Computer Safety & News

The history of Apple iPhone is documented in following link: https://www.pcmag.com/feature/302519/a-visual-history-of-the-iphone On the 10th anniversary of the iPhone’s launch, we look back at the phone’s evolution.  One decade ago, Apple finally released the first iPhone. The iPhone’s success certainly stems from its hardware design(s). But Apple is also to be credited with developing the app […]

John Maxwell offers excellent teamwork & leadership techniques in his weekly blog posts.  http://johnmaxwellcompany.com/blog/how-to-be-a-leader-3-tips So how can you prepare your managers to make the most of their leadership positions while shifting out of a positional mind-set? Share these three ways to be more effective: 1. Stop Relying on Position to Push People. There is nothing […]

SANS ISC shares update on a highly effective ransomware attack reported back in March 2017. It is being massively spammed with blank email message with a zip archive attachment.  It is still going strong and attachment is highly convincing in some cases, so users should continue to keep AV ramped up & avoid all email & […]

The new Petya-2017 variant is not ransomware as it scrambles the MFT and MBR “table of contents” for the hard drive.  There is no way to recover from this destructive attack other than backups.  Researchers believe this is done more for malicious purposes rather than financial gains. https://threatpost.com/new-petya-distribution-vectors-bubbling-to-surface/126577/ https://blog.comae.io/petya-2017-is-a-wiper-not-a-ransomware-9ea1d8961d3b Like Petya, this attack overwrites the […]

Sophos shares simularities and differences between WannaCry (May 2017 world-wide attack) & this new one, that is being gradually contained https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2017/06/28/deconstructing-petya-how-it-spreads-and-how-to-fight-back/ The researchers found no internet-spreading mechanism, though like WannaCry, it uses the EternalBlue/DoublePulsar exploits that target vulnerable SMB installations to spread. But that spread is through internal networks only. Here’s the SMB exploit shellcode […]

Some of earlier analysis has been redacted and rewritten, as more is learned.  The discovery of “kill switch” c:\windows\perfc is technically a “prevention switch” for only a specific server or PC (i.e., not a kill switch that stops the full outbreak) … Corporate users need to get patched up on MS17-010, keep A/V updated, get on […]

This second major corporate ransomware attack is not quite as large as the original attack in May, as many firms have patched.  But the ransomware agent is much more sophisticated as researchers continue to evaluate these attacks in Europe http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cyber-attack-idUSKBN19I1TD https://isc.sans.edu/diary/Checking+out+the+new+Petya+variant/22562 https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/wannacry-d-j-vu-petya-ransomware-outbreak-wreaking-havoc-across-the-globe/ This is a follow-up from our previous diary about today’s ransomware attacks using […]

The 4th Tuesday of month is occasionally used to schedule non-security fixes and this release may contain some important fixes for those experiencing recent issues from last Windows update:  https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4022168/windows-7-sp1-windows-server-2008-r2-sp1-update-kb4022168 This non-security update includes improvements and fixes that were a part of Monthly Rollup KB4022719 (released June 13, 2017) and also includes these new quality […]

Early reports are sketchy with ISC & Kaspersky providing some of latest updates https://isc.sans.edu/forums/diary/Widescale+Petya+variant+ransomware+attack+noted/22560/ https://threatpost.com/second-global-ransomware-outbreak-under-way/126549/ Initial reports indicate this is much like last month’s WannaCry attack.   A global WannaCry-like ransomware outbreak–which began in Russia and Ukraine and spread across Europe–is being reported today. The attack is locking down networks in a number of industries, including […]

This excellent in-depth Windows Central article includes shares screenshots of the latest Windows 10 Redstone build https://www.windowscentral.com/windows-10-build-16226-pc-everything-you-need-know Microsoft is now rolling out Windows 10 build 16226 to testers with PCs configured in the Insider Fast ring. This is another significant update that delivers a new set of features and improvements that users will get as […]