RSS Reader for Computer Security Articles
The ongoing battle between the U.S. and Huawei could soon go to court as Huawei reportedly prepares to sue the U.S. government. Plus, 2019 will see ride sharing companies going public… but which will be first? And as a decade-old malware resurfaces in enterprise networks, a report questions if the world is ready for the next large-scale ransomware attack.
Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Fri, 01 Mar 2019 07:50:00 -0800
Microsoft continues to hold Windows 10 version 1809 close to the chest. While all of the other Win10 versions have had their usual twice-a-month cumulative updates, the latest version of the last version of Windows, 1809, still sits in the Windows Insider Release Preview Ring.
For most people, that’s excellent news. It seems that Microsoft is willing to hold off until they get the bugs fixed, at least in the 1809 releases. May I hear a “hallelujah” from the chorus?
You’ve heard me talk about KB 4023057 many times, most recently in January. It’s a mysterious patch that Microsoft calls an “update reliability improvement” whose sole reason for existence, as best I can tell, is to blast away any blocks your machine may have to keep the next version of Windows (in this case, Win10 1809) from installing on your machine.
Credit to Author: Jonny Evans| Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2019 06:25:00 -0800
If you want to hack your way into an old iPhone you can get hold of a law enforcement-grade system to do just that for a bargain price on eBay.
I can’t stress this enough.
The very existence of tools like these is a threat to every smartphone user. This is because no matter how many times people argue that these solutions will only see use by law enforcement, these things always proliferate.
The fact that Celebrate systems law enforcement was until recently spending heavily on acquiring are now available on the open market for as little as $100 is a perfect illustration of this.
Credit to Author: Jonny Evans| Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2019 06:00:00 -0800
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella seems to agree with Apple CEO Tim Cook when it comes to privacy, calling this a “fundamental human right”.
Despite the lack of a successful smartphone franchise, Microsoft is still very much part of today’s industry with a range of services across the mobile ecosystem. That’s probably why Nadella is such an active attendee at Mobile World Congress 2019.
What’s really interesting about what he said during a speech at the show is the extent to which his thinking aligns with what Apple is doing around privacy, for example:
Credit to Author: Gregg Keizer| Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2019 08:28:00 -0800
Microsoft’s Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) service is now available for PCs running Windows 7 and Windows 8.1.
The decision to add devices powered by those operating systems was first announced a year ago. At the time, Microsoft said ATP’s Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) functionality would be available for the older OSes by summer 2018.
Windows Defender ATP is a service that detects ongoing attacks on corporate networks, then follows up to investigate the attack or breach and provides response recommendations and attack remediation. Software baked into Windows 10 detects attacks, while a central management console allows IT administrators to monitor the status of covered devices and react if necessary. Adding the EDR client software to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 PCs gives enterprise IT the same visibility into those machines as it has had into Windows 10 systems.
Credit to Author: Mike Elgan| Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2019 03:00:00 -0800
A passenger on a Singapore Airlines flight this week noticed a small, circular indentation below the image playing on the seatback in-flight entertainment system in front of him. Could that be, he wondered, a camera?
The passenger did the only logical thing: He tweeted out a photo and asked the Twitterverse for opinions, setting off a chorus of complainers on Twitter.
Singapore Airlines also responded to the tweets, saying that the camera was not used by the airline to capture pictures or video. It then told media outlets in a statement that the embedded cameras “have been intended by the manufacturers for future developments. These cameras are permanently disabled on our aircraft and cannot be activated on board. We have no plans to enable or develop any features using the cameras.”
Credit to Author: Jonny Evans| Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2019 08:50:00 -0800
Apple must be doing something right as the cost of Apple ID data on the Dark Web has dropped, even as the value of Fortnite, Facebook, Netflix and Uber accounts has increased.
Last year, I reported that online scammers were spending up to $15 per account on Apple ID information, making Apple customers, “the most appealing targets” for scammers.
That’s changed.
The latest edition of Top10VPN’s Dark Web Market Price Index claims scammers are only willing to spend up to $11 for this information today and are targeting arguably less well-secured services instead.
Credit to Author: Evan Schuman| Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2019 11:00:00 -0800
When Apple launched its enterprise developer certificate program — which helps enterprises make their homegrown apps for employee use-only available through iTunes — it had to make a difficult convenience-vs.-security decision: how much hassle to put IT managers through to get their internal apps posted. It chose convenience and, well, you can guess what happened.
Media reports say pirate developers used the enterprise program to improperly distribute tweaked versions of popular apps — including Spotify, Angry Birds, Pokemon Go and Minecraft — while others used the platform to distribute porn apps along with real-money gambling apps. And all the bad guys had to do was lie to Apple reps about being associated with legitimate businesses. Apple didn’t bother to investigate or otherwise verify the answers.