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DoJ says North Korean IT workers were sent abroad to help finance weapons programs
The FBI says companies employing freelance IT workers "more than likely" hired one of these bad actors.
Ukraine may move its top-secret data and servers abroad
The country fears its most sensitive data could soon be compromised by Russia’s invading forces.
Equifax's chief security and information officers are out
Equifax's Chief Security Officer Susan Mauldin and Chief Information Officer David Webb have both left the company as it deals with the fallout from a months-long hacking campaign that compromised the personal information of 143 million people this year. Attackers took advantage of an unpatched server flaw to steal names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers and other identifying information from Equifax's database from May 13th to July 30th. The server flaw was made public more than a month before the hack began.
British warships will soon have Siri-like voice controls
British warships will soon integrate Siri-like voice systems into their controls, according to the head of the UK's Royal Navy. Speaking at the Defence and Security Equipment International exhibition -- one the biggest arms fairs in the world -- First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Phillip Jones said the Royal Navy wanted to embrace the speed at which warfare is being transformed by IT, and pointed to new Type-31 frigates as an example.
'It' director Andy Muschietti signs on for Sony's 'Robotech' movie
More than 30 years after the original series debuted on television, the classic Mecha anime Robotech will once again grace the silver screen. Sony announced on Monday that it had tapped Andy Muschietti, who just finished directing the reboot of Stephen King's It, to direct the upcoming live-action reboot.
Microsoft opens up its Windows Insider preview for Business
Since Microsoft launched its Insider Program a few years ago, millions of people have signed up to test out upcoming versions of Windows 10 on their devices. One small issue, however, was a limitation forcing users to sign up with their personal accounts, even though many users either work in IT or have business laptops/software they need to test out. Now, following up on an announcement from February, Microsoft has opened up the Windows Insider for Business program, so people can sign in with an Azure Active Directory account (the used for stuff like Office 365).
Google makes it easy to see every device logged into your account
Between your smartphone, desktop at work, tablet, laptop at home and whatever else in between, keeping track of the devices your Google account is signed into can be a hassle. Next time you notice strange activities occurring with one of them, though, you can see where it's coming from and remotely take a look at what's going on from a browser. How? With the Devices and Activity dashboard that shows off a list of the last platforms where your account's been active in the past 28 days, and what gizmos you're currently signed into as well. As Google tells it, you can even change your password and take steps to secure your account with it too. Officially, it's intended to make the lives of IT managers easier, but we know at least one person who'll probably appreciate this new bit of functionality.
Sony Pictures hack takes computers down studio-wide
As a whole, Sony isn't a stranger to being hacked, but the most recent effort targeted its movie division -- not PlayStation. Computers in Sony Pictures offices have been compromised, as Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety report. Studio-wide, computers were breached by a group named "#GOP" that threatened the following: "We already warned you, and this is just a beginning. We continue till our request be met. We've obtained all of your internal data including your secrets and top secrets. If you don't obey us, we'll release the data shown below to the world."
VMware releases survey on the "Apple Enterprise Invasion"
Today VMware announced the results of a company commissioned survey of 376 IT professionals to access the current state of enterprise desktops. The survey was conducted by Dimensional Research with the goal of capturing hard data on Apple device usage in the workplace, and to quantify the enterprise readiness of Macs. The results of the report, titled "The Apple Enterprise Invasion," shows that Windows is no longer the platform of choice in the enterprise, with users overwhelmingly preferring Macs. User preference is the top reason given by IT administrators as to why their organization supports Macs with 73 percent of IT administrators identifying it as the main driver. There is still progress to be made however when it comes to Mac's enterprise future. 64 percent of surveyed IT administrators said that only some or none of their enterprise applications were currently ready to run on Macs. One possible solution presented by the VMware survey is a virtual desktop which could bridge the gap between Linux PC, Mac, and Windows PCs. 91 percent of surveyed IT administrators stated such a set up would be valuable to their jobs. You can read all of VMware's survey over at their blog.
Need tech support in Russia? Give Edward Snowden a call
So, what happens after you've become an international pariah? The PRISM revelations may rattle along, but the figure who started it all is trying to return to something approaching a normal life. Edward Snowden's lawyer has revealed that, after settling at an undisclosed location in Russia, the NSA whistleblower has found a job. He'll be offering technical support for a domestic website, which isn't being named for the obvious reasons. Is this the last that we'll hear from the former intelligence analyst? Only time will tell.
Microsoft doubles support lifecycle for Windows Phone 8, outlines enterprise feature update
Considering Microsoft's history of supporting desktop operating systems past their expiration date, learning that Windows Phone 8 would be cut off from updates after a short 18 months was a bit of a slap to the face. Thankfully, Redmond has come to its senses: as of this week Microsoft has doubled its mobile OS' support life cycle. Devices running Windows Phone 8 will be sustained through January 2016, provided your carrier of choice chooses to make the update available to you. The company hopes this will make the platform more appealing to enterprise users. Speaking of courting the business crowd, the official Windows Phone Blog also outlines a set of enterprise-specific features, including new options for corporate-level email, WiFi and application management. The full info with all the high-level security features you can handle is in the links below.
