Independent – Page 121 – Computer Security Articles

Credit to Author: Gregg Keizer| Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2019 13:09:00 -0700

Mozilla this week resurrected its Test Pilot preview program, offering Firefox users a free VPN-like service to encrypt browser-to-site-and-back transmissions over public networks.

“The Firefox Private Network is an extension which provides a secure, encrypted path to the web to protect your connection and your personal information anywhere and everywhere you use your Firefox browser,” wrote Marissa Wood, vice president of product, in a post to the Mozilla blog.

The free service is available immediately, but only to U.S.-based users running the desktop version of Firefox. A Firefox account – typically used for syncing copies of the browser on multiple devices – and an accompanying add-on are required.

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ComputerWorld Independent

September 12, 2019 admin

Heads up: Microsoft is back to snooping with this month’s Win7 and 8.1 'security-only' patches

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2019 09:32:00 -0700

Two months ago, the July Win7 security-only patch was found to install telemetry software, triggered by newly installed scheduled tasks called ProgramDataUpdater, Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser, and AitAgent. As best I can tell, Microsoft never admitted that its security-only patch dropped a telemetry component.

The August security-only update didn’t include that bit of snooping, so it looked like the July snooping was a one-off aberration.

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ComputerWorld Independent

September 12, 2019 admin

Throwback Thursday: Let’s get an expert opinion

Credit to Author: Sharky| Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2019 03:00:00 -0700

Card-reader door locks are installed at this pilot fish’s company, and she’s tasked with setting up the software, configuring the locks and assigning employee access and times.

A VP gives her a handwritten sheet of paper with the employee door access and times, reports fish. Then he promptly takes a one-week vacation.

“The day the system goes live, the employees are standing in front of me yelling because their cards won’t let them in the door they want to use. They now have to use the main door instead.

“The VP comes along hearing all the complaints, then starts yelling at me that this is not the way it should be set up.

“I pull out his handwritten instructions. He looks at it and says, ‘That’s not my handwriting!’”

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ComputerWorld Independent

September 11, 2019 admin

Windows 10 1909: What's in it for enterprises?

Credit to Author: Gregg Keizer| Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2019 14:51:00 -0700

This fall's update for Windows 10 may not include a raft of new features, but it does offer something even more important to enterprise IT: extended support that should make future upgrades easier to manage.

Independent Krebs

September 11, 2019 admin

NY Payroll Company Vanishes With $35 Million

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2019 15:02:26 +0000

MyPayrollHR, a now defunct cloud-based payroll processing firm based in upstate New York, abruptly ceased operations this past week after stiffing employees at thousands of companies. The ongoing debacle, which allegedly involves malfeasance on the part of the payroll company’s CEO, resulted in countless people having money drained from their bank accounts and has left nearly $35 million worth of payroll and tax payments in legal limbo.

ComputerWorld Independent

September 11, 2019 admin

Lemonade is changing the way we insure our homes

Credit to Author: DealPost Team| Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2019 07:05:00 -0700

Your home can be broken into or destroyed by a natural disaster when you least expect it. When that happens, how will you get back on your feet? Ideally, you would’ve been paying homeowner’s or renter’s insurance to cover your losses. Unfortunately, it can take weeks or even months to receive your money after filing a claim.

Lemonade is here to save the day in less than a day. With rates starting as low as $5/mo for renter’s insurance and $25/mo for homeowner’s insurance, you can rest assured that your property claims can be approved and reimbursed within seconds.

To read this article in full, please click here

ComputerWorld Independent

September 11, 2019 admin

How to set up Microsoft Teams for security and compliance

These are the security and compliance decisions you need to make when deploying Microsoft Teams.

Independent Krebs

September 10, 2019 admin

Patch Tuesday, September 2019 Edition

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2019 20:09:11 +0000

Microsoft today issued security updates to plug some 80 security holes in various flavors of its Windows operating systems and related software. The software giant assigned a “critical” rating to almost a quarter of those vulnerabilities, meaning they could be used by malware or miscreants to hijack vulnerable systems with little or no interaction on the part of the user.