As you all probably know, the Mirai worm caused large website failures in the recent past. Networks aren't adequately secured. Mirai turned the IoT against websites with DDoS attacks from devices all over the world. So, " Here’s an object lesson on the poor state of the so-called Internet of Things: Robert Stephens plugged a Wi-Fi-connected security camera into his network and it was compromised in… 98 seconds." - Devin Coldewey Remember, cheap...
A friend wanted to get "Google Home" as it offers (at first glance) many good things and services. Then this: The folks who enjoy integrated media and the ability to talk to their computers ("get me a plane ticket" or "What time to set the clocks back?") for routine tasks, or to see a flick on the tv, etc. should know there's a big difference between Google Home and the Google Assistant. Don't get me wrong: There are lots of good services Google provides, and useful ones, as well. Goo...
Flash has two 'Zero Day' vulnerabilities which have been used to compromise the security of W10. "...a group called STRONTIUM performed a spear-phishing attack, but before we go any further, users on the Windows 10 Anniversary Update using the Edge browser should already be protected from it. It used two zero-day vulnerabilities in Flash and the Windows kernel to do the following: Exploit Flash to gain control of the browser process Elevate privileges in order to...
One of the real pains about W10 and its usability is the fact that it (after updates) resets your chosen default apps for browsing, email, music, etc. KB 3135173 - an example. Many reported that apps disappeared, as well. "Stop Resetting My Apps" will prevent this from happening, and it's really simple to use...just click on what you wish to prevent becoming the default app all over again. Of course, you can do it manually by editing the registry, but who wants to play wit...
The new Nvidia driver 375.57 will cause many different issues with W10. Don't, repeat DON'T install it. "If you run Nvidia's Geforce Experience software, you know that it is the primary tool on many machines to update drivers. Turns out, the tool is still offering version 375.57 for download, and not the newer version of the driver that fixed the issues that users experienced. It is unclear why the older driver is still listed in the application and not ...
Cyber warfare against Dyn is now being investigated by Homeland Security (as well it should be). Twitter, SoundCloud, Spotify, Shopify, and other websites have been inaccessible to many users throughout the day. “We are actively in the third flank of this attack,” Dyn’s chief strategy officer Kyle Owen told reporters around 4:30 p.m. ET today. “It’s a very smart attack. As we mitigate, they react.” - Dyn chief strategy officer Kyle O...
There have been several reports of unwanted advertising pop-ups with doubtful site urls being spread via "malvertising" in the free version of Spotify. "Spotify's ads crossed from nuisance over to outright nasty this week, after the music service’s advertising started serving up malware to users on Wednesday. The malware was able to automatically launch browser tabs on Windows and Mac PCs, according to complaints that surfaced online. As is typical for this kind of mal...
The game was his daughter's idea...and Tyson has included folks from JPL, NASA, astronauts, explorers... There will be missions, a construct your galaxy, etc. Apparently it'll be multi-player with a community of imaginative players who will interact with real experts... “We will have holographic tutorials as part of the core game that will prep you for challenges and new facets of gameplay as they are introduced,..Murphy said the gameplay mirrors our univ...
Huge update: 753 Mb patch. The contents (not all) can be seen here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12387/windows-10-update-history and the files affected here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3194496 It doesn't fix the issue where drives randomly disappear from Windows or the SSD freezing issues that some users are experiencing. Problems: Some people are reporting that the update appears to be stuck at 45% or 94%. Not really: Just ...
WOM just sent me this...and if you have an HP printer, please take note: "Hewlett-Packard is installing software in its printers that will prevent the machine from printing if it detects anything but an HP brand cartridge, rejecting even refilled HP cartridges." (Link above). Cory Doctorow (EFF) is leading the fight against this move by HP Doctorow fired off a letter Monday to HP to express his opposition : “Like many others, we are alarmed by reports that...
Worst scenario: You're almost done with work you've been laboring over when Windows starts with the popups to restart your computer, OR, even worse: You had to leave for a minute and return and find that Windows has restarted your computer and your work? Gone. Hell, even Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom save your work at configurable intervals (via Preferences). So why don't the Window and third party apps? Because. Anyway, MakeUseOf has put out a great article...
Ok...so, MS decided (last month) to have one update model for W7, 8.1 and W10: Cumulative Updates. This new schedule will start on October 11th. If this makes you nervous, well honestly? It should. You will no longer have the ability to choose which updates you want, and which you don't. "But I don't use Outlook, etc.!" - "Who cares?", MS has replied with this policy change, essentially saying, "After all, it may be your machine, but they're our OS and apps.". Well......
Just heard this one on the news, Yahoo's been breached to the tune of 200 million accounts. Not much to say beyond, "If you have an account on Yahoo, best to change your password." You can do that by signing in and then going to your account. Update: It looks like the biggest breach in history: 500 million accounts' info breached, not 200 million as reported at first.
Rule 41 (a Federal Court procedure) if allowed to persist will allow magistrate judges to issue search warrants for the contents of any computer outside their jurisdiction, or multiple computers with a single warrant...so a single warrant for multiple computers in multiple jurisdictions. Efficient, right? Saves leos the trouble of explaining the need for a search warrant for each one. Even overseas. Well...if it were just against criminals...but it isn't. It appears that they...
Ghacks just reviewed what appears to be a new productivity tool...new in the sense that it goes way further than prior apps. There a free and a 'paid' version. You might be interested in taking a look at it here: http://www.ghacks.net/2016/09/12/tidytabs-tabs-for-all-windows-programs/ It's got wide config choices (see the article). Here's a screenshot of how it would appear on a desktop: