Red Raider Solutions

05/13/2016

Apple will no longer provide security patches for its QuickTime for Windows software. Additionally, the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) recently discovered two new vulnerabilities within this software (source: https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/alerts/TA16-105A). Please note that this does not affect QuickTime for Mac.
The TTU Office of the CIO recommends uninstalling QuickTime for Windows from your system immediately to protect your personal data and business information resources. Please take note that Adobe warns that uninstalling QuickTime for Windows may cause issues for their Creative Cloud software. Instructions for uninstalling software from a Windows system may be found below:
• Windows 8
• Windows 7
We encourage you to be vigilant in practicing safe computing. You can find additional cybersecurity tips online at http://cybersecurity.ttu.edu. For more information or questions, please contact your local IT expert or an area IT security provider. Some area IT security providers are listed at http://cybersecurity.ttu.edu under “Additional Resources.”

According to Trend Micro, Apple will no longer be providing security updates for QuickTime for Windows, leaving this software vulnerable to exploitation.

04/12/2016

Well, this article paints a gloomy picture of eBay security:

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/x-security-reasons-avoid-ebay/

eBay has made its fortune from people spending money; it now has 162 million users, saw $82 billion of sales in 2015, receives 250 million search requests per day, and has an annual revenue in excess of $8.5 billion. It might be reasonable, therefore, to expect the site to be one of the most secure…

04/05/2016

Here’s a short article from MakeUseOf.com that covers some common Windows 10 irritations and how to fix them:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/8-annoying-windows-10-issues-fix/

The upgrade to Windows 10 has been smooth for most, but some users will always encounter issues. Whether it's the screen flashing, not being able to connect to the Internet, or the battery draining too quickly, it's time to resolve these problems. We've rounded up the most common and annoying issues…

03/31/2016

While this attack is currently only in Germany, it probably won’t be long until this gets loose in the US. It’s currently spread by an email link to Dropbox purporting to be an application for HR personnel. Once the user installs it, it takes over the MBR to boot to a red warning page and encrypts the MFT. It then gives instructions on how to pay the $375 ransom. Rebuilding the MBR will restore the boot process, but the MFT will still be encrypted and the drive will be unusable.


http://arstechnica.co.uk/security/2016/03/ransomware-boot-record-hard-disk-encryption/

Petya performs fake CHKDSK, and instead encrypts the master file table on disk.

03/14/2016

Interesting article on the problem associated with deleting all files from an UEFI system bricking the drive:
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=UEFI-rm-root-directory

03/14/2016

It has limited application, but since these are usually left in a computer and are not usually patchable, this could get interesting. Imagine a student who wants to mess with the professor while he/she is trying to teach… http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/wireless-mouse-hacked-kills-google-compare-tech-news-digest/

Even your mouse isn't safe from hackers, nothing compares to Google Compare, Amazon bans the sale of hoverboards, get creative in Fallout 4, and Pac-Man comes out to play. MouseJack Hacks Your PC https://youtu.be/3NL2lEomB_Y If you're using a wireless mouse then you could be in danger of being hacke…

03/14/2016

Well, it looks like Adobe is trying to regain market significance in web and desktop animations by rebranding Flash to Animate. That’s a tall order against HTML 5’s built-in abilities! (Animate was available in Creative Cloud on 2/8.)
https://blogs.adobe.com/animate/welcome-adobe-animate-cc-a-new-era-for-flash-professional/

Insights, trends, news and more.

03/14/2016

Since Windows 10 allows you to use a PIN instead of a password (at least on computers out of reach of domain policies), it pays to learn a bit about PIN security. Outside of work, your PIN protects your bank account and so many other resources, it can really benefit you to learn a bit about PINs and hacking.

This article http://datagenetics.com/blog/september32012/index.html discusses the frequency of PIN choices and it’s a real eye opener:

- “Statistically, one third of all codes can be guessed by trying just 61 distinct combinations! The 50% cumulative chance threshold is passed at just 426 codes”
- “The most popular password is 1234… nearly 11% of the 3.4 million passwords are 1234!!!”
- “The next most popular 4-digit PIN in use is 1111 with over 6% of passwords being this.”
- “In third place is 0000 with almost 2%.”
- The top 20 passwords account for 26.83% of all passwords instead of the 0.2% they would cover with random distribution.
- PINs starting with 19?? (years) are in the top fifth of the database.

If you want the quick view, look at the tables. If your PIN is in them top 20, you need to change it right away. If you like statistics, dig into the article.

03/14/2016

To all you Apple users, please be aware: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-ransomware-idUSKCN0W80VX

Apple Inc (AAPL.O) customers were targeted by hackers over the weekend in the first campaign against Macintosh computers using a pernicious type of software known as ransomware, researchers with Palo Alto Networks Inc (PANW.N) told Reuters on Sunday.

07/31/2015

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/s/upgrade-windows-7-windows-10-201641608.html

Last night, Microsoft’s Yusuf Mehdi took to the Windows blog to announce that over 14 million devices were already running Windows 10. Making the OS free is proving to be a smart move for Microsoft, and millions more are sure to join the early adopters in the coming days and weeks, but plenty of use…

07/31/2015

Have you upgraded to Windows 10?
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows

Description: Learn about Windows 10, the latest devices, apps and games or find support.

07/24/2015

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/windows-10-which-version-should-you-get-124778998979.html

Windows 10 will come in seven different editions. Which one should you get?