Windows users will probably be unsurprised to note that Adobe’s ubiquitous Flash plug-in requires yet another patch. This time, unfortunately, Adobe is scrambling to release version 11.6 to rectify 2 serious security holes that are already being exploited in the wild, and not just on Windows machines; Macs and even Linux is affected by the latest flaws.
What this means for you:
The flaws fixed by the above release may allow malicious websites to install malware either from just visiting a compromised website, or by redirecting your browser to open infected Microsoft Word documents or Adobe PDFs. There are malware websites being found on the web right now that can take advantage of unpatched Flash plugins and they will wreak havoc on your computer.
Patch Flash now. Here’s how:
- Go to Adobe’s website: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ (works for any platform)
- Windows: Go to your Control Panel and look for the “Flash Player” control panel icon. Click the “Advanced” tab and then the “Check Now” button.
If you want to verify you’ve updated to the correct version, you can check it by visiting this link after patching: http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/
Microsoft seems to be taking Fat Tuesday to heart: this month’s package of software updates includes a whopping 57 fixes for security flaws across most of its current product line. Microsoft isn’t the only one patching: Adobe also has a handful of security fixes for its products – the most commonly installed are Flash and Acrobat. The security exploits patched are just as potentially dangerous as the vulnerabilities patched in Internet Explorer.
What this means for you:
Ideally, you either have an IT department watching out for you and making sure your software is being updated in a timely fashion, or you have Automatic Updating turned on and will automatically download and apply all critical and important patches released by Microsoft and Adobe. In the case of the former, it may actually be a week or two before the actual patches are applied, as many IT departments routinely test all MS patches before distributing them through the enterprise, mostly to ensure Microsoft doesn’t break something proprietary to your company’s platforms. And in the case of this month’s Patch Tuesday, they will have much more to test and deploy.
If your computer is relying on automatic updates received via the internet, make sure you pay attention to the little message popups in the lower right corner of your screen. Windows Update will let you know when its doing its thing, and will also notify you when it has finished applying the necessary patches. Not sure whether your machine has been patched? For most versions of Windows (XP, Vista, 7) you can click the Start Menu and select “All Programs” and scroll until you find “Windows Update”. Review the information on the screen, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call us for a second opinion!
Kaspersky Labs just released their quarterly threat report for Q3 2012, and it’s dry reading for most folks not fascinated by IT security as I am. There are some notable trends that their research has surfaced, and I thought you might find some of these data points interesting:
- You are least likely to be infected by a fellow countryman in the nation of Denmark. (The US is in the lower first quartile, in case you were wondering.)
- Russia has overtaken the US as having the most websites hosting malware software.
- The most commonly found smartphone virus is designed to steal money from you by texting premium-rate numbers without you noticing.
- The most common way to get a virus infection is via drive-by infections, ie. visiting a dodgy website and getting infected when your browser loads pages that have embedded viruses.
- Of the top 10 most commonly found software vulnerabilities, 2 are found in Oracle software (Java), 5 from Adobe (Flash, Shockwave & Acrobat), 2 from Apple (Quicktime and iTunes), and 1 from Winamp.
- Over half of the detected malware infections came from Java vulnerabilities.
- For the first time in many years, Microsoft did not make the Top 10 list of vulnerabilities!
What this means for you:
Keep your software up to date. The java vulnerabilities have been patched, but many people ignore (or aren’t even aware) that Java needs to be kept up to date just like any other software installed on their machine. Keep your browser up to date, and if you have the choice, use the latest version of IE, or even better, Google’s Chrome browser. However, nothing will keep you safe if you don’t have proper malware protection installed, updated and ACTIVE. If you use an Android phone, see my previous article on the dangers of side-loading questionable apps. As of the moment, buying smartphone anti-virus software isn’t at the same state of “must-have” as computers, but we may be fast approaching that point. If you are careful about the apps you install on your phone, you don’t need it…yet.
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