Road to a cleaner web: Google seeks to aggressively target unwanted software
Google has had enough of websites that present viewers with annoying adverts that try to trick users into downloading downright ridiculous tools on their computers. The Mountain View-based giant announces today that it will now more aggressively block unwanted software (UwS) over the coming weeks in Chrome.
Over the years, these unwanted tools have aggressively grown on the web, especially on shady websites. The fraudsters behind these tools use misleading adverts to trick users into downloading and installing their bogus applications.
Banning encrypted messaging apps is a stupid idea
In light of the recent news that the UK government is pushing harder for a legislation which would allow it to monitor all digital communications, and ban those apps that use encryption, a huge debate has sparked on whether the government should be allowed to do this or not.
Professor of Law at the London School of Economics, Andrew Murray, has had his say on the matter in a Huffington Post article, arguing that banning communications apps to curb the work of terrorist groups would be similar to banning cars in order to stop terrorists from using them.
UK government launches voucher scheme to boost small business security
For smaller businesses cyber security isn't always their highest priority which means they can be left vulnerable to attacks.
In an effort to beef up protection for small and medium businesses, the UK government is launching a voucher scheme as part of a package of measures designed to increase the resilience of UK businesses to cyber-attacks.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac 1.0 is a simple on-demand scan-and-remove tool
Security developer Malwarebytes has unveiled Malwarebytes Anti-Malware for Mac 1.0, the company’s first Mac product.
The new app hasn’t been coded from scratch, but is a rebranded (and updated) version of AdwareMedic, which was acquired by Malwarebytes back in March.
Microsoft no longer providing any form of security for XP
Bad news, yet again, for those Windows users stubbornly refusing to leave XP. Microsoft might have ended support for the ancient OS back in April 2014, but it was still providing the Malicious Software Removal Tool and updates to Microsoft Security Essentials, offering a modicum of security.
However, as of this week, XP users will no longer receive those updates, leaving them exposed to more threats.
Prevent people printing, copying, and downloading your shared Google Drive files
The likes of Google Drive make it easy to collaborate on projects, harnessing the power of the cloud to provide people with access to files. While it's handy to be able to work on files with other people, there are times when you want to ensure that the documents you share are not misused.
With this in mind, Google has now added new permission options to shared files. With the added ability to prevent the copying, downloading, and printing of files, it's now safer to share confidential documents. As Google says, it's "perfect for when the file you're sharing contains sensitive information that you don't want shared broadly or leaked".
Consumers are ready to accept Identity 3.0
There's always a trade off between access and security. Identity management specialist Gigya has released its latest State of Consumer Privacy & Personalization report looking at consumer attitudes surrounding data privacy.
A key finding is a growing willingness to accept next-generation authentication methods known as 'Identity 3.0'. Biometric technologies are emerging as a popular option for signing in. The study shows 41 percent of consumers have a high level of comfort logging in to a site or mobile app using a thumbprint or face/eye scan.
Pssstt! Wanna host some malware?
Whilst it's the hacks and the data breaches and the information thefts that grab the headlines, no one ever mentions the technology that lies behind them.
Where do the bad guys host their malware and where do they keep their stolen information? Like any legitimate online businesses, cybercriminals need a reliable, high availability hosting infrastructure.
Two-thirds of time spent responding to malware alerts is wasted
Organizations are increasingly bombarded with malware reports and that can lead to wasted time dealing with false alarms or minor issues.
A new report from The Ponemon Institute, commissioned by breach defense specialist Damballa, reveals that two-thirds of the time spent by security staff responding to malware alerts is wasted because of faulty intelligence.
Mozilla blocks all versions of Flash in Firefox amid growing security concerns
As you may or may not know, Adobe Flash -- a veteran tool required by many modern browsers for video playback -- is riddled with vulnerabilities. The product has a long history of being thrown under the bus for its security incompetence. Such is the case today. Mozilla announces that it is blocking all versions of Flash Player in its browser with its latest update.
Mark Schmidt, the head of the Firefox team at Mozilla notes that the company is disabling Adobe Flash by default in the browser. The block is accompanied by an image showing a raised fist and the phrase "Occupy Flash". Users who wish to enable Flash can do so by flipping switches in the settings menu, however.
Hacking Team to conjure up new surveillance software after security breach
Following a massive security breach, Italian security firm Hacking Team warned that its government-strength surveillance tools could have fallen into the hands of terrorists. The company advised its customers -- including governments and law agencies around the world -- to stop using its software, and is now launching something of a damage-limitation exercise.
Hacking Team has released a statement indicating that far from giving up and admitting defeat, a new, more powerful version of its software will be released soon. The replacement for Galileo, called Remote Control System 10, is described as a "complete revision" of the old system and "not simply an update". The security firm also stresses that not all of its source code was compromised, only code which is considered obsolete.
77 percent of people are open to using password alternatives
The username and password combination has been with us for a long time, but we're increasingly seeing its shortcomings for protecting sensitive data.
A new survey of 24,000 consumers across six continents by technology services and consulting company Accenture reveals that 60 percent of consumers find passwords cumbersome and more than three-quarters worldwide would be open to using alternatives.
Android users know about vulnerabilities but aren't taking precautions
Although the majority of consumers are well aware of potential malware attacks on the Android platform, and they overwhelmingly understand the importance of mobile security, they're still not taking the steps needed to safeguard their devices and they’re reluctant to pay for protection.
This is among the findings of a new survey of more than 100 Android users from Chinese company 360 Security. It shows that Android mobile users worry most about untrustworthy apps (27 percent), online payments (20 percent), and hackers (13 percent).
Second zero-day flaw found in Adobe Flash thanks to Hacking Team
Earlier this week an exploit for Adobe Flash was revealed -- a shock, I know. Now a second is in the wild and already being used. Known by the catchy name CVE-2015-5122, security firm FireEye discovered the flaw buried in the Hacking Team leak and alerted Adobe to it.
Adobe has released a security bulletin stating "Critical vulnerabilities (CVE-2015-5122, CVE-2015-5123) have been identified in Adobe Flash Player 18.0.0.204 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh and Linux. Successful exploitation could cause a crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system".
Here's how Windows Hello login works in Windows 10
One of the more intriguing new features of Windows 10 is Windows Hello. If you're sick of typing a password to log into your account, but don’t want to do away with security altogether, you can use this biometric feature to log in using your face or fingerprint.
Windows Hello works in conjunction with Microsoft Passport to lock down your system, but the facial recognition feature is only compatible with certain hardware. This fact means that it has been hard to try out Windows Hello, but over on SuperSite for Windows Richard Hay got his hands on an Intel RealSense 3D Camera (F200) and recorded a demo of how it works.
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