IT Executive news

• Adobe patches critical flaws in Flash Player, Reader and Acrobat

  10-01-2017 23:22
  
  Adobe Systems released security updates for its Flash Player, Adobe Reader and Acrobat products fixing critical vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to install malware on computers.
  The Flash Player update fixes 13 vulnerabilities, 12 that can lead to remote code execution and one that allows attackers to bypass a security restriction and disclose information. Adobe is not aware of any exploit for these flaws existing in the wild.
  Users are advised to upgrade to Flash Player version 24.0.
  
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• US Intel: Russia hacked Republican groups during election

  10-01-2017 22:36
  
  Democratic groups and figures weren't the only ones targeted in Russia’s suspected campaign to influence last year's U.S. election. Russian cyberspies also targeted computers from state-level Republican groups and stole information from local voter registration records, FBI director James Comey said."There were successful penetrations of some groups and campaigns, particularly at the state-level on the Republican side," Comey said during a senate committee hearing on Tuesday.He and three U
  
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• Families of ISIS victims sue Twitter for being 'weapon for terrorism'

  10-01-2017 22:31
  
  The families of three Americans killed in ISIS terror attacks are suing Twitter for allegedly knowingly providing support for the terrorist group and acting as a "powerful weapon for terrorism."
  The suit was filed over the weekend in a federal court in New York City on behalf of the relatives of three U.S. nationals who were killed by ISIS in the March 22, 2016, terrorist attacks in Brussels and the Nov. 13, 2015, terrorist attacks in Paris. At least 32 people died in the Brussels attack and ab
  
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• Intel Joule shipments blocked in key countries, pending certification

  10-01-2017 22:25
  
  If you can't find Intel's Joule developer boards in your country, it's because shipments have been held up.Intel's Joule 570x and 550x are powerful computer boards that can be built as a PC, or be used to build robots, drones, or smart devices. But Intel is now seeking government certification so the boards can be cleared for shipment in those countries.Joule shipments have currently been blocked in a number of countries, including Taiwan, Japan, and Israel, all of which have active te
  
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• Windows 10's privacy settings will be simpler but more limited with Creators' Update

  10-01-2017 21:58
  
  Microsoft said Tuesday that it plans to simplify the privacy options in the upcoming Creators’ Update, though some may see one component as limiting user choice as well.
  Microsoft plans to revamp how privacy is managed in the upcoming Creators Update to Windows 10, both as part of the initial setup as well as the amount of data it collects in day-to-day diagnostics. That amount will actually decrease, if a user so chooses. But Microsoft has also eliminated an intermediary option, forcing
  
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• Microsoft releases one of its smallest monthly security patch bundles

  10-01-2017 21:53
  
  Microsoft has released its first batch of patches for this year, and it's one of the smallest ever for the company, with only three vulnerabilities fixed across its entire product portfolio.The patches are covered in four security bulletins, but one is dedicated to Flash Player, for which Microsoft distributed patches through Windows update.The only security bulletin rated as critical is the one for Microsoft Office and Office Services and Web Apps. It covers a memory corruption vulnerability th
  
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• Vintage data-transfer tech gets upgrade after 35 years

  10-01-2017 21:43
  
  Tech artifacts like old Mac computers are finding their way to museums, but some never-say-die technologies continue to serve requirements important to computing.Inside wearables, smart devices, robots, and computers like Raspberry Pi are communications buses called I2C (Inter Integrated Circuits), which date back to 1982, and SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface), which was born in 1979.Those buses have driven short-range communication between circuits and microcontrollers for decades. They now ser
  
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• Microsoft drops a pay-as-you-go Azure cloud option

  10-01-2017 21:14
  
  Microsoft is shifting its licensing for its Azure cloud service, eliminating the pay-as-you-go option for new Azure customers using MPSA (Microsoft Products and Services Agreement) as of February 1. Instead, they will be steered toward the company's CSP (Cloud Solution Provider) program.
  Geared to organizations with at least 250 users, MPSA is Microsoft's simplified agreement consolidating purchase of cloud services and software. The move detailed today follows on Microsoft's decision to not mo
  
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• Old networks can hobble IoT, even in tech paradise

