Snappy Ubuntu Core 16 Launched For IoT Devices, Raspberry Pi, And Cloud With A Focus On Security

Short Bytes: Ubuntu Core 16 is a minimalistic Linux-based operating system developed by Canonical Ltd. Primarily intended for IoT devices. The latest Snappy Ubuntu borrows core features from the Ubuntu 16.10 Yakkety Yak and takes advantage of the Snaps. Canonical has also assured timely updates and a dedicated app store.

Canonical Ltd. has announced its much-awaited Ubuntu Core 16 Linux-based operating system for various IoT devices. The Ubuntu Core 16, which was in development since a year, is a trimmed down version of the Ubuntu 16.10 Yakkety Yak.The Linux distro for IoT devices takes advantage of the Snap packages — a zip file containing all the package data along with the details about running the application on the machine. The Snaps are tamper-proof, developer-friendly, and digitally signed. The Snappy package manager–used to install and manage snaps–has been developed by Canonical itself and it enhances security by enabling sandboxing of the applications.

Ubuntu Core 16 has taken full advantage of the Snaps, even the kernel and the OS itself are delivered as Snaps. The Ubuntu Core OS contains just the base filesystems. Its image size is almost half of the CentOS Atomic Host 7.

The transactional nature of the Snap package updates is a boon for the developers. If the update gets failed, an automatic rollback is performed which encourages the developers to update their applications more often and without any fear of a crash. Using Update Control, the developers can validate an update in the ecosystem before applying it.

The lightweight Ubuntu Core 16 also features a Snap app store allowing developers to publish apps for various internet-connected devices. The Snappy Ubuntu Core 16 is intended for single board computers, SoCs, and cloud platforms. It has already been deployed in top-of-rack switches, drones, radio access networks, gateways etc. The list of supported devices include:

• Raspberry Pi 2 and 3
• Qualcomm DragonBoard 410c
• Intel NUC
• Intel Joule
• Samsung Artik
• KVM

You can download the Snappy Ubuntu Core 16 ISO on Ubuntu’s website.

If you have something to add, tell us in the comments below.

General Mobile GM5: The first Android One phone running Nougat launched

If you think in this new age of Google’s Pixel smartphones, it has forgotten its budget Android One programme, then think again because it is still alive and kicking. The search giant has collaborated with General Mobile to launch the first Android One smartphone which is based on the latest build of the mobile operating system called Nougat. It is called the GM5.

This phone has been designed for emerging markets like Azerbaijan, Albania, Afghanistan, Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Iraq, Kenya, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Pakistan, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan. This also means it has a bleak change of coming to India, but then again the market here is quite mature which you realise the moment you see the specifications on the phone.

It has a rather rudimentary 5-inch 720p HD LCD display which is reinforced with Gorilla Glass 4. It is powered by the aged Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor which we have seen in phones for quite a few years. There’s also 2GB RAM, 16GB of internal storage and even a microSD card slot for the sake of memory expansion.

For imaging, the device also packs in a 13-megapixel snapper on the back and a 5-megapixel camera on the front. It has a 2,500mAh battery and it is quite chunky at 160 grams and 9.3mm.

The phone comes with the usual array of features that one expects of a basic Android phone - Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, FM Radio and even Wi-Fi Direct.

Overall, it is a rather basic Android phone which is differentiated by the fact that it is part of Google’s Android One programme and is running stock Android Nougat out of the box which isn’t true of many smartphones.

This blog was first published on: http://www.gizmodo.in/indiamodo/General-Mobile-GM5-The-first-Android-One-phone-running-Nougat-launched/articleshow/55286266.cms

Top 10 Most Dangerous Malware That Can Cripple Your Device

Short Bytes: Check Point has released the list of the most dangerous malware that are most prevalent in the world. This list was topped by Conficker, a worm that spreads from system to system and downloads malware. For the first time, ransomware found a place in the top 3. In the mobile arena, for the sixth consecutive month, HummingBad remained the most wanted malware.

The Check Point Research Team has released its latest list of the top 10 most wanted malware. The team has indicated that ransomware attacks have continued to rise in the recent months. Also, for the first time since they launched the Threat Index, ransomware has found a place in the top three.According to September’s data, Locky ransomware, which originated in February 2016, was the 3rd most dangerous malware, accounting for 6 percent of all recognized malware attacks all around the world. Talking about the total share of ransomware attacks, it grew by 13 percent.

There was also a rise in the number of active malware families, with 3 new names entering the top 10. These families were Chanitor , Blackhole exploit kit, and Nivdort bot.

In the mobile malware category, Check Point found that for the sixth consecutive month HummingBad, followed by Triada and Ztorg, remained the most common malware used to attack mobile devices.

