MyRST Blog

Apple Releases Security Updates for Multiple Products 

https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ncas/current-activity/2022/10/26/apple-releases-security-updates-multiple-products

Apple has released security updates to address vulnerabilities in multiple products. An attacker could exploit some of these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected device. 
 
CISA encourages users and administrators to review the Apple security updates page for the following products and apply the necessary updates as soon as possible: 

•    Safari 16.1 
•    iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16 
•    macOS Big Sur 11.7.1 
•    macOS Monterey 12.6.1
•    macOS Ventura 13 
•    tvOS 16.1 
•    watchOS 9.1 

#StopRansomware: Daixin Team

From: https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ncas/current-activity/2022/10/21/stopransomware-daixin-team

CISA, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have released a joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA), #StopRansomware: Daixin Team to provide information on the “Daixin Team,” a cybercrime group actively targeting U.S. businesses, predominantly in the Healthcare and Public Health (HPH) Sector, with ransomware and data extortion operations. This joint CSA provides Daixin actors’ tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and indicators of compromise (IOCs) obtained from FBI threat response activities and third-party reporting.

CISA encourages HPH Sector organizations to review #StopRansomware: Daixin Team and to apply the recommended Mitigations. See StopRansomware.gov for additional guidance on ransomware protection, detection, and response.

https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ncas/alerts/aa22-294a

How To Catalogue Your Network Machines And Appliances

Building a network inventory is a need borne by many different reasons, such as for identifying precise requirements in order to prepare for an upgrade, asset control and for identifying actual utilization of available resources. There are programs that offer a very automated approach for creating and maintaining precisely such an inventory. Yesterday we recommended Komodo Labs – NEWT Professional which does a complete network inventory with TONS of information about each device.

So how does this program work and what does it have to offer? It gets all the data it requires by scanning your whole local area network and identifying all of your network elements, whether that be hardware or software, along with their characteristics. Doing so manually, would take so much time that it would be impossible for even medium-sized networks; on the other hand, this program can handle any LAN, regardless of size. Even maintaining such a network inventory would be more than a full-time job for an actual worker, while NEWT Professional does such automatically, updating the inventory automatically whenever a new device is connected to it.

Able to find servers, workstations, routers, sites, services and much more, this software has the ability to also record data considered useful for each one of these elements. This way, a full inventory can be made considering the network items, along with their information, regardless of the size and complexity of your network. All that without the problem of manually checking each individual device, or even requiring you to install client versions of the program on any of the devices.

So, are you planning for your next upgrade and thinking what precisely your network contains, whether it’s useful or compatible in the next version of your network? How many machines are still running outdated operating systems and need to be renewed or replaced? How are you going to get all that data you require to calculate the upgrade elements and cost? Are you worried and need to monitor which PCs are kept up to date with the latest security or hot-fix updates? Total Network Inventory can gather all this data for you, offering comprehensive reports for each and every element; storing and organizing all this data to easily provide you with custom-selected reports in an easy to follow way.

Hardware data is drilled down even to include elements such as CPU processing ability, motherboard model and manufacturer, as well as peripheral data regarding graphics video cards, random access memory (RAM), network adaptors, system devices list and other. Software data drill down includes operating system (OS) data such as type and edition, service packs and updates installed, third-party programs installed and running on system boot (start up), user accounts as well as running processes that are present, and other.

Prioritize your upgrades based on a well-informed vision of your network, identify security problems such as outdated OS and missing updates, spot un-used devices and many more, all these using simple step-by-step wizards, creating important reports in seconds and without worrying about leaking such data outside the network.

Komodo Labs – NEWT Professional – Free: https://www.komodolabs.com/network-inventory/

The above link is NOT an affiliate link. I do not receive any compensation from the above link or this posting.

NEWT Professional is Free for up to 25 devices.

How To Protect Personal Information On Your Computer

With more people using the internet everyday, there has been a significant increase in the threats of online criminals attempting to steal personal information. When you use email, surf the net, and provide financial information to retailers, you have to make sure no one can steal your information. Fortunately, technological improvements in computer security and implementing safety precautions can drastically reduce the chances of having your information stolen.