  10-01-2017 20:53
  
  IoT isn’t all brand-new, cutting-edge technology. In fact, some of it’s already suffering through painful upgrade cycles.
  A case in point is the system that tells transit passengers in the tech hub of San Francisco when the next train or bus will arrive. The NextMuni system, based on the third-party platform NextBus, recently began sending out wildly inaccurate forecasts on many lines.
  Why? Because most trains and buses had been communicating with NextMuni over AT&T’s 2G n
  
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• 66% Off Nero 2017 Platinum HD Multimedia Suite Software, PC Disk or Download - Deal Alert

  10-01-2017 20:50
  
  Create, edit, burn, convert, organize, stream, rip and play back videos, photos, and music like a professional, with the familiar maximum quality. Create audio CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray Discs. Import and play back your videos in HEVC (H.265) and edit your films with full HD video-editing previews. In addition, the new, direct export of individual sections from long videos saves time and effort. For that special touch, add striking 4K templates and effects, as well as perfect transitions to your vid
  
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• New CIOs for the 2017 New Year

  10-01-2017 20:44
  
  As a whirlwind 2016 closed out, we saw many new CIO appointments. Here is a roundup of some of those recent IT executive hires and promotions.Avnet announced that Kevin Summers is its new CIO. Summers held previous CIO positions with H&R Block, Lowe's, Whirlpool and The Coca-Cola Company.Univar named Eric Foster as its new CIO. Foster was formerly senior vice president and CIO with Baxalta.Todd Sprinkle was promoted from vice president of IT strategy, planning and effectiveness to
  
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• 21% off House of Marley Stir It Up Turntable with bonus Bob Marley Legend Album - Deal Alert

  10-01-2017 20:31
  
  A classically designed turntable and category first for House of Marley, the Stir It Up Turntable is simple in form and rich in materials with natural bamboo details and a built-in pre-amp to sync with your favorite speakers and USB jack in back to record on PC.  This deal includes a BOB Marley legend album.  With a typical list price of $249.99, this 21% off deal is now $199.  See the discounted Stir It Up Turntable on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a commen
  
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• Apple resolves the MacBook Pro battery life issues found in Consumer Reports testing

  10-01-2017 19:29
  
  Apple and Consumer Reports have been working together to determine the issues that Consumer Reports had with the new MacBook Pro’s battery life during its review, and on Tuesday, both issued statements on their findings. It turns out that Consumer Reports uses a developer setting that typical users don’t use, and also that the same setting has a bug that affects performance.
  In its review of the MacBook Pro, Consumer Reports said its battery life test results varied wildly, from 4 h
  
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• Tech luminaries team up on $27M AI ethics fund

  10-01-2017 18:58
  
  Artificial intelligence technology is becoming an increasingly large part of our daily lives. While those developments have led to cool new features, they've also presented a host of potential problems, like automation displacing human jobs, and algorithms providing biased results.Now, a team of philanthropists and tech luminaries have put together a fund that's aimed at bringing more humanity into the AI development process. It's called the Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Fund,
  
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• Disk-wiping malware Shamoon targets virtual desktop infrastructure

  10-01-2017 18:22
  
  A cybersabotage program that wiped data from 30,000 computers at Saudi Arabia's national oil company in 2012 has returned and is able to target server-hosted virtual desktops.The malware, known as Shamoon or Disttrack, is part of a family of destructive programs known as disk wipers. Similar tools were used in 2014 against Sony Pictures Entertainment in the U.S. and in 2013 against several banks and broadcasting organizations in South Korea.Shamoon was first observed during the 2012 cyberattack
  
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• Klantenservice wordt onderscheidend element in succes bedrijven

  10-01-2017 18:19
  Exceptionele klantenservice vraagt om een intensieve samenwerking in de gehele organisatie, waarbij medewerkers de juiste tools en training moeten hebben. Kunstmatige intelligentie draagt daarnaast bij aan betere klantervaringen. Dat zegt Salesforce in zijn tweede Annual State of Service-onderzoeksrapport.Door een... lees meer
  
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• The CSO guide to top security conferences

