IT Executive news

• Mac malware is found targeting biomedical research

  18-01-2017 23:37
  
  A Mac malware that’s been spying on biomedical research centers may have been circulating undetected for years, according to new research.Antivirus vendor Malwarebytes uncovered the malicious code, after an IT administrator spotted unusual network traffic coming from an infected Mac.The malware, which Apple calls Fruitfly, is designed to take screen captures, access the Mac’s webcam, and simulate mouse clicks and key presses, allowing for remote control by a hacker,  Malwarebyte
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: How to install openSUSE Leap bash shell in Windows 10

  18-01-2017 23:18
  
  It’s no longer a Windows vs Linux world. It’s a Windows and Linux World. And when it comes to the cloud, Linux rules.
  That creates a unique challenge for Microsoft. Windows doesn't have tools and utilities to manage Linux servers. This has meant that developers running Windows on their local machines have had to either dual boot with Linux or run Linux in a virtual machine (VM). Neither was an ideal situation.
  Microsoft tried to bring Linux capabilities to PowerShell, but that was g
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Should you buy the new Nvidia Shield TV?

  18-01-2017 23:05
  
  Nvidia announced a new version of Nvidia Shield TV at CES in Las Vegas, and the device went on sale last week. I already own the first generation of Nvidia Shield TV and I love it. Do you already own a Nvidia Shield TV? If yes, should you upgrade it? If you don’t own one, should you purchase one? I will try to answer those questions for you.Nvidia Shield: the best Android TVIf you are a cord cutter, and an Android user, then Nvidia Shield TV (find it on Amazon) is the best Android TV expe
  
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• Microsoft’s new Linux option for Azure is Clear in the cloud

  18-01-2017 22:55
  
  Microsoft announced today that it has added support for the Intel-backed Clear Linux distribution in instances for its Azure public cloud platform.
  It’s the latest in a lengthy string of Linux distributions to become available on the company’s Azure cloud. Microsoft already supports CentOS, CoreOS, Debian, Oracle Linux, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SUSE Enterprise Linux, OpenSUSE and Ubuntu in Azure instances.
  +ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD: Windows 10 peeping: Microsoft fails to understand th
  
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• Slack finally launches threaded replies

  18-01-2017 22:47
  
  Slack, the popular work chat app, has launched one of the features that users have been clamoring for over its entire lifetime: threaded messages.
  On Wednesday, the company began the process of rolling out the update to all of its users, which will allow them to keep conversations about a particular topic corralled into a single thread. The feature is designed to keep conversations on a particular topic out of the main flow of a chat channel, the company said in a blog post.
  Starting a thread j
  
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• New $29 Pine64 computer takes on Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3

  18-01-2017 22:36
  
  Raspberry Pi's new Compute Module 3 has serious competition coming its way from the maker of the Pine64 board computer.The new SOPINE A64 64-bit computing module is a smaller version of the popular US$15 Pine64 computer.It was announced the same week as the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3, which is a smaller version of the popular namesake board, was released.At $29, the SOPINE A64 roughly matches the price of the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3, which ranges from $25 to $30. The new SOPINE wil
  
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• After first week, A.I. system is beating human poker players

  18-01-2017 21:52
  
  A third of the way through a 20-day man vs. machine poker tournament, the artificial intelligence system has the hot hand.
  As of Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. ET, the humans and the A.I. system, dubbed Libratus, had already played more than 34,000 hands with about 120,000 hands likely by the end of the tournament.
  The "Brains vs. Artificial Intelligence: Upping the Ante" tournament kicked off Jan. 11 at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh. During the tournament, poker pros Jason Les, Dong Kim, Daniel McAu
  
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• Fraud for online holiday sales spikes by 31%

  18-01-2017 21:24
  
  Fraud attempts on digital retail sales jumped 31% from Thanksgiving to Dec. 31 over the previous year, according to a survey of purchasing data from ACI Worldwide.
  The fraud increase was based on hundreds of millions of online transactions with major merchants globally. Also, the number of e-commerce transactions grew by 16% for the same period, ACI said.
  Some of the fraud attempts came from the use of credit card numbers purchased in underground chat channels, ACI said.
  “Given the consis
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Data science is easy; making it work is hard

