Computer Safety & News

Always avoid clicking on Facebook links that may be sent from another user, which are out-of-character or a potentially dangerous site.  Facebook security administrators have responded to reduce spread of this new threat. http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2015/Jan/131 http://facecrooks.com/Scam-Watch/Huge-Facebook-Malware-Outbreak-Infects-110K-Users-Two-Days.html/ A new trojan is propagating through Facebook which was able to infect more than 110,000 users only in only two […]

Personal data fetches 10X more $$$ than credit cards. And this makes sense, as many will cancel credit cards.  However, it’s impossible to change your SSN, birthdate, address (unless you move) etc., once exposed.  Our nation needs to wake up and combat “identity theft”. It needs to be more difficult for folks to open accounts.  […]

John Maxwell offers an excellent resource for leaders and managers.  In planning for 2015 projects, it is beneficial to evaluate both successes and failures during the past year http://www.johnmaxwell.com/blog/look-back-to-plan-forward QUOTE:  STUDY YOUR WINS AND LOSSES – First, I pull out my calendar and make a list of significant events, tasks, meetings, decisions, and accomplishments. I […]

Users should update Adobe Flash as they are prompted to ensure protection against in-the-wild zero day attacks circulating as malicious advertisting (where just visiting the site, may lead to an infection) https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/flash-player/apsa15-02.html A critical vulnerability (CVE-2015-0313) exists in Adobe Flash Player 16.0.0.296 and earlier versions for Windows and Macintosh.  Successful exploitation could cause a crash […]

Hackers gained unauthorized access to a server containing over 80 million records at Anthem recently.  While details of this incident are still being assessed, all customers should be alert for email, phishing attacks or other activities of a suspicious nature.  http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/02/05/anthem-health-care-computer-security-breach/22917635/ SAN FRANCISCO – Millions of Anthem health insurance customers woke Thursday morning to an […]

Toshiba announced a new hardware based design for an Encrypted USB Flash Drive.  While it is very expensive compared to regular USB Flash drives, it offers an improved layer of safety for mailing, travel, or other business needs. http://www.eweek.com/blogs/storage-station/toshiba-releases-new-key-size-encrypted-usb-flash-drive.html http://www.toshiba.com/us/flash-drives The Irvine, Calif.-based company on Feb. 3 unveiled its Toshiba Encrypted USB Flash Drive, a […]

Trend Labs documents a new zero day attack that Adobe will like patch quickly.  Users should be cautious in website navigation, keep AV protection updated and they may even want to temporarily disable flash until a patch is available: http://blog.trendmicro.com/trendlabs-security-intelligence/trend-micro-discovers-new-adobe-flash-zero-day-exploit-used-in-malvertisements/ http://blog.trendmicro.com/trendlabs-security-intelligence/a-closer-look-at-the-exploit-kit-in-cve-2015-0313-attack/   Our researchers have discovered a new zero-day exploit in Adobe Flash used in […]

Kim Komando highlights an IRS security alert related to scams and malware attacks circulating during the tax filing season ahead. Please keep in mind that the IRS will not contact individuals by email or phone in an unexpected manner. http://www.komando.com/happening-now/294540/alert-irs-warns-against-scammers-and-thieves   There’s an important warning out today about a scary income tax return scam that […]

During late January 2015, the latest major preview build for Windows 10 was made available, as shared below: http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/01/23/january-build-now-available-to-the-windows-insider-program/   I hope that you were able to watch our live stream on Wednesday, where we shared more details on the Windows 10 experience. If you missed it, you can watch the video on demand anytime […]

Major sporting or world events offer opportunities for bad guys to create attacks that may entice folks to click on a malicious link or object, or to divulge highly personal information. https://isc.sans.edu/forums/diary/Beware+of+Phishing+and+Spam+Super+Bowl+Fans/19261/   Beware of Super Bowl spam that may come to your email inbox this weekend. The big game is Sunday and the spam […]