A new collaborative effort has been announced to ensure companies and developers can create IoT devices and solutions that work seamlessly together. The Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF) aims to create specifications, protocols and open-source projects that will ensure devices and solutions can securely and safely interact with one another. Membership includes ARRIS, CableLabs, Cisco, Electrolux, … continue reading
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is putting cybersecurity on its radar. It has announced that it is launching a new working group designed to standardize Web authentication and provide a more secure and flexible solution to password-based logins. “Every other week you see news of a password leak or data leak from another major … continue reading
Researchers from the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University want to shed some light on the “going dark” debate. The researchers have conducted a study, Don’t Panic: Making Progress on the “Going Dark” Debate, that aims to explore the ramifications of “going dark.” Going dark refers to the inability of U.S. intelligence … continue reading
In an earnings statement yesterday, VMware confirmed layoffs of 800 employees as it prepares for the Dell acquisition. Last October, Dell announced it was buying EMC, which owns 80% of VMware but operates it as an independent company, which means it decides when to make layoffs. In addition to the restructuring, according to Jonathan Chadwick, … continue reading
Internet of Things solutions provider myDevices is launching a new developer and maker tool for IoT projects. The company announced Cayenne at the IoT Evolution Expo in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. today. Cayenne features automatic devices and sensory discovery; drag-and-drop widgets; a rules engine for triggering actions across devices; the ability to schedule when lights, motors, … continue reading
Despite efforts to promote and encourage good cybersecurity practices, Internet users continue to put themselves at risk. SplashData has released its annual Worst Passwords of 2015 list, and it revealed that “123456” and “password” still top the list as the most commonly used passwords, and they have been on the top since 2011. Other passwords … continue reading
Software security is improving, but this past year still saw hacks and security breaches. In 2015, companies were creating new tools or initiatives to make sure data and critical information were protected, but with a fair share of leaks and hacks, the wait for a solution to software security continues. Unlike other approaches to security, … continue reading
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is penalizing Oracle for leaving millions of computers vulnerable to hacking. As a result, Oracle will be required to give consumers an easy solution to uninstall insecure and older versions of its Java Standard Edition (Java SE) software. According to the FTC, when Oracle acquired Java back in 2010, it … continue reading
Microsoft has opened up a flagship HoloLens store for developers in New York. The store will allow developers to try out its untethered holographic computer, HoloLens, and start building HoloLens programs. Developers will have to request an appointment if they are interested in visiting the store. Developers can also sign up for the HoloLens Development … continue reading
The creator of Wolfram Alpha, Stephen Wolfram, is making a version of his “knowledge-based programming” open source. The Wolfram Language, which is a question/answer technology that computes answers from its storehouse of knowledge, is available as a free cloud service so that it can be accessible to more people like students and children, according to … continue reading
Google wants students to go beyond an Hour of Code. The company has announced the Google Code-in competition, a seven-week competition where students work on real software projects and get help from mentors. Students can browse from hundreds of tasks from 14 open-source organizations ranging from healthcare, desktop and portable computing, to game development, and … continue reading
The much publicized hacking of Anthem, Sony and Target (the biggest retail hack in U.S. history) has demonstrated that no matter how robust your perimeter security, cyber criminals will gain—or already have gained—access to your network. This is because when protecting against cyber attacks, many companies focus exclusively on endpoint protection and breach prevention. But … continue reading