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1Password fast facts Our rating: 4.3 stars out of 5Pricing: Starts at $2.99 per monthKey features Unique travel mode feature. Integrations with Fastmail and Privacy. Easy-to-use and modern UI. 1Password has earned a reputation for being one of the best password managers around. It has an easy-to-use and sleek-looking interface, strong end-to-end encryption, and interesting integrations on top of its service. While it lacks a free version, its premium plans offer a ton of value that makes the spend worth it. For those looking for an all-around password management solution, 1Password should definitely be on your list. NordPass Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Micro (0-49 Employees), Small (50-249 Employees), Medium (250-999 Employees), Large (1,000-4,999 Employees), Enterprise (5,000+ Employees) Micro, Small, Medium, Large, Enterprise Features Activity Log, Business Admin Panel for user management, Company-wide settings, and more Dashlane Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Micro (0-49 Employees), Small (50-249 Employees), Medium (250-999 Employees), Large (1,000-4,999 Employees), Enterprise (5,000+ Employees) Micro, Small, Medium, Large, Enterprise Features Automated Provisioning ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Any Company Size Any Company Size Features Access Management, Compliance Management, Credential Management, and more How much does 1Password cost? A base 1Password Individual account costs $2.99 per month for one year. This is their main consumer plan. On the other hand, the starting price for its initial business subscription is $19.95 per month for the 1Password Teams Starter Pack, covering up to 10 users. In 2023, 1Password only offered one plan option for each subscription tier, with monthly pricing that was billed annually. In 2024, it now has both an annual or a monthly contract option — which I appreciate as it gives customers more flexibility in terms of their subscription. 1Password Personal Plan Annual Monthly Features included Individual $2.99 per month, paid annually $3.99 per month Covers 1 user, autofill capabilities, password sharing, end-to-end encryption Families $4.99 per month, paid annually $6.95 per month Covers 5 family members, all Individual features, plus simple admin controls and unlimited shared vaults Starting at $2.99 per month for its individual plan, 1Password’s base pricing is reasonable and falls in the middle of the pack compared to the competition. For example, Bitwarden offers one of the most affordable starting plans at less than $1 per month, while fellow popular pick Dashlane comes in at a much higher $4.99 per month. At $2.99 per month, you’re still getting very good value, including unlimited device support and password storage. I believe 1Password’s Families plan at $4.99 monthly could be more affordable. It starts at $4.99 per month for five users. In comparison, Dashlane offers 10 family member accounts, double that of 1Password, for a fair increase to only $7.49 monthly. Meanwhile, RoboForm and Bitwarden offer Families plans for less money at $2.66 for five users and $3.33 for six users, respectively. Like its Individual plan, 1Password’s Teams Starter Pack is on par with other password managers and is a good option for small teams and businesses, providing accounts for up to 10 members. 1Password Business Plan Annual Monthly Features included Teams Starter Pack $19.95 per month, paid annually $19.95 per month Covers up to 10 users; actionable security alerts, domain breach report, 1Password Developer Business $7.99 per user per month, paid annually $9.99 per user per month Covers unlimited seats; includes all Teams Starter Pack features plus integration with Okta, Entra ID, Duo, and others; advanced reporting, granular admin controls Enterprise Contact sales for quote Contact sales for quote All Business features plus a dedicated account manager, tailored onboarding, quarterly and annual business reviews, and priority for new business features Its Business plan, priced at $7.99, is expensive as Bitwarden has a comparable plan at just $6 — a $2 difference that eventually adds up. 1Password Business provides useful additional features such as single sign-on support, a free families plan for all users, custom usage, and breach reports for included users. But if these features aren’t important to you, Bitwarden’s more affordable plan looks better. While it’s a shame that 1Password doesn’t have a free version, it does offer 14-day free trials across all plans (except Enterprise). This lets you test out which subscription fits your needs best. Before purchasing any subscription, I highly recommend availing of any of 1Password’s 14-day trials. Personally, I like how these free trials don’t require credit card or payment information to access, allowing users to test drive their features without handing over sensitive details. Is 1Password safe? Before you start transferring any of your passwords into 1Password, it’s important to check whether it can keep your sensitive data safe and secure. Fortunately, 1Password offers top-notch security for your passwords and credentials. 1Password data is end-to-end encrypted and utilizes the gold standard AES 256-bit encryption to secure your data. It also uses a zero-knowledge approach, meaning only the user can access their own information. 1Password provides all its users with a 34-character Secret Key that’s created locally on a user’s device. The Secret Key works in tandem with the account password to access your passwords and acts as an additional layer of protection for your data. Because it’s created locally, 1Password doesn’t have access to your Secret Key and prevents user data from being collected or sold to third parties. 1Password should also be commended for its commitment to regular security audits done by independent third parties. As of December 2024, 1Password has completed 26 penetration tests conducted by verified auditors, continually assessing its security and features. In October 2023, 1Password announced that it detected suspicious activity on the Okta instance it uses to manage employee-facing apps. 1Password said it immediately terminated the activity and emphasized that no user data or sensitive systems were compromised. While that is good news, security incidents like this are important to be aware of. Overall, 1Password is a secure password manager that

