IT Executive news

• Use Linux? Stop what you're doing and apply this patch

  16-02-2016 23:19
  A buffer-overflow vulnerability uncovered Tuesday in the GNU C Library poses a serious threat to countless Linux users.Dating back to the release of glibc 2.9 in 2008, CVE-2015-7547 is a stack-based buffer overflow bug in the glibc DNS client-side resolver that opens the door to remote code execution when a particular library function is used. Software using the function can be exploited with attacker-controlled domain names, attacker-controlled DNS servers or man-in-the-middle attacks.Glibc, wh
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: IBM encrypts the cloud with z13s mainframe

  16-02-2016 22:53
  
  IBM today announced the mainframe z13s, which is optimized for hybrid cloud environments and features baked-in security.
  “The new z13s has advanced cryptography features built into the hardware that allow it to encrypt and decrypt data twice as fast as previous generations, protecting information without compromising performance,” IBM said in a press release announcing the z13s.
  On top of that IBM is integrating their security software solutions with the mainframe to “create a
  
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• Data visualization vendor Zoomdata raises $25 million

  16-02-2016 22:29
  
  Zoomdata delivers a visual analytics solution. What that means in language understandable to the real world is that Zoomdata enables organizations to consume their data, formerly available in spreadsheets and incomprehensible feeds and streams, in a visual way. Zoomdata joins a number of other products, both pure-play and component part of broader platforms, in helping organizations understand data through visualizations. While visualizations are incredibly valuable, I always bristle a little b
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: A.I. concierge services – realizing the promise of big data

  16-02-2016 21:34
  
  Business agility is becoming a strategic necessary. Greater globalization, increasing regulation and faster cycle time all demand higher service levels at lower cost. Companies cannot be competitive if they not staying ahead of their customers’ expectations.You can see the effect of this when Apple introduced Siri in 2011 with the release of iPhone 4S, changing the customer experience. Since then, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have all come up with their own A.I. concierge services to
  
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• New Office 365 profiles help people get to know their coworkers

  16-02-2016 21:15
  
  Microsoft has unveiled a new profile page for Office 365 users aimed at making it easier to collaborate at work.The profile pages, most accessible through Microsoft's Delve product, show a large photo of the worker, along with the files shared between that person and whoever is viewing their profile. The new feature, announced Tuesday, is a way for people to get a sense of their coworkers' responsibilities, even if they don't work in the same office.An Office 365 user's profile also shows who th
  
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• The IT budget is also the company's budget

  16-02-2016 21:02
  
  When Eric Slavinsky became CIO of both Louisville Gas and Electric (LG&E) and Kentucky Utilities (KU) Company, he inherited an IT organization that often worked independently from other areas of the business. Slavinsky saw that changing the company's governance structure would help bring IT together with the rest of the business."Previously, IT would fund infrastructure, security and support, and the lines of business would fund major application projects," says Slavinsky, now CIO of LG&
  
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• Does your company need a chief data officer?

  16-02-2016 20:56
  It's a rare business today that doesn't depend on data in some significant way, but does that mean most companies need a chief data officer?That's a question on more than a few executive minds in this big-data era, particularly as analyst firms wax increasingly enthusiastic about the role. Gartner, for instance, recently said it expects 90 percent of large organizations to have a chief data officer by 2019. Last August, Forrester found that 45 percent of global firms already have one, while anot
  
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• This simple labelling trick could make gadgets last longer -- and help save the planet

  16-02-2016 20:37
  
  The lifespan of consumer electronic products is getting ever shorter, and manufacturers aren't the only ones to blame: You could do the planet a big favor by hanging onto that shiny gadget a bit longer.That's according to a new study from Germany's Environment Agency (UBA), which notes that shorter product lifespans means more waste, more pollution and higher consumption of energy and raw materials.The study found no evidence of "planned obsolescence" -- the notion that manufacturers design
  
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• Repeat Mac app mess forces some to reinstall purchased programs

  16-02-2016 20:17
  
  Some Mac owners today faced error messages or applications that balked when launched in a repeat of the November 2015 expired-digital-certificate issue.
  Three months ago, a lapsed Apple-issued certificate triggered a fiasco that prevented Mac users from running software they'd purchased from the Mac App Store.
  "Some of my Mac apps won't open today. I know why, and I know a re-install fixes it ... but ... sigh. Mac App Store: It Just Works* (*sometimes),"tweeted Russell Ivanovic, a mobile app de
  
