IT Industry Archives -

WordPress 5.0.2 is here

L3gsman — Sun, 23 Dec 2018 13:24:48 +0000

WordPress 5.0.2 is now available!

5.0.2 is a maintenance release that addresses 73 bugs. The primary focus of this release was performance improvements in the block editor: the cumulated performance gains make it 330% faster for a post with 200 blocks.

Here are a few of the additional highlights:

45 total Block Editor improvements are included (14 performance enhancements & 31 bug fixes).
17 Block Editor related bugs have been fixed across all of the bundled themes.
Some internationalization (i18n) issues related to script loading have also been fixed.

For a full list of changes, please consult the list of tickets on Trac or the changelog.

You can download WordPress 5.0.2 or visit Dashboard → Updates and click Update Now. Sites that support automatic background updates have already started to update automatically.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to WordPress 5.0.2:

The post WordPress 5.0.2 is here appeared first on .

How to get a Facebook Access Token

L3gsman — Sun, 15 Oct 2017 09:40:06 +0000

How to get a Facebook Access Token

https://smashballoon.com/custom-facebook-feed/access-token/

Please note that using a Facebook Access Token is optional when using the Custom Facebook Feed plugin.

To obtain an ‘App’ Access Token from Facebook (which never expires) just follow the steps below.

1) Go to developers.facebook.com and click on Log In in the top right. Log in using your personal Facebook credentials.

Note: The personal Facebook account that you use to register as a developer does not need to be associated in any way with the page or group whose posts you want to display. You can use the Access Token you receive to display the posts from any public Facebook page or open group.

Note: You cannot log in to the Developer site using a Facebook Page or Business account. You must use the username and password from your personal Facebook profile. Facebook doesn’t allow businesses to register as developers, only individuals.

2) If this is your first time signing in to the Facebook Developer portal then click on Register. Registering is a quick an easy process which will take less than a couple of minutes. If you’re already registered then you can skip ahead to step 7.

3) Accept the Facebook terms and click Next.

4) Enter your phone number to confirm your account.

5) Facebook will send you an automated text message containing a confirmation code. Enter it in the box and click Register.

6) You’re now registered as a Facebook Developer. Click Done.

7) Hover over My Apps and then click on Add a New App.

8) If prompted, click on basic setup. Note, this isn’t always displayed so, if not, then you can skip to the next step.

9) Enter your app Display Name – this can be anything you like. Enter an email address and click Create App ID

10) Complete the Security Check and click Submit.

11) Your App is now set up. Click on Dashboard to find your app information.

12) Important: Copy and paste your App ID and App Secret (shown below) into the fields in the next step to retrieve your Access Token.
Note: Make sure to click “Show” next to your App Secret before copying.

13) Copy and paste your App ID and App Secret into the fields below and click Get my Access Token.

Once you have your token, you can copy and paste it into the Facebook Access Token field on the plugin’s Settings page, or head over to the Pro Demo page to test it out. If you have trouble retrieving your token then please contact support for assistance.

The post How to get a Facebook Access Token appeared first on .

Windows 10 spying on us all

L3gsman — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 21:37:26 +0000

Learn how to opt out of Microsoft’s intrusive new terms of use

Windows 10 running on a phone at a technology show in March TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP/Getty Images

Windows 10 has been well received by users and tech writers alike, but parts of Microsoft’s new privacy policy are raising eyebrows due to concerns that they could be ‘spying’ on what users do.

The tech company’s service agreement stretches to 12,000 words, but one part of it has worried users over the safety of their data.

One excerpt worryingly tells users that “we will access, disclose and preserve personal data”, including the contents of emails or files in private folders.

They add that they will do this when they need to comply with law enforcement, prevent spam, maintain the security of their networks, or protect their rights or property.

Microsoft also keeps tabs on your behaviour in order to target adverts to you – something you might be uncomfortable with, or might just find annoying.

If you’re worried about your privacy then you might be put off by upgrading to Windows 10 – which is a shame, because early reviews all seem to agree that it’s a really good operating system.