ChatGPT Fast Facts What is ChatGPT? A generative AI that can answer questions in natural-sounding language.Who developed ChatGPT? OpenAI, Inc.Pricing: ChatGPT is free. ChatGPT Plus costs $20/month. ChatGPT Teams, which is the business subscription for at least two people, costs $25/month. ChatGPT Pro, with unlimited access to OpenAI’s most powerful “reasoning” model, costs $200/month. The business world has embraced ChatGPT over the last year and found uses for the writing and image generation AI throughout many industries. This cheat sheet includes answers to the most common questions about ChatGPT and its competitors. What is ChatGPT? ChatGPT is an AI chatbot product developed by OpenAI and built on the structure of GPT-4. GPT stands for generative pre-trained transformer; this indicates it is a large language model that checks for the probability of what words might come next in sequence. A large language model is a deep learning algorithm — a type of transformer model in which a neural network learns context about any language pattern. That might be a spoken language or a computer programming language. OpenAI continues to update ChatGPT with faster, more capable AI models. In September, the company showed its next-generation model o1, which is optimized for complex reasoning in math and science. While o1 actually takes more time to process information than GPT-4o does, that slow and steady approach can produce more complicated code or mathematical processes. OpenAI o1 is available to ChatGPT Plus and Team users now, with Enterprise and Edu users set to gain access on the week of Dec 9. The model doesn’t “know” what it’s saying, but it does know what symbols (words) are likely to come after one another based on the data set it was trained on. The current generation of artificial intelligence chatbots, such as ChatGPT, its Google rival Bard, and others, don’t really make intelligently informed decisions. Instead, they’re the internet’s parrots, repeating words that are likely to be found next to one another in the course of natural speech. The underlying math is all about probability. The companies that make and use them pitch them as productivity genies, creating text in a matter of seconds that would take a person hours or days to produce. In ChatGPT’s case, that data set is a large portion of the internet. From there, humans give feedback on the AI’s output to confirm whether the words it uses sound natural. The public version of ChatGPT can call on current events information as recent as January 2022. ChatGPT Plus can call on current events information as recent as April 2023. In August 2023, OpenAI launched GPTBot, a web crawler meant to expand ChatGPT’s knowledge. The company provided technical details about GPTBot and ways to keep it from crawling a website. SEE: OpenAI’s probability assessments were trained on Microsoft’s Azure AI supercomputer. (TechRepublic) Several organizations have built chatbots into some of their software features. Microsoft, which provides funding for OpenAI, rolled out ChatGPT in Bing search and in Microsoft 365. Salesforce has added ChatGPT to some of its CRM platforms in the form of the Einstein digital assistant. Who made ChatGPT? ChatGPT was built by OpenAI, a research laboratory with both nonprofit and for-profit branches. At the time of its founding in 2015, OpenAI received funding from Amazon Web Services, InfoSys, and YC Research, and investors including Elon Musk and Peter Thiel. Musk has since cut ties with the company, while Microsoft provided $10 billion in funding for OpenAI in 2023. How much does ChatGPT cost? The base version of ChatGPT can strike up a conversation with you for free. For $20 per month, ChatGPT Plus gives subscribers priority access in individual instances, faster response times, and the chance to use new features and improvements first. For example, right now ChatGPT Plus subscribers will be running GPT-4, while anyone on the free tier will talk to GPT-3.5. For developers and organizations who don’t already have a specific contract with OpenAI, there is a waitlist for access to the ChatGPT API. In August 2023, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Enterprise, a subscription plan for business with more security enhancements and admin controls compared to the basic version. Organizations interested in pricing for ChatGPT Enterprise can contact OpenAI’s sales team. As of January 2024, 260 enterprise customers had signed up for ChatGPT Enterprise, according to Bloomberg. In January 2024, OpenAI opened ChatGPT Team, a subscription that allows access to OpenAI’s larger models and a collaborative workspace. It costs $25/month per user when billed per year or $30/month per user billed monthly. December 2024 brought a $200/per month Pro subscription. ChatGPT Pro includes access to heavy-duty models for research and business applications. For the money, users can talk