Every year, Google pushes out a major Android update filled with new features and improvements. Although this year’s update, Android P, is still not out for you to enjoy, Google did give a sneak preview of the new improvements.

Indoor positioning
If you’re having trouble finding your way around a huge complex like a mall or factory, Android P can help with a feature called WiFi Round-Trip-Time, which triangulates your device’s position in relation to the building’s WiFi access points. Developers can use this feature to create GPS apps that give users a full layout of the building and how to get to certain stores or areas.

Improved notifications
Android P will also be adding more ways to interact with notifications directly. For instance, instead of an alert saying “[person] has sent an attachment,” image attachments will now appear on the notification window, eliminating the need to unlock your phone and open the app to see the attachment.

You’ll also be able to make use of smart replies, a machine learning feature that scans the text of an incoming message and suggests three basic responses. So if someone asks whether you’re free to attend a meeting in the afternoon, Android will produce replies like “Yes”, “No”, or “I’ll check.”

Better security
To protect users from the onslaught of cyberattacks and data leaks, Google is fortifying Android P’s security and privacy settings.

Apps will no longer have access to your device’s sensors, cameras, and microphones when they’re not being used. This means users won’t have to worry about apps tracking and recording their conversations, facial features, and other types of personal information without their permission.

What’s more, apps will easily access Android’s fingerprint system. This will make authentication consistent across different apps so users know their fingerprints are being processed by a trusted source and not some uncertified third party.

Enhanced volume slider
The volume slider is getting some improvements, too. Other than being moved from the top of the display to the side, the volume slider will get a button that allows you to toggle between different ring settings (e.g., mute, vibrate, and ring). There’s also the “media output” setting that enables you to connect (or disconnect) Bluetooth-enabled audio devices to your phone.

Neural network processing
With this feature, machine learning processes are carried out on the device itself instead of sending it to the cloud for analysis, which means fewer privacy leaks. This also means Android P can quickly learn and adapt to the user’s behavior, allowing for a more customized user experience.

These aren’t the only set of features you can expect later this year. As it’s just an early build reserved for those subscribed to the developer preview, Google is probably going to add more functionality and design changes to Android P, so make sure to tune in to this blog to find out about future updates!

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Virtualization has become essential for business looking for better resource provisioning, easier IT management, less hardware, and lower costs. But virtualization is a complex and constantly evolving field, which comes with certain risks. One such risk concerns hypervisor security.

What is a hypervisor and what are its risks?
For those who don’t know, the hypervisor is a software application that distributes computing resources (e.g., processing power, RAM, storage) into virtual machines (VMs), which can then be delivered to other computers in the network. This gives people the resources they need to run resource-intensive applications without having to rely on powerful and expensive desktop computers.

System administrators can also use the hypervisor to monitor and manage VMs. This means if hackers manage to compromise hypervisor software, they’ll have unfettered access to every VM and the data stored on them.

While hypervisors are generally well-protected and robust, security experts say that hackers will eventually find a bug in the software. So far, there have been limited reports of hypervisor hacks; but in theory, cybercriminals could run a program that can break out of a VM and interact directly with the hypervisor. From there, they can control everything, from access privileges to computing resources.

Another point of vulnerability is the network. Since hypervisors distribute VMs via the company network, they can be susceptible to remove intrusions and denial-of-service attacks if you don’t have the right protections in place.

If those attack methods aren’t possible, hackers can always break into server rooms and compromise the hypervisor directly. So what can you do to protect against these threats?

Create separate VM and management networks
Keeping your VM network away from your management network is a great way to keep your virtualized environment secure. If your VMs are compromised by malware, it won’t be able to affect your hypervisor.

Set access privileges
Ideally, only you, your system administrator, or virtualization provider should have access to your hypervisor console. This means you need to set strict access restrictions on the software to prevent unauthorized users from messing with VM settings and viewing your most sensitive data.

Disable unnecessary services
Off-the-shelf operating systems will have many unnecessary services and apps that increase the attack surface of your VMs. If you can’t tell which ones to disable, consult with a virtualization specialist.

Pay attention to physical security
Breaking in to a server room is the easiest way to compromise hypervisors, so make sure your physical servers are behind locked doors and watched over by staff at all times.

Install top-notch network security tools
Due to network intrusions affecting hypervisor security, installing cutting-edge firewalls and intrusion prevention systems is highly recommended. These security tools monitor network traffic for abnormal behavior to protect you from the newest exploits.

Stay on top of hypervisor updates
Hypervisors must be patched to defend against the latest threats. But if you’d rather spend your time on more important projects, you can always entrust the security of your hypervisors to a highly experienced and certified managed services provider, like us.

Contact us today to see how we can protect your virtualized environment.

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