Professionals believe their Java apps are secure despite relying on third-party code
Almost two-thirds of senior IT professionals say that their enterprise Java applications contain 50 percent or more third-party code.
These are findings from application security company Waratek based on a survey of attendees at last week's JavaOne conference. However, despite recent high profile vulnerabilities in third-party code, like Shellshock and Heartbleed, nearly 80 percent of respondents still believe their java apps are secure.
Microsoft signs pledge to protect student privacy
There are few companies who fail to find themselves under the privacy microscope at some point, but Microsoft is one that is the center of attention more than many. Whilst taking steps to allay fear about a keylogger in Windows 10, the company has signed the Student Privacy Pledge, joining big names from the world of education such as Follett, Learnmetrics, and Knovation. The pledge means that Microsoft will use personal information about students to help better tailor learning packages, but it won't be used for advertising, or sold to third parties.
Anthony Salcito, Microsoft's Vice President for Worldwide Education, announced the move at the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) and the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) launched the pledge to help protect students.
Untwist your panties -- Windows 10's 'keylogger' is nothing to worry about
As we all know, Windows 10 Technical Preview is out there and ready for anyone with the time and inclination to try out. Much has been made of the return of the Start menu as well as the new features such as virtual desktops, but over the last couple of days the rumor grapevine has been working overtime.
The big news is that Windows 10 includes a keylogger so that Microsoft can spy on your every action, tracking your every keystroke as you enter usernames, passwords, and bank details. Well, that's not strictly true... despite what some sites would have you believe. So, what then? Windows 10 doesn't include a keylogger? It's not quite that simple.
How US organizations are losing the cyber war
Cyber crime, hacking and data breaches have seldom been out of the news in 2014, but just how well are organizations coping with it?
Not very well, according to a new infographic released by security solutions company CSO that's based on the results of a survey of over 500 private and public sector executives and security experts.
Kaspersky and INTERPOL issue global alert: ATMs spitting out millions without cards
ATMs (automated teller machines) are everywhere and we all use them regularly. That has always made them a target for bad guys -- a card reader can steal all sorts of information. But in the wake of events like the Target and Home Depot breaches things have risen to a new level. So high, in fact, that security company Kaspersky and law enforcement organization INTERPOL have issued a warning.
It seems that ATMs are pouring out money to criminals who are not even using any sort of credit or debit card. While this isn't a problem for any particular individual, it is a major one for the banks, which makes it everyone's worry.
Cloud-based management allows parental control of multiple devices
As we saw last week, parental control products are a bit of a mixed bag and are only part of a protection strategy that includes effective education.
If you have several different devices in the family you may also end up using multiple products to protect them. That is unless you use the latest version of Remo Software's MORE which offers cloud-based management across multiple platforms.
Security risk is the main reason for banning BYOPC
According to a survey of IT decision makers commissioned by efficiency software specialist 1E and carried out by Vanson Bourne 86 percent of companies that ban employees from using their own PCs do so because of security concerns.
To address these fears 1E is launching its new MyWorkNow solution, a client-hosted virtual desktop (CHVD) to offer a fast, low-cost way of mobilizing workforces using their own PCs.
In a terrifying future, Facebook could venture into healthcare
Facebook gets bashed about privacy concerns, its real name policy, and the proliferation of ads that litter the social network. It's easy to complain about who has access to your photos and status updates, but how would you feel about handing over your private health details to Zuckerberg's baby?
In a move that will strike fear into users of the social network, Facebook is apparently considering branching out into healthcare by providing what are being described as "support communities". The news comes from Reuters which quotes three sources who requested anonymity.
Majority of businesses are not confident about their data security
A new piece of research from SafeNet has pointed out some worrying aspects regarding business security, including the fact that the majority of organizations -- some 60 percent of them -- are not confident that their data would be secure if a hacker was to get past their network's perimeter security.