via ChatGPT with OpenAI o1, o1-mini, or GPT-4o, and use the relatively versatile Advanced Voice mode. The subscription also includes access to o1 pro mode, a slower-thinking version of the advanced model best for complicated math, science, and coding problems. How to use ChatGPT It’s easy to use ChatGPT. Just follow these steps: Visit https://chat.openai.com/. Sign up for an account with OpenAI, which involves fetching a confirmation code from your email, or use ChatGPT without logging in. Type in the prompt box, where it says “Message ChatGPT,” to get started. For the Plus version, you’ll see an Upgrade To Plus button on the left side of the home page if you log in. OpenAI may use conversations with ChatGPT held without an account for AI training. There is a way to opt out of your conversations being used as training data if you are logged in: go to Settings and uncheck “Improve the model for everyone.” For businesses, ChatGPT can write and debug code, as well as create reports, presentations, emails, and websites. In general, ChatGPT can draft the kind of prose you’d likely use for work (“Write an email accepting an invitation to speak at a cybersecurity conference.”). ChatGPT can answer questions (“What are similar books to [xyz]?”) as well. Microsoft showed off these features in its announcement that

The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority has published the provisional findings of an investigation into all cloud service providers in the country, following concerns raised by telecoms regulator Ofcom. The current conclusion is that the cloud services market is “not working as well as it could,” as it is difficult for customers to switch cloud providers or use multiple clouds. A lack of competition is likely leading to higher costs, less choice, less innovation, and lower quality of services. “The ability of UK businesses to put healthy pressure on cloud providers to offer better deals is key to ensuring good outcomes and to unlocking the potential benefits of cloud services,” the CMA said in a press release. 4 main concerns about the U.K. cloud services market In its investigation, the CMA’s independent inquiry group found four primary concerns: Cloud customers face a limited choice of providers and are not aware that multiple providers can offer the same services. Technical and commercial barriers make it difficult to switch cloud providers or use multiple clouds, leading to vendor lock-in. It is difficult for new providers to enter the market and compete due to the very large capital investment necessary to supply cloud services. Microsoft is making it harder for rivals, such as Google and Amazon Web Services, to compete for customers who want to use Microsoft software on the cloud. Microsoft and AWS each have a share of up to 40% of U.K. customer spend on cloud services, dominating the market considerably; the third largest provider, Google, has a much smaller share. Even if the dominant players are overcharging by just 5%, this could be costing U.K. businesses £430 million a year, according to the CMA. The investigation came on the heels of a 2023 report released by Ofcom in which the regulator identified a range of issues plaguing the cloud services market that presents implications for businesses and consumers. The CMA looked into egress fees, technical barriers, and committed spend discounts upon Ofcom’s recommendation, but provisionally found that only the former two harm competition. A decision about whether to make these provisional findings and recommendations final will be made by Aug. 4, 2025. AWS and Microsoft could be subject to the new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act The inquiry group behind the investigation has recommended that the CMA considers giving AWS and Microsoft “Strategic Market Status” under the new Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, which came into force on Jan. 1, 2025. The act was specifically designed to regulate the behaviour of major digital firms with significant market power in the U.K. The CMA conducts investigations into companies it expects to have Strategic Market Status. If companies are given that designation, regulators will draft bespoke conduct requirements for them to follow, preventing anti-competitive practices. The inquiry group said that regulating AWS and Microsoft under the DMCCA will allow it to take a “targeted and flexible approach to remedies” and “better provisions for ongoing monitoring and oversight.” Conduct requirements for the dominant cloud services providers might encourage technical standardisation, reduce data transfer charges incurred in switching providers or using multiple clouds, and ensure the fair licensing of software. Investigations into whether Google and Apple should receive SMS designations are ongoing. Both companies are both being looked at with regards to their mobile ecosystems. Google is also being investigated in search and search advertising services. SEE: UK Regulator Probes Apple’s Mobile Browser Dominance Cloud: Must-read coverage Industry reaction to the CMA’s investigation Reacting to the CMA’s move to investigate the U.K. cloud services market, Daniel Tremayne-Pitter, chief executive officer of Dark Matter, a U.K. technology research company, emphasized the need to democratize the cloud computing market. He said: “Even without the identification of anti-competitive practices, I believe there is a significant need to democratize the cloud computing landscape. Namely because of resiliency. Academics, sustainability experts, cloud architects and now, even regulators across the globe, are acknowledging that the power and intelligence a small number of