Top 10 Most Dangerous Malware

1. Conficker: Worm that enabled remote operations and malware download
2. Sality: Virus that allows remote operations and downloads additional malware
3. Locky: Spreads mainly via spam emails with disguised downloader
4. Cutwail: Botnet used to send spams and take part in DDoS attacks
5. Zeus: Trojan used to steal banking information
6. Chanitor: Installs malicious payloads on infected machines
7. Tinba: Banking trojan
8. Cryptowall: Ransomware that uses AES encryption and conducts C&C communication over TOR
9. Blackhole: Exploit kit that uses browser and plugin security flaws
10. Nivdort: Bot that’s used to steal passwords and modify settings

Did you find this article helpful? Don’t forget to drop your feedback in the comments section below.

This blog was first published on: http://thinkdebug.com/blog/top-10-most-dangerous-malware-that-can-cripple-your-device/

A Tropical Getaway: 7 Apps for Easier Travel Planning

In several recent commercial spots, JetBlue has been bragging about its efficiency: how it helps travelers arrive at their destination before they come up with their business idea or before learning about the local animals.

It’s an odd premise because, though speed is a wonderful thing, do you really want to arrive on vacation, only to realize you know nothing about where you are? Vacation is more likely to be fun and fulfilling when you have at least a few plans, even if they’re just to lie on the beach.

What you need are some easy tools to help guide you. Before you hop on that plane to enjoy a little rest and relaxation, you’ll want to download the following great travel apps.

From scuba diving to road trips, there’s an app waiting for your next adventure.

An Approved Itinerary

One of the great challenges of going on a road trip is trying to find the best stops and figuring out how to space them as you go. Now there’s a solution: Tripsee. A crowdsourced itinerary tool, Tripsee aggregates all of the information, from location to costs and hours, while also plugging in your hotel and any flights or other transit data. With insights about which spots are usually overcrowded and other knowledge you can only get from being there, Tripsee is the all-seeing app that goes anywhere you want to be.

When You’re Out of Range

Part of what makes vacationing so great is that you get to disconnect from your normal workday world. Without service, you might not be able to access your home security stream, but you also won’t have to check your work email.

The only problem with this situation is that many travel apps depend on an internet connection. For those who plan to spend their vacation on an isolated stretch of beach, however, this can pose a problem.

If you plan to be off the grid for a good portion of your trip, check out apps like Aruba’s official travel guide, which can function without an internet connection. St. Thomas has a similar app, plus advanced functionality for when you are connected, such as augmented reality tools and itinerary planning.

It’s rare to find a location-based app that doesn’t demand at least a phone signal, but they are out there.

Go Deeper

You might not be able to take your phone snorkeling and scuba diving with you, but its usefulness doesn’t have to end at water’s edge. Your phone has a lot to offer in terms of helping you plan dives, identifying the many colorful fish you will see while snorkeling, and keeping records of what you encounter down below.

DiveMate USB for Android is a perfect fit for divers of any level, and it makes it easy to transfer information between devices. Advanced divers will find a lifeline in V Planner, an app that can predict gas consumption, weather conditions, and more.

Weather the Storm

Finally, you can stop worrying about whether you’ll have sunny skies for the duration of your getaway by downloading tools that stretch a little further than your iPhone’s weather app. Leading tools include Dark Sky, a rain predictor for the notoriously rainy UK and Ireland (as well as the US), and On The Snow, a great app for avid skiers and snowboarders who want to make sure the slopes are in prime condition.

There are many other travel apps, no matter what your destination may be, so if you don’t find the solution to your vacation planning woes here, don’t worry. A quick skim of the app store is sure to turn up precisely the guide to Greenland’s tundra or outer Mongolia that you’ve been looking for.

This blog was first published on: http://smarterware.org/2016/10/tropical-getaway-7-apps-easier-travel-planning/

Android is as secure as iPhone says Google

Google now contents that Android is as secure as Apple’s iOS which powers iPhones and iPads. Android’s head of security Adrian Ludwig touted Android’s secure nature at the O’Reilly security conference in New York City on where he spoke at great length about the security that the new Google Pixel smartphone provided.

“For almost all threat models…they are nearly identical in terms of their platform-level capabilities,” he said. “In the long term, the open ecosystem of Android is going to put it in a much better place,” claimed Ludwig.

Ludwig also touted Google’s Safety Net which scans through 400 million devices every day and 6 billion apps per day. According to Ludwig this means that less than 1 percent Android devices have malware on them.

“At this point we still don’t have any confirmed instances of exploitation in the wild,” he said talking about the StageFright malware issue, which he believed was blown out of proportion.

Ludwig believed there was room for improvement especially when it comes down to Android updates. He believes Google and its carrier and smartphone OEM partners can better collaborate to provide timely updates especially when they are related to security patches.

As in the US, updates are also vetted by the carriers and deployed by them, often phones don’t get updated for months after.

