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IT beware: University finds new 4G security holes

Credit to Author: Evan Schuman| Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2018 10:25:00 -0700

IT has enough to worry about with traditional data breach issues, but now researchers from Purdue University and the University of Iowa have found quite a few new security holes in the popular 4G mobile networks.

The potentially worst hole detailed in the study is an authentication synchronization failure attack. The danger? It allows bad guys to read incoming and outgoing messages from an employee, permits “stealthy denial” of selected services and “location of history poisoning,” which simply means it can manipulate location ready to give false information to systems using location for identity authentication.

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ComputerWorldIndependent

Warning as Mac malware exploits climb 270%

Credit to Author: Jonny Evans| Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2018 05:56:00 -0700

Reputable anti-malware security vendor, Malwarebytes, is warning Mac users that malware attacks against the platform climbed 270 percent last year.

Be careful out there

The security experts also warn that four new malware exploits targeting Macs have been identified in the first two months of 2018, noting that many of these exploits were identified by users, rather than security firms.

In one instance, a Mac user discovered that their DNS settings had been changed and found themselves unable to change them back.

This particular item of malware (OSX.MaMi) also installed a trusted root certificate on their Mac. The threat left the user vulnerable to fraudulent phishing websites posing as the real deal and man-in-the-middle attacks.

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ComputerWorldIndependent

Android P in depth: An up-close look at what's new with security

Credit to Author: JR Raphael| Date: Thu, 08 Mar 2018 08:58:00 -0800

Google is slowly pulling back the curtains on its next-gen Android P release. Yesterday, we got our first glimpse at a work-in-progress, developer-focused preview of the software — and today, we’re getting a closer look at what exactly is new when it comes to Android P and the ever-evolving subject of Android security.

I had the chance to chat with Xiaowen Xin, Google’s Android platform security product manager, about some of the significant changes on the way with Android P. Here’s the inside scoop on what you can expect:

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ComputerWorldIndependent

Study: FinTech, other industries should open blockchain sandboxes and work with regulators

Credit to Author: Lucas Mearian| Date: Wed, 07 Mar 2018 14:11:00 -0800

For regulators to understand blockchain’s cybersecurity benefits and risks, they must first have a deeper understanding of the technology – and businesses hold the key to that, according to new research.

Governments around the world are beginning to increase regulatory oversight of cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin, which are underpinned by blockchain’s distributed ledger technology. In turn, businesses that use private or “permissioned” blockchain networks are likely to also see more oversight, according to experts.

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ComputerWorldIndependent

Criminals pay just $15 for Apple iCloud account IDs, report claims

Credit to Author: Jonny Evans| Date: Wed, 07 Mar 2018 03:59:00 -0800

One of the biggest reasons Apple users need to beware of phishing attacks is that compromised iCloud accounts are among the most valuable of those traded on the dark web at $15 per account.

All your data are belongs to us

Think about the value of your Apple ID data: Not only is your account the golden portal into all your personal data, but it unlocks all manner of other valuable items: credit card details, online purchasing, passwords for your websites and more.

That’s why every Apple ID user really should think about the value of the data they are trying to protect and create tough alphanumeric passcodes, even if they do need to spend significant time memorising those codes.

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ComputerWorldIndependent

Feds move to secure mobile devices with machine learning, biometrics

Credit to Author: Lucas Mearian| Date: Tue, 06 Mar 2018 03:24:00 -0800

Amid the growing use of mobile devices for work by federal employees, U.S. defense and intelligence agencies are fast adopting biometrics and other alternative ways of  computers, smartphones and tablets, according to a new report.

More than 90% of federal agency IT officials in an online survey said their organizations provide secure mobile access for work-issued devices, but less than 20% support workers’ personal devices to access most agency systems. Forty percent of those same officials voiced concern about securing personal devices, according to the online survey of federal government IT and cybersecurity officials.

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ComputerWorldIndependent

Get the February Microsoft patches applied, unless you’re using Win10 Fall Creators Update

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2018 11:57:00 -0800

Granted, February’s patches from Microsoft weren’t as malevolent as January’s patches, but they still managed to knock out lots and lots of PCs. That said, if you can tiptoe around the problems, now is a good time to get the latest versions of the latest patches installed.

Problems with Win10 Fall Creators Update

The worst problem I see at this point involves clobbered USB connections on Win10 Fall Creators Update (version 1709) machines after installing the latest cumulative update, KB 4074588. To its credit, Microsoft has acknowledged the problem. But the only offered fix, a complex manual workaround, would drive a hardened MS-DOS junkie to drink.

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