It was reported this week that a Virginia state web site was hacked into and approximately 8.3 million patient records were stolen and deleted from the computers. The attackers have asked for a ransom for the return of the records. It is not yet clear how the attackers gained access to the records.
Here’s an extreme example of what can happen if you don’t securely erase your hard drives before getting rid of them. Make sure you wipe your old hard disks securely with a tool like Darik’s Boot and Nuke or Eraser before disposing of them.
Google this week released an update for its Chrome browser to fix two security vulnerabilities. Make sure to get the latest release if you don’t have it.
In a related story, researchers have found that users of Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome are much more likely to have the latest versions of those browsers (with security fixes) than users of Safari or Opera. Just another reason to switch to Firefox or Chrome as your browser of choice.
There is more evidence attackers have shifted their mode of attack to software other than Microsoft. In 2009, attackers have started using PDF files much more frequently to attack vulnerabilities in Adobe Reader software. My recommendation is to switch to Foxit as your PDF reader. If you choose to keep Adobe Reader, though, make sure you update it as soon as new release become available and be wary about PDF files you receive in emails or untrusted web sites. Updates for two recent Adobe Reader vulnerabilties are to be released on May 12.
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