McAfee, a leading global cybersecurity firm, shares  guidance on WannaCry, the global cyber ransom-ware. The  email is provided below:

Dear McAfee Customer,

This past Friday we witnessed a coordinated global cyberattack known as WannaCry. It is one of the biggest cyberattacks that we have ever seen impacting over 150 countries and infecting more than 250,000 machines. WannaCry is a type of malicious software (malware) classified as ransomware. It encrypts essential files on your Windows device and requires that you pay a ransom to unlock those files. Although it primarily focuses on organizational or business networks – as was the case with WannaCry – you can do your part to stop the spread of this by doing the following:

• • Since our security products are automatically updated, as a McAfee customer you are protected from this ransomware when you connect to the Internet and update your security software. As new variants of this ransomware arise, we will continuously update our software to keep you protected.

• • Apply any Microsoft Windows security patches that Microsoft has sent you. If you are using an older version of Microsoft’s operating systems, such as Windows XP or Windows 8, click here to download emergency security patches from Microsoft.

• • Be careful what you click on. This malware was distributed by phishing emails. You should only click on emails that you are sure came from a trusted source. Click here to learn more about phishing emails.

• • Be sure to back up all your computing devices. Regularly backing up your devices helps you recover your information should your computer become infected with ransomware.

We are actively working on a free decryption tool that, if successful, we will make it available as soon as possible. We are also working with law enforcement agencies around the world to understand who conducted this attack and will do everything we can to bring them to justice.

You can learn more about WannaCry by clicking here.

Sincerely,
Gary J. Davis
Chief Consumer Security Evangelist
McAfee, LLC

RIP MP3. Yes, the creators of the MP3 have declared the music format obsolete, closing the lid on the iconic audio files that popularised the iPod

MP3 has been by far the most popular digital audio format since its inception over two decades ago, and now it’s finally being killed off. The format’s developer has announced that it’s terminating the format’s licensing program. Yes, MP3 is officially dead

The actual patent history of MP3 is mired in controversy; many developers across the world claimed patents related to encoding and decoding the format in the past, resulting in a multitude of lawsuits and confusion as to which organisation’s licenses had to be purchased from during the early days of its adoption. However, the Fraunhofer Institute has claimed patents for licensing the format to developers who want to distribute or sell decoders and encoders since 2005, and won legal battles for its ownership as well. The company has now issued a statement it’s discontinuing the popular MP3 music format.

“Although there are more efficient audio codecs with advanced features available today, MP3 is still very popular amongst consumers,” the statement reads. “However, most state-of-the-art media services such as streaming or TV and radio broadcasting use modern ISO-MPEG codecs such as the AAC family or in the future MPEG-H. Those can deliver more features and a higher audio quality at much lower bitrates compared to MP3.”

Of course, most people and developers have already begun moving away from MP3, even if support is still provided for the format. The move, however, is significant as it’s reminiscent of when PC manufacturers first began to standardise CD-ROMs in their computers, as opposed to floppy drives.

Another example is now present in the smartphone and laptop industry, as we see tech companies gradually moving towards USB Type-C over Type-A USB and MicroUSB. AAC (Advanced Audio Coding), which was partly developed by the Fraunhofer Institute is today’s new audio standard for most streaming and distribution.

The MP3 Legacy

Of course, though MP3 may be dead, it’s left an inarguable impact on the tech world, and we couldn’t help but feel nostalgic at the news. After it first came out 24 years ago, in 1993, it slowly gained popularity in the later half of that decade. By 1997, with the launch of the Winamp audio player, people were regularly downloading MP3s from various websites offering the service (mostly illegally). That process skyrocketed in usage numbers when Napster (the granddaddy of peer-to-peer torrents we know today) launched in 1999, making it more convenient to download large batches of small audio files ripped from CDs.

Apple also owes the MP3 a lot of its success, the building block of its popular iPods and the iTunes service we know today, as well as the format paving the way for streaming services like Gaana and Spotify.

Unfortunately, MP3 may never see any sort of nostalgic revival like audio cassettes (Thank you for that Guardians of the Galaxy), or vinyls. Aside from being an audio format with no character to speak of, MP3 is also widely looked down on for its low quality. The same lossy compression rates that made the format a hit in the days of early broadband (and a lot of dial-up connections here in India) is highly inferior to other available options, with many critics even saying it enhances the bad audio qualities of instruments while burying their positives.

And yet, we have to say thank you, MP3. Thanks for helping form our early music tastes, for allowing us to share the tunes we cared about with our friends, and for letting us make that first cherished CD with more than a measly 12-15 tracks. It’s been fun, and we owe you so much.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has already started releasing results for the 2017 Unified tertiary matriculation examination (UTME) that started on 13th May, 2017. Follow the procedures below to check your result.

How to check JAMB 2017 Results
1. Login to your profile at www.jamb.org.ng
2. Scroll down a bit and find the box that says “Check 2017 UTME Examination Results”. Click on it.
3. It should either display your result or tell you “No Result Yet”

JAMB usually release results in batches, If you have no result yet you can check again. Even if someone in your day schedule has seen his/her result, you still need to exercise some patience until your result is finally released.

If for some reason JAMB has decided to withhold or seize your result, an appropriate reason will be given to you; Example,
1. You were involved in Malpractice
2. You missed your schedule
3. You were too late to the exam
E.T.C.