  18-01-2017 21:11
  
  In the world of data science, there are three core problems: acquiring data, doing the math and taking action. Two of those drive data scientists crazy; the other one they find easy.Capgemini
  “Doing the math” is what most people think of as data science. Algorithms, machine learning, cognitive tools, deep learning and the word stochastic are often not far away. That's the easy bit.
  Now let me define easy:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• AMD talks tough as it drums up support for 32-core Zen server chip

  18-01-2017 21:11
  
  At CES, AMD launched its first Zen chips for PCs, called Ryzen. Next on deck is the 32-core server chip code-named Naples, which will ship in the coming months.Naples doesn't have an official name yet, but the expectations are high. While Ryzen is set up for success in PCs, it's a different story for Naples, which has to take on Intel's juiced-up Xeon chips, which are used in most servers today.AMD is trying to drum up excitement for Naples, which will be released in the first half of this year.
  
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• Failure to patch known ImageMagick flaw for months costs Facebook $40k

  18-01-2017 21:06
  
  It's not common for a security-conscious internet company to leave a well-known vulnerability unpatched for months, but it happens. Facebook paid a US$40,000 reward to a researcher after he warned the company that its servers were vulnerable to an exploit called ImageTragick.ImageTragick is the name given by the security community to a critical vulnerability that was found in the ImageMagick image processing tool back in May.ImageMagick is a command-line tool that can resize, convert and optimiz
  
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• 'Consumer Reports' retests MacBook Pro, adds it to 'Recommended' list of laptops

  18-01-2017 20:43
  
  Consumer Reports gave Apple's latest MacBook Pro laptops its envied "Recommended" label last week after retesting the notebooks, ending a month-long dust-up between the magazine and some Apple defenders.
  "Now that we've factored in the new battery-life measurements, the laptops' overall scores have risen, and all three machines now fall well within the recommended range in Consumer Reports ratings," read an unsigned Jan. 12 piece on the consumer advocacy organization's website.
  In the publicati
  
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• US alleges systemic employment discrimination at Oracle

  18-01-2017 20:25
  
  The U.S. government says Oracle routinely and systemically pays white men more than women and minorities and that it favors Asian candidates over others in product development and technical roles.The allegations are contained in a lawsuit filed by the Department of Labor that represents the results of a two-year investigation into hiring practices at the Silicon Valley company.The investigation was triggered by a regular compliance review by the government. As a federal contractor, Oracle is pro
  
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• Modern warfare: Death-dealing drones and ... illegal parking?

  18-01-2017 20:22
  
  A cloud of 3D-printed drones big enough to bring down the latest U.S. stealth fighter, the F35, was just one of the combat scenarios evoked in a discussion of the future of warfare at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday.Much of the discussion focused on the changes computers are bringing to the battlefield, including artificial intelligence and autonomous systems -- but also the way the battlefield is coming to computing, with cyberwar, and social media psyops an ever more real prospe
  
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• 23% off TaoTronics LED Desk Lamp, (Dimmable, Touch Control, 5 Color Modes, USB Charging Port) - Deal Alert

  18-01-2017 19:03
  
  The TaoTronics LED Desk Lamp is adjustable and dimmable for multiple brightness settings, making them ideal for home and office use. Say goodbye to old incandescent light and faintly illuminated working space, and say hello to this elegantly designed, modern looking and energy-efficient source. Designed to blend naturally into any scene and provide flicker-free and ghost-free lighting that is pleasant and comfortable to your eyes. Even after long hours of use, your eyes will feel less fatigue t
  
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• Snowden allowed to stay in Russia longer

