IT Executive news

• Renewable energy represented more than half of all new power capacity in '15

  26-10-2016 23:08
  
  Renewable energy represented more than half the new power capacity in the world in 2015, reaching a record 153 gigawatts (GW) -- 15% more than the previous year, according to a new report.
  Most of the gains were driven by record-level wind additions of 66GW and solar photovoltaic (PV) installations of 49GW, according to the the report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). U.S. Department of Energy
  The IEA projects global renewable electricity capacity will grow by 42%, or around 825GW by
  
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• 32% off Nomader Collapsible 22 Oz Water Bottle, Leak Proof Twist Cap, BPA Free - Deal Alert

  26-10-2016 23:05
  
  Guaranteed to never shatter, leak or dent, the 22 ounce Nomader collapsible water bottle is healthy, versatile, stylish, and comes backed by a lifetime warranty. The Nomader bottle is certified BPA free and made from 100% food-grade material. It's engineered with a thick, soft silicone body and a rigid insulated sleeve. Foldable for compact travel, handles hot or ice cold drinks, and is dishwasher safe. A patented locking twist cap eliminates spills with a quick half-turn, and doubles
  
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• Lessons learned from the DYN attack

  26-10-2016 23:01
  
  Although vendor-written, this contributed piece does not promote a product or service and has been edited and approved by Network World editors.
  The large scale DDoS attack on DYN last week interrupted access to many major web sites, and while the specifics of the attack have been widely analyzed, here are the important lessons learned:
  * DDoS attacks are alive and well: A few years ago DDoS attacks were hot news, but reports died down as the focus shifted to news about social engineering attac
  
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• Friday's DDoS attack came from 100,000 infected devices

  26-10-2016 22:58
  
  Friday's massive internet disruption came from hackers using an estimated 100,000 devices, many of which have been infected with a notorious malware that can take over cameras and DVRs, said DNS provider Dyn.
  "We are able to confirm that a significant volume of attack traffic originated from Mirai-based botnets," Dyn said in a Wednesday blog post.
  The malware known as Mirai had already been blamed for causing at least part of Friday's distributed denial-of-service attack, which targeted Dy
  
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• Everything Microsoft revealed today: Surface Studio, Windows 10 Creators Update and more

  26-10-2016 22:43
  
  One WindowsImage by Blair Hanley FrankMicrosoft’s big event in New York on Tuesday included plenty of new Surface hardware, but nevertheless, it’s easy to see why the company called this a Windows event rather than a Surface shindig.Windows and devices chief Terry Myerson kicked things off with a tantalizing glimpse of the features that will debut with the new Windows 10 Creators Update, scheduled to release in the spring. The rest of event was dedicated to new Surface gear designed
  
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• Microsoft plays creativity card in Windows pitch to consumers

  26-10-2016 22:30
  
  Microsoft today announced new hardware and named its first 2017 Windows 10 update, all part of a new promotional pitch that aims to establish itself, its partners and the Windows ecosystem as centers for creativity, analysts said.
  "I love the concept [of Microsoft] trying to equate productivity and creativity," said Stephen Baker, an analyst with the NPD Group who was at Microsoft's New York City event Wednesday. "Content consumption and productivity really don't go together, but consumption an
  
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• Hands-on: Surface Dial could be Microsoft's next cult classic

  26-10-2016 22:19
  
  Move over, mouse and keyboard. Take a seat, Surface Pen. Microsoft has a new input device: the Surface Dial, a silver hockey puck designed to make life simple for digital artists.
  Mice move, pens draw; the Dial turns. Tap the Dial, and a radial menu appears. Turn the Dial, and you can quickly access the corresponding shortcut. It’s as simple as that.
  The $100 Surface Dial (already available for preorder) was designed as a peripheral for the Surface Studio. It will work with the Surface Pr
  
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• 1-800-Flowers wants to transform its business with A.I.