While 74 percent of the thousand IT decision makers questioned said they believed their perimeter security was effective at keeping threats at bay, 41 percent believed that unauthorized users are able to access their networks, figures which don't quite marry up.
Shellshock -- we ain't seen nothing yet
It's now just over a week since news of the Shellshock bug broke and analysts are still trying to work out just how much of an impact it could have.
Security specialist Incapsula has been tracking the vulnerability to get an idea of its magnitude, looking at the number of sites attacked and the damage caused.
Ransomware is an increasing security concern for IT professionals
There are always plenty of security concerns causing furrowed brows of IT professionals, but a survey shows that it is ransomware that is causing the biggest headaches at the moment. A survey carried out by Spiceworks and published by Webroot found that 88 percent of professionals had concerns about ransomware, while one third of those questioned had dealt with a ransomware attack first hand. By far the most common strategy for dealing with a device that has been maliciously encrypted is to simply wipe it.
Two-thirds expect the number of attacks to increase in the next year which is particularly concerning when you consider that two thirds of IT professionals know someone who has been affected by ransomware. Despite the threat and attempts to thwart the flow of ransomware with filtering, firewalls, and email scanning, just 44 percent believe their current security setup is "somewhat effective".
Facebook admits it screwed up, but its proposed research guidelines are meaningless
Facebook is no stranger to controversy, nor is the social network unfamiliar with upsetting its users. It seems as though Zuckerberg's baby has been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons lately, and it's not all that long since users vented their fury after it was revealed that their newsfeeds had been manipulated in the name of research. Now the social network says that it was "unprepared for the reaction the paper received when it was published and have taken to heart the comments and criticism" and is now implementing new user research guidelines.
"There are things we should have done differently" may seem like something of a half-hearted admission that mistakes were made, but it's the second semi-apology from Facebook this week. Research into how people use the social network will still continue, but Facebook now says "we want to do it in the most responsible way." So what does this actually mean?
Increase in unpatched browsers and operating systems leads to security concerns
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) in the US and security company Secunia has marked this by issuing its latest Country Report assessing the state of security among PC users.
Key findings include that Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, with a market share of 73 percent, had 218 vulnerabilities with 11 percent of installed programs being unpatched and vulnerable. The percentage of users running unpatched operating systems has increased to 12.6 percent, from 11.1 percent in the previous quarter.
NoSpyProxy wants to put your data and identity out of reach of the NSA
Since the Edward Snowden revelations that governments as well as hackers were likely to be snooping on your internet activity it's been widely assumed that there's no such thing as safe online access.
VPN specialist CyberGhost has other ideas and has been seeking funding via Indiegogo for what it calls a NoSpyProxy. The company's VPN already uses AES256 military-grade encryption to protect passwords, bank accounts and other details as well as obscuring locations and IP addresses. It now aims to make things even more secure by placing the data center hardware under the control of an additional layer of security. This will put CyberGhost in control of the whole process from login through encryption protocol, key management and finally also the server itself.
Facebook apologizes to LGBT community, 'backs down' on real name policy
Facebook has issued an apology to "drag queens, drag kings", and the LGBT community for forcing users of the social network to reveal their real names or face having their pages suspended. The social network also bowed to pressure, saying that users will not necessarily have to use their real names in the future. Chris Cox, Facebook's Chief Product Officer, made a statement in an online post that admits the negative response to the policy "took us off guard". Why the sudden interest in real names? It seems that one person may have been to blame.
Facebook caused something of a storm of controversy recently when it forced many users to reveal their real names. Large groups of people were affected by this, but it was a number of drag artists who were most vocal in their complaints -- numerous petitions and campaigns, including #MyNameIs, started up. While it was drag queens who hit the headlines, Facebook's sudden enforcement of its long-standing real names policy also affected performers such as musicians -- fans and friends were confused when seemingly new people appeared in their friend list. Despite the backlash Facebook faced, the social network stuck to its guns, remaining adamant that the policy was here to stay, and dismissing complaints out of hand.
© 1998-2026 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.