Microsoft releases Windows 10 20H1 Build 18845 to the Skip Ahead ring

Being a Windows Insider can be very confusing these days. It used to be there was only one Windows 10 preview version to test -- the next feature update of the OS -- but now there are Skip Ahead flights rolling out which let users test versions of Windows 10 that won’t see the light of day for another year. Crazy. On Tuesday Microsoft released Windows 10 19H1 Build 18346 to the Fast ring, and today we get Windows 10 20H1 Build 18845 for Skip Ahead Insiders. To access this build you will need to have opted in to Skip… [Continue Reading]

Mission Workshop 'Axis VX' is a modern and stylish fanny pack for your tech gear

Ah, the fanny pack -- one of the most controversial pieces of fashion. Many people decry this waist-worn bag as ugly and nerdy, but they are wrong. Actually, the fanny pack was just way ahead of its time. In the 1980s and 90s, people simply didn't have all the tech gear we do nowadays. In other words, its usefulness is more appropriate for modern times. How great would it feel to not have your phone charger, keys, wallet, flash drive, or battery bank stuffed into your overloaded pockets? Today, a company named Mission Workshop launches a fanny pack for 2019.… [Continue Reading]

Demand for blockchain and security engineers soars

If you want to secure your future in the IT industry then it seems that blockchain and security are the areas you need to be in. A report from career marketplace Hired shows that in the past year there has been a 517 percent increase in demand for blockchain engineers year on year, and a 132 percent jump for security engineers. But while blockchain engineering is the most in-demand skill, only 12 percent of survey respondents identified it as the top technology they want to learn about. When it comes to preferences, 51 percent of survey respondents name Python as… [Continue Reading]

Windscribe is a great VPN, and this is why you should be using it

Install the latest security software and most people would consider their system safe. Understandable as most modern suites cover almost every possible scenario from prevention against malicious software through to providing a secure way of interacting with your bank account. There’s one area which is avoided and that’s a lack of a secure tunnel to the outside world and here’s the reason why this is so important. The first thing many people do when they arrive at a station, airport or their hotel, is grab their laptop, smartphone or iPad and search for a Wi-Fi network. Many of us will… [Continue Reading]

Home endpoints twice as likely to be infected as businesses

Despite the fact that in recent months we've seen cybercriminals focusing their efforts on businesses, 68 percent of infections are seen on consumer endpoints, compared to 32 percent on business endpoints. This is one of the findings of the latest Webroot Threat Report, which also shows that legitimate websites are frequently compromised to host malicious content, with 40 percent of malicious URLs hosted on good domains. Phishing attacks have increased 36 percent, with the number of phishing sites growing 220 percent over the course of 2018. Phishing sites now often use SSL certificates and HTTPS to trick internet users into… [Continue Reading]

Amazon Day lets Prime subscribers choose a specific delivery day

Once you sign up for Amazon Prime, it's hard to imagine how you ever lived without it. Well... that might be a slight exaggeration, but it's easy to fall in love with the service. Now Amazon is giving would-be subscribers another reason to sign up, and an added bonus for those who already have. Amazon Day is a US-only service -- for now, at least -- that gives subscribers the option of consolidating all of their deliveries for the week on a day of their choice. There are several benefits to Amazon Day, both for Amazon and customers. From Amazon's… [Continue Reading]

Block malware, ads, clickbait and more with Malwarebytes Browser Extension

Are you plagued by pop-ups, susceptible to online scams or just frustrated by ad-riddled web pages that take forever to load? If so, then Malwarebytes may have the browser extension for you. Malwarebytes Browser Extension for Chrome 1.0.40 and Malwarebytes Browser Extension for Firefox 1.0.38 both promise to be the first browser add-ons to identify and block yet-to-be-identified fake scams and tactics, plus provide protection against popups, browser lockers and hijackers too. Once installed -- Opera users can run the Chrome build after installing Opera Chrome Extensions -- you’ll see the Malwarebytes logo appear in your browser bar. As you… [Continue Reading]

40 percent of ticketing site traffic comes from bad bots

If you've ever tried to book tickets for a concert, festival or event you will know that it can be something of a frustrating experience, and bots could be making it even more so. New research from Distil Networks finds 39.9 percent of traffic on ticketing sites comes from bots used by brokers, scalpers, hospitality agencies, and sundry criminals to execute a number of attacks, including denial of inventory, spinning and scalping, scraping seat map inventory, fan account takeover, and fraud. "Although the ticketing industry has led the way in terms of bot legislation, as seen with the BOTS Act… [Continue Reading]