  26-10-2016 21:30
  
  LAS VEGAS -- Executives at 1-800-Flowers.com expect a new wave in artificial intelligence technology will help to change their business so much it’ll be like running a brand new business.
  “We are on the cusp of a change as big as when e-commerce hit,” said Chris McCann, president and CEO of 1-800-Flowers.com. “It’s giving us the opportunity to have such deep relationships with our customers that it’ll be like the company hasn’t existed before. It can ch
  
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• Report: Android Wear 2.0 will require you to install watch apps seperately

  26-10-2016 21:10
  Android Wear 2.0 has been kicked back to 2017, but we’re already starting to hear buzz about how the experience will change for you.
  It looks like the way you install apps is going to see a major change. According to a lengthy Android Wear Developers thread on Google+, Android Wear 2.0 will not only support, but require standalone watch and phone apps. 
  Developer Advocate Ian Lake makes the difference pretty clear: To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click
  
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• Startup Nubeva pitches Security-as-a-Service in the cloud

  26-10-2016 20:56
  
  A team made up of executives from Aruba Networks and Panzura are out with a new self-funded startup this week that aims to deploy security tools that enterprises use in their campus and extend it to the cloud.
  The idea of Nubeva is to create a Security as a Service platform that takes existing security tools and controls that organizations use in their data centers and other on premises infrastructure and mirror that same stack of security tools in the public cloud. Nubeva has created a platfor
  
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• These are the 3 big reveals from Microsoft's Surface event

  26-10-2016 20:52
  
  Microsoft unleashed a ton of Windows and Surface news on the world from New York on Wednesday, revealing new Windows features and brand new hardware. Here's the run-down on the biggest news from the company's two-hour-long presentation.Surface Studio takes a fresh look at the Desktop PC
  There were a ton of rumors about a forthcoming all-in-one Surface desktop, and Microsoft brought the thunder. The Surface Studio is an all-in-one PC with an ultrathin, 28-inch, 4.5K touchscreen. The screen is mou
  
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• 38% off Nonda USB-C to USB 3.0 Mini Adapter - Deal Alert

  26-10-2016 20:51
  
  This is an essential adapter if you need to connect your standard USB devices to the newer USB-C style connector found on the new Macbooks, Chromebooks and others. This one from Nonda is super small and fast, capable of data transfer speeds of up to 5Gbps with USB 3.0. The adapter averages 4.5 out of 5 stars from reviewers on Amazon (read reviews) and its typical list price of $15.99 has been reduced to $9.99. See it now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click
  
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• 8 strategies for achieving IT goals

  26-10-2016 20:46
  
  Identifying a goal is easy. Achieving it is another thing—especially if you are in IT and have to deal with other departments and vendors. Indeed, figuring out what is a realistic goal and then determining how it will be met is one of the biggest challenges IT executives and project managers face. And while project management software can help, it is up to the project leader to lay out the goal, or goals, and create a road map. Here are eight tips to help IT managers do that.[ Related: 7 n
  
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• Project Titan sets up shop in Canada, with employees from BlackBerry's QNX

  26-10-2016 20:40
  
  Ah, Canada: a land of wide-open spaces to test automonous driving software, and people too polite to blow up your spot. Well, until Mark Gurman catches on. Gurman and Gerrit De Vynck at Bloomberg reported Wednesday that Apple has “dozens” of software engineers working out of an office outside of Ottawa, Ontario—just a five minute walk from BlackBerry’s QNX division, which provides automotive software. In fact, Bloomberg reports, about two dozen of Apple’s engineers
  
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• Face-off: SharePoint vs. Confluence for content management

  26-10-2016 20:37
  
  Microsoft's "SharePoint has conquered the enterprise intranet," but its complexity requires expensive third-party help, according to reviews by enterprise users in the IT Central Station community.Meanwhile, user reviews of Atlassian's Confluence say that Confluence is great for posting technical documents, but not great for searching that content.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• AI and robots aren't gunning for your job, White House economist says

  26-10-2016 20:36
  
  Artificial intelligence and robots aren't coming for your job anytime soon, the U.S. White House's chief economic advisor says.Some technology experts worry about the economic impact of AI-powered computers and robots, but Jason Furman, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, predicts that AI will grow the economy instead of take jobs away. While some jobs may disappear, AI will create new jobs and consumer demand for new products and services, he said Wednesday at th
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 6 ways entrepreneurs are stifling their marketing ROI without realizing it

  26-10-2016 20:30
  
  In the marketing world, your return on investment (ROI) is the single most important metric to monitor. It’s a reflection of how much revenue you’ve earned in direct comparison to how much money you’ve spent earning it. This provides an at-a-glance evaluation of your strategy, revealing exactly how much you’ve gained through your efforts. Obviously, the higher this number is, the better for your company.
  Unfortunately, most businesses are artificially limiting the potent
  
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• Raspberry Pi Roundup: Watching for the meter-reader, driving Lego cars and sweet art

  26-10-2016 19:24
  
  Being a person that lives in San Francisco, we’re reliably informed, is one of the best ways to spend lots of money, while simultaneously competing with other persons for very limited living space. The situation is much the same for cars, apparently, because one clever San Franciscan developed a Raspberry Pi-based gadget to help him hold onto parking spaces for as long as possible.
  The resident parking spaces near developer John Naulty’s home in the Castro have a two-hour limit, but
  
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• Do you know where your sensitive documents are?

