This is a weekly series to highlight the best articles and news stories going on in the Community.
What was your favorite story? What topics would you like to see? Sound off in the comments! :)
LastPass reveals the threats posed by passwords in the workplace
A new report by LastPass -- The Password Exposé -- reveals the threats posed, and the opportunities presented, by employee passwords.
While passwords are key to security, they also interrupt workflow. With so many apps, services and websites requiring users to login, LastPass estimates around 36 minutes a month is wasted typing out login credentials. The report also highlights a serious problem -- password sharing.
Learn more and never re-use old passwords!
Chrome to start blocking unwanted redirects
The first step will see Chrome start preventing ads (that haven’t been clicked on) from unexpectedly redirecting visitors to another site.
Secondly, the browser will prevent actions that are aimed at circumventing Chrome’s pop-up blocker, i.e. instances when clicking a link opens the desired destination in a new tab, while the main window navigates to a different, unwanted page.
These changes are expected to be rolled out to all users by early 2018!
The bug confirmed in iOS 11.1 on any iPhone and iPad
As weird as this might sound, it is possible to quickly remove the activation lock completely on an iOS 11 device, and a video posted by YouTuber EverythingApplePro shows this working on both the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 8.
The bug reportedly works on iOS 11.1, which is the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system that will also power the newly-launched iPhone X, so the faster the company addresses this bug, the better for both the company and its users. It’s not yet known if the same bug exists in the most recent beta versions of iOS, but expect Apple to fix the problem in a future update.
Make sure you know how to protect your iPhone/iPad!
A fake WhatsApp version deployed on the Play Store was downloaded by over a million users
Once again crooks exploited the official Google’s Play Store as a repository for malicious apps. This time a fake WhatsApp version was used to infect over a million users that downloaded it.
It's incredible, crooks that developed this app were able to bypass the Google security controls infecting more than a million devices. The fake WhatsApp app was removed from the official Play Store and its author is going to be banned.
Be vigilant when downloading apps!
Ransomware attacks continue to grow exponentially
The threat of ransomware, when hackers infect devices with a virus and hold data hostage until a sum of money has been paid, is only getting worse. According to Cybersecurity Ventures, global ransomware damage costs are predicted to exceed $5 billion in 2017, which is up from $325 million in 2015. Our latest study shows that the average amount paid in ransom among office workers now stands at approximately $1,400.
While education helps with confidence in detecting ransomware, employees aren’t always instructed on what to do if they are a victim. As a result, employees hit by ransomware may take actions that could dramatically undermine their organizations’ security efforts – and damage their bottom line.
Make sure your Family is in the know about Ransomware!
What was your favorite story of the week?
What stories or topics would you like to see covered next week?
Sound off in the comments and let us know!
