A deal on Microsoft Surface 3, Excel tips and security threats were the biggest articles on TechRepublic this week.
Too busy this week to follow all the latest tech news? Fear not, we’ve collected and summarized TechRepublic’s top stories for July 28 – August 4.
Get a refurbished Microsoft Surface 3 for $200
TechRepublic Academy is offering a deal on: refurbished Microsoft Surface 3 tablets with Windows 10. The 64 GB tablet is compatible with the Surface Pen and has a battery life of 10 hours. With a 10.8-inch ClearType Full HD Plus display and MicroSD card reader, Surface 3 is perfect for creative work or streaming videos.
TL;DR: While you could invest in the latest Microsoft Surface products, a refurbished Surface 3 has the speed (and bells and whistles) of a brand new product, but at a fraction of the price. Offer valid while stocks last.
How to delete and overwrite all data on a hard drive for free in Windows 11
Whether you’re reformatting a former employee’s hard drive or ready to give away an older computer, you know how to do it. overwrite the data on the hard drive is essential for information security. Mark Kaelin explains how to overwrite your hard drive in Windows 11 for free.
TL;DR: Although this method does not meet the strictest security standards for overwriting sensitive data, it will work well under most circumstances.
Hackers steal nearly $200 million from crypto firm Nomad
Cryptocurrency software provider Nomad reported the theft of $190 million of customer cryptocurrencies through their token bridge, a tool used to exchange tokens across different blockchains without the use of a third party. Tokenbridges have been increasingly targeted by crypto thefts over the past year, even though the entire crypto market is difficult to secure.
TL;DR: Nomad hopes the White Hat hacker community will come to her rescue and help return many of the assets to their rightful owners. They have appealed to hackers to help by returning recovered Ethereum tokens to a wallet address at Anchorage Digital.
Create a burndown chart in Microsoft Excel
Manage a project in Microsoft Excel? If your team hasn’t moved on to a dedicated project management tool, you can make project tracking in Excel easier by: create a burndown chart. These charts give you an idea of how much work still needs to be done for the entire project, and can give your team members a dopamine hit with those big drops.
TL;DR: Susan Harkins provides a step-by-step tutorial on how to create a burndown chart in Microsoft Excel. Use the demo file to practice on a sample before creating one with your own data.
New CosmicStrand Rootkit Targets Gigabyte and ASUS Motherboards
Kaspersky has a new rootkit malware that has impacted Gigabyte and ASUS motherboards. The malware has been detected from individuals living in China, Vietnam, Iran and Russia and may be detected by a Intrusion Detection and Prevention System.
TL;DR: Rootkit malware is especially malicious because it runs before the operating system boots. Even if the malicious files are removed from the operating system, the corrupted rootkit will come back to life on reboot. The only way to get rid of the malware is to install a new version of the firmware.