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• FBI/DHS hack shows need for role-based security awareness programs

  16-02-2016 19:45
  
  When a hacker released the contact information of 9,000 DHS employees, it was the result of several awareness failings. The reality is that these are failed awareness programs that are typical of industry as a whole.
  Summarizing the attack, apparently a criminal compromised the user id and password of a random Department of Justice employee, reportedly through a spearphishing attack. The credentials did not however give the attacker the connectivity required, so the attacker called most likely
  
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• Twitter’s takedown of ISIS accounts still unsatisfactory

  16-02-2016 19:30
  
  The recent announcement that Twitter has taken down 125,000 counts in the last six or so months sounded like they are making substantial gains in stopping ISIS recruitment, fundraising, and planning efforts. That gives people faith that the Internet community is doing its part in protecting the nation and the world.
  It is however curious as to why Twitter decided to make this random announcement given the timing of a lawsuit filed against them, three weeks prior, by Tamara Fields, the widow of
  
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• Carriers, critics and cable slowly edging toward consensus on LTE-U

  16-02-2016 19:17
  
  The first draft of the Wi-Fi Alliance’s specification for LTE-U coexistence testing was issued last week, but people close to the process say that there’s still plenty of work ahead.
  LTE-U technology, which uses the same unlicensed frequency as Wi-Fi to provide additional bandwidth to mobile carriers, is already in limited testing by Verizon. Carriers are enthused about LTE-U’s potential to ease the load on their networks, but critics – among them Google, Comcast, and Mi
  
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• Microsoft promises real-time, self-service BI

  16-02-2016 19:09
  
  Over the last decade, business intelligence has gone from reports you had to ask a business analyst to build, to self-service systems that let executives and managers alike dig into the figures to understand what’s going on. But looking back at the last month’s figures doesn’t tell you what’s happening right now.As Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said at the recent Future Decoded events, seeing your business in real-time is about looking at “the leading indicators of su
  
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• Reports: Apple Pay rolls out in China on Feb. 18

  16-02-2016 19:07
  
  Apple is slowly, steadily aiming to make Apple Pay the top mobile payment service in the world, so making the system available in China was at the forefront of the company’s expansion plans. This Thursday, Apple Pay finally goes live in Apple’s second biggest market with support from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.
  ICBC confirmed the Apple Pay launch, though it won’t be the only bank on board to support the service. It is, however, the country’s largest lend
  
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• Apple sharpens focus on India with new maps development center

  16-02-2016 18:35
  
  Apple is setting up a maps development center in India, part of a broader effort to  grab a bigger share of one of the world's largest markets. The company has also applied to the government to set up its first wholly owned, branded store in the country to take advantage of the liberalization of retail rules for foreign companies.India is one of the few smartphone markets that is is experiencing growth even as other heavily populated countries like China are showing signs of saturation
  
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• Seagate releases the first 2TB ultra-slim HDD

  16-02-2016 18:10
  
  Seagate Technology today announced it is shipping the first 2TB, 7mm-high hard disk drive (HDD) — the Seagate Mobile HDD.
  The Mobile HDD offers Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) and FIPS 140-2 SED models that are available in the same 7mm design.
  With only two platters, the Mobile HDD weights just 3.17 oz., which is 25% lighter than the previous generation of mobile hard drives. It is also the fastest and most power efficient 7mm drive in the industry, Seagate said.To read this article in full
  
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• Xen's latest hypervisor updates are missing some security patches

  16-02-2016 15:52
  
  The Xen Project released new versions of its virtual machine hypervisor, but forgot to fully include two security patches that had been previously made available.The Xen hypervisor is widely used by cloud computing providers and virtual private server hosting companies.Xen 4.6.1, released Monday, is flagged as a maintenance release, the kind that are put out roughly every four months and are supposed to include all bug and security patches released in the meantime."Due to two oversights the fixe
  
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• Apple replaces defective MacBook cables

  16-02-2016 15:50
  
  Apple has launched a cable replacement plan for defective USB-C cables bundled with its pricey Retina MacBook.
  The affected cables were included with the MacBook until June 2015, Apple said. The ultra-slim notebook -- which costs between $1,300 and $1,600 -- went on sale in April of that year.
  "Your MacBook may not charge or only charge intermittently when it's connected to a power adapter with an affected cable," an Apple support document stated.To read this article in full or to leave a comme
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: The best apps for your Mac

