IT Executive news

• The 'grinch' isn't a Linux vulnerability, Red Hat says

  18-12-2014 22:40
  
  The “grinch” Linux vulnerability that Alert Logic raised alarms about Tuesday is not a vulnerability at all, according to Red Hat.“This report incorrectly classifies expected behavior as a security issue,” said a Red Hat bulletin issued Wednesday, responding to Alert Logic’s claims.Security firm Alert Logic Tuesday claimed that grinch could be as severe as the Heartbleed bug and that it’s a serious design flaw in how Linux systems handle user permissions, which could allow malicio
  
  Read more

• Hybrid Cloud Adoption Set for a Big Boost in 2015

  18-12-2014 21:50
  
  Spurred in large part by enterprise interest in the hybrid cloud, the overall cloud market is likely to see great growth in the coming year.
  Industry analyst firm IDC predicts that the global cloud market, including private, public and hybrid clouds, will hit $118 billion in 2015 and crest at $200 billion by 2018. If the market shows that much growth next year, it will mean a 23.2% rise over the $95.8 billion market it reached in 2014.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, pleas
  
  Read more

• Driver’s License App on a Smartphone Raises Privacy Issues

  18-12-2014 21:43
  
  A smartphone app that drivers in Iowa will be able to use as an official driver's license could lead to privacy abuses by law enforcement.
  In 2015, the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) plans to become the first to offer the apps to drivers for free, according to published reports.
  "The way things are going, we may be the first in the nation," Iowa DOT Director Paul Trombino was quoted as saying in a report published in The Des Moines Register.
  Iowa police will accept the driver's lice
  
  Read more

• 2015 to Test Microsoft's Resolve and Execution

  18-12-2014 21:32
  
  Microsoft faces not only its 40th anniversary in 2015, but a host of challenges that will define it for years to come, analysts said today.
  The company, which is in the midst of a strategic do-over after switching CEOs and admitting that its earlier approach to the explosion of mobile wasn't working, has a hard row to hoe, experts said.
  "Next year is also the 20th anniversary of Windows 95," noted Wes Miller of Directions on Microsoft. "Remember that? People stood in line to get Windows 95.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Worst Security Breaches of the Year 2014: Sony Tops the List

  18-12-2014 21:15
  
  As 2014 winds down, the breach of Sony Pictures Entertainment is clearly the biggest data breach of the year and among the most devastating to any corporation ever.
  Attackers broke in and took whatever they wanted, exfiltrating gigabytes and gigabytes of documents, emails and even entire movies, apparently at will for months and months on end.
  + Also on Network World: The weirdest, wackiest and coolest sci/tech stories of 2014 | Peeping into 73,000 unsecured security cameras thanks to defaul
  
  Read more

• Sale of Nigeria's Nitel bogs down in confusion yet again

  18-12-2014 21:10
  
  The sale of Nigeria’s state-owned Nigerian Telecommunications (Nitel) and its mobile arm, Mobile Telecommunications Mtel), is once again bogged down in confusion following allegations that the government sold the company below the value offered by another willing buyer.The NATCOM consortium, headed by a Nigerian, last week emerged as winner of the bidding for the company, on an offer of $252.25 million.However, fresh controversy has emerged, with Arabian Amlak For Investment taking the matt
  
  Read more

• Messaging app Line buys Microsoft's MixRadio music-streaming app

  18-12-2014 20:35
  
  Line, the messaging app from Japan, has acquired MixRadio, the free music-streaming service Microsoft gained through its Nokia acquisition, the companies announced Thursday.The deal gives Line, already popular with 170 million monthly active users, a new way to attract more customers at a time of rising interest in music streaming. It also explains what Microsoft would do with the music service after Microsoft said it would spin it off, as the company now focuses on “productivity.” Appare
  
  Read more

• Vulnerability in embedded Web server exposes millions of routers to hacking

  18-12-2014 20:30
  
  A serious vulnerability in an embedded Web server used by many router models from different manufacturers allows remote attackers to take control of affected devices over the Internet.A compromised router can have wide-ranging implications for the security of home and business networks as it allows attackers to sniff inbound and outbound traffic and provides them with a foothold inside the network from where they can launch attacks against other systems. It also gives them a man-in-the-middle
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• 10 Cool Marketing Automation Startups to Watch

  18-12-2014 20:26
  
  Marketing automation can help businesses target prospects, separate out the tire kickers from the real buyers, and even help you find and test ideas for new products and services.The major platforms out there, such as ExactTarget (now Salesforce Marketing Cloud), Marketo, Pardot and HubSpot, are designed with larger enterprises in mind. For the midmarket on down, there are many point solutions, including MailChimp, Aweber, Hootsuite, Nimble and even a dizzying array of Wordpress plug-ins, but
  
