password

Fri
24
Sep
John Lister's picture

Microsoft Makes Password Optional

Microsoft has removed the need for passwords to log in to a Microsoft account. Users can choose from four other options including a dedicated app. A Microsoft account can cover a range of devices and activities including Outlook, Microsoft 365 (the ... online version of what used to be called Office), settings and bookmarks in the Edge browser, Skype calls, online storage in OneDrive and purchases and downloads from the Microsoft Store. It's also the default way to log in to Windows itself for many users, though some setups let users opt for a four-digit PIN code instead. Passwords Bring Dilemma ... (view more)

Wed
11
Aug
John Lister's picture

Three Random Words 'Best Password Strategy'

A government agency says three "random" words make for a better password than many other approaches. It says other strategies such as adding symbols and numbers can be counterproductive. The advice comes from the National Cyber Security Center ... (NCSC). That's a body in the United Kingdom that deals with major security breaches and gives advice to businesses and other government organizations. According to the NCSC, the advice is aimed at people who try to remember passwords. It says password manager tools are a good solution but remain widely unused. (Source: gov.uk ) Predictable Appr0@ch! The ... (view more)

Thu
01
Oct
John Lister's picture

COVID-19 Changes Ransomware Tactics

COVID-19 hasn't had much direct effect on the world of malware, but it may be why ransomware scams are getting scarily efficient. So says Microsoft in its latest "Digital Defense Report." The report is based on Microsoft's experiences through its ... built-in and standalone security measures on consumer and business devices and networks. It covers the year from July 2019 though June 2020. (Source: microsoft.com ) Microsoft suggests COVID-19 itself hasn't made much difference to most forms of malware. That's something of a surprise given more people are working from home and thus sending ... (view more)

Mon
16
Mar
Dennis Faas's picture

How to Fix: Win10 Home Disable Password Complexity, Expiration

Infopackets Reader Ginny S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I am running Windows 10 Home and all the sudden it is telling me that I need to change my password and that my Windows password must meet complexity requirements . I have never had this issue ... before. To make matters worse it tells me that the password needs to be minimum of 8 characters and contain both upper and lower case, plus digits. This has happened twice already and I have a hard enough time remembering my passwords. How can I disable the Windows 10 Home password complexity and expiration ? All the posts I've come across all mention ... (view more)

Fri
13
Dec
Dennis Faas's picture

Explained: How to Use Roboform (Step by Step)

Infopackets Reader Renate L. writes: " Dear Dennis, Thank you so much for helping me with my computer with your remote support service. You are life saver! Question: you recently installed Roboform to help me remember my passwords, but I'm afraid ... I've made a mess of things. For example, I somehow managed to save 3 different Roboform logins (passcards) for my online banking site - and none of them work! I'd like to fix this so I have 1 working login, otherwise I'm going to be really confused moving forward. Is it possible for you to put together a brief how-to guide on how to use Roboform? I'd ... (view more)

Thu
05
Dec
John Lister's picture

Android Malware Extracts Passwords from Any Legit App

Security researchers say a serious Android bug could let malware pose as a legitimate app and gain unwanted access to a phone's data and functions. The concept of the 'StrandHogg' bug has been known for several years, but now it's being actively ... exploited to target online banking. In simple terms, the bug has two unwanted effects: it can trick users into giving malware sensitive 'permissions' to access the phone, and it can hijack legitimate apps to trick users into handing over login details and sensitive information. Researchers at Promon explain the bug is with a security setting called ... (view more)

Mon
16
Sep
John Lister's picture

Password Manager Bug Exposes Last Used Password

Password manager LastPass has suffered an embarrassing security glitch that reveals a user's last used password, though some security experts argue that pulling off the exploit would have been difficult at best. The purpose of LastPass is to solve ... the problem of people having too many passwords to remember, but not wanting to reuse passwords across multiple sites. Once somebody signs up to LastPass, they create a single master password which is completely secret. Even LastPass itself doesn't store this password, so if a user forgets it, they are out of luck. The master password then stores ... (view more)

Mon
26
Aug
John Lister's picture

Chrome to Check Passwords Against Hacked Databases

Chrome may soon warn users if their passwords have been compromised. It works by checking inputted passwords against those exposed in public data breaches. The feature is already available for Chrome from an official Google extension known as ... Password Checkup, but users need to actively install this extension to use it. Web browser Mozilla Firefox already has a similar feature built-in. Now a similar feature named "password leak detection" has been spotted in the code of Chrome Canary. That's a version of Chrome that includes test features planned for release in the main Chrome edition in a ... (view more)

Wed
17
Jul
John Lister's picture

New Router Exploit Auto-redirects to Rogue Sites

A security firm says hackers have hijacked 180,000 routers in Brazil alone so far this year. They target people who haven't changed the default login for the router's control system. According to Avast, there have been more than 4.6 million attempts ... to modify router settings remotely. Although the attacks were targeted at people using particular Internet service providers in Brazil, there's no reason the same tactics couldn't work elsewhere. The goal of the attacks is to change the DNS settings on a router. In simple terms, that's like the address book that a router uses to turn a website ... (view more)

Wed
24
Apr
John Lister's picture

WiFi Hotspot App Leaks 2M Passwords, Many Residential

An app designed to make it easier to get on public WiFi has accidentally exposed more than two million WiFi passwords. It appears to be a case of terrible design, rather than pure malice by the app designers. The app is called "WiFi Finder - connect ... to hotspots" and is listed on the Google Play store as having more than 100,000 downloads. In theory the app is part of a project to make using WiFi on the move more convenient. It's designed to be a massive database to which users can add public WiFi networks and the relevant passwords. For example, visitors to a coffee store could add the ... (view more)

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