The latest release of iOS and iPadOS (13.5) is out, and contains the usual variety of bug fixes and modest improvements. In addition to the usual fare though, it also makes an important change to the way FaceID works for users wearing a mask. Also, it contains an important new COVID-19 Contact Tracing feature. Some …
Author: AsteroidIT
New Chrome Feature Stops Ads That Use Excessive Resources
Recently, Google announced a change that should be a welcome relief to many users, especially those who surf primarily on laptops or handhelds. Beginning in late August, the browser will automatically unload ad iframes that soak up an excessive amount of computing resources. Advertising is, of course, ubiquitous on the web. There’s little you can …
Browser Update Warnings May Actually Be Malicious Hackers
Researchers at FireEye have recently unearthed a particularly nasty new campaign that is both multi-faceted and dangerous. At the heart of the attack are hacked websites which display seemingly innocuous popup message informing the site visitor that their browser is out of date. It will helpfully provide a one-touch solution to the non-existen21t problem via a …
Mandatory Two Factor Authentication Coming To Ring Devices
Finally, a smart device manufacturer is taking device security seriously, and that’s great news indeed. You may recall reading about a serious issue with Ring security systems recently. The news was that the security issue allowed hackers to commandeer user systems and spy on them. The hackers were sending the users messages and making disturbing …
Malicious Apps Continue Getting Past Google On Play Store
Say what you want about Google, but the company has a solid track record of doing all they can to keep the Google Play Store relatively free of malicious apps. By most accounts, they have been wildly successful at that. Unfortunately, given the sheer number of apps available on the Play Store, statistics invariably catch …
Apple Update Blocks Safari Third Party Cookies By Default
In May of 2019, a Google blog post encouraged all web browsers to adopt the approach of blocking third-party cookies by default. Google announced their own plans to do so, outlining a development strategy that would see Chrome and all Chromium-based browsers defaulting to that by 2022. The TOR browser was the first to make …
Be On The Lookout As Astaroth Malware Makes A Comeback
Are you familiar with Astaroth? If you’re a data security professional, you’ve probably at least heard the name. The group gained some notoriety last year when it came to light that they had developed a means of spreading “fileless malware” using legitimate Windows tools to infect machines around the world. The Windows Defender ATP team …
Employees Working From Home Turn To VPN During COVID
It’s no secret that the global pandemic we’re all living through has changed a great many things about both work and home life. For one thing, work and home life are often the same now, with large numbers of people sheltering in place and working from home. Unfortunately, home networks aren’t anywhere near as secure …
Hackers Targeting People Seeking Coronavirus Information On Health Sites
Some people just want to watch the world burn. That seems to be the reason behind the recent attacks on the US Health and Human Services Department website, which serves as a clearinghouse for information relating to the Coronavirus outbreak. As the virus has spread, more and more people have been heading to the HHS.gov …
Another Week Another New Ransomware To Be Concerned About
There’s a new strain of ransomware to put on your radar. This latest one was discovered by researchers working from SentinelLabs and it has been dubbed Nefilim. Based on the initial research, it seems to share significant portions of its code base with an older strain, Nemty 2.5. The two key differences between the two …