You may have gotten an email like this, recently: “We’re reaching out to let you know that if you haven’t updated your Dropbox password since mid-2012, you’ll be prompted to update it the next time you sign in. This is purely a preventative measure, and we’re sorry for the inconvenience. To learn more about why we’re taking this precaution, please visit this page on our Help Center. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at pas...
There's a new twist in the ransomware game. Some (presumably) Russian cyber criminals have found a new way to deliver 'the goods' named "Fantom". They come disguised as a “Windows Update”, complete with a fake Windows Update screen pretending to be performing a “critical update”. This is the 'a.exe' file included with the encrypter, called 'WindowsUpdate.exe'. It even has a 'percent installed' meter and a warning not to turn o...
It's no secret that W10 shares 'anonymized' data with MS. It's also not a secret that this bugs not a few people, for various reasons. MS has said that the user cannot shut off all data sharing: "Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 10 data collection is something that cannot be stopped. This report comes days after Microsoft announced that it will aggressively push Windows 10 to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users in the future. In an interview with PC World, Micros...
It's one of those stories you just can't make up. More power to Ed Bott at ZDNet: "If you want to be a Windows expert, one of the most important lessons to learn is skepticism. Whenever someone claims to have a magic fix-it tool or a MakeRocketShipGoFast registry tweak, you should keep it away from any system you care about until you can confirm it does what it says it does... One of the first red flags for me was the information embedded in the file itself. It has a copyr...
Pretty ironic when you realize MS was on Apple's side of the "unlocking" controversy. MS itself forgot to keep its own keys to Windows tablets, phones, HoloLens and other devices using UEFI Secure Boot safe and secure. "Secure Boot is a built into the firmware of computer or the software as the case may be, allowing the computer/software to make failsafe checks before booting. Microsoft built Secure Boot to handle different types of malware specifically the ro...
As if the phony emissions testing wasn't enough? That 'keyless' entry fob? Not very secure, it turns out. In fact, it's eminently hackable... Volkswagen does have an 'immobilizer' built in, but it isn't perfect...so, your car could be broken into, and maybe that's the device we saw being used on Jeeps? Anyway, the older (1998) HT2 chips were easily hackable, too. "Professor Srdjan Capkun of ETH Zurich found himself perched on the fenc...
Ghacks published a notification regarding the new, updated Revo Uninstaller version - both the free and 'paid' versions. I'm looking at the free edition, and to be honest it isn't offering a whole lot. The linked page should show you the comparison of the two versions, but it really doesn't go into any detail. The paid version is an excellent program which even creates a restore point for instabilities caused by 'aggressive' cleaning of remnants. The newe...
I wrote a recent article about this…and that Mark Zuckerberg and James Comey put tape over theirs: http://drjbhl.joeuser.com/article/478305/Webcams_and_disabling_thempro_and_con When writing about this, little did I suspect that a month later I’d come across this… http://www.techworm.net/2016/07/hackers-capture-pc-user-wanking-demand-10000-ransom-not-leaking-video.html But I did, and as we all know… So…a bit of humor for your Sunday…and a salute to Matt for his...
Enough of hacking and hackers. There’s no end to it in sight. There’s something amazing about photography, though. Want some great wallpapers? Well you can get them at National Geographic…even the winners of the annual contest. They come only in 1600 x 1200 for desktops, but there are Tablet and Phone walls available with each picture. You may not like the walls, as they come with NatGeo advertising at the bottom, but you can’t help but love the photos. So, some b...
This site is sponsored by IT Security companies and law enforcement ( https://www.nomoreransom.org/ ). It can help you prevent, identify and decrypt ransomware threats. “The website offers three core features: ransomware information, access to decryption tools, and a ransomware identification tool.” – gHacks Identifying the ransomware: https://www.nomoreransom.org/decryption-tools.html and ID Ransomware is another company offering that service, as is Crypto ...
MS has updated its KB3035583 in an effort to get folks to upgrade to W10. This is a patch which you might have ‘hidden’ in the past. So, their ‘updating’ that patch might well cause it to reappear. As far as I know, you can re-hide it with no problems, but according to sources, this patch has a very clear “decline” option, as opposed to earlier This sort of brings up some other stuff: If you make a ‘last minute’ decision to upgrade to W10, you might not succeed, due to servers ...
France (in its uniquely…French manner) has awakened, and the questions we all asked regarding W10 and “privacy” concerns. MS was “served” on 7.16 to comply with the French Data Protection Act within 3 months…while MS is probably more concerned with how it’s going to cope with the rush of last minute upgraders to W10 and overwhelmed servers. So, our oldest ally claims that “Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system is used for "coll...
On August second, the following features are being added (along with various ‘fixes’ for current bugs). They’re summarized in two articles from TechRepublic: The first cites “Windows Information Protection” (a.k.a. Enterprise Data Protection): “1. The feature uses containerisation file techniques to keep personal and enterprise data separate, as well as imposing various controls over who can access which data. 2. Windows 10 Defender Advanced Threat Prote...
W10 was a “Free for the first year” upgrade, which back then made me ask, “Are they going over to an Adobe model?"...i.e., "free trial, then pay per month" to continue using your computer? I believe I referred to it at the time as the 'dope pusher model'. Well, the end of the "First year free" is coming up, and I for one want to know what's in the "Anniversary Update". That isn’t true…yet. Except this: W10 Enterprise $84/yr. I am conce...
“Apple’s iCloud account appears to have been so severely hacked by some urbane hackers that some iPhones have essentially been held hostage for Russian ransomware. It is guessed that an astounding 40 million iCloud accounts (approximately) are rumoured to be at risk, according to CSO Online….At this point of time, there is no evidence to suggest that the Mac-Forums database has any relation to these ransom attacks. However, if you wish to tread caution, it is highly recommended t...