Cloud Storage on the Go — SkyDrive is Here For iOS

If you’re a fan of Microsoft’s famous file-storage service, Windows Live SkyDrive, you’ll be happy to know that you can now order it — to go!  There is now an iOS app on offer that lets you access your files from your mobile device as well as your PC.

Heaven on earth?  Absolutely — if you know what it’s all about. The new information mobility means people can choose to store their files in the clouds instead of their PCs, and that makes understanding the nature of your cloud more crucial.

A Quick Comparison

A search can give you more than 70 cloud storage options, most of which appear able to manage basic documents, photos, and videos.

One difference is in how much free storage space provided. Of the two most well known cloud products, Windows Live Skydrive has 25GB free storage, while iCloud offers 5GB free (but purchased music, apps, books, and TV shows won’t count in that measure.)

Another is in integration.  Windows Live Skydrive integrates with hotmail, Bing, and Live Groups (5 GB shared space with members.) iCloud users get a free me.com account for email integration.

The biggest difference in the two clouds seems to be what you can do with them. The Live Skydrive supports collaboration, in that multiple users can edit the same document stored in the cloud. iCloud celebrates access to everything everywhere, which means all files are relayed to all linked devices; ‘No syncing required. No management required.’ If device individualization is not necessary to a user, that service may be a terrific timesaver.

So whether you think heaven is being able to collaborate on the go, have access to all your music, books and photos on all your devices, or other potential mobile efficiency applications, now is a great time to get your head in the cloud.

You can download Windows Live SkyDrive for free, at iTunes.

McAfee Predicts Mobile Devices Most Vulnerable in 2012

McAfee Labs 2012 Threat Predictions report is out. Not surprisingly, the area of greatest concern can be summed up in one word – “mobiles.” Smartphones and other mobile devices are the bullseye of virtually every cybercriminals target market.

Theft previously relegated to online banking will now threaten those same transactions from handheld devices. McAfee goes as far as predicting that “mining” (the theft of virtual currency) will “evolve into a cottage industry” with the rising popularity of internet services like Bitcoin, essentially cybercurrency. As the wallets receiving these payments are public, Trojan malware is a very real threat.

Malware attacks are, of course, nothing new but attackers are continually upping the ante. Rather than just vandalizing the equipment, now there’s actual theft of currency. Spammers can actually turn a profit by installing spyware that will send premium-rate messages by subverting security software. Following PC-based malware, the attacks on mobile devices will increasingly move toward the operating systems in order to evade detection.

“Legitimate Spam” Expected to Increase

While worldwide efforts to combat botnet-related spam have shut down a number of successful spammers, so-called legitimate spam will undoubtedly increase as advertisers continue their harvest of other company’s email address lists, blitzing recipients with advertising. These spammers reach thousands of email addresses with lightning efficiency. Some provide a link for the recipient to decline receiving even more unwanted emails but clicking on that list accomplishes nothing more than confirming receipt. Occasionally there’s even a snail mail address offered. Only the most naïve would expect that address to be anything more than the bare piece of land that it usually represents. What we all hoped was merely a cyberspace urban legend – the person receiving nearly 10,000 spam messages in one day – was apparently based in fact. Alert: Magnetic bracelets may not have the amazing curative powers they are advertised as having!

Banking from your mobile device is getting easier – for cybercriminals too unfortunately. Attackers using both Zeus and SpyEye are becoming more and more savvy with their operations now closely resembling legitimate transactions. Security precautions have been enhanced but in many cases the thieves have adapted quickly and profitably.

The increasing number and sophistication of rogue certificates means that the digital signatures we once had confidence in now can’t automatically be trusted. Worse, these rogues can be almost undetectable as security software will, overwhelmingly, recognize them as valid. This threat is growing with implications for public-key infrastructure, whitelisting and application control leaving a real issue of potentially damaged trust.

Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) serves to protect web users by increasing the degree of difficulty hackers will encounter. The downside here is that DNSSEC also redirects legitimate efforts to detect illegal images and software. McAfee’s predictions for 2012 include “more instances in which the solutions of tomorrow are hampered by legislative wrangling over the issues of yesterday.”

The danger goes far beyond personal risk to both industry and international politics. The implications here are staggering – potentially involving loss of property and possibly even life. McAfee’s Threat Report described the increased interconnectedness of supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems as “not designed for this type of access” which, they predict is “a recipe for trouble.”