Microsoft to wind down TechNet subscriptions after August 31st
Many IT managers and early adopters cherish their TechNet subscriptions -- for a modest annual fee, they get advance access to a treasure trove of Microsoft apps. Unfortunately, that too-good-to-be-true deal is coming to an end, as Microsoft plans to phase out TechNet subscriptions in the months ahead. The company will stop taking new customers and renewals after August 31st, while Microsoft Certified Trainers will lose their perks after March 31st. Outside of volume licensing, TechNet downloads will stop entirely after September 30th, 2014. MSDN subscriptions will remain, but their steeper prices will likely rule them out for most enthusiasts. If you're not a professional, you'll just have to buy software as it reaches the public -- you know, like the rest of us.
Microsoft CIO Tony Scott out, Jim Dubois stepping in for now (update)
Microsoft CIO Tony Scott is now former Microsoft CIO Tony Scott. He stepped down recently to "focus on personal projects," according to a statement issued by Redmond. Microsoft reps issued Engadget the following statement this morning: "Tony Scott decided to depart Microsoft to focus on personal projects. While at Microsoft, Tony was a strong IT leader passionate about taking Microsoft's technology to the next level and using our experiences and learnings to help customers and partners. We thank Tony for his contributions and wish him well." Geekwire spotted a note on Scott's LinkedIn listing his gig at Microsoft as his "former" job (the page now reflects otherwise), and Microsoft confirmed his departure; the company also said vice president of IT product and services management Jim Dubois would step in to fill Scott's role for now, until Microsoft finds a full-time replacement. Scott also confirmed the news, and offered a few more details on his next steps -- he said he'd return "to 'work' (in some form) in a few months." Update: This post originally referenced film director Tony Scott, and has been amended since. We regret any implications that were perceived.
NVIDIA enables full virtualization for graphics: up to eight remote users per GRID GPU
You probably won't have noticed the following problem, unless you happen to be the IT manager in an architecture firm or other specialist environment, but it's been an issue nonetheless. For all our ability to virtualize compute and graphical workloads, it hasn't so far been possible to share a single GPU across multiple users. For example, if you'd wanted 32 people on virtual machines to access 3D plumbing and electrical drawings via AutoCAD, you'd have needed to dedicate eight expensive quad-GPU K1 graphics cards in your GRID server stack. Now, though, NVIDIA has managed to make virtualization work right the way through to each GPU for users of Citrix XenDesktop 7, such that you'd only need one K1 to serve that workforce, assuming their tasks were sufficiently lightweight. Does this mean NVIDIA's K1 sales will suddenly drop by seven eighths? We couldn't tell ya -- but probably not.
Microsoft to build first innovation center in China, has software development in mind
Microsoft's relatively often finding ways to encourage software development in various fields, and the company's latest venture has it setting footsteps near the Great Wall. According to a report by news agency Xinhua, the software (and hardware) company has reached a deal with China's Hainan government that will see it build an innovation center in this territory. Focusing on IT development and skills in tourism and agriculture, this new property will be the first of its type in China, and Microsoft has high hopes that the joint efforts can, aside from becoming a crossroads of knowledge, also "boost the region's efforts to become a major international tourist destination." Frankly, seeing as how the highly populated nation doesn't appear to be slowing down its all-around growth anytime soon, it wouldn't surprise us if Redmond decides to start setting up more of these in the years to come.
The Daily Grind: Which MMO has that indefinable 'it'?
