2014 – Direction Forward

Mark Zuckerberg Says Facebook Will Compete Directly Against Google As A Search Engine

It seems that Facebook quietly removed Bing as its primary search provider over the weekend, announcing plans to debut its own search tool on Monday, according to Reuters.

The report says that Facebook’s new search tool will give users the ability to filter through old comments and other information from friends.

Facebook has been building out its search products for a long time, using Bing as an extra layer to provide results beyond the Interest Graph in an effort to avoid letting rival Google into the system.

Read more here: http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-will-challenge-google-for-dominance-of-search-2014-1?IR=T

22 years ago Neil Papworth sent the first ever short message service (SMS). His fifteen-character missive – ‘merry christmas’ – was sent to colleague Richard Jarvis on December 3, 1992.

Quadrillions of text messages later, SMS is the king of electronic communications. It makes tens of billions of dollars for network providers and connects billions of people around the world. Annual text traffic is expected to reach 9.4 trillion by 2016.

Read more at: http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/07/texting-turns-22/

Sophisticated computer virus ‘may have been created by a nation’

A bug that spies on computer users may have been developed by a “nation state”, according to the internet security company that uncovered it. Symantec says the malware – called Regin – can take screenshots, control cursors and steal passwords. The highly sophisticated bug has been active since 2008, though it disappeared between 2011 and 2013. It is unusually low-key, making it “highly suited for persistent, long-term surveillance operations against targets”. It can go years without being noticed. Symantec said: “It is likely that its development took months, if not years, to complete and its authors have gone to great lengths to cover its tracks.”

Regin has been used to attack individuals, businesses, government entities and research institutes. Sectors that have been targeted include airline and energy. Telecoms firms have also been infected, allowing hackers to access phone calls. Computers can be infected with the software in different ways, commonly via fake internet sites and instant messenger programmes. Symantec claims Russia is the most affected country and accounts for 28 per cent of confirmed infections. Ireland, Saudi Arabia and Mexico have also been heavily affected but it is not yet known how many UK computers have been infected and no U.S. cases have been reported either. Once Regin hits a computer it is capable of stealing passwords, taking screenshots and even recovering deleted files from the trash.

Facebook developing new website for office use to rival LinkedIn

Facebook is preparing a new office version of its social networking site to compete with other sites like LinkedIn, the Financial Times reported on Monday. ”Facebook is secretly working on a new website called ‘Facebook at Work’” that would allow users to “chat with colleagues, connect with professional contacts and collaborate over documents”, it said.

Read the full story here: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/db8722bc-6d10-11e4-b125-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3JViqpebQ

Malware has come an extremely long way since its earliest days, aided by the rapid development of the internet.

ESET created the infographic image above. This summarise key developments in the fight against viruses and malware, from Pakistani Brain in 1986 to the Windigo malware that hit earlier this year.

Image courtesy of ESET (http://www.welivesecurity.com/2014/10/17/infographic-brief-history-malware/)

Windows 8.1 picks up steam as consumers adopt latest update

A little more than a year after Windows 8.1 was made available, the update to Microsoft’s PC operating system is finally seeing some progress.

The market share of PCs that run Windows 8.1 jumped to 10.9 percent in October, up from 6.7 percent in September, according to Net Applications.

Customers, however, have been more keen to hang on to their existing version of Windows. Windows 7 had the largest share with 53.1 percent, followed by Windows XP at 17.2 percent.

Read more at http://www.cnet.com/news/windows-8-1-picks-up-steam-as-consumers-adopt-new-os/

Cybercriminals taking advantage of a ‘malvertising’ attack on big name sites including Yahoo, Match.com and AOL were making in the region of $25,000 per day through ransomware, according to Forbes.

ComputerWorld reckons at least three million people will have been exposed to the campaign that was first spotted on 18 September. IBTimes reports that the fake ads used images and copy lifted from brands including Bing, Fancy and Case Logic to hide in plain sight.

To read more, click this link: http://www.welivesecurity.com/2014/10/23/yahoo-match-aol-hit-ransomware/

Microsoft ditching the Nokia name on smartphones

Microsoft is ditching the Nokia brand name from new devices, less than a year after acquiring the Finnish mobile firm.
New Nokia Lumia smartphones will instead by known as Microsoft Lumia, the company said.
Nokia’s non-mobile division, which is not owned by Microsoft, will continue to use the name.
The announcement comes despite Microsoft agreeing to a 10-year deal to use the Nokia name on mobile products.
Microsoft is currently having a big shake-up. In July, chief executive Satya Nadella announced the cutting of 18,000 jobs. The bulk of the cuts, around 12,500, will be from staff taken on after the Nokia acquisition.

‘Undetectable’ Peter Pan virus disguised as pantomime tickets

Please be very careful, a Peter Pan pantomime in Bournemouth is being used as a front for a dangerous cyber attack from Eastern Europe which is ‘undetectable’ by anti-virus software.

When the attachment is opened, a virus is installed onto the recipient’s computer capable of stealing information such as passwords and sensitive personal information.

To read more about this virus please see this link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2749108/Undetectable-Peter-Pan-virus-hits-thousands-Malware-disguised-pantomine-tickets-steal-passwords.html#ixzz3CpwuxADE

Here are 10 very interesting facts regarding social media which you may not have known!

1. The fastest growing demographic on Twitter is between 55-64 years old.
2. YouTube reaches more u.s. adults aged 18-35 than any cable network.
3. 189 million Facebook’s users are on mobile only.
4. Social Media has overtaken porn as the number 1 activity on the web.
5. Every second two new members join LinkedIn
6. 25% of smartphone owners ages 18-44 say they can’t recall the last time their smartphone was not next to them.
7. 93% of marketers use social media for business
8. Even though 62% of marketers blog or planned to blog in 2013, only 9% of U.S. marketing companies employ a full-time blogger.
9. LinkedIn has a lower percentage of active users than Pinterest, Google+, Twitter and Facebook.
10. 25% of Facebook users don’t use privacy settings.