Fortunately, it’s possible to opt-out of these privacy policies, and Rock Paper Shotgun have explained how to do it.

Go to Settings – Privacy and turn off everything that looks dodgy

Joe Belfiore, Microsoft Corporate Vice President, at a launch event for Microsoft 10

There are 13 screens you need to get through to cover every aspect of your machine, including what apps and programs have access to your location, contacts, messaging details and camera, amongst other things.

Turn off Cortana

Again, this could be a problem, as the Cortana search function, which is similar to Apple’s Siri, has been highly praised as one of the best functions of Windows 10.

However, one of the reasons it works so well is because it logs your past searches and can provide suggestions and more personalised search results.

Users will have to decide whether they’re willing to disable Cortana in exchange for increasing privacy.

Turn off personalised ads

What Microsoft 10’s new home screen looks like

Obviously, ads that are tailored to what you want depend on storing some of your data, otherwise you’d be bombarded with adverts for things you have no intention of buying.

Windows 10 ads work by delivering you targeted adverts wherever you’re logged in to your Microsoft account, whether you’re on desktop, mobile or tablet.

It’s clear that Microsoft doesn’t want users to do this, because it’s not as easy to disable as the other privacy features.

However, it’s still pretty straightforward. You need to go to an external website, and simply turn both personalised ad options to ‘off’.

Use a local Windows account

This is a fairly drastic option, because it would severely cut back on the synchronisation of features between your devices.

Instead of using an existing Windows account, you could use a newly made local account instead – this prevents Microsoft from getting your data, and using it to make sure your machine is updated when you log on with a Windows account.

This is a useful feature, but if you’re concerned about the data harvesting that it involves, it just takes a simple step to avoid it.

Some people may prefer the convenience of synced features and targeted ads, and that’s fine – but the privacy policy can be quite intrusive, and you’re opted in automatically. Fortunately, it’s fairly straightforward to opt out of.

The post Windows 10 spying on us all appeared first on .

9 Dollar computer made in Oakland Ca Usa

L3gsman — Sat, 23 May 2015 23:44:00 +0000

CHIP – The World’s First Nine Dollar Computer

What can you do with a $9 computer? Just about anything.

A new microcomputer called Chip is hot on crowd-funding site Kickstarter. It promises an easy way to learn how to program with a tiny board that packs Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and internal storage — something you don’t find in another popular microcomputer, Raspberry Pi.

Watch Update to learn more what the Chip can do, along with news on Google’s Map Maker woes and reports on self-driving cars getting dinged up in California.

The post 9 Dollar computer made in Oakland Ca Usa appeared first on .

WordPress Security Alert

L3gsman — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 20:26:39 +0000

WordPress Security Alert – WP Super cache

Credit: Wikipedia

Upgrade immediately

ITWorld|April 8, 2015

Security firm Sucuri revealed on their blog this week that they had uncovered a persistent cross-site scripting vulnerability in the popular WordPress plugin WP Super Cache. The effects of this vulnerability can be severe as an attacker can potentially insert malicious code into WordPress pages without your knowledge. Anyone who has experienced this type of attack due to a plugin security flaw knows how difficult and time consuming remediation can be.

Cypress North

WP Super Cache is deployed across all of the WordPress sites we host in our data center, and for good reason. The excellent plugin dramatically boosts the performance of WordPress sites while simultaneously reducing load on the web servers. The code for this plugin is mature and stable, rarely requiring updates. That’s part of the reason why it’s trusted by over 7 million websites. It’s popularity makes this security flaw a big concern for site owners.

Cypress North

The update process is quick and easy so you should take the time to log in and click the update now link as soon as you’re able. If you’re fortunate enough to maintain your sites under a multi-site install you’ll be able to take care of this issue in one shot. Otherwise, like us, you’re stuck logging into each installation and manually updating each site like we spent all yesterday doing.

According to the blog post by Marc-Alexandre Montpas:

Using this vulnerability, an attacker using a carefully crafted query could insert malicious scripts to the plugin’s cached file listing page. As this page requires a valid nonce in order to be displayed, a successful exploitation would require the site’s administrator to have a look at that particular section, manually.

