Mediaboss Marketing

The National Security Agency is amping up its game when it comes to challenging young, college-age students in military academies on their cyber skills.

The agency is hosting its 17th annual Cyber Defense Exercise (CDX), but with a few new twists.

The exercise challenges students at the U.S. Military, Naval, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine academies, as well as undergraduate and graduate students from the Royal Military College of Canada.

Their mission is to defend networks they have created from a red team comprised of U.S., Canadian and industry cyber warriors.

Sponsored Content: Why Governance, Risk and Compliance is Everyones Business - Download the Executive Brief Today.

Along with defending the network, the teams have certain challenges they need to secure as well.

What this does is challenges them to look into forensics and see where malware lies and where things happen, said James Titcomb technical lead for CDX said April 12.

The challenges consist of reverse engineering and malware analysis, network forensics, offensive ethical hacking and control of a simulated drone.

The graduate students are testing two new challenges that involve securing a space satellite and an unmanned ground vehicle.

This year whats new is we have two cadets from the Air Force academy participating in the red team, said Shirley McMonigle, CDX program lead. This is also the first year the undergraduates will participate in the drone challenge.

This year teams will have to deal with ransomeware as well. The teams can either pay points to get out of the hack or try to fix it.

March TSP returns: In like a lamb, out like a lion

Teams are scored on network confidentiality, usability, integrity and on the challenges.

NSA uses a red team to interfere with students networks and their ability to complete the challenges. Much of the intrusions find their way into the students networks through a gray team, which acts as a network user.

The gray team may fall for social engineering tactics.

Most of our access is done through the gray cell. We call it the user that clicks on everything. What we do is we purposely throw things and have the gray cell open those links so that we can own their work stations. [The teams] have to go in and mitigate that, Titcomb said.

The red teams are a way for those in the military to keep their skills sharp too.

Air Reservist Lt. Tim Li said he works in cybersecurity for J.P. Morgan. He said acting as a hacker helps him understand the other side of the cybersecurity coin.

Its fun, its the opposite for me of what I do on the outside. Its learning what the attacker would do, so it will definitely be beneficial for me once I return to my civilian job, Li said.

The students embedded this year with the red team said they were taking in a lot from the experience.

Nick Co, a 22-year-old midshipman, said he could see himself working for U.S. Cyber Command or the NSA at some point in the future.

Thats good news for the military, which is strapped for people with cyber talent in the service.

I think for us some of it is trying to understand the basics first. We are still hugely learning, but we know that the field is really growing and we definitely know they could use some officers out there, Co said. These guys are the real professionals so its fun to really learn from them and take this back and hopefully when we graduate implement this.

Read more here:
NSA gives military students a leg up on cyber with real-time exercise ... - FederalNewsRadio.com

Painting software has come a long way in recent years, and there are now superb programs available completely free that offer a realistic simulation of watercolors, oils, pastels, charcoal, and more. These programs work well with a mouse, but are even better with a stylus or touchscreen for direct control over your virtual brushes and pens.

Some of the latest painting software also lets you work in three dimensions, creating your own models and then applying your own textures and paint effects. You can combine these with 2D sketched elements to create scenes, and even print them in 3D.

Here, weve picked out the very best drawing software for Windows. Some of these tools are designed for serious illustrators, while others are better for keeping children occupied without the mess of real painting. Theres something for everyone the only limits are your imagination and skill.

Top-quality free painting software that gives all artists equal access to the best tools

Krita is professional-quality painting software created by a team of artists with the noble aim of putting top-notch creative tools within reach of everyone.

You can use Krita for any kind of drawing and illustration, but it's particularly great for comics and manga. There are panel templates, halftone filters, and perspective tools in addition to the usual brushes, fills and pens. Each brush is totally customizable, and you can save your bespoke brushes to use again later.

Right-clicking anywhere on the canvas in Krita will bring up a selection wheel that lets you pick a new tool and select a colour in seconds a system that's much easier than trawling through menus and settings

Krita was created by artists for artists, and it shows in the dozens of thoughtful little touches that make it easier to create great paintings. There are handy drawing aids for creating straight lines, vanishing points and smooth shapes. You also get layers, masks, various transform tools, HDR support, and advanced selection functions.

Krita is an incredibly powerful painting program, and it's yours to download and use completely free.

Download here: Krita

A realistic simulation of traditional artistic media, with a huge selection of brushes and tools

Artweaver Free enables you to create beautifully realistic digital paintings by taking your input from your mouse, from a stylus, or if you have a touchscreen PC from whatever you feel like tapping the screen with and applying ultra-realistic brush effects.

In addition to familiar brushes such as conte brushes, calligraphy pens and airbrushes you also get a huge range of patterns and pens, enabling you to produce very complex images with the minimum of effort. Its layer-based too, so you can build up your masterpiece in layers without losing the ability to change anything.

