Huawei is developing a 5G 8K TV because that’s apparently a thing now

Huawei could be the first company to make an 8K 5G TV – i.e. a TV with an 8K resolution (four times that of a 4KTV) and the next-gen wireless standard capable of gigabit throughput. That’s according to a report from Nikkei Asian Review who spoke to sources familiar with Huawei’s plans. 

If the product comes to fruition, this would not only be the first TV to integrate the two technologies – a historic first in its own right – but it would be Huawei’s first TV period after years of supplying components to other Chinese TV makers like Hisense, Skyworth and Changhong.

Moreover, not only would this TV be able utilize the 5G spectrum but, according to those sources, it would be able to share that gigabit connection like a wireless router for other devices in your home.

According to the sources Nikkei spoke to, it's Huawei's desire to create a TV to complete its ecosystem of products that includes phones, laptops and wearables. The thought is that the final piece of the puzzle could be ready as soon as this year in the country’s home territory of China.

Too much of a good thing?

Admittedly, an 8K 5G TV sounds like overkill given the current, nearly-nonexistent infrastructure around those two technologies. There are barely any native 8K videos available for consumer viewing at the moment, and 5G is facing some severe limitations here in the American market.

Still, this product concept shows that Huawei is thinking about the future – how TVs could finally detach themselves from the cable company completely and the next big step in TV tech – 8K resolution.

Of course, until 8K becomes a more concrete technology, that same connection could be useful in streaming 3D and 360-degree videos – both of which need a larger bandwidth than 1080p and 4K content.

So are we ready for Huawei's 8K 5G TV today? Maybe not. But it could be the first step towards a future in which 8K 5G TVs aren't the exception, they're the norm.

from TechRadar – All the latest technology news http://www.techradar.com/news/huawei-is-developing-a-5g-8k-tv-because-thats-apparently-a-thing-now

Poor passwords putting many businesses at risk

New research from OneLogin has revealed that UK IT leaders are putting their business data at risk by not effectively managing employees' passwords.

In conjunction with World Password Day, the Unified Access Management firm surveyed 300 IT decision makers across the UK to uncover their attitudes towards password hygiene and the emphasis placed upon internal policies to protect business networks.

Despite the fact that 98 percent of IT decision makers have company guidelines in place around password complexity and 95 percent fell their current password protection measures and guidelines provide adequate protection for their business, OneLogin's research has revealed there is still a lot of work to be done.

Of those surveyed, two thirds (66%) don't check passwords against common password lists and over three quarters (78%) don't check employee passwords against password complexity algorithms. This poor password hygiene is leaving UK businesses vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Password hygiene

Chief technology officer and founder at OneLogin, Thomas Pedersen provided further insight on the firm's password management report, saying:

"This report should be a reminder to every business leader in the UK to carefully review their password management. Cybercriminals thrive on companies overlooking fundamental security requirements, which becomes an open invitation for any hacker on the hunt for easy passwords."

While the majority of respondents do practice good password hygiene, many indicated that basic fundamentals are often lacking. Fewer than 19 percent check passwords against rainbow tables, over half (51%) don't require special characters and just under half (47%) don't require numbers and upper and lower case characters (37%).

OneLogin also found that only 53 percent require single sign-on integration, only 35 percent have implemented password complexity policies and 70 percent have not implemented password rotation policies.

from TechRadar – All the latest technology news http://www.techradar.com/news/poor-passwords-putting-many-businesses-at-risk

Yes, Razer is actually going to make a toaster now

Razer, the company behind the impressive Razer Blade laptops, is making a toaster. Though this may not be the first time you've heard this news, this time it appears to be happening for real. 

It may have started as a joke, but Razer has been backed into a corner by fans pleading for a Razer-branded toaster. Now, the company's CEO, Min-Liang Tan, has announced that it will begin working on a Razer Toaster, CNET reports.

The Razer Toaster joke has been ongoing for years. Starting back in 2013, it was furthered along by a Facebook group fervently requesting Razer actually come out with the product.

And, in 2016, Razer added fuel to the fire with its Project Breadwinner April Fool's Day prank, which showed off a very Razer-esque design, Razer-logo-emblazoned slices of toast and LED lighting, of course.

How we got here

After the initial joke, which was a tweet at Tan about making a Razer toaster, a Razer fan named Mark Withers created a Facebook page and applied pressure to Tan about the prospect of the toaster. Tan relented and said the company would make the toaster if Withers could get 1 million likes on the Facebook page.

The page has yet to hit a million likes, but has surpassed 40,000 and saw 12 fans brandishing tattoos for the toaster, so Tan officially liked the page himself and had this to say on Facebook:

Alright – I didn’t think these guys were going to make it – but they did. It was to hit 1M likes and with each Razer Toaster tattoo being equivalent to 100K likes each….and they now have 12 Razer Toaster tattoos.
Well….what can I say. I’ve just officially liked their page – and I’m going to put together my team of designers and engineers. It will take a few years – but I’ll be sure to share the progress – and make it a community affair.
A Razer Toaster – For Razer Toaster Lovers. By Razer Toaster Lovers.

Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan

It sounds like it's going to be a long while before the company releases the toaster, but Tan's comments didn't land on April 1 this time. So, maybe the company isn't kidding this time.

The next question: what about Razer Household.  That's another Facebook group dedicated to even more Razer-branded household appliances. So far, Tan has this to say, "Guys. I don't know what you guys are up to but this isn't going to happen. Ever."

from TechRadar – All the latest technology news http://www.techradar.com/news/yes-razer-is-actually-going-to-make-a-toaster-now

SAP software flaw puts thousands of companies at risk

Security researchers have discovered new ways to exploit vulnerabilities in SAP software which could leave up to 50,000 companies, that haven't properly protected their systems, at greater risk of being hacked.

The German software giant SAP previously released guidance on how to correctly configure the security settings of its software back in 2009 and 2013. However, data compiled by the security firm Onapsis has revealed that 90 percent of the affected SAP systems have not been properly protected.

The firm's chief executive Mariano Nunez provided further insight into the risk organizations face by not configuring the security settings of their SAP software correctly, saying:

“Basically, a company can be brought to a halt in a matter of seconds. With these exploits, a hacker could steal anything that sits on a company’s SAP systems and also modify any information there – so he can perform financial fraud, withdraw money, or just plainly sabotage and disrupt the systems.”

SAP responded to Onapsis' findings by saying that “SAP always strongly recommends to install security fixes as they are released.”

SAP software flaw

SAP software is currently used by more than 90 percent of the world's top 2,000 companies to handle everything from employee payrolls to product distribution and industrial processes.

According to security experts, an attack on those systems could have huge implications both for the victim organization as well as the wider supply chain. For instance, SAP customers collectively distribute 78 percent of the world's food and 82 percent of global medical devices. 

Mathieu Geli, security consultant at Sogeti, was one of the researchers who developed the exploits released online last month and according to him, the issue concerns the way SAP applications talk to one another inside a company. If a company's security settings are not configured correctly, a hacker could trick an application into thinking they are another SAP product to gain full access without having to login.

Onapsis' researchers have named the exploits “10KBLAZE” because of the threat they pose to “business-critical applications”. Luckily though, the company has said that it will share its ability to detect the vulnerabilities with other security vendors to help secure all SAP users against any potential attacks.

Via Reuters

from TechRadar – All the latest technology news http://www.techradar.com/news/sap-software-flaw-puts-thousands-of-companies-at-risk