  26-10-2016 19:22
  
  No organization wants to see sensitive information walk out its doors, yet it happens with alarming frequency.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Outsourcing in the age of cybersecurity concerns

  26-10-2016 19:15
  
  It’s only natural that security comes up when talking about software development. There’s no denying that poor software development practices and subsequent security issues can go hand in hand. The risks can be alarming. Access to an enterprise’s database can be embedded into code. There could be unknown backdoors and other vulnerabilities, allowing hackers to access customer information like usernames, passcodes, credit cards numbers or other sensitive data. Unfortunately, we
  
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• Mac sales slide 14% as slump enters fourth straight quarter

  26-10-2016 19:09
  
  Apple on Tuesday said it sold 4.9 million Macs in the September quarter, a 14% year-over-year decline that extended the sales slump to four consecutive quarters.
  The total was under most estimates made before Apple unloaded its numbers on Wall Street after the close of the market. Last week, research firms IDC and Gartner had pegged global Mac shipments at 5 and 4.95 million, respectively. This week, 28 financial analysts delivered forecasts that ranged from 4.65 million to 5.8 million; their a
  
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• Why Samsung should release a Note 8

  26-10-2016 19:01
  
  Earlier this week, news broke that Samsung would offer South Korean customers who purchased a Note7 an exchange option that includes the ability to swap their Notes for a choice of another Samsung device, at a discount. That's nothing new; similar options are available in United States and other countries.
  What's different about the South Korean offer is the fact that in addition to being able to swap phones for a Galaxy S7 or GS7 edge, Note7 owners in that country can reportedly also opt for a
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 4 truths about marketing expectations that tech execs need to hear

  26-10-2016 19:00
  
  Maybe it’s because companies like Google won’t share the algorithm ranking our search results. Or maybe it’s because those crocodile loafers we looked at three weeks ago keep magically appearing in our internet browsers.Whatever the reason, there seems to be a certain allure when it comes to today’s marketing tools, and it has had an effect on consumers and marketers alike. Marketing has become the new business mojo. It’s true that drip campaigns, re-targeting capab
  
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• Pixel demand is higher than expected, with some pre-orders being pushed back to November

  26-10-2016 18:44
  
  Buying a Pixel isn’t for the faint of heart. Google says that preorders are higher than expected, making the Pixel XL, especially in a 128GB configuration, the most difficult model to come by.
  A 9to5Google report found many who placed an order on the Google Store are missing their original delivery estimate. Some are going several weeks past the projected window and going deep into November.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Masterpass using IBM Watson coming to GM vehicles in 2017

  26-10-2016 18:37
  
  Masterpass digital payment technology will run on many General Motors vehicles starting in 2017 with an assist from IBM's Watson.
  Mastercard announced in a blogposted Tuesday that it is partnering with IBM and GM to bring the secure Masterpass payment system to cars as part of a GM OnStar Go service.
  Mastercard officials were on hand at the IBM World of Watson event in Las Vegas this week to show ways that Watson's artificial intelligence will help drivers and passengers make payments.To read t
  
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• Attackers are now abusing exposed LDAP servers to amplify DDoS attacks

  26-10-2016 18:36
  Attackers are abusing yet another widely used protocol in order to amplify distributed denial-of-service attacks: the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), which is used for directory services on corporate networks.DDoS mitigation provider Corero Network Security has recently observed an attack against its customers that was reflected and amplified through Connectionless LDAP (CLDAP), a variant of LDAP that uses the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) for transport.DDoS reflection is the practi
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: How to explain the DDoS attack on Dyn to your CEO in simple terms

  26-10-2016 18:23
  
  I always start my day by reading The New York Times over coffee. On the morning of Oct. 21, however, The Times homepage wouldn't load. I tried Twitter and Amazon only to find the same issue. I reboot my computer and then reset my router. That didn't work. I even took my phone off Wi-Fi and used my cell provider’s network to try to access the sites. Nothing. All I got was "page not found."I then realized something was seriously wrong.We now know that one of the largest distributed denial-of
  
