Fewer than a fifth of enterprises have a notification plan in place for data breaches

With the EU's GDPR legislation coming into force in a few months, and new and potentially tougher legislation on data breaches planned in the US, a new study reveals that many enterprises are under prepared. The report from integrity assurance company Tripwire shows that less than a fifth (18 percent) say that they are fully prepared with a process in place to notify consumers in the event of a data breach. The majority (73 percent) say they are 'somewhat prepared' and would have to figure things out 'on the fly.' In addition only 77 percent of companies subject to GDPR… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft extends Windows 10 support and makes Office 2019 a Windows 10 exclusive

If you're thinking about upgrading to Office 2019 when it is released in the second half of 2018, you'll have to make sure that you have upgraded to Windows 10 first. Microsoft has revealed that Office 2019 will only run on Windows 10 (and the next LTSC release of Windows Server), dropping support for Windows 8.x and earlier. In the same announcement, Microsoft also revealed that it is extending the support period for Windows 10, following the news that the operating system has finally overtaken Windows 7. See also: StatCounter: Windows 10 finally overtakes Windows 7 Microsoft releases confusing patches… [Continue Reading]

Is it time to consider Emsisoft Anti-Malware 2018?

There’s so much negative press about 'mature' security software from the likes of Kaspersky, maybe it’s time to consider an alternative? And it’s not limited to Kaspersky. Brands such as Norton have been questioned recently by allowing Russian authorities to examine source code for potential backdoors. In our experience, people avoid change and often only seek an alternative when their system (somewhat ironically) is compromised. Little do people know that they are actually fewer daily threats than they realize, unless you spend the day downloading dodgy software or looking at rogue websites, your everyday computing experience will be trouble-free. With… [Continue Reading]

Google brings YouTube TV to Roku

The world is currently undergoing a cord cutting revolution. Thanks to the internet, many consumers are being empowered to dump their cable provider and switch to a streaming option. This is sort of ironic, as quite often, the internet being used to stream is provided by the TV provider that is being dumped. Ultimately, the cable company becomes nothing more than an ISP. You know what? Maybe that is how it should be. Cordcutters have many internet-based TV providers from which to choose these days, but one of the most attractive is offered by Google. The search giant’s YouTube TV… [Continue Reading]

Microsoft releases Skype as a Snap for Linux

While Microsoft has long been viewed as an enemy of the Linux community -- and it still is by some -- the company has actually transformed into an open source champion. Not only does Microsoft release software for Linux, such as PowerShell Core 6.0, but it is even serving distros in its software store for Windows. Let's not forget that Microsoft even offers Linux virtual machines in Azure. One of Microsoft's biggest Linux contributions, however, is Skype -- the wildly popular communication software. By offering that program to desktop Linux users, Microsoft enables them to easily communicate with friends and family that… [Continue Reading]

Cyber criminals in 'gold rush' to exploit cryptocurrencies

A new report from risk management and threat intelligence company Digital Shadows shows that cyber criminals are looking to exploit the boom in interest and adoption of cryptocurrencies. The study highlights the most common methods used by these criminal actors, which include crypto jacking, account takeovers, mining fraud and scams against initial coin offerings (ICOs). "Cyber criminals follow the money and right now they see in the unregulated and largely unsecure world of digital currencies a huge opportunity to target people, businesses and exchanges and make money quickly and easily," says Rick Holland, VP strategy at Digital Shadows. "In many… [Continue Reading]

Bitcoin dips below $10,000 -- it's a bloodbath

After peaking at just over $20,000, Bitcoin entered a massive correction last year which took it dangerously close to the $10,000 mark. The most-valuable cryptocurrency looked like it could recover for a while, but today it is still far, far away from the record price of last year. The correction is moving Bitcoin back into sub-$10,000 territory today, and it is taking the market down along with it. Some of the majors are still holding well, but the top 100 is in the red almost in its entirety. Ethereum is one of the strongest coins in this part of the… [Continue Reading]