software

Hackers have found a sneaky way to bypass antivirus software by intentionally corrupting documents. As always, human vigilance remains a key weapon against such tactics. Putting malware into file attachments and persuading people to open them ... remains one of the key ways attackers operate. Often such tactics involve taking advantage of known security flaws in popular software or in operating systems. The current attack is somewhat more targeted: the documents contain a QR code in the hope that either the user (manually) or the device (automatically) will scan them and open the associated ... (view more)

Google has revealed it paid $10 million in bounties to people who spotted security bugs in its products last year. More people earned rewards than in an equivalent Microsoft program, though Google paid out less per person. Such programs are designed ... not only to boost security but to encourage security researchers to work for good, rather than exploit bugs. However, critics say tech companies should put more of their resources into making software as bug-free as possible to start with. Google paid out a total of $10 million in 2023, split between 632 researchers in 68 countries. The highest ... (view more)

Apple is reportedly planning to allow iPhone owners to use third-party app stores and "sideloaded" apps. But the move appears to be limited to Europe, complying with local regulations. Throughout the existence of the iPhone and iPad, Apple has been ... adamant about only allowing users to install software downloaded from the official Apple store. It argues that's necessary to maintain security and ensure compatibility and performance to make sure users get the best experience. Cynics counter it's actually about maintaining a monopoly on supplying apps, giving Apple more power to charge ... (view more)

A government plans to scan every Internet-connected device in the country for vulnerabilities. The agency concerned insists it won't compromise privacy. The scan is the work of the United Kingdom's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). It says its ... looking for zero-day vulnerabilities, meaning security holes that hackers are actively exploiting before a fix is available. The NCSC says it will regularly scan all Internet connected devices based in the UK. It doesn't intend to access any data on devices but instead simply make a connection request. The scanning software will then log any ... (view more)

At least half the zero-day bugs discovered by Google this year were preventable according to one of its security experts. She pointed to sloppiness by software developers. The claims came in a talk and subsequent blog post by Maddie Stone. She's ... part of Google's Project Zero security program. While precise definitions sometimes vary, the general principle of a zero-day bug is that it's where attackers are exploiting the vulnerability before the software developers have a chance to develop a fix - in most cases because they aren't even aware of the bug. The name comes from the way the ... (view more)

Security experts have reminded users to take extra care when sourcing installation files for Windows 11. A look-alike "Microsoft" site was actually distributing some nasty malware. Normally such scams tend to mainly work on people who are either ... trying to get round paying for software or are trying to get early access without going through official test programs. That's not quite the case with Windows 11 where people running "incompatible" machines can still upgrade to the system by downloading official files and creating a USB installation. However, when some people came looking for Windows ... (view more)

More than ever before, modern businesses rely on technology. Their efficient functioning relies on Internet services, which is unlikely to alter in the near future. As a result, as organizations get larger, computer networks develop, and massive ... volumes of data are sent every day between computer systems. According to a survey conducted by Accenture, 68% of organizations across various industries believe that cyber security threats are growing. According to an FBI assessment, cyberattacks have grown by 300% since the epidemic began. Securing businesses large and small is vital to ensure the ... (view more)

Microsoft appears to be offering discounts on legitimate software to people running pirated copies. The Office deal isn't quite a like-for-like offer however. The offer, spotted by the Ghacks site, appears to be limited to users in specific ... countries. It's not clear if there's a pattern such as targeting countries with high rates of piracy, or those where people are likely to have enough money to buy legitimate software. (Source: ghacks.net ) A message shown to some users of unlicensed copies of Office 2019 in the ribbon bar reads "Get up to 50% off. For a limited time, save up to 50% on a ... (view more)

New to marketing? Short on time? Need to boost your time management and organizational skills? Look no further! It's a fact: marketing specialists heavily rely on the web and Internet-centric apps to collect, analyze, categorize, and interpret data ... based on thousands of different indicators. These utilities help with content marketing and also to plan, schedule, and communicate - especially if working with a team. If you are new to Internet marketing, it's easy to become overwhelmed because there are so many options online. But fear not: we've got a list of 12 of the best tools that will help ... (view more)

An independent test found tools from most leading security software companies failed to detect all threats - though it was one of the best set of overall results ever. The SE Labs test used simulated attacks based on real threats that are particular ... problems right now. The tests ran between April and June this year and involves anti-malware products aimed at the general public from 14 companies. Though SE Labs runs such tests regularly, it changes the simulated threats each time to reflect what's actually happening in the cyber security world. (Source: selabs.uk ) In many cases, the simulated ... (view more)