IT Executive news

• Inside the Russian hack of Yahoo: How they did it

  15-03-2017 23:37
  
  One mistaken click. That's all it took for hackers aligned with the Russian state security service to gain access to Yahoo's network and potentially the email messages and private information of as many as 500 million people.The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has been investigating the intrusion for two years, but it was only in late 2016 that the full scale of the hack became apparent. On Wednesday, the FBI indicted four people for the attack, two of whom are Russian spies.
  
  Read more

• The FCC chief's call to action could push 5G along faster

  15-03-2017 22:55
  U.S. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has pledged his agency will respond more quickly to new technology proposals, a move that might influence the direction of 5G development around the world.Pai was appointed by President Donald Trump in January. In his first major policy address on Wednesday, Pai directed Federal Communications Commission staff to follow a little-known section of U.S. communications law that says the agency should decide within a year whether a new technology or service is in the public
  
  Read more

• 58% off LE Battery Powered LED Head Lamp - Deal Alert

  15-03-2017 22:29
  
  With 18 white LED and 2 red LED, this headlamp from LE has 4 different lighting modes, including a red flashing mode. The beam distance is 20+ feet when it is on the brightest setting. Two loop buckles enable you to adjust both head-round band and the top band for maximum comfort. With this 58% off deal, its typical list price of $18.95 is now only $7.99 on Amazon, including 3 AAA batteries. See this deal now on Amazon. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
  Read more

• BrandPost: IT as the champion of your Digital Transformation

  15-03-2017 22:01
  
  In my first two posts of this three-part series, (“Is Digital Transformation the path for your company?” and “Leveraging Data Analytics and the Internet of Things in Your Digital Transformation”), I discussed the benefits and challenges experienced in driving digital transformation across the business, as well as the role data analytics must play. This final installment explores the breadth of opportunity that digital transformation enables as it affects organizations an
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• IDG Contributor Network: Busting IT bureaucracy: minimum viable processes in IT management

  15-03-2017 21:57
  
  This article is part of a series highlighting key takeaways from my recently published book, Truth From the Trenches, A Practical Guide to the Art of IT Management. As a seven-time CIO, I’ve had an opportunity to observe the good, the bad and the ugly aspects of IT management up close and personal. Truth From the Trenches is my attempt to share my experiences with emerging IT leaders to help them avoid the chronic problems that afflict so many IT organizations.Business executives frequentl
  
  Read more

• Crime ring used Amazon, eBay to sell stolen printer ink

  15-03-2017 21:51
  
  Apparently, big bucks can be made selling stolen printer ink cartridges online.A dozen suspects are accused of pulling in more than US$12 million by selling the stolen cartridges and retail electronics on Amazon and eBay, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said on Wednesday.Sixty-four-year-old Richard Rimbaugh allegedly led the operation for more than 20 years by recruiting people to steal the goods from retail stores across 28 states.Rimbaugh and his "theft crews" allegedly went o
  
  Read more

• Intel pursuing new chips as it plots a wearables future

  15-03-2017 21:41
  
  Every year, Intel is present at Fashion Week in New York, showing off how technology will change fashion. It's an odd match, but the depth of technologies shown by Intel has changed every year.In previous years, Intel showed off cool bracelets, smart clothes, and an odd robotic spider dress by Dutch designer Anouk Wipprecht. Intel's 2017 showcase was a lot different and more practical, sprinkling in retail technologies with otherworldly wearables.To read this article in full or to leave a c
  
  Read more

• IDG Contributor Network: CIO also means 'chief influence officer'

  15-03-2017 21:36
  
  Why you must build a strong culture as a CIO
  As the role of technology evolves and becomes ever more prominent in the world of business, the role of the CIO is also evolving. Technology is now largely integrated with virtually every business and brand. While the main focus of a CIO was once to convey IT information within the internal corporate structure, that focus is shifting to adapt to modern-day business culture. The traditional CIO is giving way to the transformational CIO, and with that c
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Robotics industry learns from successes and failures at Fukushima

  15-03-2017 20:56
  
  Without robots, there would be no safe way to clean up the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
  The problem is that recently, some of the robots being used in the most dangerous and critical part of the cleanup of the 2011 nuclear plant disaster failed. The robots succumbed to massive amounts of radiation or got stuck in rubble.  
  On March 11, 2011, hydrogen explosions ripped through the plant when a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck Japan. The power plant suffered catas
  
