ComputerWorld – Page 70 – Computer Security Articles

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2019 10:27:00 -0700

What happens when Microsoft releases eight – count ‘em, eight – concurrent beta test versions of Win10 version 1909 without fixing bugs introduced into 1903 on Patch Tuesday?

Pan. De. Moaaan. Ium.

The VB/VBA/VBScript debacle

No doubt, you recall the first wave of pain inflicted by the August 2019 patching regimen. Microsoft somehow managed to mess up Visual Basic (an old custom programming language), Visual Basic for Applications (for Office macros) and VBScript (a largely forgotten language primarily used inside Internet Explorer). Folks running applications in any of those languages would, on occasion, receive “invalid procedure call error” messages when using apps that had been working for decades.

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August 29, 2019 admin

Throwback Thursday: Timing is everything

Credit to Author: Sharky| Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2019 03:00:00 -0700

It’s many years ago, and this pilot fish regularly travels to company offices around the country, dealing with IT-related problems and running user training sessions.

The big current project is implementing internet filtering after complaints that some workers are viewing inappropriate websites. So fish has to head to a meeting with many directors and managers to demonstrate.

Upon arriving at the meeting site, fish sets up a laptop and projector and connects it to the internal network. Then he tests to make sure the filtering is working, calling up a blocked site that, if it does display, only shows a silhouette of a bunny with a bow tie.

But not to worry: The site is blocked, so everything is ready.

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ComputerWorld Independent

August 28, 2019 admin

Microsoft removes August patch block on Win7/2008R2 systems running Norton, Symantec AV

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Wed, 28 Aug 2019 06:07:00 -0700

If you’re using Symantec Endpoint Protection or any Norton Antivirus product on a Windows 7 or Server 2008 R2 machine, you didn’t get the August patches. Shortly after the August Monthly Rollup and Security-only patches were released, Microsoft put a freeze on systems running Symantec or Norton antivirus products.

The conflict stemmed from a long-anticipated change in the way Microsoft signed the August patches: Starting in August, all patches are signed using the SHA-2 encryption method. Somehow, Symantec didn’t get the message back in November that the shift was underway, and missed the deadline.

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ComputerWorld Independent

August 28, 2019 admin

What is phishing? Learn how this attack works

Phishing is a method of trying to gather personal information using deceptive e-mails and websites. Here's what you need to know about this increasingly sophisticated form of cyberattack.

ComputerWorld Independent

August 26, 2019 admin

Microsoft offers free post-2020 Windows 7 support for Win 10 Enterprise subscribers

Credit to Author: Gregg Keizer| Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2019 03:00:00 -0700

Microsoft is giving away one year of post-retirement support for Windows 7 to customers with active Windows 10 subscriptions.

“Enterprise Agreement and Enterprise Agreement Subscription (EA and EAS) customers with active subscription licenses to Windows 10 Enterprise E5, Microsoft 365 E5, or Microsoft 365 E5 Security will get Windows 7 Extended Security Updates for Year 1 as a benefit,” Microsoft said in a FAQ about the end of support for Windows 7 and Office 2010.

Windows 10 Enterprise E5 and Microsoft 365 E5 are the top-tier subscriptions of the OS or packages that include the operating system. They are the highest-priced plans in their specific lines.

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ComputerWorld Independent

August 22, 2019 admin

Texas ransomware attacks: to pay or not to pay? | TECH(feed)

Nearly two dozen cities in Texas have been hit by a ransomware attack executed by a single threat actor. These attacks beg the question: Is it ever worth it to pay a cyber attacker’s ransom? In this episode of TECH(feed), Juliet discusses the pattern of ransomware attacks on local governments, how municipalities have responded and how to prevent a ransomware attack in the first place.