If you use Citrix’s “GotoMyPC” remote desktop service, you’re going to have to change your password the next time you log on. The company was hit with what it describes as a “very sophisticated attack,” and it’s not taking any chances.
The University of Calgary recently submitted to the will of hackers and ponied up $20,000 to get their files back after more than 100 computers were locked via ransomware. Almost every security expert agrees that paying such a ransom is the wrong move, but the university felt that it had no choice.
Once more into the breach with Twitter. A company called LeakedSource claims to have gotten its hands on a database containing some 32 million Twitter passwords associated with accounts via email (rather than user name). Although per the company’s information on the database, most of the passwords come from Russia, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to change your password in light of this news, just in case.
The recent revelations about hundreds of millions of user names and passwords showing up for sale on the Dark Net from sites like Twitter, LinkedIn and MySpace has sent ripples of uncertainty through the entire digital world. If the data breaches of those companies were so much larger than it was originally thought, what other grim news might be on the horizon.
More and more business are migrating increasing amounts of data to the cloud. That’s generally seen as a good thing, but there’s a fly in the ointment. The cloud, which is regarded by many to be safer and generally more secure, is seeing a rise in malware infected files.
If you have a Samsung desktop or laptop and are still running some version of Windows 7, hold off on upgrading, at least for now. Despite having more than two years to get their drivers in order, the company still isn’t ready, and some users who attempt to upgrade to Windows 10 from version 7 are finding that their computers stop working altogether.
Another month, another Flash vulnerability. This time, it’s designated as CVE-2016-4171 (details here: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/flash-player/apsa16-03.html ). This is yet another critical vulnerability, identified by Kaspersky Labs.
TeamViewer, the company behind a popular remote desktop platform, which allows users to share their screens, access their computers remotely, or participate in online conferences, has been hacked…maybe. A little over a month ago, the company received reports from a cross-section of users who claimed that their accounts had been accessed by unauthorized users.
Online security company Check Point Software Technologies has discovered a flaw in Facebook’s chat app that allows hackers to log in and change the content of chat messages (individual messages or entire chat streams) without notifying users that changes have been made.
The push toward ever greater miniaturization has been present in the technology industry from the very beginning. Computers that once occupied whole rooms got small enough to fit onto any available desktop. PCs gave way to laptops, which are currently giving way to a variety of handheld devices, and still, the drive to make equipment smaller and smaller continues.
