Complication of Cyber Security increased by 2014

Cyber security is set to get a lot more complicated in 2014, a global IT association has warned all businesses - big or small, asking them to brace up. 

IT and cybersecurity professionals should resolve now to gear up for accelerated change and complexity in 2014, especially in cyber security, data privacy and big data, according to non-profit ISACA, to ring in the New Year securely. 

"The pace of change expected in 2014 will put incredible pressure on technology professionals in the workplace with a focus on keeping IT risk in check while at the same time delivering value to the business," said Bhavesh Bhagat, CEO of EnCrisp, co-founder of Confident Governance and member of ISACA's new emerging business and technology committee. 

ISACA, that provides guidance to help business and IT leaders maximise value and manage risk related to information and technology, has predicted on certain areas businesses should be preparing for in 2014. 

It has asked businesses to prepare for privacy 2.0 as attitudes towards data privacy are unlikely to reach a consensus in 2014. Instead, be prepared to accommodate both those with little expectation of privacy and those who view their personal data as currency and want to control how that currency is spent, it said. 

Slim down big data: Explosive data volumes were the No. 1 issue posed by big data in ISACA's 2013 IT Risk/Reward Barometer. Unmanageable data creates redundancies and is difficult to secure, it said. 

ISACA has also asked businesses to eliminate the excess data and consolidate what remains, to promote sharing and protect using better controls. 

Plan to compete for cybersecurity and data analytics experts: The need for smart analytics people and cybersecurity defenders with the right certifications is only going to grow in 2014. 

It said businesses that plan on hiring during the new year need to make sure their compensation package and job descriptions are competitive. 

Rethink how your enterprise is using your information security experts: With some elements of IT security operational responsibility (includingmalware detection, event analysis and control operation) increasingly being outsourced to cloud providers, smart leaders are enabling their internal security experts to become hunters instead of just defenders. 

This allows them to proactively seek out the most hard- to-detect threats, build internal intelligence capabilities, construct better metrics and invest in operational risk analysis. 

Ramp up for the Internet of (even more) Things: With past research showing 50 billion devices expected to be connected to the Internet by 2020, start working now on a policy governing connected devices, if your enterprise does not have one now.

HD TV for $150,000 by Samsung

Samsung says a 110-inch TV that has four times the resolution of standard high-definition TVs is going on sale for about $150,000 in South Korea.

The launch of the giant television set reflects global TV makers' move toward ultra HD TVs as manufacturing bigger TVs using OLED proves too costly.

Last year, Samsung and rival LG Electronics touted OLED as the future of TV but they are still struggling to mass produce larger and affordable TVs with OLED. Japanese media reported that Sony and Panasonic decided to end their OLED partnership.

Samsung's 110-inch U-HD TV measures 2.6 meters by 1.8 meters. It will be available in China, the Middle East and Europe. In South Korea, the TV is priced at 160 million won ($152,000) while prices in other countries vary

Top 12 'Christmas Scams

McAfee released its annual "12 Scams of Christmas" list to educate the public on the most common scams that criminals use during the holiday season to take advantage of consumers as they shop on their digital devices. 

Cyber criminals leverage these scams to steal personal information, earn fast cash, and spread malware. 

Industry estimates suggest that In India, out of 150 million internet users around 10 million internet users are shopping online. 

A report by Assoc-ham states that e-shopping during festive season in India for 2013 has witnessed a 65 per cent increase in comparison to last year for products like mobile phones, e-tablets, consumer electronics, home appliances, home decor, furnishings, apparels, etc. 

Though banks and various agencies are repeatedly propagating the cause of safe online transactions remains a potential challenge in India. 

"The potential for identity theft increases as consumers share personal information across multiple devices that are often under protected," said, Michelle Dennedy, Vice president and Chief Privacy Officer at McAfee. "Understanding criminals' mindsets and being aware of how they try to take advantage of consumers can help ensure that we use our devices the way they were intended - to enhance our lives, not jeopardize them." 

To help consumers stay alert for greedy Grinches as they surf the web for holiday travel deals and seek out gifts for their loved ones, McAfee has identified this year's top "12 Scams of Christmas": 

Not-So-Merry mobile apps

Official-looking software for holiday shopping, including those that feature celebrity or company endorsements, could be malicious, designed to steal or send out your personal data. Criminals can redirect incoming calls and messages, offering them the chance to bypass two-step authentication systems where the second step involves sending a code to a mobile device.

Holiday mobile SMS scams

FakeInstaller tricks Android users into thinking it is a legitimate installer for an application and then quickly takes advantage of the unrestricted access to smartphones, sending SMS messages to premium rate numbers without the user's consent. 

