ON SECURITY By Susan Bradley OpenAI’s recent attack on another company’s cloud instances reminds me that sometimes we forget the basics. As we understand the situation at the moment, OpenAI’s test platform was meant to be isolated and not connected to the Internet. But because it needed to download certain items, it was given read-only […]

ON SECURITY Tracking the attacker By Susan Bradley Recently, Apple, Adobe, Microsoft, and others released updates illustrating how much we are being impacted by AI. The three major vendors either sped up releases or released updates with a massive number of vulnerabilities. But does that make us more unsecure? Before I discuss some side effects […]

ON SECURITY By Susan Bradley If you are a Windows 11 owner, it’s wise to review your security practices on a regular basis. Recently, I’ve come across a new tool that you may want to check out. The advantage? It uses only official Microsoft built-in techniques that are documented and approved. In addition, it comes […]

You probably saw in the news the story about the young man brought up on charges. I’ve seen more than a few folks on social media concerned about the privacy implications of a GDID. (More about that identifier here). I personally have a hard time putting up my gee whiz privacy outrage for a guy […]

ON SECURITY By Susan Bradley When I started writing this column, I planned to open with the forthcoming end of the Windows 10 ESU. Oops. On June 24, Microsoft changed its mind. It decided to extend the Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for another year, until October 12, 2027. You can find the […]

ON SECURITY By Susan Bradley Normally, I like to give actionable information. This article won’t do that. Sure, I’ll give you a few tips here and there, but for the vast majority of this week’s column, I’ll be pointing out instances of vendor arrogance. I’m going to begin with Microsoft (of course, and deservedly so), […]

ON SECURITY By Susan Bradley Passwords. We’ve had them for a long time. They’ve served us well. But they are also subject to attacks — phishing and spoofing. Microsoft and many other vendors want us to move to passkeys. Unfortunately, the transition has not been easy or clear. Passwords are what we are used to. […]

ON SECURITY By Susan Bradley The “edge,” by which I mean the network hardware standing between the Internet and the PCs and devices on your network, is a first line of defense against attackers. What’s on your edge? At any point during the day, attackers are out to get someone. You may not be the […]

ON SECURITY By Susan Bradley One thing the World Wide Web has done in recent years is introduce new ways to scam, trick, entice, and generally be a drag on our time — and potentially a hit to our pocketbooks. Here are some threats I’ve seen in recent months. Read the full story in our […]