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Once production applications and workloads have been moved to the cloud, re-evaluating the company’s security posture and adjusting the processes used to secure data and applications from cyberattacks are critical next steps. Cloud infrastructure is ideal for providing resources on demand and significantly reducing the cost of acquiring, deploying and maintaining internal resources.   In addition, organizations can quickly scale cloud resources up or down eliminating the need to over-provision—just in case. But losing control over the physical infrastructure means not being able to use familiar tools to develop insight into what is happening in that infrastructure. Anyone responsible for IT security needs a strategy for monitoring what is happening in their company’ cloud, so they can shut down any attacks that occur and limit the damage.   The use of log files While users do not have direct access to public cloud infrastructure, cloud providers do offer access to logs ...

Facebook is introducing new privacy controls to each of its 2 billion users as part of compliance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that will come into effect on May 25th. Facebook will ask every user, regardless of where they live, to review their privacy choices, from the information they add to their profile to how Facebook uses their data to target ads. The company is also announcing the return of facial recognition to Europe and Canada after courts ruled seven years ago that Facebook’s photo-tagging system collected biometric data without proper user consent. The new controls will roll out to European users first, starting this week, and will expand to all users globally afterwards, Facebook said in a blog post .... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2EWgNwB"

Microsoft has been working on its new Xbox Live avatars for at least a year, and a newly leaked video provides a much closer look at the refreshed system. Forum users at ResetEra discovered that a former Microsoft designer uploaded a video to YouTube (now removed) showing how the new Xbox Avatar Editor works. The new avatars will let you fully customize your online character with new body type options, clothing, and props. Microsoft’s editor will run across both Xbox One and Windows 10. Microsoft is offering a variety of diverse options for avatar customization, and the company’s original E3 trailer promised options for amputees, playful costumes, wheelchairs, skateboards, and motorbikes. The Xbox Avatar Editor itself lets you customize... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2HayWZ8"

Microsoft is releasing its Windows Defender antivirus scanner for Google Chrome this week. The software giant has released a Chrome extension, that includes a list of malicious URLs that will be blocked in Chrome. The extension is designed to stop malware being loaded onto PCs from malicious sites, and to prevent phishing emails from being successful. Google already provides its own protections against malicious links within Chrome, so Microsoft’s addition does seem superfluous. Microsoft does claim that its Windows Defender protection against phishing is 99 percent efficient, compared to 87 percent and 70 percent for Firefox. So, if you’re particularly concerned about malicious links then this extension will provide an extra safeguard.... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2H7O8GB"

Amazon now has an Android web browser app that’s designed to use minimal storage and data. It’s called... Internet. The app has been sitting unspotted in the Google Play app store since March. Amazon hasn’t publicly announced its launch, which was reported by TechCrunch . It’s currently only available to users located in India and runs on Android 5.0 and higher devices. The app offers a web browser that supports private tabs that don’t save browser history and it has a homepage that shows cricket news and more general headlines for its users. Internet is reminiscent of Facebook Lite, YouTube Go, or Gmail Go, all apps that companies launched as slimmer versions of the original mobile versions. They provide the same basic features as the... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2qEc4dN"

Animals U.S. policies for protecting them could be shifting drastically. The Trump administration has announced a position on protecting migratory birds that is a drastic pullback from policies in force for the past 100 years. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2Hv0Bre"

Gadgets Improved battery, picture quality, and security. The new Eufy EverCam smart home security system is now on Kickstarter. Read on. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2H7Wq0Z"

The company behind Facebook’s massive data leak scandal, Cambridge Analytica , attempted to develop its own cryptocurrency this past year and intended to raise funds through an initial coin offering, Reuters and The New York Times reported today. The digital coin would have helped people store online personal data and even sell it, former Cambridge Analytica employee Brittany Kaiser told the Times . Cambridge Analytica, which obtained the data of 87 million Facebook users, was hoping to raise as much as $30 million through the venture, anonymous sources told Reuters . Cambridge Analytica confirmed to Reuters that it had previously explored blockchain technology, but did not confirm the coin offering and didn’t say whether efforts are still... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2JRiSxk"

