Report Shows 118 Percent Increase In Ransomware Attacks In 2019

September 16th, 2019

Ransomware roared onto the global stage in 2017. Companies and government agencies around the world felt the impact with widespread campaigns like NotPetya and WannaCry.

By 2018, the number of ransomware attacks had begun to fall off while hackers found new tools to attack with, shifting toward cryptojacking, credential theft, and trojan malware.

Popular PDF Creator App Found To Have Malware

September 15th, 2019

Do you use the PDF Creator App called CamScanner?  If you do, you've got plenty of company.  Since the app was first published in 2010, it has been downloaded more than a hundred million times.

Unfortunately, Google recently pulled it from the Play store when they discovered that it began delivering malware to user devices.

Hackers Are Using Resumes To Deliver Malicious Software

September 12th, 2019

Hackers have used poisoned documents to deliver malware payloads for years. Recently though, researchers at the security company Cofense have spotted a new twist to the ploy, aimed squarely at HR departments. The recently detected campaign uses fake resume attachments to deliver Quasar Remote Administration Tool.

Another IRS Phishing Campaign To Watch Out For

September 10th, 2019

The Internal Revenue Service recently issued a warning that all taxpayers should be aware of.

The agency has received a growing number of reports concerning unsolicited email messages bearing the subject lines:

Electronic Tax Return Reminder
Automatic Income Tax Reminder

These messages are not from the IRS, but rather, from spammers trying to steal your information.

Windows 10 May Make WordPad And Paint Downloadable Soon

September 9th, 2019

There's another chapter in the ongoing MS Paint saga.

In case you missed the first part of the story, several months ago, Microsoft upset its user base when a Windows 10 Build took Paint out of the equation. They replaced it with an updated version of the software that supported 3D effects and other advanced features.

Texas Government Gets Hit With Major Ransomware Attack

September 7th, 2019

This year stands to shatter last year's record in terms of the number of successful hacks against businesses and government agencies. It seems that the hackers have a new favored tool:  The ransomware attack.

According to statistics gathered by Malwarebytes, attacks against government and business are up by a whopping 365 percent.

Medical Device Security Outlook Continues To Look Bleak

September 6th, 2019

There's a mix of good news and bad news concerning the security of smart devices in general, and smart medical devices specifically.  As most people are aware, the Internet of Things (IoT) has a serious problem.

The overwhelming majority of such devices have little to no security and are incredibly easy to hack.

Open Source Programs Continue To Get Attacked By Hackers

September 5th, 2019

This year hasn't been good for users of Open Source software, which at one level or another, includes just about everybody.  Unfortunately, a recent grim discovery makes it unlikely that we'll see the number of attacks decline any time soon. Not long ago, two new back doors were discovered in more than a dozen libraries that have been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times by server administrators.

Nvidia Releases Graphics Drivers With Major Improvements

September 4th, 2019

There's great news today in the tech realm for gamers around the world.

Nvidia recently announced a major driver update for its graphics cards that offer a variety of improvements.  The 436.02 update promises a framerate improvement of up to 23 percent for World War Z, Strange Brigade, Forza Horizon 4, Battlefield V, and Apex Legends.

YouTube Will Soon Stop Displaying Ads Targeted At Kids

September 3rd, 2019

Earlier this year, Google, the parent company of YouTube, found itself in hot water for YouTube's violation of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPA). They got in trouble for their data collection practices and the fact that the company allowed third-party ads to run rampant on videos that were more likely to be viewed by children under the age of thirteen.