Artweaver Free designed for artists of all ages, but weve found it particularly useful for children. Kids love experimenting with all the different brushes, and we love not having to clean up any mess afterwards.

Download here: Artweaver Free

Make three-dimensional models with this kid-friendly free painting software included in the latest Windows 10 update

Paint 3D comes as part of the Windows 10 Creators Update, and is great fun even if you have no artistic talent to speak of.

Like the classic version of Paint (which still exists, and can be found using Windows 10s search bar), Paint 3D offers a small selection of drawing tools for doodling on a flat canvas. However, the real fun happens when you click the 3D Objects button. Here you can pick a model to import (current choices include people and animals), or better yet, draw your own shape and then inflate it to turn it into a three-dimensional model that can be rotated and viewed from different angles.

You can choose a finish for your shape (options include matte, gloss, dull metal, and polished metal), paint its surface, and apply lighting effects. Theres no way to control the thickness of the 3D effect, so your object will always resemble something created with Puff Paints, but its great fun for kids of all ages.

Multiple models can be positioned at different depths and combined to create a scene, and you can even bring doodles into the real world if you have access to a 3D printer.

Get the Windows 10 Creator's Update, including Paint 3D

Another child-friendly app from Microsoft, with realistic brush strokes and a fun interface

Fresh Paint is another art app from Microsoft this time designed to replicate the feeling of putting brush or pen to paper.

The interface really goes to town with skeumorphism, with a plastic palette of colours that splatter when you dip your virtual brush, showing which shade youre currently using and making a pleasing splat. You can wash the bristles in a cup of water before picking a different color, or use one immediately after another to blend them together on the brush.

Fresh Paint can simulate watercolors, gouache, and all kinds of other material. As the name implies, you can interact with your work as though its not yet dry, smearing it and mixing colors together on the canvas. Experienced artists will be able to achieve great results with tools that behave like their real-life counterparts, while kids and novices will make an equally realistic mess.

Download here: Microsoft Fresh Paint

Open source software for hobbyist artists with the time and patience to master a new tool

MyPaint is the brainchild of artist Martin Renold, who was frustrated by the limitations of his Wacom tablets proprietary software and decided to take matters into his own hands. Today, the open source software is an accomplished tool for artists.

Its background as a Linux app means MyPaint works a little differently to most Windows apps, and itll take a little while to master its interface, but its well worth the effort if youre a hobbyist illustrator and Kritas focus on comics means it doesnt quite fit your needs.

MyPaint works best when used with a graphics tablet, but you can also use it with any other input device, or a touchscreen. Theres the usual selection of customizable brushes, plus support for layers, and a handy scratchpad for creating sketches. You can also download and install additional brush packages created by other users a perk of the source code being publicly available.

Download here: MyPaint

Original post:
The best free painting software 2017 - TechRadar

Tim Hugo, Free File Alliance Executive Director, stated, "This program continues to be a unique and very successful public-private partnership between a nonprofit coalition of industry-leading tax software companies and the IRS to serve the American Taxpayers. Passing 50 million taxpayers served is a tremendous achievement and Free File will continue to work with the IRS to continue to improve this service for the American Taxpayers."

IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said, "Reaching 50 million users and achieving $1.5 billion in taxpayer savings mark important milestones for the Free File initiative. The Free File effort shows how the public and private sectors can work together to provide a critical service to the nation's taxpayers. After 14 years, this innovative program continues to break new ground as it evolves to meet people's needs."

With just a few days left until the tax deadline on April 18th, the Free File Alliance reminds taxpayers that free tax solutions are available to all Americans atIRS-Free File Alliance. Taxpayers who earned $64,000 AGI(adjusted gross income) or less can choose from among a dozen, brand-name software products offered by leading private-sector companies for free. Taxpayers who made more than $64,000 AGI may use Free File Fillable Forms, the electronic version of Internal Revenue Service paper forms.

"Every American taxpayer can and should take advantage of the Free File program," said Hugo, "Whether you need to e-file a tax return or an extension, Free File is the fast, safe and free way to tackle your taxes. Free File is also the only place where the industry's best tax software is available at one place and at no cost. Simply visit http://www.IRS.gov/freefile and choose the software offering that fits your tax needs."

Hugo also stated that the Free File Alliance now offers taxpayers the ability to use their smart phones or tablets to electronically prepare and file their federal and state tax returns through the IRS/ Free File Alliance. This new design allows for the use of desktops, laptops, mobile phones and tablets. It can be accessed using mobile devices in two ways: (1) Use the IRS app, IRS2go, which has a link to the Free File Software Lookup Tool or (2) use the device's browser to go to http://www.IRS.gov/freefile to find the software product that matches your situation. The IRS2Go app is available for Android and iOS devices.