  Read more

• Startup works on safer carbon-ion batteries

  15-03-2017 20:53
  
  New non-flammable, quick-charging batteries being demonstrated by private startup ZapGo Ltd. could begin showing up in popular smartphones in the next two years.
  ZapGo's carbon-ion batteries promise to be a safe replacement for the billions of lithium-ion batteries already used in smartphones, electric scooters, vehicles and industrial devices. Lithium-ion batteries in several products, including the Samsung Galaxy Note7 smartphone, have been banned on many airline flights because they can over
  
  Read more

• Google and Facebook intensify their duopoly on digital advertising

  15-03-2017 20:50
  
  Google and Facebook are deepening the stranglehold they have on the U.S. digital advertising market. The companies' duopoly over digital ad revenue will grow this year as ad spending reaches $83 billion, marking a 15.9 percent increase from 2016, according to a new report from eMarketer.
  Google continues to dominate search engine advertising and Facebook's share of display and mobile ads is growing, according to the firm's latest forecast. Google is projected to end the year with 40.7 percent of
  
  Read more

• Nuclear physics, plastic surgery & more: 802.11ac wave 2 users sound off

  15-03-2017 20:24
  
  The second wave of 802.11ac Wi-Fi technology, primarily distinguished by new MIMO capabilities, bigger channels and the general ability to handle larger and denser groups of connections, is starting to make its way into enterprises.
  MU-MIMO is the piece that’s got everyone excited for wave 2 – it stands for multi-user, multiple-input, multiple-output, meaning that access points use larger numbers of antennae that can be managed algorithmically to provide a more flexible distribution
  
  Read more

• Fossil updates its three Q watches to Android Wear 2.0

  15-03-2017 20:15
  
  When Google announced Android Wear 2.0 was finally ready to ship, a bunch of watch makers lined up to be first to push out the new update. Now, Fossil is among the first to make good on its promise, announcing it has begun pushing the new OS to its trio of smartwatches.
  Owners of the Fossil Q Wander, Q Marshal, and Q Founder can now enjoy all (well, most) of the new features of Android Wear 2.0, including the standalone apps, an on-watch Play Store, improved navigation, and fitness enhancements
  
  Read more

• Chrome makes power move, suppresses background tabs

  15-03-2017 20:12
  
  Google's latest upgrade to the Chrome browser began what will be a series of moves over the next several years to reduce the browser's power consumption by limiting activity in background tabs.
  "Starting in version 57, Chrome will throttle individual background tabs by limiting the timer fire rate for background tabs using excessive power," Alexander Timin, a software engineer on the Chrome team, said in a Tuesday post to a company blog.
  Chrome 57 debuted on Thursday, March 9. Some users, howev
  
  Read more

• Intel-Mobileye merger to boost BMW's self-driving car plans

  15-03-2017 19:58
  
  Intel's $15.3 billion buyout of advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) maker Mobileye will help advance an alliance between the two companies and BMW, which plans to ship self-driving cars by 2021.
  The sale also buttresses a decision by Mobileye to favor BMW with its vehicle vision chip technology (called EyeQ) over Tesla, according to a new report. Mobileye is already planning its fifth generation of EyeQ technology.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here
  
  Read more

• IDG Contributor Network: How to watch 3D movies and use the external hard drive on PlayStation 4

  15-03-2017 19:55
  
  Sony has released a software update (version 4.50, codenamed Sasuke) for PlayStation 4 (PS4) that brings many new features to the device, including the long-awaited support for external hard drives.My PlayStation 4 Pro comes with 1TB of storage and it is at the brink of filling up. I only have 200GB of space remaining and the upcoming games — UNCHARTED: The Lost Legacy, Ghost Recon, and Watch Dogs — are going to eat it all up.While my Xbox One allows me to plug in an external hard dr
  
  Read more

• Microsoft fixes record number of flaws, some publicly known

  15-03-2017 19:31
  
  Microsoft's batch of security patches for March is one of the largest ever and includes fixes for several vulnerabilities that are publicly known and actively exploited.The company published 17 security bulletins covering 135 vulnerabilities in its own products and one separate bulletin for Flash Player, which has its security patches distributed through Windows Update. Nine bulletins are rated critical and nine are rated as important.The affected products include Windows, Internet Explorer, Mic
  
