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For startups, user growth, product growth, virality, marketing usually goes on the top of their priority list. As part of product planning cycles, embedding information security into their product/service is the last concern for most startups. Which is deeply ignored here? Information and data security. Often you see devops engineers, systems engineers, infrastructure engineers or system administrators wear the security hat in these startups and performs some of the small security fixes or patches. Even though they can perform research on the procedures to apply patches, harden databases, or implement remediation as a result of the industry breaches, they might not take every decision or option from security perspective. Consider the Code Spaces startup breach that basically caused them to go out of business due to improper hardening of the root passwords and not following the AWS security best practices. This deeply ignored lack of security awareness has actually...

She Leads Africa is launching a competition that seeks to empower women within the continent’s entrepreneurial tech scene. The platform seeks to connect promising individuals to mentors, business funding and new market opportunities. With a special focus on tech, the competition will take place during the month of September  2014, applications for the competition will be taken from across West Africa in order to identify the top ten talented female entrepreneurs who have founded or co-founded early stage startups. Lead organiser, Afua Osei, stated that: “The continent will not be able to reach its full potential without the full economic participation of women.” Finalists will be selected by professionals in consulting, venture capital, and the finance industry based on the strength of their idea, ability to scale, understanding of the market, and quality of the management team. Special consideration will be given to entrepreneurs in the technology sector. Fin...

McAfee, part of Intel Security, has announced the latest version of McAfee Mobile Security that now enables consumers to instantly run free privacy and security scans. These scans allow users to identify apps that are over sharing personal information. It also scans for and removes malware and looks for other security threats. McAfee makes it simple for users to perform these scans as soon as the product is installed. McAfee Mobile Security also allows users to easily remove apps that pose significant risks. According to McAfee’s Consumer Mobile Security Report, 80% of mobile apps today collect location information about users, 82% know the device ID, and 57% track when people use their phones. Additionally, the apps that aggressively and often unnecessarily collect data leverage potentially dangerous ad libraries, and 35% of these apps contain malware. “The personal data some apps collect can be beneficial to enhancing your mobile experience, however many apps ...

Cyber security was a key focus during the 5th Kenya Internet Governance Forum (KIGF) held last week at Strathmore University under the theme 'Connecting Counties for Enhanced Multi-stakeholder Internet Governance'. The key points raised at the forum - which brought together representatives from government, private sector, civil society, academia as well as the internet community - revolved around the emerging legal issues and challenges relating cyber security. According to the Kenya Cyber Security Strategy released in February 2014, criminal organizations and hack-tivists from all over the world are - and will continue - to exploit ICT vulnerabilities in Kenya as the country matures into an Information Society, adding that country faces an increasingly evolving cyber threat landscape. Currently, Kenya ranks fifth in terms of hacking globally. To deal with the threat of cyber insecurity and protect data, Kenya's ICT Ministry developed the National Cyber Se...

Kenyans can now access information on tax obligations through their mobile phones. The taxman and the Japan International Cooperation Agency have in place a short message service to enable taxpayers inquire and get instant feedback. Known as Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), the service allows cellular telephones to communicate with a service provider's computers and will be available from all mobile phone firms. "Taxpayers will request information from KRA and get instant feedback through SMS," a statement said on Tuesday. Taxpayers will access data on domestic taxes, individual Personal Identification Number company Personal Identification Number, temporary car exportation status as well as tax station checker. Importers and exporters will access information on the various custom tax obligation including the bill of lading, clearing agents status and manifest amendment status among others. The service, which started on June 25, will al...

If you have a hard drive that is quickly approaching capacity, sorting through the files and folders for the ones taking up the most space can be a really time-consuming process. There’s an easier way to do it—it’s the subject of our latest Tech Tip. For help identifying space hogs, let’s turn to TreeSize Free, which is available for Windows 8, as well as Windows 7, Vista, and XP. Launch the program, go to scan, and select the drive you want to take a look at. The application shows you, in gigabytes, megabytes, and kilobytes, how big each folder is, ranked from most to least. One of the nice things you can do with TreeSize Free is drill down into subfolders to see what sort of space is being taken up. If I want to right click on a folder and see what the files are like or delete them, I can go ahead and do that. Note that TreeSize Free does not dynamically update, so after you delete the data you’ll have to run the scan again to get an accurate count of file...

