Hunt For Internet Startups Grows By 25%

25 % Job Growth For Internet Startups

Led by a spurt in hiring by internet startups which have posted a 25 per cent rise in jobs in just a month, RecruiteX, the TimesJobs.com's Jobs Index has reported an overall increase of 15 per cent in the demand for talent over June 2014.

According to the report, e-commerce majors such as Snapdeal, Flipkart and Amazon have stepped up hiring in the last one month. Engineers, quality and process specialists too reported over 50 per cent growth in demand in this period. Even senior levels in startups saw a 100 per cent rise in jobs.

IT software and internet/online start-ups are doing the maximum hiring. Tech, product and media/content roles are hot in the start-up space

Traditional jobs too, held their own. The top hiring industries in India by volume, outside of the IT sector, included healthcare, petrochemicals/oil and gas, consumer durables/FMCG and automobiles/auto ancillaries.

The report also says that retail services and hospitality professionals reported the highest demand with an increase of 30 per cent in month-over-month analysis. Content editors/journalists and entertainment/media/journalism professionals were also in demand.

Bangalore came out ahead as the top hiring location for startups and emerging businesses with over 30 per cent increase in demand followed by Delhi NCR with 22 per cent.

Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi NCR and Pune emerged as top hiring locations for traditional industries in July 2014. Mid-level professionals with 5-20 years experience led the hiring trend during this period.

Industrywise, healthcare/pharmaceutical (24 per cent) and petrochemicals/oil and gas (21 per cent) reported maximum growth. Automobile/auto ancillaries and consumer durables/FMCG (19 per cent) bagged the third position in the top ten list. Projects/infrastructure reported an 18 per cent increase in hiring.

World‘s 10 most internet addicted countries

World‘s 10 most internet addicted countries

In this modern world Internet is the basic means for communication, trading, entertainment, knowledge, social engagement. With every passing day the utility of Internet is increasing worldwide with rise in flow of information. Here is a list of 10 most internet addicted countries in 2014:

1. Iceland. Iceland doesn't have the fastest internet service in the world, but 96.2% of population is connected. The denizens use renewable energy to access the web. They have been the core of international web traffic. 

2. Norway. With 95% of connected population, Norway became the first non-English speaking country to go online. It is among the top 10 countries having fastest internet speed.

3. Sweden. Globally Sweden holds 8th and 5th place in desktop and mobile internet access speed, respectively. The most influential torrent site "The Pirate Bay" was founded in Sweden in 2003. 94% of its population is online.

4. Netherlands. Netherlands has the fastest desktop internet speeds among the internet-addicted countries. After the country's 2010 initiatives, the availability of internet exploded from around 700,000 homes to over 7 million. 93% of the population is connected.

5. Denmark. Denmark has the 6th fastest desktop internet speed and the 2nd best mobile speed in the world. 93% of its population has access to internet.

6. Finland. Finland has a comprehensive web infrastructure and local country code '.fi'. It is the first country to declare fast broadband access as a part of human right in 2009, with the aim to provide 100 Mbps speed to all by 2015.

7. New Zealand. 89.5% of New Zealand's population has access to internet. It is 46th in the list of countries having highest download speed. The country aims to connect 97.8% of its population by 2019.

8. United Kingdom. With 87% of population online, UK was among first few countries to build up a modern web infrastructure, and the country code '.uk'.

9. Switzerland. Switzerland has the fastest internet connection in the world. 85.2% of the population is connected

10. Canada: In a country with 86.8 percent of online population, Canadian internet addicts suffer the extreme problem of worst connections in the developed world. A recent Net Index ranked Canada's upload speed at 5.67 Mbps, far below the global average of 7.6 Mbps, and while some regions do have much faster access available, the country's service providers offer at exceptionally uncompetitive rates.

Hacking virus 'Bladabindi' prowling in Indian cyberspace

Hacking virus 'Bladabindi' prowling in Indian cyberspace

 

Cyber security sleuths have alerted Indian Internet users against hacking attempts of a clandestine multi-identity virus--Bladabindi-- which steals sensitive personal information of a user for nefarious purposes.

The virus, the Computer Emergency Response Team-India (CERT-In) said, could infect "Microsoft Windows operating system" and it spread through removable USB flash drives, popularly known as pendrive and data cards, including other malwares.

CERT-In is the nodal national agency to combat hacking, phishing and to fortify security-related defences of the Indian Internet domain.

"It has been reported that variants of malware called Bladabindi are spreading. This malware steals sensitive user information from infected computer system. Bladabindi could also be used as malware downloader to propagate further malware and provide backdoor access to the remote attacker.

"Some of the Bladabindi variants could capture keyboard press, control computer camera and later send collected sensitive information to remote attacker. Bladabindi is infecting Microsoft Windows operating system and spreading via infecting removable USB flash drives and via other malwares," the latest advisory by the agency said.

