Thursday, October 16, 2014

For my Computer Security students. (Report available from HP)
Cost of Cyber Attacks Jumps for US Firms: Study
A survey of 59 US firms by the Ponemon Institute with Hewlett-Packard found the average annual cost of responding to cyber attacks was $12.7 million, up 96 percent over the previous five years.
The organizations saw a 176 percent increase in the number of cyber attacks, with an average of 138 successful attacks per week, compared to 50 attacks per week when the study was initially conducted in 2010.
The average time to detect an attack was 170 days, and it took on average 45 days to resolve a cyber incident, costing an average of $1.6 million, according to the researchers.


Teens: “We have the technology, let's use it!” Old Geezer (Bob): “I have the technology. I can't think of a reason to use it.”
Google study shows that we use Voice Search for a lot of embarrassing things
… A study commissioned by Google on how people use voice search was released today, and from it we've learned more than we ever wanted to know about how people use voice search.
… Apparently, 22 percent of teens have for some reason admitted to using voice search while in the bathroom. When you're in the age group that uses voice search most often, you're not going to let a quick pit stop to the restroom stop you from talking to your smartphone. The study found that 55 percent of teens ages 13 to 18 use hands-free search every day, compared to 41 percent of adults.
In response to the question, "pick one thing you wish you could ask your phone to do for you," 45 percent of teens chose "send me a pizza." Boring adults chose the boring answer "tell me where my keys are" to the tune of 44 percent, but 36 percent of adults showed that they still have some fun in them by also saying they would like voice search to send them pizzas.


Could be useful. I'll add this to my Disaster Recovery class. Facebook will probably map “disasters” worldwide and become the “website of doom.”
Facebook's 'Safety Check' lets friends know you're safe
During a major disaster, Facebook users can let their friends and family know they are safe by using the new Safety Check tool.
When the tool is activated and Facebook determines that a user may be in an area where a natural disaster occurred, the social network will send a notification asking if the user is safe. If the response “I’m Safe” is selected, Facebook will create a post and share it on the user’s news feed, telling friends they are out of peril. Friends too have the possibility to mark someone as safe.
Facebook determines a user’s location by looking at the city listed in their profile, their last location if they’ve opted in to the Nearby Friends service, and the city where they are using the Internet, presumably derived from their IP address. If the location is wrong the user can tell Safety Check they are not in the affected area.

(Related) Sometimes it's good that your “Things” know where you are and can tell anyone(?) who asks! (Is something seriously wrong with OnStar?)
'Find My iPhone' App Helps Locate Missing Motorist
A California woman who drove her car into a 500-foot ravine was rescued this week after her family and one clever police officer were able to determine her location via her iPhone, the San Jose Mercury News reported.
The unnamed, 28-year-old resident of Campbell, Calif. veered off Mount Hamilton Road in a 2012 Chevy Cruze on Monday and wound up spending 18 hours at the bottom of the ravine before being airlifted out by a Coast Guard helicopter on Tuesday morning, the newspaper reported.
Though her vehicle was outfitted with General Motors's OnStar system, which determines a vehicle's location by means of a roof-mounted GPS antenna, the company was not able to pinpoint where the car was, according to the Mercury News.
… An OnStar spokesperson also told the Mercury News that GM's system "only keeps track of users locations at discreet moments in time, such as when an accident happens or when they call in to get driving directions from a particular place."
By contrast, when location tracking and location-based apps are enabled on an iPhone, the device and Apple's tracking system attempt to maintain an ongoing connection to pinpoint the location of the smartphone.


Revolt of the Content Providers?
HBO Launching Standalone Service In 2015
HBO has announced plans to offer a standalone subscription service starting sometime in 2015. HBO is currently only available to U.S. residents who also pay for a raft of other channels. But HBO CEO Richard Plepler has promised to go “beyond the wall” and launch a “stand-alone, over the top” version next year.
Details are thin on the ground, so it isn’t yet known how HBO will deliver such a service to customers, or what it’ll charge for the privilege. Regardless, this puts HBO on a collision course with streaming services, and Netflix in particular. But with an increasing number of people refusing to pay a small fortune for channels they don’t want to watch, HBO had to act, and fast.


Expanding the earlier survey.
A World of Beloved Books (According to Facebook)
What books have stayed with you?
… Back in September, Facebook tallied up the results of that status game worldwide. Its findings? The Harry Potter series, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Lord of the Rings, and Pride and Prejudice led the way. They were followed by none other than the Bible.
Since then, the game has gotten bigger, spreading to other countries and languages. In a new blog post, Facebook has unveiled which books are beloved in nations that have had 20,000 or more responses—that is, France, India, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, and the Philippines.
What did they find? In those six nations—as in the U.S. and U.K.-dominated first tally—the Boy Who Lives dominates.


For my spreadsheet students.
How To Use An Excel Pivot Table For Data Analysis


For my Computer Security students, past & present.
Looking for a job? Cyber Aces is hosting another National Cybersecurity Career Fair in November
Last spring I wrote about Cyber Aces hosting its first National Cybersecurity Career Fair (NCCF). (See National Cybersecurity Career Fair in June Will Connect Employers to Entry Level Cybersecurity Workers.)
… The group held its first ever career fair this past June and the event was so successful that it has decided to make the career fair a semi-annual event. The next NCCF is scheduled for November 20 and 21, 2014. Now is the time to register and create your personal profile if you want to meet with prospective employers.


For my Android toting students. Probably a similar one for the iPhone.
– is an Android app that welcomes you into the world of data by showing you the output of all sensors of your Android device. Check the temperature, humidity, air pressure, gravity, light, acceleration and a lot more. Most sensors also display a chart with the output of the sensor so you can better watch the changes during the time.

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