  18-01-2017 19:00
  
  U.S. National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden will be allowed to stay in Russia for "another couple of years," according to a spokeswoman for the government there.
  The Russian government has extended the residence permit for Snowden, the former NSA contractor charged with espionage for leaking details of U.S. surveillance operations, said Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for Russia's Foreign Ministry. Zakharova announced the extension on her Facebook page late Tuesday.
  Z
  
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• Your car's parts could one day be made by a printer

  18-01-2017 18:30
  
   A small, family-run business has come up with a metal printer that it thinks will transform manufacturing.The MK1 metal printer works by melting aluminum into a molten form, and then using a magnetic field to eject droplets of the substance onto a moving plate, which maneuvers around to create the desired 3D shape. That differs from other metal printers, which lay down a layer of powdered metal and melt it with a laser or electron beam, a process called powder bed fusion. In this process,
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Why every company needs to modernize its software factory

  18-01-2017 18:30
  
  Software has played an integral role in business for decades by optimizing the silos of sales, marketing, product development, HR, finance and so on. But in the digital economy, software isn’t just a mechanism for increasing the efficiency of your business; it has become the primary tool for engaging your customers. Today, delivering a seamless, high quality digital experience to your customers is the foundation of your brand, and ultimately, your business success.
  The problem today is th
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: Has Apple becoming a boring company?

  18-01-2017 18:13
  
  Apple had its share of problems in 2016. The company’s line of iMacs, laptops and even the iPhone 7 felt rather stale to many customers. The elimination of AirPort routers and lack of updates to the Mac mini and Mac Pro also contributed to the feeling that Apple had run out of gas. The Apple TV also lagged behind rivals that already offer 4K technology.Now a former Apple engineer is laying some of the blame on Tim Cook.Buster Hein reports for Cult of Mac:
  Tim Cook’s kinder, gentler m
  
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• Interactive inauguration map would help crowds visiting Washington

  18-01-2017 17:51
  
  To help crowds deal with Friday's presidential inaugural events, Washington officials have posted an interactive online map showing street closures, transit stops, medical aid stations and even warming tents.
  The map can be found on the web using any modern web browser at http://bit.ly/inaug2017.
  Users can access the map wirelessly with smartphones and tablets, taking advantage of added capacity from multiple portable cellular transmitters set up near the Capitol and National Mall and along the
  
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• Huisman kiest Masergy voor hybrid WAN

  18-01-2017 17:17
  Huisman Equipment heeft een overeenkomst gesloten met leverancier van hybride netwerken Masergy Communications, om het bedrijf wereldwijd te verbinden via een hybride WAN op basis van het software defined platform van de leverancier.De keuze voor Masergy is gebaseerd op het geheel eigen wereldwijde netwerk van het... lees meer
  
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• Oracle patches raft of vulnerabilities in business applications

  18-01-2017 17:04
  
  Oracle released its first batch of security patches this year, fixing 270 vulnerabilities, mostly in business-critical applications. Many of the flaws can be exploited remotely without authentication.
  The majority of the fixes are for flaws in business products such as Oracle E-Business Suite, Oracle Fusion Middleware, Oracle PeopleSoft, Oracle Retail Applications, Oracle JD Edwards, Oracle Supply Chain Products and Oracle Database Server.
  E-Business Suite, which is used by companies to store k
  
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• Google's low-cost Android One program may expand to the U.S.

  18-01-2017 16:21
  
  When Google launched its Android One program in 2014 it was designed for one main reason: to create a system of standards for phones in developing countries. Targeting emerging markets in Pakistan, India, the Philippines, Indonesia, and others, the program dictated minimum hardware standards and limited software tweaks to insure people everywhere had access to low-cost phones that still provided regular security updates and the latest Android features.
  Now it looks like the program is on its wa
  
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• Nederlandse start-up lanceert database voor tijdgebaseerde metingen

  18-01-2017 16:12
  De software startup Transceptor Technology heeft SiriDB gelanceerd, een zogenaamde time series database voor het analyseren en aggregeren vanuit elke bron, van IoT-devices tot financiële transacties tot iedere andere tijdgebaseerde datameting.Een time series database slaat een collectie van datapunten op die... lees meer
  
