Tag Archive for: vital

Why Antivirus Internet Security is Vital in Today’s Digital World

/in


With our increasing reliance on technology and the internet, we are more vulnerable to various cyber threats such as viruses, malware, spyware, and phishing scams. These threats not only put our personal information at risk but also pose a significant threat to businesses and organizations. Antivirus internet security software is designed to protect our devices from these malicious attacks by detecting and removing any potential threats. It works by continuously scanning your device and monitoring all incoming data for any signs of viruses or other harmful programs. In addition to detecting and removing existing threats, antivirus software also provides real-time protection against new emerging ones.

The Importance of Antivirus Internet Security

1. Protection against Malware: Malware is short for “malicious software” and refers to any program or code that is intended to harm your computer or steal sensitive information without consent. This includes viruses, worms, Trojans, ransomware, spyware, adware, and more. Antivirus software acts as a shield against these types of malware by identifying them before they have a chance to infect your system.

2. Safeguards Online Transactions: The rise of e-commerce has made online shopping an essential part of our lives. With this comes the risk of falling victim to fake websites or getting scammed through fraudulent transactions.
Antivirus internet security software can protect you from these cyber threats by maintaining a secure connection and keeping your personal information, such as credit card details, safe from hackers.

3. Identity Theft Protection: With the rise of social media and online platforms, it has become easier for cybercriminals to gather personal information about individuals and use it for identity theft. Antivirus software can help prevent this by safeguarding your personal data and alerting you if any suspicious activity is detected.

4. Protects Against File Corruption: A virus or…

Source…

Is Cyberinsurance a Vital Protection Against Ransomware?

/in


In recent years, the frequency and sophistication of ransomware attacks have continued to escalate. In many cases, those attacks have piled up significant costs for their victims, and not just from the ransom payment. Extended downtime after an attack, expensive recovery efforts and reputational damage all hurt an organization’s profits after a breach. 

“The actual cost of a ransomware attack extends far beyond the ransom payment — it can add up to be 7 times the ransom demand,” notes NetApp in a blog post.

“As far as overall costs go, experts estimate that the ransom payment adds up to only about 15 percent of the total cost of the ransomware attack,” the post continues. “And the real stinger in all of it is that only 1 in 7 organizations who pay a ransom actually get their data back.”

 

Some Vendors Offer Warranties Along with Cyber Insurance Policies

Cyber insurance is a growing trend and, in many cases, an operational requirement. However, some organizations don’t have the resources to self-insure. For smaller organizations, there are still ways to reduce the cost of cyber insurance premiums. Roberts notes that some third-party security providers, such as Rubrik, offer warranties that insurance companies recognize as extra assurance of an organization’s data protection strategy.

In April, Rubrik made two groundbreaking announcements about its ransomware warranties. In a press release published during this year’s RSA Conference in San Francisco, Rubrik said “With the rapid growth of cyberattacks, organizations share the same concern: ‘If we get hit by ransomware, can we recover?’” The company’s response was to increase the value of warranty it offers as part of its cyber insurance policies.

“Rubrik is confident in our data security solution and committed to a shared responsibility between customers and software vendors,” the release notes. “As such, we are putting more skin in the game by doubling our warranty to $10 million.”

In addition, Rubrik issued a separate press release to announce its partnership with Zscaler to offer a double extortion ransomware solution. “Rubrik’s…

Source…

Windows 11 just got some vital security updates, so don’t hang around, patch now

/in


Windows 11 just got a raft of security fixes in the latest round of monthly patching from Microsoft, including some crucial ones.

Security should always be a high priority when it comes to your PC (Image Credit: Pexels)

Open Gallery 2

Security should always be a high priority when it comes to your PC (Image Credit: Pexels)

VIEW GALLERY – 2 IMAGES

In fact, there are three fixes for zero-day vulnerabilities provided, meaning bugs in Windows 11 which are public knowledge. And in this case, these security flaws are being actively exploited by nefarious types – so they represent a clear potential danger to Windows 11 users.

In total, there are 77 vulnerabilities fixed by Microsoft’s February patch for Windows 11 PCs, and nine are labeled as ‘critical.’

Let’s take a closer look at those worrying zero-day flaws, the first of which is CVE-2023-21823, which affects not just Windows 11 but also Windows 10 systems. This is a remote code execution vulnerability an attacker can use to leverage system privileges, and what’s particularly concerning is that according to a recent report, it’s not hard to exploit.

A security expert, Mike Walters (VP of vulnerability and threat research at Action1), told Forbes: “This vulnerability is relatively simple to exploit, utilizes local vectors, and requires low levels of access.”

It also doesn’t need the user to do anything (like click on something and fall for a pop-up prompt, for example) in order to work.

There’s a really important thing to note on this one, and that’s rather than being deployed by Windows Update, the fix for this vulnerability is being piped to Windows PCs via an update from the Microsoft Store. In other words, if you’ve disabled automatic updates from the store, that’s something you need to be aware of.

The other zero-days are CVE-2023-23376, an elevation of privilege vulnerability (local, as opposed to a glitch that can be remotely exploited), and CVE-2023-21715 which affects Microsoft Publisher. The latter allows an attacker to evade security countermeasures that block Office macros which could be malicious, but unless you run Publisher, this isn’t one to fret over.

With a total of 77 security fixes here, it’s pretty obvious that this is an update you should grab – although that’s fewer vulnerabilities than the previous January cumulative…

Source…

Install iOS 16.1 to get this vital 0-day security fix

/in


If you’ve yet to update to iOS 16.1, now might be a very good time to do so — because it includes an important fix for a zero-day exploit that Apple says may have already been exploited in the wild.

Apple released the latest version of iOS 16 to the public earlier this week along with a list of improvements and features. There’s one specific security fix that’s worth noting though. Apple says that previous versions of iOS allowed an app with root privileges to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.

Source…