providers hold is concerning.” Microsoft and Amazon respond to Ofcom’s survey In response to Ofcom’s cloud market survey, Amazon and Microsoft published lengthy responses. Here are brief excerpts from those responses. Amazon offered a counter-perspective. “We do not agree with the concerns raised in the Interim Report that ‘committed spend discounts’ can dampen competition by incentivizing customers to use a single provider for most or all of their cloud needs, or that we require customers to increase the amount of their committed spend upon renegotiation of their agreements,” the company said. “AWS prices are listed publicly on our website, and any customer can use our services at these listed prices as much or as little as they need.” Microsoft’s response read: “Azure does not exploit ‘locked in’ customers on price while it competes for new ones, not least because this dichotomy is false. Nor is there a realistic possibility that Microsoft or any other cloud vendor can profitably slow their rapid pace of innovation as a result of IT lock-in effects.” But Tremayne-Pitter had a different opinion, arguing that “Nearly every technologist describes ‘lock-in’ as being a very real risk factor.” He commented: “The exit cost to move data out of the cloud is usually disproportionate to the ‘free’ nature of putting it there in the first place. At serious volume, it could make it cost-prohibitive to even consider moving it. Cloud providers’ proprietary tooling is readily consumed by ambitious and innovative organizations; however, if your application or business-critical workloads are delivered through this proprietary tooling – you’re not moving anywhere unless you can spare the time and expense to re-develop your application in another environment.” CMA’s investigation may have profound implications The U.K.’s cloud service market has experienced tremendous growth in the last few years and is projected to reach $82.87 billion by 2029. However, with the CMA poised to dig deep into the activities going on in the U.K. public cloud market, the outcome could come with significant implications for various stakeholders, including

Microsoft is basically the biggest name in the business world, whether we’re talking about Microsoft Office apps or Windows running on our computers. One thing they have nailed down is recognizing that their products are well-loved for their simple and familiar interface, but still offering regular updates. Windows 11 Pro was specifically designed for business professionals. You’ll find new tools for productivity and balancing hybrid or remote work with life. With this deal, you can upgrade three devices to Windows 11 Pro — rated 4.5/5 stars by verified purchasers — for just $17.97 at TechRepublic Academy through Feb. 2. New look, new features The first thing you’ll notice is a redesigned user interface. Rounded app corners, a centered bottom taskbar, snap layouts and widgets all give your computer a refreshed, yet familiar, appearance while offering the latest tools. Then, there’s layers of security features like Microsoft Information Protection that protects your personal data from leaks and BitLocker device encryption that encrypts your hard drive with a key. Both of these are excellent for shielding your personal and work information from harm. Designed for the workforce If you’re a remote or hybrid worker, or a business owner or manager with employees around the globe, you’ll appreciate things like: Windows Information Protection allows you to separate work and personal data on the same device. Remote desktop access is included from anywhere. Connect to your Windows 11 Pro computer from another computer, a tablet or a smartphone. Group Policy Management tools allow enforcement of policies and compliance. Administrators can create settings or access for different devices, users and groups. Upgrade your operating system to Windows 11 Pro on three devices for only $17.97 (reg. $199), now at TechRepublic Academy, so be sure to take advantage of it before this offer ends on Feb. 2. Prices and availability are subject to change. source

As more businesses continue to adopt hybrid work arrangements, it’s becoming increasingly important for company endpoints to be secured and protected against threats and malicious actors. Whether it’s company-issued laptops or the data stored therein, taking a proactive approach to protecting these endpoints helps keep businesses safe from data breaches or costly cyberattacks. Fortunately, various endpoint detection and response solutions are available in the market today — specially designed to monitor user devices, detect threats of all kinds, and offer strong remediation and response capabilities to thwart these threats. In this article, we take a look at the best EDR software available today. ESET PROTECT Advanced Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Any Company Size Any Company Size Features Advanced Threat Defense, Full Disk Encryption , Modern Endpoint Protection, and more ManageEngine Desktop Central Employees per Company Size Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+) Any Company Size Any Company Size Features Activity Monitoring, Antivirus, Dashboard, and more Best EDR software for businesses: Comparison table Forrester Wave Q4 2023 results Ease of use (Gartner Peer Insights) Free trial or demo Price starting at CrowdStrike Falcon Leader 4.7 out of 5 Free trial upon request $184.99 per device per year SentinelOne Singularity Strong Performer 4.8 out of 5 Demo upon request $79.99 per device per year Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Leader 4.3 out of 5 (Ease of deployment; no ease of use rating) Free trial