There have been reports about upcoming changes to Spotify’s free tier of service over the past couple of weeks, and it appears the music service is now serving the updated UI to select users. While The Verge cannot confirm if this is officially the new form of the free version for mobile expected to roll out next week, these UI changes, which include the option to play songs on demand in select playlists, would make the Free tier act more like a Premium account. Spotify declined to comment. Last week, Bloomberg reported these updates would specifically impact mobile users, and a flyer for the company’s upcoming April 24th event recently confirmed that modifications were coming to Spotify mobile. While there are several notable changes in... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2HcEVNq"

The Internal Revenue Service isn’t the most technologically sophisticated government agency in the US. As evidence, check out its online payment system, called Direct Pay , that still remains out of service on the tax filing deadline for the entire country, as noted by Engadget . The Direct Pay system went down sometime early this morning as part of a widespread failure of the IRS’s electronic filing system, due most likely to a technical glitch possibly related to the huge influx of people trying to file returns. The IRS says it is “working to resolve the issue.” That said, the agency expects around 5 million people to file taxes on April 17th, the deadline for individual income tax returns to be submitted to the federal government. You... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2HuL36Q"

Gadgets This $300 security camera recognizes you, your family, and even your pets. Lighthouse is a pricy, but intelligent solution for a connected security camera. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2EWjDRU"

Environment Hungry, hungry enzymes. We’re slowly suffocating a lot of natural ecologies with our trash. Fish, birds, and other animals all unwittingly consume the five trillion tons of plastic (and… via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2H7g1Tg"

Thirty-four major technology companies — including Facebook, Microsoft, HP, ARM, Cisco, and Oracle — have signed a new Cybersecurity Tech Accord . The pledge spans helping to protect against cyberattacks as well as to not helping governments — including the United States — “launch cyberattacks against innocent citizens and enterprises,” as first reported by The New York Times . According to the NYT , the driving impetus for the coalition has been Microsoft president Brad Smith, whose goal is, ultimately, to develop a “digital Geneva Convention” to set the rules for acceptable digital warfare. As listed in the accord , there are four areas that the signed companies are promising to improve upon: helping to protect customers from future... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2EVsVOb"

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman launched an investigation into bitcoin exchanges today, his office announced . He’s looking into thirteen major exchanges, including Coinbase, Gemini Trust, and Bitfinex, requesting information on their operations and what measures they have in place to protect consumers. “Too often, consumers don’t have the basic facts they need to assess the fairness, integrity, and security of these trading platforms,” Schneiderman said in a statement. His office sent detailed questionnaires to the thirteen exchanges, asking them to disclose who owns and controls them, and how their basic operation and transaction fees work. The questionnaire also asks for specific details on how exchanges might suspend... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2JTT9V5"

Mignon Clyburn, one of five commissioners for the Federal Communications Commission and a staunch supporter of net neutrality, announced her decision to step down from her role today after more than eight years at the agency. Clyburn, a Democrat, may be replaced by FCC official Geoffrey Starks, who Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has reportedly been eyeing to take up the second of two Democratic seats on the Republican-controlled FCC. It is typically customary for the FCC commissioners to represent the party in power, and President Donald Trump appointed Republican Ajit Pai as chairman in January of 2017. While Clyburn’s departure was expected, the loss of a net neutrality advocate does further diminish the FCC’s willingness... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2qE9vZ2"

Ian Balina, a former IBM salesman who became a full-time cryptocurrency trader and pundit, is not known for his modesty. Like many YouTube personalities in the vein of motivational speaker Gary Vaynerchuk, he brands himself as a self-starter-made-good who now wants to teach you how he did it (while clarifying, of course, that his recommendations are not investment advice). He regularly shares screenshots of his extensive portfolio, which was valued at more than $3 million on April 14th, according to an image he posted on Twitter and Instagram. One of his videos is called “ Six-Figure Slave to Crypto Millionaire .” This bravado may have backfired. On Sunday, during one of his marathon live streams, Balina found himself unable to log into... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2H5TG8F"