Archive for the ‘Free Software’ Category

Being safe with tablet computers and smart phones – Norman Transcript

Viewed realistically, smart phones and tablets are nothing more than small computers without real keyboards. As such, they need the same types of bad-guy protection that full-on computers need. Here are a few of the protections I would pay attention to:

(1) Do not download frivolous, random apps unless you know exactly where they are coming from and what they do. iPads and iPhones should download only from Apple. Android phones and tablets should download only from Google Play.

(2) Pay attention to the privacy and security settings when you install an app. Some apps make ridiculous demands, such as access to your location, contact list or camera. Be choosy. If an app asks too much, ditch it in favor of something better.

(3) Decide where you want your information to live. Do you really need to put everything in the cloud? Will you have backup copies if the cloud service crashes? Be aware that all of the major cloud services (Google, Apple, Amazon) have crashed at one point or another, causing millions of files to simply disappear. How safe and secure will your private pictures and information be? What if some of it leaked out for all the world to see (think photos of former OKC Thunder star Kevin Durant smoking, and other embarassing celebrity photos)? Disable sharing until you really need it.

(4) Stop trying to synchronize every possible device together to where they all have the same information, especially personal-to-work computers. Is it possible that other people may view or use any of these devices? Do you really want them to see a list of every website youve visited, or every photo youve seen? Sync only when needed, rather than having it mindlessly running in the background at all times.

(5) Set up screen locking to turn on automatically, and give it a strong passphrase. Thousands of phones, tablets and laptops are lost or stolen every week. Make it to where no one can get into your device without the key.

(6) Disable tracking, location and GPS services for all but the most necessary functions.

(7) Make sure your devices operating system (iOS or Android) is set to automatically update itself. Updates fix software problems that let the bad guys in. Make sure your mobile apps are being updated, too.

(8) Install some security software. Antivirus, antitheft, anti-whatever, security software can help cover for things we forget or dont know about. Good, free software for both Apple and Android devices is available at places like avast.com/mobile and lookout.com. You may not be worried about viruses, but you also dont want your device being used as a conduit to funnel problems to other people, either. Get some security software and use it.

(9) Stay on your carriers network (AT&T, T-mobile, Sprint, Verizon, etc.) as much as possible. Those networks are as safe as youre going to get, and your communications (email, text, voice) will be protected. However, if you must get on local wifi networks, be aware that the potential exists for everyone else on that network to see what you are doing, whether its at work, the coffee shop, school or your hotel. In these cases, use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) tunneling service to protect your communications. Check out the free services at tunnelbear.com/download-devices.

(10) Similar to the LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System for cars, software exists that allows you to track and possibly recover your lost or stolen tablet or phone. You can also remotely erase these devices, too, protecting your information from prying eyes. Some devices have remote tracking and erasing software already installed. If yours doesnt, check the offerings from Avast Free Mobile Security and Lookout.

Dave Moore, CISSP, has been fixing computers in Oklahoma since 1984. Founder of the non-profit Internet Safety Group Ltd., he also teaches Internet safety community training workshops. He can be reached at 405-919-9901 or internetsafetygroup.org.

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Being safe with tablet computers and smart phones - Norman Transcript

Three steps to help defense innovation break free from its shackles – DefenseNews.com

It seems like every year there is another commission, task force or board that studies the defense acquisition system. Fiscal 2022 continues the pattern with the rather bureaucratic-sounding Commission on Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution reform. This time, however, there is good reason to sit up and take notice. While defense innovation initiatives over the past three administrations have made progress, the Department of Defense cannot gain ground on strategic competitors until the rigid and linear PPBE process is addressed. This commission presents a golden opportunity for the DoD to break out of its industrial-age shackles.

Congress and the DoD have worked hand in hand in recent years to spur innovation. From the establishment of the Defense Innovation Unit and organizations such as Army Futures Command and AFWERX as well as contracting innovations such as the expanded use of other transactions, commercial solutions openings and Small Business Innovation Research programs, there has been a steady stream of initiatives for increasing how the DoD attracts new entrants into the defense-industrial base.

These efforts have struggled to gain scale because they do not fit how the DoD builds its budget via the program objective memorandum. This central component of the PPBE system is like an old, comfortable shirt to most stakeholders. Generations of planners, programmers, analysts, congressional staff members and lobbyists are intimately familiar with the current system. Clear processes, oversight mechanisms, levers, etc. guide this deliberate process that Secretary Robert McNamara brought to the Pentagon from Ford Motor Co. in the 1960s.

This top-down process relies heavily on advance planning and detailed cost estimates of projects and technologies spanning years into the future. Commercial industry, meanwhile, long ago moved on from centralized planning and instead focuses on portfolio management, which enables the flexibility to meet todays challenges.

This comfortable PPBE shirt does not fit many of todays national security challenges. Getting from demonstrations and other transaction prototypes to production when there is no program of record in the pipeline, for example, has been a continuing problem. The DoD has established a series of acquisition pathways, including a pilot appropriation for software, but none address the timeliness of funding or the ability to make trade-offs. Programs execute to plans devised many years before without sufficient ability to adapt to changing technologies, threats and operating concepts.

Todays challenges, such as Joint All-Domain Command and Control, need a budgeting process that supports modularity, iteration and speed. Chris ODonnell, the acting assistant secretary of defense for acquisition, noted late last year that the DoD needs to rethink the Big A acquisition process in the department. Its not just what we are doing in the acquisition system, [its] how do we reform the requirements process and the PPBE. Until the three of those are lined up, well, we cant pull things through the system quickly.

