Tag Archive for: safe

Free Windows Security can keep your computer safe | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette


Copyright © 2024, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc.

All rights reserved.

This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc.

Material from the Associated Press is Copyright © 2024, Associated Press and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing. All rights reserved.

Source…

Android 15 Could Offer a Boost to Two-Factor Authentication Security to Keep User Data Safe: Report


Android 15 is still under development, but on Friday, February 16, Google released the first Developer Preview of the upcoming operating system. The tech giant said that the new Android software will largely focus on security, and a new report claims to have found three new ways it will make your smartphone and your sensitive data more secure. According to it, Android 15 will be able to better protect the notifications that arise from two-factor authentications (2FA) so that a malicious app or malware cannot access it to steal user data.

According to a report by Android Authority’s Mishaal Rahman, Android 15 will be implementing new ways to cover the gaps left behind by its predecessors. Currently, most two-factor authentication methods for social media profiles, emails, and banking apps use SMS to send a one-time password (OTP). However, there is a risk if a malicious third-party app can read this notification and use it to hack into sensitive data or get into your banking apps and steal money.

To reduce the risk, Google has already begun placing strings of codes in the current edition of the OS. The report found a line of code in the Android 14 QPR3 Beta 1 update that mentions a new permission named RECEIVE_SENSITIVE_NOTIFICATIONS. This permission comes with a higher protection level and can only be given to apps that Google personally verifies. The exact role of this permission is not known but given its naming, it appears to deal with a special category of notifications that will not be accessible for third-party apps to read.

The report highlights that it is likely aimed at 2FA-related notifications. The belief comes from a separate string of code found by Rahman, which points to an under-development platform feature, to which the permission is tied. The feature is named NotificationListenerService and it is an API that lets apps read or take action on notifications. A general use case would be how many apps ask for access to notifications to auto-fill OTP when creating a new account. However, once this API becomes active (it isn’t in the Android 14 build), this will get more difficult.

This API will require the user to enter Settings and then manually grant permission to apps…

Source…

Mid-West Data Depot offers safe, convenient server data backup storage


businessman-showing-virtual-security

With the advent of computers came the need to store information. Nearly every business of every size has countless gigabytes of data related to their operations and their customers. Against the landscape of constant threats from computer viruses and cyber-attackers, data backups have become a big concern.

In the data industry, best practices call for following a 3-2-1 backup strategy; three copies of your data, using two different types of media, and one copy is stored offsite. That’s where Mid-West Data Depot comes in.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
The new service offered by media company Mid-West Family South Bend makes perfect sense: Companies need a safe place to store their data backups. Mid-West Data Depot is literally located inside a tornado shelter in South Bend that has redundant power supplies, four huge pipelines to the internet, security, and plenty of rack space for computer servers.

Data Depot site manager Bill Gamble said after you consider putting the right infrastructure in place, the business is straightforward.

ADVERTISEMENT




Your content continues below

“It’s a place to store your data offsite. When we bought this building, it was already a data storage facility. Thick walls. No windows. We affectionately call it The Bunker. If there’s a disaster, this is where you want your data to be.”

STORED DATA IS SAFE DATA
Gamble said offsite data storage is growing in popularity.

“Data that isn’t backed up can be lost forever due to any number of issues. Our infrastructure means we’ll never lose power, we have reliable and redundant network connections, and there’s no weather that can compromise The Bunker. It’s that simple.”

Gamble points out that 43 percent of cyber incursions annually target small businesses. He adds that of those businesses, 46 percent have fewer than 1,000 employees.

“The scary thing is everyone’s going to get hacked eventually. What’s sad is that 70 percent of small businesses that suffer a catastrophic data breach close within a year. If you own a business, just ask your insurance agent if you can get a discount because you have an offsite backup.”

A LOCAL DATA DEPOT
One of the differentiators Gamble points to is…

Source…

Windows PCs are now being hit by dangerous malware — here’s the steps you need to take to stay safe


It’s been a while since we heard about malware hiding in PyPI packages, but researchers have now reported finding almost a dozen lurking on the open source Python Package Index (PyPI) repository.

Cybersecurity researchers from Fortinet’s FortiGuard Labs found nine packages delivering the WhiteSnake Stealer. The packages are called nigpal, figflix, telerer, seGMM, fbdebug, sGMM, myGens, NewGends, and TestLibs111. WhiteSnake is a Windows infostealer, capable of working around antivirus programs, and communicates with the C2 server via the Tor protocol, the researchers explained.

Source…