First off, no, this is not an April Fool's post. With that bit of nonsense out of the way, I must confess to reinstalling Vanguard over the weekend. I don't know why I reinstalled Vanguard over the weekend; I've been having a fair bit of fun with Star Wars: The Old Republic and my extensive Steam backlog lately. I certainly didn't need another MMO to play, and even if I did, I'm not sure why I would choose a fantasy themepark that I've quit at least four times. Vanguard has that certain something, though, a mysterious "it" quality that's always whispering seductively in my ear. Which MMOs, if any, continually rope you in with their indefinable allure? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
MacIT 2013 kicks off with admin overview, nostalgia
After a Wednesday pre-conference day filled with technical workshops, the MacIT 2013 event (colocated with Macworld/iWorld at Moscone West) kicked off with a panel discussion featuring John Welch, Nadyne Richmond, Ben Greisler, Arek Dreyer and more. The panel speakers provided quick overviews of the Mac and iOS enterprise landscape, including the promise and perils of BYOD, the role of the Mac mini Server in replacing Apple's legacy rackmounted Xserve, and the security risks facing the Mac platform in large companies. Following the panel, Chip Pearson from JAMF Software reviewed 20 years of Mac sysadmin history, including enthusiastic shout-outs to Paul Kent and his IDG team for facilitating MacIT; Neil Ticktin and MacTECH for their continuing coverage and events supporting Mac admins; and the rebel cloners of Power Computing, who "out-Apple'd Apple" in their enthusiasm for the Mac ecosystem. Pearson recalled how Power Computing's appearance at Macworld Expo in 1996 included a parking lot bungee cord jump, reserved for people who bought one of their machines at the show. He also noted that a company representative had a fix for the confusing interleaved memory DIMM requirements of the time, where slots had to be populated in pairs: "We told Apple, instead of slots A1 and A2, B1 and B2 -- just make it R2 and D2, C3 and P0 and everyone will just get it!" Pearson connected the three important ingredients of supporting the enterprise (great people, ideas and technology) with his exhortation to improve education through technology. He asked the audience to investigate and understand how technology can improve education, lead through sharing expertise and time, and accelerate achievement by both students and educators. "We will all benefit by those smart students coming out and solving the problems we all inherited, and some that we are creating today," he said. "If you know something, take the opportunity to teach it. That's why we come together here, and at the Penn State Mac Admins conference; to learn." The influx of traditional Windows sysadmins to the Mac administration field should be welcomed, according to Pearson. "If it's guys in ties, remember that some of the Mac users you're supporting also have to wear suits and ties to work." He also noted that enterprise is still trying to figure out what to do about the influx of iPads into big business, and he thinks 2013 is the year that we will start to figure out some best practices. "Let's figure out the best [use cases] for the iPad in business first, and then worry about some of the 2.0 stuff... The old models are imperfect; mobile management is not the same as computer management." Pearson ended his presentation with a tribute to Mac management publications, sites, products and technologies paired with the "Here's to the crazy ones" ad narration, and received an enthusiastic ovation from the ample MacIT crowd. MacIT continues through Saturday at Moscone West.
Microsoft details its own Windows 8 rollout, lessons learned from 'dogfooding'
If a company won't use its own products, how can it expect others to? Many customers, especially on the enterprise side of the equation, are understandably a little wary of the drastic change that awaits them when upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 8. So, Microsoft decided to share what it has learned from its own experience dogfooding the new OS around the Redmond campus (and likely beyond). While the company is a little light on specifics of the low-volume rollout, it does highlight some of the features available to IT departments that should make transitioning easier. It even offers a few pointers along the way. Sure, there's plenty of back-patting involved, but tips like using IT Easy Installer to automate deployments and trim install times by half shouldn't be dismissed. There's also some information about its support system for early adopters which included a knowledge base called Pointers that helped highlight the most important issues needing to be addressed. For more details hit up the source link and get ready to embrace your inner IT nerd.
MacTech announces Walt Disney Animation Studios tour, filling up fast
Registration is currently underway for the 2012 MacTech Conference here in Los Angeles (October 17-19), and MacTech publisher Neil Ticktin has sent along some new information about what's going on at the conference this year, and it sounds amazing. In addition to the previously announced sessions from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab and keynote speaker Matt Drance, MacTech will also take attendees over to the Walt Disney Animation Studios for a special behind-the-scenes tour, and have a special exhibit of "Hollywood treasures" for attendees to check out. There have also been some post-conference events added, including some interesting technical panels as well as some official Apple Certification Exams. This conference is always a great time, and in addition to all of the fun, MacTech also offers up two solid presentation tracks, one for developers and the other for IT professionals. You can register for the conference right now -- Ticktin tells us it's filling up quick, so hurry over and sign up if you're interested. MacTech 2012 will run from Wednesday to Friday October 17-19, 2012 at the Sheraton Universal in Los Angeles. TUAW will be in attendance as well -- we hope to see you there!
Microsoft extends free Windows Server 2008 support through January 15th, 2015
Now that its successor is available, you're unlikely to hear much excitement for Windows Server 2008 around IT water coolers, but that's not to suggest it'll fade into oblivion anytime soon. In fact, Microsoft has extended its mainstream support of the server OS -- previously set to expire on July 9th, 2013 -- through January 15th, 2015. The company will continue to deliver free security fixes for the operating system beyond this cutoff date, however maintenance updates will require the purchase of extended support from Microsoft. According to the company's revised product lifecycle, paid updates for Windows Server 2008 will now be available through January 14th, 2020. For those curious, the new dates were largely determined by Microsoft guidelines, which guarantee a minimum five years of support, or in this case, two years of mainstream support beyond the release of the successor product. Naturally, it pains us to imagine firms chugging along with Windows Server 2008 into 2020, but you just know it'll happen. Now, at least someone in Redmond will be watching out for them.