The nonce requirement lowers the odds of the backdoor taking effect since the cached page gets purged periodically, but still, better safe than sorry. The scale of the vulnerable sites makes exploitation an inevitable event. Do your part to protect the web and get updating.

The post WordPress Security Alert appeared first on .

NSA backdoors in majority of computer hard drives around the world

L3gsman — Mon, 13 Apr 2015 17:19:16 +0000

Shopping for Spy Gear: Catalog Advertises NSA Toolbox

By Jacob Appelbaum, Judith Horchert and Christian Stöcker from www.spiegel.de/international

https://youtu.be/b0w36GAyZIA

taken from – InSerbia.info

DPA

Entering through the back door: A State Trooper truck is seen in front of the Fort Meade, Maryland headquarters of the National Security Agency.

After years of speculation that electronics can be accessed by i

A 50-Page Catalog

These NSA agents, who specialize in secret back doors, are able to keep an eye on all levels of our digital lives — from computing centers to individual computers, and from laptops to mobile phones. For nearly every lock, ANT seems to have a key in its toolbox. And no matter what walls companies erect, the NSA’s specialists seem already to have gotten past them.

This, at least, is the impression gained from flipping through the 50-page document. The list reads like a mail-order catalog, one from which other NSA employees can order technologies from the ANT division for tapping their targets’ data. The catalog even lists the prices for these electronic break-in tools, with costs ranging from free to $250,000.

SPIEGEL ONLINE

Interactive Graphic: The NSA’s Spy Catalog

In the case of Juniper, the name of this particular digital lock pick is “FEEDTROUGH.” This malware burrows into Juniper firewalls and makes it possible to smuggle other NSA programs into mainframe computers. Thanks to FEEDTROUGH, these implants can, by design, even survive “across reboots and software upgrades.” In this way, US government spies can secure themselves a permanent presence in computer networks. The catalog states that FEEDTROUGH “has been deployed on many target platforms.”

Master Carpenters

The specialists at ANT, which presumably stands for Advanced or Access Network Technology, could be described as master carpenters for the NSA’s department for Tailored Access Operations (TAO). In cases where TAO’s usual hacking and data-skimming methods don’t suffice, ANT workers step in with their special tools, penetrating networking equipment, monitoring mobile phones and computers and diverting or even modifying data. Such “implants,” as they are referred to in NSA parlance, have played a considerable role in the intelligence agency’s ability to establish a global covert network that operates alongside the Internet.

Some of the equipment available is quite inexpensive. A rigged monitor cable that allows “TAO personnel to see what is displayed on the targeted monitor,” for example, is available for just $30. But an “active GSM base station” — a tool that makes it possible to mimic a mobile phone tower and thus monitor cell phones — costs a full $40,000. Computer bugging devices disguised as normal USB plugs, capable of sending and receiving data via radio undetected, are available in packs of 50 for over $1 million.

‘Persistence’

The ANT division doesn’t just manufacture surveillance hardware. It also develops software for special tasks. The ANT developers have a clear preference for planting their malicious code in so-called BIOS, software located on a computer’s motherboard that is the first thing to load when a computer is turned on.

This has a number of valuable advantages: an infected PC or server appears to be functioning normally, so the infection remains invisible to virus protection and other security programs. And even if the hard drive of an infected computer has been completely erased and a new operating system is installed, the ANT malware can continue to function and ensures that new spyware can once again be loaded onto what is presumed to be a clean computer. The ANT developers call this “Persistence” and believe this approach has provided them with the possibility of permanent access.

Another program attacks the firmware in hard drives manufactured by Western Digital, Seagate, Maxtor and Samsung, all of which, with the exception of the latter, are American companies. Here, too, it appears the US intelligence agency is compromising the technology and products of American companies.

Other ANT programs target Internet routers meant for professional use or hardware firewalls intended to protect company networks from online attacks. Many digital attack weapons are “remotely installable” — in other words, over the Internet. Others require a direct attack on an end-user device — an “interdiction,” as it is known in NSA jargon — in order to install malware or bugging equipment.