available $54.75 per user per month (Microsoft 365 E5 bundle) Trend Micro Vision One Leader 4.5 out of 5 (Ease of deployment; no ease of use rating) Demo upon request Contact Trend Micro for pricing Bitdefender GravityZone Leader 4.6 out of 5 Free trial upon request $199.49 per year for 10 devices CrowdStrike Falcon Insight XDR: Best overall EDR for businesses Image: Crowdstrike Considered one of the market leaders in the EDR space, I recommend CrowdStrike’s Falcon Insight platform for most businesses. It offers top-tier AI-powered detection capabilities, a lightweight and unified agent, and the ability to automate enterprise-scale tasks for improved efficiency and security. In July 2024, CrowdStrike found itself in controversy as a faulty update to its Falcon Sensor software caused a global IT disruption affecting millions of Windows users. You can learn more about this in TechRepublic’s coverage of the CrowdStrike outage. Despite the incident, I found that many users still trusted CrowdStrike as a top EDR provider. In a post found in the Cybersecurity Reddit community, one commenter said “CrowdStrike is and will continue to be by far the most effective EDR platform in existence.” This was in response to someone asking if they would continue to use CrowdStrike following the outage. In 2023, CrowdStrike was named a Leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Endpoint Protection Platforms and garnered the top spot in both the Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision criteria among 15 other solutions. These two markers mean that CrowdStrike’s EDR solution is best in class in terms of its product development, innovation, and customer base. Users have also lauded the CrowdStrike platform for being light on resources and providing very low false positive rates. Detections listed within the CrowdStrike dashboard. Image: CrowdStrike Why I picked CrowdStrike Falcon I chose CrowdStrike Falcon as my best overall solution due to its industry-leading features, performance, and strong customer reviews. Not only does CrowdStrike perform well in independent tests, it also receives high praise from its user base and is commonly tagged the “go-to” EDR software provider today. While many EDR solutions can offer tons of features in their software, I think the real test is how many actual users recommend the product to other companies. In this aspect, CrowdStrike succeeds — even with its more expensive price tag. Pricing CrowdStrike’s Falcon EDR solution can be purchased through its Falcon Enterprise and Falcon Elite subscription plans. Below is a quick overview of pricing and features for each: Falcon Enterprise: $184.99 per device; includes EDR, XDR, and next-gen antivirus. Falcon Elite: Contact sales for pricing; includes EDR, XDR, IT hygiene, and identity protection capabilities. Features AI-powered detection system. Threat intelligence with 230+ adversaries included. Real-time response to threats. Pros Very reliable detection. Lightweight; not resource-intensive. Intuitive user interface. Cons SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint: Best for small businesses Image: SentinelOne For small businesses, I suggest trying SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint. While not as robust as CrowdStrike, SentinelOne offers more affordable pricing while still providing high-quality detection and response services. It includes static and behavioral detection, automated responses, and one-click remediation, making it easier for IT and security teams to keep infrastructures and endpoints secure. I particularly like SentinelOne’s Storyline feature that automatically correlates and contextualizes all software events in real time, offering a holistic view of threats that arise. A screenshot of SentinelOne Singularity’s desktop interface. Image: SentinelOne Why I picked SentinelOne Singularity SentinelOne carved its name on this list for being a competent alternative to CrowdStrike, especially for smaller businesses that may not have the largest cybersecurity budgets to use for an EDR. Like CrowdStrike, SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint also receives good marks from the community. In particular, users highlighted SentinelOne Singularity’s easy-to-use console and affordable overall pricing. Pricing SentinelOne offers its EDR solution through four subscription tiers, with varying feature inclusions for specific business sizes and needs. Below is a quick overview of each tier, with their corresponding  pricing and feature differences: Singularity Control: $79.99 per endpoint; includes EDR, role-based access control, and multi-tenant management. Singularity Complete: $159.99 per endpoint; all Control features plus XDR and 14-day data retention. Singularity Commercial: $209.99 per endpoint; all Complete features plus 30-day data retention, threat-hunting, and identity threat detection and response. Singularity Enterprise: Call sales for pricing; all Commercial features plus network and vulnerability management, digital forensics, training, and guided deployment services. Features Storyline context builder for all OS relationships and events. Automated threat resolution. Historical EDR data retention of up to three years. Pros Affordable starting plan. Automated responses. Customizable automations. Cons Customer support could

