ComputerWorld – Page 148 – Computer Security Articles

Credit to Author: Jonathan Hassell| Date: Tue, 08 Aug 2017 03:00:00 -0700

Often, Microsoft presents technological solutions to problems experienced by only a tiny percentage of its customer base. Windows to Go was like that — a nice solution to a problem that was virtually non-existent back when it was first released in 2011. Six years later, though, Microsoft is looking prescient, since its solution fits a new problem that a lot more people want solved.

What is Windows to Go? It’s a way to take a Windows installation with you on a USB thumb drive. You pop that thumb drive into any computer, boot from the USB, and your personalized installation of Windows — with all of your applications and files and access to corporate resources — is there. When finished, shut down, unplug the USB thumb drive, and away you go. It’s essentially portable Windows.

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ComputerWorld Independent

August 7, 2017 admin

It’s time to check your Windows machines and temporarily turn off Automatic Update

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Mon, 07 Aug 2017 09:10:00 -0700

We’ve had tons of problems with Automatic Update patches so far this year. If you’ve followed along here, you’ve seen them roll out in real time. With Patch Tuesday coming tomorrow, now is an excellent time to make sure that you have Automatic Update turned off on all of your machines.

What kinds of problems? No patches at all in February, except a surprise late IE/Edge patch for Flash. In March, we got the Win10 patch that broke Microsoft’s Dynamics CRM 2011. In April, there were a host of problems, especially with the .Net patches. Then in June, we saw 16 bad Office security patches roll out of Automatic Update chute, and an IE patch that broke iFrame printing. Last month, Surface Pro 4 customers were treated to a rogue driver patch that broke Windows Hello.

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ComputerWorld Independent

August 7, 2017 admin

The case against Windows Automatic Update

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Mon, 07 Aug 2017 05:19:00 -0700

There’s no question that you need to keep your Windows machine patched. In this age of EternalBlue and Shadow Brokers, Wikileaks and the CIA, avoiding Windows security patches is like hanging a sign out on the internet that says, “Kick me.”

That said, there’s no reason for savvy Windows users to succumb to Microsoft’s patching pace. Windows Automatic Update is great — vital — for your sainted aunt Martha, who’s afraid that anything other than playing mahjong will break her computer. But Auto Update’s an unnecessary risk for people who know how to use Windows and who keep up to date on Windows developments. If you’re knowledgeable enough to be reading this, you should seriously consider taking Windows patching into your own hands.

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ComputerWorld Independent

August 4, 2017 admin

Chasing down leakers fast with ThinAir's asset tracking

Tony Gauda, CEO of ThinAir, talks with CSO senior writer Steve Ragan about how the ThinAir system tracks which users within an organization have seen each piece of data, spotting anomalous information and quickly finding the source of a leak.

ComputerWorld Independent

August 4, 2017 admin

New Surface Pro 4 driver restores Windows Hello — and this time it’s documented

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Fri, 04 Aug 2017 03:43:00 -0700

Last night, Microsoft released a new Surface Camera driver called “Surface – System – 7/31/2007 12:00:00 AM – 1.0.75.1” which is intended to fix the Windows Hello problem introduced by the completely undocumented driver “Surface – System – 7/21/2017 12:00:00 AM – 1.0.65.1.” Many of you complained that, after installing the buggy driver, your Surface Pro 4 no longer supported Windows Hello.

As best as I can tell, this 1.0.75.1 driver update fixes the problem. But there’s more to the story.

The original, buggy driver was dated July 21, the files were dated July 26, and the driver was sent down the Automatic Update chute on July 29 without warning or description.

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ComputerWorld Independent

August 3, 2017 admin

Safeguarding power grids and other critical infrastructure from data leaks

CSO senior writer Steve Ragan talks with cybersecurity experts Krypt3ia and Kodor about how the pair seek out passwords, schematics and other sensitive documents on SCADA control system architectures that shouldn't be available online, passing along tips to federal authorities to combat real-world threats.

ComputerWorld Independent

August 3, 2017 admin

44% off Aukey Dash Cam, Full HD Wide Angle With Night Vision – Deal Alert

Credit to Author: DealPost Team| Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2017 06:54:00 -0700

This 1080p Dash Camera captures video or stills, and is equipped with a motion detector and continuous loop recording. An emergency recording mode can be activated by sharp turns or sudden stops, and automatically captures unexpected driving incidents. The Dash Camera can also record whenever it sees motion in front or create a time-lapse video of your trip. Features Full HD 1080P, 170° Wide Angle Lens, 2“ LCD and Night Vision. Its typical list price has been reduced 44% to just $58.99. See this deal on Amazon.

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ComputerWorld Independent

August 3, 2017 admin

Do developers care about security?

They certainly do, according to Sarah Gibson, application security consultant at Veracode, who talks with CSO senior writer Fahmida Rashid about the issues around application security, and how having a collaborative security team is key to writing good code.