Security

It appears that Microsoft and Kaspersky have come to terms with respect to the latter's demands of a more antivirus vendor friendly approach in Windows 10 resulting in withdrawal of all antitrust allegations against Microsoft by Kaspersky.

Recognizing the potential of the blockchain tech, Sony is looking to provide an educational system based on the highly acclaimed Hyperledger Fabric 1.0 framework. The blockchain-based system records information in a difficult to falsify way and controls access to recorded information, making it possible to reliably disclose information to authorized third parties.

Disney is being sued along with three software companies for creating software targeted at young children that collect personal information and send it to advertisers without the consent of parents. Disney has signaled it aims to face the suit in court.

A new update for the Verizon Galaxy S5, Note 4, and Note Edge will roll out over the next few weeks, patching a few security holes and fixing some call-related bugs.

After privacy concerns caused Amazon to delist some phones by budget smartphone manufacturer BLU, the products are once again available through the online retailer. Although BLU has denied allegations of any wrongdoing, privacy issues with budget Android phones may remain a concern.

The three ransom wallets associated with the WannaCry ransomware have been monitored by law-enforcement for the last three months. A few days ago the total Bitcoin balances were transferred from each of those wallets into a number of smaller ones as the hackers start the process of trying to make any cash withdrawals untraceable.

Mozilla has added three new experiments to their Test Pilot program. The most interesting is a website available to users of any browser that allows single-download encrypted sharing of files. The other new experiments are a note taking app and voice search.

A Black Hat researcher has found a vulnerability with Broadcom wireless chips used in various phones including iPhone, Nexus, and Galaxy S phones. This bug allows a hacker to overflow the memory in the wireless chip and execute code in the device memory. Apple and Google have patched the flaw, but will third party manufacturers push the update to their devices?

Apple has pulled a number of censorship-defeating tools from their App Store in China, citing Chinese law. The move to accommodate the Chinese government deprives many in the country of access to information.

Microsoft has now released the Microsoft Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID in the regional Microsoft stores for the US, Canada, and China. The retail price is US$130, and compared to the Microsoft Surface Keyboard it also features a fingerprint sensor and optional wired operation.

Over the next few months, the TSA will introduce a new requirement for passengers to remove all electronic items larger than a smartphone from their bag as they go through airport security. This measure is intended to make it easier for TSA agents to examine items that could conceal dangerous substances.

The upcoming feature update to Windows 10, the Fall Creators Update, will see many legacy features in Windows getting removed or deprecated: the most noticeable among them being the classic Paint program, System Image Backup and screensaver functionality, amongst others.

Researchers at Georgia Tech were able to bypass the protection of 97% of the popular Android antivirus applications tested. The detection rules used by most of the programs appear to be relatively basic, and by presenting their results at the Black Hat USA 2017 conference, the researchers are hoping that developers can improve the performance of their scanners.

Microsoft has officially ended availability of Windows 10 feature updates post the Anniversary Update for tablets and laptop hybrids featuring Intel's 'Clover Trail' Atom chips owing to end of interactive support for these processors from Intel.

The Chinese government has made the installation of surveillance software on phones mandatory in the north-western city of Urumqi. Urumqi is the capital of Xin Jiang province, which is home to most of China's Turkic Uighur minority.

There is new concern shown by OnePlus 5 owners as allegations appear on reddit of phones rebooting when dialing 911. The cause of the bug is currently unknown, however OnePlus is in contact with those experiencing the issue to try and solve the problem as soon as possible.

The decryption key for the Petya ransomware seems to be ineffective for use in systems infected by NotPetya, leaving those infected by the nefarious program still in the lurch.

Microsoft is testing a new feature in the upcoming Windows 10 Fall Creators Update that enables users to directly recover their Microsoft Account from the login screen itself, thereby saving the hassle of hunting for another device for account recovery.

The SMBv1 protocol was the entry route for the recent ransomware attacks, and it comes as a surprise that Google is still developing an app based on this protocol — even after it has been deprecated, putting end users at risk.

The Orwl mini PC includes a plethora of security features including the protection against physical tempering, which triggers a "self-destruct" mechanism even if the device is unplugged.