The following tips are designed to help you protect personal information on your computer:- Acquire Security Software: It is important that you have the appropriate security software to protect your computer from viruses, hackers, worms, spyware, spam, identity theft, and Adware. A quality and renowned security software program will protect your computer from a variety of security risks. Some software provides a combination of protection methods while others provide just one security function.

– Implement Wireless Security Protection: If you access the internet through a Wi-Fi network, make sure you have the appropriate protection from hackers. With wireless networks, the radio waves travel in the surrounding area, so a hacker sitting nearby can access your connection and hack into your computer.

– Use a Firewall: A firewall adds a security obstruction between a personal computer and the internet. It helps prevents hackers from accessing your computer. It will block any suspicious and unauthorized entry into a computer system.

– Email Encryption: When you use email encryption, it reduces the chances of someone intercepting and accessing your information.

– Beware of Phishing Scams: Many online criminals will send fraudulent emails and use fraudulent websites to gather a person’s personal information. Never provide personal information to unknown businesses. Confirm the site is legitimate by either checking with the Better Business Bureau or online sites that expose fraudulent sites and emails. Purchase products from sites that encrypt transaction payments. Encrypting payment information will code your personal and financial data after you submit the payment.

– Beware of Certain Free Download Programs: Some free download software can contain harmful programs. They can allow the person who sent it access to your computer. Security software can prevent these programs from installing. Adware and Spyware are software that can contain these malicious programs.

– Backup Information: Back up and store your information in case your security barrier is breached so you will not lose important information. Store it on a CD or an external hard drive.

– System Security Configuration: Configure your browser or operating system to manage pop-ups, delete cookies, and block specific web sites.

– Change Passwords Regularly: Change your passwords at least every 30 days to reduce the chance of a hacker accessing your online personal and financial information.

– Monitor your Credit Report: You should regularly check your credit report history. This will let you know if anyone has been using your financial information.

When you use the internet for shopping, banking, emailing, and sending instant messages, there are shady people who may try to access your computer to steal your information. Using the latest security software and practicing safe security practices, will reduce the chance of having your personal information stolen and used for illegal purposes.

Firefox now blocks cross-site tracking by default for all users

Posted June 14, 2022

Mozilla says that all Firefox users will now be protected by default against cross-site tracking while browsing the Internet.

This is because, starting today, Mozilla is rolling out and enabling its Total Cookie Protection set of privacy improvements for all Firefox users worldwide.

Total Cookie Protection forces all websites to keep their cookies in separate “jars,” thus blocking attempts to track you across the web and building browsing profiles.

Read the article here: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/firefox-now-blocks-cross-site-tracking-by-default-for-all-users/

How to get a complete network inventory of all the machines and software

If you are a network administrator, you have no doubt been in many scenarios before where you need to have these crucial software and hardware statistics, but you have to manually probe each machine rather than having an automatically updated network inventory. Of course this takes a great deal of time, so imagine if you could have a complete network inventory accessible automatically and remotely. Using highly useful application you can do precisely that. This application will thoroughly scan your complete network, querying all the workstations and servers on it. It will then give you data about all these different pieces of hardware and software installed on each PC and appliance installed on the network.

You don’t have to install anything else on the other machines, and in a matter of moments, this application can do everything for you. What’s more, it doesn’t even matter how large or diverse your network is. This application will be able to do the task just perfectly, even if you have a vast commercial type environment with dozens if not hundreds of machines on the network. Collecting all the data you need in real-time, you’ll be able to get to it without even leaving the office.

To give you an example of some of the sorts of details that this application will offer you, it will give you data regarding hardware that each workstation and server has. Some of the hardware data included, but not limited to, is the workstation manufacturer, model, motherboard make and any other peripherals installed. It will also give details about the type of operating system installed including the version and also data about all the updates and service packs that have been applied, if any. However, it doesn’t end here. It will also give you data about all the additional applications installed on the machines, and what’s presently running.

It also gives you a better way to securely monitor multiple machines over a network, since it will also tell you which processes are presently running on the machine. It will also list the user accounts being used, including information about the staff that are using the PC.

Another great use for this network inventory application is if you are thinking about upgrading certain machines on your network. You can easily go through the data offered by the application to find which devices are letting down the network. Machines with older hardware or machines which need software updates to the operating system can easily be filtered. It will also be able to scan the network remotely, and you don’t need to ever install anything on to the machines being probed. It is safe and secure, and will not allow any data to leave your network. The application also includes various step-by-step wizards, making things even easier.

