Scammers Are Using Direct Deposit Requests To Steal Money 

Last year, the FBI issued a warning regarding BEC (Business Email Compromise) scams.  Unfortunately, security professionals report that those types of scams are increasing in frequency, and worse, the most recent ones come with a disturbing new twist. The latest incarnation of the scam targets employees, seeking to move their …

Privacy Advocates Win With Biometric Mobile Device Ruling 

A recent court ruling handed privacy advocates a big, and much needed win.  Prior to the ruling, law enforcement officials were in the habit of compelling “persons of interest” to unlock their phones via their face scan or fingerprint so that investigators could examine it. A US judge has now …

New Windows 10 Updates Will Use 7 GB Of Space

Microsoft has angered a portion of their user base with a change that’s coming in the next build of Windows 10.  As of the next build, the OS will reserve a whopping seven GB of space on your hard drive, so that big updates don’t fail for lack of space.  …

Malware Drains Your Computer’s Resources Without Your Knowledge

Cryptominers are among the most common type of malware in the wild today, based on the latest research by digital security company Check Point.  While there are dozens of variants deployed by hackers, the cryptojacker “Coinhive” is the malware of choice this year.  Once installed on a computer, it works …

New Love Letter Email Could Load Malware On Your PC 

Here’s some disturbing news:  Hackers around the world are actively trying to exploit Valentine’s Day. This is according to new research from the Emerging Treats team at the security firm ProofPoint.  The team has detected a massive new mal-spam campaign they’ve dubbed “The Love Letter Campaign.”   Relying on basic …

New Firefox Release Disables Adobe Flash Support

Are you a Firefox user?  If so, be advised that in Mozilla’s next release, Firefox 69, the company will be disabling support for the beleaguered Adobe Flash plugin. The change has been on the radar for quite some time, so it should not come as a surprise to anyone.  It’s …

Government Shutdown May Cause Issues With Web Security

Here’s a side-effect of the government’s continuing shutdown that many people had not anticipated:  Expiring TLS Certificates used for web security. Most people clearly see the impacts of national parks closing and the like. It’s worth remembering that the government’s IT staffed as been classified as ‘non-essential’ too, which means …

New Ransomware Encrypts Data And Steals Payment Info

There’s a new strain of ransomware being deployed with increasing frequency.  Believe it or not, it’s even more dangerous than the strains we’ve seen in recent months. Unlike other types of ransomware, this one not only encrypts your files and demands payment (which is bad enough) but it also attempts …

Windows 10 May Soon Provide Option To Pause Updates

Recent Windows 10 updates have been giving the company’s user base heartburn lately, with their tendency to delete files and cause at least as many problems as they solve.  If you’re among the frustrated ranks, good news is on the horizon. The company is currently readying an update that will …