The Risk of Running Windows XP After Support Ends April 2014 - Microsoft Security Blog - Site Home - TechNet Blogs
There is a sense of urgency because after April 8, Windows XP Service
Pack 3 (SP3) customers will no longer receive new security updates,
non-security hotfixes, free or paid assisted support options or online
technical content updates. This means that any new vulnerabilities
discovered in Windows XP after its “end of life” will not be addressed
by new security updates from Microsoft.
More info @ :- The Risk of Running Windows XP After Support Ends April 2014 - Microsoft Security Blog - Site Home - TechNet Blogs
Do you use Yahoo Mail? You may have been hacked (Wired UK)
Yahoo has revealed that some of its customers' email accounts have been hacked in a malicious attack.
The usernames and passwords -- the company doesn't reveal how many -- for a portion of Yahoo Mail accounts were most likely to have been gleaned from a third-party database that was compromised.
More info @ : Do you use Yahoo Mail? You may have been hacked (Wired UK)
10 tips for spotting a phishing email - TechRepublic
Every day countless phishing emails are sent to unsuspecting victims all over the world. While some of these messages are so outlandish that they are obvious frauds, others can be a bit more convincing. So how do you tell the difference between a phishing message and a legitimate message? Unfortunately, there is no one single technique that works in every situation, but there are a number of different things that you can look for. This article lists ten.
More info @ :- 10 tips for spotting a phishing email - TechRepublic
Adobe and Java vulnerabilities leave Windows open for exploitation | The Download Blog - CNET Download.com
A recent report by the AV-Test Institute, found that 66 percent of affected Windows systems are victims of malware that took advantage of exploits found in Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash, and Java.
More @ :- Adobe and Java vulnerabilities leave Windows open for exploitation | The Download Blog - CNET Download.com
BBC News - Police warn of 'ransom' spam targeting UK users
Tens of millions of UK internet users could be at risk from "ransom" email spam seemingly sent from financial institutions.
The email has an attachment that looks legitimate but is malware that encrypts computer files.
If the attachment is opened, a displayed countdown timer demands a ransom to decrypt the files.
More @ : BBC News - Police warn of 'ransom' spam targeting UK users
Disk encrypting Cryptolocker malware demands $300 to decrypt your files
Earlier this year, a nasty new type of ransomware burst onto the scene. Unlike others, however, this new one’s bite was every bit as bad as its bark. The Cryptolocker hijacker sniffs out your personal files and wraps them in strong encryption before it demands money.
More @ :- Disk encrypting Cryptolocker malware demands $300 to decrypt your files | Apps and Software | Geek.com
One in ten emails from BT accounts is malicious | Security | News | PC Pro
Around one in ten emails sent from BT accounts contain links to a growing spam attack that sends users to a fat-burning site, which prompts users to enter their credit card details.
Cloud security and email filtering firm Omniquad told PC Pro it had been tracking the campaign over the past two months, but said it had grown in recent weeks to consistently account for about a tenth of all BT emails, and a seventh of Yahoo emails passing through its filtering systems.
Twitter users: A guide to the law
People who tweeted photos allegedly of child killer Jon Venables are being charged with contempt of court. It's the latest in a long line of cases that suggest that ordinary social media users need to have a grasp of media law.
More info @ BBC News - Twitter users: A guide to the law
UK struggling to cope with 'exponentially' rising online fraud
Online fraud is "exponentially" rising in the UK, according to the City of London Police. Commissioner Adrian Leppard revealed that around half of the £70 billion (around $114 billion) lost to fraud in the UK each year was through online scams. Retailers have also been hit hard, with online fraud increasing 30 percent in the past year alone.
More @ :- UK struggling to cope with 'exponentially' rising online fraud | The Verge
Police alert after ransom Trojan locks up 1,100 PCs - Techworld.com
UK authorities have issued an urgent warning about a ransomware attack has successfully extorted money from dozens of victims by impersonating the country’s Police Central e-Crime Unit (PCeU).
More info @ Police alert after ransom Trojan locks up 1,100 PCs - Techworld.com
Microsoft sets the price for a Windows 8 upgrade at $40 • The Register
For all those customers who can’t wait to enjoy Windows 8’s Metro UI, Microsoft has announced pricing and availability of an upgrade package for users of previous versions of Windows.
