On Friday 08/10/18 the FBI issued a warning to banks around the world that ATM are at risk for an imminent cyber attack. Millions of dollars are expected to disappear from customer accounts.
A similar attack occurred in 2009 and resulted in $9 million in losses. The scheme is a cash-out in which the criminals hack a bank or payment card processor and issue cloned cards to be used around the world to withdraw money. The culpable targets are small to mid-sized banks that lag in the latest security equipment and software.
“Historic compromises have included small-to-medium size financial institutions, likely due to less robust implementation of cybersecurity controls, budgets, or third-party vendor vulnerabilities,” the statement reads.
“The FBI expects the ubiquity of this activity to continue or possibly increase in the near future.”
https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2018/08/15/fbi-warns-banks-that-crooks-are-planning-choreographed-atm-drainage/stay tuned.
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. AMD recently announced the availability of the much-awaited second generation AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX desktop processor.
In recent blog posts I have written about the performance gains achieved by Intel Generation 8 processors over the prior Intel Generation 7 processor family. Generation 8 has more cores across the product line, Core i3 from 2 to 4 cores, Core i5 & Core i7, 4 to 6 cores. Well, that pales in comparison with the new 2nd generation AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX desktop processor.
The Threadripper (love the name) 2990WX is capable of achieving 6 GHz across 32 cores with the right cooling system. The higher the speed, especially when overclocking, the hotter and thus more unstable the chip becomes so more extreme cooling is required. The cooling processes for achieving this speed is probably more expensive than your typical home computer.
Reportedly, Intel’s yet-to-be-released 28-core PC chip recorded up to 5 GHz clock speed under industrial-grade water cooling. Meanwhile, AMD’s 2990WX delivered 5.1 GHz clock speed under liquid nitrogen cooling conditions.
The more modest AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2950X features only 16 cores and 32 threads, will be available Aug 31, 2018. Meanwhile, crumbs for us working stiffs are coming. AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2920X and 2970WX models are scheduled to be made available in October 2018, and are priced at $899 and $649 respectively.
The new Ryzen Threadripper processor is developed on 12nm Zen+ architecture. The chip is touted to be the highest-end chip featuring a whopping 32 cores and 64 threads, per PC Gamer. Higher core count of Threadripper 2990WX is expected to boost the competitive position of AMD against Intel INTC in the high-end desktop market (“HEDT”) considerably.
for more info about these new products read;
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/amd-raises-bar-2nd-generation-142002517.html
and if you are interested MicroCenter has the Threadripper in stock.
http://www.microcenter.com/product/510650/ryzen-threadripper-2990wx-32-core-str4-boxed-processor
Intel vs AMD
The high-end chips are very impressive but not very economical for everyday business and home users. When you visit retailers sometimes you can be overwhelmed by the offerings and wide price ranges. Most of the lower priced units are AMDs or Intel Pentium (even Celeron) based systems.
The new highly touted Surface Go which starts at $399 for 64 GB SSD, 4 GB RAM (no keyboard/pen), has the Pentium Gold processor. The Surface GO has all day battery life which I desire so I could travel without power supply and cord. However, the weak processor is a deal breaker for me since I know it will not be powerful enough to replace my current 3rd Gen Core i7, 1.5 hour battery life (sigh).
AMD makes good, reliable and less expensive processors but in my experience, I have found Intel chips provide better performance for longer across the life of the machine. See the link below for performance specs and comparisons.
https://www.thenerdmag.com/intel-8th-gen-core-i7-vs-amd-ryzen-7-cpu-benchmarks/
Intel Optane Memory
I have just completed a 3 course Intel training seminar learning about the benefits of Intel Optane Memory. I am still quite happy with the mundane Intel Generation 8 processors especially when coupled with the performance of an SSD. However, although SSDs have come down quite a bit in price they still are not as inexpensive as SATA hard drives which offer huge storage capabilities for the price.
Enter Intel Optane Memory. Starting with the Intel Generation 7 processors and the associated chipsets featuring an M.2 slot on the mainboard, a 32 GB Intel Optane memory module coupled with an inexpensive 1 TB hard drive provides SSD performance across the entire 1 TB for approximately a third of the price of a comparable 1 TB Solid State Drive (SSD).
If you have a Generation 7 based computer and would like to optimize performance, consider adding a 16 GB Intel Optane Memory module, approximately $39.
If you are considering a new computer, there has never been a better time to achieve great performance for your buck. Contact Driving Force Software, dforce@drivingforce.net
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