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• How to get fired in 2017: Have a security breach

  18-01-2017 16:00
  
  There are many reasons why IT professionals can be fired, but six out of the top nine are related to security, said a survey released this morning.
  For example, having a tech investment that leads to a security breach was considered a fireable offense by 39 percent of organizations, according to Osterman Research, which conducted the survey.
  A data breach that becomes public was a fireable offense for 38 percent of companies.
  Other fireable offenses included failing to modernize a security prog
  
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• Microsoft buys Simplygon to simplify rendering VR and AR models

  18-01-2017 15:55
  
  Microsoft is betting that less is more in 3D design, with the acquisition of the Swedish developer of a 3D data optimization system, Simplygon.
  Simplygon takes 3D models in a number of formats, and reduces the volume of data used to describe them by taking out some of the detail -- somewhat like reducing the size of a JPEG image file by increasing the level of compression while leaving the resolution unchanged.
  That means the models can be rendered more rapidly or using less powerful hardware,
  
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• The state of the IT contractor job market in 2017

  18-01-2017 15:46
  
  In 2017, strong demand for IT talent will continue in several roles and industries. Understanding how to wring business value from vast stores of data, knowing how to protect that data from increasingly sophisticated threats and navigating the murky waters of freelancing will characterize the tech job market.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)
  
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• Trump administration threatens net neutrality, cloud and IoT

  18-01-2017 15:15
  Businesses could lose their choice of cloud services and applications if the incoming administration or the new congress rolls back net neutrality rules, Tom Wheeler, the outgoing chair of the Federal Communications Commission, warned in his final planned speech before stepping down.Identifying the 2015 open Internet order as one of his signature policy achievements, Wheeler positioned the FCC's net neutrality regulation, which bars ISPs from blocking or slowing transmissions on their networks,
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: 5 goals your 2017 digital transformation program needs

  18-01-2017 15:14
  
  Chances are you've spent the better part of the last quarter working with your business colleagues on your digital strategy and 2017 business objectives. You've assembled the best research, gathered the appropriate stakeholders, reviewed the latest data, consulted with key customers and prioritized a list of 2017 initiatives. Each initiative is designed to improve the customer experience, grow revenue, become more efficient, enhance security, and invest in new digital capabilities.To be truly tr
  
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• A beginner's guide to IFTTT on Android

  18-01-2017 15:11
  
  I’m not prone to outbursts of joy, especially when it comes to technology. 
  One of the few times it’s happened, however, was when I discovered how much you can do with IFTTT. Suddenly tasks that required multiple steps or continuously logging in to services were done automatically. As much as every company here and there promises to simplify your life or “automate” things, IFTTT is one of the few services that does it successfully and with relative ease.
  I find
  
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• From CIO to COO to CEO

  18-01-2017 15:00
  
  Just about a decade ago, I interviewed Greg Carmichael, who had just been promoted from CIO to COO of Fifth Third Bank, about his advice for CIOs interested in following a similar path. Recently, I had the chance to ask Greg about the next leg of that journey, his move to CEO, and how his IT background has positioned him for the top job.
  Courtesy of Greg CarmichaelTo read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
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• IDG Contributor Network: When 'off the shelf' software is good enough

  18-01-2017 14:25
  
  Have you ever asked an IT vendor to help fight your addiction to application customization? This is exactly what Bank Of America Merrill Lynch CTO David Reilly asked of attendees during the company's Technology Innovation Summit in Menlo Park Calif. in October.
  "We have never met a technology we didn't think we could make better, or a technology we didn't think we could customize," Reilly said onstage at the event. "We need your help not to do that."
  It's an interesting request at a time when e
  
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• How to get beyond Finance vs. IT

  18-01-2017 14:18
  
  One thing that you’re likely to encounter in any IT department is resentment toward the Finance department. A staffer might be angry because “those bean counters in Finance who know nothing about technology” directed him to buy one product when he wanted to buy a different one. Or maybe Finance approves the acquisition of an application, but it says to get the server version, not the cloud version (or vice versa; Finance’s decisions can seem maddeningly unpredictable). O
  