Customers running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 will be able to purchase an upgrade to Windows 8 for $39.99 during a promotional period that ends January 31, 2013. The upgrade will be available for download from Windows.com as soon as Windows 8 enters general availability.
More info @ :- Microsoft sets the price for a Windows 8 upgrade at $40 • The Register
Superfast Berkshire
Businesses and residents across Berkshire have for some time been demanding better broadband services and studies have shown that Superfast Broadband (24Mbit/sec or faster) can give a real boost to local economies. Broadband providers are scheduled to roll out superfast broadband to 80% of premises in Berkshire before the end of 2015, but this will leave over 37,000 premises without this valuable utility.
The six Berkshire unitary authorities (Councils) and the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership(LEP) are working together to promote Superfast Berkshire, an exciting programme designed to bring fast broadband to everybody in the county.
The Government has promised £1.43million to support Berkshire's Superfast Broadband programme. Superfast Berkshire will use this money and other funds to deliver superfast broadband to at least 90% of premises across the county and standard broadband (2MBit/sec or faster) to the remaining 10% of premises.
By registering your support for this programme you can demonstrate demand for broadband services to broadband providers and help shape Berkshire's Local Broadband Plan.
More info @ :- Superfast Berkshire - Superfast Berkshire
Users still slack about passwords: Trustwave • The Register
Trustwave's SpiderLabs has completed an analysis of the passwords dumped on the Internet in this month’s eHarmony breach, and reached the depressing conclusion that too few people really seem to care about password strength.
Having recovered 80 percent of the 1.5 million passwords in the dump file, the company says only 0.5 percent contained a “special character”, with 41 percent containing letters only and 57 percent a combination of letters and digits.
More info @ : Users still slack about passwords: Trustwave • The Register
Natwest and RBS urge customers to use their smartphones after bank systems failed - Techworld.com
New generation of bank Trojans can make invisible transfers - Techworld.com
Improved online bank security has driven cybercriminals to start using a type of Trojan tool that automates money theft from compromised accounts in ways that are invisible to account holders, Trend Micro has discovered.
More info @ : New generation of bank Trojans can make invisible transfers - Techworld.com
BBC News - Anti-virus software sucks up too much security cash claims study
Governments should focus more funds on policing the internet and less on anti-virus software, according to new research. Computer scientists at the University of Cambridge carried out the cybercrime study after being approached by the UK's Ministry of Defence.
More info @ : BBC News - Anti-virus software sucks up too much security cash claims study
Last FM tells users to change passwords after suspected hack - Techworld.com
Last FM has asked its users to change their account passwords after becoming the latest high-profile firm to own up to the possibility of a security breach.
The company didn’t explain why it believed a breach to have occurred but the tone of apologetic urgency was unmistakable.
“We are currently investigating the leak of some Last.fm user passwords. This follows recent password leaks on other sites, as well as information posted online,” said a notice on Last FM’s site posted late on 7 June.
More info @ :- Last FM tells users to change passwords after suspected hack - Techworld.com
eHarmony dating site joins LinkedIn in confirming password breach - Techworld.com
The online dating site eHarmony confirmed late Wednesday that passwords for its members were exposed in a breach, a second major compromise following LinkedIn's password exposure.
More info @ :- eHarmony dating site joins LinkedIn in confirming password breach - Techworld.com:
'LeakedIn' checks for compromised LinkedIn passwords - Techworld.com
A New York-based web developer and his colleagues have built a web-based application for people to see if their LinkedIn password hash is among 6.5 million released on a Russian hacker forum.
More info @ :- 'LeakedIn' checks for compromised LinkedIn passwords - Techworld.com
Windows 8 Release Preview
Windows 8 Release Preview: It's Windows reimagined and reinvented from a solid core of Windows 7 speed and reliability. It's an all-new touch interface. It's a new Windows for new devices. And it's easy to try now—whether you're installing it for the first time, or moving from Windows 8 Consumer Preview.
Warning: Olympics themed PDF is actually malware
Security firm F-Secure has reported that a PDF claiming to be the 2012 Olympic schedule is actually a decoy file.
Once downloaded, the file attempts to make network connections to a Chinese site called Baotoushi.
The PDF exploits CVE-2010-2883, which affects older versions of Adobe Reader and Acrobat. The firm suggests downloading the current version of these programs and to be wary of any 'current event' themed e-mails that have attachments and/or links.