Isolating privileged access is critical to security

A new study reveals that 87 percent of cybersecurity professionals believe separating privileged environments from corporate, internet-exposed environments is highly critical for protecting sensitive information. But the Privileged Access Workstations (PAW) survey carried out by Cybersecurity Insiders for endpoint security company Hysolate also finds that time-consuming access processes and the inability to install apps, browse the web or plug in external devices, are key implementation roadblocks. "Privileged users are targeted by cyberattackers because they have direct access to an enterprise's crown jewels. The good news, according to the PAW survey, is that the overwhelming majority of enterprises believe protecting these… [Continue Reading]

2019 prediction #1 -- Apple under Tim Cook emulates GE under Jack Welch

People -- well, investors and financial analysts -- seem to worry a lot about Apple. They tend to see Apple as either wonderful or terrible, bound for further greatness or doomed. What Apple actually is is huge -- a super tanker of a company. And, like a super tanker, it’s hard to quickly change Apple’s direction or to make it go appreciably faster or slower. Those who see Apple as doomed, especially, should remember they are worrying about the most profitable enterprise in the modern history of business. Those who see Apple as immortal should remember that’s impossible. The worry… [Continue Reading]

97 percent of companies struggle to deploy and manage public clouds

Public cloud adoption is growing fast, but it's not without problems. A new report from network verification company Veriflow uncovers a disconnect between network and other teams involved in the management and oversight of the public-cloud portion of their networks. IT teams are struggling with network infrastructure challenges caused by the cloud, such as impaired visibility and more frequent security threats. A startling 97 percent of companies report having problems with deploying and managing public clouds. This presents a growing problem that could put organizations at financial risk. "Public cloud deployments are rapidly growing but IT teams do not have… [Continue Reading]

Android Pie is still coming to the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T

Apple gets a lot of praise for the length of time it offers iOS updates to iPhone owners. Manufacturers of Android handsets, on the other hand, tend to be chastised for failing to offer OS updates for anywhere near long enough. Bucking this trend is OnePlus, one of the few companies that does not just forget about owners of older phones as soon as a new model is released. But having promised some time ago that OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T owners would get Android Pie, users were starting to fear that the update had been ditched. Good news. OnePlus… [Continue Reading]

Twitter users can now access paywalled Medium content for free

It's the bane of any internet user. You stumble across a link to a fascinating-sounding article and click it only to discover that the site hosting the post is paywalled. Gah! The Medium platform is one that can include paywalled content, and there's good news for Twitter users. If you access a Medium article via a tweet, it does not matter if it is a paid-for article or not -- you will be able to access it for free. See also: Security researcher 'concerned' to find Twitter is not deleting your deleted direct messages Following 'unusual activity' from China and… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft releases Windows 10 19H1 Build 18342 with Timeline for Chrome and access to Linux files from File Explorer [Updated]

[Update] This build is now available on the Slow ring. Microsoft has released a new Windows 10 build to insiders -- Windows 10 19H1 Build 18342. This new build sees improvements to gaming that fix problems with State of Decay. There is also the new and much-requested ability to access Linux files from Explorer, a host of bug fixes, and the launch of a Chrome extension for Timeline. But while this is a significant update with a lot to explore, it's not for everyone. Microsoft has disabled the rollout of the build for systems with certain processors. See also: Microsoft… [Continue Reading]

Micron 1300 96-layer TLC 3D NAND SATA SSD will come in both M.2 and 2.5-inch form factors

If you are looking to upgrade your existing solid state drive or hard disk drive, Micron has a new product that may interest you. The "1300," as it is called, uses the "slower" SATA interface, meaning it isn't as fast as the fancy new NVMe options on the market. If your computer doesn't have an NVMe M.2 slot anyway, that is sort of a moot point. With the SATA interface, speeds are still respectable -- 530 MB/s read and 520 MB/s write. Those speeds are regardless of capacity. If you go with the 2.5-inch form factor, you can choose between… [Continue Reading]

Serious Amazon Ring vulnerability leaves audio and video feeds open to interception and spoofing

Security researchers from Dojo by Bullguard have discovered a vulnerability in Amazon's Ring doorbell that leave it prone to middle-in-the-middle attacks. As well as enabling a hacker to access audio and video feeds in a severe violation of both privacy and security, the vulnerability also means that an attacker could replace a feed with footage of their own. Revealing the security flaw at Mobile World Congress, Yossi Atias from Dojo, demonstrated how a feed could be hijacked and injected with counterfeit video. The vulnerability poses a number of risks. The ability to spy on audio and video feeds has obvious… [Continue Reading]

Optimizing cost is key priority for cloud users

Optimizing existing cloud use for cost savings is the top initiative for users in 2019 for the third year in a row, increasing to 64 percent from 58 percent in 2018. This is one of the findings of the RightScale 2019 State of the Cloud Report from Flexera. Among other highlights are that enterprises plan to spend 24 percent more on public cloud in 2019 compared to 2018. The sums involved are significant with 13 percent of enterprises spending more than $12 million a year on public cloud, while 50 percent spend more than $1.2 million annually. However, respondents estimate… [Continue Reading]