  16-02-2016 15:48
  For folks that are new to the Mac and OS X, it can be difficult to get started finding the best applications. There are so many available that sifting the wheat from the chaff can be quite daunting indeed! But don't worry, in this post I've included a great list of apps for the Mac that should meet the needs of most users.I cannot take credit for this list, however. I found it in a great thread in the Apple subreddit. Redditor themacorchard compiled the list with his own selections, and then bro
  
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• Vaio, Fujitsu, and Toshiba may join forces as a PC supergroup

  16-02-2016 15:31
  
  Suggestions that Vaio, Fujitsu and Toshiba will team up to create PCs for the Japanese market continue to grow. Vaio is in talks with its two Japan-based rivals to combine their PC units with Vaio’s into a new company, JIP CEO Hidemi Moue recently confirmed to Bloomberg Business. The merger would not include either of Fujitsu’s or Toshiba’s other electronics units.
  If talks are successful, the newly formed company would follow the strategy already laid out by Vaio. Namely, it'
  
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• Why CIOs need to plan for API deprecation

  16-02-2016 15:22
  
  Application program interfaces (APIs) have changed the face of application development. By expressing software components in terms of their operations, inputs, outputs and underlying types, APIs provide developers with building blocks they can draw on to more rapidly and efficiently create applications.But the increasing adoption of APIs and their growing business value also means API providers and developers are facing new obstacles. Providers are deprecating and versioning their APIs as their
  
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• Zonder samenwerking en delen verantwoordelijkheid geen cybersecurity

  16-02-2016 15:07
  Samenwerken en delen van verantwoordelijkheden om inbreuken op de beveiliging tegen te gaan is doorslaggevend in het tegengaan van boetes en reputatieschade, aldus Nederlandse en Belgische bedrijven en instellingen. Daarop duidt onderzoek in opdracht van beveiligingsspecialist Palo Alto Networks.
   
  Bijna... lees meer
  
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• Two-factor authentication, and how it protects your passwords

  16-02-2016 15:04
  
  Passwords are problematic. They can be forgotten, hacked, and they're sometimes so simple anyone could guess them. However, passwords are also a fact of digital life. Password managers help keep track of all your logins, but it's possible for these sites that hold your master password to be hacked — and then you're really in trouble.Fortunately, a relatively simple way exists to add another layer of protection: two-factor authentication. It's an extra step beyond the passwor
  
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• The CSI Effect comes to RSA Conference

  16-02-2016 14:19
  
  Deep-voiced announcer, with a touch of menace in his tone: Next week on CSI: Cyber, the team heads to the RSA Conference to appear on a keynote panel before an audience of enraged cybersecurity professionals. Some have attended the session just for the chance to be infuriated. Some are only there for the free ice cream. Will the team get out alive?
  CSI: Cyber, the CBS crime drama, has had some outrageous plotlines, but this is the worst one of all — because unlike the absurdities
  
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• Water-resistant Galaxy S7 Edge makes unofficial debut

  16-02-2016 14:07
  
  Days before its official unveiling at Mobile World Congress on Feb. 21, an online Samsung video shows water-resistant and wireless charging features of the next-generation flagship Galaxy S7 Edge, the sister of the Galaxy S7 smartphone running Android.
  Meanwhile, LG today officially announced a 5.7-in. display G4 Stylus 2 smartphone running Android 6.0 (Marshmallow), with a thinner pen tip on its stylus for notetaking and drawing.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click
  
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• How to prevent shadow IT

  16-02-2016 13:43
  
  Stopping the armchair IT folksImage by Mette1977 What do complex IT policies, outdated software and lack of IT-supported services have in common? They all contribute to shadow IT, which occurs when employees circumvent procedures to use unapproved services and software. The last thing employees want to do when working on a project is check in with the IT department, so how can IT provide employees with necessary resources so shadow IT is no longer an issue? These InfoSec professionals share thei
  
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• 20 Hot IT skills that will get you a raise

  16-02-2016 13:23
  
  Hot IT skills that will get you a raiseImage by Thinkstock For the average U.S. worker, wages have remained stagnant for approximately the last 40 years, according to 2015 research from the Economic Policy Institute, even as productivity and the number of hours worked has increased - except for those in STEM and IT careers, that is, where salaries saw the largest year-over-year increase ever from 2014 to 2015. The demand for knowledge workers in IT is increasing salary pressure on IT-dependent o
  
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• 4 ways to be flexible during the job interview process