Hot holiday gift scams

Advertisements that offer deals on must-have items, such as PS4 or Xbox One, might be too good to be true. Clever crooks will post dangerous links, phony contests on social media sites, and send phishing emails to entice viewers to reveal personal information or download malware onto their devices. 

Seasonal travel scams

Phony travel deal links and notifications are common, as are hackers waiting to steal your identity upon arrival. When logging into an infected PC with an email username and password, scammers can install keylogging spyware, keycatching hardware, and more. A hotel's Wi-Fi may claim that you need to install software before using it and instead infect your computer with malware if you "agree." 

Dangerous e-Seasons greetings

Legitimate-looking e-cards wishing friends "Season's Greetings" can cause unsuspecting users to download "Merry Malware" such as a Trojan or other virus after clicking a link or opening an attachment. 

Deceptive online games

Before your kids are glued to their newly downloaded games, be wary of the games' sources. Many sites offering full-version downloads of Grand Theft Auto, for example, are often laden with malware, and integrated social media pages can expose gamers, too. 

Shipping notifications shams

Phony shipping notifications can appear to be from a mailing service alerting you to an update on your shipment, when in reality, they are scams carrying malware and other harmful software designed to infect your computer or device. 

Bogus gift cards

An easy go-to gift for the holidays, gift cards can be promoted via deceptive ads, especially on Facebook, Twitter, or other social sites, that claim to offer exclusive deals on gift cards or packages of cards and can lead consumers to purchase phony ones online. 

SMiShing

It is commonly seen in gift card messages, where scammers pose as banks or credit card companies asking you to confirm information for "security purposes". Some even include the first few digits of your credit card number in the SMS message to fool you into a false sense of safety. 

Fake charities

Donating to charities is common this time of year for many looking to help the less fortunate. However, cyber criminals capitalize on this generosity, especially during natural disaster events, and set up fake charity sites and pocket the donations. 

Romance scams

With so many niche dating sites now available to internet users, it can be difficult to know exactly who the person is behind the screen. Many messages sent from an online friend can include phishing scams, where the person accesses your personal information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details. 

Phony e-tailers

The convenience of online shopping does not go unnoticed by cyber scrooges. With so many people planning to shop online, scammers set up phony e-commerce sites to steal your money and personal data.

Apple to launch big-screen iPhone 2014

Apple CEO Tim Cook, in a letter to employees, has said that 2014 will be a big year for the company and customers will love its new products. Many in the tech community have taken this as a hint that Apple will finally unveil big-screen iPhones and iPads. And a recent report gives credence to this speculation. 

Chinese technology website Digitimes, which has leaked Apple gadgets accurately in the past, has reported that the big-screen iPhone is scheduled for a May launch. This upcoming model will have a 20nm chipset made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). 

It has long been rumoured that Apple is working on two big-screen iPhones - one with a 4.7-inch display and the other with a 6-inch panel. 

The report also says that a big-screen iPad, with display sizes measuring 12.9-inch or 13.3-inch, will be unveiled in October next year. It is likely that Apple will pick the 12.9-inch screen size for final production; this falls in line with an earlier report that Apple will launch a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with 4K resolution in October. 

Apple is working with Taiwan's Quanta Computer to manufacture this upcoming tablet. This large-screen iPad will replace the 11-inch Macbook Air, says the report, citing sources.

How to reset Android tablets

As with a regular computer, you can wipe all the personal data and programmes from an Android tablet at once. This can be helpful if you want to pass the device to someone else or start over with it yourself. Wiping the device completely erases the tablet, though, so make sure you do not need anything stored on it before you begin.

Steps may vary depending on the version of Android you have, but in general, head for the Settings area. In later versions of Android, go down to the Personal area of the Settings screen and tap "Backup and reset." At the bottom of the "Backup and reset" screen, tap "Factory data reset."

The next screen warns that you will soon be erasing all the data on your tablet's internal storage drive, including your Google account information, system and app data settings, downloaded apps, music, photos and any other personal info. To proceed, tap the "Reset tablet" button and follow the instructions on the screen.

When finished, your tablet should be returned to that out-of-the-box , or "factory," state. If you have additional memory cards for extra storage and did not get an option to erase your external storage as well, you may need to format and erase the card manually — or just pop it out and keep it for your next device.

FCC listed-Samsung's Tizen phone

!nternet media is abuzz with details of the Samsung's upcoming Tizen smartphone. The phone code named Samsung SC-03F has been spotted in a new FCC (Federal Communications Commission) listing by Tizen Indonesia. 