Operating systems and applications can always be reinstalled, but your data is unique, making it the most important thing on your computer or network. “Organizations must now maintain robust privacy measures, including clear privacy policies, opt-out processes, and compliance with consumer protection laws, to mitigate financial and reputational risks,” said IEEE Senior Member Kayne McGladrey in an email to TechRepublic. Here are 10 ways you can protect that data from loss and unauthorized access. 1. Protect everything with passwords Password protection is the first line of defense against unauthorized access to your data; it also helps boost multilayer security for your systems by allowing you to combine password protection with other security measures. Some businesses are required to use password protection as part of compliance regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation. To password protect your business data, implement a strict password policy to ensure employees create complex passwords. Additionally, you should have them update their passwords regularly. 2. Back up regularly Backing up your data early and regularly is an important component of a data loss prevention strategy. Data loss can happen due to cyberattacks, natural disasters, human error, and other events. If you back up your data, you can restore it after losing data. While manual backup does work, you should also consider data backup solutions that automatically back up data based on a schedule you can configure. More sophisticated backup solutions allow you to choose the data to back up. 3. Keep business software up to date Keep your business software up to date to ensure it has the latest security patches, bug fixes, and other updates to protect against new and existing cybersecurity threats. Most cyberattacks exploit newly found security vulnerabilities, so be vigilant in keeping your business software updated to the latest version. SEE: Threat actors jailbreak generative AI to use it to craft phishing emails, ignoring safeguards. 4. Use a VPN Virtual private networks are great for keeping your business data safe. A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel for your data, hiding it from hackers and other malicious actors; it also helps minimize your online footprint. A VPN is a must for employees connecting to business networks or accessing sensitive files from their homes or while traveling. While you can use a free VPN service, ideally, you should invest invest in a paid VPN subscription from a reputable provider. Paid VPN versions offer more reliable connections, dedicated servers, and other premium features. Must-read security coverage 5. Install antivirus software Modern antivirus software helps protect data from ransomware, spyware, Trojan horses, browser hijackers, and other cyber threats. While an antivirus software license for a business comes at a cost, it’s a relatively small price to pay to keep your data safe. If you’re using Windows 10 or higher, you already have antivirus software installed. Mac computers have a relatively closed ecosystem and built-in malware protection, but you can also purchase extra antivirus defenses separately. In the era of generative AI, antivirus protection is even more critical. Threat actors could use AI models in attacks, or compromised data could poison the model if it is used for training. “Once it’s malicious content, the AI agent that you’re trying to train is going to learn using malicious content as well,” said Ravi Srinivasan, chief executive officer of data protection company Votiro, in an email to TechRepublic. 6. Use multifactor authentication A reliable way to protect your data is to use multi-factor authentication on devices connected to the business network. With MFA, users enter a password and a one-time passcode sent to another device to gain access. This way, the user needs at least two devices, or “factors,” to log into the system. MFA acts as an additional layer of security for your data and is becoming a vital part of cybersecurity protocols for businesses. Without using MFA, your data remains vulnerable to unauthorized access due to lost devices or stolen credentials. “Even if an organization goes passwordless,” said Srinivasan, “you’re still going to have, external users, external third-party contractors, and service providers that might still be accessing your services using passwords as a default.” Therefore, he said, tech leaders should think of MFA as part of the solution to an access problem. Whatever way your organization uses to secure its accounts, having access and identity control of some kind in place is essential. SEE: Here’s everything IT leaders need to know about multifactor authentication. 7. Make use of a public key infrastructure A public key infrastructure is a system for managing public/private key pairs and digital certificates. Because keys and certificates are issued by a trusted third party (i.e. a certification authority, either an internal one installed on a certificate server on your network or a public one), certificate-based security is stronger. You can protect the data you want to share with someone else by encrypting it with the public key of its intended recipient, which is available to anyone. The only person who can decrypt it is the holder of the private key that corresponds to that public key. 8. Hide data with steganography You can use a steganography program to hide data inside other data. For example, you could hide a text message within a .JPG graphics file or an .MP3 music file, or even inside another text file; however, the latter is difficult because text files don’t contain much redundant data which can be replaced with the hidden message. Steganography doesn’t encrypt the message, so it’s often used with encryption software. The data is encrypted first and then hidden inside another file with the steganography software. Some steganographic techniques require the exchange of a secret key. Others use public and private key cryptography. A popular example of steganography software is StegoMagic, a freeware download that will encrypt messages and hide them in .TXT, .WAV, or .BMP files. Hiding data may be particularly important if “The organization us[es] real personal data (from customers, patients, employees, and anyone else) for testing and/or training AI

