Independent – Page 70 – Computer Security Articles

Credit to Author: Charlotte Trueman| Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2022 03:44:00 -0700

Zoom has announced it is expanding end-to-end encryption (E2EE) capabilities to Zoom Phone, with breakout rooms to be given the same level of encryption in the near future.

Zoom Phone customers now have the option to upgrade to E2EE during one-on-one Zoom Phone calls between users on the same Zoom account that occur via the Zoom client.

During a call, when users select “More” they will see an option to change the session to an end-to-end encrypted phone call. When enabled, Zoom encrypts the call by using cryptographic keys known only to the devices of the caller and receiver. Users will also have the option to verify E2EE status by providing a unique security code to one another.

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Independent Krebs

July 21, 2022 admin

Massive Losses Define Epidemic of ‘Pig Butchering’

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2022 16:35:28 +0000

U.S. state and federal investigators are being inundated with reports from people who’ve lost hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in connection with a complex investment scam known as “pig butchering,” wherein people are lured by flirtatious strangers online into investing in cryptocurrency trading platforms that eventually seize any funds when victims try to cash out.

ComputerWorld Independent

July 20, 2022 admin

Will new EU crypto rules change how ransomware is played?

Credit to Author: Evan Schuman| Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2022 05:55:00 -0700

Cryptocurrency has always been the payment method of choice for bad guys. Get hit with an enterprise ransomware attack and plan to pay? You’ll need crypto. The key reason cyberthieves love cryptocurrency so much is that it is far harder to trace payments.

That is why a move being attempted by the European Union has so much potential. The EU — in a move that will likely be mimicked by many other regional regulatory forces, including in the United States — is putting in place tracking requirements for all cryptocurrency.

If it is successful, and the EU has an excellent track record on precisely these kinds of changes, cryptocurrency may quickly fade as the thief’s payment of choice.

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ComputerWorld Independent

July 20, 2022 admin

How to stay smart about Android app permissions

Credit to Author: JR Raphael| Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2022 03:00:00 -0700

When it comes to Android and privacy, we’re accustomed to seeing things move in a certain direction.

It’s simple, really: With each new Android version, it usually gets easier to manage your privacy and understand how your information is being used. And we typically get more front-facing tools and under-the-hood improvements that allow us to handle that stuff intelligently. Obviously, right?

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Independent Krebs

July 18, 2022 admin

A Deep Dive Into the Residential Proxy Service ‘911’

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2022 16:11:12 +0000

For the past seven years, an online service known as 911 has sold access to hundreds of thousands of Microsoft Windows computers daily, allowing customers to route malicious traffic through PCs in virtually any country or city around the globe — but predominantly in the United States. The proxy service says its network is made up entirely of users who voluntarily install the proxy software. But new research shows 911 has a long history of purchasing installations via shady “pay-per-install” affiliate marketing schemes, some of which 911 operated on its own.

Independent Krebs

July 15, 2022 admin

Why 8kun Went Offline During the January 6 Hearings

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Fri, 15 Jul 2022 19:43:05 +0000

The latest Jan. 6 committee hearing on Tuesday examined the role of conspiracy theory communities like 8kun[.]top and TheDonald[.]win in helping to organize and galvanize supporters who responded to former President Trump’s invitation to “be wild” in Washington, D.C. on that chaotic day. At the same time the committee was hearing video testimony from 8kun founder Jim Watkins, 8kun and a slew of similar websites were suddenly yanked offline. Watkins suggested the outage was somehow related to the work of the committee, but the truth is KrebsOnSecurity was responsible and the timing was pure coincidence.

ComputerWorld Independent

July 15, 2022 admin

With a light July Patch Tuesday, it's time to invest in your IT processes

Credit to Author: Greg Lambert| Date: Fri, 15 Jul 2022 12:04:00 -0700

Though we get a reprieve from Exchange updates in this month’s Patch Tuesday update, more printer updates are on the way. Even with no updates for Microsoft Exchange or Visual Studio, Adobe is back with 15 critical updates for Adobe Reader. And Microsoft’s new patch deployment tool Auto-Patch is now live. (I always thought application testing was the main problem here, but actually getting patches deployed is still tough.)

Though the numbers are still quite high (with 86+ reported vulnerabilities), the testing and deployment profile for July should be fairly moderate. We suggest taking the time to harden your Exchange Server defenses and mitigation processes, and invest in your testing processes.

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ComputerWorld Independent

July 13, 2022 admin

Drop, crack, d'oh! My broken Android phone epiphany

Credit to Author: JR Raphael| Date: Wed, 13 Jul 2022 03:00:00 -0700

Man, I had one hell of a streak.

All these years — approximately 7,967 since I first started using and writing about Android — and somehow, rather miraculously, I’d never outright broken a phone.

Impressive, I know. But don’t let yourself get wrapped in awe yet, my fellow drop-dreading denizen: My streak of impeccable Android phone protection has officially come to a crashing halt.

Now, I didn’t technically drop my phone, mind you. And I didn’t technically break it myself, either. But it was definitely broken. And it happened on my watch.

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