The threat potential of the malware or the virus can be gauged from the fact that it can acquire as many as 12 aliases to conceal its real identity and later affect a computer system or personal information of a user.

"Bladabindi variants can be created using a publicly available malicious hacker tool. Attacker can create a malicious file using any choice of icon to mislead or entice naive user into running the malicious file," the advisory said.

The virus possesses a unique ability to acquire a safe network domain id in order to falsely add itself to the firewall exclusion list and bypass a user's firewall mechanism.

A typical 'Bladabindi' variant propagates by way of copying themselves into the root folder of a removable drive and create a shortcut file with the name and folder icon of the drive. When the user clicks on the shortcut, the malware gets executed and Windows Explorer is opened and it makes it seem as if nothing malicious happened.

A potential attack by the virus could result into the loss of important proprietary data of a user like "computer name, country and serial number, Windows user name, computer's operating system version, Chrome stored passwords, Firefox stored passwords, the agency said in the advisory.

"The malware can also use infected computer's camera to record and steal personal information. It checks for camera drivers and installs a DLL plugin so it can record and upload the video to a remote attacker. The malware can also log or capture keystrokes to steal credentials like user names and passwords," the CERT-In cautioned users.

The agency has also suggested some countermeasures against "Bladabindi'.

"Scan computer system with the free removal tools, disable the autorun functionality in Windows, use USB clean or vaccination software, keep up-to-date patches and fixes on the operating system and application software, deploy up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware signatures at desktop and gateway level," the agency suggested.

10 online scams & how to avoid them

How to avoid these 10 Online Scams

 

Internet fraud can take many forms: identity theft, injecting malware, fraudulent transactions. It can occur through email, smartphones, websites, and chat rooms. Here are some such scams and ways to avoid them.

 

1. Infected sites

These are the sites that are not legitimate and have malicious software to hack your personal information.

A lot of such infected sites come up during festive season, when people are buying gifts online and hackers build these using popular search items. Another variation of infection is legitimate sites that get heavy traffic and, hence, are injected with ads and images that have viruses. 

A good way to avoid these is to go with familiar, popular sites or install ad blockers on your browser.

2. Fake phone apps

 

Be very careful about the apps that you download on your phone. Android and Apple smartphones are particularly vulnerable to fake apps in their stores, and these can introduce malware that steals the data from your phone.

To avoid fake apps, check the user reviews about the game or app before you download it. You can also go to the developer's website and get more information about the app before zeroing in on it.

Another safe option is to go for the most downloaded apps or those that come with the 'Editors' Choice' tag. Avoid the apps that are usually paid, but are being offered for free, or ask for too much information.

3. International dialling

 

If your internet connection is through a modem using a local telephone number, beware. Some sites lure people into viewing content that requires them to download a dialler or viewer. If you do so, your computer will be disconnected from the internet and will instead be used to dial an international number, resulting in high phone bills.

To safeguard yourself, avoid sites that require you to download a programme to view content. You can also have your line blocked from making international calls. Also make sure your computer has anti-malware software to detect any illegal activity.

4. Phishing

 

This is probably the oldest known scamming technique that is still going strong. Here emails, purportedly sent out from well-known institutions and social networking or payment sites, are used to draw out sensitive, personal information like passwords and credit card details. These mails could also carry links to infected sites.

A preventive step is to never give out personal information and call up the company to crosscheck that the email is genuine. Also scan the URL for security (use of HTTPS in the address bar means it is safe).

5. Pharming

 

A combination of 'farming' and 'phishing', this term refers to the process by which a hacker gets a domain name for a site and then uses it to redirect this site's traffic to another, bogus website.

It can compromise serious information and cause heavy losses if the site being copied is that of a bank or taxation department. It can also be used to steal passwords, PIN or account numbers.

The best way to prevent this is to make sure you use secure web connections (HTTPS) to access privacy-sensitive sites.

6. Wi-Fi hacking

 

If you use a public Wi-Fi connection, such as at airport terminals or coffee shops, to log into your account, you stand the risk of having your password and private information hacked. The hacker can also access your browsing history. This is especially true if you save the password to your account on your device.

If you are using a smartphone to access your account, try to use the 3G or 4G connection as it is more secure.

7. Auction/shopping scams

 

With online shopping and auction sites — wherein you put up household items and gadgets for bidding and sale — becoming popular, the scope of fraud has increased.

You could be scammed by not receiving the goods at all, getting poor quality items, or being charged more than the price mentioned. Your credit card information could also be used fraudulently. Besides, the seller could be defrauded if he doesn't get any payment.

To avoid it, make sure you know as much as possible about the item and seller/buyer. The latter shouldn't have just an email or a post office box address. Call him up and ask him about the address and extra charges. 