Ludwig also believed that Android is so secure as a platform that it doesn’t suffer any of the afflictions that have plagued dominant operating systems like Windows.

“Mass exploitation is something that I’m not expecting that we’re going to see at any point in the ecosystem.

The Face of Change: 3 Apps Disrupting Enterprise Social Media

As individuals in the 21st century, we all have a sense of what people mean when they use the phrase “social media.” Immediately, our minds populate a list that includes sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. We may even have knowledge of enterprise-specific programs like Slack that have changed the face of professional messaging.

What many digitally savvy people are unaware of, however, is that there are many other platforms that are disrupting enterprise social media as we know it – and if you want to stay ahead of the curve, you need to get on board. For companies committed to digital leadership, these are the three new, must-have apps.

The Next Generation of Visuals

Multimedia social network use has become the gold standard these days, as you can see by dropping in on just about any professional or personal account across the complete range of platforms. Sam Ovens’ peppers his Twitter feed with screenshots of client interactions, companies share video from their product development team, and when all else fails, even major brands aren’t above posting a few baby animal images. Soon, though, this approach to visual won’t be enough, thanks to apps like Storehouse.

What Storehouse brings to the table that sets it apart from other image dominated programs, like Instagram or Snapchat, is the ability to coordinate different sources of images. That means it can pull from your Instagram, Flickr, camera roll, and more to help you create elaborate social media narratives. Although TechCrunch recognized Storehouse as a top appin 2015, most companies haven’t started using it as part of their overall marketing strategy.

The Competitive Edge

There are two main components to brand development and management – the narrative you put out about your brand and what others say about it. While you control that first component, it can be hard to keep up with the broader commentary pointed in your direction, and that’s where Brand24 comes in.

Brand24 is a social media monitor, tuning into your different accounts to catch whatever feedback comes your way, and alerting you to positive and negative comments that may require further attention. This is a great way to keep your finger on the pulse of things and prevents you from missing key customer service opportunities.

The Organizer You Always Needed

In business, sometimes the greatest innovation comes from finding new ways to do old things – progress isn’t always product-focused. That’s what makes Buffer such an innovative tool; it offers a better management system for handling the overwhelming weight of social media.

Plenty of platforms are focused on helping you plan and schedule for a single site, but Buffer ties together Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and more for a simplified experience. You won’t believe how much time you were wasting coordinating your social media until you see how much easier Buffer makes it.

The role of social media in business will only continue to grow in coming years, so it’s important to stay on the cutting edge, adopting new apps to make your job easier and your strategies more innovative. These three apps are just the beginning of a total social media transformation.

This Blog was first published on: http://smarterware.org/2016/10/face-change-3-apps-disrupting-enterprise-social-media/

Blackberry launches its last, most powerful Android phone

BlackBerry Ltd launched its third Android-based phone on Tuesday, the last device whose success will be the company's financial responsibility, opting to price its top-end device well below Apple Inc's iPhone 7.

The Canadian smartphone pioneer, which has lost most of the market to Apple and others, last month said it planned to completely outsource the development of its smartphones to focus on its more profitable business of making software and managing mobile devices.

That means the Android-based DTEK60 will be the last phone for which BlackBerry buys components itself, which carries a heavier risk if it does not sell well.

"This one is our phone," BlackBerry Chief Operating Officer Marty Beard said in an interview. "This is fully our responsibility."

BlackBerry's Toronto-listed shares were down 1.2 percent in afternoon trade at C$9.70. They had touched C$11.18 - their highest since January - on Sept. 28 when the company announced its outsourcing plan.

"BlackBerry had to kill its hardware in order to save it," website TechCrunch wrote in a broadly positive review of the DTEK60 that nevertheless questioned how much interest it would elicit.

Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry does not have any deals with telecom companies to distribute the device.

Instead, it is pitching the phone directly to companies and governments, as well as selling it on its own websites in the United States, Canada, and several major European countries.

"It's not necessarily an anti-carrier strategy," Beard said. "It's more that we see this as the most efficient and most cost-effective way to get to that customer base."

The device, which has a 5.5 inch touchscreen, will be priced at $499. Apple's iPhone 7 with the same screen size starts at $769, while the equivalent version of Android-maker Alphabet Inc's Pixel starts at $649.

"Certainly it's not going to be the next superstar in the marketplace," said William Stofega, a mobile phone analyst at IDC Corp. "But it's a solid device that brings some really high-end security features and capabilities to it."

The DTEK60 is being manufactured by TCL Corp, a Chinese electronics company that makes phones as well as televisions, air conditioners and other household appliances.

BlackBerry launched its first Android device, the high-end Priv, in November last year and followed it with the much cheaper DTEK50 in July. The company last month wrote down $137 million of phone inventory and supply commitments.