Check your PC for malicious shortcuts with Shortcut Scanner
Shortcut Scanner is a free tool which scans your PC for potentially malicious shortcuts.
The program looks for multiple indicators. Does the shortcut point to PowerShell, cmd.exe or some other command prompt? Does it include dangerous keywords, have unusually long commands, is larger than 4KB in size?
Invisible malware targets financial information
Researchers at Kaspersky Lab have uncovered a series of targeted attacks that use legitimate software to avoid detection.
The attacks employ widely available penetration-testing and administration tools as well as the PowerShell framework for task automation in Windows. They drop no malware files onto the hard drive, but hide in the memory.
Forget prayers, thoughts and sad faces; Facebook Community Help lets you actually help those in crisis
When there is an emergency somewhere in the world -- be it a natural disaster, terrorist attack or humanitarian crisis -- it has become normal to see Facebook's Safety Check feature kick in. As well as letting those affected by the crisis in question let their loved ones know that they are OK, Safety Check activations also result in a flood of thoughts, prayers and sad-faced emoji being sent by Facebookers.
But what about sending actual help? Sending thoughts and prayers is something of an empty gesture, whereas offering shelter, food and other supplies could actually help to save lives. Facebook has now expanded its Safety Check tool to include Community Help, enabling helpful souls to lend support in times of need.
Wikipedia bans use of Daily Mail as a source because it is 'unreliable'
In a move that will surprise few people familiar with the newspaper, Wikipedia has chosen to ban the use of the British Daily Mail as a source. Editors for the site reached the conclusion that the paper "is generally unreliable, and its use as a reference is to be generally prohibited".
While this does not constitute an outright ban -- something which would probably not go down well with the Wikipedia community -- editors are strongly encouraged to find an alternative source wherever possible. The decision comes after a vote in which editors debated the Daily Mail's "reputation for poor fact checking, sensationalism, and flat-out fabrication". In other words: fake news.
Windows 10 Cloud already hacked to run Win32 programs
Windows 10 Cloud, Microsoft's new (and likely free) operating system hasn't been officially announced yet, but the first build of it leaked over the weekend, giving people a chance to see what the successor to RT looks like.
In this early version, the answer is mostly just like Windows 10, albeit with one major difference -- Windows 10 Cloud can only run apps from the Windows Store, not Win32 programs. Or at least that used to be the case.
The smart office revolution
The recent headlines and buzz around Amazon Alexa is just one indication that smart home technology may have finally broken through to mainstream. Consumers have grown accustomed to interacting with smart technology to make their lives easier at home and soon will expect that experience to continue when they arrive at the office. While smart technology promises greater efficiency and innovation in the workplace, IT teams face a daunting task of determining which technologies are hype and which will actually make work a better place.
As organizations start to adopt technology that will make work-life better, they need to ensure organizations are set up for success from the beginning. The challenge of supporting and deploying new "smart office" technologies, while upholding corporate security policies is not an easy feat. It might be tempting to act prematurely and incorporate all the latest technologies right away but it’s important to take a holistic approach when evaluating IT projects and prioritize what to implement to ensure organizations are set up for success. While there are a myriad of smart office trends invading the workplace today, here are the top trends we think will most significantly alter the way we communicate and collaborate in the future.
Windows 10 Creators Update Build 15031 for PC arrives on the Fast ring, introduces yet more new features
Microsoft has been busy bug bashing this week, but has still found time to push out a new Insider Preview build to the Fast ring.
Build 15031 is for PC only (a Mobile Build is anticipated later this week), and introduces yet more new features to the forthcoming Creators Update, including Dynamic Lock.
How criminals use Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
It has become common practice for attackers to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to link tools together so that they can be run in parallel when conducting an attack.
Attackers use AI and ML to take the results from one tool and then allow the other tools to "learn" about the finding and use it against other systems. As an example, if a one tool finds a password, that tool can feed the information to another tool or bot that may conduct the exploitation of one or many systems using the discovered password.
IBM i Trends in Modernization for 2017
2016 was a blur of airports and hotels for me as I flew almost 200,000 miles in order to visit with hundreds of IBM i professionals all over the world.
One of the hottest trends for IBM i shops is exposing existing IBM i application functions as web services. Many companies I have spoken with want to leverage the rich capabilities they have already built into their core IBM i applications by making them available through web browsers, to mobile devices or to applications belonging to business partners or customers. Rather than rewriting those functions, they are simply building a service wrapper around them. Those services can then be consumed in a way that makes sense for the mobile or web user experience. They also can be used as connectors that allow disparate applications to talk to each other.
Enterprise change management goals are out of sync with strategy
The results of a new study to be released tomorrow, but seen exclusively by BetaNews, reveal a severe misalignment between the way IT leaders talk about change management and the strategies they have in place to execute these initiatives.
The survey of more than 320 IT leaders by document productivity company Nitro shows that change management strategies vary between organizations, but many fall short.
Planning to visit the US soon? You might be asked to hand over your internet passwords
Donald Trump’s controversial travel ban might have been overturned for now, but the new administration intends to do what it can to tighten entry into the United States.
One of the plans being considered as part of Trump’s "extreme vetting" policy is to ask visitors what websites they visit, and request their passwords. Should anyone refuse to hand over this information they will be prevented from entering the US.
Security consultancy offers $1 million guarantee against breach-related costs
One of the biggest worries for businesses is the cost of suffering a major cyber attack in terms of both money and business reputation.
San Francisco-based independent security consultancy AsTech is so confident of its track record that it's offering a $1 million warranty against breach-related costs if an organization using its Paragon Security Program suffers unauthorized access to non-public information through a vulnerability that AsTech fails to discover.
DDoS tactics shift towards a blended approach
The world of cyber security is a constant arms race with attackers and defenders constantly on the lookout for an edge.
Cyber security company NexusGuard has released its latest threat report for the final quarter of 2016, and notes a shift towards blended DDoS attacks combining multiple vulnerabilities with the intent of overloading targeted monitoring, detection and logging systems.
The problems facing the app development industry
The app development business is being plagued by long development times, skills gaps and large backlogs according to a new report.
The study from low-code development platform supplier OutSystems identifies the critical issues that the industry needs to address if it’s to avoid missed opportunities and lost revenue.
Duo Security launches fast, simple alternative to VPN
Enterprise users increasingly want access to their data while they're out of the office. This generally requires a VPN or Network Access Control (NAC) solution but these can be time consuming and complex to set up and administer.
To make things faster and simpler, trusted access specialist Duo Security is launching a major commercial implementation of Google's BeyondCorp framework that drastically improves and simplifies management of how employees and devices access critical corporate applications.
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