Free File Alliance member companies have continually worked with the IRS to strengthen the Free File program, and taxpayers have consistently reported that it is user-friendly and efficient. Responding to a 2009 IRS survey, 96 percent of users said they found Free File easy to use, while 98 percent said they would recommend the program to others.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/free-file-tops-50-million-users-continuing-to-serve-the-american-taxpayers-300439794.html

SOURCE Free File Alliance

http://www.freefilealliance.org

Read more here:
Free File Tops 50 Million Users Continuing to Serve the American Taxpayers - PR Newswire (press release)

Ubuntu founder has choice words for some free software users calls them anti social and haters

Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworths reappointment as company CEO has been overshadowed by some imaginative language about some people within the open source community.

Shuttleworth was responding (mostly positively) to comments about the ending of Canonicals investment Unity8, its phone and convergence shell, and the shift of its default Ubuntu desktop back to GNOME for Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, when he made his admission.

Shuttleworth will take charge of Canonical in the summer as CEO, after part of a planned transition from the current boss of the firm Jane Silber.

When it emerged earlier this month about Canonicals change of direction with Unity8, Shuttleworth took to Google+ to thank the open source community for all your spirit and intellect and energy in the Unity8 adventure.

He responded to a number of comments about the decision, but when the subject turned to the Mir windowing system his tone changed.

The whole Mir hate-fest boggled my mind its free software that does something invisible really well, he wrote. It became a political topic as irrational as climate change or gun control, where being on one side or the other was a sign of tribal allegiance. We have a problem in the community when people choose to hate free software instead of loving that someone cares enough to take their lifes work and make it freely available.

I came to be disgusted with the hate on Mir. Really, it changed my opinion of the free software community.

I used to think that it was a privilege to serve people who also loved the idea of service, but now I think many members of the free software community are just deeply anti-social types who love to hate on whatever is mainstream.

He also said that the haters had targeted Windows when it was mainstream, and are now turning their irrational hatred to Canonical after it went mainstream.

The very same muppets would write about how terrible it was that IOS/Android had no competition and then how terrible it was that Canonical was investing in (free software!) compositing and convergence, he said. F**k that s**t.

Shuttleworth will resume his role of CEO in the summer, after he stepped down from that position in 2009 in order to focus more on specific projects within Canonical, including the move to cloud computing.

Shuttleworth was replaced by Jane Silber in 2010, who was previously Canonicals chief operating officer.

In a blog post,she revealed that she had only agreed to take the CEO position for five years only, but this had been extended.

This is not a sudden decision, Silber wrote. Weve been preparing for a transition for some time by strengthening the executive leadership team and maturing every aspect of the company, and earlier this year Mark and I decided that now is the time to effect this transition.

Over the next three months I will remain CEO but begin to formally transfer knowledge and responsibility to others in the executive team. In July, Mark will retake the CEO role and I will move to the Canonical Board of Directors.

Quiz: What do you know about Linux?

Excerpt from:
Mark Shuttleworth Returns As Canonical CEO, Slams Some 'Free ... - Silicon UK

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) For Paul Morgan,North Carolinas Stand your ground law is personal.

On May 23, 2016,Morgan says a man was breaking into his Wilson home when he shot and killed the intruder.

I was scared. I did what I had to do, Morgan said.

The incident happened in the middle of the night.

The 71-year-old and his wife were asleep when they heard that suspect trying to kick in their front door.

We thought somebody, he was going to break in and kill me and my wife. I just did what I had to do, Morgan said.

Morgan showed CBS North Carolina the bullet holes in his front door.

Morgan said he warned the intruder several times to stop and that when he didnt listen, thats when Morgan fired two shots through his door.

I think about it just about every day because thats not something I dont want to take nobodys life and I dont want nobody to take mine, Morgan said.

After investigating, Wilsonpolice and the district attorneys office decided not to charge Morgan.

If youre coming into someones house, I think its wrong. Especially that time of night. Both of us were in the bed. So he just protected us, Morgans wife,Gladys, said.

A bill now being introduced in the North Carolina House would repeal the states stand your ground law.

The Trayvon Martin case proved that it can be used in a way to justify a killing that was unjustifiable, said Rep. Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford).

Harrison is one of the sponsors of House Bill 723.

Its not necessary. I think It leads to more mayhem and death and we just feel like it shouldnt be on our books,Harrison said of the current law.

Under the current law, residents have the right to defend themselves with deadly force in their homes, vehicles and workplaces.

HB723 would limit that to just the home.

House Speaker Tim Moore defended the existing law. He says the new bill doesnt have the support to move forward.

It doesnt give you the right to go out and use lethal force for someone trespassing, Moore said. You have to still be able to articulate that you can a reasonable fear of imminent physical injury.

Read the original here:
NC lawmakers seek to repeal parts of state's 'Stand your ground' law - WNCN