  Read more

• Give Yourself a Present (or Twenty): Steam's Holiday Sale is Here

  18-12-2014 19:25
  
  The rumors were right: The Steam Holiday sale launched today and, of course, it promptly crippled the servers. Once Valve flipped the auxiliary nuclear power switch and finished putting out fires, however, we were left to see what bounties Gabe Newell hath brought in his sleigh.
  It's looking like a pretty standard holiday sale, which is to say there are plenty of fantastic deals to kill your wallet. Featured deals will run for two days each, flash sales now run for twelve hours instead of si
  
  Read more

• Organized Criminals Targeting Individual iPhone, Android Users

  18-12-2014 18:53
  
  A well organized criminal group is targeting both iOS and Android users with highly targeted man-in-the-middle attacks, according to a new threat advisory from Akamai Technologies, Inc.
  "They have a lot of resources," said Rod Soto, principal security researcher in the company's business security unit.
  For example, they were able to target a group of individuals congregating in an Asian country based on their communications, and then used man-in-the-middle and social engineering to trick use
  
  Read more

• Amazon Web Services updates console to simplify management

  18-12-2014 18:50
  
  As enterprises have increased the number of systems they run on Amazon Web Service’s cloud, keeping track of it all has become more difficult. But the company is now trying to rectify that with the help of better tagging.Tags are used to organize resources on Amazon’s cloud and have become increasingly important as companies use its infrastructure in more sophisticated ways. To make tags more useful, Amazon has upgraded its management console with resource groups and the Tag Editor tool.R
  
  Read more

• The Sony Breach May Be Start of New Nation-State Cyberattack

  18-12-2014 18:25
  
  It has been an exceptional year for IT security breaches, which have become part of an escalating trend in destructive attacks. And they're going to get worse.
  The Sony Pictures cyber attackers are doing everything they can to inflict damage on the company. They have released films, emails, medical records, and all sorts of confidential data, and are making threats of physical attacks in conjunction with the release of The Interview, a comedy about the attempted assassination of the North K
  
  Read more

• Sony hit with second employee lawsuit over hack

  18-12-2014 18:05
  
  Sony Pictures has been hit by a second lawsuit alleging it didn’t do enough to safeguard the personal information of employees that was lost in a major hack in late November.Central to the lawsuit, which was filed at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, is the assertion that “cybercriminals were able to perpetrate a breach of this depth and scope because Sony Pictures Entertainment failed to maintain reasonable and adequate security measures to protect the emplo
  
  Read more

• Point-of-sale malware creators still in business with Spark, an Alina spinoff

  18-12-2014 17:55
  
  A malware program dubbed Spark that steals payment card data from compromised point-of-sale (POS) systems is likely a modification of an older Trojan called Alina, and highlights a continuing, lucrative business for cybercriminals.Spark steals card data from a compromised system’s RAM (random access memory) when it’s being processed by specialized software running on the machine. Similar memory scraping malware was behind large data breaches at numerous retailers over the past two years,
  
  Read more

• Apple's Holiday Push for AIDS-Fighting Nonprofit (RED) Raised $20 Million

  18-12-2014 17:17
  
  Apple’s past Black Friday deals were never anything major—usually small discounts that covered sales tax and not much else. For last year’s annual shopping holiday, the company moved to free gift cards with purchase, and this year was more of the same. But this past Black Friday, your purchases also raised money for the AIDS-fighting nonprofit (RED) and The Global Fund—more than $20 million in total.
  In an email to Apple employees first reported by Re/code, Apple CEO Tim Cook said th
  
  Read more

• Microsoft Nixes EU Browser Ballot Screen

  18-12-2014 16:14
  
  Microsoft has pulled the plug on the browser ballot screen it was forced to display in the aftermath of a threat by the European Union's antitrust agency five years ago.
  The browser choice screen had been mandated in 2009 as part of the settlement Microsoft struck with the EU's Competition Commission, which had threatened fines after officials launched an investigation into the U.S. company's practice of bundling Internet Explorer (IE) with Windows. That investigation was launched two years
  
  Read more

• BrandPost: The Future of EA Licensing

  18-12-2014 16:10
  Recently we had a major announcement regarding the future of EA licensing. For those of you who may not be aware, Microsoft is pushing this cloud thing very hard. The announcement of the new Enterprise Cloud Suite is a continuation of this trend. We specialists are literally still being trained on the specifics of the new offerings, but here’s what it looks like in a nutshell.
  Got all that? Yeah, me neither. But here’s what we do know so far. Starting December 1:To read this article in fu
  
  Read more

• U.S.-Cuba breakthrough is no slam dunk for Internet

  18-12-2014 16:05
  
  The Obama administration’s historic move to restore ties between the U.S. and Cuba may eventually put more Cubans online, but the future of the Internet there is likely to depend more on domestic policies than on imported goods and services.As President Obama announced steps to lower barriers between the U.S. and Cuba after more than 50 years, he said the strict U.S. laws designed to isolate Cuba have contributed to the island’s isolation from the Internet. The policy changes he ordered o
  
  Read more

• Insourcen? Eerst zaakjes op orde!