8. Investing scams

 

Here, the prices of stocks are manipulated by sending out false information about the companies through emails, chat forums or internet boards. This results in a rise or fall in the prices of stocks and the scammer benefits by selling or buying shares at the right time.

In another variation of investing scam, which came under the Sebi scanner recently, companies were offering 'guaranteed return' schemes through emails, websites, blogs and social media platforms, and conning people of their money.

The best way to avoid it is to conduct your own research about the company, and not invest in schemes that promise outrageous returns.

9. Employment fraud

There are two variants of this scam. The more common one involves job offers by recruiters that require you to pay an advance fee or make a deposit, without the job ever materializing.

The second one typically offers you the job of a 'representative' of an overseas company and your task is to collect customers' deposits in your account and remit most of it to the company abroad. In doing so, you could not only be a victim of identity theft, but also have money stolen from your account.

Avoid any such offers without verifying the company and do not give out personal information.

10. Click scams

Have you ever clicked on the game strips or dancing/jumping figures that pop up and move across your screen while you are on social networking or other sites? Don't.These could be fake and could lead you to click on concealed links, which either make your personal information public or provide access to confidential information stored on your computer.

Most UK internet users reject 'porn filters'

Most UK internet users reject 'porn filters'

UK internet users are choosing to opt out of the so-called 'pornography filters' introduced at the behest of prime minister David Cameron. 

A new report from Ofcom found that on average only 13% of new internet users chose to activate the software provided by the big four ISPs — BT, Virgin Media, Sky and TalkTalk. 

Cameron announced the introduction of the filters in July last year when he warned of the impact the internet was having on children. Since then ISPs have been slowly rolling out the filters, offering them first to all new subscribers, with plans to place an "unavoidable choice" in front of all households in the future.  

Of the ISPs covered in the report just one - TalkTalk - had more than 10% of users agree to the filters. Four per cent of Virgin Media subscribers signed up; 5% of BT customers; 8% for Sky and a 36% of TalkTalk users. 

Although BT, Sky and TalkTalk all began to offer "family friendly network-level filtering" by the end of December last year, Virgin Media has been slower to join the pack and the report found that it still only offered filters to around a third (35%) of new customers. 

Ofcom say that this is because the majority of new Virgin Media installations involve an engineer visiting the customer's home - who often ignores or bypasses the filter. Tom Mockridge, Virgin Media's chief executive, said that the company was taking "immediate action" to rectify this. 

The filter categories used by all four ISPs are supplied by third-party providers, with BT offering the most comprehensive blocking including site categories such as "social networking" and "fashion and beauty" and "search engines" - categories that may not be deemed dangerous by all parents. 

Conclusion: This step taken by Govt is the best.....  This decision has to be taken by all countires... 

Yahoo to Flurry

Yahoo to buy mobile analytics startup Flurry

Yahoo will buy mobile analytics startup Flurry to beef up a fast-growing mobile advertising business that still lags Google's and Facebook's in scale.

Six-year-old Flurry uses analytics to help target ads at consumers by monitoring activity on more than half a million apps on some 1.4 billion mobile devices around the world, Yahoo said in a statement on Monday.
The startup provides information to help marketers and brands more easily reach their desired audiences, Yahoo said.
Yahoo did not cite a price tag, but a source familiar with the matter said the internet company is paying several hundred million dollars. Tech blog Re/code earlier reported that rough amount.
Flurry will operate much as before after the acquisition closes, and its team will remain in their current locations, Yahoo added.


Yahoo is trying to revitalize a stagnant online advertising business as chief executive Marissa Mayer marks her second anniversary at the internet company.

The former Google executive has revamped many of Yahoo's web products but its ad sales are still weak while rivals such as Google and Facebook continue to post strong, double-digit revenue growth.

Like its rivals, it has been investing in its mobile advertising platform, as users increasingly access the internet from smartphones and tablets. Its mobile advertising revenue more than doubled in the second quarter.

But mobile advertising typically commands lower rates than online. Revenue in Yahoo's display advertising business decreased 8% to $436 million in the second quarter. The average price per ad decreased 24%, while the number of display ads sold increased 24%.

















Conclusion: Another acquisition by Yahooo this year.  A lot more to come

Hmmm...Need to watch for this

After making billions connect socially on its network, Facebook is testing a new feature designed to let users buy products directly from ads and posts on its news feed.

"With this feature, people on desktop or mobile can click the 'Buy' call-to-action button on ads and Page posts to purchase a product directly from a business, without leaving Facebook," the post reads.

In an image of what this feature looks like, a 'Buy' button sits in the bottom right corner of the ads that users normally see as they scroll through their Facebook news feeds.

This feature is currently in its test phase, so it is being used only for a few small and mid-size businesses in the US.