  10-01-2017 18:14
  
  There is nothing like attending a face-to-face event for career networking and knowledge gathering, and we don’t have to tell you how helpful it can be to get a hands-on demo of a new tool or to have your questions answered by experts.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• 5 wildly exotic laptops we can't wait to use in 2017

  10-01-2017 17:57
  
  A glimpse into the future?Image by IDGForget about CES being a gadget show. Following in the footsteps of its past few predecessors, CES 2017 emerged as a victory lap for computer enthusiasts, as countless companies marched out an endless supply of weird, wild, and powerful PC hardware.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• Why Facebook is key to Sony's movie marketing

  10-01-2017 17:56
  
  LAS VEGAS — Facebook has quickly become an integral part of Sony Pictures' strategy for marketing its films, and the social network's rich environment has led to more creative, and more effective, campaigns, according to Josh Greenstein, the movie studio's president of worldwide marketing and distribution, who spoke at CES 2017.
  Modern moviegoers are exposed to upcoming films earlier, more consistently and in an increasingly customized fashion on sites such as Facebook, the studio executi
  
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• Amazon.com's Alexa now lets you order wings

  10-01-2017 17:45
  
  Amazon.com's Alexa software is gaining significant traction among businesses, if its headline hijacking at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is any indication. Quick-service chain Wingstop Restaurants has joined the party by allowing consumers to order wings and other menu items via the voice-triggered virtual assistant.Wingstop CIO Stacy Peterson says the move marks an evolution in the company's efforts to allow customers to order food from any digital touchpoint, including online, mobile dev
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: iOS 10: Disable Auto-Correction

  10-01-2017 17:25
  
  iOS 10 has many great features that can offer enormous value to its users. But not all of iOS 10's features are appreciated by everybody. Some options can be downright annoying. And for some folks one of those potentially irritating features is built into the iOS keyboard: Auto-Correction.If you’ve used iOS, you are undoubtedly familiar with Auto-Correction. It can be a useful tool for some people, but it can also be an incredibly annoying pain in the rear end for others.If you’re on
  
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• Tesla will rule the car world

  10-01-2017 17:21
  
  Tesla is the future of the car. It has pioneered the 21st-century electric vehicle (EV), and it’s leading the way to the self-driving car. Still, a lot of people simply don’t understand visionary founder Elon Musk’s dream. They keep trying to judge it by old manufacturing standards. They’re missing the point. Musk doesn’t want Tesla to be the next GM. He wants to transform the car industry.
  Musk did a fine job of explaining it in 2006, and The Secret Tesla Motors M
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Preparing your enterprise for IoT and automation in the workplace: Part 2

  10-01-2017 17:15
  
  Make sure to check out my earlier post, “Preparing Your Enterprise for IoT and Automation in the Workplace: Part 1,” before reading this column.In Part 1, we discussed top key happenings, findings and wisdom that might help your business engage in better discussions as you plan for 2017. This is specific to automation of operations and the workforce, connecting your workplace, and implementing internet of things (IoT) applications. We have already explored the first three bullets bel
  
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• Fortinet embraces Cisco, HPE, Nokia

  10-01-2017 16:57
  
  Fortinet is adding Cisco, HPE and Nokia to its stable of partners whose security gear can share information with Fortinet products to improve overall security.
  The company is announcing at its Accelerate 2017 customer conference this week that equipment made by these new partners will integrate into the Fortinet Security Fabric via an API to tighten security in core networks, remote devices and the cloud.
  The amount of sharing that goes on depends on the individual third-parties’ APIs.
  Fo
  
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• Verizon jacks phone upgrade fees from $20 up to $30

  10-01-2017 16:49
  
  If there’s one thing Verizon loves to do, it’s bouncing around the cost of its smartphone upgrade fee. After Verizon introducing a $20 upgrade fee in April 2016, it's now raising the cost even further.
  Whenever you swap out your existing phone—whether through a straight-up purchase or a monthly payment plan with the carrier—Verizon adds $30 to your bill. Verizon will refund the charge to anyone who returns their new device within 14 days after purchasing it.
  Wh
  
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• Mayer: not so much leaving Yahoo, as taking it with her?