Interestingly, there is strong recognition across the defense community of the challenges of the current framework. Leaders such as Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed, former Deputy Secretary Bob Work and even former Google Chairman Eric Schmidt have publicly called for PPBE reform.

PPBE commissioners can build off the success of the recent National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence and the Cyberspace Solarium Commission which have been well received and quite impactful by taking a three-pronged approach:

The United States simply cannot meet the national security challenges it faces over the next decade if the resource allocation process is not brought into the 21st century. The commission on PPBE reform can help bring adaptability and flexibility to how the DoD delivers capabilities to that multifaceted battlefield. It should look for models of success, focus on what matters and move quickly to pilot efforts.

Jerry McGinn is the executive director of the Center for Government Contracting in George Mason Universitys School of Business. He is a former senior U.S. Defense Department acquisition official. Eric Lofgren is a senior fellow at the Center for Government Contracting. He has written extensively on PPBE reform for the center and his Acquisition Talk blog.

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Three steps to help defense innovation break free from its shackles - DefenseNews.com

COVID19 Impact on Website Builder Software Market 2021 Industry Insight and Growth Strategy by Business Players Adobe, Automatic Inc. (WordPress.com),…

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COVID19 Impact on Website Builder Software Market 2021 Industry Insight and Growth Strategy by Business Players Adobe, Automatic Inc. (WordPress.com),...

Daffodil Software announces expansion plans; to hire 500 employees this year to strengthen portfolio – Free Press Journal

Gurgaon-based software engineering company announced that it has plans to create 500 full-time jobs this year. To keep up with the increasing customer demand and to strengthen their portfolio for diverse technologies, Daffodil has declared a massive number of vacancies at its headquarters in Gurgaon.

The COVID-19 pandemic has catalyzed the adoption of digital platforms to help businesses continue their operations during the lockdown and beyond.

While some organizations opted for digital business transformation from scratch, some just modernized the existing system and went for technological advancements such as moving data to the cloud, adopting tools & devices for communication & collaboration as well as automating processes.

Daffodil, being an industry leader in the software development services domain, experienced a surge in demand for engineering, modernizing, and migration services for applications.

The company has secured tremendous growth over the past two years and this can be attributed to continuous investment in building technological practices, training, and creating business-centric services.

The company has embraced the 'Work from Anywhere' model that has made the job opportunities available for people across the country. It has opened doors to hire the best talent for technologies such as DevOps, Artificial Intelligence, Business Intelligence, Salesforce, etc., with no geographical bars.

Regarding the expansion plan, Yogesh Agarwal (CEO, Daffodil Software) said, ''The pandemic has made businesses perceive the right use-case of technology for their domain or industry. People have been coming up with some amazing ideas on how digital platforms or technology can transform the way things are being done conventionally. That is why we have been extensively investing in building our expertise and practice in new-age technologies. Last year as well, we extended our team strength to double which has helped us in reducing time-to-market for several large-scale projects.''

The CEO further comments: ''Our core values- innovation, continuous thinking, and result orientation are the key drivers for why people are inclined to be a part of our organization. Moreover, our team always strives to work on challenging and new-age technologies that help our people have a consistent learning graph, which is important to sustain in a tech-driven sphere.''

(With inputs from ANI)

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Daffodil Software announces expansion plans; to hire 500 employees this year to strengthen portfolio - Free Press Journal

EXCLUSIVE Hackers likely used software administration rights of third party to hit Ukrainian sites, Kyiv says – Reuters

Ukrainian Cyber Police Chief Serhiy Demedyuk speaks during an interview with Reuters in Kiev, Ukraine November 2, 2017. Picture taken November 2, 2017. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

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KYIV, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Hackers who launched strikes against Ukrainian government websites appear to have used the software administration rights of a third party company that developed the sites, a top Ukrainian security official told Reuters on Friday.

Serhiy Demedyuk, the deputy secretary of the national security and defence council, said Ukraine was working to establish who obtained such access, whether it was done externally or through an insider.

The comments are the first detailed explanation of how multiple Ukrainian websites were hit by a cyber strike that left a warning to "be afraid and expect the worst", at a time when Russia has amassed troops near Ukraine's borders. read more

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"According to the preliminary conclusions of our experts ... today's attack occurred due to the use by third parties of access to the software administration rights of a company that had an advantage in developing websites for government agencies," Demedyuk said in written comments.

"The specified software has been used since 2016 to create websites for government agencies, most of which became victims of today's incident," said Demedyuk, who used to be the head of Ukraine's cyber police.

He did not name the third party company.

Ukraine said on Friday the cyberattack hit around 70 internet sites of government bodies including the security and defence council.

Demedyuk said his statements were preliminary findings.

"But for the final conclusion, law enforcement agencies need to conduct many examinations of the seized digital evidence, as well as to establish how and who exactly received such privileged administrative access, through outside interference or as a result of the illegal activities of an insider in this company," he said.

Demedyuk did not say who might have been behind the attack, though Ukraine's foreign ministry and its state security service pointed the finger of suspicion towards Russia. read more

Russia did not comment, but has previously denied being behind cyberattacks, including against Ukraine.

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Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Howard Goller

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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EXCLUSIVE Hackers likely used software administration rights of third party to hit Ukrainian sites, Kyiv says - Reuters