  Read more

• Buzz Aldrin’s hologram will take you on a dazzling virtual mission to Mars

  15-03-2017 19:14
  
  Buzz Aldrin cemented his legacy close to 50 years ago as the second man to walk on the moon. But Aldrin has greater ambitions: He wants to pave the way for humans to be a two-planet species.
  “I want my legacy to include a permanent human settlement on Mars,” Aldrin said onstage during a Tuesday talk at South by Southwest.
  Aldrin’s plan is complex and difficult to understand if you’re not a former astronaut with a doctorate from MIT, like Aldrin is. That’s why he pa
  
  Read more

• BrandPost: The State of Outsourcing and Operations 2017

  15-03-2017 19:13
  
  Organizations may be struggling to cope with competing priorities, but directives from the C-suite are growing increasingly clear: Executives say it is becoming more important — and often essential — to implement a business model that digitally-integrates and aligns front and back-office operations, while putting customer needs first.That is the result of a recent HfS Research/KPMG report, “State of Operations and Outsourcing 2017.” The study found that 31% of respondents
  
  Read more

• AWS offers Alexa developers free cloud credits

  15-03-2017 17:34
  
  Developers interested in extending the capabilities of Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant have some more free tools in their arsenal, thanks to a program the company announced Wednesday.Developers with an active Alexa skill --  a service that expands the capabilities of the virtual assistant -- can apply for $100 in Amazon Web Services credits every month to help pay for what they’ve built. After that, they can receive up to $100 per month in additional credits if they incur usage
  
  Read more

• The Google Home app will now help you decide what song you want to hear

  15-03-2017 17:27
  
  One of Google Home’s biggest strengths is its ability to fill our homes with music on command. All we need to do is say, “OK Google, play Shape of You,” and it will dutifully comply, but if you don’t know what you’re in the mood to hear, the boundless options can be overwhelming. A new feature in the Google Home app is looking to help make it easier.Joining Watch and Discover, there’s a new Listen tab in the Google Home app that is dedicated to finding just th
  
  Read more

• Nvidia, Bosch to make self-driving car computer with new Xavier chip

  15-03-2017 17:16
  
  Nvidia will work with automotive supplier Bosch to mass-produce self-driving car systems using the upcoming Xavier chip.
  Bosch provides automotive parts and in-vehicle technologies used by automotive companies worldwide. For example, Bosch supplies sensors and automotive parts to Tesla's cars with self-driving technology.
  Nvidia last year announced that its Drive PX board product line will use the powerful Xavier chip, but didn't provide a shipment date. Bosch will be one of the first companies
  
  Read more

• IDG Contributor Network: macOS: Disable transparency for better performance

  15-03-2017 17:07
  
  macOS is a gorgeous looking operating system, but some of its amazing eye candy can come at a steep price in terms of performance. This is especially true if you are running an older Mac with a slower processor, weak video card, and less RAM.But there’s a quick and easy way that you can help speed up a slow Mac. All you need to do is disable transparency in macOS.How to disable transparency in macOS
  Here’s how you can quickly disable transparency on your Mac:1. Open System Preference
  
  Read more

• Four charged, including Russian gov't agents, for massive Yahoo hack

  15-03-2017 17:07
  
  The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has charged four people, including two Russian state intelligence agents, for their involvement in a massive hack of Yahoo that affected half a billion accounts.In September, Yahoo said hackers had managed to steal personal data on more than 500 million users during an attack in late 2014. The stolen data included names, email addresses, telephone numbers and hashed passwords. Blame for the attack was put on a "state-sponsored" group.On Wednesday, the FBI
  
  Read more

• 10 commandments for tech employers

  15-03-2017 16:50
  
  A new and innovative technology company may be an employee’s dream destination, but the youth that fuels these companies also makes them vulnerable to unique challenges. While the average age of American workers is 42, most tech employees are 30 or younger. This younger workforce is politically aware, active on social media and unafraid to jump ship should a better opportunity come along. Few of them have worked in traditional corporate environments, and their managers often have little if
  
  Read more

• Amazon Discounts its Fire Tablet Bundle an Additional $27.98 With This Code - Deal Alert

  15-03-2017 16:23
  
  Through this Saturday, sink the 16GB Fire Tablet bundle's already discounted price to just $59.99 using the code FIREBUNDLE at checkout -- a significant deal considering its typical $107.97 value. The bundle includes the latest 16GB Fire 7" Tablet with special offers ($69.99), Amazon cover ($24.99), and Nupro screen protector ($12.99). Amazon's newest Fire tablet features a rich 7" IPS display and a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor. Integrated Alexa service lets you ask away with a button press.
  
