Windows XP can get updates till today!

Microsoft stopped its support for Windows XP officially on April 8, 2014. This move made a large number of users to switch to the latest version of Windows, but still a wide range of users are using Microsoft oldest and most widely used operating system XP despite not receiving security updates from Microsoft.

But some companies and organizations who were not able to migrate their operating system’s running Windows XP to another operating system before the support phase ended, are still receiving updates by paying Microsoft for the security patches and updates. Now a relatively simple method has emerged as a trick for the XP users which makes it possible to receive Windows XP security updates for the next five years i.e. until April 2019.

It makes use of updates for Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 based on Windows XP Service Pack 3, because the security updates which are being released for POSReady 2009 are the same updates Microsoft would have rolled out for its Windows XP, if it was still supporting XP Operating System.

Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 is the operating system installed in "point-of-sale" (POS) systems such as restaurant machine, ticket machines or other customized version of Windows Embedded systems. POS machine most likely uses the XP operating system, therefore receives the same updates that are delivered by Microsoft for the officially unsupported version of Windows XP.

You are not allowed to directly install these Windows updates for your OS. In order to download new security updates for your Windows XP, you just need to perform a simple intervention into the Windows registration database.

FOLLOW THESE STEPS:

1. Open Notepad and create a new file.
2. Add Below given code to it:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\WPA\PosReady]
"Installed"=dword:00000001

3. Save file as .reg (test.reg) extension and run it by double clicks.
4. Once executed, you will find lots of pending updates in your Windows Action Center.

Because the extended support for Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 systems ends after 5 years, Microsoft will continue to deliver new security updates and patches for this version of its embedded operating system till April 9th, 2019, so users can use this trick to get security updates of Windows XP for another five years.

Despite receiving security updates for Windows XP by using such tricks, it is not possible to secure the complete system appropriately. So all of you to upgrade your operating system to the latest versions, i.e. Windows 7 or 8 or any Linux OS.

Secure your passwords with Password Manager

Using a different password for every online site and service is critical to your cyber security.

There's a war raging between hackers and companies, and you're caught in the crossfire. Every time a company gets hacked, you have to change your password. And don't you dare reuse it somewhere else.

Dreaming up a different password for every site and service is the only way to keep your stuff safe online, but it's also a gigantic nuisance. There's one thing you can and should do to help: Get a password manager program. Password managers hide your information behind a master password that only you know.

There is a way to manage all your passwords together i.e., password manager, here are the password manager softwares; 1Password, Dashlane, LastPass and PasswordBox.

LastPass is a good choice for people who use newer technology like fingerprint scanners. For the really paranoid, 1Password offers the most control over where your encrypted vault of passwords gets stored.

For most people, I recommend Dashlane. It's simple, so you'll actually use it. It may even save you clicks.

Nothing is 100% guaranteed, but all four of these managers take the additional security step of never sending your master password over the Internet. They're like a safe-deposit box that a professional keeps without knowing what's inside, or even holding a key to open it.

In an age where more of our personal information lives, password protected, up in the cloud, we need defenses beyond antivirus software. Using a password manager is the next step.

Now keep all your passwords in a password manager and relax.

Blackshades malware spies through your webcam

In the old days, one simply had to draw their blinds to avoid peeping toms from spying on their private business. Now, it seems that even with the shades drawn, one must also shutter their webcam. Earlier this week, the FBI initiated a crackdown leading to the arrest of nearly 100 users of a program called Blackshades malware. This program allows hackers to remotely access the computers of their victims, enabling them to steal files, log passwords, and even turn on microphones and webcams unnoticed. This spying software could be purchased online for as little as $40 U.S.D.

Blackshades malware is referred to as a remote access tool (RAT), meaning it allows the hacker to gain full access to your machine as if he were sitting right in front of it. The technology behind this threat is similar to that used by the IT department at your office. When Joe IT Guy needs to access your work computer to install updates, fix an issue with your settings, or remotely control your machine for a variety of other reasons, he can with advanced warning and mutual understanding that he has the right to do so. Perpetrators of Blackshades malware aren’t quite as courteous.

Prior to the FBI crackdown this week, anyone with an Internet connection could purchase the Blackshades software, and they didn’t need to be a skilled hacker to use it, either. As security blogger Brian Krebs put it, “Blackshades was a tool created and marketed principally for buyers who wouldn’t know how to hack their way out of a paper bag.” The ease of use (and ease of purchase) associated with Blackshades malware illustrates the “hacking as a service” phenomenon, where anyone with the financial means necessary can become a cybercriminal. The software even came with tools known as “spreaders” which helped these novice cybercriminals distribute malicious links via social media, in an effort to infect more computers. As with most other malware attacks, Blackshades relies on you visiting an infected website or downloading an infected file in order to install a hacker’s malicious software on your computer.

The prepackaged malware also came with tools to help cybercriminals extract money from their victims, otherwise known as ransomware. Ransomware works by allowing the hacker to lock or encrypt files (sometimes even locking you out of your device completely), and then demand money in exchange for allowing you to regain access.

Blackshades malware is a multidimensional, robust software program with a relatively puny price tag. And just because the FBI has cracked down on its users, doesn’t mean it’s disappeared from the Web completely. In fact, this strain of malware has been around for years.

Here are some steps you can take to protect yourself from virtual peeping toms:

• Do not click on links from unknown senders
• Use web protection when surfing online
• Avoid attachments from unknown senders
• Download apps, music, and movies from official sources
• Install comprehensive security on your system

Read this article also at: http://blogs.mcafee.com/consumer/blackshades-malware?lqmcat=Social:FB:WW:post:null:link:internal&utm_campaign=blog&utm_source=ncsa&utm_medium=facebook