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August 17, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Microsoft made a small but significant change to Windows 10 recently as it relates to PUAs (Potentially Unwanted Apps). It wasn’t something that got a lot of press but it’s a change well worth knowing about. Beginning with the May 2020 update for Windows 10, 2004, the Redmond Giant added a PUA blocking feature to […]
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August 16, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Google has had a long history of taking steps to make the web more secure for everyone. One of their early moves involved warning users via popup box when they surfed their way to a site that did not use the secure socket (HTTPS) protocol. This warning was good for users but didn’t do anything […]
August 14, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Do you have a Facebook account? Even if it has been a while since you last logged on there is a new threat you should be aware of. A new strain of malware called FlyTrap was used recently to take control of thousands of Facebook accounts. Yours could be next if it hasn’t been compromised […]
August 12, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Apple is generally very good about providing its users with a safe and secure computing environment. For many years the company was able to rightly claim that Microsoft had a far worse problem with malware than Apple did. That is still true but the gap has now virtually disappeared. As Apple products surged in popularity […]
August 11, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Microsoft Defender has long included “Safe Links” protection as part of its overall function. The company recently announced that it would be extending Safe Link functionality so that it provides protection from inside Microsoft Teams as well. Safe Links is a powerful safety feature that scans a web link in real time as a user […]
August 10, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Do you have an Apple device? If so then you should be aware that the company recently issued an OS update that includes Macs, iPads, and iPhones. You’ll want to update to iOS 14.7.1 or iPadOS 14.7.1 immediately if you have not already done so because this version includes a patch for a high severity […]
August 9, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Google recently announced some additional details relating to their “Safety Section” feature of the Google Play store. This is part of an ongoing effort to make the Play Store a safer and more transparent place. At the center of this plan is a new requirement that app developers must share details about what information their […]
August 7, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Do you own an older Amazon Kindle? Older Kindles utilize 3G internet connectivity protocols but mobile carriers are currently racing to upgrade their networks to 4G/5G. Older devices that only have a 3G connection option will be frozen out of the internet entirely once the upgrade is complete. Amazon has been emailing owners of older […]
August 6, 2021 by Vertical Axion
XLoader is a newly discovered strain of malware designed to infect systems running macOS. This new strain was built from a malware strain called FormBook which was designed to steal passwords from Windows-based machines. The new strain is currently being offered on at least one forum on the Dark Web. It is being billed as […]
August 5, 2021 by Vertical Axion
SentinelOne recently published a report that revealed a previously undiscovered security flaw found in a wide range of printers that include printers manufactured by Samsung, Xerox, and HP. The bug is being tracked as a high severity security vulnerability and puts hundreds of millions of older printers in currently in service at risk. The flaw […]
August 4, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Security company BitDefender has recently discovered a new strain of malware you should be aware of. They have dubbed the new threat MosaicLoader. According to the company it is currently being distributed via ads displayed in search results when an internet user searches for links to cracked versions of popular software. It is designed to […]
August 3, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Google has recently released Chrome 92. The latest version of the browser includes a raft of high value updates and has fixes for a number of high severity security issues. Here’s a quick overview: Chrome for iOS now allows users to lock their “incognito” browsing tabs. This secures them with either a passcode or your […]
Chipotle recently reported that an account used by their company’s marketing department had been hacked. A currently active campaign is underway leveraging this account. The hackers are sending out phishing emails containing poisoned links. A recipient clicking on these links will be directed to a malicious website designed to prompt users for a wide range […]
August 2, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Apple delayed the release of iPadOS 14.7 and iOS 14.7. Both updates are now available. Users of both are advised to update immediately as the new versions patch a variety of high severity security flaws and offer an impressive array of enhancements. According to the release notes, the update includes the following improvements: Apple’s “MagSafe […]
July 31, 2021 by Vertical Axion
The Akamai Corporation reported a major outage on Thursday (7/22/2021) that caused major disruptions on the internet in the United States for a period of several hours. A tweet from the company confirmed that the outage was caused by a software update. The update triggered a bug in the DNS system which caused the outage. […]
July 30, 2021 by Vertical Axion
There is a new highly unusual and potentially embarrassing strain of malware that you need to be aware of. It has been dubbed BIOPASS by the Trend Micro researchers who first discovered it. The new malware will live stream your computer activities all while allowing the whole world to tune in and watch whatever you […]
July 29, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Do you have a Ring Doorbell? They are offered by Amazon and they’re a wildly popular smart device that allows you to keep tabs on who’s coming to or walking by your door. The doorbell’s camera records video and saves it to the cloud so you can review it at your leisure. Unfortunately there’s a […]
July 28, 2021 by Vertical Axion
American fashion retailer Guess recently became the latest in a seemingly unending parade of big-name companies to suffer a data breach. The company’s breach notification letter was mailed to all customers whose data was compromised. The letter states that an unidentified party gained access to Guess’ systems between February 2nd and February 23rd of this […]
July 27, 2021 by Vertical Axion
There’s good news for anyone who uses the Firefox web browser. Beginning with the release of Firefox 87 which was released in March of this year (2021) Mozilla has introduced a new SmartBlock feature. The new feature helps ensure that when users enable ‘Strict Mode’ for their Tracking Protection that it will not break websites […]
July 26, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Change is coming to Gmail. Recently as a courtesy of a new agreement between Google and the AuthIndicators Working Group you’ll soon begin seeing BIMIs (Brand Indicators for Message Identification). The brains behind BIMI describe their product as an email specification that allows the use of brand-controlled logos within supported email clients. AuthIndicators is steered […]
July 24, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Security researchers have spotted a new phishing campaign in the wild that you’ll want to make a note of. In this case the hackers are attempting to deliver a malware strain known as BazarBackdoor by using an innovative compression technique and then disguising the malware as an image file. Multi-compression isn’t a new technique but […]
July 23, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Hacks continue to evolve as the hackers themselves get increasingly sophisticated. One of the most recent victims is investment banking giant Morgan Stanley. Their network was breached after the attackers stole personal information belonging to their customers by hacking into an Accellion FTA server belonging to a third-party vendor, then using that information to breach […]
July 22, 2021 by Vertical Axion
If you’re one of the legions of Windows users, you may be aware that the OS currently has some printer issues. In fact, they’re so severe that the bug has been dubbed “PrintNightmare,” and note that this flaw affects all versions of Windows. The good news is that Microsoft got to work just after the […]
July 21, 2021 by Vertical Axion
Government officials and some internet security researchers have been saying for quite some time now that the nation’s (and the world’s) core infrastructure is at risk. Some examples include the flow of water into cities, the flow of electricity, and the traffic lights that keep city streets relatively organized. All of these depend on the […]