  10-01-2017 16:27
  
  Marissa Mayer is getting ready to say goodbye to Yahoo's board, but not necessarily to the Yahoo brand.The company said in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing Monday that it will shed almost everything that makes it Yahoo, including its name, when its deal with Verizon closes. If you're a Yahoo shareholder, you might notice the difference, but for Yahoo users, the consequences of Monday's filing are minimal. Yahoo the company has two major assets: a worldwide network of in
  
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• You could soon have to pay streaming-video sales tax

  10-01-2017 15:52
  
  A tax on Netflix, Hulu and other streaming-video services may be coming soon to your city or state. As jurisdictions lose the sales-tax money they once received from DVD rentals, they're looking to make it up by taxing the streaming companies that put Blockbuster and other rental companies out of business.A recent report by Stateline, a non-partisan arm of Pew Charitable Trusts, details the spread of taxes around the country and indicates that revenue-hungry jurisdictions are eyeing cloud servic
  
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• IT teams put conversations to work with ChatOps

  10-01-2017 15:34
  
  Chat is an old tool that’s newly popular. From Slack and HipChat to Salesforce Chatter and Microsoft’s new Teams tool (and a myriad of others), these collaboration tools supplement rather than replace enterprise social networks like Yammer or Jive. Microsoft’s Office division director Richard Ellis likens it to the difference between Facebook and WhatsApp: “The chat-based workspace fills a gap where people can talk rapidly, share content and work as a team.”To read
  
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• Protecting your data, protecting yourself: A first installment

  10-01-2017 12:30
  
  Let's say—for whatever reason—you're concerned about keeping your communications safe from government prying. Assuming you aren't a high-profile target to warrant direct hacking (the United Arab Emirates allegedly tried to breach the digital defenses of human-rights activist Ahmed Mansoor on three occasions, for example), there are reasonable measures you can take to live a normal life and continue to have private thoughts and private conversations.
  Note that I'm not singling out an
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: The end of the enterprise password protection paradigm


  10-01-2017 12:30
  
  The leading cause of data breaches is stolen passwords, according to Verizon's 2016 Data Breach Investigations Report. Passwords are the proverbial weakest link, and if a password is compromised, it can be difficult — if not impossible — to fully contain the damage. Imagine if you built a fortress to protect your valuables but you unknowingly, left the back door wide open. Just because you have a sophisticated security infrastructure doesn't mean that your company's data is protected
  
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• 9 wearables we saw at CES that could radically improve your life

  10-01-2017 12:30
  
  Beyond fitness trackersImage by Consumer Technology AssociationCES is where tech enthusiasts go to find concept cars, visionary VR gear, and futuristic appliances that will eventually find their way to your house. But you can also find smaller wearable devices on the show floor that are more practical for your daily life.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• 5 reasons why Web gateways aren’t bulletproof

  10-01-2017 12:15
  
  Bullet proof?Image by ThinkstockLike the threat landscape itself, web gateways have changed over the years. Today, web gateways do much more than enforce regulatory compliance and HR policies – organizations rely on web gateways to thwart internet-borne threats. However, although web gateways have been around for decades and continue to evolve, they are not bulletproof, and over-reliance on them is putting data, users, customers, organizations and reputations at risk.To read this article i
  
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• U.S. intelligence agencies envision the world in 2035

  10-01-2017 12:01
  
  By 2035, developers will have learned to automate many jobs. Investments in artificial intelligence (A.I.) and robotics will surge, displacing workers. And a more connected world will increase -- not reduce -- differences, increasing nationalism and populism, according to a new government intelligence assessment prepared just in time for President-elect Donald Trump's administration.
  The "Global Trends" report, unveiled Monday, is produced every four years by the National Intelligence Council.
  