Recommended Software:

Komodo Labs – NEWT Professional – Free: https://www.komodolabs.com/network-inventory/

Gordon Lyon’s NMAP – Free: https://nmap.org/

Graphical User Interface for nmap – ZenMap – Free: https://nmap.org/zenmap/

NEWT Professional is free for up to 25 devices.

The above link is NOT an affiliate link. I do not receive any compensation from the above link or this posting.

What is ISO/IEC 27017

More than a third of organizations suffered a serious cloud security incident in 2021. According to a survey of 300 cloud professionals covered by BetaNews, 36% of those respondents said that their organizations had suffered a severe cloud security data leak or breach in the past 12 months. Looking forward, eight in 10 survey participants said they were worried that they were vulnerable to a data breach related to a cloud misconfiguration. Slightly fewer (64%) said that the problem will remain the same or worsen over the next year.

To avoid falling victim to one of these types of incidents, organizations need to take a strategic approach to their cloud security. They can do so using ISO/IEC 27017. Let’s explore how below.

read the rest at Tripwire.com: https://www.tripwire.com/state-of-security/security-data-protection/cloud/what-is-iso-iec-27017/

Network monitoring without even having to get up from the chair

While you probably won’t have any issues with a small network of 10 or so machines, once the network starts increasing in size, the networking tools built into the Windows operating system are no longer so useful and things can hastily get out of control. You need a program which is more ideally suited to larger networks.

However, as networks get larger, the problem tends to need far more complex monitoring software to keep track of everything that is fucntioning on the network. However, things can start getting so complicated that only specialist IT experts can use them. This can add quite a large extra cost to your organisation to hire somebody who can do the task.

However, there is software out there now which will assist the monitoring of medium to large networks without even having to leave the chair. Total Network Monitor does precisely this. It doesn’t matter how large your local area network is, but this software can do the job for you by automating a lot of the tasks and collecting data in real time.

You can keep watch over network performance with this and also automatically be informed about any issues through its complex system of alerting. Even more impressively, the application can be configured to send you alerts to your mobile phone or e-mail, so you can keep an eye on what is going on back on the network from wherever you are.

This way you can monitor your entire network without having to leave the room, giving you much more freedom and time to work and other jobs. There are various automatic scans featured in the application including easy-to-use wizards and a number of various tests and probes.

It is also compatible with a great number of different protocols, including ICMP, HTTP, FTP, TCP, POP/SMTP, and IMAP, making it highly versatile as well. It will also allow you to access the various Windows performance tools on a number of different machines on your network, allowing you to more easily keep an eye on the finer details of all the devices on your network.

Network monitoring becomes ever more difficult as your network and company continues to grow, but there is really no need for it to get extremely confusing and out of control. A program like this can make things a lot simpler. Also, as a new machine is added to the network, Total Network Monitor will automatically add them to the network layout.

Working with all versions of Windows, this application really does have it all. However, if you are not completely convinced, then you should try a free evaluation edition which will give you a much better idea of how the application works and what it can do for you.

Better yet, why not go with a network device that has all of the needed monitoring tools embedded in it. I LOVE the Firewalla Gold Router/Firewall/Network Security and Monitoring device.

Firewalla Gold: Multi-Gigabit Cyber Security Firewall & Router Protecting Your Family and Business (Ships Worldwide)
Firewalla GOLD – the best overall network security and monitoring device I have found for small businesses and Advance Home Users.
Firewalla Blue Plus: Smart & Powerful Cyber Security Firewall Appliance Protecting Your Family and Business (Ships Worldwide)
Firewalla Blue Plus – The best overall network security and monitoring device I have found for average home users. Plug and play simplicity with a ton of features for network management, monitoring and security.

The above links are affiliate links and I will receive a small reimbursement for each device purchased through my affiliate link. Using these links helps support this website with no additional expense to you the consumer.

Free Backup Software vs. Free Online Backup

Why do you need backup software? The answer is because computer failures and crashes are a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’. So when the next crash happens you should be ready. Even you use the computer for home; you should know that it is important for you to protect your personal data by making backups of all your hard drives. With it, you can be sure that you are completely protected from data loss.

