MALWARE ALREADY ON WINDOWS XP

Windows XP users already face far higher risks from malware  – with XP users facing infection rates six times higher than Windows 8 users, according to a report released by the company. Microsoft will withdraw support for the ageing platform in April next year – despite the fact that one in five PCs on Earth still use it. Per 1,000 PCs scanned, 9.1 XP machines had been infected – as compared to 1.6 for Windows 8, according to a report by V3. “Microsoft Windows XP was released...

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UN Atomic Agency Suffers Malware Attack

The UN atomic agency said  that some of its computers were infected by malicious software, in its second embarrassing IT slip-up over the past year.  The International Atomic Energy Agency, which holds highly sensitive information on its member states' nuclear facilities, said however that none of its data was compromised. "During the past months, some computers operated by the IAEA have been infected by malware," spokesman Serge Gas said. "No data from the IAEA network...

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Mexico and France, Demand Answers Over US Spying

France and Mexico have angrily demanded prompt explanations from the United States after new spying allegations leaked by former US security contractor Edward Snowden.  The reports published in French daily Le Monde and German weekly Der Spiegel claim that the US National Security Agency (NSA) secretly monitored tens of millions of phone calls in France and hacked into former Mexican President Felipe Calderon's email account. They come on top of revelations already leaked by...

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US Taps Communications Links to Google, Yahoo Data Centers: Report

The US National Security Agency has tapped into key communications links from Yahoo and Google data centers around the world, the Washington Post reported Wednesday.  The Post, citing documents obtained from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden and interviews with officials, said the program can collect data at will from hundreds of millions of user accounts, including from Americans. The report said the program dubbed MUSCULAR, operated jointly with NSA's British counterpart GCHQ,...

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Are netbooks a security risk?

Netbooks are cheapish, fairly basic in features, portable and keep going for hours if you are careful to buy one with a 6-cell battery. But are they secure? It's a valid question. Do low-cost computers have the power to run the anti-malware programs other laptop users would never dare home without? What about the sclerotic Windows XP firewall? Or any firewall? Or a secure VPN back to HQ? Or encrypt and decrypt decent amounts of data without making the user wait? I have yet to read a...

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Seven Habits for the Security Conscious

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer recently revealed that she does not protect access to her smartphone with a passcode, leaving her mobile device potentially exposed if someone is able to snag it. Though I have seen security wonks almost stroke out over this, is it really a big deal? Probably not. Someone would have to get her phone away from her, and given her role at Yahoo I suspect the thing is practically surgically implanted. The point is more that the passcode has not become a habit for...

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Why curved smartphone screens massively increase image quality, daylight readability

Believe it or not, the curved screen on the Samsung Galaxy Round smartphone isn’t just a marketing gimmick: The curvature actually causes a series of optical effects that result in improved contrast, color accuracy, readability, and overall image quality — especially under ambient light that usually makes smartphone screens almost unreadable, such as daylight or fluorescent office lighting. This new information about curved displays comes from Raymond Soneira, who is one of the few authorities...

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NSA denies spying on pope

The US National Security Agency issued a statement late Wednesday saying that a report in an Italian news magazine that the agency has targeted the Vatican is false. "The National Security Agency does not target the Vatican. Assertions that NSA has targeted the Vatican, published in Italy's Panorama magazine, are not true," the NSA Public Affairs Office said in an e-mailed statement. According to Religion News Service, Panorama reported that the NSA surveilled cardinals right up until...

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Best tools for protecting passwords

For companies and individuals trying to get a handle on password management, the good news is that there are products that can help implement stronger password policies for end users logging into corporate and personal Web-based services, as well as for employees who share a local server login. The goal here is to make the password process more secure, and also to let users login to particular resources without having to remember all of their individual passwords. We looked at 5 products,...

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African Heads of States have Agreed!!!!!

Kenya’s government has described technology as “a powerful tool” that it has prioritized as part of a development agenda to better the lives of its citizens. President Uhuru Kenyatta is quoted extensively in a report published by Capital FM, based on his address at an interactive session for Heads of State at the Transform Africa Summit hosted is week in Kigali, Rwanda. ICT has been identified by Kenya’s administration as a catalyst to spur an industrial revolution, underpinned by...

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Bill Gates -11 lessons you will never learn in School

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, one of the richest people in the world, is well known for the nuggets of wisdom he occasionally imparts on the young and old alike. At a speech he gave at a high school graduation, he sought to bring them back down to earth by correcting some of their misconceptions about life in the real world. No political correctness here – just one big reality check that, if taken to heart, will help us on the real life after school. RULE 1: Life’s not fair. Get...

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Should Africa produce its own smartphones?

Smartphone manufacturing is one of the most competitive consumer segments.  In the last decade, innovation has upped levels of functionality and complexity in mobile devices and, with that, comes a hefty price. A number of smartphone manufacturers produce these devices for emerging markets, but do African-born companies have what it takes to compete with leading brands in terms of market share and available technology? And can this be done while also keeping costs down? Earlier...

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Africa’s ICT stakeholders heading to Rwanda

Rwanda will host the Transform Africa 2013 Summit from the 28 to 31 October 2013. This pan African ICT and ICT for development event bring together more than one thousand participants from Africa and beyond representing various sectors including governments, business and the youth to discuss the future of broadband in Africa. The Minister of Youth and ICT, Jean Philbert Nsengimana said that the summit is a prime opportunity for leaders in both public and private sectors to explore ways...

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10 African business leaders you need to follow on Twitter

Local and international media have focused this week on what has been described as ‘mounting losses’ for the online messaging service Twitter ahead of its debut on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). According to a regulatory filing this week Twitter lost in the region of $65 million during the quarter ending September. News surrounding the Twitter IPO has re-emphasized its significance as a communication platform. IBNLive reported that by end September Twitter had 232 million active...

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