ISP filters could be harming UK users’ love lives
Content filters are supposed to protect you from bad stuff, but they can have unexpected side effects and block things you want to access.
As we approach Valentine's Day a new survey by UK broadband comparison site Broadband Genie has discovered that filters may be preventing Brits from finding love by blocking online dating sites.
The top threats to watch for in 2016
Messaging and infrastructure security specialist Cloudmark has released its Annual Global Threat Report for 2015 which reveals the biggest current threats based on its crowd sourced security platform, which analyses user behavior from more than a billion subscribers.
Top of the list is the Swizzor malware which delivers unsolicited ads, modifying browser settings without user permission. This silent threat delivers booby-trapped emails to unsuspecting users with varying subject lines. Each email contains a zip file carrying the malware payload, this uses a simple domain generation algorithm for command and control synchronization to create a large number of domains that then clash with legitimate websites and make it difficult for them to be taken down.
Dating apps -- the good the bad and the ugly
It's coming up to Valentine's Day, so inevitably the IT industry turns its thoughts towards dating apps. Two new reports show that the apps may not be living up to expectations, and that users of them could be revealing more than they intend to.
New research from app quality researcher Applause shows that consumers are more dissatisfied with dating apps than any other type.
Poor app security can lose businesses money
The app market is booming, with revenues expected to top $140 billion this year, but lack of investment in security could be putting these revenues at risk.
A new study by Bluebox Security has examined three popular mobile apps -- Hulu, Tinder and the Kylie Jenner Official App -- all examples of apps that lack self-defense capabilities to protect against tampering, resigning and redistribution. It shows that attackers can easily defraud enterprises of app revenue by disabling advertising, accessing premium features for free, and bypassing subscription payments.
Bromium launches next generation endpoint protection
Endpoint systems often represent the weakest element in the security of any corporate network. In order to guard against attacks, protection specialist Bromium is launching the latest version of its security product.
Bromium Advanced Endpoint Security integrates threat isolation and analysis, plus has newly introduced continuous host monitoring to enable organizations to protect, detect and respond to targeted attacks, zero-day threats and breaches in real time.
The economic cost of being hacked
We all know that hacking is big business, 2015 proved to be a record year for cyber crime, and it's predicted that 2016 could be even worse. But aside from the worry of putting customer and employee information at risk, what are the financial penalties of being hacked?
Cyber security specialist Praesidio has put together an infographic looking at just how expensive a cyber attack can be.
IT security teams face increased pressures
Security teams face threats from outside the organization but also challenges within to put protection in place and satisfy executive and regulatory demands.
Managed security company Trustwave has published its latest Security Pressures Report, compiling the thoughts of more than 1,400 IT security professionals around the world, addressing which emerging technologies pose the greatest risks, the top fears of post-breach repercussions, which security responsibilities are top priorities, and more.
Lack of expertise passes security as top cloud challenge
The latest State of the Cloud report from cloud management specialist RightScale reveals that a lack of resources and expertise is now the top cloud challenge -- cited by 32 percent of respondents.
This means it has overtaken security, mentioned by only 29 percent. Even the most security conscious respondents -- enterprise central IT teams and security pros -- no longer see security as their main challenge.
Looker brings business analytics to big data
We hear a lot about big data, but collecting lots of information is of no use unless you’re able to get some practical benefit from it.
Business intelligence platform Looker is expanding its support for big data with new products supporting SQL query engines Presto and Spark as well as updates elsewhere.
New platform helps techies discover their market value
Not everyone is on the lookout for a new job, but it's always interesting to know what opportunities are available and what your worth might be.
San Francisco-based Woo is launching its platform for letting tech talent gauge their market value and find potential opportunities.
US employees waste 30 percent of their work week on status meetings
Meetings are often seen as one of the great time wasters of the workplace. A new survey from business collaboration specialist Clarizen suggests that this is more than just supposition.
It reveals that US workers spend on average 11.8 hours per week preparing for and attending staus meetings. Assuming a 40 hour working week this means they could be wasting up to 30 percent of their time on them.
Cato Cloud aims to simplify network security
The growth of distributed enterprise networks and changes in traffic patterns as data moves to the cloud has presented companies with problems in ensuring that all of their information and endpoints are properly protected.
To address this, Israeli company Cato Networks is launching its new network security as a service (NSaaS) platform. Cato Cloud is aimed at making network security simple and cost-effective for the distributed, cloud-centric and mobile-first enterprise.
Installing apps at the weekend? You're probably using iOS
Companies looking to market to mobile users rely on being able to reach users at the times and places when they're most receptive.
A new report from mobile advertising company AppsFlyer looks at the behavior of app users and how it differs between operating systems and around the world.
Dridex botnet hacked to deliver free antivirus software
Widely used by cyber criminals to introduce malware onto systems, the Dridex banking trojan has been subject to a number of high profile investigations, and a takedown by US authorities last year.
These things don't stay dead for long, however, and Dridex is back in business. But in an interesting new twist it seems that the Dridex botnet has been hijacked to deliver the free Avira antivirus program rather than its more usual malicious payload.
New UK homes to get superfast broadband -- maybe
The UK government has today announced that it will work with Openreach -- BT's local access network business -- and the Home Builders Federation (HBF) on an agreement to deliver superfast broadband connectivity to new build properties in the UK.
The deal will mean that fibre-based broadband is offered to all new developments either for free or as part of a co-funded initiative.
Ian's Bio
Ian spent almost 20 years working with computers before he discovered that writing about them was easier than fixing them. Since then he's written for a number of computer magazines and is a former editor of PC Utilities. Follow him on Mastodon
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