windows – Page 47 – Computer Security Articles

Credit to Author: Gregg Keizer| Date: Sat, 14 Oct 2017 12:58:00 -0700

Microsoft’s Edge browser, the default in Windows 10, blocked a higher percentage of phishing and socially-engineered malware (SEM) attacks than Google’s Chrome and Mozilla’s Firefox, a Texas security testing firm said Friday.

According to NSS Labs of Austin, Tex., Edge automatically blocked 92% of all in-browser credential phishing attempts and stymied 100% of all SEM attacks. The latter encompassed a wide range of attacks, but their common characteristic was that they tried to trick users into downloading malicious code. The tactics that SEM attackers deploy include links from social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, and bogus in-browser notifications of computer infections or other problems.

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ComputerWorld Independent

October 11, 2017 admin

Early reports of myriad Microsoft Patch Tuesday problems

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2017 04:28:00 -0700

This month’s massive bundle of Patch Tuesday patches almost certainly contains more than a few surprises, and they’re only starting to surface. Here’s a rundown of what I’ve seen in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

There are lots of reports of delayed, failed and rolled back installations of KB 4041676, the Win10 Creators Update (version 1703) monthly cumulative update, which brings 1703 up to build 15063.674. A quick glance at the KB article confirms that there are dozens and dozens of fixes in this cumulative update — a remarkable state of affairs, considering the Fall Creators Update, version 1709, is due on Oct. 17.

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ComputerWorld Independent

October 10, 2017 admin

Another banner Patch Tuesday, with a Word zero-day and several bugs

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2017 13:28:00 -0700

It’s going to be a banner patching month. I count 151 separate security patches and 48 Knowledge Base articles, as well as the odd Security Advisory.

The Windows patch Release Notes point to four known bugs:

The cumulative update for Win10 Creators Update, version 1703 — which sports dozens of fixes — has a couple of problems: Systems with support enabled for USB Type-C Connector System Software Interface (UCSI) may experience a blue screen or stop responding with a black screen when a system shutdown is initiated, and it may change Czech and Arabic languages to English for Microsoft Edge and other applications.

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ComputerWorld Independent

October 10, 2017 admin

Microsoft sunsets Windows 10's first feature upgrade

Credit to Author: Gregg Keizer| Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2017 10:34:00 -0700

Microsoft today will deliver the final security update for Windows 10’s first feature upgrade, the version released in November 2015.

Windows 10 1511 — Microsoft labels its feature upgrades in a yymm format — will receive its last security patches, then fall off Microsoft’s support list. The company had announced 1511’s retirement several times in the past, notably in a support lifecycle fact sheet on Microsoft’s website.

Today is also October’s “Patch Tuesday,” the month’s release of security updates for Microsoft’s products. The company has tied the end of support for Windows 10’s feature upgrades to Patch Tuesdays. The next in line after 1511, last year’s 1607 — aka “Anniversary Update” — has been tentatively scheduled to drop out of support in March 2018. If true, Microsoft will undoubtedly call it quits on March 13, 2018, another Patch Tuesday.

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ComputerWorld Independent

October 10, 2017 admin

Duck! Windows and Office patches are coming

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2017 04:30:00 -0700

If you’re running Windows, do yourself a favor and put Automatic Update on a temporary hold. Then wait and see if anything comes bursting apart at the seams.

Last month, there was good reason to install specific patches shortly after they were released — at least if you couldn’t train yourself to avoid the “Enable Editing” button in Word. But by and large, if you could avoid that button, there were myriad reasons why waiting a bit before installing the September patches paid off.

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ComputerWorld Independent

September 26, 2017 admin

Microsoft Patch Alert: Where we stand with September’s Windows and Office patches

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2017 05:03:00 -0700

Microsoft’s foray into quantum computing sure sounds neat, but those of us stuck with real programs on real computers have been in something of a quandary. Once again this month, we’ve hit a bunch of stumbling blocks, many of which were pushed down the Automatic Update chute.

Before we dissect the creepy-crawlies this month, it’s important to remember that you have to get the .Net patches installed, unless you fastidiously refrain from clicking the “Enable Editing” button in Word.

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ComputerWorld Independent

September 21, 2017 admin

Where we stand with messy September Windows and .NET patches

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2017 10:54:00 -0700

This month’s Windows and .Net patches hold all sorts of nasty surprises — some acknowledged, some not, some easy to skirt, some waiting to swallow the unwary whole. Here’s a quick overview of what’s going on with this month’s missives.

Most important: If you can’t keep yourself (or your clients) from clicking “Enable Editing” in Word, you must install a broad range of .NET patches (if you’re running Windows 7 or 8.1) or cumulative updates (if you’re running Windows 10), like, NOW.

Windows 10 Creators Update version 1703

Cumulative Update KB 4038788, which brings the build number up to 15063.608, has two acknowledged (but not fixed) bugs:

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ComputerWorld Independent

September 21, 2017 admin

IDG Contributor Network: Microsoft Security stopped being an oxymoron with the acquisition of Hexadite

Credit to Author: Rob Enderle| Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2017 05:00:00 -0700

One of the most frustrating things to watch during the early years of Microsoft (Disclosure: Microsoft is a client of the author) was their lack of interest in security. It was almost as if, when anyone there heard the term, they’d cover up their ears and say “la, la, la, la, la” until you went away. And, as the century turned, Microsoft security meant anything but security, it was mostly bad joke that hit products like Windows and Internet Explorer particularly hard. But this week’s announcement (ranked as the 3rd most important acquisition this year) they are buying Hexadite showcases that over the last ten years Microsoft made a huge pivot. It finally understood that being unsecure could not only result in massive liability for the firm, but was creating a massive drag on the brand because it reflected poorly on quality. It particularly hurt sales of their products in the enterprise.

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