There is no information in the documents seen by SPIEGEL to suggest that the companies whose products are mentioned in the catalog provided any support to the NSA or even had any knowledge of the intelligence solutions. “Cisco does not work with any government to modify our equipment, nor to implement any so-called security ‘back doors’ in our products,” the company said in a statement. Contacted by SPIEGEL reporters, officials at Western Digital, Juniper Networks and Huawei also said they had no knowledge of any such modifications. Meanwhile, Dell officials said the company “respects and complies with the laws of all countries in which it operates.”

Many of the items in the software solutions catalog date from 2008, and some of the target server systems that are listed are no longer on the market today. At the same time, it’s not as if the hackers within the ANT division have been sleeping on the job. They have continued to develop their arsenal. Some pages in the 2008 catalog, for example, list new systems for which no tools yet exist. However, the authors promise they are already hard at work developing new tools and that they will be “pursued for a future release.”

The post NSA backdoors in majority of computer hard drives around the world appeared first on .

CNN asks is IBM preparing for the biggest corporate layoff in history

L3gsman — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 13:20:02 +0000

NEW YORK from CNNMoney 26th Jan 2015

Could IBM be preparing for the biggest corporate layoff in history? It depends who you ask.

Tech blogger Robert Cringely wrote last week that IBM would lay off 26% of its staff, or nearly 112,000 employees, in a massive restructuring. The cuts will be announced Wednesday, and they will predominantly be focused in IBM’s struggling storage and mainframe businesses, Cringely reported.

IBM (IBM, Tech30) fired back with one of the longest “no comments” of all time.

“IBM does not comment on rumors, even ridiculous or baseless ones,” the company said in a statement. “If anyone had checked information readily available from our public earnings statements, or had simply asked us, they would know that IBM has already announced the company has just taken a $600 million charge for workforce rebalancing. This equates to several thousand people, a mere fraction of what’s been reported.”

In other words, IBM has effectively already announced plans to cut several thousand positions.

https://cvtfradio.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/IBM-disputes-report-of-112000-layoffs-Jan-26-2016.mp4

IBM has approximately 430,000 employees worldwide. The company notes that it hired 45,000 people last year, and IBM currently has about 15,000 job openings for “growth areas,” such as cloud, analytics, security, and social and mobile technologies.

“This is evidence that IBM continues to remix its skills to match where we see the best opportunities in the marketplace,” the company said.

IBM analysts are skeptical of the report too.

“I don’t know if the report’s right or wrong, but I believe it’s very likely a gross exaggeration,” said Frank Gens, chief analyst at IDC.

But Cringely says he is confident in his reporting.

“From what I’ve seen so far IBM is mainly calling me names, which means nothing,” Cringely told CNNMoney. “There’s a huge layoff coming on Wednesday. The numbers I’ve seen are from 24% to 27%.”

Cringely, who wrote a book called “The Decline and Fall of IBM, predicted in 2012 that IBM would lay off 78% of its U.S. workforce by 2015. IBM has made giant cuts to its U.S. labor force over the past three years, but the actual number amounts to less than 10%, according to IBM’s union, Alliance@IBM.

IBM is no stranger to massive layoffs. It already owns the ignominious distinction for having the biggest layoff of all time — 60,000 employees in 1993.

The company is also in a lot of trouble. It was the worst performer in the Dow Jones industrial average last year. Sales have been in a three-year slump. The weak global economy combined with poor sales execution has led to softening demand for nearly all of IBM’s core products — corporate hardware, software and IT services.

CEO Ginni Rometty abandoned the company’s 2015 profit forecast last year, and she delivered a revised earnings prediction last week that failed to meet Wall Street analysts’ reduced expectations.

So layoffs are coming. But 112,000 pink slips on Wednesday? We’ll find out soon.

Related: IBM is the Dow’s Big Blah stock

Related: Augusta National admits IBM CEO as 3rd female member
First Published: January 26, 2015: 12:17 PM ET

The post CNN asks is IBM preparing for the biggest corporate layoff in history appeared first on .