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• Researchers create memory chips that store and process data

  18-01-2017 12:59
  
  Computer scientists in Singapore and Germany have collaborated to create a resistive RAM chip that not only stores data but can act as a computer processor.
  The breakthrough uses state-of-the-art memory chips known as Redox-based, resistive switching random access memory (ReRAM) and could lead to much faster and thinner mobile devices. Today's computers must transfer data from the memory storage to the processor unit for computation, which along with slowing performance also requires more power
  
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• Passwords: A long goodbye

  18-01-2017 12:39
  
  The campaign to eliminate passwords has been ongoing, and growing, for close to a decade. There are even some declarations that this might be the year, or at least ought to be the year, that it happens.
  Don’t hold your breath. Brett McDowell, executive director of the FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance, is as passionate an advocate of eliminating passwords as anyone. He says that day is coming, given the creation of a, “new generation of authentication technology” large
  
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• 6 startups from CES to watch in 2017

  18-01-2017 12:30
  
  The CES trade show, which takes place every January in Las Vegas, is where companies large and small come to meet with potential clients, see what their rivals are up to, and try to impress the press and the public at large with their products and services.
  While established companies display their wares in large, elaborately equipped booths on the main floors, there is a place for hopeful entrepreneurs as well. Eureka Park is a section of the show where startups -- some that have just launched
  
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• Obamacare repeal could hurt the gig economy

  18-01-2017 12:06
  
  If the Affordable Care Act is repealed without a replacement healthcare plan, the Congressional Budget Office warned Tuesday that some 18 million people will lose their insurance in the first year -- and millions more will lose insurance later on.
  That number includes some of the independent, or gig, workers who use Fiverr's job marketplace.
  Fiverr is part of the gig economy, which is another way of describing freelance, independent or contract workers enabled by applications and online platfor
  
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• Pijul strives to be a simpler, safer Git

  18-01-2017 12:00
  
  Pijul, a distributed version control system emphasizing patches rather than commits, could emerge as a potential challenger to Git and Subversion.
  Snapshot-based systems like Git or Mercurial are typically fast, but they're hard to use for more than simple operations. On the other hand, patch-based systems like Darcs are simple to use, but slow.[ Get the most out of collaborative programming with InfoWorld's 20 essential pointers for Git and GitHub. | Keep up with hot topics in programming with
  
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• How—and why—you should use a VPN any time you hop on the internet

  18-01-2017 12:00
  One of the most important skills any computer user should have is the ability to use a virtual private network (VPN) to protect their privacy. A VPN is typically a paid service that keeps your web browsing secure and private over public Wi-Fi hotspots. VPNs can also get past regional restrictions for video- and music-streaming sites and help you evade government censorship restrictions—though that last one is especially tricky.
  The best way to think of a VPN is as a secure tunnel between
  
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• Tips on where to start in managing risk

  18-01-2017 11:32
  
  Plugging the holesImage by Les ChatfieldWhat is risk management? Any time you have something of value (like a corporate network, a website, or a mobile application), there will be risk to manage in order to protect it. As organizations innovate and change the way they use technology, the risks change too. Traditional approaches and controls are no longer good enough. Caroline Wong, vice president of security strategy at Cobalt, provides a fewtips for managing risk in today’s modern busines
  
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• 5 ways to recruit more women in 2017

  18-01-2017 11:19
  
  Companies, especially in technology, are pulling out all the stops to recruit and retain women: fertility benefits, shipping breast milk home from work trips, in-office massages and manicures, on-site OB/GYNs, the ability to travel with children and a care-giver and feminine products in the restrooms are just a few of the ways companies are getting creative with trying to appeal to women.But while these perks might be appreciated, they're not the fundamental drivers of women's decisions to come
  
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• How to overcome 5 common resume mistakes

  18-01-2017 10:29
  
  Our resume writers have seen it all. IT resumes come in all shapes and sizes - they can be as long as novels, as hard to decode as a Shakespeare play or boring enough to put even the biggest tech-junkie to sleep. And that's because writing a resume is not an easy task, no matter how long you've been in the game or how confident you are in your skills and experience.The CIO IT Resume Makeover series offers great examples of how difficult it can be for anyone to objectively convey their skills, ex
  
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• What is the Program Management Improvement and Accountability Act?