  18-12-2014 16:02
  Nadat de overheid zich het afgelopen decennium vol heeft gestort op het outsourcen van haar ICT, kondigt zich nu een omgekeerde beweging aan. We gaan het zelf doen. Met als doel het bundelen van zoveel mogelijk diensten, om zo tientallen miljoenen te besparen op de generieke dienstverlening. Het streven is om alle... lees meer
  
  Read more

• Cloud for Europe opent aanbesteding voor cloud-innovatie in de publieke sector

  18-12-2014 16:02
  Het Cloud for Europe-project heeft een aanbesteding geopend voor de joint pre-commercial procurement (Joint PCP) voor R&D inzake cloud computing voor overheidsdiensten. Het doel is oplossingen aan te dragen die obstakels wegnemen voor de adoptie van diensten in de cloud in de publieke sector.
   
  Cloud for... lees meer
  
  Read more

• Amazon promises one-hour delivery in Manhattan, more locations on the way

  18-12-2014 15:25
  
  With Prime Now, Amazon’s customers will be able to have toys and books shipped to their door in one hour or less via a new mobile app. Perfect when you have forgotten that important birthday present.Amazon launched Prime Now in select areas of Manhattan on Thursday, and the necessary Prime Now app is available for iOS and Android devices. Additional cities will be added next year, Amazon said without revealing any names.The shipping service will be available from 6 a.m. to midnight, seven d
  
  Read more

• Amazon Prime Now Delivers Your Order in an Hour, But Only in Manhattan for Now

  18-12-2014 15:25
  Earlier this month reports surfaced that Amazon was testing out a new bike delivery service in Manhattan called Amazon Prime Now. On Thursday, Amazon officially announced the service.
  Prime Now is available only to select areas of Manhattan and—as the name suggests—it's for Prime members only. Amazon says it will expand the service to more cities in 2015. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
  Read more

• Today’s CIO Better Know What’s in a Name

  18-12-2014 15:24
  
  Do you know the name of the marketing associate handling targeted email campaigns with Marketo? How about the name of the human resources assistant with the Workday account?CIOs can ill afford to hide in their offices these days. They need to be where technology is being used -- that is, inside marketing, human resources, finance, sales and other departments. Truth is, CIOs and IT staff are the new internal technology consultants, which means they need to become sales smart and people savvy.A
  
  Read more

• Infor’s Future in the Enterprise Looks Cloudy and Bright

  18-12-2014 15:04
  
  Like other enterprise application companies, Infor built itself up through a slew of acquisitions that it has worked hard to unify. And, like other traditional software providers, Infor these days is working hard to move its customers to the cloud.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
  Read more

• Should Microsoft Have Aimed Higher with Windows 10?

  18-12-2014 14:52
  Should Microsoft have aimed higher with Windows 10? Its specs match the last three versions of the OS, meaning it can run on hardware from 2006. Is that good?
  Windows 10 is currently going through the beta cycle and people seem satisfied with it, not to mention very happy with how receptive Microsoft is to input this time around. It seems well on its way to getting a warm reception when it hits the market in the second quarter of next year.
  However, one element of Windows 10 has left a few
  
  Read more

• U.S. on Sony Breach: North Korea Did it

  18-12-2014 14:30
  
  U.S. officials now believe North Korea is behind the attack that took down Sony Pictures Entertainment’s computer network and posted contents on the Internet, but the government hasn’t decided whether to formally accuse the country of carrying out the hack, according to The New York Times.
  The Obama administration is split on how to respond, with some in the White House concerned there might be no effective punishment to deliver and that it might have some embarrassing explaining to do
  
  Read more

• LG readies webOS TVs with better performance, 4K content

  18-12-2014 13:55
  
  LG Electronics’ upcoming smart TVs will run an upgraded version of webOS that promises better performance and more customization.The TVs will be launched at the International CES trade show in Las Vegas next month. The improvements on webOS 2.0 include better boot times and faster access to content. For example, when switching from the home screen to YouTube users will see an improvement in loading time of up to 70 percent, LG said without revealing how many seconds it would take.New featur
  
