Tag Archive for: upgrade

Delaware County, Pa., plans cybersecurity upgrade after ransomware attack

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Written by Ryan Johnston
Aug 12, 2021 | STATESCOOP

Delaware County, Pennsylvania, officials on Wednesday agreed to spend nearly $1.6 million on cybersecurity measures following a ransomware attack last November that cost the county $25,000.

The County Council of the 566,000-person county south of Philadelphia unanimously agreed on salaries for new staff positions, consulting fees and software licenses to support a host of security and operations improvements, including financial systems, infrastructure engineering and the digitization of the county’s records. Some of the money will also be allocated to countywide training and web development, the Delaware County Daily Times reported.

The cash infusion — topped off by an additional $858,957 to improve air conditioning, server space and power supply units for the county health department’s data center — was spurred by an on the county last fall by hackers using the DoppelPaymer ransomware. (Actors affiliated with the DoppelPaymer malware have also in recent years struck at the Illinois attorney general’s office; Torrance, California; and Azusa, California.)

The infiltration was first spotted Nov. 21 after hackers encrypted police reports, payroll, purchasing orders and other county services. The county ultimately capitulated within the week, paying a $25,000 deductible to a cyber insurance firm at the recommendation of County Executive Director Howard Lazarus, according to a December press release.

The $1.6 million the County Council approved will support 12 new IT positions, including four support jobs, three applications staff, two health department IT staff and three new hires for cybersecurity, audio-visual support and web development.

“In terms of the current state, over the past seven months, my evaluation is that really urgent requests overwhelm the ability to do basic support and maintenance,” Frank Bilotta, the county’s chief information officer, told the Daily Times this week. “And, I would say ultimately, that … item is the reason for our susceptibility to the attack in November.”

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Windows 11: Do I have to upgrade from Windows 10? What to know

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Windows 11 update on a laptop

Do you have to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11? Here’s what to know.


Sarah Tew/CNET

Windows 10’s days are numbered. With the arrival of Windows 11 this fall, Microsoft has announced it’ll stop supporting Windows 10 in 2025. While you still have time before Microsoft pulls the plug on those important security and feature updates, it’s important to make sure you understand what the switch to Windows 11 will involve, if your computer will be compatible and if you even have to upgrade at all. 

If you’re wondering how long you actually have to make the switch to Windows 11 and how long you can safely wait before updating, you’ve come to the right place. I’ll also explain how to download Windows 11 and who gets it for free. Read on for everything you need to know about the end of Windows 10 support and prepping for Windows 11. 

Read more: Windows 11: What to know about the beta download, new features, device compatibility, price and more

When is Microsoft ending support for Windows 10, and why?

Support for Windows 10 will end on Oct. 14, 2025. That means Microsoft will no longer provide security patches or feature updates for the Home, Pro, Enterprise, Pro Education and Pro for Workstations editions at this time — affecting virtually all Windows 10 users. (The only people who have until 2029 are the few Windows 10 Enterprise Long Term Support Channel users.) 

This doesn’t come as a surprise: Microsoft has a long-established Fixed Lifestyle Policy for many of its products. For each version of its OS, the company offers a minimum of 10 years of support (at least five years of mainstream support like security updates and no-charge incident support,…

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Windows 11 Upgrade Row Reveals Microsoft Ransomware Red Herring

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Remember back in 2015 when Microsoft ‘developer evangelist’ Jerry Nixon now famously stated that “Windows 10 is the last version of Windows” at the Microsoft Ignite conference that year? If not, maybe you recall how the company called it “the most secure Windows ever” just before it launched that same year? Guess what? The first statement hasn’t aged well, with Windows 11 now looking likely for release in October.

Microsoft is also beating the Windows 11 security drum and beating it hard by talking up how it features the strongest protection against malware yet. However, it’s the claim that Windows 11 will “raise the security baseline” to protect against ransomware that has got many infosecurity professionals scratching their collective heads.

The great Windows 11 TPM kerfuffle

Before we get to the Windows 11 ransomware red herring, let’s deal with the security stink that been wafting around social media and tech forums since the hardware requirements for running the next-generation Windows operating system were revealed, shall we?

Yes, I’m talking about the great TPM kerfuffle. The Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is a hardware requirement for running Windows 11, specifically TPM 2.0, which replaced the previous TPM 1.2 standard in 2019, hence the online anger over needing to upgrade your computer to upgrade the OS.

MORE FROM FORBESRansomware Reality Shock: 92% Who Pay Don’t Get Their Data BackBy Davey Winder

An uproar which isn’t totally justified as Chester Wisniewski, a principal research scientist at Sophos, says, “TPM 2.0 is available to almost all hardware at no real cost these days as it has built into nearly all Intel and AMD processors for many years now.”

What’s more, if you have a TPM 1.2 chip, this can likely be upgraded to TPM 2.0 by way of a firmware update from the computer vendor at no cost, rather than requiring a new hardware module to be purchased and installed.

Although Microsoft has withdrawn the somewhat controversial, because of the lack of detailed information it provided to users, Windows 11 compatibility checker at the moment, it’s easy enough to find out if you have the TPM 2.0 component required to run Windows 11. Open device…

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Apple Zero Day: Experts Advise Upgrade to macOS Big Sur 11.4 NOW to Avoid XCSSET Malware Access

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Apple has a Zero-Day vulnerability discovered by experts for the macOS Big Sur, and the only way to avoid getting accessed by the XCSSET Malware is to update to the latest version of the Mac operating system. Currently, the macOS is at Big Sur 11.4, and it is said to be the operating system that debuts a security update against the said zero-day.

Zoom Video Zero-Day Vulnerability

(Photo : Screenshot From Pexels Official Website)
Apple Zero-Day vulnerability is hijacking zoom meetings, and gaining full disk access on a Mac. Experts are now advising to upgrade to the latest macOS Big Sur 11.4 to address the issue.

The notion of Apple not being hackable is now removed, especially as malware are making their way through the Mac’s operating systems in most cases, and the company issuing security patches against it. Various vulnerabilities are present in Apple’s macOS, and it mainly focuses on zero-day threats or loopholes in computer software. 

Alongside the recent release of the iOS 14.6 for the iPhone and iPad platforms, Apple has also debuted the macOS Big Sur 11.4, which brings a security patch among other features included in the update. Apple Watch unlocks for iPhones, Apple Card, and Apple Music’s lossless were among those included here, with security also rolling out its take. 

Read Also: Apple Sued Over False Accusations After Labeling the Wrong Man as a Thief

Apple’s Zero-Day Vulnerability: XCSSET Malware

Apple macOS Big Sur

(Photo : Apple)

Zero-days are the new forms of viruses and hack, especially as it centers on computer software vulnerabilities which create loopholes for threat actors to use in accessing a certain device. Recently, it was discovered that the Apple zero-day vulnerability resides in the 11.3 version of the Big Sur, leading to the XCSSET malware. 

According to a cybersecurity research team called Jamf, Apple has an underlying problem which it faces now, and that this problem is leaving macOS users from being vulnerable to hacks and access. The zero-day vulnerability mostly focuses on accessing a zoom video call and taking screenshots from it, and full disk access on one’s Mac. 

Upgrade to macOS Big Sur 11.4 Now to Avoid Malware Access

Apple

(Photo : Youtube/ Apple…

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