'Pass the Hash' attacks highlight need for improved privileged access management
Pass the Hash (PtH) attacks which use stolen hashed administrator credentials to breach security are a major risk to businesses.
A new report from One Identity, based on a survey of over 1,000 IT professionals carried out by Dimensional Research, finds 95 percent of respondents say that PtH attacks have a direct impact on their organizations.
Google makes it much easier to shift streaming music and video between devices
With more than one Nest device or Google Home speaker in the house, it can be a pain to manually switch music streaming from one speaker to another as you move from room to room.
But now Google has introduced a new feature that makes the process much, much easier. The "stream transfer" option can be accessed with your voice via Google Assistant, or using apps.
Twitter reveals 2FA security data has 'inadvertently been used for advertising purposes'
Twitter has announced that email addresses and phone numbers provided by users for use with two-factor authentication (2FA) have been "inadvertently" used to deliver tailored ads.
The company says it does not know how many people are affected by the incident, but apologizes for letting private data be used in this way. The timing of the announcement is a little strange. Twitter says that the matter was under control as of September 17, and it is not quite clear why it took three weeks to go public about it -- even though it says "in an effort to be transparent, we wanted to make everyone aware".
Fedora Linux wisely kills 32-bit version
I fondly remember building my first-ever 64-bit computer with an AMD 3200+ processor. While it seems like only yesterday, the reality is, that was more than 15 years ago! Yes, 64-bit consumer chips have been around that long, showing how asinine it is for operating systems to still support outdated 32-bit hardware in 2019. Shockingly, Microsoft has 32-bit Windows 10, while countless Linux distributions support the antiquated hardware too. Sigh.
Thankfully, the good folks that develop the excellent Fedora Linux distribution have finally had enough. Beginning with the upcoming version 31 of the operating system, i686 32-bit processor support is being dropped by the Fedora Project. While it absolutely is the correct decision, there will undoubtedly be whining from some vocal crybabies in the Linux community. After all, for some Linux users, the act of complaining seems to be a popular pastime.
Google shares top Halloween costumes of 2019 based on search
Halloween used to be a day for children to collect candy and dress up in costumes, but lately, it seems like adults have hijacked the holiday. More and more grownups are dressing up in costumes -- a trend that is probably due in part to the popularization of nerd culture and events like Comic-Con. Hell, people are even dressing up their pets these days -- something I am guilty of. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with wearing a costume and having fun, it is just an interesting change culturally.
This year Google is sharing the top Halloween costumes based on search. Personally, I like when Google provides information like this, because the true value in collecting data is being able to tell stories with it. With the search giant slurping up so much data, it would be tragic if it didn't conduct analysis.
Cyberattacks on SMBs becoming more targeted and sophisticated
Small and medium sized businesses continue to be a prime target for cybercriminals according to a new study commissioned by password management company Keeper Security from the Ponemon Institute.
It shows that 76 percent of US companies have been attacked within the last 12 months, up from 55 percent in 2016. Globally, 66 percent of respondents report attacks in the same time frame.
Majority of enterprise domains still not protected from email impersonation
Despite growing adoption of DMARC technology, fewer than 10 percent of enterprise email domains are protected from impersonation according to a new report from Valimail.
Valimail found that 850,000 domains worldwide now have DMARC records, a five times increase since 2016. However, fewer than 17 percent of global DMARC records are at enforcement -- meaning fake emails that appear to come from those domains are still arriving in recipients’ inboxes.
Microsoft warns Windows 10 users to upgrade as version 1803 nears end of support
Updates for Windows 10 might have been endlessly problematic of late, but Microsoft is still eager for users to update to the latest version of its operating system.
The company has now started to warn users of Windows 10 version 1803 that their software will soon no longer be supported, and will therefore no longer receive any security updates.
Too many users given access to sensitive information
Poor privileged access management practices that lead to people having too much access continue to be a critical challenge for many organizations despite significant risks of data breaches and security incidents.
A new report from technology consulting company Sila and the Ponemon Institute surveyed more than 650 North American respondents and finds 70 percent think it likely that privileged users within their organizations are accessing sensitive or confidential data for no discernible business need.
PlayStation 5 -- Sony reveals enticing details of its next console, coming for the 2020 holiday season
Sony has revealed that the next version of its gaming console will stick to the existing pattern and be called PlayStation 5. But the company has revealed much more than the name of the device.
Sony has also announced that the PS5 will launch for the 2020 holiday season, and that it will come complete with a new controller that features haptic technology and adaptive triggers.
Cybercriminals increase use of trusted domains to trick victims
Nearly a quarter of malicious URLs are being hosted on trusted domains, as hackers know trusted domain URLs raise less suspicion among users and are more difficult for security measures to block.
This is one of the findings of the latest Webroot threat report which also shows 29 percent of detected phishing web pages use HTTPS as a method to trick users into believing they're on a trusted site via the padlock symbol.
USB drives still present an enterprise security risk
Despite the rise of cloud storage, 87 percent of organizations still use USB drives but they are struggling to manage their usage according to a new report.
The study from encrypted drive manufacturer Apricorn reveals that 58 percent don't use port control or whitelisting software to manage USB device usage and 26 percent don't use software-based encryption.
US sanctions force Adobe to close down user accounts in Venezuela with no refunds
Adobe is in the process of closing down services in Venezuela in line with US sanctions. Back in August, president Trump barred pretty much all trade with the country (Executive Order 13884).
Adobe's compliance with the sanctions means that Venezuelans will soon lose access to products such as Photoshop and -- more importantly -- have only until October 28 to save their files before they are deleted and accounts are closed.
Security professionals struggle to measure success within the business
Although most security professionals use key performance indicators to measure their efforts they struggle to reconcile these with business goals, according to a new report from Thycotic.
It finds that while 84 percent of respondents have KPIs, and an even higher proportion (92 percent) say they review security in terms of its impact on the business, nearly half (44 percent) say their organization struggles to align security initiatives with the business’s overall goals, while more 35 percent aren't clear what the business goals are.
Opera 64 adds new tracker blocking protection, improves Snapshot tool
Opera Software has released Opera 64, the latest major update to its Chromium-based web browser for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android. The major highlight of this new release is the addition of built-in protection against tracking.
Opera claims the new feature, which sits alongside existing VPN and ad-blocking tools, makes the browser 20 percent faster than previous releases. Elsewhere, the browser’s Snapshot screengrab tool also gains several improvements.
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