Microsoft makes it easier for gamers to upgrade to Windows 11 22H2
There have been numerous compatibility holds put in place that have prevented large swathes of people from upgrading to Windows 11 2022 Update. One of the more recent blocks affected gamers, with Microsoft standing in the way of upgrades because of impaired game performance under Windows 11 22H2.
But now Microsoft has lifted the safeguard holding, meaning that more gamers are able to upgrade to the latest version of Windows 11. Sadly it is not good news for everyone, as the block has only been partially lifted.
Red, purple and blue -- security teams keeping the hackers at bay
Regardless of how much money is spent on cybersecurity, the likelihood of getting hacked, is steadily increasing. The threat landscape is constantly evolving with new ransomware and extortion attacks being reported daily, in addition to adversarial nation states stealing personal information and intellectual property for nefarious purposes.
The reasons are manifold and complex. IT infrastructures are becoming increasingly more complicated, with new software development programs that introduce new vulnerabilities. Cyber criminals are becoming more sophisticated and better organized, with new advanced persistent threats (APTs) continually being discovered. Compounded by state-sponsored cyber espionage seeking anything that can be used for economic or political advantage.
Distributed Denial of Service attack: Prevention and best practices
As one of the easiest attacks to launch and often devastatingly effective, a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack is one of the most common threats in today’s cybersecurity landscape. In simple terms, a DDoS attack seeks to disrupt a target’s connectivity or user services by flooding its network with an overwhelming volume of fraudulent traffic, typically through a botnet.
The damage from a DDoS attack can be devastating. In one recent survey, 98 percent of respondents reported costs of more than $100,000 for each hour of downtime, while over one-third estimated costs in excess of $1 million. The average DDoS attack causes $218,000 in direct damage (around lb179,601), in addition to any accompanying extortion, data theft, business disruption, or harm to the victim’s reputation and business and customer relationships.
MINISFORUM unveils NAD9 mini desktop PC
The Thanksgiving holiday is today, and I am thankful for many things this year, such as my health, family, and friends. As a self-proclaimed tech nerd, however, I would be remiss not to mention something technology-related I am thankful for. While there are many devices that bring me joy, one of my favorite things is the mini PC. For whatever reason, I just love seeing a lot of computing power crammed into a small chassis. It feels magical.
Speaking of mini PCs, today, MINISFORUM unveils its latest. Called "NAD9," this diminutive Windows 11 Pro computer is powered by an impressive 12th-gen Intel Core i9-12900H processor and can be ordered with up to 32GB of RAM (it supports up to 64GB). For storage, you can opt for either a 512GB or 1TB SSD. You can also order a barebones kit that comes without RAM, storage, or an operating system.
Encrypted attacks breach 70 percent of organizations
New research from Vectra AI finds 70 percent of organizations have fallen victim to an attack that used encrypted traffic to avoid detection, and 45 percent admit they've been victims more than once.
It's concerning that 66 percent say they don't have visibility into all their encrypted traffic, leaving them highly vulnerable to further encrypted attacks.
More than half of organizations are using Kubernetes in their day-to-day operations
New research into the adoption of Kubernetes finds 51 percent of cloud developers are using Kubernetes and containers in their daily operations, and 57 percent have seen an increase in the number of Kubernetes clusters running within their organization over the last year.
The survey of 1,000 cloud developers by Civo finds the most common benefits cited for Kubernetes are its ease for scaling of work and for management of containers, named by 36 percent and 35 percent of respondents citing respectively.
First alpha of Paint.NET 5.0 released, packed with new features and performance improvements
Rick Brewster has announced the release of Paint.NET 5.0 (alpha). This early pre-release, which is also available as a portable build for existing users keen to try out the new features without affecting their current, stable release, promises significant performance increases, resurrected support for pressure-sensitive pens and tablets, plus a brand-new plugin system.
In addition, there are several new adjustments and effects, and a raft of improvements across existing tools. The new build does, however, jettison support for 32-bit systems and older versions of Windows.