Integration of a citizen's 'Aadhaar' identification into Skype is now possible, providing Indian users with identity verification facility for important calls.

Scientists from Lancaster University have developed an anti-counterfeit system that uses atomic-scale 2D graphene and quantum properties to tag any kind of object as genuine through a smartphone app.

With data-over-audio technology from Ticketmaster, customers can skip the ticket checking process and event organizers can reduce fraud.

July's Android security patch is here for Nexus and Pixel devices and fixes a few vulnerabilities that (thankfully) haven't been widely exploited yet.

Microsoft's latest threat analysis notes an ever-increasing sophistication in the ransomware codes, but states that Windows 10 and Windows 10 S block such threats by default.

Seeing its debut on the iPhone 5S, Apple's Touch ID has become a staple feature across the company's lineup of devices. However, a recent report suggests that the company is looking to introduce a new form of authentication with the next iPhone.

We recommend that owners of any Razer laptop or keyboard change their passwords until the manufacturer can provide a proper public response to the apparent security flaw.

Microsoft announced in May that, having reached its end-of-life, the initial release of Windows 10 (version 1507) would no longer receive monthly quality updates. Users still running the outdated version of the OS will now be prompted to update via a desktop notification, according to a recent post to the company's blog.

With many devices still languishing with older Windows versions, the Indian Government is pressing Microsoft for a one-time discount on Windows 10 to curb the proliferation of ransomware.

A recently discovered security flaw in Skype potentially allows remote attackers to execute malicious code. Microsoft has since fixed the vulnerability in a patch, and Skype users are urged to make sure their Skype application is up-to-date.

There's never been a time to be more secure than now, and the upcoming Windows 10 Fall Creators Update looks to reinforce this fact

New ransomware sashay around the block, and it's a situation that may have been prevented by the NSA. Petya and NonPetya are on the loose, with over 2000 organizations around the world facing attacks, according to Kaspersky.

Asus announces the Mining RX 470 and P106 graphics cards, specifically designed for cryptocurrency mining, The cards should increse mining efficiency by up to 36%.

Microsoft has patented an anti-theft system for upcoming PCs with cellular connectivity, allowing them to be remotely disabled even without a network connection.

Parliament's email system has been forced to close itself off from outside connections following a series of persistent cyber-attacks discovered today.

In a recent post to the company blog, Google announced its plans to "more closely align" the free version of Gmail and the enterprise version found in subscription-based G Suite. This includes removing ad personalization based on the contents of your emails.

An enthusiast rummaging through firmware files for macOS High Sierra found information suggesting that the upcoming iMac Pro will be powered by server-grade Xeon processors and protected by an ARM chip known as a Security Enclave Processor. The existence of an ARM chip the same as those found in the MacBook Pro with TouchBar sparks speculation that the iMac may ship with a similar feature.

The update brings enhanced security features, more accessible debug tools, and updates to over 51,000 software packages throughout the Debian repositories.

In a recent blog post, General Counsel at Google Ken Walker delineated the company's mission to combat terrorism online. While Google already devotes a portion of its enormous resources toward counter-terrorism, the company aims to bolster its efforts with a newly published 4-step plan.

US and British intelligence services believe that they tracked the WannaCry ransomware to North Korea via attributing it to the Lazarus Group, who hacked Sony Pictures in 2014 preceding the release of the comedy film "The Interview".

A new phone from Vivo appearing in a leaked video was shown to be unlocked by fingerprint through a sensor embedded within the screen on the device. Rumors suggest that this type of sensor might be appearing in new smartphones soon.

Google Drive will soon become Google Backup and Sync, which will start backing up your selected files not just from your Google Drive folder, but from almost anywhere on your computer.

An underground identity-theft ring where Apple employees were selling customers' personal data was uncovered in China.

Chinese company Rafotech has been found to be responsible for the current epidemic of the "Fireball" malware, which has affected nearly 250 million computers worldwide. Fireball is usually installed by piggybacking on an installer of wanted software; it then hijacks the user's browser and can then proceed to do anything from spying to dropping additional malware.

Notebook PCs will soon have WWAN/LTE capabilities without requiring external SIM cards or special modems.