EA fixes a 'chain of vulnerabilities' that could have put millions of Origin gamers at risk

EA has fixed a series of security issues on its Origin gaming service which could have been exploited by attackers to take control of user accounts and gain access to personal data. EA Origin's security flaws meant that more than 300 million gamers were put at risk. Israeli security firms Check Point said that attackers could take advantage of a "chain of vulnerabilities" to attack players of games such as FIFA, Maden NFL, NBA Live, UFC, The Sims, Battlefield, Command and Conquer, and Medal of Honor. See also: Security flaw in Dell SupportAssist tool puts millions of Windows systems at… [Continue Reading]

The separation of storage and compute [Q&A]

Business intelligence and analytic projects have traditionally been based on the concept of the enterprise data warehouse, which saw compute and storage combined in a monolithic platform to achieve the performance required for high-performance analytics. More recently, the trend has been toward data lakes, but this was similarly based on the approach of putting all data in a single environment -- initially Hadoop -- for storage and analysis. We spoke with Justin Borgman, CEO for Starburst Data, on why he believes the separation of storage and compute in the data processing and analytics sector is a trend that will continue… [Continue Reading]

Linux computer seller System76 is having a massive summer sale

Do you need a new laptop or desktop, but don't know what to buy? Don't worry; this is a pretty common dilemma. While you can, of course, look into a Mac or Windows 10 computer, you should consider Linux too. A computer running, say, Ubuntu, can be great for productivity, education, creation, and more. Best of all, many top-tier Linux programs, such as GIMP and LibreOffice are totally free. And yes, your favorite web browsers such as Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome will run on Linux too. If you are open to the idea of buying a computer running a… [Continue Reading]

5 tips to improve your company's IT security

According to a 2018 IBM study, the average cost of a data breach for a U.S. company is $7.91 million, while the average cost of a lost or stolen record that contains sensitive or confidential information is $148. Unfortunately, these figures are only rising. Cyber attacks continue to not only cost companies more money but have also grown larger and more aggressive because of how profitable cybercrime has become. Despite the ongoing advances in IT security, threats continue to emerge just as fast as security measures evolve. Though cybercriminals will continue to find new, creative ways to gain access to… [Continue Reading]

Only a tiny fraction of Windows 10 users are running the May 2019 Update

The latest Windows 10 feature release, the May 2019 Update, is slowly making its way to users, but after the mess that was the October 2018 Update, Microsoft is keeping a close eye on proceedings. As a result, it means the rollout is happening at an incredibly glacial pace. In fact, it's occurring at roughly the same rate as its predecessor, which isn't good news. SEE ALSO: Microsoft notifies users whose systems are 'not quite ready' for Windows 10 May 2019 Update Everything new and improved in the Windows 10 May 2019 Update (and how to use it) Free up… [Continue Reading]

Warning: In just a few days, the ebooks you've purchased from Microsoft will vanish

It's a little while since Microsoft announced that is dropping the Books category from the Microsoft Store, but a serious deadline is now looming. If you have bought books or downloaded free books from the Store, you only have a few more days to read them -- so if there are any you haven't finished, you'd better start reading quickly! While no specific date has been announced, Microsoft warns that you'll only be able to read your books "until early July 2019". See also: Microsoft notifies users whose systems are 'not quite ready' for Windows 10 May 2019 Update Millions… [Continue Reading]

Exploring the ethics of AI

Artificial intelligence is appearing in more and more of our everyday technology. But it raises a number of questions about how it will react in challenging situations. Security education comparison site Cyber Security Degrees has produced an infographic looking at the ethics of AI and how we feel about its impact on our lives. Driverless cars for example could potentially save around a million lives a year by eliminating 90 percent of accident fatalities, but there are worries about how it should react when an accident is unavoidable. 76 percent believe driverless cars should save as many lives as possible,… [Continue Reading]

Best Windows 10 apps this week

Three-hundred-and-forty-one in a series. Welcome to this week's overview of the best apps, games and extensions released for Windows 10 on the Microsoft Store in the past seven days. Windows 7 support ends in January 2020 and many Enterprises fear that they won't be able to migrate to Windows 10 in time. While Enterprises may purchase a support extension for up to three years, it comes with substantial costs. As always, if I've 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… [Continue Reading]

Do mobile operating systems provide enough protection against cyber threats?