How to build a security operations center from the ground up
Building a security operations center (SOC) is a tall feat. With the global technology talent shortage estimated at 85 million workers by 2030, it is clear that talent is, and will continue to be, hard to find.
Organizations must learn to create a SOC in an adaptable way that makes scaling to meet varying demands of clients simple while addressing the cybersecurity talent shortage. Special considerations should be made regarding tool selection, proper staffing, organizational needs and performing a gap/risk analysis utilizing outside consultation when applicable. Let’s explore a few best practices.
Microsoft confirms Remote Desktop Connection problem with Windows 11 22H2
The known issues with Windows 11 22H2 keep on coming thick and fast. Microsoft may want to move all Windows 10 users onto Windows 11, but the constant stream of problems is enough to put off just about anyone.
Now the company has confirmed yet another issue with the latest update to the operating system. Warning that "Connections may fail when using Remote Desktop Connection Brokers", Microsoft offers a workaround -- but not a fix -- for those affected.
Android-based Orange Pi OS brings Windows 11's look and feel to Orange Pi computers
Orange Pi is an affordable alternative to the Raspberry Pi. There are several versions of the open-source computer available, including the recently released Orange Pi 5 and Orange Pi 800, and they can run a choice of operating systems, such as Android, Ubuntu, Debian Image and more.
There’s also now a dedicated Android-based operating system called Orange Pi OS which, as well as being able to run a large selection of Android applications, also offers quick switching between Windows 11 and macOS style themed desktops.
The challenges of modernizing enterprise API infrastructure [Q&A]
APIs allow products and services to communicate with each other and have become essential to digital transformation projects as they make it easy to open up application data and functionality to third-party developers and business partners, or to departments within the enterprise.
Where legacy systems are involved though it's often necessary to modernize the API infrastructure to ensure things work smoothly and this can lead to serious challenges, especially where security is concerned.
Microsoft says that Windows 10 22H2 is now available for broad deployment
While Microsoft would prefer that everyone upgrade to Windows 11, this is really not happening to the extent the company would hope. There are still millions of users sticking with Windows 10 for one reason or another, and for these people there is a big update to install.
Just as Microsoft released Windows 11 22H2 (the 2022 Update), so the company also released Windows 10 22H2 a little while ago. Now, in a significant but quiet announcement, Microsoft says that the update has been designated for broad deployment, meaning that it is available to a larger number of eligible Windows 10 devices.
Windows Subsystem for Linux exits preview as Microsoft Store app becomes the default version for Windows 10 and 11
Microsoft has made two big announcements about Windows Subsystem for Linux. Not only is the Microsoft Store app the default version, it is also losing the Preview label as it is now generally available for Windows 10 and Windows 11.
The change means that Microsoft is switching away from offering WSL as an optional component of Windows itself. The company says that it has brought the app to the Microsoft Store for Windows 10 users following community requests, pointing out that this means that "Windows 10 can now run Linux GUI apps".
Best Black Friday and Cyber Monday technology deals of 2022
The economy may be in the toilet right now, but just because inflation is at an all-time high, that doesn't mean you shouldn't buy gifts this year. In fact, with many financial experts predicting a painful 2023, we might as well take advantage of all the great 2022 Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, right?
This year, there are many impressive discounts on technology-related purchases such as computer peripherals, devices and electronics. Below, we are sharing some of the best deals. While many of the sales will not start until Friday, some are live already. We will be continually adding deals to this list, so keep checking back!
It's time for better data protection: Why the 3-2-1 rule isn't enough
With reports showing that 90 percent of organizations were impacted by ransomware over the past twelve months, policies ensuring that data is both safeguarded and recoverable have become a necessity rather than an option.
However, changes to the data security landscape in the intervening years since methods such as the 3-2-1 backup rule were first adopted means these approaches may no longer be fit for purpose when it comes to mitigating against data loss.