The "Buy" option will be available for specific products on Facebook's site and mobile app starting Thursday.

The announcement came Thursday on the company's 'Facebook for Business' blog, a resource for businesses that use Facebook to market their products.

Facebook has previously tried to enable purchasing on its site, but with little success, reports say.

'Facebook Credits', for example, was a virtual currency that allowed users to make purchases within games, one US dollar was equal to 10 Facebook Credits.

While this feature was disbanded in 2012, it has since been replaced by Facebook Game Cards that let users "buy items" in their "favorite games and apps."

Facebook had said earlier this year that it would avoid a direct purchasing feature on its news feed.

But Facebook is now feeling the pressure to compete with sites like Twitter, which recently released a 'buy now' button that lets users buy items directly from paid-for tweets and the online mega-giant Amazon, which packs its devices with features that take the users directly into the Amazon Store, compelling them to make purchases in the moment.

However, the nature of purchasing something with a simple tap on a screen, has recently come under scrutiny. A federal lawsuit filed against Amazon last week alleges that the online retailer took in millions of dollars through in-app payments by unsuspecting children.

In the case, the Federal Trade Commission is contending that parents were unknowingly billed for charges made by their children while playing games that required actual currency which appeared to be part of the game and seemed no different than the games' play currency.

To assuage the concerns of privacy by its more than 1.2 billion users, Facebook says no credit or debit card information users share will be given to advertisers.

"We have built this feature with privacy in mind, and have taken steps to help make the payment experience safe and secure," the post reads.

loT more to come

5 challenges in front of Internet of Things:-

We've already begun seeing how the Internet of Things (IoT), the tech industry's term for computerized consumer devices (e.g. thermostats, light fixtures, home alarms), can change our lives for the better, both in the consumer market with companies like Nest, and in the enterprise.

The connectivity, analysis, and management that IoT will provide promises to make our lives easier, more efficient, and even longer if companies like Apple continue pursuing health-monitoring products.

But IoT isn't without its challenges. If the Internet of Things is going to really take off, here are the obstacles it will have to overcome:

1. Signaling- In order for smart devices to have a meaningful impact on our lives they have to be able to connect to and communicate with each other. These connections have to be consistent and reliable, otherwise the data is only going in one direction and is considerably less useful. If the IoT is going to succeed, devices will need to be connected reliably 100% of the time.

2. Security- Security is probably one of the most obvious challenges to the IoT. We've already seen smart devices used to attack businesses. Recently hackers used a smart refrigerator to send malicious emails to thousands of businesses. In order to secure these devices, IoT companies will need to ensure that they can only be accessed by their designated users, that their data is encrypted, and that the devices aren't vulnerable to just anyone online.

3. Presence Detection- In order for your smart devices to work collaboratively, you need to know that all your devices are online and be able to fix any that come off of your network. The ability to monitor smart devices' connectivity in one place will be crucial to keeping them at their maximum efficacy and value. What good is a smart thermostat if it stops working but you don't realize it?

4. Power Efficiency- Having multiple devices online and communicating with one another simultaneously uses a lot of energy. Considering that one of the main appeals of the IoT is reducing our overall power consumption through monitoring our behavior (this is the main selling point for products like the Nest thermostat), it's important that smart devices not hog electricity and render themselves completely counterproductive.

5. Bandwidth- In addition to power, smart devices also consume a lot of bandwidth (because they're connected to the internet constantly). Having the networks to support all of our devices will be crucial to the success of the IoT overall.

With 5G mobile networks about a decade away, we may have to wait a few years before our internet can fully support the services the IoT has to offer. Until then we'll have to experience the Internet of Things in its piecemeal glory.

 

Did You Know?

Google Chrome Is Blocking uTorrent Client Downloads Citing A 'Malicious' Software Issue

Google's Chrome browser has started to block downloads of the popular BitTorrent client uTorrent. Those who attempt to download the software are told that it's malicious and harmful, hinting that the website might have been hacked.

With millions of new downloads per month uTorrent is without a doubt the most used BitTorrent client around.

However, since this weekend the number of installs must have dropped quite a bit after Google Chrome began warning users away from the software. According to Chrome the BitTorrent client poses a serious risk.

“uTorrent.exe is malicious and Chrome has blocked it,” the browser informs those who attempt to download the latest stable release.

Chrome does give users the option to restore the file but not without another warning. The browser is convinced that the file is harmful and suggests that the uTorrent website may have been hacked.

“This file will harm your computer. Even if you have downloaded files from this website before, the website may have been hacked. Instead of recovering this file you can retry the download later.”

It might be worth holding off on updating your version of light-as-air torrent client uTorrent this week, given that Google’s Chrome browser has been instructed to block .exe downloads from uTorrent’s website following a malware warning.