ComputerWorld – Page 40 – PossibleThreat Articles

How blockchain could help block fake news

February 17, 2020 0 Comments Blockchain, content archiving, Emerging Technology, Internet, Security, web applications

Credit to Author: Lucas Mearian| Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2020 03:00:00 -0800

In 2018, a video of former President Barrack Obama surfaced on YouTube explaining how easily technology could be used to manipulate video and create fake news. It got more than 7.2 million views.

In the video, Obama explains how we live in dangerous times when “enemies” can make anyone say anything at any point in time. Moments later, it’s revealed that the video was itself faked.

Whether its news articles, images or video, fake and misleading content has proliferated across the internet over the past five or so years. One possible solution to the problem now being proposed would standardize how content is delivered online, with anything outside those standards not trusted.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Microsoft springs last-minute demand on buyers of Windows 7 after-expiration support

February 15, 2020 0 Comments PCs, Security, Windows

Credit to Author: Gregg Keizer| Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2020 05:35:00 -0800

Microsoft this week threw a wrench into the workings of its long-touted Windows 7 post-retirement support, telling IT administrators that there was a brand new prerequisite that must be installed before they can download the patches they’d already paid for.

The last-minute requirement was titled “Extended Security Updates Licensing Preparation Package” and identified as KB4538483 in Microsoft’s numerical format.

The licensing prep package can be downloaded manually from the Microsoft Update Catalog. It should also appear in WSUS (Windows Server Update Services), the patch management platform used by many commercial customers. It will not, however, be automatically delivered through the Windows Update service, which some very small businesses rely on to provide them necessary patches.

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ComputerWorld Independent

MIT researchers say mobile voting app piloted in U.S. is rife with vulnerabilities

February 13, 2020 0 Comments Blockchain, Emerging Technology, Government IT, Mobile, Privacy, Security

Credit to Author: Lucas Mearian| Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2020 13:30:00 -0800

Elections officials in numerous states have piloted various mobile voting applications as a method of expanding access to the polls, but MIT researchers say one of the more popular apps has security vulnerabilities that could open it up to tampering by bad actors.

The MIT analysis of the application, called Voatz, highlighted a number of weaknesses that could allow hackers to “alter, stop, or expose how an individual user has voted.”

Additionally, the researchers found that Voatz’s use of Palo Alto-based vendor Jumio for voter identification and verification poses potential privacy issues for users.

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ComputerWorld Independent

A large – but manageable – February Patch Tuesday brings critical browser updates

February 13, 2020 0 Comments PCs, Security, Windows

Credit to Author: Greg Lambert| Date: Thu, 13 Feb 2020 03:00:00 -0800

With 99 reported vulnerabilities and patches to both Microsoft browsers, Office and Windows, this month’s Patch Tuesday update is not as large an administrative burden as you might initially think. We’ve rated the browser updates as a “Patch Now” update due to issues with the Chakra engine, but both Office and Windows can be scheduled according to a regular patch cadence. Unfortunately, we have another Adobe Flash update to deploy, but no critical development updates for February.

You can find more information in our helpful infographic here.

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ComputerWorld Independent

BlackBerry says its new Digital Workplace eliminates need for VPN, VDI

February 12, 2020 0 Comments mdm, Mobile, Mobile Management, Mobile Security, Security

Credit to Author: Lucas Mearian| Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2020 13:18:00 -0800

BlackBerry has unveiled its Digital Workplace platform, a web portal and workspace for secure online and offline access to corporate on-premise or cloud content, including Microsoft Office 365 resources.

Digital Workplace, announced last week, integrates a secure browser-based workspace sold by Awingu, a Belgium company that penned a partnership with BlackBerry in 2018. Businesses can access their legacy Windows, Linux, SaaS or internal web apps, desktops and files inside of Awingu’s secure managed browser. Awingu’s unified workspace runs Windows, Linux, web and intranet apps.

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ComputerWorld Independent

What's the difference between the deep web and the dark web?

February 12, 2020 0 Comments Security

We hear the terms "deep web" and "dark web" thrown around a lot… but what do they actually mean? And what's the difference between the two? CSO Online writer J.M. Porup joins Juliet to dispel rumors and discuss what sets the deep web and dark web apart from the rest of the web.

ComputerWorld Independent

Patch Tuesday: 99 holes, 'exploited' IE fix, Win7 mayhem and UEFI ghost

February 12, 2020 0 Comments PCs, Security, Windows

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2020 09:40:00 -0800

What a month it’s been – and the Patch Tuesday patches have only been out for 24 hours. There are many February patching foibles to report.

Every version of Windows 10, stretching back to the beginning of time (except for the long-neglected version 1511) got patches this month.

Welcome to the new, improved, paid-for Win7 patches

There was no free Windows 7 update this month, even though Microsoft released a Monthly Rollup Preview in January. Anyone concerned about the well-documented “Stretch” black wallpaper bug caused by last month’s Win7 Monthly Rollup apparently can pound sand – or manually download and install the fix. Your choice.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Thought you already paid for Win7 Extended Security Updates? Think again.

February 12, 2020 0 Comments Microsoft, Security, Windows

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2020 05:43:00 -0800

I’m hearing lots of complaints from people who spent good money to get Win7 Extended Security Updates, but don’t see this month’s patches. There’s a reason why. Microsoft didn’t bother to tell us that you need a new patch, released yesterday, in order to start receiving Win7 ESU updates. You have to download the new patch, KB 4538483, from the Microsoft Catalog, and install it manually before the updates even appear.

Folks who spent money to get the February and later patches are livid.

Yesterday, after releasing the February updates, Microsoft modified its ESU Procedure page to add this step:

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ComputerWorld Independent

How cyber attackers hide malware on your network

February 12, 2020 0 Comments Security

Knowing where to look for malware lurking on your network gives you a better chance to prevent damage from it.

ComputerWorld Independent

For Patch Tuesday, verify you have 'Pause Updates' enabled

February 11, 2020 0 Comments Microsoft, Security, Windows

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2020 12:13:00 -0800

Remember the frenzy after last month’s Patch Tuesday? How everybody and his twice-removed cousin — even the N forkin’ SA — told you to get patched immediately because of this big, spooky Crypto API security hole that was supposed to bring down Windows As We Know It, like, right now?

Guess what. It never materialized.

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