Beware of compromised routers spreading malware. This is according to both Kaspersky Labs and a recently released government report. Using hacked routers to spread malware is nothing new. Security insiders have known about it for years. However, since 2008, the number of instances where routers are being used to push malicious code has been steadily increasing. Researchers are observing marked increases in their use by APTs (Advanced Persistent Threat) around the world. APTs are nothing … Read more
No Spectre Fix For Certain Intel Processors
The bad news just doesn't seem to stop where Intel and the Speectre vulnerability are concerned. The latest bit of news comes directly from Intel, as the company admits that it's just not possible to address the Spectre vulnerability in some of its older hardware. This means that nine families of chips and more than 230 models of computers (mostly manufactured between 2007 and 2011) will remain vulnerable to Spectre forever. The company has stopped Spectre mitigation development on the … Read more
Microsoft Helping With Ransomware In Office 365
Microsoft recently made small but significant changes to its Office 365 subscription service and to OneDrive, which are often used in tandem. The goal is to make it easier for users whose files have been encrypted by ransomware (or otherwise corrupted) to recover them. The most significant of the changes is a new button that Office 365 users will see a new "File Restore" function in both applications. If you've saved your Office 365 files to OneDrive, you'll be able to restore files in a … Read more
Most “Wannacry” Hacks Were On Windows 7 Machines
Last year's Wannacry attack was bad, but in many ways, it was a self-inflicted wound. According Webroot's recently published "Annual Threat Report," almost all of the machines that succumbed to the Wannacry attack were running Windows 7. That attack is estimated to have caused in excess of $4 billion in total losses. The central problem is that businesses have been much slower than individuals to make the shift from Windows 7 to the much more secure Windows 10. For example, in January … Read more
Apple Releases Major iPhone and iOS Device Update 11.3
There's a lot to talk about in Apple's latest update to iOS. Version 11.3 boasts some significant changes and is well worth getting. We'll go over the highlights below. Battery management is the biggest and most significant change. Last year, the company found itself in hot water when they began quietly throttling older phones and slowing down their performance because older phones have batteries that begin to degrade. In the absence of throttling, it's entirely possible that a user's … Read more
Amazon Removing Music Storage Service At End Of April
If you use Amazon's Cloud MP3 Locker to store your music online, now is the time to start looking for a new home for it. Last year, the company announced that they were ending the service, but didn't provide a firm date. April 30, 2018 will be the last day you'll be able to access your music if you don't take action. Back in December, the company stopped allowing users to upload new tracks to their music storage system, which users were formerly allowed to store up to 250 songs for … Read more
Facebook Post Removals May Soon Get An Appeals Process
There are some big changes coming to Facebook, which may have some serious unintended consequences. In a recent interview, Mark Zuckerberg indicated that he's considering allowing users to independently appeal to the content moderation team if their posts get taken down for violating various community policies. On the surface of it, this seems like it would be a good thing. Zuckerberg said that the move is designed to give people in the Facebook communities what they want, rather than … Read more
Huge Spike in Malware With Mining Capabilities
There's a new type of hacking attack to be concerned with, and it's growing by leaps and bounds. Called "Crypto-Jacking," it's a process by which malicious code is placed on websites. When the sites are visited, the code secretly siphons off a portion of the affected user's PC, laptop, or smartphone's processing power and uses it to mine for various cryptocurrencies so that the hackers can profit from it. Kevin Haley, the Director of Symantec's Security Response Team, had this to say about … Read more
MyFitnessPal User Information Data Breach Affects 150 Million
Another week, another high-profile data breach. This time, it's Under Armour in the hot seat. Under Armour acquired the MyFitnessPal app back in February 2015, and the company recently announced that their new acquisition was hacked in late February 2018. So far, the company is taking all steps we've come to see as usual in these circumstances. They've notified their user base about the scope and scale of the attack, which impacted a hefty 150 million users. In conjunction with the … Read more
Another Google Service Is Going Away
If you are a fan of, and regularly use Goo.gl (the URL shortener service), brace for impact. The company has announced that as of March 30, 2019, the service will be shut down for good. Long before then, beginning April 18th of this year, only existing users will be able to shorten links via goo.gl. No new signups will be allowed. The company had this to say about the recent announcement: "The URL Shortener has been a great tool that we've been proud to have built. As we look towards … Read more