  Read more

• SAP adds new features to Vora and readies a cloud version

  15-03-2017 16:13
  
  SAP has added some new capabilities to SAP Vora, its in-memory distributed computing system based on Apache Spark and Hadoop.
  Version 1.3 of Vora includes a number of new distributed, in-memory data-processing engines, including ones for time-series data, graph data and schema-less JSON data, that accelerate complex processing.
  Common uses for the graph engine might be analyzing social graphs or supply chain graphs, said Ken Tsai, SAP's head of product marketing for database and data management
  
  Read more

• Google Area 120's first Android project is a messaging app without a keyboard

  15-03-2017 15:20
  
  Earlier this week we got word from SXSW that the first app from Google’s startup incubator Area 120 was live, but limited to the iOS app store. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for the first one to pop up in the Play Store, and wouldn’t you know it, it’s another messaging app.
  Called Supersonic Fun Voice Messenger, the cross-platform app distinguishes itself by dispensing with the keyboard and forcing you to dictate your texts. It’s a bit like a modern spin on the w
  
  Read more

• IDG Contributor Network: 3D printing will disrupt more than just your supply chain

  15-03-2017 15:12
  
  I’m currently leg-up, man-down in an Austrian hotel, planning my revenge on the malicious ski lift that tore the ligament in my knee to pieces. Besides planning revenge, I’m both awed at my Austrian doctor’s ability to use one ligament of my leg to replace the one that’s torn up, and disappointed that they haven’t given me a 3D-printed ligament with built-in fitness tracking capabilities. This was my opportunity to become a cyborg — and I’ve missed it.Al
  
  Read more

• How CIOs can master key tech trends to drive change

  15-03-2017 14:48
  
  Technology is changing at an unprecedented pace. The convergence of business and technology across everything we do is both exciting and challenging to business and technology leaders. But CIOs don’t have to get swept up in the maelstrom. Rather than thinking about how technology will change the way we work, CIOs need to think about harnessing that technology and using it to change the way we work to achieve more.Accenture’s 2017 Technology Vision looks at IT trends and innovations t
  
  Read more

• Data-analytics de komende drie jaar breed omarmd

  15-03-2017 14:10
  Vier op de tien ondernemingen maakt al gebruik van data-analyse in de belangrijkste zakelijke functies, zoals verkoop, productontwikkeling en marketing. Bijna een kwart is van plan dit binnen de komende 12 maanden te gaan doen. Een derde van de bedrijven ziet nog belemmeringen voor omarming van data-analyse. Daarop... lees meer
  
  Read more

• Malicious uploads allowed hijacking of WhatsApp and Telegram accounts

  15-03-2017 14:05
  
  A vulnerability patched in the web-based versions of encrypted communications services WhatsApp and Telegram would have allowed attackers to take over accounts by sending users malicious files masquerading as images or videos.The vulnerability was discovered last week by researchers from Check Point Software Technologies and was patched by the WhatsApp and Telegram developers after the company privately shared the flaw's details with them.The web-based versions of WhatsApp and Telegram synchroni
  
  Read more

• Microsoft Teams takes on Slack with enterprise bots, Office 365 tie-ins

  15-03-2017 14:03
  
  Microsoft Teams is now live – and on by default – for Office 365 subscribers with Business Essentials, Business Premium and Enterprise plans.
  Teams is Microsoft’s answer to Slack, with an emphasis on Office 365 integration. Teams is automatically tied to tools such as Outlook, SharePoint, OneNote and Skype for Business. With Skype tie-ins, for example, Teams users can move from text-based chatting to a voice or video call, directly within the Teams app.
  RELATED: 4 reasons
  
  Read more

• Twitter accounts hacked, Twitter Counter steps forward as culprit

  15-03-2017 13:30
  
  Twitter Counter, a third-party analytics service, appears once again to have provided a gateway for hackers to post messages to high-profile Twitter accounts.An unlikely number of Twitter users suddenly learned to speak Turkish on Wednesday, posting an inflammatory message in the language replete with Nazi swastikas.Among those posting the message were the Twitter accounts of Forbes magazine, the Atlanta Police Department, and Amnesty International, one of the few hacked accounts one might expec
  
  Read more

• 4 ways technology has changed recruitment -- for better (and worse)