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• Top Nederlandse consultancymarkt doet het goed

  10-01-2017 12:00
  De consultancybranche heeft de crisisjaren achter zich gelaten. Acht op de tien bureaus zagen de omzet toenemen en de helft daarvan boekte groei met dubbele cijfers. Daarop duidt onderzoek door online platform Consultancy.nl en branchevereniging ROA.De markt had jarenlang te maken met mindere vraag door de... lees meer
  
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• Former DHS head urges Trump to see economic dangers from cyberattacks

  10-01-2017 12:00
  
  Last week's U.S. intelligence report tracing Russia's cyber-meddling with the 2016 presidential election is a timely reminder of the cybersecurity risks that the government and private companies face, said Tom Ridge, the nation's first secretary of Homeland Security.
  "President-elect Trump is entering into a world fraught with hazards as never before," Ridge said in a telephone interview on Monday. "Russia is a reminder that cyberattacks are a permanent risk to individuals and countries and com
  
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• Bots may send your liability risk soaring

  10-01-2017 12:00
  
  Artificial intelligence bots are all the rage these days, as companies try to figure out the best ways they can be used. But using them to interact directly with customers forces some interesting questions about legal liability. 
  What happens when a wrong answer causes financial harm to a customer? Does it make a difference if the answer was delivered by a human call center representative or an automated bot? In most cases, it absolutely will. 
  Consider a typical fintech company, a ba
  
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• How workplace equality perceptions are shaped by gender

  10-01-2017 11:00
  
  New research from company ratings and review platforms InHerSight and Kununu reveal just how differently men and women perceive several key workplace factors, including issues like management opportunities for women, female representation in top leadership, access to equal opportunities, parental leave policies, family growth support and mentorship opportunities.
  While both men and women start their careers mostly optimistic about the opportunities for advancement and their respective representa
  
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• 6 hybrid tablets we want to see in 2017

  10-01-2017 11:00
  
  It seems every major tech manufacturer has jumped into the hybrid tablet market, bringing some competition to the Microsoft Surface. Over the last couple years Apple, Huawei and Samsung have all joined the hybrid tablet market with a range of devices that offer the flexibility of a tablet and the function of a laptop in one device. And now, as we eagerly await the next big flurry of products, here are six hybrid tablets we hope to see in 2017.iPad Pro 2
  Everyone loves hypothesizing about the nex
  
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• Privacy legislation reintroduced for mail older than 180 days

  10-01-2017 06:55
  
  A bill has been reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would require that law enforcement agencies get a warrant before they poke around users’ emails and other communications in the cloud that are older than 180 days.The Email Privacy Act, reintroduced on Monday, aims to fix a loophole in the Electronic Communications Privacy Act that allowed the government to search without warrant email and other electronic communications older than 180 days, stored on servers of third-p
  
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• Stock-tanking in St. Jude Medical security disclosure might have legs

  10-01-2017 03:35
  
  For better or worse, a security firm’s attempt to cash in on software bugs -- by shorting a company’s stock and then publicizing the flaws -- might have pioneered a new approach to vulnerability disclosure.Last August, security company MedSec revealed it had found flaws in pacemakers and other healthcare products from St. Jude Medical, potentially putting patients at risk.However, the controversy came over how MedSec sought to cash in on those bugs: it did so, by partnering with an i
  
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• Yahoo will become Altaba, lose Mayer after Verizon buyout

  10-01-2017 01:38
  
  Yahoo intends to change its name to Altaba once the sale of its internet portal to Verizon is completed. CEO Marissa Mayer and co-founder David Filo also will leave the company then, Yahoo said in a regulatory filing on Monday.The changes are part of a $4.8 billion dollar deal signed in July 2016 to sell Yahoo.com to Verizon.Once that deal is complete, Yahoo will become an investment company and the board will be reduced from 11 to five people. Altaba's main holdings will be stakes in Chine
  
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• The Hub Robot will talk to your LG smart appliances

  10-01-2017 01:30
  
  LG's Hub Robot can do things like turn on the air conditioning and delay the start of your washing machine with a simple voice command. The robot uses Amazon Alexa voice recognition, but unlike Amazon's Echo, the Hub can link to LG's smart appliances. Its display doubles as both a face that can show emotions. The robot is meant to be set up at a central point in a home, such as the kitchen or living room. Miniature versions of the robot are also available for other rooms. LG has not announced a
  
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• The crazy sights of CES

  10-01-2017 00:21
  
  The crazy sights of CESImage by Ann SingerThe annual CES show is celebrating its 50th anniversary and seems to get busier and crazier every year. Here's a look back at some of the most memorable sights of CES 2017 through the lenses of Ann Singer and Alexandra Wimley, photojournalism students at Boston University.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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