Archive for May 19, 2021

Microsoft Is Finally Killing Off Internet Explorer In 2022

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 19, 2021 by itnerd

Microsoft is finally retiring Internet Explorer next year, after more than 25 years. The aging web browser has largely been unused by most consumers for years, but Microsoft is putting the final nail in the Internet Explorer coffin on June 15th, 2022, by retiring it in favor of Microsoft Edge:

“We are announcing that the future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 is in Microsoft Edge,” says Sean Lyndersay, a Microsoft Edge program manager. “The Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will be retired and go out of support on June 15, 2022, for certain versions of Windows 10.”

While the Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) of Windows 10 will still include Internet Explorer next year, all consumer versions will end support of the browser. Microsoft doesn’t make it clear (and we’re checking), but it’s likely that we’ll finally see the end of Internet Explorer being bundled in Windows either in June 2022 or soon after.

My advice is that you should get ahead of the game by making the move to Microsoft Edge or some other browser. That way you’re not caught off guard when some update from Microsoft takes away Internet Explorer next June. Because Internet Explorer has had its run, but it’s time to deep six it.

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Coursera Adds Infosec Cybersecurity Training

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 19, 2021 by itnerd

Infosec, the leading cybersecurity education company, today announced they have partnered with Coursera, one of the world’s leading online learning platforms, to bring award-winning Infosec Skills training to the more than 82 million learners on Coursera worldwide. Learners can now boost their cyber skills with courses on everything from secure coding and digital forensics to incident response and cybersecurity management. Infosec Skills courses now available on Coursera include Cyber Incident Response, Credential Access, Discovery, Lateral Movement & Collection, Python for Command-And-Control, Exfiltration and Impact and more, with several additional courses and Specializations scheduled for release in coming months. 

Coursera partners with more than 200 leading university and industry educators to bring flexible, affordable online learning to individuals and organizations worldwide. It offers a range of learning opportunities — from hands-on projects to job-relevant courses, certificates, and degree programs. 

Infosec’s technical skill development platform, Infosec Skills, includes over 1,200 resources to assess teams and close skills gaps with hands-on cyber ranges, projects and courses mapped to the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity and MITRE ATT&CK® Framework. Learners can upskill on their schedule with hands-on cyber training aligned to their existing role and future career goals or upgrade to live, instructor-led boot camps to fast-track certification success. 

Learn more about Infosec Skills.

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New Zealand Hospitals Pwned By Ransomware…. Some Surgeries Cancelled

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 19, 2021 by itnerd

New Zealand’s Waikato District Health Board (DHB) has been hit with ransomware that took down most IT services Tuesday morning and drastically reduced services at six of its affiliate hospitals:

Waikato District Health Board’s entire IT service is down due to a major cyber attack affecting all clinical services and forcing patient appointments to be cancelled.

“We have engaged external assistance to address a cyber security incident affecting our Information Services environment,” the DHB said in a Facebook post this morning.

Government agencies have been advised and an investigation is under way, the DHB said.

The people claiming to behind this have made contact with the health board according to this report:

As well as bringing in outside cyber security experts, the National Cyber Security Centre was also guiding his team in how to deal with those claiming to be the hackers, Snee said.

“We’ve had a communication, but whether that is from the … malicious actors or whether it is somebody else – we have to check the veracity of that,” he said.

As a result, some surgeries and other procedures have been cancelled. Which makes this event non-trivial. This is the second health group in the last week or two to be hit by ransomware. That highlights the fact that everyone needs to up their cybersecurity game to stop themselves from being the next headline in the news for being pwned. Not to mention the fact that it has significant knock on effects.

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Windows 10 21H1 Has Been Released…. What’s New?

Posted in Commentary with tags on May 19, 2021 by itnerd

Microsoft has kicked off the process of releasing Windows 10 21H1 to the world. Here’s what’s new:

  • Support for multiple Windows Hello cameras
  • Windows Defender gets improvements with the new app container technology integrations
  • Enhanced Voice Typing experience
  • A modernized touch keyboard
  • Edge browser is now widely available

It’s not exactly a large list. So if you’re expecting Earth shaking changes, you’ll be disappointed.

As usual, Microsoft is throttling availability of this update to ensure a reliable download experience for all. So if you don’t see the update right away, that’s why. Also some devices might have a compatibility issue which would result in you not seeing this update. Thus I would be patient and wait for this update to appear in Update & Security rather than going off and installing it yourself.

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