Given that any and all software can be vulnerable, the accepted practice of managing infrastructure systems with the available hardware has wide-ranging risks to both political and industrial sectors. With hacktivists gaining sophistication this is a serious threat. Targets must develop response plans, especially considering the trend toward embedded hardware. McAfee states bluntly “Controlling hardware is the promised land of sophisticated attackers.” Potential victims include the fields of utility and automotive as well as medical systems.

2012 — The Year of the “Hacktivist”

2012 will be a pivotal year for online activists – hacktivist. Like the physical activists themselves, there’s a lack of cohesion in their goals but even so, McAfee refers to them as “a credible force.” Much is at stake considering the worldwide Occupy movements of 2011 and the growing number of “cyberoccupiers.” Those involved in the areas of the law, the justice system, politics and industry as well as the sectors themselves are at serious risk from hacktivists pursuing their ideological and political ends by scrounging information from webservers and social networks.

Electronic espionage is a cheap and effective tool that is difficult to combat. Governments now fully recognize the seriousness of this threat to critical infrastructure not only to smaller countries and organizations but also leading world countries because of their dependence on computer systems. The United States Department of Defense Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace (DoD) has declared cyberspace “as an operational domain” including the possibility of retaliatory strikes. So far though, cyberwarfare has been limited to demonstrations, not actual cyberwar and it is predicted that many groups of hacktivist will continue to fight against one another as they have in the real world.

Baking security into the core of the operating system could mean seeing attacks directed at hardware. For this reason new operating systems will include additional security characteristics such as enhanced protection for password storage and boot functions, as well as antimalware improvements. With every effort made to prevent the attackers from being successful there will, no doubt, be an increased effort from the cybercriminals.

One thing is certain. Our ever-increasing use of cyberspace, with all its ramifications, means that in 2012 we will truly be living in interesting times.

RealPlayer Helps You Manage Your Media With Ease

These days, entertainment is found online.  So the question is – how do you manage it, share it, or move it from one device to another?

The answer is the newest version of RealPlayer – an improved, impressive tool for downloading, playing and managing all your media files.  If you’re looking for one media player that can handle all file formats and all your devices, RealPlayer is it.  With RealPlayer you can download video with the click of a button, transfer it to your smart phone with equal ease, share with your friends on Facebook and Twitter, and do it all for free.

That’s right – the basic RealPlayer is still a free download.  But, that said, there are lots of other reasons why you’ll want to use it.  This enhanced version of the popular software is a smart, feature-filled player that truly addresses the wants and needs of consumers who use a number of mobile devices as well as a PC.  It’s compatible with everything from iOS and Android to Blackberry – and allows you to transfer media from your device to your computer as easily as doing it the other way around.

In fact, words like “ease” and “simplicity” come to mind often, when describing this latest version of RealPlayer.  The UI is slick and intuitive, and many tasks are accomplished with a simple button click or two.  For example, if you’re watching a video online, and decide that you’d like to add it to your collection, simply hover your curser over the video until the RealPlayer control appears.  Simply click on the button that says “Download This Video,” and it’s done!  It is that easy to create a library of your favourite Internet videos that are available for you to view even when you’re not online.

Managing your library of media files is another RealPlayer advantage.  The “Simple Video Editing” feature makes it easy to trim your video – because sometimes all you want is the one funny scene from that thirty-minute show.  Converting files to different formats is accomplished in a few easy clicks, making it no problem to put your favourite videos on your phone, your iPod, or your Xbox.  You can even convert video to MP3 in just a few steps.  Really, if you had to choose one feature that places RealPlayer above other media players, it would be this impressively enhanced mobile capability.

Or…maybe…it would be the universal playback feature.  You won’t have to spend any time worrying about what player works with what format.  RealPlayer plays them all, making it the only media player you need.  Given that – there’s only one question left:  Which version of the new RealPlayer should you go with?

Which Version of RealPlayer Should You Choose?

RealPlayer’s basic version is a free download – but you also have the option of RealPlayer Plus 15, with a number of premium features, including three-times-speedier download, the ability to transfer video to your smart phone 100% faster, the option to burn high definition video to DVD, and professional-quality CD burning.  All of this and more is yours for a moderate price – RealPlayer Plus 15 is now only $39.99 (that’s $10 off the regular download price).

The world’s most popular media player really is better than ever before – and well-worth checking out.  They’ve logged two billion free downloads in the past ten years – why not make it two billion and one?  Get the latest version of RealPlayer today, at www.real.com.