Subterms
Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto Microsoft has detailed a high-severity flaw in the TikTok Android app that could have allowed an attacker to hijack an account when users click on a link. Fortunately, developers at TikTok parent ByteDance quickly fixed the flaw after Microsoft researchers reported the issue to it in February through its bug bounty program, […] More
Apple has released an important security update for the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 and older iPads to address one of two flaws affecting iOS 15 that also affected iOS 12. Apple has rolled out a fix for iOS 12 in the update in iOS 12.5.6 that brings across a patch for a remote code execution […] More
Image: Getty There’s been a big rise in ransomware attacks targeting Linux as cyber criminals look to expand their options and exploit an operating system that is often overlooked when businesses think about security. According to analysis by cybersecurity researchers at Trend Micro, Linux servers are “increasingly coming under fire” from ransomware attacks, with detections […] More
Imagw: Black_Kira/Shutterstock Google Chrome extensions are meant to make your life easier. With Chrome browser extensions that help you get discounts, correct your grammar, take screenshots, and watch shows with friends, downloading an extension can be very tempting. However, malicious extensions are mimicking the appearance of popular ones to put your privacy at risk. Malicious […] More
Image: Getty/NoSystem Defending against ransomware attacks and other cyber threats takes more than just setting up detection measures to identify potential malicious activity. Cybersecurity teams need to ensure that the network is made unattractive to cyber criminals by making it difficult to break into in the first place. Ransomware is a major cybersecurity problem facing […] More
VMware should actively work to assure customers in Asia-Pacific that the Broadcom merger will not follow in the footsteps of previous acquisitions with CA Technologies and Symantec. And while the integration of key assets from the three companies can potentially create a viable multi-cloud player, it remains to be seen if Broadcom can succeed in doing so. Broadcom in May said it was seeking to purchase an 88% stake in VMware for $61 billion, prompting concerns over what that might mean for the latter’s brand. Following the announcement, Forrester analysts said VMware customers should be anxious if Broadcom applied the same treatment it did with its CA and Symantec acquisitions. Customers of the two vendors saw price hikes, dipping support, and stalled development. Forrester added that Symantec shifted its focus to its biggest customers and resellers, prioritising the top 2,000 of its clientele of 100,000. Existing and new customers would want to monitor VMware’s actions, which would serve as early indications of any potential shift in how the vendor engaged with its clientele, Simon Piff, IDC’s Asia-Pacific vice president told ZDNet. He said the acquisition should prompt questions about whether VMware would continue with its current customer path in Asia-Pacific for now as well as in the future, or whether it would result in similar consequences with the CA and Symantec acquisitions. VMware would need to be vocal and active with its customers in the region to assure them that what happened with the two previous acquisitions would not occur again, Piff said.”Broadcom may not have planned for the apparent evaporation of CA and Symantec in Asia-Pacific, but it happened. If they want to assure customers this won’t happen, they need to be vocal and seen to be doing the right things. Any slip-up here and they will spend a lot of cycles recovering, which will not be good for anyone,” the IDC analyst said. While Broadcom or VMware had yet to offer a clearly defined organisation from the impending merger, Piff noted that a combination of critical assets from VMware, Symantec, and CA would create a compelling partner for organisations looking to manage their multi-cloud environments. The merged entity could help accelerate the “effective, secure, and more easily managed adoption” of multi-cloud, he added. Whether Broadcom would be able to do so, though, remained to be seen, he said. During a media Q&A at VMware’s Explore conference Tuesday in San Francisco, ZDNet asked the vendor’s CEO Raghu Raghuram if he saw potential for both CA and Symantec’s technologies to be integrated with VMware’s portfolio and drive the latter’s pitch as the market player to help companies manage their multi-cloud deployment. Raghuram declined to comment, saying that the vendor could not discuss activities related to the impending acquisition that still were under consideration, including product integration and synergies. At the conference, where Broadcom CEO Hock E. Tan was amongst the attendees, Raghuram said VMware currently was helping its future parent understand the “depth and breadth” of its products and business. He added that the company was in its next major transition and “on track” to close the acquisition by the end of Broadcom’s fiscal 2023, which spanned November 2022 to October next year. For now, he said, VMware continued to operate as a standalone company. Adding that details about the merger would be revealed once the acquisition was finalised, Raghuram said the overall message from the union was that its partners would see greater and broader opportunities to support customers of both companies. Until then, VMware will need to work on a “clear and solid” go-to-market strategy.This should encompass its business and financial structures, product and development roadmap, and partner ecosystem, said Charlie Dai, Forrester’s vice president and research director, who leads the team in China. This should serve to demonstrate the vendor’s continued commitment along the journey, he told ZDNet. Based in Singapore, Eileen Yu reported for ZDNet from VMware Explore 2022 in San Francisco, USA, on the invitation of VMware.RELATED COVERAGE More
Shutterstock Google on Tuesday announced it’s launching a new bug bounty program that focuses specifically on open source software. Bug hunters can earn anywhere from $100 to upwards of $31,000 via the new Open Source Software Vulnerability Rewards Program (OSS VRP), depending on the severity of the vulnerability they find. The new program tackles a […] More
“There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” That phrase has actually been around since the days of Old West saloons. If you bought a drink, the saloon would provide you with a free lunch. There was a catch, of course. The lunches were so salty that patrons wound up buying more and more drinks, to slake their thirst. ZDNET Recommends If you think you’re getting something for free, there’s always a catch. This also applies to VPN services. But instead of paying for a few extra drinks, free VPN services could end up putting your personal privacy at risk. At the very least, free VPNs often have such strong limitations that even when they are offered by a reputable company, they aren’t very useful. A good rule of thumb is to be wary of any free service and only consider free VPNs offered by companies with strong privacy policies and a good track record. A VPN provider may offer a limited version of its service for free as a way to generate business for its paid product. In a pinch, this type of free VPN could be useful for a one-off trip, but you’re not going to have access to many features and free VPNs typically aren’t good for heavy-duty use, such as file sharing or streaming. More
