small and medium business – Page 4 – Computer Security Articles

Microsoft released 59 updates in its September Patch Tuesday release, with critical patches for Microsoft Office and Visual Studio, and continued the trend of including non-Microsoft applications in its update cycle. (Notepad++ is a notable addition, with Autodesk returning with a revised bulletin.) We’ve made “Patch Now” recommendations for Microsoft development platforms (Visual Studio) and Microsoft Word.

Unfortunately, updates for Microsoft Exchange Server have also returned, requiring server reboots this time, too.

The team at Readiness has created this infographic outlining the risks associated with each of the September updates.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Message to IT: Update all your Apple devices right away

September 8, 2023 admin apple, iOS, MacOS, Mobile, Security, small and medium business

Apple has pushed out an essential security update to defend against yet another attack by an out-of-control mercenary surveillance group.

Like a bad smell, NSO Group has clawed its way back into the spotlight with yet another unprincipled attack against free speech and citizens’ rights, as revealed by Citizen Lab. The security researchers found this latest example of a sinister, yet egregious zero-click attack while checking the device of an “Individual employed by a Washington DC-based civil society organization with international offices.”

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ComputerWorld Independent

With BYOD comes responsibility — and many firms aren't delivering

August 31, 2023 admin apple, enterprise mobile management, Mobile, Mobile Device Management, Security, small and medium business

Apple deployments are accelerating across the global enterprise, so it’s surprising that many organizations don’t properly recognize that change. Even when companies put Macs, iPhones, and iPads in the hands of their employees, they are failing to manage these deployments. It’s quite shocking.

That’s the biggest take-away from the latest Jamf research, which warns that almost half of enterprises across Europe still don’t have a formal Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) policy in place. That’s bad, as it means companies have no control over how employees connect and use corporate resources, creating a nice, soft attack surface for criminals and competitors alike.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Jamf Threat Labs subverts iPhone security with fake Airplane Mode

August 17, 2023 admin apple, iOS, MacOS, Mobile, Security, small and medium business

Fresh security research from Jamf Threat Labs may not reflect an active attack, but it does illustrate the layered complexity of today’s threat environment.

When Airplane mode isn’t Airplane mode

In brief, the researchers have figured out a proof of concept attack that tricks victims into thinking they are using Airplane Mode. However, in reality the attacker has put in place a fake version of that mode that looks normal but lets the attacker maintain access to the device.

This is by no means a straightforward attack and hasn’t been seen in the wild. The exploit is complex and would require an attacker to successfully take control of the target device through a series of exploits, the research claims.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Patch Tuesday: Microsoft rolls out 90 updates for Windows, Office

August 11, 2023 admin microsoft, Microsoft Office, Security, small and medium business, windows

With its August Patch Tuesday release, Microsoft pushed out 90 updates for the Windows and Office platforms. The latest fixes include another update for Microsoft Exchange (along with with a warning about failed updates to Exchange Server 2016 and 2019) and a “Patch Now” recommendation from us for Office.

The team at Application Readiness has crafted this useful infographic outlining the risks associated with each of the updates for this month.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Was Steve Jobs right about this?

July 26, 2023 admin apple, Artificial Intelligence, Data Privacy, education industry, Mobile, small and medium business

Perhaps Steve Jobs was right to limit the amount of time he let his children use iPhones and iPads — a tradition Apple maintains with its Screen Time tool, which lets parents set limits on device use. Now, an extensive UNESCO report suggests that letting kids spend too much time on these devices can be bad for them.

Baked in inequality and lack of social skills

That’s the headline claim, but there’s a lot more to the report in terms of exploring data privacy, misuse of tech, and failed digital transformation experiments.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Apple: Proposed UK law is a ‘serious, direct threat’ to security, privacy

July 21, 2023 admin apple, Data Privacy, Government, messaging apps, Mobile, privacy, Security, small and medium business

New UK government surveillance laws are so over-reaching that tech companies can’t possibly meet all of their requirements, according to Apple, which argues the measures will make the online world far less safe.

Apple, WhatsApp, Meta all threaten to quit UK messaging

The UK Home Office is pushing proposals to extend the Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) with a range of proposals that effectively require messaging providers such as Apple, WhatsApp, or Meta to install backdoors into their services. All three services are now threatening to withdraw messaging apps from the UK market if the changes move forward.

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ComputerWorld Independent

This is why personal encryption is vital to the future of business

July 18, 2023 admin apple, Data Privacy, Mobile, privacy, Security, small and medium business

Data encryption is threatened by government forces who haven’t yet recognized that without personal security, you cannot have enterprise security. Because attackers will exploit any available weakness to undermine protection — and if your people or your customers aren’t secure, neither is your business.

Get with the data

Attackers will always go where the money is. They will spend lots of it to mount attacks. They will delve deeper, and if they’re spending money, they also have the necessary resources to investigate absolutely anyone they can identify as a potential target.

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