Beyond antivirus: Other essential tools to protect your Mac

Beyond antivirus: Other essential tools to protect your Mac

Macs were once thought to be nearly invincible from a cybersecurity perspective, but now face more threats than ever. Just a few years ago, Mac-specific malware was a rarity. In 2021, security specialist Patrick Wardle discovered eight new malware families that targeted the platform. By 2023, that number grew to 21. While this may seem small next to the number of CVEs that affect Windows, It's a reminder that Macs aren't as immune as were once believed.

With macOS gaining...

31 October 2024 | Developer

GitHub Copilot users gain access to Stack Overflow knowledge

Smartphone with glasses and a book illustrating the launch of a Stack Overflow extension for the GitHub Copilot AI assistant for developers, enabling users to access the vast knowledge platform to find solutions for software development problems.

Stack Overflow has launched an extension for GitHub Copilot that promises to improve how developers find solutions. The extension allows users to pose questions directly within the AI-driven coding assistant and receive summarised responses informed by Stack Overflow's extensive knowledge base.

GitHub and Stack Overflow’s partnership aims to aid developers in tackling their most challenging coding queries. The latest Stack Overflow Developer Survey reveals that 61% of developers...

29 October 2024 | Artificial Intelligence

Web framework Svelte delivers ‘most significant release’ yet

Svelte logo as the team releases Svelte 5 of the web development framework that brings native TypeScript support in addition to existing languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, plus a rank of new features and improvements for developers.

Svelte 5 has been released, marking what the team behind the web framework describes as the “most significant release in the project's history" and follows 18 months of intensive development.

The latest iteration of the web framework arrives as a ground-up rewrite, promising improved performance, reduced bundle sizes, and enhanced reliability. Despite these substantial changes, the framework maintains near-complete backwards compatibility with Svelte 4, ensuring a seamless...

25 October 2024 | Developer

Holistic’s open-source tools counter AI development risks

Woman punching illustrating the launch of Holistic AI open-source tools to counter artificial intelligence software development risks and algorithmic bias.

Holistic has unveiled an open-source library to help counter AI development risks and build fairer and more responsible systems.

The library – dubbed Holistic AI OSL – arrives at a crucial moment when organisations are increasingly deploying AI systems across sensitive domains including recruitment, healthcare, and financial services. Recent studies suggest that 65% of AI researchers and developers still consider bias a significant challenge in their work.

Holistic...

23 October 2024 | Artificial Intelligence

Entry points threaten multiple open-source ecosystems

Sign illustrating how vulnerabilities with entry points can be exploited by hackers to threaten open-source packages of multiple programming ecosystems.

While current tools have improved at detecting common tactics for exploiting open-source packages, a feature remains largely overlooked: entry points.

Security researchers at Checkmarx uncovered how attackers can leverage entry points across multiple programming ecosystems, with a particular focus on PyPI, to trick victims into running malicious code. This method – while not allowing for immediate system compromise – offers a subtler approach for patient attackers to...

14 October 2024 | Developer

Safe Coding: Google’s strategy reduces memory safety vulnerabilities

Google logo illustrating its Safe Coding strategy to reduce memory safety vulnerabilities to improve security.

Google has unveiled compelling data highlighting the efficacy of its "Safe Coding" approach in reducing memory safety vulnerabilities.

The tech giant's strategy, which prioritises the use of memory-safe programming languages for new code development, has yielded impressive results. Most notably, Android has seen a sharp decline in memory safety vulnerabilities, plummeting from 76% of all vulnerabilities in 2019 to just 24% in 2024.

This reduction is particularly...

26 September 2024 | Android

Android 15: Developer productivity and UX take centre stage

Google has announced the release of Android 15, making the source code readily available through the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).

Supported Pixel devices are set to receive the update in the coming weeks, with a wider rollout to devices from manufacturers like Samsung, Honor, and OnePlus planned for the coming months.

“Android 15 continues our mission of building a private and secure platform that helps improve your productivity while giving you new capabilities...

4 September 2024 | Android

Roblox developers targeted by year-long malware campaign

A sustained malware campaign targeting Roblox developers through malicious npm packages has been uncovered by Checkmarx security researchers. The attackers are impersonating the popular “noblox.js” library, publishing dozens of packages designed to steal sensitive information and compromise systems.

The campaign, which has been active for over a year, exploits trust in the open-source ecosystem. It particularly targets the Roblox platform, a lucrative target due to its massive...

2 September 2024 | Development Tools

North Korean hackers target developers in latest npm attack wave

A fresh offensive by suspected North Korean hacking groups has targeted the open-source software community with a series of malicious packages uploaded to the npm repository.

Identified by cybersecurity firm Phylum, the attacks leverage multiple techniques and appear designed to steal cryptocurrency and sensitive data from unsuspecting developers.

The campaign began on 12th August and involves several distinct publication patterns and attack types, suggesting the...

29 August 2024 | Developer

SQL, Python, and Java most sought-after skills

SQL, Python, and Java remain the most sought-after programming skills by employers, according to new research from System Design School. The study analysed job listings on Glassdoor, revealing the languages most frequently cited as required skills.

"In today's competitive job market, having the right skills is more important than ever, and this data provides clear evidence of the programming languages employers are seeking,” commented Sheldon Chi, ex-Google engineer and creator...

19 August 2024 | Developer