None of us is a one-dimensional cutout. We work, we play, we travel, we have a family, hobbies and goals. We travel to new places, meet new people, find new jobs, and pick up new interests. For some of us, nothing is more important than spending time with the family; for others, adventure comes first. Meanwhile, technology is blurring the lines between laptop, tablet, and desktop, making it that much easier to find a device that fits your life. Whatever inspires you, there’s something out there that can turn that inspiration into reality. These empowering devices all have something in common, and it’s something you’ll probably never see: a powerful Intel processor. Intel’s leading-edge technology lets you run the apps, play the games, and do the work you want to do without interruption. And because that technology prioritizes power-efficiency, you’ll be able to work, play, and communicate for hours. Here’s a helpful guide to the many portable devices that Intel ...

Microsoft acquired Nokia earlier this year to bolster the Windows Phone platform, but it's thus far refused to snuff out Nokia's flirtation with Android, the Nokia X series. In fact Microsoft's devices group announced the latest addition to the Nokia X series of Android phones on Tuesday, the Nokia X2—the fourth entry in the Nokia X line, but the first announced under Microsoft's watch. Like the three previous Android handsets bearing the Nokia name, the X2 is really more of a "gateway device" to the hardcore Windows Phone experience than a full-fledged Android handset. The device runs the Android Opens Source Project (AOSP) version of Android that doesn't include any Google services or apps, re-skinned with a Windows Phone-like feel. The main screen is also loaded with Microsoft services including OneDrive, OneNote, Outlook.com, and Skype. Nokia services like HERE Maps are also present in place of their Google counterparts. But un...

If getting rid of superfluous apps on your smartphone doesn't solve the problem, reinstalling factory stock software likely will. Like rehab -- or the drunk tank -- for our lethargic, wrong-side-of-the-tracks smartphone inhabitant, this operation may sound like a big deal and a lot of work, and unfortunately it is, because you have to reconfigure your apps. One of the disadvantages of retaining a phone after the expiration of a two-year contract -- as many of us do -- is that those older phones have accumulated a few years' worth of digital gunk. They're clogged up like an aging sewer on the wrong side of town. Just like on a PC, bits of app and OS code become discombobulated -- orphaned from the parent program. Onboard digital debris becomes disoriented like a drunk stumbling out of a favored hole-in-the-wall; jumbled lethargy sets in, and the device can take forever to start or become sticky in operation. Well, just like a PC -- or a run-down apartmen...

Determine where best to free up space. Take a look at the Pictures and Videos space used in particular. Look for the numerical value next to the descriptive label. Video and images, unlike music, often don't need to be stored on the device and can be moved. HD video is a major memory hog. Photographs and music are other forms of media that take up a lot of space. It's a good idea to prune an Android device periodically, for a few reasons. A mishmash of apps, some aging, have all kinds of on-device routines running that can negatively affect performance. Worse, some are continually accessing the Internet and eating into your data cap -- unlimited wireless Internet on mobile devices is practically nonexistent these days. Plus, the accumulation of apps and their associated data hogs now limited storage memory. It's common to see no expandable storage options on may current phones. I've written about ways to speed up a slowing phone before. In "Ho...

Today in international tech news: Adding yet another chapter to the U.S.-China cyberstandoff, China calls for increased vetting of major IT products and services. Also: Cabbies vandalize -- and engage in fisticuffs at -- the London office of a taxi app; a German court tries to legislate against revenge porn; and Twitter heeds Pakistani block requests. The ever-testy cyberstandoff between the U.S. and China got a new twist when Beijing announced that it would start "cybersecurity vetting of major IT products and services" used for national security and public interests, according to the Xinhua news agency. The vetting is designed to prevent suppliers from using their products to control, disrupt or shut down clients' systems, or from using the systems to scoop up information. Companies that don't pass muster will be barred from supplying products and services in China. The Xinhua article references both a) Congress' 2012 declaration that...

The most obvious reasoning for Microsoft's establishment of a .Net foundation and further opening up the technology is the continued presence and prominence of open source software -- and openness in general -- in key, fast-moving enterprise IT trends including cloud computing, Big Data and devops. Today, Microsoft continues to reshape its approach to open source. Microsoft recently established a .Net foundation and open sourced substantial parts of the popular programming language, continuing to spread its newfound love for open source software. However, it's another movement -- devops -- that may be more of a driving factor in Microsoft's .Net move. In establishing the independent .Net Foundation and making more key pieces of .Net open source, Microsoft was promoting collaboration and community, it said. Many open source technologies exist for .Net, including the recently released .Net compiler platform codenamed "Roslyn." Microsoft also high...

