IT and Security News May 2021 includes hardware, software, security and helpful tips, as well as featured services and products.
Security News
How phishing attacks spoofing Microsoft are evading security detection (TechRepublic April 26 2021)
The phishing emails use a Microsoft logo within an HTML table, which is not analysed by security programs. Read More
These are the terrible passwords that people are still using. (ZDNet April 12, 2021)
People are using easy-to-guess passwords, including their pet’s name, family members’ names, significant dates, their favourite sports team – or even ‘Password’, and that could be putting them at risk of their accounts being compromised. Read More
61 percent of employees fail basic cybersecurity quiz (SC Magazine April 13, 2021)
Nearly 70 percent of employees polled in a new survey said they recently received cybersecurity training from their employers, yet 61 percent nevertheless failed when asked to take a basic quiz on the topic. Read More
7 new social engineering tactics threat actors are using now (CSO Apr 13, 2021)
Old tactics in new packages lead the list of current social engineering attacks. Experts provide real-world examples. Read More
Hardware News
Global shortage in computer chips
There is currently a worldwide shortage of commonly used computer chips. This is affecting everything from the production of smartphones, televisions, cars, housing, and transport, to almost every industry that uses or produces electronics!
Initially the problem was only a temporary delay in supplies as factories shut down when the coronavirus pandemic first hit. However, although production is back to normal, a new surge in demand driven by changing habits, fuelled by the pandemic, means that it is now reaching crisis point.
Buyers are facing price rises and shortages of products, from televisions and mobile phones to cars, games consoles, whiteware, industrial systems, etc. as the global shortage in semiconductors grows.
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Software News
Firefox 88 might actually make you consider a switch (Techradar 20 April 2021)
Mozilla has announced the launch of the latest version of Firefox 88 which includes a number of new features to help users stay productive online while also protecting their privacy.
New Windows 10 update is causing a whole world of pain (Techradar 16 April 2021)
Some Windows 10 users are encountering serious problems following the release of the recent “KB5001330” update.
How to tell if your email account has been compromised?
You might think that if your email details has been compromised you will receive notice from the organisation that lost your information. This is not always the case. Consider the mega Yahoo breach that exposed more than one billion accounts. It took several years before Yahoo admitted to the hack. It’s often the case that a company doesn’t even know it’s been hacked until customer details are discovered by security researchers. In fact, this is the rule rather than the exception.
The following six signs indicate that your email account may have been compromised:
- Your password has been changed.
- There are emails in your inbox that you don’t recognise.
- You receive unexpected emails.
- Different IP addresses show up in your log if you use Gmail.
- Friends are receiving spam messages from you.
- Your email address is recognised on com
What do you do if your email account is compromised?
If your email account appears to have been compromised you can take some simple steps to put things right:
- Protect your computer.
- Run your antivirus program – Skip the “quick scan” setting in favour of a deep scan.
- Run an antivirus scan on all connected devices, including your laptop, tablet and smartphone.
- Upgrade your basic antivirus protection to full-time Internet security protection.
- Change your email passwords and your security questions/answers.
- Contact other online services as well as your bank and other organisations. Changing your passwords with other online accounts, etc. is critical.
- If you haven’t already, contact your email provider and report the hack.
- Let your friends know.
- Don’t buy anything online – yet.
- Create a new email address if possible.
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