Every year a new iPhone hits the market and there are thousands of different Android devices in circulation. Both Apple and Google are constantly adding new features and functions to incorporate emerging technologies, maintain competitiveness, and cement their reputations as innovators. Commercial focus typically sits with the clamor of more surface-level, UI related features like Memojis, Group FaceTime, gesture navigation, the features that consumers are drawn to rather than the patching of CVE-2018-4249. It’s all a matter of priorities, people want a device with all the mod cons, a mobile device just needs to be secure enough, meeting minimum expectations.… [Continue Reading]

A smart retro-look microphone for gaming or conferencing -- MXL AC-404-LED [Review]

We are increasingly using our PCs for communication, whether it's making Skype calls or just chatting to other online gamers. But while laptops and some monitors have built in microphones they are not always ideally located or the best quality. If you are serious about the fidelity of your conference calls or whatever then you need to add an external microphone. The MXL AC-404-LED connects to a USB port, it has a pleasingly retro design and it feels nicely weighty thanks to its metal case. There's a soft, rubbery coating on the base so it isn't going to slide around… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft notifies users whose systems are 'not quite ready' for Windows 10 May 2019 Update

The Windows 10 May 2019 Update (that is, Windows 10 version 1903) has caused problems for a number of people, and there are various issues that stand in the way of getting hold of the upgrade. Rather than pushing out a problematic update to systems that it knows will not have a great experience, Microsoft has made a couple of decisions. Not only is the company blocking updates for computers with known compatibility issues, it is also starting to notify users that this is what's happening. See also: Windows 10 bug could slow shutdown by over a minute Windows Terminal… [Continue Reading]

Apple and Jony Ive are consciously uncoupling

Apple has essentially kicked Jony Ive out of the company. Well, that's what my gut tells me anyway. Officially, the man has left voluntarily to form a design company called "LoveForm." This has sent shock waves throughout the technology community, as it was not at all expected. Apparently, Apple will be LoveForm's first client, which is just odd. It means Ive would work with Apple rather than for it. This seems like malarkey to me -- the arrangement might just be a cover for all parties involved. Apple can protect its image by not sullying Ive's name through a proper… [Continue Reading]

New Kodi update arrives -- download it now!

Earlier in the week the Raspberry Pi Foundation announced the arrival of the Raspberry Pi 4, a much more powerful version of its barebones credit-card sized computer that’s hugely popular with Kodi users. You can even buy a cool Kodi-themed case for it. Hot on the heels of a new version of LibreELEC, the lightweight Linux distro that’s perfect for running Kodi on a Pi, the Kodi Foundation releases a new version of its home theatre software. SEE ALSO:  Kodi 19 M's codename revealed The Kodi Foundation DOES NOT MAKE HARDWARE! The Kodi Foundation joins the Linux Foundation Kodi 18.3… [Continue Reading]

Millions of Microsoft Excel users vulnerable to remote DDE attack as new exploit is discovered

Security researchers from Mimecast Threat Center have discovered an Excel exploit that could leave 120 million users vulnerable to attack. The security flaw means that it is possible to use Excel's Power Query tool to dynamically launch a remote Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) attack on a spreadsheet and actively control the payload. The researchers also found that Power Query could be used to embed malicious code in a data source and spread malware. See also: Security flaw in Dell SupportAssist tool puts millions of Windows systems at risk Over half of enterprises think security is lagging behind cloud adoption Netflix… [Continue Reading]

Opera 62 unveils improvements to dark theme support, experimental task-planner feature

Opera Software has unveiled Opera 62, the latest major update to its Chromium-based web browser for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android. The new release continues to develop the Reborn 3 UI introduced in Opera 60. Design changes include tweaks to the Dark Mode feature with support for Windows’ own dark theme implemented. A new feature -- Task Completer -- implementing existing tools (Speed Dial and browser history) has also been added. Opera 62 opens by implementing support for Windows 10’s Dark Mode -- when users flick on the Dark mode switch under 'Settings > Personalization > Colors', then Opera will… [Continue Reading]

Is Google Safe Browsing falling short on mobile?

  Google has a pretty good record when it comes to protecting its users against online threats. Part of this is its Safe Browsing technology which scans billions of URLs each day to discover dangerous websites. But research by mobile threat defense specialist Wandera has discovered a disparity between the protections available within Google’s desktop browser compared to its mobile browser. Over a period of eight months, Wandera's threat research team repeatedly found that URLs that were being flagged as 'deceptive sites' when opened through the Google Chrome desktop browser were not being identified as malicious on the Chrome mobile app. The… [Continue Reading]

New offering gives enterprises greater flexibility in security training

Cybersecurity is often as much about people as it is about technology. But despite increasing their spending, organizations are still struggling to close the cybersecurity skills gap. Training and certification company Offensive Security is launching a new program for enterprises designed to simplify the cybersecurity training process and allow organizations to invest more in cybersecurity skills development. Called OffSec Flex, it allows users to purchase blocks of practical, hands-on training, certification and virtual lab offerings, allowing them to increase and enhance the level of cybersecurity talent available within their organizations. "Cybersecurity training is not just for security professionals anymore," says… [Continue Reading]