Shane Chambers No Comments

Users Warned of Major New Phishing Campaign, Using Infected Excel Files

Microsoft has released a statement warning users to stay vigilant of phishing emails, as a malicious campaign has been detected which tricks users into downloading an Excel sheet containing harmful software. The criminals responsible are taking advantage of the confusion around Covid-19, as many others have been doing lately, to convince users that the emails are genuine and to enable macros within Excel once the file has been downloaded to their computer.

Users should be extremely wary of attachments they are not expecting, as many common file types can be injected with malware.
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Shane Chambers No Comments

Windows 10 Creators Update Introduces New Features to Defend Against Ransomware

Ransomware has taken the world by storm this year, costing millions for businesses around the world. In the last 12 months alone, the number of ransomware variants spotted in the wild has more than doubled. As its prevalence has increased, so has the complexity of the attacks, and new ways to defend against them have been developed. Microsoft have been known to take the ransomware threat very seriously, even releasing a security patch for the long obsolete Windows XP operating system in the wake of the infamous WannaCry attack back in May. With the realease of the Windows 10 Creators Update (build 1703), now there are even more features built right in to the OS that can prevent and protect against ransomware. In fact, it’s so secure that Microsoft claim no Windows 10 devices were affected by WannaCry.


The Creators Update of Windows 10 is Microsoft’s most secure operating system yet, containing many anti-ransomware features

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EU Business Is Turning to Microsoft After They Offer Contractual Commitments to the GDPR

GDPR, the EU’s new set of data protection laws, is coming in May of 2018. It is a complete overhaul of how user data is processed by companies and will supersede Irish law, consolidating Europe’s various national laws into one comprehensive regulation. GDPR is all about accountability, and as such, places equal responsibility on both businesses who hold EU data and any third-party providers that may process/hold data on their behalf. In practical terms, that means that if you outsource any aspect of your business, such as payroll to an external HR company, then both parties must be GDPR-compliant, even if the out-sourced company is not based in or even near the EU. So what does this mean for companies who outsource data processing or host data in the cloud outside the EU? Well, it means Microsoft’s suite of cloud services such as Office 365, SharePoint and Azure are now looking a lot more appealing – as Microsoft are offering contractual commitments to their clients to comply with the GDPR in time for the May 2018 deadline.


Microsoft Cloud has promised to be GDPR-compliant as deadline looms

According to Rich Sauer, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President, “Trust is central to Microsoft’s mission to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more. So that you can trust the Microsoft products and services you use, we take a principled approach with strong commitments to privacy, security, compliance and transparency.”

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