizations, allowing a potential route for hackers to penetrate networks and steal data. IT and security operations specialist Ivanti is launching a new version of its Endpoint Manager and Endpoint Security aimed at simplifying endpoint management and security with an integrated console and workflows. Ivanti Endpoint Manager combines device discovery and inventory capabilities with secure configuration management to build an organization’s defense strategy. Ivanti Endpoint Security for Endpoint Manager extends prevention support with capabilities including device and application control and, in this release, provides new features to automate device isolation… [Continue Reading]

Google faces class action lawsuit for gathering personal data from millions of iPhone users

A group going by the name Google You Owe Us is taking Google to court in the UK, complaining that the company harvested personal data from 5.4 million iPhone users. The group is led by Richard Lloyd, director of consumer group Which?, and it alleges that Google bypassed privacy settings on iPhones between June 2011 and February 2012. The lawsuit seeks compensation for those affected by what is described as a "violation of trust." Google is accused of breaching UK data protection laws, and Lloyd says that this is "one of the biggest fights of my life." Even if the… [Continue Reading]

Google launches Datally for Android, a tool to monitor and control mobile data usage

For many people -- particularly in certain parts of the world -- mobile data is an expensive commodity. If you're someone who likes to keep an eye on exactly what's using up all of your allowance -- and take control of it -- Google's new Android app, Datally, can help. Datally has been designed to not only reveal which apps are using up data, but to provide a way to rein it in. Formerly known as Triangle whilst in beta, the app lets you block background data usage on a per-app basis, and makesit much easier to access data-related settings.… [Continue Reading]

Apple expeditiously patches embarrassing macOS High Sierra security bug, thereby regaining my trust

I am not a rich man. With that said, when I bought my first-ever Mac computer last year -- a 2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar -- parting with that much cash was a very big deal for me. I spent more on this laptop than my first car! Why did I buy it? After being impressed by iOS and liking the way the two operating systems worked together, I decided to embrace Mac OS X (now macOS) in addition to my favorite Linux distributions. To be honest, I feel more safe on Apple's desktop operating system than on Windows… [Continue Reading]

Windows 10 is now on 600 million active devices

At 2015’s Build developer conference, Microsoft announced that it anticipated over 1 billion Windows 10 devices to be in consumers hands within 2 years, but thanks to the failure -- and ultimate death -- of Windows 10 Mobile, that was clearly never going to happen, and Microsoft was forced to admit as much a year ago. When the OS was offered as a free download, initial growth was strong, with Windows 10 finding its way on to 350 million devices in the first year. But growth slowed significantly once the free period ended. SEE ALSO: Fall Creators Update already on… [Continue Reading]

Facebook may start using selfies to verify logins

Some Facebook users have reported that the social network is asking them to upload a selfie as a means of verifying their identity. It seems that the company is testing out a new form of captcha as it asks that you "upload a photo of yourself that clearly shows your face." Just like Facebook's recent idea that users could protect themselves against revenge porn by uploading naked images of themselves, the test is likely to raise concerns about privacy. See also: Microsoft to drop Facebook login from Skype If you send nudes to Facebook for revenge porn protection, the photos… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft Edge beta for Android gains password syncing and more

Microsoft has just given mobile users a more compelling reason to use Edge as their web browser -- and heaven knows one was needed. The latest update to the mobile browser brings a genuinely useful feature: password syncing. The announcement that Edge was coming to Android and iOS came somewhat out of the blue, and now it seems that Microsoft is intent on making it a real contender for the mobile browsing crown. Password syncing is the headline addition to the browser, but it's not the only thing that's new. See also: Download Microsoft Edge preview for Android Microsoft Edge… [Continue Reading]

Bitcoin sets new price record above $11,000

After hitting $10,000 for the first time yesterday, the latest rally continues to take Bitcoin to new highs. The most valuable cryptocurrency set another price record moments ago as it went past the $11,000 mark. And it did not stop there. On major exchanges, like Bitfinex, GDAX and Bitstamp, Bitcoin is trading for around $11,300. South Korean exchanges Bithumb, Coinone and Korbit, which offer BTC/KRW pairs, report prices of over $12,100. At the time of writing this article, Coinmarketcap, which aggregates data from dozens of exchanges, has the price average for Bitcoin at $11,400. The volume for the day so… [Continue Reading]

Lost time on conference calls costs businesses $34 billion a year

Business people waste an average of 15 minutes on each conference call they make simply getting started or dealing with distractions throughout the call. This wasted time costs US and UK businesses over $34 billion/£26 billion according to a new report. Online meeting company LoopUp surveyed 1000 professionals in the US and UK and finds the cost of wasted call time is up by 46 percent since 2015. Dial-in remains the main way business people participate in conference calls, regardless of whether they have access to web or video conferencing tools. 61 percent of people (68 percent in bigger companies)… [Continue Reading]

'Unknown' antivirus tool tops independent tests

German independent testing institute AV Test has released the results of its latest test of Windows home user antivirus programs. In a surprise result, Kaspersky Internet Security shares first place in the test with relative unknown AhnLab V3 Internet Security. Both achieved an 18/18 rating, the only two programs in the test to do so. Kaspersky just shades the detailed test scores with its 100 percent detection rating (opposed to 99.9 percent for AhnLab's product), and zero false positives (as opposed to one). Looking at previous tests AhnLab has had good ratings for a while but this is the first… [Continue Reading]

Over 90 percent of cryptocurrency mobile apps contain vulnerabilities

In the week when cryptocurrency values have reached new levels some worrying research from web security firm High-Tech Bridge reveals that more than 90 percent of the most popular cryptocurrency mobile apps on Google Play have common vulnerabilities and weaknesses. The company used its free Mobile X-Ray service to test apps for security flaws and design weaknesses that can endanger the user, data stored on the device or sent and received via the network, or the mobile device itself. Of the top 30 applications with over 500,000 installations, 94 percent contain at least three medium-risk vulnerabilities, and 77 percent contain… [Continue Reading]