  16-02-2016 13:08
  
  During the winter of 2015, relentless snow coated the East Coast, and the Blizzard of 2016 disabled the Mid-Atlantic. While a snow day might be fun if you already have a job, for those trying to fight the winter weather for job interviews, it can be a nightmare. That's why it's important to remain open and flexible whether you're a job seeker or a company looking to hire new employees.
  Remaining flexible isn't just about being nice or courteous to candidates. It's a matter of retaining talent. C
  
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• What to expect from Mobile World Congress 2016

  16-02-2016 13:00
  
  Mobile World Congress is one of the biggest events of the year for Android, and it's coming up fast. In recent years, major manufacturers have chosen to host their own events at other times to announce flagship devices, but we already know of a few that are coming back to MWC this year. It's going to be a big show, so let's look at what you can expect to see—and not see—at Mobile World Congress 2016.Sure things from Samsung and LGSamsung released the Galaxy S6 to great reviews not e
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: How to build a high performing team when you work virtually.

  16-02-2016 13:00
  
  My guess is that you have experienced working in a virtual team. Where you, or at least one of your colleagues works in a different location (whether that's the building next door or another country). The coworker who you rarely see face-to-face, unless it's on a google hangout or videoconference.
  In today's hyper-connected and increasingly global workplace it has become more and more common to experience virtual teams. Where collaboration, teamwork and communication happens through the web, ph
  
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• Should CIOs worry about the Internet of Hackable Things?

  16-02-2016 12:43
  
  If 2015 was the year of the Internet of Things, 2016 could be the year of the hacked Internet of Things. That could mean a lot of headaches for CIOs, whether they're fans of these new devices themselves or will be dealing with employees connecting them at work and managing the potential security exposure that brings. "The issue to date is that devices are vulnerable just by the fact that they exist and can connect to the Internet," says Jerry Irvine, member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce&r
  
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• Open source: Career-maker, or wipeout?

  16-02-2016 12:30
  
  These days, you might get passed up for plum jobs in enterprise IT if you have a predominantly open-source résumé. But in five years, even the most traditional organizations are likely to be looking at open source as a career-maker, says executive recruiter David Patterson.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Office 2016’s Smart Lookup is the next-best thing to a personal research assistant

  16-02-2016 12:30
  Among all of Office 2016's useful new features, there’s one in particular you’ll definitely want to take the time to master: Smart Lookup. In short, it serves as a digital research assistant, pulling in information from the Web to enhance your work or help you decipher unfamiliar content. If you’re an Office regular, Smart Lookup holds the key to a more powerful workflow.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Report ranks 100 enterprise IT products based on user reviews

  16-02-2016 12:00
  
  Enterprise IT buyers trying to figure out which products should be on the "short list" for the procurement process have a new, crowdsourced resource: A just-published report from IT Central Station that identifies the top 10 products in 10 tech categories based on user reviews.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Program the world: 12 technologies you need to know

  16-02-2016 12:00
  
  Every startup talks about changing the world, but most aren’t talking about the world itself or physical things in it. Most simply want to swap data packets and place entries in databases -- potentially important bags of bits, but bags of bits nonetheless. The world, though, is made up of atoms.
  The barrier between bits and atoms is disappearing, with programmers no longer confined to the virtual realm, in part thanks to the Internet of things becoming more real. Now we can do more than w
  
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• How to use locate and grep to find files on a Linux (or OS X) system

  16-02-2016 12:00
  
  Every year, hard drives get bigger and cheaper, a nice combination. With all the technical toys we have in our lives now, we certainly have plenty of stuff to fill those hard drives.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• IBM unveils z13s mainframe focused on security and hybrid clouds

  16-02-2016 08:15
  
  IBM has unveiled its new z13s mainframe, which it claims offers encryption at twice the speed as previous mid-range systems, without compromising performanceThe company, which sold its x86 server business to Lenovo, continues to invest in new designs of its mainframe to handle new compute challenges. It launched in January last year, the z13, its first new mainframe in almost three years, with a new processor design, faster I/O and the ability to address up to 10TB of memory. The design of the z
  
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• Kanye West begs Zuckerberg, Page for money over Twitter

  16-02-2016 00:40
  
  Rapper Kanye West has always been one of the most entertaining figures on Twitter, and Sunday night was no exception: the entertainer revealed he is millions of dollars in debt, and pleaded with Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Google’s Larry Page to bail him out. West originally tweeted on Feb. 13 that he “owed 53 million dollars in personal debt,” shortly after he released his latest album, The Life of Pablo, which is currently exclusive to Tidal, and rocketed t
  
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