More info @ : F-Secure
Microsoft is telling Windows users that they'll have to reinstall the operating system if they get infected with a new rootkit that hides in the machine's boot sector. A new variant of a Trojan Microsoft calls "Popureb" digs so deeply into the system that the only way to eradicate it is to return Windows to its out-of-the-box configuration, Chun Feng, an engineer with the Microsoft Malware Protection Center (MMPC), said last week More info @ : Microsoft warns rootkit infection requires Windows reinstall - Techworld.com
Avoid scams that use the Microsoft name fraudulently
Cybercriminals often use the names of well-known companies, like ours, in their scams. They think it will convince you to give them money or your personal information. While they usually use email to trick you, they sometimes use the telephone, instead.
Common scams that use the Microsoft name- Someone from "Microsoft Tech Support" calls to fix your computer
- "You have won the Microsoft Lottery"
- Microsoft "requires credit card information to validate your copy of Windows"
- "Microsoft" sends unsolicited email messages with attached security updates
Get more info @ :- http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/msname.aspx
Malicious anti-virus scams (also known as ‘rogue AV’) involve web users being misled into downloading and paying for anti-virus software that is actually malicious software in disguise. Learn more about how these scams work, what the risks are, and the simple steps you can take to avoid becoming a victim. More info @ : Get Safe Online :: Malicious ‘anti-virus’ software scams:
Fake antivirus programs appear to be adopting some of the money-raising tactics of more threatening ransom malware, security company Fortinet’s latest threat report has found. The most prevalent malware variant during August was TotalSecurity W32/FakeAlert.LU!tr, a malicious program that masquerades as antivirus software in order to sell worthless licenses for non-existent malware. On its own it accounted for 37.3 percent of all malware threats detected by the company during the month. More info @ Fake antivirus software using ransom threats - Techworld.com
Slack backup leaves Brits exposed to data loss UK consumers often store valuable data only on their computers without backing it up, inviting disaster if hardware failure or malware infection strikes. Around a third (31 per cent) of 3,000 people surveyed in a new poll have lost important or irreplaceable information that they trusted to their PC More info @ : Slack backup leaves Brits exposed to data loss • The Register
Virgin Media has started trials to deliver fibre-optic high-speed broadband over telegraph poles. The firm believes it could be used to extend its reach to another one million homes in the UK, mainly in rural areas. The trial will initially deliver 50 megabits per second (Mbps) broadband to the Berkshire village of Woolhampton. More info @ : BBC News - Virgin Media to trial broadband over telegraph poles
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Hard drives are about to undergo one of the biggest format shifts in 30 years. By early 2011 all hard drives will use an "advanced format" that changes how they go about saving the data people store on them. The move to the advanced format will make it easier for hard drive makers to produce bigger drives that use less power and are more reliable. However, it might mean problems for Windows XP users who swap an old drive for one using the changed format. More info @ : BBC News - Hard drive evolution could hit Microsoft XP users
Between the 1-26 February 2010, Scamnesty bins will be placed around the country in public places so you can bin those pesky scam letters you have received in the post. As well as letters and mailers some scammers send emails, text messages or will call you at your home. Now you can report these phone calls and forward us your suspected scam emails and websites and help us to beat the scammers! More info @ : Scamnesty 1-26 February | Don't let them con you!
16th to 20th November 2009 What is Get Safe Online Week? Get Safe Online is an annual event to raise awareness of internet safety issues. We reach out to consumers and small businesses through competitions, events and PR activity. And to businesses and organisations through our annual Get Safe Online Summit 2009, which kicks off the week on Monday, 16th November.
More info @ Get Safe Online :: Get Safe Online Week
Online criminals are making millions of pounds by convincing computer users to download fake anti-virus software, internet security experts claim. Symantec says more than 40 million people have fallen victim to the "scareware" scam in the past 12 months. More info @: BBC NEWS | Technology | Millions tricked by 'scareware':
Microsoft will issue its biggest ever security update on 13 October. The update will include 13 bulletins that between them tackle 34 vulnerabilities. Microsoft said that eight of the bulletins were rated as critical - the most serious sort of vulnerability. More info @: BBC NEWS | Technology | Microsoft readies bumper update
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