Computer Safety & News

https://www.wireshark.org/docs/relnotes/wireshark-3.0.6.html What is Wireshark? — Wireshark is the world’s most popular network protocol analyzer. It is used for troubleshooting, analysis, development and education. What’s New — On macOS, Wireshark can now be installed by dropping Wireshark.app onto the Applications folder. The macOS installer now ships with Qt 5.12.5. It previously shipped with Qt 5.12.3. Updated […]

Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint are working on ‘Cross-Carrier Messaging Initiative’ to simplify texting between all devices.  Traditional texting falls short of other messaging apps, but US carriers are collaborating on a new standard that aims to usher in next-generation features. https://www.pcmag.com/news/371565/major-us-carriers-were-taking-over-rcs-rollout Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint issued a single press release laying out its […]

https://isc.sans.edu/forums/diary/VMware+Patch+Alert/25454/ Update Alert! Patches are out for VMware VCSA (information disclosure in backups and restore) https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2019-0018.html DOS issue in ESXi, Workstation and Fusion: https://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2019-0019.html

https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/current-activity/2019/10/23/fbi-releases-article-defending-against-e-skimming QUOTE:  CISA) encourages businesses and agencies that take online payments to review the FBI article and consider the following tips to help protect against e-skimming: Keep software updated. Change default credentials and create strong, unique passwords on all systems. Implement multi-factor authentication. Do not click on links, and be wary of email attachments in messages. Segment and segregate […]

https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/current-activity/2019/10/24/irs-releases-recommendations-keep-children-and-teens-safe-online QUOTE:  The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a news release urging parents and families to be wary of the risks posed when sharing home devices, shopping online, and using social media. It encourages consumers to review the following resources for more information about staying safe online. NCASM 2019 webpage IRS new release: IRS […]

This 49 page PDF has extensive information on security threats for 2019 https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/news/annual-review-2019 FULL PDF report https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/ncsc-content/files/ncsc_2019-annual-review.pdf TABLE OF CONTENTS 6 CEO foreword 8 Timeline 12 Cyber security for individuals and families 20 Targeting the biggest risks 46 Countering the adversary 54 International cooperation 60 Securing the digital homeland 74 Cyber capability for the future […]

https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/current-activity/2019/10/24/fbi-expands-election-security-resources The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released additional election security resources as part of the Protected Voices initiative. Protected Voices is an effort to share resources, information, and tools to help mitigate the risk of cyber influence operations targeting U.S. elections.  Please review FBI’s article on Protecting Every Voice, the Protected Voices suite of resources, […]

“Pretty much immediately, it became apparent that the device was not properly wiped. Sadly, this is a very common occurrence. The configuration of the device led me to the prior owner of the device, which turned out to be a company close to where I live. After contacting them, I returned the device to them […]

ADMINs, DBAs, and developers should update accordingly for this Oracle SECURITY release for October 2019 https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/current-activity/2019/10/15/oracle-releases-october-2019-security-bulletin https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpuoct2019-5072832.html This Critical Patch Update contains 219 new security patches across the product families listed below. Please note that an MOS note summarizing the content of this Critical Patch Update and other Oracle Software Security Assurance activities is located […]

https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/current-activity/2019/10/22/ftc-promotes-international-charity-fraud-awareness-week QUOTE: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has released an article promoting International Charity Fraud Awareness Week (ICFAW), which runs October 21–25. FTC, the National Association of State Charities Officials, and state and international partners coordinated this campaign to help both charities and donors avoid charity fraud. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) encourages […]