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• Meet the sleek Surface Studio all-in-one, Microsoft's first-ever desktop PC

  26-10-2016 18:21
  
  The gorgeous, powerful Surface Studio all-in-one PC may be a new form factor for Microsoft’s hardware division, but in many ways it follows in the footsteps of its predecessors.
  When Microsoft first launched its Surface tablets, the devices were more than just another laptop. The Surface series originated as aspirational devices, a no-guff imploration from Microsoft for PC makers like Dell and HP to embrace Windows 8’s newfound capabilities, to do more—or Microsoft would take
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: iOS 10.1: Stop Portrait mode from creating duplicate photos

  26-10-2016 18:00
  
  The iPhone 7 Plus has the ability to take pictures with a new feature called the depth-of-field effect. The depth-of-field effect is possible because of the iPhone 7 Plus’ dual cameras.Here’s the official description from Apple’s announcement page:
  iOS 10.1 brings Portrait mode to iPhone 7 Plus customers starting today, adding a beautiful new photo feature to the world’s most popular camera.This new feature in the Camera app creates stunning photos and shows off the power
  
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• Microsoft just democratized virtual reality with $299 headsets

  26-10-2016 17:44
  VR just got a lot cheaper.
  Microsoft on Wednesday morning said PC OEMs will soon be shipping VR headsets that enable virtual reality and mixed reality for just $299.
  Details of the hardware and how it works were sparse, but Microsoft said HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus, and Acer will be shipping the headsets timed with its upcoming Windows 10 Creators Update, due in spring 2017.
  Despite the relatively low price, the upcoming headsets may have a big advantage over HTC and Valve’s Vive and Facebook
  
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• 39% off Behringer Xenyx 802 Premium 8-Input 2-Bus Mixer, for Podcasting or Musicians - Deal Alert

  26-10-2016 15:51
  
  This premium 8 input 2 bus mixer lets you mix multiple audio sources in real time, and output them to you computer, making it ideal for podcasting, live music, and more. Take your podcast to the next level by taking calls over Skype. Studio grade compressors let you mix vocals and instrumentals with professional grade sound. Good for a live show at a coffee shop, a kareoke party, even a simple public announcement and everything in between. The combinations are endless and the built-in studio-gra
  
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• 5,000 LinkedIn Learning sessions are free this week

  26-10-2016 15:12
  
  More than half of all the online training courses available in LinkedIn's Learning catalogue are free to all of its 450 million users through the month of October. The number of people who file job applications on the site spikes in October, according to the company's data, so the professional social network is promoting its new training service with a free offer. [ Related: LinkedIn Learning puts Lynda.com to work ]"Chances are you or someone you know is thinking about landing a new gig,"
  
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• Cyber after Snowden

  26-10-2016 14:13
  
  Since Edward Snowden leaked classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013, the FBI and Apple had a public battle around privacy, Shadow Brokers leaked some of the NSA's hacking tools, and Hal Martin, an ex-NSA contractor was arrested for stealing classified information.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• The gender gap in tech is getting worse but it's fixable

  26-10-2016 14:09
  
  With all the recent attention paid to the IT skills gap and the need for more women and underrepresented minorities in technology, you'd think that the IT industry would have innovative solutions, programs and processes in place to fix it. You'd be wrong.New research from global professional services company Accenture and not-for-profit organization Girls Who Code, unveiled at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, held in Houston last week, that despite heightened awareness of the
  
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• ACLU takes social giants to task over Geofeedia privacy gaffe

  26-10-2016 14:00
  
  Data is the lifeblood of social media of companies, the currency with which they operate and the glue that keeps users coming back for more. The data people share on social sites can also come back to haunt them in ways they never imagined. Embarrassing incidents on social are hardly rare, but a recent case of malfeasance suggests individuals should be even more careful about what they share. Earlier this month, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) revealed widespread abuse of social d
  
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• Russian criminals' bank attacks go global

  26-10-2016 13:50
  Russian cybercriminals have field tested their attack techniques on local banks, and have now begun taking them global, according to a new report -- and a new breed of mobile attack apps is coming up next.
  Criminals stole nearly $44 million directly from Russian banks in the last half of 2015 and the first half of 2016, according to Dmitiry Volkov, co-founder and head of threat intelligence at Moscow-based Group-IB.
  That was up 292 percent from the same period a year earlier. Direct, targeted a
  