What are the most critical technology skills for students to learn? We recently asked our readers this question, and here’s what they had to say. From having the courage to experiment with different technologies to possessing online literacy, readers said being a tech-savvy student in the 21 st century is about much more than learning how to use a certain software program or device—it’s about being able to adapt to what’s constantly changing. What do you think of this list? Is there anything you’d like to add? Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comment section. 1. Online literacy “Students need to be able to read a news article and determine if there is bias and if it’s truthful. They then need to learn how to read the comment sections of online news articles and respond appropriately with a well thought-out comment.” —Sandy Harty, Salt Lake City  “ The most important technology skill for students is the ability to judge the quality and hidden infl...

IMDB link: 0089755 DVD date: 05 August 2010 Genres: Drama, Adventure, Romance, Biography Cast: Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Michael Gough, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Malick Bowens, Niven Boyd, Mike Bugara, Graham Crowden, Stephen B. Grimes, Muriel Gross and others

(CNN) -- The wearable technology movement is in full effect, and exercise-based activity trackers lead the way. Now, it's becoming child's play. Leapfrog, the maker of education-oriented tablets and apps for children, has unveiled LeapBand, a wearable activity tracker designed with kids in mind. Selling for $40 and designed for children ages 4-7, the LeapBand "encourages active play and healthy habits" with 50 different games and other challenges. It will be available in August, the company said in a written release. "We understand that helping a child reach their potential not only includes making sure they are versed on the ABCs and 123s, but they are encouraged through play to establish healthy habits and get the exercise they need every day," said Dr. Jody Sherman LeVos, director of LeapFrog's Learning Team. "LeapBand is a great way to get kids up and active and help them develop a strong foundation for healthy lifestyles." ...

The digerati mostly greeted the iPhone 5 last week with a collective yawn. So much was already known – a longer, larger (yet not wider) screen, thinner body, a new connector offering instant obsolescence for hundreds of accessories – that its Tom Daley-like lack of splash was declared, in this Olympic year, to lack enough of the technology motto citius, grandior, vilius (faster, bigger, cheaper) – even if it is the first two. Like statisticians poring over Olympic outcomes, they declared too that it didn’t break any records – not the biggest screen, not the world’s thinnest phone, not packing the most features. But as anyone who watched the Games would tell you, it’s not the record-breaking that matters; it’s the experience. That starts when you hold it: raw specifications (18% thinner than last year’s 4S, 20% lighter, 12% less volume) don’t explain how it seems to float in the hand, and how typing or swiping feels like touching the very pixels. (New processes ...

Education For years teachers have been battling against the use of mobile phones in class. But that is changing as schools start to embrace the sophisticated technology many of their pupils carry in their pockets. At its most simple, teachers allow students to use the internet for research. But imaginative lessons take it a step further. One teacher describes a history lesson that required students to do mock archaeology around the classroom to find hidden quick-response barcodes. Once found, the students scanned them with their smartphones and video clips about the subject appeared on their screens. And it is not just secondary schools. Increasingly, primary schools are using iPads and other tablet computers, which are quick to set up and young children take to because they are so intuitive. But the uptake has been painfully slow. Valerie Thompson is head of the e-learning foundation that helps schools to provide children with computers. "Schools are the last...

Black and gray markets for computer hacking tools, services and byproducts such as stolen credit card numbers continue to expand, creating an increasing threat to businesses, governments and individuals, according to a new RAND Corporation study. One dramatic example is the December 2013 breach of retail giant Target, in which data from approximately 40 million credit cards and 70 million user accounts was hijacked. Within days, that data appeared — available for purchase — on black market websites. “Hacking used to be an activity that was mainly carried out by individuals working alone, but over the last 15 years the world of hacking has become more organized and reliable,” said Lillian Ablon, lead author of the study and an information systems analyst at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. “In certain respects, cybercrime can be more lucrative and easier to carry out than the illegal drug trade.” The growth in cybercrime has been assisted by sophisticated and specia...