First off all, you need to remember that backing up your private data is a very important thing that you should always do. It is something that you should make a routine in order to protect your data from data loss.

Today anyone is able to do secure backups with absolutely no specific skills or knowledge of the high-tech industry thanks to the new generation of backup tools. Backup software makes creating data backups much easier than even copying a file or watching video DVD. When you are choosing solutions for backing up your critical computer files, there are two main ways you have. One is storing the backup files on CDs, DVDs or USB drives and the other is an online or remote backup service.

The fact that DVD and CD discs are much more stable than hard drives, you have to consider that backing up your files in DVDs or CDs is safer and will provide you with much more convenience. There is free backup software that you can download over the internet and install it in your computer. For example: Free Backup Mill. Basically, there are many free online backup services. Although it doesn’t really say that it is an online backup service, you can consider it to be so. You can try using your email account as your backup service as you can attach some important files and send it in your own email. This means that you will be able to have a copy of your files in the email.

Another good and recommended method to backup your important data is remote backups. As the name suggests, remote backup is backup store that you create in a remote computer. The concept of remote backup is just the same as online backup. However, it is important that you should not refer to it as the same. Remote backup is not online backup but is a part of it. It is where you save your file to another computer in real time.

When you are looking for backup software or service pay attention to five main features:

  • The first feature is that it will be able to backup and restore your entire machine.
  • The second is that it will be able to backup and restore your Outlook emails.
  • The third is that it will be able to backup your application settings.
  • The fourth is that it will let you backup and restore your music, pictures, documents, videos and other files.
  • The fifth backup feature is that it will enable you to backup and restore your data online.

So, if you want to better protect your important and critical data, you might want to back it up using any of the free backup software or free backup services.

How to Block Pop up Ads

Pop up ads are of three different categories namely pop-ups created by spyware and adware, messengers service advertisement and general browser pop-ups. Pop-ups ads occasionally appear on the screen and interfere with the user s ability to view the contents displayed on the screen. The user can easily avoid these advertisements by installing a pop-up blocker.

Messenger service advertisement:These types of pop-ups are applicable only for Windows XP and Windows 2000. They usually occur because someone is accessible to your computer network and is can transmit this message to your computer through TCP and UDP ports. It is the responsibility of the messenger service to transmit these messages. For controlling these pop-ups, the security has to be hardened by installing firewall software like zone alarm or by installing Windows XP which puts off messenger service by default and activates the windows firewall. The port which facilitates the transmission of these messages gets blocked.

For activating firewall in Windows XP, click the Start icon on the desktop, press Run and type the word Firewall.cpl, select the on button lick OK. It is recommended not to connect to the internet before activating the Firewall because there is a risk of computer getting infected.

Pop-ups created by adware and spyware:The function is same as the general browser but spyware is usually run by the browser assistant object which is the activeX controls that connects to the internet explorer and gets in touch with their server without the user knowing it. This can also be a cause of leaking the user s confidential information to the spies as well as wasting the internet bandwidth. In relation with this, any outgoing connection without the user s authorization should be taken as threat to the security of the user. For preventing pop-ups that are generated by adware and spyware, anti-spyware application such as spyware blaster, Ad-Aware, Spybot Search and destroyer should be installed in the computer. They are just the same like the anti-virus software. These applications work by employing the services of the folders of the hosts for preventing unnecessary ads servers and sites that are responsible for conveying these ads, they also increase the security settings of the browser.

Applications like Sygate and Zone Alarm will always signal the user every time when an outgoing traffic is detected. This will enable the user to block Trojans and dialers from reaching the internet. It will also give the user same attentions to the settings of the firewall, it can be assumed as the passage security and operates only with programs that are needed to be assessable to the internet. This point will make the user be able to investigate the performance of the firewall being employed to the websites. They will do a thorough checking of the system for accessible ports and weaknesses, therefore they will accordingly advise the user.

General Guidelines that should be followed:- The system should not be connected to the internet before activating Anti-virus and firewall.

– The security configurations should be amplified in the browser so that the Activex control is blocked from installing automatically.

– The system should be always updated by seeking latest information online or by subscribing to Microsoft Security Bulletin in order to be aware of the possible threat.

– The services of the HOSTS folder should be employed for preventing unwanted websites.