New Windows 10 Updates Will Use 7 GB Of Space

January 28th, 2019

Microsoft has angered a portion of their user base with a change that's coming in the next build of Windows 10.  As of the next build, the OS will reserve a whopping seven GB of space on your hard drive, so that big updates don't fail for lack of space.

New Love Letter Email Could Load Malware On Your PC 

January 26th, 2019

Here's some disturbing news:  Hackers around the world are actively trying to exploit Valentine's Day. This is according to new research from the Emerging Treats team at the security firm ProofPoint.  The team has detected a massive new mal-spam campaign they've dubbed "The Love Letter Campaign.

New Firefox Release Disables Adobe Flash Support

January 24th, 2019

Are you a Firefox user?  If so, be advised that in Mozilla's next release, Firefox 69, the company will be disabling support for the beleaguered Adobe Flash plugin.

The change has been on the radar for quite some time, so it should not come as a surprise to anyone.

Government Shutdown May Cause Issues With Web Security

January 23rd, 2019

Here's a side-effect of the government's continuing shutdown that many people had not anticipated:  Expiring TLS Certificates used for web security. Most people clearly see the impacts of national parks closing and the like.

It's worth remembering that the government's IT staffed as been classified as 'non-essential' too, which means they're currently sitting at home twiddling their thumbs, waiting for the politicians to decide what's next and get the doors of government opened up again.

New Ransomware Encrypts Data And Steals Payment Info

January 22nd, 2019

There's a new strain of ransomware being deployed with increasing frequency.  Believe it or not, it's even more dangerous than the strains we've seen in recent months.

Unlike other types of ransomware, this one not only encrypts your files and demands payment (which is bad enough) but it also attempts to steal your credit card information via a PayPal phishing page included in the code.

Windows 10 May Soon Provide Option To Pause Updates

January 21st, 2019

Recent Windows 10 updates have been giving the company's user base heartburn lately, with their tendency to delete files and cause at least as many problems as they solve.  If you're among the frustrated ranks, good news is on the horizon.

The company is currently readying an update that will allow you to pause the update function so that they no longer occur automatically.

Passport And Credit Card Numbers Stolen In Marriott Hack

January 19th, 2019

Recently, Marriott Hotels informed the world that they had been the victims of a massive data breach.  As it turns out, the breach was even more serious than was initially reported.

As the company has learned more from the ongoing investigation into the matter, they've been doing an admirable job at keeping the public updated, even if the details are cringe-worthy.

Page Caches May Be Vulnerable To Attack

January 18th, 2019

There's a new side channel attack to worry about. This one is after the target system's OS page cache, where a variety of sensitive data that has been accessed by the device's owner is stored for rapid retrieval.  Perhaps the worst and most ominous aspect of this newly identified threat is the fact that it's not limited by hardware architecture, and has been found to work on both Window and Linux-based machines.

High Quality Photos May Affect Facial Recognition On Some Phones

January 17th, 2019

One of the exciting new features offered by the latest smartphones is facial recognition, which allows users to unlock their devices simply by looking at them.  On paper, it's a great feature and incredibly convenient, but there's a problem. The issue was uncovered by a non-profit group called the Dutch Consumentenbond, which tested more than a hundred smartphones offered by a broad spectrum of vendors.