  15-03-2017 12:32
  
  From professional networking sites and job boards to online applicant systems, technology has revolutionized recruitment, profoundly changing how employers and recruiters find potential candidates. For example, applicant tracking systems and new AI software can help HR departments manage the massive influx of resumes they receive daily, says Michael Fauscette, chief research officer at G2 Crowd, a business software review platform. But, while technology can offer easy solutions, it often has a w
  
  Read more

• 6 apps Apple really needs to make for Android

  15-03-2017 12:00
  
  Android and iOS may be destined to do battle forever, but when it comes to apps, the relationship is a little friendlier. Countless iOS users enjoy Google’s services on their iPhones, and in fact, the acclaimed Gboard keyboard actually began its life as an iOS exclusive before making its way to the Play Store several months later.
  But while Apple hasn’t been nearly as generous with its offerings, it does offer Apple Music and Beats Pill as a concession to former Beats Music subscrib
  
  Read more

• More than a third of tech workers are underpaid

  15-03-2017 11:41
  
  IT salaries continue to rise, but many tech workers are still well above the national median income, new research from compensation and salary data solutions company Paysa shows that many tech workers are still underpaid.
  Paysa used machine learning and AI to examine more than five million resumes of tech and engineering professionals from their salary database and compared their education, experience, skills, work history and current salary to their market value for identical available roles, s
  
  Read more

• Hire a DDoS service to take down your enemies

  15-03-2017 11:38
  
  With the onrush of connected internet of things (IoT) devices, distributed denial-of-service attacks are becoming a dangerous trend. Similar to what happened to DNS service provider Dyn last fall, anyone and everyone is in the crosshairs. The idea of using unprotected IoT devices as a way to bombard networks is gaining momentum.
  The advent of DDoS-for-hire services means that even the least tech-savvy individual can exact  revenge on some website. Step on up to the counter and purchase a s
  
  Read more

• Spy agency, DOE, see China nearing supercomputing leadership

  15-03-2017 11:00
  
  Advanced computing experts at the National Security Agency and the Department of Energy are warning that China is "extremely likely" to take leadership in supercomputing as early as 2020, unless the U.S. acts quickly to increase spending.
  China's supercomputing advances are not only putting national security at risk, but also U.S. leadership in high-tech manufacturing. If China succeeds, it may "undermine profitable parts of the U.S. economy," according to a report titledU.S. Leadership in High
  
  Read more

• Scaled-down Scala variant cuts ties to the JVM

  15-03-2017 11:00
  
  Scala Native, which brings the Scala language closer to bare metal by leveraging LLVM compiler infrastructure, has been released, expanding opportunities for the platform on smaller devices.
  The project, which features an optimizing ahead-of-time compiler, has reached feature-completeness, said Denys Shabalin, who has been in charge of Scala Native. Unlike the reference implementation of Scala, which generates bytecode to run on top of the Java Virtual Machine, the Scala Native toolchain produc
  
  Read more

• Review: MongoDB learns cool new tricks

  15-03-2017 11:00
  
  MongoDB 3.4 continues the trend of databases building out support for a range of conceptual data models over the same underlying data store. This multimodel approach aims to deliver a single database that can be used to store data as documents, tables, and graphs simultaneously. The benefit to the user is a dramatically simplified infrastructure when compared to a polyglot persistence model, which might entail managing three or four separate data stores to satisfy those different use cases.To r
  
  Read more

• Court blocks American from suing Ethiopia for infecting his computer

  15-03-2017 08:51
  
  An appeals court has barred an Ethiopian-born U.S. citizen from filing a civil suit against the African country, which allegedly infected his computer with spyware and monitored his communications.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Tuesday that foreign states are immune from suit in a U.S. court unless an exception to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) applies.The person, who is referred to in court documents by the pseudonym Kidane, was born in Ethiopi
  
  Read more

• Wind River uses virtualization to turn M2M into IoT

  15-03-2017 00:31
  
  Wind River, an IoT software division of Intel, wants to help industrial users bring their legacy machine-to-machine systems into the age of open source and cloud computing.On Tuesday, it introduced software to virtualize industrial applications at the edge of the network, letting enterprises gradually migrate from older M2M technology to modern systems that give them more flexibility.The platform, called Wind River Titanium Control, runs on commodity Xeon hardware and uses widely adopted cloud p
  
  Read more

Follow @ITExecutiveNews on Twitter!