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• Flash mobs the latest threat this holiday season

  26-10-2016 13:33
  
  The holiday season rings in more than just higher sales for retailers. There's also more shoplifting and lower profit margins than the rest of the year, according to a report released today. Plus, this year, there's an extra surprise -- flash mobs.
  Not the dancing, music-playing, watching-a-couple-get-engaged kind of flash mobs. But the kind of flash mobs where a bunch of people all show up at a store at once, pull hats low over their heads, grab everything in sight, and split.
  Just last week,
  
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• How to get IT and HR on the same page

  26-10-2016 13:29
  
  Digital transformation has eliminated a lot of the daily grunt work associated with the human resources role. Perry Oostdam, co-founder and CEO of Recruitee says that HR used to be a department bogged down by paperwork, but the automation of things like payroll, salary records and benefits has taken away much of the mundane work, and freed up HR pros to focus on more strategic initiatives and analytics."The productivity and efficiency brought by technology are undeniable. What is even more impor
  
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• Staples has a smart assistant for the office

  26-10-2016 13:19
  
  LAS VEGAS -- While the Amazon Echo and Google Home brought the digital assistant to the home, Staples wants to do the same for the office.
  To do so, the office supply chain store is bringing its iconic Easy Button to life.
  Massachusetts-based Staples is testing a smart assistant device that looks like its Easy Button, which was launched as a marketing campaign and gained a bit of a cult following, but that customers can use to order products, track shipments and help with returns.To read this a
  
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• Review: LG’s V20 is a different kind of phone -- in a good way

  26-10-2016 12:00
  
  Besides the usual high-end components, LG’s new V20 offers great audio, lots of photo options, a second screen, a replaceable battery and Android Nougat.
  
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• PurpleJS unites Java, JavaScript development

  26-10-2016 12:00
  
  Melding Java and JavaScript, PurpleJS is emerging as a framework for running lightweight JavaScript server applications without the complexity of the Node.js asynchronous programming model.
  Atop the JVM (Java Virtual Machine), open source PurpleJS can be used when developers want to build multithreaded applications in JavaScript. It allows developers to run the same code in the browser and on the server, and it enables them to employ JavaScript while working with existing Java projects.[ Find o
  
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• MySQL face-off: Amazon outscales Google

  26-10-2016 12:00
  
  Many web applications have been built on an open source stack that included MySQL. Despite its limitations, MySQL managed to become the world’s most widely used open source RDBMS. What limitations, you ask? Out of the box, MySQL does not scale all that well and, in particular, cannot handle a lot of simultaneous clients compared to commercial databases.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• 10 things Apple's new Macs could (and should) copy from the PC

  26-10-2016 12:00
  
  What will the next Macs have? Ask a PC Image by Gordon Mah UngAt long last, Apple is expected to unveil new MacBooks and possibly other Mac hardware on Thursday. The usual rumors fly ahead of the event, hinting at everything from long-overdue internal updates to innovative OLED touch strips.To find out just what Apple could (and should) introduce, however, all I had to do was look at what PC makers have already been shipping for months. Who knows—maybe Apple did the same thing. A
  
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• Google Fiber puts expansion plans on hold to review strategy

  26-10-2016 08:17
  
  Google Fiber has paused plans to roll out fiber optic cables across a number of U.S. cities, as the company reevaluates its strategy to presumably use mainly wireless to provide high-speed Internet service.Work on Google Fiber is to continue in in the cities where it has been launched or is under construction, wrote Craig Barratt, senior vice president at Alphabet and CEO of its Access unit, of which Google Fiber is a part. In the “potential Fiber cities” where  Google Fiber was
  
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• Was the Dyn DDoS attack actually a script kiddie v. PSN?

  26-10-2016 00:32
  
  The massive DDoS attack that disrupted the internet address-lookup service Dyn last week was perhaps pulled off by a script kiddie targeting PlayStation Network and using Mirai malware to assemble a massive IoT botnet, according to research by Flashpoint.
  “Flashpoint assesses with moderate confidence that the most recent Mirai attacks are likely connected to the English-language hacking forum community, specifically uses and reads of the forum “hackforums.net,” according to a
  
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