Latest security breach
If you have not heard already, a U.S. security firm is reporting that Russian hackers have stolen 1.2 billion username and passwords and well over 500 million email addresses.
"The records, discovered by Hold Security, a firm in Milwaukee, include
confidential material gathered from 420,000 websites, including household names,
and small Internet sites. Hold Security has a history of uncovering significant
hacks, including the theft last year of tens of millions of records from Adobe
Systems."
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/06/technology/russian-gang-said-to-amass-more-than-a-billion-stolen-internet-credentials.html?_r=0#
If you are still using simple non complex passwords to safeguard your financial and other important data you should consider changing and stepping up the complexity of your passwords. It is not that hard to record your passwords in a paper notebook or a password protected document on your computer.
Keep an eye on reports to see when they publish the sites
that were affected so you can change your password(s).
If proper password complexity and security with a multitude of websites is too much of a task, you might consider some of the new password security programs that can evaluate/generate passwords for you and keep them for when you need them. I don't think I would consider allowing the browser to remember the password for you any longer.
or maybe consider...
In other news affecting the security of your computer, Microsoft is going to block outdated Java version from being installed as add-in into Internet Explorer.
Often Java is required by websites to properly view their content. Next
week's Patch Tuesday updates will include a much-needed fix for Internet
Explorer, blocking outdated versions of Java and preventing one of the most
popular vectors for installing malware.
Be careful about what you download and install in the browsers. Coupon, shopping and emoticon toolbar providers often time install themselves and other PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs) in your browser with or without your knowledge. These programs often use code that can be exploited by malicious programs and hackers to compromise your computer and information and don't think these companies monitor and update to keep your computer secured.
With this update installed, all supported versions of Internet Explorer (IE 8 through 11 on Windows 7, and Internet Explorer for the desktop on Windows 8) will check the server-side block list whenever they encounter an ActiveX control on a web page. If the version is listed as out of date, the ActiveX control will not run, and the user will be prompted to update to the current, presumably safe version.
According to Microsoft, the following Java versions will be on the block list initially:
- J2SE 1.4, everything below (but not including) update 43
- J2SE 5.0, everything below (but not including) update 71
- Java SE 6, everything below (but not including) update 81
- Java SE 7, everything below (but not including) update 65
- Java SE 8, everything below (but not including) update 11
Microsoft XP is being pushed harder into oblivion.
Microsoft halted updates for XP beginning April 1, 2014. A little over 3 months later I have found that you can no longer download the latest version of Adobe Flash player for XP because it does not support IE 8, the last version of Internet Explorer for XP. As noted above, only the versions of Internet Explorer (including IE8) found on Windows 7 and Windows 8-8.1 will be updated. As new exploits are being found and patched, XP users will have to continue to operate with the vulnerabilities that have been uncovered and are known by the hackers. Be careful my friends.
DForce Intel 4th gen based Workstations
