Computer Safety & News

Microsoft Office 2013 has just been released to general public.  Several links are noted below: OFFICE 2013 – HOME PAGE & PRODUCTS PAGE http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/ http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/ OFFICE 2013 – SECURITY IMPROVEMENTS http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc179050.aspx http://www.infoworld.com/t/office-software/office-2013-shifts-security-focus-devices-identities-198196 OFFICE 2013 – NEW OFFICE 365 HOME PREMIUM OFFERING http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/buy-microsoft-office-and-microsoft-office-365-online-FX102886268.aspx   OFFICE 2013 – CORPORATE VERSION http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/professional-plus/ OFFICE 2013 – FAQ http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/office-frequently-asked-questions-FX102926087.aspx OFFICE […]

New themes for Windows 8 have been released http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-releases-new-windows-8-themes http://blogs.windows.com/windows/b/windowsexperience/archive/2013/01/28/new-theme-roundup.aspx QUOTE: We all love to personalise our PCs, from simple wallpaper changes to the most extreme of case mods. To give Windows 8 users a little bit more choice when personalising the OS, Microsoft is releasing new themes and wallpapers for you to download through […]

I remember this attack and thankfully we had fortified all servers at work in advance with the key security patches. Also, there was not a dangerous payload, other than lost down time for corporations.  This attack, Blaster, and other similar worms illustrated the danger of not patching.  Corporate servers could get infected simply by being […]

PC magazine offers safety tips and avoiding questionable email or websites will also help protect against attacks http://securitywatch.pcmag.com/none/307129-if-you-can-t-disable-java-what-can-you-do QUOTE: Java is under attack. Not only from the black hats who are crafting drive-by-downloads, malicious attachments, and other attacks that exploit the vulnerabilities in the technology, but also from the white hats who argue that users […]

Stricter terms for the DMCA law went into affect today and prevents changes to cell phone carrier defaults embedded in the device (unless vendor offers capabilites as noted below) http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/unlocking-cellphones-becomes-illegal-saturday-1C8086503 QUOTE: The clock to unlock a new mobile phone is running out.In October 2012, the Librarian of Congress, who determines exemptions to a strict anti-hacking […]

SPAM attacks have declined as malware writers are using new approaches (e.g., malicious web sites, mobile phones, etc).  Still, there is danger in processing email as approximately 2/3 of all email traffic is spam or malware based.  Some excellent analytical reports by Kaspersky below: http://www.kaspersky.com/about/news/spam/2013/Spam_in_2012_Continued_Decline_Sees_Spam_Levels_Hit_5_year_Low QUOTE: According to Kaspersky Lab data, the share of spam […]

Many popular exploits add new “zero day” vulnerabilites as they emerge (unpatched by vendor).  However, the base architecture of the kit contains numerous older exploits and especially those which can provide the easiest avenues for compromised access.  It is important to patch Windows, Adobe, Java, and all software installed on the PC. The article illustrates […]

PC Magazine shares research into how network printers can be manipulated, taken offline, or compromised using special network attack techniques http://securitywatch.pcmag.com/none/307308-your-network-printer-is-wide-open-to-attack QUOTE: ViaForensics researcher Sebastian Guerrero recently released a report in which he describes a number of ways attackers could turn your boring, humdrum printer against you. According to his findings, potential vulnerabilities range from […]

NextWeb shares an interesting new product which allows the Android operating system to run within Windows. http://thenextweb.com/apps/2013/01/25/windowsandroid-goes-above-and-beyond-bluestacks-lets-you-run-android-4-0-natively-on-your-pc/ QUOTE: WindowsAndroid is a very cool tool from the Beijing-based startup SocketeQ that lets you run Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) as a native application on your on Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8 machine. The creators […]

This popular data gathering application may pickup some items which are marked as private.  Wise advice is offered in this article by Facecrooks Security to avoid posting anything that is sensitive in nature. http://facecrooks.com/Internet-Safety-Privacy/Private-Facebook-Statuses-Exposed-By-Storify.html QUOTE: Storify is a popular online curation tool that gathers pictures, status updates, videos and more into one convenient place. However, […]