  Read more

• Getting Real About Information Governance

  18-12-2014 13:54
  
  An enterprise information governance (IG) program is supposed to help organizations reduce costs and risk while improving access to valuable information, but most mature enterprises find the idea of implementing such a program to be daunting. It doesn’t have to be. By understanding the true value to the enterprise of information assets, and by taking a simple, step-by-step approach to making the necessary changes, effective IG can become a reality.
  “Governance” is a framework or set of
  
  Read more

• Microsoft kills EU browser choice screen

  18-12-2014 13:40
  
  Microsoft has retired the browser choice screen it agreed to show new Windows users in the European Union as part of an antitrust settlement.For five years it showed the screen to new Windows users in a 2009 settlement of an antitrust case in which the European Commission found it had exploited its dominant position in the operating system market to push its own Internet Explorer browser.The choice screen—at browserchoice.eu until Wednesday—is now gone, and in its place is a message from
  
  Read more

• The Weirdest, Wackiest and Coolest Sci/Tech Stories of 2014

  18-12-2014 13:00
  
  The weird and wackySifting through the sometimes wacky world of high-tech can be a lot of fun. This year we have a mix of great stories about space, truly advanced software, drones and one story about a guy who has an antennae attached to his skull. What more could you want? Take a gander.RELATED: The weirdest, wackiest and coolest sci/tech stories of 2014 (so far!)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
  Read more

• Travel Safely With Your Tech: How to Prevent Theft, Loss and Snooping on the Road

  18-12-2014 12:38
  When you travel, a whole fleet of electronics come with you. Smartphone and laptop are a given, but there’s a good chance you’re also toting a tablet, and maybe a cellular hotspot or dedicated GPS.
  All of them are juicy targets for bad guys. Here’s how to make sure your devices’ travels are just as safe as your own.Protect yourself on public Wi-Fi
  
  Public Wi-Fi hotspots are essential. They’re like an oasis in the disconnected desert when you run into their blessed signal in coffe
  
  Read more

• Heartbleed, Shellshock, Tor and More: The 13 Biggest Security Stories of 2014

  18-12-2014 12:00
  A year to forgetEpic hacks, major vulnerabilities, and other security surprises rolled across the Internet like a tidal wave in 2014. We thought we’d seen it all after an SSL vulnerability pierced the heart of the Internet and the crypto world lost a major asset. But then Sony (once again) fell prey to one of the most devastating cyberattacks ever.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
  Read more

• 6 Aging Protocols That Could Cripple the Internet

  18-12-2014 12:00
  
  Internet protocols on the brinkImage by Kheng ho TohThe biggest threat to the Internet is the fact that it was never really designed. Instead, it evolved in fits and starts, thanks to various protocols that were cobbled together to fulfill the needs of the moment. Few of those protocols were designed with security in mind. Or if they were, they sported no more than was needed to keep out a nosy neighbor, not a malicious attacker.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click he
  
  Read more

• 10 Hadoop predictions for 2015 - Computer Business Review

  18-12-2014 04:52
  10 Hadoop predictions for 2015
  Computer Business Review
  "That has already begun to change among the very early adopters, with those tactical projects moving from POC into production and senior IT executive green-lighting larger-scale deployments driven by strategic imperatives to expand data storage, ...
  
  and more »
  
  Read more

• Bill Widmer named new Rancho Palos Verdes city manager - The Daily Breeze

  18-12-2014 04:34
  
  Bill Widmer named new Rancho Palos Verdes city manager
  The Daily Breeze
  Rancho Palos Verdes has ended its months-long search for a new city manager, selecting Bill Widmer, an IT executive and current city council member in the affluent Silicon Valley town of Atherton, to take the position Jan. 1. City Council members on ...
  
  Read more

• Judge: No Steve Jobs For You

  18-12-2014 03:35
  
  A federal judge Wednesday ruled that a two-hour video deposition recorded by former Apple CEO Steve Jobs will not be released to the press and public.
  Last week a trio of news organizations -- the Associated Press, Bloomberg and CNN -- had asked U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers to force Apple to release the video, which was recorded in April 2011 and shown during the recent trial of a case alleging Apple stymied competition of its iPod digital music players.
  The jury cleared
  
  Read more

• Sony cancels 'The Interview' release after threats following cyberattack

  18-12-2014 01:10
  
  Sony Pictures on Wednesday canceled the Dec. 25 release of its controversial comedy, “The Interview,” after theater chains decided not to play the film following terrorist threats after a cyber attack.“In light of the decision by the majority of our exhibitors not to show the film ‘The Interview,’ we have decided not to move forward with the planned Dec. 25 theatrical release,” Sony said in a statement sent to reporters.“Sony Pictures has been the victim of an unprecedented crim
  
  Read more

Follow @ITExecutiveNews on Twitter!