ComputerWorld – Page 89 – Computer Security Articles

Credit to Author: Ken Mingis| Date: Wed, 09 Jan 2019 03:00:00 -0800

Ok, so maybe blockchain isn’t ready yet to become the biggest new technology since the internet.

But the distributed ledger technology clearly made strides in 2018, when it was embraced by companies from Walmart to shipping bigwig Maersk to top tech venders like IBM, SAP, Oracle and Microsoft who see potential in blockchain-as-a-service. (Walmart’s vice president in charge of food safety, Frank Yiannas, compared his embrace of blockchain to a “religious conversaion.”)

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(Insider Story)

ComputerWorld Independent

January 4, 2019 admin

Apple wants to stop you from using dangerous USB-C devices

Credit to Author: Jonny Evans| Date: Fri, 04 Jan 2019 07:16:00 -0800

Apple wants to make it harder for its customers to use cheap USB-C cables — and it’s for your own good.

The risks of USB-C cables

Cables are complicated, and that’s why friends don’t let friends connect cut-price or otherwise unverified USB-C cables to their systems — and soon, you won’t be able to.

Apple has warned its users to avoid using low-quality equipment for years. It was only in 2016 that it was revealed that hundreds of chargers at that time sold on Amazon and advertised as being made by Apple were in fact dangerous fakes.

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ComputerWorld Independent

January 4, 2019 admin

Apple wants to stop you using dangerous USB-C devices

Credit to Author: Jonny Evans| Date: Fri, 04 Jan 2019 07:16:00 -0800

Apple wants to make it harder for its customers to use cheap USB-C cables – and it’s for your own good.

These are the risks of USB-C cables

Cables are complicated and that’s why friends don’t let friends connect cut-price or otherwise unverified USB-C cables to their systems –and soon, you won’t be able to.

To read this article in full, please click here

ComputerWorld Independent

January 3, 2019 admin

New year, same old users

Credit to Author: Sharky| Date: Thu, 03 Jan 2019 03:00:00 -0800

IT support pilot fish takes a call to help a user change a password on a webpage form — and it reminds fish of just how much help-desk techs love password resets.

“I spent 25 minutes talking to him,” fish groans. “There were only two buttons to press, Submit and Reset.

“You’d think that after pressing Reset three times and having it erase the passwords he typed in, he would try Submit — right?

“But no — our customer tried a fourth and then a fifth time, until he got the idea to hit the other button.

“This person was by all accounts a functional, employed adult…”

Sharky needs a new year’s worth of stories of users, management and IT gone off the rails. So send me your true tales of IT life at sharky@computerworld.com. You can also comment on today’s tale at Sharky’s Google+ community, and read thousands of great old tales in the Sharkives.

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ComputerWorld Independent

January 2, 2019 admin

If the CTO says it's OK, what could go wrong?

Credit to Author: Sharky| Date: Wed, 02 Jan 2019 03:00:00 -0800

Medical rehab facility is facing a compliance deadline for HIPAA privacy regulations, and that could be a problem, says a cybersecurity pilot fish working there.

“The HIPAA regulations are strewn with potential issues,” fish says. “When some aspect isn’t followed and a patient’s data privacy is compromised, the fines can be substantial.”

And that’s the headache fish faces because of his facility’s use of Gmail. As the site’s cybersecurity engineer, fish knows that ordinary Gmail isn’t HIPAA compliant.

Fortunately, there’s a fix — one that involves additional paperwork and agreements, along with some added security verification. But that’s still easier and less complex than moving everyone off Gmail.

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ComputerWorld Independent

December 31, 2018 admin

Q&A: Experian exec says biometrics won’t save you from mobile hacks

Credit to Author: Lucas Mearian| Date: Mon, 31 Dec 2018 03:01:00 -0800

If you think your new iPhone’s Face ID facial recognition feature or your bank’s fancy new fingerprint scanner will guarantee privacy and block hackers from accessing sensitive personal or financial data, think again.

In the coming year, cyberattacks will zero in on biometric hacking and expose vulnerabilities in touch ID sensors, facial recognition technology and passcodes, according to a new report from credit reporting agency Experian Plc. While biometric data is considered the most secure method of authentication, it can be stolen or altered, and sensors can be manipulated, spoofed or suffer deterioration with too much use.

Even so, as much as 63% of enterprises have implemented or plan to roll out biometric authentication systems to augment or replace less-secure passwords, Experian said in its report. The push toward biometric systems dates back to the turn of the century in the financial services industry.

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