TL;DR: Get the grade-A refurbished Apple MacBook Pro 16″ (2019) for $539.99 (reg. $2,399) and enjoy powerful specs for less. Who says you need to spend a fortune to own a top-tier laptop? With this incredible offer, you can buy a grade-A refurbished 16-inch MacBook Pro (2019) for just $539.99, a jaw-dropping 77% discount from its original price of $2,399. Packed with pro-level features like a blazing-fast Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a stunning Retina display, this MacBook Pro can become your favorite productivity companion. The MacBook Pro perfectly blends performance, design, and innovation. Built to handle intensive workloads, this powerhouse has a 2.6GHz Intel Core i7 processor and 16GB of RAM, ensuring smooth multitasking, fast performance, and the capability to handle demanding software. Whether you’re editing videos, designing graphics, or managing large data sets, this MacBook Pro is up to the task. With a 16-inch Retina display, you get an immersive viewing experience with stunning clarity and vibrant colors. Paired with AMD Radeon Pro 5300M graphics, it’s a dream machine for creative professionals who demand top-tier visuals. The Magic Keyboard adds comfort and precision, making extended work sessions more productive and enjoyable. Storage is no concern either; the 512GB SSD offers lightning-fast read and write speeds, ensuring your files, apps, and operating system load instantly. And with a battery life of up to 11 hours, you can keep working or streaming without worrying about finding an outlet. The six-speaker sound system with force-canceling woofers produces studio-quality audio, turning your laptop into a portable entertainment hub. The Touch Bar provides intuitive shortcuts tailored to your apps, while Touch ID offers secure, instant logins. This Grade-A refurbished MacBook Pro offers exceptional value at a fraction of the original price. Inspected and cleaned to near-mint condition, it performs like new while saving you a significant amount of money. Get this grade-A refurbished 16-inch MacBook Pro for just $539.99 (reg. $2,399). Prices and availability are subject to change. source

Google and Apple are the first companies investigated for potential Strategic Market Status under the new U.K. Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act. If Google or Apple receives the designation, bespoke conduct requirements will be drafted for the company to follow, preventing anti-competitive practices. On Jan. 23, the Competition and Markets Authority announced it would be assessing the mobile ecosystems of Google and Apple, including the companies’ operating systems, app stores, and default browsers, to see if they have disproportionate influence over the market. SEE: UK Regulator Probes Apple’s Mobile Browser Dominance “Given the importance of mobile ecosystems to people, businesses and the economy, it is critical that competition works well,” the CMA said in a press release. “Effective competition could ensure consumers and businesses are treated fairly by Apple and Google in relation to the terms and conditions they impose. “Effective competition could also ensure open opportunities for businesses to innovate and deliver a range of content, services and technological developments to consumers on a mobile device.” The announcement comes less than two weeks after the first Strategic Market Status investigation was announced. This was also looking at Google, but within the realm of search and search advertising services, where an advertiser pays for its advert to appear next to the results from a user’s search. What’s hot at TechRepublic What is the DMCCA? The DMCCA, which came into force on Jan. 1, is designed to regulate the behaviour of major digital firms with significant market power in the country. It grants the CMA new powers to impose requirements on tech companies with Strategic Market Status, reminiscent of the “gatekeeper” organisations that must abide by the E.U.’s Digital Markets Act. For the mobile ecosystem investigations, the CMA will look at factors such as the extent Apple and Google’s competitors are able to offer rival products and services, whether Apple and Google are favouring their own apps and services within the iOS and Android ecosystems, and if developers are bound to unfair terms and conditions if they want to distribute apps in their respective app stores. For the investigation into Google’s influence in search and search advertising services, the CMA will look at whether it is using its position to prevent innovation by others, such as withholding resources or designing AI services to limit how competing search engines could create equivalent features. The CMA will also assess whether the tech giant is using its dominant position to prioritise its search services such as for shopping or travel, collecting and using consumer data without informed consent, and using publisher content without fair terms and conditions. SEE: Google Abusing Dominant Position in Ad Tech Sector, Says U.K. Government The DMCCA gives new enforcement powers to a group established inside the CMA called the Digital Markets Unit. It will draft a unique set of conduct requirements for each company designated as Strategic Market Status, which they must abide by even before exhibiting anti-competitive practices to prevent them from