TECHNOLOGY OF THE FUTURE

WannaCry malware virus possibly linked to North Korea May 16 (UPI) -- Cybersecurity researchers said the WannaCry malware virus code is similar to one used by the cybercrime network that struck Sony in 2014, raising speculation the global attack was sponsored by North Korea. Kaspersky Labs, a cybersecurity firm based in Moscow, said Google researcher Neel Mehta first disclosed the similarity in the code from the WannaCry virus and a virus directed by the cybercrime network called the Lazarus Group in February 2015. The Lazarus Group is implicated in the Sony hack and the 2016 Bangladesh Bank heist in which hackers attempted to steal nearly $1 billion from the central bank of Bangladesh. Kaspersky Labs said "the scale of the Lazarus operations is shocking." "Lazarus is operating a malware factory that produces new samples via multiple independent conveyors," Kaspersky Labs said in a statement. Matt Suiche, a cybersecurity researcher based in the United

Samsung is chewing away at Apple's global share of smartphone profits, said Canaccord Apple's slice of industry smartphone profits slid from 88 percent during the fourth quarter of 2017 to 83 percent during the first quarter, Canaccord Genuity said Tuesday. While that statistic speaks volumes to the power of iPhone profit margins, but it also shows competitors are creeping in on Apple. And even still, Canaccord raised Apple's (AAPL) price target to $180 based on anticipation of solid 2018 iPhone sales. But there may be some rocky seas before the new iPhone launches, however. Canaccord said Samsung's "improved results" helped chew away at Apple, while reduced losses from Sony and LG also helped even the playing field. Canaccord even included Chinese smartphone maker Huawei in the latest profit estimate report, a company that is finally making inroads in the U.S. by selling devices that don't require carrier contracts through outlets such as Best

China, SA launch historic exchange programme A delegation of nine vice-ministers from China arrived in our nation’s capital to co-host the inaugural launch of the China-South Africa high-level people-to-people exchange mechanism yesterday. This makes South Africa the first African country to set up such a mechanism with China, which has launched similar mechanisms with the US, Russia, the UK, France, Indonesia and the EU. The three-day people-to-people exchange is being co-hosted by the Vice-Premier of the State Council of China, Liu Yandong, and Minister of Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa. MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING: Minister of Communications Ayanda Dlodlo signs an agreement with the Chinese Vice-Minister of State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television Tong Gang. Picture: Jacoline Schoonee “People-to-people relations are often called soft diplomacy. Learning about each other’s world view, belief systems and way of life is a critical part of creating a

ump’s New FCC Chair Wants to Make the Internet Worse By Rolling Back Net Neutrality Protections Photo: Eric Thayer/Getty Images This afternoon, new FCC chairman Ajit Pai unveiled plans that threaten the free and open nature of the internet. This is … bad. Very bad. Let’s talk about why. Pai’s plan is to roll back the principle of net neutrality and consumer protections, by removing internet-service providers from classification as utility providers. A quick recap, before we go any further: “Net neutrality” is the principle that all of the traffic on the network should be treated with equal priority. Your internet-service provider should not be able to slow or speed up sources of traffic according to their own preferences. Imagine, for instance, if Netflix performed more reliably than YouTube because your ISP struck a deal with the former. In 2015, under the direction of the Obama administration, the FCC classified ISPs as Title II common carriers, in order to enshrine the prin

A new value chain for next-generation mobility In my book, The Big Data Opportunity in Our Driverless Future, I make two arguments: 1) that societal and urban challenges are accelerating the adoption of on-demand mobility, and 2) technology advances, including big data and machine intelligence, are making Autonomous Connected and Electrified (ACE) vehicles a reality. ACE vehicles and on-demand mobility will cause three major shifts that can lead to the disruption of the automotive and transportation industries: a consumer shift, an automotive industry shift, and a mobility services shift. In this post, I examine what is causing these shifts, the value chain that is emerging as a result of these shifts, big data’s key role in the value chain, and the models being created around this value chain. Shifts in personal mobility and technology open the door to ACE vehicles Changes in personal mobility Let’s begin by reviewing the most important challenges contributing to changes in

Product news-in-brief Weekly briefing: a round-up of this week's technology news In the first of a new series we present our pick of newly announced cameras, lenses, accessories and software that have caught our eye this week. Cameras and lenses Towards the end of last week, news broke about the latest addition to the Leica stable – the M-P rangefinder. Billed as a camera that is “photography stripped back to the essentials”, the M-P is based on the Leica M (Typ 240), but has an enlarged buffer memory of 2GB – twice the size of that of the Leica M. For selfie fans, there is the new Olympus Pen E-PL7. With a flip-down, tiltable LCD touchscreen, the Pen E-PL7 has a 16.1 megapixel sensor and built-in wifi, which allows users to share images via their (compatible) smart phone and the bundled Olympus Image Share app. Pentax announced the K-S1, the latest digital SLR to join the Ricoh Imaging UK family. Aimed at enthusiasts, the lightweight, compact and portable camera feat