Independent – Page 90 – Computer Security Articles

Credit to Author: Greg Lambert| Date: Thu, 12 Mar 2020 11:41:00 -0700

This is a big update to the Windows platform for the Microsoft March Patch Tuesday release cycle. Consisting of 115 patches, mostly to the Windows desktop, with almost all of the critical issues relating to browser-based scripting engine memory issues, this will be a difficult set of updates to release and manage.

The testing profile for the Windows desktop platform is very large, with a lower than usual exploitability/risk rating. For this month, we do not have any reports of publicly exploited or disclosed vulnerabilities (zero-days), so my recommendation is to take your time, test the changes to each platform, create a staged rollout plan and wait for future (potentially) imminent changes from Microsoft.

To read this article in full, please click here

ComputerWorld Independent

March 17, 2020 admin

Come on, Microsoft! Is it really that hard to update Windows 10 right?

Credit to Author: Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols| Date: Wed, 11 Mar 2020 07:47:00 -0700

Yesterday, on Patch Tuesday, as I was finishing up the column that follows lamenting the sorry state of Windows 10 patches and providing copious examples of things gone very wrong, a big, fat example landed in my lap (but happily not in my laptop). Word emerged that Microsoft had accidentally leaked news about a new Server Message Block (SMB) bug with a maximum severity rating, a.k.a. SMBGhost. The leak also said that this bug wasn’t patched in that day’s releases.

To read this article in full, please click here

ComputerWorld Independent

March 17, 2020 admin

Patch Tuesday’s tomorrow. We're in uncharted territory. Get Automatic Updates paused.

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Mon, 09 Mar 2020 07:06:00 -0700

It’s always a good idea to pause Windows updates just before they hit the rollout chute. This month, we’re facing two extraordinary issues that you need to take into account. Wouldn’t hurt if you told your friends and family, too.

Take last month’s Windows patches. Please. We had one patch, KB 4524244, that slid out on Patch Tuesday, clobbered an unknown number of machines (HP PCs with Ryzen processors got hit hard), then remained in “automatic download” status until it was finally pulled on Friday. We had another patch, KB 4532693, that gobbled desktop icons and moved files while performing a nifty trick with temporary user profiles. Microsoft never did fix that one.

To read this article in full, please click here

ComputerWorld Independent

March 17, 2020 admin

Enterprise resilience: Backup and management tips for iOS, Mac

Credit to Author: Jonny Evans| Date: Fri, 06 Mar 2020 06:30:00 -0800

Apple’s solutions are seeing increasing use across the enterprise, but do you have a business resilience strategy in place in case things go wrong?

If you’re one of the estimated 73% of SMBs that have not yet made such preparation, now might be a good time to start.

Your data is your business

It’s challenging enough when a consumer user suffers data loss as precious memories and valuable information go up in the digital smoke. Natural disasters, technology and infrastructure problems or human-made problems such as burglary, cyberattacks or civil unrest can all impact the sanctity of your systems, whatever platform you use. It matters because in today’s connected world, your data is your business.

To read this article in full, please click here

ComputerWorld Independent

March 17, 2020 admin

Apple, the FIDO Alliance and the future of passwords

Apple is the latest firm to join the FIDO Alliance, an industry standards group developing more secure ways to log in to online accounts and apps using multi-factor authentication (MFA), biometric authentication and physical security keys. Computerworld's Lucas Mearian joins Ken Mingis and Juliet Beauchamp to discuss the Apple move, how different forms of authentication work and how far away we are from a password-less world.

ComputerWorld Independent

March 17, 2020 admin

FIDO Alliance and the future of passwords

Credit to Author: Ken Mingis, Juliet Beauchamp, Lucas Mearian| Date: Tue, 03 Mar 2020 10:30:00 -0800

Apple is the latest company to join the FIDO Alliance, an industry standards group committed to finding more secure ways to log in to online accounts and apps. The FIDO Alliance pushes for multi-factor authentication (MFA) deployment, from biometric authentication to physical security keys. Computerworld’s Lucas Mearian joins Ken and Juliet to discuss why Apple joined the FIDO Alliance, how different forms of authentication work and how far away we are from a password-less world.

To read this article in full, please click here

ComputerWorld Independent

March 17, 2020 admin

Mitigate your risk of getting hacked with help from with this online academy

Credit to Author: DealPost Team| Date: Tue, 03 Mar 2020 09:57:00 -0800

Cyber crime rates are on the rise. In fact, according to this 2019 Juniper Research paper, the financial burden of this global nuisance is expected to surpass $2 trillion in 2020 alone. But don’t panic. It turns out that education plays a major role in mitigating the risks, which is why grabbing a lifetime subscription to the CyberTraining 365 Online Academy is money well spent.

To read this article in full, please click here

Independent Krebs

March 17, 2020 admin

Coronavirus Widens the Money Mule Pool

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2020 22:11:46 +0000

With many people being laid off or working from home thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic, cybercrooks are almost certain to have more than their usual share of recruitable “money mules” — people who get roped into money laundering schemes under the pretense of a work-at-home job offer. Here’s the story of one upstart mule factory that spoofs a major nonprofit and tells new employees they’ll be collecting and transmitting donations for an international “Coronavirus Relief Fund.”