Software : Google weighs end-to-end encryption for Gmail service |
- Google weighs end-to-end encryption for Gmail service
- Cisco's 'Managed Threat Defense' solution is designed to detect and prevent attacks
- Microsoft app throws analytics and interactive capabilities into the PowerPoint 'Mix'
- Facebook ready to reveal plan to share your data with devs?
| Google weighs end-to-end encryption for Gmail service Posted:  Nearly a year after Edward Snowden revealed to the world just how far the US government was willing to go with its surveillance initiatives, companies like Google continue to explore methods to shore up the security of user data. VentureBeat reported Monday that Google is researching new ways to keep Gmail missives away from prying eyes, and the answer could lie with an open-source standard more than two decades old. According to an unnamed Google source, the search giant is seeking ways to make its decade-old Gmail service work seamlessly with existing Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption utilities currently used on text messages, emails, files or even entire disk partitions. With more than 425 million global users, Gmail is technically already PGP compatible, but could benefit from end-to-end encryption the Google source called "the best defense for message protection" despite a "considerable cost in functionality." Who holds the keys?In the consumer world, such end-to-end encryption tools are most notably used with Firefox Sync, which the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) explains offers a decryption key-based approach which ultimately places more responsibility on end users. Likewise, third-party services such as GPG Tools and Mailvelope have gone a long way toward making PGP encryption more approachable, but have yet to crack into what the report calls a "mainstream audience." Considerable security benefits aside, Google will likely stop short of site-wide adoption, given that Gmail messages must first be scanned in order to create targeted advertising, the company's bread and butter. The report also doesn't offer any clues as to how Google might integrate PGP into Gmail, suggesting that any such solution could ultimately "end up buried behind a settings menu" where users could wind up simply ignoring it.
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| Cisco's 'Managed Threat Defense' solution is designed to detect and prevent attacks Posted:  Cisco introduced a security solution geared toward attack detection and prevention, the company said in a statement. "Managed Threat Defense" is designed to leverage real-time, predictive analytics to ensure attacks that aren't detected by antivirus solutions are caught in real time. The new tool is an on-premise combination of hardware and software. Cisco's team will be responsible for monitoring activity that occurs within the service network in order to attempt to detect incidents, provide response analysis, monitor incident escalation, and provide remediation recommendations. Incident tracking and reporting is available via a subscription. Managed Threat Defense will be integrated with Hadoop 2.0 in order to attempt to apply predictive analytics to identify anomalous patterns in order to detect oncoming attacks. The solution is also designed to find vulnerabilities using pattern analysis and community threat intelligence data. DDoS attacksCisco recently released patches for six flaws in its Internetwork Operating System. At the time Cisco said that the vulnerabilities were serious and could have been used to mount DDoS attacks on customers. A recent Akamai survey reported DDoS attacks were 47% more frequent in Q1 2014 than they were during the same quarter last year. The Internet of ThingsIn addition to investments in security solutions, Cisco has recently focused on helping clients construct an Internet of Things. In March, Cisco said it would invest $1 billion (£605 million, AU$1.1 billion) to build what it says will be the world's largest Intercloud network to tackle the Internet of Everything. The two-year investment will see Cisco and its partners develop an open network of clouds with APIs for rapid application development to serve the enterprise market. In February at Mobile World Congress, Cisco hosted a number of demonstrations on how to transform user experiences with heterogeneous access, how to capture new markets with elastic mobile networks, and how to monetize and optimize with experience-aware networks. Cisco also unveiled plans to connect the Internet of Things to cloud data centers using "fog computing" solutions, which the company says will be a "highly virtualized platform that provides compute, storage and networking services between devices and cloud computing data centers." |
| Microsoft app throws analytics and interactive capabilities into the PowerPoint 'Mix' Posted:  Microsoft is previewing an application that offers users in-depth analytics and interactive capabilities for PowerPoint. Microsoft "Office Mix" will enable users to record interactive media elements such as audio, video and quizzes directly into a presentation. Interested parties can access a sneak peak of the application by logging onto the "Office Mix" preview site. Reports speculate the tool is geared toward the education sector. However, Microsoft has yet to provide any commentary on the preview. Microsoft launched Office 365 Personal for single users last week. Office for the enterpriseMicrosoft recently launched several new tools and capabilities designed to simplify the use of Microsoft Office in the enterprise. The company also made available Office for the iPad. The company recently said it would not be releasing new versions of its on-premises Exchange or SharePoint servers in 2014. VIA ZDNet |
| Facebook ready to reveal plan to share your data with devs? Posted:  Facebook's long been brewing its very own mobile ad network, and word is the company is about to finally spill the contents of its cauldron. The social network's plans for mobile ads will be fully revealed at its F8 developer conference in San Francisco at the end of April, according to Re/code, which reportedly spoke with "multiple sources familiar with the matter." Like Google does with its ad network, Facebook will allow developers to use the site's vast stores of user data to more effectively target users. The Facebook ad network will extend beyond Facebook's own apps, potentially making other developers happy and Mark Zuckerberg even happier. Ad menThe social network began testing its mobile ad network in January, when it said it would "[work] directly with a small number of advertisers and publishers, rather than an outside ad-serving platform." Facebook struggled with monetizing its own mobile ads initially, but as of the second quarter of 2013 had grown mobile ads to 41% of all its advertising revenue. During the final quarter of the year Facebook's mobile ads generated $1.24 billion (about £7.38b, AU$1.32b). Facebook has been experimenting with its ads more than ever recently, including a partnership with Google, and sponsored Instagram photos, and much-loathed Facebook News Feed video ads. |
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