occurring. Additionally, the DMU can make “pro-competition interventions” that will actively address a company’s adverse effects on competition that stem from its disproportionate market power. Conduct requirements for Google and Apple in the realm of mobile ecosystems could include requiring the companies to provide third-party apps with the functionality needed to operate on iPhone or Android devices, or making it easier for users to download apps and pay for in-app content outside of Apple’s and Google’s own app stores. The CMA can continue to amend them even after completing the SMS investigation. Requirements for Google in the realm of search and search advertising might include forcing the company to make the user data it collects available to competitors or giving publishers more control over how their data is used, including in Google’s AI services. SMS-designated firms must have substantial market power in digital activity, strategic significance, and either a global turnover of more than £25 billion or a U.K. turnover of more than £1 billion. The CMA will conduct investigations into each firm before applying for SMS status, which usually takes about nine months. Mobile ecosystems and search and search advertising services represent the first two areas of digital activity that the CMA has launched SMS investigations into. Decisions will be made by the end of October. SEE: Regulator CMA to Scrutinize Microsoft and Other Cloud Service Providers in the UK E.U. and U.S. also take issue with Google’s anticompetitive practices in Search In March 2024, Google temporarily removed some Search widgets, such as Google Flights, to allow more access to individual businesses in response to the E.U.’s Digital Markets Act coming into force. However, just a few weeks later, the E.U. opened an ongoing non-compliance investigation, as regulators claim it is promoting its own services above third parties’ in search results. In December, Google announced several more changes to its Search features to comply with the DMA. In September 2024, the European Court of Justice upheld a €2.42 billion fine against Google for violating E.U. antitrust rules by favouring its own comparison shopping service, Google Shopping, in search results. Additionally, in August 2024, a federal judge ruled that the tech company monopolizes general search services and text ads, breaking U.S. antitrust law. However, Google is not going down without a fight. The tech company successfully overturned a €1.5 billion antitrust fine it received from the European Commission in 2019 for preventing third parties using its AdSense platform from displaying competitor ads next to Google search results. Google was also handed a €4.34 billion fine from the European Commission in 2018 for abusing its dominance by pre-installing Google Search into Android devices but has since escalated an appeal to the European Court of Justice. source

How many times have you created a new user on a Linux machine, only to find out that the new user doesn’t have sudo privileges? Without the ability to use sudo, that user is limited in what they can do. This, of course, is by design, because you certainly don’t want every user on your system to have admin privileges. However, users who want to enjoy admin rights must be able to use the sudo command. SEE: Debian vs Ubuntu: Which Linux Distro Fits Your Needs Best? (TechRepublic) How to give users sudo privileges Most modern Linux distributions have a user group that grants sudo privileges simply by being a member of that group. While sudo configurations allow individual accounts to have sudo privileges, this is not encouraged because it leads to user management headaches, especially if a user ID is changed or if that user’s account is removed or deactivated. You can determine which group this is by looking at the /etc/sudoers file. You can safely view the contents of this file using the command: sudo less /etc/sudoers In Fedora and Red Hat, this group is usually the wheel group: ## Allows people in group wheel to run all commands%wheel   ALL=(ALL)         ALL In Ubuntu and Kali, this group is usually the sudo group, not to be confused with the sudo command: # Allow members of group sudo to execute any command%sudo    ALL=(ALL:ALL)  ALL This means all members of the admin group have full sudo privileges. To add your user to the admin group, you would issue the command (as a user who already has full sudo privileges): sudo usermod -a -G sudo USERNAME Where USERNAME is the name of the user to be added. Once the user logs out and logs back in, they will now enjoy full sudo privileges. If you were using Fedora or a Red Hat-based distribution, you would use the wheel group instead: sudo usermod -a -G wheel USERNAME Note that the user will continue to have sudo privileges as long as that user has this group assignment. To revoke sudo privileges, you will need to remove that user from that group. SEE: Top Commands Linux Admins Need to Know (TechRepublic Premium) Use with caution You do not want to add every user to the sudoers file or the admin group. Use this with caution — otherwise, you risk jeopardizing system security. But with care, you can easily manage what your users can and cannot do. Do more with sudo privileges Using your newfound sudo privileges, you can add a new user to your Linux system, list system services, and search for files from the command line. In addition, you’ll want to make administration easier by combining multiple commands into a single bash prompt. This article was originally published in August 2023. It was updated by Antony Peyton in January 2025. source

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