| | | | How to Predict and Prevent a Cyber Attack |
Imagining a Worse Future
A story engaging many of our readers this week was that of mobile device management firm Mobile Guardian falling victim to cyberattack. We reported how more than 13,000 phones had been wiped clean by the attack.
Cyber threats and disruption feel like they are part of our daily life - a constantly evolving factor for all of us to consider and fear. And in response to the Mobile Guardian story many readers of CSO asked Smart Answers how to predict cyber-attacks.
The answer - based on all the reporting our editors have ever done - speaks to how experts use a matrix combining the who, what, when, where, and why components of an attack to build scenarios for security personnel to contemplate and figure out how to defend against. Basically - the only limits to the threat, and our defense against it, are the limits of our imagination. Quite the thought.
Find out How do cybersecurity experts predict and prevent future cyberattacks?
Passwords Protected
The good news keeps on coming. Another story capturing reader attention this week was that of Microsoft's Authenticator overwriting accounts and locking out users.
We reported how, due to an issue involving which fields it uses, Microsoft Authenticator often overwrites accounts when a user adds a new account via QR scan. And because of the way the resulting lockout happens, the user is not likely to realize the issue resides with multi-factor authentication.
It might make one consider the wisdom of using MFA at all, and certainly rejiggering the way it is used. Our readers have been asking Smart Answers about the benefits of using a password manager with MFA. And benefits there are, according to the combined knowledge of our many decades of reporting. Principally password managers prevent employees from reusing passwords and recognize fake phishing pages, removing some of the friction from the MFA process, whilst improving overall security.
Find out What are the benefits of using a password manager with MFA?
Pobody's Nerfect
Can I shock you? We have news of yet more security concerns for the smart IT leader. We report that a newly discovered vulnerability can make a fully patched Windows machine susceptible to thousands of past vulnerabilities. Instead of protecting computers, Windows Update can be tricked into installing older, vulnerable operating system versions.
That might cause a serious person to question the wisdom of using Windows Update at all. And many of you did. Smart Answers has thoughts, of course.
The answer according to the wisdom of crowds is that you should trust Windows Update, but not totally. This flaw has not been exploited in the wild, but is a fair warning that nothing is ever perfect. Certainly not in the world of cyber security.
Find out Can Windows Update be fully trusted for security patches?
About Smart Answers
Smart Answers is an AI-based chatbot tool designed to help you discover content, answer questions, and go deep on the topics that matter to you. Each week we send you the three most popular questions asked by our readers, and the answers Smart Answers provides.
Developed in partnership with Miso.ai, Smart Answers draws only on editorial content from our network of trusted media brandsâCIO, Computerworld, CSO, InfoWorld, and Network Worldâand was trained on questions that a savvy enterprise IT audience would ask. The result is a fast, efficient way for you to get more value from our content.
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