According to the report on Tizen Indonesia, the smartphone has passed FCC test, and is all set to debut early next year. Samsung's first Tizen phone will reportedly sport a design similar to the Galaxy S4, the South Korean giant's current flagship smartphone, though it is said to gave a slimmer profile. 

The report states that Samsung SC-03F will be 136.1mm long and 69.1mm wide and likely feature a 4.8 to 5-inch touch screen. The SC-03F phone supports frequency bands 850/1900MHz GSM, WCDMA 850, and 2.4GHz/5GHz Wi-Fi, in addition to Bluetooth 4.0 (Low Energy). 

It adds that the listed device is powered by a 2.3 GHz Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 processor that powers the Galaxy S4 (LTE version), Galaxy Note 3 (LTE) and Galaxy J. 

It was earlier reported that Samsung and Intel, the two companies backing the development of Tizen, have sent invites to the press for an event in February, scheduled to take place a day before the MWC officially commences. 

The invite did not categorically mention the name or type of the device that is likely to be unveiled but states that Samsung's devices running the Tizen OS will be showcased. As per the invite, the event will offer "an exclusive sneak preview of the newest Tizen devices as well as an opportunity to learn about the major milestones that the Tizen project has hit since last year's event." 

Recently, some screenshots of the Tizen OS's user interface also appeared on the Korea Intellectual Property Rights Information Service database. 

Samsung officially announced the new operating system Tizen at this year's Mobile World Congress. The new OS will compete against Andriod, iOS, Windows Phone, BlackBerry 10, Firefox OS and Ubuntu Mobile operating systems.

Women's safety app by Microsoft

Microsoft India today said it is introducing Guardian, a new safety application (app), available exclusively for Windows phone users in India.

Incidents such as 'Nirbhaya' prompted the global IT giant to come out with an app aiming at protecting women, Microsoft-IT India managing director Raj Biyani said.

Explaining its features, Biyani said Guardian enables users to switch on a 'track me' feature in the app that lets friends and family track them in real time using Microsoft Windows Azure cloud services and Bing Map APIs.

Guardian users can call for help through an 'SOS' alert button and also connect to security agencies, police and hospitals easily via this app in times of distress.

The app was developed over six months by a group of enthusiastic Microsoft employees in India, within the Microsoft Garage. Microsoft Garage is a global employee innovation initiative that gives Microsoft employees an outlet to explore ideas in their free time, Biyani said.

"Our employees wanted to do something to enable people to feel safer in our cities. So they used their spare time to develop Guardian. It is a robust personal security app with more safety features and capabilities than any other comparable app available to Indian smartphone users today," Biyani told reporters after launching the app.

To use Guardian effectively, users need to add the names of friends, family members and security groups to the settings and in an emergency situation, the app can be used to alert them, via the SOS button. All the user has to do is tap the SOS button, a Microsoft official said.

"The phone then sends a distress SMS to all buddy mobiles, notifying them of the emergency along with location details. At the same time the SOS button also sends emails to buddy email IDs and posts to private Facebook groups, if registered," the official said.

Guardian uses Microsoft Windows Azure cloud services and Bing Map APIs extensively and can help security authorities and medical teams track the user. The phone can be traced even if it is broken. The application is capable of one touch video recording that may be used later as evidence, the official added.

Tasty Khana by Google Map

Foodies can ensure that spelling mistakes and location misdirection don't delay their food orders placed online now. TastyKhana.com, Pune-based online food portal, has unveiled its new search feature engine powered by Google Map to facilitate easier and convenient food ordering experience for users. Keeping in mind the growing trend in online food ordering, the company has revamped the search process wherein the user needs to only type in his/her location and TastyKhana will figure out where the food needs to be delivered from! 

The Google map feature enables the portal to extract the geographical location (address) of the user. The entire system is based on address, including latitude, longitude. The moment users select their location, the system calculates the distance of the restaurant to the user's address and provides a more accurate listing of restaurants that will guarantee delivery to the user's location. This differentiated feature enables users to now narrow their search to their street, to get a list of restaurants that deliver to them. 

"We realise that customers get online to TastyKhana.com, not only for the large selection of restaurants available, but also for the ease of ordering. The Google search feature is going to further make food ordering as effortless as possible," said CEO and founder Shachin Bhardwaj. 

Sheldon Dsouza, CTO and cofounder said, "This feature is the most advanced technology and the first time anyone has ever offered such a service in India. The search brings to the users, abundant food restaurants options which can deliver the food to them. All these options are available through a single selection of location by the user."