Windows 10 – Page 12 – Computer Security Articles

Credit to Author: Matt Kapko| Date: Thu, 28 Dec 2017 03:17:00 -0800

Windows Hello is a biometrics-based technology that enables Windows 10 users to authenticate secure access to their devices, apps, online services and networks with just a fingerprint, iris scan or facial recognition. The sign-in mechanism is essentially an alternative to passwords and is widely considered to be a more user friendly, secure and reliable method to access critical devices, services and data than traditional logins using passwords.

“Windows Hello solves a few problems: security and inconvenience,” said Patrick Moorhead, president and principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy. “Traditional passwords are unsafe as they are hard to remember, and therefore people either choose easy-to-guess passwords or write down their passwords.”

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ComputerWorld Independent

Microsoft confirms stalled downloads, bogus errors in Win10 FCU update KB 4054517

December 21, 2017 admin Security, Windows 10

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2017 06:21:00 -0800

Microsoft has just fessed up to a couple of the known bugs in this month’s Win10 version 1709 cumulative update, KB 4054517 – in particular, the stall at 99% download, and the completely bogus warning that the patch had failed to install with error 0x80070643. Sadly, several other problems with KB 4054517 have not been acknowledged. Yet.

In addition, we have new mea culpas for the November Patch Tuesday security update for Excel 2016, KB 4011220, which throws a “Cannot run the macro” warning, and for this month’s Patch Tuesday security fix for Microsoft Exchange, KB 4045655.

As usual, I’m seeing reports thatMicrosoft tech support staff don’t know about the problems, haven’t read the KB articles, and are recommending that people re-install Windows.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Microsoft Patch Alert: Few problems in December, unless you’re running Win10 version 1709

December 20, 2017 admin Security, Windows 10

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2017 11:01:00 -0800

It’s hard to remember the last time we had a Patch Tuesday as inoffensive as this month’s. February 2017 comes to mind — but then again, we didn’t have a Patch Tuesday in February, as Microsoft called it off.

Part of the reason for the relatively easy going this month, I’m convinced, is the lack of attention showered on Windows 7 and earlier versions of Windows 10 (including the Fall Creators Update, version 1703, which has become more-or-less fully baked and remains my version of choice). Aside from a few lackluster security patches, the December update for Win10 1607 fixed the “CDPUserSvc_XXXX has stopped working” bug introduced in a security patch two months ago, and the rest is largely routine.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Office as a malware delivery platform: DDE, Scriptlets, Macro obfuscation

December 19, 2017 admin Office Software, Security, Windows 10

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2017 13:34:00 -0800

I, for one, thought that Office-based malware reached its zenith in the late 1990s, with the likes of Melissa. Sure, we’ve seen macro-based pain-in-the-neckware over the past two decades, including some macro malware that specifically attacks Macs, but by and large, Word, Excel and, to a lesser degree, PowerPoint now throw warning dialogs into the middle of just about any attack. Those with malevolent intent have moved on to greener fields.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Windows 7 update guide: How 'security-only' and 'monthly rollups' differ

December 19, 2017 admin PCs, Security, Windows 10

Credit to Author: Gregg Keizer| Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2017 04:52:00 -0800

It’s been more than a year since Microsoft ended the decades-old practice of letting customers choose which patches they apply, and instead instituted a cumulative update maintenance model for Windows 7 and its shadow-of-a-sibling, Window 8.1.

And yet some users still don’t grasp the new scheme.

“There are plenty of people who don’t know which kind of update they should use,” Chris Geottl, product manager with client security and management vendor Ivanti, said in a recent interview. “‘Which one should I do? What non-security features are included in the monthly rollup? There’s still some confusion.”

No wonder there.

Microsoft asked for a lot last year. It asked enterprise IT administrators to upend ingrained patching practices. It asked them to make radical changes to how they maintain Windows 7 deep into its lifecycle, when there were just three years and change remaining before retirement, a phase most admins probably thought they’d be coasting as they prepped for Windows 10. It asked customers to absorb new terminology. And it changed the rules more than once after the new process debuted.

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ComputerWorld Independent

Win10 FCU December patch KB 4054517 fails big time

December 18, 2017 admin Security, Windows 10

Credit to Author: Woody Leonhard| Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2017 06:20:00 -0800

Some subset of users of Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, version 1709, report persistent bugs with this month’s Patch Tuesday missive, KB 4054517. Many of those reporting problems are using recent Surface devices. Microsoft has not acknowledged any problems. Official sites only offer the old “Gawrsh, you need to Restore/Restore/Reinstall” pabulum — and it doesn’t help.

What kinds of problems? They run quite a gamut. @jwhiz56 reports on AskWoody:

This KB installed on my MS Surface Pro 3, my HP HPDV8T laptop but refuses to install on my 2017 Surface Pro (purchased just before Thanksgiving). I’ve reset it multiple ways (the OS) and the update either sits at 99% downloaded, or it fails on installation. my C:windowslogsCBS directory eats up ALL of my disk free space. I’ve tried all hints/suggestions on the Microsoft forums related to this KB. when I downloaded the standalone version for my computer x86/windows 10, it says it’s not applicable to my computer.
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ComputerWorld Independent

Why Windows 7 updates are getting bigger

December 14, 2017 admin PCs, Security, Windows 10

Credit to Author: Gregg Keizer| Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2017 05:04:00 -0800

Windows 7’s security rollups, the most comprehensive of the fixes it pushes out each Patch Tuesday, have almost doubled in size since Microsoft revamped the veteran operating system’s update regimen last year.

According to Microsoft’s own data, what it calls the “Security Quality Monthly Rollup” (rollup from here on) grew by more than 70% within the first dozen issued updates. From its October 2016 inception, the x86 version of the update increased from 72MB to 124.4MB, a 73% jump. Meanwhile, the always-larger 64-bit version went from an initial 119.4MB to 203.2MB 12 updates later, representing a 70% increase.

The swelling security updates were not, in themselves, a surprise. Last year, when Microsoft announced huge changes to how it serviced Windows 7, it admitted that rollups would put on pounds as the months pass. “The Rollups will start out small, but we expect that these will grow over time,’ Nathan Mercer, a Microsoft product marketing manager, said at the time. Mercer’s explanation: “A Monthly Rollup in October will include all updates for October, while November will include October and November updates, and so on.”

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ComputerWorld Independent

5 more Windows admin tasks made easy with PowerShell

December 13, 2017 admin IDG Insider, Security, software, Windows 10

Credit to Author: Jonathan Hassell| Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2017 03:00:00 -0800

I’ve written a lot about Microsoft PowerShell on this site, but my favorite thing to do is show how to apply the scripting language to various tasks you already have to do as part of your regular role and responsibilities. In a previous article, I demonstrated how to accomplish five common administrative tasks using PowerShell.

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(Insider Story)