ComputerWorld – Page 52 – Computer Security Articles

Credit to Author: Preston Gralla| Date: Tue, 04 Feb 2020 03:00:00 -0800

It’s no secret that hackers the world over target Windows vulnerabilities in order to wreak havoc, hold up data and networks for ransom, pull off money-making scams, and disrupt elections and the workings of democracy. They target Windows for a simple reason: volume. The operating system is on the vast majority of desktop and laptop computers worldwide.

Over the years, the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) has unwittingly helped hackers in some of the world’s most dangerous and notoriously successful attacks by developing tools to exploit Windows security holes, rather than alert Microsoft to those vulnerabilities. Some of the tools have been leaked to hackers and used in massive attacks, including the EternalBlue cyber-exploit, which was used in the WannaCry global ransomware attack that affected computers in more than 150 countries and is estimated to have caused billions of dollars in damage.

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ComputerWorld Independent

January 30, 2020 admin

The perils of shouting 'fire' in a crowd of PC patchers

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Thu, 30 Jan 2020 10:14:00 -0800

Time and again we see the same drama play out. Microsoft releases a security patch and scary warnings appear from every corner. When your local news broadcast tells you that you better patch Windows right now…, more temperate advice should prevail.

A little over two weeks ago, on Patch Tuesday, Microsoft released a patch for a security hole known as CVE-2020-0601 – the Crypt32.dll vulnerability also called ChainOfFools or CurveBall.

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ComputerWorld Independent

January 30, 2020 admin

Fed rule on patient access to healthcare data gets EMR vendor pushback

Credit to Author: Lucas Mearian| Date: Thu, 30 Jan 2020 03:00:00 -0800

The largest electronic medical record (EMR) vendor in the U.S. is fighting a proposed government rule to allow patients and their physicians greater access to electronic health information – regardless of the technology platform – to promote data exchange.

According to a number of recent reports, EMR vendor Epic Systems is lookng to derail the finalization of a rule from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that would implement some provisions of the 21st Century Cures Act. In particular, the rules governing information-blocking of patient healthcare information and EMR interoperability are at the heart of the fight.

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ComputerWorld Independent

January 29, 2020 admin

How to better control access to your Windows network

Take stock of how people and devices access your network and block potential avenues of attack.

ComputerWorld Independent

January 28, 2020 admin

Seattle tries out mobile voting

Credit to Author: Lucas Mearian| Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2020 03:00:00 -0800

About 1.2 million Seattle area voters will be able to use their smartphone, laptop or a computer at their local library to vote in a current election this year.

This will be the first-time online voting is available to all eligible registered voters of a district, according to a foundation behind the initiative.

The King Conservation District in Washington State is the third region in the U.S. to partner with the non-profit Tusk Philanthropies on a national effort to expand mobile voting, and Washington is the fifth state to pilot mobile voting in general. The King Conservation District is a state environmental agency that includes Seattle and 33 other cities, but it is separate from the King County Elections agency and operates under a different budget.

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ComputerWorld Independent

January 27, 2020 admin

Why manipulation campaigns are the biggest threat facing the 2020 election

Credit to Author: Theresa Payton| Date: Mon, 27 Jan 2020 07:50:00 -0800

This era of political espionage is rooted in manipulative ads, fake news articles and other forms of digital content. It's one of the nation’s greatest threats, especially as we approach the 2020 presidential election.

ComputerWorld Independent

January 24, 2020 admin

Google and Microsoft have gone too far

Credit to Author: Mike Elgan| Date: Fri, 24 Jan 2020 13:55:00 -0800

Google and Microsoft are using dark pattern design to trick or force users to do things they never intended. Is it time to switch to more ethical search engines? (We list 10 alternatives.)

ComputerWorld Independent

January 24, 2020 admin

Get the January 2020 Patch Tuesday patches installed

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Fri, 24 Jan 2020 13:27:00 -0800

This month has seen a whole lotta hand waving and sky-is-falling-caliber rhetoric, but the reality is much more prosaic. If you aren’t running a major network (and thus aren’t susceptible to the imminent problems with Remote Desktop Gateway, the Citrix network bugs or the whopping 334 patches in Oracle), there’s been little reason to install this month’s updates.

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