Operating Systems – Page 4 – Computer Security Articles

Credit to Author: Gregg Keizer| Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2017 11:49:00 -0700

When Microsoft asked customers last week for feedback on the portal that just replaced the decades-long practice of delivering detailed security bulletins, it got an earful from unhappy users.

“Hate hate hate the new security bulletin format. HATE,” emphasized Janelle 322 in a support forum where Microsoft urged customers to post thoughts on the change. “I now have to manually transcribe this information to my spreadsheet to disseminate to my customers. You have just added 8 hours to my workload. Thanks for nothing.”

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ComputerWorld Independent

How to improve Dynamic Lock in Windows 10 Creators Update

April 10, 2017 admin Mobile & Wireless, Operating Systems, Security, Windows 10

Credit to Author: Ed Tittel| Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2017 06:44:00 -0700

When Microsoft released Build 15031 of the Windows 10 Insider Preview on February 8, 2017, it added a new OS feature for Bluetooth-equipped devices. It’s called Dynamic Lock, and lets you control access to your PCs based on how close they — and your Bluetooth-paired phones — are to them. That is, if the phone you’ve paired with your PC (it works for laptops, notebooks, tablets and desktops) is not found within radio range of your PC, Windows 10 turns off the screen and locks the PC after 30 seconds have elapsed. Thus, Dynamic Lock makes a dandy new security feature in Creators Update, one that most business users (or their IT departments) will find worth turning on and using.

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ComputerWorld Independent

IDG Contributor Network: Rapid7 demystifies penetration testing

February 8, 2017 admin IT Management, Network Security, Operating Systems, Security

In a surprisingly detailed 20+ page report titled “UNDER THE HOODIE: Actionable Research from Penetration Testing Engagements“, Rapid7 – provider of tools such as Metasploit and Nexpose – is sharing some very interesting insights into the choices being made by companies in their penetration testing and what the testers are uncovering. Released just moments ago, this research report provides details on:

how much organizations budget for pen testing engagements;
what information organizations are most interested in protecting, despite the recent uptick in online industrial espionage;
what percentage of sites are free of exploitable vulnerabilities;
the easiest ways for attackers to execute their attacks; and
how often pen tests successfully identify and exploit software vulnerabilities.

The statistics provided will likely help many companies refine or initiate their own penetration testing. The findings are based on 128 penetration tests that the company conducted in Q4 of 2016. They reveal many interesting details and some surprising details on testing choices such as:

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