ComputerWorld – Page 111 – Computer Security Articles

Credit to Author: Mike Elgan| Date: Sat, 12 May 2018 03:00:00 -0700

Most email can either be secure or easy to use. You can have one but not both.

That’s why people are so excited about a new feature in Google’s Gmail. It’s called Confidential Mode, and it’s an easy way to make email more private.

Confidential Mode lets you add an “expiration date” to emails. Once that date arrives, the email is no longer viewable by the recipient.

Messages marked as Confidential can’t be copied, forwarded, printed or downloaded.

And you can revoke access at any time.

Sounds great, right? Well, not so fast. There are a lot of “gotchas” in the new Confidential Mode that you need to know about.

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ComputerWorld Independent

May 11, 2018 admin

Two more evolving threats: JavaScript in Excel and payment processing in Outlook

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Fri, 11 May 2018 09:04:00 -0700

Once upon a time – dating back to the first “Concept” macro virus in Word – the Office folks were wary of new features that had possible security implications. But in the past few weeks, we’ve been introduced to two new features that have “Kick Me” written all over them.

First, JavaScript in Excel. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

Last December, Microsoft published a Dev Center article that talked about using the new Excel JavaScript API to create add-ins for Excel 2016.

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ComputerWorld Independent

May 11, 2018 admin

Surface Pro (2017) owners hitting Win10 1803 update blue screens. Now we know why.

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Fri, 11 May 2018 06:43:00 -0700

As Win10 version 1803 rattles through the unpaid beta-testing phase, it’s snagged another victim — Intel’s aging SSD6 solid-state drives. Both Microsoft and Intel now admit that running Win10 version 1803 on Intel 600p or Pro 6000p is a recipe for disaster.

Some Surface Pro (2017) models ship with “bad” Intel SSD Pro 6000p drives. Customers are complaining about freezes with Win10 version 1803 — and the Microsoft support folks don’t have a clue what’s causing the problem. Now we know.

Here’s how the drama unfolded.

Win10 version 1803 has been in beta testing for centuries, in internet time. The “final” version, build 17134.1, entered the Windows Insider Fast ring almost a month ago, on April 16. In a jumble of mixed-up build numbers, Win10 version 1803 has been officially pushed since April 30. Why did it take so long to figure out that the 600p and Pro 6000p cause problems?

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ComputerWorld Independent

May 11, 2018 admin

CIO Leadership Live, with guest Jack Clare, CIO and chief strategy officer at Dunkin' Brands

In this episode of CIO Leadership Live, host Maryfran Johnson talks with Jack Clare, CIO and chief strategy officer at Dunkin' Brands, about the company's mobile payment, ordering and loyalty apps, and how it's striving to improve customers' drive-through experience.

ComputerWorld Independent

May 10, 2018 admin

Patch Tuesday problems, fixes — but no cause for immediate alarm

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Thu, 10 May 2018 10:51:00 -0700

Results are starting to roll in about this month’s Patch Tuesday, and it’s quite a mixed bag. For those of you struggling with the new Windows 10 April 2018 Update, version 1803, there’s good news and bad news. The hand wringing about a new VBScript zero-day, thanks to our good old friend baked-in Internet Explorer, looks overblown for now. And if you can’t get RDP working because of “An authentication error has occurred” messages, you missed the memo.

Windows 10 version 1803

First, the good news. As I anticipated earlier this week, this month’s cumulative update for 1803 is a must-have, warts and all. The new build 17134.48 replaces the old 17134.1 (which went to those who installed 1803 directly or fell into the seeker trap) and the old 17134.5 (for those upgrading with the Windows Insider builds). As Susan Bradley explains, 17134.48 claims to fix both the Chrome and Cortana freeze, as well as a major VPN bug.

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ComputerWorld Independent

May 9, 2018 admin

Watch Tech Talk on May 17 for an in-depth GDPR discussion

The GDPR deadline is coming up fast, and most businesses in the U.S. aren’t ready yet. Join Ken Mingis and his panel of experts as they discuss the impact of the new rules and what U.S. organizations must do now to protect customer data. Find the show here on May 17.

ComputerWorld Independent

May 9, 2018 admin

Mingis on Tech: Lessons from RSA 2018

Credit to Author: Ken Mingis| Date: Wed, 09 May 2018 03:30:00 -0700

This year’s RSA Conference in San Francisco had a lot of ground to cover. Cybersecurity, of course. Fending off ransomware attacks. Building security best practices into employee training.

But, according to CSO’s Steve Ragan, the hottest topics at the 2018 conference were this month’s looming GDPR deadline and blockchain, blockchain, blockchain. (In fact, the two are often part of the same conversation.)

Ragan, who attended RSA, spoke with Computerworld Executive Editor Ken Mingis about what he learned, with a special focus on the May 25 GDPR deadline and what companies are scrambling to do to protect their data.

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ComputerWorld Independent

May 9, 2018 admin

Mingis on Tech: Reflections on RSA 2018

This year's RSA security conference focused on a variety of cybersecurity topics – everything from blockchain to the looming GDPR rules. CSO's Steve Ragan was there and offers insights on what he learned.