Windows 10 – Page 11 – Computer Security Articles

Credit to Author: Gregg Keizer| Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2018 05:09:00 -0800

Microsoft said Tuesday that Windows 7 PCs would run slower after receiving and installing the crash updates designed to stymie attacks that leverage the recently-disclosed vulnerabilities in virtually every in-use microprocessor.

But for Windows 10, a Microsoft executive said, “We don’t expect most users to notice a change because these [slowdown] percentages are reflected in milliseconds.”

The contrast, general though it was, came from Terry Myerson, who leads the company’s Windows group.

“With Windows 10 on newer silicon (2016-era PCs with Skylake, Kaby Lake or newer CPU), benchmarks show single-digit slowdowns,” Myerson wrote in a Tuesday post to a Microsoft blog. Skylake and Kaby Lake were the codenames for the Intel processors launched in 2015 and 2016, respectively. The bulk of new personal computers sold in 2016 and 2017 were equipped with Skylake or Kaby Lake CPUs (central processor units).

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ComputerWorld Independent

A mess of Microsoft patches, warnings about slowdowns — and antivirus proves crucial

January 10, 2018 admin Security, Windows 10

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2018 09:22:00 -0800

Welcome to another banner Patch Tuesday. Microsoft yesterday released 56 separately identified security patches for every supported version of Windows, Office, .Net, Internet Explorer and Edge. Out of that monstrous pile, only one patch cures a currently exploited problem — a flaw in Word’s Equation Editor that should have been fixed in November.

If you’re a “normal” user, your first priority shouldn’t be Microsoft’s patches, notwithstanding the fabulous PR job performed on Meltdown and Spectre’s behalf. Assuming you don’t open random Word docs with dicey embedded equations, your main concern right now should be getting your antivirus house in order.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Microsoft sets novel antivirus prerequisite before offering Windows emergency updates

January 10, 2018 admin cyberattacks, Security, Windows 10

Credit to Author: Gregg Keizer| Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2018 05:03:00 -0800

Microsoft last week took the unprecedented step of requiring customers to have up-to-date antivirus software on their personal computers before it would hand over a critical security update.

“This was unique,” said Chris Goettl, product manager with client security and management vendor Ivanti. “But there was a danger here.”

Goettl was talking about the emergency updates Microsoft issued last week to bolster Windows’ defenses against potential attacks leveraging the vulnerabilities labeled Meltdown and Spectre by researchers. Operating system and browser makers have shipped updates designed to harden systems against the vulnerabilities, which stemmed from design flaws in modern processors from companies such as Intel, AMD and ARM.

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ComputerWorld Independent

How to protect Windows 10 PCs from ransomware

January 10, 2018 admin IDG Insider, malware, Security, Windows 10

Credit to Author: Preston Gralla| Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2018 03:00:00 -0800

CryptoLocker. WannaCry. Petya. Bad Rabbit. The ransomware threat isn’t going away anytime soon; the news brings constant reports of new waves of this pernicious type of malware washing across the world. It’s popular in large part because of the immediate financial payoff for attackers: It works by encrypting the files on your hard disk, then demands that you pay a ransom, frequently in Bitcoins, to decrypt them.

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(Insider Story)

ComputerWorld Independent

Buggy Win7 Meltdown patch KB 4056894 throwing blue screens

January 8, 2018 admin Security, Windows 10

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Mon, 08 Jan 2018 05:28:00 -0800

Microsoft’s hasty Meltdown/Spectre patches, released late on Jan. 4, have started baring their fangs. Complaints about Win10 Fall Creators Update cumulative update KB 4056892 and Win7 Monthly Rollup KB 4056894 resulting in blue screens — particularly on AMD Athlon, Sempron, Opteron and Turion processors — started appearing shortly after the patches were released.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Browser makers build bulwarks to stump Spectre attacks

January 6, 2018 admin Browsers, cyberattacks, iOS, MacOS, Security, Windows 10

Credit to Author: Gregg Keizer| Date: Sat, 06 Jan 2018 12:58:00 -0800

Amid the panicked response this week to the news of significant, though not-yet-exploited, vulnerabilities in the vast bulk of the world’s microprocessors, it went almost unnoticed that most browser makers responded by updating their wares in the hope of fending off possible web-based attacks.

The Google-driven revelations – it was members of the search firm’s Project Zero security team who identified the multiple flaws in processors designed by Intel, AMD and ARM – were to go public next week, on Jan. 9, this month’s Patch Tuesday. At that time, a coordinated effort by multiple vendors, from OS developers to silicon makers, was to debut with patches to protect, as best could be done without replacing the CPU itself, systems against flaws grouped under the umbrella terms of Meltdown and Spectre. That plan went out the window when leaks started to circulate earlier this week.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Win7 Monthly Rollup KB 4056894 signals early, abbreviated Patch Tuesday

January 5, 2018 admin Security, Windows 10

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Fri, 05 Jan 2018 06:48:00 -0800

Last night Microsoft released KB 4056894, the 2018-01 Security Monthly Quality Rollup for Windows 7. Spurred by early disclosure of the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities, Microsoft has done yeoman work getting the software part of the patches pushed out the Automatic Update chute.

That said, Windows patches are only part of a very formidable picture.

Where we stand with Windows patches

As of this morning, all of the supported versions of Windows have Meltdown-related patches, except for Windows 8.1. In particular:

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ComputerWorld Independent

Windows, Meltdown and Spectre: Keep calm and carry on

January 4, 2018 admin Security, Windows 10

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Thu, 04 Jan 2018 08:13:00 -0800

I’m increasingly skeptical of security holes that have their own logos and PR campaigns. Yesterday’s sudden snowballing of disclosures about two groups of vulnerabilities, now known as Meltdown and Spectre, has led to enormous numbers of reports of varying quality, and widespread panic in the streets. In the case of Intel’s stock price, that’s more like blood in the streets.

While it’s true that both vulnerabilities affect nearly every computer made in the past two decades, it’s also true that the threat — especially for plain-vanilla Windows users — isn’t imminent. You should be aware of the situation, but avoid the stampede. The sky isn’t falling.

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