  18-01-2017 10:16
  
  PMI's Pulse of the Profession report shows "only 64 percent of government strategic initiatives ever meet their goals and business intent -- and that government entities waste $101 million for every $1 billion spent on project and programs."This type of waste goes back many decades, spans several administrations, has an enormous cumulative undesirable impact, and ultimately the financial burden transfers back to taxpayers in one way, shape or form.
  To address this widespread and costly problem,
  
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• Toshiba considers spinning off its memory business

  18-01-2017 08:37
  
  Toshiba said it is considering splitting of its memory business into a separate company but added that nothing had been finalized at this point.The Japanese company said Wednesday that it positions its memory unit as a focus business.The announcement by Toshiba follows news reports that the company was planning to split its semiconductor  business. The company is considering selling a “partial stake” in its semiconductor business to Western Digital in the U.S., to raise funds fo
  
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• WikiLeaks’ Assange confident of winning 'any fair trial' in the US

  18-01-2017 05:25
  
  WikiLeaks said that its founder Julian Assange is confident of winning 'any fair trial' in the U.S. and indicated that the founder of the whistleblowing website would stand by all the promises he had made in return for clemency to Chelsea Manning, the former U.S. soldier who disclosed classified data relating to the Iraq War to the site.On Tuesday, Manning’s prison sentence was commuted by U.S. President Barack Obama raising questions whether Assange would keep his part of a deal he propos
  
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• FTC charges Qualcomm with anticompetitive chip tactics

  18-01-2017 02:02
  
  Qualcomm strong-armed some phone makers into accepting unfavorable technology licensing terms while giving Apple a break in exchange for exclusivity, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has charged.The company used its dominance in baseband processors, which manage cellular communication in mobile devices, to force vendors to pay elevated royalties for Qualcomm technologies, the FTC charged in a complaint filed Tuesday in federal court.At the same time, Qualcomm gave Apple favorable terms so it co
  
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• Can a DDoS attack on Whitehouse.gov be a valid protest?

  18-01-2017 01:11
  
  When Donald Trump is inaugurated as the U.S. President on Friday, Juan Soberanis intends to protest the event -- digitally.His San Francisco-based protest platform is calling on Americans to oppose Trump’s presidency by visiting the Whitehouse.gov site and overloading it with too much traffic. In effect, he’s proposing a distributed denial-of-service attack, an illegal act under federal law. But Soberanis doesn’t see it that way.“It’s the equivalent of someone march
  
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• Obama commutes sentence for Manning, a WikiLeaks source

  18-01-2017 00:46
  
  President Barack Obama has commuted the prison sentence of Chelsea Manning, the former U.S. soldier who disclosed classified data to WikiLeaks relating to the Iraq War.Manning was originally serving a 35-year sentence, but on Tuesday Obama reduced it. She’ll now be freed on May 17.Manning was convicted of leaking U.S. military and diplomatic information to WikiLeaks back in 2010 that included videos of airstrikes in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with classified documents sent to the U.S. Sta
  
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• HPE buying SimpliVity for $650 million to boost hyperconvergence

  18-01-2017 00:34
  
  Hewlett Packard Enterprise has agreed to buy SimpliVity for US$650 million as expands its hyperconverged offerings, and analysts believe it's a great deal.SimpliVity makes management software that helps administrators gain control over data-center resources. The tools help enterprises make efficient use of server, storage and networking resources.The deal is expected to close in the second quarter.For months, HPE was rumored to be pursuing SimpliVity, which also offers convergence tools for serv
  
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